CHAPTER 8
Theo
I’d known pretty little Sutton was on the property as soon as she drove past the front gates.
I’d watched her knock and pace, pace and knock, until I worried her knuckles would swell and hurt.
I liked watching from the shadows instead of getting directly involved but it was clear Sutton wasn’t going anywhere and she just looked so damn pitiful that I gave in to the unusual desire to go to her.
Maybe I should’ve woken up Dom or Leo but I wanted to see the way Dominic’s angel reacted to me alone.
I kept one eye on my monitors while I pulled on shorts and my running shoes.
It was almost time for my daily run anyway.
Reaching for the glasses I wore when I knew I’d be interacting with people, I stopped and grinned when I thought of the way she’d clocked them as fake nearly right away. No one ever noticed. She did.
Our house was a mile from the club and I pushed myself to run it faster than I normally would because once I’d decided I was going to see Sutton, the idea of missing her made my stomach clench.
She was still there, waiting, when I drew close.
She was sitting on the steps, elbows on her knees and chin on her fists.
She made a cute picture, with her long skirt and pale blue t-shirt.
There was a picture of a racoon on the front and it looked like it was reading one of the classics.
Sutton jumped when I greeted her and it made me freeze where I stood.
I knew that people found me creepy. It didn’t matter how much I did my best to look nonthreatening; there was a vibe I couldn’t help putting out that scared people.
I didn’t want to scare Sutton. I wanted to watch her, study her, photograph her, but I didn’t want to scare her. Ever.
She jumped up and hurried toward me, not looking the least bit scared.
“Oh, thank goodness! I mean, good morning. Good morning, Theo. I hope I’m not bothering you.
Do you have a minute? You’re running. And I’m getting in the way of that.
Oh, gosh. I’d offer to run with you while I talk but I think I’d probably die within fifty yards. ”
I watched her rattle on with a smirk on my lips.
She was fucking adorable. There was no denying it.
I’d looked her up before her interview and her picture did her no justice.
It hadn’t captured the life in her eyes and the way every expression was completely visible on her face.
There was no hiding what she was thinking or feeling, no pretense or bullshit I needed to sort through.
That school photo hadn’t captured the curves she couldn’t fully hide, either.
It was a shame. I’d take pictures of her and show her what she really looked like.
“What do you need, Sutton?”
She sort of bounced in front of me, her energy so wild it leaked over into me and made me want to drag her inside the club and tie her up just so she’d be still. All the bouncing was making it hard for me to think.
“I want to accept the job. I need to accept it, if it’s still available.
” She shocked me by reaching out and grasping my arms. No one ever touched me, but she was touching me.
When people did make the mistake of bumping into me, they usually recoiled like they’d brushed up against a snake.
Sutton didn’t bat a long, dark eyelash, though.
She just held onto my sweaty upper arms and stared up at me with all the hope in the world in those pale brown eyes.
Dominic had been right. They were the color of Leon’s bitch coffee, or what he called coffee anyway.
“I don’t know what Dom wants to do.” Lie. “If you come with me to the house, you can wait while I get him.”
She nodded hard enough to dislodge the bow in her hair. I reached up to fix it and she let me, her expression nervous but open. When I’d managed to put it back in place, she smiled.
“Thank you, Theo.”
I liked hearing her say my name. I wanted more of it.
Too much, probably. I could be intense when I liked something.
It’d just never been turned on a person before and I didn’t know what to expect.
It scared me. And wasn’t that just the most hilarious thing I’d ever heard.
Me. Scared of a kindergarten teacher with bows and glasses.
“Do you want to drive?”
She shook her head. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to walk with you.
I’ve got a lot of nervous energy to burn.
I’m a morning person. I know most people find me annoying first thing in the morning.
That’s why I love my job so much. It’s easy to get a five-year-old excited in the morning and we can burn that energy together.
Adults are harder. Not my dad, though. We’ve always been morning people together.
Our house used to be pure happy chaos in the mornings. ”
I liked listening to her. She was a nervous rambler and typically I would’ve rather sliced my own ears off than listen to someone ramble, but she was fucking cute.
She surprised me when she looked up at me and tilted her head to the side. I hadn’t secured her bow very well and it slipped sideways like it’d been drinking for days.
“You look different today.”
“Oh?”
She blushed and tore her eyes from my bare chest.
“No fake glasses.”
“You’re smart, Sutton. You’ll be good for the kids.” I held out my hand to help her over a log and she took it without a second thought, beaming up at me as she did. “What made you show up here so early? Besides being a godawful morning person.”
She gently nudged me with her elbow.
“I am sorry for showing up like this. I should’ve waited.
It was a rough night for my dad, though.
I left the club thinking I’d never meet any of you ever again and seeing Dad suffer made me realize how selfish I was being.
I just needed to get here and make it right as soon as I could.
I’d do anything for my dad. I will do anything for him. ”
“Why’d you think you’d never see any of us again?” I hated that thought. My skin crawled and I wanted to tug at my hair at the very idea she could’ve walked away from us forever. That couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t let it.
“The club is…intense. I’m pretty sure the only reason my coworker told me about the job was as a joke.
They all think I’m a prude. Maybe they’re right because last night was a lot for me to handle.
” She wouldn’t look up at me and it made me feel a little insane.
When I stopped her just to tip up her chin so she had to look at me.
She blinked like an owl and blushed bright pink. “W-what?”
I forced myself to stop touching her and start walking again.
“So, you work with a lot of assholes?”
She fell into step with me and tried to hide a smile.
“I shouldn’t say that.”
“You didn’t. I did. You work with a lot of assholes. What’s the coworker’s name?”
“Why?”
Because I’d happily destroy them for her. “Why not?”
“You’re intense, aren’t you?” She went quiet for a few seconds and then cleared her throat. “Do you think he’ll hire me, Theo?”
“Yeah. On both accounts.”
“This is a lot for me. I’m nervous.” She lifted her skirt to step over a tall patch of grass and when she looked up at me the morning sun hit her just so that she really did look like an angel. Even down to a fucking halo of light behind her head. “You’re easy to talk to.”
I shook my head to clear the stunned stupor from just looking at her.
“You’re the first person to ever say that about me, Sutton. Now tell me why you’re nervous.”