Page 71 of Sutton's CEO

I whipped around to see Mark standing about a foot behind me. His arms were crossed, and his hands clenched dangerously. He had steel in those silvery eyes and looked very much like an avenging angel.

I instinctively took a step nearer to him and saw his nostrils flare when he saw my tears.

Max must have seen the same thing because he raised his hands. “I didn’t hurt her.”

Mark’s eyes snapped back to mine, looking for affirmation.

I nodded. “I will tell you about it later, but he didn’t hurt me.”

“Sutton,” I heard Candice call from the church steps, “is everything okay?”

I turned to wave at her, and she quickly joined us on the lawn. Knox came up behind her, something that I would have loved to tease her about if I hadn’t felt like my insides were stripped bare and beaten within an inch of my life.

“Are you staying for the luncheon, Sutton?” Knox asked.

Suddenly it was all too much. All of the things that Max had just dumped on me about my mom and my dad, combined with Gabe’s funeral, added up to disaster. I was moments away from a full-on meltdown.

An arm wrapped around me. “We won’t be attending. Thank you for asking. I am taking Sutton home.”

I leaned into Mark, thankful that he had taken charge and that I didn’t have to think. Guilt would have most likely weighed on my mind until I would have stayed despite my current mental health. But Mark wasn’t having it, and once again I was thankful that there was one person that actually cared about me and my welfare.

Candice raised her chin. “I will stay with Knox. Why don’t you and Mark have a quiet afternoon alone?”

Knox looked shocked for only a second before a wide smile broke across his lips. I wasn’t sure if Candice knew it or not, but she just gave Knox the green light, and he wasn’t one to let that kind of opportunity pass by.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sutton

I didn’t say a word on the way home, nor as we walked from the car into my trailer. I set my purse on the table and just stood there staring at the wall.

Mark made a sound that seemed half frustration and half empathy. I knew that he wanted to reach me, to comfort me. But I was too far lost in my own thoughts. Taking my arm, Mark led me to my room and undressed me like I was a child incapable of doing it on my own.

I could hardly remember my mother doing such a thing for me, and at once it felt too intimate. And yet it was achingly beautiful the way that Mark cared for me with such devotion and respect. Once I was down to my panties and bra, he slipped one of his white cotton t-shirts over my head.

The fabric was much softer than anything I owned, and it smelled faintly of him. We laid down, and he pulled me against his hard chest on the new bed that he had delivered days before. I curled up into his hard pecs, burying my face and just enjoying having him near.

I didn’t think that I was physically tired, but my soul was exhausted. Either way, I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Sometime later, it could have been an hour or three for all I knew, I opened my eyes and found that I was sprawled across Mark. Our legs were entangled, and his large hand was cupping one of my ass cheeks.

His breathing was slow and deep, and his eyes were still closed. I peered up into his handsome face, wondering what he was dreaming about. I loved the way his dark lashes brushed against his cheeks. They were ridiculous on a man, and yet it made him all the more attractive. His brow furrowed for a moment and I worried that he was going to wake.

I felt the hand on my ass tighten and my pussy clench in response. But then he seemed to fade back into whatever dream he was lost in.

His massive cock was hard and ready, much like it always was when we were in bed together. Sliding to the side, I took his length in my hand through his boxer briefs. I could hardly believe that his length could fit inside of me.

Mark was nothing like any of the other partners I had been with in the past.

“If you keep that up, I will shoot my load all over your hand.”

I flushed as my eyes flew to his amused ones. His voice was still laced with sleep and delectably low. Or maybe that was from arousal, I couldn’t be sure.

Feeling bold, I slipped my hand underneath the elastic of his underwear. The tip was already wet with pre-cum, and I swirled that around the mushroomed head, causing his cock to jerk and the veins in his neck to stand out.

“Fuck, Sutton, that feels amazing.” He grabbed my hand. “But you need to stop before I lose it.”

I bit my lip. The thought of me jacking him off was turning me on, and I saw his nostrils flare as he realized the same thing.

In seconds Mark yanked the t-shirt off of my body and had unhooked the clasp of my bra. I was naked except for those tiny white panties.

---