Never Say Never (Haven Harbor #3)

Chapter 9

NINE

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

T ucker

I’m sitting next to Daisy on her couch, a little too close, the question I just asked her a little too raw. But I need to know her answer, and my body buzzes in anticipation as I wait for her response.

I’m close enough to her to see the blush that creeps over her cheeks, the rise and fall of her chest; I hear the slight hitch in her breathing.

Finally, her lips part, an answer on the tip of her tongue. “You’re a good-looking guy, Tuck. Who wouldn’t find you attractive?”

A smile curls the edges of my lips. The satisfaction her answer brings me is almost enough, but I want more. “I’m sure there has to be someone who thinks I’m not hot, but I haven’t found them yet.”

When Daisy rolls her eyes, I can’t help but laugh.

“Seriously, Tuck. You are your own biggest fan.” My laugh only gets louder as she grows more annoyed. “You’re such an idiot.”

“An idiot who you find attractive. Another reason this is going to work.”

“What is going to work?”

“Friends with benefits.”

She shakes her head, but her eyes don’t leave mine. “You realize it’s a terrible idea, right?”

I admit it’s wild, but I couldn’t care less. I only care about making Daisy mine, even if it’s just until she leaves. The attraction I feel for her vibrates through me. I want to mold my body to hers and take her right here on this couch. “Daisy, if you need a release, I want it to be from me.”

Shock flashes across her face before she quickly shakes it off. “We can’t, Tucker. This is crazy. I can’t sleep with you. Your parents are my aunt and uncle.”

“But they’re not.”

“They basically are!”

I’m prepared to argue with her all night if that’s what it takes. Daisy is coming up with all of the reasons we shouldn’t do it, but I can’t help but notice that she hasn’t said that she doesn’t want to. “We can keep it between us. And when you leave, that will be the end of it. No strings, no one gets hurt. Our parents never need to know. No one needs to know. It can be our secret. We’ve always had secrets.”

All these years later, I still remember the rush of sneaking out of my house at night and meeting Daisy in my backyard. The high I felt at having something that was just ours. When she’s quiet, I press on, sensing her hesitation starting to wear down. “I promise you won’t regret it. I’ll give you more orgasms than you’ve ever had in your life.”

I realize that Daisy is not looking for a relationship, and if she was, she wouldn’t be looking for one with me. We can barely have a conversation without it turning into an argument. But she is looking to have her needs met, and I am definitely the right guy for that job.

Her eyes widen, betraying her. She’s considering it. I’m so close to getting the answer that I want. “What do you say? You set the pace,” I say, but add, “But if we do this, I don’t share. Nobody fucks you but me.”

“And what about you? Same goes for you?”

“Same, Dais. It’s just you and me. Well? What do you say?”

My stomach is a jittery mess of nerves. I want this so fucking bad, I can taste it. I want Daisy Carter. I want her all to myself. I want her to belong to me. I think I always have.

Her ice blue eyes meet mine again as she blows out a breath.

“Okay.”

One word. One simple word, and my body erupts in chills. I search her gaze for any indication that just she’s messing with me, but her blue eyes are clear and confident. “Okay?”

“I said okay, Tuck. Friends with benefits until I leave and then it’s over.”

My body relaxes as the air that was trapped in my lungs releases in one long exhale. Fuck me. I will finally have what I have always wanted. Daisy.

“But I have rules,” she says firmly.

“Tell me.”

“No flirting”

“Gotcha.”

“No cuddling.”

“Got it.”

“No sleepovers.”

“Done.”

“No dates. No beach walks. No dinners, coffees, desserts…”

“Dais,” I say, laughing now. “We have been best friends since the day we were born. I think we can handle getting a cup of coffee together.”

“No. Those are my rules. Take them or leave them.”

“Fine. It’s a deal. Now it’s my turn.”

“Your turn to do what?”

“To tell you my rule.”

She rolls her eyes but smiles at me. “Why do you get a rule? This whole thing was your idea.”

“Exactly. My idea, so I get a rule too,” I say with a smirk. “No falling in love with me, Dais.”

She immediately looks exasperated—it’s an expression that I have grown very familiar with—but then her face softens, and a smile tips her lips. “Fat chance, Collins. That will never happen.”

“Never say never.”

The pink blush of Daisy’s cheeks brightens. She clears her throat, then reaches over to grab her travel book from my hands. “Okay, we should get going, we’re already late,” she says nervously, just as her hand accidentally grazes my fucking dick.

I bite the inside of my cheek at the feeling of Daisy’s hand over the ridge of my cock, which has been half hard ever since it thought there was even a slight chance it could get inside Daisy.

“I’m so sorry,” Daisy stammers, trying to grab hold of the book a second time only to graze my dick again. Her eyes widen. “Oh my god, I didn’t—”

Before I have a full-blown erection, I grab the book from her now shaking hands and set it on the coffee table.

