Read Hagen, Lynn - Knox [Zeus's Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting ManLove) Online
Authors: Lynn Hagen
“Want to try again?”
“No.”
Knox reached down and pulled the hem of Sammy’s shirt out of his hands before he could desecrate it. He felt foolish now that he had finished crying his eyes out. “I’m okay now, so can I go back to work?”
“Theo will let you have the rest of the night off if you need it.” The hand started stroking Sammy’s back again, but he wouldn’t allow it to hypnotize him. Climbing down, he got off of Knox’s lap and headed for his door.
“Really, I’m fine.”
Knox nodded and followed him out, walking down the steps behind him. Sammy walked out into the tavern and immediately ran to the kitchen, trying his best to hide from his shame.
“There you are.”
He came to a halt when he saw Trevor standing just inside the screen door. Sammy groaned at all the attention suddenly on him. “I’m fine.” He waved Trevor away and began to tackle the dishes.
“Want to tell me who made you cry?”
Sammy didn’t like Trevor’s tone. It sounded a little too menacing. “No one, I made myself cry.”
“Liar.” Trevor’s lip pulled back into a smile, and Sammy was reminded of the teeth that had bitten him.
“Go away, I have to work.” He scrubbed his frustrations out on the pan in his hand, wishing Trevor would go away and wishing he would stay. Sammy wondered if the pressure was finally getting to him.
He finished his dirty dishes and grabbed the pan, going back out into the restaurant. As he cleared away a table, Knox sidled up next to him.
“How are you feeling?”
Sammy growled in frustration. Why were these two bothering him? He wasn’t any prize to look at. Connolly had made that very clear.
You’re lucky to have me wanting you. If it wasn’t for me, no one would want your little scrawny ass.
“What do you want?” he asked between clenched teeth. Were these two playing tag team to see how much they could rattle him? What was their goal? Did their agenda include Sammy giving up some tail and then the two laughing at him afterward for being such a dumb-ass for trusting them?
“Just to make sure you’re okay.” Knox ran his hand over Sammy’s head, but he pulled away, not wanting the attention if their ultimate goal was to use him and then humiliate.
He stomped back into the kitchen, Trevor right at his side as soon as he pushed through the doors. Sammy was slowly cracking. He slammed the pan down and spun on Trevor. “Go the hell away!”
Even in his anger, Sammy could see the hurt look in the guy’s eyes. That wasn’t his intention. All he wanted was some breathing room. “I’m sorry.”
Trevor shrugged. “I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t be, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” He picked the pan up and dumped the dishes into the hot water, feeling like a real heel.
“I’m not trying to be a bother.”
Sammy sighed and turned around. “I know. It’s just been a rough night. Are you hungry? I could feed you.” Sammy saw the humor in the man’s eyes.
“I’m not hungry, but thanks for asking.” Trevor smiled at Sammy, and he felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He quickly forgot about the teeth with a sexy smile like that. All Sammy saw was someone wanting acceptance. That’s how he perceived it anyway, and that’s how Sammy felt, too.
“I have to go back out there. Will you stay?”
The hurt looked vanished as Trevor stood up straight. “Not going anywhere, little darling.”
Sammy blushed at the endearment and the way Trevor was looking at him. He ran back out into the dining area. Knox was over at the bar talking to Theo but winked at Sammy when he spotted him. Sammy quickly turned his head and cleared another table.
“Excuse me, could you take this glass for me?”
Sammy walked over to the next table and took the empty glass from the man’s hands. As he turned, fingers pinched his butt.
Sammy watched in horror as Knox growled and stormed across the room like a predator after its prey. He backed away, unsure what was about to happen. Theo was right behind Knox, his face twisted in anger.
Did they think he was flirting with the customers? Was he about to lose his job? Sammy stood there frozen, unable to move or think as Knox pulled the guy from the booth and collared him. “Do you have a problem keeping your hands to yourself?”
“N–No.”
“Get the fuck out,” Theo snapped at the man.
Knox pushed the guy toward the door, and Sammy was left standing there stunned. Theo walked back to him, and his eyes became soft. Okay, this wasn’t going exactly the way he thought it would.
“Does that happen often?” Theo asked gently.
Sammy didn’t want to answer him. What if he told the truth and Theo fired him for being too much of a headache to deal with?
“Answer me, Sammy.”
He nodded, unable to find his voice. He glanced over to Knox, who looked really mad. “I want you to tell me or Theo the next time that happens,” Knox said.
“But why?”
“Because you shouldn’t be dealing with that at work, or anywhere else for that matter,” Theo explained. “I wish you would have brought this to my attention when it happened the first time.”
Sammy shifted from foot to foot, not sure what to say. He had thought for sure he would be fired. Knox stepped closer, and Sammy felt as though he couldn’t breathe. The man’s presence was overwhelming. He wanted to crawl into the man’s arms because they looked so safe and warm.
He shouldn’t be thinking of that. There was no chance in hell this man wanted him in that way. Sammy picked up his dishpan. “Thank you for helping me.” He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the kitchen.
