Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Skylar
Dee answers the phone. “Who is this?”
That’s my best friend, direct and unapologetic. “It’s me.”
She turns breathless and anxious. “Jesus Christ, Sky. You said you’d call me back later, but it’s been days.”
“I’m sorry. Walker and I had a lot to sort out.” I flop down onto the unmade bed, right next to Sprocket, who followed me in here. I didn’t try to stop him, since I’m certain I’ll need some comfort to get through this call.
“And did you get it all sorted out?”
“Yes. Dee, I’m not coming home.”
“I’m sorry? Did you just say you weren’t coming home?”
“I did. Walker and I want to give our marriage a second chance—not that we ever really got a first.”
“Skylar.” She sighs.
“I know. Trust me, I know.”
“I’m just worried about you. When you left, you were determined to do whatever it took to get your house back. Now you’re leaving an abusive asshole for someone I don’t even know anymore? You can see why this scares me.”
“I do, but keep in mind all the things I’ve ever told you about Walker because all of them still ring true. Once we got past the hurt and anger, the man I fell in love with reemerged, only this version of him is somehow better.”
“Better how?”
“I don’t know. He’s more protective and confident, and holy hell, the man is sexy. His muscles look like they’re chiseled from stone. It’s insane.” There are more pressing matters to talk about, but before things get serious, I just want to gossip with my girl.
“I knew it!” she shouts.
I grin. “Knew what?”
“You fucked him, didn’t you?”
“Oh my god, Dee, you have no idea. When we were teens, we just fumbled our way through sex. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but we were still discovering what sex was. It was secret moments and learning what made each other tick. But this. . .” I smack a palm to my forehead. “This is something else. He’s confident and experienced, with this dominant edge that seriously turns me on. I told you he’s abnormally large, right?”
“Elephant trunk. Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, he figured out how to use that thing, and let me tell you, he hit places inside me I didn’t even know existed. It was, hands down, the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“That doesn’t say much, babes.”
“Low blow,” I say through a laugh.
“Besides the elephant trunk that knows how to hit a home run, what else did you find out about him?”
“He has a farm, he owns a hiking business, and he’s part of the local search and rescue. He has this amazing home with a dream bathroom and a piece of shit truck, even though he could afford a new one. He has a good group of friends who are just as protective as he is.” I run my hand through Sprocket’s fur and hit a spot that has him leaning into the touch. “Oh, and he has a sourdough starter name Mardough. No joke.”
She cackles loudly. “Holy shit, that’s funny. It’s even funnier that he’s your complete opposite. You can’t cook, you hate being outside, and you won’t even pet my dog because you say she’s dirty.”
“That’s not fair. There are a few things I make well. And I don’t mind nature, I just don’t like bugs. Also, your dog rolls around in her own shit, so yeah, she is dirty. Walker’s dog isn’t, though. Matter of fact, I’m petting him right now.”
“Okay, whatever. My point is, he lives a very different lifestyle than you’re used to, not to mention in a small town. I’m assuming there’s no popping to the store real quick? Or how about a salon to cover those grays?”
I finger the hair at my temple. “I can live with that. Some things are more important.”
She sobers. “You’re right. I should be asking better questions, like are you safe?”
“Safer than I’ve ever been in my life. He’d never hurt me.” Sprocket rests his head in my lap, curling up to my small bump. “I have something else to tell you.”
“This wasn’t enough?” She attempts to lighten the mood, but I can’t keep this secret.
“I’m pregnant.”
“That elephant trunk worked fast.” She jokes, but there’s no humor. “Fuck, Sky. Does Klutch know?”
“No, and I’m keeping it that way. Under any other circumstance, I’d say the dad deserves to know, but this baby deserves more. They deserve a dad who knows right from wrong, who’ll show up for them, who won’t be in and out of jail.”
“I agree. You need a clean break.”
“That’s actually why I called. After what happened last time I tried to leave him, you aren’t safe.”
“Don’t worry about us, Sky. I’m locked and loaded. I dare that asshole to try that shit again,” she says with the same fierceness she has always had.
“It’s not a fair fight, and you know it. But one of Walker’s friend’s family owns a property in Park City, Utah. He said he’d love for you and the family to take an all-expenses paid, two-week vacation.”
“You’re joking.”
“Just to get you out of town until Klutch has time to throw whatever kind of tantrum he’s going to throw. It’ll make me feel so much better.”
“When you say property, what do you mean?”
“I haven’t seen it, but he mentioned the house is stocked with stuff for skiing and sledding, and there’s a heated pool. There’s a couple who watch over the house and live in a separate place in the back, and they love it when people visit.”
“I don’t know if Chris can get time off work, but fuck it. We never take vacations, and the kids love snow.”
