Drunk In Love (Love #1)

by Kitty Parker

  "Nothin' but someone takin' their trash out," he tells the dog as if the dog can understand.

  But Otter seems to because he follows Jack up the steps and into the building.

  Back inside Daisy's apartment, he unhooks the leash and lifts his head when he hears Daisy. The apartment's quiet and her feet are bare and he can hear her coming from the kitchen.

  And then she's standing right there. She's already changed into what she sleeps in every night. Just an oversized tee-shirt and she's taken her braid out so her hair is hanging down her back and around her face. Jack can't help but look at her bare legs and he can imagine how smooth they are. His fingertips are basically burning to touch them.

  His eyes meet hers and she gives him a small smile.

  "Matty asleep?" He asks and his throat feels so dry all of a sudden.

  She keeps giving him that small smile. "Sleeping deeply," she confirms.

  And he doesn't know what it is. He doesn't know why tonight is any different from any of the other nights before this one. But it is. It feels like the air has a charge to it that he's never quite felt before. He wonders if Daisy feels it, too. But she must. Because she's looking at him the same way he's pretty sure he's staring at her, too.

  He's not sure who moves first. And it really doesn't matter.

  All he knows is that they're suddenly together, and their lips meet, and her arms are around his neck. Jack doesn't hesitate. They don't talk about it but he knows that she wants this as much as he wants this and he wonders for a second how long she's been wanting this, too.

  He wraps his arms around her waist and he lifts her off her feet easily. For a girl that cooks cupcakes all day, everyday, this girl weighs nothing. He's carried bucks out of the woods that weigh more than her. And he doesn't have to stop kissing her to know how many steps it is from the front hall to her bedroom. Fifteen. Just fifteen. And then they're in her bedroom and he's putting her on her feet and she's closing the door behind them.

  He reaches for her shirt and she lifts her arms, not stopping him as he pulls it off over her head, tossing it somewhere behind her. He immediately drops his eyes to her breasts. They are small – Cletus would say something crude and call them nothing but bumps – but Jack's never seen a more perfect pair of breasts.

  He hears Daisy gasp in surprise when he drops his mouth down so suddenly and takes a nipple into her mouth. Her fingers are in his hair, holding onto him, as she moans his name softly and Jack closes his eyes and sucks gently, all the while moving her towards the bed.

  She lowers herself down across the mattress and he follows after her, hardly wanting to lift his mouth, only doing so to move it across her chest to the nipple he was ignoring. He feels her squirming beneath him and breathing and moaning softly and he can't help but press himself down against her so she has no mistake in knowing that he definitely wants her.

  Her hands drop down to his waist and he tenses for only a second as he feels her fingertips on his bare skin. And she tenses, too, not sure how he's going to react. He knows that she's probably expecting him to just get up from the bed and walk out and never show his face around her again but he's not going to do that. There's no way in hell he's going to do this because this is it. He finally needs to show his scars and it will be to no one but Daisy.

  He pushes himself up on his knees and he can tell she's still tense, lying there in nothing but a white pair of simple underpants, and she's expecting him to just walk away right now.

  Instead, he slowly unbuttons his shirt and Daisy doesn't move her eyes off of him as he finally finishes the buttons and then he takes his shirt off. She slowly lifts a hand then – as if she's still hesitant and expecting him to run – and she runs it down his abs and his stomach and he practically falls on top of her once more. This time, his mouth drops down to hers and she moans and he swallows it down. She's so small beneath him but her grip is strong. Her arms around him and the strength of her thighs squeezing his hips.

  "Jack," she whispers his name then against his lips and he feels her hands at his jeans.

  He doesn't have patience for this either. Once more, he pushes himself off of her and stands up from the bed. And again, she watches him and never takes her eyes off of him. First, he toes himself out of his boots and then unbuckles his belt and unzips his jeans, shoving them down along with his boxers.

