Chapter 25 #2
“She’s not going home just because she’s got a bodyguard, Knox.”
Let Cal get pissed over my protectiveness. She’s not leaving my sight.
The rocker of the family finally stops his pacing and turns to look me in the eye. “I know that, brother. But you can’t be everywhere, and if I’m not mistaken, the whole family might need a little extra protection.”
He’s right. I let my need to protect his sister consume my thoughts and forgot about the rest of the family. Shit.
“Of course. The more protection for all of you, the better.”
“And why doesn’t Daisy want us to know?” Cal asks. The glare he shoots in my direction isn’t about the fall, but about there being more between his best friend and his sister. Does he remember our conversation about me finding the one?
“She called Charlie but only told her she fell and didn’t tell her the truth of what happened. That was when I knew I had to break my promise to her. This is too big to fuck around. She isn’t safe. The ranch isn’t safe. You all need to know.”
Angus rubs his hands over his face. “Since when do we keep things like this from each other?”
“You’ll have to ask her when she’s ready to talk about it. I know she didn’t want anyone to call your mom and ruin her cruise. That’s a promise I will keep. I’ll leave whether you tell Sharon up to the three of you.”
“Listen, man. I appreciate you filling us in, but it’s late and I’m wiped. I need to get home to Charlotte and the baby. Let us know what happens with the Feds. Knox, keep us posted on your security detail.”
“Will do, brother,” Knox replies, walking over to me. He shakes my hand and pulls me into a bro hug. “Sorry if I outed you, dude. You’ve got my seal of approval, though.”
An emotion I wasn’t expecting hits me like a freight train. I can barely breathe enough to reply. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
The brothers say their goodbyes and sneak out the way they came in. Around the side of the house and out the gate to the front yard.
Maui and I do our own sneaking back into the house, and when I check on Daisy, she’s sleeping soundly.
With the dog in my arms, I watch her, unable to believe we almost lost her.
My life as I know it would cease to exist without her in it.
Even if all I ever get are the scraps she throws me, I need her like I need my next breath.
Not wanting to disturb her, I crate Maui and try to settle into the guest room across the hall, leaving both bedroom doors open.
However, sleep never finds me. I lie here wide awake for hours, my mind reeling with ways to take these East Coast assholes out.
What the hell was going through Cal’s mind?
When will the woman in the next room admit her feelings? Hell, not to me, but to herself.
The first time she calls my name, I think it’s my tired delirium. But when I hear it again, I fly out of bed and frantically race to her bedside.
“What’s wrong? What’s happened? Are you in pain?”
She’s propped up on her elbows, the bedside lamp on so I can’t miss the stank face aimed at me. “Promise breaker,” she spits. Reaching over, she flips off the lamp.
My heart sinks to my stomach, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
I can’t believe one of her brothers called her in the middle of the night to tell her I betrayed her. As sick as it feels to disappoint her, I know I did the right thing.
Looking down at her, I cross my arms over my chest and say nothing. I won’t defend doing what needed to be done to keep her and her family safe.
“You promised you’d sleep with me.”
My knees weaken, my exhausted body sagging in relief to know her brothers didn’t sell me out.
“I had to take our girl out, and when I came back up, you were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want–.”
“Stop, Owen. I don’t want to hear it,” she says, cutting me off. “Please. I need you here, next to me.” There’s no humor in her whispered plea.
She needs me.
That’s all she has to say.
I slip in beside her, and she reaches for me once I’m under the covers. I get as close as I can without disturbing her propped-up leg.
“You need anything, baby?”
“Just you, Owen.”
“Don’t say it until you mean it enough to tell your family and the world the same thing.”
“Okay.”
Her hold on my hand tightens, and since she’s stuck where she is on her back, I angle myself so my head rests on her shoulder, getting as close as I can get.
Just when I think she’s asleep, she whispers, “Owen, you awake?”
I bring our hands to my mouth and kiss the back of hers in reply.
“I saw you writing earlier. Are you an aspiring novelist?”
I chuckle silently. “Believe it or not, I journal.”
“Really? Like your thoughts and feelings?”
She’s such a brat.
“Yes, my thoughts and feelings.”
“You have those?”
This woman is such a pain in my ass. I get she’s trying to keep things light, but I’m not amused.
“You know damn well I do. I’ve made my thoughts and feelings rather clear.”
I know my words have hit their intended mark, because she remains quiet.
Daisy McKinnon is never quiet.
Not wanting to keep anything from her, I continue to share my thoughts and feelings, hoping one day it will rub off on her.
“I know you were away at school, but I’m sure you heard about the shooting I was in your senior year of college.
I lost two friends that day. I also shot and killed the assailant. ”
She places a gentle kiss on my temple.
“Well, the chief insisted we all see someone while we were on admin leave. My two required visits turned into several years of therapy.”
“I had no idea.”
“It’s not exactly Sunday dinner conversation.”
She reaches over to brush her fingers over the scruff on my cheek. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
God, I love this woman with my whole heart.
“I do. But back then, you and I weren’t as close as we are now, and I wasn’t as good at sharing my issues with those around me. Hence, the journal.”
“Does it help?”
“Sometimes.”
“Did it help tonight?”
Keeping my voice calm, I tell her the truth. “Not even close. There’s no amount of writing that will ease what almost losing you did to me. It can’t take away the rage burning inside me to find and kill the asshole who did this to you.”
“I’m sorry you had to add a journal entry because of the chaos I’ve brought into your life.”
“Baby, I’ve been writing about you and the chaos you’ve brought to my heart for years.”
She gasps. “You have?”
“It’s not like I can talk to Cal about what’s gone on between us.”
“Hopefully, there’s been a happy entry here and there?”
“I wrote about our first time together and have written about every stolen moment since.”
Kicking her pillows off the bed, she clumsily maneuvers herself until she’s straddling me. “Is that so?”
“Daisy, you need rest.”
Grinding her pussy against my needy cock, which has a mind of its own, she leans forward, pressing her tits against me, purring in my ear. “I think we should make another memory for you to commemorate in your journal.”
There is nothing I love more than being inside Daisy McKinnon, but not now. Not in her condition. No matter what my sex-starved penis wants.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t press my lips against hers and kiss her breathless. Because I do. And even though she moans into my mouth, I stand firm. Pulling my lips away, I rest my forehead against hers. “Sleep, baby.”
“Please?” she begs.
“Don’t make this harder for me than it already is. You need to rest.”
I roll her back to her side of the bed and stack her pillows up under her leg, making sure she’s comfortable.
Holding onto one another, our desperation for each other is palpable. But I’m not crossing any lines until she’s medically cleared.
And to be honest... being her dirty little secret is far from a turn on.
I want all of her.
I won’t stop until I have it.