Page 105 of The Rogue and His Flower

“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t,” I cry.

“Then look at me, Daisy. Look at me,” he commands, his hand coming up to the back of my head, his fingers curling into my hair, tugging hard.

My scalp tingles with sharp pain, blotting out my father’s voice for one blissful moment. I hiss out a breath, focusing on the man before me, revelling in the pain.

“Dalton…” I whimper. “Make it go away.”

“But–” His fingers loosen in my hair, and the darkness creeps back over me.

Worthless bag of bones…

“Please, Dalton. Make it go away.”

“How?”

“The pain…” I mutter.

“What?” His voice catches, body stiffening beneath me.

“Hurtme,” I whisper, the words tripping from my tongue.

“Hurt you? I don’t want to hurt you, Daisy,” he replies, shaking his head.

Useless little wretch…

I reach up, placing my hand over his, curling my fingers around his hand, forcing him to tug once more. The sharpness erases my father’s voice, every thought, every feeling of despair. I cling onto that, needing escape. I can’t unravel why the pain causes my mind to blank out, but it does, and right now I crave oblivion most of all.

“It helps to blot it out, the pain I mean…”

“Pain helps you to blot out the memories?” he questions, confused by my request.

“Yes,” I reply, voice quivering.

“But your parents hurt you too. I don’t want to do that.”

“You spanked me in the Hall of Mirrors, I liked it… I don’t know why, but… I…Ilikedit,” I admit, clinging onto that feeling, that almost catatonic state I went to.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea, Daisy. You’re so vulnerable right now.”

“I need this.Please.”

“Fuck,” he mutters, his gaze piercing mine. “I know that there can be pleasure in pain,release. I know this, but…”

“Don’t deny me. Please, Dalton. Don’t deny me this.”

“This isn’t something we should be experimenting with right now, Daisy. You’ve just woken up from a terrible nightmare. This isn’t how this is supposed to happen. There’s too much at stake. You’re not emotionally fit enough for this right now. I could make this worse, not better. No,” he shakes his head, “I can’t.”

“Dalton, he’s still in my head. I can hear his voice,” I say, pressing my palms against my temples, trying and failing to drown out the sound. “When you tugged on my hair, his voice disappeared. For the briefest of moments, I didn’t hear him anymore.”

“Jesus, Daisy. I’m not sure I’m equipped for this…”

“I trust you not to take it too far. I trustyou,” I say, meaning it.

For long moments he just stares at me, battling with himself, but as he reflexively tugs on my hair more, that simple act has my mouth dropping open in bliss. I let out a soft mewl, everything going blank.

“Please,” I whisper.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

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