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Chapter Three

DAISY

‘ W hy did you let me have your robe?’

Shade jumps a little and I see that he thought I was still asleep.

‘What do you mean?’ he rumbles.

I glance around the room, noticing that Blake is gone, and the TV is on screensaver.

Sea waves.

‘It was a gift from my mom, Mav said. He told me you barely let anyone even touch it.’

Shade regards me stonily. ‘Mav talks too much.’

‘Where’s Blake?’

Shade rises from the chair he’s sitting at by the desk. ‘He had to leave. Wrestling stuff.’

‘Oh.’

I sit up, wincing at the soreness that rolls through me and seems worse than before.

‘What time is it?’

‘Almost nine,’ Shade replies. ‘Mav’ll be back soon. He’s bringing you something to eat.’

‘I could use some more painkillers if there are any.’ I wrinkle my nose. ‘And I’m not hungry.’

‘You’re going to eat anyway.’

My eyes flash at him. ‘Regardless of what those rent-a-cops said, you do know you’re not actually my guardian, don’t you? I’m not just going to be ordered about by you.’

He smirks at me. ’Someone’s feeling better.’

I consider for a second. ‘Yeah. My head does feel clearer.’

‘Okay. Noted.’ He stands up and comes closer. ‘Mav is bringing food. He and I will be eating, and he’s bringing you some too. You haven’t had anything but water in over twenty-four hours. It would be good if you could try to eat...please.’

‘We’ll see,’ I murmur.

He leans over me, caging me in. ‘Or maybe I turn you over and give you a few smacks on your ass if you don’t.’

There’s a spark in his eyes, like he’d love to do just that. I remember the look from when he bent me over my desk and did it before. He wants to. My eyes widen a little. He likes it.

My cheeks heat and I cover my awkwardness with a snort. He looks surprised.

‘You won’t do that,’ I say confidently, and wondering why my stomach clenches almost pleasurably at the thought of him doing it, why I feel a little disappointed that he isn’t really going to.

Do I want him to?

‘No?’ he asks.

I shake my head. ‘My whole body hurts. I’m covered in bruises. My head aches. My ankle is probably sprained, and I was assaulted by your friends. Even you wouldn’t do more to me, Jack, not right now.’

There’s something else in his face now. It takes me a moment to work it out though.

Devastation.

‘I’m sorry,’ he whispers. ‘For everything. Those guys aren’t our friends, but I’m sorry they thought it was okay to touch you, to hurt you. And we will be making sure they never get near you again. I promise.’

His words make me feel a little better, but at the same time, uncomfortable. I never thought he’d apologize properly.

‘It’s okay,’ I say, squirming under his gaze.

‘Daisy.’ His hand brushes my hair and cups my cheek. ‘It’s not okay. This was my fault. I made it seem to everyone like I didn’t care about you, that I wanted you gone. And it left you without protection. It made you a target.’

‘But that’s true. You don’t think I belong here,’ I whisper. ‘And you don’t care about me.’

He straightens. ‘You’re right. I don’t think you belong here,’ he murmurs, ‘and that’s because I care about you.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘There’s things you don’t know,’ he mutters, stepping back.

‘What do you mean?’ I ask, wishing he’d just say the things instead of being cryptic. ‘Is it... Is it about my mom’s death?’

He looks surprised, jerks back a little. ‘What?’

His eyes lock onto mine, searching them, I break contact quickly.

‘April died in an accident, Daisy,’ he says. ‘A tragic accident. She went off the road at a well-known bend. It’s a treacherous piece of road. That’s all.’

I stare at him, feeling relieved because I think he’s telling the truth, at least as far as he knows it.

In this moment, I could speak up, I realize, my heart beginning to thump hard. I could tell him about the notes and the threats. But, my eyes dart to his, searching them for a few seconds longer than usual. Would I really know if he was lying? No. I want to believe him, but I’d have no idea. And so, I keep my mouth shut, and I don’t tell him about the person who’s dogging my steps. Stalking me. Watching me.

Because even though I don’t want it to be him, it could be.

