Page 9 of Down & Dirty (Holden Cove #1)

CHAPTER 9

CORY

A t this point I wasn’t sure what was worse; the situation I was in with my sponsors or the way Skylar was glaring at me trying to sort me out.

It shouldn’t have mattered how much of a jerk she took me for, but I’d been a little too eager to set her straight when she’d called me out for dropping Nicki. I never should have told her about my arrangement with Cass’s girls, but it was too late now.

“Why isn’t it that simple?”

Skylar’s drink was giving her cheeks a rosy glow that was working some kind of magic. The woman looked friendly and kind for the first time since I’d met her. It was so out of character for her that for a second, I thought I was the one getting buzzed.

But explaining to Skylar that thanks to Nicki’s sex tapes another Hollywood type wasn’t going to save my sponsorships was more than I could stomach, even with her looking at me with those deep searching eyes.

“It’s just not, okay?”

“You’re so dramatic. Are you going into acting next?” She pulled back in exasperation, finishing off her drink as she signaled to the bartender for another.

I laughed even if it earned me another scowl. She was funny when she drank. Lighter. More animated. I’d take this version over the stone-cold mercenary she was normally. I chuckled again at that thought; Skylar Stone, Stone Cold.

“I just don’t feel the need to air my dirty laundry,” I swiveled her way, “least of all when I’m not the only one with something to hide.”

Whatever had soured her mood earlier, it wasn’t the nothing she brushed it off as. The woman was entirely too capable of making grown men cry to look as defeated as she had in that moment.

Skylar rolled her eyes, but I spotted the way her shoulders sagged. “It’s nothing nearly as intriguing as international models embroiled in scandal.”

“You just can’t help yourself, can you? What is it about my modeling contracts that pisses you off so much? Do you wish you were as pretty as me?”

“I am as pretty as you.”

“Prettier,” I shot back, watching her cheeks get even redder. I raised my eyebrows as she sat struck silent. She’d undoubtedly think I was just teasing her, but it was the truth. The woman wasn’t just pretty; she was gorgeous.

Skylar mumbled something under her breath, but I turned back to the game. I’d come into this bar to try and pick up a woman and see if I could put Cass’s plan into action straight away. Skylar was cock-blocking me so hard at this point I should have just thrown in the towel.

“You are such a child,” she finally muttered, spinning in her chair to look me in the eye. “If you must know, my arrangement with my ex is about to change, and I’m not exactly in the best financial spot to make that work.”

Yikes. Skylar’s ex was Tommy Bridges, and suddenly I knew why she’d looked familiar to me that first day at the OTM offices. I’d seen her and their son at the races for years. Tommy had been a pretty good rider when he first started out. But as happens with a lot of guys, the temptations that show up with success distracted him. He placed well enough to be on a team, but his shot at being on the top were long gone.

Still, he had to make more money than Skylar did working for her brother.

“What’s that mean? Is he trying to take your son...” I didn’t remember the kid’s name.

She shook her head. “Micah. No. It’s not about custody, thank god. He’s just got himself a shiny new fiancée and the claws are already coming out.”

I made a quick mental note, adding this scenario to the running list of reasons I kept for never getting seriously involved with anyone. Who needed the added stress of kids and custody battles? No thank you.

“He’s getting married?” I didn’t know the guy well, but that wasn’t part of the vibe I’d gotten.

Skylar smirked, nodding her head on a hollow laugh until a few strands of her bangs fell into her staggeringly cool blue eyes. Paired with her blond hair and red lips, she looked like a sultry version of what I remembered of Cinderella from when I was a kid.

But only if Cinderella was less sweet and shy, and more stubborn and sexy.

I shook my head to dislodge the dirty version of a children’s story I’d accidentally conjured. Inappropriate, Cory .

“He found himself a nice yoga instructor from New Jersey. Geena.”

“Big hoops and leopard print?”

“Yep.”

“Yeah, seen her around.” The woman had been nice in passing, but she was so different from Skylar it was hard to imagine the same guy being into both of them.

“Anyway, that’s my big secret. Now, dish.” She leveled me with a humorless stare as she lifted her drink.

It took a painful amount of effort to keep my eyes up, instead of watching as she slipped her tongue out to lick her lips again. She had to know what she was doing. All women knew that was a move, right?

