Daisy (Pushing Daisies Book 1)

by Heather Young-Nichols

  “I’m not sixteen,” he snapped. “I don’t hide my relationships.”

  I set my jaw. “You don’t know my brothers,” I told him through clenched teeth.

  He leaned in closer to me. “I don’t give a fuck about your brothers’ overprotective bullshit in this case, Daisy. I’m not scared of them.” He dropped a quick, chaste kiss on my lips. “This is real, you and me. We’re an us and they should know. I promise they won’t scare me away.”

  “Caw caw. Caw caw,” came a voice from the other side of the dressing room door.

  Lawson closed his eyes and shook his head. “They’re being fucking idiots.”

  I giggled at the lot of them. Ransom and Dixon for pretending that they needed to warn us of others coming along and the way it played on Lawson’s nerves. All of it.

  “False alarm,” Ransom called in.

  “OK,” I told him. “I hear you. I’ll figure out when to tell them.”

  And I meant what I said. I would figure out when to tell them. But when that would be, I couldn’t even imagine. They were acting a bit crazier than normal and I was pretty sure they were going to lose their minds when the found out about Lawson and me. Not because they don’t like him but because, as far as they were concerned, no one was good enough for me.

  But the idea of being able to snuggle into Lawson’s side whenever I wanted to held an appeal like nothing else.

  Maybe I’d have to get my mom to help me tame the unruly bunch.

  Whatever or whenever I decided to do it, it wouldn’t be right this minute. We had a show to put on.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lawson

  Most of the week went smoothly, though Daisy still didn’t tell her brothers about us, even with my gentle reminders. She was happily riding my dick every night but didn’t want to tell her family we were together. ’Course, it didn’t help that the aggression in the messages Mack was receiving had increased, which meant that I’d tightened up security even more and he’d hired some extra.

  Thursday was our travel day. The day Ransom and Dixon had been talking about in the dressing room. The day they were all going to ride on the same bus to work on that fucking song. I’d much rather have spent the day just with her, maybe watching some movies and talking. Suddenly, I was sappy. But work had to come first and I was faced with the choice of not seeing her at all that day or offering up my bus.

  Ten people on this bus reminded me of last year when Barrett and I had shared with a bunch of the roadies.

  After the show on Wednesday, the guys grabbed what they’d need from their respective buses and settled into mine. There were six bunks, along with the bedroom at the back. For the next tour, I was thinking I’d buy a tour bus and customize it rather than renting, but that was for another time.

  The women decided tonight was the perfect time for a slumber party, as they called it. The five of them—Daisy, Barrett, Bellamy, Paige, and Indie—were all going to take over the bedroom, or back lounge, as they’d called it in the brochure. This was Bellamy and Indie’s second night on tour, so their boyfriends had gotten the attention they needed, according to the women. This was their time.

  Each of the guys chose a bunk and dove in. I didn’t see them again that night.

  I lay in my bunk, unused to a more cramped space, though these were actually pretty roomy, listening to the girls chatter through the closed door. I hadn’t had a chance to give Daisy a kiss goodnight and boy, was I missing the feel of her beside me.

  Giggles from the closed room kept me awake, straining to listen for a hint of what had them in such good humor.

  Until Dixon groaned, and I knew it was him, then he called out, “Will you shut up?”

  The low chuckles from the other bunks told me that we’d all been thinking the same thing. I didn’t actually want them to stop, though.

  “Bite me, Dixon,” Indie’s muffled voice yelled back.

  “Come out here and I will.”

  That wasn’t a great idea. The sound of one of the enclosures opening cut through everything else and Cross said, “Do I seriously have to get up right now?” His voice was low and even and somehow that made him sound more dangerous than the others. Dixon was almost always playful.

  “Only if you want to cuddle,” Dixon countered.

  “Keep your teeth off my girl or you’ll lose them all.”

  “That wouldn’t be pretty,” Booker added.

  It was possible Ransom slept through all of this because he didn’t make a sound.

