9. CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER SEVEN
DAISY
Now
“ D uck!”
Cold snow hits the side of my head with a painful explosion, falling under the loose scarf and into my sweater. I scream, pulling the fabric away from my chest and wipe away the remainder of the snowball from my hair.
“I told you to duck,” Blake says with a laugh as he jogs up next to me.
“I was too busy building our arsenal.” I gesture to the pile of snowballs at my feet. “I didn’t hear you.”
“Incoming!” Erin screams.
Blake steps in front of me. The snowball hits his back with a loud thud.
“You’re not supposed to announce it,” Lily says. “You’re terrible at this game.”
Forest peeks out from behind the cabin then throws a snowball at Lily’s head. It contacts a loud thwack.
“Not the face!” she screams. “You’re supposed to avoid the face.”
“That’s what she said,” Amber screams, throwing another.
Lily dodges the small ball and waves her arms above her head. “I surrender. I’m wet and tired.”
“That’s what she said,” Amber snickers as Forest shakes his head.
“Who won?” My father steps out from the warmth of the lodge with a steaming cup in his hands and an enormous smile on his face.
“We did.” Forest jogs up to the lodge, dragging Amber along. “Losers make the rest of us hot chocolate. ”
“There is no winner,” Lily bellows. “We weren’t keeping score.”
“I was,” Forest says, sticking his tongue out at Lily. We all laugh because it’s so very Forest.
“I’m pretty sure we won.” Blake wraps his arm around my shoulder, directing us inside.
Grinning like an idiot up at him, I feel a blush heat my cheeks. Last night was intense. I woke this morning to Blake’s fingers trailing along my spine, a devious smile playing on his lips. I barely had time to absorb all we did last night before he flipped me over onto my back and moved inside me. We had slow, languid sex that felt so different but just as intense as the dirty things he’d done to me last night. And boy, did he do dirty things. Then watching him orgasm? Seeing how I made him come undone was the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. The sexiest I’ve ever felt. Every time I think about it, which has been all day, between my legs throbs, wanting more.
“Your cheeks are rosy, pretty Daisy,” Blake says, “I have a feeling it’s not just the cold making you flushed.” Blake cups my face and leans down, placing a delicate kiss on my mouth.
“Can we not.” Forest hands us both a mug. “I’ve had to endure the sounds. I don’t need the visuals to go with it. ”
My mother smacks his shoulder. “Forest, stop being rude.”
“What?” he asks. “You share a wall with them next time. They’re like bunnies.”
Amber slaps his arm and gives Blake an apologetic look. “Ignore him. Everyone else does.”
My father sinks into a large chair, and my mother rests on the arm. Lily grabs Kane’s hand, dragging him to the center of the room. He gets a big stupid grin on his face. I catch Forest rolling his eyes. Here we go.
“Kane and I have an announcement to make.” Lily grips his hand harder, bringing their intertwined fingers up to her chin.
Kane glances at my father. “I’ve asked Lily to be my wife.”
Everyone in the room hushes, eyes moving to my dad. He looks Kane up and down, then stands and walks to them. Lily shoots me a sideways glance, then looks to our mother for help.
“You asked my daughter to marry you?” he asks when he stops in front of them.
Kane opens his mouth, thinks twice, and shuts it.
Dad slaps him on the shoulder, letting out a loud laugh. “Good luck. She’s a pain in the ass.”
Lily flings her arms around our father’s neck. “I’m so glad you approve, Daddy,” she says. Lily melts into Kane, staring up at him with large teary eyes.
Erin erupts into a loud shriek and runs to Lily, pulling her into a hug. For a while, it’s just a frenzied conversation about who should make the dress, if Lily should design it, or hire someone with more fame. Amber even gets involved, suggesting places for the wedding and if it should be a destination wedding or closer to home. Forest declares that the wedding will be an official Conner Family Gathering, which makes Amber groan. My father adds that there should be games between the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Erin takes pictures of the ring. What plan Lily had concocted worked because Kane proposed last night. Everyone gawks at the size and cut of the diamond. My mother cries, but delicately so as not to ruin her makeup, dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
“Who’s the maid of honor?” Amber asks Lily, winking in my direction.
“I mean, we all know who it will be,” Lily says with a grin. She stands up, wrapping her arms around Erin’s neck. “ My bestie, of course. I already have the bridesmaids picked out, too.”
Erin bursts into a fresh round of tears, and everyone else looks at me as Lily hugs her friend.
