“Why not?” Poppy let out a blissful sigh and leaned into the seat.
“Can I go look at the big cats?” my son asked, pointing to the enclosure across from us.
Poppy squinted at the trees. “Don’t you want to get out of the sun for a minute?”
“No.” The boy shook his head. “I want to see the panthers.”
“Stay where we can see you,” she insisted.
A funny feeling spread through my chest as we sat together. I was keenly aware of how normal this felt. Just a mom and dad, sitting and enjoying a treat, while we watched the tireless soul study another wild creature.
Poppy must have felt the same, because she shot me a look. I took another long lick of the ice cream.
Her breath hitched. The sound was soft enough, it should have been lost to the backdrop of the noisy zoo. But I heard it.
I kept my gaze pinned on the boy as I took another agonizingly slow taste of the treat. Just to be sure I wasn’t imagining it.
Those soft brown eyes lingered on my mouth. The way Poppy watched me made my skin tingle. Awareness spread through me.
“See something you like?” I murmured, shooting a quick look to the side.
She had one of the most expressive faces I’d ever seen, and right now her cheeks flushed a gorgeous shade of pink with the knowledge she’d been caught.
“Nothing,” she muttered, quickly swiveling away. Her lips closed over the tip of the yogurt bar.
A bolt of heat shot through my veins that had nothing to do with the sun.
It became a game. We took turns watching where the inquisitive boy stared through the bars of the great cats’ cage and the unspoken show each of us was putting on.
Her eyes locked on my mouth as I worked my tongue around the soft serve, tracing the edge where it met the cone. I took my time, savoring the cold sweetness against my lips. Something in her gaze shifted, darkened.
“Does yours taste good?” she asked, her voice different than before—lower, huskier.
My low rumble of approval made her shift in her seat. “It’sverygood.”
Poppy’s gaze darted away again.
I smiled, watching her take a delicate lick of her own treat. A small drop of berry clung to her bottom lip. Without thinking, I reached over and brushed it away with my thumb. Her skin was soft against my touch.
“Careful,” I murmured. “It’s melting fast.”
She fucking shivered.
I slid the tip of my thumb between my lips, sucking hard.
There was no denying the blatant desire rushing across her face.
I inched closer and lifted my soft serve cone. “Want a lick?”
Poppy shook her head and lifted her yogurt bar. She held my gaze as she deliberately took another taste, her tongue moving slowly against the creamy surface. From bottom to top, her tongue slid across the frozen surface. My heart quickened. The sounds of the zoo seemed to fade away. While my son stayed in my field of sight, I focused on the vibrant temptation at my side.
“Do that again,” I growled.
Poppy smirked. “Doyousee something you like?”
A groan stuttered in my chest. “Yes.”
She flicked a quick glance at the exhibit, always the protective mother, before she turned back to me. Her tongue carved another agonizingly slow path up the bar. At the top, she swirled it across the tip, before sticking the treat in her mouth—and sucking hard.
