“Are you cold?” My lips follow the path of my fingers as I kiss along her collarbone. I’m torn in two, right now, struggling between wanting to take her back to bed and celebrating her birthday. I did buy her a cake and want her to make a wish – a wish that I hope I can make come true – before her birthday is over. I glance quickly at the clock on my bedside table and see that my time is running out.
“A little,” she says low that I can barely hear. I kiss her neck and tug on her ear before moving toward my dresser. I pull out a t-shirt and look at her as she stands in the same spot. Her shyness makes her more desirable than I could have ever imagined. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her, cradle her and keep her out of harm’s way, even though I know that I can’t. Daisy is far from meek or needing to be saved and I need to stop thinking like that.
I hand her a BoRe t-shirt. It’s white and almost touches her knees because it’s too long for her. The fabric is slightly see-through, showing just enough of her bra to give me a semi. She’s so fucking hot right now with my shirt on and her hair falling out of her hair up-do.
“In ten minutes, your birthday will be over.”
She glances at the clock and nods. “I had an amazing birthday.”
I brush some imaginary lint off her shoulder. It’s really just an excuse to touch her. “Did you get anything for your birthday?”
“I got a lovely dinner and a fancy ride in a black car where a very nice man opened my door. I got to dress up in my grandmother’s prom dress, something I’ve wanted to do for years, and received the biggest smile from my grandfather. Then I got to be with a man that I really like, in a way that we’ll always remember.” She stretches up on her tip toes and brushes her lips to mine. My hand rests on her hip, intent on keeping her close, but she pulls away.
“I have something for you.” I take her hand in mine and lead her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. She props herself up on the white marble countertop and for some reason I find that extremely sexy. She’s now my height, and it’s something I’m going to take advantage of. I step in between her legs and slide my hands under her shirt and into the waistband of her panties. Daisy wraps her legs around me, caging me in. There are quick flashes of us like this in the morning and something deep inside tells me that I could get used this. But even I know it’s too soon to think about a future together. We’re just starting out. Everything is new and fresh with us, exploratory. In a week, she could hate me.
We share an intense kiss that has me on edge. The thought of spreading her out on my counter and feasting on her runs through my mind. Except I really want to finish celebrating her birthday. Reluctantly, I pull away and let my fingers drag along her body until I’m no longer touching her. I keep my back to her as I pull out the cake I ordered. I set it on the counter nearest my refrigerator and lift the lid. This had to be my hardest purchase to date, ordering a cake for someone that I’m trying to get to know. Thankfully, the baker gave me some insight and collectively we decided that a white cake with chocolate mousse filling would do the trick, topped off with buttercream frosting. Happy Birthday Daisy is written in elegant script and is surrounded by white flowers with black and red accents. I went with black and red because of our BoRe connection. For all I know she hates these colors, but it’s the thought that counts.
I set a single candle deep into the frosting and light it. It crackles like a sparkler. As soon as I turn around with the cake in my hand, I’m singing to her. I can’t carry a tune, but the expression on her face right now tells me that it doesn’t matter. Her hand is covering her mouth and tears form in her eyes as I hold her cake out in front of her.
“Happy Birthday, Daisy.”
Daisy drops her hand from her mouth and clutches the edge of the countertop, leaning forward.
“Make a wish,” I suggest, even though I’m sure she knows to do that. She breathes out, and the flame disappears into thin air. “What’d you wish for?” I ask, putting the cake down next to her.
“I can’t tell you. If I do, it won’t come true.”
“Is that so?” I ask over my shoulder. I pull out two plates and grab two forks from the drawer along with a knife.