12. CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

BLAKE

Now

T he sun floods through a slit in the curtains across from the bed. Next to me, I feel the heat of Daisy snuggled up against my arm, her leg thrown over my hips, the little bandage covering the sting, still in place. The white robe fell open in her sleep and reveals the creamy skin of her thigh. I remain still for a while, watching her sleep. Her even breathing. The small flutters of her lashes. The way the sun washes over her face, highlighting the lovely curve of her jaw, the straight line of her nose. The tiny freckles smattered over her skin like flecks of dust in the light. She is perfection.

And for right now, she’s mine.

Note to self: Do not leave this bed for the next twenty-four hours. Spend every single moment wrapped up with Daisy in this bed, savoring her sweet taste and the softness of her body.

My dick hardens almost painfully at the thought. My hand lowers to my cock, and I squeeze myself through my pants. We fell asleep, still dressed, after spending the evening drinking mini bottles, eating snacks from the minibar, and watching old TV shows from the 50s. We missed the entire party, thanks to my stupid ass, but in reality, I wouldn’t have changed the night for anything. Daisy was mine for hours.

A soft sigh releases from her as her eyes flutter open. She smiles when her eyes focus, and her leg shifts up, hitting my hand still lingering on my cock. Daisy looks down to where I’m squeezing my dick and then back up, giving me a devilish smile.

“You having to take matters into your own hand must mean I’m failing miserably at my fake girlfriend duties.” She slides her hand resting on my chest, down my stomach, and under the waistband of my pants. I lift my hand away as she grips me tightly. The heated look in her eyes sends a shiver down my spine. “You should have woken me up.”

I hiss as she squeezes the head of my dick, running a finger over the slit. “You were sleeping so peacefully.” My breath hitches as she slides her finger over my shaft. “I didn’t want to wake you.

She gives me a fake pout and kisses my chest.

Involuntarily, my hips tilt up, my body wishing she’d grab me fully.

With another grin, she slides down, trailing kisses over my shirt. She stops at my waist and unbuttons my pants. The zipper grates quietly in the nearly silent room. My dick throbs, watching her lick her lips. She looks up at me under long lashes as she frees me and wraps her hand around my length. I stifle a moan. How can she feel so good every single time? We’ve fucked so many times in the last few days; each time, it gets better as we learn about each other’s bodies.

Daisy pushes my legs apart and climbs between them. She pumps my cock lightly, teasing me with light kisses before her warm tongue slides up my dick and she takes me into her mouth. The wet heat makes me groan, and I wrap my fingers in her hair. I don’t know what I did to get so lucky. She sucks the head of my cock, then takes me in deep until I hit the back of her throat. Even though I want to grip her head and thrust upward into the heat of her mouth, I gently run my fingers through her hair, cherishing the sight of her lips around my dick. She runs her tongue along the underside of my shaft, then flicks it over the head as she pumps me with one hand.

Grinding my teeth, I let out a quiet hiss, trying to keep myself in control. She’s moving slowly, sweetly. I want to keep the tenderness of the moment, even though everything in me craves to flip her over and fuck her until she’s whimpering.

I grip her hair. “I want to fuck you. Now.” Some animalistic part of me wants to claim her as thoroughly as possible. I tug on her hair to keep her from sucking me into her mouth again. Daisy releases my cock with a slight pop and smirks as she crawls up to position herself over me.

Gripping my dick, she slicks me between her wet folds, and we both groan. She lowers herself onto me, her eyes fluttering closed. All the breath in my lungs leaves in a rush as her body envelops me. I slide my hands under the robe and grip her hips.

Digging my fingers into her skin to hold her in place, I thrust upward. “You’re so tight.” Another thrust. “So wet.”

Daisy bites her bottom lip as she shudders. She’s so fucking gorgeous it hurts. I thrust up again to meet her as she comes down on me. Her breath hitches. She slides her hands up her waist and over the robe, caressing her breasts. I marvel at how open she’s become in the last few days, like a beautiful goddess. I tighten the grip on her waist and continue to thrust up. We set a languid pace, and each time she lowers herself, she grinds down, rolling her hips, taking her own pleasure. She unties the robe, letting it fall open. Daisy grips her breasts, squeezing her nipples. Her mouth opens in a gasp, and it takes everything in me to just watch her and not sit up and take her nipple in my mouth or kiss her pink lips.

“You feel so good,” she rasps out, and I know she’s close.

I release her hip and angle my hand so I can brush my thumb over her clit. The sharp cry she lets out tells me that’s exactly what she needed. “You’re exquisite,” I breathe out and slam up into her. Her mouth forms a small oh, and I pick up the pace, slamming into her as I continue to slide my thumb over her clit.

