Free Taking the Heat by Sylvia Day

bind.”
    “Understatement of the year.” The other deputy held out his hand and they clasped forearms, pulling each other close for quick slaps to the back. “You’re hotter than a bitch in heat. It’s her, isn’t it? Your Layla?”
    “Of course.”
    A pretty blonde in a wisp of a summer dress stepped out of the house and offered him a tentative smile.
    “Ah, shit,” Brian muttered. “I didn’t think about Rachel and Riley being here. We’ll head out.”
    Jack had recently been in a similar position to Brian’s—in love with a woman he couldn’t have. But Jack had worked things out. He’d gotten the girl and the future he had once only dreamed of. Brian would be damned if he’d fuck that up.
    “Riley’s with his grandmother,” Rachel interjected. “In California.”
    Brian extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. Brian Simmons.”
    “Hi, Brian.” She smiled. “We’re getting ready to grill up some steaks. Jack bought enough for an army, as usual. I hope you’re planning on staying for dinner.”
    He looked at Jack with a rueful smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I just stopped by for a moment.”
    “Bullshit,” Jack said. “Your timing is perfect. I told everyone I was going to be at Rachel’s in Monterey so they’d leave us alone. No one knows we’re here.”
    “Jack—”
    Jack ignored him and walked toward the Bronco. “I’ve got guest rooms. I’ll move my car out of the drive and you can park in the garage.”
    Opening Layla’s door, he introduced himself and gestured at the house. She looked to Brian and he shrugged.
    Their eyes held for a moment, a surge of emotion passing between them.
    So little time left. He hated to share even a moment of it, but he needed a fellow deputy’s input and help, and Layla needed a place to decompress.
    He held out his hand to her when she reached him. She linked her fingers with his and he led her into the house.

    “How can I help?” Layla asked, watching as Rachel pulled the vegetables for a salad out of the fridge.
    “Are you up for peeling a cucumber and chopping it up with some tomatoes?”
    “Absolutely.”
    After rinsing and prepping, Layla joined Rachel at the granitetop kitchen island. She smiled at the friendly blonde, whose short golden curls perfectly framed a lovely face and kind blue eyes.
    “You have a lovely home,” Layla said, envying the other woman’s happy family.
    “It’s not mine. Jack and I are still pretty new to each other. At least, in the romantic sense.”
    “I never would have guessed.” Jack clearly doted on Rachel. In some ways, he reminded Layla of Brian. Both men were tough, no-nonsense guys ... who just happened to have a soft underbelly they exposed only to the women they loved. When Jack looked at Rachel, the tender heat was obvious.
    “We’ve known each other for years. He was my late husband’s best friend and he’s my son’s godfather.”
    “You and I have a lot in common,” Layla noted.
    Rachel continued to shred a head of lettuce with her hands. “Jack gave me a brief rundown of why you’re here. I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now, yet you’re so pulled together and brave. You’re amazing. Jack says you’re from a military family?”
    “Jack seems to know a lot about me.”
    “I said the same thing.” Rachel laughed. “Apparently Brian talks about you a lot. It must be a relief to have him with you now.”
    “Huge.” Layla began to dice the tomatoes. “It’s ironic. We broke up, in large part, because of his job. And now I couldn’t be more grateful that he does what he does and that he’s helping me get through this.”
    “Jack ’s job got in the way for us, too. He felt like it was too dangerous for Riley and me, and that I’d eventually regret how often he’s away.”
    “I never minded the separation so much,” Layla said, thinking about it. “Maybe because I grew up living with it. My problem was—still is—his need to