“Your pan is empty, but you’ve been gone for twenty minutes,” Trevor said when Sammy came back into the kitchen. Sammy groaned to himself. Was this night ever going to end?
“I had other things to do,” Sammy stated. “Besides, the cook should be coming back soon, and you shouldn’t be in here.” Why were his emotions flip-flopping around with Trevor?
“I can wait outside. Will you come out when your shift is over?”
Sammy bit his lip, unsure of what to say. He felt an attraction toward Trevor, but he also had one toward Knox. Trevor seemed to be the more obtainable one. “Okay.”
“Sammy?”
Sammy turned to see Knox standing just inside the kitchen door. Trevor hissed and pulled Sammy behind him.
“Fucking vampire.” Knox leapt across the space, grabbing Trevor and pushing him to the floor.
“No!” Sammy pushed Knox back, his hands pressed against Knox’s hard and muscular chest. “Don’t hurt him.”
“Stay back, Sammy,” Knox ordered him. “He’s a filthy vampire.”
Sammy pummeled his fist against Knox’s chest. “Stay away from him.”
Knox bent his knees, leaning closer to Trevor, glaring at the undead. “No.” Knox backed up as his eyes grew wide, Sammy still pushing him back. “It can’t be,” Knox whispered.
Trevor glared up at Knox, his lips pulled back in an irritated twist. “I’m not too happy about this either,
mate
.”
Chapter Two
Knox looked at the vampire lying on the floor. He had an urge to pick him up and hold him. To make sure he wasn’t harmed.
Hell no.
This couldn’t be happening. He had a vampire for a mate? Knox took a step back, staring at the undead with repulsion and, at the same time, want.
He couldn’t deal with this right now. The creature lay on the floor glaring at him, but Knox could see the hurt in his eyes. His emotions were conflicting as he was torn between walking away and pulling the vampire into his arms.
Shit.
“Stay away from Sammy.” Knox spun around, grabbing his smaller mate’s wrist, and nearly tore the door open as he went back into the dining area. He had to think. He needed fresh air.
Knox walked past the bar and headed for the front door when Sammy yanked his hand away. “That was just plain old mean.” His mate spun around and stomped back toward the kitchen.
“Sammy, don’t.” He wasn’t sure what the vampire would do to his small mate, and Knox wasn’t going to take any chances. He grabbed Sammy’s wrist again, pulling him to a halt.
“Let go. I have to check on Trevor. That was really mean what you did, and he has feelings, too.” Sammy yanked his hand away and continued walking.
Knox balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. He walked after Sammy to the kitchen. Knox palmed the door and pushed it open, but only Sammy stood there.
Trevor was gone.
“Now look what you’ve done. He probably won’t come back.” Sammy narrowed his eyes as he pointed an accusing finger up at Knox. “I hope you’re happy, mister.”
Knox wasn’t. As much as he wanted to walk away with just Sammy, a yearning began inside of him for Trevor. God, he was so fucked up. Knox was aware that he could possibly have two mates. Their Alpha Zeus and one of the soldiers, Avanti, each already had a pair. But why did one of his have to be a vampire?
“Where did he come from?” he asked Sammy.
“I don’t know. He just showed up here. But he seems really nice, and you shouldn’t have done that.” Sammy sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I guess it doesn’t matter now, since you scared him off.”
“I didn’t mean to, but he’s a vampire.” Knox stated the obvious.
“And that makes it okay for you to treat him like that?”
He was a little thrown off by Sammy’s acceptance. “Doesn’t it scare you?”
“I’ll admit, it did when he bit me—”
“He what!” Knox reached out to Sammy’s shirt and jerked it aside. Two little reddened pinpricks were visible. It almost looked like it was healing. “I’ll kill him.”
Sammy batted his hand away. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. He’s been nothing but nice to me since. How can I fear a nice man?”
“Very easily.”
“Maybe for you it is.” Sammy’s gaze cast downward. “If you put half the effort into making friends with him as you did pushing him, he may not have left.”
Knox couldn’t begin to explain to the human the dangers Trevor posed. How could he make his mate see that Trevor was one of the creatures the grey wolves had been fighting against? Somehow he knew that even if he explained the whole wolf-vampire-rogue thing that Sammy would still want him to be friends with Trevor.
Friends wasn’t the only thing fate had planned. He wondered if Sammy would be so receptive if he found that out. Knox rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how he should handle this situation. “I’ll try harder next time.”
“To be friends or to knock him down?” Sammy looked up at him skeptically.
“Both?”
Sammy narrowed his eyes as he took a step back, looking for all the world like he wanted to kick Knox’s ass. “Not funny.”
Knox knew it wasn’t, but he was trying to make Sammy smile.
“You know, I was tricked into hurting a friend of mine, and it’s not a nice feeling. To do it purposely is even worse,” Sammy confessed.
Knox knew that Sammy had been a pawn in Dirk Alvisio’s plan to kidnap his nephew, Craig, and kill him. He had heard how Sammy was used to lure Jesse into the bathroom by gunpoint and then both of them were kidnapped.