CHAPTER 23

SCOTT

I know I told Skylar I’d only be an hour, but while I was dropping off the helmets, I ran into Mrs. McLain, the mother of the kid who was injured in the accident. She stopped by the arena to let Coach Bishop know that Josh had been rushed into emergency surgery two days ago. He got a serious infection in his leg, and they weren’t able to save it. Thirteen years old, and the kid is an amputee. Although his mom assured me that Josh’s spirits are good, the news still hits me hard. It’s late by the time I dial Sky’s number on my way out of the parking lot.

“Hey, babe. I thought you’d be home by now. I’ve been so worried. Is everything okay?”

“No,” I reply, nearly losing it at the thought of her being worried about me. “Not really.” Somehow, I manage to hold my shit together as I relay everything Mrs. McLain just shared with me.

“Oh, my gosh. Scott, I’m so sorry. It makes me sad for him, but you know kids are so resilient. They bounce back and are capable of much more than adults give them credit for,” she answers softly, and for a moment I wonder if she’s referring to her own situation. Though it may be different, she still had to endure a lot in her young life, a lot more than anyone will ever know. “Do you need anything? What can I do?”

“You.” My voice ends up sounding like I’ve gargled broken glass. “I only need you.”

“I’m here, waiting. All you have to do is come home.”

***

I know I told Skylar to wait in my apartment, and I’m more than certain I made my intentions clear on how I saw the evening going. But nothing could have prepared me for what I find when I open the door and walk inside.

She’s standing in the center of the room, waiting for me. I stop in my tracks and stare at her, soaking in every last detail to be stored away into my memory for all of eternity. She looks like an angel in white, wearing one of my dress shirts that hangs down to the middle of her toned thighs. Her hair is wild and loose and spilling over her shoulders, face scrubbed clean of any makeup she’d been wearing. And on her feet are those stupid rubber boots.

Fucking yellow ducks.

Seeing her in those boots does things to certain parts of my body. My dick doesn’t just swell; it might as well be a third party in the goddamn room.

I cross the room in three steps, my arm going out to circle her waist as I dip my head to inhale her scent. Brushing her hair aside, I run my lips over the column of her neck, nipping and sucking all that exposed creamy skin. She coos under my assault on her flesh, hands falling to my ass to bring our bodies closer.

“Good God, woman. What am I going to do with you? You wear those goddamn boots, and I get all sorts of thoughts running through my head. Thoughts of me dirtying you up with my cock then cleaning your entire body with my tongue. And after I’m finished, I know I’ll just want to dirty you up again.”

She giggles as my fingers fumble with the buttons of my borrowed shirt. “Maybe I should wear a label. You know, like a bottle of shampoo? One reading: Orgasm. Rinse. Repeat.”

I growl my approval in her ear before licking around the shell. “You have no idea how much I need you right now. I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back. Not while you’re still wearing those damned boots.”

She looks at me coyly. “What is it about these boots that gets you so turned on?”

“Honestly? I have no fucking idea, but right now, all I can think about is bending you over that counter and taking you from behind.” I bite down on her lower lip, and she hisses.

She wiggles out from my grasp and begins unfastening the remaining buttons. I remain unmoving, watching intently as nimble fingers thread the tiny pearl buttons back through the narrow buttonholes. She slips the shirt off her shoulders and down past her wrists until it lands behind her in a heap on the polished wood floor. She’s completely naked beneath the shirt. Naked and beautiful, and at this moment, completely mine. She then turns, stretches her arms over the granite countertop, and thrusts her ass toward the ceiling. When she peers over her shoulder and smiles a devilish smile, I almost blow a nut.

“Boots on or off?”

Thank you, God.

I advance on her, hand already working the button and zipper of my jeans. I’m naked by the time I come up behind her and tease my cock between the cleft of her ass.

“Oh, you’re definitely going to need those,” I growl. “It’s about to get really, really wet up in here.”

I reach a hand between her legs and find she’s already soaked. I draw a finger through her wetness, parting her slit to plunge two fingers inside. I press soft kisses along her spine, the only other sounds being my ragged breaths and that of my fingers moving in and out of her soaked pussy. She moans and rocks back against my hand, seeking more.

I tease the head of my hardened cock between her legs. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes,” she hisses, pressing her ass against my thighs. I give her a smack on the ass, and she cries out in surprise. I smack the other cheek, and that one elicits a needy whimper from her parted lips.

“Christ. Do you have any idea how fucking hot you look bent over like this, all pretty and pink and wet for me?” I slip on a condom before lining myself up and filling her in one stroke.

I hear her whimpering, but her cries are muffled by the granite countertop. I don’t stop. It feels too fucking good to stop. She turns her head, and I drop down to meet her damp lips, hips pumping to the rhythm of my rapidly beating heart. Our tongues get twisted and tangled up in the same fury. I reach a hand around and roll the tip of my thumb over her swollen clit until I feel her muscles tightening around me, and then I pull out.

“Wait.” Her hand reaches between us to clasp around my shaft. “Why’d you stop?”

“I want to look into your eyes when I’m inside you. I need to see your face when I make you come.” I lift her up to my waist and resume pounding into her tight body one thrust after the other.

“Fuck. You’re so tight,” I groan into her neck. “It’s like you were made for me.”

“Yes. Just for you.” She threads her fingers in my hair and kisses me deeply. Exploring my mouth with her tongue and teeth. She latches her hands around my straining biceps and sucks my tongue harder as I drill into her with a force I’ve never possessed.

Sex with Skylar is unlike anything else. When I’m inside her, I forget about all the bad decisions I’ve made over the last few years. When I’m inside her, I never want to leave the safety of these walls. Because when I’m inside her, I like who I become.

I feel her muscles tighten around me as her climax builds. I pump faster, feeling the familiar pull low in my scrotum, and when the intensity becomes too much, her eyes close and she falls apart in my arms. I press her tightly against me and hold her there until I join her with my own release.

When her eyes open, she finds me staring down at her with complete adoration. “What?” she asks breathlessly.

“This right here.” My thumb brushes over the blush of her cheek. “This is what I needed to see. My God, you’re glowing. I love this. Love us like this.” I motion between us. “I am so crazy about you, Skylar Dennison.”

I know it’s easy to spout words of love during moments like these, and to be honest, I almost told her that I love her. I’m not entirely sure what stopped me. Maybe I am afraid of what will happen after she goes back to Atlanta. Maybe I’m not entirely sure that she’ll say them back.

Tears stream down her face when she brings her lips to mine and whispers. “That’s good, because I’m pretty crazy about you, too.”

We stay wrapped in each other, basking in our confessions, and I can’t help thinking about how empty I’m going to feel when she leaves me in two days. Two weeks ago, I’d been looking ahead to my future only to be reacquainted with my past. A past I now know I’d never fully let go of.