22. Chapter Twenty-two

I had a reckless streak a mile wide. That was a facet of my personality abstaining from alcohol made no dent in. It was brain chemistry. My ADHD and the general makeup of who I was urged me to test boundaries, to balance on narrow ledges and tease hungry lions.

Or, in this case, the woman who'd entrusted me with her business and herself in a lot of ways. Kissing Daisy had been the start of my recklessness, but it hadn't ended there.

We were supposed to check out of the house this morning. The others had already packed up and were headed home. But I took one look at the hot tub I'd barely dunked my toes in, arched a brow at Daisy, and she'd nodded.

It was broad daylight, cleaners would be descending on the house any minute, but we were sitting in the hot tub like we had all the time and privacy in the world.

"You should put a hot tub on your deck," she said.

"Probably." I spread my arms out on the sides and let my head fall back. "But then it wouldn't be special anymore. I like hot tubs because I only get to use them when I take trips."

"That's a good point. When we took road trips, we'd always stay at hotels with continental breakfast. I was obsessed with the cheese danishes inevitably on the buffet. One time, after we got home, I convinced my mom to buy me a package of them for breakfast."

I groaned, knowing where this was going. "Ruined it for you?"

"Yeah. I was so sad. On vacation, I lived on those danishes, but at home, it was like eating cardboard with curdled cream in the center. They were never the same for me."

I found her foot under the water and hooked it with mine, drawing it into my lap. "I like your stories, Daisy-daze. Hearing that kind of normalcy is like a balm."

She pressed her toes into my abdomen. "You might not have had it when you were a kid, but there's nothing stopping you from having it now."

I caught her foot in both hands and dug my thumb into her arch. She immediately went lax, her head falling against the cushion, lips parting.

I wanted to kiss her again. Then I wondered if the churning in my gut and lightness in my chest was due to the magic of vacation. When we got back to the drudgery of real life, would kissing her lose its spark?

If it did, I didn't want to know.

I lifted her foot out of the water. Her nails were painted navy blue, the soles soft and taken care of. I leaned in and pressed my lips to the ball of her foot. Gasping, her head popped up.

"What was that?"

Looking her straight in the eye, I kissed her foot again. Another gasp, and her foot jerked, but she made no effort to steal it away.

"Your feet are cute." I dragged my fingers over the delicate bones in her ankle. "Sexy."

"Really?" She pointed her toes like a little dancer. "What's your favorite polish color?"

I ran my thumb over the nail of her big toe. "Right now, I'm partial to navy blue."

"What else?"

I kissed the tip of her toe. "I can't deny classic red does it for me."

"Hmmm. No one's ever paid attention to my feet before. I don't know if I like it or not."

Scooting closer, I dipped my head to trail my lips over the top of her foot. "You don't know if you like this?" Her skin was smooth and warm against my tongue as I licked her from heel to the tip of her toe.

Her breath caught. "That isn't so bad. What else would you do if you were really doing this to someone?"

I hooked her other foot and brought it to my lap. She had to cling to the side of the tub so she didn't go under. "I would rub the hell out of both your feet until you were boneless. Then I might lay you down in front of me and bring your foot up to my mouth so I could suck each of your pretty little toes."

Turning my head, I closed my lips over the tip of her big toe, which was a misnomer since it wasn't very big at all. I swirled my tongue around it until Daisy's breathing stuttered and her fingers dug into the padding along the side of the tub.

She'd taken her other foot from me, using it to massage high on my inner thigh. Her movements were unpracticed, but dear god, did it feel good. If she was going to keep teasing me, I would do the same.

I licked the arch of her foot and circled my tongue around her ankle bones. Then I kissed a line up the top of her foot, ankle, and shin. Once I was as far as I could reach without pulling her underwater, I nuzzled my cheek against her smooth calf.

"I might have a foot thing too," she breathed.

"Yeah?" I raised my eyes from her leg. "You like that, Daisy-daze?"

Her lids were at half-mast, and the rest of her was so relaxed, she'd slid low, the water lapping at her chin.

"Think so," she replied. "You made me feel a little drunk."

Despite how turned on I was, I laughed. She really was adorable.

"I've found the key to making you chill out, huh? I bet I could talk you into anything right now."

Her eyes locked on mine. "Probably. And you wouldn't even have to be very persuasive."

A surge of need had me grabbing her around the waist and placing her on the side of the tub so only her calves and feet were in the water. I hooked my fingers on her bikini bottoms, grazing bare skin beneath.

"And if I wanted to pull these aside?"

"I wouldn't stop you." Her voice had dropped an octave, husky and sexy, luring me to follow my impulse and pull the gusset of her bikini to the side, revealing her slick, pink pussy.

"Fuck," I gritted out. "If you don't stop me right now, I'm going to put my mouth on you."

I counted to five. She didn't move, and my forebrain didn't stop me. Her thighs fell open at the same time I moved forward. Lowering, I hooked her legs on my shoulders, spreading her even wider, and dragged my nose up her length. When I hit her clit, I replaced my nose with my lips, kissing the hard little bead beneath silky slick skin.

"Miles," she breathed. "Please."

This might've been my one and only shot at having her like this. I was going to make it count. Nothing could get me to hurry my perusal of her sweet lips, making a path with my tongue along the way. Underneath the taste of water was pure Daisy. Euphorically sweet and spicy, exactly how I thought she'd be when I allowed myself to think about her in this way.

