Page 44 of Ink

“I’m not covering for him!” she screams, her wild eyes are bloodshot from crying.

“Okay.” I raise my hands in defense, trying to calm her down. If she hadn’t been looking me in the eye, I don’t know if I would have been so inclined to believe her. “Can we get you cleaned up?”

She swallows as she tightly nods, looking anywhere but me. I wait patiently for her to make the first move, but nothing happens. She looks like she’s starting to zone back out.

“Do you want me to step out?”

After a long moment, she shakes her head, burning a bigger hole into the spot on the wall from before.

Once again, she doesn’t make a move to strip. Sutton doesn’t protest as I close my eyes, slowly pulling the hem of her shirt up. Just as I think I’m nearing her shoulders and almost have it off, the shirt gets caught. I’ve undressed enough women in my lifetime that I should be able to do this with my fucking eyes closed, but this is different.

This feels different.

Staying true to my word, I keep my eyes closed as I try to get the back of her shirt off the hook of her bra. Little goosebumps pepper her skin where my calloused finger grazes her skin. Sutton raises her arms above her head, and I pull her shirt the rest of the way off, discarding it on the floor. Her bra, panties, and ugly khakis follow suit.

Now would be the time to burn those fucking things.

“Do you need my help gettin’ in?”

Knowing her, she’s probably responding with her head, and I can’t fucking see it.

“Sutton? My eyes are still closed. Just give me a yes or no and I’ll leave you to it.”

“No,” she says, voice quiet.

And that’s my cue.

Without another word, I leave the bathroom, making sure she hears me close the door.

What am I getting into with her?

Chapter

Seventeen

INK

“Ink?”

“I’d love to stop and chat, darlin’, but now’s not a good time,” I tell Evan as I shut my bedroom door, wincing as it comes out harsher than I intended.

None of this is her fault and she shouldn’t be taking the brunt of my frustration.

“Is she okay?” Evan asks, concern etched in her face.

What a loaded fucking question.

“As okay as she can be.” It’s starting to eat at me that I don’t have all the details of what happened. The bullshit she spewed out has me itching to get a name and address because I know it’s about to get worse. “She’s showerin’ now.”

“Does she need some clothes? I can bring her whatever she needs. I have a ton of stuff at the house I can bring over. Cain keeps threatening to burn it all because our closest is overflowing.”

“I packed all of her shit up that was in her room and threw it in my truck.”

A knowing smirk creeps on to Evan’s face at what’s being said without actually being said.

Sutton isn’t going back.

“Well, let me know if she needs anything or just someone to talk to. I know what it’s like to be trapped with you overbearing assholes.”