Blake makes a harrumphing noise next to me and scoots in closer. It’s no surprise to me, but her words cut deeper than I thought they would. I smile at everyone, silently letting them know how fine this all is, even though Lily hasn’t looked my way. I don’t think she even realizes maybe I should, or could, be involved in her wedding. Why would anyone even think I’d be my sister’s first choice for anything? With the many times in our lives that she’s referred to me as plain, uninteresting or something along those lines, it was a given it never occurred to her I’d even want to be involved.
Listening to Erin chatter in excitement, I’m surprised to find that I want to be involved. And the part that pisses me off even more, is even though she can be cruel, I still want her attention and approval. My emotions are all over the place, so I sit back and watch them all talk, trying not to be upset.
As happy as I am for my sister, I hate to admit that I have little faith in the relationship, which, given my current emotional state, gives me a small amount of satisfaction. I can be petty, too. Kane checks all the right boxes, but if I’ve learned anything, whoever joins this family has to have a steel backbone. Amber barely survived the wedding. I chuckle to myself, remembering the wedding day and how Amber nearly called it off thanks to my mother saying her veil looked cheap, so it suited her well, and Forest threatened to throw our mother out of the church.
“What’s the laugh for?” Blake asks, brushing my knuckles to his lips.
“I was just thinking about how bad I feel for Kane.”
Blake remains silent. I can only imagine what he thinks about what he just witnessed. But then again, who cares? I worked up the nerve to have a sexy, carefree weekend, and that is it. It’s not like I’ll see him again after this weekend, so what he thinks about my family has no merit in my life.
Blake and I follow my family and the noise to the dining room and sit quietly as Lily and Erin plan the details of the wedding. Even Amber has caught wedding fever, laughing with them. Blake tenses next to me, and I squeeze his hand. He looks over, his dark eyes searching my face. Someone says my name, and Lily and Erin laugh. I turn my attention back to the table.
“What?” I look at my family gathered around me as the laughter dies down. “What about me? ”
“Forest asked if you were going to be a bridesmaid,” Lily says, brushing her hand over her chest. “And Erin was like, can you imagine her in a Vera Wang dress? She’d look like a starving ostrich.”
Erin cackles but quiets down when her eyes meet mine.
Blake squeezes my hand, abruptly standing from the table, his chair tilting as it slides back. He looks around the room as he pulls me from my seat. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
“It was just a joke,” Lily calls after us, which makes it even worse.
I let Blake guide me outside, sucking in a breath as the bitter cold hits my face. He was in such a hurry to leave we left our jackets in the lounge.
“The way they talk about you is disgusting.” His jaw clenches. When he realizes I’m shivering, he slides his sweater over his head and stops me in the path. “Arms out.”
I obey, holding my arms out toward him. He’s only in a t-shirt now that he’s sliding the sweater over my head. “You’re going to freeze.”
“I’ll be fine,” he says, taking my hand in his and pulling me down the path. Our breaths puff out, and I’m still shivering. I squeeze his icy hand, trying to warm it up .
When we reach the cabin, Blake locks the door, then leans against it, releasing a heavy sigh. “Are you okay?”
No? My sister excluded me from her wedding plans, then laughed when her best friend insulted me, and no one bothered to defend me. Not a single damn one of them.
Blake did, though. My fake boyfriend was the only person who came to my defense.
When I don’t answer, Blake grabs my arm and pulls me to him, wrapping me in a hug. Damn it. I hate that I still let Lily hurt me. Deep down, I know it’s not intentional, but somehow that’s just worse. She isn’t even considerate enough to realize she is hurtful. She isn’t caring enough to defend me against Erin, who can be just plain cruel.
“It’s my fault for letting it get to me,” I tell him. “She is who she is.”
“Has anyone considered that they are helping her become even more self-obsessed and callous by brushing off her behavior?” Blake walks to the fire and throws in a log. It takes a minute, but the fire gets going.
“Can we drop it?” I plop down in the chair where Blake sat last night. I lean back, pulling my legs to my chest. The sweater smells like him. Smokey and delicious. Clean mountain air and Blake. I breathe in deeply, resting my head on my knee, watching the fire.
“Yes.” Blake kneels in front of me, pulling my feet to the floor so he can slide between my legs. “But it pisses your fake boyfriend off when people insult my intelligent, capable pretend girlfriend, who’d look like a goddess in some stupid Wanger dress.”
“Wanger?” I can’t help it. I laugh loudly.
Blake grins. He’s being silly like this to make me feel better.
“I’m so lucky to have the best fake boyfriend,” I tell him, kissing his mouth lightly, scooting to the edge of the chair to press myself to him.
“I’ve wanted you all day.” His warm hands move over my back, weaving his fingers into my hair to drag me towards him. He licks the seam of my mouth, and I open for him. He kisses me greedily, like he has been waiting for this moment.
Blake pulls away, panting. “Wait, I have something for you.”
