Brooke
Chapter
Nineteen
I wake to the sound of my phone buzzing from the nightstand. My alarm, more than likely.
Last I knew, it was dead, but by the looks of it, that’s no longer the case. I know I fell asleep before Dutton, but I didn’t expect him to plug my phone in for me or set a glass of water next to it.
I’d avoided every text and call last night and was even relieved when the battery ran out. I’ve never done that. Usually, I’m too paranoid to let my phone die, but yesterday, I needed it.
I needed to let the outside world just fade away.
Nothing mattered to me outside of Dutton and making sure he was okay.
I should have been worried about the man who has clearly been stalking me, but I wasn’t.
It’s crazy to think that even after having a father who works in law enforcement, I knew finding Dutton was what I needed to feel safe. From the moment he was next to me, I knew everything was going to be okay.
I’ve had friends and I’ve had family who have been there for me when I needed them, but Dutton, he’s here for me in a different way. In a more intimate way, and I never thought I’d know what that felt like.
A quick glance at the clock tells me it’s four in the morning.
I silence the first wakeup call and pull up my messages, ignoring all of them except the one Daisy sent last night.
Daisy
I’ll keep this short since I’m sure you’re busy after the rumor I just heard, but I closed up the bakery, and I plan to open for you in the morning. Sammie is going to come in when the doors open at six. Call me when you’re ready. Talk to you tomorrow. I hope you’re okay.
I couldn’t have asked for better coworkers.
Brooke
Thank you. I’ll be in later this morning.
As soon as I hit send, the bed moves and a hand slinks over my midsection, pulling me back.
The moment my body is flush with his, Dutton takes a deep breath.
He doesn't say anything, so I relax into his embrace and close my eyes, feeling the touch of his lips to the back of my shoulder.
Yesterday sucked so bad, but last night was everything.
I just don't know where we go from here, and the feeling I have of being in Dutton’s arms first thing in the morning is so overly satisfying, I’m not sure I want to find out just yet.
I don’t want this happiness to be taken from me too soon.
“Good morning,” he says, and the gruff edge to his morning voice sounds all too delicious.
“Morning,” I say and rub my thighs together when his fingers start to make small circles over my lower stomach the way they did last night right before he slipped a finger inside of me. Right before he pressed his weight against me and put his mouth on me.
God, it felt so good to forget the outside world. To just be in that moment with him.
I can’t remember the last time someone took care of me, in any way, that made me escape reality if only for a moment.
As if my body has a mind of its own, I move as though I'm adjusting my position, but really, I am only trying to rub my backside into his morning erection.
Oh hell, he’s huge.
I don’t need to see it to know.
I can feel it.
I did feel it.
Last night, when he ground his hips against me, and again just now.
When he finally slides inside of me, I know I’m going to be hooked for life. He’s going to ruin me for all other men and right now, I’d let him.
A moan slips past my lips, and my eyes grow wide. It sounds so needy. As if every dirty thought I’ve had about this man was revealed in that one sound.
A small chuckle comes from behind me, his body vibrating.
“I was going to ask how you were feeling about last night, but with the way your ass is rubbing against my cock right now, I’d say you want a repeat.”
I cover my face with a hand and slowly roll over.
I do want a repeat. I want more than a repeat, but for some reason, I need to see his face when I tell him. Because I am. How could I not?
No one has ever made me feel this desperate.
Only him.
And he’s the only man who has ever made me confident enough to share my every thought, too.
The grin on his lip fades when our eyes lock.
“I do,” I tell him quietly. “Does that make me greedy?”
His hand comes to cup my cheek.
“No, it doesn't.” He inhales a deep breath. “It makes you sexy as fuck that you don’t hide it with me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” he nods and his hand smooths over my hips. He grips a handful of my butt and pulls me closer. So close that I have to lift one leg over his to fit the way he wants.
This is my favorite position with him.
He pushes his hips forward, his hard length pressing against where I want him the most.
