“Ah, yes. Another rule. You just love following all of those, don’t you?” I tease. “Now go on.”
She bites her lip. “Well, now it seems silly.”
“I’m waiting.”
She throws her hands up, causing her ass to move down farther to my crotch, and I internally curse. “Fine. Earlier you held back from saying something. Just like my brother and all of my friends do. They think I don’t see when they have silent conversations with their eyes. I act like I don’t notice because I don’t want to make things awkward. But… but it makes me angry. No—frustrated. Because everyone acts like they have to treat me with kid gloves. Like I’m this fragile little Daisy that isgoing to wither away if I’m told the cold, hard truth to my face.” She huffs as she studies me, looking for a reaction.
“I don’t think you’re fragile, Daisy. In fact, we all know you’re strong as hell. I mean, you had to deal with Nick as an older brother all of your life. For that alone you deserve the Nobel Peace prize,” I joke.
She shakes her head sadly. “No, you don’t get it.” She sighs. “For so long, I’ve been ‘Nick’s little sister’ or ‘the youngest Stonehaven,’ but never just Daisy. No one looks at me as a woman in control who can make her own decisions. And trust me, I know that I’ve done things to help me earn that reputation, but sometimes I wish people wouldn’t censor themselves around me. Or try to placate me. Hell, I’d settle for the truth, knowing it’d hurt my feelings because it meant I was respected enough to be spoken to straight up. But instead, I get the proverbial pats on the head and patronizing smiles.”
“Daze—”
“I love my brother, really, I don’t know that I would have made it this far in life if he weren’t a constant fixture by my side. But I fear I’m always going to be playing the role of little sister to him.” She deflates slightly.
I try to control my breathing. What I want to say and do are at odds. I’ve spent the entirety of our friendship keeping my thoughts about her hidden. I slipped earlier during dinner, but even that could be played off as a hypothetical.
A very descriptive and sexual hypothetical.
But now I need to brace myself. Because what I say next will have no chance at being misinterpreted.
I slowly turn her face toward mine with my thumb and forefinger. “Daisy, I’m sorry you’ve felt that way. And I apologize for any part I’ve played in exacerbating those feelings.” She nods, opening her mouth to speak. But I don’t need another autopilot response from her. No, I need her to listen for exactlywhat she asked for. “But I need to be crystal clear here. I don’t see you as some fragile kid sister who can’t endure the hard things in life. Do I want to shield and protect you from anything that might cause you harm? Absolutely. A frightening amount, actually. But when I look at you, I’m not thinking about your last name. Honestly, half the time you’re talking, I can barely remember my own.”
“What do you—”
I chuckle darkly. “Daisy. If you shift your ass any higher, you’re gonna feel exactly how I feel about you, and that should answer your concerns about me thinking you’re too fragile. Because there is nothing soft or gentle about the thoughts running through my mind when you’re sitting on my lap.”
Her cheeks brighten, but she doesn’t move an inch. Her eyes drop and I feel her tense the exact moment she spots the outline of my hard cock pressed along my thigh.
I test my luck and lean forward to speak into her ear. “If unfiltered responses are what you want from me, then that’s exactly what you’ll get.”
I feel her tremble, and I know for damn sure she’s not cold in my hoodie.
“You good there, Daze?”
She nods repeatedly.
“If you keep looking at it, it’s only going to get bigger.”
Her ass is off my lap as if it’s been lit on fire. “I—I wasn’t, um—”
I tsk. “The no bullshitting goes both ways, Daisy.”
I stand too, keeping my eyes on her roaming ones as I readjust myself.
“I, uh—” She waves at my crotch. “Well, I’ve, um—”
“Out with it.”
“Okay, fine. I’ve never seen one that big before, happy?”
“Very. But you haven’t actually seen it, just to be clear.”
Now she’s bright red, and I’m dying to know if the rest of her body flushes a pretty pink under different circumstances.
But I’m not going to push it, especially since from now on all she’ll get from me is God’s honest truth, no matter how filthy that may be.
“Now sit your fine ass down on the couch and keep watching your movie.” I walk away, needing a moment for my dick to calm down.
