Page 68 of 4th Degree

Slowly, my nerves and worries surrounding everything Skylar morph into happiness and excitement. In the back of my brain, it occurs to me that she always seems to have that effect.

Reaching for my phone, I scroll to her number and press Call before I can second-guess myself.

“Dominic?”

A smile immediately comes to my face when I hear her voice, even though her confusion is obvious.

“Yeah, it’s me.” In the background, I hear the sounds of dishes clattering and people yelling. “Sorry, are you at work? I assumed you went home after the gym.”

“I’m not working, I just came in to grab my paycheck.” A door slamming shut cuts off all background noises. “I’m actually leaving to walk home right now, so you caught me at the perfect time.”

Just as it always does, the thought of her walking the streets of a big city by herself fills me with unease. Even though she’s smart about staying safe. But I know how important independence is to Skylar, so I force down my need to protect and care for her.

Still, I can’t help asking, “How long’s your walk?”

“Ten minutes. I work close to home.”

“Want to stay on the phone with me while you walk? Or will that distract you too much?”

“I can talk. My coach taught me well when it comes to self-defense.”

A smile comes unbidden to my face. It also has me admitting, “I wanted to hear your voice.”

There’s a pause on the line. And I can tell she’s smiling when she finally says, “You know, none of your students would be scared of you if they knew how sweet you are.”

“Well, don’t be giving away my secrets, then.”

“Yes, sir,” she purrs. And the heat that stays barely banked when Skylar is on my mind roars right back to life.

I’m desperate to see her again. Talking to her isn’t enough.

“Are you coming to open mat tomorrow?” I ask. “You could stay after if you’re not busy.”

“I’m not in tomorrow,” she answers, regret lacing her tone. “I have a commitment tomorrow night.”

Curiosity gets the best of me. “What’s tomorrow night?”

“Joey has a basketball game. I always try to support him as much as I can, since…since Mom can’t.”

This girl is too loyal for this world.

“Can I come?”

“You…want to come to a high school basketball game?” Skylar asks, her confusion evident. “Why?”

“Well, obviously because I have a lot invested in the local high school basketball scene. I follow it religiously.”

Fuck, I love the sound of her giggle.

“It’s not going to be very exciting,” she warns. “Joey hasn’t been starting so there’s going to be some downtime. It could get boring.”

“I’m sure I can find a way to entertain myself,” I say, deepening my voice in that way that I know makes her shiver.

I can’t hear any kind of reaction, but she sounds a little breathless when she says, “Yeah, your students have no idea who you are.”

I chuckle at that, and she quickly changes the subject.

“I’ll get there at seven when it starts,” she says. “I usually stay for the whole game, but you obviously don’t need to do that. Just come whenever, I guess?”

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