Page 37 of Pit Stop

Skye nods and leans into me, letting me guide him out of the emergency room and into Rob’s waiting arms.

“You okay?” Rob asks, glowering at me over Skye’s shoulder. “I can’t believe they didn’t let me go back there with you. I might not be your mate, but I’m your best friend.”

“I know, but I’m fine,” Skye says and then turns to look at me, almost shyly. “I can go home now.”

“He can go home with me. Doctor’s orders,” I say, my voice a little too loud. People turn to stare, but my eyes are focused on Skye. “Plus, I want to watch over him while he heals.”

“I can do that, sonofashifter,” Rob snarks, and I clench my jaw tightly.

“Why don’t we ask Skye what he wants to do?”

I stare at Skye and see his body shiver as he bites his bottom lip.

“I think Maverick and I have things we need to discuss. For closure. And the doctor did say we should be around each other to help with the pain…”

That makes possessiveness flare up inside of me. Closure? Fuck that.

“I don’t like that,” Rob begins, but Skye turns to look at his friend.

“I know, but we have to talk. This is killing me. Look at me. I need help. I need him,” he whispers. He says it so softly, but I hear it.

He fucking needs me.

Rob’s eyes soften, and he nods. “Fine. But I’ll drive you there, and I want you to call me as soon as you’re ready to be picked up.”

Skye nods and then rests his head on Rob’s shoulder. It should be my shoulder, but we’ll get there. I hope.

I hope we can fix this.

I fucking miss him. I miss everything about him.

As I drive back to my place, Rob and Skye following behind, I have the time to wonder who blocked our numbers on our phones.

Who had the time and opportunity? Who had a reason to do that to us?

I have no idea, but I’ll figure it out. One way or another.

If it was Forest, I believe he did it with good intentions.

Probably thought it would be painful if we kept in contact.

I can’t imagine he’d do something to hurt us intentionally.

When Skye is finally at my doorstep, I let out a sigh of relief. He’s home.

With me.

I hop off my motorcycle and jog toward him, holding the door open and watching as he hobbles inside. I can hear the way his bones creak as he moves, and I can’t help but reach out and touch him, guiding him to the kitchen table.

“You want something to drink?” I ask.

“Yes. Please.”

I hand him a can of Coke and a bag of chips, wanting to watch him eat. He does both slowly, sipping at the soda and crunching on chips as I sit across from him, folding my hands on my lap so I don’t reach out and touch him.

Gods, I want to touch him.

“So, you’ve not been well?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Like the doctor said. The bond breaking was toxic to my body. Breaking it hurt. I think I permanently damaged something inside of me by doing that.”

I huff. “Should have stayed bonded then.”

He flicks his eyes up to meet mine, but doesn’t answer.

“You been in heat since?” I finally ask.

“No. Not yet.”

A breath I didn’t know I was holding slips from my mouth.

“Good.”

He doesn’t say anything, just fiddles with the Coke can.

“You going to contact Red about it?” I ask.

He peers up at me. “I don’t want to. Forest said he’d take care of Red.”

My throat bobs. “How is he gonna take care of him?”

“Dunno. I just don’t want to fuck him, you know?”

“I know.”

I’ll have to speak with Forest about that. Whatever Red wants with Skye, he can’t have it. He’s mine.

Skye sips at the sugary drink and smacks his lips. “This is good.”

“You’ve lost too much weight.”

“I know.”

“How’s school?”

“I’m not doing well there either. Grades aren’t great.”

“Skye.” My voice trails off when he starts to sniffle, and then his lips wobble, and I’m next to him in seconds, pulling him into me. He smells like home, like my love.

My nose nuzzles into him, and I can’t help myself. I scent him, marking him in my own way, the only way I can.

“I thought I wanted freedom,” he says as he leans into me, “but I miss you. I miss what we had. And now the break was all for nothing. I’m failing at life. I’m failing at school. And I hurt. I ache. I miss you, Mav. I fucking miss you .”

“Skye-light.”

My lips trail up to his wet cheeks, and I wipe them away as he continues, my heart swelling as he speaks. “I didn’t mean to fall for you,” he whispers. “I didn’t, but I did. And that’s why it hurts so bad. I think I love you.”

I freeze, and my eyes meet his, our noses brushing, our breath puffing against each other.

“You think?” I rasp.

“No. Fuck. I don’t mean that. I mean, I know. I love you, Mav.”

