"Fuck, Daisy. You're more beautiful than anybody has a right to be." His gaze drops, lowering to my chest. "The things I want to do to you."
I arch into him. "Do them, Peter."
Everything shuts off. His hunger disappears. His hand leaves my waist, the ghost of his touch lingering. He steps away, bumping into the table in his haste. "We can't do this." He swipes my dumb, stupid, idiotic wearable blanket from the floor and thrusts it at me.
My face flames as I shove my head and arms through. "I'm sorry," I say, because I don't know what else to say and I'm dangerously close to tears. The last thing I want is to cry in front of him right now.
"There is nobody sorrier than I, I promise you that."
I want to askwhy?but I'm not sure I want to hear the answer. My purse is on the counter, and I go for it.
Peter's arm shoots out to stop me. "You can't drive."
He's right. I need to sober up.
Has there been another time I've been this mortified? If there has, I've blessedly forgotten.
"Here," he says, grabbing four bottles of water from the fridge. "Let's drink some water and watch something on TV."
I nod, still too embarrassed to speak. Too afraid if I open my mouth, tears will pour from my eyes instead.
We sit down in our previous seats, and Peter puts something on TV. I'm not sure what it is, I'm not really seeing it. My mind plays those brief moments in the kitchen over and over in mymind, trying to pinpoint what went wrong. He was into it, and then he wasn't. It was as if somebody poured a bucket of ice water over him.
It must be about my engagement. Worry over feeling guilty tomorrow. Maybe worried that I'd have a crisis of conscience after, and he was trying to save me from that.
Peter shifts beside me, and my eyes grow heavy.
The last thought I have before I close my eyes is far worse than the previous.
It's me.
Chapter 28
Penn
"Daisy?"My whisper tumbles down over her prone form.
It's 3:36 a.m., and Daisy is fast asleep on my couch. I was asleep until two minutes ago, until I woke from the dream I have often, where I'm lying in dark water, the stars above me melting, until it's water all around me. Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning, other times I wake myself up before that happens. This time, I knew where I was the second I opened my eyes. Daisy's spiced plum smell was solace from the dream, a comfort I wish I could always have.
That only lasted about half a second because I saw Daisy and immediately understood that we had both fallen asleep. On the heels of that panicked feeling was the memory of Daisy standing in my kitchen, wearing only her leggings and a bra, looking beautiful and vulnerable, sexier than anything I've ever seen, blowing my mind in the very best way.
Duke and I have an agreement.
What did that mean? An agreement? What kind of a man would allow another man to feast on Daisy, to memorize her curves, enjoy her body?
The memory of me stopping us, and the hurt in her eyes that followed, taints what should otherwise be a blissful remembrance.
"Daisy?" I say again, gently smoothing her messy hair back from her face. She looks like an angel, deep and even breath streaming through slightly parted lips. Daisy blinks a few times in rapid succession, dragging in a deep breath and letting it out. She sits up suddenly, realizing where she is.
"Peter," she half-shouts, gaze swinging around wildly. "What time is it?"
"Middle of the night," I say, attempting to soothe her panic with a soft voice.
Her eyes slice to mine. "Did you fall asleep, too?"
I nod, raking a hand over my face. I know what I have to do. What I have to say. Because I saw what Daisy was thinking when I stopped her last night, and it wasn't good. The last thing I want her thinking is that me not wanting to sleep with her has anything to do with her. I'm a decent guy under most circumstances, but my reason has nothing to do with her fiancé, either.
If I am lucky enough to get to experience Daisy's heart, and her body, it won't be as Peter. And after seeing Daisy interact with Duke, and given what she told me last night about some kind ofagreement, it solidified what I already knew.
