Blackstone Inc. (Book 2)

Part 60

*Daisy's POV*

"Daisy!"

I turned to the entryway of the kitchen and heard Preston make his way towards us.

I looked over at Dominic who was standing behind Genevieve across the table from me.

When our eyes locked I could tell he had heard the urgency in his brothers' voice as well.

"In here," I called back and was granted sight of Preston with pink tinted cheeks liked he'd worked himself into a frenzy looking for me.

And when his eyes looked over the scene in front of him, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

He was happy to see I was actually trying and that made my heart swell.

"Are you okay," I asked.

"Um...yeah. Can I steal you... for a moment," he asked, a little unsure.

"Definitely," I smiled and turned back to Genevieve.

"It was nice talking to you. I'll find you later," I grabbed her hand and squeezed gently.

She smiled as well and squeezed my hand back, "Please do so. I'd like to pick up where we're leaving off."

"Absolutely," I gave her a sincere smile.

I pushed away from the table and walked towards Preston whose eyes softened the closer I got.

"I need you," he whispered, his eyes holding nothing but the truth.

Whatever happened outside, whatever his conversation had been about...it really did a number on him.

I nodded, "Okay. Let's go."

***

After shutting the door to his room he immediately pushed my plaid shirt off my shoulders and pulled my white v-neck over my head.

I was about to unbuckle his belt but he stopped me, "No, none of that. I just need to hear your heartbeat. I need to feel your skin. I need..." the vulnerability in his eyes was breathtaking.

"I need you to be my lighthouse," he whispered as he unclasped my bra, pushing it down my arms, and guided me back to his bed where he laid me down and crawled between my legs before placing his ear to my chest, right in between my breasts.

Everything had happened so fast that once all was quiet I took a deep breath and brought my hands into his hair.

His arms were under me, holding me as tightly as he could without completely crushing me and I could tell his breathing was a little ragged.

I knew he didn't want to and I wasn't sure if he ever would want to, but I still had to ask.

"Do you want to talk about it," I asked, gently running my fingers through his hair.

"No," he simply said.

"Okay," I nodded, "What would you like to do then?"

"If it's alright with you, I'd just like to lay here like this in silence for a bit. I need this. I can feel it helping," he whispered.

"Whatever you'd like," I agreed and wrapped my legs around his waist.

Maybe it was the closeness, the contact, the pressure of being locked in my embrace, my heartbeat or even just all of the above but I could feel his whole body unclench as the minutes ticked away.

This reassurance boosted my pride. I was the one he sought out when in distress. It was my heartbeat he needed to hear to bring him back to reality. It was me that helped him to calm down and unwind.

And oddly enough, I loved that he wasn't keeping his weight off of me. I loved the pressure of his body on mine, and as selfless as it sounded of me, I loved that at this moment he was only thinking of what he wanted and what he wanted was me.

He wasn't thinking about whether or not I'd be uncomfortable with all of his weight on me like he usually would be and I was glad I could help him think of just himself, even if it was for the last 45 minutes we'd spent here like this.

His breathing was under control now and I had thought that maybe he'd fallen asleep but when I looked down I saw his eyes open looking at the wall.

He must've been in deep thought for when I gently said his name he didn't even move or answer.

"Preston," I tried again and was granted access to those deep pools of amber.

"Sorry," he said as his eyes focused on me, "Are you okay? Am I hurting you," he asked as he uncurled his arms from under me and leaned up on his elbows.

"I'm fine, and no," I smiled, "I enjoyed it. Are you okay?"

"I am now," he said with a kiss to my sternum, "Thank you."

"No need for that," I said as I pushed my fingers through his hair again, "If you want to talk about it...anytime you want to...I'll be waiting. Please don't be afraid to share what's heavy on your mind with me. I'm here to help you just as much as you help me."

He nodded and leaned up to kiss me gently, "Maybe one day I'll explain everything to you, but today is not that day, and I don't see it being tomorrow either. I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to let you know that part of me yet."

I gently held his head in my hands, rubbing my thumbs across his cheeks, "And that's fine. Just know that I'll be here when you're ready."

A small smile appeared on his lips and he moved his hands to cradle my head, "How did I get so lucky to have you? I must ask myself this question at least once a day," he admitted.

I chuckled, "If anyone's lucky, it's me. You're an amazing man, Preston."

He really was. Knowing that he had just essentially fought his demons that so clearly wanted out and won really showed just how strong he was.

He had help but that's what I was here for.

His problems where mine if he made my problems his and I wouldn't abandon him like he hadn't abandoned me.

"I don't think so, but thank you for believing in me," he whispered.

"I love you," I stated. I couldn't argue with him over my feelings.

He didn't know that I knew what was going on him his head so he thought that for me he was just my perfect, sweet and kind boyfriend, but if only knew that there was so much more to him than that now.

My feelings after learning what I did hadn't changed. If anything they grew deeper for Preston knowing that he had only ever let a few select people truly know him. I wanted to be one of those people. I wanted him to trust me so deeply that he would feel confident telling me every thought he was thinking when it crossed his mind.

Maybe one day I'd reach that level and honestly, I couldn't wait.

But for now, I had to be patient and hope that once he saw that I was trying to help him with the whole Hawthorne situation he wouldn't backtrack and push me away.

I now knew that I couldn't be without him and he couldn't be without me. We were a package deal and I could only hope that his love for me would help him see that me wanting to help wouldn't be such a bad thing.