“What?” I ask, watching him pull his bag from the corner of the room and dig through it.
He comes back, his hands behind his back, and kneels in front of me again. “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t get you a gift for Valentine’s Day?”
“But I didn’t—”
He hushes me as he pulls a long black box from behind his back. “Open it.”
I eye him but take the box. Inside is a thin charm bracelet with a delicate heart and kiss charms. I pull out and look at the little charms with a stupid grin. He got me a gift? For Valentine’s Day?
“Thank you,” I say, brushing my lips against his. My heart swells in my chest, making my throat feel thick.
Blake clasps the bracelet around my wrist. The little charms tinkle together as he brings my wrist to his lips and brushes them against my skin. “Stand up,” he says.
I stand and run my fingers through his black hair. He grips the waist of my leggings and panties at my hips, then slowly slides them down my legs, helping me step out of them before pulling me back to the chair. Blake kneels between my legs.
“Hands above your head.” He runs the backs of his fingers along the inside of my thigh, making me shiver. “This next part is for me. ”
I lean back, raising my arms up to grip the top of the chair. Blake grasps my thighs and pushes them up so my legs loop over the arms.
“I’ve been thinking about this ever since you left the bed this morning,” he says, looking at me with such need I spread wider for him. I feel seductive and desired, completely spread open to him. He licks his lips in something close to appreciation as he uses his thumbs to open me more. He slides his thumb over my opening up to my clit. I jerk at the sensation, arching my back.
His finger slides slowly back down my opening all the way to my ass, where he presses into me, making small circles at my entrance there. I tense, clutching the back of the chair, watching him smirk. No one has ever touched me there before. I’m shocked as ripples of pleasure move through my belly. He waits for my reaction as he presses his thumb against the tightness, his other hand rubbing the wetness from my center to my clit. I suck in a breath, waiting for more.
“Look at how pretty your tight pussy is.” He slides a finger through my slick folds, thrusting it into me roughly.
“Fuck,” I breathe out.
“So fucking wet.” His dark eyes drink me in, his lips slightly parted as he watches his finger pump in and out, slow and deep, the thumb on his other hand circling my ass. “Tell me what you want.”
Everything all at once.
I want his fingers inside me. Both holes filled up. His dick in my mouth. In my pussy. Rubbing between my breasts, fucking them like he fucked me. I want his dick between my ass cheeks. His hands all over me, everywhere.
I say nothing because I can barely speak. “All of it.”
He slides another finger inside me as he leans over me, clamping his mouth to mine, devouring every sound I make. He continues the motions until I can’t take it anymore.
“Blake, please,” I whimper.
“Please what?” he says against my lips. “Tell me.”
I move my hips in time with his fingers plunging deep into me. Pressure builds as his fingers curl upward, hitting a place in me I didn’t know I had. “I want your mouth on me.”
“Where?” He gives me a smirk. He’s going to make me say it. Make me beg.
“My pussy,” I breathe out, a pang of frustration in my tone.
“And what do you want me to do to your pussy?”
“Fucking lick it,” I growl.
His eyes widen a little as he gets a satisfied grin. “Dirty girl.”
I feel crazed. I let go of the chair and weave my fingers into his hair. He leans down slowly, skimming his tongue over my clit in little feather movements. I buck forward, trying to get friction. Blake sucks my clit into his mouth, pressing his tongue hard against me. I cry out, gripping his hair tightly, holding his mouth to me even though it’s so intense I can barely breathe. He sucks, flickering his tongue against my clit, still pumping his fingers into me and pressing into my ass until I’m gasping, circling my hips, sliding myself over his face. It all comes crashing into me, and I scream his name as my release courses through me as wetness floods between my legs. Blake laps at me, but it’s too much. I let go of his hair, trying to shove him away.
“Fuck,” he moans, the vibration of the word against my sensitive body sending a shiver from my center up my spine. He sits up, wiping his chin, a smug expression on his face. “You’re so fucking hot.”
I release a breathy laugh and lay boneless, my legs hanging over the arms of the chair, trying to gather myself. Blake bolts up, pulling his jeans off. His huge dick springs up, and I savor the sight of him. He stands in front of me, stroking himself lazily, his muscular body backlit by the fire. I watch, absorbing every detail, committing it to memory. The tattoo that snakes around his forearms, and his large hand holding himself. The carved muscles in his abs and chest. How his hair falls into his face. The dark stubble and penetrating eyes.
His gaze slides over me, moving from between my legs, to my breasts, to the hair falling over my shoulders. “You’re so beautiful it hurts.”
