by Laura Ward
I didn’t allow her to touch me, either. If I did, I was afraid I would go too far. Be too wild or rough. I didn’t want to scare her. Not my Sunshine.
But just last week I did something that scared the hell out of me. I applied to the New York University’s School of Law.
I still can’t fucking believe I did it.
My application to Boston University, School of Law, was sent weeks ago, right after I got my exams scored. But in the past months, I’d come to depend on Daisy. She was my friend. I loved spending time with her. The thought that we could be in New York together, even as friends, was too enticing to pass up. Now I just had to be accepted.
~~~
Just like when Dean came home for Daisy’s birthday, he and Grace were taking his old room, and I was crashing on the couch for Thanksgiving. I’d happily sleep in the garage if I needed to. Living with the Goldsmith family was a godsend. They wouldn’t accept any money even though I was able to pay for groceries a few times when I was shopping with Daisy. I helped out with chores and tried to make my presence as unobtrusive as possible. Anytime I was around Mr. and Mrs. G or Delilah, they only ever made me feel welcome and comfortable.
Daisy on the other hand… I wouldn’t say she made me feel comfortable. Just being in the same house was a challenge. Keeping my hands and thoughts to myself was an on-going struggle. But it was one I accepted to be close to her. To laugh, to share meals, to be around her.
I opened the door to the small bathroom that adjoined Dean’s bedroom and was also shared by hallway access. Steam billowed out, and it took a few seconds before I could see clearly.
Fucking hell.
Staring at me with wide blue eyes, water dripping down her shoulders from her wet hair, and nothing but a tiny, goddamned towel on, was Daisy.
“Jesus. I’m sorry. The door wasn’t locked.” I fumbled out an apology while attempting to pry my greedy eyes off her curvaceous, damp body.
Daisy swallowed, and her eyes fixed on me. Or more accurately, my lower half.
Motherfucking hell.
I was ready to get in the shower. Dean and Grace would be here soon, and the rest of the family would be gathering in the kitchen for breakfast. I walked into the bathroom in only my boxer briefs. Briefs that were now beginning to tent as I focused on the unbelievable sight in front of me.
“I locked the door that leads to the hallway. I thought I locked this one, but I guess I didn’t. I’m the one who’s sorry.” Daisy spoke to my cock, unable or unwilling to look away and not sounding the least bit sorry.
I cleared my throat, and she jumped, looking into my eyes, her face flushed and her breathing rapid.
“Well, I’ll give you your privacy.” I took a step back into my room.
“Wait,” Daisy placed her hand on my forearm, her other hand clutching the towel to her.
I stopped, and she moved closer to me until our chests were almost touching. Her smell, even freshly showered, of sugar and honey, was heady.
“I wanted to be the first to say Happy Thanksgiving. I’m so glad you’ll be here today.” Daisy’s voice was whisper soft. “And I just have to say that your body is so gorgeous, Jon. I thought you should know—”
I stopped her words with my mouth, kissing her hard, my hands cupping her face, my tongue meeting hers in strong, desperate thrusts. A grunt escaped, one that sounded needy and frustrated and full of want. As she registered the sound, she pressed her body against mine, her hands on my chest, tracing the edges of muscle, and then on my back and finally my ass.
As I reveled in her touch, something hit my feet, and I froze. As I stilled, so did Daisy. Her body was plastered to mine, but her towel was on the floor.
Jesus Christ, motherfucking hell, goddammit.
She was naked. My Daisy. My Sunshine.
Her eyes were hooded, and she licked her lips, not even attempting to pull away. My dick grew so hard it hurt, and she adjusted her hips, moving it in between her legs with a soft whimper at the sensation.
“Daisy,” I rested my forehead on hers. “We can’t do this. Your whole family is here. At home. Your parents, your brother is on his way, due here any minute.” She closed her eyes and nodded, but as she did, she rotated her hips, ever so slightly.
“But you need to know, I want you so fucking bad, I feel like tearing the bathroom apart.” My voice was rough, and she nodded, eyes still closed as she moved against me.
“Daisy,” I croaked out. “You have to go to your room. Please.” My spine tingled, and my heart raced, my entire body on fire.
She stopped, her eyes open, heavy with desire, and she took two steps back.
She took two steps back.
There weren’t any more cuss words left to say. I was speechless. She believed me. Daisy, my girl who had been picked on and ridiculed over her body, believed that I found her sexy. That I wanted her. And so she showed all of herself to me, unabashedly.
A low, tortured moan escaped my lips as I took in the sight in front of me. She was panting, her lips parted and her breasts… my God, her breasts. They were huge and round with rosy nipples that I wanted to suck and bite. Her waist was small, which I knew, and led to what could only be described as nirvana. A small amount of light blonde hair covered her and while I touched her before, seeing her standing there almost took me to my knees.
“I’ve said it before. Perfection. You are so fucking beautiful, Daisy,” I told her, and her eyes flared.
She turned around and bent over to pick up her towel, and I squeezed my eyes shut. That ass was everything. I wanted to grasp it in my hands, spank it lightly, and nibble each sweet cheek. She secured her towel and walked to me, pressing her hand on one side of my face. “Whenever you’re ready, Jon Roberts, I’m ready for you. In the meantime, I’m going to go take care of myself.” She smiled, a sex goddess, smart-ass grin, and closed the door behind her.
