31. Beau #3
“I think so.” She straightens, one hand braced against the wall, breaths coming in shallow pants. “But I’m not sure I can walk.”
I quickly tie off the condom, kick off my shoes and trousers, then sweep her up into my arms. With quivering thighs, I carry her to the ensuite bath, carefully set her down, and start the shower.
“Take your time,” I tell her. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
“Sometimes I forget how well you know me.” She offers me her mouth, and I kiss her, letting it deepen until my dick starts to harden again. She feels it and whimpers, and I give her a love tap on the ass. The red mark from earlier has already faded.
“There’s no rush,” I tell her. “We’ve got all night.”
Daisy sighs as she steps under the spray, and I linger for a moment, watching the water spill down her body, trickling down her breasts, glistening over her hips, and then disappearing between her thighs.
She twists under the water, reaching for the body wash. “You want to join me?”
I consider it, then shake my head. Give this woman the chance and she’ll stand for hours under a hard spray of water hot enough to kill a man. I know she wants to get clean as much, if not more, than getting railed against the wet tiles.
“I’ll be back,” I tell her. “Consider this intermission.”
I return to the hallway and clean up the discarded birth control, then scoop up our clothes and take them to the laundry room.
Everything probably needs to be professionally cleaned, so I lay out each item and hope Violet won’t be disappointed by how crushed everything looks.
At this point, I’m naked without a change of clothes, so I slip my underwear back on, then raid the kitchen for wine, fruit, and chocolate.
I’ve got everything arranged on the bed by the time Daisy emerges from the bathroom in a cloud of steam.
She’s in a sexy, short silk wrap, and her hair is a tangled wet mess down her back.
There’s a dreamy look of contentment on her face, which is now washed clean from today’s heavy makeup.
She was breathtaking today, easily the most beautiful woman in the room, but the way she looks now makes my heart race even faster.
“Feel better?” I ask.
“I feel amazing.” She hands me her hairbrush. “Do you mind?”
“Have I ever?”
She kisses me, then drops onto the edge of the mattress. As she helps herself to a strawberry and then a glass of white wine, I gently move the bristles through her hair. It smells like almonds and vanilla.
“I was thinking,” she says as she picks at the fruit plate, “after everything went so well tonight, that tomorrow might be a good time to talk to Charlie about the glamping tours and handing stable operations over to you.”
My stomach lurches, and the brush stops mid-stroke before I remember to keep it moving. “Tonight was fun, but is it too soon to test things?”
“I don’t think so. We should take advantage of the good vibes, and anyway, Duke’s expecting you in Kismet Creek soon. We don’t have time to wait.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“And I didn’t tell you the best part. I spoke to Chord about everything, and I think I’ve swayed him to our side. Even if Charlie isn’t thrilled with my ideas, Chord will talk her around.”
“Are you serious?”
I don’t mean to sound harsh, but my tone finally alerts her to the fact that I’m not as confident about this plan as she is. She spins to face me.
“Yes, I’m serious. Why?”
“I don’t want to be the catalyst for an argument between you and Charlie, or Charlie and Chord.”
“You won’t be.” Daisy frowns. “Asking Chord to back me up is just that—a back-up plan. And nominating you to take over operations makes sense. Charlie’s smart. She’ll see that eventually.”
I try to gather my thoughts. Staying at Silver Leaf, managing the stable, being promoted to a job because my girlfriend gives it to me—it feels uncomfortably like cheating. Will Daisy’s family think I’m taking advantage? Claiming something that doesn’t belong to me? Coasting along? Grifting?
The Davenports have just started to warm to me. I don’t want impatience to be the reason things blow up all over again.
Daisy removes the brush from my fingers, then takes my hands in hers. “We want to build a life together, right?”
I focus on her instead of the thoughts in my head. “Right.”
“And we’re in this forever, right?”
“Right.”
“So believe me when I say this is the way to do it. Families are funny sometimes. We disagree. We argue. We go through rough patches, but we always fix it in the end. And, in the end, the bonds between us are stronger.”
“Well, you’d know about that better than I do,” I tell her.
Her smile is soft but determined. “You have to trust me.”
She crawls into my lap and snakes her arms around my neck, then kisses me. It’s soft but determined too.
“I want to take care of you,” I tell her, resting my forehead against hers. “Giving me this job feels like you’re taking care of me.”
“Beau?” She draws back just enough to look into my eyes, and she’s so sincere I can’t look away. “I think it’s time we took care of each other.”