“Yeah, baby?” he asked, his mouth nearly on hers.

“What –?”

His mouth captured hers and his tongue darted out to taste her lip gloss. It tasted like fruit but he didn’t know if it was raspberry and he didn’t care because her lips parted and Layne didn’t waste the opportunity, his tongue slid inside.

His hand stayed at her neck as his other hand gripped her waist and pulled her body into his. Both her hands went to his shoulders, not to push away, for the fingers to curl in and she held on.

Her head tipped further back and tilted to the side causing her br**sts to press into his chest. That felt good and he wanted more of it.

So he moved his hand along her waist, feeling the fabric of her sweater was soft, not scratchy, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her body deeper into his, plastering her softness against him.

Yep, that felt better and Rocky thought so too, he knew this because she made a sweet, little noise in her throat that vibrated against his tongue.

That noise made Layne give a reciprocating one, but his wasn’t sweet, it was hungry.

Too hungry, the taste of her, the smell of her perfume, her body pressed against his felt f**king great. His body was reacting and she was at work. This couldn’t get out of hand. Not how he wanted it to, not here.

He tore his lips from hers but kept her close with his hand at her neck and arm around her waist.

“Layne,” she breathed and he realized then she’d kissed him back. No complaints, no resistance, like Sunday night, he’d touched his tongue to her lips and she was his.

This said a lot and all of it was f**king brilliant.

“I got work to do, baby,” he whispered.

“What are you… why are you –?” she started to ask but he touched his mouth to hers once, then again then he looked in her eyes to see they were slightly unfocused and slightly confused and that look was definitely cute.

“Got shit to do, sweetcheeks. Colt’s got a guy who may give me info I need on Stew and I got a file to build on a case I completed last night and I need to get that done so I can get paid.”

“Um… okay,” she whispered.

His hand at her neck and his arm at her waist gave her a squeeze. “See you tonight.”

“Okay,” she repeated.

“Later,” he muttered and touched his mouth to hers again.

“Okay,” she muttered back when he was done, her mutter breathy. “Later.”

He smiled down at her, let her go, stepped away from her and her hands dropped from his shoulders. He wiped her berry gloss off his lips with the back of his hand while still smiling. Then he turned to the door and his timing couldn’t have been any f**king better. The bell rang and he opened the door as kids started streaming into the halls. He waited a few beats, looking back at her and finding she was where he left her, staring at him, still seeming unfocused. Then, when the halls were packed with kids, he took a step out, turned back to her, gave her a wink and started to walk down the hall.

A young girl ran into the back of an opened locker right beside him after he took two steps and he caught her by the bicep because the noise of her slamming into the locker was loud and her dazed expression made it look like she was going down.

“You all right?” he asked and she stared up at him still looking dazed. He bent closer. “Hey, honey, I asked, you all right?”

“Uh…” she stared up at him like she’d never seen another human being before then she whispered in a voice so quiet he could barely hear her, “you called me honey.”

“Molly,” Rocky was there, “did you hurt yourself? Is everything okay?”

The girl tore her gaze from him, blinked at Rocky and mumbled, “Uh, yeah, Mrs. Astley.”

“Her name is Ms. Merrick,” Layne told the girl, he heard Rocky suck in breath, he let the girl’s arm go and the girl turned her head and blinked up at him.

“Oh, okay,” she turned back to Rocky, “yeah, I’m fine, Ms. Merrick.”

Rocky was glaring at him but she spoke to the girl. “That’s good, Molly, now you better get to class.”

“Right,” she muttered, scuttled between them and took off down the hall.

“Hey, Mrs. Astley,” a pack of girls called in unison then one of them went on, “your boyfriend is hot.” Then all of them burst out in giggles.

“Thank you, Mariah, your opinion is noted,” Rocky replied irately and Layne burst out laughing. When he was done, Rocky was close and she hissed at him, “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Yeah, Roc.” He grinned at her. “See you tonight.”

“See you tonight.”

He winked again and she glared, then she turned, walked back to her room and then disappeared inside. It was only two strides but she did it with her strut so Layne took the time to watch. When he was done, he turned, saw two of Jasper’s friends, backs against the walls, both of their eyes were locked on Layne.

“Hey Mr. Layne,” one of them said in Jasper’s “you the man” tone of last night.

“Jamie,” Layne nodded and his eyes cut to the other kid, “Mitch.”

“Yo, Mr. Layne.”

Layne smiled at them and started walking down the hall thinking that his whole play went really, f**king great.

* * * * *

Layne met Colt and they took off in Layne’s Suburban.

When they did, Layne left Blondie with Sully at the Station knowing Jas’s dog would love him forever, such was her excitement at being left in a place full of men who liked dogs as well as a variety of corners she could stick her nose into to experience a variety of new and unusual smells.

“Things good?” Colt asked from the passenger seat.

“Workin’ on it,” Layne answered.

“How’s Rocky?” Colt went on.

“Workin’ on that too,” Layne replied and Colt chuckled.

“Can’t say I wasn’t shocked as shit coupla weeks ago,” Colt remarked.

“Everyone’s shocked as shit, includin’ me,” Layne told him.

Colt was silent a moment before he asked quietly, his voice openly concerned, “It goin’ okay?”

Alec Colton was a good cop, a good man and a good friend. They’d worked together years ago, he’d been that way then and he was that way now. Colt knew Layne before Rocky left him and after. He knew what she meant to him and he knew what it meant she was back.

Therefore, Layne said quietly back, “Path’s full of thorns.”