Page 78 of Secrets

Sutton sighs and leans against the wall. "Because a one-night stand could break this friendship we've formed, and I don't have any desire to be someone's friend with benefits. It's one thingwhen I barely know the guy and go home with him, but I feel like I know you. And I like you. I don't want to stop liking you."

"You do know me," he says, standing and walking over to her. "You know me, and I know you. I know you better than I've ever known someone else, and that's why I think we could make this thing work."

Lowering her eyebrows, she stares into his eyes. "Are you saying you want a relationship with me?"

"I think I want to see if being more than friends would be as great as I think it would be. You mean so much to me, and I would never want to jeopardize our friendship. If you want to leave and pretend that I never said a word, we can. But I'm a risk taker. I needed to let you know how I felt."

Against her better judgment, she wraps her arms around him and kisses him, letting him lead her back to his bedroom. This will either be the greatest night or biggest mistake of her life.

Summerville

Nelson

Nelson wakes up the next morning with a slight headache, and when he reaches his arm out, he finds his bed empty. Where a beautiful Sutton should be sleeping next to him sits an empty, cold spot. No note. No woman. Hell, it doesn't even seem like she was really there at all.

"Was it all a dream?" he asks.

Based on how naked he is, and how rumpled and twisted the sheets are, he knows the night of passion he shared with Sutton wasn't a dream. What he can't figure out, though, is why she disappeared without a word. He told her wanted to give this a real try between them, but she slips out like a one-night stand instead.

Climbing out of bed, he showers and changes before walking to her apartment because his bike still sits outside the bar.

"Yeah?" Sutton's voice comes from the speaker box outside the building when he buzzes her apartment.

"So you are home. It's me," Nelson says.

The door clicks, and he walks inside towards the stairs and up the three flights to her apartment. He only has to knock once before the door swings open.

"Hey," she says, moving to let him into her place. "I didn't think you'd be up before four this afternoon."

"So... I didn't dream last night?"

Turning around, she tilts her head. "What wasn't a dream?"

He can't tell if she's messing with him, or if she's serious. "I woke up alone."

"Yeah?"

"Why weren't you there with me?"

"Do you even remember last night? You were pretty drunk."

There's no way he could have forgotten. Every move she made, every kiss she gave him, every moan, he remembers it all. "I remember everything. I wasn't that drunk. Someone started giving me water earlier than normal last night under the guise of it being vodka, and I didn't drink when we got back to my place."

She moves about her kitchen, avoiding looking at him. "When I woke up, I wasn't sure whether you wanted me to stay or not."

"Why not?"

"Because I wasn't sure how serious you were before. I realized when I woke up it could have been the alcohol talking."

Walking into the kitchen, he stands behind her, pinning her against the counter with his hands next to hers while his mouth lowers to her ear. "It wasn't the alcohol talking."

"It wasn't?"

"There's something special about you. Something I've never had with anyone else."

Sutton turns in his arms, and he moves his hands to rest on her hips. "You really want it to be more than a one-night thing? Because I'm only agreeing to this if it's only us. No more women in bars. No more drunken nights with club bunnies. It's me or them if we do this. If not, I think we can still just be friends."

The idea of being tied down again scares him, but the thought of not having Sutton ever again scares him more. "Okay."

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