Forever Devoted

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Layne’s going out with me. What do you have to say about that?” Aaron tried to challenge Walker. Layne’s whole world had stopped when she’d looked at the picture, and she’d missed whatever was going on with Aaron and Walker.

  “Aaron,” she said in a chilling voice, “get out.”

  “What is it?” Walker asked as Miles was already moving to see the picture. Nash shoved Aaron out the door and slammed it on his pouting face.

  “Who is that?” her father asked.

  With a shaking hand, Layne held the picture out to Walker. “I think it’s your sister.”

  * * *

  Walker took the picture with dread knotting his stomach. “It’s Edie.” He wanted to punch something or someone. Where did Aaron go?

  “Take a deep breath, son,” Miles said softly but with command. Walker dragged in a breath, unaware he’d been holding it. “Sophie, go tell Jill to cancel all of Layne’s patients and put a notice on the door that Layne will be out of the office for the next week.”

  Nash came to stand beside him and looked down at the photograph. “She’s not injured.”

  “I noticed that. But she’s lost weight and is pretty dirty,” Walker said, detached from the whole world right now.

  “He won’t harm her,” Layne said with surety. “She’s the only thing keeping you quiet. You lose her, and his cover is blown.”

  Walker nodded. He understood, but that didn’t mean it didn’t feel like his heart was being ripped from him. “Let’s get back to Keeneston,” Walker said slowly, shoving his pain away. He was trained to do that, and now was the time to rely on his training. “Can we see if Nabi or Cade can scan the picture and run it for possible locations?”

  There was a small window at the very top of the picture and he wanted to see if they could get any information from it.

  “Good idea,” Miles said as he opened the door again. Thankfully, Aaron was nowhere to be found. There may have been no holding back. Walker knew he hadn’t been pushing it with Layne, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t already staked his claim. Layne might not know it, but he guaranteed every male in Keeneston did. After his sister was safe, and Layne was safe, and when Jud was dead, then there would be nothing stopping Walker from stripping Layne bare and finishing what they’d started two weeks before.

  20

  Aniyah fanned herself as she looked at the table. “Firemen! Here in Keeneston. Lord help me!”

  Reagan laughed as she shook her head at Aniyah. “Are you going to ask to slide down their pole?”

  “I don’t need any of that, but Piper sure does. Look at her sitting there getting none. It’s sad,” Aniyah said before taking a sip of her drink.

  “Hey!” Piper disputed then paused as she thought about it. “I can’t be the only one not having sex.”

  Layne saw Reagan, Aniyah, and Veronica casually sip their drinks as their cheeks blushed. Layne chugged the Rose Sisters Special Iced Tea. She wiped the back of her hand against her lips and slammed down the now half-empty glass. Was this her third? The Rose sisters had long ago made their special tea—basically iced tea, some juice, and a hell of a lot of bourbon—for desperate times like this.

  “He won’t sleep with me,” Layne hissed in a harsh whisper to her friends Veronica and Aniyah and cousins Reagan and Piper. “I mean, he sleeps beside me, but that’s it.”

  Her cousins looked horrified. Veronica, Prince Zain Ali Rahman’s right-hand woman, looked confused. And Aniyah nodded sympathetically. “Some men only want sex. I didn’t take that fine specimen as one of them. Luckily, my Sugarbear wants me and sex. That’s what you need in a lasting relationship. A man who wants you in and out of the bed. And someone who manscapes. You don’t want to be attacked by a wild bush. You never know what’ll jump out at you.”

  Layne shook her head. “No, I want sex. He’s not giving it to me. He’s just snuggling with me all night.”

  Veronica blinked her perfectly shadowed eyes with her long black lashes as she took a sip of her drink. Her blonde hair was picture-perfect as was the red suit she wore. “I don’t understand men at all.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing you’re a lesbian then, isn’t it?” Piper teased.

  “But right now I’m getting some and y’all aren’t,” Veronica winked. “And they say women are hard to understand.”

