Page 126 of The Rogue and His Flower

“No,” she cries, her fear palpable as she climbs into my arms, curling her body around mine as she presses her chest to my chest as though trying to bury herself beneath my skin.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m here,” I say, rubbing my hand up and down her back as I try to soothe her, to calm her fears, but she continues to tremble, a shuddering sob releasing from her lips.

“I c-can’t go through this again.”

She buries her face against my neck and I can feel the wetness of her tears as she sobs. The sound she makes is heartbroken as she clings to me. It terrifies me, her fear. It makes my throat close over and a tightness forms in my chest.

“Hold on to me,” I say, feeling an overwhelming need to shield her from the demons that haunt her.

“Don’t let me go,” she whimpers.

“I’m not letting you go,” I promise, holding her tighter against my chest. She lets out a shuddering sob, my goddamn heart aching at the sound.

“I’m scared.”

“I know, but I’m here with you. Nothing can hurt you while I’m here. I promise,” I murmur, meaning it, wanting her to know that I will protect her. I will. Whatever it takes.

“I hate this,” she groans, trembling, her voice weak. “I hate that they did this to me.”

“Oh Daisy,” I whisper, pressing a kiss against her hair, wanting to take her fear away more than I’ve wanted to do anything.

“They hurt me so badly, Dalton. They hurt me, and I can’t… I feel so lost sometimes,” she chokes out. “I wish I didn’t remember. I’ve tried so hard to forget. But here in the darkI’m thrown back into that room again, cold, alone, in pain, terrified…”

“Jesus, Daisy.” My words are thick, raw, and I feel the prick of white hot tears in my eyes. I don’t fucking cry. I never cry, and yet here I am feeling the sting, hurting for her, with her.

“Just hold me…” she whispers, her voice so quiet I can barely hear it above the thunder and lightning.

“All night long,” I promise.

She nods, her body shifting with mine as I lay us both down, drawing her into my side, my body lined up with hers, chest to chest, breath mingling, hearts racing. Reaching up I cup her cheek, pressing a tentative kiss against her mouth.

She sobs, clutching hold of me, falling into the kiss. Just like that night she woke from a nightmare, I feel this intense need to replace her fear with something else, withme. And so I kiss her. I kiss her with a profound sense of needing to soothe her, to calm her, to show her that I’m here, that I won’t abandon her like her parents did, that I won’t hurt her like they did.

Our kiss deepens, and it’s raw and beautiful and fucking heart-wrenchingly painful in a way that makes me quake for her. Not because it’s wrong, but because it’s so fucking right. I kiss her until her sobs become whimpers, and her tears stop falling. It’s only then that I pull back, needing to stop, because if I don’t I could so easily slip inside of her, and I made a promise to myself and to her that the next time I did that it would be because I was certain that I loved her.

Instead, I tug her against my chest and hold her. We stay like that, wrapped around each other for what feels like an eternity as the storm continues to howl outside. Gradually, Daisy’s trembling subsides and she lifts her head from my shoulder.

“Thank you,” she says softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I don’t ever want you to feel afraid,” I reply, cupping her cheek, barely making out the expression on her face as she looks at me with her cheeks stained with tears. “I want you to feel safe with me.”

“I do, Dalton. These past weeks..." Her voice trails off as she heaves in a breath. “These past few weeks have been magical, and I do feel safe with you. I do.”

“Good,” I reply, pressing my lips against her forehead.

“Promise you’ll stay with me tonight.”

“Of course, I’m not going anywhere. You have me, Daisy. You have me,” I promise vehemently, and it’s the closest I’ve ever come to saying I love you.

She leans into me, her body relaxing as I hold on to her. Before I know it, she's fallen asleep in my embrace, her gentle breaths comforting against my skin. But I can't seem to drift off like she does. Instead, I spend the next few hours awake, my thoughts replaying the events of the past few weeks, hell, the past few years. Deep inside I know that Daisy has become an intrinsic part of my life, someone who has woven herself into the very fabric of my being, and ultimately, I can’t see a future without her in it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

DAISY

I wake up the next morning feeling a heavy ache in my stomach as bright, startling sunlight filters into the bedroom. It’s as though the storm was just a distant dream and my fear was nothing but a nightmare. Groaning, I shift upwards, careful not to wake Dalton who is slumbering beside me, his soft breaths coasting over the bare skin of my arm. Reaching for him, I run my fingers lightly over his shoulder, so grateful he was there for me last night, feeling a swell of…love, expanding in my chest. It’s a scary feeling, but I feel the truth of it nevertheless. Did I question myself about this feeling for hours before the storm took hold last night? Yes, I did. But do I know that it’s real? Absolutely. This isn’t lust decorated in false love. It’s true and pure, and I won’t deny it to myself a second longer.

I’m in love with Dalton Gunn.

---