But no matter how enticing she was making herself, I really didn’t want to get into the specifics of my sponsorship issues with her. This little conversation had been fun and all, but I hardly knew Skylar. Trusting her with any part of this felt entirely too risky. I had little doubt she’d use anything I told her against me with OTM if it meant helping her brother. She would have no qualms about throwing me under the bus.

And I kind of liked that about her.

I stalled, taking a long drink of my beer, and for the first time all night, something went in my favor.

“You got two good feet?” a woman asked as she stepped in between us.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, glancing over the woman’s shoulder in time to see Sky’s face twist with annoyance.

The woman laughed. “Can you dance? That’s all.”

She had to be a solid ten years older than me, but she was pretty. Her long reddish hair was wavy as it snaked over her shoulders, which were left bare by her black leather vest. The V of it dipped so low you didn’t have to wonder what she was packing.

“Ah, gotcha.” I didn’t really want to dance, but it was a small price to pay to get away from Sky and her incessant prodding. “Why don’t you decide if I can or not?”

“That’s what I like to hear.” She took my hand and led me to the tiny, dim dance floor in the back of the bar, a confidence to her grip and stride that had me convinced I was in the hands of a local.

Karla was her name. And she was there that night to celebrate one of her friend’s fiftieth birthdays. She’d grown up in Kansas, but moved out to California with her late husband twenty years ago and never looked back. I learned the names of her three sons and each of her six grandkids. And she even promised to send me the best ginger snap recipe in the country. Not that I knew how to bake.

We danced for a couple of songs. The country rhythms were easy to follow and she seemed to have fun schooling me on some of the finer points of two-stepping. After the second song ended, we said our farewells and I headed for the bar, but I spotted Skylar on the edge of the dance floor. She was leaning against a beam with her arms crossed.

“You stalking me?”

She chuckled dryly. “I had to see for myself.”

I slapped my hand against my chest, my mouth dropping open in mock rebuke. “You doubted me?” She went to turn away, but I caught her arm. “How about I just erase all doubt right now?”

Sky’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to dance?”

The song playing was slower, and I nodded. “Come on, Stone Cold, show me what you’ve got.”

A laugh bubbled out of her, and her eyes crinkled at the edges. It was an expression I’d never seen before. I liked it.

“Stone Cold?”

I slipped my hand inside hers and tugged her onto the floor, a gentle ease seeping into me when I touched her. “Better than Boss?”

With a shake of her head, she let me pull her into my arms and we started to sway. “I hate when you call me that.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re making fun of me,” she snapped like it was obvious.

I jerked back. “I absolutely am not.” Her frown told me she wasn’t buying it. “When I call you Boss, it’s just a...a term of endearment.”

“Right. ‘Cause we’re so endeared to each other. “

I spun her, taking advantage of the moment to feel the softness of her hand tucked inside mine. Warm and small against my rough callouses. When I pulled her back into my grasp, I looked down into her eyes.

“Maybe I just respect you, Sky.”

It hit me as I said it that I did. I might not have liked her or her attitude when we met, but she was a hard ass because she needed to be. And in a room with a bunch of men— most of whom likely did not respect her at all and she knew it—she handled herself with a kind of strength that was hard not to admire. I didn’t appreciate being the focus of so much of her disdain, but even that didn’t change how tough I thought she was.

“I wish I could say the same, hotshot.”

“Ouch,” I replied, feigning hurt. Or mostly feigning it.

“Please. The only opinions you care about are your fans’ and your endorsements’.”

The song was ending and Sky stepped back out of my hold. My fingers slid slowly off her hip, the feel of her lingering after I let go. She was back to glaring at me, but with the tequila running through her blood, the look lost most of its punch.

“Not true,” I said as we wove our way back to our spot at the bar. “I care very much what my team thinks.”

“Team management,” she shot back, pressing her lips into a hard line.

“Team management,” I agreed with a laugh.

Skylar downed the rest of her drink and waved at the bartender for another. Her typical all-business attitude made me think she wasn’t much of a drinker, so as much as I was ready to call it a night and head back to my place, I nodded when the bartender eyed me for a refill.

“You used to ride, right?”

Skylar sighed, shaking her head. “In another life.”

“Do you miss it?”

