Page 39 of Sutton's Shadow

Chapter 12

Wyattfeltlikehewas going crazy. It had been twenty-two days since he’d last seen Bethany, and he was losing hope. Hence the insanity that was running through his brain. None of his usual calming techniques were working to tamp the panic down. He’d spent most of the day tinkering with his devices, only to be met with more failure. It was that failure that caused the most strife in his mind. He couldn’t stand the thought that he’d failed his sister. That she was gone forever, and it was his fault.

He had to get away from those self-defeatist thoughts and could only think of one place he wanted to be, knowing she could calm his fears. There was something about her that had him remembering to breathe and cleared the bullshit that cluttered his mind.

Having climbed the exterior stairs to her apartment over her studio, Wyatt waited for her to answer his knock. Now that he was here, he didn’t know how welcome he’d be. They’d shared another kiss, but he hadn’t seen her since. After her reaction to their first kiss, he worried she might regret the second one.

She pulled the door open, and he nearly swallowed his tongue. She was dressed in a scooped neck tank top, the upper swells of her breasts drawing his eye. Her bottom half was just as exposed, with a tiny pair of shorts that gave him the perfect view of her long legs. The throb in his dick was instantaneous and relentless. He ignored it as best he could as he tore his gaze from all that smooth, bared skin to look her in the eye.

But that did nothing to alleviate the problem in his pants. She was fucking gorgeous. Her skin glowed with a light sheen of perspiration. Her hair was tied up on top of her head in a messy knot, and escaped tendrils stuck to the sweat on her neck.

But it was the smile she gave him that stole his breath. He could gaze upon that smile forever. It gave him a thrill knowing he brought that out of her. The first time they’d reconnected, she hadn’t smiled much. As they’d grown closer over the weeks, her smile had come out more and more. Now, it came easily and freely when she looked at him.

“Wyatt, hi.”

“Hey, Sutton. Can I come in?”

“Oh, sure.” She stepped aside so he could enter, and he was hit with a wall of heat.

“Sorry about the temperature in here. Seems my radiator is on the fritz.”

“No problem. I can take a look at it for you,” he offered.

“Can you? The repairman can’t get here until Friday.”

“Sure.” He unbuttoned his overshirt and peeled it off, the sweat already making his T-shirt stick to his back. He hung the shirt on the back of a chair and knelt down by the radiator. The shithole he’d called his first apartment had one just like it, and it often acted up in the same manner. He’d learned then how to MacGyver a fix with it.

“The thermostat is old and will need to be replaced,” he informed her. “Got any duct tape?”

“Yeah, just a sec.”

She left the room but was back shortly with a roll of tape. He burst out laughing, seeing that instead of the typical silver color, it was pink with a leopard pattern on it. She blushed when she handed it to him.

“It’s all I have.”

Still laughing, he tore off a piece. “Whatever works, shutterbug.” He placed the tape over the steam valve, which would trap the cool air, limiting the amount of hot steam to enter the pipe. “This is a temporary fix but should help in cooling the apartment.”

“Thank you so much,” she said, fanning herself with a magazine. He stood and faced her and tried his damnedest not to stare at her chest. But, of course, he had to constantly drag his eyes away.

“Wyatt?” she asked with a sharp voice, and he realized she’d been trying to get his attention as he lost himself in all that smooth, creamy skin.

“What?” he asked, forcing his eyes to move higher.

“Was there something you needed?”

“Huh?”Fuck.He sounded like an idiot. She’d rattled his brain with that skimpy outfit, and he’d never been more happy that winter was coming. If he had to stare at her dressed like that for the rest of the summer, he’d be walking around with a perpetual boner.

“Was there something you wanted to talk about? Why are you here?”

Remembering where his thoughts had been most of the day, he suddenly found he couldn’t think of a single thing to explain what had brought him. His throat tightened. He drew a hand down his neck as if he could dislodge the words that were trapped. “Um... I... uh.” His gaze flitted around the room as he tried to think of something to say.

As if she understood, her forehead creased in concern. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. An agonized groan escaped from the lump in his throat as he buried his face in her hair. Gathering her closer, he let her calm presence seep into his soul. Her exotic floral scent imbued his senses, and he pulled the flavor into his lungs. She filled him, mind, body, and soul, and he absorbed it all.

He’d needed this. He’d needed this moment of calm. And somehow, Sutton had known exactly what he’d needed.

Before long, other things were making themselves known aside from his need for calm. As they held each other, he noticed how she felt in his arms, her body conforming to his. Soft against his hard. His cock throbbed, the blood having rushed south at an alarming rate.

She sighed before lifting her head from where it rested on his chest. She kissed his jaw before pulling back to smile up at him. “Come on, let’s sit,” she said, grabbing his hand and drawing him to the couch. He sat, noting her laptop open on the coffee table in front of him.

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