‘I know,’ I say, thinking quickly. ‘I meant because of the robe, and how sad you are, how close you were with her. Is it because you don’t want to lose someone else, if you care about me?’

I don’t think I’m making sense, mostly because I’m making it up as I go along, but he nods.

‘Yeah, exactly. Richmond can be a dangerous place and if you were back in the UK, you’d be safer.’

My stomach drops like a lead ball.

‘Don’t ask John to send me back,’ I’m begging before I realize I’m even saying the words aloud. ‘Please let me have a life, Jack. I promise you I won’t do...what I did before. I’m better now.’

My eyes are swimming.

‘T-that’s not what I meant,’ he stammers. ‘I won’t talk to my dad. I promise that too.’

I wrap my arms around myself, wondering about all these physical responses I seem to have when I think about The Heath, or when I’m afraid I’ll be going back there. They seem to come up a lot more now that I’m getting settled out here.

It’s not normal. Even I know that. I should probably talk to someone. But who? I can’t just put something like this on Lu, and I can’t trust the guys, not completely. A medical professional? What if John found out about them and exploited his power as my guardian to learn everything I’d talked about in sessions, and then used the knowledge to get me taken away again?

If I’m honest, I doubt he’d even need it. He could probably just use that power to wave a hand and have me brought back across the ocean on a whim.

The thought makes me feel sick. I’m only free because John wills it. Everything I build here could be taken from me at the drop of a hat. I could be back at The Heath having to follow all their ridiculous rules within ten hours if John made the call.

I need to get rid of this guardian nonsense, which means proving that I can stand on my own two feet. I need everything to show that I’m a normal and productive member of society if I ever have to fight for my freedom in court. Stuff like a job. Check . Good grades. We’ll see . Financial stability...

I wince. I have no money at all. I guess I’d need a lawyer, too, which I don’t have savings for. I mean, I still can’t even afford the rest of the books I need for classes.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Shade asks.

Freedom from you and your father.

‘Just that I am actually a little hungry,’ I lie.

He grins, disarmed like I knew he would be. I guess I’m getting to know my stepbrother again.

‘Mav will be here in five.’

I lean back against the headboard, pondering next steps.

Last night made me realize that things weren’t how I thought. I assumed I had autonomy while John wasn’t around, and Shade wasn’t paying attention. But it was an illusion. I have nothing but Novelle good graces and those aren’t something I can rely on, not even from Shade.

I can’t stay here.

I need to have a plan in place, an actual Plan B that I can implement if the worst happens. For that, I’ll need money.

That’s the problem. I don’t have any, and I have no means of getting any quickly enough that won’t draw attention.

But Mav, Blake, and Shade have something going on. They keep me on data gathering in the lab, hoping I won’t put the pieces together, I think. But once I knew the experiments were a drug, it was easy to see that there’s more than one. The formulas are similar enough that I doubt someone as half-assed as Marcus would have noticed, but there are differences. They were able to trick that asshole, but they haven’t tricked me.

They’ve been pretending there’s only one drug, the non-opioid. Why? What’s the second one for? And why are they working on it like their lives depend on it? I’d bet money it’s not for school even though Mav does freak out every time the numbers come back from their tests. It’s almost as if they need it to be done soon, like they’re on a deadline.

I glance at Shade. He’s looking at his phone and not paying attention to me. I consider everything I know about him. And about John. And about Andy, too. He’s at Harvard. John wanted that for both his sons. Andy did what he was told. Jack didn’t. He wants something different. John doesn’t like that. It was obvious the day of mom’s funeral. Andy is the apple of John’s eye. Jack isn’t.

That means that he’s only at Richmond U because John allows it. For now. He’s on borrowed time, just like I am.

He’s like me.

He needs money to escape. Mav and Blake don’t seem to have much of their own either.

My eyes widen a little.

The second drug is their Plan B.

That must be it. Why else would they be so all-in? Why keep it a secret otherwise? And, if it’s their Plan B, it needs to be my Plan B too.

The sluggish cogs in my mind are beginning to turn quickly. The formula is wrong. It must be close, but it isn’t right and they’re struggling.

