Dreaming of Daisy (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #6)

by Theresa Paolo

  She shook her head and stumbled a bit. He reached out, grabbing her arm before she fell off the steps.

  “No-pe,” she said.

  “Where is it then?” he asked, looking down at the space around them.

  Suddenly he remembered Brooke’s comment before she’d handed him the keys. That sneaky little…

  “It’s okay,” Daisy said and plopped down on the steps. She crawled up in a ball at his feet. “I’ll stay here and wait till morning. Someone will come by with a key…”

  He suppressed the urge to laugh at her. “Get back in the Jeep.”

  “It’s okay, really. Go. I’ll be fine.”

  If she thought he’d just leave her here outside in thirty-degree weather—hell, in any weather—she was out of her damn mind. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, cuddling into his chest.

  “I’m taking you home.”

  Chapter 18

  Light filtered through the white curtains, soaking Daisy in early morning sun and warmth. She felt a lot better than she probably deserved. She didn’t remember much from last night, but when she opened her eyes to the familiar place, she knew exactly where she was. Nick’s bed.

  She turned over, afraid to find him there, but only because if they’d finally had sex, she wanted to remember every detail. Luckily, the other side of the bed was cold and the comforter was still securely tucked in place.

  She sat up and looked around the room. It was like waking up in the past. His room was exactly how she remembered it, right down to the Mumford and Sons poster above his desk.

  She kicked off the blanket and looked down at the oversized t-shirt she was wearing. Her clothes were draped over his desk chair. She walked out into the hallway, following it to the living room.

  “Hello?” she said only to be greeted with silence. “Nick?”

  A folded blanket and a pillow sat on the couch. He could have put her in any of the bedrooms in the house or even made her sleep on the couch, yet he gave her his room and slept on the couch himself.

  Guilt crept up her throat, but she ignored it. That was his choice, she told herself. She called his name again, and when he didn’t answer she went back to his room, grabbed her clothes, and went to take a shower. It’s not like she could go anywhere without knowing where her keys were.

  She found an unopened toothbrush on the bathroom counter. She shook her head at how typical this was of Nick. He was always ten steps ahead of everyone. She took a quick shower, pulled her clothes back on and brushed her teeth.

  She stepped out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair when she heard noise in the kitchen. She followed the noise and came to a halt at Nick pulling off his shirt. Words stuck in her throat, no matter how hard she tried to force them out.

  He was like a piece of art, all hard lines and perfect angles.

  “Hey,” he said when he noticed her standing there. “Spilled orange juice.”

  She forced her mouth to move and finally managed a response. “Hi. I showered. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I left you a toothbrush,” he said.

  “I found it.”

  “Good.”

  Her eyes kept going back to his chest and the tiny hairs that made a clear path down into his jeans.

  He wet a towel and dabbed at the stain on his shirt. “How you feeling?”

  “Okay I guess.” She motioned to his chest. “Can you put a shirt on?”

  He smirked. “Enjoying the view too much?”

  “No. It’s just a chest,” she lied, trying to act as if seeing his sculpted muscles didn’t affect her. “I’ve seen hundreds of them in Central Park, and trust me, yours is nothing special. I just thought you’d be more comfortable.”

  “Really? Because if you ask me, you’re a bit flustered.”

  “Am not.”

  “Really?” he asked, stepping toward her.

  She ignored her heart slamming against her chest, the way her breaths were coming faster and shorter. “Really.”

  He ran a finger across the delicate curve of her cheek, and she sucked in surprised breath. Goosebumps scattered down her neck and spine.

  “So this blush is just a coincidence?”

  “It’s warm in here.” She spun away from him, her wet curls sticking to her face. She spotted a bag on the counter, and noticed the scent of food in the air. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. “What’s that?” She pointed to the bag on the counter and made her way over to it.

  “A little fast food breakfast and an orange juice.”

  Greasy food had always been her hangover cure. She thought it was the miracle elixir; the only problem was the nearest fast food place to Red Maple Falls was a good thirty minutes away.

  She stared at the bag on the counter then back to Nick. “You went all the way there for me?”

  “Hangovers are no fun, and since you have to be functioning by tonight for Sunday night dinner, you know since your family will…” His words broke off as if he didn’t believe the excuse that he was providing. He started again. “I know how you like greasy food when you’re hungover, and with the amount you drank last night I assumed you would be. I also bought you water and blue Gatorade since that’s the only one you like.”

  He always did this. She messed up and he cleaned up after her.

  She got drunk and interrupted his night by having to drive her home yet he didn’t complain. When she couldn’t find her house key, he could have left her out in the cold, called one of her siblings to come get her, but he didn’t. He brought her home, gave her a shirt to sleep in and gave up his bed for her. He left her a damn toothbrush on the sink and drove thirty minutes out of town to get her hangover food because he knew greasy food was her go to. He never once berated her for making poor decisions. For getting drunk without having a way home. For losing her damn house key. For sneaking out in the middle of the night and never looking back.

