Layne turned off the car, released his seat belt, and faced me. My breath stuttered. Maybe he thought I’d said something else. His intense gaze swept over me. “You have no idea what that means to me.” With that, he hopped out and hurried to my side to open the door. He extended both hands toward me. When I placed mine in his, electricity zinged through my body, and like a dumbass, I gasped.
A frown furrowed his brow. “You okay?”
“Yup. I just got shocked,” I lied. Well, it was close to the truth. But holy shit, I’d never experienced anything like it. It felt as if I were ready to melt right out of my panties with a simple touch.
Layne gently helped me out of the car, and I leaned against him while I found my footing. My focus traveled up his chest and neck, then lingered on his mouth before our eyes locked.
He held me steady while my pulse spiked from his close proximity. Layne pulled me in for a gentle hug. “Thank you, Ten. Sometimes forgiveness is only a whisper of a wish and never a reality.”
A light, woodsy scent engaged my senses, and I swayed slightly. I wondered if it was his cologne or bodywash from the day before.
“Sorry. The medicine makes me dizzy.” It was the best excuse I had.
“I’ve got you.” His deep and husky voice elicited a new tingling sensation throughout my body.
“Layne?” Avery pointed at him, then to her eyes. “I’m watching you.” She cocked her eyebrow to emphasize her words. “Can you manage to get her inside? If so, I’ll unlock the door.”
Layne’s hold on me loosened. “Is she always like this?” he asked.
“Mm, yes, but you’re getting an extra dose because she knows you terrorized me in high school.”
Layne’s lips pursed. “Got it. At least I understand why.” The next thing I knew, he’d scooped me up into his arms, crouched down, grabbed the bag of food from my car seat, and hauled me into the house.
Good God. Southern charm wasn’t dead, and I was about to swoon right there. He placed me on the couch, and his attention drifted over me. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I didn’t want to take any chances of you falling and popping your stitches.”
I stared at him stupidly, unable to articulate any words for at least twenty seconds. “I’m good,” I croaked. My stomach growled in protest. “The kitchen is that way.” I pointed him in the right direction, knowing full well Avery was in there, and I imagined she was waiting for him. She’d been sharpening her claws since she’d first seen him in my hospital room.
Carefully, I scooted down to the end of the couch and listened. I would give anything to hear the conversation, but I couldn’t even catch one word. Avery was fierce if she thought someone was messing with me. If she even suspected he wasn’t for real, she would remove his balls and hand them to him before he realized what was happening. I covered my mouth, hiding my snicker. Benji and Avery were definitely the best friends in the world.
9
Nearly five weeks had passed since the attack, and the beginning of November arrived along with the rain. I’d had multiple phone conversations with Benji, but he wouldn’t let me visit him at home yet. I begged and pleaded, but he held his ground. My heart snapped in two every time we hung up. A blanket of depression settled over me every night, but instead of fighting it, I allowed it to consume me. I grieved hard. And in the morning, Benji was my reason for getting up and moving forward every day.
He had given me permission to use his room and sleep in his bed. I held my Minion pillow against me, wishing it were him instead. We’d shared a bed all the time anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal for me to sleep in his room, but I’d wanted to make sure it was okay with him first. It was a small piece of comfort, and I would hold on to it for as long as I could.
Layne had visited several times and had chauffeured me around over the last month. I’d seen him every day for at least a few hours. Our conversations had bounced from the attack to high school and college. When he’d asked about my parents, I’d redirected the conversation. He’d taken the hint and hadn’t brought them up again.
Avery had lightened up on him a little bit, too, but I knew she was watching him. So was I. But every time I took a step back, I only saw kindness and compassion from him, and in my heart, I believed he was doing everything he could to make things right between us. More importantly, he held true to his word and never showed up at my door without food for Avery and me. Even though it seemed my heart was healing from our high school days, I was fully aware I wasn’t the only demon in Layne’s past. Flickers of grief and regret danced across his face when he thought no one was looking. But I was, and I suspected that whatever he was running from cut him to his very core.
I woke up to a soft pattering against my window. One of the few things I missed in Arkansas was the ongoing days of rain. Although it rained in Spokane, it was usually only for a few hours. If I could, I would run outside and listen for the thunder, inhale the aroma of the fresh water, and allow myself to get lost in the moment while the grass and flowers soaked up every drop. It energized me.
“Hey,” Avery said, knocking on Benji’s door. “How ya feeling?”
“Fine.” I turned away from the window and smiled. “I’m cleared for duty, ma’am. Doc said I’m good to go.” I saluted her and smirked. I grabbed my new phone off the bed and tucked it in the back pocket of my jeans. Marilyn had dropped it off last week, and I was surprised at how happy I was to have it. I’d excused myself and deleted all the calls and texts I’d had with Benji and Layne before I returned her phone. There wasn’t anything inappropriate, but it made me feel better.
Avery leaned against the doorframe, watching me. “Plans tonight with Layne?”
“Nope. He’s helping his uncle with whatever, and I need to spend some time at the library, catching up on classwork. What about you?”
Avery chewed on her thumbnail. Uh-oh. Something was up.
“I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I was wondering how you’d feel if Justin moved in and shared the expenses.”
She might as well have slapped me. “What’s the rush?” My tone was clipped, and she knew she’d approached the topic too fast. “Marilyn and Michael have offered to pay our rent through the school year so we could focus on work and studies.”
“I want him here,” she replied softly. “I love him, and we want to live together. No matter how much I wish I could turn back time, Benji isn’t coming back, hon. If we can get a new roomie, then it relieves Benji’s parents of the financial responsibility too. I mean, I know they have a lot of money, but I want to do the right thing for everyone. It sucks, and I’m sorry.”
Her words churned in my stomach like curdled milk. “I’m fucking well aware of that, but it doesn’t mean we have to rent out his room within a matter of weeks like he doesn’t mean anything to us!”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s not what I meant. You’ve got to move on. He’s not coming back.”
Move on? Move on from the night my best friend lost his life as he’d always known it?
I stormed past her, anger pouring out of me. She needed to stay the fuck away. I snatched up my backpack near the front door, hefted it up onto my shoulder, and marched outside with no damned coat. I whirled around, burst back into the living room, and grabbed the necessary items to help me fend off the winter air and rain. Then I hoofed it to school, swearing under my breath the entire way, but the best thing for me at the moment was a long walk to help me calm down.