A deep growl leaves me, and I kiss him, my lips rough against his, but I can’t help it.

He loves me.

Mine . Fuck. He’s mine.

Something roars inside of me, but I pull back.

“We shouldn’t go too far. You’re sick.”

“I feel better being near you.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You would never. You can go slow. We can go slow.”

I can smell the slick dripping from him. He’s wet, eager. But fuck, he’s hurt.

“Your shoulder.”

“It’s healing.”

He grinds against me, and I feel everything inside of me light up.

“We should wait. We should fucking wait.”

“Please don’t make me,” he whines. “Just…please don’t make me wait any longer.”

Skye leans forward and kisses me, groaning against my mouth. I can’t help but lick inside, tasting him. His hand is in my hair, holding me tightly as I pull him onto my lap.

He’s frail, but still strong. So fucking strong. Maybe he’s right. Maybe us being together like this is what can make him better.

My hands move up his shirt, touching his warm skin. He shivers against me, a moan pulled from his throat as I continue to thrust my tongue slowly against his.

“Oh gods,” he groans, pulling away and trembling slightly. “You feel so good.”

“You do too,” I tell him, thrusting my hips against his.

He presses his lips onto mine again, grinding into me. And for the first time in weeks, I’m hard. I throb.

I want him in every way. I want to spend the rest of the day inside of him. The rest of the week. The year.

I want forever with him.

“Fuck me,” Skye whispers, begging.

“Slow.”

“Fuck. Me.”

“Skye-light. We need to go slow.”

He grumps at that, pressing his lips back onto mine and grinding against my hard cock. It’s torture, but I refuse to fuck him until he’s healed—his shoulder at least.

So I just sit there, letting him whine and writhe against me for what feels like hours, until his injured arm extends from the sling and wraps around me.

“Now. Please,” is all he can say as he pulls his shirt off over his head.

I don’t even hesitate. I pull him up into my arms and walk us back to the bedroom.

A growl leaves me as I set him gently on the bed and work on taking off the rest of his clothes.

Even though he’s lost weight, he’s still beautiful. The most gorgeous guy I’ve ever laid eyes on.

“Take yours off too,” Skye demands, his cheeks turning pink. The most color I’ve seen on him since he arrived back in town. I did that , I think. Me.

I slowly strip naked, giving him a show, and when I’m completely bare, I slide my body against his. His legs curl around my waist and our cocks rub together, sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. I needed this. I needed him.

“You’re beautiful,” I tell him as I kiss my way across his neck, right to his ear. “You’re perfect.”

I can hear his soft sobs as he holds me to him tightly.

But I’m not lying. I’m telling the truth.

All my truths.

“I love you,” I whisper, and he gasps in shock.

Pulling back, I see his dilated pupils, his wild hair, those glasses I fucking love.

“Mav. Are you serious?”

“Mhm. I loved you when you didn’t even notice me.”

“Mav, I’ve always noticed you. I’ve had a crush on you for years. When I was just a kid, and you didn’t look my way.”

That makes my chest constrict. “Shut up.”

He grins, laughing softly. “I’m serious. I just thought you didn’t like me, or at least didn’t notice me. Which bothered me. It made me resentful to know I could never have you. And then…the glory hole. The heats. We were mated. Everything changed.”

“The day we found out we were mates, all my dreams came true. All of them.”

He lets out a surprised puff of air and then leans up, kissing me softly.

“Fuck me like you love me then.”

So I do. I spread those legs wide and push into his slick hole. A moan leaves me as I slide inside, loving how well he takes me.

“Oh gods, I love your dick. That piercing…” he groans as I start to fuck into him, “I love you. Love you. More. Please more.”

I can feel the energy in him shift as our hips slap together, his hole contracting around me. This is going to be fast. Quick and sloppy. And it is. When he comes a few minutes later, it pulls my own release from me, filling him, marking him as mine.

My face falls to his neck, and I scent him once more, loving that he smells of me. Not of something cold and stale, something other, like before.

He sighs beneath me, and for a moment, I worry I’m crushing him, but he stops me from rolling off by holding on to me tightly, clinging to me like a koala.

“Stay here for a bit. I feel so good with you inside of me.”

We lie like that for ages, my lips on his, kissing, sucking, nipping. But not biting.

And then we fuck again. This time, fast and hard.

And then we do it again. Rough and slow.

For the first time in weeks, I feel alive. I feel whole.

It was him. It was always him.