“I—”
“Poppy? Braden? Where did you guys go? Everyone’s waiting to do pictures.” Lucy can be heard from outside.
“Shoot. What do we do? We can’t be caught together,” Poppy whispers, freaking out.
“Why the fuck not? We’re adults. We can do whatever the hell we want.”
“Because this is Cici’s special day. She doesn’t need to deal with drama.”
“What drama?” What the fuck is this girl’s problem?
“This.” She motions back and forth between us. “You. Me. This can’t happen. We… arenothappening.”
“It’s happened twice now, baby. You can deny it all you want, but I bet if I feel your pussy it won’t lie.”
“You’re disgusting. You don’t have to be so vulgar.”
“Ah, my poor little mouse. So skittish of a few dirty words.” Closing the distance, I lean down to whisper. “You know what I think? I think you like my filthy mouth. But I promise you’d like it even better between your legs while I lap up all the evidence of yournonarousal.”
Her shiver tells me I’m right. Without another word, I straighten my bow tie and walk out the door, leaving her in a puddle of need that I’m positive has her panties soaking.
It didn’t take long to find Lucy and tell her Poppy had to use the restroom and was delayed by a wardrobe malfunction. Women are constantly fixing something or another with their clothes, so I figured it was the most plausible excuse.
I couldn’t give a shit if anyone knows we’re messing around, but I’ll indulge Mouse for now and go with a cover story. She’ll eventually discover that it’s futile. I’ll have her sooner or later. Hopefully, it’s before she leaves. Otherwise, the chase is on.
The photographer snaps pictures of the newlyweds while we wait for Poppy. When she rejoins the group, anxiety oozes from every cell in her body. When Cici sees her, she’s immediately concerned.
“Is your dress okay?” Cici asks in concern.
Confusion flits across Poppy’s face for the briefest moment before clarity sets in, and she glances my way in surprise.
Yeah, Mouse, I can be nice when I want to.
“Oh, it wasn’t the dress, actually.” She makes a face like it’s obvious what the problem is, but doesn’t want to say it out loud. I’m guessing she’s indicating feminine issues, which is a useful cover as well. “But I’m fine. Sorry it took so long.”
“No worries, we did some solo shots. You ready?” Cici asks.
“Yep,” Poppy answers way too cheerfully.
After what feels like forever, we finish pictures and finally move on to the best part—the reception. Many of the guests are the Dubree brothers’ business associates. A few are from Jackson and Cici’s family business, and then a small number are Cici and Mia’s school acquaintances. Those would typically be where my interest is, but my focus hasn’t strayed from a mousy little redhead who lights up from my touch.
She immediately goes to the guy staying in her room, and from what it appears, she’s telling the truth about him not being a boyfriend. She also doesn’t seem to be the type to play around like that. I’ve done well not to be seen watching her, or so I thought.
Jackson leans on the bar next to me. “Dude, what’s with you and Poppy? You’ve been stalking her like someone stole your favorite toy.”
“That about sums it up. She could be my toy if she weren’t so damn stubborn. She’s skittish as hell, but she sure does respond nicely when caught off guard.”
“You’ve sampled the goods then?” he asks.
Jackson and I have been best friends since college, and I’m not worried about hiding things with Poppy. He may be Cici’s brother, but bros before hoes, sisters included. He won’t stir the pot.
“Barely. We made out, and I gave her a hand job last night that was fucking out of this world. The problem is, we move one step forward, and she takes two back, and now that douchebag showed up, she’s never alone. You know the guy?” I nudge my head in their direction. Cici and Eli are with them, and they all seem chummy.
“Yeah, that’s Matt. It sounds like he helped her through some shit with the pregnancy. He seems okay.”
“I don’t like him. He hasn’t left Poppy’s side and is practically drooling over her.”
Jackson snorts. “Man, you’re pathetic. Go check out some of the other chicks here. Why work harder than you have to?”
