Page 23 of Down & Dirty

As she went for the door, I slid in front of her, blocking the way. “How about I drive?”

“Get out of my way, model man.”

It was getting harder to swallow down my laughter. “Just let me get you home, and then I’ll Uber back to get my car.”

“You think I can’t drive something this big? ‘Cause I’m a woman?”

I wasn’t about to tell her just how often I did think something just like that.

“I think you’re probably a fantastic driver. I bet you’d win awards. I’m just saying, it’s probably not a great thing for you to get a DUI, right? Micah needs you to be able to bring him to the playground and everything.”

What I said hadn’t seemed that bad to me, but Sky froze, her eyes going saucer wide before she crumbled. “I can’t lose mylicense. Tommy would use that against me,” she got out, the words watery and broken.

I could have called her an Uber. I knew that was an option. But it didn’t sit right, shoving her in someone else’s car like this, send her off crying and alone. I wanted to make sure she got home myself.

“It’s okay. You won’t. I’ll get you home.” I held out my hand and even if it shouldn’t have, it felt good when she didn’t hesitate to shove the keys at me.

Once we were inside and buckled in, I asked her where she lived. But she didn’t answer. I spun to look her way, and she was staring at me.

“Skylar?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She hadn’t had that much to drink, right?

“’Cause you can’t remember?”

She shook her head, more tears falling as fast as she swiped them away. “No.”

I had no idea what was going on. It had been a long-ass time since I’d had to deal with a woman this emotional, and quite frankly, it was freaking me out a little.

“Okay, well, let’s get you out of here. Maybe you can tell me once we’re on the road.”

I was flying blind. I had no idea where Skylar lived, but I assumed it was in some sort of temporary set up like me. Still, I couldn’t just drive around all night, so after a few minutes of silence, I did the only thing that made any sense.

I took her back to my place.

God, please do not let this come back to bite me.Her brother was my teammate. If he thought for a second I took advantage of his sister my life would get even more complicated.

When we got to my building, Sky wasn’t crying anymore, but she was hiding behind a curtain of hair, still refusing to speak to me. I led her to the elevator and we rode up in silence, standing on opposite sides of the car.

“Let me get you some water,” I said as soon as we crossed the threshold and she followed me inside. I started for the kitchen, but then turned back. “Or maybe coffee?”

Sky never lifted her eyes from the floor, she just shrugged, and I stood there looking at her for a minute. She was so different from the woman who’d been with me at the bar, sparring and mocking and laughing with each other. All the fight was gone, and I felt a cinch in my chest, like I was actually angry at who or what had done this to her.

I didn’t think it was me.

It might have been the tequila.

But I suspected it was this thing with Tommy. And that pissed me off.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, when I handed her the glass of water. “I don’t usually drink like that... I never do this.” She looked up at me with regret darkening her pretty face. “I’ve never driven drunk, I swear.”

I didn’t like seeing her like that, but a wave of relief hit me to hear her talking again. “It’s all good. It was a rough day.”

Her voice got watery again. “I should have seen this coming. I never should have trusted that things would just stay the same. Everything changes. Everything but me.”

If I knew Sky better, I’d have given her a hug. But considering her natural tendency to dislike me, I didn’t think that was a good idea, so I took a seat on the couch, easing back with a sigh. “I get that. I’m not so good at change myself.”

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