##Chpter 36: DaisyThe apartment is dark when I return. My lips curve remembering the pissed off look on Carter's face when I told him that I was going out. Even though I didn't catch his expression when I dropped the panty bomb, I have a pretty good idea what it looked like.Carter wants to pretend we never hooked up?That's fine.Two can play that game.I can't tell you just how satisfying it was to knock him off balance. Carter Prescott is used to being chased by the women of BU. He's used to holding all the power. Well, that's not going to happen with this girl.On the way to the bedroom, I slip off my heels and glance down the hallway. Both Carter and Noah's doors are closed. I assume Noah returned from his trip with Ashley. Once I'm in my room, I close the door and throw my purse and heels in the corner. I hadn't been lying when I'd told Carter that I was going out on a date.I did.With Alex.He stopped by the table Olivia and I'd been studying at this afternoon and we
##Chapter 37: DaisyI take a step toward him. Then another. I move cautiously as if approaching a skittish animal. One that could bolt at any moment."I didn't seek you out," I remind him. "You were waiting for me in my bedroom."He rips his gaze from my body and I instantly feel the loss of it."I shouldn't have," he mumbles. "It was a shit decision on my part."Wow.I point to the door. I won't beg anyone for their time or attention. I've been down that road before with my parents. In the end, it never works out. Carter can have any girl he wants. And he has. I've seen it play out hundreds of times before. All he has to do is crook a finger and they come running en masse. But that's not me. I have zero interest in being a jersey chasing groupie."Then you should leave before you make any more decisions you'll end up regretting." It takes effort to keep the hurt from seeping into my voice.Carter sucks in a breath and nods. "You're right."Disappointment surges through
##Chapter 38: Carter"What the hell kind of play was that?" I grumble, jumping from the chair and throwing my hands in the air.I glance at Noah, who sits next to Ashley. Daisy is perched on the couch next to them.I wave my hand toward the big screen TV and collapse onto my favorite recliner where I've taken up sentinel for the game. "Did you see that?"Noah shakes his head and mutters something under his breath regarding the turnover that has given possession to the other team. It's Sunday afternoon and we're camped out at the apartment watching the Tennessee game. It's a tradition during football season for the three of us. I'm on my gameday recliner because it's good luck.Am I superstitious?Hell, yeah.I've also got on my lucky socks and boxers. Both have been turned inside out for the occasion.It's half-time and the Titans are up by seven, although with that turnover, who the hell knows what's going to happen. Normally, I'm a hundred percent focused on the game but Dais
##Chapter 39: CarterThat's actually not how I saw this going. What we're witnessing here today, folks, is unprecedented. I'm not the only one who thinks so because Daisy snorts before attempting to cover it with a cough. It wasn't all that long ago that Noah would have grabbed the keys and hustled his ass out the door to do her bidding. Times, they be a changing.Ashley's mouth falls open when she realizes it. "Well?"She drops the word like an atom bomb. The aftershock can be felt for miles.Noah stuffs another enormous bite into his mouth. Once he swallows it, he says, "Well, what?"She folds her arms across her chest. "Aren't you going to return this salad and get me a new one?"There's a whole lot of incredulous packed into her tone.Noah's brows skyrocket across his forehead and he gives her an you're out of your mind look before shaking his head. "Ah, no. I wasn't planning on it." He points to the untouched salad on the counter. "Pick the croutons off or don't eat i
##Chapter 40: DaisyAt a loss, I watch Carter head for the door without a second glance at me. All within two minutes of receiving a text.Who the hell was it from?I've never seen him jump like that. I look at my cousin and try to get a read on his thoughts, but his gaze remains fixed on the television screen.The three of us watching the game on a Sunday afternoon is our thing. We've been doing it since freshman year. Even when I couldn't stand to be in the same room with Carter, it was still what we did.Doesn't Noah think Carter's behavior was strange? We're in the middle of the game and he just got up and took off. But Noah hasn't commented on it.I clear my throat and jerk my thumb toward the apartment door. "What's up with that?"Noah glances at me and then goes back to watching the screen. "How should I know?"I nibble my lip not wanting to ask.I'm able to hold the question in for about two minutes before it bursts free. "Who do you think the text was from?""Dunno."
##Chapter 41: DaisyI jolt awake as a muscular body slides beneath the sheets. My eyes pop open and I find Carter's face hovering above mine."Hey," he says gruffly.The sound of his voice plucks something deep inside me before reverberating through my body. I reach out to touch him before remembering that I spent the afternoon hanging around the apartment, waiting for him to return so we could talk.But he never showed. This is the first I'm seeing of him.My hand falls back to the mattress.Could I have shot him a text to make sure everything was okay?Yeah, but there was no way I was doing that. The bottom line is that Carter and I aren't together. He's not my boyfriend. I'm not his girlfriend. He doesn't owe me any explanations. The situation between us is casual and neither of us have pushed for more than him slipping into my room at night to screw.Not only does that thought hurt my heart, but it solidifies everything inside me. Even though he's just woken me from a deep
##Chapter 42: Daisy"So," I tilt my head and squint. "You're not going to tell me where we're going?" Carter skewers me with a glance and shakes his head. A smile clings to his lips. Every so often, our eyes catch and hold, sparks of desire flaring to life, before he jerks them back to the road.This is a first for us. We never go out in public together.Sure, we walk to class and sit next to one another, but there's always a distance between us. Everything about our demeanor screams friend zone. Which is exactly why girls still approach him. They flick their hair and flutter their lashes. They press their hands to his chest or trail their fingertips along his bicep. I might be standing next to him, but it's like I'm wearing an invisibility shield. As much as I want to growl and tell them to back the hell off, I can't.What am I going to say?That he's my secret boytoy and to keep their sticky mitts off my man?Not going to happen.Although, Carter doesn't encourage their be
##Chapter 43: Daisy"Whenever I needed to get away from home and clear my head, this is where I'd go. Even now, when I'm at school and need a break, I'll take off and drive here for a while." He pauses for a beat. "I don't always set out with the intention of coming to the park, but this is where I always end up. There's something tranquil about the lake and woods."As those words sink in, I realize how special this place is to him and my heart cracks wide open. "Thank you for sharing this with me."He stares up at the cotton candy-like clouds as they float past."I've never brought anyone else here." He glances at me and then yanks his eyes away. "I've never wanted to."Instead of staying curled up in the crook of his arm, I roll toward him until I'm draped across his chest. "But you wanted to bring me?" My gaze fastens onto his, searching it for more than he's willing to admit."Yeah," he whispers.We might be the only two people in the park, but we keep our voices pitched l