Page 6 of Close to My Heart

Iturned off the light, then removed my jeans before climbing into bed with Sutton, my best friend. The woman I shouldn’t be thinking about unless it was to care for her injuries.

She was a friend who needed my help. I wouldn’t touch her unless it was in a purely clinical way.

Except Jameson seemed to think this whole situation was funny. Over the years, my brothers insinuated that I was attracted to Sutton, and I was positive they were downstairs talking about us now.

Sutton was hurt, and of course, I wanted to take care of her. She brought out every protective instinct in my body. Her family was awful to her. The girls at school worse. People thought someone who came from money was immune to nasty words.

But I knew the truth; Sutton felt too much underneath the hard exterior. She never let anyone take care of her, probably because she was left to fend for herself at a young age. But I was going to take advantage of it now.

“Wes?” Sutton’s voice was soft.

“Yes,” I shifted, trying to get comfortable. But all I could think about was that Sutton lay just a few inches away.

“Will you hold me?” Her voice was uncertain.

“Of course.” My voice was rough. Tonight would call on all my restraint. It wasn’t the time to tell Sutton I’d been attracted to her since I knew what that was.

One thing about her grandmother’s ultimatum was certain— If she was going to marry someone, it would be me.

She didn’t like when I got bossy, so I needed to tread carefully. I couldn’t box her into a corner like her family did. She’d push back and do something rash like marry someone else. Someone who didn’t care about her like I did.

Sutton rolled toward me the same moment I opened my arms to her. She tucked her head into my chest, and I let out a breath, one I’d been holding since realizing she was driving toward me in an ice storm.

“I was so scared.” Her voice quivered, and my heart contracted.

“You’re safe now.” It wasn’t the time to chide her for driving in icy weather. She always came to me after a bad day with her family.

“I feel safe with you.”

I tried not to let those words affect me, but they did. I wanted to be the man in her life. The one she came to all the time, not just with the bad stuff but the good too. But she only saw me as a friend, not a potential lover.

“I’ve got you.”

She snuggled in closer, and I banded an arm around her waist. She felt good. I breathed in her scent and wondered if I’d get another chance to be this close to her again. As much as I wanted to stay awake and enjoy her sleeping in my arms, the adrenaline had worn off and I was exhausted.

Before I fell asleep, I reached for my phone and set the alarm. I woke her periodically through the night to ensure she was okay.

In the morning, she was a heavy weight on top of me, her hair tickling my chin. Before I had a chance to revel in her proximity, she shifted, her head flying up. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”

She moved off me, and I didn’t like it. I wanted to pull her back to me. But she wasn’t mine. “It’s fine.”

She rolled to her back, turning her head to catch the time on the alarm clock. “I can’t believe we slept so late.”

I ran a hand over my face. “It’s my fault. I kept waking you through the night.”

A smile spread over Sutton’s face. “Do you think Claire and Jameson hooked up last night?”

“They had the perfect opportunity. They were alone in the cottage, and I think that was by design.”

“Jameson deserves to be happy.”

I threw my arm over my head. “Jameson’s the happiest of all of us. He follows his dreams and does whatever he wants.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Sutton said.

“What do you call having three or four different jobs?”

Sutton’s lips twitched. “Jameson’s a good guy.”

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