I open my eyes and lift my face to him, and before I can talk myself out of it, I lean forward. I place thefastest, softest kiss on the corner of his mouth. I get more beard than lip, but it’s still the most erotic kiss I think I’ve ever had. I pull back so slowly, I almost think I’m not moving.
Phantom groans for real then, a strangled sound that sends a flood of wetness between my legs. “Poppy, fuck.” He slides his hand beneath my hair, cups my neck, and pulls my mouth to his. “I have wanted to kiss you since the day I met you.”
“All that time?” I ask, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I’m sure he can hear it. “One whole week?”
“Every goddamn second. Feels like a year, not a week.”
He flicks the tip of his tongue against my lower lip, and I swear my knees buckle.
“Stay with me,” he whispers. “Every single thing you want is yours. You want space, I’ll give you space. You want to go home, I’ll respect that, once the place is clean enough for you to move back in.” He threads his long fingers through the back of my hair and tugs lightly. “You want me,” he murmurs, kissing my lips in light, flicking kisses between each word, “I’m all fucking yours, baby.”
My eyes fly open, and I realize my son and his daughters are just a few feet away, probably ready to burst into the kitchen any minute and catch their parents in some highly un-first-date-like behavior. Although, now that I think about it, how would I know anymore what people do on first dates? Maybe a little light kissing in the kitchen is normal.
“I should get Jax,” I say, even though every part ofmy body wants more of Phantom. Could I ever handle a man like him? I’m not sure I can even manage a night under the same roof. I throw my shoulders back, and Phantom’s eyes fly to my very obviously hard nipples. So much for being able to go braless in this dress.
I cross my arms over my chest as a hot blush sears its way up my neck and cheeks.
“Fuck me,” Phantom groans, closing his eyes, his head dropping back. He shakes out his shoulders and adjusts his jeans a bit, making me think the bulge in the front of his jeans means he’s as turned on as I am. “Bedtime. Sleep, I mean. The kids. Fuck.” He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Let’s get everybody tucked in.”
He turns and stalks out of the kitchen, and I follow close behind, wondering what the heck I think I’m doing. I hardly know this man. He hardly knows me.
The police said they won’t be able to find whoever did this. What makes Phantom think he can, and what will he do with them if he does?
I start to think about the things my client said about the bikers when Phantom showed up at my shop on his bike wearing his leather vest. Are these guys criminals? It’s hard to believe the hands that fisted my hair and touched my hands so perfectly could be used to hurt someone.
As I follow Phantom, Holly, and Daisy up the stairs toward the guest room, my hand on Jax’s shoulder, I wonder, after everything I’ve been through, if Phantom is the hero I never knew I needed, or if he’s the exact kind of danger I’ve been avoiding for all these years.
10
PHANTOM
It takesevery shred of strength I possess to leave Poppy behind. I loaned her an old shirt and a pair of my boxers to sleep in, and after she’d changed for bed and brushed her teeth, all I could look at was the swell of her large, perfect tits underneath my shirt. If it weren’t for the boy, even with my daughters here, it would have required every ounce of my will to keep myself from scooping her into my arms and taking even more than what she offered me in the kitchen.
There will be time for that later.
I’ll make sure of it.
For now, I need to know whose life I’m going to end.
Once everyone is tucked away, I arm the house and check the camera feed to my phone. Satisfied that nothing will go down here without my knowing about it, I text Hawk to come keep watch until I get back, and I text Dylan aka Jizz to make sure he’s working at Poppy’s on cleanup. Then I head down to the garage, let myself out, and get behind the wheelof my truck.
I drive to the compound with the wheels spinning so fast, I can’t keep the anger and fear separate. If there’s nothing in Poppy’s life that led to this, maybe it was random. Could’ve been anybody casing the house who just happened to notice that the people who are always home actually weren’t.
I hope that’s what happened.
What’s going to be harder to do is face the one person I stopped calling for help years ago.
By the time I storm into the club, the party is in full swing. Blade’s sitting in a recliner, his head thrown back and his cock in Stella’s mouth. They both must be really, really fucked up because Stella and Blade are friends. Not fuck buddies like most of the bitches who hang around here.
I look away from what appears to be Stella giving a decent blow job and scan the crowd for Shadow. He’s got himself an old lady, so he’s the only one not fucking or trying to get himself fucked here tonight.
Penny and a new girl whose name I can never remember are both topless, their tits out while they play strip poker with Viper and a prospect who’s also missing half of his clothes. I smell weed and sweat, piss and the heavy scent of cigarette smoke.
As soon as I see the prospect here at the compound and not at Poppy’s house, my vision goes red. I storm over to the recliner and grab Dylan’s vest, yanking him up and out of the chair so hard the bitch on his cock falls off and tumbles onto the floor.
“What the fuck?” she screams, her eyes red.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I point to her. “You fucking him? He’s not supposed to be here, so unless you’re going to fuck somebody else tonight, you better get the fuck out of here.”
