Worth The Battle (Heaven Hill Series) Read Free

thought cared about me.”
    The group got silent.
    “I’m so sorry,” she rushed on. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
    “No,” Tyler said. “You got it right; we are a bunch of law breakers. However, most women have the decency not to mention it.”
    Jessica knew her face was flaming, and it wouldn’t help to apologize, instead she kept her mouth shut.
    “Are Drew and Mandy on their way?” Layne asked, trying to fill the gap in the silence.
    “They should be getting here anytime,” Liam confirmed, looking at his watch. “Roni is going to bring them.”
    They all stood there for a moment, and Jessica felt like maybe the awkwardness that rolled off Layne was because of her.
    “Do I need to be here for anything else? It’s been a long day,” Layne asked, rubbing his leg for affect.
    “Nah, go on back to the clubhouse,” Liam told him. “We’ve all had a long day. I’m sending the rest of them back after Roni leaves with the kids.”
    Layne said a few words to a couple of the members and then steered her back towards the elevator they had come in on. Jessica hoped her mouth hadn’t gotten her in trouble. But if it did, it wouldn’t be the first time.

    The clubhouse was like nothing Jessica had ever seen before. It looked almost like a movie set—even though it was much darker.
    “My room is over here,” Layne directed her to a row of doors and then used a key to open one of them.
    “Who else stays here?” she asked, seeing just how many doors there were.
    “Everyone pretty much has their own room. It depends on what we have going on within the club as to who stays, but there’s always an option.”
    “Do you stay here all the time?”
    “I do, I don’t have another apartment or house like some of the other members.”
    He let her in and turned on the overhead light. Jessica turned around in a circle, taking in the room.
    “I know it’s probably a lot smaller than what you’re used to,” Layne said as he set her luggage down. “But it’s kinda what I got right now.” He didn’t want to admit this was all he could handle at the moment.
    “This is perfect.” The smile she pasted on for him didn’t meet her eyes.
    “It’s not,” he laughed. “But it’ll do.”
    “Really, Layne, I’m putting you out, so I appreciate this.”
    For someone who had spent most of his adult life in barracks and tents around the world, this was home. The only one he had known for a long time. Layne couldn’t expect other people to understand what it meant to have a bathroom that you didn’t have to dig a hole for, a shower that constantly had hot water, and a bed that actually had a mattress on it. For most people those were everyday rights, not luxuries.
    “You’re not putting me out, I’m happy to share anything that I have with you, but I know this isn’t what you’re used to.”
    “What I’m used to and what I want are two totally different things,” she sighed as she had a seat on the bed. Looking around, she realized there was only one bed in the room.
    He caught her look—he caught nearly everything. His time in the military had trained him not to miss anything. He was one of the most observant in the club. Not much escaped him. Although he had to question why she acted that way—it wasn’t like the two of them hadn’t shared a bed before. They had shared one both ways, the sleeping sense and the carnal sense. “Your virtue is safe with me.” He pointed to the chair in the corner. “That folds out into a bed.”
    “Then I’ll take that,” she insisted as she squared her shoulders. It didn’t matter to her that there was only one bed, but it obviously mattered to him. For some reason it had taken her by surprise, and she hadn’t had time to hide that surprise. Now she felt like he was offended.
    “The hell you will.”
    “No.” She shook her head. “I invited myself, and I don’t expect you to go out of your way for me.”
    Layne grabbed her hand to keep her from