Page 10

‘Daisy.’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m so sorry about the other night.’

‘You’ve said. It’s really all right. I understand.’

I scoot my chair around the table closer to her. ‘I don’t think you do,’ I murmur. ‘That night, when I got back. I was tired and covered in dirt. It’s not an excuse for how I treated you...’

‘And blood,’ she murmurs.

‘What?’

‘You were covered in blood, too.’

She doesn’t seem shocked by that.

‘I have this job...’

She chuckles, rolling her eyes, still avoiding mine completely. ‘Where? In an abattoir?’

‘A what?’

‘A…slaughterhouse.’

‘No, uh, I just move stuff sometimes for people in Richmond. Anyway, the other night, I went to work and then there was an impromptu wrestling practice. One of the guys got hit in the face and he was bleeding. I was trying to help, and it got on me. That’s all.

‘Oh,’ she murmurs. ‘Why are you telling me this?’

‘Because you looked really scared back at the house, Daisy, and I…don’t want you to be scared of me. I’d never hurt you.’

She practically rolls her eyes, and I frown. I’m practically baring my soul over here and she still won’t even give me the time of day.

‘But you have,’ she mutters. ‘Lots of times, Blake. You called me names, and you made the frat guys call me names. You threatened me and blackmailed me.’

She finally looks at me and I see how angry she is. She’s letting me see. ‘I thought we were...friends.’

She flinches at the word.

‘ At least friends. You made me think we were. You were nice and you seemed like you cared about me.’

And then the anger is gone, replaced by sadness. The real emotion she’s feeling, I realize with a pang in my chest.

‘But the other night, you turned on me. I thought it was my fault, that I’d done something.’ She looks up at me. ‘Sometimes I do. I say something, or I do something, and I don’t realize until later that I’ve upset someone, not until I’m told. I was so angry with myself for upsetting you , for ruining it.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say quietly, realizing that she considers what I did an actual betrayal.

It’s a huge deal to her. I might as well have stabbed her in the back. I should have understood. I was looking at it like when I upset Jolie or the other girls sometimes and I cover it with platitudes and bullshit because I don’t really give a fuck. Daisy doesn’t work like that. She won’t let me get away with that. And when it comes to her, I do give a fuck.

‘I didn’t mean it,’ I say almost desperately. ‘We are friends. At least. I was an asshole. I won’t do it again. Not ever. I apologize and I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’ll show you that I’m sorry.’

She looks into my eyes just for a moment and it’s enough. I let out a sigh. She doesn’t forgive me, but she’s opened the door just a crack for me to make amends.

‘I won’t hurt you like that again,’ I whisper, putting my hand next to hers on the table.

She looks at it and I watch with bated breath as she slides hers closer to mine and our fingers touch.

‘If you do, I don’t think there’ll be a way back even if I want there to be,’ she whispers.

I nod. ‘I understand.’

We finish our drinks in a companionable silence and, when we’re done, I take our cups back to the counter and move Daisy’s chair out for her. I give her my coat to put on, ignoring her when she says she doesn’t want it, and we walk back to the house in the cold.

When we go inside, some of the guys are in the kitchen making lunch. Marcus, Rob, and Pete aren’t in the vicinity, but Daisy still tenses as she looks out over the room, eyes flitting around like she thinks she’s going to be called a mean name or yelled at. I get ready to start shit with any fucker who says a god damned thing to her.

‘Hey, Captain. Hey, Daisy,’ one of the freshmen says, giving us a salute.

She looks shocked, firstly, that someone’s greeted her and, secondly, that they’ve used her actual name. Hell, I’m shocked. I thought they’d be assholes.

‘Hey,’ she manages quietly.

‘Want something to eat, Daisy?’ another one asks. A sophomore.

She glances back at me, her eyes wide, clearly not sure what to do. ‘Um.’

‘It’s okay, guys, Mav is bringing some subs.’