She licked that damn rim again, closing her eyes as her expression bent with enjoyment. I forced myself to look away, but I was fairly certain I’d be seeing that face in my dreams later .

“It’s hard to even remember what it was like.” Her gaze was fixed on the bar top in front of her, but she wasn’t there. “I was so fearless back then. I was the only girl in most of my races, and the boys hated that I was there. But that only made me want to ride harder.”

Very few girls had been racing back when I started, but I could imagine the shit little boys would give to a girl horning in on their sport.

“No wonder you’re such a badass.”

Sky snapped back to the moment, her expression falling. “Flattery is a foolish man’s game.”

“Aristotle?”

“Grant Stone.” She gave me a slightly lopsided grin before laughing at herself. “My dad always said that anyone who gives compliments wants something. And anyone who takes compliments deserves to lose whatever it is.”

“I think I’d like your dad.”

“Everyone likes my dad.” Her brow lowered. “Well, everyone but my ex.” The way her lips turned down hinted at just how much. Given the most recent complication, I got the impression things likely hadn’t ever been easy in that relationship.

“Even more reason to think we’d get along.” I was trying to lighten the moment, but Sky’s expression only darkened. She polished off the rest of her drink and hopped off her chair.

“I’ll be sure to mention that to him when I see him,” she muttered, her words a little slow and sloppy.

“Hey, are you staying around here?”

I didn’t want to push my luck and offend her by implying she was drunk. We’d made some actual headway tonight. I was looking forward to not being on the receiving end of all of her annoyance at the office. But there was no way I could let her drive.

Sky’s eyes drifted toward the door. “I’m close. I’ll be fine.”

When she dug her keys out of her bag I caught the eye of the bartender. “My tab.” She gave me a quick nod and went to charge the card I’d given her when I arrived .

Skylar saw the bartender dropping off the bill, and reached for it. “Shit. You didn’t have to do that.”

“No worries. You’ll get the next round.” I was kidding, of course, but she looked far from amused.

She eyed me for a second. “Always with the jokes,” she mumbled, shaking her head as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

“I’ll walk you out.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Cory. I’m a mom, remember.”

The laugh I tried to stifle slipped out and she spun on me with fresh ire.

“No babysitting. Promise. Just give me one sec.”

Skylar shook her head, saying something I couldn’t make out as she headed for the door without me. I scribbled my name on the receipt and took off, catching up to her as she went for her SUV.

“Nice ride,” I said casually, as I strode beside her.

“Yeah, you want it? Not sure the payments on it fit with my new budget.”

As she went for the door, I slid in front of her, blocking the way. “How about I drive?”

“Get out of my way, model man.”

It was getting harder to swallow down my laughter. “Just let me get you home, and then I’ll Uber back to get my car.”

“You think I can’t drive something this big? ‘Cause I’m a woman?”

I wasn’t about to tell her just how often I did think something just like that.

“I think you’re probably a fantastic driver. I bet you’d win awards. I’m just saying, it’s probably not a great thing for you to get a DUI, right? Micah needs you to be able to bring him to the playground and everything.”

What I said hadn’t seemed that bad to me, but Sky froze, her eyes going saucer wide before she crumbled. “I can’t lose my license. Tommy would use that against me,” she got out, the words watery and broken.

I could have called her an Uber. I knew that was an option. But it didn’t sit right, shoving her in someone else’s car like this, send her off crying and alone. I wanted to make sure she got home myself.

“It’s okay. You won’t. I’ll get you home.” I held out my hand and even if it shouldn’t have, it felt good when she didn’t hesitate to shove the keys at me.

Once we were inside and buckled in, I asked her where she lived. But she didn’t answer. I spun to look her way, and she was staring at me.

“Skylar?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She hadn’t had that much to drink, right?

“’Cause you can’t remember?”

She shook her head, more tears falling as fast as she swiped them away. “No.”

I had no idea what was going on. It had been a long-ass time since I’d had to deal with a woman this emotional, and quite frankly, it was freaking me out a little.

“Okay, well, let’s get you out of here. Maybe you can tell me once we’re on the road.”

I was flying blind. I had no idea where Skylar lived, but I assumed it was in some sort of temporary set up like me. Still, I couldn’t just drive around all night, so after a few minutes of silence, I did the only thing that made any sense.

I took her back to my place.

