Page 104 of Ethan's Sky
He’s wrestling my clothes with one hand while keeping a strong hold on the gun with the other, laughing maniacally causing spittle to land on my face. In a last stitch effort, I wrangle his wrist closer, and with a strength I didn’t know I had, I lean up and bite through his wrist with everything I’ve got. Breaking skin and causing him to scream, out in pain. He loosens his grip on the gun, and I pull it away from him, turning it in my hand and pointing it right at him. Chase laughs, reaching for the gun and I pull the trigger.
24
ETHAN
Skyler started out stiffly holding onto me as if it pained her to be so close.Tough shit.I’ve been trying to hold her, to touch her, comfort her. She won’t allow herself to trust me and worse it means she’s not allowingfor meto give us both what we need, even though I know she wants to.
She acts like touching me repulses her. The touch of my hand burns her skin. But I know she’s feeling hurt right now. She has every right to feel that way. I’ve been an asshole of epic proportions. But I didn’t have all the facts. I still don’t. But I’m seeing the picture a little more clearly now than ever before.
Skyler’s body slumps against mine, she’s exhausted.
I see her trying to be tough, fighting everything on her own and because of it, her mind is fighting what’s inevitable between us. Her doubts mingled with my harsh words are waging a war within her. But her mind can’t hide what her body is saying. Her eyes tell me everything her heart wants.
You let your shields slip, Sunshine. I see you, baby. And I’m not backing down.
I know how much my touch affects her. I’ve been watching very closely to how she reacts. The way her breath catches and her pulse speeds up. The goosebumps spreading over her soft skin. Even when she’s mad at me. She can’t help the way I affect her the same way I can’t help the way she affects me.
I smile as her thumbs lazily rub back and forth against my abs, hearing an unintended sigh falling from her lips. She’s relaxed, probably half asleep after everything she’s been through today. She’s giving into the feel of the wind on her skin and the rumble of the motor.
She’s relaxing into me.
A ride on a bike can be like therapy. The wind calms something inside of me. It’s both intoxicating and relaxing at the same time.
I feel her body tense the moment she realizes what she’s been doing. Skyler stops abruptly, trying to sit up and pull away. Every time she catches herself giving in just a little, she pulls back, retreating behind her armor.
Oh, no Sweetheart.
I grab her hands and put them back where they were, and to prove my point, I reach back grabbing onto her thigh holding her to me. I’m not going to allow her to retreat. I like the feel of her hands on me. It sparks something to life I had forgotten I could feel. I know her mind is racing with all kinds of questions, most of which are what ifs and whys. But she can’t hide the fact that as much as she wants to hate me for all the shitty things, I’ve said to her, she craves the feel of my body against hers as much I do. And this right here, her wrapped around me on the back of my bike feels right.
You have a lot to make up for.
And I will.
We both have shit to say. Things we need to get out on the table. Questions that need answers. And we’ll get there. Maybe not tonight, but I’m not giving up now I know my woman has always beenmine.
I feel the rumble of her groan against my back and smile. I’m going to make this right and when I do her walls are going to come crashing down. I won’t accept anything less.
At the cemetery, her body melted into the comfort of mine until her mind caught up to realize she was letting her guard down and letting me slip past. She won’t allow herself to want me. To want us.
After how bad you’ve hurt her, can you blame her?
No. I can’t.
I put the fear of rejection there, and now she’s hesitant to believe my intentions are real. There’s satisfaction in knowing I’m not the only one who’s been feeling conflicted about us. The woman has spun my fucking world upside down on its ass and right side up in a matter of minutes. This pull between us, it’s like an ocean tide dragging me under with no foreseeable way out. I tried to fight at first, using my anger over Emily’s death as my shield. Blaming Skyler for things she wasn’t to blame for. I never took into consideration how seeing Emily die could have affected her, I only thought about how it would affect the case in the courtroom. But none of it matters now.
I’m still pissed Skyler’s been lying to me. Hiding behind her secrets and I know she has more she’s keeping from me, but I’ll get to the bottom of it all soon enough.
Kieran is right. I was selfish. I was wrong, and it’s about time I showed Skyler what she means to me. For all the times she’s said she couldn’t tell me about the night Emily died, I finally realize it wasn’t because she was protecting the killer, she was protecting herself. Worried about my reaction and what might happen to her. Though, I don’t know why she would think I would be upset she killed someone in self-defense. I’d never turn her in, even if she shot the prick on purpose. The bastard deserved far worse.
But how would she know to trust you with information when you’ve been such a dick to her?
Now I need to focus on what really matters. Fixing what’s been broken between us. Skyler’s mine. She’s always been mine. It’s about time I reminded her who she belongs to.
She’s been holding on to so much guilt and pain. Not that I helped by shoving insults and blame at her every chance I got, but that all ends now.
“I killed Chance, Ethan. He killed Emily, and I fucking killed him.”Her words echo through my mind. The son of a bitch tried to rape her. Killed our child. Had I known what he did I would’ve killed the cunt myself.Instead, Skyler lives with the guilt of killing a man and blames herself for the loss of our child.
Is that what she thought was protecting me from? Was she worried I would’ve gone after the son of a bitch?