Daisy looks a little relieved. ‘Thanks, though,’ she says, a bit woodenly.

She goes to the stairs and puts her crutches in one hand, looking at me, waiting for me to do what I’m supposed to.

I stifle my grin. Fuck. I think I might be starting to adore this girl.

I pick her up easily, ignoring the hoots and hollers from the guys in the kitchen as I take her up the stairs to her room. I put her down on her bed and, before I think better of it, my lips find hers.

At first, I think she’s going to pull away, maybe even hit me. But she lets out a tiny, muffled moan and yields under me, relaxing.

I lick the seam of her lips with my tongue, slipping it in when she opens for me, keeping my plundering much more gentle than usual. I don’t want to scare her or upset her, but her tongue meets mine boldly. It mingles with mine. She tastes of sweet mint, and I can’t help my groan as I push closer, wishing we didn’t have clothes between us.

But I make myself stop.

Daisy isn’t a girl I want to rush into any of this. She’s so smart, and yet artless in the most innocent sort of way. The lack of games she plays is refreshing.

‘That’s it, gorgeous,’ I murmur, sitting back.

Her lips are parted and swollen, her eyes are unfocused and she’s breathing fast.

Fuck. Old Blake would have had her out of those clothes and riding my cock in thirty seconds flat. But not new Blake. New Blake is going to wait and she’s going to taste so much sweeter for it.

She looks disappointed when I move away, adjusting evidence of how much I want her surreptitiously.

‘But,’ she begins, but I hush her.

‘I want you,’ I tell her because I think she’ll appreciate my honesty. ‘But I want to get to know you. And I want you to get to know me. Is that okay?’

Her sudden smile is wide and genuine, and it makes me smile too.

She nods.

‘I have a couple things I need to do, but then I’ll be back, and we can have lunch with Mav.’

She nods again and lays back on her bed. I can see she’s tired from just the walking and class this morning. I make a mental note to let Mav know so he makes sure she gets to bed early. She tends to stay up very late sometimes, and I think she just doesn’t notice what time it is. Sort of how she forgets to eat when she’s in the middle of stuff at the lab. I’m not going to tell her, but I’ve put a secret schedule together for the guys and me so that we know she’s being taken care of if she doesn’t remember to do it herself.

I go into my room and close the door. I bring up our security system and begin an in-depth sweep to check for any problems. I doubt I’ll find anything. I never have before and I keep a pretty close eye, but it doesn’t hurt to be safe, and with Daisy’s weird questions this morning, I’ve been put a little on edge. Better safe than sorry. I lean back and watch the process begin before I minimize the window. It’ll take several hours to complete, so there won’t be anything to see for a while.

I pack my bag for practice tonight, then pause to watch Jolie’s video of Kirkland putting his hands on Daisy while they gang up on her. I feel sick to my stomach and decide that all three guys are going to get what’s coming to them tonight. Jolie and Laurie won’t be so easy, so I put them on the backburner for now.

When I go back into Daisy’s room, she’s sitting cross-legged on her bed with Mav, chomping on a sandwich.

Mav gives me a look as I drag the chair over and sit with them, glancing at Daisy who smiles guilelessly.

‘You okay with him now?’

She nods but doesn’t elaborate and Mav’s eyes narrow at me.

‘Down, boy,’ I murmur. ‘We buried the hatchet this afternoon.’

Mav nods and takes out his phone.

I roll my eyes and take mine out too. Sure enough, it vibrates in my hand a second later.

Did you lie to her?

No. WTF

She seems happy. She hasn’t been for days. What did you say?

I look up at Daisy who’s staring into space as she mindlessly eats her lunch, and I frown. She does this when she’s tired.

I look back down at my phone, my thumbs tapping quickly.

Jesus. Relax. I said I was sorry. Explained what I could. Promised to make it up to her. Told her I wanted us to get to know each other better.

Did you lie?

No.