  She left him, and it might’ve been six years ago, but the guilt still consumed her. It grabbed hold of her, pulling her under, over and over, and making her feel like the worst person to ever exist. She understood when he was mean to her, she deserved it. But this. She didn’t deserve this.

  “There’s plates in the cabinet,” he said.

  “Just stop!” she yelled.

  His head flinched back slightly at the force of her words. “Stop what?”

  “Stop being so nice to me. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve any of this. I left and I didn’t look back. I just left you…” Tears built in her eyes as the realization hit her like a punch to the gut. “I left you and now I know why.”

  He moved then thought better of it and stopped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Then why? Tell me, Daze, because I have been trying to figure it out for years.”

  She blinked up meeting his familiar eyes that were filled with so many questions. She did that to him and now it was time she gave him the truth.

  “Because if I looked back, I never would’ve left you. So I didn’t look back. Now all I do is look back. Back to graduation night when you proposed and I didn’t give you an answer. I wonder what my life would be like if I said yes because that bullshit I told you at The Happy Apple…that never would’ve been us.” She took a deep breath and swallowed down the hot lump in her throat. “I look back to all those nights we spent in the woods, looking up at the stars. All the times you held me and how after we made love for the first time, I never wanted to let you go. How you wrapped me in your arms and ran your fingers up and down my back. I can still feel your lips on my forehead and hear the beat of your heart. Whenever I’m scared, it’s still your voice in my head telling me not to be. Telling me I’m strong and brave and there’s nothing I can’t do. I left you, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t been with me. You have been with me every time I stepped on stage, every time I got a rejection, and every time I wanted to give up. You were there in my head telling me
to keep going.”

  “Daze.” He reached out to her, but she stepped away from him. She couldn’t stop now, not when the truth was finally coming out. She could feel the weight lifting off her shoulders with each confession.

  She waved her hand at him. “The reason I got so mad at you after our kiss... It’s not because I hate you. It’s because I hate myself for letting you go.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she felt herself break through the years of regret. “And I don’t want to hurt you again.”

  She closed her eyes and when she blinked them open, Nick was in front of her, eyes dark and hungry, his jaw tight and tense.

  His hands cupped her face, a million fireworks exploded inside of her, and just when she thought she might melt under the strength of his gaze, he crushed his lips to hers. All the built-up tension from days of resisting him broke through their restraints. She thrust her hands into his hair, pulling him closer, wanting more, needing more… desperate to feel every ounce of passion that only Nick was capable of giving her.

  His hand tightened on her hip. She parted her lips, letting him deepen the kiss, a slick tangle that would have brought her to her knees if he wasn’t holding onto her so tightly. Every fear that had been controlling her slipped away with each stroke of his tongue against hers and each caress of his hand against her back.

  The hard bulge of his erection pressed against her stomach, and knowing what she did to him sent heat rushing to her core. Moisture pooled between her legs, and all she wanted was to feel him inside her.

  She ran her hands up the hard, defined muscles of his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Take me to bed,” she said.

  He rested his head against hers, breaths coming short and fast. “Daze…”

  She looked up at him through long lashes. “Please.” She didn’t want to wait a second longer, she needed him and she knew damn well he needed her, too.

  He growled something about her eyes then scooped her up in his arms, surprising her and causing her to let out a high-pitched squeal.

  She nuzzled into his warmth, well aware that the minute they stepped over that threshold there was no turning back.

  Chapter 19

  Nick had dreamed about this moment so many times over the years—Daisy in his arms, clinging to his neck like he was the very air she breathed, her body pressed tightly against his, rubbing against him in a desperate attempt to quench her growing desires… Her big blue eyes were filled with a hunger that would have knocked him on his ass if he wasn’t so focused on getting her safely to his bed.

  He laid her on the mattress, and with her arms refusing to let go, he went down with her, bringing his erection flush against her center. She tilted her head, capturing his lips with hers. She tasted like mint and sweetness, an irresistible combination he couldn’t get enough of. Her skin smelled like his soap, awakening an animalistic urge inside him that wanted to growl mine.

  Her tongue slid against his, her hands thrusting into his hair and pulling him even closer. “I need you,” she said against his mouth, and damn if those words weren’t like liquid ecstasy to his ears. There’d been a time when he never thought he’d hear those words again uttered from her pretty lips, filled with such longing and desperation.

  He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers. “Say it again.”

  She arched into him, triggering a hot rush of carnal desire. “I need you.”

  “Again,” he demanded.

  “I need you.”

  In one fell swoop, he devoured her mouth with deep sweeping strokes of his tongue. She moaned, curving into him further—a move that made his mind go blank. Nothing around him existed, only Daisy hot and ready beneath him. Pressure built low in his stomach, her words on constant repeat in his mind.

  I need you.

  Three simple words that broke through all the bullshit and went right to his heart, filling the black hole she had left so long ago. It spread like wildfire, lapping at all the singed edges and turning them into a raging inferno that burned only for her.

  Always for her.

  He pulled back, running a finger down the soft curve of her face. God, she was beautiful. Blonde curls spread around her on his pillow like a golden crown. Her teeth slid over her beautiful swollen lips as she stared back at him—a sight that would forever be seared into his mind.

