But Little time was over now. It was time for some big girl play. He drew his head away from where he’d been kissing her neck and looked down at her.
“Babe, look at me.”
“Don’t stop.”
“Daisy-girl. Look at me.” He injected more steel into his voice and she looked up at him immediately. Fucked if he didn’t love that. “I want to know if this is moving too fast?”
“Too fast?” she groaned. Then she rolled her hips against his dick. Fuck him.
Fuck him.
He grabbed her hips, holding her still. “Daisy, you sure?”
“I’m sure,” she said breathlessly.
He pulled her mouth to his. Ravaged it. Damn she could kiss. This time she was the one to pull back.
“Got to tell you something first, though.” She sounded hesitant, unsure. He tensed. But before he could reply, his phone rang. Shit. Fuck. He gave her an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, sugar. That’s my work ringtone. I have to get it.”
Her eyes looked glazed and she blinked up at him then shook her head as though shaking it free of cobwebs. “That’s okay.”
He set her aside then snatched up the phone. “Yeah?”
“Sorry to bother you, man,” Corbin said to him. “Tracking job has come up and they need you. Two kids have been taken. The police think it’s their father. Parents are estranged. Mother wants to hire us to help find them.”
Kids. Fuck. He hated when it was kids. “I’ll be there soon as I can.”
“Roger that.”
He ended the call and turned to Daisy. “Baby, I’m sorry.”
Christ, he hated leaving her. “You have to go, it’s all right.”
“If it wasn’t important, I wouldn’t.”
“I understand. Really.”
“Some kids have gone missing. They need my help finding them.” He didn’t know why he told her. He wasn’t supposed to talk about the job, but he needed her to know he wouldn’t leave her without good reason.
Her whole face softened and she clasped her hands together. “Kids? Someone has kidnapped children? Oh my God that’s terrible. Go. Go. Don’t worry about me.”
But he did worry about her. That was the thing.
“I don’t know how long I’m gonna be gone.” He clasped her face between his hands. “I want you to remember your rules. I still want you to text me before you go to bed. I may not be able to call you but I’ll see your text, and return it when I can. And I’ll be noting what time it is. Same goes with your food. I want photos of what you’re eating.”
“Jed, you don’t need to be thinking about any of this while you’re trying to find those kids. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re right about me needing to focus. Which means I can’t check in as often as I’d like. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to know how you’re doing when I got a chance, all right?”
“All right, honey.”
First time she’d called him that. He liked it.
“You need anything. Anything at all. You call the boys.”
“The boys?”
“The guys I work with at JSI.” He’d explained to her what JSI was and what his job entailed. She thought it sounded exciting and a bit scary. “I’ll put the number in your phone if you get it for me.”
She nodded, looking around with a frown. “Where did I put that thing?”
“You find your phone while I pack up, yeah?”
When he got back downstairs, his duffel over his shoulder, she was waiting in the foyer, her hand clutching her phone. She handed over her phone to him. He put in JSI’s main line, which was manned 24/7.
“You can call them anytime, day or night. I should have introduced you to them so you knew them, but I’ve let them know you’re under my protection. I’ll call you if I can, but—”
“It’s okay, I understand. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. You find those children. And be careful.”
“So sweet.” He kissed her forehead. “I want to hear the door lock behind me.”
She rolled her eyes. Brat. “I always lock the door behind you.”
“Good. See that never changes. Damn sorry I didn’t get to taste you tonight.”
She was blushing bright red as she looked up at him. “Me too.”
He let out a surprised bark of laughter and her blush grew deeper. “You’re good for me, sugar. Forgot what it was like to laugh.”
“I’ll make sure you don’t ever forget again.”
11
Daisy heard something at the front door and jumped up, her heart racing. Two days had passed since Jed left and other than a brief text message last night, she hadn’t heard from him. She hoped he was all right. She was barely able to sleep from worrying about him and those kidnapped kids. And since he wasn’t around to make her, she wasn’t taking any naps so she was tired and jumpy.
She’d thought about calling Jed’s ‘boys’. But it seemed silly to call just to see if they’d heard from him. They had important jobs; they didn’t need her bothering them because she was worried about her . . .whatever he was.
Although maybe she should call them about all the odd phone calls she’d been getting. But nothing had happened except for a few weird hang-ups she didn’t feel it was worth bothering them.
She ran towards the door, remembering to check first to see who was on the other side. When she glanced out the window, no one was there.
She unlocked her door and opened it, staring down at the bunch of flowers in surprise. They didn’t look like the sort that a florist created. These had been freshly picked, and bunched together without any real thought. They were still beautiful, though. And it was a thoughtful gesture.
Who were they from? Not Jed. Even if he was home, it wouldn’t be something he would do anyway. He would knock on the door and hand them to her. Then invite himself in. Then start bossing her around. Checking she was getting enough sleep and that she hadn’t found the stash of candy, which she’d upended the house looking for so she had no idea where he’d put it.