It hits her so hard and fast that she sucks in air, falling to my chest. Her entire body seizes up, and I feel her pussy clench tightly around my cock, sending waves of pleasure down my spine. Stars pulse behind my eyes as my rough pumps slow. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly to me. Her warm breath fans over my chest through my shirt, and I realize we never removed our clothes. She presses a kiss on my chest and leans up.

“Let’s cancel breakfast and stay here.” Daisy brushes her sleep-tousled hair away from her face. Even freshly fucked and barely awake, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I run my hand along her bare arm, drinking in her beauty. “Are we to survive off sex alone?”

She grins and licks her lips. “We can get room service.”

“Or we can meet your family for breakfast as planned and come back here.” My stomach sinks. Fuck . I forgot about how I acted last night. Do her parents know? Did the staff inform them I assaulted that dickface?

She sees my expression and runs her hand down my face, washing away my worried look. “Don’t worry. I highly doubt my parents found out.”

“What about Justine?”

The lightness in her deflates with my question. She pulls the robe up and covers herself. “Justine isn’t a problem unless I make her one.”

My phone rings, and we both look at the end table. This is the first time my phone has rung since we’ve arrived here. I reach over and grab the phone. When I see the name, my stomach dips. TJ. Why is he calling? The ringing stops, and it goes to voicemail. If it’s important, he’ll leave a message. But why is he calling in the first place? He knows exactly where I am. Unless there is a problem. But how? TJ’s covered for me, and there is no way the judge would require seeing me.

The phone pings that there is voicemail. A second later, it rings again.

“You can answer it,” Daisy says, still sitting on me, my cock inside her. “I’ll give you some privacy.” She shifts to get up and winces as I slide out of her. She slides off the bed and shuts the bathroom door behind her.

Sitting upright, I tuck my still wet cock back into my pants. I answer the phone with a snarl, “This better be good.”

“Blake,” TJ hisses, his voice barely above a whisper. “We have a fucking problem.”

My blood freezes. “What happened?”

There is a shuffling sound, and a door closes. “Seems whatever bad luck you have is now mine.”

“What happened?” I ask through gritted teeth. Part of me knows. Of course, I know. This is how my life works.

“Got a visitor this morning,” TJ snaps. “He says he’s a friend of yours.”

I close my eyes and fall back onto the bed. “What did he say? ”

“He didn’t say much,” TJ hisses. “Just asked where you were when you’d be back. Then told me how lovely my wife and daughters are.”

“Fuck,” I say. “No.”

“Oh yes.” TJ nearly growls in rage. “This asshole had pictures of my baby girls, Blake. My wife . Out in public. Like some stalker shit.”

“What did he want?”

“He wants you, asshole,” TJ snaps. “He said to remind you that you have a job to do.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him.

“You need to get your ass back here.”

“It’s going to take me a minute to get a flight back.” I stand up and look around the room as if the answer to this building panic weaving around my throat is hidden in a corner somewhere. “And get to the airport.”

“Whatever, man,” TJ says. “But get your ass back here before this scary ass Godfather- looking dude comes to my house again.”

The call goes dead. I sink to the bed and put my head in my hands. Fuck. Why did I think I could take time away? Now my stupidity has TJ and his family involved .

“Everything okay?” Daisy stands in the bathroom doorway, her brows knit in concern.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I have to leave her. After what I did last night, acting like a jerk and everything with Justine, I have to leave her.

“Blake?” She tilts her head to the side. “What happened?”

I close my eyes and exhale, wishing I was different. I was supposed to be better by the time Daisy wanted to see me again, and I’m not. My life is a mess, and I’m tangled up with bad people. And now I’ve got TJ involved.

My shoulders slump. “I have to leave.”

She steps back and straightens. “When?”

“Now.”

She looks to the bed and then tightens her robe. Her face goes completely blank, her eyes hollowing out. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, rushing forward to cup her face in my hands. “It’s an emergency.”

She gives me a fake smile. “I understand.”

I want to scream. The way she keeps avoiding my eyes tells me she thinks I’m lying. I can’t leave her like this. She’ll never want to see me again.

“My father is sick,” I tell her .

Her eyes instantly dart to mine. She grips my hands and squeezes. God, I hate myself so much right now. She’s so pure and so kind. I’m so selfish.

“I didn’t tell you he’s been sick for a while.” My mind races, trying to figure out the best way to describe my dad. The most believable lies always have a smidgen of truth. “My father is an alcoholic. He’s been in the hospital.”

It’s really a rehab, but whatever.

Her entire body sags with sympathy. “And he’s not doing well?”

