Page 70 of Daisy

"Take all the time you need," I manage, but my voice comes out rougher than I want.

She deals the cards with careful precision, tongue darting out to wet her lips as she concentrates. That innocent little gesture makes my cock twitch hard against my jeans. Everything she does affects me. Every breath. Every flutter of her pulse at her throat. Every unconscious arch of her back when she reaches for a card.

I'm fucked. Completely, utterly fucked.

"Seven cards each?" she asks, looking up at me through those dark lashes.

Shit. "Yeah. Seven."

Her fingers brush mine when she hands me my cards. Just the barest contact, but electricity shoots up my arm and straight to my dick. She feels it too---I can tell by the way her breath catches. By the slight flush that spreads across her cheeks.

We start playing, but I can barely focus on the game. All I can think about is how small her hands are. How they'd look wrapped around my cock. Whether she'd be shy the first time she touched me, or if that curious nature I've seen glimpses of would make her bold.

"Draw two," she says with a small smile, playing the card. "And the color is... blue."

I groan dramatically as I draw my cards, and her laugh is like music. Light and genuine and so fucking beautiful it makes my chest ache.

"You're enjoying this," I observe, watching the way her eyes light up.

"Maybe." She bites her lower lip, trying to hide her grin. "I've never been good at anything competitive before."

Of course she hasn't.She's never been allowed to compete. Never been allowed to win.

"Well, you're kicking my ass," I tell her, and the proud flush that spreads across her cheeks makes my alpha purr with satisfaction.

"Really?" She leans forward slightly, and her scent hits me like a wave. "I'm actually winning?"

"Completely destroying me," I confirm, and she beams.

We play a few more rounds, and I watch her grow bolder with each victory. She starts teasing me when I have to draw cards. Celebrates quietly when she catches me with a good play. Every sound she makes, every expression that crosses her face, goes straight to my dick.

"What's something you've always wanted to try?" I ask during a lull in the game, desperate for distraction from the way she keeps unconsciously arching her back when she reaches for the discard pile.

She pauses, card halfway to the pile. "I... no one's ever asked me that before."

The admission hits me like a punch to the gut. Of course no one has. Her wants were irrelevant when she was just a omega to breed.

"Well, I'm asking," I say gently. "What's something you've always dreamed of doing?"

She considers this seriously, like it's the most important question in the world. "Swimming," she says finally, and there's wonder in her voice. "I've always wanted to learn how to swim. To feel weightless in the water, to move however I want without anyone watching or judging."

The longing in her voice makes my chest ache. Such a simple thing that most people take for granted, but she's never been allowed even that basic freedom.

"What about you?" she asks, playing a red eight. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blue," I say without thinking. "Like the dress you wore to your presentation."

Her breath catches, and I realize what I've just admitted. That I noticed her. That I remember exactly what she was wearing the first time I saw her.

"You remember what I wore?" Her voice is barely a whisper.

"I remember everything about that night," I say roughly. "How terrified you looked. How you kept your eyes down but still managed to see everything. How your scent cut through all those blockers and made my alpha sit up and take notice."

She stares at me, lips slightly parted, and I can smell her scent spiking. Sweet and sharp and so fucking tempting I have to grip my cards to keep my hands to myself.

"What's something you've never told anyone?" she asks suddenly, like she needs the distraction as much as I do. She plays a blue seven with shaking fingers.

The question catches me off guard. Most people don't ask for secrets, especially not with such genuine curiosity in their voice.