What did she just say?
Fuck me hard. I turned on the shower and stripped out of my briefs. I held my throbbing dick in my hand and thought about what sweet Daisy was doing to her body two rooms down the hall.
And then I jerked off in the shower, like the crazy, lustful lunatic I became around that girl.
~~~
“Ma, I’m going to make another dessert. The pies are prepped, but I think I’ll do a pumpkin mousse tarte, too. Is that okay? I need to practice my tartes before next year. The International Culinary Center has a phenomenal baking program.” Daisy leaned over the counter, her elbows on the laminate surface and her hands folded together. Her mom was perched on a stool on the other side, recipe cards and cookbooks in front of her.
I sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and waiting for Dean to arrive when Daisy had walked into the room, long hair down, wearing tight jeans on her ass, sexy knee-high brown boots and a thermal hoodie with a short brown vest on top. She looked fucking fantastic, but she also hadn’t made eye contact with me yet, and that pissed me off far more than it should.
“Daisy,” her mom looked up with a frown. “We already said no to The Culinary Center in New York. It’s too far away. Too dangerous.”
“Mom, this is what I want. I want freedom. I want to move somewhere new and experience everything there is to learn and do. You and Dad have to trust me.”
“We do, honey. But New York? It’s so expensive.”
“Forget it. Just forget it.” Daisy grabbed the car keys from the wall mount, slipping a gray beanie on her head. “I need gelatin sheets for the mousse filling. I’m going to the gourmet store.” She whipped around, rushing out the kitchen door, letting the screen slam behind her.
Dorothy looked at me, eyebrows raised in silent question. I nodded, grabbing my winter beanie and coat, and followed Daisy.
I beat her to the driver’s side door, taking her keys from her hand and wrapping my arm around her shoulders. I guided her to the passenger side and opened her door. She climbed up, scrunched her nose in an adorable scowl, and allowed me to shut her door.
“You okay?” I asked her, placing my hand on her knee.
She turned to me, eyes glistening. “I’m so frustrated. I’ve been working with Amy and Izzy for over two months now. I’ve helped around the house, maintained my job, prepared for culinary school, and they act like I’m still in high school. Like nothing has changed. Like I haven’t changed.”
I nodded, the corners of my lips turned down in a sad smile. “I get it. I do.” I placed my thumb under her chin and tilted her head up close to mine. “But I’ve seen how you’ve started to grow and change because you’ve shown me. This morning when you showed me your sexy as fuck body, I knew you trusted me. You have to open up and show your family who you are. You can’t hide behind your cookbooks and expect them to understand you when you aren’t giving them the chance to.”
She was quiet, staring into my eyes with a contemplative gaze. “Let’s go,” she announced, opening her door and jumping out. I met her at the front of the car and slipped her hand in mine.
We walked to the doorway of our local upscale gourmet store, the chilly wind surrounding us. Just as we reached the entrance, I spotted something and yanked Daisy back. We stood to the side, and I froze, unable to move, as my mom exited the store. She was hanging on the arm of an older, well-dressed man, laughing at something he was saying. He carried two grocery bags in his other hand, and I imagined they were filled with food for their holiday dinner. Mom didn’t turn her head to the side. She didn’t focus anywhere but into her new guy’s eyes. It appeared like nothing was missing in her world.
She looked happy.
Daisy squeezed my hand in hers. “Jon? Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Of course. Let’s go get your gel thingamabobs.”
She gave me a small grin and led the way.
~~~
Ten minutes later, we were back on the road.
“You’re a hypocrite, you know that?” Daisy asked, studying me from her seat.
I reared my head back, one hand loose on the bottom of the steering wheel, the other fiddling with the radio dial. “What’re you talking about?”
She reached over me to turn off the radio. “You blather on about how I can’t expect my parents to know the real me unless I show them and what did you just do? You hid, rather than let your mom see you. You saw her happy, so you hid what you’re feeling and what you want. Tell me, how is that not hypocritical?”
I ignored her, turning toward the lake instead of her home. I needed to gather my thoughts. I figured Daisy recognized Peg. Mom attended enough Friday night high school football games with her flavor of the month to become social with Dean’s family.
We arrived at the lake, and moving the gear into park, I shut off the engine and faced her. “Take a quick walk?”
She nodded, and we got out, walking along the path, enclosed by long, golden, dried grasses to the edge of the water.
I shoved my hands into my jacket pocket. The temperature had plummeted overnight, and the air was frigid. “I’m not a hypocrite. We’re talking about two totally different things.”
“How’s that?” Her head tilted to the side. The tip of her nose was pink from the chill, and she looked infuriatingly cute.
“You have two caring, loving parents who only want the best for you. Yes, they’re overprotective, but they mean well. Once you show them you can handle yourself in the real world, they’ll back off.” I rubbed the back of my beanie and blew out a breath. “My mom? She doesn’t care about me. She certainly doesn’t love me.”