I think it might be his favorite, too.
I suck in a breath at the same time he presses his forehead to mine and groans.
“Tell me exactly what you want to do, Books, because if you don’t, I’m not sure I’m going to have a limit the way I did last night.”
I kiss him softly.
“I don’t want you to have a limit with me, Dutton.”
“But there needs to be one.”
“Why?”
“Because this is all new and we don’t know what it means yet, but I want it to mean something, Books.”
My heart pounds faster at his admission. Not in a way that scares me either. In a way that gives me hope.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he repeats.
I nod and then smile. “Okay. What if we don’t think about what happens next and just do what feels natural when we are together?”
If he wants to kiss me, I’ll kiss him back.
If he wants to hold my hand, I’ll hold his back.
If he wants to strip me down every single night, I’ll undo the first button.
“I think I can do that,” he replies, and then his lips are on mine and he’s rolling me to my back. My legs open for him, allowing him to settle between them and press himself against my panties.
He cut me off last night, but today, I want to show him how much last night meant to me.
I skim a hand down his chest, and the moment I have the tips of my fingers inside his briefs, my alarm goes off again.
He groans.
“Two mornings now that damn alarm has cockblocked me,” he says.
I laugh.
“It’s a hard life being a baker,” I tell him.
He rolls away from me, and I sit up, bringing my knees to my chest and hugging them.
“Daisy said she’ll open for me, but honestly, I just want this day to be like any other day.”
Dutton nods. “I get that.”
“But I need to go to my house to get some clean clothes first.”
“I don't want you to go alone, so I’ll drive you.”
His gaze meets mine, and he gives me a small smile. His offer brings us right back to the reality of life.
“Do you think he’s still here?” I ask, resting my cheek on my knees as I study him and wait for an answer.
“I don’t know, but that's a chance I’m not willing to take. Not when it comes to you.”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling.
This really isn’t a smiling kind of situation, but I’ve never had someone be so protective of me.
Sure, my dad is a cop, but that’s his nature and role as a father.
Dutton is this way out of his own free will.
It’s sweet and sexy all in one.
It makes me like him even more.
“After we go by your house, I’ll drop you off at work,” he adds quickly, leaving no room for question.
Not that I had one.
“Thank you.”
He presses a tender kiss to my lips once more and then crawls out of the bed, making his way to the bathroom.
He winks as he passes me, and after he closes the door, I lie back and cover my face with my arms, letting out a small squeal.
I cannot believe this is my life right now.
Sure, I don’t enjoy the stalker part, but the Dutton part? I’m super into that.
I take a breath and bask in the joy for a moment longer, then grab my phone, ready to face a little more of reality.
I open my messages.
The first text is a given.
Grace
Emergency girls’ night tomorrow at the lodge. Dinner in the restaurant. I’ll get us a private table.
Sadie
Just tell me when and I’m there.
Quinn
Me too.
Shay
Same.
Ruby
Thank God you texted. I was about to. See you all tomorrow.
Grace
I just need to know you’re okay, Brooke. Please text us back.
Sadie
Me, too, please tell me you didn’t sleep at your house alone.
I should have known they would be worried. It was selfish of me to ignore my phone. The early hour be damned; I send a reply.
Brooke
I did not sleep at my house alone.
To my surprise, a response comes instantly.
Grace
Did you go to your dad’s house?
Brooke
No. I’m at Dutton’s.
I may as well just get it out there now. She doesn’t need to know the details, but I won’t hide that something is happening between us.
Grace
Good. See you tonight.
I have a feeling Grace has a lot more she wants to say, but all things considered, she’s holding back.
Twenty minutes later, Dutton and I are parked in my driveway, staring at my open front door and the shattered glass on the step in front of it. One quick peek inside tells me the house is wrecked.
“Wait here,” Dutton says, and unbuckles his seat belt.
“No, I'm coming with you. This is my house.” I fail to hide the panic in my voice.
“You have to stay here. What if he's in there waiting for you?”