  “Hold up, did you say you were getting some?” Aniyah said so loudly the Rose sisters didn’t even have to turn on their hearing aids to hear that. They suddenly perked up as Veronica innocently sipped her drink and pretended she didn’t hear Aniyah.

  “Have you gotten naked?” Veronica asked. “Even I know getting naked in front of a man will get things done.”

  Layne blushed red and leaned forward. “I left the door open when I showered. He walked in and froze. He stared at me for a long time, but then it was just ‘Goodnight. Sleep tight’ when I crawled into bed.”

  “Wait,” Reagan whispered, “let me understand this. He’s seen you naked, he’s watched you shower, you two have almost done it, and you’re sleeping in the same bed, yet he’s not making a move?”

  Layne downed the rest of her drink, and Piper poured her some more. “Maybe he really is a virgin,” Layne muttered. When Layne tried to pick it up, she saw two glasses, but she couldn’t grab one of them. It was quite possible she was drunk. Just a little. She giggled at the idea of being drunk.

  “Is he a priest?” Aniyah practically shouted as someone stopped walking and looked at them. He was drop-dead sexy with a lean muscular body and kind eyes.

  “Well, yes, I am. Do you need me?” Father Ben asked. Sometimes it sucked having a priest Layne’s own age. Especially when you already hit on said priest once before. And then your cousin.

  Father Ben’s throat worked hard as he fought any kind of reaction. “You hit on your cousin? Would you like to come talk to me, Layne?”

  Layne looked around her table at everyone staring at her. “Did I say that out loud?”

  “You hit on one of us?” Reagan asked. “Please tell me it wasn’t my brothers? Porter and Parker are so . . . that’s just wrong.”

  “Oh, maybe she hit on Greer.” Veronica winked and then giggled. “I just giggled. Someone cut me off.”

  “No,” Layne snapped. “I hit on Gavin Faulkner before I knew he was my cousin.”

  “Oh well, you probably won’t go to hell for that, right, Father?” Aniyah asked Father Ben.

  “Layne’s soul is safe, but I can always hear her confession if you’re worried.”

  Reagan looked to Piper and then to Father Ben. “Actually, Father Ben. I know you’re probably tired, returning from your priest meeting or summer prayer camp, or whatever it was, but could you do us a favor?”

  Piper nodded. “I think we’ve had a little too much to drink. Could you take Layne back to Desert Sun Farm?”

  “That way you could hear her confession and make sure she’s not going to hell for hitting on our cousin,” Reagan hurriedly put in.

  “Of course,” Father Ben agreed. “Are you ready to go home now or should I wait?”

  Layne looked at Father Ben. “Are you sure you’re a real priest?”

  Father Ben grinned. “I’m wearing the collar under my jacket, and I distinctly remember taking my vows.”

  Layne finished off her glass of iced tea. “Too bad you’re not undercover or something. Then it wouldn’t be so bad that I hit on you,” she muttered as she stood up and then fell back down in her chair.

  “Okay,” Aniyah said, getting up on her five-inch heels and trying to pull Layne to her feet. “Sexual frustration does not suit you. That’s something else you can talk to Father Ben about. He’ll understand that one.”

  Layne heard Veronica choke next to her as two strong arms came up under her armpits. Father Ben hefted her from the chair and practically carried her outside as her friends, cousins, and half the café followed to watch the spectacle.

  “What was that all about?” Veronica asked Piper. “Aniya
h is our designated driver.”

  “If Walker can’t be swayed by naked shower scenes, maybe he needs another kind of push,” Piper grinned. Layne didn’t know what she meant as Father Ben buckled her into the front seat of his car.

  “If nudity won’t do it, jealousy will. Priest or not, Father Ben is a hottie who will have his hands all over Layne getting her inside,” Reagan finished explaining.

  “You’re going to have a priest make Walker jealous?” Aniyah gasped as she made the sign of the cross. “You are so going to hell for that.”

  Unfortunately, Layne didn’t really hear that. Her face was pressed against the cold glass of the passenger door, and as her cousins waved goodbye, Veronica gave her the thumbs up, and Aniyah crossed herself.