I clench my jaw and count backwards from 10 and when that doesn’t work, I imagine filing my tax return, dead kittens, a chainsaw to my nether region, trying to ease the bulge in my pants.

“Honestly, I didn’t mean to—" Daisy’s face is the shade of a tomato as she shakes her head, her bottom lip trapped under her teeth. She looks so fucking cute, which is doing nothing to help the situation in my briefs. This girl only needs to breathe, apparently, and I turn into a horny teenager who can’t control his dick. “I… am so sorry. We should probably get to your parents’ place.”

“Daisy, you don’t need to apologize, but I need a minute.”

When she realizes why, her eyes squeeze shut in embarrassment. “Oh, god.”

“Yeah.”

Her eyes drop to my lap, and she swallows. Her chest sharply rises and falls. If I wasn’t so sure that I infuriate her, I would think she’s turned on by my arousal.

The room goes silent.

The air feels charged.

If I were to kiss her right now, it feels a lot like she would kiss me back.

“Oh. Hey, Tucker. When did you get here?”

Briar pads into the room, grabs her sneakers from the entryway and then drops into the chair across from us to put them on. The moment is lost, the tension between me and Daisy is gone, and what’s left of my hard-on deflates in seconds.

The drive to my parents’ house is painfully quiet. In fact, Daisy has barely said two words since we left her place, and it has me worried. Is she having second thoughts?

Her gaze is fixed out the passenger window, her hands in her lap, her fingers twisting at the opal ring she’s worn on her index finger since she was a kid. Halfway into the 15-minute drive to my parents’ house, I turn up the radio in an effort to drown out the silence between us. A Morgan Wallen song floats through the speakers. We pass Daisy’s parents’ house, and I pull through the gates of the sprawling estate where I grew up. I park behind my father’s Aston Martin then round the front of the car to open Daisy’s door.

She smooths her hands over her skirt before tucking a lock of hair that’s fallen loose from her bun behind her ear. “We can stay as long as you want,” she says softly. “If you need to get out of here, just say the word.” I nod, grateful that she understands how uncomfortable I can get around my parents. With my hand at the slope of her back, I follow her inside, noticing the way her skirt clings to the curve of her hips.

Inside, Daisy’s mom is the first to greet us, embracing us both as soon as we enter into the kitchen. “My babies are here,” she coos, one hand on my shoulder, the other hand on Daisy’s. “You both look so good. How was your day?”

“Good, Aunt Vic,” I answer politely. “Nice to see you.”

“Thank you, honey. It’s good to see you, too,” she says, reaching up to cup my jaw. Aunt Vic is always happy. She’s the most upbeat and positive person I have ever met. “What a game on Friday night, Tucker. The Outlaws looked great out there. You sure made us all proud.”

“Yeah, the team played well. Thank you for being there,” I tell her, flicking my gaze around the kitchen. My mom is at the stove and my dad is sitting at the kitchen table drinking whiskey with my Uncle Randy.

“Daisy, love your skirt. Another one of your thrift store finds?” Aunt Victoria takes a step back to admire Daisy’s ruffled skirt. She’s always appreciated Daisy’s eclectic style and taste in clothing. Like her daughter, she couldn’t care less about name brands—a characteristic that I admire in both of them.

“It is. Thanks, Mom. I found it at the store I was telling you about downtown.” Daisy smiles. “Something smells good. What are you cooking up, Aunt Daisy?”

“Chicken piccata and roast potatoes,” my mom says, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she turns to face us. “Hi, you two. Come here.”

She hugs me and then embraces Daisy. “There’s beer and white wine in the fridge. Help yourselves. I need to get the potatoes out of the oven.”

“Where’s Addy and Jonathan? Are they not coming?” I ask, opening the fridge to grab a beer. I reach for the bottle of Riesling for Daisy, knowing it’s what she likes. She’ll drink one glass before switching to ice water with a lemon slice. After dinner she’ll drink a cup of camomile tea.

“She’ll be here. You know your sister, she’s always late. But Jonathan can’t make it.”

I pour a glass of wine for Daisy and hand it to her. “Thank you,” she murmurs, taking a sip. Watching Daisy swallow down the wine I poured her gives me an instant hard-on. So does the way her tongue licks a path across her bottom lip. “Take a breath, Tuck. Let’s go say hi to our dads.”

She nods in encouragement, her blues eyes sparkling. I’m captivated by her. My hands itch to touch her, or better yet, to carry her up to my old bedroom and act out one of my teenage fantasies with her. My heart thunders in my chest knowing I’ll get to have her soon.

“Maybe I should drink three of these first,” I joke, taking a swig of my beer.

“Nice try. Come on. Let’s get this over with.” She leads the way to the kitchen table, where my father’s gaze is immediately laser focused on me.

