Claiming Serenity(8)

“Honey, you want to skip barbeque to go to Vaughn’s CrossFit studio?” Autumn asked, touching Layla’s arm as though she needed to be coddled. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been meaning to go with her.” She nodded toward Mollie, giving her best friend a wink that only she could see.

“But you don’t like sweating,” Sayo said.

“What’s really…” Mollie started, but then closed her mouth when Layla leveled a glare at her.

Layla disengaged herself from Mollie’s quizzing stare when the little girl at the next table dropped her fork and it came to rest near their table. She reached to retrieve it then handed it back, tipping the girl’s nose until she giggled.

Mollie, though wouldn’t be put off. They had an unspoken language. One that conveyed importance, requests and the need for delicacy. The expression on Layla’s face told Mollie unequivocally, “Shut. It.” Mollie returned that look with one of her own; one Layla understood as “You. Will. Talk.”

“We’ll be there,” Layla told Autumn, silencing any further questions her friends might have about her purposefully exerting herself and the plan she kept to herself to feign an upset stomach when it was time to make an appearance at the barbeque. But she felt Mollie’s eyes on her, knew that her best friend had every intention of finding out what Layla was hiding.





Donovan wanted another beer, but Declan’s asshole of a brother had taken the last bottle. He stared at Quinn with his chin lowered and what he hoped was a threatening glare. Quinn O’Malley was a jackass. Three hours after meeting him and Donovan already knew that. He was taller than Declan, but not as wide, with a build that was a lucky draw from a blessed gene pool. The guy wasn’t an athlete—he just looked like one. Like his half-brother, Quinn’s hair was coal black but messier, unkempt like he just couldn’t be bothered. From what Declan had told him, Quinn hadn’t had to do much in the way of working or earning a damn thing; his rich mommy and daddy took care of that for him. Donovan couldn’t talk, but at least he was being proactive. He was getting an education. Now that both Quinn’s folks were dead, he’d begun to squander what they’d built and Declan was held responsible for stopping him before he had frittered everything away.

Quinn further proved his asshole status by sitting on top of the damn cooler. “You’ve a problem, mate?” Quinn asked Donovan, stretching his long legs out in front of him, looking at Donovan like he was itching for a tussle.

“Nope. Just wondering when Declan and Autumn will be back from their beer run.”

“Not for ages, I reckon. Bit of stuff like her and I’d say bollocks to you all.” Quinn grabbed his dick, rubbing himself like an idiot. “I’d give that one a ride she’d not forget.”

“Oy, mind your tongue, boy.” Joe, Autumn’s father, landed a hard whack to the back of Quinn’s head.

“Bugger off, oul man.” The venom in Quinn’s voice was forced, as though he wanted Joe to think he was a threat. But there was a slight tremor in his voice and Donovan thought that Declan was right. Quinn was piss and vinegar and needed to be knocked off the pedestal he’d created for himself.

Joe’s large fingers came around the back of Quinn’s neck and the man leaned down, his mouth inches from Quinn’s ear. Donovan pretended he wasn’t listening to Joe treating O’Malley like the punk he was.

“This oul man will knock you into next month, you arsehole, if you sully my daughter’s name with that rotten mouth of yours.”

Whatever insult Quinn would have thrown at Joe died on his lips when Declan came through the back gate, his arms around a case of beer, and Autumn walking at his side.

“Alright then?” Declan asked, nodding to Joe who stood a bit too close to Quinn. “What’s he done now?”

“I haven’t done shite, you pouncy bollocks.” Quinn’s movements were sharp, sudden and Declan stood in front of Autumn, shoulders rounded as though he expected his brother to cause trouble.

“Pouncy bollocks? That the worst you can muster?” Declan’s laugh was condescending and bitter and it seemed to get under Quinn’s skin. He stepped in front of Declan, his mouth curled into a sneer.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Joe came between the two brothers and neither seemed to like it, but something behind Declan’s shoulder caught Quinn’s attention and he seemed to forget the insult he planned for Joe and his brother.

Declan turned, handing over the case to Donovan as Quinn walked past him, his eyes zeroed in on Sayo as she met Autumn in the center of the patio.