You Said I Was Your Favorite (A Lancaster Prep Novel)

I crush Daisy to me, pressing my face against her soft hair, breathing in her familiar floral scent. She smells good, she feels good, she looks so fucking good. Wearing my initial and the Lancaster sweatshirt and telling me her costume is Arch Lancaster’s girlfriend.

It’s perfection. She’s perfection. And she was so damn nervous too. I could see it written all over her. Her voice was slightly shaky and fuck.

I love her.

Kissing the top of her head, I pull away slightly so I can stare into her beautiful golden- brown eyes. “I’m glad you came.”

“I had to.” Her smile is tremulous, and I don’t know how she can still feel doubt over me. Over us.

Can’t she see it in my eyes? My actions? Feel it when I touch her? She owns me. She’s owned my heart since she broke it. Now she’s put the pieces back together and I feel whole.

Only with her.

“You’re beautiful.” She has a lot of makeup on her face and I know that Edie worked her magic. She’s always been good at this kind of stuff. And while I think Daisy is stunning with it on, she’s just as beautiful with no makeup at all too.

“So are you,” she whispers, her arms tightening around me. “Superman.”

“Is it too cheesy?”

“No.” She tips her head back, laughing. “I think it’s perfect.”

She tugs at the front of my fake button-up shirt, the snaps undoing with ease, revealing the Superman shirt completely. With her fingers she slowly traces over the giant S in the middle of my chest, her touch making me shiver.

Glancing around, I wonder if anyone would notice that we took off. Fuck this party.

I want to get my girlfriend alone. Just the two of us.

“Want to get out of here?” I whisper, cupping her cheek, my gaze heavy. Hoping she understands what I really mean.

I’m desperate to get her naked.

Her brows draw together. “No way, Lancaster. This is my last chance to go to this epic Halloween party and I’m going to enjoy it. All night long.”

I groan. Is she for real right now? “Come on, Daze.”

“No, you come on, Arch. Let’s go have fun.” She withdraws from my arms and takes my hand, leading me into the fray.

And damn it, she’s right. We have a blast. We drink and dance and talk to people. Well, Daisy talks. I watch her in amazement as she chats animatedly with people we’ve gone to school with for years. People who didn’t know her, who had no clue what she was like or what she’s into, and my heart swells with fucking pride.

She’s trying to come out of her shell and she’s doing a damn good job of it. She’s so beautiful and smart and I don’t think it hurts that she’s had a couple of drinks. I got her to ditch the beer and convinced her to drink a flavored seltzer and she loves them.

Maybe a little too much, but there is something to say for liquid courage.

Her confidence is attractive. Everything about her is attractive, and knowing she willingly went and bought that necklace with my initial on it and is proudly wearing it makes me feel like I can conquer the entire damn world as long as I’ve got this girl by my side.

And I’ve already conquered her. She’s mine.

Only when the party starts to dwindle and people are leaving does Daisy finally look at me and whisper, “Maybe we should go.”

“We’re leaving,” I announce to anyone who’s listening, taking Daisy’s hand and dragging her out of the mostly empty building.

Edie is still here. We walk past her sitting with a small group of friends outside and she calls out to me, “Better come back tomorrow morning and help us clean this up!”

“That’s your job,” I yell back at her, earning a glare from my girlfriend.

Don’t think I’ll get over calling Daisy that. At least for a while.

“We’ll help!” Daisy says, squeezing my hand and lowering her voice to say, “Right?”

I bring our linked hands up to my mouth and drop a kiss on her knuckles. “I’ll go if you go.”

“I want to.” She smiles, yanking her hand out of mine and doing a twirl in the grass, stumbling and nearly falling over. “I had the best time tonight!”

“Socializing with people your own age isn’t so bad, am I right?” I raise my brows, reaching for her when she stumbles again and tips over into me. I help right her and she darts away, skipping ahead of me.

“It was great! I think I made new friends!”

I noticed they had their heads bent close together during one point of the night and I wonder how authentic Mya was with her. Though I do know Mya’s been sick of Cadence’s shit for a while. And speaking of Cadence…

“Did you see Cinderella get into an argument with Prince Charming?”

Daisy laughs, turning so she’s walking backward and facing me. Probably not the smartest thing, considering her current state. “I did. Why is she so mean all of the time? I think she’s a miserable person.”

