“I went to your house later that night. Your fuckin’ dick of a foster dad informed me you’d packed your shit and left without so much as a goodbye. Said you left without saying a word about where you were going. I wanted to punch him in his fucking smirking face.”
“Why? Why did you go there?”
“Because I realized I’d made the wrong fucking choice, Sky. I knew it the moment you drove away.”
“Bullshit. I don’t believe it. The club meant everything to you. I learned that the hard way.”
“It’s not bullshit.”
She let out a huff of laughter. “Right. Easy to say now, but I’m not stupid enough to believe for one minute that you would have given up the club for me.” She watched his jaw work as he stared down at her. “You just want what you can’t have. That’s all this is. I was off limits before, and I am again. It’s just the attraction of that. It’s the challenge you crave, nothing more.”
“Off limits? I don’t see your man around. He left town. Left you.”
“Let me go.” She tried to pull away from him but he now had her wrists in a vise grip.
“I got somethin’ to say to you, and I need you to hear it.”
She settled down and bit out, “Fine. Say it and go.”
He took in a frustrated deep breath, apparently not pleased with her attitude. Tough shit, she thought.
“Biggest mistake of my life, lettin’ you go.” He searched her eyes. “Sky, I’m sorry. For everything. For all of it. I’ve been sorry about everything since the moment you drove away. That’s the God’s honest truth. It’s eaten at me, all these years. Swear to God, not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought of you, wished I hadn’t done what I did. I fucked up. Big time.”
She stared up at him, trying to maintain that cold shell that protected her heart, but with every word that fell out of his mouth she felt another brick of ice shattering.
“Forgive me, baby. Please.” His hands released her wrists and they cupped her cheeks, tilting her face up to his as he stepped closer, mere inches between them. ?
??I need you to forgive me.”
His words were tearing her up inside. Part of her wanted to believe him, wanted to forgive him. But part of her was afraid she was just opening herself up to more hurt. If she let him in again, believed his words again, it would break her this time, and she didn’t think she’d ever recover from it. No, she couldn’t afford to let herself believe his words, not when she had to protect herself. Protect her heart. So she let her face harden, her jaw tight, and she looked away from him.
“See you’re not gonna believe a word I fuckin’ say,” he ground out. “Guess I’m gonna have to show you.”
Before she knew what he was about to do, she was up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She shrieked, “Shades! Put me down.” He moved out of the kitchen and up the big staircase. When he got to the top, he only hesitated a moment before setting her down on her feet.
“Which room?” he demanded. His chest was heaving, and the look in his eyes told her he was a man determined to get his way.
Backing up a step, she whirled and dashed into the master suite, slamming the door in his face and quickly throwing the lock before he could react. A moment later, his voice was on the other side.
“Open the door, Sky.”
She stared at the closed door, the words of his apology replaying in her mind. He was sorry. He knew he’d fucked up. He’d thought of her every day. He’d gone back for her. Was it true? Was any of it true? Oh, God, he was going to break her. Her defenses kicked in.
“Go to hell.”
“Baby, don’t be like this. Let me in.”
“Get out.”
“That’s not gonna happen. Come on, sweetheart, we have a lot of shit to talk about. I get that. I know you’ve got a reason to hate me, but I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to let you go.”
Skylar closed her eyes, her forehead pressing against the door as he said the words she’d longed to hear once upon a time. A lifetime ago.
“Why are you here?” she whispered through the door.
She heard his voice close, as if he was bracing on his hands, leaning his face to the door. “Because I had no choice. Because I can’t stay away. Because this confrontation was a done deal the moment I laid eyes on you again. You signed that deal the minute you rode back through the clubhouse gate, babe.”
“I didn’t come looking for you.” She laid her palm on the wood.