  "Shit," he then says just as he's about to crawl back up onto the bed and grabs his jeans again, picking them up and pulling out his wallet. He tosses the condom packet onto the bed next to Daisy and then he steps to her, curling his fingers around the waistband of her underwear. Daisy lifts her hips and definitely doesn't hesitate in letting him pull them off.

  This time, Jack is able to bring himself back to her and both her arms and legs are open and ready for him. He's able to rip the condom packet open without too much fumbling and he has to clench his teeth together as Daisy takes it upon herself to roll it over his erection. It's too much. Just feeling her fingers touching him, he's close to losing it already. He gently bats her hands away and she smiles then as if she knows. Her hands slip around to his back and this time, there is no flinching or tensing as her fingers feel his scars for the first time.

  His back has never felt anything as gentle.

  "'m sorry about this," he feels the need to say to her, panting heavily.

  She looks up at him with a furrowed brow. "Sorry for what?"

  "I'm promisin' you now that the next time is gonna be a lot better than this time."

  And she giggles a little at that and lifts her head from the bed, fusing her lips to his once again.

  Jack reaches between them then – first feeling how wet she is – and he's not surprised to find that she's soaked and then he wraps his hand around himself, guiding him towards her folds, pressing himself forward through her entrance.

  Her fingers dig into his skin for a moment upon that first penetration and he remembers that she mentioned to him once that she hasn't had sex since Jimmy and before Matty was born. Both a long time ago. She's still not used to sex and he reminds himself of this so he can go slow. Even though he just wants to let loose and pound into her, he makes sure that he doesn't. He'll do that another time. Because there sure as hell is going to be another time.

  But for giving birth, Daisy is still so tight and she's so wet and she's squeezing him and fuck. He's never been inside of anything better, experiencing anything better than this right now. He still can't really believe that it's actually happening.

  Daisy is moaning softly and breathing heavily and whimpering his name as he begins thrusting, shallow and slow, getting her used to him. Her fingers cling to his arms and her legs hook around his waist and her hips rock gently against his. He dives in a little deeper and he watches as Daisy's neck arches. He does it again and then again and each time, he pushes himself in deeper and deeper until he's all the way in and he's panting and she's biting down on her lip to keep from moaning too loud.

  He looks down at her. Her eyes are open and she's looking up at him and she smiles.

  It nearly gets him to lose his rhythm and stop altogether. He's buried completely inside of her and this is exactly where he wants to be. With her, in her, on this bed, in this apartment. He doesn't have to be anywhere else because everything he could ever want is right here.

  And he knows that he's the luckiest asshole in the world that he's able to be here because she has every right in the world to never let him anywhere near her or her son again.

  He's staring down at her and in that moment, he feels a warmth in his chest and in the pit of his stomach and he's never felt anything like it before in his life but he knows what it is. Somehow, he knows.

  He stops moving for a moment and leans down, brushing his lips across hers. It's completely different from the frenzied pace they had been moving in just a second before. With a brush of the lips, the entire world stops around them but he's not looking to get it moving again.

  "I love you," he whispers
to her and if Daisy is shocked or surprised at his words, she definitely doesn't act like it.

  He looks down at her and she looks like a girl who's known this for a long time. She has the softest smile on her face and the streetlamp from outside is shining through the blinds of the window and he can see the dew of sweat dotting her skin. And he knows that the warmth in his chest at the moment is love and he wonders how long it's been there because it doesn't feel that foreign to him.

  Daisy puts her hands on either side of his neck and gently pulls his face down closer to hers. "I love you," she whispers back to him. "And I'd really love you if you'd start moving again."

  And he snickers, his warm breath exhaling across her face, and she giggles and Jack knows – without question – that this is the happiest he's ever been in his entire life.

  Daisy wakes up alone and for one panicked moment, she lays there with her eyes closed and her heart feeling heavy, thinking that Jack's snuck out sometime during the night. But as soon as she thinks that, she banishes the thought from her mind. No. Jack didn't just sneak out. They have just told one another that they love one another and they've slept together for the first time and after all of that, Jack wouldn't just leave. Daisy knows that.