The bastard.
Warmth burst through her at the thought of how he cared for her. She looked more closely at the flowers which were tied at the stems with a rubber band. No note.
Oh well, she wasn’t going to turn them down. She loved flowers. She took another look around, though. Maybe it was just someone in the neighborhood being friendly. She locked the door then found a vase in the kitchen and half-filled it with water then put it on the windowsill.
* * *
Jed frowned as the phone rang and rang. Where was she? He paced back and forth. Maybe she was out somewhere and couldn’t hear the phone.
Except she wasn’t big on going out. She was a homebody.
Perhaps she was in the shower. Or maybe someone had broken into her house and hurt her or she’d slipped and hit her head or. . . the list kept growing in his head. If she didn’t answer this time then he was going to get one of the boys to go around and check on her.
“Hello? Jed?” her voice sounded breathless.
“Daisy? Everything all right?” His voice was curt.
“Yes, of course. I was just upstairs and my phone was downstairs. Are you all right? What’s going on? Have you found the kids?”
He sighed. “Not yet. I’m just calling ‘cause it’s probably going to be a few more days and I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she told him.
“I know, baby. Me too.” Christ he was tired. “What you up to?”
“I was just going to have a shower.”
“Yeah? You naked already?”
“What? No!”
“That’s disappointing.”
“Is this. . .” her voice lowered. “Is this a sex call?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “What?”
“Well. . .you know. . .when people have sex over the phone.”
“Baby girl, we haven’t even had sex for real.”
“I know, but you asked me
if I was naked.”
And now he had the picture of her naked body in his mind. He felt himself harden. Damn, he wished he was home with her.
“Jed? You still there? Everything all right?”
“Yeah, baby. Just tired and missing you.”
“Miss you too.”
“Everything all good there?”
“Yep.”
“You eating good? No sugar?”
“No sugar.” There was a definite pout in her voice. “But I’ve got to get some for Halloween soon.”
“Still six weeks away, baby. Stores aren’t gonna run out of candy before I get home. Besides, that stash you’ve got would be enough to last three Halloweens so don’t expect we’ll have to get more.”
She gave a disgruntled sigh. He had to grin. Cute.
“Sure you’re okay?” he asked again.
“Yes. Everything is fine here.”
Something sounded off to him. “You sure about that?”
“Yep. I’m boring. Nothing interesting ever happens to me.”
Daisy winced after saying that. Why point that out to him? He probably knew but she didn’t have to say it. He was Mr. Tough Guy extraordinaire, he jetted around the world to save the day. And she was Miss Boring Pants who preferred staying in and watching movies and eating her weight in junk food.
“I like the life you have. Nothing I like more than after a stressful day than coming home to you. Sometimes it’s what gets me through the day, thinking about sitting on your couch with you curled up around me, some stupid reality TV show on that I don’t understand, but sure as shit enjoy watching you enjoying it. Right now, I’d pay anything to be there with you.”
She smiled. “I’m glad I can give that to you.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
He sounded exhausted and she hated that. “I need to get back to work.” He yawned.
“And maybe get some sleep,” she added, tickled that the shoe got to be on the other foot.
“How much sleep did you get last night, sugar?”
Drat. That backfired.
“Probably more than you.”
He snorted. “I damn well hope so. You caught up on your work?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Good then I want you to go have a healthy dinner. Then take a nice long bubble bath. Shave everything and I do mean everything,” his voice went lower and she gulped. “Climb into one of your nighties and I want you in bed by nine.”
“No!”
“Yep, nine. I want you well rested for when I get home. Although I might have to sleep for twenty-four hours straight before I’m capable of doing anything.”
Softness filled her. “All right, I’ll go to bed early.”
“Good girl. Remember call the boys if you need them.”
“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Unease filled her. She knew she should tell him about the flowers, but he had so much going on.
“You could never be a bother.”
Oh. That was nice.
“I’ve got to go, baby girl.”
“Okay, stay safe.”
“Always. Got a good reason to now, don’t I?”
She ended the call, a ridiculous smile on her face.
Got a good reason to now, don’t I?
She did a twirl. This was everything she’d ever wanted. Jed. Wanting her. Caring about her. Her gaze landed on the flowers and she came to a shuddering halt. She bit her lip. Who could they be from? Could still be a neighbor. Although why no note? Why not wait to talk to her?
You should have told Jed.
It was one bunch of flowers. It didn’t mean anything.
12
She felt ill.
Daisy paced back and forth and stared at the three bunches of flowers. Three! What was happening here?
Who was sending them?
She rubbed at her stomach. She had barely slept in days. Or eaten. She was so stressed she couldn’t even work. She hadn’t left the house in days. Not unusual for her, but rather than it being because she didn’t want to, it was because she was too scared to.
