Willow Smoke (37 page)

For
a
moment,
he
was
envious.
Why
was
she
able
to
ride
an
orgasm
for
so
much
longer
than
he
could?
And
then
with
little
rest,
she’d be
ready to search for another
wave.
Could
he
keep
up
with
her?
What about ten years from now?

Nick’s
eyes
widened.
Who
cared
about
ten
years
from
now?

“You
were
beautiful
tonight.”

Daisy
gave
Nick
a
lazy
smile
and
reached
for
the
sheet.

“Not just now. Earlier
at the ball. I told
you
you’d
be
the
belle
of
the
ball
and
you
were.
Did
you
enjoy
yourself?”

“Yes.
But
this
was
better.
I
prefer
being
here
alone
with
you
in
my
bed.
I
can
be
myself here.”

“But not at the dance?”

“Sort
of,
but
I
have
to
be
on
guard
and
watch
how
everybody
is
doing
things.
Cassie
made
sure
I
learned
the
basics
about
eating
out,
but
there
were
many
more
forks,
spoons
and
knives
tonight
than
were
needed.”

Nick
chuckled
and
pulled
her
close
to
him.
“I
suppose
you’re
right
about
that.
Think
of
it
this
way.
There
was
more
work
to
go
around
setting
the
tables
and
washing
the
dishes.”

“Right.”

“Do
you
have
a
lock
box?”

“A
lock
box?
You
mean
at
the
bank?”

He
nodded.

“No.
Why?
Do
I
need
one?”

“How
about
household
insurance?”

Daisy
ran
fingers
through
her
hair,
tugging
at snarls. “Nope. I don’t have anything
worth
stealing.”

Nick
cleared
his
throat.
“You
do
now.
I’d
suggest
putting
those
diamonds
in
a
lock
box.
I
think
you’d
agree
this
isn’t
the
safest
neighborhood
in
Chicago.”

She
looked
at
him
quizzically.
“So
how
much
household
insurance
do
I
need?
I
probably
should
have
some
for
my
office
equipment anyway. I just
haven’t gotten
around to it.”

“Figure out what that
stuff is worth,
and
then
add
another
seventy-five
to
it.”

Daisy
sat
up
straight;
the
sheet
fell
to
her
waist.
“You
mean
seventy-five
hundred
dollars, not
seventy-five. Right?”

“You’re
learning.”

Daisy
exploded
off
the
futon
and
began
marching
back
and
forth.
“I
can’t
accept
that. That’s a
small fortune.”

“A very small fortune.”

“That
depends
on
one’s
point
of
view,”
she
said,
bent
over
with
hands
on
hips.

“Damn,
you’re
a
fetching
woman
when
you
get
angry
like
that.
Particularly
naked.
Could
you
hold
that
position?”

“You stay right where
you are,
mister.
Are you trying to
buy me?”

“Good
God,
woman,
we
talked
about
this
before.
Anything
I
buy
you
is
yours
with
no strings
attached. Can I help it that
I’m
rich
and
I
want
to
give
you
something
beautiful
now
and
then?”

“Yes,
you
can.”
Daisy’s
lower
lip
trembled.
“You’re
enough
without
the
diamonds
and
the
fancy
things.”
She
turned
away
from
him.
“They
only
remind
me
how
different
I
am.
Like,
I’ve
never
once
thought
of
needing
a
lock
box.”

Nick
let
out
a
ragged
breath.
“Daisy,
I
want
to
ask
you
something.”

“Am
I
stopping
you?”

“No.
I
am.”
Nick
sat
up
in
the
bed.
“How
old
are
you,
Daisy?”

Daisy
grabbed
her
nightshirt
and
laughed.
She
slipped
it
on;
it
only
reached
low
enough
to
cover
her
belly
button.

He
smiled
at
this
quest
for
modesty.
She
looked
so
damn
fetching
in
that
nightshirt.

“How
old
am
I?
You’ve
been
screwing
me
for
two
whole
weeks
and
now
you
want
to know how old I am? Don’t worry,
you’re
not subject to the Mann Act.”

“I just want to know.”

“We
were
talking
about
you
giving
me
gifts
I
don’t
want
or
need,
and
now
you’ve
switched the subject. Okay, old man. If
it’ll
make
you
feel
worse,
I
have
a
birthday
in
three
weeks.”

Nick’s
throat
constricted.
She
was
stalling.
He
wasn’t
going
to
like
what
he
was
about
to
hear.
“So
how
old?”

“I’ll
be
a
ripe
old
twenty-one.”

Nick
collapsed
on
the
bed
and
closed
his
eyes.
Not
even
twenty-one.
He’d
thought
maybe twenty-three at the youngest;
hopefully, more like thirty.

“I’ll
be
able
to
drink
wine,
if
you’re
still
interested
in
taking me out to restaurants.
Haven’t
you
noticed
that
I
never
drink
alcohol
when
we’re
out?”

She
was
right.
And
he’d
never
thought
much
about it one way or the other.
Wow.
He’d
been
screwing
around
with
a
twenty-year-old.
What
was
it
Tom
had
said?
If
she’s
over
eighteen,
she’s
legal.
He
tried
to
take
deep
breaths.
Well,
she
was
at
least that.

“Are
you
just
going
to
lie
there,
old
man?
Speak
to
me.”
Daisy
knelt
on
the
floor
beside
her
bed
and
placed
a
palm
on
his
chest.
“You’ve
been
very
good,
you
know.
But
if
you
want
to
end
this,
I’ll
understand.
Sort
of.
I’ll
be
all
right.
You
don’t
have
to
worry
about
me.
And
you
can
have
all
your
things
back.
The
diamonds.
The
clothes.”