by J. H. Croix
I found I didn’t mind being ordered around by Daisy at all. In a flash, I straightened and freed my cock, not even bothering to shove my slacks down. I gripped it in my fist and dragged the head back and forth in her drenched folds.
She glanced over her shoulder, her wide brown eyes dark and her lips pink and plump. Damn me straight to hell, but with her hair in a tidy twist and her professional skirt shoved up over her ass, I wanted to fuck her a thousand times over anywhere we shouldn’t be. For example, here in my borrowed office at the hospital when I was supposed to be discussing research data with her.
I held her gaze and sank inside of her in a slow surge, burying myself to the hilt. I couldn’t say I was thinking—at all—but if I’d meant to drag this out in any way, that became impossible with the little moan she let out. Her bottom arched up, almost begging me. I started to move and inside of seconds, I was drumming into her, pressure bundling inside as she rolled her hips back into every stroke, riding my cock as if she’d been made for it. I reached in front and dragged my finger in a swirl over her swollen clit. She cried out, my name coming in between gasps and moans. I barely heard with my own release thundering through me so hard, I was weak at the end of it.
I had to catch my balance with my hand curled over the edge of the table and the other gripping her hip. Her head fell forward, and our breath heaved in unison. When the haze in my brain cleared, I dropped a few kisses in the dip of her spine before straightening and reluctantly drawing out of her. It was the craziest thing, but it didn’t matter I’d just spent myself inside of her—all I wanted was to stay with her like that, buried deep inside and connected. It transcended pure physical pleasure, and I didn’t even know how to face it.
I grabbed a handful of tissues out of the box on the table and wiped between her thighs. She was so wet, the entire insides of her thighs were damp with her fluids and now mingling with mine. The only relief it offered was the knowledge she was as far gone as I was when it came to the need between us. It was a living, breathing force of its own. I wiped myself off and buttoned my slacks with one hand while I retrieved her discarded underwear. She glanced down with a puzzled look when I leaned over and nudged her ankle.
“I’m assuming you’d like to put these back on,” I explained.
“Well, yeah, but what are you doing?”
“Helping.”
With a low laugh, she lifted one ankle and then the other. I slid her silk panties up over her hips and smoothed her skirt in place. When I straightened and met her eyes, my heart started to thud—hard and fast—against my ribs.
Chapter 20
Daisy
“Geez Daisy, what’s up with you?” Olivia asked, her way too perceptive gaze swinging to me.
We were at Desert Isle Coffee waiting for Harper to arrive. It was a rainy evening in Seattle, and a guy I’d been interested in a few months ago had stopped by our table to chat. Apparently, I wasn’t friendly enough.
“What do you mean?” I countered.
Olivia took a sip of her coffee and brushed a loose curl out of her eyes. With her dark curly hair, porcelain skin and green eyes, Olivia was lovely. She had that whole sexy librarian vibe going too with her glasses and prim attitude. She was actually pretty laid back, but so serious about her work it was easy to miss that about her if you didn’t know her well. We’d grown up together in a small town outside of Seattle, so she’d been my bestie forever. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice anything, but then that wouldn’t make sense because she and Harper knew me better than anyone did.
“Well, you thought he was totally hot a few months ago. He’s being all nice and asks you to dinner, and you turn him down? That’s not like you. Come to think of it, you haven’t dated anyone in months. What happened to your plan to find the right guy?”
I bought myself a minute or two by adding a dash of creamer to my coffee. I considered Zoe’s point that hiding what was happening with Tristan wasn’t doing myself any favors. I was usually the pushy one with my friends—wanting everyone to find the love of their lives. I’d come to doubt the possibility so much so for myself, I was frustrated and feeling defensive.
I finally looked back over at her and steeled myself. “Well, you’ve been saying forever maybe I should stop looking so hard,” I hedged.
I was instantly annoyed with myself. I wasn’t a chicken and wasn’t going to keep slinking about. Another gulp of coffee and then I eyed her again. Unlike me, Olivia didn’t tend to jump right in with her opinion, so she was still waiting patiently.