  Eventually, all that giggling and chatter fell into the background. They were still doing it, but it had become white noise enough for me to fall asleep. Good thing too because they’d all be up and making all kinds of noise in the morning.

  I didn’t know how long I slept, but the first thing I noticed when awareness hit was something pushing against my back. Something soft but solid. I turned as far as could to get a look behind me. Daisy lay in my bunk with her hand on my back, looking up at me through her lashes.

  Using the little space I had, I wiggled my way around to face her.

  “What’re you doing here?” I asked quietly. The bus was full of a bunch of sleeping rock stars, after all.

  “I didn’t get to say goodnight.” She kept her voice low as well and fuck, she was beautiful. Her red hair was messy from sleep and her hazel eyes were still bright, even though they were tired.

  “No, you didn’t.” Which was my opportunity to give my girl a proper kiss goodnight.

  I pushed my hand under her tank top and walked my fingers up her back. Damn. Her skin was so soft. Soft enough to make me instantly hard as my tongue pushed into her mouth. I certainly wasn’t ready to end it, but she pulled away, so I had no choice.

  “Now that’s more like it,” she said as she nuzzled into my chest.

  “You know,” I told her, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist, keeping her as close as possible. “You could just stay here.”

  “No way.” She shook her head, as if for emphasis. “I’m at a slumber party.”

  “Doesn’t look like it to me.”

  She giggled quietly. “That’s because you’ve never been to a slumber party. Sneaking out to kiss a boy is practically a tradition.”

  I pushed back and looked down at her. “You’ve done this a lot?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe a few times.”

  A growl even I hadn’t been expecting came from my chest. It wasn’t because I didn’t know she had a past. Of course she did. So did I. I didn’t know what that growl was about other than possession. Her owning me and not the other way around. I couldn’t have explained it if I tried. Nobody with a dick was good enough for her.

  Her tired grin hadn’t faltered a bit. “I probably should get back.”

  “If you say so.”

  Daisy leaned in and kissed me softly, her hand remaining on my bare chest, before she pushed open my bunk and slid back out. I had no idea how long she’d been there, but she left far too soon.

  After taking forever to fall back to sleep, I’d finally gotten a few solid hours before voices out in the main area carried to me. I didn’t think they’d woken me up; after all, they really were quiet. But I’d slept more than I did most nights and it was time to get up. Their female voices were just the first thing I noticed.

  I slid out of my bunk, not bothering to grab a shirt, and as soon as my feet hit the floor, those quiet voices silenced. Quickly, I glanced over at them. Four of the women, Paige, Barrett, Indie, and Bellamy, were around the table while Daisy sat up on the small counter across from them, a bottle of water in her hand. She was still in her pajamas, shorts and a tank top, as were the rest of them. But her hair wasn’t down any more like it’d been when she’d surprised me in my bed last night… this morning… whenever the fuck it had been. Now it was up in this nest of a bun. Seemed like all the women styled their hair that way a lot.

  “Good morning,” Indie said first. Her blonde hair was pulled back away from her face too. It
was hard to believe looking at her that her dad was Vince Cinderstone. She must’ve favored her mother with her small stature but her attitude… that was all Vince.

  I nodded to the table but kept my sights on Daisy until I was able to slide in between her legs. I cupped her face and whispered, “Good morning.”

  A small smile spread across her face. “Good morning.”

  Then I kissed her. I’d meant for it to be a quick good morning kind of thing, but once I’d tasted her mouth, I couldn’t stop. As my lips moved against hers, someone behind me giggled and realization hit that I had no idea if the four of them knew we were together. I didn’t give a fuck, but Daisy might’ve, given the fact she still hadn’t told her brothers.

  “Jesus Christ,” Ransom said from somewhere, but he hadn’t been out here when I’d come out. “Get a fucking room already.”

  That made me end the kiss and pull back. Not exactly what I wanted to do right them. “I have a room. Several actually. Wasn’t expecting a slumber party.”

