Page 34 of Pit Stop

I know that my hookups with Maverick have strained their friendship.

It’s tense between them now.

And I get why he doesn’t want us to be together.

Not that I want to be together.

I just, you know…I want it to be easy next time I go into heat. And Maverick is easy and really hot. And his dick is very nice. We have great chemistry.

I wouldn’t mind another round.

But only in an emergency.

And I won’t ever ask for it. No. I can’t do that. I’ll figure something else out.

I pick up my phone and message Rob to see what he’s doing today, and he replies that he’s working, but to stop by and hang out for a bit until he’s off. Well, that’s better than just sitting in my house and doing nothing.

And by nothing, I mean, thinking about Maverick out gallivanting with my brother and their friends. Maybe he’s fucking one of them. It’s not common for alphas to fuck one another, but it’s not unheard of either.

My mind shifts to Forest and Maverick, and I wonder if maybe the reason my brother doesn’t want me with Maverick is because he’s in love with him. Maybe it’s more than just Forest wanting me to achieve my dreams.

As soon as that thought pops into my head, I force it away.

No. No fucking way.

“You don’t think Forest is in love with Maverick, right?” I ask Rob, who is stocking shelves at our local grocery store.

He turns toward me and laughs. “Uh, no. I don’t think that’s why he’s being so overprotective of you.”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling my cheeks flame. “You’re right. I guess I was just trying to figure it out.”

“He’s just worried about you, and we know Maverick is rough. Forest probably thinks you deserve someone who’s like an academic or something. He knows you want to get out of this town eventually and being with Maverick is gonna keep you here, where he knows you don’t wanna be.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I murmur and then rub a hand across the back of my neck. “Anyway, tell me all about the guy you met at the bar.”

“Oh, yes, Silo. He was very fun.” He waggles his eyebrows at me and then gets back to work when he sees his manager glowering at him from the other end of the aisle. The man looks irritated and anxious, his face in a concerned scowl. He’s quite handsome though, but Rob doesn’t seem to notice.

He just keeps his eyes averted.

“You do realize that your manager wants you, right?”

Rob’s cheeks flush. “Fuck off, Skye. He does not. He hates me.”

“He doesn’t. He just doesn’t like you talking about guys you’re fucking.”

“No, he thinks I’m a lazy worker.”

“I mean…you kind of are.”

Rob grins at me, and we let out a combined laugh. “I’m off in an hour. Instead of just standing there, help me so I can get this done.”

“I’m not getting paid,” I reply, but he just points to a full box of cans, and I get to work. Damn guy. As we unload the boxes, we chat about my disastrous dating-app mishaps and my horrible pictures, pulling Rob into fits of laughter until he’s no longer working and I’m doing it all.

His manager is not amused.

“Honestly, Rob, stop laughing.”

“You sent these pictures to Mav? Gods, Skye. Do you not want to get fucked again? These are so bad.”

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