Watching the girls go, she called after them. “That sounds really good. Have her give me a call.” Her mind was already spinning with plans. She’d seen some cool hot pink decorations at the party store a few months ago. She could really give the place a bachelorette party feel. This was why she’d started her business. It made people happy! It was fun.
* * * *
Layla flicked off the switch on the bright red open sign as she watched her last student leave. Mondays were long days, but it had been a good day. She’d worked hard, and had fun. And she had a potential new way to grow her business. For now though, she was hot and sweaty, and she could hear a bubble bath calling her.
Double-checking the dead bolt locks, she headed out the back door of the studio. Her legs ached like they always did from a good workout. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long trip home, just a short flight up the stairs.
The old Victorian townhouse was located on Main Street in the historic section of Aurora Heights. It used to be a ballet studio so it had a great layout. The small apartment on the second floor made it perfect.
Being one of the first in her area laid off, she’d been able to sell her expensive townhouse. She’d decided to move back home and use the equity from the sale as a down payment on the studio. Aurora Heights didn’t have anything like Fit and Fun, so the location was perfect too. She was still in debt up to her eyeballs, but she was happy.
As she approached the door, though, something caught her eye. An envelope was tucked into the crack by the knob. Odd, she wasn’t expecting anything from anyone. Shrugging, she plucked it free, staring at it for a second before tucking it into her bag. She had a date with a bubble bath and a glass of wine.
An hour and a half later, she was feeling mellow as she wrapped her robe around herself. She caught sight of her bag out of the corner of her eye. Remembering the note, she set her glass aside and fished it out. Settling into her comfortable overstuffed recliner, she took another sip of wine as she turned the envelope over in her hand. No return address label, but a heavy wax seal. Who still used wax seals? The paper was heavy, parchment-style card stock. Maybe it was an invitation or a graduation announcement.
Shrugging, she slid her finger under the flap, breaking the seal. The paper inside was the same expensive quality, but didn’t look like an invitation or announcement as she’d thought. More perplexed than ever, she slid the single sheet free. More curious than alarmed, she unfolded it and froze as she read the simple typed words printed in bold black text:
“And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.” Proverbs 7: 10-12 (KJV)
FOUL JEZEBEL, TURN FROM THY SINFUL WAYS OF CORRUPTION, OR GOD WILL SMITE THEE.
Chapter Two
Bogart Lawson, known to his friends as Bo, wiped the grease from his hands, surveying his work. The carburetor on his bike hadn’t really needed rebuilding, but it had been a good way to occupy his mind. He needed that a lot these days, but at this rate, he was going to rebuild his entire bike. There had to be a cheaper way to get some sleep.
He’d been out of the Navy for over a year and the nightmares still plagued him. Sometimes he could go weeks without one, and then something would trigger it. It was usually something that would seem random or mundane to anyone else.
Today he’d stopped by his friend’s custom bike shop to pick up the new saddlebags he’d ordered. He enjoyed shooting the shit with Smokey and his pretty new bride, Gloria. Being with them was soothing, gave him hope, but Smokey had taken his two young nephews on at the shop as apprentices. The fourteen-year-old twins’ laughter filled the shop with their spirit. Their antics would drive some men to drink, but Smokey had the patience of a saint. Mathew and Mark were good kids though, and as he’d watched Smokey mentor his nephews, Bo’s mind had traveled to the other side of the world. In his mind it wasn’t a pair of freckle-faced redheads. Their skin was darker, their hair sable black, but their laughter was still the same. Their innocent zest for life filled the air around them with joy. It was too familiar, too haunting.
He shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. Packing up his tools, he looked around his garage, trying to distract himself again. Thinking about the afternoon wasn’t helping him.
