9. CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
BLAKE
Now
T he sage green yoga pants Lily insisted Daisy wear this morning cup her firm ass perfectly. Every time she bends for a new pose, the seam outlines her ass crack and the lips of her pussy I savored just a few hours ago. My dick hardens slightly at the thought of her sweet little cries as I licked her from back to front this morning.
“Now for the down-facing dog,” Heather tells the small class.
I watch as Daisy bends forward and places her hands on the mat. My mouth waters. I’d give anything to slide my hand between her legs right now, part her wet folds, and taste her sweetness before slamming my cock into her over and over.
Note to self: Don’t get a fucking hard-on during yoga class.
I look away and focus on getting myself into position. This is good. All the blood will rush to my head instead of my dick.
“Now, lower your knees to the mat for cat pose.”
My eyes immediately fly over to Daisy on all fours. She glances over at me and gives me a sly smirk. Fuck, this is worse.
Yes , I silently tell her, we’re doing this position later . I’m putting her on the bed just like this, one hand woven into her glistening honey-colored hair, the other holding her slender shoulder to keep her steady as I fuck her so hard she can’t even remember her name.
“Someone’s not paying attention.”
The dirty fantasy swirling in my mind cuts out. I glance up and find Heather only a few feet away, her eyebrow cocked with a knowing look. She’s just caught me staring at her daughter with pervert eyes like some lecherous bottom feeder while she’s attempting to help teach a yoga class. I look back to the floor and arch my back to show her I’m paying attention to her instructions and not imagining banging Daisy while she’s on all fours.
Fuck, Blake. Calm down.
I lock my elbows and focus. See? I can do yoga in a class full of women and not be a pervert. Thankfully, Heather walks away to help a woman at the front of the class, and I sigh.
We’ve already been here for an hour, and my arms are sore, my back feels strained, and this is not relaxing or calming. When Daisy said we were to meet her family at the resort rec center for a yoga class, I had figured we’d be doing some stretching and breathing. Maybe a few meditations while lying on purple mats on the floor because we are, after all, on vacation. Who wants to exercise while on vacation?
Insanely rich people, apparently.
I pull myself up from the mat and glance at Daisy to see what she’s doing so I can copy her. She’s standing on one leg, with the other bent to create a triangle. Her arms stretch above her head, and she’s looking straight ahead. Okay, this seems easy enough.
After we had gathered in the large warm room, I’d sat back and watched Daisy pose in her little yoga outfit designed by her sister. That Erin is camera happy and must have taken a dozen pictures of Daisy in slightly different poses, showcasing her perfect little ass. Then they took pictures of Heather and posted the images on social sites, talking about hashtags and great exposure. I wasn’t really paying attention too much but caught that Heather would assist some well-known yoga instructor in this morning’s class.
The muscle in my thigh tightens slightly. I wish I’d have taken that dull Kane and dramatic Forest up on paddle-boarding instead. At least the insane heat would be from the sun and not the near hellish temperature of the room, and the sweat pouring off me would wash away in the cool water and not pool in my ass crack as I try to keep my balance in what I think is a tree pose.
“And release,” Heather tells us, and I nearly collapse to the mat, lying flat on my back.
Daisy laughs. “All those muscles must be heavy.”
I spread my arms out and roll my head to the side. She’s all smiles and hasn’t even broken a sweat. I huff out a laugh, too tired for a comeback.
“Are you ready for the sauna and massage?”
“Sauna?” I ask. “You mean we’re going to lock ourselves in a steamy wooden box so we can sweat some more?”
Erin laughs somewhere to my left. “You mean you don’t want to sit in a steamy room with five half-naked women?”
“As appealing as that sounds, I’d rather not sweat anymore today.”
Daisy sits up and pats my arm. “You don’t have to go, but it’ll help.”
I look at the front of the classroom and see Heather talking with the instructor as they walk out the door. I guess the class is over and I missed it.
Pulling myself off the floor, I roll my shoulders and then grab Daisy. She grins as I tug her close, squishing her to my damp shirt. “I’d rather get back to the room and be fully naked with just you.”
Amber pulls Daisy away. “You guys really are gross.”
***
Never in my life have I seen one person take so many pictures. Erin had even brought the damn phone into the sauna and had everyone posing, yammering on about hashtag sauna-time having less than a million posts. Apparently, that means Erin will target some group of people that use saunas while on vacation. I think? Justine had sat out for most of the pictures today, preferring to explain the intricacies of marketing and target audiences from the sidelines.
