Page 35 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1

Daisy

I’m completely enveloped in warmth. It’s an amazing feeling, a comfort, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. My eyes feel heavy as I slowly open them to see my head is resting on a hard male chest.

My breath hitches for a second as I remember the events of last night. Mom telling me I was never wanted by her or my father. That I was an accident. The only reason I’m here is because she left it too late to terminate me.

I took shelter in my car, but it was so cold—I’ve never been that cold in my life.

Within minutes, my fingers were numb, and I was shivering uncontrollably despite bundling myself in the blanket I always keep on the back seat.

I must’ve succumbed to the cold and fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was a flashlight shining into the car.

Then I saw Drayton’s worried face, and I couldn’t get out of the car and into his arms fast enough.

The rest is a blur of mind-numbing coldness that seemed to seep into my bones and shut down my body.

But it was okay because I knew I was safe. My sheriff had found me.

And here I am, in what I assume is his bed, wrapped around him tightly. And I never want to let go. I close my eyes again and breathe him in. His aftershave mingles with his unique scent, creating a warm, earthy aroma that’s indescribable but all him.

Still half-asleep, I cuddle even closer. When my breasts rub against the hairs on his chest, it dawns on me that I’m only wearing my bra and panties. Suddenly, I’m wide awake.

Drayton grunts in his sleep, and his hands go to my hips, digging into my skin.

My breath quickens as I feel his erection pressing between my legs.

Is it me he’s reacting to, or is this the morning wood I keep hearing about?

Instinctively, I rock my hips a little and feel his cock rub along the seam of my pussy, igniting a delicious throb there.

I do it again, wanting to repeat that spark of pleasure.

I’ve gotten myself off many times, but this is different. New. Exciting.

“Sweet thing, you’re killing me,” Drayton growls, and the sound vibrates through his chest to mine.

My breath hitches when he calls me that, like we’re already lovers.

I open my eyes, meeting his striking blue ones up close.

Brushing my nose along his neck, I place a kiss there, his soft beard tickling my face.

It’s not enough. I want to know what he tastes like, so I dart my tongue out to lick his skin.

He’s turned on—there’s no denying that judging by the baseball bat lodged between my thighs. Holy crap, that thing feels like it could split me in two!

Feeling unusually bold, I slide my hand up his chest, enjoying the sensation of the scattering of hair there that teases my fingertips. When I reach his shoulder, the texture of his skin changes, becoming puckered.

“Shrapnel wound,” he mutters, his voice rough with sleep.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling the prick of tears behind my eyes. I lean forward, pressing a kiss against the scarred flesh.

Drayton sucks in a breath at the light caress, and his cock jerks against me. He puts a finger under my chin, tipping my face up to his. “Where the fuck did you come from, my little cherub? Who the fuck is looking after heaven while you’re down here?”

At first, I think he’s joking, but his eyes are burning with an intensity that warms me down to my toes.

“I could ask you the same thing. I thought you were an arrogant asshole yesterday, but I couldn’t have been more wrong, could I? Thank you for coming to get me. I don’t think anyone has ever made me feel so safe.”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Safe? Oh, you’re not safe with me,” he says, rolling me onto my back and looming over me with a look that sets my stomach quivering.

I stare into his blue eyes, losing myself in their azure depths. His lower body is pressing against mine, and without thinking, I open my legs a little so that his cock is nestled right against my lace-clad pussy.

He groans as if he’s in pain, and I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck, scared he’s going to pull away from me.

I have no idea where this bold woman has appeared from, but I know that being in this man’s arms feels incredibly right.

I’ve had very little in my life that’s felt this good, this deep, and I don’t want to let go.

“How you feeling? Still cold?” he asks, brushing my curls away from my face.

“No.” I shake my head. My cheeks aren’t flushed because I’m cold. In fact, I’m hotter than I’ve ever been.

Drayton reads my expression and smiles, pulling me into him even more intimately.

“What are you doing to me?” I whisper, faintly awed by the emotions washing over me.

“Same thing you’re doing to me,” he mutters. “Felt it the second you walked into The Hideaway. I think that’s why I was such as ass. Had me all tied up in knots from that first glance, sweet thing.”

He slides a hand under my ass to hold me in place as he moves against me again, and I moan at the surge of pleasure.

He leans in, feathering kisses across my forehead and eyes while he moves his hips in the cradle of mine, his hard cock striking my clit through my panties with each leisurely thrust.

Then, his hand is there .

“Tell me now if you want me to stop,” he says in a low, gruff whisper.

“No. Don’t stop,” I mutter as his fingers slide beneath my panties and part my slick folds.

I push into him, encouraging him, parting my legs wider. My whole body is throbbing with a desire only he can satisfy, and I wriggle against him, needing more.

“I got you, baby,” he rasps, dipping his head to suck on my neck. “I know what you need. I’ll take care of you, I promise,” he tells me, his voice ringing with sincerity.

My eyes fly to his, and I jerk uncontrollably as he slides a finger across my clit.

He steals my gasp with his mouth as he kisses me deeply, hungrily.

His tongue sweeps into my mouth, and I meet it with mine, tasting him, absorbing him into every cell.

I moan into his mouth, and all my thoughts scatter as his fingers move against me purposefully.

I cling to him, rocking my hips as the pleasure builds.

Tearing my mouth from his, I press my head into the pillow as his hand moves on me expertly.

He seems to know exactly how to touch me, exactly what I need.