What if I can make it right?

That would give me leverage.

They’d have to let me in, share the money they make.

I’d have a real Plan B.

Freedom.

I’m still thinking things through from every angle I can when Mav arrives with a paper bag in his hand.

‘How are you feeling, Tulip?’ he asks me with a grin as he hands me a box that I recognize from the movie night the house had.

I don’t even have to fake being hungry because, as soon as I smell the burger and fries, my stomach starts to rumble.

I sit up properly and open the box, grabbing the burger. I take a large bite and let out a moan.

Shade’s lips quirk as he picks up his own burger. ‘Hit the spot?’

‘I didn’t realize how hungry I was,’ I confess with a nod.

Mav and Shade dig in as well and soon we’re all finished.

Mav lolls on the bed with me. He and Shade chat about sports and other subjects that I don’t know much about, so I only half listen as I think about how I can change the formula to get the desired result.

First, I need to figure out what they want this secret drug to actually do . Then, I’ll have to go through all the historical data at the lab and see what they’ve already tried so I don’t go down routes that have failed before and waste time. I’ll also have to look into similar drugs to understand what the problem with this one might be. It’s a lot to take on, especially with the double major and the partners project we’re starting in Professor McKinsey’s class. I’m not looking forward to that. I’ve been paired with Bennet, the lowlife hipster jerk from my first lecture in my new major, who, along with his friend, Casey, made me leave the class because I didn’t have a laptop.

They’ve left me alone since Blake gave me his spare, but I hear them whispering with the others sometimes in their little groups, probably spreading more rumors about me, so I try to keep my head down and just get my work done.

‘Daisy?’

I blink and look over at Mav. ‘You’re looking kind of tired. Want one of us to help you back to your room?’

I gaze out of the open door into the hallway and consider. Do I? No, I don’t think I do.

I shake my head. ‘Can I just stay in here for a while? It’s nice to hear you talking. Sort of relaxing.’

‘Sure.’

Mav reaches out across the bed and takes my hand, interlacing our fingers, and I look at them and then at him curiously.

‘I just wanted to touch you.’

‘Okay.’

He grins and shakes his head a bit. ‘Why don’t you close your eyes? Rest a little. We’ll stay here with you awhile, okay?’

I nod, giving him a small smile. I do feel safe with them like this. I trust them enough to sleep next to them, something I never did in The Heath, but not enough to tell them everything.

Social relationships are so weird. I wonder if I’ll ever understand their nuances the way that regular people do, or will I always have to work harder?

I close my eyes and listen to them chat some more, not really paying attention until I hear Shade’s voice come out as a whisper.

Internally, I perk up, but I don’t move, and I don’t open my eyes.

‘Is she asleep?’

‘I think so,’ Mav answers just as quietly. ‘Daisy?’

I don’t answer, and I stay still, keeping my breathing even as I start listening very closely.

‘What happened at the lab?’ Shade asks in a low voice.

‘Not good news. Every test group was a failure.’

‘Shit.’ I hear Shade get up and start pacing.

He does that when he’s stressed. He used to when we were kids, too.

‘God dammit. I’ve got Sark breathing down my neck, because Sauvage is breathing down his. We promised them a viable product by November at the latest, and we’re no closer than we were eleven months ago.’

Mav sighs. ‘We need more time. I don’t know how much though. We’ve gotten farther in the past couple weeks than we have since August.’

‘Helps having an assistant who isn’t incompetent, I guess,’ Shade mutters.

‘Yeah,’ Mav agrees. ‘But it’s not just that Marcus is out, it’s that Daisy is in. She’s...a natural. I don’t have another way of saying it. Now that she knows the ropes, she’s hit the ground running. We wouldn’t have gotten as close as we have without her.’

‘She still doesn’t know about Envy?’

‘No, she has no idea the formula she’s working with is separate. I made sure she never saw the original after the first week. She thinks she's working on the non-opioid still.’

‘Good.’

Mav shifts on the bed. ‘You don’t think we should tell her?’

