Read Online Willow Smoke by Adriana Kraft - Free Book Online Page B

red
bumps and ridges she looked like a war zone. She felt like a war zone. And women went through this every month or so? Whoever said women were the weaker sex?
    Daisy groaned. She couldn’t go to him looking like this; he’d puke. Would he put his tongue down there? She sure hoped so. She watched as her fingers tested the red dots. They didn’t hurt as bad now. She admired the trim hair. It seemed toframe the target nicely, not that Nick wouldn’t know where to find what he was looking for.
    But how long would she have to wait for her skin to clear up? A couple days? Two weeks? Certainly it would clear before
she had to go through this procedure again.
    They’d be staying at a hotel in Shakopee. Those red pimples had better be history by the time they got to Canterbury, or she was going to be one unhappy girl. She’d put
too much planning into her coming out party not to come out.

ChapterFour
 
 
    Daisy sat on the edge of the bed in her hotel suite fighting back tears; her skin remained red and prickly to the touch. No way could she implement her plan to become a woman tonight. She shrugged and scowled at herself in the mirror. She’d waited nearly twenty-one years; another day or two shouldn’t matter somuch.
    Glancing around the suite, she marveled at how some people lived. Nick had called it a small suite adjoining his identical suite. It was half the size of
her apartment, and there was even a phone in the bathroom.
    She was so inexperienced. She’d only been in motels when she was a child, and then only when her mother neglected to pay
the rent. Those drab holes-in-the-wall weren’t even in the same universe as this.
    In her wildest fantasies, she could not have dreamed of a better setting for her sexual initiation. The suites were luxurious, and by putting her imagination in overdrive she could even conjure up a bit of romance—though she knew romance was not at the center of what she and Nick were about.
    Shrugging, she rose from the bed and continued getting ready. Good thing she’d brought along one nice dress; it was actually the only nice dress she owned.
    Nick would be rapping on her door soon. They were going to the Orpheum to see A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum. Nick’s youngest sister, Angie, had a supporting role. His parents would also be there. Daisy shivered. She’d focused so much on her seduction of Nick, she’d forgotten that by coming to Canterbury she’d be involved with his family.
    “Oh well,” she muttered. “They’re just people. And it’s not like we’re staying with them. Thank God.”
     
    Two hours later Daisy sat on the first floor of the Orpheum trying to concentrate on the antics taking place on the stage. The play was great, but sitting with Nick’s family had turned out to be more unnerving than she’d anticipated. Angie Underwood was good. She was funny and had a body men must beg for. Nick had informed her that Angie was the nearly forgotten caboose of the family. She’d just celebrated her thirtieth birthday, and was the family’s somewhat eccentric artist.
    His parents were reserved and welcoming, although clearly puzzled by her presence. Nick had introduced her as part owner of RainbowBlaze and the person responsible for the horse’s
training. That seemed to suffice.
    Nick’s father had given her a shy smile,
but otherwise ignored her. Nick’s mother, Agnes, was more curious. Not too obvious, but obvious. Thankfully, there was little time for small talk before the play. She
and Nick would have to leave right after the show in order to be at the track by sunup.
    The Underwoods planned to attend Saturday’s race, and they had invited Nick and his friend to their home for Sunday dinner. Daisy drummed her fingers on the chair arm. She wasn’t looking forward to Sunday dinner, but that was a ways off. A lot could happen before then.
    Nick covered her hand with his, stilling her fingers. He leaned over and whispered, “You’re doing great.