“Jon,” Daisy walked closer, placing her hands on my chest. “I know your childhood was tough, but what would make you think that? I’m sure she loves you.”
“From the time I was five,” I said through gritted teeth. “Mom’s fucked guys, loudly, while I was awake in the next room. I’d get scared, and she’d send me away, focusing on her fuck and not her kid. She’s never, not once, chosen me over a man in her life. So, I can’t give her the power to know that it matters to me that it’s a holiday and we’re separated. Not like she feels the same, anyway.”
Daisy nodded, her hands winding around my neck. “But until you can be honest with her and yourself, you’ll never escape how you grew up. You won’t be able to trust another person not to do the same to you.”
I closed my eyes. She was right.
And while I hinted at what my childhood was like to Dean, Landon, and Ricky, she was the only one I wanted to open up to.
Instead of saying that, I lifted her off her feet, my hands clasped under her ass, and kissed her. She was higher than me, and I dropped my head back, letting her take the lead. She moaned into my mouth as our lips pulled and sucked as the kiss grew deeper and harder. Our tongues twisted together, tasting and exploring until I felt like her mouth was mine, and mine had only ever been hers.
When we pulled away, her lips were swollen and red, and mine felt similarly abused. I set her feet back on the ground, and she giggled, her fingertips tracing my lips. “I’m sorry,” her voice was raw and sounded as sensuous as anything I had ever heard. “I think I got a little too into sucking on your lips.”
“Never apologize for desire, Sunshine. Besides, yours look like they’ve been attacked, too.” I grinned, taking her hand as we walked back to the car.
We buckled up, and I started the car, blasting the heat as I turned down the road toward her house. “Before we get home and are surrounded by your family, fill me in on how your post-shower morning was.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she sighed.
“Oh Jon, I’m not sure you can handle hearing about the rest of my morning.” She raised her eyebrows in return, and I cursed as we pulled into her driveway.
Dean’s new Land Rover was parked outside, so I knew all the fun and games with my Sunshine stopped as soon as we were back in the house.
“I can handle anything you’ve got,” I taunted, enjoying these last few moments alone with her.
She studied me, pulling her lower lip into her mouth. “This morning wasn’t the first time, you know.”
My eyes narrowed, and my hands squeezed the steering wheel in anticipation. “The first time for what?”
“We’ve done a lot of kissing since my birthday party, but not much else.” She took a deep breath, a pink flush working its way up her neck to her face. “And that night you showed me what my body could do, but you never touched me that way again. I have to take care of myself. I get too worked up around you. You know… orgasm brain.”
I growled like a damn dog. “Tell me exactly what you did this morning.” My body was strung so tight I thought I might snap.
“I got into bed and thought about you. Your fingers, your mouth, your…” She gestured to my cock. “And I touched myself.” Her blush darkened as she looked away.
“Next time, I get to watch.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Daisy’s mouth fell open. “You’ll have to catch me first!” She popped open the door and jumped out, racing to the kitchen door.
I barked out a laugh as I turned off the car and followed her. I caught up to her as she got the door open and we stumbled together into the kitchen. She started to fall, but I caught her, steadying her as we both laughed.
The kitchen was silent as all eyes fixated on our entrance. Some sets of eyes looked amused, some confused, but one set looked enraged.
Welcome home, Dean.
Chapter Fifteen
Daisy
“NOTHING IS HAPPENING, Dean.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We are just friends.”
My brother towered over me, his scowl ferocious.
“Baby, please.” Grace wrapped her hands around Dean’s. “It was just a football game.”
The Goldsmith Family Turkey Bowl ended with my winning touchdown. As a member of Dean and Grace’s team, I would have thought my brother would have been elated. The winning Turkey Bow
l team had bragging rights for another three hundred and sixty-four days.
But my brother was focused on the illegal tackle that occurred just prior to my touchdown. Jon opened himself up for Dean’s wrath by wrapping his arms around me and taking me to the ground, whispering about his upcoming revenge for my teases and taunts in the car on the way home from the store.
The move was risky, but I enjoyed feeling him on top of me, so I wasn’t complaining.
“Daisy, hear me on this.” Dean ran a hand through his messy hair, yanking on the ends. “Jon isn’t good for you. Not only is he too old, but he doesn’t have relationships with girls. You’re a girl who deserves more than a fuck, and that’s all he would be able to give you.”
“Dean!” Grace elbowed him in the gut. “That was harsh. He’s one of your best friends.”
“Yeah, he is. I’ve known him my whole life. And so I can say, he’s not good enough for my sister.” Dean looked up and flinched.
I followed his gaze to see that Jon entered the family room. “Shower’s free.” His voice was hard as he walked to the corner and stuffed his dirty clothes into a bag.
“I’m sorry you heard that, man, but that’s how I feel. You and Daisy need to stay away from each other. Your friendship is bugging me out.”
Jon’s jaw was clenched, and he crossed his arms over his chest, staring at his best friend.
Dean dragged a hand through his hair. “How long have we known each other?” he asked Jon.
“Going on seventeen years.” Jon replied, his voice thick.
“And how many girlfriends you have in that time?” Dean asked.
Jon’s eyes narrowed but he avoided looking at me. “None.”
