“It could never be about sex with you Daisy-girl.”
That had been his nickname for her years ago and tears entered her eyes at the sound of it.
“Oh. Good.” She leaned her forehead against his chest. Dork.
“Yeah. Good.” He sounded amused. Then he wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her head back. He kissed her. And Jesus, it was nothing like she’d experienced before. Her body melted into his, her lips parting for his tongue.
He wasn’t making promises or declarations of love. She wasn’t expecting that. They were both different people now who had to get to know each other. But he was here and he wasn’t staring at her like she was nothing to him. So, she wanted to give him what he needed.
Although she wasn’t ready for sex. Not yet. There were still things to tell him about her. Things he needed to know before that. And then there were the bruises on her thigh. She needed to get rid of those first.
She leaned back, stepping away. “Um, Jed, I. . .”
“Relax, Daisy. Nothing’s happening tonight. We get to know each other a bit first, yeah?”
She relaxed. “Yeah.”
Not that she’d ever let him know everything. No way did a man want a woman who slept with a snuggly, sucked her thumb and enjoyed playing with building blocks. There was no way he or any man would feel comfortable with that part of her.
But she’d lock that down tight. She knew she had to.
“Do you still want to get to know me? After I was a jerk?”
She’d take him any way she could. It was then that she realized she’d never gotten over Jed Carson. There was some reason she’d never dated, and part of that had been her life. Most of it had been because of this man.
“Of course, I do.” She nodded so hard that her neck started to hurt.
“Easy, baby.” He slid his hand around to the back of her neck. “I’m glad you still want that. But I feel I should warn you, I’m a very dominant guy. I like to make the rules. I don’t want to sound like a jerk, I’m not going to tell you what to wear or that you can’t talk or go out with your friends. But if you want to go out, I want to know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Who you’ll be with. Just so I can know you’re good.”
“Well, I don’t have any friends here anyway.” Or anywhere. But she didn’t want to admit that and sound like a complete loser.
His eyes narrowed. “You have Ellie.”
She nibbled her lip. “She’s nice to me because I’m renting her house but. . .”
“Ellie likes you. She’s your friend. She wouldn’t be this friendly just because you’re her tenant.”
&n
bsp; “Oh.”
“And I have no doubt you’ll make other friends.”
She wasn’t so sure. You actually had to leave the house in order to make friends. That’s what she’d been trying to do tonight and look what had happened.
Disaster.
But she didn’t need to tell Jed any of that. So, she nodded.
“If you have any trouble, I want to be the first person you call. I know there will be times when I won’t be around because of work.” He frowned slightly. “I’ll figure something else out then.”
“I wouldn’t worry, I never get in trouble.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You were in trouble tonight.”
She frowned. “The only trouble I was in was being bored to tears by Moany Mike.”
“You didn’t notice the stares you were getting, did you?”