  “Yeah. And I didn’t even get my hair done,” he countered, which was his way of showing his displeasure over the women staying together.

  “Ransom isn’t exactly a morning person,” Bellamy told us, as if any of us hadn’t realized that. As the only other redhead amongst us, her hair color fit her personality. She was as small as the rest of them and by this time I considered them like sisters. After glancing at her phone, she added, “Even if it’s late morning.”

  “Then maybe ride on your own bus,” I told him.

  He nodded. “I’d rather, but then she’d”—he pointed at Daisy—“have to ride with us. None of this was my plan.”

  Ransom had me there. I hadn’t wanted Daisy on the other bus as much as I didn’t want to share with nine other people.

  “Nice harness you’ve got in your room, Lawson,” Indie said while trying to fight back a grin.

  Fucking hell. I’d forgotten that was there to be honest. A loud round of female giggles threatened to pierce my eardrums.

  “Definitely interesting,” Bellamy agreed then propped her chin up on her closed hand with completely innocent wide eyes. “What could you possible use that for?”

  Daisy’s snickers made me smile. I love the sound of it and how her face contorted when she tried to control herself. “You’d have to ask your boyfriends about it since they were the ones that put it there.”

  “On another note,” Barrett said, piping in. “There’s almost no food on the bus and I found a place not far ahead. Do you care if I ask Clay to make a stop?”

  “No,” I told her. “I don’t care.”

  Of course there wasn’t much on the bus. Usually, there’re only two people here and we hadn’t planned for this.

  “I was going to suggest stopping for and actual breakfast,” Barrett explained. “But looking at the schedule, I don’t think we have time for that.”

  “We don’t.”

  She nodded. “Exactly. So this will be a grab and go.”

  We’d have to travel all day and if we stayed on schedule, we’d arrive at the venue right around the time Clay, our driver, would have to clock out for the day. They were only allowed to drive for so long in a twenty-four-hour period without rest. Though he knew that if he got tired, he could pull over anytime. I’d rather be later or even cancel a show then end up dead because the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel. ’Course, they probably didn’t realize that Clay hadn’t pulled us out last night until very early this morning. We still had hours to go.

  Barrett skipped up to the front of the bus and pulled the divider back. I assumed she was telling him where she wanted to go.

  At least tonight we’d stay in a hotel. With a very a comfortable bed. I’d have Daisy to myself.

  Fifteen minutes later, the bus slowed and I took that as my cue to get changed. I just pulled on some jeans and a grey T-shirt with a slight V-neck. Most of the time, they didn’t see me dressed as casually, but we weren’t working… or I wasn’t except for behind a computer screen.

  “Everybody, calm down,” Barrett said as I came out of the bedroom. The main area was suddenly filled with everyone who’d previously been asleep. “I got it.”

  “Got what?” I asked, causing all the heads in the room to turn my way. Daisy was right where I’d left her.

  Barrett rolled her eyes as she put her hands on her hips. “They’re all extremely picky all a sudden.”

  Ah. Orders. “Fuck them,” I told her.

  She cocked her head to the side. “That would be really tiring.”

  I cracked a smile, but Dixon stood up and threw his hands to his side. “That’s not funny.”

  Which made me grin even wider. He liked to dish the shit out, so he could take it. “Come on,” I said with humor even I noticed in my voice. “I’ll go with you.”

  Barrett and I left the heathens and their girlfriends behind when we left the bus. We didn’t head straight to the bakery, though. Instead, we walked around the front of the bus to the driver’s side and motioned for Clay to roll his window down.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  I liked Clay enough that I thought I’d be hiring him for as long as he wanted to work for us. He was in his mid-thirties, discreet and knew what he was doing. That was enough for me.

  “You want some coffee?” I called up to him.

  He nodded. “That’d be great. I can come—”

  “We got it.” I waved him off. “I’ll grab you a few things. How you doing?”

  “Good.” The door suddenly opened and Clay climbed out then stretched. “Going to move around a little.”