  * * *

  Miles actually wasn’t a bad guy, Walker thought as he walked from the Desert Sun Farm gym toward the small house he was staying at with Layne. Miles had known exactly what Walker needed after a long stressful day of trying to find his sister. He had taken Walker to the gym and went a couple rounds with him in the boxing ring. It had been exactly what Walker needed to let out his frustrations with his sister and Layne.

  Upon close inspection of the photo, Edie was found in good shape. No cuts, no bruises, just a loss of about five pounds—according to Nabi who did a photo comparison from a media picture taken two weeks before. They had a plan. The plan was simple. Wait for Jud. Kill Jud.

  Now Layne was a different story. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d had to take a cold shower to quell the desire to pin her against the nearest wall and claim her. The trouble was he also didn’t want to be a flash in the pan. Walker knew when he and Layne got together they would burn hot, but he wanted more. He wanted something that lasted. Not something that went away as soon as the mission was completed.

  Walker had decided the night they’d almost made love that he needed to take time to get to know her and for her to get to know him. Every night he held her in his arms as they talked. He had learned about her childhood, her love of her family, her time at school, and how much she loved her job. That’s how he knew he and Layne needed time. She didn’t like that he was a patient, regardless of what she said. So he was going to give it to her.

  One thing was clear though. Layne was a woman unlike any he’d ever met before. She was strong, confident, intelligent, and giving. She loved her family, her patients, her dog, the children of her friends . . . she had so much love to give that Walker basked in the attention she gave him. In the love he felt growing for her, he only hoped he could give her as much love as she deserved.

  Walker heard the sound of a car stopping and jogged up the slight hill to wave to Layne. She’d gone out to dinner at the café while he’d worked out his mental and sexual frustrations. But it wasn’t Aniyah’s car Walker saw. And the young man jogging around the front of the car to open the door for Layne also wasn’t Aniyah. What the hell?

  Walker stalked forward as the man pulled Layne from the car. She giggled and clutched at his arms as she leaned against him. “Can I call you Benny?” She giggled again. “I feel after discussing sex we should be on a first-name basis.”

  Walker felt his stomach drop as the man bent down and scooped Layne up in his arms. “We have to stop doing this, Layne. This isn’t the first time I’ve carried you home,” the man said, pushing open the front door.

  Walker saw red. He sprinted through the night toward the house. He darted inside and found Layne lying on the couch and the man kneeling next to her with her hand in his. “Now, Layne, you know how I feel about premarital sex.”

  Walker roared with hurt, anger, and bloodlust for the man touching Layne. Layne’s eyes widened as the man jumped between them. “Oh, you must be Walker. We didn’t expect you home yet.”

  “I bet you didn’t.” Walker threw a punch Miles would be proud of, catching the man right on the jaw. His head snapped to the side as Layne shrieked.

  “Walker! No! Stop!”

  The man didn’t back down, though. “I let you have that one, but I won’t let you have another.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Walker threw a jab and the man ducked nimbly. Walker focused on the man trying to take the one shining light in his life and punched again. The man blocked and danced around the coffee table out of range.

  “Walker!” Layne screamed.

  “I’ll deal with you in a minute. How could you?” Walker’s words were like a dagger. He’d never lay a hand on her, but he sure as hell would be out of the house and out of her life as soon as he knocked this man out.

  Layne let out a sound of annoyance. “That’s Father Ben.”

  “I don’t care if he’s a father, brother, or anything else. I’m kicking his ass.”

  Ben darted, Walker lunged, and Layne jumped. Walker grunted as Layne landed on his back. Her arm wrapped tight around his neck as she locked her legs around his waist. “Stop it right now!” she yelled in his ear.

  Walker ignored her as she latched onto his back. He kicked an ottoman toward the door and cut off Ben’s escape. Ben ducked a punch Walker threw and tried to dash past him, but Walker’s arm shot out and grabbed him by the throat. He shoved him back with a growl, ripping the man’s windbreaker in the process.

  “What’s that?” Walker asked with his hand cocked back ready to unload a fierce punch to Ben’s face while Layne hung onto his back pulling at his hair.

