Sutton's hand slides around my waist, pulling me closer, rubbing my lower back slowly, grounding me, telling me I’m safe now. I want to believe him, but I’m too shaken up to think straight.
Only a few minutes later, Rochelle barrels through the back door, the sheriff at her heels.
“What’s going on?” she rushes out, eyes wide and worried.
We rehash everything as Rochelle closes the diner for the afternoon, locking the doors being the first thing she does.
“Those boys are good for nothing… I should’ve kicked them out weeks ago. I could tell they were bad news. I can’t believe they were the ones who mugged you.” She shakes her head. When I admitted that, I could tell she was hurt I didn’t tell her sooner. “We need ice.” Her gaze is full of concern before disappearing into the kitchen as the sheriff stares at us all with a critical eye.
I wring my hands. They won’t stop shaking.
“Come here.” Sutton’s voice is soft, feeling like a safe space. I don’t hesitate. I go to him, slamming into his chest as he pulls me tightly to him.
“I’m fine, really. Just trying to calm down,” I whisper, even though my bones still feel like they’re rattling inside me.
“I know.” His grip is steady, warm, rubbing long strokes up and down my back. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that. I’m sorry he touched you, and I’m sorry there was a scuffle. But when he touched you, all I saw was red.”
I lift his hand, seeing it bruised, the torn skin raw across his knuckles.
“When capillaries heal, they undergo a process called angiogenesis, where new blood vessels form to replace damaged ones.” The words fall out unconsciously, my brain trying to find order in the mess of everything.
“There she is.” Sutton’s small, swollen smile is one of pure adoration, his lips pressing against my temple.
Looking up at him, my brow pinches, hating that it’s come to this. “He’s going to tell the media about you.”
“He will.” Sutton expression is unreadable.
“What will we do?” I already know the answer. The second the news spreads, everything changes for us. Sutton pulls me against him tighter, and I want to bury my head in his chest and ignore it all.
Sutton’s about to answer me when Sawyer bursts in, suit open, tie askew, like he’s just run a marathon. “I came as soon as I could. What the hell happened?”
“We’re outed.” Sutton stands tall, all eyes on us. I’m shaking, my stomach clenching, and I wonder if I need to dash to the bathroom.
I know what I have to do. I have to let him go. But I don’t want to. Panic climbs through my veins, threatening to strangle me as I glance at the wall clock. School is almost out. Can I get Preston, dash home for my go-bag, and then disappear before morning?
Sutton must hear me thinking, his hand cupping my cheek so my eyes meet his.
“Oh no. You don’t get to look at me like that.” His voice is rough, low, unwavering, his grip on my waist tightening to keep me from running away, and the one on my cheek, gentle yet possessive.
“Like what?” I swallow my denial, my survival instincts pinging.
“Like you’re leaving me. You don’t get to do that.” He’s firm. I frown, trying to understand what he’s saying.
“Do what?”
Something in his eyes changes as he looks into mine. “You don’t get to make me fall in love with you and then skip town.”
Silence slams into the diner like a freight train, and my heart stops before restarting with new life. I wonder briefly if I’m going to faint as I look up at him, his eyes boring into mine.
“Shit,” Hudson mutters.
Sawyer stares, open-mouthed, at his brother.
But Sutton’s gaze is unyielding.
And me? I can’t move. I can’t speak. I’m stuck in shock. He hasn’t let me go. I want to tell him that I love him too. That I feel the same. But I’m so damn scared.
Rochelle clears her throat, breaking the moment. Sutton’s attention finally shifts, his hand dropping from my cheek and taking my hand.
