Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I ran a hand down my face to keep myself calm. It didn’t work, so I dropped my hand and cursed. “Goddammit, Sutton. Why won’t you let me help you? Please let me help you.”
She swallowed hard, then handed me her phone. I took it, reading a text message she’d pulled up from Jack.
Jack: Sutton, why are you making me do things to hurt you? The sooner you realize we’re meant to be together, the faster we can put all of this behind us. Stop fighting it. Agree to remarry me, and I’ll put the money back in the account.
I wanted to crush the phone in my hand. “That son-of-a-bitch.”
“He’s not going to stop. And if my parents find out about this, my dad is going to… oh God.” She buried her face in her hands and started to cry again.
Wrapping my arms around Sutton, I held her until she got her emotions under control. When she stepped back, I reluctantly let her go.
She wiped her tears away, squared her shoulders, and said, “Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“I think the only way to get him to realize things are over is by, um…moving on.”
I nodded and pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “I think so too.”
She lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Are you sure about this, Brody? If you marry me, then…you’re giving up—”
I cut her off. “I’m not giving up anything, Sutton. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
The corners of her mouth twitched with a soft smile. “I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay married.”
“I don’t care.”
She cleared her throat and took another step back. “Can you meet me next Monday? We can go and get a marriage license. I don’t want to do anything until after the party on Saturday, and I don’t want anyone to find out we got married until after Gannon and Addie’s wedding. The last thing I’d want to do is steal my own sister’s thunder.”
I nodded. “What about Jack? He could easily tell people.”
She closed her eyes. “Let’s try to keep it between us for as long as we can. I have a feeling Jack won’t want to spread that news around. He’s always looked at you as his competition.”
“Okay. Do you want me to give you some money until you can work things out with the lawyer?”
Her eyes filled with tears once again, but she somehow managed to keep them at bay. “I paid the rent, so I’m okay for at least a month, but I do have a large order of…items…that I placed for the loft area. I’m sure my friend in New York will understand if I have to delay her payment on the lingerie, but the other things…I’ll need to pay for them before they ship.”
A smile spread across my face. “So what you’re saying is, you need me to lend you money to buy some special items that you’ll be stocking?”
Her cheeks turned bright red. “Yes.”
I nodded. “Let me know what you need.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Brody, it’s frickin’ lingerie and dildos. It feels so weird having you pay for them! I mean, if it was office supplies, that would be one thing. But knowing you’re buying sex toys is…too much.”
My dick jumped in my pants. “You were the one who told me what the items were, Sutton. I would never have asked.”
“Oh. I wasn’t even thinking about that.”
I laughed and kissed the top of her head, trying to ignore the fact that my cock was growing even harder. “Let me know how much you need, and we’ll get it taken care of.”
She nodded and drew in a shaking breath. “I hate that he makes me feel this way.”
“What way?” I asked.
“Helpless. Dependent. He thrived on that when we were married, and I vowed to never let him make me feel that way again—and here I am.”
“You’re far from helpless, and you’re not dependent on anyone.”
“Really?” she asked with a disbelieving laugh. “Because I’m borrowing money from you and asking you to give up your life and marry me to keep my crazy ex-husband from tormenting me. That sounds a hell of a lot like being dependent on someone.”
“To me, that sounds like Asshat is playing games and toying around with your life. It’s not your fault he had access to the money. And trust me, marrying you isn’t going to end my life.”
Sutton turned and started toward her office. “Oh my God. I can’t believe I’m getting married again. Two unwanted marriages. What are my parents going to think?”
My steps faltered at her words, but I ignored the stab of pain and followed her. “Hey, why don’t you let me clean up my mess, then we can go and grab something to eat. My treat.”
Sutton stopped right before she walked into her office. “Can we go somewhere with alcohol? I need a strong drink. Maybe ten.”