It felt so good to hear the carefreeness that she wondered if maybe she should continue the game, but the way he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, an all-knowing smile curving the edges, made her want to smack him again. “Shut up,” she whispered loudly at him.
“C’mon, Jess, I’ve known you a long time. You can be truthful with me,” he chided.
“Calling me Jess with that cute little grin on your face isn’t going to get you anywhere, Layne,” she mumbled, reaching for her notebook.
He held it just out of her reach and put his hand on her thigh, forcing her to stay seated as she tried to get up to get a longer reach. She gave him a pointed look, pursing her lips. She fought not to cross her arms over her chest and stomp her feet in the best temper tantrum she had ever had in her life. Her stomach rolled because she knew he could see right through her. Every page in that notebook was about him and what she wanted him to do to her.
“I think that’s where you’re wrong.” His voice was low and deep.
She squirmed as he moved the hand on her thigh further up her leg and slipped his fingers under the hem of her shorts. Her breathing quickened and her belly warmed from the heat of his fingers there. The touch was soft, but effective.
“I’m right,” she told him, but her voice sounded lame, even to her own ears.
It was an impulsive thought, but the fact that she trusted him with something like this made him feel like he was ten feet tall and bullet proof. “Let’s get out of here.”
Her heart raced. This was the Layne she knew and remembered—always up for anything. When they had been together in Georgia, he loved to look at her and ask her to just go somewhere with him.
“Go where?”
He could see in her eyes that he’d gotten her. There was no longer the guarded look of embarrassment there; she was genuinely interested in going with him. “Anywhere but right here.”
She grabbed his hand where it still played at the hem of her shorts. Her green eyes were bright as she said these words to him. “If I go with you, I’m showing you that I trust you, and things have got to change, Layne. You’ve got to let me in. I trust you, you trust me.”
A few days ago, those words would have stopped his heart. They would have scared him to death, but it was like reading the words in her notebook had broken a dam inside him. For her to admit that those sexual desires were all about him gave him a power that he’d never had before. “Okay,” he nodded.
Without one more thought, she let him all but drag her through the clubhouse and into the garage; there he opened the door to his car for her and then jogged around the side. Once he sat in the driver’s seat, he glanced over at her and laughed softly. “I haven’t done anything like this since Georgia.”
“Me neither,” she whispered.
“Obviously there were other guys,” he shook his head.
“Just like there were other girls,” she pointed out. “You forget that I know you, Layne. We weren’t married.”
“But you cared about me way more than you should have,” his voice was low as he said those words.
“Forget it.” She put her hand on his thigh. “We both made mistakes, and at some point we’re both going to have to come clean about those mistakes, but right here, right now,” she shrugged, “I want to go with you, I want to do something a little crazy and be those two crazy kids we were back then. Let’s forget everything for just a few hours.”
That sounded so good to him, it released all the tension in his neck and back. He rolled his neck on his shoulders, sighing when it popped loudly. “I’m ready if you are.”
“I’ve been ready for years, but do you have to tell someone where we’re going?”
He pulled his cell phone out and shot off a text message to Liam, Tyler, and Jagger. “There, now no one will wonder where we’ve gone. It’s just me and you for the rest of the afternoon. How’s that sound?”
She breathed deeply, looking at the bright sunshine of the day. “Like heaven.”
He put the car in gear and backed out before turning them down the drive. As they eased out onto Porter Pike, he took her hand in his and hit the gas pedal hard, causing her to shriek in surprise. As they rounded the first curve, all that could be heard was their carefree laughter. Laughter had never felt so good.
Liam lay on the couch in his living room; Denise curled on one side of him, Tatum on his stomach, when his cell phone beeped. He groaned, hoping that the sound didn’t wake up the little girl who lay there. They’d had another rough night, but it was getting easier.
“Who is that?” Denise whispered, not opening her eyes from where she lay on his bicep.
A grin covered his face, and a deep laugh rose up in his throat. That caused her to look at him, and she took in the deep concaves of his dimples that held a real smile. “What?” she grinned. The way his tired eyes glanced at his phone warmed her heart.
“Layne. I think he’s gonna be okay.”
“Really?” She ran a hand over his stomach, careful not to touch the sleeping baby there. “I know you’ve been worried.”
“I’ve been getting reports from Doc Jones. You know that she can’t tell me anything regarding his information, but she did tell me that she thought he was coming around, even after just a few sessions. She texted me this morning and said she thought they had a breakthrough. I’m thinking she was right, because Layne just texted me and said he was taking off for the afternoon with Jessica.”
He ran his hand over Denise’s hair and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.
“Good,” Denise yawned. “From what Meredith said, Jessica is totally in love with him and has been for a very long time. I hope they can work it out.”
“I do too,” he yawned back at her. “You and Meredith need to leave it alone though. Just because the two of you are happy with Tyler and me doesn’t mean that everybody can work it out. Those two have a lot working against them.”
“They have a lot working for them too,” she retorted.
“They do, but they don’t need the two of you all up in their business. We need to focus on getting some sleep while she’s asleep. I can’t keep walking around like a zombie,” he yawned again.
