“Speaking of which, any particular reason you let everyone else get their shots in before you stepped back in for the finale?” Sebastian asks, his doctor eyes assessing me.
I shrug. “Seemed fair. I got first dibs.”
“Right,” he says with a knowing smirk. “Nothing to do with making sure your throwing hand wasn’t too damaged before that last punch.”
“Maybe I’m just strategic.”
Sebastian laughs. “Or maybe you wanted to make sure you could still play next week while getting your point across.”
“Can’t it be both?” I grin, flexing my fingers beneath the ice.
“You can’t fool me,” Sebastian chuckles. “I’ve known you your whole life.”
I shake my head, unable to keep the smile from my face. “Fine, you caught me. I wasn’t about to risk next week’s game over that piece of shit.”
“Smart man.” Sebastian pats my shoulder, then looks across the room at Sutton. “Though I think you would have done it anyway if he’d pushed just a little more.”
He’s right. If Micah had gotten any closer to Sutton, if he’d said one more word about her, I wouldn’t have cared about myhand or the next game or my whole damn career. Some things matter more.
“Probably,” I admit.
“Well, I’m glad it didn’t come to that.” Sebastian hands me a fresh beer. “You’ve got something special with her, Shep. Don’t mess it up.”
“Not planning on it.” I take the beer, my eyes finding Sutton again as she laughs at something Killian says. The sound carries across the bar, and something inside me settles at the sound of her genuine happiness.
When the bar finally closes I stick around with Sutton to help Cal clean up and I pay the final tab plus a whole lot extra. “Can’t thank you enough Cal.”
“For what?” he asks, glancing down at the wad of one hundred dollar bills I’ve placed in front of him.
“For letting us crash your bar tonight to celebrate. For letting that bullshit with Brannigan play out…for Sutton’s sake. She needed tonight and I’m forever grateful you had a hand in allowing her to stand her ground and take her power back.”
We both watch as Sutton wipes down tables in the back of the room. Cal nods and then pushes his hands into his pockets. “I had a feeling it was bad,” he says softly. “But I never knew how bad. Not until tonight. The fucker got what he deserved. If I ever see him in here again, I’ll kill him myself.”
I shake Cal’s hand and give him an appreciative brotherly hug. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.
When Sutton finally makes it back to the bar, her shoulders slump and dark circles rim her eyes like bruises against her pale skin. Her fingers tremble slightly as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You’re beautiful, even when you’re tired as hell. Do you know that?” I smile before leaning over and kissing her temple,breathing in the lingering scent of her vanilla perfume mixed with the smoky haze of the bar.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted,” she says, her voice raspy from the night’s confrontation. “Like seriously feel like I could sleep for a week.” She leans against the polished mahogany bar, eyelids heavy.
I chuckle, sliding my arm around her waist to steady her. “That’s the adrenaline drop. Your body was in shock and now that it’s over, what goes up must come down. Like a roller coaster after the big hill.”
“Take me home then, Haynes.” She presses her forehead against my chest, her warmth seeping through my shirt. “I’m ready for a steaming hot shower and your big comfy bed.”
“That,” I say, running my thumb across her flushed cheek, “I can provide.”
31
SUTTON
“Shepherd,” I gasp as his lips trail down my neck, his stubble leaving a delicious burn in its wake. “The door?—”
The smell of sawdust is the first thing that hit me before the rest of my senses caught up. Then it was his mouth, his hands, the way he’s pressed me against his workbench with such careful urgency that I can barely breathe.
“It’s just us,” he murmurs against my skin. “Nobody’s here but us and when you walked out here wearing this…” His fingers feather over the hem of my T-shirt.HisT-shirt.