I sit up, sliding to the ground in front of him, taking his dick in my hand. He’s warm and smooth. The scent of cedar and smoke make me want to run my tongue all over him. I wanted to do this yesterday, but he was so hungry for me that he could barely contain himself. Now it’s my turn. I grip him at his base, leaning in to lick the head. I slide my tongue over the slit of his head and lap up the wet bead. The salty, clean taste of him makes me want more. I lick him again, sliding down the length of him.
A low moan drags out of him, and Blake fists my hair with both hands, pulling it tight. Need tangles up in my belly again. I want to hear him moan. I wet my lips, making sure my mouth is slick, and slide him into my mouth, taking him in as far as I can.
“Fuck,” Blake grits out as he hits my throat.
I gag a little and pull back, sucking his length, and dragging my tongue until he pops out of my mouth .
“Daisy.” He breathes out my name. “Fuck. Your mouth.”
That’s exactly what I want him to do. Gripping the base of him, I repeat the rough movement, again letting him hit the back of my throat. My eyes tear, but I pull back the same way and do it again. Blake makes a strangled sound in his throat, jerking his hips. I do it again but suck him in deeper before his length leaves my mouth. I work up a steady pace, sucking and licking, my saliva dripping down my chin. He’s so big I can’t take him all the way, so I use my hand to pump his base as I work him.
“Daisy,” he grinds out, moving his hips to meet my mouth, his fingers weaved into my hair, drawing me towards him with each thrust.
Pressing my free hand to my clit, I work myself to ease the pressure between my legs. He hits my throat and stiffens, then grips my hair and pulls me roughly away. He pops free of my mouth, gripping my hand to stop me from moving. “Fuck. I’m about to come already.”
I look up at him. He pets my head, searching my face. Sweat beads his brow and gleams on his chest. “Then why are you stopping me?” I ask .
Blake pulls me up and crushes me to his chest. “Because I want to fuck you, not just your mouth.”
He grips my ass, lifting me, wrapping my legs around his waist. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his. When we reach the bedroom, he lays me down gently and crawls over me to the end table, where he pulls out the condoms he threw in the drawer last night. I spread my legs as he positions himself between my thighs. Last night he thrust into me so hard, and so fast that I saw stars. It was a combination of pain and pleasure. Now he’s kneeled between my legs, sliding himself through my folds, watching as his length parts my center. He slowly slips inside, inch by inch. My fingers dig into the sheets, and I arch my back to make him go faster. Once he’s seated, he stills for a moment to let my body adjust, then pulls out. My entire body tenses, waiting for it. He thrusts forward, hitting me deeply.
“Fuck,” I cry out as he does it again. I’m stretched tight, filled up, and each pump is hard, fast, and rough.
Blake grips my thighs, pushing them toward my chest. I pull my legs back, holding them up behind my knees so he can see our bodies joining as he fucks me. His thumb presses to my clit, adding to the need clawing inside me. His thumb circles my clit, moving down to my center as his length moves inside me, feeling me wrapped around him. Another hand slides up my belly, pressing down so that every time he pumps into me, he hits that spot that builds up so much pressure I’m lifting my hips, spreading my legs, arching my back, doing anything I can to get a release.
“Your pussy is fucking beautiful,” he says through clenched teeth. “So tight and wet.”
A strangled sound escapes. I’m mindless, caught up in the waves of pleasure. “I’m going to come,” I tell him, rocking my hips, trying to get him deeper and harder.
Blake keeps up the brutal pace, his thumb moving back to my clit. The muscles in his arms and chest ripple, his abs flexing with every thrust. His eyes seem to darken, almost black, as they wash over me.
“Come for me, beautiful girl,” he says.
A deep throaty cry rips out of me as my release crashes through my body, taking everything with it. Wave after wave ripples through me, and I rock with it, riding it until I fall to the bed. Blake falls forward, crushing me beneath him, his lips crashing to mine, devouring every sound I make. He drives into me deeply with one hard thrust as his fingers weave into my hair, pulling me to him. His forehead presses to mine, and he breathes my name, his entire body clenching before he slows and collapses, resting his cheek on my shoulder.
We lay for a few minutes until our breathing slows. Blake sighs, placing a wet kiss on my neck. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, if anything at all. He’s still inside me, dusting light kisses on my shoulder, making his way to my neck, then finally my mouth. Blake presses light kisses to my lips and nose. I unravel my hands from my legs and slide them through his hair, holding him still and then capturing his mouth.
A twisting feeling starts in my stomach. Moves up my chest like a string wrapped too tight around my body, making my lungs feel constricted. It feels like we’ve just done something that maybe we shouldn’t have. Or maybe it’s something we’ve done by accident. Whatever it is, it feels like it may break me when I have to watch Blake walk away.