“I’m, uh…”
What the hell are you and Tristan doing? Screwing? Dating?
Gah! I don’t know.
I had to explain somehow.
“Tristan and I are sort of seeing each other,” I blurted out.
Olivia’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “So that’s what Liam meant.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, the other night he asked me if I knew about you and Tristan. Because I had no idea…” She paused and pinned me with an accusing glare. “…I told him he was crazy. Then his mom called and I forgot all about asking him what he meant.”
“Oh great. That means Tristan’s talking about it.”
Anxiety tightened in my chest. I didn’t like worrying about what might’ve been said. I had nothing to hide, so I reasoned it didn’t matter if Tristan had said anything about us.
“Why would it matter if he was?” Olivia asked.
I idly twirled the end of a damp lock of hair around my finger. I’d forgotten my rain jacket today and had gotten wet walking from my office to here.
“I don’t know. It just seemed better if we kept it quiet. But then that makes it seem even weirder.”
“Okay,” Olivia said slowly. “How about you fill me in here? Are you guys dating-dating or something else?”
“Um, I think something else.”
Something else is one way to put it. You’ve agreed to a month of orgasms. Nothing more.
Olivia was quiet. The bell above the door jingled, and I glanced over to see Harper entering. She gave us a wave and headed to the counter.
After another quiet moment, Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Is it weird because you and Tristan want different things?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, knowing perfectly well what she meant.
“Oh you know, maybe the fact you’ve been on a public mission to find the right guy, while Tristan has always been totally clear he’s not interested in a relationship.”
My stomach churned and my heart hurt a little. This was the thing I didn’t want to think about, much less talk about. I started to get that squirrelly feeling inside, but I pushed back against it. Fuck that. I wasn’t going to be all wimpy about this. No matter what happened in the end, this was a good thing. I didn’t have to wonder if I had the capacity to have an orgasm with a man. I knew enough about relationships to know I could find someone else. I might have to take some radical steps to make sure my heart didn’t break after Tristan and I ended our little arrangement, but even that was worth it.
I took a fortifying gulp of coffee and eyed Olivia. “Maybe so, but I decided to go for it anyway. I guess I figured it’ll be all for the best if we burn out this crazy chemistry between us and move on as friends.”
Harper arrived at the tail end of my sentence, her questioning blue gaze bouncing between us. “Crazy chemistry?”
Now that I’d let the cat out of the bag so to speak, I was so relieved I was embracing it. “Too long/didn’t read version: Tristan and I are getting it on. No, we’re not serious. I know what I want and he wants are different, but… crazy chemistry,” I offered with a shrug.
Harper slipped into the chair at an angle from me and nodded slowly. “Okay then. Did I miss anything else?”
Olivia eyed me and then looked to Harper. “I don’t think this is a good idea. It’s got disaster written all over it,” she said firmly.
�
�Oh my God, don’t be ridiculous,” I protested.
“I’m not being ridiculous. You’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I think Tristan’s great and if you ask me…”
Harper shook her head at Olivia, her pointed gaze silencing Olivia with a glance. Harper with her warm blue eyes, glossy brown hair and usually quiet manner hid her steely strength. She’d had her own tragedy over five years ago when she was raped, but she was so far past that, I sometimes found it hard to believe it had ever happened. She was happily married to Alex Gordon, yet another player for the Seattle Stars. He loved Harper so much, I tended to feel as if I was constantly interrupting an intimate moment with them. Anyway, back to my point. Harper was the center of reason for all of us in our circle. She had little tolerance for overblown responses to anything. I was usually the brunt of her firm redirection, so for the moment, I enjoyed Olivia occupying that position.
“Daisy can do what she wants to do. If it means she gets hurt, that’s what it means,” Harper said firmly.
“Yeah, but I want her to find what she wants. I mean, I’m sure Tristan is amazing in bed, if the rumors are anything to go on, but come on Harper. You know this won’t end well. It wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t all friends,” Olivia said with a sigh.
