Page 54 of Ethan's Sky

I used to piss her off on purpose just to see the fire in her violet eyes directed at me.

Even when we were growing up, Skyler wasn’t like other girls.

In high school, when most girls spent hours making themselves look good and vying for the attention of some guy, Skyler didn’t. She never cared about stuff like popularity or dating. She never liked drawing attention and avoided conflict at all costs.

I had to wear her down to get our first date, and even after she said yes, she didn’t take me seriously. It took me kissing the ever-loving shit out of her for her to realize I wasn’t playing some game. I wanted her.

She was smart, funny, and sassy as hell if she knew you. She had to trust you enough to drop her guard. She was completely content reading a book on the grass by the lake with no one around for miles. Being alone never bothered her. In fact, she avoided crowds or people she didn’t know. She was uncomfortable around them, preferred a few close friends to a large party.

She used to be all those things. What changed her?

How the hell did Sky get herself into drugs? We were happy, I thought. She wanted to go to college and become a teacher. What made her so unhappy she turned to drugs and partying? And why didn’t I know about it? Surely, Emily would’ve told me if Sky was in trouble. Wouldn’t she?

Something doesn’t add up, and it’s driving me fucking insane.

She has always been beautiful, but it was an effortless kind of beauty. Not overly done up with make-up. Didn’t wear trashy clothing, but never felt the need to hide her body either. She’s more about comfort than brand. Girls at school would tease her. Tell her she would grow up to be a club whore because she was being raised by her father and local biker trash. She ignored it most of the time, and though it hurt her, she never let it show. She refused to ever let anyone see her break.

But I knew when she was hurting. She never hid her heart from me. Even when she’d try, her eyes gave her away.

She’s learned to shield those now too behind a curtain of hair or a pair of dark sunglasses.I fucking hate it.

Makes me want to grab her chin and force her eyes to mine so I can see the truth she’s trying to bury so deeply away.

Eli and the guys kept talking, giving me glimpses of thisnew Skylerthey all thought was so fucking fantastic.

“She’s been doing a lot of running since we got here.” Xander chuckles next to Walker who explains. “Working out is one of the ways she clears her head. We need to find her a gym like the one she uses at home. Or a shooting range. Maybe we should take her by yours, Gabe?”

“I don’t think Skyler with a gun is such a good idea right now.” Gabe’s words are meant for Walker, but his eyes are locked on me.

She wouldn’t shoot me. I don’t think. But better safe than sorry.

Mountain Heights isn’t her home and it pissed me off to hear him say it was. Which is fucking ridiculous because I don’t want Oak Ridge to be her home anymore!

“Yeah, I heard she waited until Austin swapped out with Blake just before sunrise, and made his ass chase her on foot while she went for a run the other day.” Jake says laughing. “He made it to the end of the yard before he gave up and ran back to get his bike to keep up with her…for five fucking miles she made him follow her.”

Everyone erupted in laughter imagining Austin in his jeans, boots, white t-shit and cut running after her ass.

Walker points at Xander, both red-faced from laughing so hard. “Yeah, they must’ve warned Mason because Sky said he showed up for his shift wearing basketball shorts with a Kings of Fury MC T-shirt and sneakers.” Xander’s shaking his head. “At least he was prepared to run. She said he runs a few miles a couple times a week to stay in shape and doesn’t talk when he’s running so she didn’t mind him tagging along with her.”

“They better get used to it. Skyler is always on the move. Girl hardly ever stays still for long.” Eli chuckles then downs his beer.

“Really?” Hawk asks amused. “She hated exercise. We couldn’t get her to run in the yard for a game of tag when we were kids. She preferred to keep her nose in a book.”

Then Declan blew my world all to shit when he suggested Skyler get a membership to Knockouts Gym. My fucking gym! Asshole. I tried to suggest she use the lady’s gym at the opposite end of town. The one with all the CrossFit stations and Pilates classes. But when Declan explained we have a cage, boxing equipment, sparring, and jiu jitsu classes, Eli said it was the perfect place for her and Gabe granted her a free membership on behalf of the club.

Fuck my life.

Walker explained how she’s been doing all those things as well as taking self-defense classes for almost as long as she’s lived in Mountain Heights. That was news to me.

I tried to shift things in a different direction, to keep her out of my space, to no avail.

“We can always move her into the clubhouse. We have a gym down in the basement she can use.” I offered.

“She’s going to want to stay where she’s comfortable and I’m not sure she’s going to feel that at the clubhouse.” Eli says, glaring back at me.

“She’s not going to like that plan.” Xander whispers not so quietly to Hawk, his voice rising a little with each word.

“She can’t stand being in the clubhouse.” Walker adds.

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