Sorry about the wait, but here is the fifth chapter, finally haha. I don't mean to take so long, it just happens. :/ But this is progress, not too many months passed by this time, haha. Let me know what you think! Enjoy. :)
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Jake wasn't thinking clearly.
He didn't have a plan; he just knew that he had to show Daisy that she belonged to him. It was basic and primal.
It was now or never.
The hold he had on her wrist was unbreakable; his fingers were a loose but firm bracelet. She wouldn't be going anywhere until he was well and ready to let her go.
They needed privacy while they had their "discussion." A huge, hulking run-down building came into his line of vision.
The barn. Perfect.
Towing her behind him brusquely, Jake let go of her arm long enough to slide the large, wooden door open so that they could slide in, out of the harsh, cold, whipping wind.
Standing to the side, he waved her inside with an impatient jerk of his hand.
Hesitating for a second, Daisy quickly made up her mind and walked through the entrance of her own free-will.
This appeased the beast rising within Jake; she had come willingly enough.
Thud.
The door closed ominously with an air of finality.
Peering at Jake through her lashes, Daisy was afraid to say the wrong thing. Too afraid to break the thin silence in the duskiness of the old barn where shadows played and danced, as she and Jake had at one time. The moaning wind and soft nickering of the horses were only the sounds besides the silence.
Daisy watched Jake as he paced back and forth in front of the horse stalls, his form highlighted by the muted light that filtered through the single window of the building.
On him the fitted, light blue denim shirt and contrasting dark jeans made him look model-worthy. She pulled self-consciously at her own dirt-smudged flannel and reached down to rub out a mysterious stain.
Her furious rubbing was halted by Jake entangling their hands together, effectually gaining her attention. Smoothing his thumb over her wedding ring seemed to further sooth the agitation and restlessness that was riding him hard.
Gazing up at him, Jake was lost in her amethyst eyes. His anger and confusion melted away and all he felt was her. Looking at Daisy, he knew that what he was doing was right; this was the only woman for him. He felt that down in his bones, to the center of his soul.
"Daisy, what is it? Why do you keep questioning this?" Holding her hand tightly, she couldn't turn away from him. He could see her eyes, see everything. "Why do you keep questioning us?"
Unsettled, Daisy pushed a hand through her mass of hair, "Us? Really, is there an 'us'?"
Daisy had never felt so exasperated and tired, "I don't understand you, Jake. How can I let you push me into this marriage when I believe in being with only one person, forever? I think you do too, Jake, so why do you want to marry me? The passably pretty mouse? You've taunted me since Junior High and ruined our friendship for no apparent reason."
Looking down at her boots, unshed tears gathered in her eyes and clogged her throat. "You're like a pet rattle-snake. People don't have them because you can't trust them not to bite you... I don't trust you enough to risk forever, Jake," she admitted softly.
One finger under her chin raised her face to meet his. Cupping the back of her head, Jake pressed his lips to Daisy's in a feather-light touch. "Forgive me, Daisy."
His hand came around to cradle her cheek as he pressed more light kisses to her forehead, temple, the tip of her nose and down the side of her neck. Everywhere he could reach. "Forgive me," he whispered in between kisses.
Stray tears slowly rolled down one cheek. Daisy tried to turn away but Jake held her fast, brushing the tears away. Nuzzling her ear, Jake whispered, "I want you, Daisy. I want every bit of you, every part."
"I-I-I...," Daisy stuttered in indecision. "I can't, Jake. It's too late." Pulling away from his embrace, Daisy wanted to get away, be anywhere but near Jake.
A roaring began, soft and pounding, that suddenly became a loud and persistent rushing sound that blotted out all thought.
Jake didn't think, couldn't think. All he could do was act.
Daisy hadn't pulled away quickly or fast enough. One second she was trying to slip past him and the next she was being hauled into one of the empty horse stalls.
He pushed Daisy in front of him and into the empty stall. He saw her wide eyes, clear amethysts looking for safety, saw her lick her lips nervously while backing up until she bumped into the far wall.
Jake just kept walking towards his target; she wasn't getting away.
He didn't stop until the tips of his boots touched hers and just a breath of space separated them. If one of them breathed too heavily, their chests would touch.
"Jake, I d-don't th-think this is a good idea..." Daisy stammered as Jake raised his arms, resting one on either side of her head, one tunneling into her mass of hair. This brought them into full contact from the waist-up, each feeling the other inhale and exhale.
"I know you don't trust me, Daisy Maze. And you shouldn't." Her eyes widened in alarm, the feeling of fight or flight settling in. She refused to look at him and concentrated on his chin. "I won't lie when I say that I won't be easy to live with. I'm hard-headed and controlling. But I love you, Daisy. I've tried to push you away, not wanting you to have to deal with me and my problems. But it won't work anymore, baby. I need you."
The hand in her hair tugged at a strand until she looked up at him, "I need you, Daisy." Leaning down, he grazed her mouth with his own. Against her lips, he whispered, "I don't sleep, Dais. I can't, because you're not there beside me." Another graze, "I dream about you, baby. Dream that I'm always running after you but can't catch you. No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I run." A firmer press, "I want to keep you safe, give you everything you want." A nibble on her lower lip "Let me love you."
Resting his forehead against hers, he sighed, "Love me, Daisy. You're the only one that can."
Daisy reached up and caressed Jake's cheek; she gently cradled his face in her palm. She didn't have words, not after his heartfelt plea for her love. They had even shared the same dream of losing each other. After that, all of her excuses and fears slipped away. She couldn't find it in her heart to refuse him.
Rising up to her tip-toes, Daisy kissed Jake with all of the love she felt, with all of the emotion that she had kept bottled up for years, since he shut her out of his life.
