Willow Smoke (84 page)

He
began
to
work
his
way
lower.
Daisy
grabbed
his
hair.
“No
need
for
that.
I’m
so
ready.
I
have
to
have
you
inside
me
now,
before
I
crumble.”

Nick
smiled
broadly.
“I
aim
to
please.
Right
here?”

“Right
here.”
Daisy
wheeled
to
face
the
counter
and
bent
over.
“See
if
you
can
find
the mark.

“Oh
my
God,”
she
groaned,
feeling
his
fullness
probe
her
entry.
“Why
did
I
ever
think
it
was
a
good
idea
to
do
without
this?”

“It was a crazy idea,”
he said, biting her shoulder. “I can attest to that.”

She
turned
her
head
and
grinned.
“A
little
less
talk
and
a
little
more
action,
please.”

She’d
offered
herself,
and
now
it
was
her
time
to
receive.
He
filled
her
until
there
was
no
empty
space
remaining.
Her
entire
awareness
focused
on
that
one
over
heated
pleasure
spot
and
then
fanned
out
to
take
in
his
hands
deliciously
squeezing
her
buttocks
and
the
countertop
cool
against
her
nipples.

Nick
set
a
languid
pace.
She
squeezed,
wanting
more,
urging
him
to
quicken.
“Hell,”
he
groaned,
“you
win.
Slow
can
wait.”

He
pulled
nearly
out
and
slammed
his
hips
against
her
buttocks.
Daisy
gripped
the
counter
top tight. “Way to go, old man,”
she
teased.
“I
need
you
now.
All
of
you.”

His
hips
churned
against
her
rear
until
she
lost
track of him entirely. She remained
conscious
only
of
that
tiny
place
in
her
own
body
that
loomed
so
huge.
And
then
it
grew,
it
spread
like
fire
out
of
control
threatening
everything
in
its
path.
It
leapt
about,
first
here
and
then
there
beckoning,
urging
her
forward.
And
then
when
she
was
certain
she’d
be
totally
consumed
she
was
cast
out
into
the
darkness
until
she
found
herself
resting
on
soft
grass
near
a
cool
spring.
Had
she
found
heaven?

From
a
great
distance,
as
if
through
an
echo
chamber,
she
heard
his
voice.
“Are
you
still
with
me?”

With
considerable
effort,
she
pulled
herself
back.
Her
eyes
popped
open.
Reality
rapidly
returned.
She
was
confronted
by
floral
wallpaper
and
two
dirty
pans.

“I’m
here,”
she
managed
to
whisper.
“Wow.”
She
sighed
deeply.
“Maybe
there
is
something
to
be
said
about
abstaining.”

“Not
enough,”
Nick
growled,
stroking
her
back.

The
next
morning
was
Daisy’s
day
off
and
she
took
pleasure
in
serving
Nick
coffee
in
bed.
She
crawled
back
in
beside
him
and
took
a
swallow
from
her
cup.

“A
guy
could
get
used
to
this,”
Nick
said,
winking
at
Daisy.
“You’re
a
full
service
woman.”

“Like
you,”
she
smirked,
“I
aim
to
please.”

He nodded. “And you’re
very good at that. So.
Now
what?
This
is
fantastic,
Daisy.
But where do we go from here? Or am I
just
an
old
fuddy-duddy
for
wondering.”

“No,
you’re
not
that.”
She
ducked
from
his
gaze
and
blushed.
“I’d
say
sex
is
back
in
our
relationship.”

“That’s
a
safe
assumption,”
Nick
replied,
reaching
over
to
brush
a
nipple
through
her
thin
nightgown.
“And?”

“So,
do
we
have
to
have
everything
laid
out
in
concrete?”

“No, not at all. I just
want to have
realistic
expectations.”
He
shrugged.
“I
assume
this
doesn’t
mean
you’re
ready
to
move
in
with
me?”

Daisy’s features
clouded. “No, I’m not ready for that.”

“Not yet,” he pried.

“Not yet.”

“But
it
remains
a
possibility
someday.”

“A
possibility.”

“But
we
could
spend
the
night
in
Kenwood
some
of
the
time?”

She
nodded.

“Good,
I
can
live
with
that.
And
what
about
Reggie?
Am
I
supposed
to
turn
my
back and ignore
that he’s a danger to you, to me, to us?”

“I
can
handle
Reggie,”
Daisy
snorted.
“You
would
just
make
things
worse.
He
already hates you. I want to contain him in my own way.”

“And
you
won’t
accept
advice.”

Daisy
shook
her
head.

“Okay, I don’t like
that, but what choice do I have? I love you. Hopefully, in time
you’ll
grow
to
trust
me
more
and
understand
that your problems are my problems.”

Daisy
sipped
her
coffee.
They’d
never
agree
on
how
to
handle
Reggie.
If
she
could
get
Nick
to
turn
his
back,
as
he
put
it,
maybe
that
would
be
the
best
and
most she’d get
from him. He’d never
fully
appreciate
the
danger
he
brought
down
on
himself
by
simply
staying
involved
with
her.
But
she
couldn’t
sort
all
of
that
out.
Not
now.
She
needed
him
too
much,
and
apparently
he
needed
her
too
much
for
either of them to
simply walk away from what they had.