Her hair tickled my face, small wispy strands tangling up in my beard. The weight of her head on my chest was quickly becoming my favorite feeling in the entire world. Until she stirred and rested her thigh over mine, spooning up against my side, practically wrapping herself around me.

She was sleeping, but her body was pressing closer against me each time she moved.

And her body wasn’t the only thing moving.

Responding to her wasn’t something I could control at this point, and with her thigh merely millimeters away from ground zero, my cock was reaching out to her like a sunflower starving for sunshine.

Silently, I endured the throbbing reminder. I let her slide against me, I ignored the subtle moans and I laid there, doing nothing but resting my arm around her, my hand resting platonically on her shoulder.

Her thigh squeezed against mine, flexing gently.

Was she awake, I wondered? Her breathing was steady and sure, and her eyes were closed, as well as I could tell without bending down and looking at her face. I didn’t want to wake her.

She’d had the day from hell.

Of course she’s asleep, I told myself. That thigh doesn’t mean any —

Another squeeze.

Followed by a small, almost imperceptible moan and a little shake of her hips and then a deep, satisfied sigh as she settled deeper against me.

My cock twitched, growing steadily by the second. No, I couldn’t help my reaction to her, but maybe I could make it go away.

I began thinking of other things.

A particularly gnarly foot surgery I’d done last week…

My mother cooking breakfast on Sunday mornings…

Slade’s ugly face with his swollen, broken nose….

Ah, okay, there we go, I thought, feeling the beginnings of a slight reprieve.

I took a deep breath, and then another, grateful I’d finally got a handle on things. Now that Daisy was settled into a comfortable position, I’d be fine.

It was just the squirming that was getting to me.

I laid there in the dark, the events of the day running through my head. Silently I cursed myself for leaving her home alone so soon. And then I cursed myself for not having an alarm system installed, or at least turning on the fucking land line. We didn’t have time to do anything to fix the window, so I’d called on a repair crew to take care of it for me. I thought of Chester and hoped he wasn’t scared there at the clinic. At this point in the evening, we were usually curled up in bed together, the television blaring in the background drowning out his snoring. He and Slade and Riot had saved Daisy’s life today, even if they’d all taken a beating in the process. I was so grateful they’d all be fine.

I’d taken them both aside after we’d arrived at the clubhouse and expressed my gratitude for showing up at my place so quickly. They were the closest I was ever going to have to brothers and I’d never appreciated them more.

My mind wandered in the dark, the day rolling out like a movie in my head. The look on Daisy’s face when I showed up would haunt me forever. When I found out what happened, first I wanted to rip Sullivan apart and then I wanted to do whatever it took to make sure she never felt that kind of fear again.

Solid Ground was the right place for her. I’d been unaware of just how much danger she was still in and I was kicking myself for it. I should have brought her here a year ago, not let her go from the beginning. All I could do was make up for it now.

She was here.

She was safe.

I’d done the right thing, even if it was a year too late.

I thought of her face when she arrived, how little by little throughout the day, the tension had fallen away and her soft beauty had begun shining through again. Her eyes relaxed, her smile returned and by the time we were walking in the forest —

Another squeeze of her thigh against mine and I was rock-hard in an instant again. Her hips moved, her warm center pressing hotly against my thigh, this time brushing up just a little but a little was all it took.

Dammit.

She had to feel how hard I was now.

Or not, because she was asleep. This was all innocent, this meant nothing, outside of the fact that she somehow managed to make me feel like a fourteen year old boy making out with Katie Harris in the alley behind her house again and shooting off in his pants because he couldn’t control himself.

I was a grown fucking man, dammit.

The last thing Daisy needed was me sliding myself into her sweet center and feeling her moans vibrating through my ears, her soft thighs squeezing my hips…

Yeah, that was the very last thing she needed.

But me? Apparently, the need for that particular scenario was my body’s number one priority.

I can do this…

Just be still…

Lean into the pain, I told myself.

Enjoy the heat, the engorged, sensitive, torturous swelling…

It’s nothing.

