“If you’ll have me,” he said.
“Oh, yes.”
“But you’ll have to be quiet.”
Her brows shot up. “I am quiet!”
But he shook his head. “More than once this afternoon, I feared the lovely Mrs. Farley might come knocking, demanding you show your face to prove that I wasn’t murdering you.”
“She wouldn’t!” But Daisy vaguely recalled a few particularly intense moments… “Perhaps I was a little loud.”
“Don’t worry.” He stole a kiss, cradling her breast with one hand, sliding his knee between her thighs, and holding her there with the other. “I’ll take care of that mouth of yours.”
She gasped as he nipped at her lips, sparking every inch of her skin to life. When had she become so sensitive?
She dropped her hands over the wool of his breeches.
“I have a few ideas,” she whispered.
“Daisy?” They jumped apart at the sound of her brother calling from upstairs. “Do you have an extra pencil?”
“I’ll be right there!” But her gaze dropped to where she’d been touching Alastair. He wanted her again.
Would this ever be enough?
COMPLICATED
“After breakfast?” Daisy exhaled, content—practically boneless in his arms.
Midnight had long passed, and in the wake of a good deal of catching up, she ought to be sleepy. She ought to feel nothing but warmth and satisfaction.
But instead, unease curled deep in her belly.
“I need to get to the bottom of this.” Alastair’s voice was a low murmur against her hair. He drew lazy circles on the back of her wrist with his thumb, the small gesture somehow making her feel cherished, even as her heart braced for what was to come. “Because I want more ofthis.”
Daisy’s breath hitched.
His words hinted at a future she refused to imagine. They echoed her deepest, most desperate desires. But they also taunted her. Because no matter how much she wished to believe him, she couldn’t forget the reality of their circumstances.
“It’s not that simple, though.” She’d argued this before—more times than she could count.
But this time, rather than dismissing her concerns, he surprised her.
“It isn’t.” He let out a quiet chuckle, his lips brushing the sensitive skin of her shoulder. “In fact, it’s complicated as hell.”
She twisted around to study his face, half expecting to find amusement lurking in his expression.
But there was none. Instead, his gaze held hers, steady and sure.
He was no longer the boy from her youth. He was a man, confident, proud, and … utterly unwavering in his intent.
A man who had seen the world, who had fought for his beliefs, who had nearly died—and yet, here he was…
A man who had once walked away.
And a man who, despite everything, was now telling her he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
“Anything worth having, Daisy, is never going to be easy.” His voice came out rough with conviction. “You are my heart, and I’m prepared to fight for us this time. I’m no longer an ill-informed heir—easily manipulated by Society’s dictates.”
