Page 31 of Max

“Here,” I said distracted as I watched Skylar stop, look around then when she clocked me, going full speed until she collided with me.

“You left me alone in the bed,” she wailed.

“Good morning to you, too,” I quipped.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she spat.

“I see you’re a little monster in the morning,” I teased her.

“Only before I have my morning dose of caffeine,” she said irritably.

I held my cup up for her. All irritation vanished from her face. She looked up at me, tears pooling in her eyes, but she blinked as not to let them fall.

“Ryan!” Stone growled in my ear.

“I’m here,” I said into the phone.

I reached out, snaked my hand under her T-shirt and held Skylar close to me while I focused back on the call.

“I hear your woman is up. I’ll reach out to the kid and see where we stand,” he was ready to wrap this up.

“Gratitude,” I muttered.

“You coming back to active duty?” the question came out of left field.

Only the feel of Skylar’s skin kept me rooted in reality. I glided my hand up and down her neck, trying to soothe the dragon that worked just by Stone asking the question.

“You know I can’t, not after what happened.”

Fuck. I didn’t want to talk about this in front of her. Didn’t want to add to her burdens. A time would come when I will have to tell her what happened and why I’m retiring from the force.

But not now. Stone was silent.

“What about you?” I knew the answer.

“I never left,” the stubborn mule said.

“Bullshit!” I watched Skylar bite her lip as she watched mine move. “After that shitstorm, you got a call in the middle of the night, and it was almost like someone lit a fire under your ass. You got to Boulder as you could. Taking your truck and your bike. And now, you’re all worked up because Addison didn’t get her shipment in time. Which I understand, the hell you two went and are still living through would put anyone on edge. It’s downright ugly.”

“Max.” He tried to wade in.

I didn’t give him a chance.

He needed to hear it.

“It’s high time that you pull your head outta your ass and stop trying to be someone you’re not,”

Skylar’s mouth dropped open. I carried on.

“Cut the shit, brother. You are who you are. And you installed that woman into your house as fast as you could.”

“Same as you did,” Skylar whispered and looked away.

I slashed my eyes to her, surprised as fuck. She took a sip and hid behind the cup. Smartass.

“I see Liv has been talking,” Stone stated.

“She talked, yeah. And it’s good she did. Besides, you know as much as I do, you can’t hide anything from Olivia,” at the mention of Liv’s name, Skylar tilted her head, her eyes questioning.