by Ella Fields
Nostrils flaring, he cursed. “I need inside you, or I’m gonna blow real soon.”
He took my hand off him, kissing it when I pouted. Slowly, he moved down my body, tugging at the waistband of my leggings and panties, then pulling them off my legs.
He crawled back over me, leaning on an elbow while his other hand spread my legs open, his fingers trailing over the sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh.
My head fell back when he reached my center, a finger drifting over me until I was spread open for him to dip inside. “So warm.”
I garbled out something incoherent in response, and he chuckled. “I think you’re more than ready for me,” he said, plunging his finger inside then pulling it out to rub wetness over my most sensitive area.
“Yes,” I moaned.
Settling between my legs, he hooked my thighs behind his back and gently eased himself inside. He stopped when he was all the way in, his hands searching for mine and linking our fingers together on either side of my head.
He moved slowly, confidently, yet his body felt like it was shaking. “Are you cold?” I asked.
“No, too fucking warm.” He kissed me hard, and my body melded with his, my hips tilting upward and my breath quickening.
We gasped and groaned into the heat of each other’s mouths, and under the stars, beside our favorite tree, we crashed and came together.
Afterward, with our limbs tangled, we gazed up at the night sky, naming stars until our bodies demanded to become one, and we gave in all over again.
As if we’d never even been apart.
Curled into my body perfectly, Daisy mumbled something in her sleep. Careful not to wake her, I leaned on my elbow and stared down at her. Her dark brown lashes rested against her pale cheeks, her pink lips slightly parted. I could’ve stared at her for hours on end and always found something that made my heart stop beating a nanosecond too long.
She was beautiful but in a quiet, unassuming way that tugged almost painfully at something inside me. Her golden hair and bright smile drew me in, like a patch of sunlight when you’re stuck outside in the middle of winter.
And she was mine again.
That fact alone sent my dick standing upright instantly. It didn’t matter that I’d had her three times the night before; I couldn’t be sated when it came to her.
Softly, I ran the pads of my fingers over her bare arm, watching the tiny hairs rise in their wake. She stirred, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, dropping my head to her neck. “Morning, beautiful.”
She croaked something like, “What time is it?”
My only answer was to move my hand lazily over the skin of her stomach, lifting her shirt. She melted into me, like butter meeting a hot frying pan, her ass pressing against my hard dick.
Fuck. My hand moved, making its way to the edge of her cotton panties, rubbing over the elastic. Her gasp had my fingers slipping under, her thigh shifting to rest on my leg, giving me better access.
She was smooth and soft, and when I reached her silky warmth, finding her already wet, my finger tunneled inside. “Quinn,” she whimpered. “We shouldn’t …”
“Shhh.” I nipped her neck gently, moving my finger in and out of her until I felt her legs spasm. Pulling my hand free, I sucked my finger and ignored her mewling protests. I’d soon take care of her. Once I’d gotten rid of my damn briefs.
Kicking them off somewhere beneath the covers, I tugged her panties off then laid back down behind her. Her leg lifted again, and I aligned myself before grabbing her thigh and sinking inside. “Holy shit.” The room went hazy.
She said something I couldn’t hear; I was too lost in the warm heat that enveloped my cock, clutching me tightly and making me want to plunge in and out of her like a madman.
Calming a little, I took it slow. Deep, long strokes that had her body shaking against mine. Sex without a condom was fucking magic, but combined with Daisy, it was out of this world incredible. I’d never get enough, so I hoped she’d be able to keep up.
“So good,” she murmured.
“I know,” I agreed, sucking at her shoulder where the sleeve of her sleepshirt had ridden down. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you sleep in your dorm again.”
She laughed quietly, squeezing me. I groaned, picking up speed until my balls smacked against her flesh with a quiet slapping sound. The sound, her caramel smell, the feel of her in my arms, and her tight heat wrapped around me, her hips rolling back into every thrust—my orgasm appeared out of nowhere, screaming through my body. I was surprised I was coherent enough to press my hand over Daisy’s mouth, muffling her moans as she grinded back into me, her thighs squeezing together as she came, milking every last drop from me.
I stayed inside her for a while, our panting breaths finally slowing as the sun crested the gaps in my bedroom curtains. “I was serious. I think I need to start every day like this.”
“Do you?” she asked, amusement coating her sleepy, sated voice.
“Uh-huh. Every day. Just like this.” I kissed her neck, burrowing my nose into her skin. “Just you.”
“Just you,” she repeated.
“It looks so different.” Daisy had her hand up against the glass of the truck window, as though she could touch the house through it. “But still the same.”
They’d repainted her old house, so what was once a white and yellow cottage inspired home now looked like something you might find situated by the water. Except there was no water here in Clarelle. Not unless you counted the creeks on some of the properties, or the river that ran along the outskirts of town.
The house was now white and blue. Seashells decorated the pots all over the porch, and a seahorse hung next to the door. “The family you sold it to came from California.”
She smiled, glancing over at me. That smile still made my heart do funny things. I didn’t think that would ever change. “Do you think they painted over the murals in my room?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d often stalked this house after she’d moved, like some creep looking for any sign or leftover part of her. I’d always made sure they weren’t home first, and I’d look in her bedroom window, seeing pale blue walls instead of her creativity marring every one of them. It ruined me. Every time. “I think so.”
