Chapter 6 #3
'It's not that I think it's normal,' she says, sitting on the bed next to me.
'In fact, I think I finally understand how not normal that place is.
But for ten years, it was my reality. I wasn't corrected much once I learned the rules. I’d forgotten…
' Her lip curls. 'But while I was there, I saw firsthand what they’d done to me when I first went there, how they broke me down and tried to remake me into what they see as normal.’ She snorts.
‘Like normal is a box to fit into so that you can be a part of the world.’
She looks at me. ‘I want that place gone, and I'll do anything I have to do to make sure there's nothing left of it.'
‘I’ll help you. I’ll start on that flash drive as soon as I can.’
She nods. ‘I found those documents, made copies. I just hope that reporter is able to do something, too.’
‘You trusted her?’ I ask.
Daisy lets out a slow breath.
‘Well, if she wasn’t legit, she would have shown Stoke what I’d taken. She disappeared after that day though. I hope it’s because she had enough evidence and not because Stoke had her killed, or something.’
‘You think he would have done that?’
She glances at me. ‘I don’t know, but there’s nothing more important to him than The Heath and his work.
If he thought it was being threatened, maybe.
Plus, there were rumors when I first got there that someone, one of the residents, had died and no one knew about it.
I heard he was quietly buried in the grounds. ’
‘No way,’ I whisper. ‘That’s fucked up.’
She nods, her gaze a bit unfocused.
‘I’m out,’ she says to herself a few seconds later. ‘I’m out.’
‘You’re out,’ I say, squeezing her hand. ‘And you’re never going back, gorgeous. I promise. I’ll burn that house to the ground if I have to. But if you gave that journalist some incriminating evidence, then you've already started the process of getting The Heath closed for good.'
'I hope so.’
She leans against me and then stands again, walking around the room, looking around, her eyes flitting back to me every few seconds. She shakes her hands out and I can't help my small grin because I've seen her like this before.
I watch her subtly, trying to make her feel at ease. I don't want to start anything she doesn't really want. I don't want to goad her into something she's unsure of, but my thoughts are cut short as she gets on the bed again.
My eyes widen as I realize her towels are gone. She takes a hair tie and puts her hair up in a bun. I don't say anything, not wanting to startle her out of whatever she's about to do.
But then my gaze locks on the GED that’s strapped to her thigh and all the air disappears from my lungs. It looks different than the one Joe had put on her. It’s a light gray with Kevlar-looking straps and a thicker unit. It looks old and weathered.
I must make a sound because she looks into my face and frowns before following my eyes.
‘This one’s easier to get off,’ she says quietly. ‘I don’t suppose you have a knife.’
I nod, jumping up and grabbing my bag as fast as I can. I don’t want her to wait a moment longer to get rid of it. I’m angry with myself that I didn't think of getting it off her as soon as we got her out of that place.
I put my bag on the bed and rummage through it, finding my six-inch utility knife that, like the gun, I also shouldn't have brought. She holds out her hand for it and I flip it, giving to her handle first.
She cuts the Stinger off herself, sawing the Kevlar strap in two and flinging the whole thing into the trash before letting out a relieved breath, putting the knife down, and coming back to me.
‘Thanks,’ she says, her expression darkening as she looks up at me.
She needs this.
So do I.
Her eyes move over me, stopping at mine for a moment before flitting away again.
I don't make her say it. Instead, I sit up and take off my shirt. I wonder if that'll be enough to make her understand that I'm up for whatever she wants to do. Her eyes follow the trail of my tattoo, and her fingertips begin tracing.
A moment later, I can't help my low groan as I lean back against the pillows and close my eyes, feeling the tickle of her fingertip as she follows the geometric cubes that run from my shoulder down my side.
The first brush of her lips against mine surprises me. It's just a flutter. The next brush is more forceful. Deeper. Her tongue traces the side of my lips, and I open for her.
Her deft fingers unbutton my pants and unzip me, pulling my jeans down just enough that my underwear is on show. I shimmy them down even more, and her hand delves into my boxers. Suddenly impatient, I kick off the rest of my clothes at the same time.
She’s silent as her hand works me almost too gently, but I don't move.
There's something about this, the way she's acting.
I think she needs the control, so I'm going to let her do whatever she wants.
I don't tell her that, though, because I know her, and she might start to overthink and then get lost in her own head.
When her hand falters, I open my eyes to look at her. She suddenly seems a little uncertain. It's not often she takes the reins like this. My eyes are soft. I don't challenge her.
'You're gorgeous,' I murmur.
She gives me a small smile. 'So are you,' she says almost wistfully. 'I've missed looking at you. And talking to you. And being with you. All of you…'
She sort of stutters, and I put her out of her misery, cupping her face with my hand and surging up to kiss her.
'I understand,' I say. 'What is it that you need?'
'You,' she says.
'Then take me.'
She doesn't need more urging than that. She clambers over me, graceless, and the suddenness of her movements makes me grin. She lines herself up and begins to sink down.
But, for once, my girl isn't ready.
I grasp her hips and stop her.
'Wait,' I murmur. 'Just wait.'
She looks at me, annoyed that it's not going the way she'd planned.
'Lie on your back,' I say.
She huffs a little, and I give her an indulgent smile.
'Humor me. I'll still let you do whatever you want once you're wet.'
'Fine,' she breathes, bouncing off me and lying on her back with a long sigh.
I part her thighs and look down. I kiss her belly, then trail down to her mound as I widen her legs and settle between them, pushing my face between her folds to lick her.
She shifts when I find that one spot she loves the most, and I smile against her skin as I push my flat tongue against it, sucking gently.
It doesn't take long before her hips are undulating, and I know she's a lot more in the mood.
I stop and look up. 'Ready to take over, beautiful?'
She frowns at me like she’s changed her mind and wants me to continue, but then nods. I give her one final kiss and get on my back. She straddles me quickly and sinks down, making my mouth open on a gasp.
'Fuck, you feel good,' I say, caressing her hips before placing my hands above my head. 'Take what you need, okay? Anything you want.'
She nods, closing her eyes as she begins to move her hips. Slow at first, then faster as she gets comfortable.
'Please, Blake,' she pleads. 'I need—'
'What do you need?' I ask.
'More.'
I nod, slipping my hand between us and finding her clit as she moves. She gyrates into the heel of my hand, letting out sounds of arousal. Her fingers grip my biceps as she leans over me. I brace my feet against the bed and lift my hips, taking her deeper. She lets out a cry.
A moment later, her movements become erratic and jerky as she comes. Fuck, I’m close. I take her hips and move her up and down on me quickly, and it's not long before I'm groaning my release as well, pushing deep into her and finding the bliss I've been missing since she was taken from us.
Afterward, she gives me a kiss on the nose and bounces off the bed to clean up in the bathroom. I'm afraid she'll get dressed and go back to the others at the front of the plane, but she returns and lies beside me, cuddling into me, her head on my chest.
God, I've missed her.
She closes her eyes, and I hold her, finally relaxing. Tears come to my eyes.
'I was so scared we'd lost you,' I say quietly.
'I'm here now,' she says sleepily.
‘You’re here now,’ I echo, my arms tightening. ‘It’s Valentine’s Day, you know.’
‘Is it?’ she asks drowsily.
‘Yeah.’
She giggles. ‘Well, getting me out of The Heath was the best gift ever.’