“Yes, I am aware that Wyatt has ears,” Skyler replied, with this confused, disbelieving little look that made Craig bristle even more. He had thought it would be a simple matter of telling Skyler what he’d done wrong, here, but Skyler was, in his own quiet way, just as stubborn as Craig was.
“So then why …” Craig started, but Skyler cut him off. It wasn’t a usual thing for Skyler to do, to the point where Craig didn’t know how to react until long after it had happened.
“Why did I have a conversation with your brother? Because I assumed that your father had a reason for having him here, and that was good enough for me. And quite frankly, Craig, I’m a little bit annoyed at your insinuations. Do you really think I would let anything private about the ranch slip to anyone at all? Much less the man who originally sent me to try to change Kyle’s mind?”
That was true. As much as Craig wanted to deny it, everything that Skyler was saying was completely accurate. Skyler had always been the soul of discretion, had never done anything in all of the time he’d been working for the ranch as the bookkeeper to justify Craig’s suspicion. And Skyler did, for the reason he pointed out, have a very good reason to know that Wyatt wasn’t trustworthy.
One thing that Craig had learned about himself was that, when he finally let himself love, he was so scared that he might lose it that he got suspicious. But Skyler hadn’t actually done anything here when he took his time and really thought it out.
“I’m sorry,” he admitted, and he saw the tense set of Skyler’s shoulders relax a little bit. The man, as passive as he was, had been ready to fight him on this, and that made guilt gnaw even more at Craig’s guts.
“I won’t do anything to hurt this ranch,” Skyler told him, and there was still a trace of wariness in his eyes. “You all welcomed me here when I didn’t have a home. Your father gave me a job. I would never do anything to hurt any of you.”
Craig nodded, though the faintest tinge of annoyance started to work its way through the guilt that he already felt. It was an uncomfortable feeling to have, especially as it still mingled with the love that he felt for Skyler, too. But he’d apologized already, hadn’t he? Did Skyler want him bowing and scraping?
“I’m sorry,” he said again, and this time, Skyler nodded. But his eyes still had that slightly uncomfortable look in them, like a shutter had been closed behind them. It seemed that Skyler was not a man who forgave easily.
“I accept your apology,” Skyler replied, and Craig sighed and turned to go. There really seemed to be nothing else for either of them to say at the moment, nothing that could be helpful. The best thing he could do was cut out, accept his losses, and hope that they could get past this better later.
But he had never been very good at doing the right thing when it came to Skyler. He had been way too obsessed with him from the beginning. So he turned abruptly back around, and, as though his passion could somehow bridge the gap that had grown up between them, he gripped Skyler by his shoulders and pulled him close.
The kiss was passionate—of course, it was. It always was, with them. But more than that, it was an act of pure desperation.
He couldn’t lose Skyler, but it felt almost like it was happening whether he could handle it or not.
Nineteen
Skyler
It would be a while until Skyler would be able to forget what had happened here, in this office.
He would forgive it or do his best because he really did love Craig, but forget? That was a taller order. Being basically accused of being irresponsible, at best, that was something that still stung deep down.
So he was inclined to let Craig go. It actually might be for the best. Skyler wasn’t entirely sure that he trusted himself to be calm and rational, not for a while, anyway. For him, that was sort of a big deal. He was used to trusting himself, even if he didn’t trust too many other people.
So when Craig turned around to face him, Skyler was already defensive. But instead of saying anything else, Craig just gripped Skyler’s shoulders, his fingers digging into the muscles there almost painfully, and yanked his body close to force a hard kiss on him.
His body instantly responded. Of course, it did. It didn’t really matter how angry he still was, or how much he still resented what had been said to him. His body would respond to Craig no matter what, and Craig, at this point, knew how to play on Skyler’s body as skillfully as a musician might play their instrument.
Just like that, Skyler was completely focused on Craig. He had intended to go back to work as soon as Craig left, but that was out of his mind. The resentment, the slight awkwardness, it was still there, too, but it didn’t do anything to stop his dick from swelling in his pants.
For maybe half a second, he considered not kissing Craig back. For the first time, he considered consciously pushing him away. But the need was too strong, and in some incredibly messed up way, he was maybe even more aroused than he usually was because of their disagreement.
He didn’t pull away. Craig was the first man who had ever been able to drive him so crazy that he didn’t care about anything else anymore. Even Matthew, who had thrown his whole life into a tailspin, hadn’t had all of Skyler. There had always been a part of Skyler that he’d held back, but he wasn’t sure that was even true with Craig.
Craig, who was tall and strong and huge. Craig, who knew how to touch Skyler, to kiss him, until Craig was all there was in the whole world. Craig, who was crowding against him, pushing against Skyler’s body and herding him against the desk in a way that should have made Skyler feel trapped and terrified.
But being pinned against the deck, unable to get away, just made Skyler’s body throb with need more than ever. He whimpered as he arched his body toward Craig, his arms going around him almost involuntarily. He should be mad. He was mad. But he should kick Craig out and let them both calm down.
That, he couldn’t make himself do.
Craig hefted him up, and Skyler felt the wooden surface of the deck under his ass. He scooted back, and it lifted him up just enough that he could wrap his legs around Craig’s waist, pushing his erection directly and demandingly against Craig’s.
And Craig was hard. Just as hard as Skyler was, so it was far easier just to go with that, to relax into it, to let himself be swept up in sensuality and desire and rising need than it was to think about being angry.
They rocked together, and somehow, their shirts both came off. This was a first for them, being in Skyler’s office. He had always kept his job separate from his relationship with Craig, but that didn’t seem to matter that much anymore.
Craig’s hands were huge and so strong, but they brought so much gorgeous, exquisite pleasure to Skyler’s body. It was always like this with them. No one else could do a fraction of what Craig did for Skyler, and Skyler fought off a little moan as he tried to keep it down, to remind himself that they were in the house.
