Chapter Twenty
Skylar
“You have no idea how scared I was when you were just gone. I was freaking out. I’m so glad you’re back,” Christy says as she keeps me hugged into her side. We’re in a giant limo they brought to pick us up in. Rodney and Justice sit on one side while Christy and I sit on the other.
“Me too.”
“I was sending out search parties. I even went to Rodney when you didn’t come home. I swear to God when I saw Justice was gone too; he was my prime suspect. It took hours for Rodney to calm me down and not hunt him down to find you. It was scary. Don’t ever do that to me again,” Christy warns as she continues to berate me. I smile and pull her into a hug.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t call. They wouldn’t let me.”
“I know that now but I didn’t then.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her once more as my eyes drift back to Justice. He and Rodney are in a deep conversation I’m not a part of.
“I’m just glad you’re back,” she says once more.
Am I happy to be home and out of harm’s way? Yes. However, being with Justice day and night has warmed something inside me. Something I thought I’d lost a long time ago has been reawakened. I want that connection with someone. I want to feel like that all the time.
“Me, too. I’ve missed you, and I want to go back to work.” Christy giggles before kissing me on the side of my head.
“We can talk later. There’s a party at the club tonight.” Looking at Christy as though she’s lost her mind, I shake my head.
“No way in hell, Christy. I’m dead tired. I’m going home.” Her eyes widen before she glances at Justice. We’ve talked. We decided things were best left the way they are. We would continue to see each other at the club, and that was that. Justice wasn’t comfortable with me being with other men, so we decided not to see other people. It should be simple, right? Yet, I don’t feel like it is. It feels harder than it should be.
“Don’t look at me. The woman wants to go home, and frankly, I do, too.” His eyes finally meet mine, completely devoid of hope.
“I have business to attend to. The driver will take you both home.” Rodney smiles as I glance over at him.
Laying my head back on the seat, I just want to sleep and figure out what to do with my life.
The limo stops, and Rodney climbs out, saying his goodbyes.
“I’ll be home soon.” Christy smiles as I nod and shift in the seat. I don’t look up, but I know Justice has his eyes on me. I can feel it.
As much as I’d like to leap into his embrace, I know that isn’t an option.
Now I have to figure out how to live with myself. Live with the new decisions I’ve made.
I need to learn to live for myself again.
The ride to my place seems to take forever, and I’m grateful when we finally get here. I climb out and grab my bags as Justice climbs out behind me. I figured he would walk me to my door, and I heard him say something to the driver before the limo left.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“I need to stay with you,” he tells me.
“What? Why?” He runs his hand through his hair, disheveling it as he does before blowing out a breath.
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know. I just need to,” he says, his tone nearly pleading with me. Is he still afraid that someone is out there? That someone is still after me? The FBI assured us that we were safe.
“I’m fine, Justice. You can go,” I tell him. But then I see it. The look in his eyes. He doesn’t want to go.
“I can see the hurt in your eyes, Sky, and I don’t like it. I don’t like seeing you hurting because of me,” he tells me.
“How do you know it’s because of you?”
“I know it is. I know I’m fucking things up. Just … let me stay tonight. Let me hold you,” he pleads with me until I nod my head. It can’t hurt. One night can’t hurt.