Page 59 of Unhinged Magic
“What’s your plan today?” I asked, taking another sip from my mug. Pulling the top drawer open, I fished out a fork, proceeding to stab a mouthful of his eggs from his plate onto it. Nothing like pissing him off to help break the ice.
“Do you mind?” He fixed me with a glare. “Cook your own.”
I chuckled, shoveling the forkful into my mouth. “Are you still pissed at me? I was only trying to help.”
He didn’t answer.
“You really need to get your dick wet,” I added for good measure, staring at him from over the top of my mug.
He lifted from the bar leaner. “Give it a rest.” He placed his plate in the dishwasher, shutting the door.
“C’mon man, I’m having a laugh… If you’re into her and it feels real, jump in.”
Ty ground his jaw, his hardened gaze zeroing in on me momentarily before giving way to a softer version. “It’s real.”
I nodded, hiding a grin. Maybe my grumpy as fuck best friend was getting laid after all. As much as I wasn’t sure about this Morgan girl, I was genuinely happy for Ty. It had been a long while since he’d even looked at another woman after his last girlfriend passed away. Besides, him getting some action might keep him occupied. Keep him from noticing what was going on right under his nose with me and his sister.
I didn’t expect Ty to talk about his love life. He was never one to indulge any details. For him to say 'it’s real' spoke worlds alone.
I nudged him on the shoulder as I passed. “Happy for you. Just be careful.”
When a half-grin broke over his face, I knew I was right. “Will do,” he replied before heading to the front door toward Morgan’s house.
I made my way into the garage, setting about changing the tire on my dirt bike. Jacking it up onto the stand, I replaced the old tire with a new one, noting the nail sticking into the tread. Fuck, I wasn’t sure that could be repaired. I made a mental note to run it past Ty when he returned home.
I looked up when Skye’s Mini Coop rumbled into the driveway, my heart flooding with warmth at the sight of her. She stepped out, wearing workout tights and a lemon hoodie, the short hem exposing a slither of skin between the two.
My little ray of sunshine.
Skye had quickly become the light to my shadows. The dawn to my dusk. There wasnothingthat shone brighter than her in this world, and right then I knew: I was falling hopelessly in love with her.
LOVE.
Besides speaking it to my parents, the word had never moved from my lips before. I wasn’t sure if I could even speak it out loud. Because my trust for women had flown out the window years beforehand, taken from me in a night of drunken oblivion. In the process, it had turned me into someone I wasn’t sure I liked. Before Skye, I’d never let myself get close to a woman, preferring to let them fist my dick and be gone.
Then I sawherand everything changed.
The mate bond could supposedly 'click into place' from the age of eighteen, but only if the two in question were to meet. When Skye had walked into Ty’s house that afternoon, I hadn’t seen her in years. It had been so unexpected it almost floored me. From that moment, it was as if her very being was made to bend me into the man I was meant to become. A man I could be proud of. A man, dare I say it, that could be capable of love.
Skye approached me warily, glancing around the garage.
“He’s next door,” I confirmed quietly, rising to my feet as she made her way closer. I wanted to touch her so badly, pull her into my arms and greet her the way a man should. But from where we stood, Morgan’s house was in clear view. Even if Ty and Morgan were sitting out the back, I couldn’t take the risk of him seeing us. Not yet.
“Hey.” Skye brushed the back of my arm with her hand.
“Hey yourself.” I smiled down at her, a knowing look passing between us. I let my fingers lace through hers for a moment. Our fingers released, and she took a casual step away, the distance between us suddenly feeling like miles.
Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Last night was amazing.” Her eyelids fluttered, cheeks heating.
“It was. I’m sorry I had to leave, but…” I darted a look at Morgan’s place.
“I get it,” Skye assured me, and my chest relaxed. I’d hated having to leave her like that, but I didn’t need more questions from Ty.
Keeping an innocent distance from her, I admired her figure. “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now,” I rasped.
Her molten stare captured mine, drinking me in. “I want to kiss you, too,” she whispered.
I chanced another glance at Morgan’s house, wishing I could pull her into my embrace. Breathe in her scent. “It’s too much of a risk. If he found out the wrong way…”