I’m a grown fucking man.

I took a deep breath, and then another, calling on my skills as a doctor to remain calm in the face of a challenging situation.

No problem, I thought, I’ve totally got this…

She shifted again, her hips pressing once more into me, but as she sighed, her hand slid down from my chest and rested squarely on my engorged cock.

I jumped like I’d been shot.

I’m pretty sure I jumped a few feet in the air because before I could catch her, she was sliding away from me, her head landing on the pillow with a soft thump while I was suddenly standing next to the bed and looking down at her, frozen like a deer in headlights with my cock sticking out between us like a sword.

She looked up at me with sleepy, confused eyes and as I saw it, in that awkward, confused moment, I had two options.

Asking her to fight in a duel seemed a little out of the blue, even if I did have a mighty sword at the ready.

“I have to pee,” I blurted out, clumsily limping from the room, my cheeks rushing with heat, as I left her there alone in the dark.

Once I was in the living room, I sat on the couch and cradled my head in my hands. Not that head, you pervert.

I was so torn up over this girl, over my feelings for her, that the ability to decipher what was right or wrong seemed to have abandoned me.

After a few moments of listening to make sure she’d gone back to sleep, and being rewarded with silence, I put my boots back on and walked outside. It was still early, by club standards, so I walked back to the clubhouse, the moon lighting my way.

It was a cold, clear crisp night and I zipped my jacket up and joined Riot on the porch. He was smoking a joint, the thick, white stream of smoke drifting into the air, a stark contrast against the dark night.

“Hey, Bones,” he said, his voice soft and quiet. Riot was like a rock, quiet and steady and always in a very zen-like mood. He hid behind his long, black beard, his dark eyes always observant and thoughtful. He seemed a lot older than me and yet I had a few years on him.

“Hey, brother,” I replied, as he offered me the joint. I took it from him, inhaling deeply, the thick smoke sliding into my lungs. I handed it back and sat down next to him, the crickets singing around us, the moon hanging bright and heavy, barely visible through a break in the silhouette of the tree line in front of the cabin.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“Sleeping,” I said, my heart still pounding.

“How are you?” he asked, lifting a brow as he looked me over.

“I don’t know, man,” I said, shaking my head. “Daisy, she’s…she’s been through a lot, you know? I feel bad for her.”

“Bad for her? From the way you were looking at her today, I’d say you’re feeling a lot more for her than that.”

“Yeah, man, that’s the fucking problem.”

“How is that a problem?”

“I can’t stop thinking about her. I’ve got it bad for her, Riot. But she doesn’t need a man in her life, she needs a friend. She’s about to be relocated, most likely. She’s got Alex. The last thing she needs is some asshole like me barking up her tree.”

He laughed softly, shaking his head. I turned to look at him.

“What?”

“You sound just like me.”

“You? How’s that?”

“When I met Lacey, man, she’d just gone through some serious shit. You know her story.”

“Yeah, the mayor, right? That asshole from Seattle?”

“Yeah. But more than that. Her mom was a real piece of shit, too. You know, they kind of have similar stories, Lacey and Daisy. But Daisy’s been on her own for a while now, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, have you ever heard the term ‘time heals all wounds’?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I’ve heard it.”

“I’m just saying. She’s been out of the life a while now. And sounds like she’s never had a real, decent man in her life. Maybe you’re selling her short. Maybe she’s ready. Don’t underestimate how strong she is. You may be just the thing she needs. She could do worse, that’s for sure.”

“Thanks, man,” I murmured. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“Your old man was one of my favorite people on Earth. He raised a good man. If Daisy wants you, don’t let her down. She seems like a nice girl.”

“She’s amazing.”

“Then don’t fuck it up.”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying not to do,” I laughed. “Literally.”

“Well, maybe she needs to feel what it’s like to be with someone who cares about her. Time is healing, but so is a loving touch, brother.”

“Well, you’re just a regular Doctor Ruth, aren’t you?” I teased.

He burst out laughing and took another hit off the joint, before passing it over to me.

“They call me Doctor Love, actually…”