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“She lies,” I told them. “She has one of those walking pads under her desk so she can work and walk.”
“It helps me focus and be more productive,” she defended even though she didn’t need to. I liked that she had a body that needed to move, just like me.
“I’ve heard that,” Kit chimed in. “I’ve been thinking about getting one, but my desk chair is so comfy…”
“You don’t need to be more productive,” Elliot murmured. “You do enough.”
“Thank you for noticing.” Leaning over, she kissed his jaw. “And for the desk chair.”
“I could use a new chair, Levy,” I called across the fire.
He lowered his chin, giving me a long stare. “You have money, Aldrich. Use it.”
“I do have money, it’s just that sometimes I get these random pains in my ass. My doctors said that might happen after getting shot. Remember that? When I jumped in front of a bullet for you?”
Elliot exhaled. “You didn’t so much as jump, just happened to be in the same place the bullet was going.”
I scratched the side of my head. “I guess we remember it differently. Trauma does affect memory. That’s what my surgeon told me.”
Kit pressed her hand on Elliot’s chest before he could tell me to fuck off. He was too much fun to goad, and there was no possible way I wasn’t going to milk the scar on my ass until my last breath.
“If Miles wants a chair, he can have a chair, right, love?” She had this Elliot-taming voice that instantly melted his spine of ice. He leaned into her like he couldn’t help it and nuzzled the side of her face.
“Whatever you want.”
Kit’s gaze flicked back to me, a grin curving her lips. She knew what I was doing, and though she might’ve found me amusing, she was firmly on Elliot’s side.
As she should be.
“Want a chair, Miles?” she asked.
I waved her off. “Nah, that’s okay. Thanks for asking.”
The night went on. We hung by the fire, telling stories and talking until, couple by couple, everyone drifted back to their rooms. Daisy stuck around to help me shut everything down and clean up. By the time we got to our room, I was ready to face-plant on the mattress—and looking even more forward to it since she’d be there with me.
She went into the bathroom to change while I put on my pajamas in our room. When she was dressed, she cracked the door open, inviting me in. She was bent over the sink, scrubbing her face. I stopped right beside her to take a good long look at the body that had been attached to mine the last few hours.
Since she was wearing a cami and shorts, more of her skin was on display than I’d ever had the pleasure of seeing. I was surprised to find she didn’t have tattoos. With her combat boots and general “fuck off” attitude, I’d assumed they were par for the course. Daisy wasn’t like anything I’d expected. It made sense she was all pale, smooth skin.
“I feel you staring.” She was holding a steaming washcloth over her face. “Why are you staring?”
“Looking at your jams.” I ran my finger along the spaghetti strap of her top. “I didn’t know what kind you wore.”
She tossed the cloth in the sink and patted her face dry while sweeping me with her gaze. For her sake, I wore black sleep pants and a white T-shirt. Normally, it was boxers or nothing, but that wasn’t in the cards this weekend.
Even though I would have loved nothing more than to strip both our clothes off, get in bed, pull the covers over us, and hold her bare skin against mine.
“I thought for sure you slept naked,” she said.
“You thought right.” I plucked at my shirt. “This is me protecting your modesty.”
The sputter that burst out bent her in half. “Don’t worry about me. My modesty’s a-okay without you protecting it.” She started for the door, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. “Wear, or don’t wear, what you want. It won’t bother me.”
By the time I’d brushed my teeth and lost the shirt, Daisy was tucked in bed, lying on her side, facing my spot. I slid in, rolling to face her. We both smelled a little like smoke from the fire, but it was comforting rather than bothersome.
She was chewing on her bottom lip, her eyes dancing over me. Forcing a half-smile, I exhaled.
“Ask it, Daisy-daze. I can see you’re dying to.”
