The room was still and quiet, the only sound coming from the bed where Jessica slept. Most people wouldn't be able to hear her breathing, but it was the only thing he could hear. At night when he had been overseas in the military, that was the one sound that kept him grounded—that let Layne know he was still alive. He clung to that sound again tonight; not sure why, just needing a sense of familiarity.Rolling over onto his side, he used his arm as extra support. The pillow he had for this chair wasn't that great and again reminded him of his time in the Army. There were a lot of things he had learned during his time there that he wanted to completely forget, but there were some things he also coveted. One of those things slept in the bed across from him."C'mon, some chick got Justin Timberlake to go to her ball. Why don't you ask Jessica Shea? You're a good lookin' guy, I'm sure she'll say yes."Layne laughed, shaking his head. It was a late night in Fort Benning, Georgia, and
Tyler grunted loudly when Layne landed a well-timed punch to his gut before backing away against the ropes of the boxing ring. "Give me a minute," he heaved."What's wrong, old man?" Layne taunted.The only person that was allowed to taunt Tyler like that was Layne while they boxed. Not many people did anything better than the new vice president, but Layne flat out kicked his ass when it came to boxing. That was the only reason Tyler gave him any leeway."Not old, you're just hitting hard today." Tyler bent at the waist, trying to get air into his lungs.Immediately, Layne stood up straight. "Am I? Sorry, sir.""How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the sir bullshit? I'm a superior, but you ain't in the Army anymore. You start with that, and I'll beat the shit out of you just for the hell of it," Tyler threatened. He wasn't exactly sure he could beat this younger man up, but he absolutely hated the way Layne reverted back sometimes. He no longer had a contract sig
"So what do you do on a normal day?" Jessica asked as she ate her toast and drank the orange juice Meredith had poured for her.Layne glanced up from the bagel and bacon he ate, almost like her question scared him. "Ya know, the usual."She laughed. "No, I don't know what the usual is. Remember? I've never been here before."Did he tell her what they really usually did? Protection runs to help in the drug and gun trade, escort strippers out of strip joints, shake down a few people if they were paid enough money? "I usually work at the shop," he told her. "Ya know, mostly oil changes, tire rotations, things like that. I have to go work there today, actually. Will you be okay by yourself?" Funny that he hated liars – what a hypocrite he turned out to be. Being by herself didn't really appeal to her, but she knew that he also had a life that he had to live. To be honest, she had completely barged in on it, and she couldn't be mad at him if he had things to do. "I will be. I actua
Meredith was anxious. Her heart thundered and her hands shook. For months they had been coming to their house when her ovulation kit told her that it was time. While she enjoyed what they did here, it was starting to give her serious anxiety. It wasn't that spending time with her husband was a bad thing—at all, but she wanted this to work so desperately."Why are you so quiet?" Tyler asked as he came to stand in front of her.She glanced up at him, thanking the heaven's above that he was hers. It could have so easily worked out a different way. "Just nervous," she admitted. What if it never happened for them? She was so sick of the way people told her it would happen when it was supposed to. She wanted it now, dammit."Stop." He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. "You've got to stop being so damn hard on yourself. I can't take this, and I won't be a part of it."Tears came to her eyes and panic set in. What if he refused to help her? What if he was sick of doing this on a sc
Jessica tried to tame her hair into some semblance of order as she and Bianca exited the car. "What's this place?" she asked, walking around the side of the car."Welcome to Donna's Country Store. It's got gas, convenience items, and the best damn gas station food you'll ever eat in your life. It's a favorite of most guys at the shop," Bianca explained as they walked through the front door.The smell of home-cooked food assaulted Jessica's senses, and she was surprised when she saw a hot case as well as a few tables situated around the store. "So you can just walk up and order?""Yup, they make a few things ahead of time; other things are made to order." "Hey, Bianca," a woman called from behind the counter."Hey Luce," Bianca greeted back. "I have a list of stuff for the guys at the shop. Can I just leave it with you?"With her eyes still hidden behind her sunglasses, Jessica watched the exchange between the two women. Luce looked to be an older woman, but Jessica wasn't
"Do you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?"Layne looked up from where he sat hunched over the hood of the car he was working on. Black Cherry in color, it belonged to a local friend of the club, Cash Montgomery. "I'm sorry, what?""Do you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?" Jagger asked again, wiping off his hands with one of the rags they kept lying around the shop."Why would I need you to do that?"Jagger felt like he was talking to an elementary school kid. "You've got a woman here with you. I figured you might want to hang out with her? After all, she did come here from California." The 'duh' hung in the air, unsaid.Sighing, Layne shook his head. "No, I had that commitment before she came. I'll see it through.""The guys will understand if you need the night off. It's not like any of us haven't done it before, my friend."This was so odd for Layne. He had never had to clear his schedule with someone else since he had been welcomed into the clu
"Can I get ginger ale in a beer mug?" Meredith asked Jasmine, the waitress who had come over to their table and who had previously worked with Bianca.Amused, Bianca and Jessica looked at each other, both snickering."What?" She shrugged. "I want to at least feel like I'm part of the group. Just because I'm trying to get pregnant doesn't mean I can't have a good time.""I hate to break it to you," Bianca reached over and put her hand on Meredith's arm, "but you're ridiculous.""Let her do what she wants," Jasmine chided them. "What can I get for you?" She turned to Jessica."Whatever Bianca's having, I'll have too."Bianca glanced at the other woman, and then looked around the room. Jagger sat over to the side, talking with Steele, who was doing protection at the club for them on this night. "Oh, what the hell! Let's do a Crown and Coke tonight."Jasmine took their orders, promising to be back soon. "So what do you think?" Meredith asked as she glanced over at Jessica.
Layne was finding it hard to breathe with Jessica wrapped around his body. Her grip was strong and sure as her fingers dug into his stomach. "You okay?" he yelled behind him where she sat.She nodded but knew that he wouldn't be able to see it. The fact was she was scared to death. Not so much because she was on the back of this bike, but because of the way she felt pressed up against Layne's hard back."I couldn't hear you.""I'm fine," she answered when they stopped at a red light. Glancing up at the street signs, she saw that they were at the intersection of Louisville Road and Porter Pike and they were turning left. It looked very dark where they were going."I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he reassured her. Without a shadow of a doubt, she knew that, but this was all so new to her. "I know," she told him, holding on even tighter as the light changed and he leaned into the turn."Relax," he told her. "If you don't, you're going to be sore by the time we g