by J. H. Croix
“Hon,” I said as I crossed the kitchen to her. “I work here now, and Flynn has a habit of running his chefs off. I’d like to stay on good terms with him. I am absolutely positive trying to talk to him about anything you’re arguing with him about isn’t a good idea. Plus…” I paused and lifted a hand to lightly squeeze her shoulder. “You’re sixteen. You’re going to mess up in big ways and small ways. Just be patient.”
Cat’s blue eyes, so similar to Flynn’s with that smoky rim, scrunched up as she wrinkled her nose and let out a dramatic sigh. “Why does everyone tell me to be patient? It feels like it will be forever before I’ll be old enough to just do what I want.”
Nora happened to return to the kitchen at that moment. Cat swung in her direction. “Even Daphne won’t talk to Flynn.” At that, she stormed off.
I met Nora’s worried eyes and lifted my hands in the air before letting them fall. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset her more. I just told her I wouldn’t interfere between her and Flynn.”
Nora sighed. “If she’s gonna listen to anyone, it’s you. She adores you, you know?”
“She does?”
Nora smiled. “She asks to go to town with you every chance she gets. She loves having you here. She doesn’t warm up to people easily, so the fact that she wants to spend any time alone with you is a miracle. I think she sort of thinks of you like a mother.”
I absorbed that startling observation quietly. “Want some fresh coffee?” I asked when Nora leaned her elbows on the counter.
“Yes, please.”
Nora and I were sipping coffee a few minutes later when she commented, “It’s not like any of us had the greatest role models for parents. That’s why Cat looks up to you so much.”
I thought of my own appearance-obsessed parents. “What do you mean? Y’all are so close.”
Nora nodded. “We are. Our mom was great; it’s just she didn’t have good luck with men. Flynn’s father never stuck around. We’re close to Flynn now, but we weren’t when we were younger. He was too much older. Our dad was an asshole,” Nora said, her lips turning down. “He never stuck around, just came and went. He was really a jerk to Flynn because he hated that my mom had ever been with anybody else. Mind you, we probably have half siblings somewhere because that man couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
“Was he abusive?”
Nora drummed her fingertips on the table. “Not physically, if that’s what you mean. Definitely emotionally with our mother. He jerked her chain all the time. When she got sick, he could hardly be bothered to be there for her. She inherited this property from her parents when they passed away. Lo and behold, he showed up then. They had started this resort way back when but never quite finished it. The one thing he did was construction, so he did a lot of the work on this place. As far as us kids, he was just a big ball of couldn’t-be-bothered. With Flynn, he was kind of mean. Flynn had it out with him a few times before he died. Flynn is the closest thing any of us have to a father, but I’m not sure how he feels about being in that role. He’s intensely loyal and protective, so I think it’s been hard on him sometimes. He works his ass off for us. Cat looks up to him so much. That’s why she wants to join the Air Force. She doesn’t understand it worries him. If you didn’t catch this detail yet, all the guys that fly here for us followed him here after they got out of the Air Force.”
“I figured that out. I noticed they’re all pretty tight.”
“I just wish Flynn would let somebody take care of him the way he takes care of everybody else. Everybody comes before him.”
Chapter Twenty
Flynn
Cat gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the day. Fortunately, I had a few puddle jumper flights, so I was busy. Cat texted me later, asking permission to spend the night with her friend Sara. After confirming with Sara’s mom, I let her go. When I returned that night, it was late. Again. This time, it was because I ended up doing engine checks on all of our planes.
I came by my workaholic label honestly. When I cut the engine to my truck and turned off my headlights, I didn’t miss the fact that I could see two windows illuminated in the darkness. Those windows were in the kitchen.
The mere thought that Daphne might be awake sent electricity sizzling down my spine. I tried to tamp it down, but what I thought was intellectually smart and the right thing to do—avoid Daphne—had little force in the face of my burgeoning need for her.
I walked quietly into the side door, which led into a hallway that offered a back entrance to the private area where Cat and I stayed. I hung my jacket on one of the hooks on the wall and paused by the door that led into the kitchen when I heard a voice.
“Mom, I’m not coming home, and I can’t believe you’re even asking.”
That was unmistakably Daphne’s voice. She didn’t have much of a Southern accent, but every now and then, it slipped through.
She went quiet, and I couldn’t believe I was standing there eavesdropping. But then I couldn’t believe much of anything I did when it came to Daphne. Rational didn’t apply.
After another moment, when I presumed she was listening to her mother on the other end of the line, she said, “Brandon is dead. I know it would be convenient for you if I came back and made nice with Pete, but I won’t. This isn’t about business for me. If I ever wondered what I meant to you and Dad, I know I never was your priority. You just convinced me I was because I went along with everything you wanted. I’m not coming home. Brandon is dead, and I can’t believe you’re asking me to make nice with his father. Pete screwed around on me with someone who I thought was my friend. While Brandon was sick.” Daphne's voice had a sharp edge with that last sentence.
Anger spun in a tight fist around my heart. I knew the details of what happened because Daphne had told Nora. Yet it still infuriated me to hear them spelled out in her voice.
