Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(157)

She stared at him and he knew she was no longer pissed but she wasn’t ready to let it go either.

So Layne went on, his voice soft. “I love you, baby, and part of why I love you is because you’re worried and you’d do something about it. Any other time this shit you pulled would be cute. Now it isn’t because I don’t have time to have your back and my boys’ and get the shit I need done, done. I was gonna run Gaines’s plates this afternoon but I couldn’t because I’m here.” Her face had changed completely, eyes half-mast, mouth soft and Layne knew he’d gotten to her. “So, help me out in a way that actually helps me out. Be there for me and be smart. Those are the only two things you gotta do, easy enough for you but they’d mean a lot to me.”

The instant he was done talking, Rocky spoke. “You love me?”

Layne’s head moved to the side. “What?”

“You said you love me,” she told him.

Layne stared at her and replied, “Well… yeah.”

“You love me,” she whispered, her eyes still hooded but they were intense and Layne felt his chest freeze again.

“Baby, what do you think we’re doin’ here?” he whispered back.

She shook her head.

“You ever fall out of love with me?” he asked softly.

“No,” she whispered and it sounded like she struggled to get that one word out but Layne didn’t care, that one word meant everything to him.

“That feeling is definitely mutual, honey.”

She held his gaze one beat, two, three then she sucked in breath, her eyes filled with tears and she looked down and to the side.

Layne moved around the bar, walked to her and pulled her into his arms. Rocky didn’t resist and slid her arms around his waist and held on, twisting her neck and pressing her cheek in his chest.

He dipped his chin and put his lips to her hair. “This,” he said there, “this right now answered more than just your prayers, Rocky.”

He heard her breath hitch as her body jolted with a fresh wave of tears and she held on tighter with her arms and pressed her body deep into his.

He lifted a hand and pulled her ponytail holder out of her hair then ran his fingers through its length and he kept doing it as he listened to her cry.

When her tears quieted, he whispered, “Ma’s making beef tenderloin tonight.”

Her head jerked back and his lifted up as she looked at him with wet eyes that apparently were ringed with lashes coated with waterproof mascara. They were spiky with wet but her cheeks weren’t streaming with black.

“Beef tenderloin?” she asked quietly, knowing exactly what that meant. Layne liked Vera’s beef tenderloin but Rocky loved it. She knew Vera wouldn’t make it if things weren’t good.

“We had a chat,” Layne answered, she melted even deeper into him, dropped her chin and rested her forehead against his chest.

“I like Vera’s tenderloin,” she whispered there.

“I’m bringin’ home cones and ice cream.”

Rocky’s head jerked back again, she looked startled a second then she let out a little giggle.

“You’re impossible.” She was still whispering and he grinned.

“Promise me you’re done with this shit, I’ll take watchin’ you eat a cone and then, later, watchin’ you wrap your hand around my c**k and lickin’ it as payback for savin’ your ass instead of tannin’ it.” The softness went out of her face and she started to pull back but his hand went out of her hair and both his arms got tight around her. “Promise me, Rocky.”

She tried to go into stare down but he knew she didn’t have it in her when she muttered, “Oh, all right.”

“Is that a promise?” Layne pushed.

“Yes,” she snapped.

“All of it?”

Her head tipped to the side. “What?”

“No more stupid shit.”

She pulled her arms from around him and put her hands on his chest but she replied, “No more stupid shit.”

“And you eat dessert tonight,” he pressed.

“Fine,” she snapped.

“Then you eat me later.”

“Fine!” she repeated, still snapping and still not meaning it and he smiled.

“Don’t pretend you don’t like it as much as me, sweetcheeks.”

“Um, I think you like it more than me, Layne.”

She wasn’t wrong about that.

He didn’t confirm, he ordered, “Now kiss me good-bye, I gotta get back to the office and run those plates and you need to get your ass to my house so Ma can get a head start on makin’ amends.”

“You missed one more thing you need to do and that’s quit bossing me around.”

He kept smiling. “Baby, what in all that isn’t good for you?”

“The part where you boss me around, that’s the part not good for me.”

Layne still kept smiling. “Quit bitchin’ and kiss me.”

“Layne –”

“Sweetcheeks, kiss me.”

“If you’re so busy, maybe you should –”

Layne shut her up by kissing her.

Rocky was nursing a snit but still… she kissed him back.