Vera rounded the stairs and by the time Rocky’s head turned back to him, she’d realized the advantages to Vera’s unexpected alliance and she smiled smugly up at him.

He stared down at her wondering if her lip gloss tasted like peaches at the same time wondering if she’d attack him again after he spanked her f**king ass.

“I’m goin’ too!” Tripp shouted and catapulted himself over the back of the couch.

Layne watched his son race up the stairs then Jasper rolled off the couch, muttering, “I’m not gonna miss this,” and he followed his brother.

Layne’s eyes went back to Rocky and she was dropping her compact and lip gloss in her bag and, incidentally, failing miserably at hiding her smile.

“Sweetcheeks,” he called, her smile vanished, her head came up, tilted to the side, her eyes alight, and she mumbled, “Hmm?”

“What’re you doin’?” he asked quietly.

“Didn’t you hear?” she asked back. “We’re all going to church.”

“What’re you doin’?” Layne repeated, her eyes locked with his and she went into stare down.

He was pissed and she knew it so she couldn’t hold it and whispered, “Layne.”

“I told you, you’re not on this guy’s radar.”

“Layne –”

“I told you, this guy is a predator.”

“But –”

“Jas has been datin’ Keira for a few weeks and he’s keepin’ her clear of this guy. You think, what you mean to me, eighteen years I finally got that back, I’m not gonna do what I gotta do to keep you clear?”

Her eyes went half-mast a half second after they went intense, her mouth got soft then she swallowed before she ran the tip of her tongue along her bottom lip then her teeth sank into it. It sucked he was so f**king pissed at her because, that look on her face, he really wanted to see if her lips tasted like peaches.

She held his eyes and they went back into stare down.

She broke it again by saying softly, “Then you better get dressed to go to church, sweetheart.”

He stared at her.

He should have known. It’d been too easy to talk her down that night when she’d come up with her fool plan to confront the fake TJ Gaines. When Rocky got something in her head, she never let it go. She’d been waiting for her opportunity and here it was. He was cornered. With his mother and boys in the house, they couldn’t have the showdown he needed to stop her.

He should have known.

Shit, he was out of practice. He was going to have to step it up.

Layne leaned in and she braced as he did but held her ground.

“I’ll get changed but, baby, fair warning. You’re gonna pay for pullin’ this shit.”

He watched her eyes get wide right before he turned and walked up the stairs.

* * * * *

The parking lot to the Christian Church was jammed by the time Layne and his family arrived so he let them off at the door, twisting his neck toward the backseat as he did, giving Jasper a look that communicated his responsibility was keeping Rocky out of trouble. Jasper read this loud and clear if his grin was anything to go by, he nodded and Layne watched him stick close to Rocky as they walked in the door.

By the time he parked and made it to the crowded vestibule, he found Rocky, Vera and the boys deep in conversation with a short, squat woman with a dark helmet of hair and very large tits, so large, the blouse she was wearing opened at the buttons, exposing her bra.

He moved in beside Rocky, sliding his arm around her shoulders and Rocky looked up at him with a smile as the woman exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! There you are!” and Layne’s eyes moved to her. When they did, hers shot to Rocky. “Oh Rocky, the girls in the office are right! He’s even more handsome close up! You lucky duck!” she cried loudly.

At that, Layne watched Rocky’s dimple come out.

“Sharon, let me introduce you to Tanner Layne.” Rocky kept smiling at the woman and then turned that smile to Layne. “Layne, this is Sharon Reynolds.”

She emphasized the “Sharon Reynolds”, Layne found that name in his memory banks and looked back at the Church office lady.

“Sharon,” he greeted.

“So nice to meet you and so nice to have you and your Mom back at church.” Sharon turned to his sons. “They used to come here all the time, a long time ago, I remember. Or,” she paused, “at least, your Grandma did before she moved away to Florida.” Her eyes went to Vera. “We sure missed your weekly contributions, I can tell you that.” Then her antennae, obviously always active and working overdrive, dinged, her head suddenly jerked and her eyes focused on someone. “Oh! There’s Gray Lacey,” she announced and everyone turned to look where she was looking. “His offering has been light the last two weeks. He usually gives a hundred dollars and now he’s only giving fifty. This is probably because his wife Donna has been hitting the wine or, I should say,” she paused again to lean in, her eyes never leaving her target, and confided, “hitting it more than usual. I need to go speak to him.” She turned back to them explaining, “Fifty dollars is fifty dollars and a member of this flock shouldn’t be spending that fifty dollars on booze.”

Then she bustled away as they all watched her.

Layne’s arm gave Rocky a squeeze and her eyes came to him.

“Definitely the church needs a new office lady,” he murmured.

“She’s harmless,” Rocky replied.

“I think, sweetcheeks, weekly offerings are confidential and I also think that it’s not a law not to gossip but it is a commandment and we’re standin’ in a building where God pays a fair amount of attention.” Rocky pressed her lips together but her eyes were dancing and she didn’t reply so Layne went on. “Probably coulda asked her for the personnel file and she would have handed it over.”

He heard Rocky’s quiet giggle then they all heard, “Rocky!” and Layne turned to see Josie Judd bearing down on them.

“Hey Josie,” Rocky smiled, moving out of Layne’s arm to give her friend a hug and get one in return.

When they stepped away from each other, Josie’s eyes surveyed the group and went back to Rocky.

“Jeez, you’re a miracle worker, honey,” Josie noted. “I left Chip in his underpants on the couch counting down the minutes to when he can crack open a beer and the kids are all still in bed doin’ their zombie act which they only do on Sunday mornings or on days when they have tests at school. How’d you get these boys all dressed up and to church?”