Page 72 of Protecting Her Secrets

“Don’t make me kick your ass.”

“No offense, babe, but I don’t think youcankick his ass.” She cups a hand around her mouth. “He’s got an Uzi.”

My gaze shifts from her to him. “Seriously?”

“Don’t spill the state secrets,” he chides.

Skylar holds up her hands. “Sorry. My bad.”

I shake my head. “Let’s get you out of here before my head explodes.”

“Speaking of exploding?—”

Rowan slaps a hand over her mouth and, without moving his lips, says, “Loose lips sink ships, Skylar.”

She pushes his hand away, laughing. “Okay, okay.”

“You got the knife, right?” He points a finger at her.

“What knife?” I ask.

“Rowan taught me how to use a switchblade.” She pulls a knife out of her purse. “It’s pink!”

“What the fuck, dude?”

“She needs to know how to protect herself. I did you a favor.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. “Please, can we get out of here before I murder my friend?”

“Come on. Let’s go.”

On the drive home, Skylar animatedly tells me all about her day. She’s so excited, she doesn’t even ask about mine, which is good—I’m dreading talking about it. I don’t want to be the one responsible for taking away that light in her eyes.

“I’ll make some chicken and rice for dinner. Does that sound okay?” she asks while stripping her outer layers in the mudroom.

“Sure. While you do that, I’ll take care of the animals and take Sprocket for a quick walk.”

“Cool.” She lifts onto her tippy-toes and tips her head back. “Kiss me.”

Shit, she’s cute. I cup her cheeks and plant one on her that was meant to be brief, but the second I get her taste on my lips, I can’t stop. Soon, we’re making out like we did when we were kids, taking time to learn every inch of each other’s mouths. Eventually, I force myself to pull away, but I don’t go far. With my forehead pressing against hers, we catch our breaths.

“I missed you today,” I say.

“I missed you too. So much.” She rubs her nose against mine. “Wait, how was your day? Mine was so eventful, I completely forgot to ask.”

“I’m glad you were able to relax today.”

“Racing through the forest on an ATV and blowing shit up wasn’t exactly relaxing, but it was exciting.”

“What?” I close my eyes, pushing away all thoughts of him risking my wife’s life. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

“Probably best.”

“I have a feeling my day was nothing compared to yours, but I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.” I stall because I’m a coward.

She takes a step back, assessing me. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart. Everything is okay.”

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