There was another long silence, and then Daphne said, “I’m hanging up now. Goodbye.”
I didn’t realize my hand was on the doorknob until I felt myself gripping it tightly. I didn’t know what Daphne was feeling, but I was fucking pissed off at her mother.
Her silence dragged out just long enough that I almost convinced myself not to march into the kitchen. Until I heard her breath come out in a ragged sigh.
I was through the door in less than a second. I closed it quietly behind me to find Daphne with her hands resting on the counter, and her head bowed, and her shoulders shaking slightly.
“Daphne.”
She spun around, her hand flying to her chest. Her green eyes were bright from her tears, and her cheeks damp. “Flynn. I didn’t know you were here.”
“I heard the last part of your conversation. I don’t like your mother,” I said flatly.
Daphne’s eyes widened. She knuckled at her eyes with one fist and shrugged. “I don’t really like her either,” she said with a bitter laugh.
“Just so you know, I don’t usually eavesdrop.”
She regarded me quietly. “No?” Her lips twitched slightly.
“No. Are you done for the night?”
I finally broke my gaze from hers and scanned the kitchen. Everything was turned off and put away. Daphne’s apron lay in a rumple on the counter with a towel beside it.
When my eyes returned to her, she nodded. “I was just about to go upstairs, but I was thinking about having a glass of wine first. It’s been a day.”
“Come with me.” Striding to her, I lifted the towel and her apron off the counter and tossed them in the laundry bin beside the dishwasher. Catching her hand in mine, I drew her toward the door.
She stopped, tugging on my hand. “I can’t go in there,” she whispered. “Cat’s in there, and she should be in bed if she’s not already.”
“Cat’s spending the night with a friend. And there’s no need to whisper.”
Daphne’s mouth dropped into a pretty little O, and it was all I could do not to kiss her. “Come with me,” I repeated. “I have something for you.�
�
Daphne followed me. When I first came back from the military to take care of Grant, Nora, and Cat, this section was unfinished. I’d immediately completed this part of the resort first so we had somewhere comfortable to live.
The main area was a combined living room and kitchen. I toed my shoes off, and Daphne followed suit. She was wearing an oversized T-shirt tied in a knot at her waist over a pair of leggings. She looked up at me as if waiting for me to tell her where to go.
“Be right there,” I said as I gestured toward the sectional sofa that took up most of the space in the living room.
Crossing into the kitchen, I fetched two bottles of hard cider from Diamond Creek Brewery. Returning to the living room, I set the bottles on the table. Daphne was seated with her hips on the edge of the sofa, and her hands clasped over her knees. She had that tidy, princess vibe going strong. I wanted to kiss her senseless and mess her hair up.
“Did you try some of this when you went to the lodge restaurant with Nora?” I asked as I opened the bottles.
Daphne shook her head. “I had wine. What’s this?”
“Delia’s cider. It’s really good. She started bottling it and selling it through the brewery about a year ago.”
Daphne curled her hand around a bottle and lifted it, leaning forward to sniff. “It smells crisp.”
I took a sip and commented, “I don’t care how it smells; it’s delicious.”
Daphne took a swallow, her lips stretching in a slow smile. “It’s absolutely delicious. Cider isn’t really a thing in the South, you know.”
“I don’t actually know because I’ve never been to the South. Since apple trees grow where it’s colder, it makes more sense that it’s popular where it snows.”
Daphne took another sip. She let out a low moan as she lowered the bottle to the coffee table. Fuck me. Daphne and food and drinks were dangerous. She was always exclaiming over flavors and smells. It was a good thing I was too busy to be in the kitchen often, except when I scarfed down food.
“You can relax, you know,” I said, patting the back of the couch.
Daphne rolled her eyes as she shimmied her hips back into the cushions. Curling her knees up to her chest, she wrapped one arm around them. I didn’t like the vulnerability flickering in her eyes. As strong as she was, her gaze had an almost bruised quality tonight. Knowing what she’d been through, it amazed me how well she held it together most of the time.
“How was your day?” she asked politely.
I took another swallow of my cider before setting it down. She leaned forward to reach for her bottle, but I beat her to it and handed it over.
Her knees slid down until she was sitting cross-legged with her hands curled around the bottle of cider.
She took another swallow as I replied, “Busy.”
“Your days are always busy, Flynn. Nora thinks you work too much and worries about you.”
I chuckled. “I know she does. You’re the pot, and I’m the kettle. I think you work too much ever since I discovered your habit of staying up late and baking.”
She held my gaze solemnly and took another swallow of her cider. She was making quick work of it. “That stuff is strong,” I murmured.
“I need strong tonight.”
“Tell me why you don’t want to go home.”
Daphne took two more swallows before lowering her bottle again. “Nora told you everything, huh?”
“I think so.”
“Well, things are messy because my ex and his family are my father’s business partners. He’s next in line at my father’s company as the CFO. My parents would like me to make nice and smooth things over. Appearances are very important to them. I didn’t realize how little appearances mattered until Brandon died.”
Daphne’s words came out calm and measured with little emotion. It was almost as if she’d practiced saying this.
