Page 80 of Tempt Thy Neighbor

“I’m sorry, Holland. I’m so sorry.”

Tears spring to my eyes and I sink into him, hugging him back, missing his warmth. “Thank you.”

He pulls away, wiping a tear from his eye, and clears his throat. “We’ll, uh, we’ll talk later, okay?”

I nod because it’s all I can manage.

He bends toward me. “He’s a good man.” His eyes drift to Sutton, then back to me. “Don’t let that one go.”

I don’t want to.

He gives me a small smile before returning to my scowling mother.

Sutton tugs on my hand, pulling me from the room.

When we reach the coat check, he gives the attendant our stubs and we wait.

“You okay?” he asks when we’re alone.

“No. Are you?”

“No.”

I smile and step into him, pressing my body against his. “You know what will make me feel better?”

Lust lights his eyes, and he reaches into his pocket. He pulls out his wallet and grabs a handful of bills, then thrusts them at the attendant.

“Give us the room for thirty minutes.”

I laugh as he tugs me into the coat closet and more than makes up for the last time we were in here.

16

Sutton

I should be elated.

Should be walking around happy as a damn clam.

I finally told my father to fuck off.

Sure, my mother has been blowing up my phone nonstop for days, but I don’t care. I fucking did it.

And on one hand, I feel like this noose that’s been wrapped around my neck for so many years has finally been loosened and I can breathe again.

On the other, there’s this unexplainable weight sitting on my chest. It feels like something bad is going to happen, and I just can’t put my finger on what that something is.

It’s been lingering for nearly a week now, ever since the night of the gala. We slipped away into the coat closet, and it felt as if everything that had been wrong in my life for the last four years was fixed.

I was done with my family. I was done being a pawn in their game. And I had Holland back in my arms.

I thought at first the weight was because I was waiting for Holland to come to her senses and be pissed at me for the way I spoke to her parents, but she’s not mad at all. In fact, I think she likes me even more for telling them everything she couldn’t bring herself to say.

“Sutton?” Jessa calls my name, pulling me from my thoughts.

I glance up at her from my computer screen that I’ve been staring at for the last five minutes. Just a blank cursor staring back at me.

Tick.

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