Time for Love , The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 9

by Marie Force

  “I’ll get it.” She reached for his pants on the floor and pulled his wallet from the back pocket. When she turned back to him, he was watching her every move with interest that made her feel self-conscious. She lowered her gaze and moved her arms to cover her breasts.

  “Don’t,” he said, his voice a low growl.

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t be shy. You’re gorgeous, and I love to look at you.”

  He already knew her so well and understood her better than anyone else ever had. That understanding made it easier for her to drop her guard—as well as her arms—and hand the wallet to him.

  She watched closely as he applied the condom and seemed to lengthen and thicken before her very eyes. Her lips were suddenly dry as she experienced a moment of fear over whether or not she’d be able to go through with this. Then he reached out to her, bringing her into his warm embrace, and desire overtook the fear, clearing her mind of everything except him and how he made her feel.

  He was front and center as he’d been for weeks now, and like he had when she was injured, he tended to her gently. “Talk to me,” he whispered, his lips brushing against her neck as he caressed her back in soothing circles. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “It feels good to be held by you, to be touched by you. It feels different with you.”

  He moved his hand from her back to her breast and teased the nipple that tightened from his ministrations. “Why do you think that is?”

  “Because you’re different. This is different.”

  “It is for me, too.”

  “Sometime I want you to tell me how it’s different.”

  “I will, but not now.” He raised her leg over his hip and pressed his fingers to her core, using the triangle of material that Tiffany considered panties to arouse her.

  “No,” she said, panting, “definitely not now.”

  “Tell me what you want, Daisy. You have to tell me so I know how to make this good for you.”

  “It’s already good. So good.”

  “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

  “I’m not. I couldn’t be.”

  He removed the thong, letting his fingertips slide slowly down her legs. “Yes, you could. If I do something that reminds you of something you didn’t like, you could be afraid.”

  “I don’t want to be afraid of you.”

  “Keep your eyes open. Look at me. Remember it’s me. Remember how much we’ve shared and how close we’ve become.” As he spoke, he continued to move slowly until he was above her, looking down at her with those incredibly sexy eyes. “Is this okay?”

  Daisy held his gaze as she nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders, needing to hold on to him as he aligned their bodies.

  He kissed her softly, tracing her bottom lip with his tongue. “Open your eyes, honey.”

  She hadn’t realized she’d closed them.

  “That’s it. Look at me. Hold on to me.”

  Everything was fine, truly fine, until he began to enter her. The panic hit her so fast she had no time to prepare herself for the flashback of another man, a brutal man, trying to force his way inside of her. As if something heavy was sitting on her chest, she struggled for every breath and fought her way free, blinded by terror, until she was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking violently. Oh God, had she hit him? No. Please, no.

  “Daisy, honey, it’s okay.” He placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder, and she flinched.

  The last thing she wanted right now was to be touched, even by him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her shoulders heaved from the sobs that seemed to come from her very soul.

  “What can I do?” David asked from behind her.

  Daisy shook her head because there was nothing anyone could do to help if her twisted mind was determined to turn the lovely David Lawrence into something evil and hurtful. “You… You don’t have to stay. I’d understand if you wanted to go.” Another sob broke free from her tightly clenched jaw.

  “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me you don’t want me here.”

  “I want you here.” The thickness in her throat made it difficult to speak. “I have no idea what happened. I was fine…”

  “Believe it or not, I sort of expected it to happen sooner.”

  Shocked by what he’d said, she spun around to face him, wincing at the hint of blood on his lip where she’d clocked him in her haste to get free. She could only imagine what her face and tear-ravaged eyes must look like. Frightful… But the way he looked at her… Sweetly, tenderly, gently… And then he slayed her by reaching for her T-shirt, which was inside out, and helping her into it.

  She took a deep, shuddering breath. “What do you mean?”

  He reached out to wipe the tears from her cheeks, his touch a whisper against her skin. “The last man you cared for hurt you so badly. In every possible way. How could you not be afraid to do this again with someone else?”

  “But I’m not afraid, or I wasn’t before…”

  “Would it be okay if I spoke to you as a doctor and not as a boyfriend right now?”

  She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

  “You were nearly raped, Daisy,” he said softly, taking her hand.

  Daisy held on to him for dear life.

  “Not all that long ago. You’re not ready yet, and that’s fine. I totally understand.”

  “You’ve always been so nice to me, and I really appreciate that, but it might be better if we didn’t see each other anymore. It’s not fair for me to do this to you.”

  “What’re you doing to me?”

  New tears fell from her eyes at the heartbreaking thought of not seeing him anymore. “Mixed signals. Yes means no.”

  He smiled and shook his head, as if she’d said the silliest thing he’d ever heard. “You’re not sending mixed signals. Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless you don’t actually like me as much as I think you do.”

