“I’ll put your check in the mail.” She straightened the skirt of her dress and fluffed her hair, before leaving.
I watched her go, and as I did, my eyes latched onto very vibrant, very hurt blue eyes.
“Sutton,” I breathed.
Shaking her head, she stomped forward. I expected her to say something. Instead, her hand reared back and smacked against my cheek hard enough that my teeth clanked together.
It dawned on me then why her eyes had looked so hurt.
She didn’t go across to her apartment, instead trekking towards the door that led to the roof—to my sanctuary.
I forced my fingers through my hair, an irritated groan coming out of my mouth. I didn’t need to deal with these fucking female hormones. It’s why I’d avoided a relationship forever. I warred with whether or not to go after her. I finally decided that I had nothing to hide and I didn’t deserve her anger—unfortunately now I was angry. Between her reaction to seeing me with Monique and the psycho cougar pawing all over me, I was done.
I stormed up the stairs after her. The door to the roof slammed closed behind me. Her back was to me as she sat on the ledge and she flinched at the sound.
“Sutton,” I growled.
“I have nothing to say to you,” she said, bending her head forward as she looked at the ground below her feet.
“Well I have a hell of a lot to say to you!” I shouted. I didn’t care if anyone heard us. Let them watch us make a spectacle up on the roof.
“Like what?!” She finally turned, and swung her legs around so she could stand. “The fact that you let that woman pay you for sex?! God, Caelan! I feel so fucking dirty now!” She rubbed her hands over her body like the taint of my sins clung to her.
“You have it all wrong!”
“Do I?” She tilted her head, glaring at me. I had never seen her this mad. Was it wrong that it turned me on? “It looked pretty straightforward to me!”
“Listen to yourself!” I pointed at her. “You’re so fucking judgmental and you have no idea what’s going on!”
“Then explain.” Her voice softened and she crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t going to go easy on me. “You have five minutes to explain yourself.”
I wanted to turn around and leave. Stuff like this wasn’t worth the hassle, but from the moment I hung those damn curtains, Sutton had me. Something about her was different and she’d managed to weasel her way in to my rotting heart. What I felt for her wasn’t love, but an overwhelming need. She didn’t judge me. She got me. And that’s why I didn’t leave and stayed to explain myself.
“She’s a client—”
“See!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “A client! As in a sex client!”
“No,” I pinched the bridge of my nose, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt. “You know, you’re making this entirely unpleasant. I don’t owe you an explanation for my actions. I didn’t do anything wrong. But here I am, trying to get you to see the truth and you won’t fucking listen!” I yelled. I wanted to take her in my hands and shake her for being so stubborn. She infuriated me like no other. She reminded me of my little sister who’d gotten under my skin in the same way. Cayla always believed she knew everything, when really she knew nothing, and Sutton was the same way.
“Fine,” she inhaled deeply. “I’ll be quiet.” She then mimed zipping her lips and locking them with a key, which she then pretended to toss over her shoulder for good measure. A little smirk twisted her lips and it took everything in me not to march forward and claim those plump lips with my own.
“Like I was saying,” I forced myself to say the words, instead of giving in to what I wanted, “she’s a client. She’s commissioned several pieces of art from me.” Sutton’s mouth fell open into a perfect O of shock. “She’s never and will never pay me for sex. I’d be lying if I said she hadn’t tried. I may be a bad man, Sutton,” I stepped forward, three long strides closing the distance between us, “but even I wouldn’t stoop that low for sex and money or even drugs. I may be desperate, but I’m not pathetic.”
Unable to contro
l myself any longer, I reached up and cupped the side of her face in my hand. Her skin was silky, like the softest blanket you could imagine, and unblemished.
I didn’t deserve her, not for even a moment, but our pain brought us together. That pain would also be our downfall.
She placed her hand over mine and turned her head so that she could place a small kiss on the palm of mine.
“I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions and it was wrong of me,” she whispered, her eyes hooded.
“You’re right, it was wrong of you,” I breathed, my other hand finding the nape of her neck. “I think you need to make it up to me.”
She chuckled, her breath tickling the skin peeking out of the collar of my shirt. “And how do you expect me to do that?”
“Weeeeell,” I drew out the word, “I’ve never had sex on the roof.”