Sutton's Choice (Hudson Boys Book 1)

by C. A. Harms

  My heart is hammering in my chest as I grip the wheel tight.

  I can see the bright red Jeep up ahead, slowing to stop, before turning left. I hit the gas, feeling the adrenaline course through me.

  As I get closer, I lay on the horn and see both girls turn to look behind them. Kendall taps the breaks, and then Sutton waves her hands out in front of her before the brake lights disappear once more. It appears she's directed her friend to keep driving, and I can't say that I blame her.

  Pressing the horn once more, I see Sutton's hand go up in the air and chuckle when she flips me off. She has a fire in her that I love.

  I don't see any cars coming in our direction, so I speed up and get beside them. Kendall's eyes widen as she looks over at me and Sutton glares.

  "Pull over," I point to the shoulder, and Kendall looks torn.

  "Are you crazy?" She points ahead, and I see a car coming over the hill.

  "Pull over," I say once again, and Sutton worries her lip.

  "You're gonna get yourself killed, you idiot." Kendall barks and grips her wheel tight. She says something to Sutton and looks back at me before whipping the wheel in the direction of the side of the road, and I hit the brakes to slow down and move out of the way of the approaching car. They blare their horn as they pass, and I shift my truck into park and jump out. Walking up the passenger side of the Jeep, I notice the sympathetic look Kendall offers me before looking forward once again.

  "Sutton," she doesn't even look at me. "Will you look at me?"

  She turns her head in my direction, her eyes lock on mine, but she says nothing.

  "Can we talk?"

  "I have nothing to say," reaching out, I place my hand on her thigh and her lower lip trembles which practically guts me. "I was there with you for over three hours, and you barely said ten words to me."

  Stepping closer, I place my finger against her chin and carefully turn her to face me. "I'm sorry," she rolls her eyes, and I fight the urge to smile. But I find her sassy attitude incredibly cute. Unfortunately, now is not the time to laugh or smile.

  "Will you come with me back to my place like we'd planned?"

  "I'm going home," she refuses to look at me.

  "Please," I try again, and this time she only shakes her head.

  "Baby, come on," I grip her legs and move in as close as I possibly can without climbing onto her lap. "Okay fine," I'm beginning to panic. "I'm an asshole, and I don't deserve you; I know this. However, the idea of you and my brother being anything at all drives me outta my mind. From the first night, he stood before me with his arm over your shoulder; I wanted to remove it forcibly. Me feeling murderous toward my brother is all fucking new to me. But you're mine, Sutton."

  "I'm yours?" She narrows her eyes, and I see a flare of attitude in her.

  "Yes," and nothing or no one is taking her away from me.

  "I'm not a possession Brantley," her words are more of a sneer as she glares at me. "I'm not a car or your favorite pair of shoes."

  "No," cupping her jaw, I glide my thumb over her lower lip, "but you are my girl."

  I hear aww from the driver's seat, but I don't look away from Sutton. I've dug this hole for myself, and I'll do whatever it takes to get out of it.

  "That's up for debate," she's playing it all out like my words don't affect her, but I see how she softened when I called her my girl.

  "Are you telling me that you don't wanna be my girl?" with her arms still crossed before her, she narrows her eyes at me.

  "Not if every single time your brother and I talk, I'm gonna be forced to deal with one of your baby fits."

  "Baby fits?" I can see Kendall smiling out of the corner of my eye.

  "Yes," she refuses to back down. "You're acting like a spoiled drama queen."

  "But what if this spoiled drama queen is in love with you?" Kendall covers her mouth and Sutton, just gapes at me. Surprise flooding her beautiful green eyes. "What if I act like an idiot because the idea of losing you is something I never want to face?"

  The glare she held only seconds ago begins to fade.

  "What then?"

  She looks down, and I see her shoulder lift as she takes in a deep breath.

  "You can't tell someone that you love them when you are fighting."