“Good.” I feel all kinds of relieved now that this is sorted. “I didn’t want to worry about you guys too.”
“It’s not going to be easy,” she says.
“I know.”
“Does Walker understand the danger?”
“He says yes, but I don’t know. Apparently, he’s a mountain man now, and mountain men protect what’s theirs. And he has the guns to prove it—oh, and a paranoid friend who rigged his property with all kinds of safety measures.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“I better go, but I’ll text you the information soon. Try and leave tonight if you can.”
“Okay. I’ll start packing.”
I nod, my nose stinging for some reason. “I love you, Dee. Give the girls a hug.”
“Please keep you and your little peanut safe. I can’t believe you’re having a baby. We’ll talk more about that soon.”
“Sounds good.”
After we say our goodbyes, I go back into the living room. The guys are gone, and Walker’s on the sofa, his legs kicked up and a laptop on his lap. His fingers fly across the keys, and he’s wholly focused on whatever he’s doing. It’s such a picturesque scene, the sun glinting off the snow through the huge windows while a sexy man—in wire-rimmed glasses, no less—works on his computer.
“Whatcha working on?” I ask.
He looks up and smiles, setting his computer on the ottoman and opening his arms. “Come here.”
“These are sexy.” I tap his glasses while straddling him.
“Oh, yeah. Real sexy to be getting old and needing readers.”
“You look so distinguished and proper.”
One brow lifts. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I was thinking right now.”
“I think I have a pretty good idea.” I grind down on the growing erection between my legs.
He grins. “Before we get to that, the guys and I decided that Wilder and I will head to Bakersfield tomorrow to get whatever you need from your apartment. Just make us a list.”
“You can’t do that. Klutch might have someone watching.”
“I’m sure he does, but Wilder has a few connections with the Organized Crime Taskforce in Kern County from when we had some trouble with a local warehouse being used to house guns and drugs for some mafia outfit. He’s contacting them today and notifying them of the situation so they can help keep an eye out.”
The endless stockpile of guns I’ve seen lying around the clubhouse flashes through my mind, making my heart kick up its pace. “I don’t like it.”
His hands slide underneath the back of my shirt, gently massaging my skin. As the callouses on his fingers and palms brush against my body, shivers of arousal shoot through me, and I’m hit with fantasies of watching him wield an ax or build things with tools. Why is that such a turn-on?
“I promise we’ll be safe, and while we’re there, you can spend time with Ridge at his place.”
“Ridge? Is Rowan busy or something?”
“What’s wrong with Ridge?”
“Um, he hates me, for one.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He doesn’t know you.”
I shake my head. “I’ll be fine here on my own.”
“No way. Wilder will be with me, and I don’t trust any of the other yahoos on the police force. Ridge isn’t that bad, and he’ll most likely leave you alone and lock himself in his studio.”
I sag in defeat. “Fine.”
He chuckles. “It’s not that bad, sweetheart.”
“Maybe not for you.” I huff.
“What if I promise to make it up to you?”
“How?”
“After I fuck you until you can’t remember your own name, I’ll draw you a nice bath. Then, while you’re relaxing, I’ll make us a nice dinner.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Whatever, huh?” He brings his hand around to my front and cups my breast, pinching my nipple between his thumb and finger, making me gasp. “Let’s see if I can fix your attitude. Stand up and take off your clothes.”
“Bossy.”
He smacks my ass. “Don’t make me punish the sass out of you.”
“You want to spank me?” My voice sounds far too breathy to be talking about corporal punishment.
“So far, you’re at ten swats. Want to make it twenty?”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“Okay, twenty. Want thirty?”
I’m grinning as I stand and strip off his T-shirt and thermal pants, tossing them to the ground. I hug myself, feeling vulnerable until his heated gaze warms my body and his Adam’s apple bobs with his hard swallow.
“Goddamn, you’re stunning. Every fucking inch of you.” His hand skims down my side. “Is it safe for you to lie across my lap?”
“Safe? Oh, right. The baby.” It’s easy to forget when I don’t feel or even look pregnant. “Maybe not in a month or two, but right now, I think we’re fine.”
“Good.” He pats his lap. “Now get over here. I can’t wait to make your ass glow.”
This shouldn’t be as arousing as it is, but as I lie across him, my ass in the air and my legs trapped between his, my pussy throbs with anticipation. I’m a ball of nerves as he pulls one of my ass cheeks to the side and swipes a finger between my folds, finding me wet. I suck in a sharp breath when he drags my arousal from my pussy to my puckered hold and circles it.
“One day soon, I’ll fuck you while your ass is plugged. Would you like that?” he asks, and I hum my approval. “Maybe one with a gem on the end to give me something pretty to look at.”
