Broken (30 page)

Courtney’s smile faded, and she walked right up to me. “Nice. Very sweet with all the Southern bullshit and all, but listen, and listen good, bud. That’s my best friend up there. She’s been through hell and back one too many times. You so much as make a tear fall from one of her eyes again, and I’ll hunt you down and make sure you’re never able to use that dick of yours
ever
again.”

My smile faded, and my mouth dropped open. I went to say something, but Courtney put her finger up.

“I’m not done talking.”

I took a step back and actually began to feel sorry for Reed because he’d pissed off this girl.

“I haven’t seen Whit this happy in—well, shit, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her this happy. Either you’re really good in bed, or you’ve truly shown her how much you care about her. I’m hoping it’s both, but ya know, I’ll be happy with the latter. Treat her right, Layton. She deserves it. She deserves to be loved and looked after, to be spoiled and treated like a princess, to feel safe. Please just don’t ever treat her any less than what she deserves.”

I forced my tears back from seeing the tears building in Courtney’s eyes. I had to take a moment before I could even respond to her.

“Courtney, first off, you scare the shit out of me.”

She smiled and winked at me.

“Second, I’ve never in my life felt this way about anyone. It’s like Whitley has filled something that’s been missing for so long. I feel so renewed and alive. I can hardly breathe when she’s in the same room as me. I can’t keep my hands off her because I have this overwhelming need to have her as close to me as possible. The moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew what was missing in my life—true, honest-to-God love. From the very first day when her eyes looked into mine, I knew that I loved her. I’ll never hurt her, and I will
never
let anyone else hurt her again. I’d lay down my own life to protect her.”

She took a step closer to me as a smile spread across her face, causing me to smile in return.

“Oh, Layton Morris, I’m not that easily swept off my feet, but that…that just put me totally in your corner.”

I laughed. “Thank you. I think?”

“Oh, trust me, you always want the best friend in your corner.” She turned and started to head into the kitchen.

I followed behind her and leaned against the counter.

She looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of best friends, I hope what Reed said about me didn’t—”

I held up my hand. Now, it was my turn to stop her from talking. “Court, listen, he was drunk. He was jealous, and he didn’t mean a damn word he said.”

Her eyebrows lifted, and she tilted her head. “What do you mean he was jealous? Of what?”

I took a deep breath. I was pretty sure I was fixin’ to break some man code, but it would be worth it. It killed me to think that Courtney would believe anyone thought of her in any negative way.

“Listen, what I’m about to tell you, I’m sure, breaks some kind of man code, so this stays between you and me. Is that a deal?”

She slowly sat down on one of the kitchen bar stools. “Okay. Deal.”

I looked around, and leaning down closer to her, I whispered, “I’m pretty sure Reed likes you…like, as in, likes you a lot.”

She moved in closer and whispered, “What makes you think that?”

“Well, he kind of got drunk last night and told me he…told me he…”

“Told you he, what?” Courtney shouted.

“Shh! Damn, Court.”

“Oh shit! Sorry, go on. Please go on,” she said, going back into our whispered conversation.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m pretty sure I’m also breaking a best-friend code here, so you better take this shit to your grave.”

She sat up a little and used her index finger to cross her heart. “I promise. I won’t even tell Whit.”

Before I knew it, I was spitting out what Reed had spilled to me last night in his drunken fest. “Last night, he told me that he thinks he loves you.”

She pulled back with a shocked look on her face. “What?”

I made a face and nodded. “Yep. I’ve never, in all the years I’ve known Reed, ever heard him say he thought he loved a girl.”

Courtney looked down to the floor and started to shake her head. “But…he said all those things, and every time I see him, he’s always such a jerk to me. I mean, he is always picking a fight with me.”

I used my finger and gently lifted her chin up to me. “Courtney, men are…well, hell, I don’t really know how we are. But I can tell you, I’ve never seen Reed’s eyes so full of hurt and regret like I did when you walked in and overheard him. You have to know that he was just talking bullshit because Mitch had just said he was planning on asking you out. I don’t think Reed really knows what to do with these feelings toward you, and he just panicked and handled it all wrong.”

My heart broke as I saw a tear slowly slide down Courtney’s face. She wiped it away and stood up.

She took a deep breath and gave me a weak smile. “Well, to be honest, I’m glad I walked in and heard him say those things. It just opened my eyes to the type of person he is. I actually enjoyed my time with Mitch the other morning, and if I hadn’t heard Reed running off at the mouth, I would have just been sitting around, waiting for him and waiting to be hurt by him. Instead, I decided to give things with Mitch a try, and…” Her voice cracked a bit, and she forced a bigger smile. “And he is a complete gentleman. We’re going out to dinner tonight. Mitch will treat me with the respect I deserve. Reed Moore is the furthest thing from my mind.”

My heart dropped a bit because her mouth was saying one thing, but her eyes were saying something totally different.

“Listen, Courtney. Reed is my best friend, and Mitch is a friend as well. I don’t want to see either of them hurt. Just be sure you’re not running into Mitch’s arms to avoid your feelings for Reed. Reed is probably one of the nicest guys I know. He would never purposely hurt you, and I know he would love you one hundred and ten percent. Mitch just might not be the safer choice, sweetheart. He seems like it now, but—”

She was just about to say something when we heard Whitley coming down the stairs. I could hear her shoes on the hardwood floor.