He ran his fingers through his hair with determination. He needed to focus on something good. Hell, what he needed was to get laid. A warm, willing female beneath him, on top of him, surrounding him, that’s what he needed. Shit, when he’d joined the Navy ten years ago, he couldn’t get enough tail. And when he’d earned the right to call himself a SEAL, the women had practically thrown themselves at him. He hadn’t had to advertise what he was, preferring to keep it a secret. Somehow, they’d still known. He’d been told it was how he carried himself, like he wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything.
That had been before that fateful trip to the Devil’s Sandbox, a trip that had landed him and half his team in a VA hospital. It was still better than the rest of his team. They had ended up in a flag-draped pine box.
With a roar, he threw his wrench across the garage, where it landed with a clatter next to an old box of Christmas decorations. It was going to be a long fucking night!
* * * *
Bo let the sweat drip from him as he moved around the sparring dummy in his basement. His loose drawstring pants hung low around his narrow hips. He’d long ago tossed his drenched t-shirt aside. His hand ached, but that wasn’t new. He flexed the mangled appendage, studying the scarred flesh. Focusing on the pain in it was one of the best ways to distract himself from the ache in his chest.
It would be dawn soon. Maybe then he could rest. Sleep came much easier when he exhausted himself. He’d run through nearly every kata he’d learned on his way to becoming a black belt. He’d spent the last hour trying to decapitate the plastic man in front of him. Finally he felt the demons start to recede as the sun began to rise. He made himself a promise that he’d stay away from Smokey’s cycle shop on Saturdays from now on. The boys just triggered too many bad memories. Hell, he’d stay away from all of them if he thought they’d let him get away with it.
Not much chance of that, considering he was a groomsman in his cousin Jake’s wedding in just a few weeks. Willa, Jake’s fiancé had thrown just about every single female she knew at him. She seemed to think that all he needed was the love of a good woman to make his life right again.
Hell, maybe he should let her. At least if he had a woman, he could spend the night getting sweaty in a much better way.
* * * *
Bo pulled his pillow over his head to drown out the incessant pounding. It felt like he’d just hit the bed and after the long restless night he’d had, a long dreamless sleep sounded like heaven. The volume of the banging grew and was joined by shouts of his name.
Several colorful curses filled the air as he acknowledged that whoever was outside wasn’t going away.
“What the fuck do you want?” he grumbled as he slammed the door open, rolling his eyes at the sight of his cousin, Jake, and their friend Gabe.
“Wow, someone’s grumpy.” Gabe laughed good-naturedly, and why wouldn’t he be happy as a pig in shit? The dude had a dream life, a beautiful wife with a baby on the way, a gorgeous house he’d designed and built himself, a growing law practice. It wasn’t that he didn’t deserve it. Gabe was a great guy and had worked hard for everything he had.
His cousin Jake was equally chipper, though he knew Jake had been through some tough shit. Jake was a former DEA agent who’d been shot in the line of duty. He’d lost his partner, and would always walk with a limp, but now things were all roses for good old Jake.
Jake had him to thank for that, at least in part. During the time he’d been stuck in the damn bed at the VA hospital, he’d taken up day trading to occupy himself. When Jake had gone undercover, he’d left Bo in charge of his money. Now they both ha
d a small fortune. Jake had invested his in his fiancé’s bed-and-breakfast. Bo just kept trading his. Everyone thought you couldn’t make money in this economy, but Bo had always had a knack for it. He needed to find something useful to do with his money.
He was toying with the idea of opening a security company. He’d just set up a state-of-the-art security system for Jake. It was the most useful he’d felt in a while.
“Yo, earth to Bo! Where’d you go?” Jake called, waving his hand in front of him.
“Sorry, didn’t sleep much last night,” Bo muttered, and Jake nodded. Bo knew Jake had struggled with similar demons, and he recognized the haunted look. Bo had seen it often enough on the faces of his fellow soldiers. Clearing his throat, Bo pushed the dark thoughts aside. “So what’s up?”
“Did you forget we were going to finish Willa’s barbeque pit today?” Gabe asked. “She’s paying us in food.”