  "I'm not telling someone; I'm telling you." She looks up through her long lashes, and I lean in to press my forehead to hers. "I love you," I whisper, and she closes her eyes, taking in another slow deep breath. "Apparently, being in love makes you do stupid shit and act like a drama-driven ass when it's not warranted."

  When she shakes her head, I cup her face in my hands and move in to kiss her lips. "I am sorry," I'll be the first to admit I handled the entire situation wrong. "Will you please come home with me so that I can make things right with us? I don't want to fight with you."

  "You started it," this time, I do smile as I take the opportunity to kiss her once more.

  "I did, and now I'm trying to end it. Fighting with you sucks. I don't like how it makes me feel."

  Like my chests on fire.

  "And I don't like how sad you look either. That, shit’s killing me." She's beautiful no matter what, but I prefer her smiles.

  Reaching over, she unhooks her seatbelt and swivels around to face me. Stepping in between her parted legs, I pull her close, and she hooks her legs together behind my back. Kendall offers me an approving nod, and I move away, taking my girl with me.

  I meant what I said, Sutton is mine. I'm over feeling guilty about it.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Sutton

  * * *

  "Who's the guy?" Sonya looks over my shoulder toward the parking lot, and I fight the urge to turn around and look. Her interest could only mean one thing. "What is it about a guy wearing a baseball cap backward that drives a girl crazy?"

  I can't help but laugh at the young girl; I know just what she means. I think the very same thing every single time I see Brantley in his.

  "Please tell me he has a much younger brother that looks just like him." The teenager is practically panting.

  "Younger brother, yes," her eyes light up with excitement. "But still much too old for you."

  "That hardly seems fair."

  I feel a hand come to rest on my lower back just before a soft kiss is being pressed to my cheek. "Ladies," that smooth drawl rolls right through me, and it appears to have an equal effect on Sonya. "You ready to go, baby."

  Sonya sighs though I'm not sure she means for us to hear. Her cheeks redden in embarrassment, and I hear Brantley chuckle.

  "Hey," I look over my shoulder to see him flash her a dazzling smile. "I'm Brant, and you are?" Then, holding out his hand, he waits. She, of course, fumbles over her words like she's forgotten her name, and I bite my lip to keep myself from laughing.

  "Son-sonya," she stumbles, and his grin widens. I roll my eyes at him before looking back at my student. She is utterly awestruck over him, staring all doe-eyed.

  Leaning back into Brantley, he slides his hand a little lower, pinching my ass, and immediately I move away.

  We had our first official fight a week ago, and since then, he's been going out of his way to see me daily. Even if he has to drive twenty minutes in the opposite direction of his current job to bring me a coffee, he does it.

  "I'll see you next week," I tell Sonya and fight my smile. She is completely engrossed in Brantley and only manages to nod her head.

  Giving him a little shove, I pinch his side, and he covers my hand with his own. "Dazzling the teenager, real smooth."

  "What do ya mean?" Then, linking his fingers with mine, he pulls my body flush to his and kisses me softly.

  "I bet that grin has gotten you all kinds of things throughout life."

  "It got me you," he quips.

  "It wasn't the smile," okay, fine, it was partly the smile. The dominant stance, the broody eyes, the deep soothing come hither voice and the lips. Without a single doubt, the lips. Brant knows how he gets me.
The smirk on his lips while he stands before me, is the only indication I need to know that, for sure. "Will you just move already." He chuckles, wrapping his arm over my shoulder as he begins to walk me toward his truck, then practically lifting me inside. I knew he planned on picking me up, so I had Lexi drop me this morning on her way to work. I had no intentions of going home tonight because I knew Derrick would be there. I can barely stand hearing his name, let alone seeing his face.

  "I got something I wanna show you," Brant says as he buckles his seatbelt and leans in close to take my hand in his. Then, lifts them to rest on his thigh, just as he's been doing every single time we are side by side in his truck. It's like he has to be touching me in some form to be happy. "Then we can grab takeout or go out for something."

  I could sense his excitement.

  "Does this thing you wanna show me require privacy or?" I love taunting him; he makes it so easy.