‘No,’ Shade’s footsteps stop abruptly. ‘No way. She’s...not someone we want on the team, Mav. I know you care about her. I do, too. Of course I do, but she’s a wildcard. She’s brilliant in her own way, but we can’t trust her with this. Not this.’

I try not to let my spirits fall. The way Shade feels about me isn’t new information, and I was just thinking about how I can’t trust them either, wasn’t I? This shouldn’t bother me.

I push the emotions away. They have no place in this plan.

‘Okay,’ Mav concedes. ‘Fine. We’ll talk to Blake when he gets back. Figure out how we’re going to spin this to Sauvage. Where is Blake anyway?’

‘Don’t know, but he took his nine.’

What’s a nine?

‘I thought he wasn’t doing that for them anymore.’

Shade’s voice sounds tired. ‘Still has a debt to clear. It’s not like he can say no.’

I feel the bed bounce a little as Mav gets up.

‘I need to go back to the lab,’ he says, sounding closer to me. ‘Want me to carry Daisy into her room?’

‘No, she doesn’t want to be alone, and I get it. I have an errand. Blake should be back soon. Leave her in here for now. Maybe her being in his bed when he gets back will put him in a better mood than he usually is after.’

I hear them both leave, and I shift with relief, going over all the new information I’ve learned. I wish they’d have talked about the lab more, but at least I’ve found out that I’m right about the second drug. I’d assumed it was something else they’d patent sell to Big Pharma for a lot of money though. It’s clearly not. It’s an illegal substance.

The moral implications give me pause. What if it’s something nasty and highly addictive like fentanyl or heroin? Could I be a part of something that would hurt people, destroy their lives?

No, I couldn’t.

I need to find out what Envy’s properties are before I can do anything, and I can’t do that until I can get back to the lab.

I yawn, feeling tired all of a sudden, and I burrow into Blake’s bed, smelling the scent of his shampoo lingering on his pillow.

There’s a low thump and movement in the room. I sit up with a start and immediately see Blake sitting at the end of the bed. Relaxing immediately, I let out a long sigh as I try to calm my racing heart.

His breathing is harsh, and I frown at his back. Is that blood on the side of his face?

‘Blake?’

‘Go back to sleep, Daisy.’ His voice is gruff, not normal.

‘Are you okay?’ I ask in concern.

‘I’m fine.’

My hand reaches out to touch him, but as it comes to rest on his shoulder, he jumps up and whirls around. His eyes are glassy, and his expression turns furious.

‘Don’t fucking touch me, shut in!’ he hisses. ‘Didn’t you fucking hear what I said? I’m fine.’

His sneer is nasty, making him look like a different person, not one I’d ever want to be around.

‘What is it with bitches like you, huh? Leave me the hell alone!’

My eyes widen, his angry words penetrating deep, and I blink, my face shuttering completely. My heart as well.

They aren’t your friends, remember? Shouldn’t have let your guard down.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say, my tone bland, pleasant.

I make sure the robe is around me tightly as I swing my legs out of the bed, praying that I can walk at least across the hall without needing his help.

I don’t look at him as I get to my feet, straighten my spine, and take a small step. It hurts but it’s doable. I walk to the door, minimizing my limp as much as I can even though moving my foot properly makes my stomach roll. I hope I’m not damaging it more, but the thought of hobbling around in front of him... I can’t do it.

‘Fucking knew you were pretending,’ he snarls from behind me. ‘Was it all bullshit?’

I don’t even know what he’s talking about but won’t give him the satisfaction of an answer anyway. I cross the hallway without even looking back and go into my room, shutting the door softly and leaning against it.

A sob makes its way up my throat, but I don’t let it out. I ruthlessly push it deep inside where it belongs. I spent ten years at The Heath, and I barely cried even once. I’m not going to give Blake that kind of power over me when I never gave it to Stoke, or anyone else.

I’m stronger than they know. I need to start acting like it.

MAV

The scream is blood curdling and I’m out of bed and in the hallway in record time.

I run right into Shade and we both jump back with a curse.

‘What the fuck was that?’ Shade asks groggily, clearly half asleep because it was a woman’s scream, and we only have one of those up here.

I move past him, going to her closed door.