“Me neither,” she mumbled. “I’ll leave them alone, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t hope that they figure it out.”
“It doesn’t, baby,” he smiled. “I’m just saying that Layne can be a little volatile and a few therapy sessions aren’t going to completely change that. It might make things better and easier for him, but it’s not going to change his personality overnight. Don’t pressure him, don’t pressure her. Let them move at their own pace, and you two ladies just keep your noses out of it.”
She sighed.
“I love you.” He tilted her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. “You have a good heart and so does Meredith, but these two have problems that none of us have ever dealt with. They’ll figure it out, you two just need to be patient.”
“I love you too, I want all the guys to have the love that I have for you,” she huffed.
“They will, but we can’t force it,” he assured her. “I’ve already seen a large difference in Layne, I suspect we’ll see a bigger one as he continues to let Jessica in and go see Doc Jones. We all have to be willing to help him, and if we’re pressuring him, we aren’t helping him.”
“I know,” she pinched his stomach.
“Oww,” he laughed shooing her hand away. “What the fuck was that for?”
“I hate when you’re all sensible.”
He shifted his weight on the couch and moved her further down against his body before moving his head so that it rested against the cushion more comfortably. “I’m sensible because I want to get some sleep, so shhh,” he shushed her.
She smiled against his chest, listening to his heart beat loudly against his chest. “I’ll ‘shhh’ if you hold me tighter,” she whispered.
He tightened his arms around her and they quietened down, both falling as
leep within minutes.
Chapter Thirty
“Have you found out anything about this Jackson Wright?”
Steele looked up from his computer at the sound of Tyler’s voice. He rolled his head around on his neck to loosen up some of the tight muscles there. “A little.”
“Do share.” Tyler had a seat next to him and turned to face the other man, giving him his full attention.
Turning his laptop so that Tyler could see it, Steele took the sucker he absent-mindedly sucked on out of his mouth and set it on the wrapper beside him. “He’s Jessica’s ex-boyfriend.”
“Really? So was this revenge?”
“I’m thinking so. I’ve gone through his financials with a fine-tooth comb…he needs money in a big way. I can’t prove it, but I know that asshole stole those pictures and the writings from her house.”
“What does he have to do with the Vojnik though?”
Steele rolled his chair over to the side and grabbed some papers off the printer. “I don’t think it’s him, I think it’s her—indirectly.”
Tyler sat up straighter, his eyebrows coming together. “You think Jessica has ties to the Vojnik?”
“In a way, yes,” he answered, pursing his lips. He hated saying those words. “I think it’s Thomas. If my sources are right, he’s her dad.”
“Well motherfucker,” Tyler rubbed his hands up and down his face. “Let me go get Liam. I don’t want you to have to explain this shit twice.”
Better Tyler than himself, but he really did hate what he was going to have to say. It could hurt a number of people he cared about, or was beginning to care about.
Tyler was pissed as he stormed through the clubhouse, heading for the door. His mind was going a million miles a minute. He had to get to Liam to figure out just what in the fuck was going on, and at the same time, he wanted to call Layne and tell him to get this woman into another country. He wasn’t sure that Layne could handle it if it turned out that she had been untruthful to him. As he exited the clubhouse, he pushed the door roughly, causing it slam against the outside. It made a loud smack and it made him feel better. Normally if he was going to see Liam, he would just take his truck, but instead, he needed to feel wind against his face for just a few minutes. He turned on his heel and went towards the garages. Once he made it to his, he pulled the door open.
“Meredith?” he gasped in surprise as he saw his wife sitting on the ground, across from his bike.
She turned from him for a few moments, furiously scrubbing at her cheeks before facing him again. “Hey,” she did her best to smile at him, but tears overflowed her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her, the anger welling up further in his body. Somebody must have hurt her and there was going to be hell to pay.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she choked out, pulling her arms against her stomach, around herself.
“That’s just too damn bad.”
He had a seat next to her and attempted to put his arm around her shoulders. She shrugged away from him and irritation rolled up from his belly. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Don’t cuss at me, Tyler Blackfoot,” she yelled at him.
He turned and sat with his legs folded in front of him. “Then look at me and tell me what’s wrong, goddammit. I come in here, pissed as hell to begin with, and find you sitting on a nasty-ass floor crying.”
She cried harder, and he did his best to call on the patience he always had for her, but it was difficult. Instead of saying anything, he sat there, allowing her to let it all out. Just when he was about to really lose it, she unfolded her arms and handed him what looked like a pregnancy test.
“What does this mean?” he asked, glancing at the stick in his hand.
“Still not pregnant,” she whispered, sobs rising up from her body.
“Mer,” he said softly, as he pulled her into his arms. “You know this doesn’t matter to me,” he told her, tightening his arms around her.
“I know.” And she did know, he’d told her numerous times that it didn’t matter to him, but it did to her. She couldn’t understand why it did, but it felt like life or death for her, and she couldn’t believe that she would be so damn defective.
