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Shit. She’s going to walk away. She’s going to say this is too much for any sane woman to handle, and then I’ll be back to square one. And I really, really, really don’t want to start over. At least, not without her by my side. What the hell is wrong with me?
“How can I help? What can I do to fix this?” I asked, genuinely meaning it.
She shook her head and gave me a one-armed shrug. “It’s not really your fault. I can handle it.” She inhaled. “I just wasn’t expecting that level of things, was all. I’ll be better prepared next time.”
A small, confident smile appeared out of nowhere, and I reached out, my thumb brushing along her bottom lip. She sucked in a breath as she pulled away, and I apologized like I’d done something wrong or out of line.
“I’m not okay with you being uncomfortable or harassed in any way. Do you understand that?”
“Sure,” she said, but I could tell she wasn’t getting it. At all.
I was already possessive over her, and her safety was quickly becoming a top concern.
“Sutton,” I growled under my breath, “I wanted to rip their fucking heads off.”
“Whose heads?”
“The press. Every single one of them standing outside of your hospital right now. I sent you a text, and you didn’t answer, and I lost my fucking mind.”
She shifted on her feet. “My phone is in my locker. I turned it off.”
“I noticed.”
The realization finally hit her. “That’s why you’re here? Because I didn’t answer a text?” She sounded annoyed instead of happy.
“I was worried,” I bit out.
I was right; she wasn’t amused.
“Well, I’m fine. You can’t come storming in here whenever you want and demand to see me because I didn’t jump at your beck and call. Just so you know, I turn my phone off a lot when I’m at work.”
Stepping away from her, I dragged my fingers through my hair, frustrated. “Why are you so mad at me right now?”
“I don’t know,” she ground out before pulling at her ponytail and tossing it over her shoulder.
“Well, can you figure it out before dinner tonight?” I said, clearly catching her off guard.
“Dinner? Again?”
“Don’t sound so excited,” I said, my tone harsh.
“Sorry.” She shook her head but kept her distance. “I can’t go tonight.”
“Why not?” I found myself feeling way more disappointed than I had any right to be.
“’Cause I have to work late,” she said, and I knew she wasn’t telling me the truth.
I could have pushed her harder, told her that I knew she was full of shit, and forced her to go out with me again, but I didn’t want to do that. I took a step in her direction and watched as she straightened her back and swallowed, her lips pressing together as I neared.
“You’re lying. But I’ll let it go. For now.”
“How gracious.”
That smart mouth was going to get her in trouble at some point. Most likely sooner rather than later.
“Are you playing a game with me, Sutton?” Something started to gnaw at me, like maybe she was going to pull out before Social Month even started and leave me high and dry.
“What do you mean?”
