“Me, too, baby.” His voice rumbled through his chest under her ear. “When I get my patch, we won’t have to do this shit anymore.”
“When will that be?” she whispered.
His hand stroked up and down her bare back. “No tellin’. Usually, it’s at least a year, sometimes two.”
Her head popped up to look at him in shock. “That long?”
Shades’ look moved between her eyes. “I’ve got no control over it, Sky.” He shrugged. “It’ll happen when and if they think I’m ready.”
“And what will make them think you’re ready?”
“Shit, I don’t know. When they’ve tested me enough.”
“What kind of tests?”
He shook his head. “Babe.”
“Tell me.”
“Baby, there’s shit I can’t tell you. It’s just them makin’ sure I’m gonna be loyal, you know? Makin’ sure I’ve got my priorities in order, that the club comes first. That they can count on me.”
“Haven’t you already been in a year?”
“Be a year next month.”
She lay her head back on his shoulder, and her arms squeezed him. “Then maybe we won’t have to wait much longer.”
“I hope not. But until then, they say jump, I gotta jump. You understand, don’t you, Sky?”
“I understand.”
“Doesn’t mean you aren’t important to me, you are. But I’ve wanted this for a long fuckin’ time.”
“I know, Shades. I know how bad you want that patch.” She felt him press a kiss to her head.
“Let’s get some sleep, babe.”
Two hours later, Shades’ cell went off. Skylar lifted her head sleepily and yawned as he reached to the floor to dig his phone out of his jeans.
“Yeah?” he answered in a voice gravely with sleep. A moment later he was swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah, got it.”
“Shades, what’s going on?” Skylar sat up in bed as Shades pulled his jeans on and stood up, turning to her.
“Nothing, Sky. I got called out again.”
“Again? That’s the third time this week.”
“Life of a prospect, babe.” He leaned down, cupping the back of her head and pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”
When Skylar woke up the next morning, Shades still wasn’t back. She found her phone and checked for missed calls. There was a text from him.
Had to make a run out of town
Can you get a ride home?
She texted him back that she would be fine and asked him to call her when he got back. He didn’t reply. Gathering her clothes, she walked half a block to a fast food joint and called Letty for a ride home.
All that week, the only contact she had from Shades were a few brief texts saying he was busy with the club and would call her when he was free. And then finally, he texted asking her to meet him at his place.