"This is crazy." It was no objection. Her fingers dug into my hair, pulling me deeper into her pussy. "God, Miles, that feels so amazing. You're so good at that."

Her praise sung to my soul, spurring me on to make this the best time she'd ever had with a man between her legs. It was easy for me to delve deeper, to suck her flesh and lick her cream. The more time she was out of the water, the more her real flavor and scent revealed themselves. Fucking intoxicating. If I had this on tap, I'd never be tempted by alcohol again.

"Miles, Miles, Miles," she panted. "Oh god, what—"

I slipped a finger into her pulsing channel and closed my lips around her clit. The moan that broke free cracked in the open air, echoing off the mountains.

Her hips rose and fell with the steady, gentle rhythm I finger-fucked her. She might've been chasing something, but I was more than content to stay right here. On the precipice, alive with anticipation.

More awake than I'd been in years. So present. Sights, smells, sounds as sharp as the edge of a blade, my senses were overwhelmed.

"Miles."

She panted my name, so much desperation poured into that one syllable, she might as well have been pleading for more. I gave her what she needed, adding another finger inside her, curving them to drag along her inner wall.

Hips rocketing off the edge of the tub, her fingers tightened in my hair. I repeated the motion, and Daisy cried like she'd been stabbed. Ragged and pained, needing something, anything, to fill her emptiness.

I thrust my fingers and curled, hitting the spot she was begging me to find, and laved her clit with the flat of my tongue. That was what she needed, what I'd known by instinct to give her. She gripped my ears, holding my mouth against her as she rode my lips through her climax.

Before she could come down and return to her senses, I lowered her into the hot tub, her legs on either side of mine. My bathing suit was paper thin, plastered to my skin, letting me feel her lower lips spread around my dick.

I only had a split second to try to come to terms with her pussy being on me before she dove for my mouth, then every one of my thoughts bailed. Mouths, tongues, teeth. Clashing, nipping, sucking, her tongue tangling with mine. She took my face in her hands and tipped my head back. Her lips covered mine, dominating our kiss.

It was cute, so I let her have it before taking back control. Yanking the sides of her hair, I ripped her mouth off mine.

"No," she rasped.

"Yes."

I held her eyes as I lowered my face to hers, brushing my lips over her waiting mouth. She chased my lips, whimpering when she couldn't quite catch them. Not until I wanted her to.

Her hips rocked against mine, and I was seconds away from being even more fucking reckless than I already had been. Draping her over the side of the hot tub, belly down, I'd tasted her little pussy again then sink—

We were saved from my impulsiveness by three maids swinging open the deck door and informing us through giggles over what they'd obviously interrupted that we had to leave so they could clean for the next guests.

Like last night, instead of being mortified, Daisy took it in stride, laughing at the ridiculous situation. Climbing off me and out of the tub, she wrapped herself in a towel and shook mine at me.

"Come on, you. Before we get banned from this town."

I got out of the hot tub, pressing the heel of my palm against my erection. She stepped into me and circled the towel around my waist.

"Thank you, Cupcake."

What a good girl. Truly the best girl. The highest quality. Her ex was an idiot for not locking her down years ago. Even more so for letting her walk away.

We were dressed, dry, and on the road before I got another chance to look at her. She was wearing her oversized black hoodie and jeans with the knees ripped out. The screen of her phone held something interesting, since she hadn't even glanced my way.

"Still good?" I asked, taking my eyes off the road for a moment to meet hers.

"Of course. We were having fun, right?" She tucked her phone in her hoodie pocket, giving me her full attention.

"I definitely had fun."

She sniffed, her lips tipping upward. "It seems we always do when we're together."

"No doubt. Just wanted to make sure we're both on the same page."

"We are. Don't worry, Miles. I don't plan out my future wedding with every guy who shows the slightest interest in me. It'll take me a solid seven years to ask you why you won't marry me, so you're free and clear."

"I'd be the lucky one in that situation, and anyone who'd make you wait that long would be too stupid to have you anyway." I reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thanks for making this weekend so easy on me."

"You don't have to thank me. I loved being there with you. If circumstances were different, I'd be demanding you take me on all future group trips."

She smiled. My stomach sank.

There were no future group trips for her. This was a one-and-done kind of thing. She seemed to get it, but my insides snarled in protest. We wanted Daisy with us for all the fun and difficult things. In the relatively short time I'd known her, she'd started to make the hard things bearable, the uncomfortable things a breeze.

I could get used to this.

I already was.

Next time I went somewhere with the group and she wasn't with me, I'd feel it in a significant way. But if I kept letting her in, relying on her to be content, I'd go searching for something to take her place without her.

My reckless nature would have me reaching for a bottle. Alcohol had a history of filling more of my hollow parts than anything else.

I exhaled, twisting my grip on my steering wheel.

Therapy, friendships, work, Clementine, Westie, Lisie, baby Joey, my house.

Alcohol wasn't all I had. I had lists of things and people who filled me up. I just had to be careful not to add Daisy to it. She wouldn't be around long. Once she got over that ex-boyfriend and her hang-ups with her last name, she'd see she didn't need me at all.

I couldn't be reckless here. Daisy was too special and far too fragile from the destruction of the last guy for me to be anything less than meticulous with how I handled her.

I would not be another person to hurt her.

I'd do my best not to hurt myself either.