Page 34

Placing a hand at the small of Emmy’s back, Rocco directed them over to the bar for a drink before finding a quiet booth to sit in.

Someone was already dancing on one of the poles on the other side of the room, and there appeared to be a game of strip billiards in progress at the pool tables.

He wasn’t interested in any of it. How long did he have to wait before he could get his husband upstairs and into bed?

“Are you spending Christmas with your family?” Emmy asked, taking a sip of magicked mulled wine that would make even his shifter metabolism a little tipsy, though not for long.

“They got called back to the capital unexpectedly. I’m spending Christmas with my husband,” Rocco said, trying not to be annoyed at Emmy for assuming they’d be apart.

“Are you going to spill all my secrets to my pack again?” Emmy asked, sounding as bratty as Rocco had ever heard him.

Is that what this attitude was about? There was always a tension between them, but it was definitely chillier since they’d left the basement.

“You going to keep hiding yourself from everyone who loves you?” he shot back.

“Fuck off.”

Reaching over, Rocco hauled the slightly smaller man onto his lap, burying his nose in the crook of his neck so he could breathe in pure Emmy instead of the smell of booze, drugs, and bad decision-making around them.

“I tell you to fuck off and you drag me even closer?” Emmy asked, but he wasn’t pushing him away.

“Like I could make you do anything you didn’t want. Stop fighting this so hard. Stop fighting us so hard.”

“I don’t know how,” Emmy whispered.

Flagging down one of the probies circulating, Rocco grabbed his mate a handful of beef skewers and a cone of hot chips.

“You haven’t eaten enough today,” he said, holding out some of the tender meat so Emmy could bite it from his fingers.

Emmy ignored the move but grabbed one of the skewers from the plate in front of them, devouring it in two bites.

A grating laugh drew Rocco’s attention across the room, and he scowled as he took in Brand holding court by the bar.

The treasurer was wearing an over-the-top orange shirt spelled to hold magicked flames.

A ridiculous waste of power. Brand was popular with the club members, only showing his asshole side to Rocco.

In a choice between believing the golden-boy treasurer or the reckless air witch they hadn’t even wanted to let into the club, he knew which side the MC members would take.

“I can feel the tension in you. What’s wrong?” Emmy asked, twisting to look up at him.

“Did Luca have a chance to look into things?” Rocco asked, kissing his mate’s throat as he kept his eyes on Brand across the room.

Emmy followed his gaze, and a low growl left him.

Twisting on his lap, Emmy moved to straddle him.

It was a tight squeeze in the small space that left their lower bodies pressed close together and their faces inches apart.

The move thoroughly distracted him from his target, especially when Emmy reached out to grip his hair in a fist, holding him captive.

Rocco’s eyes traced his beautiful face before dropping to the lips he was desperate to taste.

Emmy smirked, leaning forward to brush a barely there kiss to his mouth, his grip on Rocco’s hair stopping him when he tried to lunge forward and deepen it.

“So, I might have been a bit distracted by the whole wedding thing.”

Rocco smirked. He could never be mad about Emmy being distracted by him.

“You forgot to follow up with him?”

Emmy winced. “No, I did. I forgot to tell you what he said. I met your family right after and it … slipped my mind. Fuck, you’re a menace to my reputation. I never forget something like that.”

“Maybe if you gave in and bonded me already, you’d be able to focus again,” Rocco pointed out. It seemed pretty obvious to him.

“Shut up.”

“What did he say?”

“He didn’t have much detail, and we weren’t sure what it meant. It was more of a potential motive than anything else.”

Rocco smiled as he watched his mate. Emmy was rambling. Because he was so distracted by him. Because he felt bad that he’d forgotten to talk to him. Because he cared .

“Shut up,” Emmy said again.

“I didn’t say a word.”

“Your face did.”

“You were saying?”

“He’s dating Andy. Or he’s meeting with him, anyway.”

Rocco swore under his breath and scowled as he searched the room for the asshole treasurer, his body tensing as Emmy’s weight kept him seated when he wanted to jump to his feet .

“Are you jealous?” Emmy asked, a hint of danger in the question.

Rocco drew his attention back to his mate, confused. “What? No. I’m pissed he screwed me over just to get his dick wet.”

“I think there might be more to it than that. Luca’s still digging.”

A flash of orange in his peripheral vision had Rocco’s head snapping around to the doorway to their right, where Brand was disappearing. Rocco’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the now-closed door.

“Was he near enough to hear us?” Emmy asked. “I should’ve noticed him, but it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s location by scent in a bar this crowded.”

“Not your fault, puppy. And it doesn’t matter. What’s he going to do if he did?”

The stars glittered overhead in a crisp, clear night where each breath left a cloud of condensation in the air.

Pulling the blanket more closely around them, Rocco nuzzled his nose into Emmy’s neck, where he was nestled between his legs.

Living in such close proximity to a club of bikers had taken some getting used to.

The fact his room was the only one from which you could climb out the window and up onto the roof had kept him sane on more than one occasion.

And now he could share that with his mate.

“Is this our first real date?” Rocco asked.

Emmy huffed out another cloud of air. “Don’t ruin it.”

Rocco twisted to lay Emmy out on the roof, leaning over to kiss him until he forgot to resist this thing between them, but the moment was interrupted by the vibration of his phone in his pocket.

Storm:

Sorry to interrupt. I’ve got an urgent job for you. Our crew needs a glamour assist.

Rocco looked at the location of the pin on the map Storm had sent and sighed. At least it wasn’t too far from the club. Only five minutes away if he gunned it.

“Sorry, puppy. Gotta go to work. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Rocco said, pressing a kiss to his mouth. “Wait for me? I’ll make it worth your while.”

Emmy scowled at him before relenting. “Fine.”

Not wanting to waste time navigating the club’s corridors, Rocco used a touch of his magic to keep the nearest downpipe anchored to the wall while he shimmied down it.

The unusual exit meant he approached the parking area from the shadows.

He paused as he neared his bike, frowning at the back of a hooded figure heading inside.

Was that Andy ? He’d recognise that ass anywhere.

He wouldn’t have thought Brand would risk inviting the Police Chief’s son to the club to hook up after everything that happened. Plus, Brand’s distinctive bike was missing from its park. Had the treasurer made it look like he was out so no one came looking for him while he fucked Rocco’s ex?

His instincts were screaming at him to follow Andy’s slight figure inside, but he couldn’t risk delaying any longer. If one of their drug-running crews needed a glamour, it meant they’d either run afoul of law enforcement or one of the other families. He couldn’t keep them waiting.

With one last concerned glance over his shoulder, he roared out onto the street like a bat out of hell. The sooner he left, the sooner he could get back and figure out what the fuck was going on.