Page 116 of Crave Me

“No way.”

“What?”

“I’m not telling you that shit. It’s private. Just between her and me.”

I grinned as I pushed back to my feet and snatched a towel off the bench, dabbing at my sweat-drenched face, neck, and my soaked white tank. “That’s shockingly chivalrous of you. Who knew you had that in you?” I teased.

He grinned back at me. “I’m as surprised as you. I guess she just brings it out in me. Like you finally opening up again because of Skylar.”

I smiled as I thought about that, about her and how far we’d come. It hadn’t been an easy road, that was for damn sure. But it had absolutely been worth it all. Worth fucking everything, actually, to have her with us.

“I’m gonna try to get Cal out of his room and do some gaming in the den. Do you want to join?” I asked.

“Nah, I’ll let you two hang alone. With everything he’s just gone through, I don’t think spending quality time with the likes of me is gonna be something he’s up for. Maybe once he’s readjusted we’ll talk and work up to that.”

“He knows you’re in the house and he was fine with it, if not a little surprised. You don’t need to continue to actively avoid him.”

“Like I said, little bro, I’ll give it some more time.”

“All right, I hear you. You gonna get your workout on in here then?”

“Kind of,” he said, shrugging off his hoodie and tossing it on the bench beside me, then cracking his knuckles. “I’m going a little stir-crazy being cooped up here until all of this is over. I get that the workout helps you to sublimate, but for me I’ve gotta go a little more hardcore to pull off the same effect. Some shadow boxing will have to do it.”

“Luke is busy maintaining the hefty security presence around all King holdings, the borders and here at the manor so he can’t take time out to spar, but I can go a few rounds with you.”

He shook his head vehemently. “No way. You know what a beast I become when I get in that fight zone.”

“I’m sure I can handle it.”

“I don’t want you to have to. We’re doing really well rebuilding things between us. There’s no way I’m gonna risk that been fucked all over from a sparring session going sideways.”

“I believe you have control now even if you’re still doubting yourself so much. In fact, I would call Sky in here to be your sparring partner because she’d love to sink her teeth into a real fight, but she’s busy.”

“You’d really trust me that much? With Skylar?”

“She does and I do now. So, yeah. But she’s indisposed.”

“She’s been spending a lot of time with her dad, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s to be expected. They were incredibly close before that estrangement. It left a hole for her.”

“And she’s working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again, trying to persuade him to stay here in Rossun, right?”

“Yeah. Seems like it’s an uphill battle, though, from what she’s been telling me.”

“I bet he’s gonna go off with Riley.”

“What?”

“It’s clear they’ve got something going on, something he’s not up for letting Skylar in on, probably because of her mom and all that. Maybe that’s why she’s not getting any definitive answers from him about staying. It’s about Riley and not him intending to go back to that mercenary group.” He lifted a shoulder. “Just a theory.”

And a damned good one. “Thanks, I’ll put this to Sky.”

Just as he headed to the mats to get started with some shadow boxing, a voice coming down the corridor toward the gym caught our attention, pulling him up short. Or, voices, one sounding distanced like it was on speakerphone mode.

“Soon.”

“Soon, huh? And how would you react if I gave you that real vague answer?”

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