Page 73 of The Rebel

“I am moving into that pool.”

I threw my head back, laughing. “You’re not the first to say that.”

Instantly, her shoulders dropped. “Well, it’s a nice pool.” She frowned even though she was complimenting me. Something was off.

“Did I say something wrong, Daisy?”

“Oh, no, no, nothing.”

I took her hand, leading her to the kitchen.

“I said everyone loves the pool, and your expression changed.” Then it dawned on me. “I wasn’t talking about other women. Actually, I don’t bring anyone here.”

She jerked her head back. “That can’t possibly be true.”

“It is.” I reached for her hand to comfort her. I didn’t want her to have the wrong impression of me.

“So, then what do you?—”

I shook my head. “No. Let’s not talk about that, okay? It’s just us.”

She pouted.

“I love your lips. They’re my favorite part.”

“Really? Not my breasts? Because you keep ogling them a lot, even when you’re not supposed to.”

I groaned. “I can’t believe you caught on to that.”

“Anthony, seriously? It’s hard not to.”

“I have to get better at ogling,” I said, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Do you want something to drink?” As much as I wanted her, I also wanted to put her at ease. Daisy was more important to me than a quick fuck.

“Sure. Do you have orange juice?”

“I do.” Opening the fridge, I grabbed the juice. Then I took two glasses out of an overhead cabinet and filled them

Daisy grabbed one, I the other. I looked at her intently as we both sipped our drinks.

Having this woman here was such a damn privilege. I’d been hoping the day would go exactly like this.

After finishing her drink, she set the empty glass on the counter.

“Ah, that was good,” she said.

Stepping behind her, I pushed her hair to one side and kissed her neck. She moaned. I grabbed her waist with both hands, kissing farther down the nape of her neck until I reached the fabric of her dress. Then I moved my mouth back up. Her skin was so soft, I wanted to lick her entire body.

“Anthony,” she murmured.

“I’ve been fantasizing about you,” I said between kisses. Then I whirled her around and tilted her chin up. I didn’t continue exploring her neck. Instead, I yanked her dress over her head unceremoniously, letting it fall to the side. Then I got greedy and put my hands under her ass, lifting her onto the counter.

Nope, not making it to the bedroom.

“I can access you better this way, Daisy.” I started tugging my shirt up, revealing my abs.

“Hmmm, your body is gorgeous.”

I took a step back, liking the way she was drinking me in. I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it on top of her dress. “Want to touch?” I asked in a teasing way. “If not, I’m going to get rid of my pants now too.”