The first bunch of flowers she’d thought were sweet. The bunch the next day made her feel uneasy. The bunch on the third day had her rattled. Then last night before she went to bed, she’d found a note. Words typed on a piece of plain white paper. Nothing distinguishing about it. But it was the creepiest thing she’d ever read.
Daisy.
I see you. Staying inside your house will not stop me. I particularly like watching you undress. It’s so hot. You need some sexier lingerie though. Get something slinky and tight. Something I’ll want to fuck you in.
Always watching.
Vomit rose in her throat and she raced towards the toilet. She tasted bile right before she threw up. It didn’t stop. It kept coming even though there was nothing left in her stomach. And crap it hurt.
There was a knock on the door and she jumped with a scream. It took her a few seconds to calm her racing heart. Whoever was doing this wouldn’t knock, she reassured herself. Still, she was shaking as she flushed the toilet and splashed water on her face.
She was all right. Everything was okay. It was way past time to call Jed’s boys though. She should have done that after the first bunch of flowers. She would have felt silly if it had turned out to be nothing, but that was better than feeling like this.
Completely and utterly freaked.
What about Jed? You should tell him.
No. Jed would lose it and he needed to concentrate. She was all right. Those kids might not be.
More knocking on the door. Who the hell could that be? She walked out of the bathroom and grabbed the bat she’d taken to keeping close by her. Especially when she was sleeping. Well, trying to sleep. Maybe it was time to learn how to shoot a gun. Maybe she should go visit Sylvie for a few days until Jed got back. Not that she’d heard from her sister in over a week. And three more emails to Bradley had gone unanswered. She took a calming breath. She had other things to worry about.
She could also have called Ellie. Yeah, there were a lot of things she could have done in the past couple of days.
Dumb. Really dumb.
The bad thoughts that Jed had managed to pretty much chase away were back with a vengeance and her thigh was bruised from her pinches.
She was a basket case.
She glanced out the side window and when she saw who was standing there, she started to sway with relief. Oh, he looked worn out. He was frowning down at something he held in his hand, but she didn’t pay that much attention.
She should have.
She swung the door open, forgetting the bat in her hand. “Jed! You’re home!”
He glanced up at her. The look on his face so cold, it made her breath catch in her throat. He was looking at her like he loathed her. “J-Jed?”
“What took you so long to answer the door?”
“W-what?”
“Is there someone in there?” he snapped. There was no warmth in his voice. It was pretty much devoid of any emotion.
“N-no. Why would you say that?” Something was wrong. Very wrong. Her instincts were screaming at her. Why was he looking at her like that? Like she’d betrayed him?
“What’s this?” He held something up by his finger, staring at it with disgust. She stared at it as well. It was a flimsy piece of lingerie. Red, see-through and obviously cheap. Why would he have that?
“I-I. . . that’s not mine.”
“It was sitting on your doorstep. With a note.” He held up a piece of paper then read from it. “I saw this and thought of you. Wear it for me tonight, sexy.”
No. No, no, no.
“I don’t want it,” was all she managed to say.
He raised an eyebrow. “Whoever he is, he doesn’t have good taste. Or know your size since this is two sizes too big. He should have put it in a bag or a box if he didn’t want me to see it. If you’re gonna cheat on me, I’d have thought you’d be more discreet than this.”
She swayed, unable to hear anything more due to the ringing in her ears. She went hot then cold.
“You think I’m cheating on you,” she whispered in horror.
“Think that’s pretty obvious, babe.” This was the first time he’d called her babe and it hadn’t sent a shiver of desire through her. Instead, this babe was almost spat at her. She placed her hand over her nauseous stomach. “You don’t get lingerie from strangers who then tell you to wear it for them.”
“Y-you don’t know what’s going on. Y-you’re wrong—” She was so upset by the way he was reacting that she couldn’t get out what she needed to say. Not that it seemed he wanted to listen.
“Yeah, well, I was wrong about you before, wasn’t I?” he said bitterly.
Right. Because he thinks you cheated on him. And now, he’s willing to believe the worst of you.
Why hadn’t she forced him to listen?
She licked her numb lips. “Jed, listen, y-you don’t understand.”
“I understand. Don’t worry, I blame myself. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you again. I thought you had changed. I was wrong. It happens. Guess at least it happened this time before you got your claws in too deep.”
Claws? He thought she had claws? And she’d thought they were already deep. At least she was. Seemed he hadn’t felt the same.
“Bye, Daisy. Maybe this time you’ll take my advice and leave. There’s nothing here for you.”
This couldn’t be happening. She grasped hold of the door to hold herself up, her grip on the bat loosening. It dropped to the floor but she ignored it, her full attention on the man she loved more than anything.
He turned away.
“Wait, Jed, please. You’re wrong. You don’t understand.”
Why hadn’t she told him about the flowers? Or the guys at JSI? Idiot.
Daddy’s Lost Love Page 13