Note to self: Find out if any of this stuff is actually important to Daisy.
“It’s the best way to find your audience,” Justine is saying now.
I nod absently, unable to tear my eyes off Daisy. After we left the sauna, we all showered, then sat in chairs while women in white shorts and button-down shirts rubbed our feet, talking about the party being held by the resort tomorrow night. Feeling like a wobbling noodle, Daisy and I returned to our room and promptly fell asleep. I woke her up a while later with little kisses that I trailed along her smooth body until I was sure she was awake, then slipped lower between her legs.
Now we sit with the family at the bar for after-dinner drinks and a dip in the pool. The fire of tiki torches placed every few feet around the parameter lights up the space enough that Erin has Lily, Amber, Justine, and Daisy modeling more bathing suits. Out of all the women, Daisy seems to glow brightest. The light gleams over her skin, making her irresistible. I noticed right away when I saw her again that she’d changed in the last few months, but I still can’t place exactly what it is about her that’s different. She’s changed her hair slightly, which I already knew since I’d seen her selfie the day she posted it on her Instagram. Daisy seems more self-assured in her movements. In her entire body. I wonder if quitting her job and pursuing her dreams has given her the confidence she needs.
Everyone has noticed the transformation in her. Lily has latched on to her, and Daisy radiates happiness from being showered with her sister’s attention. I just hope when Lily’s attention fades, Daisy can keep her shine.
“Erin has taken the suggestions I’ve given her and grown her brand rapidly,” Justine says. “Lily could use the same techniques and benefit from them.”
“This hashtag niche?” I ask, proud that I’ve remembered at least some of what she’s said. I peel my eyes away from Daisy to look at Justine. “This is what you do, right? Marketing?”
Justine grins. “Yes. I handle the marketing for Wister Publishing.”
“The book publisher?” I ask.
She gives me a small smile like I’m an idiot. “Yes, the book publisher. ”
“Daisy could probably use your ideas.” I glance back at Daisy. Knowing someone in the industry would be perfect for helping her promote her work once she’s published.
“Daisy?”
I nod, watching Daisy jump and kick her foot back behind her. I chuckle at her silliness. “When she publishes her novels.”
Justine’s loud laughter makes me look at her. A strangled choke erupts again. “Daisy’s novels?”
Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Her amusement makes me simultaneously angry and horrified. I don’t think—no, I know for certain now—I must be the only one Daisy has confided in about her books. I’m such an idiot. And I blurted it out to the one person who obviously has some weird obsession with Daisy and her ex.
Justine seems to recover and leans in conspiratorially. “Daisy has written a book?”
I lean back in my chair, trying to calm my pulse. If I act like it’s no big deal, then Justine will think it’s no big deal. I shrug. “Daisy may have mentioned wanting to? Or something like that.”
“Fitting.” Justine makes a small sound that lands close to a snicker. “Daisy is a bit of a storyteller. ”
I glance back at her and catch her watching my face.
Do not take the bait. Do not take the bait.
Justine leans back in her seat and sips her drink, knowing damn well she’s hooked me. “After Jim, she made up quite a few stories about me.”
“What stories are those?” I ask, sipping my drink and silently screaming at myself for biting just like she wanted me to.
She waves her hand around like she’s pushing away the words. “Oh, I don’t want to make you think less of her.”
“I wouldn’t think less of anyone overhearing gossip,” I say with a bit more snark than I intend.
Justine gives me a sweet smile. I wonder how anyone can behave so abhorrently and smile simultaneously. I wonder, too, how I let her suck me into this conversation.
She leans back in her chair, watching the group of women. “Daisy was such a mess after Jim. I can’t really blame her for being so vile.”
My heart skips at her words. As much as I want to know more about this Jim guy, it doesn’t feel right hearing anything about it from this woman. I shift in my seat and lean forward. If I ignore the statement, she’ll realize the subject is inappropriate and invasive .
“Well, you know all about it anyhow,” Justine continues. “But I imagine getting hit like that would mess anyone up.”
A cold wave washes over me, freezing my blood. Hit? Daisy was with someone who hit her? My suspicions yesterday were spot on. Daisy was uncomfortable with that ass because of her past. I knew I read the situation right.