“Hey,” her sweet voice said from behind me.

I slowly turned around, and all the air in my lungs was immediately gone.

Her brown hair was pulled up and piled into loose curls on top of her head. My eyes moved down to her neck where she was wearing a small delicate necklace. My dick instantly got hard from thinking about kissing her exposed neck. I looked down at her beautiful red chiffon evening gown, fitting her curves perfectly. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked.

I went to open my mouth, but I had to shut it again. Courtney let out a giggle, and Whitley smiled.

“Do you like it?” she asked with the cutest damn smile on her face.

“Um,” was all I could get out.

“It’s Court’s dress. It’s a mermaid gown with a sweetheart neckline. I’ve always wanted to wear it!” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Whitley, you look…” I had to clear my throat before I continued. “My God, you look stunning, sweetheart.” I looked down into her eyes.

The blush spreading across her face made my dick even harder.

Fuck dinner. I just want to take her home and make love to her all night.

She slowly made her way over to me and used her finger to gesture for me to move closer to her. As I moved my ear closer to her mouth, I felt her hot, sweet breath.

“I can’t wait for you to take me out of this dress. I have a surprise for you underneath it.”

I pulled my head back and looked at her. I couldn’t even think straight. “Ah…excuse me for one moment, ladies.” I stepped around Whitley and Courtney and made my way out the front door.

I took a few deep breaths to calm down my racing heart. “Damn the things that girl does to me.”

I pulled out my phone and made my first of two phone calls.

I stood there and watched as Layton made his way out onto the front porch.

“Jesus, Whit! What in the hell did you say to that poor boy?” Courtney said with a laugh.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I just told him that I had a surprise underneath the dress, and I couldn’t wait for him to take it off and see it.” I turned and looked back at Court.

Courtney started laughing. “Way to give the poor guy a hard-on right at the very beginning of the night!”

I covered my mouth up with my hands and started shaking my head. I felt my face turning hotter. “My God, Courtney, this is all your fault!”

Courtney’s face dropped, and she just looked at me with a stunned expression. “What? What’s all my fault? That you finally discovered your own sexuality? That you’re actually able to wear a sexy dress and have a man appreciate it? He couldn’t pull his eyes away from you, girl!”

“You turned me into a horny bitch, Court! It’s that damn book’s fault…and that stupid vibrator you gave me. Do you know I had a dream about Layton last night, and I had to take that damn thing out? I closed my eyes and thought about him the whole time while I used a stupid vibrator to have an orgasm!”

The smile spreading across Courtney’s face instantly told me that Layton was behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him standing there with his mouth hanging open.

“Ah…I think I need to take a cold shower before we leave.”

Oh. My. God. Where is the hole for me to crawl into?

Courtney walked right up to me and smiled. “Oh, the power of a good erotica book!”

She walked up to Layton, laughing, as she closed his mouth with her finger.

I tried to smile. “Layton, I didn’t know you were standing there.”

He walked up to me and took me into his arms. He kissed me so passionately it almost felt like all the air left my body. He slowly pulled his lips away from mine. The smile crossing his lips caused me to giggle.

“Will you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” I whispered.

“Go back upstairs and get that vibrator.”

I let out a chuckle and held up my clutch. “I don’t think it will fit in here.”

He smiled. “Put it in something else.”

Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m going to even entertain this idea!

“Mr. Morris, are you planning on being naughty later?”

He closed his eyes and then slowly opened them, capturing my eyes with his. I sucked in a breath at the smoldering look in his eyes.

I stepped back and made my way upstairs to get the Lelo vibrator, my heart pounding the whole way.

By the time I got into Layton’s truck, my heart was slamming in my chest.

I can’t believe I went back upstairs to get a vibrator, for Christ’s sake! I’m never reading another one of Courtney’s books again.

Layton got in, shut the door, and gave me a panty-melting smile.

Jesus…he is so damn good-looking. I need someone to pinch me ’cause I have to be dreaming.

“I can’t believe I did that!” I felt the blush on my cheeks.

Layton placed the back of his hand on my cheek and slowly moved it down. “My God, you’re so beautiful. I can hardly believe you’re here with me.”

Oh. My. God. I can barely breathe, and my stomach is in knots.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you!” I said with a giggle. “Hey, why did you go outside earlier?”

Layton shook his head and laughed. “Jesus, Whit, it’s bad enough, just seeing you in that sexier-than-hell dress, but when you tell me you can’t wait for me to take it off and see what’s underneath…there’s no way in hell I am going to be able to wait to get you back home. I called and booked a hotel room in Austin.”

My mouth dropped open before I let out a laugh. “Layton, do you know how happy you make me?”

He leaned over and kissed the tip of my nose. “I hope to always make you happy, baby. Come on, let’s go get our groove on.”

“I can’t get my groove on in this dress!”

“Fine, let’s go mingle around in a room full of tight-ass investors and maybe take a spin around the dance floor a time or two.”

I smiled and laughed. “Sounds like the fun will be after dinner—at the hotel,” I said with a wink.

My feet were killing me, and I was pretty sure I was getting dirty looks from almost every woman in the room. It seemed like we had been here for hours already. Layton and I had danced a few times, and it reminded me of the dinners I had gone to for my father’s practice
—or Roger’s investment dinners.