“I’m happy to have Carys here,” her mother said.“I’m alsovery glad Carys has apparently been mentoring Daisy at the club.She’s right.Iwould like to know why my daughter stays in the locker room when she has awhole club to play in and Liam”—she pointed a finger Da’s way—“don’t even starton her being a good girl because I will bring Erin in here.I love you, but Iwon’t let you shame our daughter.She isn’t some shrinking virgin.”
“Well, she’s not anymore, and that’s young Nathan’s fault,”Da shot back.
“No, it’s Justin Harper’s fault.”He’d been her boyfriend,though she wouldn’t have called them terribly serious.They’d had a bunch ofclasses together and they seemed to fit, and not once had she felt for him likeshe did for Nate.
Probably because he wasn’t Nate and never had been evenclose.She had to acknowledge the fact that she’d been thinking about NateCarter for years.
“I don’t need to hear that,” her da said.“I knew weshouldn’t have let you go off to college.”
“You probably shouldn’t have let me out of the house,” Daisysaid quietly.
“Aidan, I’d like an answer.”Her mother stared a holethrough her brother.“What does your father mean?”
“I’d like to know, too.”Carys crossed her arms over herchest.“I would also like to know why it’s perfectly okay for me to play in theclub but it’s too dirty for Daisy.”
“Now, you know what I’m talking about, Carys,” her dainsisted.“You have a perfectly good fiancé.It’s fine for you and Aidan to dowhatever you like.”
“But I’m alone so I should be a virgin?”This conversationwas everything she’d been afraid of.
“I only want you to be safe,” he replied, his voice goinglow.“It’s not the same for you as it is for Aidan.We have to protect you, andpart of protecting you means having conversations with the men who want to getclose to you.”
What had Nate said?She hadn’t believed him at the time, butnow she wondered.“Like you had Aidan talk to guys at The Hideout?”
“What?”Carys’s head shook like she didn’t even understandthe words Daisy was saying.
“Sweetie, why would you think your brother did that?”hermom asked.
She felt tears fill her eyes.“Well, it’s not like I haven’ttried to play.But when I do, suddenly no one is available.”She turned to herbrother.“Did you or did you not warn all the Doms at The Hideout not to playwith me?”
“Don’t you dare lie to her,” her mother warned.“Aidan, I’vedealt with your father putting Daisy on a pedestal because I thought he didn’tknow how to handle having a daughter.But you damn well know how to handle asister.So I need to know if you’ve been meddling with your sister’srelationships.”
“I’ve been protecting her.”Aidan sighed and pulled the capfrom his head, shoving it into the pocket of his scrubs.“I know those guys,Mom.”
Oh, but he didn’t.“You barely knew that guy named Grim.AndJosh Barnes.”
“I knew his name was fucking Grim, and he wasn’t getting hishands on my sister,” Aidan shot back.
Carys’s jaw had dropped.“You warned Doms off her?”
“I did what my father asked me to do,” Aidan replied with afrown.
“Yes, he’s done a good job, but he took his eyes off herthis time,” her da replied.
The room went quiet for a moment and her mother stared ather father.“Li, I need to speak with you in private.”
She rarely heard her mother talk to anyone in that tone ofvoice.It was usually directed at her, a sure sign she was in trouble.Shealmost never heard her mother use a harsh tone when talking to Da or Aidan.
Daisy’s gut clenched.She didn’t want to be the reason theyhad this conversation.She hadn’t meant to make her mom upset.She loved hermom.Loved them all.Her family was all she had.
Were they going to ask her to give up Nate?
What would she do if they told her she had to choose?Shouldshe choose momentary joy over her lifelong family?When Nate eventually decidedshe was too much trouble, who would she have?
She’d only spent a single night with the man.The bestnight.The hours she’d spent with him had made her happier than she’d everbeen, made her feel more than she’d thought she could, and it hadn’t all beenabout sex.He’d talked to her, opened up to her, and it had been everything.
But if it hurt her father, did she have any right tomomentary pleasure?
“Avery, you don’t understand,” her da argued.
