She grabbed the chicken one and took a bite—and her reaction was the same.
“Which is your favorite?”
She covered her mouth as she chewed. “Oh, don’t do that to me.”
I finished my food then watched her, noting the way she ate more than I did.
“My stomach is going to be so bloated, but this is so good that I don’t care.”
“And I don’t care either.”
She gave me a hard look across the table then a nod of approval. “You’re so hot, you know that?”
I couldn’t suppress my grin, and it was hard to believe that I’d despised her when we met. She was different from other women because she was so candid, so real. Her thoughts were never a mystery because she would just blurt them out, and her thoughts were never anything less than positive. To top it off, she was smart, wicked smart. “I guess this is a good time to present this.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper before I pushed it toward her.
She finished her taco before she wiped her fingers clean to grab the paper. She unfolded it and stared at it for half a second before she looked at me over the top. “We’re doing this?”
“We aren’t seeing anybody else, right?” I grabbed a chip and dipped it into the salsa. “And you just said how hot I was.”
She looked at the paper again before she folded it up. “Your hotness has nothing to do with this.”
“I think it does.” I wanted her skin-to-skin, on the fly, whenever the moment happened. I didn’t want to slow down to get a piece of latex on my dick.
She slid the paper back toward me. “I’ll think about it.”
“How did I know you were going to say that?” I grinned and put the paper back in my pocket. “If that’s not something you want to do, there’s no pressure. Just wanted to put my cards on the table.”
“You gave your hand away pretty quick.”
“Because I’m not the kind of man that plays games.”
She spun a chip between her fingers as she regarded me. “I don’t play games either.”
“I noticed.”
We stared at each other for a moment, her eyes getting that vulnerable look she showed whenever I kissed her, whenever our clothes were gone. I liked every aspect of her, but that was my favorite.
She cleared her throat then dunked her chip into the salsa. “So, you still like working with my dad?”
“It’s a dream come true.”
“No wonder why he encouraged me to go out with you.”
I gave a slight smile. “I don’t kiss his ass.”
“You must be doing something because my dad doesn’t talk about people the way he talks about you.”
“I think it’s more of a reflection on him than it is me. He just has a big heart.”
“You have a big heart too. Maybe that’s why.”
“Yeah, but his heart is bigger in a different way.”
“How?” She continued to eat her chips.
I hadn’t planned on telling her this as colleagues, but now things were much different. “My parents are gone, and he’s gone out of his way to make me feel like I still have someone.”
She halted with her chip in the salsa, her eyes immediately turning vulnerable because the information hit her right in the heart. She abandoned the chip there altogether and pulled her arms close to her body, cushioning herself from the sadness. “I’m so sorry…”
“Yeah…it’s rough.”
“I…I don’t know what I would do if I lost my parents. Just the thought hurts me.”
It hurt me every single day.
“Can I ask what happened?”
I rubbed the back of my neck as I considered the request. “Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not you… I just—”
“You don’t owe me an explanation. Forget I asked.”
I dropped my hand, feeling the anxiety leave my bloodstream instantly.
“My dad lost his father when he was much younger.”
“Yeah, he mentioned that.”
She wore a sad smile. “Sometimes I forget how good of a man my father is. He understands the pain of losing a parent, so he doesn’t want you to feel that misery. He understands the agony of watching your spouse battle cancer, so he does whatever he can to comfort the family sitting at the bedside. He’s a smart guy, but I think he’s more heart than brain.”
“That’s a good way to describe him. He tried to invite me over on Father’s Day…”
“Why didn’t you come?”
I shrugged. “You and I weren’t getting along at the time, and I didn’t want to burden him because he felt bad for me. But he continued to ask until I agreed.”
“I don’t remember you being there on Father’s Day…”
“He took me out to breakfast.”
Her eyes softened. “Aw…”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy.”
Her eyes dropped to the table, a haze moving over the surface like she was thinking of something. “He must have watched my match because he knew I’d smoked a cigar…”
Guilt hit me right in the chest.
“On Father’s Day, he was really upset with me. It was actually the first time he’d ever said he was disappointed in me…” Her eyes remained down, her beauty taking on a different bearing when she was sad. Her eyes didn’t shine the same. Without that fire, she was a cold mantel. “I still feel bad about it.”
It didn’t matter how he found out so I should keep it to myself, but the guilt was too much. “I was the one who told him.”
Her eyes flicked up to meet mine.
“It was an accident…I’m sorry.” Ever since I’d come into her life, I’d caused a rift in her professional life. But now I’d done it in her personal life too. “I told him I watched the match and I was impressed with you. Mentioned the cigar. I knew something was wrong because his entire expression changed.”
Her eyes didn’t spark with anger, and to my surprise, she gave a shrug. “Shouldn’t have been smoking in the first place. It’s my fault—not yours.”