  She rolls from her side onto her back to look at the empty spot in the bed beside her and reaching a hand out, she touches where he had laid the night before. It is still a little warm.

  And then she hears a giggle and she knows that Matty's awake and out of bed. Her eyes go back to the clock. It's just a few minutes past seven and even if it's Saturday, they've always been early risers so it's not surprising to her.

  She pulls herself from the bed and quickly moves to dress herself, to cover her nakedness. She puts on a new pair of underwear and a bra before tugging on a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. She looks at her reflection in the mirror at her dresser and can't help but smile. She looks happy. Obviously happy. And it's as if she's shining like a beacon, which only makes her smile wider and want to giggle.

  Is this what pure happiness feels like?

  She brushes out her hair and instead of braiding it before showering, she pulls it back into a ponytail and giving herself one more look in the mirror – her reflection only making her smile grow – before she finally leaves the bedroom.

  She sees them the instant she steps from the hallway. They're both in the kitchen, turned away from her, standing at the stove. Jack is wearing jeans and a tee-shirt and it's clear he's gone back to his own apartment to get them – and to get Morris, too, the cat curled up on top of the chair in the living room, sleeping. Otter is in the kitchen, chewing the kibble from his bowl and watching the two as if asking them if they really know what they're doing. And she then looks to Matty, standing next to Jack in a pair of basketball shorts that hang past his knees and one of his green Gators tee-shirts, his hair in a pure disarray of curls at the moment.

  Daisy watches them for a moment and her heart is tight as she does so. Jack's here, in her apartment in the morning, and it's not as if he's never been over here before at the early hour but this time, both he and Matty think that it's just the two of them for the time being, both of them talking and Matty laughing again, and it's obvious Matty loves this man. And it's obvious that Jack loves this boy. And she loves them both and they both love her.

  Is this what pure happiness feels like?

  Jack seems to sense her first. He turns and looks over his shoulder and when he sees her, his lips twitch in a smile. And then Matty turns and sees her.

  "Mama! We're making you breakfast!" Matty proudly brags as he hurries over and grabbing her hand, he tugs her into the kitchen to join them at the stove.

  "It smells so good," she smiles even though it really doesn't and Jack is smiling at her because he knows that she doesn't mean that but she just keeps smiling and Jack leans in and kisses her on the side of her head.

  …

  It doesn't smell good and it doesn't taste good either. Most of the banana pancakes have fallen completely apart and those that haven't are terribly burnt.

  But that doesn't matter because the three of them sit down at the table to eat and Matty is so proud of himself for making breakfast and Jack's here with them and Daisy knows she's never had banana pancakes better than these.

  …

  She's not nervous doing this anymore and comes often without Jack. She knows the rules and the guards recognize her. They even start asking her what she's got with her this time and sometimes, she'll bring them a box just for them.

  Jack still doesn't talk much about his childhood but he really doesn't need to; not if he doesn't want to. She knows that's it was absolutely awful and it's enough that he took off his shirt around her. And continues to do so. If he never wants to talk about anything else, she will never force him to. It's enough to see how he responds to affection and love and she is able to fill in the blanks for the most part. And visiting his older brother in prison, Cletus doesn't talk about it either – not that she asks him – but always constantly getting into trouble and living his life in and out of places like this, she knows the brothers have gone through things that only the two of them will ever share and will ever know about.

  Daisy knows how easily it would have been for Jack to go down the same path that Cletus had and she's so grateful – every time she visits Cletus in here – that Jack was able to take a completely different turn for himself. She can't imagine her life without him being there.

  "Hey, peanut butter," Cletus grins at her through the glass after the guard leads him in and the handcuffs are taken off. He sits on the stool and picks up the phone and flips the lid on the box. "What we got today?"

  Daisy smiles at him. "S'mores cupcake," she tells him into the phone. "Bottom layer of crushed graham cracker and then a dark chocolate cupcake with a roasted marshmallow whipped frosting."