‘Daisy?’ I call.

Nothing.

‘Fuck it,’ I murmur, turning the knob and opening it.

I feel Shade at my back and, when I look over my shoulder, I see him just a step behind. Blake, however, is watching from his desk, his expression concerned.

He’s hanging back. Why?

But I turn back and go into Daisy’s dark bedroom.

I hear her moving on the bed, and I cross the floor quickly, turning on the light on her nightstand.

Her covers are a mess and she’s laying on the edge of the of the bed, her face contorted.

‘Please,’ she whispers. ‘Don’t. No.’

She whimpers, turning this way and that, writhing as if in pain.

‘Daisy.’

Saying her name does nothing, and she rolls, teetering on the edge of the bed. She starts to fall in slow motion.

I jump toward her, catching her before she hits the floor and putting her back in bed.

Her eyes are open as I put her down. She’s breathing heavily, her hair damp with sweat.

‘Mav?’ she asks, eyes confused.

‘You were having a bad dream,’ I say. ‘Are you okay?’

She nods cautiously and then her eyes cloud over with sadness for a second before her face goes blank.

‘I’m fine. Could I have a couple of painkillers, though? Ankle is aching.’

‘Sure.’

I go back to my room and grab the bottle, noticing as I return that Blake is still standing in his room, staring at Daisy’s and looking deep in thought.

‘Are you okay?’ I ask him in a low voice.

He gives himself a shake and nods. ‘Is she?’

‘Yeah. Bad dream.’

Blake’s lips thin. ‘Her ankle?’ he asks, eyes falling on the bottle in my hand.

I nod. ‘It’ll probably hurt pretty bad for a week or so. She should stay off it as much as possible.’

His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

He snorts and shrugs. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

I frown. ‘No reason.’

I go back into Daisy’s room, finding her staring into space the way she does, and Shade hovering by the end of the bed. I watch her carefully. There’s something wrong. More than the ankle. I don’t know how I know that, but I do.

She isn’t looking at Shade. She isn’t looking at anything, really.

‘Go get some sleep,’ I say to him. ‘I’ll stay with her for a while.’

He nods, albeit a little reluctantly. ‘Yeah. Sure. I’ll see you in the morning.’

He leaves, closing Daisy’s door softly.

‘Here,’ I say with a smile, putting two pills into her palm and grabbing the glass of water that’s in arm’s reach.

She drinks them down and mutters a ‘thank you’ but seems like she’s on autopilot for lack of a better word.

‘What is it?’

She looks at me properly for the first time.

‘I don’t know,’ she mutters, laying back and staring at the ceiling.

‘What were you dreaming about?’

She shrugs. ‘Don’t remember.’

I watch her closely, sure she’s lying. But why?

Maybe she’s embarrassed because she woke us. Maybe it was about what happened in the games room.

I sit on the bed, suddenly needing to be closer to her, to remind myself that she’s okay and that she’s here.

I’ll never forget how she looked when I walked into that room just as Rob hit her, the cry of pain she made, the way she thudded to the floor. I could have killed that sonofabitch. I pummeled the shit out of him, but even when he was unconscious on the floor and some of the other members pulled me off him, it wasn’t enough. I wanted that fucker dead.

And she just stood there frozen, her eyes far away like they are now. What’s she thinking about? What puts that look on her face?

I need to know. No matter what it takes, I need to find out.

‘Do you want me to stay for a little while?’ I ask her, remembering how she didn’t want to be alone earlier tonight.

She nods a little hesitantly and her eyes find me. ‘Would you...’ She winces. ‘I’d like?—’

‘Want me to lay next to you?’

She nods, but as I get up, she shrugs out of the robe and throws it down by the side of the bed.

She’s naked.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask, taken aback.

‘I want what you did before.’

She wants me to...

My eyes widen in shock at what she’s asking...but not asking . Jesus, she can’t even say the words. What were Blake and I thinking before Halloween?

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ I murmur, eyeing the bruises, some of them looking a lot like finger marks around her breasts.

The look she gives me is a sneer, but not just any. That’s a Blake sneer, if I ever saw one. A perfect mimic.

