Chapter 40

WALKER

I pressed the barrel of my gun against my forehead, groaning as a headache began to pulse at my temples.

I’d caught a cold in last night’s rain, and I glanced over at Hayden, who was busy beating the hell out of another thief. He was in his element, no cold to slow him down, just doing what he loved best.

Spilling blood.

All I wanted was to crawl back into bed with my girl and hold her close all day, but duty had other plans.

A gunshot echoed through the warehouse, making me wince and close my eyes against the pain in my head.

Hayden sauntered over, a grin on his face as he tucked his gun away.

“Done!” he announced.

“Thank God,” I muttered.

Hayden’s smile faltered as he noticed my sour mood.

“You okay, bro?”

I wiped my runny nose on the back of my hand and shot him a glare.

“No. I feel like crap,” I admitted.

“Want me to drop you off at home and pick up some stuff for Tayla?” he offered.

I nodded, standing up and sliding my gun back into its place. I followed Hayden out of the warehouse and into the passenger seat of the car, hugging myself for warmth.

The drive home was silent, save for the two honks Hayden gave before driving off, making me wince again. As much as I loved my brother, he could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Entering the house, the first thing I noticed was the smell of chicken soup.

Damn, that smelled good!

Had Tayla made it?

I closed the door behind me and walked into the kitchen to find Tayla sitting at the island, eating soup, while Dominic cleaned up.

Tayla looked up and her face lit up.

“You’re home!” she exclaimed.

I moved over to her, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. I took her spoon and tasted the soup, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Damn, it tasted as good as it smelled.

“Did you make this?” I asked, surprised.

She glanced over at Dominic’s back.

“Actually, he made it,” she admitted.

Dominic turned around, grinning at me.

“You can cook?” I asked, shocked.

“I’m not just a pretty face, you know,” he teased.

Tayla giggled, and I tried to suppress my jealousy. I’d only called Dominic over as a last resort due to this morning’s emergency, but I didn’t want to leave her alone. Hayden didn’t even know I’d asked Dominic to watch Tayla, because I knew what he’d say and do.

I should’ve stayed home this morning and made Tayla soup myself!

Tayla grabbed some tissues and sneezed into them, letting me know she’d caught the cold too.

Dominic slid a bowl of soup over to me with a spoon, and I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’ll love it,” Tayla assured me.

I sat down next to her and started eating. Before I knew it, my bowl was empty and Dominic refilled it without a word.

“I saved some for Hayden if he wants it later, but I wouldn’t tell him I made it,” he advised.

I nodded, digging into the soup in silence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Tayla finish her soup and push her bowl away with a sigh.

“That was amazing. I don’t know if I can top that,” she admitted to Dominic.

“You don’t have to, just admit mine is the best,” Dominic boasted.

Tayla placed her hands on the island and shook her head.

“Never! My soup is better!” she declared.

Dominic scoffed and turned back to his cleaning. His mother had been a cook at our school when we were kids, but I had no idea he could cook too. Dominic could drive, kill, and hunt someone down if needed, but I’d never seen this domestic side of him.

Something he seemed to share with Tayla!

I frowned and pushed my bowl away, across the island. Tayla picked it up and brought it over to Dominic, who took it without even glancing at her.

Good.

I’d hate to have to kill him just for looking at her!

Tayla folded her arms over her chest and leaned on the sink, watching Dominic clean.

“I bet you can’t make pastry,” she challenged.

“Easy,” he shrugged.

“My apple pie is the best, and don’t even get me started on the different types of cheesecake I can make,” she boasted.

Dominic huffed, and I noticed this only seemed to agitate Tayla more.

“Tayla?” I warned.

She ignored me and continued to quiz Dominic.

“Can you make meringue?”

“Tayla!” I snapped, making her jump.

Shit!

I didn’t mean to scare her.

She watched me as I stood up and tilted my head towards our bedroom. Taking the hint, she gave Dominic a quick smile and then hurried into my room.

“I’ll call you when I need you,” I told Dominic firmly.

He nodded and turned back to the sink.

I headed for my bedroom and found Tayla sitting on my bed.

“There’s no need to get jealous, I was only talking to him about cooking,” she mumbled.

“If you think I’m jealous, you should see Hayden,” I told her.

I closed the distance between us and touched her face, her eyes looking up into mine.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I would never hurt you, Tayla,” I assured her.

“I know you won’t,” she said, kissing my hand.

“Take off your jeans and snuggle with me in bed?” I suggested.

She nodded and stood up, undoing her jeans. She pulled them down her legs and I noticed she was wearing one of my t-shirts.

Adorable!

I took off my gun and placed it on a drawer before sliding off my jeans. She climbed onto the bed and I joined her, scooting as close as I could to her.

We laid on our sides, looking at each other, our heads both on the pillows.

She coughed a little and tried to breathe through her now stuffed-up nose.

“I hate colds,” she complained.

“Me too, little one,” I agreed.

I draped my arm over her, my hand tracing soothing patterns on her back as she drifted off to sleep.

My own eyelids grew heavy, and I allowed myself to succumb to sleep, comforted by the knowledge that my girl was safe beside me.

Exactly where she was meant to be!

I woke up later to find Hayden perched at the foot of my bed, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Tayla.

“You two slept right through lunch,” he informed me, a frown creasing his forehead.

I glanced at Tayla, still lost in slumber, and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face.

“We’re both down with a nasty cold,” I explained.

“Is that why she whipped up chicken soup?” he inquired.

I nodded, slowly sitting up and stretching my stiff arms and neck.

Damn, I was sore!

This cold was a real pain in the ass!

“I brought more clothes for Tayla,” Hayden announced, watching me rise to my feet.

“Not just new thongs, I hope,” I teased.

“Maybe a couple more, but I also got her some jeans and t-shirts,” he replied.

I nodded and let out a loud yawn, causing Tayla to stir in her sleep.

Her eyes landed on Hayden and she bolted upright, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Jesus, that’s creepy,” she chided Hayden.

Hayden cocked his head to one side, studying her for a moment before breaking into a wide grin.

“You haven’t seen my brand of creepy yet,” he retorted.

“Hayden!” I cautioned.

“I’m sure I will, but right now, I could really use some of that soup Dominic made for us?”

Hayden’s blue eyes met mine, darkening noticeably.

Oblivious to the mess she’d just landed me in, Tayla climbed out of bed and headed for the kitchen, leaving us alone.

“I made a last-minute decision and didn’t want to leave her alone this morning,” I defended myself, raising my hands in surrender.

I braced myself for his outburst, but it never came.

“That’s fine. Her safety should always be a priority,” he responded, his tone surprisingly calm.

“You’re not mad?” I asked, taken aback.

“No. Just disappointed, really,” he admitted, sighing heavily.

My jaw dropped in surprise as I stared at him.

“What the fuck!” Tayla’s exclamation echoed from the kitchen.

Hayden’s smile returned as he turned to me.

“That was some damn good soup, and if I’d known she wanted more, I wouldn’t have polished it all off,” he chuckled.