Chapter 27
twenty-seven
CHAINS
What was meant to be one more night has turned into every night for a week.
Every day when Daisy comes to visit Natasha, I tell her to let herself into my apartment and wait in my bed for me to come home from the club.
And she stays until the next morning. Damn it, I’m getting used to the feel of her body curled up against mine, the smell of her apple shampoo, and the little breathing noises she makes when she sleeps.
Waking up with her in my arms is the best part of my day.
Not once have I left the bed, so she’s woken up alone.
Not once have I wanted to leave her at all.
All I want is Daisy.
And that’s what fucking scares me.
When I’d approached the woman at the bar in Vegas, I knew I couldn’t go through with fucking her. As soon as she placed her hand on my arm, I recoiled. There was only one woman I wanted touching me. What if that never changes? Then what will I do?
It’s more than liking the feel of her in my arms. I like Daisy.
From the moment I met her, I knew there was something different about her.
Something that piqued my interest like no woman has ever come close to before.
I like the way she doesn’t take me too seriously.
Doesn’t put up with my shit. How she makes me laugh like no one can.
Today Daisy’s come to visit before work and we’ve ended up in bed. She tilts her head up and reaches her hand so her fingers trace along my forehead. “Why such a deep frown?”
I take her hand in mine, place a kiss on her wrist, and lay her palm on my chest just above my heart. “I have to go to work, but I’m too comfortable to move,” I say instead of what I was really thinking. If I say it out loud, it becomes real. And I’m not ready—or ever will be for things to change.
Her finger traces a feather tattoo. “Then stay.”
God, it’s tempting. I’d rather be in bed with Daisy than at the club. “The guys will hang me by my balls if I miss another meeting that we’ve set up.”
She giggles. “I don’t remember hearing you complain.”
No, never would I complain about being buried deep in the most beautiful woman I’ve ever been with. “As much as I’d like to stay here with you, I can’t miss another night.”
“Fine. Do you want me to go home?” I hear the vulnerability in her voice, but the expression on her face is casual, like my answer won’t mean much.
“No. You’re not to leave this bed,” I order.
“What if I have to pee?”
“Only for that.”
“What if I get hungry?” she grins.
“Your phone is on the nightstand. Call someone to deliver it.”
“But I’ll have to get out of bed to let them in.”
I blow out a breath. “Okay. You can get out of bed to pee, and eat, but for no other reason. When I get home, I want you naked.”
“I’m already naked.”
“You better stay that way.”
“Are all men your age this bossy?”
“My age?”
“Yes, old.”
“You’re calling me old?”
“Evan told me you’re thirty-six. That’s ten years older than me. So, yes. You’re old.” Her lips twitch as she holds back a smile. I know she’s teasing, but she has a point.
“Would an old man be able to do the things I’ve done to you?” I take a bite at her shoulder.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never been with anyone as old as you.” This time, she can’t hold back her teasing grin.
I nuzzle her neck. “When I get home, I’ll show you how far from old I am.”
She giggles as the stubble on my face tickles the sensitive skin on her neck. “When will you be back?”
“As soon as possible. We’re setting up a new security system. I’m meeting with the installers to make sure everything’s in order.”
“Is that what you do? Manage security at your clubs?”
“Mostly. I have input in all aspects of the club, just like Linc and Ash do. We tend to focus on certain areas more.”
“Is running this kind of business something you’d always dreamed of doing?”
I raise one arm and rest the back of my head in my palm.
“No. I’d never dreamed of doing anything like this.
Never dreamed of becoming a doctor or lawyer.
Those kinds of professions seemed too far-fetched for a foster kid like me.
My only dream was to get the fuck out of the foster system. This all kinda fell into our laps.”
“Do you enjoy it?” she asks.
Do I enjoy it? It’s what makes me feel alive. Building up our business is the biggest buzz I’ve ever known. Not once have I gotten out of bed and dreaded going to work. Except for now. Going into work means leaving Daisy. “I do. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”
“I’m glad.”
“As soon as I’m done with the security company. I’ll leave. The guys can do without me for the whole night.”