He moves his mouth to my neck, sucking and licking at the sensitive flesh, nipping me with his teeth as his fingers bring me closer and closer to my release.

“Drayton,” I moan, his name torn from me in a breathless plea .

“Let go. I’ve got you. Come for me,” he commands, pinching my clit between his thumb and forefinger.

My body jerks against him, and I explode, sobbing his name as my orgasm washes over me in rich waves of ecstasy.

My muscles lock up tight as I shake and jerk my way through it, and all the while, he continues to softly stroke my clit, pulling every last drop of my orgasm from me until I fall back to the bed, my body lax in the aftermath.

Slowly, I peel my eyes open, blushing furiously when I find him looking down at me with a tenderness that humbles me.

“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he mutters, dropping a soft kiss against my lips.

The tears that have been threatening since yesterday leak from the corners of my eyes. “That was… incredible. I love the feel of your hands on me, Drayton. I can’t remember the last time someone touched me, let alone held me close,” I confess huskily.

“You’ve been neglected, haven’t you, sweet thing?

But not anymore. I’m going to be touching you, reminding you how precious you are, as often as you need to hear it,” he promises, causing more tears to spill down my face.

He wipes them away with his thumbs. “You deserve to be cherished and loved, and it just so happens, I’m the man for the job. ”

“Did we only meet yesterday?” I choke, cupping his face and stroking my fingers through his beard.

Drayton drops his forehead to mine. “I know, right? Never felt anything like this before. Must’ve met you in a previous life, and we’re picking up where we left off.”

And there goes my heart, melting into a puddle of goo.

He drops another kiss on my mouth. “You must be hungry. I’ll make you breakfast, and we’ll talk.”

My eyes widen as the full implications of last night hit me. “I guess you know everything, now, huh? The cork is out of the bottle, so to speak.”

“I know enough,” he replies, his mouth a grim line.

“Last night, Mom told me she never wanted me, that my father told her to get an abortion and the only reason she didn’t was because she left it too late. He married her out of a sense of duty and obligation,” I mumble into his chest, feeling numb as I remember her words.

Drayton’s arms tighten around me. “God, I’m sorry, baby. No one should ever have to hear that. Did you ever try to find your father after he left?”

“That’s why I chose Houston when I left home. I had some ridiculous idea I’d find him, and he’d welcome me back with open arms.”

“Did you? Find him, I mean?”

I nod. “He was living in a fancy house downtown. When I rocked up to his door, he tried to buy me off. Didn’t want me dirtying up his new life with his new family.

I threw his check back at him, and I haven’t seen him since.

I met Lily not long after. Her friendship was what I needed, and we ended up sharing an apartment. ”

“Lily?” he questions.

“My best friend,” I smile fondly as I think of her.

“She’s living in San Antonio now. Has a new job with an IT company based there.

” I fall quiet, thinking about the decisions I now have to make.

“I tried to be the daughter they wanted, tried to help Mom, put my life in Houston on hold to come here. But I can’t do it anymore, Drayton. Does that make me a bad person?”

Drayton tips my chin back, his eyes drilling into mine. “You don’t have a bad bone in your body. And you don’t have to be anything other than who and what you are, you hear me? Because you’re perfect, Daisy Jenkins. Perfect for me.”

I gaze up at him with something close to wonder. “I think you need to pinch me because I’m sure I’m dreaming.”

“No pinching until I’ve fed you,” he chuckles, rolling away and surging to his feet.

“I should call her. Check in on her,” I say, worrying my bottom lip with my teeth.

“Already done,” Drayton reassures me. “Jessica, my secretary, called her this morning while you were sleeping, and she’s fine.

Hungover, but fine. She can’t go anywhere because the town is snowed in.

It’ll be a few days before it thaws enough to open up the businesses again.

In the meantime, you’re staying here. With me. ”

I don’t have it in me to argue, even if I wanted to. Staying here with Drayton feels like my very own version of heaven.

My eyes roam over him in his boxers. He’s huge, but there’s not an ounce of fat on him.

He looks like a man accustomed to the physical activity his job provides rather than a man who pumps iron in the gym.

My gaze lingers on his wide shoulders and broad chest with its feathering of hair leading a happy trail down his defined abs.

My eyes move lower, taking in his muscular thighs, and I frown as I see the terrible damage the bomb blast did to his left leg.

I can only imagine the excruciating pain it must have caused, not to mention the psychological damage.

“Not pretty, is it?” he asks roughly, seeing my troubled gaze.

“No, it’s not,” I reply truthfully. “And I don’t mean the scar itself. I couldn’t care less about physical imperfections. It’s what it represents. What you’ve suffered. The ugliness of war.”

Drayton blows out a heavy breath, his eyes shadowed with terrible memories. “People told me I was the lucky one because I survived. But reliving their deaths on a daily basis isn’t lucky. It’s fucking torture.”

I stand and go to him, forgetting to be self-conscious in my bra and panties. The need to hold him is far greater than any embarrassment I might feel at my near nakedness.

I reach up to cup his cheek, smoothing my thumb across his beard as I look into ocean-blue eyes that have become so familiar in such a short time.

His arms come around my waist, pulling me against him, and we hold each other.

It’s the most poignant moment of my life, this connection with this amazing man I didn’t even know existed twenty-four hours ago.

I’ve never been a big believer in fate, that life is predestined, but now it doesn’t seem so ridiculous.

But my stomach doesn’t appreciate the poignancy of the moment and growls loudly.

Drayton chuckles. “Come on, sweet thing. You need to eat.”