Page 83 of Don't Look Down

Her voice pitches higher and tears fill her eyes. “Because I can’t be the reason you miss out on a chance to be truly happy.”

“Oh, God, woman, alright. Come here.” I pull her into my arms and place a kiss on top of her head. “I love you too.”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Sky’s unexpected voice in the quiet kitchen startles us both. His tone is odd. Something I haven’t heard before. His bag is over his shoulder, his face is tight, and I’d say he looks a bit queasy. Is this hungover Sky? It had seemed he was only tipsy, but maybe I was wrong. “I’m just going to head home and get sorted. We’re still on for Quench tonight?”

Savannah replies before I can, “Yes. Definitely. You better be ready to shake that ass with me.”

“You know me, I’m always ready to shake some ass.” His smile looks like a mask. Brittle. It doesn’t match the enthusiasm in his words.

She pulls away from me to press a kiss to his cheek. “See you later, okay?”

He nods at her as she exits the kitchen. We stare at each other. Nothing but awkward silence fills the space between us. It feels like miles.

The odd, subdued look on his face is killing me. But I don’t know how to fix it. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I scramble for anything to ease this new tension between us. “Want something to eat before you head out?”

His smile is small, but it’s there. It’s a real one this time. “Are you going to attempt to make me breakfast, Landon?”

“I would if you asked.” I’d give him everything. Anything he could ever ask for.

He shakes his head. “No. But thank you for offering. I will take a bottle of water for the road if you have one.”

“Yeah. Sure.” I make my way over to the refrigerator and pull out a large bottle of alkaline water. His eyebrows rise when I hand it to him.

“Ooh, now this is some fancy-ass water.” He eyes the one-liter bottle at different angles.

I shrug. “Sponsorships.”

This time, a more genuine smile makes an appearance on his face. “Perks of being a badass NHL player, huh?”

“Yeah, you won’t catch me complaining.”

“I should hope not.” There’s a bit of normalcy here. But the odd tension between us still lives and breathes.

We’re both scrambling to act normal. But something is wrong. I don’t like it. I don’t know how to fix it, because I don’t know what changed.

He looks down at his phone, then meets my eyes before backing away. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

Nodding, I say, “Yeah, sure. Later, Sky.”

And then he’s gone. I’m not sure how long I stand there like a statue.

Abruptly, I remember Sky doesn’t have his car, and I want to kick my own ass. “Fuck.” He has to know I would have taken him home. It’s another sign that things are unsettled between us.

I have to fix this. I have to fix us.

29

Skylar

It’s an odd feeling to have a broken heart in the middle of a bustling club, but here I am.

At Quench, in the VIP section, with some of my favorite people. And a small chunk of the Florida Bull Sharks team.

I love you too.

Landon’s voice has been echoing in my head on an endless loop that constantly stabs my heart. Over and over again ad nauseum.

I knew their relationship was deeper than he said. They were all over each other yesterday and their exchange this morning only solidified that fact.

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