“Well, then I can't let you go in there by yourself.”
“I can handle it.”
“But you could handle it better if you had someone else there with you.”
“Brooke, I can't let you go in there.”
“Come on. I'm coming with you.”
“Brooke…”
“Are you going to sit in this truck and argue with me? Or are we going to go inside and make sure my house is okay? I don’t want you to leave me alone right now.”
He makes a noise that sounds an awful lot like a growl.
“Fine, but I'm going to tell you right now: you stay behind me.
You keep your hand in mine. And once we figure out this place is clear, you're packing a bag and you're coming to my house. And we're not coming back here until we know for sure this jackass has left town. Even though I’m not so sure that you coming back here alone is a good idea ever. Deal?”
“Deal,” I say and wait for him to come around to my side of the truck and open my door for me.
Once I’m out, he closes my door quietly.
It’s just after five in the morning, so if Tony is still here, we don’t want to let him know we are too.
I pause and tug on Dutton’s arm.
“Should I call my dad first?” I whisper.
Just asking the question processes a new thought for me.
Of all the texts I had from yesterday, none of them were from my dad.
Not even a missed call.
“Do you want to?” Dutton asks me.
I look up into his worried eyes and shake my head.
“No, let’s just get this over with.”
He nods.
Carefully, we make our way to the front door and step inside, cautious not to touch anything. We might be checking things out now, but calling the police once we are done is still a given.
First, we check the main floor, and then we make our way upstairs.
The house is empty, but by the number of broken things inside, Tony made sure he set foot in every single room.
“Do you still have your messages with him from the dating app or from social media?” Dutton asks as I quickly pack a bag, ignoring the photo of my sister and me from her graduation day, shattered on the floor next to my bed.
“I don’t know if the app saves them after you delete it, but I still have the ones from social media.”
“Good. We should stop by the station on the way to the bakery and file a report.”
I nod.
“I probably should have done that a long time ago.” My bottom lip shakes as I try to hold back the tears
Yesterday could have been so bad.
Someone was following me.
Someone was tracking me to find out where I worked.
Where I lived.
How long has he been watching me?
Has he ever been in my house before?
What does he know about me?
It all hits me fast and hard, and suddenly I'm on my knees, hyperventilating. I can’t stop crying.
“I … he …” Words fail me as Dutton drops to my side and wraps his arms around me. “Why did he …”
Full sentences are impossible while crying.
Dutton kisses the side of my head. “Because men like that are sick, and there’s no other reason for it. You did nothing wrong, Brooke.”
I lean into him and hold on as if my life depends on it, my fingers gripping and wrinkling his shirt.
He just holds me, as if he knows that being here is all I need from him.
It takes about ten minutes for me to fully gather myself.
Somehow, I manage to finish packing, making sure I have enough for at least a week.
By the time we pull up to the police station, the past hour feels like a blur.
Dutton keeps his hand in mine as we walk inside.
Kimmy spots us immediately, rushing around her desk and pushing through the door to hug me.
“Oh, Brooke.” She leans back to look at me. “How are you?”
“I’m …” Dutton squeezes my hand, and whatever I was going to say next disappears from my lips. My gaze turns to his and he gives me a soft smile.
I smile back.
“I’m okay, Kimmy,” I say, finding my words with much more confidence than I had when I walked in here. “But I need to file a report.”
“Of course. Let’s get you back here.”
Another deputy buzzes the door to unlock it, and I follow her in. She directs me to a table to sit, and Dutton sits with me.
“Is my dad here?” I ask as Kimmy begins to access something on her computer.
She shakes her head. “Not at the moment.”
“Oh. That’s okay.”
Dutton squeezes my hand again, and I let out a breath.
Kimmy goes over the process of filing a report and then walks me through each step. She’s calm and kind and stays close. A couple of the other deputies stop to check on me, and of course, Dutton never leaves my side.
Through all of it, a thought hits me more than once.
Is Dad even worried about me?