All her life she’d been in control. Why was she struggling to keep herself in check?
“That is for you to find out, Daisy. I’m here, and I need you to talk to me. Do you remember last night? You said we could talk. You agreed to it.”
“I know.” Her hands were caught in his. She gave a tug on her hands, but he didn’t let go. Daisy took a breath and began to answer his questions. “My mother refused to sign the forms I needed and offer support. I couldn’t go to college when she took that away. A woman doesn’t need college. That’s what she’d told me in a lot more words.”
She heard him curse. “I hate this town.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He pulled her off her seat and into his lap. William cupped her face forcing her to look at him. “I hate this town, Daisy. I never said I hated you. You’re not the reason I hate this town.”
Tears shone in her eyes. “Why does my world feel like it is spinning out of control and settles down when I’m around you?” she asked.
“Because you know I can give you what you want.”
“Dominance?”
“Not just dominance, pet. I can give you control.”
“By taking my own control away?”
“No, there is so much more to it than that. You have so much more to give me than that, and you’ll gain more.”
She bit her lip and looked down at her hands. He’d let them go as his hands were around her back. “I’m tired of feeling this way, William,” she said.
“Then ask me for what you want, Daisy. I can’t give you anything without you asking.”
Daisy couldn’t form the words. She wanted to, more than anything. “I’m a virgin,” she said instead.
“I figured that out myself.” He smiled at her, stroking her cheek.
“Don’t you think I’m a freak?”
“Why would I think that?”
“Because I’m twenty-five and a virgin.”
“No, I don’t think you’re a freak. I think you’ve been the victim of your mother’s nastiness, and that has kept you intact all this time. She’s turned your whole world upside down, and you have no idea where to land, pet.”
Tears were streaming down her face. William was so much older than she, and yet their few meetings together had meant the world to her. He’d been the only person to stick around. She’d said some nasty shit throughout her life. The insinuation she’d made at Anna’s birthday party made her feel sick. She needed to talk to someone.
“I made out that I wanted to f**k David and Paul at their wife’s birthday party a couple of years back.” Saying the words made her feel sick. The tears fell from her eyes faster and harder.
“Do you want to f**k David and Paul?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Did you want to f**k them back then, before you knew they were your brothers?” he asked.
She thought about the question. The party had been hard for her. Her mother had been bitching and moaning about the Steer brothers and Anna being a whore. She’d been angry and had had a lot to drink. For once she wanted to do something, and she’d said what she’d said. There had never been any attraction inside her. David and Paul Steer were not what she’d wanted. For once, she’d wanted to be loved by her mother. If she treated people the way her mother did, then maybe her mother would approve and give her some sign that she cared. Nothing had come from it. More people hated her because of her behaviour.
“No, I never wanted them. I wanted my mother to like me. She’s never liked me. No one likes me.” She felt like such a pity party. Daisy covered her face with her hands, hoping to disappear.
William held her close as she fell apart. The pain, the tears—it all hurt. Twenty-five years of pain was coming out of her. Just once, she wanted someone to love her. She wanted to be possessed, loved, and have someone desire her so badly they couldn’t think past their need.
Chapter Three
William held her close and waited for the tears to subside. He’d never met a more desperate woman in need of some loving in all of his forty-five years. She’d been pushed aside for far too long. He didn’t understand why. He’d seen her many times before she’d entered his club. She’d been in town, and he’d been able to spot her in the crowded market place. William recalled the glow of her hair before anything else he had witnessed. He’d seen her talking to a young child. The smile she gave that young boy had lit up her whole face. When the little boy had left her to go back to his mother, the cloud had dropped over her. He’d witnessed the light die within her.
Several times he’d seen it, and it hurt him as well. So many people had passed her or sneered at her in some way. He’d seen her mother as well. The nastiness had been clear to see on the older woman’s face. William hadn’t met her personally. He’d lived in the city where many people showed their characters clearly. A dark person was easier to spot. Daisy would uncover her face. He knew she was embarrassed by her display of emotion, and he hated it. Emotions were vital for him to see. He caught her hand and pulled it away from her face.
She fought him, but he refused to give up.
“Daisy, when you’re with me, you’ll show me everything you’re feeling,” he said.
“Why? So you can laugh at me? I can’t do this. I need to go.” She made to get off his lap. He refused and kept his grip firm around her. She wasn’t leaving until he damned well wanted her to. Too many people had left her because of factors she couldn’t control. He was going to show her what a real man did. A real man stayed to get what he wanted.
Do you want Daisy?
You damn well know I do.
“I would never laugh at you, Daisy. That is not the type of man I am.” He stroked her hair and hoped he didn’t voice any of his other emotions when it came to her. William couldn’t believe how much he cared about her from the few meetings they had had.
“Why are you so nice to me?” she asked.
It was a good question, and one he didn’t have the first clue on how to answer. “Because I know you need it. And underneath all of that attitude, I know you’re a beautiful woman who cares very deeply about others. Even if you don’t want to show it.”
He stared into her gorgeous, expressive eyes and knew she needed him. “How do you feel when you’re with me?”
She turned her head away. Her face was the colour of a plump strawberry. William knew she was embarrassed, but he wanted her to face the truth with him. She needed the truth and to finally be able to express her own emotions.