Page 60 of Degradation
We finish our drinks in a companionable silence and, when we’re done, I take our cups back to the counter and move Daisy’s chair out for her. I give her my coat to put on, ignoring her when she says she doesn’t want it, and we walk back to the house in the cold.
When we go inside, some of the guys are in the kitchen making lunch. Marcus, Rob, and Pete aren’t in the vicinity, but Daisy still tenses as she looks out over the room, eyes flitting around like she thinks she’s going to be called a mean name or yelled at. I get ready to start shit with any fucker who says a god damned thing to her.
‘Hey, Captain. Hey, Daisy,’ one of the freshmen says, giving us a salute.
She looks shocked, firstly, that someone’s greeted her and, secondly, that they’ve used heractualname. Hell,I’mshocked. I thought they’d be assholes.
‘Hey,’ she manages quietly.
‘Want something to eat, Daisy?’ another one asks. A sophomore.
She glances back at me, her eyes wide, clearly not sure what to do. ‘Um.’
‘It’s okay, guys, Mav is bringing some subs.’
Daisy looks a little relieved. ‘Thanks, though,’ she says, a bit woodenly.
She goes to the stairs and puts her crutches in one hand, looking at me, waiting for me to do what I’m supposed to.
I stifle my grin. Fuck. I think I might be starting to adore this girl.
I pick her up easily, ignoring the hoots and hollers from the guys in the kitchen as I take her up the stairs to her room. I put her down on her bed and, before I think better of it, my lips find hers.
At first, I think she’s going to pull away, maybe even hit me. But she lets out a tiny, muffled moan and yields under me, relaxing.
I lick the seam of her lips with my tongue, slipping it in when she opens for me, keeping my plundering much more gentle than usual. I don’t want to scare her or upset her, but her tongue meets mine boldly. It mingles with mine. She tastes of sweet mint, and I can’t help my groan as I push closer, wishing we didn’t have clothes between us.
But I make myself stop.
Daisy isn’t a girl I want to rush into any of this. She’s so smart, and yet artless in the most innocent sort of way. The lack of games she plays is refreshing.
‘That’s it, gorgeous,’ I murmur, sitting back.
Her lips are parted and swollen, her eyes are unfocused and she’s breathing fast.
Fuck. Old Blake would have had her out of those clothes and riding my cock in thirty seconds flat. But not new Blake. New Blake is going to wait and she’s going to taste so much sweeter for it.
She looks disappointed when I move away, adjusting evidence of how much I want her surreptitiously.
‘But,’ she begins, but I hush her.
‘I want you,’ I tell her because I think she’ll appreciate my honesty. ‘But I want to get to know you. And I want you to get to know me. Is that okay?’
Her sudden smile is wide and genuine, and it makes me smile too.
She nods.
‘I have a couple things I need to do, but then I’ll be back, and we can have lunch with Mav.’
She nods again and lays back on her bed. I can see she’s tired from just the walking and class this morning. I make a mental note to let Mav know so he makes sure she gets to bed early. She tends to stay up very late sometimes, and I think she just doesn’t notice what time it is. Sort of how she forgets to eat when she’s in the middle of stuff at the lab. I’m not going to tell her, but I’ve put a secret schedule together for the guys and me so that we know she’s being taken care of if she doesn’t remember to do it herself.
I go into my room and close the door. I bring up our security system and begin an in-depth sweep to check for any problems. I doubt I’ll find anything. I never have before and I keep a pretty close eye, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe, and with Daisy’s weird questions this morning, I’ve been put a little on edge. Better safe than sorry. I lean back and watch the process begin before I minimize the window. It’ll take several hours to complete, so there won’t be anything to see for a while.
I pack my bag for practice tonight, then pause to watch Jolie’s video of Kirkland putting his hands on Daisy while they gang up on her. I feel sick to my stomach and decide that all three guys are going to get what’s coming to them tonight. Jolie and Laurie won’t be so easy, so I put them on the backburner for now.
When I go back into Daisy’s room, she’s sitting cross-legged on her bed with Mav, chomping on a sandwich.
Mav gives me a look as I drag the chair over and sit with them, glancing at Daisy who smiles guilelessly.
