Page 76 of Provocation
‘Well, I think I have my answer.’
I take off my shirt and jeans so I’m just in my boxers and see that the others have done the same. I take the left and she scoots closer to me, kissing me on the cheek.
‘I have class tomorrow, but after, maybe we could go to where Mom…’
‘I’d like that,’ I murmur, a lone finger trailing down her cheek. ‘And there’s the box Stevens gave me. It’s in my room at the KIP house. I keep forgetting about it. We should go through it.’
She nods.
‘Thanks for this,’ she says. ‘It’s very nice. I wasn’t looking forward to the couch in the office after today.’
She closes her eyes, and I watch as her entire body sinks down, my heart doing a weird flip as I observe her.
I did this. I made her feel safe after a horrible day.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ I murmur.
But she’s already asleep.
I’m vaguely aware of the other guys getting in bed on the other side. I guess they’re used to this since they’ve been trying to share with Daisy for weeks now. They probably won’t be at all weirded out if they wake up in each other’s arms after Daisy gets up to mess around in the lab.
I watch her for a long time.
‘Snuck up on you too?’ Blake whispers.
I shake my head, huffing out a laugh as I settle down next to her and turn off the lights.
I trace the small daisy tattoo on my chest almost absently.
‘Nope, I’ve always loved this girl.’
Chapter Seven
DAISY
My phone buzzes and I open my eyes, forgetting at first where I am.
The club. The bedroom.
I lay there for a moment, trying to figure out this feeling that’s coiling around me, making me feel warm and rested. I feel at peace despite everything that’s going on out there, everything that happened yesterday with Bennet.
I’m safe. Whole. I haven’t even had a nightmare in ages, I realize.
Have I ever felt this way before? Maybe when I was a kid, before the fire, before we had to move.
I remember what Blake said last night, and a smile alights my face. He meant it, I think. It wasn’t in the middle of everything. It was afterward.
I lay in the bed for a few minutes, basking in the happiness that envelops me.
I shift and find my body is sore, but I like it. It reminds me of last night, the table, the straps, how much I loved the things they did to me.
I can’t wait to do it again.
But then my phone beeps again and I sigh.
The interlude is over. Duty calls.
I get up and pee, seeing no sign of the others, and peer into the Dark Lounge. Everything’s been tidied up. It’s like we were never in there last night. If not for the way my muscles protest when I walk, I might have thought I imagined it all.