He snorts. ‘That’s a first,’ he mutters, and I give him a look.

Fuck you. Anyway, I got her a coat. Not to say sorry, but I guess it’ll help. She doesn’t have one. Was freezing out there this morning.

Mav glances around the room, eyes lingering on her bureau and closet that we know are pretty bare.

She doesn’t have a lot of things.

We should make a list and get her what she needs.

He nods, glancing at her.

She’s tired.

Yeah. But she doesn’t have class again today. Make sure she stays in.

He grunts his response aloud and I crumple up my sub wrapper, throwing it into the trash.

‘I gotta go,’ I say, standing.

She blinks and gives me a vacant grin as if her head is miles away.

I chuckle and lean in slowly, letting her pull away if she wants, but she just watches me curiously and stays where she is. I kiss her on the cheek.

‘Rest,’ I order. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘You’re not coming back?’

Fuck, I love that she looks kind of disappointed.

‘I have class, some stuff at the lab and then wrestling after.’

‘Oh. It’s that late?’

‘Maybe not. Depends on if Coach thinks we need to run more drills.’

I look back at her as I get to her door. She’s watching me still, all her attention on me.

I register surprise on Mav’s face, but whether it’s how she’s acting, or how I am, I’m not sure. I mean I don’t think I’m being weird, but I don’t usually say goodbye to girls, I just leave.

I go to class and try to listen to the theorems and the principles, the postulations I need to know, but all I can think about is Daisy. How soft her hair is. The way she thinks. How smart she is. Her smoking body. How she’s going to feel under me…

It’s not the only thing on my mind when it comes to her. It’s not even the first thing, but I’m still a guy!

When class is over, I get some homework done in the lab and go over the mathematical data for the hundredth time, trying to figure out what the problem is. But no matter how hard I try, it eludes me.

Seven rolls around quickly and I get to the gym for practice with a few minutes to spare. I watch my teammates, noticing that Kirkland is standing by himself while the others look between me and him nervously. They’ve all heard about the Daisy debacle, except him.

Good.

I’ve never liked Kirkland. He’s the kind of guy you can’t turn your back on. No loyalty. I’ve never done anything about it because he’s never crossed me before.

But he sure as shit has now.

My body hums in anticipation of educating this sonofabitch. I might hate being a lacky, having to follow orders from the kind of men who shouldn’t be allowed near power. But in here, I have that power, and I can use it to make sure Kirkland never gets close to Daisy ever again.

‘Coach,’ I say softly to the guy in his forties with the thinning hair and black tracksuit on. ‘I’m going to need a little one-on-one time with the team.’

Coach White looks over his clipboard at me and grunts. ‘Who am I losing?’

‘Kirkland.’

He snorts. ‘He’s useless anyway. I’ll go...make a phone call, or something. Ten minutes enough?’

‘More than.’

He sighs, glancing at the round camera on the ceiling in the corner. ‘I’ll make sure the footage is lost, too, I guess.’

‘Probably for the best, Coach.’

‘Okay!’ he yells at everyone. ‘On the mats! McCauley and Rider. Baker and Mafosa. Kirkland and Blake. Deluchay and Ramirez. The rest of you, partner up and show each other what you’ve got.’

Coach grabs his phone and puts it to his ear, leaving the gym a moment later without a backward glance. Maybe I should be classed as a man who shouldn’t be allowed near power too, I think, as I get on the mat with Kirkland.

The dumb fuck grins at me. He has no idea what’s coming.

I grapple him, taking him down quickly and punching him in the ribs hard.

‘What the fuck! That’s an illegal move. You can’t- Coach!’

‘Coach ain’t here,’ I snarl low, pulling his arm behind his back and putting all my weight on him. I shove his face into the mat hard and he yowls.

‘What is wrong with you, dude?’ he wails, trying to dislodge me.

But he won’t. I’m better than him.

‘Daisy,’ I growl in his ear.

‘Who?’

