Chapter 25
Daisy
Daisy set her new penguin next to her bookshelves and rushed around, trying to gather everything she would need for a sleepover.
She took an everything shower because hanging out in a bowling alley for hours was non-conducive to feeling sexy.
She took her time, making sure her legs were smooth and moisturized.
Then she stared into her closet, unsure what to wear.
Lacey black underwear was an obvious choice, but she could also forego underthings in their entirety. Which would Connor appreciate more?
She daydreamed about all the possible scenarios as she stuffed a few items into her overnight bag.
Daisy tried to remain calm as she drove across the city.
She refused to turn around and hide in her home forever.
He’d probably come find her, anyway. There was something daunting about getting in your car and driving to do something you’d thought about a million times.
She didn’t know how she’d wandered into the fever dream of a life she was living, but she liked it.
Each stop sign and red light was agony. Her fingers tapped the steering wheel at a frantic speed, and her heart beat out of her chest. When she got to Connor’s apartment complex, she couldn’t get out of the car.
She was being silly. This was Connor. Her Connor. The man she’d been daydreaming about for years. If she fucked this up, she’d be so pissed at herself. She rested her head on her shaky hands, leaning into the steering wheel and taking deep breaths to work up the courage to go inside.
A knock on her window interrupted her spiraling. Connor opened her door for her.
“Are you okay?”
She stepped out of her car and into his personal space. The smell of oranges and salt encompassed her, and she relaxed. This was her Connor. Her friend. She shouldn’t be nervous.
“I’m fine. Nervous. For this. For us.”
His lopsided grin set off a flutter in her chest. He circled her car, opened the passenger door, and slung her bag over his shoulder, adding it to his already large grocery load.
“We don’t have to do anything, Daisy. We can hang out, have dinner, watch a movie, maybe snuggle.
No expectations. I just want to be with you. ”
Daisy clicked the button on her keys to lock her car, then trotted after him, linking her fingers through his when he offered his free hand. She squeezed his hand.
“Okay. Dinner and snuggles. Easy. Got it.”
Connor led the way to his apartment and dropped her bag and the groceries on the kitchen counter.
Daisy stood in awe of his space. It was immaculate and massive.
His kitchen island was the size of her whole kitchen.
The space was open and decorated in a classic masculine style, all clean lines and warm leather.
“You didn’t decorate yourself.”
It was a statement, but still he responded. “Nope. Hired an interior designer.”
Daisy stripped off her hoodie, his apartment plenty toasty, and slung it across a barstool.
Connor unpacked groceries but paused and checked her out before going back to his task while she explored his living room and kitchen, examining his shelves and decor.
She forced her shoulders back and chin up, feigning confidence in the crop top and stretchy cotton shorts she’d chosen.
When she bent over to look at a picture on an end table, she couldn’t help but peek to see if he was watching her. He was.
Connor started a pot of water for noodles and chopped an onion and garlic, tossing them in a pan with butter and mixing it with a wooden spoon. Daisy leaned her hip against the counter. “Huh, you meant it when you said we didn’t have to do anything if you’re feeding me onions and garlic.”
Connor abandoned the pan and stalked toward her, trapping her against the counter and claiming her mouth with his before she knew what was happening.
She let herself melt into him, her hands winding around his neck.
He lifted her off the ground, his body pressing into her until her ass sat on the counter and her legs wrapped around his waist. His tongue stroked hers, and her brain went fuzzy.
As abruptly as he started the kiss, he tore away from her, returning to his cooking, unbothered while Daisy panted to catch her breath.
“Yes, I meant it. But if you think onion and garlic are enough to deter me from kissing you, you are sorely mistaken.” She hated how unaffected his voice sounded. He should be as flustered as she was.
He opened a can of tomatoes, and while his back was turned, she fluffed her hair, widened her knees, and pinched her nipples, making them pebble under the thin fabric of her crop top.
Connor dumped the tomatoes into his pan and stirred, and Daisy admired the way the muscles in his arms tensed with the movements.
When he faced her again, he crossed over to her, but instead of kissing her again, he reached an arm over her head and opened a cabinet above her.