“I’m sorry, regardless. Didn’t mean to ruin the special day for you both.”
She gave a subtle shake of her head. “Forget about it. I knew better. I was just being a brat.”
“I don’t think smoking a cigar makes you a brat.”
“I’m just more reckless. The most reckless one in the family, actually. It’s time I grow out of that. Causing myself harm is the most harmful thing I could do to my family—especially my dad. But anyway…” Her gaze flicked away, and she admired the painting on the wall. “Do you ever think about returning to Her Majesty, the Queen?”
I was relieved at the change of subject. “Not really.”
“Was it always your intention to come here?”
“Kinda just happened. I bounced around for my education and got to see the world for a bit. America was my last stop, and I just stayed put. Now that I have my research position with your father, I never intend to leave. And the clinic…you know I have big plans for that.”
“Do you have any brothers? Not asking for myself…just some girlfriends.”
I chuckled. “No. I’m one of a kind.”
“What about a sister? I’ve got some gay friends too.”
My sister had been just two years younger than me, and we were close. I’d never wanted a brother because she was more than enough. “No. No sister.”
“What were your parents like?”
“My mom was a big-time behavioral psychologist. Very respected in her field. She believed that the best way to raise a child was by instilling social intelligence from birth, to teach them to have empathy for others, to understand different points of view, et cetera. That’s the key to raising a good person who will help the betterment of society as a whole.”
“That makes a lot of sense.”
“And my dad was a chemist. Worked for Proctor & Gamble for a long time.”
“The people who make toothpaste?”
&nb
sp; “Yes.”
“Well, that makes even more sense.”
“What?” I asked.
“I usually don’t like really smart people because they have no social skills at all. It’s like talking to a tree or something. But you don’t have that problem, and that must be because of your mom. Reminds me of my mom. Without her, I’d probably be stiff as hell like my dad.”
I chuckled. “He’s not stiff. I’ve met colleagues a lot stiffer.”
“You should see him at a party,” she said with a laugh. “He’s like an owl.” She opened her eyes wide and turned still. “Just sits there and stares…”
I remembered the first time I’d stepped into his office. That was exactly what he did, but I wouldn’t say it. I just gave a chuckle because it was cute to watch her praise her father then mock him a moment later. “Looks like you and I are a lot alike, then.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” She grabbed her beer and took a drink.
I pushed the paper back toward her, trying to entice her.
She set down the beer, a smirk in her eyes. “Don’t you think this is going a little fast?”
“Not fast enough, if you ask me.”
She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. With her head tilted, she sized me up. “What happened to the whole I don’t do relationships and all that shit? And now you’re trying to seal the deal.”
“Because I like you.”
She continued to watch me.
“And you like me too. Don’t act like you don’t.”
She pursed her lips in a playful way, like she wished she could force herself to look aggrieved. “I think you’re hot—”
“You like me.”
“I think you’re good in bed—”
“Baby, you like me.”
“Baby?” she asked incredulously. “Oh no, I don’t think so—”
“Baby, you like me.”
“Oh wow…” She shook her head, her arms still crossed over her chest. “You’re really something, aren’t you?”
I held her gaze, seeing the light in her blue eyes, seeing the perfect cheekbones, full lips, the joy in her features that she tried so hard to hide. “Like I said before, I don’t play games.”
With her dress pushed to her waist and her legs wrapped around my head, I kissed her good and hard, making her arch her back and writhe on my bed.
She fisted my hair.
She squirmed and moaned.
Her sexy whispers filled my dark bedroom. “Yes…right there.”
Fuck, she was hot.
Told me exactly how she wanted it without hesitancy.
I pushed her into another climax, my tongue working hard to make her buckle like she was in pain.
“God…yes.” Her nails sliced the back of my neck, causing the sweat to sting as it poured in.
I liked it.
Slowly, she came down, sinking into my sheets, making herself at home in my bedroom.
I got to my feet and pulled my shirt over my head before I moved to my jeans.
She lay there with her arms above her head, staring at the ceiling with heavy-lidded eyes. “Okay…I like you.”
The condom was rolled onto my dick, and then I was on top of her, my thighs separating hers. My dick slid into her wetness in a smooth glide, and I moaned when I felt her squeeze me with an iron fist.
Her arms hooked around my neck, and she pulled me into a kiss, tasting herself on my lips, rocking back with me, eager for more, even though I gave her plenty.
We came together, fitting perfectly, our sweaty bodies moving together, our breaths filling each other’s lungs with ecstasy.
Even through a condom, her pussy was crack.
I rocked into her hard, eager to have her after tasting her on my lips for the last twenty minutes. My hips bucked on their own, anxious to pound her into my sheets, to make my headboard clap against the wall.
She was a good lover—even when she just lay there. Her hands were either in my hair or hard against my back, her nails breaking the skin because she dragged them down, slicing me open. Her moans weren’t loud and fake like in a porno, but restrained and purposeful, which made them so much sexier.