“Crap! Was that today?” He scrubbed his face. He was losing it.
“It’s all good, man. Go grab a shower. We’ll wait,” Jake urged good-naturedly.
Bo had taken three steps toward the bathroom before he paused and turned suspiciously. “What are your girls up to?” In the last few months, Willa and Danny had paraded just about every available female in the county past him.
The pair had the good grace to look uncomfortable. “Hell man, I threatened to turn Danny over my knee if she didn’t stop it, and that only made her laugh.”
“That’s because she’s as big a perv as you are,” Jake said with a laugh.
Gabe just rolled his eyes. “And did you have any luck with Willa?”
Jake just shrugged with an unrepentant grin. “Nope, but I did have one hell of a night.”
“God, you two are so whipped,” Bo groused, stomping off to the shower.
“Jealous?” he heard just as he slammed the shower door. And damn if they weren’t right. What would it be like to have a woman in his bed every night? The image of his own woman over his knees made him ache. He had never really been into pain, but a nice, sweet pink ass just did something to him. He would warm it up with his hand and then soothe it with his lips.
He turned on the shower, cranking the temp as high as he could stand it. The steam quickly filled over the room, and the heat rolled over him. A woman, that’s what he needed all right, but not the prim and proper chits that he’d been offered up so far. He wanted a real woman, one filled with passion and fire like his friends had found. He wanted a woman not afraid of his darker side. He needed a woman who was as wild and kinky as he was. They would play all night until they were both sated and exhausted. Then he’d sleep, so exhausted the dreams wouldn’t come. But if they did, she’d be there when he woke up, ready to distract him with another naughty round.
Chapter Three
“Thunder, I think you need a bib or maybe just a big drop cloth, you big drool-bucket.” Layla laughed, playfully stroking the dog’s gigantic head. Thunder was her new best buddy. She’d found the five-year-old Saint Bernard at the rescue shelter and fallen in love immediately. She’d been looking for a guard dog and had found a new friend. He was really too sweet to be a real guard dog, but his sheer size would be intimidating. She tried to tell herself that the mysterious notes were just the actions of a crackpot, but she figured better safe than sorry. So far there had been two more, each with long Bible quotes and warnings to change her evil ways. It was just a religious fanatic trying to scare her, and it had worked. After two weeks of sleepless nights, she’d been desperate. The idea of a dog for protection seemed like the best plan. She hadn’t counted on getting a little horse. She hadn’t counted on falling for the big beast.
Thunder turned adoring eyes toward her, his big tongue lolling to the side. A two-hundred-pound dog was not without issues though. She hated leaving him stuck at home in her little apartment, so he went with her pretty much everywhere. Fortunately, he was a well-behaved dog and no one seemed to mind once they got past his enormous size.
Thus, he was with her today as she made her way to the Mountain View Bed-and-Breakfast. The ride through the mountains on a brisk fall day was beautiful. The leaves were just starting to turn and there was a slight nip in the air, so she hadn’t minded the trip. Her new student, Willa Montgomery, had called in a panic because she’d forgotten her purse. Layla and Willa had hit it off instantly so she’d readily agreed when she’d begged her to bring it out to her. Layla had laughed happily when the B&B owner had offered to make her lunch.
Bringing her Jeep to a halt in front of the beautiful old Victorian, Layla couldn’t help but be impressed. She remembered the old house from growing up near here, and the work Willa and Jake had put into it was obvious.
Reaching into the back seat, she grabbed the bag and turned to Thunder. “You stay here, boy. I’ll be right back.” But as she opened the door, the big dog bounded past her. “Thunder, what on earth has gotten into you?” she cried as the beast loped off around the side of the house. Having no other choice, she gave chase, watching in horror as the big knucklehead tromped through Willa’s flower beds. “Thunder! Dog, get back here!” she shouted, trying to keep up with his long strides. “Oh come on, Thunder! Willa’s going to skin us both if you tear up her flower beds!”