His arm passed so close to her face, and she had such a strong urge to bite it.
She was leaning forward before she could stop herself.
He grabbed what he needed and pulled away before Daisy’s mouth met his skin, and Daisy retreated, embarrassed at her lack of self-control.
Connor didn’t comment on her odd behavior.
He made two massive plates of pasta and handed one to her, leading her to the couch where he sat and flipped the TV on.
She stood there, frowning at the beautiful leather.
If she sat on this sofa like a normal person, she would spill her sauce everywhere.
Connor watched her with raised eyebrows.
She set her pasta on the coffee table and tried to sit with her back straight and feet flat on the ground. He let out a chuckle.
“It’s fine, Daisy. You can stand on the couch. You’re not going to break it.”
Daisy breathed a sigh of relief and stepped onto the couch, lowering herself into a seated position in the corner. She held her plate under her chin while she shoved a bite into her mouth.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” she said with a full mouth as she twirled more noodles around her fork.
Connor pressed play on an episode of the horrible reality show they were watching. “I’m glad you think so.” He engrossed himself in the over-the-top drama happening on screen, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
He scooped a bite of pasta toward his face but missed his mouth, dropping noodles and red sauce onto his white t-shirt.
Daisy couldn’t contain her snort, and he turned his head slowly toward her, an eyebrow raised.
His reaction had her in a fit of giggles, and she struggled to keep her own plate steady.
He laughed with her, wiping the sauce off his chin and t-shirt with a napkin.
He scrubbed at the spot for a few seconds and then stood, stripping the shirt off in one fluid motion.
Daisy’s laughter died in her throat. She’d seen him shirtless before.
Theoretically. In interviews and social media videos.
But it was different in person, everything up close.
If she reached out and touched him, he wouldn’t object.
She let herself absorb the moment and contemplated how the rest of the evening would go.
They’d messed around a little, and it had been amazing.
But they hadn’t seen each other undressed.
His back was facing her, the muscles there defined and rippling with his movement.
He didn’t notice her ogling him, instead paying attention to the stain.
He walked away, down a hallway and out of sight.
Daisy shook her head, trying to keep her libido in check.
When Connor returned, he wore a new outfit of athletic shorts and a clean shirt. Daisy was disappointed that he’d covered up. She would’ve loved a better look.
With dinner done, Daisy helped Connor clean, setting the kitchen to rights before Connor led them to his bedroom and started their show so they could watch in bed.
Daisy stared at the bed for a few beats, the thought of climbing in there with him scrambling her brain.
It looked like the type of bed you could crawl into and fall right asleep.
There were five pillows and a top sheet, and everything was tucked to perfection.
He saw her staring and said, “It’s not going to bite you. Just snuggling. No expectations. Let me hold you.”
Daisy’s cheeks got warm, but she shook her head. “It’s not that. I was just wondering something.”
“What were you wondering?”
“Do you have a daily housekeeper or something?”
Connor laughed, a deep, amused sound. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled into her neck. “Yes, and no. I have a housekeeper who comes a couple of times a week. She stopped by today.”
Daisy turned in his arms, looping her arms around his neck and going on tiptoe to kiss him. “Good. I was beginning to think I was a horrible slob. And I doubted your ability to make a bed so beautifully.”
His arms loosened, and his hands settled on her sides, his fingers digging into her ribs, tickling her. “I can make a bed.”
She pulled away from him, trying to escape the tickles.
He followed her, walking her back until her knees hit the mattress.
She let herself fall and wrapped her hands around his biceps, taking him with her.
“Stop!” she squealed, both meaning it and not.
He got in a few more squeezes at her ribs and then peeled himself off her, catching her hands as he stood and pulling her with him.
He led her away from the bed, and she glanced back at it.
It was less daunting now that she’d already been on it.
They’d end up there, eventually. That’s why she’d planned for a sleepover.
But she hadn’t quite convinced herself it was real.
Connor’s playfulness had eased some of her worry, and she experienced a rush of gratitude that he always knew what she needed.