Page 59 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

I’d been full of wisdom from my own failed college relationship. And Kerry had cried when I yelled at her.

That night, she and Daisy had gone out, and I hadn’t been with them.

I’m sorry.

Daisy’s last words a whisper before she’d escaped.

“How can you stand to touch me?” I closed my eyes, then opened them to find her staring up at me with more understanding in her gaze that I expected—or deserved. “You were hurting, and I just made it worse.”

She didn’t offer platitudes or say I hadn’t hurt her. We both knew I had. She didn’t let me off the hook either, just held on to me.

God, she was shivering.

“Hey.” I stroked a hand down her hair and around her cheek to grip her chin. “What is it?” I racked my brain, trying to remember what she’d said about the germaphobe thing. I knew she had some kind of anxiety issues, and this weekend’s events hadn’t exactly alleviated them. “Do you want to get out of here?”

“No. It’s okay. I’m okay. Just I swear someone was following us out there. I looked over my shoulder twice, because I wanted to go in that stupid wax museum—”

“We’ll go in there.” Anything she wanted. I couldn’t stand the fright in her eyes. Whatever it took to eradicate it, I’d do it.

Speaking of saviors, who’s trying to be one now?

You can’t make up for the past.

Can’t erase what happened with Kerry.

“Oz, I don’t care about the stupid wax museum now. Someone was trailing us. Maybe we should tell Noah. You brought your phone, right?”

She knew I had, because she’d insisted I bring it.

“Do you really think he can protect you in a way I can’t?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not about protecting me. It’s about us. What if they want to mess with you? You heard what Noah said.”

“I heard a lot of nothing from Noah. Don’t worry. I got it.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and turned her toward the wall of lingerie before us. “So, what did you have in mind?”

I didn’t have to look at her face to get that she was frustrated with me. I knew I was being a pigheaded male, but the day I deferred to Noah Jordan when it came to looking after Daisy was the day I no longer had a damn dick.

She huffed out a breath. “I’m not feeling super sexy right now.”

Deliberately, I let my gaze drift down her body. Her yoga pants and top were the opposite of revealing, but it didn’t matter. Checking her out made me think of her naked on my lap, shaving me with her gorgeous breasts an inch away from my mouth.

“I want to fuck you right here.”

“Oz,” she gasped as an older woman nearby shot me a disgusted look and hurried away.

I shrugged. “I should have cleared the store while we shopped. In fact, I’ll do just that.” I turned and gestured to a pair of salespeople clustered by one of the checkout counters.

They exchanged a glance before a brunette with a high ponytail scurried toward us. “Yes, sir? May I help you?”

“Yes, you may.” The smirk I gave her made Daisy step not-so-discreetly away. “We want to shop in peace. What do we have to do to make that happen?”

The brunette salesclerk glanced over her shoulder at the other woman before nervously tugging on the end of her ponytail. “I’m sorry, sir, was someone bothering you? If your lady would like to select some items, we could bring companion pieces to the dressing room while she tries on her choices.”

“No one bothered us, and I want to keep it that way.” I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, making sure to flash the wad of bills stuffed inside. Daisy let out a startled sound beside me as I withdrew my gold credit card. “We want privacy. We’re willing to pay for it.”

“This is not necessary,” Daisy said under her breath.

“I think it is. What do you need for this to happen?” I asked the brunette.

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