Page 33 of Sutton's Shadow

“Well, now that I know you’ve been sick, is there anything you need? Anything I could get for you?”

“No, thank you,” she answered, trying to contain another cough.

“When’s the last time you ate?”

“Um...”

“Right. How ’bout I get you something from Jolene’s?”

“I don’t think I can eat anything at the moment.” She sniffled.

“Some soup. That should be easy on your system. I’ll go pick up soup and be back in a jiff.” A jiff? When had he ever used that word? He sounded like an imbecile. Ignoring her objections, he turned to run down the block to Jolene’s.

Thirty minutes later, Wyatt was knocking on her door, arms filled with the promised soup, along with a care package of other miscellaneous items to help someone feeling under the weather. As soon as Sutton opened the door, he thrust the bouquet of gerbera daisies he’d bought her into her hand. A collection of color in living form that she shoved her nose into, a small smile playing on her lips.

She protested his efforts as she led him deeper into her studio, then up a narrow staircase into the apartment above. He glanced around the room before heading to the kitchen next to the stairs. Setting the bags on the peninsula in the galley kitchen, he got to work pulling out containers of steaming food.

“Really, Wyatt, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Sutton reiterated, going onto her tiptoes as she reached to the cabinet above the refrigerator. Even stretched to her full height, she struggled to grasp the vase inside, so Wyatt stepped closer to reach around her for the item. She stiffened when his chest bumped into her back and quickly ducked out from under his arm. Wyatt ignored her reaction to his nearness, moving to the sink to fill the vase with water.

“It’s no trouble,” he answered, handing her the full vase. She plunked the stems into their new home before placing it on the café table in the corner. “Bowls?”

She pointed to a cabinet near the dishwasher. He grabbed a bowl for her and a plate for himself. He couldn’t go to Jolene’s without getting his favorite burger. Testing his luck, he pulled open a drawer, finding the silverware he’d wanted on the first try.

After plating the food, he placed it on the table where Sutton was already sitting. He gave her a glare his grandmother would be proud of when she hesitated, then he smiled when she sighed and picked up her spoon and dug into the chicken noodle soup.

He watched her eat a few spoonfuls before delving into his own food. With her hair up in that messy bun, he could take in her features without the curtain of light strands hiding them. Aside from the obvious indications of her illness, she was still beautiful. Even devoid of makeup, she took his breath away. On any normal day, her skin was flawless except for that tiny beauty mark on her temple. That little imperfection haunted his dreams at night. He’d imagined placing his lips on it so many times since he’d reconnected with her.

The blue in her eyes captivated him, almost making him forget his troubles, if not for the shadows he detected lingering in the corners. Her thick lashes fluttered against the dark circles under her eyes as she savored her soup, and the moan she released had his gaze shooting to her lips. He nearly let his own moan slip, catching the tip of her pink tongue dart out to lick up a drop of soup. Lips that were so full and sensual he fantasized about the worlds she’d open up for him if he had even one taste of that luscious mouth.

The throb in his cock brought him back to his senses. He blinked and lowered his gaze to his food, swamped with shame over where his mind was leading him. Even though Liam had been gone for two years, he still experienced that sense of guilt lusting after his friend’s girl. Looking back, there had always been those latent feelings for Sutton hiding just beneath the surface. When he saw the interest in Liam’s eyes at that girls’ school, he’d made the conscious decision to back off. But there were times when seeing the two of them together had killed him. He’d been almost relieved when they’d both gotten out of the Army and went their separate ways. It would have been torture watching them build a life together.

But even though she was free, he still didn’t feel right acting on his desires. And with the way she’d pulled away from him the other day, the only relationship he could hope for was friendship.

“Thank you for this, Wyatt,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

He smiled, trying not to stare at her lips again. “I’m glad you felt well enough to eat it.”

“Is there more?”

“Sure is,” he chuckled. He waved her back to her seat as he stood to get the remaining soup. She smiled her thanks and tucked in. He felt oddly proud that he could provide for her, like some sort of caveman. The only person he’d ever tried to take care of was Bethany, which he’d failed at more times than not. Especially now. But seeing Sutton regaining some of her energy from something that he’d provided for her pleased him and did wonders for bolstering his spirit.

“I feel like I owe you an apology,” he admitted after watching her eat for a few moments.

She froze and looked up at him with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “Wyatt...” she started, placing her spoon back in the bowl.

“No, hear me out. I overreacted at the pier. I shouldn’t have yelled at you the way I did. It was an accident and not your fault. I reacted out of fear.”

“Fear?”

He pointed to her bowl, implying she should keep eating. “Yeah, you scared me half to death, and I thought I wasn’t going to get to you in time.” Granting her wish to forget about apologizing for the kiss for the moment, he concentrated instead on his regret for his harsh words and the impetus behind them.

He stopped talking, thinking about that moment when she’d been knocked down again. He stared, unseeing, at his hand where it rested on the table. He was back on the pier, running, diving for her hand, not even noticing the injury to his arm as he grasped on to her. The relief had been palpable, the adrenaline dump swift, making him lash out in a way he regretted the minute the words were out of his mouth.

Her chilly hand covering his brought him out of his reverie. “You don’t owe me anything. I shouldn’t have run away the way I did. You saved me, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that before. And I’m sorry I was so reckless to begin with that you had to risk yourself to help me.”

The regret swimming in her blue orbs made his gut tighten. He wanted to reassure her that he didn’t blame her for anything, but he couldn’t find the words. Still, he tried. “I shouldn’t have said you were reckless. I know it wasn’t your fault. And you were right; you were standing pretty close to land. That wave caught you by surprise. I’m just glad I was there.” He shuddered, imagining what could have happened if he hadn’t been there.

“I am too,” she professed. Slowly, the chill in her fingers registered. He sandwiched her hand between both of his, hoping his heat would warm her. “How are you feeling? Your hands are cold. You should head back to bed.”

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