After a sip of coffee, Harper glanced to me. “How do you think that will go??
“What?”
“The awkward-try-to-be-friends thing,” Harper clarified.
I shrugged. “Truth is we’ve been dealing with that all year. Things got a little hot and heavy when I went to that away game with you last year,” I said, glancing to Olivia. “Since then, I’ve been avoiding him. I finally decided it wasn’t worth it anymore.”
Olivia huffed and glared at me. “Wow, you’ve been hiding this for a year?”
“It was one kiss, okay? The way you’re responding is only reinforcing why I didn’t say anything. Look, maybe it’s stupid, but I figured I’d rather get him out of my system than keep trying to avoid him.”
“I also think Tristan likes you,” Harper added.
That stupid little sprout of hope in my heart just wouldn’t die. Comments like this from Harper only made it wave around a little more. While I was trying to beat back the feeling, Olivia did me a favor.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Just that. I mean, whenever we’re somewhere with both of you, he can hardly keep his eyes off of you. He reminds me a little bit of Alex and the way he used to approach relationships,” Harper explained.
“What do you mean?” I asked, parroting Olivia.
“He’s got this idea he can compartmentalize everything like that. I think it only works if you don’t really care about someone. The way he looks at you is about more than sex and has been for years. I totally get why Olivia might be worried, but I won’t be surprised if things turn out differently.”
I wanted to jump up and down in my chair and hug Harper. I held myself back because I wasn’t quite ready to make a fool of myself. Olivia seemed to be stunned into silence. I took a sip of coffee and glanced between them.
“It would be great if you could just be there for me if I do get hurt and trust I walked into this with my eyes wide open,” I said.
Olivia smiled ruefully and leaned over to squeeze my shoulders in a half hug. “Of course. You know I’m the worrier, but you’re a big girl and I know you’ll come out fine no matter what.”
Conversation moved on and later that evening I wrapped myself in a fluffy robe, planning to settle in for a night of hot chocolate and television. It was still raining outside. I was walking from the kitchen into the living room when the doorbell rang. I hadn’t been expecting anyone, so I was curious. When I opened the door, Tristan stood there, his dark hair damp from the rain.
Chapter 21
Tristan
I strode down the hallway after finishing up a meeting with Dr. Horton. With me back to practice and our season starting soon, this interim situation since my knee injury last year was winding to a close, so we had plenty to cover before I finished up here entirely. My mind spun to last night. I hadn’t had plans to see Daisy. Hell, I’d told her I was busy with work, which had been the truth. I was busy tying up loose ends, so I could hand the reins back to Dr. Horton. But as appeared to be the case nightly now, I found myself heading over to her place once I was done. I hadn’t wanted to go home to my flat. The idea of not being with her elicited a restless feeling I didn’t like.
Even though I was uncomfortable with how I felt about Daisy, Daisy herself was the only relief from my discomfort. Beyond the fact we all but went up in flames whenever we were together, I enjoyed her company. Last night, I hadn’t been able to resist untying her robe and lifting her onto the kitchen counter before burying myself inside of her. It was that bad. Hell, she’d opened the door in a robe and elephant slippers of all things. Her hair had been pulled back in a messy ponytail. It was fair to say she wasn’t trying to be sexy. I’d taken one look and wanted her so fiercely I’d barely gotten past saying hello.
After that, she’d fallen asleep half on my lap while we were watching some sci-fi show. That was another thing that made me half crazy. I’d never have guessed she’d enjoy the same shows I did. I didn’t watch a ton of television. I didn’t have time for the most part, but when I did I wanted pure entertainment and loved sci-fi movies and the like. Who’d have guessed Daisy was a fan too? With her predilection for romance and her cheery disposition, I’d have pegged her as preferring romantic comedies or dramas. She’d wrinkled her nose when I pointed that out and informed me I was stereotyping her. She continued to surprise me in little and big ways.
