Chapter 11

11

WES

I felt good for pulling Sutton from that conversation with her mother. She probably would have stayed and hashed it out with her, ruining our evening in the process.

Sutton’s mother tended to stir up trouble, trying to get whatever it is that she wanted. And Sutton tended to fall into the trap of engaging with her.

I led her the dance floor, carefully avoiding her parents who were dancing too. “This place will be yours one day. Not hers. Your grandmother wanted you to have it.”

Sutton tipped her head to the side. “Are you sure about that? She required me to get married first.”

“Maybe she just wants to see you settled and happy.”

Sutton rolled her eyes. “Maybe.”

I didn’t get the same vibe from Mrs. Rosesmith that I got from her parents. We danced for a couple more songs, then grabbed drinks at the bar.

Every few minutes someone would come up to Sutton and congratulate her, wanting to meet me. When they asked what I did, and I said I was a police officer, they looked confused. I think they were expecting more of a summering-in-the-Hamptons kind of answer.

It would be impossible to impress this crowd. They only cared about status professions: attorney, doctor, entrepreneur.

I glanced at the time on my phone. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Sutton asked as I held her hand and guided her toward the door.

“It’s almost midnight.” I let go of her hand and grabbed two champagne flutes on the way out the door.

“I don’t have my jacket,” Sutton said.

Just then, the butler appeared with hers, helping her to shrug into it.

Sutton accepted the champagne. “You’ve thought of everything.”

I led the way outside. “Let’s walk into the gardens.”

“You don’t want to play our part of happy couple at midnight?” Sutton asked as we walked deeper into the gardens along the stone path.

“I wanted to be alone.”

She grimaced. “I know my family can be a bit much.”

“It’s not that.” We should have stayed and kissed in front of everyone, but I wanted to be alone with her. And I couldn’t tell her that I wanted to kiss her in private. She’d want to know why.

When we’d reached the fountain in the middle of the gardens, there was a decorated tree on top with lights. I checked my phone, then started the countdown.

“Ten, nine, eight?—”

Sutton tipped her head to the side. “Wes, are you planning?—”

“Seven, Six.” I took her glass and set it on the stone surface, wanting our hands to be free .

Sutton’s eyes widened at my movement. “What are you doing?”

“Five, four.” Then I moved so that there was an inch of space between us and cupped her cheeks. “Three, Two.”

“Wes?” Sutton managed to squeak.

“I’m kissing my fiancée at midnight. One.” Then I slowly lowered my lips to hers, kissing her softly as cheers sounded from the party.

I coaxed her lips apart, then slipped my tongue inside, exploring her.

Her hands gripped the lapels of my jacket as if she were holding onto me to remain grounded. Tingles raced down my spine. I was finally kissing Sutton Rosesmith like I’d always wanted to. I forced myself to take it slow, not to give into the driving passion that made me want to lift her and press her against the nearest wall.

The cheers from the party had died down by the time I pulled back. Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks were pink from the cold and what we’d just shared.

If I had any doubt in my mind before, I didn’t now. This woman was the one for me.

Her chest still heaving, she asked, “Why did you do that?”

“I’m not allowed to kiss my fiancée?” I asked, giving her a chance to tell me she didn’t want this.

Sutton gestured between us. “I thought—you know, that this wasn’t real.”

“It’s as real as you want it to be.” When she didn’t respond right away, I continued as a way of self-preservation. “We have to be convincing. Wouldn’t newlyweds steal off to kiss in the gardens?”

Sutton’s gaze cleared a bit. “Yeah, that’s believable. ”

I hated giving myself that out, but I wasn’t sure she was into me. There was chemistry, but did she have feelings?

“And since it’s our tradition to dance everywhere we go, I thought we could dance for at least one song before we go back.” I fired up a song on my phone, hit Play, and set it down.

I held my hand out to her, and she came willingly. I wrapped my hand around hers and the other on her lower back, pulling her closer to shield her from the wind.

Her cheek was pressed against my chest. “You’re more romantic that I thought you’d be.”

“We’ve never talked much about this part of our relationships, and I have to be honest, I don’t think I’ve felt this way before. I want to do things for you.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re friends.”

I could tell she was searching for any reason for this thing between us to make sense. She wasn’t a romantic. She was a realist who’d been denied love at a young age. She wouldn’t be easy to convince, but I was a patient guy, at least when it came to her. “Yeah, maybe.”

She looked up at me. “Thank you for being my plus-one tonight.”

“It would have looked odd if your fiancé didn’t come to a party.” My voice was gruff.

Sutton nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true, but I still appreciate it. It’s nice to have someone by my side.”

I attempted a smile but wasn’t sure I quite made one. “I’ll always be your plus-one.”