‘I’m not deficient up here.’ She taps her head. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

I nod. ‘Of course. You’re a... You’re really smart, Daisy. That’s not in dispute.’

‘Really?’ she mutters caustically. ‘Because, to be honest, I’m getting a bit sick of everyone else deciding my life for me as if I’m a child or a retard .’

I wince at the word. ‘No one would ever call you?—’

She snorts. ‘They do all the time, Mav. Didn’t you ever hear them? Where have you been ? Anyway, if it was up to you, Shade and... Blake , I’d still be trying to fumble my way through an English degree in misery, or back in England, also in misery. I’m here because of me. I’m able to help you in the lab because of me .’

She rolls her eyes and lets out a breath. ‘Fine. Don’t. Whatever. Thank you for the painkillers. You might as well go.’

You’re useless to me. She doesn’t say that last part, but she might as well have.

I stare, oddly stunned by her little tirade. I don’t think I’ve seen her like this. Maybe at Shade that time. I’m kind of proud that she’s standing up for herself.

‘What is it you actually want?’ I ask. ‘If you can say the words like an adult , maybe I’ll give it to you.’

Shit. Am I actually going to do this?

‘I want you to...’ She stops and I think she’s going to back down.

‘I want you to come over here, lay next to me, spread my legs and touch me until I orgasm.’

She says it so succinctly, though color rises in her cheeks.

My eyebrows rise involuntarily.

‘Is that good enough?’

I nod, stepping forward. ‘Yeah, that’s good enough, Tulip,’ I murmur.

I pull the covers off her and she gasps, but she doesn’t try to cover herself as I look my fill, trying to ignore how banged up she is.

‘Are you sure?’ I ask, looking into her eyes.

She nods, meeting them for longer than she usually does before she moves her gaze away, I notice. She wants me to know that she’s not on the fence.

‘What is it that you actually want me to do?’ I ask.

Her lips turn downward a little. ‘I don’t know the words you’d use, so how about you just make me feel the way you did before, however you want.’

My brows rise again, and I feel like I’m in a permanent state of surprise. I don’t think she quite knows what she’s saying, the power that would give someone over her.

Maybe she could do with a little lesson in ‘be careful what you wish for’.

‘Any hard limits?’ I tease.

She says nothing and I know she doesn’t have any because she doesn't know any yet.

I frown.

How many guys would be careful with her right now? How many would take whatever they could from her no matter how she felt about it because she gave them carte blanche to do just that?

Is it only luck that she’s asking me to do this?

I find that I have to know because if she’s going to do it again, she might just approach the wrong guy.

‘Why are you asking me for this?’ I ask.

She doesn’t answer right away. In fact, the question seems to catch her off guard.

‘Because you aren’t...new to me,’ she finally says. ‘I know you. At least a little. And you’ve already... I’m not new to you either.’

‘So, if I said no, would you have asked someone else?’ I probe.

She shakes her head almost immediately and I let out a small sigh of relief that she’s not intending to go around the campus, putting herself in danger in some misguided mission to get off, or something.

I drift closer. ‘Why now?’

The way one of her eyes narrows marginally is almost invisible, but I see it for what it is. A wince.

‘I...thought a shower would be enough. I scrubbed myself as hard as I could everywhere , but...’ she looks down at the covers, ‘I can still feel their hands on me.’

Her clear eyes rise to meet mine head-on. ‘And I don’t like it.’

I’m with her on the bed in half a second, putting my forehead to hers. ‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper.

‘Why does everyone say that about everything? It doesn’t help me.’

She pulls away with a little huff to look into my face.

‘I don’t need you to be sorry,’ she says quietly. ‘It’s not what I’m asking for. I’ve told you what you can do. If you care, you’ll do it. If you don’t, well...’ She shrugs. ‘You’ll just leave it at ‘I’m sorry’, I suppose.’

I’m not sure what to say to that.

‘It’s all right if you do,’ she adds hurriedly. ‘If you don’t want to, I don’t want you to feel bad about it. I’ll live.’