Her lips twisted as she mulled it over. Probably trying to decide how she felt about that. “It’d make sense, I guess.” Turning back to the window, she continued to gaze out of it.
“Wanna get out? Maybe see if you can get a closer look? Doesn’t look like they’re home.”
She didn’t answer for a beat. “Nah. I’m okay.”
“Yeah, you are.” I took her hand, kissing her fingertips before starting the truck.
I’d helped Dad milk the cows, then we’d had breakfast with my parents before packing our bags. Daisy had laughed, watching as Spud chased after my truck in the rearview mirror until Dad called him back.
Now, it was time to go back.
It felt good, though. Better than good. Having her by my side, her feet on the dash, and her sketchpad on her knees with the sun warming us through the windows as we flew down the highway back to Gray Springs.
We’d needed this. To go home, back to where our souls first intertwined.
“Do you think your mom’s already called mine?” she asked as we neared the exit of the highway.
I laughed. “Most definitely.”
Tucking her sketchpad away, she pulled out her phone. “Figures. She would’ve called me otherwise. But … there’s been nothing.”
“My mom would have told her all the information she needed. Without having to coax it out of you.”
She sighed. “You’re right. Bunch of gossips.”
“They mean well,” I said, trying to ignore my hardening dick when she rested her hand on my thigh and curled toward me for the last ten minutes of the drive.
We pulled into the driveway of the townhouse at midday, and Daisy jumped out, not even asking why I didn�
�t take her home. I was grinning like a cocky idiot as I grabbed our bags from the back and made my way inside.
Daisy paused in the entryway, and I dumped the bags on the floor, the smile falling from my face as I took in her worried one. “What is it?”
Her hands wrung together in front of her, and I kicked the door closed before taking them and putting them around my neck. Her chest brushed against mine as she exhaled loudly. “Nothing. I’m … I guess I’m trying to take it all in.”
My hands moved up her back, pushing her body flush against mine. “Look at me.” She lifted her head, her gaze meeting mine as she bit her lip. “I love you.”
Her brown eyes softened, her shoulders relaxing. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
Dropping my head, I skimmed my lips over her neck, backing her into the wall. “I love you.”
Kissing her silky skin, I kept repeating those words until her lips sought mine, and my dick became rock hard, nudging against the part of her it wanted inside as I picked her up. Her legs and arms held me tightly, her tongue seeking out mine with a gentle yet desperate force.
After a minute, I pulled away. “Upstairs.”
She nodded, then the doorbell rang.
Frowning, I looked around, just realizing that Toby wasn’t home thanks to the silence that met my ears. After one last peck, I lowered Daisy to the floor, and she moved back a bit for me to open the door.
Alexis was standing on the other side, a hesitant smile on her face. “Hey, can we talk?”
Can we talk?
Three words nobody wanted to hear asked of their boyfriend. Especially when the person doing the asking was their ex-girlfriend.
Quinn looked like he was running over a myriad of possibilities for why she was here, asking that question. He’d said he’d never been with anyone without a condom. And I believed him, but still, that niggling fear was there. Condoms broke.
I didn’t know what I should do, but judging from the stilted silence, I thought maybe I should just leave. “I’ll head back to my dorm. I’ll, um, see you later?”
Quinn’s brows lowered as he turned to me. “No, you’ll stay.”
My heart leaped. “It’s okay—”
“You can stay down here or go upstairs. But you’re not leaving.”
Alexis made a huffing noise, but I ignored her and quickly brushed my hand over Quinn’s arm before walking farther into the house.
“Can I at least come inside? It’s freezing out here,” I heard Alexis ask as I reached the stairs.
The house was quiet—Toby obviously not home—so I climbed up the stairs and sat on Quinn’s bed, feeling like I was intruding on their conversation but unable to ignore it.
“Thanks,” she said, followed by the sound of the door closing.
“Are you going to wreck the place like you did Daisy’s dorm?” Quinn asked, a sharp edge to his tone.
“Quinn,” Alexis started, but he stopped her.
“No, that was so fucked up. I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Yeah? Well, I can’t believe you betrayed me like you did.”
Quinn didn’t respond for a minute. “Why are you here?”
Her laughter tinkled throughout the house, light and airy, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “Why am I here?” She threw his words back at him. “I wanted to maybe talk to you. Alone.”
Silence encroached, then, “I’m not kicking her out. I’m sorry for what we did to you, and I’ll probably always be sorry for how things played out, but I can’t and won’t ask her to leave because of it.”
My cheeks warmed, and my heart as well.
“Right. So you’ve made your mind up then?”
“About what?” Quinn sounded confused.
Alexis’s voice rose in volume. “About her! You … you’ve picked her?”
I cringed, pulling my knees up to hide my face in them.
“It was never like that. Never a choice, hence what happened. It’s … I can’t explain it, and if I try, it’ll probably only upset you more.” He paused. “I don’t want to do that, so please don’t ask me to.”
