“You did so good, baby,” he whispers against my forehead as he carries me out of the room and down the hall. “You’re so fucking perfect.”
I smile against his chest, snuggling into him. He takes me into his bedroom and cleans me up before tucking me into bed and crawling in next to me, holding me tight as I fall asleep secure in his arms.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: UNWELCOME VISITOR
SUTTON
I spendthe next day at the performance center while Jayce is at practice, holding up my blueprints to compare my designs to the space and soaking in the potential the building holds. It’s nice to get out of the penthouse now and again. Sometimes I sit at the coffee shop across the street from the center, and some days, like today, I walk around the building, inspecting it more closely.
I lift my blueprints, aligning the drawing with the wide expanse in front of me. I can see it so clearly in my mind.
This could really happen…and then the other thought crashes in.
This only happens if I nail the presentation.
My stomach drops.
None of this matters unless I can stand in front of Romero and his board and convince them I deserve this project.
I lower the blueprints slowly, staring up at the building as the memory of my last panic attack during a work presentation creeps into my mind again. I can’t rely on Dad stepping in and saving me this time.
What if that happens again, though?
What if I walk into that boardroom, open my mouth to speak, and nothing comes out? Or worse…what if I start panicking in front of all of them?
My grip tightens around the edge of the blueprints.
I shake my head, forcing the thoughts away. I can’t let them get the better of me. I can do this. My parents haven’t seen me panic in years, and I’m so much more experienced than I was right out of school. I’m confident in my work and my abilities, and I can make this presentation without losing it.
Tucking my blueprints away, I decide it’s time to go back home.
Deep breaths.
You can do it,
I don’t convince myself of that far-fetched possibility, but as I leave the building, I do get my mind far enough away from the presentation that it’s not freaking me out as badly. By the time I get back to Jayce’s building, I’m feeling refreshed and energized and I’m brimming with new confidence. About other things, at least. Not the presentation.
The moment I step into the lobby of the apartment building, those feelings of accomplishment and contentment vanish when I see a tall figure with slicked back blond hair standing in front of the reception desk.
I freeze in place, my stomach twisting with dread.
Leon.
What the fuck is he doing here in Denver?
His glare locks onto me. It’s clear he’s been waiting for me.
“Sutton,” he says with a weirdly nervous smile that doesn’t touch his eyes.
Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Pretending not to have heard him, I turn and rush down the hallway to my left toward the elevators. When I reach them, I hit the button repeatedly, willing it to magically appear that instant. I hear his footsteps hurryingtoward me, his long strides eating up the distance too fast for me to escape.
“Sutton! Hold on!”
Oh, God, I don’t know what to do. The elevator isn’t opening, and I can’t keep pretending I don’t hear him. I thought blocking his number would send a clear message that I didn’t want to talk to him.
Apparently, I was mistaken.
“Sutton!”