“There he is!” Uncle Randy gets up from his chair to clap me on the shoulder. “You sure were incredible out there on Friday night. What a game. You must be feeling like a king.” If I didn’t happen to glance over at my dad I would have missed the clenching of his jaw, the way his eyes narrow at the compliment.

I nod at my uncle. “The team played exceptionally. I’m glad you were there to see it.”

“Hi son.” My dad greets me, a tone of annoyance in his voice. He pushes to stand and embraces me in a stiff hug. “Your hair is looking long, time for a cut, don’t you think?”

I drag my hand through my hair, which is much shorter than the shoulder-length style I had a year ago. My father really despised that one. The passive aggressive comment pisses me off, and I let it get the best of me. “Not even going to congratulate me on my win, huh?” I ask, grinning despite the edge in my voice.

“Maybe I will after I say hello to my girl,” he says, opening his arms wide to Daisy. For a second, I wonder what it would feel like to have a father who’s proud of me, but I quickly push the thought away. I accepted a long time ago that my dad is who he is. Wishing he would change is just a waste of time.

“I’m glad you made it for dinner, honey.” Dad says to Daisy. “Your aunt said you weren’t feeling well.”

My eyes catch Daisy’s with a knowing smirk, and her cheeks pinken. “I had a headache, but I’m feeling much better.”

“I’m glad. Now, maybe you can talk your friend here into getting a proper haircut? There’s a girl at the club I would like to introduce him to, but he needs to clean himself up first.”

I can tell he has more to say, but Daisy interrupts him.

“It’s the style, Uncle Mark. It looks nice. We’ll leave you two to whatever it was you were talking about,” she flashes both of our fathers an easy smile. “Tuck, you were going to show me that photo on your phone.” She tilts her head toward the living room, and we make our exit before either of our dads can argue.

I’m not surprised by my father’s feeble matchmaking attempts. At 26 years old, my parents want me to settle down and get married and have a slew of babies. They have prospects all lined up—girls at the country club, or the daughters of my dad’s golfing buddies. I’m pretty sure my dad is only interested in having grandchildren as a way to further secure his legacy.

Daisy and I walk past the kitchen to the spacious living room. A massive crystal chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling, and a baby grand piano sits in the corner of the room. Glass doors open to the expansive backyard and pool, the scent of freshly cut grass wafting into the large space.

“Thought I’d better get you out of there,” Daisy teases. “I was worried you were about to tell your dad what bridge he could jump off.”

“I was this close,” I answer, holding my thumb and index finger an inch apart. “I don’t know why he gives a shit about my hair. Add it to the list of disappointments, I guess. He’s such a controlling asshole.”

“You know he’s wrong about you,” she says quietly. “You’re doing incredible things with that team. You’re amazing at what you do.”

I was so happy when I saw Daisy in the stands at Friday’s game. I’m not sure she knows how much her support means to me.

If anyone understands the toll that my father’s criticism has taken on me over the years, it’s Daisy. I’ve developed a few different coping mechanisms, self-deprecation being a big one.

“Yeah, I am a fucking phenomenal coach, but I’d definitely make the world’s shittiest accountant. I guess us athletes aren’t always the sharpest tools,” I say with a wink.

Daisy frowns, shaking her head. “Don’t do that. I hate it when you do that. You could do anything you want and be successful at it, Tuck. But coaching is your passion, and you’re lucky you discovered that early on.” She pauses. “And for the record, your hair suits you. I like it.”

“Are you flirting with me, Dais?”

“No.”

“Come on, just admit it… you think I’m hot.”

I’m grinning, but part of me wants—no, needs—to hear her say it. Daisy just rolls her eyes. “What is wrong with you? I thought agreeing to your friends-with-bennys pact would make you stop pestering me.”

“Well, you thought wrong.”

I glue my eyes to hers with a smirk before leaning into her, my mouth inches from her ear. “We’re leaving immediately after dessert, Dais. We’re making our pact official tonight, before you can back out on me.”

“What makes you think I’m going to back out?” she replies. “You should know me by now. It’s been… what… 26 years?”

“Careful, or I’ll drag you upstairs with me right now.” She cocks her head to the side, levelling me with a look that seems like a challenge. “I swear to god, babe, I’ll do it and after I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me for more tonight.”

Just then, the front door swings open and my sister Addy hurries into the living room looking frazzled.

“Hey, so sorry I’m late.” She’s dressed in all black, with large gold hoops and her curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. “I had to drive Jonathan to the airport.”

Jonathan is in tech sales and often travels for work. It’s a crazy schedule, but Addy seems to have gotten used to it in the two years since they tied the knot.

“What did I miss?” She slips an arm around my waist and gives me a quick squeeze as a hello.

“Just dad being an ass.”

Daisy gives me a be-nice look, but my sister ignores me.