With just a few thrusts, I found my release, filling the tip of the condom but wishing it weren’t there. I wished it were just her, taking it all, dripping between her legs when she went to the bathroom.
A satisfied moan escaped my lips, all the muscles in my core relaxing once those chemicals dumped into my bloodstream. The oxytocin was a serious kick. My face moved to her neck, and I kissed her until I reached her collarbone. I gave her a gentle bite before I went to the bathroom and cleaned off.
When I came back, she was where I left her, her hair everywhere, her beautiful naked body relaxed on my sheets. Her head was turned, and her eyes were closed, like she was ready to fall asleep.
I pulled on a fresh pair of boxers and got into bed beside her.
She was already asleep.
And she snored.
I grinned as I watched her because the last thing I’d expected from this petite woman was a snore. Dishes were still in the kitchen and the lights were on in the living room, but I was too tired to care, so I turned off the lamp on my nightstand and went to sleep.
15
Daisy
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t alone in the bed.
I didn’t hug the pillow between my legs.
Because there was a man there.
A sexy man.
My eyes opened and took him in, my arm over his hard chest, the sheets bunched at his waist, his jawline darker than it was last night.
My leg was tucked between his.
My face was on his shoulder instead of the pillow.
Fuck, I was all over him.
I rolled away and looked around, seeing the sunlight come through the open window.
“Where you going?” His deep voice was sleepy and raspy, like he’d only woken up a minute before I had.
I blinked a couple times then wiped the sleep from the corner of my eye. Black eye shadow got all over it. “Shit…” I’d never taken my makeup off, which meant I looked like a raccoon right now. His pillowcases were probably ruined with all the crap I’d put on my face before I came over.
“What?”
“Sorry…I didn’t mean to sleep over.”
“I don’t mind.”
I turned to look at him, to see his messy hair and sleepy eyes. He somehow looked even better first thing in the morning than fresh out of the shower.
“Didn’t even mind the snoring.”
Mason used to roll me over all the time because he hated it. “I didn’t keep you up?”
“Never slept better, baby.”
My eyes narrowed at his choice of words.
“I made you dinner, gave you awesome head, and then you slept over. If that doesn’t make you my baby, then what does?”
I gave him a playful smack on the arm.
He grinned then dragged me back to him, pulling me close to his volcano-hot body.
It was so comfortable that I didn’t move.
A rock had never felt so soft.
He must have seen me melt because he smiled. “You like being my baby.”
I inhaled a slow and deep breath before I let it out, feeling that odd sensation in my stomach that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was gripping and tight, pushing the air out of my lungs. It was comfortable but also terrifying.
His arm circled me and kept me tight to him, his other arm resting on mine.
And we lay there in the sun…like a couple.
Not like a one-night stand.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it…I was happy.
“You want breakfast?”
“You don’t owe me anything, not after last night.”
He grinned. “I’m like Santa—I just keep giving.”
“No, you’re like the Energizer Bunny—and you just keep going and going.”
He gave a q
uiet laugh, the joy reaching his eyes.
“I should be the one making you breakfast.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because I’m not much of a cook. But next time you come over, I’ll DoorDash whatever you fancy.”
“Deal.”
“What time is it?”
He grabbed his phone on the nightstand and tapped the screen so the phone lit up to show the time.
“Ugh, I have to go.”
“You got plans?”
“Yeah. And I’m already running late.”
He reached for his nightstand again and handed me my phone. He must have put it there sometime in the night so I could reach it if I needed it.
I took it and tapped the screen, seeing the eighty-five text messages in my box and twenty-five missed calls.
“Eighty-five text messages?” he asked incredulously.
“I’m in a couple group chats.”
“Twenty-five missed calls? No one calls anymore.”
“Well, my bitches sure do.” I went through them, watching them blow up my phone because they wanted me to go out with them—even though I’d already said I had plans. The texts were from friends as well.
“Damn, you’re popular.” He didn’t get jealous or weird, like every other guy did when he saw I had a ton of activity on my phone. Mason always hated it, hated hearing my phone vibrate on the nightstand all the time.
“Because I’m lovely.”
“And you chose to spend your night with me…quite the compliment.”
“Well, I didn’t choose. Kinda just passed out.”
“Because you didn’t want to leave. Bigger compliment.”
I propped myself on my elbow and looked down at him, seeing an unbelievably handsome man who was getting sexier by the minute. “You’re so different from when we first met.”
“Because I didn’t like you.”
I grinned.
He grinned back. “But then you made me like you, and now I can’t stop.”
“What exactly did I do? Because I’m still the same bitch who doesn’t take shit.”
“That’s exactly why. You’re smart. Really smart. You hold your own. I like that.”
The Girl Who Doesn't Quit (Soulless Book 12) Page 14