Page 16 of Electric Kiss

“Fuck me, you’re Daisy Turner, the one who was a total nerd in school,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Where is the boat, Nathaniel?” Daisy asked, ignoring his comment.

“Just past the warehouse Erica is setting up her charity business,” he replied.

“Be right back,” Daisy said, not wasting any time.

She spun around and sped off, her mind already turning to the task ahead.

Her blood ran cold as she sped down the quayside to a moored boat. She dumped the boxes, waited for the guys to pick them up and zoomed back to Nathaniel’s workshop. She had forgotten about her school bully’s nicknames.

Was that another thing she’d suppressed? The taunts at school because she studied hard? She only studied hard because she was lonely. Her aunt wouldn’t let her have friends, and her mother was too far away to make sure she played with the other kids after school. Aunt Cynthia demanded she came home straight from school, with no exceptions. Her aunt wouldn’t allow her friends to come to the estate. So she hit the books so that as soon as she was old enough, she could get the hell off Copper Island and join her brothers and father on the rigs.

When Daisy returned, she parked up the forklift around the side and found Nate lounging on the mustard armchair, cradling his elbow.

“Here are the keys to the forklift. You should never leave them in the ignition.”

Daisy was so angry and disappointed that the man that made her feel human was a spiteful brat. She tossed the keys onto the counter and turned to walk away.

“I’m sorry I underestimated you. If I’d known you were Daisy Turner…”

He didn’t finish, and she walked away, holding back the tears of disappointment. It was ridiculous she felt this attached to a voice, then a rumbly laugh and then his thick biceps and quick wit.

The sky was dark, with a few stars in the sky, the moon was not yet high, and it was not yet quite night. The smell of good food lingered in the air, reminding her she wanted fish and chips.

Daisy heard the crash from the shutters coming down and then running footsteps behind her. The soft thud of his footsteps was hurrying to keep up with her. When he caught up with her, she tugged her skirts loose and folded her arms across her chest as she walked, hopefully giving him clear piss-off signs.

Daisy kept walking, her feet moving faster despite her wanting to stay angry. The crunch of gravel beneath his shoes echoed louder and closer until he was beside her.

“Hey, Daisy, it’s dark. I’m walking you home.”

Daisy stopped walking and looked at him. He had a serious expression on his face, and his posture was stiff with determination. She hesitated for a moment before answering him.

“There is really no need. No one wants to talk to me, let alone attack me. I’m sure I’ll be safe,” she said evenly, not wanting to give in to her emotions.

He put up both hands in surrender as if he knew she would deny him the chance to apologise properly for his words earlier this evening.

“It doesn’t matter who wants to talk or attack you. You can trust me when I say that no one will get close enough if I am by your side. Please let me do this for you? Just so you know, you are safe. That much should be my right, after all…What do you say?” His voice softened slightly as he finished speaking, giving Daisy something of an out from the conversation if she wanted it but still making it clear he wanted to walk her home and make sure she was safe from any potential danger lurking in the shadows of this island.

Daisy gave a small nod but kept walking, saying nothing else in response.

Nate ran a few steps in front of her blocking her path. He put one hand on her shoulder to stop her from running away.

“Look at me, Daisy,” he said.

Daisy raised her chin and narrowed her eyes at him. He looked broody and threatening in the darkness, yet she wasn’t afraid. If anything, she still wanted to wrap her arms around him and sob into his chest.

Why did he have to be him?

“What I did while we were in school was childish. I’m sorry you lost your dad. I’m sorry for a lot of things. I’m in no position to take the upper hand here. The truth is I need your help for the next few days with my forklift jobs. They’re early morning and late in the evening for the next five days. Will you help me?”

Daisy looked off to the right out into the dark water. She felt so stubborn about making a truce, but it was her fault he was injured, so she needed to balance the scales.

“On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Daisy, a talented but awkward when she was a young girl, had been an outcast since she was a child. Theyridiculed Daisy and often labelled her as nerdy or weird. It was something she had grown to loathe.

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