My lips on hers makes her squeak, her eyes widening. When I pull away to get more comfortable next to her, she lets out a soft ‘oh’ that goes straight to my dick.

‘If you want to stop, what do you do? Do you remember from last time?’ I ask.

‘I use words, or I tap you.’

‘Good girl.’

She swallows hard and I smirk. ‘Did you like that?’

She blinks at me, not saying a word.

I tilt my head, paying closer attention to the nuances of movement in her expression. She always shows something, even if it’s tiny. I just have to look for it.

‘Do you like being my good girl, or my little slut?’ I ask.

Her eyes widen, pupils dilate.

‘Your good girl,’ she whispers.

‘Lay back,’ I murmur. ‘Put your arms over your head and clasp your hands together.’

She does what I say, her eyes closing as her breathing slows and she relaxes.

‘Do you like not having to think?’ I ask her as my hands caress down her body in featherlight touches.

‘I don’t...want to be like that, but it’s nice when you tell me what I need to do. It means I don’t have to try to guess.’

‘I get it. In that case, I want you to focus just on my fingers, my touch. Nothing else. If that big brain of yours starts trying to talk to you, you ignore it, okay?’

She nods.

‘Widen your legs. Move your left one further away. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.’

She opens her legs, giving me a view of her that makes me thank God that she chose me for this and not Blake. Fuck him. She’s just mine tonight.

I raise the knee on the good leg and widen her some more. My fingers skate down her abdomen to her mound and then beyond to her slit.

‘Such a pretty little cunt,’ I murmur, watching as she takes a quick breath at my words.

I part her with my fingers and can’t help my own small gasp.

‘So wet for me already. That’s a very good girl.’

Her quiet moan has me surging forward and flicking her clit with my tongue. She bucks, her hips bouncing on the bed and gasps, shying away a little. I file that little tidbit of information away for later.

Being careful not to jostle her foot, I settle between her legs and put my tongue on her.

I take my time, one slow lick at a time, breathing in the scent of her, looking at the pink lips and her clit, learning what she likes. One thick finger probes her shallowly, but I don’t enter her, I leave it at that. I know she’s never done that before, my innocent Tulip.

I give her a dark smile she doesn’t see because her eyes haven't opened once while I’ve been playing with her. While she’s quite inexperienced, she also has the capacity for some very naughty thoughts, and I think she’s going to like sex a lot if the way her body responds to me is any indication.

She whimpers under me as I pull her open wide and lick around her clit. She’s sensitive. Direct contact with my tongue is too much for her. But I find a spot just to the left that makes her squeal, and I focus on it, dipping my fingers into her entrance just a little while my pinkie finds her ass.

Remembering how shocked she was when I licked her there last time, I go slow, not entering her back passage, just massaging the outside.

To my surprise, she pushes back against my finger as if she wants me to go further.

I lick her slick off my fingers with a groan that has her unfocused eyes opening and I wet my smallest finger. I watch her closely as I push it inside her, loving her wide eyes and her mouth forming a perfect O. I fuck her ass, reveling in the pleasure she’s not hiding, watching the pain mingling with it and taking her to another level.

She’s panting and writhing on the bed, making noises that give me no small amount of masculine pride. I’m doing this. I’m making her unravel, this girl who’s almost always so intentional with her every action. She’s falling apart for me . No one else.

I lean down and put my lips close to her clit, my tongue licking that place I found as I suck her gently.

Her sudden and loud squeal surprises me. I didn’t realize she was so close. From the shocked expression on her face, neither did she. Her hips buck when I don’t stop. I fuck her ass a little harder, a little deeper.

‘Again,’ I growl from between her thighs, dizzy with the control she’s given me. ‘Be a good girl and come for me again.’

This time, I put my lips directly over her clit and press hard with the flat of my tongue while I push her legs wider and hold her in place.

‘Mav!’ she cries as her body bows, and she grips the bed covers.

She squeals once.

Twice.

Thrice.

And then her entire body relaxes, her arms and legs going slack. Her eyes are closed and she’s panting hard.

She doesn’t say anything as I ease my little finger out of her, and move from the bed, but her hand shoots out, making me pause.

