Dangerous Tease (The Layton Family 3)

“So what do you get out of this, Josie?”

A trio of students barged into the room, talking loudly. They sat down in the back and pulled out laptops from their bags.

He glanced at the clock. Professor Schaffer's lecture would begin in about ten minutes. He grabbed Josie's hand, pulling her to the exit. “Come on, we can talk in my office.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave him an awkward left-handed salute since he was holding her right.

They emerged into the bright January sunlight, the glare glinting off the hard-packed snow covering the Cather College quad. A frigid blast of air swept across the open space and Josie shivered beside him before zipping up her leather jacket. It was perfect for a Vegas winter, but a pitiful excuse for a winter coat in Nebraska.

He glanced down at her boots. Not surprisingly, they weren’t made for walking on ice. The damn things had such spindly heels that he couldn't imagine how she walked in them period. He didn't want her to fall on the slick brick walkway, that's why he didn’t let go of her hand. Why else would he pull her closer to his side other than to help block the wind from freezing her solid?

Sam ignored the little voice laughing inside his head and quickened his pace, keeping time with the chattering of her teeth. A few minutes later, he turned toward Sandoz Hall and the warmth of his cramped office. He'd make some coffee; that would warm her up. Not that he cared. It was just common courtesy, that's all.

“Are we close?” Her teeth chattered.

“Yep, that building up ahead.”

At that moment, he spotted the telltale neon-green winter coat and matching bedazzled knit hat. Only one human being in the world thought neon green needed to be jazzed up.

Mom.

Luckily, Glenda Layton's back was to them as she walked toward his office. Shit. If his mother saw them together, she wouldn't rest until she knew everything about Josie. And when it came to digging up gossip, no one was better than his mother—especially if it involved her children. Persuading Glenda not to interfere in her children's lives was about as easy as teaching a goat to use a fork and knife.

Glenda stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, her gloved hand digging through her purse. She brought out a cellphone.

“Yellow,” she hollered into the phone, her mispronounced greeting carrying over the wind.

If he played it right, he could get past her. Gripping Josie's ice-cold fingers in his, he sped up the pace.

Swerving around the students shuffling to class, he hoped a few of the wrapped-up co-eds would serve as a wall between them and Glenda. Ignoring Josie's squawk of protest, he hoofed it down the sidewalk.

A few feet now and they'd be past Glenda and her inquiring mind.

Right as they were steps away from his mom, she snapped the phone shut and turned.

He and Josie came face-to-face with Glenda.

She took in the otherworldly blonde beside him and her gaze traveled down to his fingers wrapped around Josie's. When she looked back up, he swore he could see grandchildren reflected in the depths of her brown eyes.

Before she could open her mouth, he blurted out the first thing to come to mind. “Hi, Mom! Big meeting, talk to you later.”

Yanking Josie along, he sped toward his office, knowing he'd only postponed the inevitable.

“Shit, we're not goi

ng to make it in time.” Josie jerked to a halt.

“What?”

The appearance of the thug from the Vegas diner answered one question and created so many more.

Chapter Seven

Josie's stomach sank to her toes.

“Where you going in such a hurry?” Linc cracked his knuckles.

“Inside where it's warm.” She hoped he'd chalk up her shivers to the weather instead of the bone-deep fear making her spasm.