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A growl escapes before I can suppress it. I ball my fists at my sides, every muscle tensing as I try to block out thoughts of what could have happened to Sutton if anyone else found her.
Jesus, she’s so vulnerable out here. Anything could have happened…
Another growl is pulled from the pit of my stomach, and Sutton jerks awake, her eyes wide with fear. I can’t fucking breathe when she looks at me like that. I never want her to be afraid of me, even if I tower over her and grunt like a neanderthal.
I hold my hands up, palms out, in a sign of surrender. As soon as she recognizes me, her shoulders relax slightly. She even graces me with a small smile, though it quickly disappears when she realizes I’ve caught her sleeping in her car.
Sutton untangles herself from the scrap of a blanket and pats her hair down before scooting over in the seat and opening the door. She slowly climbs out of the back seat, her eyes immediately focusing on the ground while she twists her hands in front of her.
“Um…” she starts, trailing off as she nibbles her bottom lip.
“What were you doing sleeping in your car?” I grunt more harshly than I meant. Sutton’s shoulders rise to her ears, and I want to kick myself for being gruff. “You could have gotten hurt,” I try again, though my tone is still sharp.
“Well, I… The house… and then my parents… I just…” Sutton can hardly say more than a few words at a time before she gets flustered and starts over. When the first tear falls, my knees give out.
Kneeling in front of her, I reach for her delicate little hands, taking both of them in one of mine. Her skin is so soft, so creamy and pure. It only serves to highlight the differences between us. My hands are weathered and worn from long days working and riding in the sun. My knuckles have scars from the violence I’ve inflicted on others over the years. My fingertips are rough, too rough to handle the broken angel standing in front of me.
“Breathe for me, little flower,” I tell her.
Sutton gasps softly, her ethereal eyes finally meeting mine. I’m not sure where the endearment came from, but it fits. My Sutton is exactly like a little wildflower: beautiful, unexpected, and life-giving.
She closes her eyes and takes a shaky breath before slowly exhaling.
“That’s good,” I encourage. “Take another one for me.”
Sutton nods, her hands squeezing mine as she takes a steadier breath this time. God, I can feel her trembling. It takes everything in me to stay kneeling on the ground instead of scooping up this precious woman in my arms and hauling her back to my place so I can tuck her into my bed and ensure she never has to experience another night of homelessness again.
“I… I’m sorry,” she finally whispers.
I furrow my brow, tilting my head to look into those blue-green eyes. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I was worried about you. It’s not safe here.”
Sutton nods but doesn’t say anything else. I want to ask her a million questions, including but not limited to her thoughts on a summer wedding and how many kids she wants. However, that will have to wait.
I have to be careful with Sutton. She doesn’t trust easily, and asking her to tell me how she found herself in this position might be overstepping. My priority is to get her back to my place, back to a safe environment. Once she’s rested, we can talk about the next steps, whatever they may be.
“How about you crash at my place for a bit?” I ask, slowly standing from my position on the ground.
Sutton keeps her left hand securely locked in mine, making my heart flip inside my chest. On some level, this woman feels comfortable around me. I’ll take whatever I can get.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t inconvenience you like that,” she says automatically, standing beside me. I don’t like how rehearsed her response is.
“You’re not an inconvenience,” I assure her. I get the sense she doesn’t believe me, but she will.
Soon, Sutton will know she’s not a burden. She’s the reason I wake up every day, hoping to steal a glance into her eyes or sit near her while she visits Tessa. She has no idea how obsessed I am with her, and part of me is worried it’ll be too much. I don’t want to suffocate my little flower. All I want to do is give her room to flourish in a safe environment. Without knowing anything about her past, I know Sutton hasn’t had many safe places in her life. That ends today.
“How about just a nap, then?” I offer. “I have a guest bedroom. And, not to brag, but my couch is amazing.”
Sutton’s lips turn up into a slight smile. Fuckin’ adorable.
“Is that right?” she asks softly as I guide her to the passenger side of her car. She stifles a yawn, and I open the door for her, grunting when I realize it was unlocked this whole time.
“Yes,” I reply, hoping to cover the hitch in my voice. “When I got out… er, when I moved back into my house, the first thing I bought was a huge-ass couch that could fit my six-and-a-half-foot frame.”
Shit.I almost saidwhen I got out of prison.I don’t want to lie to Sutton, but I don’t think now is the appropriate time to broach that subject. I just got her to trust me. I can’t ruin that by talking about my time behind bars.
“That sounds lovely,” Sutton says before another yawn overtakes her.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell hershe’slovely, but I reel it in. I don’t know where this cheesy, flowery romance shit came from, but when I’m around Sutton, I can’t help it. I want to give her endless compliments to make up for the obvious lack of love she’s had in her life.