“And you, we need to talk. I heard you went on a date with Dr. Dickens! I want every dirty detail.”

I force myself to bite my tongue. I know nothing happened between Daisy and Dr. Dick, but the thought of her with another guy still makes me want to punch a wall. Thankfully, my mom interrupts the conversation when she announces that dinner is ready.

We take our seats at the table in the dining room off the veranda outside, Daisy to my left, her parents and my sister across from us and my mom and dad at either end. We sit next to the sliding glass doors, a trellis of bougainvillea, my mother’s favorite flower, just beyond the glass. There are two salads and platters of chicken, potatoes, and green beans in the middle of the table. It’s enough food to feed three more families. My mom is a great cook, and she’s always happiest when she is feeding the people she loves.

“How’s the trip planning, Daisy? Do you have everything booked?” my mom asks as she scoops some beans onto her plate.

“I have some of my stays booked so far, but I’m still figuring out the route I want to take and the places I want to visit. Three months seems like a long time, but there’s so much I want to see.”

I don’t like thinking about Daisy being so far away for so long. There are too many variables. She could get hurt. She could meet someone, fall in love and never come back to Reed Point.

“That’s fantastic,” my mom says, pouring herself a glass of wine. “You are going to have such a wonderful time.”

“It’s so important to see the world,” my dad adds. “I wish Tucker had the same adventurous spirit as you. My work has given me the opportunity to travel a lot, but Tucker hasn’t ever shown an interest. Probably one of the reasons he settled on teaching.”

I grip my fork with enough force to snap it in two. “I didn’t settle on anything. It was my choice to go into teaching.”

He sighs like I’m being a petulant child. “And make a quarter of what you would have made if you worked for me.”

“And be miserable,” I snap back, immediately embarrassed at my outburst. My aunt tries to move us past the tension that has settled heavily over the table, complimenting my mom on the chicken and then turning to make small talk with Addy. I feel Daisy’s hand slide discreetly over my thigh, a gentle show of support and a reminder not to engage with my dad’s bullshit.

“Mrs. Whittaker was in last week,” Daisy says interrupting the tension in the room, smiling at her mom. She has always been a natural at making conversation, and putting people at ease, and I know that’s what she’s trying to do now. “She said to tell you hello, Mom.”

“Oh, that was nice of her. How is she doing?”

“She looks great for 85. Her kids are throwing her a birthday party this weekend. They’ve invited 50 people.”

“Isn’t that sweet of them.”

“Did I see her at the game on Friday?” Daisy’s mom takes a spoonful of potatoes before passing them to me.

Daisy nods. “She hasn’t missed an RPU game in years. I think she’s your number one fan, Tucker.”

If I didn’t know my father as well as I do, I might have missed the tick in his jaw. It’s his tell that he’s annoyed, and his next comment confirms it. “I will never understand why people seem to find college football so entertaining.”

“Oh, honey. You may not be into football, but I would say that most of the country is,” my mom tells him gently, doing her part to make her guests feel comfortable.

My father apparently doesn’t give a shit who’s uncomfortable, though, because he doesn’t let it go. “Grown men throwing a ball around a field doesn’t seem that exciting to me.”

“Excuse me,” I grit my teeth, pushing my chair back. I’m seeing red, my pulse thumping under my skin. Realizing that I need to get away from my dad before I say something I regret, I leave the table and head into the kitchen.

I’m so tired of his bullshit. I show up every Sunday for my mom, but sometimes I don’t know how much longer I can do this.

I should have known tonight was going to be a disaster. Over the years, I have learned that my dad hates to see me succeed in a job he feels is beneath a Collins. I think he’s been waiting for me to fail at it, or to hate it and be forced to admit to him that I made a mistake. Fat fucking chance.

Anger is radiating off me when Daisy finds me at the kitchen counter, pouring myself a glass of whiskey. “Make it two,” she says, and I grab a second glass from the cabinet and pour her a shot.

I slide the glass along the island counter to her and we both knock back the amber liquor.

“Your dad can be a real asshole sometimes.”

“I’m aware,” I say, slamming the shot glass down on the counter.

“I told him as much when I got up from the table.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, feeling terrible that I somehow dragged her into this bullshit.

“Of course I did. You would have done it for me.” I nod, knowing without a doubt that she’s right. “I have your back, Tuck. Always will.”

I raise my eyes to meet Daisy’s and find her looking back at me with the same sincerity and care that she has shown me all my life. I want to explain to her what she means to me, but I’m afraid that if I try, I will screw it up. Instead, I reach for her hand and pull her out of the kitchen and down the hall to my father’s office where I lock the door behind us.

In a moment of weakness or maybe it’s pure lust, my hands cup either side of her face, taking in her pink cheeks and the heavy rise and fall of her chest.

I want her. Need her. Crave her.

And I can’t wait another second.