Sutton shifted in my arms, her hand curling around my neck and pulling me down to her. This time, she kissed me. It was soft and sweet and sent tingles down my spine.

“What was that for?” I couldn’t help asking .

“I wanted to see if it would be the same if we did it again.”

“I think so.” Nothing would erase my feelings for her. They seemed to expand more each day. The talk of the wedding, sharing a bed, and going to events like this only made us feel more like a real couple.

This time we danced like we had in high school, her hands around my neck, mine on her hips. I wanted to draw her close and drop my chin to her shoulder, but we weren’t lovers. At least, not yet.

When the music stopped, I let her go. “We should get back to the party.”

“You think people will talk when we go back inside?” Sutton asked as we made our way to the house on the path.

I took in her hair which was windblown, her pink cheeks, and her swollen lips. “That was the idea.”

Her cheeks were flush. “Oh. That makes sense.”

I hated not being honest with her, but she wasn’t ready for the truth. That I’d been in love with her since we exchanged names under that slide. It might have been a crush, or I didn’t understand why I was drawn to her.

She had to realize that she had feelings for me too. If she didn’t, I’d have my answer. It would hurt, but this ultimatum was good. It was forcing me to deal with my feelings.

When we returned to the party, Mrs. Rosesmith met us by the door. “You went for a walk?”

I winked at her. “I wanted some time alone with my new fiancée when the ball dropped.”

Sutton blushed hard, but Mrs. Rosesmith looked pleased. “And I heard there was a ring.”

I lifted our joined hands so she could inspect the diamond. “It’s exquisite. ”

“Thank you,” Sutton said, and I felt good that it passed the test.

I’d decided to buy the ring as if she were my real fiancée, and let my intuition be my guide. “I wanted something that was Sutton, a diamond that sparkles but was unique like her. There’s filigree on the band that looks vintage. Sutton loves old things.”

Sutton met my gaze and blinked at me as if she was confused or maybe a little dazzled by my comment. I wasn’t good with women, but there was something about Sutton that brought out my softer side.

My brothers would have roasted me for making a comment like that in front of them, but Sutton and Mrs. Rosesmith seemed to like it.

“You’ll make a fine husband.” Grandmother touched my shoulder, then walked away.

I grinned. “Did you hear that? I’ll make a fine husband.”

Sutton rolled her eyes. “Aren’t I lucky?”

I placed her hand in the crook of my arm and guided her to the bar where we grabbed another glass of champagne and danced to a few more songs. When she got tired, I suggested we head home. We made our goodbyes, which took a while, then drove home in the same car.

I wasn’t sure I’d get used to town cars driving me around, but it was nice not to have to worry about having a drink or two.

At home, I let Otto out, and Sutton headed upstairs to get ready for bed. If we were a real couple, I would have kissed her before we got inside the door and pressed her up against the wall. I would have dropped to my knees and tasted her.

I had to stop thinking like this, or I wasn’t going to survive this arrangement. The kiss tonight was risky enough. The tradition of kissing at midnight didn’t excuse me taking her to the gardens and doing it in secret.

Thankfully, the cool night air eased some of the heat inside my body. After Otto did his business, I whistled for him to come inside. I locked the door, then headed upstairs where Otto jumped on the bed and spread out.

There was a light under the bathroom door, so I went into the walk-in closet. I shrugged off the coat and hung it on a hanger. Then pulled the shirt out of my waistband.

I paused when Sutton appeared in the doorway wearing a pale pink silky lingerie set, which consisted of a lacey tank top and shorts. Technically, they covered everything, but her nipples were visible beneath the silk top, and it took every bit of restraint inside of me not to cross the room, drag her against me, and kiss her. Would her skin be as soft as the silk?

She smiled shyly. “Thank you for tonight. It was the best New Year’s in recent memory.”

I didn’t seem to be able to work my mouth. The words were stuck somewhere in my head, and all the blood was rushing south.

“Oh, do you need help with that?” Sutton was moving toward me, brushing my hands aside as she untied the bow tie, setting it aside, then moved to the buttons.

I could barely breathe. The scent of her perfume tickled my nose, and her hair brushed against the scruff on my chin. Why was she tempting me?

When she got to the bottom, she shoved the shirt off my shoulder. “There you go.”

“I’m good. Thanks,” I said to get her to move away. If she helped me undress, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from doing everything I’d imagined when I was outside.

With a smile, she turned and walked out of the closet. The lacy edge of her shorts played peek-a-boo with her ass. Was she trying to torture me?

Was she playing a game? Maybe she was tempting me, but she didn’t realize it wouldn’t take much for me to lose control. I wanted her in the worst way. But I had to share a bed with her and not touch her.

She might have felt comfortable kissing me at a party and wearing sexy lingerie, but we always went to sleep on our side of the bed. Where we ended up in the middle of the night was another story.