His answer came in the form of a nod.
I knew what I was doing was crazy and would just complicatethe hell out of things, but I also knew it was what I wanted. I couldn’t even imagine trying to go back to the emptiness of my own bed right now.
“Daisy,” Cash said just before I moved so I could slip beneath the covers and lie down next to Sage’s back.
“Yeah?”
I looked up at him and saw another hint of that vulnerability that made me feel like I was being handed something precious every time I saw it.
“Don’t hurt him.”
The words were spoken in a whisper and they came out as a plea instead of a command.
And it broke my heart.
Because I knew what he’d really meant to say.
Don’t hurtus.
I didn’t answer him because I wasn’t sure how to make such a promise. None of this made any sense to me. I wasn’t even sure I understood what these men wanted from me. But I knew even as I pressed up against Sage’s warm back and wrapped my arm around him, and thereby covering Cash’s arm in the process, that it was a promise I’d keep even if it killed me.
The lights shut off a moment later and I felt Cash shift on the bed. But when he began to pull his arm from beneath mine, I grabbed his fingers to keep us connected and spoke softly enough not to wake Sage, but loudly enough to make sure Cash heard me.
“I won’t, Cash. I promise.”
Chapter 9
Sage
The hand toyingwith my hair wasn’t Cash’s. I knew that because I could feel the slim fingers skimming over my temple, cheek, nose, and jawline every now and again.
I wanted to pretend I was asleep both so that I could enjoy Daisy’s gentle caresses and so I wouldn’t have to face the truth about what I’d done the night before.
It wasn’t often that I lost time like that, but I never forgot the events that followed. I didn’t remember the moment I’d put the knife to my skin, but I remembered hearing Mouse’s voice in my ear as if she’d really been lying right next to me. I’d felt her chilled skin against mine, absorbed the tremors causing her body to violently shake as we’d waited for them to come for us. But it had been that piece of metal from the bed in my hand, not a knife, when I’d cut my skin. I needed to make sure Cash understood that.
Because I knew he’d be blaming himself enough already. I’d heard it in his voice as he’d tried to calm me down.
“You’re a terrible faker, Sage,” Daisy said softly.
I couldn’t help but smile.
And choke up a little.
Of all the things she could have said to me, she was choosing togo with lightness this morning. No accusations, no tears and histrionics, no disgust or judgment or quiet condemnation. Just Daisy being Daisy and calling me on my shit.
“I’m hoping you’ll be tempted to molest me a bit farther south if you think I’m still asleep,” I said.
Daisy chuckled. “Tempting, but since your gigantic boyfriend is just ten feet away, I’ll pass.”
I could hear the shower in the attached bathroom running.
I forced my eyes open and felt something inside of me burst at the sight of her. She looked tired and her eyes were puffy, probably from crying and probably because of me. But her expression was soft, not pitying.
“Do you make a habit of sneaking into men’s beds and hogging their pillows?” I asked. We were facing each other.
“I do when I don’t have a big, beefy arm to rest my head on all night.”
I chuckled. “I can’t wait to tell Cash you think his arm is ‘beefy.’”
