Page 7 of Close to My Heart

“Why don’t you date him then?” I couldn’t help but ask even as my heart squeezed in protest. Why was I pushing her toward my brother?

Her eyes widened. “I’m not attracted to Jameson. He’s like a little brother.”

I barely refrained from asking her if she was attracted to me. It wasn’t the time or the place. It was too early in the morning to reveal truths like that. Not when we were stuck in the house together for a few more hours, or at least until the ice melted.

“I’m just saying I want him to be happy. I suspect that he’s been looking for something, and maybe Claire is the one to give him that.”

“She’s too good for him,” I said stubbornly. He needed someone to keep him in line, and who better than a single mother who had her shit together?

Sutton grinned. “All women are too good for the Calloways.”

Without thinking, I rolled until I straddled her, careful to avoid her knee. Sutton’s eyes widened, her breath hitched, but I couldn’t seem to move away. Words lodged in my throat.

Frustrated with my lack of control, I forced myself to move off her. I needed space, or she was going to notice the outline of my erection under my boxer briefs.

In the bathroom, I shut and locked the door, then threw cold water on my face. What was I doing? I get a few hours alone with my crush, and I acted like a caveman, straddling her and holding her down.

Sutton was going to think I’d lost my mind. I used to treat her like a sister, and siblings roughhouse and bait each other. The thing was, it didn’t feel like she was my sister when she was underneath me.

She was soft where I was hard, her body arching into mine. Had she felt the same physical attraction I did?

I needed a shower. A cold one. I turned on the water, quickly shucked my briefs, getting under the stream. It was cold, a shock to my system but exactly what I needed to forget how Sutton felt.

I scrubbed a hand over my face. I was supposed to be taking care of her, not lusting after her. I quickly soaped up and washed my hair, then rinsed. I stepped out of the shower and roughly scrubbed my skin, irritated with my lack of control.

I tied the towel around my waist because I’d forgotten to grab clothes. All I had was the briefs I’d worn all day yesterday.

When I opened the door, Sutton lay on her side facing me, her hands tucked prayer-style under her cheek.

“How was the shower?” Sutton asked. Her gaze lingered on my chest, then lower. Was she imagining me dropping my towel?

Cold. “Fine. I forgot my clothes.”

I pulled on my jeans under my towel, then let it fall to the floor. Then I grabbed my shirt. “You need breakfast. I’ll bring it up here, so you don’t have to get out of bed.”

Sutton rolled so that she was on her back. “That sounds lovely. Thank you.”

Sutton might have been used to a houseful of staff, but she never acted entitled. But it also meant that this wasn’t special. She was used to being catered to, at least by her family’s staff. But I suspected no one treated her with care. Maybe that’s how I was different.

Not that it mattered. Sutton would meet a guy who met her family’s expectations with the right financial portfolio, and she’d marry him. Because her family’s legacy was important to her.

I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

Sutton threw her arms over her head, giving into a full body stretch. Her toes were pointed, her nails painted a pale pink. The movement was giving me ideas about what she’d look like naked in my bed after a night of sating our desires.

Nearly groaning, I opened the door, then shut it softly behind me.

I wasn’t sure if everyone else had stayed up late playing video games and binging on food. That’s what we did whenever there was a storm.

In the kitchen, the scent of coffee drew me to the machine, and I poured myself a cup.

“How is Sutton?” Dad asked.

I turned to find him seated at the breakfast nook. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here.”

“It’s just me. Everyone else is sleeping in. Enjoying a break from reality.”

Outside, the branches and ground were covered with ice. “She’s fine. I woke her every few hours overnight.”

---