  “I do like you! I like you so much. I probably even love you a little bit.”

  His sharp intake of air and the intense way he looked at her made her melt on the inside. “I probably love you a little bit, too, which is why you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He reclined against the pillows and drew her into his arms. When he had her settled against him, albeit rigidly, he kissed her forehead and ran his hand over her back soothingly. “I’m not going anywhere. If it takes a month or three months or a year or two years, we’ll get there. But only when you’re ready. We’ll do what you want when you want, and I’ll wait because I have a feeling you’re worth waiting for.”

  “It’s too much to ask of anyone.”

  “You’re not asking me for anything. I’ll happily give you as much time as you need.”

  “David…”

  “Daisy…” His stern tone drew a reluctant laugh from her.

  “No one has ever been so nice to me.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. You should be treated with respect and affection always. That’s the least of what you deserve.”

  Her heart did a funny squeezing thing that left her breathless. “What about…”

  “What about what?”

  “You.” She glanced down at his penis, which was now flaccid against his belly. At some point, he’d discarded the unused condom.

  “What about me?”

  “I feel like such a tease. We were all ready, and then I freaked out.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I swear it doesn’t.”

  “How can it not matter? You’re a guy.”

  David’s low chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Who is not governed entirely by the whims of his cock. I assure you the two of us will be just fine as long as you don’t shut me out. I don’t know if I could deal with that. I’ve become rather attached to you.”

  “You have? Really?”

  “Really.” His hand continued to move up and down her back, soothing and calming her, even as she continued to tremble. “
Close your eyes and try to get some rest.”

  “I don’t think I can sleep.”

  “Try. Close your eyes, think happy thoughts and clear your mind of all the things that make you hurt. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Listening to his words, Daisy couldn’t help but relax a bit. He was here. He wasn’t going to leave because he didn’t get what he wanted from her. He said he might love her a little bit. That last thought brought a hint of a smile to her lips. What might it be like if he loved her a lot?

  Daisy would like to find out, because after tonight, after the way he’d cared for her after her meltdown, she could easily see herself falling completely in love with him.

  *

  Arriving home in the morning to shower and change before work, David thought about what’d happened with Daisy the night before. It had taken a long time, maybe even an hour or more, before she was finally able to relax and sleep. He’d been awake the whole time, which was how he’d known the exact second she’d given in to the exhaustion. She’d been sound asleep when he left her this morning with a note to call him when she woke up.

  He couldn’t help being a bit angry with himself for going along with something she wasn’t ready for. In medical school, he’d gone through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder training, and he knew the signs to watch for. He could beat himself up all day long for missing the signs in this case, except there hadn’t been any. The only signals he’d received indicated she was as into what they were doing as he had been.

  Things had been going so well for them, which was the real kicker in this whole situation. He was finally in a really good place.

  While he’d expected the encounter with Janey to throw him out of sorts, it’d had the opposite effect. It had given him closure he’d desperately needed. They were able to be friendly with each other, and if she stayed on the island, she might need him before she had the baby. He’d be there for her if it came to that. But even if it didn’t, he was more at peace with the outcome of their relationship than he’d been since it blew up in his face two years ago.

  For the first time since then, he felt truly ready to move on and engage in a genuine relationship with another woman. But if last night’s incident had shown him anything, it was that Daisy was still a long way from being ready for the same things he wanted. That was okay, though. He’d meant it when he told her he would wait.

  He liked to think he was wise enough after all he’d been through to recognize something special when it came into his life. And Daisy was special. There was no denying that.

  In the driveway, he noticed the sleek Porsche that Jared brought with him whenever he came to the island. His comings and goings were always a mystery to David, who often didn’t lay eyes on his elusive landlord for months on end.

  He took the stairs to his apartment, thinking about Daisy, hoping she’d be okay today and counting the hours until he could be with her again. Inside his front door, he stopped short when he saw his mother sitting on the sofa, nursing a takeout cup of coffee and flipping through the Gansett Gazette. How had he missed her car in the driveway? He’d been too captivated by the Porsche, apparently.

  “Hey, Mom. What’re you doing here?” He’d given her an extra key in case he ever got locked out, but he hadn’t expected her to actually use it.

  “I was concerned when I couldn’t reach you.”

  David drew his phone from his pocket and noticed three calls from her that he’d missed when he’d been occupied the night before. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing other than I have no idea where my son has been the last few days.”

  “I’ve been busy, Mom. I have a job and a life.”

  “Too busy to call me once in a while?”

  He wanted to remind her that he was thirty years old and didn’t need to check in with her the way he used to, but ever since the lymphoma diagnosis, she’d been hovering the way she had when he was younger. Since she and his sisters had gotten him through the worst of his illness and the treatment, he supposed she had the right to hover. But breaking and entering was taking it a bit far, even for her.