“She’s not happy with anything or anyone,” I agree, ready to change the subject. “I’m glad you had fun.”

She runs toward me and I stop, grunting when we collide, her arms coming around my neck, her fingers sinking into my hair. “I had the absolute best time of my life. Now, where are you taking me?”

“Where does your dad think you are right now?” I have all sorts of ideas of where I could take Daisy. On my bed.

Against the wall.

In the shower.

The possibilities are endless.

“Spending the night with Edie.” She grins up at me and I lean down, dropping a kiss on her nose. “That’s what I told him. And he has Find my Phone, so if he checks, I’ll be in the building where Edie’s room is.”

“You are so fucking smart,” I murmur, kissing her for real. But she’s withdrawing from me way too soon, breaking out into a run, and I chase after her, catching up with ease because my legs are longer and really? She’s not that fast.

“I’m so tired,” she whines, leaning into me. “And we still have to walk so far.”

This girl is all over the place. I blame the alcohol. “I’ll carry you.”

“What?”

“Get on my back.” I turn and bend over. “Hop on.”

She does as I say so quickly, I nearly fall over, but slowly I rise up, her arms going around my neck in an almost chokehold while I grab the back of her legs. I carry her the rest of the way home like this, her mouth at my ear, her body wrapped all around my back and I can’t wait to drop her on the bed. Fall on top of her. Kiss her senseless.

When we get to my building, she hops off my back and the moment we’re locked away in my room, she’s on me. Knocking me backward so I fall onto the bed with my girl straddling me, her arms around my neck, her forehead pressed to mine.

“I missed you so much,” she whispers. “I was so stupid, breaking up with you like I did.”

“You thought you had to,” I whisper back, slipping my hands beneath the bottom of her sweatshirt, encountering nothing but bare skin. “Your dad told you so.”

“I shouldn’t have listened to him. He feels bad about it by the way.” She dips her head, pressing her mouth against my neck.

I hiss in a breath at the contact, feeling it right down to my balls. “He’s going to give me a chance, huh?”

“He was just being overprotective.” She reaches for the front of my suit, pushing it open. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

“Whatcha want to talk about, Daze?” I’m teasing her. The liquid courage is carrying over to her basically mauling me, not that I’m complaining.

“I don’t want to talk.” She pulls away so she can look into my eyes, her expression serious. “I want to feel you inside me.”

I groan, shocked yet pleased by her response. “You are a different person when you drink.”

“I kind of like who I am right now.” Her smile is small. “I feel more like my real self.”

“Keep it up, baby.” I grab hold of her and gently shove her to the side so she falls onto the bed then stand, getting rid of my jacket and the costume button-up shirt immediately. “I’ll give you exactly what you want.”

She leans back on the bed, her hands braced on the mattress, her legs dangling over the edge. She toes off her shoes, the movement causing her sweatshirt to ride up, revealing a sliver of pale skin.

My hands literally itch to touch her, I want her so fucking bad.

Within seconds I’ve shed everything I was wearing, save for my boxer briefs, while she’s still struggling to take off her jeans. I take over, helping her get rid of them.

“Sit up,” I tell her and she does what I ask. “Lift your arms.”

I take the sweatshirt off, pulling it up and over her head and tossing it on the floor. She’s sitting in front of me in just her bra and panties, and my dick surges against the front of my boxers, eager to get inside her.

“You’re not too drunk, are you?” I ask.

“No.” She giggles, shaking her head.

“I don’t take advantage of drunk girls.”

“How can you take advantage of the willing?” she asks, genuinely serious.

I chuckle, leaning in to brush her lips with mine. “Guess we can go through with this then.”

She smiles, nipping at my bottom lip with her teeth. “You better go through with this.”

“Don’t ever doubt me, Daze.” I kiss her. “I’m going through with this over,” I kiss her again, “and over,” another kiss, this one with tongue, “and over again. All night long if you’ll let me.”

Her laugh is as eager as her hands, which are currently sliding all over me. “I’ll let you do whatever you want to me.”

“Promise?” I guide her so she’s lying on the bed with me on top of her.

The glow in her eyes when she looks at me makes my heart feel like it just grew twice its size. “Promise.”