Page 12 of March 5

"Princess, get up." He kneed the bed, making his back spasm. "Jesus..."

Skye sat up on the mattress, blinking wildly. "Are you okay?"

He moved away, not looking at her. "Get dressed. You need to get out of here."

"I just woke up." She yawned. "What time is it?"

"Five thirty."

"Why so early?" She laid back down. "My first appointment is at ten."

He found her clothes from yesterday and tossed them toward her. "Because I need to go find your dad."

"Oh." She yawned again. "Are you guys riding out?"

"No." He carried his boots and a pair of socks out of the bedroom.

This wasn't the first time Skye spent the night. When she was around ten years old, Brooke and Maverick went away for two nights. He watched her at night while Dania kept her during the day. He was a bona fide babysitter when needed.

That sure as hell never included putting her in his bed without any clothes on and pushing his cock against her.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Skye walked out of the room. "Can I make us some coffee?"

"No." He tied his laces.

"You're not a morning person." She contorted her arm behind her head and struck some yoga pose. "I thought you would be."

He frowned. "I am."

"You don't act like it."

"Maybe I'm not happy when I wake up and find you in my bed," he snapped.

Her mouth opened and shut. He grimaced, knowing he'd hurt her. She hadn't asked him to take the situation out on her. She was just being Skye, and he was being an asshole.

Her blue eyes, so striking with her complexion and darker hair, looked at him for answers. Those eyes owned him.

He went to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Not your fault, princess. I guess I'm a grouch in the morning."

"Are you really mad that I stayed?" She grabbed his arms before he could walk away. "Because I did it for you. I thought if you woke up in pain, I could help you."

"You helped me last night." He hid the amount of discomfort he was in because he had other things to do today. "Thanks for coming around."

She studied him. "You're sure?"

"Yep. I feel better." He walked into the kitchen. "I'll fix coffee, and you can take a cup with you when you leave."

While waiting for the coffeemaker to finish, he texted Maverick. He'd meet his MC brother in a half hour at the clubhouse.

Almost a decade ago, he'd watched Jagger put himself up for punishment because of breaking the bylaws with Ruger's daughter. It wasn't something he wanted to live through. He'd tell Maverick what happened.

Or, what hadn't happened.