“I love you, Sky,” Brock murmured. His breath floated down and grazed Sky’s cheek. Sky bit her lip. She was about to lose it and cry all over the place. For so long she’d wanted to hear him say those three words. Brock trailed the back of his hand along her jaw. “I should have told you a long time ago.”
“I wish you had too…but I’m glad to hear it…and I love you too.”
“I had to be sure. A lot of people need me. I had to protect them, and I didn’t want to get too close unless I could be straight up with you…There’s something about me you don’t know.”
Sky pressed a finger against his lips to make him stop. “I know what you’re about to say.”
Brock smirked. “I doubt it.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I do. Don’t be mad.”
“About what?”
“Nash showed me.”
“Showed you what exactly?”
She hesitated for a second. “His bear. He shifted for me.”
Brock stared at her, his gaze whipping around her face. “What?”
“Nash shifted for me.”
“Why? When?”
Sky rested her hands against his shoulders. “It was me. I started it. I always knew something was off about the four of you. No…five. Zeke too…and Mr. Wittfield. Crap. Andrew too, come to think about it. Anyhow, I asked Nash. I think he also did it for fun, though. It was months ago, after that summer barbecue at Toby and Lily’s place. Everyone else had left, and we were in the back yard. I kept pressing him to tell me what it was about you guys that made you so…different. He eventually told me he could turn into a bear. I dared him to do it, and he did.” Sky laughed. “I almost fainted.”
Brock’s nostrils flared. “Shit…that Nash…and then he told you about the rest of us?”
“No. I figured that out on my own. There were enough clues from Joleen. Not that she tried to give them away or anything. I was looking for them. The bear-man pendants. The way none of you are sick, like, ever. That snarl I’ve heard from all of you at one time or another. All I had to do was put the puzzle pieces together.”
“So when Abby called you to pick us up...”
“She didn’t tell me anything,” Sky added quickly. “Just that you guys needed a ride.”
Brock’s face relaxed slightly. “We healed my mom.”
“What do you mean, healed?”
“It’s something that shifters can do as a group. On our own, we can heal our own bodies, and other animals, but it takes more than one of us to heal a human.”
Sky took in a slow breath. “Wow... I’m kind of surprised you’re telling me all of this.”
“No more secrets.”
Sky reached for his hand and brought it back to her cheek. “No more secrets,” she echoed.
Brock laughed. “Christ. I can’t believe you already knew.”
Sky winced. “Are you thinking all of this could have been avoided?”
Brock thought about that. “Yes.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was the reason you kept yourself at a distance.”
“You didn’t?”
Sky shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “No. That didn’t make sense to me. I thought it had to be something else.”
Like me.
“It was stupid,” he said flatly. “I was stupid.”
“Are you mad at Nash?”
“Definitely. He’s not supposed to do something like that. It could expose us all. I mean, all I can think about now is who else could he have done that shift to a bear routine for? Do you know if he’s done that for anyone else?”
Sky ran her hands up the sides of his neck. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you. I didn’t think you’d be angry with him. I was the one who pressed him.”
Brock growled, gazing down at her with the fiery look she loved. “I’ll worry about that later.”
“Go easy on him, okay?”
Brock’s right eyebrow twitched. “I’ll try…only because you’re asking.”
Sky giggled. “Oh yeah?”
Brock took a step forward, pushing Sky until her back bumped against the counter.
“The bacon!”
“Here.” Brock reached to the side and switched the burner off.
“Don’t you want to eat?”
Brock grazed his face against her neck. “Just you for now.”
A delicious chill went through Sky. Brock kissed her neck, making her head spin and that warmth spread out from her core. His hands crept to the hem of the large t-shirt she wore, and Sky tensed. It was broad daylight. Even with no lights turned off, he would see everything. Today she couldn’t hide it, but today was different. She was ready for him to know.
“Wait,” she said, her voice shaking. “I have to tell you something too.”
Brock leaned back to look at her. Sky swallowed hard. She let Rhys see her scar, but it was an accident. For some reason that was a heck of a lot easier than coming right out and telling Brock about it.
“I’ve never let you see me without my clothes on... at least not in the light like this. And you’ve probably wondered why I don’t like to be touched on my left side.”