by Ana Balen
When nothing happened, I turned and looked over my shoulder through the dark. He was lying on his back, his arm thrown over his face. He seemed in pain.
“Max?” a surge of panic shot through me.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked. Maybe it was too much for him. Maybe he changed his mind about us. He stayed quiet.
“You can leave if you want,” my heart was beating in my throat.
He turned on his side and brought his lips to my ear.
“Sleep, Bean,” his arm snaked over my waist. “I’m here.”
I didn’t know how it happened, I was wound up so tight, but I was out like a light moments after.
And I slept all night while Max clung to me.
Chapter Ten
Max
I was lying in that bed, feeling Skylar’s heat seeping into my cold body, hearing her breathe, reminding me she was alive and safe, thanking every god there was, she sent those messages. My mind tried to go to that dark place, to think about what could have happened if she didn’t decide she’d had enough and wanted to leave. Or after Barone found her in her friend's house. Or that very night, while she hid, not very successfully behind that bush, trying to confirm all that she heard.
But I didn’t let it.
I couldn’t.
If I did, I would rip the house apart. The mere idea of Barone harming her set my blood to boil. Instead, I thought about how she was gentle with everyone. How she feared for the safety of those she loved. How she tried to gently admonish the old lady that turned out to be Barone’s grandmother when she called him a dick.
How much she trusted me.
How much she believed in me.
And how she was with Chace.
When her body bucked, and a whimper fell from her relaxed mouth, I shoved my hand under her body and dragged her the two inches that separated us, to mine. The moment we were flush, she relaxed and purred in her throat.
Damn, she was cute.
Chace wasn’t lying when he said I was a lucky bastard. In all my dreams I had of the woman that sent me texts, I was nowhere near enough to the likes of Skylar. I also remembered how she looked at me under her lashes, thinking I couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind and how desperate she was for me to kiss her.
I knew the feeling.
I felt it.
I tasted it.
I almost broke down and gave us what we both wanted while I held her in my arms. Thank fuck I didn’t. I would not let it happen until the situation was resolved. That didn’t mean that I was going to let her disappear. Thank fuck, I didn’t have to fight hard. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. I had to call him. I got up, adjusted the covers around her, and stared. She was the most beautiful sight I ever saw. In the early morning light, she looked peaceful, angelic almost.
I leaned in and brushed my fingers over her face. Fuck. Who would have thought I would turn up being a romantic? Shaking my head at my sappiness, I left her alone in that bed.
“Max,” he said in the way of greeting.
“Stone.”
Fuck, that was hard. I haven’t spoken to him in months, and there I was calling him to pull him back into the eye of the storm.
“I have a situation.”
“I heard,” his voice dark with meaning. “Welcome to the club, brother.”
It was fucked up, me calling him after what he has been through. Still, I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job.
“You got the brief?” I asked.
“Yeah. Liv was here yesterday.”
“I need a few days, and then I’m there.” He was business-like.
“Stone,” I tried to stay calm, but I was losing control.
“Lock it down, Ryan.”
“How can I be locking it down, when there’s a fucking psycho running around Denver considering my woman his plaything?” I let some of the frustration and anger to seep out.
“Your woman?” Surprise tickled my eardrum.
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “My woman.”
“Does she know that?”
“To an extent.”
“Never thought I would see a day,” he left the rest hanging unsaid.
“She is the one behind the text. She is also the one,” I said out loud for the first time. “The fucked-up thing is, she comes with some heavy baggage and a psychopath on her heels.”
“They always do,” he muttered. “I want to know everything. Liv didn’t know much, and she divulged what you told them, now I wanna know the rest.”
I told him everything. I didn’t hold anything back. Out of everyone, Noah Stone was the man I trusted the most. He was my mentor. He was my brother. And I know he would have my back.
“Fuck,” he spat once I was done.
“Yup,” I watched as Skylar stumbled sleepily down the stairs.
Her hair was a mess; she was rubbing her eyes and yawning. She was cute as hell. She also wore something that could barely pass as underwear. Which meant her legs were on full display. Damn. I couldn’t wait for the day those would be wrapped around my waist and I-
“Ryan!” Stone barked in my ear.
“Here,” I said distracted as I watched Skylar stop, look around then when she clocked me, going full speed until she collided with me.
“You left me alone in the bed,” she wailed.
“Good morning to you, too,” I quipped.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she spat.
“I see you’re a little monster in the morning,” I teased her.
“Only before I have my morning dose of caffeine,” she said irritably.