  Ben looked down. “My collar.”

  “Why are you wearing that?” Walker asked of the white square appearing at Ben’s throat.

  “Because I’m a priest. I’m Father Ben.”

  Walker dropped his fist as Layne slid down the whole length of his body to plop onto the floor. “You don’t look like any priest I’ve ever seen. And I had them stationed with me overseas.”

  Layne snorted and then hiccupped. “You’re not the only one. Nash punched him too. Sophie sat on his lap and hit on him before she got with Nash.”

  Walker looked at Father Ben . . . really looked at him. The way he moved, the way he easily avoided Walker’s punches. “Who are you, really?”

  Father Ben smiled as he seemed to relax. “I’m Ben Jacobs. The priest over at Saint Francis.”

  “Catholic?” Walker asked still suspicious.

  “Yes, Catholic,” Ben grinned, knowing exactly what Walker was asking. Ben was no threat to his relationship with Layne as a Catholic priest.

  “You may be a priest now, but there’s something familiar about you.”

  Ben shrugged. “We all have a past, don’t we?”

  Walker nodded. It wasn’t anything in particular about the way Father Ben looked. It was the way he carried himself. The man had training. What kind of training was something else entirely. Something Walker was willing to let go, since Ben obviously didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Thanks for bringing her home,” Walker said, looking at Layne snoring on the floor. Her hair was over her face and one hand was wrapped around Walker’s ankle. “What got into her tonight?”

  “I’m sorry. As much as I would like to help, I can’t disclose anything someone says to me in confession. Even if it was a drunken confession. But you’re a smart man, you’ll figure it out.” Ben stepped away from the wall and patted Walker’s shoulder as he headed toward the front door.

  “Some day, if you ever want someone to hear your confession, I’ll be here. I may not be a priest, but I have a feeling I’d understand you better than any other priest would,” Walker offered as he shook his leg free from Layne’s passed-out grip.

  Ben paused with his back toward him and his hand on the door. “Thank you. Some day I might take you up on that offer.”

  Ben walked out the door and closed it behind him as Layne groaned. “Is the room spinning?”

  “No, sweetheart, that’s just you.” Walker bent down and picked her up in his arms. “What made you get wasted?”

  “You,” Layne slurred as she poked him in the eye with her finger and then
giggled. “Let me try that again. Boink.” She giggled, trying to tap her finger against his nose. She didn’t make it.

  “What did I do?” Walker asked, setting her on the bed.

  “It’s what you didn’t do.” Layne said, ripping off her shirt. Walker swallowed hard. He’d seen her breasts. He’d felt them in his hands as he’d turned her nipples hard with desire, and they instantly affected him. Layne was struggling to undo her bra when she gave up and shoved the bra down to her stomach. “See? Nothing. No caressing, no licking, no kissing, no fu—”

  “Okay!” Walker said, cutting her off. “I get it.”

  Layne got on her knees and Walker had to take a step back or he’d give in and do all the things he’d been dreaming. He’d take her if he could, but he’d never do it when she was this drunk. “Take me, Walker Greene.”

  Layne leaned back to arch her breasts toward him and fell back against the pillows, landing with a snore. So, Layne wanted him as much as he wanted her. Maybe the nights of talking were over. Maybe now he needed to show her what she meant to him. Just as soon as she sobered up.

  21

  Walker flipped the last pancake as Layne stumbled into the small kitchen. Her normally silky black hair was a tangled mess as she shoved it out of her eyes, which were rimmed with dark circles.

  “I got bits and pieces of last night in my nightmares. I don’t exactly know what I should say since I’m not entirely sure what I said last night. So I’m not going to say anything and pretend it didn’t happen.” Layne poured a cup of coffee and moaned at the first long chug of it.

  Walker loaded a plate with pancakes and drenched them with syrup before sliding them across the small bar countertop to her. “It was very enlightening,” he said with a grin he hoped conveyed the fact he’d rather be having sex than breakfast. By the way Layne’s nipples hardened under the T-shirt he’d put her in, he guessed he’d been successful.