“Water would be great, thanks. If I start drinking alcohol now, I’ll be asleep before lunch.” I walk back to Poppy, twisting the cap to open it before I pass it to her.
Cracking the seal on my water bottle, I tilt my head and start guzzling the cold water down.
“Thirsty?” Poppy questions as I drain the bottle.
“Yeah, must’ve been the sprint I did to the coffee shop. I think I need to get back in the gym,” I reply as I take my seat infront of her again. Finding the time to do things for myself while being a single parent is hard. And if it came to a point of having to choose between spending time with and taking care of my sons or time to myself to go the gym, well, then there’s not even a choice to be made, my boys will win every time.
“I’m sorry about that.” Poppy’s head drops a little. Her gaze settles on her lap.
“I’m not.” Reaching out, I take the bottle of water from her hand and put it on the ground. Taking both of her hands in mine, I lift them to my lips, kissing each of them softly. “I will always be there for you, Poppy. I need you to know that, and not just in your head. I want you to feel it, deep down in the depths of your soul. You’re mine to protect.” I reach over with my hand, placing my finger under her chin and lifting her face up to look into my eyes. I want her to know how much I mean what I’m saying.
“Landon…” The way my name rolls off her lips, it’s barely more than a whisper. But just hearing it is enough to make my cock semi hard already.
“Poppy, we need to talk about what’s happening between us. I know you feel like your life is a mess right now, and I’m not asking you for anything. But I need you to know how I feel.”It’s now or never, Landon.
Her lips part as she’s about to talk, but I place my finger on her mouth. “Shhh. Just let me say this before you speak.”
Poppy’s lips close again, my finger tracing them ever so softly. Without words, the gentle touches light up our bodies with electricity.
“We agreed that Christmas was just a bit of fun, but I know you felt it was more too. That first night, you kissed the life back into me. In an instant, I was so desperate to take you.” I’m still stroking the soft plump lips that wrecked me with her first kiss. They’re now slightly apart the more I talk. Her breathing haschanged, but this time it’s a good change. The little hitch in her breath isn’t helping my cock to stay under control.
“However, it was so much more than just the sexual attraction. Your body is so fucking hot, yet it’s your mind that hooked me. I had forgotten what it was like to connect with another soul. You thought you were just helping me release all that built-up tension, but the moment I pushed deep inside you, I was gone, and I didn’t know what to do about that. It was like you were cracking open my heart, one inch at a time. And every minute I spent with you, pieces started falling away and the crack was getting bigger. Your laugh, your smile, the way you love my boys even though they’re a handful. And fuck me, Poppy, sex with you is off the fucking charts. Life felt amazing, but I had to let you go. That’s what we agreed, and I treasured every memory of our time together, even after you left. Especially in the shower or late night in my bed naked.” That brings a little giggle from her.
“I tried to get over you. I went on dates. But the whole time I was thinking about how they weren’t you, Poppy. I couldn’t keep pretending. It felt wrong, and it hurt, so I just stopped. I went back to being just Nash and Kade’s dad. And I was okay with that.” I take a breath because the memory is racing through my head like a bad dream.
“Then I got that phone call. I knew in an instant you were in trouble. It struck fear in my heart, and I couldn’t get to you quick enough. That flight to Rochester was the longest plane trip of my life. And the whole way all I could think was, ‘I can’t lose her.’” She places a gentle hand on my arm, tilting her head and looking at me with such deep sympathy. I don’t want her thinking like that.
“It wasn’t because of Lucinda. It was about you, Poppy, all you. Sure, I didn’t know if I could go through that again. But the pain in my chest came from my feelings for you. Stepping intoyour hospital room and seeing you lying there, lifeless, almost killed me.” I slide my hand up and cup her soft silken cheek. Her eyes flutter closed for a few seconds as I feel the energy transferring between us.
“I can’t deny my feelings any longer. I’ve fallen for you, Poppy.” It’s more than that, but she isn’t ready to hear that.
