Once we’re settled inside, I risk glancing over at Sky. She’s practically beaming with happiness to go home. I wish I felt the same.
“You know all I want to do is spank your ass right now,” I warn her.
“I still don’t need your protection,” she retorts, crossing her arms over her chest. The driver glances in the mirror but then looks back at the road.
“I’m not going to leave you open for an attack, Skylar! Jesus!” She’s frustrating me in ways I never knew I could be frustrated.
“We’ve been over this a hundred times, Justice. You made it clear this isn’t going to work, right? You made it clear you don’t think we can do this. Well, in that case, we’re nothing. We don’t need to fight it out in the back of a car. I don’t need your protection.”
“I want to spank you so hard.”
“That’s for the club now, isn’t it?” Sky locks eyes with me, and I see the war in hers. She didn’t want things to be like this, but what other way is there? I don’t know how to be what she needs. I don’t know how to be the man I once was.
We board the plane, and I lay my head back, closing my eyes. I don’t know how I drift off, but I must. I can hear Sky calling my name until I finally open my eyes and look at her. There’s a perfect smile on her face as she peers down at me.
“We’re home, Justice. We’re home.” Her happiness is something I want, something I crave, but how can I give it to her?
We unload from the plane when I see Christy and Rodney. I called him from the villa when I knew we were allowed to leave and asked him to have a car waiting for us.
We walk over, and I see Sky take off running and slamming into her friend as they laugh.
“Nice to see you again,” Rodney says, pulling me into a hug.
“You too. Thanks for everything,” I tell him. I know he’s kept the club’s running smoothly while I’ve been gone.
“You know I found out, right? I called in a few favors,” he says as I nod. I figured as much.
“I figured you probably did when I didn’t show up.” Rodney used to work with the FBI before he came to work with me.
“How’re things going?” his eyes move to Sky and back to meet mine.
“I don’t know, Rodney. It’s a mess.”
“I can imagine. Being stuck someplace with a hot woman. Had to be difficult,” he chuckles.
“She’s different. I don’t know, but I’m sure I fucked things up with her,” I confess.
“I’m sure she’ll come around,” he tells me. I’m not so sure about that. I didn’t give her the commitment she needed. I didn’t tell her that this thing between us felt like more. I didn’t do those things, and now I may have lost her.
“I don’t know about that, but I want a security detail on her,” I tell him. He nods and pulls his phone out, typing out a few messages.