“You’re not just business partners with them. I see a deep bond. You love them.”
I frown. “Yeah, we’re close. Our bond is tight. But love is a foreign concept to me.”
“Are you saying you can’t love anyone?” Her eyes hold a puzzled look.
“Yes. It was stripped out of me from a young age.”
A frown creases her brow. “I don’t believe you. You give a lot of love.”
I jerk back. “Why would you say that?”
“You may say it’s been stripped out of you, but you show it all the time. Look at the people around you. Lincoln and Asher have been in your life for years. You have each other’s backs. Like you said, you’re brothers. Who love each other. I’m guessing there is nothing you wouldn’t do for them.”
I roll my lips inward and don’t respond. I would die for them, and they would for me too.
“Then there’s Evan. Your biological brother.
You have watched out for him his whole life, even when you weren’t in it.
And yes, he told me about how you paid for everything he and his family needed.
Oh, and let’s not forget Natasha and Remi.
You took in a pregnant teenager to protect her.
Then there are the people who work for you.
You know about their lives and what’s happening with their families.
You even offer them financial support. That all looks like love to me.
“You’ve lived your whole life believing no one loved you.
Yet, you have your brothers… Natasha. They all love you.
Even though you’ve believed you don’t have it, you still know how to give it. You just can’t recognize what love is.”
Something flashes in her eyes. Are her feelings changing, and she’s hoping for more from me? Panic presses hard against my ribs because I can’t give her what she wants.
“Okay, I care for people and want to make sure they’re taken care of. Running my business allows me to do that. You’re looking at things too deeply.” I don’t want to dig deep into my feelings.
She sighs with resignation, like she knows she can’t convince me otherwise. “How did you come to have so many successful businesses?”
Turning onto my side, I rest my head on my elbow. She does the same, and we face each other. “You don’t want to know.”
“Sure, I do.”
“It’s not pretty. You already think I’m a degenerate.”
“I’ve never thought you were a degenerate.”
I pull a ‘I don’t believe you face’.
She gives a sheepish smile. “Okay, fine. Maybe at first. I’m used to squeaky clean, church-going men. You’re tall, dark and dangerous looking. I’ve learned never to judge a book by its cover because you are far from a degenerate.”
“You might change your mind.”
“I won’t,” she says with conviction. “I’d love to know how you’ve become so successful. How you got started.”
On a heavy sigh, I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling.
“When me, Linc and Ash were old enough to leave the foster system, we made money from stealing shit and selling it to pawn shops. We hooked up with a guy who sold us coke on the cheap, and we tripled the price and sold it to deadbeats who didn’t know the difference between good drugs and bad.
We kept stealing. Broke into houses, stole cars and stripped them to sell the parts.
Did anything to make money. Then one day, Asher came and told us he’d been studying the stock market for months.
He’s a numbers guy. He asked us if he could invest all our money.
Within two years, we bought our first investment property.
He then went on to invest in a couple of IT companies that blew up and made us a shit ton of money.
It was like he had the magic touch. Our money and property kept growing and growing.
We owe our success to his smart brain and good sense.
” Now she knows the dark part of how we got to where we are, how long will it take her to pack up and leave me in the dust?
“Asher may have been good at investing money, but you all have built such a wonderful empire. You’re all amazing. I’m proud of you.”
I turn to stare at her. “Did you hear what I said? We stole from people. We dealt drugs. How can you be proud of me?” No one has ever told me they're proud of me except for Evan and Daisy. Two people who have come from such high morals, I’d expect them to judge me the most.
“Are you still dealing drugs and stealing?”
“No. We stopped as soon as we made legit money.”
She rolls over and rests her chin on my chest, looking up at me.
“You didn’t come from a home that taught you right from wrong, and you did what you had to do to survive.
Once you were in a good place, you could’ve kept going with that kind of life.
Drugs are a big business, yet you gave it up when you made your own money.
Because without anyone teaching you how to be a good human, it was always in you.
In all of you. So, yes. I’m extremely proud. ”
I swallow back a lump in my throat. Something softens inside me at how this woman can be so accepting.