“I don’t think you do know, but you’re going to have to believe me on this, Mer. I don’t give a shit if the two of us ever have children. I would be lucky to live the rest of my life with just you. It’s not that big of a deal for me, but I know it is for you.” He pulled her deeper into his arms, his big body swallowing hers. “It upsets me every time I see you cry over this. I can’t take it.”
“I try to keep it from you,” she breathed out, the gasps coming in short pants.
“Don’t,” his voice was loud, strong, and hard. A tone he never used with her. “Don’t you ever fucking keep this shit from me. If you’re upset, I want to know about it. It’s my job as your husband to make sure that you’re happy. If this is bothering you, I need to know about it.”
She felt small when he talked like that. As much as he loved her, he couldn’t fix everything. There would always be things that he wouldn’t be able to fix, but she was scared to even put voice to those thoughts. “I love you.” He kissed the side of her neck.
“I love you too.” She held on tightly to the arm that crossed in front of her chest. Her back pressed hard against his chest. She breathed deeply and smelled the familiar scent that was Tyler. “No matter what, I know that my life is significantly better here and with you in it.”
How could he leave her now? How could he go to Liam’s and explain to him that someone they had brought into their fold just might be someone that could potentially hurt them. Cursing under his breath, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed with one hand.
“Steele? Yeah, I need you to go tell Liam what you told me.”
He sighed as the other man had a minor freak out on the phone with him.
“You know your shit—it’s time to step up, buddy. I have something else that requires my attention right now,” Tyler told him, glancing down at the top of Meredith’s head. When Steele made more sounds of protest, Tyler hardened his voice.
“Travis, you know your shit. I have complete faith in you. Go tell Liam what he needs to know and go tell him now. Otherwise, when I get sick of beating up Layne in the ring, you’re my next target.”
He hung up after those words, putting emphasis on them.
“You’re mean,” Meredith laughed softly.
“He’s got to learn to be more confident in the shit he knows.”
“Like you?” She looked back at him, leaning her head against his chest.
“All you do is fake it till you make it,” he chuckled, as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.” He stood up and helped her off the floor.
She brushed the dirt off her back and thighs before grabbing the helmet he held out to her. She waited until he got on and then got on behind him, hugging him tightly around the waist. He took off and didn’t even tell her where they were going; at this point, she didn’t even care.
Steele ascended the porch of the Walker home as quietly as possible. He had only been here a handful of times, and it felt weird. He didn’t like paying a visit to his president at his familial home. Walking up to the front door, he knocked cautiously.
“Hey, Travis,” Drew said as he walked to the front door.
It had been a few weeks since Travis had seen Drew, being in his electronics cave and all, and it amazed him how much the boy looked more like a man every time he hit a tiny growth spurt. He was already almost as tall as Travis, and Travis realized that if he didn’t start hitting the gym—and soon—the kid was going to be in much better shape than him.
“Hey, is your dad around?”
“Yeah,” Drew moved back and let the man in. “He and mom just got up from a nap.”
He followed Drew through the foyer and into the living room where Liam sat stretc
hing. He was the only one in the room, and Steele was grateful for that. “Hey, pres.”
Liam’s eyes came together, the question going unspoken. “You wanna go have a smoke? I just woke up, so I could use one.”
Steele nodded and followed him through the house to the back porch that he’d heard so much about. It still amazed him that his president really did enjoy the quiet life when he was at home with his family.
“So why are you here when Tyler isn’t?”
“I don’t know, I all but begged him to come. Something must have happened with Meredith, that’s the only reason he would send me,” Steele said as he lit his cigarette and blew the smoke out in a slow stream.
“What do you have to tell me?”
This was the hard part, telling the man in charge that they had possibly made a mistake, and the one guy on their team with a true hair trigger might be the person hurt the most. “I did a little digging on the guy that was mentioned to us, Jackson Wright.”
“Obviously what you found sucked balls, otherwise you wouldn’t be scared to lay it on down for me.”
That was the understatement of the year. “He’s Jessica’s ex-boyfriend. He’s got a ton of money issues at this point.”
“How does he fit in with the banker and the Vojnik?”
Steele pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. “The guy we found last night is named Thomas Stanton. He’s the loan officer at the main branch of Good Hope Bank and Trust downtown. When I ran his financials—he’s loaded. Originally I thought he was loaded because he helped the Vojnik and Money Bags with their bank robbery and money laundering scheme. I was confused though, how was he connected from California all the way to Kentucky?”
“You’re right, that’s a helluva far reach.”
“I dug deeper. I wanted to know how he is connected to Jessica, because obviously he is. I was able to find some sealed court documents from where she was emancipated. His signature is on them, along with her real name….Jessica Stanton. And if my sources are to be believed, this guy is her dad, but they are very estranged. Know what I’m saying? Add onto that, the fact that some of the contracts he signed before her emancipation were not voided and he’s going to lose a ton of money. There were some writings on there that she’s emailed to other people too. Looks like a beta reader of some sort. Erotic romance…if that comes out…I’m talkin’ morality clauses out the ass are going to be forfeited. Which means, he forfeits a good portion of his regular income. All the Vojnik money was for was backup, but he’s fuckin’ greedy.”
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