Lowlander Silverback (Gray Back Bears #5)(24)

“Not a damn thing. Your instincts kick up when you fall in love with a shifter, Layla. And Kong is fine. He’s strutting around like a proud rooster, actually. He’s already cleaned up and mostly healed, and his shirt is covering your mark. He’s just worried about you.”

Layla’s sigh released a hundred pounds of weight off her shoulders. “He’s proud?”

“Hell yeah, girl. He just bought the entire bar a round of drinks. And it’s not just as a distraction either. I haven’t seen Kong smile this much in months. I knew something had been eating away at him, but I didn’t know it was you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Now all his words of wisdom for everyone make sense. He was in love with you and couldn’t take his own advice because of his people. All he could do was make sure his friends didn’t waste opportunities to be with the people they cared about. Hold this,” she ordered, pressing a wad of gauze over the four puncture marks near the base of her neck.

Layla held it down hard as Georgia began scrubbing the blood from Layla’s shirt under the sink water. When she was done, Georgia pulled her own black cotton shirt off and handed it to Layla. “Put that on. Jason’s already waiting out back to take me home. I’m stealing your shirt for now.”

“Thanks for doing this.” Layla looked under the gauze with a wince. It wasn’t bleeding much anymore, but it hurt like the dickens.

Georgia replaced the old with new bandages, taped it down, then helped her into the new shirt. “Don’t favor it. Just do your best to make it look like you aren’t hurting, okay? The Gray Backs will work on keeping Kirk schnockered.” Georgia tossed all of the used medical supplies into the trashcan and buttoned up the first-aid kit. Then she turned and hugged Layla more gently than she would’ve expected from a grizzly shifter. “Congratulations.”

Layla hugged her shoulders as her heart sank down to her toes. “He still won’t stay.”

“But for tonight,” Georgia whispered, holding her back at arm’s length, “you belong to each other. Enjoy it and let tomorrow bring what it will.”

Layla tried to smile but her lip trembled, so she nodded instead, fighting burning tears as the fear of losing Kong after what they’d just done seeped into her bones.

Head up and spine straightened, Layla followed the curvy park ranger into the hallway and waved her thanks as Georgia made her way to the back exit.

When she came out to the bar, Jake was in the middle of pouring a row of at least a dozen shots. He passed them out to the customers at the bar top then turned a wary grimace on her. “Are your female problems all…cleared up?”

Layla pursed her lips to contain her smile and nodded. “Mmm hmmm.”

“Good. Now take this tray of drinks over to the pool table before they get warm. And what happened to your tank top?” he asked as she walked away, tray in hand.

She ignored him because, really, she was crap at lying. She licked her lips and smiled shyly as she set the tray on the table close to the group playing pool. Kong bent over to line up a shot but his churning green eyes lifted to hers, and in an instant, the worry there morphed into a heart-stopping smile. Her heart beat against her breastbone as she handed out drinks, and now her grin was uncontrollable. She’d been with Kong now. She’d shared one of those life-altering moments with the man she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for three years. He’d broken his contract for her and marked her. The bite on her shoulder burned and tingled just thinking about it, but she’d heard Georgia and pretended it didn’t bother her at all. Later, she would be a total wiener and take pain killers, but in front of Kirk, she would be tough for both Kong’s sake and her own.

“You,” Kirk slurred, pointing unsteadily at her around Creed. “You’re the reason for all the trouble.”

The blood drained from her face, leaving her skin clammy and cold. “W-what?”

On the other side of the pool table, Kong stood to his full height.

“You…” Kirk closed his eyes and seemed to drift to sleep before he blinked them open again and took another pull of what looked like straight whiskey. “You’re the reason I’m going to be punished. You’re the reason you’re being punished.”

“What are you talking about?” Kong asked in a low, dangerous voice.

“Layla!” Jake called over the bar.

She ripped her gaze away from Kirk’s bleary eyes and called, “I’ll be there in a minute!”

“No, now. You have a phone call.”

A phone call? It was midnight. The way Kirk shook his head and stared at her with that sad look in his eyes made her blood curdle in her veins. Chills blasted up her arms as she backed away with the empty tray. She turned and ran for the bar, then picked up the phone off the counter.

“Hello?”

“Layla,” Sherri said, her voice shaking. “I tried to call your cell phone but you weren’t picking up.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Honey.” Sherri swallowed audibly. “Honey,” she repeated softer, “Mac passed tonight.”

Layla shook her head slowly back and forth. “No.” The noise of the bar died to nothing as Sherri explained that he’d taken out his breathing tube. “No.”