Page 81 of Diablo

And then the topic moves on to the loss of his father. Skylar’s dad was a close friend of my father’s, serving as his personal guard for years. I remember him only vaguely. Angel and I were really young when he passed from cancer. I guess I never really thought about his sacrifice for our family. And now Skylar has followed in his footsteps, coming to work for us, to protect me.

“I…I don’t know if I was worth it,” I choke out when she finally stops talking. I feel pulled apart and worn, like I’ve been strung out in the sun and left to bake.

She stares at me, shock on her face, and then she moves toward me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

“If he put himself in harm’s way, he knew you were worth it. I trust that. Skylar never makes the wrong decision.”

And with that, I break, tears streaming down my face as I hide my eyes in my arm. I will not sob in front of them. I will not sob like a baby, but I can’t help it.

“It’s just my allergies,” I hiccup and his mother smiles at me, patting my leg.

“Ah, yes, the infamous allergies.”

Abigail snorts, and I find my lips turning up. “Fuck this.”

“Yes,” his mother says stoically. “Fuck. This.”

We all break out into laughter, and I find comfort in this, just for a moment. But what I wouldn’t give for him to wake up and slap my ass once more.

“Just once more,” I whisper to him that night, cuddled up next to him. “Just wake up…just once more.”

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

SKYLAR

Damn, my head hurts, andfuuuuck,so does the rest of me. My eyelids flutter open and the bright light streaming in through the window makes me wince, and I let out a groan.

Something warm stirs next to me and then a familiar head pops into my vision.

“Oh fuck. You’re awake!” Diablo says, his hair a mess, his eyes red-rimmed. “About time. Made us all wait like the boob you are.”

I groan as I try and shift, but pain shoots up my shoulder and straight into my eyeballs. Fuck, that does not feel good.

“Goddammit,” I say as Diablo pokes me in the side.

“Do not fucking move, or I will gut you. I’m getting Doc. You better be in the same position when I get back or you’ll be the one getting the spanking.”

I try to laugh but it comes out as more of a wince.

Diablo mutters something under his breath as he scrambles out of bed, tripping and falling to his knees before jogging out of the room. I watch him go, my eyes landing on his ass. That pert little ass that I was inside of. How long ago was that? How long was I out?

I find out the answer when Diablo returns, Doc in tow.

“Ah, so he awakes. Like Lazarus from the dead.”

“And you’re damn lucky, Doctor,” Diablo chimes in with a scowl. “Or you would have been rotting in a grave…not lucky enough to be resurrected.”

Doc stares at Diablo and then meets my gaze. “He’s been throwing a fit every day over you. Like a baby.”

Diablo’s cheeks heat. “Pfft, I was not.”

The way Diablo adamantly denies it makes my mouth quirk up, but even that slight movement hurts.

“No smiling,” Diablo says. “It’s bad for your health.”

Doc gently moves Diablo away, checking on my wound—that’s right, I was shot protecting Diablo from Elio—and then he moves on to examine my eyes. He tuts a little more, giving me quick, slightly vague instructions about how to care for myself and then claps his hands together.

“Well, great news. Looks like you’re on the mend. Once we remove the catheters and tubes, you should be good.”

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