14. Sutton

14

SUTTON

My legs carried me forward, but it wasn't thanks to any conscious thought. I was still too stunned to see June to do much more than stare.

Was that really her? And was that really my fierce little protector bouncing around her like he was still a puppy?

Finley had turned into a fantastic dog over the years, but he still wasn't quick to warm up to new people, let alone women. It had taken my mom months and countless treats to earn his trust. Yet, there he was, beaming up at June with stars in his eyes.

"Finley, come," I managed to say, though my voice sounded like it had been dragged over asphalt.

He looked at me for a beat, then back up at June before racing over.

I'd closed most of the distance between us before regaining control of my legs and forcing myself to stop. It didn't matter how badly I wanted to go to her. I refused to give in to that desire, because it was that desire that convinced me giving in for just one night wouldn't hurt.

Getting a taste of her just to lose her the next morning had torn me up good. I'd lost count of how many times I'd started to search for her only to slam my laptop shut or shove my phone away.

June stood just out of arm's reach, fiddling with a loose thread on the hem of her soft blue shirt.

Goddamn. It was torture having her so close, and I caught myself pulling in a deep breath in the hope that I could catch her scent. Would she smell like she did that last night at the gala, when I'd felt drunk in her presence?

Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and I had to ball my hands into fists to temper the memory of how it'd felt to tangle my fingers in those long locks. And that wasn't the worst of it. Not when her black cargo capris hugged her hips in a way that made my traitorous mouth water.

Somehow, my memory hadn't done her justice, even with the hint of shadows lingering beneath her eyes. Shadows that made it even harder to stand my ground.

"Hi, Sutton," she said, giving me a hesitant smile.

I ground my teeth, fighting the desire that rushed to the surface at the sound of my name on her lips. How the hell could I still want her this much after the way she left?

Her smile fell and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling nervously. She opened her mouth and closed it again before huffing out a frustrated laugh. "I have spent the last twelve hours driving here trying to think of what I wanted to say, and I still don't know how to say it."

I knew the feeling. I'd imagined what I would say to her if I saw her again more times than I would ever admit. Not once did I see it going down like this, with my words locked in my chest. Waiting. Hoping. Silently spiraling.

After she snuck out in the middle of the night without a word, my brain said she had to be the one to make the first move. My reckless heart, on the other hand, was telling me she'd already made that move by showing up.

Which one was I supposed to trust?

A twelve-hour drive was nothing to sniff at, but if she was looking for another one-night stand, I couldn't do it. I wouldn't.

"Why are you here, June?" The question came out harsher than I intended. Especially considering the need gnawing at me to close the last few feet between us and pull her into my arms.

"To apologize for the way I handled things that last night on the ship. I shouldn't have left the way I did."

"Then why did you?" Did she have any idea how much it hurt? It was like being hurled back in time to the aftermath of my accident, when I learned the hard way just how much I mattered to the people in my life.

Her gaze dipped to Finley sitting patiently at my side. "I was scared," she said quietly without looking up.

My heart stumbled. My hands twitched to reach for her. "Of me?"

She shook her head, then nodded.

I knew that feeling too, that fear of the unknown. Of getting hurt. The only difference was, I didn't run. That was the stubborn thought I was still clinging to when she finally met my gaze. Heart wrenching tears welled in her beautiful eyes, her chin trembled, and I broke.

I closed the distance, cupped her startled face in my hands, and kissed her the way I'd been dreaming about kissing her for weeks. Slow and deep. I put every ounce of emotion churning inside me into it, and she leaned into me, pressing her body to mine. She broke my hold so she could wrap her arms around my neck, and at that moment, every tiny piece of me breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

June melted into me as I gathered her up in my arms. She held tight when I lifted her off the ground and pressed her trembling body against the side of her SUV. Her legs closed around my waist like she needed the contact as much as I did.

"I missed you," I whispered, pressing my forehead to hers.

When she leaned back to look at me a few seconds later, I hiked her up a little higher and met her gaze. "I missed you too, Sutton. Every minute..." Her voice caught. "I hated how much I missed you."

I swallowed hard. "What happens now?"

My body ached to claim her, but the rational part of my brain knew it was way too soon to be that bold. She'd run after one night together. If I wanted her in my life, I needed to take this slow. No rushing. No scaring her off.

"I don't know," June said, pulling back. "But I cleared my schedule for the next two weeks."

Two weeks? Hope fluttered in my scarred chest. It was a start. "Stay with me?"

So much for slow. I couldn't help myself. The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them.

"At least until you have to go back?" I amended.

Her answering smile stole the breath from my lungs. "I was hoping you would ask that." Then she leaned in and kissed me again with the perfect mix of sweet and spice. Hunger bloomed inside me. I leaned into the kiss, into her. A groan slipped out when she shifted her hips, and her hot body slid against my aching cock just the right way.

"Fuck," I growled, pulling back. "Keep that up, babygirl, and I'll be hard pressed not to throw you over my shoulder and haul you up to my apartment."

"Where is your apartment?"

Satisfaction rolled through me at the mischief in her voice, and I threw a glance behind me. "Above the shop."

"Right there?" she asked.

"Right there."

She looked me dead in the eye and shifted her hips again, letting out a barely audible moan.

"Now you've done it," I rumbled. I set her on her feet for half a second before tossing her over my shoulder. Her squeal sent a rush of pleasure through me.

"I didn't think you were serious about carrying me," she said laughing.

I'd only made it three steps before I pulled to a stop. "Do you want down?"

"No?"

"Was that a question or a statement?" I asked, squeezing her thigh.

She wiggled and it was all I could do not to turn my head and bite that plump ass of hers. "A statement."

With a grunt of approval, I headed for my apartment with Finley keeping pace beside me. I already had a long list of things I wanted to do to June. With June. For June. And now that she'd walked back into my life, I was never letting her go.