I held my cup up for her. All irritation vanished from her face. She looked up at me, tears pooling in her eyes, but she blinked as not to let them fall.
“Ryan!” Stone growled in my ear.
“I’m here,” I said into the phone.
I reached out, snaked my hand under her T-shirt and held Skylar close to me while I focused back on the call.
“I hear your woman is up. I’ll reach out to the kid and see where we stand,” he was ready to wrap this up.
“Gratitude,” I muttered.
“You coming back to active duty?” the question came out of left field.
Only the feel of Skylar’s skin kept me rooted in reality. I glided my hand up and down her neck, trying to soothe the dragon that worked just by Stone asking the question.
“You know I can’t, not after what happened.”
Fuck. I didn’t want to talk about this in front of her. Didn’t want to add to her burdens. A time would come when I will have to tell her what happened and why I’m retiring from the force.
But not now. Stone was silent.
“What about you?” I knew the answer.
“I never left,” the stubborn mule said.
“Bullshit!” I watched Skylar bite her lip as she watched mine move. “After that shitstorm, you got a call in the middle of the night, and it was almost like someone lit a fire under your ass. You got to Boulder as you could. Taking your truck and your bike. And now, you’re all worked up because Addison didn’t get her shipment in time. Which I understand, the hell you two went and are still living through would put anyone on edge. It’s downright ugly.”
“Max.” He tried to wade in.
I didn’t give him a chance.
He needed to hear it.
“It’s high time that you pull your head outta your ass and stop trying to be someone you’re not,”
Skylar’s mouth dropped open. I carried on.
“Cut the shit, brother. You are who you are. And you installed that woman into your house as fast as you could.”
“Same as you did,” Skylar whispered and looked away.
I slashed my eyes to her, surprised as fuck. She took a sip and hid behind the cup. Smartass.
“I see Liv has been talking,” Stone stated.
“She talked, yeah. And it’s good she did. Besides, you know as much as I do, you can’t hide anything from Olivia,” at t
he mention of Liv’s name, Skylar tilted her head, her eyes questioning.
I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “A teammate of mine. You’ll meet her.”
She tried to hide it behind a fake cough. She had a satisfied little smile on her face.
“I just needed to put that past to rest,” Stone tried to feed me some bullshit excuse.
“Sorry to scratch at the old wound, brother. But she was at peace from the moment you were kneeling at that sidewalk, it’s just you who needs to accept that fact. Forgive yourself and be who you really are, man,” I urged. “And as much as it’s ridiculous for a former SWAT, you are a biker. A member of a club that doesn’t walk on a sunny side, holding hands, singing the If You’re Happy and you know it song.”
“I’m not!” He snapped, sounding almost repulsed by the idea.
“So, what you’re saying is, you gave up the VP patch?” I asked.
Skylar was swaying, her eyes glued to my chest. I looked down, trying to see what had her so transfixed, but I only saw the tattoo there. The angel wings. The one I had in memory was of my Dad.
“Don’t,” Stone demanded.
I went back to the conversation but kept an eye on her.
“Or better yet, you gave up your cut and blacked out the half of your thigh?”
He didn’t say anything. The silence was answering for him.
“That’s what I thought,” I sighed.
Skylar peek at me shyly from beneath her lashes. What was that about? I got my answer when she reached out with a tentative hand and traced a feather with her fingertip. The whole time, her eyes bounced from my face to my chest.
“Fuck,” I bit off.
My eyes crossed with the feel of her hot skin on me.
“What?” Noah asked alerted.
“Nothing,” I cleared my throat.
I took Skylar's hand and pressed it against my chest. She wiggled her fingers, so I dragged my hand, holding hers along one wing then down underneath it until we reached the words there. I watched with vivid fascination as a flush crept over her chest, up her shoulder and neck all the way to her cheeks. I needed to end this call. And do it fast.
Almost as he heard me, Noah said, “I’m sorry, Max.”
Nothing to be sorry for, brother,” I assured him.
Out of everyone, he was the one who needed to hear that the most.
“Call the kid. I need some time, and when I have everything in order, I’ll haul my ass to Denver.”
“Appreciated,” I muttered.
I stopped watching Skylar as she studied the lettering and the details of my ink like it was the high art and looked over her head.
“Stone,” I called.
“I’m here.”
“It was an honor,” the words scratched my throat.
“To my soul,” He rasped back.
After he said it, I got nothing. He hung up the phone. Fucker. I turned, tossed the phone on the counter, and took Skylar entirely into my arms. She looked up at me with an intense look in her eyes.