“Landon… I’m too broken. I can’t…” A few stray tears fall from her eyes, leaving trails down her cheeks. “The distance… the boys. Oh God, I want to, but I can’t. You don’t deserve any of this mess, Landon. My load is so heavy right now.” Both my hands are on her cheeks, my thumbs wiping away the tears as they trickle down her face.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I know you aren’t ready. I understand, and it’s fine. We have all the time in the world. But when you’re ready, I’m here.” I kiss her softly on the forehead, then rest mine on hers. “Until then, I’ll be the friend you need. The one to protect you, wrap you in my arms, and push away the fear. I’ll be whatever you need me to be, for as long as you need it.” I can’t keep the emotions from creeping into my voice now too.
“I don’t want to be friends… friends don’t fuck,” she blurts out, and we both freeze.
I pull back and look her straight in the eye, both of us bursting out laughing. Her declaration has broken the intensity of the moment, but it hasn’t done anything to stop the sexual tension that’s been building in the room. It just escalated to a point I’m not sure I can hold back from.
“Is that what you want, Poppy?” I slip onto my knees on the floor in front of her in between her legs, leaning toward her until our chests are touching and my lips hover in front of hers. “You want me to fuck you?” I can tell a relationship’s too much for her right now, but she wants my body. I can deal with that.
“You know what you do to me when you talk like that.” Her breathy reply tells me she’s struggling to hold back, like I am.
“Get you wet and wanting, just how I like you.” Poppy’s breath hitches again as I run my right hand down her neck and rest it on her shoulder. “I bet if I slid my fingers inside your panties right now, you’d be dripping. That little nub of yours would be nice and plump, ready for me to take it between my teeth.”
Her mouth drops open as she releases a soft groan. Dropping my thumb from her left cheek to her pretty pink lips, I drag her lower lip down a little further before gently pushing my thumb inside her mouth.
“Remind me what this sexy mouth feels like. Suck. Now.” A nervous twitch runs through her body as her eyes close. I feel her shoulder drop as tension starts to leave her, and her tongue circles my thumb, wetting it all over, and then she closes her mesmerizing lips tightly around it. My dirty talk might do it for her, but Poppy’s moan is something that has my cock hard and leaking. Her eyes float open as I start talking again.
“You need to tell me to stop if you don’t want this. Otherwise, I’m about to pick you up and lay you out bare on my desk, bury my face in your glistening pussy and give you all the pleasure you’ve been missing. Remind you how desired and fucking sexy you are.” Poppy’s moans get louder as she continues working my thumb over. “I’ll watch you come all over my cock and desk as I fuck you so damn hard, so when I’m here late at night and can’t stop thinking about you, I’ll sit in that chair with that vision. And you know what I’ll do then, Poppy?” Her eyes get wider as she looks at me, shaking her head but never letting the thumb out of her mouth, because she knows I haven’t told her she can yet.
“I’ll unzip my pants, push down my boxers, and take out my cock that will be missing you. Wrap my hand tightly around it and jerk off to the memory of your naked body that was so desperate to have my cock inside you.”
Yeah, sweetheart, you want this as bad as I do. Your flushed cheeks and darkened pupils are just the way I remember. I know how to play your body just how you like it.
“And if you’re lucky, I’ll call you and let you watch me. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Poppy?” She nods vigorously. “Then take my cock out now and I’ll let you suck it. Those pretty lips are wasted on my thumb.” Pulling my thumb slowly from her mouth, the pop sound of its release echoes through the room. I stand in front of her so my cock is at the perfect height for her. I watch her wriggle her ass to the front of the couch. Her hands are on my jeans button and zipper with a sense of urgency. And the moment she pulls the zip down, relief floods through my aching cock for the room to move.
“Remember, you’re the one in control here, Poppy. You say the word and everything stops.” But the rush of her lowering my jeans and boxers down tells me she’s with me.