I’d carried her to bed after she dozed off. I was becoming altogether too comfortable falling asleep and waking up beside her. I was also hyper-aware of the end of the month I’d allotted for us. I recalled that I’d told her we’d reassess. Just thinking about it made me shy away inside.
I rounded the corner in the hallway and glanced up to see Jeff Miller heading my way. I was instantly annoyed. He’d pissed me off the other day. If I’d been thinking clearly about anything to do with Daisy, I might’ve recognized much of my anger stemmed from purely irrational jealousy.
Oh, he’d been a typical sexist prick with his joke about Daisy being off limits. That kind of comment just wouldn’t be made about a man in her role. Even if I weren’t tangled up skin to skin with her almost nightly now, I’d have considered it disrespectful and unprofessional. Yet, I’d practically seen red to hear he’d even asked her out. He glanced up and caught my eyes.
“Hey there, Tristan,” he said casually as he reached me and came to a stop.
Unless I wanted to be blatantly rude, I couldn’t just walk on by him as I wanted. I forced my legs to a stop and nodded tightly.
“Meeting with Dr. Horton?” I asked.
“Of course. So with him back, you’ll be finishing up here soon, right?”
I nodded, grateful I wasn’t a typically chatty guy.
Jeff eyed me for a minute. “So, no offense meant the other day about Daisy. I didn’t see the harm in asking her out to dinner. Hell, she’s flat gorgeous. I mean, I’m betting you’d like to see her naked too,” he said with a low chuckle.
Okay, I was usually a calm guy. I usually wouldn’t care in the least if another guy noticed a woman I was seeing. Hell, I was so not territorial about women, most I’d had arrangements with saw other people. My only boundaries were no expectations for something serious and no public announcements about our status. Being a pro sports player, I bloody hated the media attention to every breath we took. I sure as hell wasn’t interested in women who were looking to get laid only so they could trot it out in the media.
In short, I didn’t get jealous and I didn’t care when I parted on friendly terms with anyone I’d been seeing. Even when Renee got a little weird about things at the end there, I chalked it up to nothing more than that and moved on.
D
aisy was another matter. To hear Jeff make a casual joke about any man wanting to see her naked nearly led me to clock him. I was so fucking angry, my saving grace was the years of discipline honed in me from playing pro. Once the fury dissipated slightly—just barely, really—I actually glanced up and down the hallway and contemplated if I could get away with roughing him up.
I have fucking lost my mind. I’m actually debating whether it’s worth starting a fight—a bloody fight—over Daisy.
I gave myself a mental shake. I wasn’t that kind of bloke—a foolish, hotheaded idiot who lost it over a girl. But I couldn’t let this slide.
Though I hadn’t said a word, Jeff’s gaze went from an obnoxious, knowing look to one of trepidation. I eyed him for a long moment.
“I already asked you to apologize once,” I said in a low voice.
He looked at me uneasily. “Look, man. Just a joke. She’s not here to hear it, so no harm done. She’s beautiful, and I didn’t see any problem with noticing that,” he finally said with a slight shrug.
Fucking asshole.
I was still so angry, it took most of my discipline not to punch him. I clenched my fists and tucked them in my pockets. “She deserves to be treated with respect. Obviously you don’t understand that concept. Dr. Knight is the lead researcher on multiple studies we handle here. Aside from the fact all women should be treated with respect and not debased with bullshit like what you just spewed, she’s about ten times smarter than you as far as I can tell. Back the fuck off and know that I’ll be letting Horton know about this.”
I didn’t wait for his reply and spun away, walking swiftly down the hallway to the elevators.
***
Later that afternoon, I leaned against the goal post and guzzled a bottle of water. We were just finishing up practice, and I was close to exhaustion. I’d thrown myself into practice, needing the physical activity to nudge my thoughts off of Daisy and how unsettled I was over her. I was still irritable about Jeff’s comments, mostly because of my own reaction to them. It sucked, but being a man meant you learned many, many, many men were sexist jerks. As it was, I shouldn’t be so bloody mad about Jeff’s comments about Daisy. Yet, I was.
