She throws her hands up. “You come barging in here with flowers and candy looking all cagey; what the heck was I supposed to think?”
My grin breaks free as I round the table and crowd her into a corner. “Did ya think I took naked selfies with ya?”
“No. I thought some creeper was watching us when we were in the kitchen, but now I have to wonder.”
“I told ya we were alone.” I move in closer until she’s almost backed into the wall. She’s stopped moving away now. “And I would nae take pictures of ya without yer permission.” I take her hands in mine when she raises them like she’s warding me off. Unfurling them, I press her rigid palms against the sides of my neck.
Her touch is like crack. It’s only been a few hours, and I’m already jonesing hard. “I’m sorry I freaked you out.”
“Liar. You’re still smiling.”
“I’m not lying. I was worried you wouldn’t want to go out with me again.”
“Do I look like a troll or something in the pictures?”
“You look gorgeous, too beautiful to be hanging around with someone like me.”
Poppy scoffs. “If you’re fishing for compliments, it’s not working.”
“I’m not fishing. I’m being honest.”
She makes another little noise of disbelief, but her eyes keep darting to my lips.
“I want to kiss you right now, even though you’re kind of pissed at me. Maybe even because you’re pissed at me.” I lean in and wait to see whether she’s going to tell me off. She’s got a little fire under all that precious. It’s the redhead in her.
“I might bite you.”
“I might like it.”
That gets a smile out of her. “Go ahead then.”
“Want or let?” I whisper when my lips are almost touching hers.
“Want, of course.”
I touch my lips to hers, the hint of a kiss. “So you’re not upset about the pictures?”
“I’d have to be an idiot not to expect them. You’re like a celebrity.”
“I don’t want that kind of thing interfering with me and you. I want to keep you to myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmm. All mine.” This time I take her mouth, and she parts her lips. It escalates quickly. I don’t remember turning her around and lifting her onto the table. Or wrapping her legs around my waist, but that’s where we end up.
The rattle of the door freezes us in place.
“Hey, Poppy? You in here? Why’s the door locked?”
“That’s April,” Poppy whispers. Then she nips at my lip and does a little hip roll.
“Want me to tell her to fuck off?”
She shakes her head like she’s throwing off a daze.
“You’ll never believe what’s on Insta!” More door rattling.
“I need to let her in.” Poppy pushes on my chest.
I step back and shove my hand down the front of my pants to rearrange my now-hard dick so it’s not so obvious. Poppy bites one of her knuckles and hums. She rushes around to open the door.
April bursts in and slams it behind her. “Check this out!” She holds her phone an inch away from Poppy’s face.
It’s then that she realizes I’m here. The phone suddenly disappears behind her back. “Oh. Oh, hey, Lance Romero. Number twenty-one for Chicago. Dating my friend Poppy here.”
I wave. “Hey.”
“I’ll wait for you—” She thumbs over her shoulder, her eyes darting between us. “—out there.” She bangs into the jamb.
“You don’t have to leave. I’m about to head out since you girls have dinner plans, yeah?”
April looks from Poppy to me and then back again, doing some weird thing with her eyebrows.
Poppy’s cheeks are pink. “We do.”
“Before I go, can I check out whatever you were gonna show Poppy, massage therapist and girl I kissed in a closet when she was twelve, but said she was fourteen. And whose ponytail I love to pull.” I tug on the end.
April has this glazed look on her face. She blinks a few times and looks to Poppy as if seeking permission.
“I guess it’s okay?” Poppy looks uncertain, but April pulls her phone out from behind her back, punches a few buttons and holds it out for me to see.
I’ve seen a few variations on this picture today. Poppy’s incredibly photogenic, and whoever took the pictures is good with a camera. I’m adjusting the strap of her dress and kissing her shoulder.
Her head is bowed. The freckles dotting her nose and sprinkling her cheeks make her look soft and innocent. Her lashes almost touch her cheek, and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth. It’s the perfect combination of sexy and sweet.
“It’s a great picture, isn’t it?” I ask April.
“It is.”
“I might need to make it my screensaver.”
“You should totally do that.” April nods vigorously.
“Am I allowed to see this, or is it just between the two of you?” Poppy asks.
“I guess you can see it.” I smile at her slightly annoyed expression.
I take April’s phone and move in behind Poppy, almost mirroring the pose in the picture. “See how pretty you are?” I whisper in her ear.
April makes an odd noise. When Poppy and I look at her, she turns it into a cough and looks at the ceiling.
“At least I don’t look trollish.”
“You’re perfect.”
Her smile is as addicting as her touch, but we’re not alone, and we won’t be for a while, so I back it up and pass April her phone, turning back to Poppy. “So I can still come over later?”
“Sure. If you want to.”
“Around seven thirty is okay?”
She glances at April. “That should be good.”
“Can I stay again?”
“I actually need to sleep tonight.”
“Okaaayyy. So I’m going to wait out there for you.” April slips out the door, but leaves it ajar this time.
“I’ll let you sleep, even if I don’t want to,” I say.
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
“I promise.”
“We’ll see how good you are at keeping promises.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes. It’s a yes.”
I tuck a loose tendril of hair behind her ear so I can touch her. “Can I steal one more of those sweet kisses before I go?”
“Just one?”
“Maybe two.” I tug on the end of her ponytail and steal three before I finally leave.
CHAPTER 20
FALLING IN
POPPY
“I need details. Lots of them. All of them.” April takes a hefty swig of her margarita.
“You’re not getting all the details.”
“Oh my God, he looked like he wanted to eat you. And you’re seeing him again tonight? Sweet lord, I can’t even…” She fans her face. “Did you sleep with him? You slept with him, right?”
“Can you keep your voice down?” I look around the pub. It’s busy, and no one is paying attention, but I checked out the pictures of me and Lance on the ride over here, so now I’m paranoid.
There are a lot of them, with plenty of kissing and touching. Luckily everything is tasteful, but it’s far more attention than I’ve ever had, apart from the few images that circulated last year when I ended up back at his place. Those pictures didn’t focus on me, though, and they weren’t very clear, so I never worried about them.
These are much different. I am the central focus of every image. And I am very clearly Lance’s primary focus. It’s as flattering as it is unnerving.
“Sorry, sorry. So did you?” April leans in close.
I try to hide behind my Shirley Temple. “Yes.”
“Oh my God! I knew it!” She slaps the table.
I grimace, along with all the other people she’s scared the crap out of.
She makes one of her faces and lowers her voice. “How was he? Is he, you know, well equipped?”
“He was really sweet, and yes.”
“Come on, Poppy, you have to give me more than that.”
“What do you want me to say?” I’m not really one to talk about my sex life, although I’ve also never been with someone whose dinner date ends up being fodder for social media gossip.
“I don’t know, based on that conversation back at the clinic, you didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night. Does that mean he kept you up aaaaall niiiiiggght long?” She sings it while making thrusting motions and wags her brows.
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep, no.”
“You’re blushing so hard right now. It must’ve been amazing. I bet he can fuck like a god.”
“Can we change the subject please?”