“Is there any coffee left for me?” I grinned at her.
She was confused for a second but offered me the cup.
“Does that mean you’re still a little monster, or can I stop being scared of you?” I couldn’t help it. I had to tease her.
Her eyes turned to slits.
“It depends,” she snapped.
“On what?” I grinned.
Damn, she was cute.
“On whether you plan on being an ass first thing in the morning.”
I threw my head back and laughed. When I got control over it, a look of wonder was all over Skylar’s face. Fuck me. The need to kiss her was so intense I could almost forget everything I promised to myself I would do before I made her mine.
“So, what’s on the agenda today?”
I asked to distract myself from thinking about kissing her.
Or tasting her.
Or fucking her.
“I have to go to lunch with my aunt and uncle. Then I have to swing by the hotel and get my things. That’s it,” she shrugged. “Nothing much.”
“Oh, and I gotta call Kiki, my cousin. I couldn’t get a hold of her since the wedding,” worry clouded over her features.
“I’m sure she’s fine.” I tried to assure her.
“Yeah,” she was pulling away.
I didn’t want to let her go. I tensed, and she stayed where she was-
“Will you tell me who was on the phone?” she asked shyly.
“Noah Stone, my ex-team leader at SWAT.”
She seemed surprised.
“Why, former?”
“Because both he and I are leaving the force,” I let her go under the excuse of filling up the cup with the second dose.
“Why?” she watched me move around the kitchen.
I didn’t want to keep anything from her, but the reason why I was leaving my job was too much for anyone to hear in the morning, let alone her.
“I will tell you, Bean. Just not right now. It was a difficult situation, one that still follows me, and I’m asking you to give me some time before I reveal uglier things,” I said honestly.
“Okay,” she whispered.
I came to her, leaned in, and kissed her cheek.
“Thank you,” I mumbled.
She wasn’t fast enough to hide her look of disappointment. I smiled to myself.
“I have to go get ready,” she indeed thanked me. And turned to leave.
“Brody, my other teammate will be your shadow today. So, don’t freak out if you see an unknown man following you. I’ll give you his picture so you would know who to look for.”
She indeed smiled and went upstairs. It was good that I called Stone. I dragged my feet, but it had to be done. For both of us. All that was left, before I made Skylar mine, was find out what the hell was going on with Barone and where he was hiding. I had my team at my back. Chace was at the front line right along with me. And if need be, Carter would not be far behind. Which meant Skylar was safe. At least for now. And I intended to keep it that way.
Chapter Eleven
Max
I was pacing up and down my living room and checking my phone with every turn I made. Where were they? Jason called and said they were two minutes out. That was ten minutes ago.
"Prepare, man."
Before he burst out laughing and ended the call. I couldn't believe I let it happen, not only that, I arranged it. After Skylar left to get ready for lunch with her aunt and uncle, without a second thought, I called Rory.
"What's up?" She answered as cheerfully as ever.
"I need a favor," I choked out.
I knew that was going to cost me in ways I couldn't even imagine. I just hoped it wouldn't end with me sitting in a cell. That was Rory's favorite pastime, getting her brothers arrested. She liked to torment us, and I was fully aware I was giving her ammunition to destroy me. I didn’t give a fuck. I wanted Skylar to have fun. To be carefree for one evening. I also wanted to have someone she could talk to. She wasn’t fully relaxed with me. Even though there was a pull between us, one I never felt before, we still had a lot to learn about each other. With Rory, she could unload without the pressure of needing to live up to some imaginary expectations. Living with a sister taught me that a girl got that when she was hanging with her girlfriends. With Melanie gone and her cousin in the wind, Rory was my only option. It was a good call. After she got home from her lunch, she was quiet and decided to go lay down for a bit. I wanted to have her near and be within my reach. I took the time while she was upstairs and called Brody to get a brief and to get Skylar’s background. With what he told me, I wished I didn’t. Every word he said, sliced me across the chest until I had to check and make sure I wasn’t breathing. Her life consisted of tragedy after tragedy.
And I got to see why she was willing to bury her head in the sand so deep she completely missed who she was sharing her life with. I couldn’t imagine the fear and loneliness that she forced herself thr
ough every single day. It had very little to do with Barone out in the wild and all with my need for her. She woke up, got downstairs, and beelined to me. Without a word, she climbed in my lap, pushed her face in my neck, and sighed.
“I missed you,” she muttered.