Page 78 of Ripple Effect

“Too long,” she says with a smile.

“So, Daze, did you make the risotto, or was it actually my sister?”

“It was a group effort,” she says, nodding to the kitchen. “Gracie helped, too.”

Gracie offers a cheery wave from across the island counter, and I nod in greeting, offering a quick thanks. My sister, regaining her composure, adds in, “I’m only staying for dinner, though. I promised Noah I’d take her out tonight.”

“So, Luc isn’t hiding around the corner, waiting to surprise me, too?”

Taylor laughs. “Nope, just me tonight.”

She steps forward, wrapping me in a quick hug before rejoining Gracie in front of the stove. Once she’s out of earshot, Daisy takes a moment to pull me aside, her voice a hushed whisper. “I really hope this is okay? I know you don’t like a lot of fanfare, but you mentioned missing her, and I—”

Before she can finish, I cut her off with a kiss, lips pressing a soft trail across her neck and back. “It’s more than okay,” I mumble against her skin. “You’re just so fucking good to me.”

“You’re good to me, too.”

* * *

Once dinner’s overand Taylor’s said her thousandth goodbye to my dog, Daisy and I make our way back to her bedroom. The door closes behind us, Bentley finds his quiet home in a corner of the room, and there’s a static charge that flares between us.

It’s a quiet kind of intensity, slow and simmering, and it makes my skin prickle.

Daisy pauses by the foot of her bed, turning to me with a shy smile, her eyes searching mine before they drop to my lips. There’s a vulnerability there, a raw openness that pulls at something deep inside of me.

Slowly, she steps into my space, her fingers brushing over the material of my shirt, guiding me closer. As if in a trance, I follow, every nerve ending alive, every sensation magnified.

She tilts her head up, the faint fragrance of that damn strawberry wine still lingering on her skin, beckoning me to lean down. Our lips meet in a kiss that starts out gentle, a mere brush of mouth against mouth.

It’s sweet and soft, a fleeting touch at first.

Then I pull her closer, hands settling on her hips, the curve of her body pressing into mine. Her fingers grip the fabric at the back of my shirt, holding me to her. The kiss deepens, growing hungrier, aching in its intensity.

I let one hand drift upward, gliding over the fabric of her top until I’m pressing it flat against her chest. The steady thrum of her heartbeat pulses beneath my palm, syncing with the rapid rhythm of mine.

Daisy’s mouth opens, inviting me in, and I accept the invitation eagerly. Our tongues meet, dancing and tasting, exploring and teasing. There’s no rush, no urgency. Just the two of us, getting lost in the sensations, in the intoxicating feel of one another.

She breaks away for a breath, eyes dark with desire, and whispers my name against my lips. Her voice is thick, husky, stirring something primal in me.

Guiding her back, we tumble gently onto her bed. I’m hovering over her, supporting my weight on my elbows, ensuring I don’t crush her beneath me.

We continue to kiss, deeply, slowly, every slide of lip against lip, every brush of tongue against tongue, drawing soft moans and sighs from both of us. My palm finds its way back to her heart, and she stiffens beneath me, nose crinkling as her eyes pop open.

“Something wrong?” I rasp the question, searching for answers in her gaze.

“No,” she breathes out. “Just wondering ... why do you put your hand there when we kiss?”

“I like to feel the way your heart beats for me.”

She gulps low in her throat. “Foryou, huh?”

“Yeah.” I nudge her nose with mine. “It picks up speed when I do something you really like—when I brush the tip of your tongue, when I nip at your lower lip. I’m learning you, Daisy. And it’s my new favorite subject.”

She huffs a laugh. “Shouldn’t I be the one monitoringyourheart? Making sure it doesn’t go haywire.”

“Nah, that’s what the meds are for.”

“Cheeky boy.” She grips the fabric of my shirt, pulling me in for another quick kiss before she says, “I do have another question for you, though.”

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