  She watches as he takes the first greedy bite, marshmallow getting all over his mouth but he doesn't seem to care as he chews loudly and with his mouth open. Daisy waits for the verdict and this is really the only time she ever feels nervous. Cletus is a brutally honest person and it can take a while to get used to. But she needs brutally honest. It's not as if her family lies to her but she knows that even if they don't like something, they won't really come out and just tell her that. With Cletus, if he doesn't like her latest cupcake, he'll let her know and she'll go back and rework the recipe until he does like it. She sees it is a challenge when he doesn't like one she makes.

  Cletus Belton has become the official taste tester for Daisy's Bakery.

  He finishes the s'mores cupcake in four bites and then licks his fingers and wipes his tongue around his mouth. Thank goodness he's not the official propriety manager at Daisy's Bakery.

  "Well?" She asks once he's gotten a chance to clean himself up.

  "So, you gonna add this one to your menu or you gonna bump one of the six out of there?" He asks her.

  Daisy smiles a little. "Business is going so well but it's still just me. And this one actually takes a bit of time so I think I'm going to still just have six kinds of cupcakes. I'm going to have to make room for this one if you think I should add it."

  "Girl, you're gonna be losin' out on a lot of money if you don't sell that one," he tells her.

  Daisy can't help but beam. Both at the compliment – and compliments from Cletus Belton, she has a feeling, aren't that easy to come by – and the subtle encouragement this man is able to give her with her cupcakes and bakery.

  She knows that most wouldn't care for Cletus Belton's company. He is in a prison orange jumpsuit and has an Aryan Nation tattoo on his arm as well as a new tattoo by the corner of his eye – a marking that he had either seriously injured or killed another inmate in there – but that's Cletus when he's not here. When he is here, he's Jack's brother and he's important to Jack so he's important to her, too.

  She doesn't know if he'll ever get out. He was given ten years but with the way he's behaving in there, Jack's pretty
certain that he'll get years added and Jack doesn't say it but Daisy knows that sometimes, he really misses his brother.

  She hopes that Cletus misses him, too.

  "How's my baby brother?" Cletus asks her.

  Daisy smiles. "He's good. He got a promotion at the garage where he works."

  That makes Cletus frown. "Promotion? Thought he was already the best damn mechanic there. What? They make him the owner now?"

  "No," she shakes her head and laughs a little. "His boss, Martinez, is taking a step away from the garage. He's trying to spend more time with his family and he's made Jack the manager. Jack's the one in charge when Martinez isn't there."

  "Huh," Cletus rubs at his chin and the grey hairs growing there. "Good for him," he then nods with approval. "And how things goin' with you two?"

  Daisy feels her cheeks heat but she's not sure why. "Good," she then replies with a slight shrug as if it it's just that and not so much more.

  And Cletus's able to see right through her. He grins. "He gonna put a ring on your finger?"

  She laughs at that. "Cletus, I don't know if you know this about your brother, but we have to move very slowly with him. I won't be surprised if he never wants to get married."

  "Huh," Cletus says again and then shakes his head. "I wouldn' be too sure 'bout that one, peanut butter."

  And Daisy feels her stomach clench at Cletus's words but she refuses to allow herself to see it as anything else except an older brother teasing his younger brother. She knows she and Jack are nowhere near the point yet of even thinking about getting married. Things are going so well – in both their lives and together – and she just wants it to stay like this for a little while longer before the talks of an imaginary wedding have the chance of ruining it.

  …

  They don't have a huge discussion about it. It's just one of those things that happens and it feels completely natural so she supposes that neither really feel the need to talk about it.

  Jack – and Morris – are over at their apartment more times than not. Morris' litter box has even found a place on the floor of the bathroom beneath the sink. Jack's clothes and his toiletries start finding their way over and he spends the night there pretty much every night. They're living together before they even really realize it and when they do realize it, they don't have a conversation about that.