‘The girl you assaulted out by the fields, moron.’

‘I didn’t do nothin’ to that retarded bitch!’

I make myself ignore his words. ‘You made a mistake listening to Jolie,’ I tell him. ‘You should have left Daisy alone.’

‘Why the fuck do you care what I did?’

‘Because she’s mine,’ I whisper.

And then I break his arm.

The crack and his high-pitched scream reverberate through the gym, and the sound of them make me giddy in my little black soul.

I stand up. Not one pair of eyes are on us, which means every single guy in here is watching.

‘Looks like Kirkland is out,’ I say, stepping off the mat and grabbing my stuff.

I give both Baker and McCauly pointed looks and Kirkland a final kick to the ribs that makes him groan as I walk past, leaving the gym just as Coach enters. I give him a wink.

‘Kirkland fell.’

‘What the hell is going on in here?’ he yells loudly. ‘Jesus, Kirkland, can’t you go one practice without falling over and getting hurt? You’re off the team. Get your shit. Mafosa, you have a car, right? Drive this idiot to the ER, would you?’

I grin as I push open the outer door and then wait in the shadows close by. If Baker and McCauly know what’s good for them, they’ll come.

It’s only a few minutes before the door swings open and I see their silhouettes in the light behind them. They look nervous. They should. They know what’s about to happen, but I let them sweat, get close before I strike.

I walk out to where they can see me. They don’t bother running.

I don’t speak; I just start throwing punches. They don’t fight back, just let me wail on them until I decide I’ve had enough. When I’m done, Baker’s on his back in the grass and McCauly is on his hands and knees spitting blood. They’re both groaning in pain. I don’t say anything. I don’t need to. They know what they did, and they know what never to do again.

When I make my way back to the house, I feel lighter than I have in a while. I check my watch. Not too late. Daisy might still be up. The realization has me excited and happy . I shake my head ruefully. What is this girl doing to me?

I get in and see some of the guys milling around. Usually I stop, have a beer, play a game of poker maybe, and they call me over.

But I’d rather see Daisy, so I head straight up to her room.

Her door is ajar, and I see Mav laying on the bed with her. He’s got his laptop open, catching up on some work. She’s asleep next to him, her hand on his arm.

At my disappointed look, he shrugs. ‘She was tired, like you said.’

I nod. ‘You always in here, now?’

He looks at her and lets out a sigh. ‘She’s been having nightmares. She sleeps better when I’m here.’

I glance at her in concern. Nightmares?

But I cover my feelings with a chuckle.

‘You or just one of us in general?’ I mutter with a grin. ‘My turn tomorrow.’

‘If she wants.’ His brow furrows a little. ‘You’re in a good mood. Practice was okay?’

‘You could say that.’

I leave it at that and go to my room, yawning loudly. It may not be late, but I’m beat. It’s been a stressful few days. At least things are looking up, though.

I take a quick shower and check the security scan. It’s about halfway done, so I leave it to keep going and go to bed.

A beep wakes me, and it takes me a second to remember that it’s probably the scan finishing. It’s two in the morning, but I want to update the system, and I know that’s going to take a few hours, so I haul myself out of bed and wake up the screen.

My eyes widen at the report, and I sit down in my chair hard, my eyes scanning the red list of alerts and notices.

What the fuck?

The update forgotten, I start working my way through the alerts, cross-referencing times and dates, my confusion turning to shock as I open a clip in the deleted cache and see footage of Daisy sneaking into my room and messing with my laptop.

I sit back, watching her at my desk and my eyes narrow. She knows where everything is. It’s not her first time. How often has she done this and what is she up to?

There are more clips of her in the same folder. She must not have realized the videos aren’t permanently gone until the deleted cache is emptied.

Deceptive girl.

But not deceptive enough.

Maybe I should be mad, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m kind of intrigued, excited even.

My lip twitches.

Looks like I’ll be having a little talk with Daisy.