Page 26 of His Boys to Protect

“Okay.” Mr. Pratt turned to Ward. “Thank you for doing this. We really appreciate it.”

Ward's cheeks flushed with color. He cleared his throat and let go of Charlie with one hand, rubbing the back of his neck instead, but when Charlie whined and fidgeted, Ward put the hand right back over Charlie's ear. “No problem,” Ward mumbled.

Skylar bit back a moan.Damn it. Why did a blushing Ward have to be such a sexy, endearing sight?

“I don't think we ever got a chance to officially meet last time,” Mr. Pratt went on. He held out his right hand and said, “Jacob Pratt.”

Ward quickly shook the man's hand, then held Charlie again before the boy could complain. “Ward Freeman.”

Freeman?Skylar liked the sound of that.Skylar Freeman.He felt himself blushing at the implications of that thought. Skylar shook his head and tried to focus.Freeman. Free man. Hmmm.Maybe he could change his name to that after he moved away and started over. It would be fitting, after all. Of course, he'd already endured the process to change his name once. He didn't relish the idea of paying more court fees to do it a second time. Then again, it would mean even more of a fresh start. Another layer of separation between his current life and the new one he'd eventually get to build for himself.

“How's he doing?” Mr. Pratt asked, interrupting Skylar's thoughts.

As though on cue, Charlie started squeaking again. Quiet little sounds, but just loud enough for them to hear. Charlie rocked himself in Ward's lap. It was the barest of movements,not enough to disturb Ward's hold on him, and synchronized to his squeaks. Forward-back, forward-back.Squeak-SQUEAK, squeak-SQUEAK.

Mr. Pratt chuckled. “Guess that's my answer.” He turned to Skylar. “You hungry? We tried to wake you when we stopped for lunch earlier, but you were out cold.”

Skylar's stomach growled at the mention of food. The last time he'd eaten was dinner at the wedding. He hadn't wanted to hang around Uncle Zeke's place long enough to have breakfast with the man, and his own kitchen had been depressingly bare of food. Considering he had plans to spend the next few days with the Pratts, Skylar hadn't seen a reason to go shopping yet, just to let the food sit in his absence. He could do that once he got back home, and a couple missed meals weren't going to kill him.

He knew that well enough.

But that meant he'd had nothing to eat for breakfast, let alone lunch, and he was feeling it. “Yeah,” he replied. “Starving.”

Mr. Pratt gestured at the tasting room. “Beau laid out some snacks, and I'm gonna go start up the grill here pretty soon.” He turned back to Ward with a smile. “You're welcome to join us.”

“Oh.” Ward paused, then shook his head. “I appreciate the invitation, but I really should be getting home. I…uh…I was out of town all weekend,” he went on, giving Skylar a quick glance, “and I need to get ready for work tomorrow.”

“Ah.” Mr. Pratt chuckled. “Understood. The never-ending grind. Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“You, too,” Ward replied, a hint of a blush coming back to his cheeks.

Skylar squirmed, feeling a rush of arousal at the sight.Sheesh. Why did the man have to be so damned sexy?

Mr. Pratt patted Skylar on the shoulder. “Come get some food,” he said as he walked away.

“Be right there,” Skylar called after him. Mr. Pratt rejoined the others in the tasting room just as they all began to file out to the back patio. Skylar waited until they were all gone, then turned to look at Ward again. “So.”

“So.” Ward looked up at him, studying his eyes with a curious frown. “You'rehere.”

“Yeah.” Skylar shoved his hands into his pockets. “I didn't know until this morning. This was sort of a last-minute trip. I was supposed to stay with the Pratts for Christmas, but they decided to come down here instead, so they brought me along.” He ran a hand back through his hair, then stuffed the hand back into his pocket, hunching his shoulders. “Is this weird? This is weird. I should go.” Skylar started to turn away, though whether to run back upstairs or go join the others out back, he couldn't decide. Either way, he needed to leave. To make room for Ward and Charlie to have this moment together, no matter how much it hurt.

“Sky,” Ward murmured, stopping Skylar in his tracks.

Skylar shuddered, hearing both the gentle command and the hungry need in Ward's voice. It made him desperate to drop right at the man's feet, no matter who might see. Skylar locked his knees and turned back to face him.

“Please…” Ward began, then frowned and shook his head, like he didn't know how to finish his request. He looked down at Charlie in his arms, a soft smile playing on his lips, then looked back up at Skylar, his gaze searching for something as he studied Skylar's face. “Don't go,” he murmured.

The bone-deep need and desperation in those two little words almost knocked Skylar right off his feet.

Oh hell. It was far too easy to obey. He didn't want to go. All he wanted was to stay right there and bask in Ward and Charlie's presence, no matter how much he felt like the outsider. The odd man out. The one who didn't belong.

But he couldn't have walked away to save his life. Not faced with all that temptation.

Even if he was going to have to fight it.

Chapter 12

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