She was vaguely aware of the fact that a large group of people had stopped the work they were doing to enjoy the show she was putting on. Thunder stopped to look back at her and gave her a playful yip before circling the beautiful gazebo and heading back toward her, but then veering away at the last minute.
“Thunder!” she bellowed, her feet skidding on the soft grass as she U-turned and backtracked.
The Saint Bernard was heading back around the house when a loud whistle split the air. Freezing, Thunder turned toward the sound, his ears twitching. After a second, he loped back toward the group. Stopping and happily plopping down. His long, thick tail wagged back and forth at the feet of his new friend.
Layla sprinted after him, screeching to a halt when she saw whose feet her dog landed at.
Her mouth fell open. Good Lord, why did it have to be him? What had she done to deserve such bad karma? She tried to live a good life. Why did it have to be him? Anyone but him!
“Bo,” she managed hoarsely.
“Layla,” he responded coldly, just as cold as the last time she’d seen him ten years ago. He hadn’t always been so cold. Once they’d been inseparable.
“Oh, you two have met! Excellent!” Willa said happily.
“No, not excellent,” Jake grumbled.
“Shit!” Gabe cursed and Layla agreed.
Swallowing, she turned to Willa. “I…uhm…brought your purse,” she managed, hoping she didn’t sound as breathless in her head as she did out loud. Heck, if she did, she could always blame it on having chased her dumb dog around. “I’m sorry Thunder decided he needed a run. I’ll pay for whatever damage he caused.”
Willa waved it away and slipped her arm through Layla’s. “Thank you so much for bringing it back. I’ve been lost without it!” Ever the gracious host, Willa led her back around the house.
“Thunder,” she snapped. The dog obediently followed, and had the good grace to hang his head in shame at his brief defection.
* * * *
Bo felt like he’d been punched in the gut. How was it possible that after all this time she could still have such a strong effect on him? It had been ten years since he’d last seen Layla Ross. Just this morning he’d been wanting a woman and then he’d come face to face with the one who’d been his first love and his first heartbreak. She’d been his first everything, and he’d been hers. Back then they’d both been so innocent, or so they’d thought. Turned out they’d both had their secrets.
He managed to help finish up the barbeque by sheer willpower. His mind was moving too fast and his head was pounding like a bomb had gone off. Hell, being with Layla, it was always like a bomb going off. Finally he’d mumbled an excuse, and hauled ass.
His crappy luck held thou
gh. Just as he reached his bike, the heavy walnut door he’d helped Jake install on the front of the bed-and-breakfast swung open. The overgrown dog came bounding out, quickly followed by his mistress. Apparently recognizing his new friend, the K-9 came loping toward him. Bo couldn’t help scratching his big floppy ears. He was actually a pretty cool dog.
“Thunder!” Layla cried, her voice filled with exasperation. “We really need to work on who you consider acceptable company, you silly dog.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Bo asked. “You were always more of a cat person. At least in personality and morals.” Bo countered. She’d always had a way of setting his temper on edge.
He watched her cheeks turn pink and could see her blood pressure rise. “It’s not so much that I prefer cats as I dislike dogs, the two-legged ones that is.”
“I don’t know. As I remember it, you had a thing for dogs at one time. At least the ones with big wallets, that is.”
“You always were such a prick!” she shot back, and he could see her temper slide up another notch. They’d always been like fire and gasoline. And damn, he must really need to get laid because he felt his dick twitch with interest. She’d been a pretty girl, but as a woman, she was outrageously gorgeous and so completely fuckable. Her spirit had always drawn him, even when he was spitting insults at her.
“Now is that any way for a lady to talk?” He watched her eyes widen in shock and the pink in her cheeks darken another shade. He remembered her cheeks got pink like that when she came.
Breaking Hearts [Smoky Mountain Motorcycles 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 2