He pulls his hand away, and before I can complain, his palm cracks across my ass. The sound reverberates through the high ceilings, and the sting has my butt clenching and my chest lifting off the sofa.
“Relax, sweetheart.” He pushes me back down into position. “Count for me.”
“One,” I whisper, unsure if I’m turned on or annoyed.
The next swat is done in an upward motion, hitting the underside of my cheek. “Fuck, I like watching your ass bounce.”
“Two,” I say with a little more confidence as the evidence of how much he likes it digs into my belly.
I continue to count as he spanks me, covering every inch of the area, never seeming to land on the same spot twice. Halfway in, the skin back there warms and becomes more or less numb, but the rhythm he creates and the sound it makes relaxes me and makes my pussy weep. I don’t understand it, but I love it so much, I don’t question it.
“You handled that so well.” He massages the tender flesh. “Now, let’s see just how much you enjoyed it.”
He loosens his hold on my calves and pushes my thighs apart an inch or so before slipping a hand between my legs. Groaning at the wetness he no doubt finds, he rubs circles on my clit.
“Oh my god,” I cry, feeling an orgasm already forming.
“Let go, sweetheart. You deserve the reward,” he says, pressing his thumb against my back hole. How did he know I was so close? It makes no sense. “Even after all this time, I still know your body. I’ve spent fifteen years jacking off to the memory of how much your clit swells and how soft your pussy gets right before you come. I remember the way your breaths pick up and the sounds you make. I remember you, Skylar. Now come for me.”
His words, the slight sting on my ass, the friction between my legs—it’s all too much, and I explode into a thousand pieces. He manipulates my body with skill, making me cry out, but it sounds like I’m underwater, muffled and far away. I grab onto the pleasure, desperately trying not to let it go. It feels too good.
“Christ, you’re beautiful when you come,” Walker says, carrying me through the orgasm, not stopping until my body trembles with aftershocks.
“What did you do to me?” I grumble into the couch cushion.
He laughs long and hard. “Come here, and I’ll do it again.”
I hiss when he playfully swats my sore ass as I slide to my knees on the floor. Placing my hands on his thighs with every intention of pushing myself up, I suddenly get an idea of how best I can repay him. I hook my fingers into the waistband of his sweats and tug.
“So that’s how this is going to go, huh?” he asks, lifting his butt up to help me pull them down. His cock springs free, thick and long.
“You have a beautiful cock.” I wrap both hands around him and stroke up and down.
“Beautiful? I think he’d prefer to be described as girthy or studly.”
“Your girthy, studly cock is beautiful,” I say right before swiping my tongue through the slit at his tip, collecting pre-cum. “And delicious.”
“Oh, fuck.” Those are his last words before I close my lips around him and suck. I keep my eyes on him as I glide up and down his length, my hand stroking whatever I can’t fit in my mouth. He pulls my hair into a ponytail for a better view, but soon, he’s using his hold to move me at the pace he needs. “I never forgot how well you suck me off either. Christ, your mouth.”
His head tips back and he grits his jaw, looking every bit the vision of masculinity. I crave the feeling of him pushing down my throat, but ever since I got pregnant, even brushing my tongue makes me gag. Walker doesn’t seem to mind in the least and doesn’t even try to force me down.
“I’m gonna come, baby. You need to decide where you want it.”
With my free hand, I reach down to his heavy sack, rolling his balls in my palm, giving them the slightest tug. It pushes him over the edge, and when I feel his cock start to pulse, I suck and pull in time with each spurt of hot cum. I didn’t even think about allowing him to come anywhere but my mouth. Some might find it gross, but the thought of having a part of him inside me pleases me. It’s the same when he comes in my pussy. I don’t ever rush to the bathroom, wanting to hold on as long as I can to that part of him.
“Get up here.” He hooks me from under my arms and pulls me off his cock. “I need to hold you after that.”
His arms wrap around me as I straddle him, holding me as close as humanly possible. I clutch him to my chest, tousling his hair and enjoying the afterglow. His body heat keeps me warm, but he reaches for a blanket and wraps it around our lower bodies before his arms wrap around me once again.
“I love you, Skylar. I fucking love you so much. I didn’t deserve you the first time I had you, and to get you back feels like the dream I never dared to dream. This thing between us feels so fragile, like you could be yanked away again at any moment, and it drives me mad.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say.
“You can’t know that. Losing you turned me into an unbearable, controlling asshole. I didn’t have to worry about women sticking around because my attitude chased them away.”
“I don’t know. I’ve been locked in this house with you for a while now, and even when you were being an unbearable, controlling asshole, I still don’t want to leave. I fear we’re in this together, for better or worse.”