I didn’t realize I’d shifted closer to her and reached for her until my palm was sliding down her arm. She released one of her hands from the bottle, allowing me to curl mine around hers.
“You’re cold.”
She shrugged. “I’m cold most of the time. It’s a downside to being small.”
“Not a fan of your mother,” I commented.
Daphne regarded me quietly and took another sip of her cider. “You don’t need to be angry on my behalf.” She lifted her chin slightly as she spoke, a surefire way to rev the engine of my need for her.
“I know you can take care of yourself, Daphne, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be protective. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I can do about anything you think or anyone else for that matter.” She took another gulp of her cider, draining the bottle before leaning forward to set it on the coffee table. When she leaned back, I scooped her up and pulled her onto my lap.
Chapter Twenty-One
Flynn
“Come here,” I murmured as I dipped my head and pressed an open-mouthed kiss on the side of her neck. She tasted like sugar with a hint of salt tonight.
“That wasn’t really a request, not when you pulled me onto your lap,” she said with a throaty giggle.
Lifting my head, I nodded as I smoothed her hair away from her face. “I suppose it wasn’t. Tell me what you were baking tonight before I got back.”
“Croissants.”
Leaning forward, I trailed the tip of my nose along her jawline. “Is that butter I smell, then?”
She giggled again, and my cock swelled to an ache. “Maybe.”
That single word came out breathy as I nipped lightly on her earlobe. I lifted a hand to tug the elastic out of her hair.
“What are you doing, Flynn?” she asked. A little gasp escaped when I cupped a breast and dragged my thumb across the ruched peak of her nipple.
“Tasting you,” I murmured into her neck. I dragged my tongue along the soft skin there before lightly scraping it with my teeth.
Daphne shivered in my arms. I felt her hand curl over my shoulder and slide down. “No fair,” she gasped when I pinched her nipple.
“What’s not fair, princess?”
Daphne went still in my lap, and I lifted my head. She searched my face before commenting, “That’s only the second time you’ve called me princess since the other night.”
My heart thrashed in my chest. Of course, she noticed. Daphne paid attention to everything. You see, I’d made a conscious effort not to call her by that endearment. It was some sort of stupid attempt to convince myself I didn’t have it this bad for her.
“How come?” she added.
“You tell me what’s not fair first,” I returned while my heart kicked away.
Her cheeks went pink, and I had to hold myself still to keep from kissing her. She trailed her fingers across my chest. “You’re too sexy. I bet you don’t even work out.”
I shook my head slowly. “Princess, my life is a workout.”
She stared at me and lifted her chin slightly, almost as if she were daring me to avoid her question. My heart gave a tricky twist. I knew exactly why I hadn’t called her princess. It’s just I didn’t want to discuss it directly. But then I’d be a coward. All the while, Daphne sat here, a lush bundle in my lap.
“To be honest, you drive me a little crazy, and I’ve been trying to stay sane around you.”
Daphne blinked and bit the corner of her lip. The corner I wanted to kiss. So I leaned forward and dropped a kiss on one corner of her mouth and then the other.
“I drive you crazy?” she asked in her husky voice.
“Uh-huh.” I felt my lips kick up into a slow smile. “I don’t like admitting it, but it’s true.”
“Well, that’s handy. Because you drive me crazy, and I thought you were gonna start ignoring me again.”
“Again?” I countered.
Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. “Yeah. After the night up at that guy’s place.” She gestured vaguely in a direction, which happened to be
the opposite of where Henry’s hunting lodge was.
Sliding an arm around her hips, I pulled Daphne a little closer. It was all I could do not to ravage her right then and there, considering the unholy temptation.
“I know I can be cranky, but it so happens I like you, princess.”
I hadn’t planned it this way. Hell, I hadn’t planned anything with Daphne. But somehow, this felt intimate. I was unveiling secrets I didn’t even let myself think about, much less feel like a foolish boy about a girl.
Daphne tucked her head into my shoulder and wiggled her bottom slightly, the little minx. “It so happens I like you too, Flynn.”
She lifted her head, bringing her hand to trace along my stubbled jawline. Then we were kissing, kisses that went on and on and on. She rose, straddling my lap. When she settled her hips down with a little hum, teasing me, I growled and broke my lips free from hers.
“You’re too much,” I muttered between breaths.
Daphne gave me a wicked smile before shimmying back and reaching between us to my fly. She moved fast. In another second, her hand was curling around my hard, hot length. She rubbed over the tip of my cock, where a drop of pre-cum was leaking out. When she lifted her thumb and licked it, it was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.
In another second, she was kneeling and leaning forward to taste me, a subtle swipe across the tip, and then a swirl as she sucked the crown into her mouth. When she angled her head sideways and cast a hot look at me, I almost came right then.
“Princess—” A groan broke free.
Immediately following that, she took me in her mouth, her tongue gliding along the underside of my cock. Over the next few minutes, I learned Daphne was entirely willing to torture me. She teased me by sucking me deep and drawing back, almost letting me tumble into my release but never quite letting me. She slid up and swirled her tongue around the head of my cock. Next, she cupped the base lightly in her fist.
