Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Summerville Sutton

S utton stands in the kitchen of her apartment with tears in her eyes. The place is destroyed. Everything Ryan could break, he did. Her dad fixed her door, and he offered to have her stay at his house. She plans to make her way to his place, but she can't leave the apartment as it is.

Messes give her anxiety because it's how she was forced to live at her mom's house. If she tried to clean up, she'd get scolded and grounded, even though most parents use their children as free labor to tidy the house. But not Grace. She'd just leave this mess to clean up later, and Sutton can't stop the annoyed chuckle as she realizes that is exactly how she ended up in this situation to begin with.

When the knock comes at the door, she freezes. “Ryan's dead,” she mutters to herself, but she has no peephole in this new door to see who is on the other side. With her luck, it'll be the police, and she has no idea how to explain anything.

Opening the door, she sighs at Nelson. “I don't have the energy for you right now.”

To her surprise, Nelson just stares into her eyes. “I hate seeing you upset.”

“What?”

“Can I come inside?”

She decides nothing worse can happen tonight, and she steps aside, grimacing as she steps on more broken glass from one of the numerous picture frames tossed and stomped on. Thank God she's wearing shoes. “Sure.”

“Holy shit,” he mutters as he looks around at the mess. “I was here, but I don't think I really took in the full impact of what that asshole did.”

Laughing, she walks to the fridge and pulls out a beer for Nelson while grabbing a seltzer for herself. “It seems like it gets worse every time I look at it. I think it's multiplying on its own.”

“I'm sorry, Sutton.”

Blinking, she just stares at him, the beer in her hand suspended mid-air as she offers it to him. Maybe it's the crying and full panic fear she had, but she doesn't quite process what he's saying. “What?”

“I'm sorry. I... I can't help but feel like this is my fault.”

He takes the can from her hand, and she can't figure out what to say or think. Nelson Parks doesn't admit fault. And he certainly doesn't apologize. “What?”

“I lashed out at you when I was angry and made you feel like you were doing something wrong by not seeking the asshat known as your bio dad out. If I'd kept my mouth shut, maybe you never would have gone to see him. And then this wouldn't have happened.”

“I kind of knew what I was getting into with him, but I thought I was okay because I never told him who I was. I'm not sure why I underestimated a career criminal, though,” she says with a laugh. “Considering how often he got caught, I didn't expect him to be smart in any way.”

The beer remains unopened as he twists it in his hands on the counter, the bottom of it making a scraping sound. “That doesn't mean I didn't push you into it.”

“I don't blame you. Honestly, while I’m not a fan of how things happened, it forced me to face the facts. I have a dad. And he's pretty damn great. The way he came running without any hesitation tells me all I need to know. And thank you for coming, too. I'll have to go thank Venom, which kind of surprises me a little.”

“I have to ask you something.”

“Okay.”

He swallows and looks into her eyes. “You said we used to fit, but we don't anymore. Is there any chance we can fit together again?”

Looking away from his intense gaze, she sighs. “I have feelings for you. I won't deny them, and I already admitted as much to you, but I was just a rebound. Rebounds never work.”

“That's not true.”

She laughs and looks at him again, tilting her head. “Rebounds rarely, if ever, work out long term.”

He shakes his head. “You weren't a rebound.”

“Yeah, I was.”

Nelson lets out a deep breath and braces himself on the counter. “I talked to Daphne and Max after taking care of Ryan. They know me, and I needed them to tell me if they thought the same thing I did. We all agreed on a few realizations.”

“Yeah? Are you on speaking terms with Max again?”

“I think so? I mean, it's kind of weird still. But when I told him what happened, he jumped up and asked if I needed help getting rid of the body. But that's when I really saw it. The way they are together. Plus, he had her tattoo her name above his cock, so hopefully it works out for them,” he says with a laugh. “But Daphne knew the truth. She forced me to see it and accept it, even though deep down I think I knew.”

Swallowing, Sutton wavers on whether she believes she wants to know or not. “Yeah?”

“First, I realized that she and I never loved each other. Which I already knew, but my stubborn streak wanted to be mad at Max. Hell, we barely liked each other, but she says you're good for me. We started as friends.”

“We did start as friends.”

“She saw us at the bar together, and she said the way I looked at you told her everything she needed to know. That I loved you.”

She lifts an eyebrow. “ She told you how you feel about me?”

“Yeah, and I tried to tell her she was wrong, even though I felt it before she said it. I don't fall in love. Nelson Parks doesn't allow a girl to get that close, which is also how she made me see there was no way she and I could have ever loved each other. She told me to stop lying to her, myself, and you. That the way she saw me looking at you was never how I looked at her. Or how she looked at me.”

“That doesn't mean-”

“I think about you all the time. Not being with you drives me crazy, and I have no interest in any other woman. Trust me, I've tried, and it fails. All I see is you, and I miss you. Sure, I miss the sex because you're fucking amazing, but it's more than that. We talked. Really talked, and we laughed. Daphne and I never laughed, and joking around with you is one of my favorite things to do.”

Her heart races. Could Nelson really love her? “You think you're in love because the start of the relationship is the honeymoon phase, but it'll fade. Do you really think you want this after the stars disappear from our eyes?”

“The whole way here, I kept thinking about you. And when I think about you, I start seeing the future. It involves a white dress, kids, and a house with a fence. To be completely honest, it freaks me out a bit because I've never fucking thought about that, but it feels like a good freak-out. Excitement, maybe.”

