Page 13 of Quiet Chaos

She stands there for a second. “What is your name?”

I realize we never introduced ourselves. “Cade. Yours?”

“Sky.”

Her voice is fluffy clouds. She tries not to touch me, struggling to get on the bike. I grab her arm and tell her to put her leg over the seat. For a tiny thing, she’s finally able to get behind me. Her hands rest on her thighs.

“Hold on to me.” Sky takes too long to figure out what to hold, so I take her arms and wrap them around my waist.

I start the ignition, it idles, and I retract the kickstand. We take off and she automatically hugs me tighter. A smile smears across my face. Not long after, I kill the engine in the driveway, put down the kickstand, noticing she’s still squeezing me.

“Uh, you can let go.”

Her arms loosen and drop onto her thighs. I take her left arm to help her off.

Walking to the house, I say, “Hold on a sec. My dog is territorial around new people.”

She waits on the porch while I go in the house and flick on the lights. Armstrong runs at me, lifting his front paws to my chest. I pet him while putting his leash on in case he tries to attack. When I open the door, Sky’s face lights up at the sight of him and he jumps with excitement. Before I can get a better handle on his leash, he topples her over, licking her face as she giggles.

Fuck me. This is new.

“Armstrong!”

I tug on his leash to get him off. His size almost covers her entire body. He whimpers but moves into the house. She gets up and her laughter hasn’t died down yet. I motion for her to enter, and then I close the door, putting the security code in. Armstrong is back by her side.

She kneels, running her hands through his fur, and cooing like a baby. “You’re so beautiful. What a good dog.” He laps it up. She’s focused on him when she asks, “What type of dog is he?”

“Cane Corso.” I watch them get acquainted. “Push him away if he bothers you.”

Tossing my keys on the foyer table, I point to my left and say, “Living room.” I walk straight ahead and announce, “Kitchen.” The outside light switches on in the back. I gesture to my room,and then we go upstairs to the other rooms, except my dad’s. I’m not ready for someone to occupy it.

I turn the light on in the room above mine. “You can use this one. It has its own washroom.”

Sky’s wide eyes drink in the room. Her mouth is slightly open as she turns in a circle, licking her lips.Fuck!I go into the washroom to check if there are towels, then indicate for her to come in. She gasps when I place her on the vanity. There are medical supplies under the sink. I want to see what her injuries are and cleanup her face.

Using a wet washcloth, I wipe it across her cheek. Her eyes roam from my chest to my eyes, lips, and she starts the trail over again. Once her face is void of blood, I stare at her black eye, the dark contrast highlighting the amber.

“Who did this to you?”

Sky avoids my eyes when she answers. “My boyfriend.”

“Men don’t do shit like this to women.”

My thumb rubs near the corner of her full peach-colored lips. We look at one another before she shifts away.

I drop my arms, step back, and say, “Shower. Sleep. Whatever. I’ll make something to eat.”

She takes in a large breath, blows it out as she asks, “Could I have some pajamas?”

I nod and return with a T-shirt of mine. Sky gives me a timid smile and takes it from me.

In the kitchen, I take some breaths to calm down my heart and dick. I call Reed and tell him what happened. He offers to come over with Patsy tomorrow morning. Afterwards, I call Hal to let him know I’ll be coming into the office in the afternoon.

I’m dishing out the mashed potatoes, salmon, and asparagus onto plates when she appears.Shit!My mouth drops open, staring at her, a clump of mashed potatoes falling to the ground. Armstrong takes advantage of it. Saliva accumulates in mymouth, forcing me to gulp. Her wet hair dampens her shoulders, and she has no makeup on. And Sky doesn’t need any. My shirt falls right above her knees. Like pearls, her skin is smooth and glistens from the shower.

I move behind the kitchen island, adjust myself, and rattle off thoughts. Chicken liver. Roadkill. Dirty toilets. Anything to keep my cock from saluting her. She takes a seat at the table, and I place a plate in front of her, then take my own and sit. We eat in silence and watch each other.

Sky says, “This is delicious. Thank you, Cade.”

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