Curled into my body perfectly, Daisy mumbled something in her sleep. Careful not to wake her, I leaned on my elbow and stared down at her. Her dark brown lashes rested against her pale cheeks, her pink lips slightly parted. I could’ve stared at her for hours on end and always found something that made my heart stop beating a nanosecond too long.
She was beautiful but in a quiet, unassuming way that tugged almost painfully at something inside me. Her golden hair and bright smile drew me in, like a patch of sunlight when you’re stuck outside in the middle of winter.
And she was mine again.
That fact alone sent my dick standing upright instantly. It didn’t matter that I’d had her three times the night before; I couldn’t be sated when it came to her.
Softly, I ran the pads of my fingers over her bare arm, watching the tiny hairs rise in their wake. She stirred, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, dropping my head to her neck. “Morning, beautiful.”
She croaked something like, “What time is it?”
My only answer was to move my hand lazily over the skin of her stomach, lifting her shirt. She melted into me, like butter meeting a hot frying pan, her ass pressing against my hard dick.
Fuck. My hand moved, making its way to the edge of her cotton panties, rubbing over the elastic. Her gasp had my fingers slipping under, her thigh shifting to rest on my leg, giving me better access.
She was smooth and soft, and when I reached her silky warmth, finding her already wet, my finger tunneled inside. “Quinn,” she whimpered. “We shouldn’t …”
“Shhh.” I nipped her neck gently, moving my finger in and out of her until I felt her legs spasm. Pulling my hand free, I sucked my finger and ignored her mewling protests. I’d soon take care of her. Once I’d gotten rid of my damn briefs.
Kicking them off somewhere beneath the covers, I tugged her panties off then laid back down behind her. Her leg lifted again, and I aligned myself before grabbing her thigh and sinking inside. “Holy shit.” The room went hazy.
She said something I couldn’t hear; I was too lost in the warm heat that enveloped my cock, clutching me tightly and making me want to plunge in and out of her like a madman.
Calming a little, I took it slow. Deep, long strokes that had her body shaking against mine. Sex without a condom was fucking magic, but combined with Daisy, it was out of this world incredible. I’d never get enough, so I hoped she’d be able to keep up.
“So good,” she murmured.
“I know,” I agreed, sucking at her shoulder where the sleeve of her sleepshirt had ridden down. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you sleep in your dorm again.”
She laughed quietly, squeezing me. I groaned, picking up speed until my balls smacked against her flesh with a quiet slapping sound. The sound, her caramel smell, the feel of her in my arms, and her tight heat wrapped around me, her hips rolling back into every thrust—my orgasm appeared out of nowhere, screaming through my body. I was surprised I was coherent enough to press my hand over Daisy’s mouth, muffling her moans as she grinded back into me, her thighs squeezing together as she came, milking every last drop from me.
I stayed inside her for a while, our panting breaths finally slowing as the sun crested the gaps in my bedroom curtains. “I was serious. I think I need to start every day like this.”
“Do you?” she asked, amusement coating her sleepy, sated voice.
“Uh-huh. Every day. Just like this.” I kissed her neck, burrowing my nose into her skin. “Just you.”
“Just you,” she repeated.
“It looks so different.” Daisy had her hand up against the glass of the truck window, as though she could touch the house through it. “But still the same.”
They’d repainted her old house, so what was once a white and yellow cottage inspired home now looked like something you might find situated by the water. Except there was no water here in Clarelle. Not unless you counted the creeks on some of the properties, or the river that ran along the outskirts of town.
The house was now white and blue. Seashells decorated the pots all over the porch, and a seahorse hung next to the door. “The family you sold it to came from California.”
She smiled, glancing over at me. That smile still made my heart do funny things. I didn’t think that would ever change. “Do you think they painted over the murals in my room?”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her I’d often stalked this house after she’d moved, like some creep looking for any sign or leftover part of her. I’d always made sure they weren’t home first, and I’d look in her bedroom window, seeing pale blue walls instead of her creativity marring every one of them. It ruined me. Every time. “I think so.”
Her lips twisted as she mulled it over. Probably trying to decide how she felt about that. “It’d make sense, I guess.” Turning back to the window, she continued to gaze out of it.
“Wanna get out? Maybe see if you can get a closer look? Doesn’t look like they’re home.”
She didn’t answer for a beat. “Nah. I’m okay.”
“Yeah, you are.” I took her hand, kissing her fingertips before starting the truck.
I’d helped Dad milk the cows, then we’d had breakfast with my parents before packing our bags. Daisy had laughed, watching as Spud chased after my truck in the rearview mirror until Dad called him back.
Now, it was time to go back.
It felt good, though. Better than good. Having her by my side, her feet on the dash, and her sketchpad on her knees with the sun warming us through the windows as we flew down the highway back to Gray Springs.
We’d needed this. To go home, back to where our souls first intertwined.
“Do you think your mom’s already called mine?” she asked as we neared the exit of the highway.
I laughed. “Most definitely.”
Tucking her sketchpad away, she pulled out her phone. “Figures. She would’ve called me otherwise. But … there’s been nothing.”
“My mom would have told her all the information she needed. Without having to coax it out of you.”
She sighed. “You’re right. Bunch of gossips.”
“They mean well,” I said, trying to ignore my hardening dick when she rested her hand on my thigh and curled toward me for the last ten minutes of the drive.
We pulled into the driveway of the townhouse at midday, and Daisy jumped out, not even asking why I didn’t take her home. I was grinning like a cocky idiot as I grabbed our bags from the back and made my way inside.
Daisy paused in the entryway, and I dumped the bags on the floor, the smile falling from my face as I took in her worried one. “What is it?”
Her hands wrung together in front of her, and I kicked the door closed before taking them and putting them around my neck. Her chest brushed against mine as she exhaled loudly. “Nothing. I’m … I guess I’m trying to take it all in.”
My hands moved up her back, pushing her body flush against mine. “Look at me.” She lifted her head, her gaze meeting mine as she bit her lip. “I love you.”
Her brown eyes softened, her shoulders relaxing. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
Dropping my head, I skimmed my lips over her neck, backing her into the wall. “I love you.”
Kissing her silky skin, I kept repeating those words until her lips sought mine, and my dick became rock hard, nudging against the part of her it wanted inside as I picked her up. Her legs and arms held me tightly, her tongue seeking out mine with a gentle yet desperate force.
After a minute, I pulled away. “Upstairs.”
She nodded, then the doorbell rang.
Frowning, I looked around, just realizing that Toby wasn’t home thanks to the silence that met my ears. After one last peck, I lowered Daisy to the floor, and she moved back a bit for me to open the door.
Alexis was standing on the other side, a hesitant smile on her face. “Hey, can we talk?”