Chapter 30
Alice
“I’m going to take Nellie to my mom’s for a sleepover tonight.” Sutton walks through the front door hours earlier than I expected him to.
I check my phone. It’s only six. Watching him stride so purposefully sends warmth to my cheeks. Sutton puts intention behind every action, something I now know intimately. Every step he takes seems to carry meaning.
“Yippee! I love Grammy’s house!” Nellie climbs off the kitchen chair and runs downstairs to pack without any prompting.
“Don’t forget your toothbrush, Nellie-Jo,” Sutton calls.
Uncertainty fills me. “What’s happening?” I ask, unsure whether I should be concerned or confused by the surprising change in plans.
Sutton closes the distance between us in a few purposeful strides. “I’m takin’ you out.”
“Hm. I don’t know. I think you have about ten seconds to convince me this isn’t a bad idea.”
Sutton captures my jaw between his index finger and thumb, holding me steady as his mouth collides with mine. The kiss is urgent, brimming with desperation and all the things we left unfinished.
“I love this mouth,” he growls, pulling away, his lips glistening from my gloss.
I rub it off with my thumb. “That’ll do it.” I feel dizzy with the emotions he stirs up.
“Figured it was time I showed you a proper Saturday night.” He smiles a rare smile, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes.
The words make my heart race, hinting that this may be more than just a casual outing. I swallow down the question, not brave enough to ask and ruin our night.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Sutton returns to the door, picking up a large white paper bag, and passes it into my empty hands. “Wear these. I’ll be back to pick you up in twenty.”
My grin expands. “Bold, Sunny. You don’t know this about me, but I love a good surprise. You might actually have to impress me now.”
“I’m up for the challenge, Firecracker,” he replies confidently.
He calls down to Nellie. She bounds up the stairs with her pink backpack resting over her shoulders. She moves straight into me, wrapping her arms tight around my waist.
“Good night, Alice. See you tomorrow.”
I tousle her hair. “Have a good time at your grandma’s, kiddo.”
Sutton lingers for a moment, giving me a long, heated glance before he follows her out of the house.
I waste no time shucking the packaging right there in the kitchen, the tearing paper filling the air.
I flip the lid on a box and reveal a brand-new pair of suede cowboy boots.
My jaw drops as I take in the intricate stitching around the top in a pattern that looks like flames.
The pink-to-gold ombre coloring reminds me of the sunset from atop the Ferris wheel.
The two-inch heel promises to add a much-needed boost to my short stature.
These are undeniably beautiful. And entirely too expensive.
Sutton put the time and care into picking these out for me, so who am I to refuse them?
In record time, I clean myself up. I throw on a black babydoll tee and pair it with my favorite cutoffs. I’m just finishing up swiping on pink and gold eye shadow when I hear the front door open and close.
“Coming!” I call. I throw a lip gloss in my crossbody, grab the boots, and rush up the stairs.
I’m surprised to find the kitchen empty. I glance over my shoulder to the living room, not finding Sutton there. I slip on my snug new boots and repack my diabetes supplies, all while wondering where he is.
Just as I round the corner to search, Sutton walks down the hall.
My mouth falls open, words escaping me. Somewhere between leaving me here and dropping Nellie off at his mom’s, he managed to change.
The outfit is simple. He’s wearing worn, light denim jeans.
They hug his muscular thighs as if they were molded on.
He stepped outside his usual casual tee and opted for a sandy denim pearl snap button-down.
One arm is extended, the other flexed as he rolls the cuff up over his muscular forearm.
He finished off the look with a pair of brown, round-toe boots.
“All you’re missing is the hat,” I remark, biting my lip.
Sutton’s lips twitch. “That was a step too far.”
I peruse him from head to toe. “What a shame.”
He stops in front of me, so close that the tips of our toes nearly touch. “What do you think?”
I make a show of dragging out my response. “I think if you really want to take me out, we’d better get going.”
“Why’s that?”
My gaze fixates on his lips, and the sinful things I recently discovered he can do with his tongue. “Because if we don’t leave now, there’s a good chance we won’t leave this house.”
“Alice.”
“Yeah, Sunny?”
“Get your ass to my truck.”
“You sure?”
He rubs his thumb and middle finger against his temples, looking like he’s summoning all the patience in the world when he says, “Yes.”