  "That's later; first, I want you to see the progress on the house."

  He's kept the plans pretty hush, only giving me details here or there. But it's been the same, the incredible joy in his eyes when he mentions even the smallest of things.

  We remain quiet, listening to a song playing on the radio, with only the sounds of Brantley drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. Then, when he turns on the familiar road and starts on the path that will one day be his driveway, I look ahead in anticipation.

  He parks and we're both out of the truck when he rounds the front, lacing his fingers with mine. "They poured the walls this morning," stepping in closer, I look at the space. He said the basement would be small, but the truth is it's much bigger than I thought.

  "The lower level is only a walk-out family room, with a small bathroom. The main living space will be upstairs. But it's finally starting," I swear there is a twinkle in his eyes as he explains what's to come.

  "How long now do you have to wait to be able to build on it?"

  "About sixty days, maybe a little less," my eyes widen in surprise. "Seems like a long time, but after we start to frame everything up and set the rafters, it will move along after that."

  I nod, still reeling.

  "I took a twelve-month lease on the apartment. So, I've got a little less than eight months left." Lexi's comment from last night rings in my mind once more. The mere mention of her thinking about moving in with Derrick floored me. "By then, if there are still things that need to be finished, I'll be able to have a roof over my head at least while I work on all the details."

  "Are you ever gonna show me the plans for this perfect house you've imagined?"

  "I kinda want it to be a surprise," he is like a little kid, his eyes wide in amazement.

  "Well, okay then," how can I deny him that. It's adorable to see how genuinely excited he is.

  "But I will need your help with the inside."

  "Not sure what color to paint your bedroom," I'm only playing around because guys are never great with decorating, but his response surprises me.

  "I can't have you living in a house you don't love," he moves around to my front and takes my hands in his. Pulling me close, I tip my head back to look up at him. "That is what I want one day," he continues, brushing a kiss against my lips. "For you to live here too."

  “Brant—,” he stops me by pressing his lips to mine, only this time he trails his tongue over the seam, and I part mine, accepting his advances.

  "I said one day Sutton," he whispers, "Whenever you're ready. Because I've been ready for you, long before I even knew your name."

  * * *

  Chapter Forty Eight

  Brantley

  * * *

  “Hey Lex,” I look to my left just in time to see Bennett lean against the bar on the opposite side of Lexi. Her hand freezes mid-air, with her beer hovering only a few inches from her lips. “You still avoiding me, or will you finally let me explain?” She’s refusing to look at him.

  “Nothing to explain,” she says, all tight-lipped with her nostrils flaring, and immediately I’m reminded of Sutton. All these women must take a course on cold and bitter because they have that shit perfected. “You already explained it perfectly, it was a mistake, and I couldn’t agree more.”

  “Now you’re as full of shit as I was that night, and we both know it.” Bennett is about as smooth as me when he’s annoyed. Words fly out without a second thought, words laced with cockiness and arrogance. Same low tolerance for the bullshit thing, which leaves us loose lipped and sarcastic. “It felt nothing like a mistake.”

  “Which is exactly why you called it that,” she takes a big gulp of her beer and then sits it down on the counter a little too hard. “I blame it on the fact that I was lonely then. It was a moment that has long passed. I’m not so lonely anymore?”

  “There’s another lie,” if I didn’t know Bennett’s angle, I’d punch him myself. Did he think being an ass was gonna get him the girl? I learned a lesson the last and only time I took that route with Sutton.

  “Please enlighten me; what am I lying about?”

  “Being lonely,” he wastes no time with his response, and she whips her head in his direction, leaving it impossible for me now to see her expression. I should walk away and allow the two of them alone time, but it’s far too entertaining. “I think you are lonelier now since you’re back with douchebag than you were three months ago.”

  “And you’re an idiot if you think so.”

  I hear Bennett chuckle, and Lexi takes a step toward him. “That’s your normal angle, right. You only want someone when they’re with someone else. You wait until a girl is with another guy, and then suddenly you want them. Well, Bennett, I’m happy.”

