“Hungry?” I ask her, igniting the gas once I have the chips arranged to give it that applewood flavor.
“Famished. What’s for dinner?”
“I’m going all out, querida,” I tell her, then wink. “Burgers.”
She studies my face before giving me a soft smile. “Can I help?”
“You are. You’re giving me a fucking great view while I cook.” She shakes her head in disagreement, but turns away to look out over the water.
“Do you like Kentucky?” she asks.
“Never really thought about it. At first it was just a place to get away from the memories. Slowly, it became home,” I tell her, trying to tread carefully. “Tell me about your life while you were away, querida.”
“Skull,” she starts, her voice tight.
“Nothing heavy. When you’re ready to tell me that, you can. Tell me about life with you, Gabby, and your sister.”
“What’s caused this change in you? It can’t be the sex. You obviously haven’t been lacking in that department,” she says.
My face goes tight. I don’t want to talk about that shit, especially not right now.
“Beth, cariño, how about we make a deal? Let’s try moving forward without looking at what we’ve left behind.”
“No looking back?” she asks, studying me.
“We can’t change the past. There’s never a choice of going back. All we can do is look to the future.”
“I don’t think I’ve quite figured out why you want to look to the future,” she says as I busy myself with dinner.
“Our daughter is a good enough reason for both of us, don’t you think?” I ask, and when I look up to gage her response, I can swear I see disappointment in her eyes.
“So we learn to be friends for Gabby’s sake?”
“Is that so wrong?”
She shakes her head and gives me a smile, but this one seems lacking. “It sounds great, Skull. I don’t want to constantly be at war with you. Gabby needs both of us.”
“I’m glad we can agree,” I tell her, going back to working on the food. When I get the hamburger meat on the grill, I go to the small compartment behind me and pull out the folded throw that the previous owner kept there. I bring it out and wrap it over Beth’s shoulders while standing behind her. She looks over her shoulder at me, surprised. “I should warn you though, mi cielo. I plan on being much more than your friend,” I whisper against her neck. I let my tongue glide along the pulse point, which jumps erratically. I press my lips along the same path. “Much fucking more,” I promise her and get rewarded with her intake of breath.
“Skull…”
“One day at a time, querida. We both have old wounds that need to heal.”
She looks at me and nods her head in agreement. I see the fear and distrust there, but she’s pushing through. It’s enough for now.
But soon…
“Has he nailed you again, yet?” Katie asks.
We’re outside sitting at the tables across from the garage. Skull, Torch, and Briar are all around Torch’s bike trying to figure out what’s wrong with it. Annie asked to keep Gabby for the day, as her and Sabre were going fishing. I think Sabre is just trying to keep Annie busy because Latch reported for duty yesterday. I don’t understand the dynamic there. It surprised me that he would want to reenlist, considering the obvious bond Sabre, he, and Annie have. Then again, I don’t know much about how that type of relationship works.
“Katie,” I grumble, feeling the heat rise in my face.
“What? I mean, you fucked him in Matthew’s cabin, for heaven’s sake. Ewww, by the way. And girl, I was in pain and didn’t even stay long and even I heard the moaning from outside. So you can’t be embarrassed about my question now.”
“How is your leg?”
“It’s fine. Or, well, as fine as it ever has been. Now quit changing the subject! Give me the dirty—and I mean the dirty.”
“There’s nothing to say. We’ve shared a few kisses, he’s flirted a little. That’s about it.”
“That’s it? What do you mean that’s it? Oh, fuck! You’re giving him the cold shoulder after he blew your cobwebs out? Damn, that’s cold. Mad props, sis. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“What? No. It’s not like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just mean, I think, we’re… friends.”
“Friends? Are you insane? You’ve mooned over the man for years. He’s the father of your child. The seal has already been broken, so why not ride that pony every night?”