  He trailed a fiery path of kisses down her neck, his hands fishing for the bottom of her shirt. He hooked his finger at the hem and dragged it up and over her head, revealing black lace that took his breath away. He tossed the shirt to the floor and dipped his head, dragging his tongue along the perfect mound.

  She slipped a strap off her arm, and he helped her pull it down, revealing a taut pink nipple that was as pretty as he remembered. He sucked the tightened bud into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the beaded flesh. A sexy purr reverberated in her throat as her hands slammed into the mattress and fisted the sheets beneath them.

  He moved to the other side, trailing his tongue along the black lace before pulling it away and taking what he desired most between his teeth. This time Daisy let out a sexy squeak that quickly turned into a moan as he worked his tongue around the pebbled tip.

  She reached for him, her fingers fumbling over the button of his jeans. “I’ve waited six years to feel you again. I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  The plea in her tone turned his insides to liquid. He stood up pushing his pants to the floor and kicking them aside.

  Daisy held her hands out to him, a longing in her eyes as if she couldn’t stand another second without being in his arms. He didn’t make her wait, going right back to her, capturing her lips and dipping his tongue into the damp heat of her mouth.

  “Please,” she begged, and while his restraint was waning he wanted to make her wait, to know what it was like to need someone so bad you would beg and plead for it. But as she arched into him, her pert breasts his for the taking, he couldn’t deny her any longer.

  He slipped her jeans off one leg at a time, tossing them with the other clothes on the floor. He looked down at her, all soft lines and sexy curves. “You’re so damn beautiful.”

  Impatient as ever, she slipped off her lace panties, the single move sucking all the oxygen from his lungs. He stared at her in awe, thanking the powers that be for bringing her back to him.

  He used his knee to push her thighs wide and slipped between them, bringing their bodies flush together. She looked up at him, wide-eyed innocence that practically made him laugh. The way she messed with his heart, she was far from innocent.

  Her hand wrapped around his neck and pulled him down until their lips met. She kissed him like she was on her last breath and he was her only source of oxygen. He let her take as much as she wanted and met her with the same intensity.

  She moaned against his mouth, and he slipped his hand between her legs, dragging a finger through her wet folds.

  “Yes, please,” she moaned.

  He pressed a single digit in her tight heat, and she broke the kiss, pressing against his palm and letting out a desperate plea for more.

  The desire to make her wait vanished as she grinded against his hand. “So good,” she cried out. Her hand slipped between them, and she gripped his length. His heart battered his chest in violent beats, matching his uneven breathing.

  “I need you inside me,” she said, and the wall of restraint tumbled down around him.

  He grabbed a condom from his nightstand, and she took it from his hold. She ripped the wrapper and rolled the condom into place. A shudder wracked his body as the intense need for a release grew.

  She leaned back, smiling up at him, waiting. He positioned himself against her center, and with one unrestrained thrust they both cried out. His fingers linked through hers above her head as their bodies synced, finding a familiar rhythm.

  Daisy flexed her legs around him, taking him deeper. She rolled her hips, and tiny white lights exploded behind his eyes. He slowed his pace, not wa
nting to race to the finish line but enjoy the ride.

  He bent down, capturing her lips in a slow, searing kiss. His heart squeezed, pumping blood into the black crevices and breathing life back into the places that lived solely for Daisy.

  Her grip on his hand tightened, and he felt her slick walls tighten around him. A string of moans fell from her lips, her knuckles whitened, her breathing came in hard desperate breaths, and he thrust into her once more, watching her tumble over the edge.

  The tight feel of her release, the way her lips parted was too much. He pumped into her, the pressure built, his body bucked with the intensity of his release until he was reduced to a puddle of satisfaction.

  Daisy reached up, her slim finger tracing the hard curve of his jaw. “Let’s do it again,” she said.

  “I’m going to need five minutes. Maybe a nap,” he said.

  Her laugh was the sweetest sound in the world. Her arms slid around his neck and she blinked up at him. “I’m okay with sleeping.”

  He disposed of the condom and climbed back into bed, tucking her against his body. He brushed her curls aside and kissed her neck.

  “That was amazing. You’re amazing.”

  “There you go again, putting me on that pedestal.”

  “Where else should I put you?” he asked.

  She turned in his arms, her eyes droopy with sleep. “How about on even playing field?”

  Daisy, a bright, beautiful ray of light, had always been out of his league, but for some reason she picked him and not just once, but twice now. She was too precious for him not to treat her like a gift.

  He kissed her forehead, and she cuddled against his chest. His eyes were heavy, but he fought sleep. He’d dreamed of this moment for so long, and now that it was finally here he wasn’t going to miss a single second.

  Chapter 20

  Daisy woke with Nick’s arm still wrapped securely around her. As the midmorning light filtered into the room a lead weight dropped in her stomach. She should have been floating around on a blissful cloud, but instead she couldn’t turn her brain off. He held her like at any minute she would leave. She had gotten so caught up in the moment she didn’t stop to think that it was exactly what she was going to do.