Opening the door, I walk out of his suite without another word said. As sad as it is, it has to be this way. It has to be.
8
Carter
What the hell just happened? Guilt and anger burn through my veins. I’m the reason for this. I knew our past would come back to bite me in the ass, but I didn’t expect it to hit me this hard. And I didn’t expect it to happen right after what we just did.
I’ve had sex many times before, but it’s never felt like this. There has always been something between Daisy and me. A spark of sorts, but up until now, I was too stupid to see it.
All I had to do was reach out and grab it, but I was too much of a coward. Now, I finally have her, and she is slipping through my hands like quicksand. No matter how much I try to hold onto her, I know it’s useless.
Watching her walk out of the room was like a quick kick to the balls, and all I could do was take it and fight through the pain.
Needing to clear my head before I do anything, I decide to take a cold shower. I force myself out of bed and into the bathroom, turning the shower on without even looking up. Stepping inside, the cold water shocks my body. Lowering my head, I watch the water wash away all the evidence of sex, and it hits me then. Not only did I come inside of her, but she left without her panties.
Fuck me. Now, I’m left with the image of Daisy walking somewhere downstairs, with my come dripping out of her and down her leg. Marking her as mine. Like a selfish bastard, I wrap my hand around my already hardened length and start jerking myself off in quick, hard strokes. This is the last thing I should be doing right now, but Daisy needs space, and I can’t stop thinking about how she felt so perfect wrapped around my dick. I’ll make certain my cock is the only one she has for the rest of her life. I fucked up once before, but I won’t give up without a fight this time.
Picturing her cunt squeezing my cock, I come in record time, thick ropes of sticky come shoot out and paint the shower wall. Sighing, I release my length and rinse away the evidence of my release. I shower, rinse, and get out, drying off with the fluffy towel that’s hanging on the rack to my right.
With my head a little clearer, I think about what Daisy said before she walked out. She doesn’t think I care for her or want her, which is no surprise. I need to prove to her that she is wrong. I need to make her see that I wanted her all along, even if I never showed it.
There was no excuse for not sticking up for her when I should have, but I can’t go back and change things. All I can do is try and win her over now.
Dressing quickly, I leave the room in a hurry, only grabbing my key card at the last minute. I rush downstairs, suddenly having this irrational feeling that I’m running out of time. I feel like I’m late for class on a day we’re taking an important exam.
Holding on to that urgency, I scan the large room. A sea of flowy dresses and black tuxedos, wherever I look, but my Daisy is nowhere to be found. I do, however, spot her father, so I make my way over to him.
He has his back turned to me and doesn’t see me coming, which turns out to be the best fucking thing because otherwise, I wouldn’t have heard the words coming out of his mouth.
“I’m telling you, Malcolm, Daisy would make a great wife for you. She is very obedient, and if she ever gets out of line again, I know how to subdue her. I have my ways to make women compliant if you know what I mean.”
Rage… pure rage. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like it before. Not this intense. I want to tear his head off, break every finger on his hands, one by one, cause him unimaginable pain, and I think I would if we weren’t in a room full of people.
It takes every bit of my self-restraint to turn around and walk away. And the only reason I can is knowing that Daisy needs me. She needs to know what’s going on, she needs to be protected, and I’m the one who is going to do it.
9
Daisy
Using the corner of a paper towel, I pat away the tears from the corner of my eye. I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe I slept with Carter. But more than that, I can’t believe the way he looked at me when I left. He almost looked… hurt.
I’m so confused, so lost, I just want to find a way out of this mess. I want my mom and the baby growing inside of me to be safe. I thought Carter was the way out, but I can’t go through with it. I can’t play him like that. It doesn’t matter what he and his friends did to me in high school, I’m not like them. I can’t, and I won’t do that to him.
Taking a deep calming breath, I prepare myself to leave the bathroom when the door opens, and two women walk in.
“I’m telling you, I saw him. It was Carter Davis. I know it,” one of them says.
My back stiffens at his name, and I try not to show any reaction.
“Well, I haven’t seen him. Maybe he already left.”
Keeping my gaze down, I turn around and move past them toward the door.
“Daisy?” My head snaps up at the sound of my name, and my stomach twists when I see Carly standing in front of me. “Is that you?” I’m not sure what to say, but there isn’t any point in lying.
“Yes, it’s me.” I straighten up a little more, steeling my spine like I should have done years ago.
“What happened to you, freak? You don’t look quite as weird and crazy anymore.” Her words land their mark, but I’m not the same person I was back in high school.
“Oh no, I’m still crazy. So, you better watch it. I might accidentally do something to your face.”
Carly tips back her head and laughs, “Oh, fuck, Crazy Daisy finally grew a backbone. Too bad it doesn’t matter. You are, and always will be a freak.” I try to push past her, but she shoves me back against the wall, trapping me. I can feel the walls closing in around me, and all over again, I feel like I’m the bullied girl.
“You know what was the most fun? When you made puppy eyes at Carter, my boyfriend, like he would ever go for someone like you.”
The mentioning of his name is the final straw for me. With every ounce of strength I have, I push her away from me. She stumbles backward and lands flat on her ass with a yelp.
The friend who has been quiet so far, kneels onto the floor beside her, attempting to help her up. Carly is livid, trying to get up quickly, but her heel gets caught on her dress, and her foot slips back. She is so angry that her face is bright red, and it looks like she’s about to explode. Figuratively and literally, and as entertaining as that might be, I’m not sticking around to see it.
Storming out of the bathroom, I almost trip but catch myself at the last second and speed walk the rest of the way back to the main hall.
As soon as I enter, I spot Carter, and as soon as he spots me, he heads in my direction.
Great. Just great.
Spinning around, I try to get away, but he catches up with me in a few strides. Wrapping his strong hands around my wrists, he pulls me back and into his chest.
“Please, just wait,” Carter pleads, an urgency in his tone that has me further on edge. “I need to talk to you. You’re in danger.”
Twisting around to face him, I scowl, “What are you talking about?”