Page 39 of Ride the Sky

When she’s silent, I slip my finger in her belt loop and haul her against me. Her breathing stutters. Her heart hammers against mine. “Talk to me.”

For fucking once.

“Wyatt.” No sharpness. A plea. Her eyes flutter close.

And then her legs give out.

“Whoa.” I grab her, steadying her against me. “Hey. You okay?”

She blinks at me. “Just…nerves.”

I frown, not missing the way her hand’s gone to her temple. “Bullshit,” I say, hauling her closer.

“Let go,” she snarls. Her palms meet my chest. I keep a light grip on her belt loops. Only our uneven panting fills the silence between us.

“Not yet,” I say lowly. I’m searching and scanning her for answers. For who she is now. For what we had. If anything. “Not until you tell me something.”

Her chest heaves. “Tell you what?”

“Did you miss me?” I husk.

She lifts a slender shoulder. “Missed hating you.”

As skilled in the art of sarcasm as she is, I don’t fail to notice the pretty flush on her cheeks. That means she’s a liar.

If there’s one thing I know in this world, it’s Fallon. Her love of legendary cowgirls. How she scrunches her nose right before she laughs, like she’s considering whether or not the emotion is worth giving away.

I run a finger over her cheekbone. That tantalizing flush. “Glad to hear it, Trouble.”

She gives me a withering look. “You and that nickname.”

“It’s true, ain’t it?”

Her face softens a fraction. “Yeah. It is.”

The crunch of rocks has us looking up and over.

“Fallon?” Dakota stands there, brows high. “I wanted to say good luck.”

“I have to go, Wy,” Fallon says casually, as if the danger she’s walking into is merely an afterthought.

My grip tightens. I don’t like this. The dangerous energy in the air. The bull she drew. Letting her go.

But I have to.

My hands release her. Fallon straightens, adjusts her vest, and runs to her sister.

“Be safe,” Dakota says, stepping to her.

Fallon twinges the ends of Dakota’s dark hair. “Worrywart.”

The smile on Dakota’s face is forced. “Always.”

As the sisters hug, my gaze drifts to the ambulance parked by the fire exit. My stomach twists.

Dakota and Fallon pull apart. Briefly, her eyes flick to mine. Then, with one last smirk and a wave, she heads behind the chute where the other riders are preparing.

A hand on my shoulder. Dakota’s soft voice. “You coming?”

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