“You think you want to marry me and start a family?”

“I don't think I do, I know I do. Not tomorrow, but not in twenty years, either. Seeing you tonight, how scared you were, God, I've never felt anything like that before. I don't even know how to describe it, but all I wanted was to wrap you up in my arms and promise nothing bad will ever happen again. You should never feel that much fear. I wish I'd talked Cannon into letting Venom inflict the pain he wanted on that fucker.”

The words drip with sincerity, and Sutton doesn't know what to say. There's an honest truth in his words, and he's opening up more than he ever has before. She can't help it. She believes him.

“You don't have to answer me right now,” he says, pulling her from her thoughts. “I just want you to know I'm not going anywhere. This was a lot, and you've had more than an eventful night. I'm sure there's some processing that needs to happen.”

“Do you forgive Max?” she blurts out.

The answer to this question will determine whether she needs time to see if what he thinks he feels and what he feels are the same. Every part of her body hums as she waits for him to respond.

“Yes and no. I don't hold him being with Daphne against him. Not now. What I have to get over is the betrayal of them going behind my back. Plus, when seeing your ex-girlfriend fucking your older brother is how you find out, it kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth. But I think buying the shop was a good move, and I'm happy she gets to keep her dad's place. Daphne and I also talked about trying to be real friends. Just friends. I'm not sure if that answers your question or not, but it's the truth.”

Sutton walks around the counter, and Nelson turns to face her directly. Her lips touch his as he says exactly what she wants to hear. She can understand being upset about being lied to, but he doesn't hate his brother for loving Daphne. And Nelson knows he never loved Daphne, either.

He wraps his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him while she hugs him. A reassuring embrace is really what she craves, and he doesn't seem bothered when she pulls her lips off his to rest her cheek against his chest. This is what she really needs.

“Tonight scared the shit out of me,” she says, her eyes closing. “When he started stabbing the door, I honestly believed he was going to kill me.”

“When I saw that door, I wanted to bring him back to life just to set him on fire.”

For some reason, the words entertain her, and she laughs. It's probably the stress of the night, but she can't help herself.

“Can I help you clean up the mess?” he asks once she settles down.

Pulling back, Sutton looks into his eyes. “You want to help clean?”

“I know how much this mess is driving you crazy,” he says with a smirk. “It'll go faster if we do it together.”

N elson carries the last large, black bag of broken items to the dumpster, and Sutton has vacuumed and swept up everything. As she looks around, she wants to break down crying again as she sees everything that needs to be replaced. Thankfully, she didn't have much in terms of sentimental items around for Ryan to destroy.

“Do you need a place to stay tonight?” Nelson asks as he walks back inside.

“I'm going to Dad's place. I think we need some father-daughter time together after everything.”

He nods. “I think that'll be good for you. Both of you.”

“I don't have to leave right now, though,” she says and walks up to him. “Thank you for helping me clean up. It did go quicker.”

Cupping her face with his hand, he smiles at her. “Anytime.”

“The bed has been cleaned off.”

He looks pained, and she can't decide how she feels when he shakes his head no. “Not tonight.”

“What?”

“You've been through a lot, and I also said a lot. It's kind of sensory overload for you.”

“Yes, and physically doing a lot could also help.”

A shaky breath comes out, and he tenses beneath her hands on his chest. “I feel like I need to prove my words with actions first.”

“Like the thing you do with your hips?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

He groans, and he hardens against her hip. “Yes-I mean, no.”

“What are you saying, Nelson?”

“I'm saying that we need to go on a date. A real date. And if we end up in bed, me doing that swirling thing with my hips, great. But, and I can't believe I'm saying this right now, it doesn't feel right to take you to bed tonight.”

Leaning back, her eyebrows raise. “I didn't know bikers needed it to feel right to take a woman to bed.”

“I didn't either,” he groans. “And trust me, I want nothing more than to strip you naked and ravage you. It's actually taking every ounce of self-control I have, which is far more than I thought I had, not to throw you over my shoulder caveman-style and toss you on that bed.”

“What constitutes a date?”

“I'll have to get back to you on that,” he says with a smirk. “I've never taken a girl on a date before.”

She laughs. “Not even in high school?”

“No, I pretty much just met women under the bleachers or the backseats of cars. Theirs, not mine, because I had a bike.”

“Wow,” she says. “You got around.”

“I used to be proud of it, but right now... I don't feel so great about it.”

Shaking her head, she looks up into his eyes. “How about dinner and then a movie at your place?”

“Why my place?”

“Well, the things I may want to do to you during the movie aren't suitable for a public audience, and I kind of don't have a TV anymore.”

They both look at the torn-up couch and empty wall where the TV was mounted. “Good call,” he says. “When should we do it?”

“Tomorrow,” Sutton says with a smirk. “I might just combust if I don't get you alone soon.”

Nelson groans as he kisses her. “I could help take care of your needs tonight.”

“I wouldn't feel right if you didn't let me get you off, too.”

“And this is another reason why I love you,” he whispers. “Can I bring you to your dad's place?”

“As long as you kiss me goodnight on the doorstep,” she says, his lips moving to her neck.

The smirk on her skin is unmistakable, and she sighs when he says, “I could kiss you forever.”

“From the sounds of it, you plan to.”

“Oh, I do. I really, really do.”