“You cheated on me.” I could almost feel her anger from all the way up here. “And now you’re saying you didn’t even consider giving us another chance?”
“What?” Quinn asked. “Lex …”
“Don’t Lex me.”
“Sorry. But where … why …” He struggled, and I wanted so badly to fix this for him. I couldn’t, though. “I don’t understand why you’d want to make it work with me. Not back when I could only give you parts of me, and certainly not now.”
Quiet fell, and my heart raced.
“This was stupid,” she finally said. “Coming here. It’s just … she said you weren’t together, but clearly, you are. So it doesn’t matter now.” My eyes bulged. I didn’t realize what I’d said to her would give her hope. She continued, her voice softer, “We were friends. You and me. All of us. But you, I can’t imagine not having you in my life somehow.”
Quinn didn’t respond, and she went on, sounding as if she was crying. “I don’t even know what I’m saying. I-I just miss you.”
My stomach sunk. Heartache could be felt for not only yourself, but also for those around you. Even when they’ve hurt you. I felt it for her, and I struggled to battle down my guilt. In the end, I let it out, not seeing the point in trying to smother something that demanded freedom.
A minute later, the front door slammed closed, and Quinn came upstairs, dumping our bags on the floor.
Unsure of what to say, I glanced at the black sheets. “You got new sheets.”
“I changed them before we left.” He came and sat down on the bed. “Hey, you’re crying?” He lifted my face from my knees, taking off my glasses and setting them on the bed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she’d come here.”
“Or that going home would mean we couldn’t run away from what’s happened?”
His thumbs glided underneath my eyes, then he pulled me onto his lap, his hand tucking my head into the crook of his neck. “I don’t know what to do to make it better.”
“I don’t think we can.”
A minute later, his quiet voice pulled me from murky thoughts. “If we could go back, would you?”
My immediate response should’ve been yes. A million times yes. It wasn’t long ago that I wanted nothing more than to fill the hollow pit that’d formed in my chest. The one that only grew larger every day I woke up and realized what was mine never would be again.
I couldn’t and didn’t say that, though. “I’ve wished for so many things. But even though it …” I pulled my face from his neck, meeting his troubled eyes. “I think I needed to become more aware of the world, of what people can do to you, and to each other.”
“Dais, no. I hate that. I was desperate and had no idea what to do with a broken heart. Eventually, I had to fix it and did it the only way that seemed like it might work.”
“I know,” I said. “And that’s something I never expected of either of you. Which might make me sound stupid, but I needed to realize that every action has a reaction, and things don’t always turn out how you believe they will.”
He swallowed. “I reacted.”
“I did first.”
“Not as bad.”
Smirking, I asked, “Are we trying to out idiot each other now?”
Pulling me tighter to him, he kissed my cheek. “I’d win. Every time. So quit while you’re ahead.” I nestled back into him, my body relaxing from the feel of him, despite what had happened not even ten minutes ago. “Dais?”
“Hmm?”
“I hope you’d never …” His throat moved next to my nose. “That you’d never think I’d react so badly again, right?”
Lifting my head again, I ran my finger down the side of his jaw. It loosened, relaxing a little. “No. I believe you when you said you thought you’d never see me again.”
“This might make me sound like a dick, but even though it a
ll kind of blew up spectacularly, I’m really glad I was wrong.”
I leaned forward, resting my nose on his. “Me too.”
Because even with all the ammunition fired at our hearts, we’d found our way back to each other.
“So I’ll pick you up at three?”
I tried not to roll my eyes. Quinn had gotten back from practice and said he’d take me home so I could unpack and get ready for class. “Five. I need to do some laundry.”
Opening the door, I grabbed my bag, about to jump out when his hand snatched my wrist. “Not so fast.” He tugged, but I went willingly, crawling over the seat and pressing my lips to his. “I can help you do laundry,” he whispered, biting my bottom lip and sucking it into his mouth. I pulled it free. “I’d get nothing done.”
“We’d get something done.” His tongue swept into my mouth, his hands plucking at my sweater dress, trying to crawl underneath. I pushed his hands down and licked his upper lip before pecking him quickly and moving backward out of the truck.
He watched me, his elbow resting on the door, his head on his hand, and a lust-filled smile on his beautiful face. “Ugh,” I grumbled, grabbing my bag. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” His eyes roamed my body, and I shut the door in his laughing face, grinning like a goofball the whole way upstairs.
The grin fell off my face when I stepped into our dark room. There was a sheet hanging over the gauzy curtain, making the room look and feel like the perfect place to hang out if you had a migraine. But when I found Pippa lying on her bed, tissues piled around her like white flags of surrender, I had a sinking feeling a migraine wasn’t the problem.
“Pip?” I shut the door quietly, nerves jangling in my tummy as I crossed the room, dumping my bag on my bed. “What’s going on? Are you sick?”
She stared vacantly at the side of my bed, a hand at her mouth holding a crumpled tissue. Her green eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, but otherwise dry. I wondered how long she’d been lying in that position for.
Not getting an answer, I hesitantly sat down next to her and touched her back. She sniffled, her head moving a little, as if she’d only just noticed I was there. “I didn’t realize it then, but I do now. You’re a soldier, Daisy June.”