Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
The knock came just after dusk.
Daisy startled so hard she dropped the glass of water clutched in her hand.
It careened to the faded linoleum to shatter into a thousand glittering shards, water splashing all over her feet.
The sharp crack echoed through the too quiet apartment.
Standing frozen, she stared at the door as if it would leap out and attack her.
Another knock followed, this one slower, firmer. More deliberate.
Chest constricting, it strangled her by degrees until her bosom heaved with her panting breaths. Knees weak, she continued to stare. Some dark part of her knew. That awful pull low in her belly where fear and relief tangled together in a toxic mix.
She didn’t want it to be him. Wanted it to be anyone else.
A third knock came. Precise and patient, as if King knew she was there. Waiting her out until instinct kicked in.
Daisy wiped her damp hands on her sweatshirt, forcing herself to move towards the door.
Careful steps through the wet glass brought her to the far side of the room.
Closer and closer. Each dainty stride felt as if she were wandering back into the thick of it.
A miasma of turmoil and hurt swirling around her.
Daisy didn’t have to check the peephole.
She already knew. Fingers hovered over the lock, her lower lip sucked in between her teeth before she turned it.
As she swung the door open, she revealed King standing in the narrow hallway outside of her apartment.
Towering over her, broad shoulders blocking out the weak overhead lights that threw his face into stark relief.
Dark suit clean and crisp, the brilliant white of his expensive shirt fairly glowed against his bronzed skin.
His features were a calm mask, giving nothing away.
As if he hadn’t crossed half the city for her. King acted as if this was expected.
The brilliant blue of his eyes swept over her, taking in her rumpled sweats and tousled blonde locks. There was no concern in his gaze. No relief. A simple assessment of her state.
“You left.”
Daisy released the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Throat tight, she struggled to find her words. Opened her lips only to snap her jaw shut as he spoke again.
“You left without my approval.”
Vision swimming, tears flooded her eyes to spill down her warming cheeks. Shame twisted through her chest, clawing at her heart until the wet muscle felt it would explode under the stress.
“I thought…” Voice breaking, Daisy swallowed hard. Choking on salty misery before she began again. “I thought you were getting rid of me.”
“You misunderstood your position,” King growled.
“I heard you,” she cried, the words spilling out from her quivering lips as panic pulsed through her. “You talked about relocation. Structure. About fewer options and the right environment.”
His towering frame pushed her back as he stepped into her apartment. Closing the door behind him, it latched with a quiet click as he turned the lock.
“That conversation had nothing to do with you,” King said, startling blue gaze boring into her.
Daisy froze, hands twisting around each other, strangling her fingers as she sucked in her lower lip between her teeth. The faint bite of pain didn’t help to center her thoughts, the maelstrom of emotions swirling through her.
“That was about a departmental reorganization,” he continued, voice low and unhurried, as if explaining something simple to a child. Still, King’s gaze sharpened, a razored edge that scored her flesh. “A logistical matter. Personnel friction. Not you.”
Giving a faint shake of her head, her breath hitched. Lungs frozen as she began to tremble beneath his steady attention. “I thought…”
Moving closer, King’s palm cupped her jaw. Tilting her face up to his as he searched her eyes for a breathless moment. “You were never being removed.”
With her knees growing weak, Daisy hung from his every word. Willing him to make sense of it all for her.
“Not away from me, but closer,” he murmured as he moved even closer, hand sliding around her neck to clasp her nape in a tight grip. “I was arranging for you to remain with me. Where decisions aren’t required of you.”
“I don’t understand,” Daisy whined.
“You don’t need to. That’s the point.”
A soft sob escaped her, hand fluttering up to cover her mouth. Muffling the ragged sounds as King tugged her into his chest. Leaning into him, her shoulders hunched.
Daisy whimpered, “I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”
“You’re not meant to make decisions, princess,” King murmured, his large hand massaging at the delicate column of her neck.
Daisy continued to cry, trembling beneath his steady presence. Curling in on herself, she let him gather her close, his arm slung around her waist as he continued to grip her nape.
“You struggle with autonomy, baby girl,” he said, voice softer than she’d ever heard it. “Too many choices make you panic. Too many people think they’re entitled to pieces of you. IU won’t allow that.”
With a weak shake of her head, Daisy buried herself deeper into his embrace. “So… I’m not working anymore?”
There was a long pause. It wasn’t hesitation. King Blackwell never hesitated. It felt calculated.
“No. You won’t be working like that anymore,” he said in a hushed voice.
His jaw clenched, a muscle fluttering along the powerful line before he smoothed a warm hand down her back.
“I don’t want you scattered across that office.
I don’t want them deciding how to use you.
Your place is where I can see you. Where I can make sure you’re happy. ”
“Your role is to take care of what I need, to maintain my world, kitten,” he continued, fingers tightening over her nape once more. “You need someone else to decide for you, kitten. That’s my job now.”
“I was scared…”
“I know.” Curling a finger under her chin, King tipped her face up to his. His gaze was no less intense than it ever was, but there was something else deep in his eyes. Something dark. Raw. “You don’t have to be. Not with me.”
Sagging against him, a wave of exhaustion overtook the panic. Left her trembling and weak as he bent to scoop her up into his arms. Carrying Daisy over to the ratty couch, King sat and arranged her body on his lap, tugging her arms up until she wrapped them around his broad shoulders.
“I don’t discard the things I love, baby girl.”
Weary relief coursed through her veins, a shimmering light that warmed her down to her very bones as he stroked a palm over her hair. No more decisions. No more struggling to make it make sense. Daisy released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
“I don’t want to be afraid anymore,” she whispered against the hard muscles of his chest.
“Then stop trying to make decisions you’re not equipped to handle, princess,” King murmured against her temple.
Silent tears streaked down her cheeks as she gave a faint nod.
That sat there for what felt like a very long time. King petting her hair and back, working loose the stiff muscles that had remained tensed for far too long. By the time he shifted her from his lap to sit on the sofa, Daisy was dizzy with the release from all her troubling thoughts.
“This doesn’t happen again, kitten,” he murmured, bending close until his lips whispered against hers. “You do nothing without my approval.”
Nodding, she curled her legs up, hugging them tight to her chest against the very idea of his continued disapproval. She wanted to be good for him, to do exactly what he said.
“I’ll come for you tomorrow. Be ready for me.”
“Of course, Daddy,” Daisy mumbled as she nodded again.
“That’s my good girl. Now go rest for me.” King rose with a final stroke to her crown before his long strides carried him to the door. “Lock up behind me, baby girl.”
“Okay.” Daisy untangled her limbs, climbing up off of the too soft cushions to amble towards the door.
When she came close, King growled low in his throat, grabbing her by the hips. Tugging her into him, he bent close. Mouth sealing against hers, he ravaged her with teeth and tongue. Left Daisy breathless and trembling before he eased back with a slow curl of his lips.
Without another word, he left. Daisy turned the lock, quivering with unspent energy as she hurried to her bed. Tugging the covers high to her chin, her damp thighs rubbed together, her juices staining her panties.
Fingers ghosted over the bruised flesh of her lips. Traced the tingle left there.
Her first proper kiss.
She couldn’t wait for tomorrow to arrive.