Page 21 of Electric Kiss

She backed up again only to bump into Nate’s hard body and heard him whine. She must have knocked his wrist.

“Oh yeah, dude, how’s the wrist? Selly feels bad that he did that.”

Even with her back to him, she knew he was shaking his head. His body had gone stiff, and she felt the draught from him, letting out a breath.

“Who is Selly?” Daisy asked softly.

Her innocent question worked, or Robert was still as stupid as he was in school. Not much had changed since she last saw him. He was just older.

“Sam Sellman, he’s one of the rowers on our team. Whacked Nate here good and proper with an oar on Sunday night. You should have heard Nate howl like a baby.”

Robert howled with laughter as Nate rested his good hand on Daisy’s hip.

She let him.

“It’s sprained, Rob,” Nate said.

“No shit?”

“Yep. So no, I’m not going for a beer. I’m on heavy-duty painkillers.”

“That’s shit. Doesn’t explain why she’s here,” Rob said, thumbing towards Daisy.

She internally fought the urge to kick Nate in the shin for lying and punch Rob for his disrespect. Why Nate spent any time with Rob was a mystery.

Daisy moved out of Nate’s grasp to move away.

“I’m not here any more. My commitment is over. Goodbye, Nate,” Daisy said.

“Ooo, what’s got your knickers in a twist?” Rob said.

“Fucking hell, Rob. Leave it. Don’t make things worse,” Nate said.

“Worse? I still don’t know who the chick is,” Rob said.

She watched out the corner of her eye. Rob followed her movements around the space as she collected the dinner she’d brought for Nate and her bag from the floor. Nate wasn’t going to have the homemade food after lying to her.

With her belongings, Daisy stood next to the tatty mustard armchair, watching them. Rob glanced Nate’s way, and Nate was looking balefully at the food she was removing from his grasp.

“I’m Daisy Turner, and you’re still the arse you were at school,” Daisy said and shouldered her handbag higher up her arm.

Thankfully, he stayed where he was, thinking through was must be his mental roller-dex of school friends.

“You’re Nerdy Girl?” Rob exclaimed.

Daisy stopped in her tracks and held out her hand to the nearest object to steady her dizzy body. Unfortunately, it was the mustard armchair. She glanced at it and dropped the food at her feet. Someone shouted and then wrapped their arms around her body and lifted her a few feet onto a warm lap.

“You’re okay, Daisy, keep breathing,” the low rumbly voice said.

She could feel trembles rocking her body, and her eyes stayed closed. A hand cupped the back of her head and guided it to a warm neck, and she cuddled in like she’d done it a hundred times. A hand smoothed her hair from her face,but the trembles were still there as the flashing images zipped behind her eyelids. When warm lips touched hers, she stilled after a few beats. Then the mouth left her, and she sagged against the warm body. Slowly after minutes, she didn’t know how many, she opened her eyes. From her position, she saw the open workshop doors and the dark-as-night sky and port waters.

“Why do my feet hurt?” she muttered, looking down at her feet.

She had put on open sandals, and now food had coated her feet, and the exposed skin had turned red.

“How hot was the food when you brought it here?”

“Piping hot, the dish came straight out of the oven before I brought it here.”

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