“That’s really all I can do anymore. What did I say?”
I stared at her mouth and then deep into the blue pools of her eyes.
“I love you,” I told her.
“What?” she asked. Sky moved her hand from her waist to her heart. The color drained from her face and her eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s what you signed. I love you.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have even told her. Color rose back into her face as she blushed and lowered her eyes. She moved her hand to her mouth and covered a self-conscious smile. It was adorable.
“I need to work on that I guess,” she said timidly.
“That was pretty good, in my humble opinion. I’m gonna hit the shower, Skylar, I’ll see you downstairs.
As I walked past her, I felt like I’d been lit on fire. These endorphins were real, not for bloodlust or vengeance or killing a man. I was high on something else entirely. A fragile girl with a cage built around her heart, had unlocked my own with three simple words she signed.
And, she was wearing my locket.
…
I walked into the pristine, modern, grey and white room and glanced around. It was a far cry from my space at the clubhouse. Satin sheets, electronic blinds, a television that took up the whole wall, for a guy like me that grew up with nothing, it should have been a fucking paradise. Living large just for the hell of it. It seemed like a world I'd never been comfortable in. I opened the top dresser drawer, grabbed a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, and headed to the bathroom. Rough and Claire kept clothes for me here, like it really was my house as much as it was theirs. I turned on the shower and let the water heat until it was scalding as I checked out my wounds in the mirror. I had a small cut on my bottom lip from where the guy had punched me. The best swing the fucker got in before I had him lying flat on the ground. My nose was crusted in blood. A nose that had been broken so many times, I was surprised it was standing. The room fogged up, covering my reflection in the mirror, disappearing me like a ghost in the mist. As if on autopilot, I took off my clothing and stepped in the shower, letting the hot water cascade down my body. As I stood there under the hot spray, all I could see was Sky, her blush, her hands telling me she loved me.
My erection was so intense, my cock strained against my belly. I pumped my dick just imagining her face, her lips, the strands of hair falling over her temple. Sickening guilt rushed in because I wanted her that way. But, God, I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything. I came into my hand as steaming water pounded my chest. Skylar Miller was an unstoppable force when it came to my heart. I was already in love with her and she could be the one juggernaut that I’d be unable to find my way out of.
Chapter 2
Sky
I never knew how to act around Patriot, and I hated the fact that I was relieved when he turned down Mal and Claire when they offered to let him move in with us. It made me a shitty human, and I knew it. It wasn't because I was selfish, the way Patriot made me feel was something both unknown and uncomfortable for me. He made me want things I had no business wanting. Specifically, things I’d promised myself I wouldn’t mess around with until it was inevitable. After finishing my undergrad, after medical school, after years of therapy to work out the issues I knew would come up if I actually started dating. I was attracted to Patriot, and not just physically. He was gorgeous with his ochre hazel eyes and his dark hair. He was big and built and made even a t-shirt look couture. But it was something deeper that drew me to him. At first, I assumed it was because we had a similar history of abuse, but it was even more than that too. I felt that Patriot and I spoke the same hidden language. Maybe there were more of us in this world, but he was the only person I’d ever met who made me feel like we came from the same place, held the same destiny and walked the same road.
But I had massive expectations for myself and I’d sworn off relationships in favor of making up for all the time that I’d already lost.
I still remember the first time I met Patriot as if it were yesterday. He'd come over with Rough for dinner one day out of the blue. I think he may have even still been a new recruit. I was used to Rough bringing along strays, inviting them to Claire’s apartment to eat with us. That was how I met him. I even remember that Claire and I baked homemade mac and cheese that day.