God, please do not let this come back to bite me. Her brother was my teammate. If he thought for a second I took advantage of his sister my life would get even more complicated.

When we got to my building, Sky wasn’t crying anymore, but she was hiding behind a curtain of hair, still refusing to speak to me. I led her to the elevator and we rode up in silence, standing on opposite sides of the car .

“Let me get you some water,” I said as soon as we crossed the threshold and she followed me inside. I started for the kitchen, but then turned back. “Or maybe coffee?”

Sky never lifted her eyes from the floor, she just shrugged, and I stood there looking at her for a minute. She was so different from the woman who’d been with me at the bar, sparring and mocking and laughing with each other. All the fight was gone, and I felt a cinch in my chest, like I was actually angry at who or what had done this to her.

I didn’t think it was me .

It might have been the tequila.

But I suspected it was this thing with Tommy. And that pissed me off.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, when I handed her the glass of water. “I don’t usually drink like that... I never do this.” She looked up at me with regret darkening her pretty face. “I’ve never driven drunk, I swear.”

I didn’t like seeing her like that, but a wave of relief hit me to hear her talking again. “It’s all good. It was a rough day.”

Her voice got watery again. “I should have seen this coming. I never should have trusted that things would just stay the same. Everything changes. Everything but me.”

If I knew Sky better, I’d have given her a hug. But considering her natural tendency to dislike me, I didn’t think that was a good idea, so I took a seat on the couch, easing back with a sigh. “I get that. I’m not so good at change myself.”

Making her way over to the other side of the room, she lowered carefully into the armchair and brushed the hair from her face. “You? Not good at something? I don’t believe it.”

A deep laugh busted out of me. “There she is. Thank god. I was worried you were actually going to be nice to me for a change.”

Her glassy eyes held mine. “I am nice to you,” she said, before taking a drink. “You just don’t understand what that looks like because you’re so used to every woman fawning all over you and making you think you’re god’s gift.”

“And you’d sure as hell never do that, would you?”

She yawned. “Not even if you paid me.”

I laughed, but something in my mind snagged on that idea, like a record scratching. It was the faintest whisper, but it was there; that maybe we both had solutions to our problems staring us in the face.

When I looked back up at her, she’d closed her eyes, gripping the arm of the chair like she was fighting the spins. I looked around at the stark apartment and realized there was nothing here she could ruin if she puked, so I didn’t ask if that was what was wrong. I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk upsetting her again.

Just as I was about to ask her one more time for her address, she set the water down and tucked her legs beneath her on the cushion. She curled herself into the tiniest ball I’d ever seen, practically disappearing into the corner of the chair. Her hair fanned out over the arm, draping down in a sheet of silky blond strands.

“I just need one sec,” she said, her eyes still closed.

I hummed in agreement, oddly happy to see her relax. The sadness and frustration left little lines around her eyes and mouth, but as they smoothed out, she looked almost peaceful.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. And then a few more. It hadn’t felt very long, but by the time I realized she was asleep it was nearly midnight and I had no desire to try and sort out where she lived to get her home.

Sleeping all night curled up like a cat was going to wreck her neck, so I rolled the dice and decided to move her into the bedroom. Considering how much tequila she’d had, I wasn’t surprised when she barely roused at the feel of my arms sliding under her. I braced for a snarky remark, but instead she tucked herself into my neck, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Carefully, I lifted her into the air, making sure I didn’t knock her into the doorframe as we made our way down the hall. I was fairly certain she’d have something to say about me enjoying this too much, as if I was some gropey guy taking advantage of the situation.

And she’d be half right.

I didn’t mind having her in my arms. Or how her soft curves fit against my body. I didn’t mind the sweet scent of her that she was leaving on my shirt, or the gentle sigh that escaped as I set her down in my bed. But the only reason I enjoyed any of it was because she was too passed out to be giving me shit. Had she been awake for any part of this sweet little moment, I’m sure she’d have ruined it for me. She seemed to know no other way.

Once she was set down, I slipped off her shoes and pulled the covers up over her. The split second I’d considered getting her out of her tight jeans had me laughing; I didn’t have a death wish.

But what I did have was renewed hope that I could turn things around with this whole Nicki mess. Because, as I backed out of my bedroom to spend the night on my couch, I took one last look at Skylar, sound asleep in my bed, and I knew we were a match made in heaven.