I’m going to hell. “No,” I say, and the pain in my voice isn’t a lie. I hate myself for using my asshole father and his shitty liver as the excuse to leave, but I’m desperate. Please, whatever powers that be, don’t use this against me later and hurt my father. “I have to get the first flight back.

She steps out of my grip and shakes her head. “No, my father can set up your flight.” She rushes to get her phone. “I’ll call him now. You’ll be back in a few hours.”

There isn’t enough time to feel guilty about this. If I have to book a flight through a standard airline, it would take hours and probably even a layover. I run my fingers through my hair and curse .

Daisy steps forward and places a hand on my arm. “It’s okay, Blake.”

“It’s not,” I tell her. “I’m leaving you with the mess I made last night.”

She laughs. “Yeah, but I’m a big girl.” She thumbs through her phone, then waves me away. “Go pack.”

***

Daisy argued while I packed, wanting to go with me to the airfield, but I insisted she stay at the hotel. After a lengthy goodbye to her family, a weird hug from Forest thanks to Daisy telling everyone about my sick father, and an awkward handshake and pat on the back from her father, Daisy and I are now standing in the lobby, the car that’s arrived to drive me parked out front. I glance at the driver, who’s once again checking his watch.

Daisy wrings her hands, reminding me of a Shakespeare play I saw at the local theatre in high school. I grip her fingers and bring her hands to my mouth.

She stops fidgeting. “Is our agreement still in place?”

My brows knit. Why is she asking me? I’m the one leaving early. “Yes? ”

“Good.” She glances at the driver. He’s practically tapping his watch in frustration. “Can we make a few changes?”

“Like what?”

“How about we email?” Daisy narrows her eyes and stares over my shoulder like she’s contemplating her words. “But only once a week?”

I almost melt with relief. I kiss her fingers again and then release them. “Yes, let’s do that.”

“Yeah,” she says like she’s coming to some sort of conclusion in her head even though she’s the one who’s amending the agreement she came up with. Daisy hurries to the counter then after a minute, the clerk hands her a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbles on the paper and gives it to me. “Please let me know how your father is doing.”

Taking the paper from her outstretched hand, I look at the small, neat letters. My stomach sinks, turning sour. Should I be doing this? Wouldn’t it be wiser if I just left her alone? Broke this all off?

Raising my eyes to meet hers, I know what I must do. If he has no qualms about threatening TJ, he’ll have no problem using Daisy as leverage to keep me in line.

I have to let her go .

“Thank you,” I tell her, as the realization nearly drowns me. That tightness in my chest returns, the same feeling I had inside me when I thought I’d never see her again. Except for this time, it’s real. “For understanding.”

She smiles. “I promise it’s okay. Some things happen that are out of our control.”

Digging in my pocket, I grab the small box I brought. Her eyes flash with curiosity. “I was going to give this to you tonight, but well…”

Daisy takes the box and opens it, revealing the two charms inside. She grins up at me, and my heart feels like it’s shriveling up. First, she pulls the little coral charm out and inspects it, then the key.

She examines the gold key with a furrowed brow, then it hits her. “The Keys.” She clamps the box shut and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her. She places a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll see you at the next Gathering.”

It feels like peeling a layer of skin off as I step back from her. I take a moment to drink her in. Her honey hair. The bright clarity of her green eyes. The delicate curve of her collarbone and the hollow of her neck.

With a nod, I turn and walk toward the doors, knowing I’ll never see her again. When the car door slams shut, I suck in the cold scent of leather, trying to fill this hollowness in my bones.

My phone rings. Clenching my teeth, I dig the phone from my pocket, expecting to see TJ’s name flash on the screen. My stomach drops when I see the unknown number. A chill shivers up my spine, creeping up to my jaw.

Right before the call goes to voicemail, I slide the green icon and answer. My heavy breathing lets him know I’m on the other line.

“Blake.” He says my name like we’re friends. Like we chat all the time about sports and have drinks at the bar on Sundays. Not like he’s forcing me to work for him.

Work. What a joke.

I’m his fucking prisoner.

“I understand you’re on a fun family trip?” he asks. “With a pretty little lady.”

My head pounds, fluorescent warning signs flashing in my mind.

“George Conner’s daughter, no less.”

There is no point in answering. He knows I’m with Daisy now, and he knows exactly who Daisy’s father is. I should have seen this coming. I knew I should have stayed away. This was what I feared the most, but I’m greedy and selfish. When I saw George was the president of a huge investment firm, I knew deep in the pit of my being that I needed to stay away from Daisy. My entanglement with the man on the phone would be dangerous for her. I’m a hacker who steals from men like George. And I’m tied to the devil, being used as his pawn to line his pockets.

And I know exactly what he wants.

“What a great opportunity you’ve brought me,” he says. “We have an exciting new target for our business.”

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