Page 31 of Layne Closure Ahead

The very next morning she heard some loud voices and power tools outside of her bedroom window. It sounded like it was not just coming from the back of her house, but the side and front as well. If this had been midtown, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but it was typically far quieter this time of day in her neighborhood.

Her bare feet walked across the cool wooden floor of her bedroom as she pushed the sheer curtain to the side to see what the hell was going on out there.

Surprise didn’t begin to cover what she saw which led to her stumbling over her own feet as she ran downstairs to the front door. She swung it open wildly to begin raising all hell on earth.

The poor workers got a hell of a sight when she appeared in the doorway of her home. Her long locks were still a tangled disaster from sleep and leftover hairspray from the night before, and she was barefoot and wearing nothing but a pair of bright green boy shorts coupled with a black tank.

“What the fuck is going on here?!” She stared at the men on ladders by her windows and near her front stoop. They were all carrying electronic equipment, wires, and various tools.

Despite the brisk autumn air pulling a shiver from her scarcely clothed body, she stepped down onto the front stoop to get a better assessment of the work being done—work she hadn’t requested.

The men all looked dumbfounded while sharing glances amongst themselves and not sharing any answers with her.

That’s when Eric rounded the corner, waving with his hand to the men to continue their work.

“Layne, I’m so sorry, I tried calling but didn’t get an answer.” He didn’t sound one bit of fucking sorry to her.

One man uninstalled one of her security cameras mounted near a window. Layne couldn’t believe her eyes and she pointed at the guy. “Hey! What the fuck?!”

Eric softly wrapped a hand around her arm. “Why don’t we go inside and talk, hm? I will explain everything.”

She looked down at his hand touching her and then up into those stark blue eyes he had. Sliding her arm out of his hold with a glare, she walked inside not caring who saw the lower curve of her cheeks peeking out from the bottom of her panties.

The front door closed behind Eric as he began to dial up the charm, mistakenly thinking that it was going to make her ok with strangers doing work on her house which she hadn’t approved.

“You want to explain what the hell those guys are doing with my security cameras?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, not particularly caring how little clothing she had on at the moment.

Eric softened his look while trying to reassure her. “The security system you have is inadequate. Now that we are coming together, your safety is my utmost concern.”

Bullshit—an anosmic bloodhound would still be able to smell it a mile away.

He was wearing a black dress shirt left untucked, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of jeans that looked like they had never seen a day of wear and tear. Eric stepped up to her, placing his hands on the edges of her shoulders.

“After you left last night, I was made aware of a concerning incident that occurred in my private office upstairs.”

Her face softened up as her curiosity was piqued. “An incident?”

A sigh passed through his lips. “Two of my men were killed.”

Immediately, her mind was back on Joey, but this time it was what had brought him to the party in the first place and his disappearance to take care of some business matters. That jackass was supposed to be discreet and he left two bodies behind? The back of her brain was furious at him. Joey better have a damn good excuse.

“By who?” If he had any suspicions, she figured she would be dead by now. That’s what she would have done in his shoes.

Trying to be reassuring, he offered up a smile. “I’m still looking into it. It appears whoever was responsible was looking for something. Until I know more, as a precaution, I am having my top-tier security system installed here.”

She shook her head. “That’s not necessary, I am more than capable of dealing with anyone that wants to break in here and start shit with me.” Well, mostly anyone.

When she went to step back, his hands tightened their hold on her. “As my future wife, it is very much a necessity.” His voice grew more stern with her.

Her nostrils flared slightly seeing that he thought he was going to be the proverbial man of the house. “Eric, let’s get one thing straight. We’re not married yet, and when that day comes let’s get one thing very, very clear.” Her voice mirrored the same level of rigidness as his. “You will not be making any decisions for me.”

With a firm shove, she removed one of his hands and shook off the other as she stepped away with unfriendly eyes targeted at him. Eric watched as Layne distanced herself. Switching up his approach he softened his face.

“You’re right, I should have said something. I apologize for that. However, I will not apologize for doing my best to keep you safe from any potential threats. It’s now my responsibility since we have come to our agreement to be bound to one another.”

As much as she wanted to lay into him about protecting his assets, she swallowed it down into the base of her stomach. Layne reminded herself that she needed to be smart in handling this situation and her alliance with Eric. Personal feelings needed to be shoved aside.

He presented her with an offer. “How about I make it up to you? I will take you out for a night, and we will forget about work and just focus on getting to know one another.”

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