When she finally opens her eyes and looks at me, I see more than a little gratitude in her exhausted face.

I think she’s going to thank me, but instead she leans over and kisses the only part of me that she can reach, my forearm.

It’s oddly sweet.

‘Don’t leave?’ she whispers.

I shake my head. ‘I just need to grab something from my room. I’ll come back in a minute, okay?’

She nods, her eyes closing again.

I cover her with the blanket and leave her.

Blake’s room is open and he’s sitting in his chair, staring at Daisy’s door with longing. I know that face. He’s frustrated and jealous as fuck.

I smirk at him, giving him a wink as I stick the middle finger that was just playing with Daisy’s pussy in my mouth and suck on it appreciatively.

His deep scowl is worth whatever he decides to do to get me back.

‘Cover her mouth next time,’ he spits. ‘She woke up the whole fucking house when she came.’

‘Which time?’ I chuckle, releasing my middle finger with a pop and raising it just for him. ‘What’s wrong? She giving you the cold shoulder, bro?’

His eyes narrow. ‘Fuck you, Mav.’

‘No, fuck you , Blake.’

He lets out a dark laugh. ‘You think you’re special because she let you into her pants again? It’s not hard. I could go over there right now and have her eating out of my hand, same as you. But I figured it’s not really the right time since she almost got raped the other night. Never thought I’d be more of a gentleman where us two are concerned.’

He’s pissed because he thinks I took advantage of her? This is new for Blake.

I step forward, done playing this game.

‘That’s not how it was, or how it is,’ I say, lowering my voice.

‘No?’

‘No.’

I look back at the closed door and step into Blake’s room.

‘She asked me to make her feel good. I wasn’t...I wasn’t going to.’

‘Then why did you?’ he hisses.

‘Because she told me she could still feel where their hands had been!’ I explode in a hushed whisper.

‘Fuck, Blake, she said she tried to scrub them off in the shower and it didn’t work. What was I supposed say? ‘No, sorry, it’s not the right time. Maybe next week?’ Fuck you! Did I enjoy it? Did I like that beautiful girl asking me to make her forget? Did I love the way she ground her pussy against my mouth? The way she screamed my name? Hells yeah, I did and I’m not going to apologize for it!’

Blake lets out a harsh breath and tilts his head back, resting it on the back of his chair. ‘Fuck,’ he whispers. ‘Marcus and his pets are three motherfuckers I’d love to kill.’

‘Me, too,’ I say. ‘Beating the shit out of them wasn’t nearly punishment enough for what they did. I want the others, too. Those cops and that guy in the dorm. The one who posted the pic of her.’

Blake nods. ‘Already on it.’

He turns back to his computer.

‘I think she might hate me,’ he says after a moment.

‘Why?’

‘It was a bad one tonight. I got back. I was covered in blood, and I was...not myself.’

He runs his hand through his hair, pulling on it hard. ‘Shit, maybe I was myself. Maybe that is me. Anyway, she asked me if I was okay. She put her hand on my shoulder and I...yelled at her, told her never to touch me, called her shut-in, laughed at her. Basically, I turned into my usual asshole self when it comes to my fan club .’

‘Jesus, Blake,’ I mutter, shaking my head. ‘You can’t treat her like that. She’s not a toy. She isn’t just going to forgive you, pretend it didn’t happen, and fall into bed with you.’ I turn around, take a step, and then swing back as something else occurs to me.

‘She almost never touches anyone. Have you noticed? Not even Lu as far as I’ve seen. She’ll let someone touch her sometimes, but she rarely initiates it. Shade told me she only does it with people she’s close to. But she touched you.’

My eyes move over him, and I snort. ‘Get your shit together, bro, and find a way to apologize.’ I leave his room.

‘Saying ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t gonna cut it by the way,’ I murmur over my shoulder as I go.

I leave Blake there in the dark and I rejoin Daisy back in bed. She’s asleep and dead to the world. I watch her for a long time, hoping that tomorrow she doesn’t pretend this didn’t happen because I like what’s going on between me and her and I don’t want to lose it.