Justine must see my rigid shoulders and my brain spinning wildly because she continues, “That first day I saw him, I told her to leave him,” she says. “I mean, who screams at their girlfriend in public?”
I clench my teeth. “I thought you said you ran into them in a restaurant,” I say and again yell at myself. Stop talking. Stop asking questions.
“Yes, outside one.” She glances at Daisy. “I just left out the part where he was screaming at her and pushing her around.”
Desperately wanting—no needing —to escape this awful conversation, I push away from the bar and stand. Images of some asshole screaming at Daisy — hitting her — swim in my head, making me feel sick. Justine has no right to discuss any of this with me. Then again, I told her I knew all about Jim. But she’s what? Just talking to Daisy’s current boyfriend about her abusive ex because she’s concerned? This doesn’t feel like concern. This feels like betrayal and manipulation.
“But then, she started those rumors about me,” Justine says quietly. “I think she just was angry that I had suggested she tell her family that she had to go to the hospital that one time.”
It feels like I’m about to combust. Part of me wants to know more. Part of me wants to run. “Hospital?” The way the word escapes my mouth gives away my obvious shock.
Justine winces. “Oh, sorry. I thought you knew.”
I take a deep breath and down my drink. Everything in me screams to move away, to run to Daisy and wrap her up so nothing can hurt her, but I’m rooted to the ground.
“At any rate, it’s all in the past.” Justine’s smile appears warm, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “All the threats she made to tell everyone I was messing around with her boyfriend were just a way to deflect. She was in pain and lost. I forgave her a long time ago.”
I set my glass down with a clink , hard enough that Forest looks over from his seat several feet away. I turn back to Justine and make sure the smile on my face appears relaxed, even though my insides feel knotted up and ready to explode .
“I’m glad you had the foresight to keep Daisy’s personal life private,” I tell her. “We all know how toxic it is to gossip about friends and family.”
With controlled, deliberate steps, I move toward Daisy and wrap my arms around her waist. I dwarf her small body in mine. My heart clenches. I can’t imagine anyone hurting her. Hitting her. Screaming at her. I’d fucking kill anyone who so much as looked at her sideways, including that scum bag who dared speak so rudely to her. Daisy is too pure, too good for such grotesque crudeness. I hate that I’ve accidentally given Justine more fuel to throw at Daisy, but I didn’t realize just how toxic her obsession was.
And I should know what obsession looks like.
Daisy spins in my arms to face me, and it feels like my chest is being squeezed. Did I just betray her further by not walking away from Justine? It’s disturbing to think Justine is spreading lies about Daisy to people she trusts. I’m not really her boyfriend, but Justine doesn’t know that. Why would she tell me all this? To cause a rift between Daisy and me? Or is it something worse? Is it true? Is Daisy possible of lashing out so maliciously when she feels cornered? It’s common for people in abusive relationships to resort to lies to cover up being abused. I’d seen it one too many times in the women my father brought home. He was a real bastard, and I had stopped him from hitting a girlfriend on more than one occasion. The women always defended him, saying it was her fault. Even I constantly lied to cover up the fact that he abused me. My stomach twists to think that Daisy had endured even a smidgen of that.
I could imagine her lying to cover up the abuse. I’ve witnessed her make excuses for her sister, but to threaten slander on anyone who tried to reveal her abusive relationship? It doesn’t fit. Not what I’ve seen of Daisy.
But what have you really seen of her, Blake? You’ve followed her and stalked her on social media. What people post on the internet isn’t who they truly are. It’s a front. A show for followers. You know it’s not the truth, Blake. You know, because you’re a fake too.
“Everything okay?” Daisy asks, and I realize I’ve just been standing here, holding her for a second too long.
Pressing my nose to the soft skin below her ear, I breathe in her floral scent. A shiver runs through her as my lips brush along her neck. “I miss your sweet taste flooding my mouth.”
Daisy’s shuddered breath gives me a satisfying rush that travels straight to my cock.
Lily loops her arms with Amber and Erin, backing away. “I guess we’re done. ”
“I need to get you back in bed,” I say when they are out of earshot.
Daisy smirks. “I think you just miss the comfy mattress.”
I laugh, and it feels good. Like the tension from the conversation a few minutes ago is unwinding from around my neck. “It is a pretty amazing bed, but I like it better when you’re in it, naked.”