I let Sutton lock up behind us. He reaches his truck first and opens my door, waiting for me.
He stands in the open space, his fingers curled around the top of the frame as I hop up.
Once my ass is settled, Sutton retrieves the silver buckle and reaches across my body, latching it into place himself.
The warmth of his breaths drifts over my mouth, daring me to close the distance and kiss him.
His heated eyes drop to my lips. “Keep looking at me like that, and I might have to fuck you in the back of this truck.”
“Not a half-bad idea.”
A low hum reverberates in his chest. “You are temptation, Firecracker.”
While I’m struck speechless by what feels like a confession, Sutton closes me in and climbs into the driver’s seat.
“Did you guess where I’m taking you?”
“I considered many options, but the outfit choice certainly gave it away. We’re going back to The Line & Lariat?”
Sutton nods, his wrist flexing on the steering wheel. “I think you deserve a redo.”
I turn toward him. “I had a great time that night, minus what happened after.”
“I didn’t,” Sutton admits. Reaching across the center console, he runs his fingertips over mine. He flips my hand over and threads our fingers together, setting my chest on fire. “And I know some of that affected you.”
I shrug. “I consider the verbal sparring foreplay.”
He grunts, giving my hand a squeeze. “Then why didn’t you act on it?”
“That would have been a form of negative reinforcement.” I grin. “Though I have to admit, seeing you jealous might be my favorite way you lose control.”
“I don’t lose control.”
“Careful, Sunny. You aren’t the only one who loves a challenge.”
Sutton removes his hand from mine and adjusts the denim over his cock, a blush coloring his cheeks. When he brings his hand back across the center, I notice the purplish red coloring his knuckles.
“What happened here?” I gently trace them with my finger.
Sutton glances at my face before returning his attention to the road. His swallow is audible. “I found Lanighan.”
My eyes widen. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” I’m half teasing, half shocked that I didn’t know.
“Could’ve,” Sutton answers instantly. “Was so angry that I wanted to, but no. I just gave him a really good reason to leave you alone.”
“Wasn’t it you who told me that violence doesn’t solve anything?”
He suddenly flips our hands and pulls mine to his lips. He presses a lingering kiss to the back just below my knuckles. “In this case, it did. I wasn’t going to give him the chance to find you again.”
My throat grows tight, and the corners of my eyes burn with tears. I blink them back. I’m poised on the edge of relief and apprehension. “Do you think it worked?”
“Yeah.” His voice is smoke and grit. “We have him on traffic cams leaving the state, and he said on his podcast that he’s dropping your brother’s case. He’s gone, gorgeous.”
“Pull over,” I demand, voice urgent.
Sutton glances at me before flicking on his blinker and moving us smoothly off the road, shifting the truck into Park on the shoulder.
Before he’s even finished, I have my seat belt off, and I climb halfway over the center.
Just close enough to reach. The second he releases the shifter, I take his face between both of my hands and kiss him.
Sutton groans into my mouth, his fingers sliding into the hair at the back of my head. He lets me lead as I pour every ounce of gratitude I feel into my kiss.
When I pull back minutes later, we’re both breathless.
“Thank you, Sunny.”
His eyes soften, flicking between mine. “Don’t thank me. It’s my honor to be a safe place.”
“The safe place,” I tell him quietly, dropping back into my seat. “Only one.”
“Get your ass back over here, Firecracker.”
My hand freezes around the seat belt. “Why?”
“I decided I’m not done kissing you yet.”
We wind up being twenty minutes late for dinner.
I don’t mind in the slightest.
“You said in the truck that Jake announced on his podcast that he’s leaving me alone.”
We’re sitting on the patio under string lights after dinner at The Line & Lariat. It’s quieter out here. The hum of chatter is muted by the walls, but the country music pipes onto the patio through the sound system.
Sutton wipes his mouth with his napkin and takes a slow pull of his beer. “I did.”
“Can I watch it somewhere?”
After a long, contemplative look, Sutton retrieves his phone, unlocks it, and passes it across the table.
I watch the clip with my forehead resting in my hand. Once it’s over, I give an exaggerated shudder and hand it back.
“It’s eerie watching someone talk so casually about you and your family.”
“I watched a few more episodes with my colleague. I get that the case drew a lot of attention, and his audience wants the inside information. What I don’t get is why he’s so obsessed with you specifically.”