Page 14 of West (The Moral Compass 1)
I can’t make him out properly. He’s standing too far away. Oh, shit. He’s coming closer, and closer. Yep, he’s standing by my bed and, fucking hell, he is a god. A full-on sex god. He’s huge. His shoulders are as wide as a door frame. Breathe, Sutton. Breathe.
The machine starts to beep, and my heart rate starts to go up. Kara starts to laugh.
“It’s not fucking funny Kara.”
“Oh, yes it fucking is,” she replies.
West looks at Kara, puzzled. Then she looks back at me, and we both start to crease up, laughing. West looks on as if we are two crazy bitches.
He wouldn’t be wrong.
Chapter 10
West
It’snowbeenaweek since I found Sutton in the hospital all battered and bruised. The police called on Sunday to say they had arrested Jaxon and charged him with attempted murderagain. It’s surprising how much effort the police will put in when they know someone as high profile and powerful as me is on their case. I told them straight on Saturday morning that if they didn’t have him in custody by Sunday night, I would send my own guys after him, and they probably wouldn’t get him back in one piece.
I’ve visited Sutton every night. Her bruising is fading, and her memory has come back. That was a hard day. She cried all day and night, but between Kara, myself and the therapist I’ve hired, she is getting there.
I don’t want her going back to her house. That place is a death trap, and the neighbourhood is shadier than the densest forest. I’ve been looking at alternatives, but nothing seems to fit. I can’t have her living there if she works for me. Plus, she needs one level until she can walk properly again.
I know deep down I’m being overprotective. She only has badly sprained feet and ankles, and a few weeks rest will have her one-hundred percent mobile again, but I can’t help myself. Every night I sit with her, I’m falling deeper. Her beauty is coming through. Even with all the bruises, she was still Miss Smith the Mystery Woman, but it’s her inner beauty that I’m finding more and more attractive.
We’ve talked about the events of that day, and I have laughed at how she thought Alicia and I were together. Alicia is a nice girl, but she’s not for me. She needs someone who can manage that high-maintenance shit. I’m glad that Sutton and I cleared that up, but now I’m sitting here like a nervous-as-hell schoolboy wanting to ask her out on a date.
“So, Sutton, when you’re out of here where are you gonna go?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t stay with Kara; she only has one bedroom, and it’s up a few flights of stairs. Plus, I love her with all my heart, but there’s no fucking way could we live together again. We tried it when we left school, and it nearly killed us both. We get on so well because we are different, but living together even for a short period of time is a no. I don’t know if you’ve gathered, but we have a unique friendship. She likes to take the piss out of me and plays practical jokes constantly. It’s great, and I love it, but not twenty-four hours a day.” She smiles warmly. Everything she said was not a dig at her friend but respect for their friendship.
“Okay, so that’s settled then.”
“What’s settled?”
“You’re coming home with me. My apartment has an elevator, and it’s all on one floor. There is a guest room with an en-suite shower room. You will have the apartment to yourself mostly, as I’m at work most of the
time. It’s just till we find you somewhere else to live. I’m sorry, Sutton, but as your new friend, you arenotgoing back there. I can arrange for the movers to collect all your belongings and have them brought to my place.”
She’s quiet for a moment. I think she is as stunned as I am. I didn’t even think about this, and it’s just fallen from my mouth as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
I take the silence as a confirmation. “Good that’s settled then.”
“What? No, I can’t do that. You’re going to be my new boss. It’s ridiculous. I’ll find somewhere else. I agree, I can’t go back there, but I will find somewhere else, even if it’s a hotel.”
“Okay, your choice.”
I’m not going to push this. I know she can’t find anywhere else whilst she’s stuck in here. I’ll talk to Kara too; she’ll support my idea and back me up.
“I think you should probably go now. It’s getting late, and I’m feeling tired from all the therapy today,” she says quietly.
I think it finally dawned on her that she can’t go home.
Chapter 11
Sutton
Isthisguycompletelycrazy? How could I move in with him? There is a full list of reasons why I can’t. I count the tiles on the ceiling and go over the list in my head.
One, he’s too hot. Two, I’ve only known him for just over a week. Three, three of those days, I was out of it.