“Most people would turn their noses up at my life, yet you’re telling me how proud you are?”
“Nothing to turn my nose up at. You’ve done the work to improve yourself and create a better life.”
“You are incredible. Do you know that?”
“What can I say? I’m a saint.” She rapidly flutters her eyelids and smiles sweetly.
In a sudden motion, I push her onto her back, causing her to squeal with surprise. Positioning myself between her legs, I hover above her on my elbows. “The things you do with your body are far from saintly.” I grind against her opening.
At the connection, her eyes roll in the back of her head. Her hips tilt upward, begging me for it. “You said you have to get to work.”
Pinning her hands above her head, on a low growl, I say, “Work can wait.”
***
“You’re late,” Lincoln says as I walk into the office. He holds out a hand to Asher. Who digs into his pocket, pulls out a fifty-dollar bill and slaps it into Lincoln’s palm.
“What’s with the money exchange?” I look between them.
“I bet Ash you’d be late. He said you wouldn’t come to work at all. Said you’re too loved up with Daisy to want to leave your apartment .” Lincoln snickers as he leans back in his seat.
I throw Asher a dirty look. “I’m not and will never be loved up.
” Yet, the way I’ve been behaving lately, it’s easy to think otherwise.
They both give me a look like they don’t believe me.
I turn my back on them—the more I try to defend myself, the more they’ll think they’re right.
I scan the monitors. Security is in place, and the club is filling up.
Here’s hoping for an uneventful evening, and my meeting with the security company is short.
“When the meeting’s done, are you heading home?” Lincoln asks.
“Why would I? I’m working.” That’s exactly what I plan on doing. But he doesn’t need to know that yet.
Lincoln shrugs. “To get back to your fuck buddy?”
I spring to my feet, ready to plant my fist in his face. “What did you call Daisy?”
Lincoln scratches the side of his face. “If she’s not your fuck buddy, what would you call her?”
“Can’t two people spend time together without labeling it?” What would you call our situation? If I’m honest, it’s not only about sex anymore. I like spending time with Daisy. I enjoy our conversations.
“You tell me,” Lincoln says.
“It’s casual.” I don’t turn to look at their reactions because I know it will be one of disbelief. They know me better than anyone and can smell bullshit from a mile away. Because I am full of shit. This is different. I know it is. I’m just not ready to face what this is. Or if I ever will be.
We don’t belong together.
That’s the bottom line.
“Are you sure?” Asher asks as he scans the monitors.
“Yes.” I turn away in case they can read something from my expression.
“So, if she strolls into the club tonight, you won’t go straight to her?” Asher asks.
“No. I have work to do.” Something I haven’t put one hundred percent into because my mind and cock have been focused on Daisy.
Asher taps a screen, pulling my attention to the monitor as a smirk spreads across his face. “She’s here.”
And there she is with Sally and Evan, dressed in a simple pale blue strapless dress that hugs her body. Her long blonde hair is tied in a low messy bun, leaving her shoulders exposed. She looks sexy as hell. I told her to stay in bed. Why is she at the club?
My first instinct is to run to her. With these assholes snickering at me, I sit firm. I don’t want them calling me ‘loved up’.
I track them to the bar. When Daisy settles on a stool, her gaze glances up to our office. She smiles like she knows I’m watching her. There’s a lustful, mischievous gleam in her eyes. No one can hold me back now. I don’t care what they say. “I’m going downstairs.”
Lincoln and Asher burst out laughing.
“You didn’t even last a minute,” Asher chuckles.
“I’ve never seen you move so fast,” Lincoln adds. “And I’ve made another fifty bucks.” He holds his hand out to Asher. With a disgruntled expression, Asher slaps more money in Lincoln’s palm.
“Fuck you both.” It only makes them laugh again.
As I step out of the room, Asher calls after me, “What about the meeting with the security company?”
“Deal with them without me.”
Lincoln adds, “Say hi to your girlfriend for me.”
More laughter follows.
For a second, I pause. Girlfriend? No. I’m not getting that attached to Daisy.
Something tugs in my chest, and says, maybe… just maybe, I already am.