Not that I’m complaining. It was heavenly, but I’m exhausted. I’m not sure how much longer I can stay awake, but there’s one more thing I’d like before I close my eyes.
Against my wishes, he insisted I lay on my back with my foot propped up, when all I wanted was to cuddle into him. Instead, he lies by my side, tickling my arm with his fingers.
“Owen?”
“Daisy?”
“Would you be willing to read me another journal entry?”
“Are you asking for a bedtime story?”
“Yes, please.”
He kisses my cheek then naked as the day he was born rolls off the bed to dig an old journal out of his bottom dresser drawer. He turns on the bedside lamp, puts on his glasses and flips through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for.
“Tonight was not one of my proudest, but the woman pushed me to the brink yet again.”
I interrupt him. “Excuse me, but I don’t like the sound of this. Why do I feel I’m about to become the villain?”
Ignoring me, he continues.
I maneuver myself so I’m on my side, watching him read, but with my foot still up.
“Round Up weekend. We all know what happens at the Round Up. Too many beers, too much time in the Let ‘er Buck Room. Cowboys, cowgirls, tourists, and alcohol. This year, Daisy was the only thing I saw. I worried about the stage five clingers that wouldn’t leave her alone and wished I could knock every beer out of her hands, afraid some asshole would slip her something.
“She knew I was watching. Taunting me, she subtly lifted each free drink in my direction before taking her first sip. It was too much. Eventually, I plowed through the throng of people between us, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her off the rodeo grounds, not stopping until we made it to my truck. I tossed her in the back seat, and fucked her until the truck was rocking and she was screaming my name.”
“Damn, that was fun.” I giggle. “The fucking and the taunting.”
“Still a damn menace. Now, be quiet so I can read.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I completely hijacked her weekend, and didn’t leave her side for the next forty-eight hours. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind one bit. We weren’t showing any PDA. If anyone fromhome saw us together, we just looked like two old friends hanging out. But on day two my presence kept most of the cowboys away. There were some stupid enough to hit on her in front of me, but I kept them moving. Even though I don’t have the right. She isn’t mine. She has no intention of ever being mine. This she’s made perfectly clear. Still, the jealous monster inside me roared to life too many times to count in such close quarters. I see the way men look at her. When she’s in the room, every other woman fades into the background.
“When it got to be too much to watch, I found dark corners to take the kisses I so desperately needed from her. The backseat of my truck got more action than it ever has. She deserves better than back seats and dirty bars. She deserves better than me. After this weekend, I have to put distance between us.
“It’s been seven months since she shared a villa with me in Los Angeles, but that trip nearly killed me. I’ve jerked off to the things we did in Villa Forty-Four more times that I can count. I’ve avoided being alone with her since we got back. Every time we’re together, it gets harder to walk away, but this weekend I couldn’t resist her. I think my best friend's sister may have ruined me for all other women.”
He closes the book, turning to face me.
“Want to know a secret?”
He nods in reply.
“When I was in L. A, I stayed at the Sunset Marquis. Guess what room I stayed in?”
“No fucking way.”
“Yes, fucking way.”
He says nothing. But if he can share, so can I.
“I touched myself and thought of our stay there.”
“Is that so?”
I nod. “In the tub. The shower. The bed. Even at the dining room table. I was trying to eat my takeout, but it was the samething you and I had eaten at that very table, which then led to what we did on it after.”