  “I’m sorry to have been out of touch.” David went to the kitchen and moved through the motions of making coffee. “Things have been nuts.”

  “What happened to your lip?”

  David stopped moving and tried to think of a story she would be believe. “I punched myself when I was pulling on something and my hand slipped.”

  Her raised brow indicated her skeptical reaction. “I heard you’ve been dating.”

  His muscles tightened with tension that he was certain she saw because she didn’t miss anything. “Maybe. Some.”

  “Were you going to tell me you’ve met someone, David?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Eventually.” His parents had been enraged—and ashamed—over what’d happened with Janey. He hoped to never again give them reason to be ashamed of him, but he also had a right to privacy, as did Daisy.

  “Who is she?”

  “I don’t think you know her.”

  “I’d like to know her if she’s important to you.”

  She was important to him and becoming more so with every passing day, but that didn’t mean he was ready to bring her home to meet his parents. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Will you tell me her name?”

  “Daisy.”

  “That’s all I’m getting?”

  Though he desperately wanted a shower and a shave and needed to get to work for nine o’clock appointments, he sat for a minute on the sofa. “Daisy Babson. She’s the housekeeping manager at the McCarthy’s hotel.”

  His mother’s raised brow conveyed a world of disbelief. “She works for Janey’s parents?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, you don’t do anything simply, do you?”

  “Janey and her parents have nothing to do with this.”

  “I heard you were called to her house last night.”

  “Jesus! This island is unreal! Don’t people have anything to do besides mind other people’s business?”

  “No, not really. And it certainly shouldn’t be a surprise to you that news travels fast around here.”

  “I was called there in a professional capacity. I went in a professional capacity. I performed professional duties. I did my job.”

  “What does your friend Daisy think of you running off to tend to your ex-fiancée?”

  “My friend Daisy knows it’s been over between Janey and me for two years now, and that as the island’s only doctor, I’m obligated to care for everyone, regardless of what personal relationship I may or may not have with them.”

  “She’s very understanding.”

  “If she wasn’t, I wouldn’t be seeing her.”

  His mother studied him for a long moment, during which he tried not to squirm under her scrutiny. “You never told me how it went in Boston.”

  “Everything was fine.”

  Before his eyes, she visibly sagged, and he regretted not telling her immediately that his test results had all come back negative.

  “I would’ve told you if there was anything to worry about. You know that.”

  “I’ve done my share of worrying over you in the last couple of years.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry to have given you cause, but you have to believe me when I tell you I’m fine—physically and every other way, too.” In fact, he hadn’t been quite so fine in years.

  “Was it weird to see Janey in her home, pregnant and all of that?”

  “I’ve seen her pregnant before last night.”

  “You know what I mean, David.”

  “It wasn’t as weird as you might think. I’ve come to see that we both ended up where we were meant to be. She’s happy with Joe. They’re good together. And I’m figuring things out. Slowly but surely.” He had faith that he and Daisy would make a go of it—eventually—not that he wanted to share that thought with his mother. The relationship was too new, and after last
night, too fragile to talk about just yet.

  “You look good,” she said, taking another perusing inventory of his features.

  “I feel good.”

  “That’s all I want to hear.” She tossed the newspaper onto his coffee table. “You can have that. I’m done with it.”

  He walked her to the door. “Shall we talk about the rules for the extra key?” he asked, keeping his tone light.

  “You wouldn’t want me waiting outside in the heat when I could enjoy your perfectly comfortable sofa and your AC, now would you?” She went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Bring your friend Daisy over sometime. We’d love to meet her.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  He closed the door behind her and shook his head, amused by the way she still could manage him like no one else ever had. In turn, she drove him bonkers and cracked him up, but he could never doubt her devotion. Sometimes he wished she were a little less devoted. In fact, he’d nearly turned down the offer to become the island’s doctor because he worried about the close proximity to his doting mother.

  Until today, she’d been respectful of his boundaries, but he couldn’t blame her for coming to check on him after not hearing from him for days.

  As he shaved, showered and got dressed for work, it occurred to him that she’d never asked him where he was coming from first thing in the morning. No doubt she’d put two and two together to get that he’d been with Daisy overnight. While he wasn’t sure he was ready for her to have that information, and he definitely didn’t care if she knew about Daisy, he was glad she hadn’t asked.

  Thinking about Daisy and what’d nearly happened between them made him hard in the shower. He considered taking care of business right then and there but decided he’d rather wait for her. The two years he’d spent rebuilding his life had been put to good use if it meant he was now ready for her and for what they might have together. If it took her a while longer to get there, so be it.

  In some ways, he felt like he was emerging from a long, dark winter into a spring filled with optimism and hope. She’d done that for him with her gentle, sweet disposition, her appreciation of the little things that others took for granted, her unconditional acceptance of his failings and faults. He hoped he could do the same for her.