  “Excellent idea,” Barrett told him. We got to move around all the time, but the drivers didn’t. They had to take the opportunity while they had it.

  “How’s our time?” I asked him.

  “Good. We got moving last night,” he told us. “I drove about three hours, then we stopped. Started again first thing this morning.”

  I nodded as he spoke. There were rules for how long bus drivers could drive before they had to rest. They had logs to keep and all that shit. “So we’ll make it.”

  “We’ll make it,” he told us. “Might have an hour to spare.”

  “Perfect.”

  Barrett and I left him then so we didn’t fuck up the schedule. She moaned beside me when we entered the bakery. Couldn’t blame her. It smelled like fucking heaven in this place.

  After looking everything over, we decided to get a bit of everything. Lots of coffee for everyone, even though we had coffee on the bus. But Barrett knew what Paige, Indie, and Bellamy would want. We both knew what the guys would want. I ordered Daisy an iced coffee with caramel and a splash of cream. That was the only coffee I’d ever seen her order.

  The nice older lady behind the counter called out for one of the guys from the back to help us carry the boxes of doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and other pastries out to the bus. I insisted it wasn’t necessary, but she’d asked how we were going to carry all the coffee and all the boxes.

  I didn’t have an answer.

  First stop was back to Clay, where we handed up two coffees and a smaller box of food for him. Then back inside the bus. Barrett carried a drink carrier with coffee while I carried two. Though one was half-empty now. I set the carriers on the counter near Daisy then went back out to get the pastry boxes from the guy from the bakery.

  “Thanks, man.” I shook his hand really quickly then got back on the bus. “We’re set,” I called out to Clay. Not seconds after I did that, he pulled out.

  Barrett was already passing out the coffees. I grabbed the iced I’d ordered for Daisy and handed it to her.

  She gave me a gentle grin. “Thank you.”

  The pastries boxes began making their rounds. I stayed put, standing beside my girl as she nibbled on a cinnamon roll the size of her head. It was all kinds of adorable. The chatter in the bus grew louder and louder the more awake the guys became until finally, everyone was full. We had tons of leftovers for th
em to grab whenever the mood struck, but it was time for them to get to work.

  Indie, Bellamy, and Paige went to the bedroom to watch a movie. Their guys were going to be working, which meant there wasn’t much to do out there. Barrett and I took over the table to get some of our own work done. The emails were endless and there were things to confirm and arrangements to make.

  Daisy moved down to the couch, taking her coffee with her. The guys arranged themselves around her. Ransom and Cross beside her on the couch. Dixon on the floor with his guitar. Booker also on the floor in front of her.

  Watching her interact with them filled me with pride. My chest swelled. Yet all I wanted was to get her alone. All of a sudden, I was so damn needy where Daisy was concerned. Listening to them work was really something.

  Every once in a while, Barrett would turn to watch them for a moment or two. Couldn’t blame her.

  Ransom had just emailed the lyrics to Daisy as they were explaining how they thought the song should go. Her brows were low and together as she studied her phone. The look of concentration on her face that surprisingly affected me. I wanted to wipe it away in the best possible ways.

  I let them all fall into the background to focus on work until I heard her voice again.

  “Wait,” Daisy said. Even Barrett turned to watch them. “What do you think about slowing it down?”

  “Like a ballad?” Cross asked.

  “Yeah… ” She scrolled again. “This might not be what you were thinking.”

  Booker waved her along. “It wasn’t working before so let’s have it.”

  She swallowed. There were very few times I’d witnessed Daisy nervous, but if I had to pinpoint what that looked like… it’d be that right there.

  Her lips parted and the most beautiful voice I’d ever heard came out.

  “You might think you can walk away. You might think you can turn away. But I won’t let you. You’re not gonna break. You’re not gonna break you,” she sang.

  Ransom moved to the edge of the seat. “Then I’d come in with, I’m not good for you. I already broke you. I already broke me. I’m not the one who can give you the world.”