  “And yet another lie,” maybe he needs to cut back on the cocky humor. His smile is even irritating me.

  “What in the hell are you even talking about?” She practically yells the words gaining the attention of a few people around us.

  Bennett moves in closer to her, and I notice how she steps back in my direction. Maybe I should move and allow her to retreat, but of course, I don’t. Instead, I remain right where I am forming some barrier to enable Bennett to gain the closeness he needs. “Ya see, you might be with someone else, Lex, but I think we both know that you aren’t happy.”

  “You don’t know anything,” her voice is much lower this time and a bit unsure as it sounds shaky.

  “I know a lot more than you think,” I glance over just in time to see my brother move a strand of hair away from her face and glide his finger over her cheek. She shudders, and I quickly look away, grinning knowingly. That reaction right there, the tremble, reminds me of Sutton and the way her body reacts to me.

  Glancing around, I wonder what is taking her so long. She was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago.

  “If that were true,” again unable to stop myself, I shift back around and listen to the soap opera taking place at my side. “Then you would know that I’m not interested in you or anything you have to say.” Even I can hear how unsure her words are. They sound more like a question than a statement of fact.

  “We can keep playing this game, you lying to yourself and me if that’s what you want. But just so you know, if I get even a glimpse of Derrick treating you the way he did before, I’m gonna drop him, Lex.”

  He steps back from her.

  “Bennett,” she touches his arm, and for a second, I think maybe this is her breaking point. But then she proves me wrong. “Leave him alone.”

  “You deserve better, Lexi. He’s not good for you.”

  “And you are?” She laughs, but you can only hear the sadness in the sound.

  “No, I’m not good for you either, but it’s not stopping me from wanting you. I know I don’t deserve you, and I know it’s probably too late for me to wake up and realize what I had right in front of me, but as I said, I want you.” Leaning in, he kisses her cheek. “He better not hurt you,” and with that, he steps back from her and walks away. Lexi stands still, staring after
him. When she turns back to the bar, her eyes are wide. Then she glances at me and tries to hide his effects on her.

  “Will you do something with him?”

  I shrug, and she shakes her head as if she is confused and doesn’t quite know what to say or do. “Talk to him, tell him to back off.” I know she means to back off her boyfriend or whatever the hell he is and not leave her alone. She may act cold and like she dislikes him, but her body and how she leaned into him tell a completely different story.

  “He’s a big boy Lex,” I shrug. I have no intentions of telling Bennett to do anything.

  “Brantley,” the only thing she is missing is the stomp of her feet to complete her fit.

  “Hey,” my pulse quickens at the sound of Sutton’s voice. I twist around just in time to snag her around the waist as she steps up to my side. Pulling her before me, I kiss her and think nothing of being in a bar with a crowd of people. I stopped caring. I stopped worrying about what people may think and how they may feel. She is all that matters. “Mm,” she hums against my lips just before I pull back. Slowly her eyes open, and she bites her lower lip, looking at me in the sultry way that practically brings me to my knees each time. “Miss me?”

  “Always,” being away from her feels like I’m missing part of myself. Sutton is the best part of my day. She can bring a smile to my face without even trying—just the feel of her touch or the tickle of her hair to my chest takes my breath away. A gentle kiss in the middle of the night, even her sighs while she sleeps, makes me feel settled and like I’ve finally found the comfort I strived for.

  “Sutton, tell him to control his brother,” Lexi interrupts my moment, and though she attempts to move away from me, I continue to hold my girl close. Then, positioning her in front of me, I cage her to the bar. “Bennett is ridiculous.”

  Sutton arches her brow and looks between Lexi and me. I shrug, acting oblivious to the situation. The fact of the matter is, I find it hilarious.

  “He stormed in here,” Lexi is being all dramatic, waving her hands out in front of her. I wouldn’t say Ben stormed; it was more of a confident stride. “Throwing around all this bullshit about wanting me and that I’m not happy.”