12. Ryland

TWELVE

RYLAND

“I still think it would be better for me to stay at the main house for the first couple of days. This is Case’s home, and he’s going to see me battered and bruised. I don’t want to scare him.” Sutton has been quiet the entirety of the drive back to my place. I figured she needed to decompress after giving her statement to Liam, a tough-to-listen-to conversation, and even tougher not to respond to in a way that would no doubt have Sutton running far the fuck away.

“And I think he’d be more concerned if he ran up to the main house, saw you on the couch, uncomfortable, and unable to see you more than the few minutes he’s there to grab food.” All of our houses are set up near one another, not too close but not too far away. Each of us has our own house, our own yard, and a pathway to the main hub of the farm.

Now we’re walking through the door. Birdie and Tully came over to help get everything set up, and from the look of it, they cleaned, and not just surface clean that Case and I do once a week. They deep cleaned—the floor is gleaming, there’s not a speck of dust where I toss my truck keys, and I can smell the cleaner in the air still. I only asked for them to come pick up the place, make sure the sheets were changed, everything else I’d handle while Sutton is napping.

“You want a shower before Case gets home?” I ask. She doesn’t respond to my earlier statement, probably unsure of how to answer. Instead, I’m now watching as she takes her fill of our home. It’s been a labor of love to get this place to look more like a home and less like a house with four walls and a roof. Of course, having Mom and a slew of sisters helped, too. She’s currently looking at the gallery wall of pictures. The frames are all different shapes and sizes. Snapshots we’ve all taken along the years finally have a home.

“Yes, please. I think there’s dried blood in my hair, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to wash it myself.” My cock perks up at the idea of helping her in the shower. The dumb piece of flesh gives zero fucks that Sutton has been beaten half to death. Water and a naked Sutton is all he thinks about, and no, I can’t control my hard-on. What I can do is not act on my desire for her.

“Come on.” I walk around her, my unoccupied hand sliding around the length of her lower back along the way. I know there probably isn’t an inch of her body that isn’t sore. The good news is she’ll heal with time. The bad news is the bruises that have already formed are only going to get worse as the days go on.

I look over my shoulder to make sure Sutton is following me. She is, peeking her head into each room along the way. We all stuck with a similar floor plan—three or four bedrooms, three or four bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen, living room, front and back porch, and a game room on the second level. I didn’t want a split floorplan house, so all of the bedrooms are on the bottom floor, Case’s game room taking up the upper level along with a small office. Downstairs, the hallway has the master bedroom straight ahead and the two other bedrooms on either side. Case’s room on the right and the spare bedroom on the left. The doors are open, allowing her to see inside. She probably notices the lack of furniture in one of them.

I drop the bags on the bed, step out of my boots, socks are next, and then I pull my shirt over my head. Sutton watches me the entire time. Desire, pure unbridled desire, shows on her face, and I’m glad she likes what she sees. “Come on, Sutton. You need to get horizontal. The medicine will be wearing off soon.” Mom is picking up her prescription when she grabs Case from preschool.

“I’m going to get in the shower with you.” Her chest rises and falls, her nipples poking through the thin fabric. I’m glad to see she’s not the only one affected. My cock is hard as a fucking rock, my jeans barely containing me, and I’m more than ready to strip both of us down and wash Sutton with my bare hands. Except that’s not going to happen today.

“Ry.” There’s a rasp to her tone.

“Not yet. Going to give you privacy. I’ll keep my jeans on, and you’ll wear what you’ve got on. I’ll wash your hair for you. The rest should be manageable, unless you need my help?” I arch an eyebrow, pressing my luck.

“Okay.” She follows me into the bathroom. I grab a couple of towels, busying myself before turning the water on. This was my huge splurge for the house. I didn’t need a big garage, a massive television, or even top-of-the-line appliances. I wanted a master bathroom where I could relax. The walk-in shower is double the size of normal ones, with multiple showerheads, and there’s even a bench the length of one side. Being a single dad, the weight of the world is always on your shoulders even when you have a support system like I do. Still, there are those worries if you’re doing your best, will you raise your boy to be a decent human being, and when he’s throwing a temper tantrum, it makes you second-guess shit all over again. This is my place of solace when I’m not on the back of Ace riding the trails surrounding our land.

“Ready?” Sutton nods, stepping into the floor-to-ceiling tiled shower. Looks like my sisters did me another solid. There on the ledge along with mine is a pink bottle of body wash, plus shampoo and conditioner. My all-in-one would have been hard on getting the knots out.

I stand off to the side as Sutton’s body relaxes under the water, watching as she washes some of her worries down the drain. Steam swirls around the bathroom in a matter of minutes, and while I’m attempting to wait patiently, it’s becoming harder and harder.

“Where do you want me?” she asks once her hair is nice and wet, along with the rest of her body.

“I’ll come to you. Tell me if this hurts at any point.” I grab the bottle, pouring more than I’m sure she’d usually use. I’ve got no experience in this department. Case being a boy, having short hair, we just take care of business, and then we’re done. A woman is another story entirely.

“You won’t hurt me, Ryland. You never have.” Her head tips back, and my hands get to work, wishing they were everywhere instead of just in her long blonde locks.

“I hate that I’ll look like this when Case gets home.” I walk into the bathroom after leaving her to finish the rest of her routine. The loose clothes Mom brought her plastered to her skin the minute water hit her body. My eyes had a hard time staying on the task at hand. The light pink fabric turned to sheer in a matter of seconds. The only thing holding me back were the bruises that mottled her body. Sutton’s stomach, face, arms, and thighs took the brunt of Shane’s anger. And he’s damn fucking lucky his ass is sitting behind bars, or he’d be buried six feet in the ground. I toss one of my shirts and a pair of sweats on the counter for her to change into.

“Babe.” My hands go to the outside of her arms, holding her gently. She’s only in a towel, and her hair is wet, soaking down the length of her back. Sutton’s lip is split, there’s bruising around both her eyes, you can see some of the other marks traveling up her chest, and when my eyes slide down her body, there are even more on her legs and thighs. A part of me wants to rip the towel off her body and kiss every mark on her skin, to get on my knees and worship her like she deserves. “The only thing our boy is going to see is that you’re here, you’re a fighter, and that you’re strong. Even when people try to beat you down, you still get back up swinging. Not a lot of people in this world can say the same.” I place a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Ryland, you give me entirely too much credit, but I’m going to take it, just this once.” She rocks back on her heels, giving me the weight of her body. I wrap my arms around her chest, holding the woman I know is only mine to touch. I need to get her hair dried off. There’s a chill to the air, and I’ve yet to adjust the thermostat or start a fire. The last thing Sutton needs is a cold on top of all of this.

“Take it, always. You need help getting dressed?” I offer.

“No, I think I’ve got it. Keep the door open, please,” she asked the same thing when I stepped out of the shower after washing her hair.

“I will. I’ll be right here when you’re done. We’ll get your hair dry, your feet propped up, some medicine in you, and watch some television until Case gets home.” I tighten my hold around her one last time before heading for the bedroom.