When my eyes blinked open Saturday morning, Colter was already up. He strode into the bedroom with coffee, fruit, toast, and scrambled eggs on a tray. He set it across my lap, climbed in beside me wearing nothing but low-slung sweats, and kissed my temple. “Morning, baby.”
“Good morning.” I sipped the coffee, made exactly how I liked it, and grinned. “You’re going to make it impossible to ever leave this bed.”
“Good.”
We ate in comfortable silence for a while, his hand resting on my thigh under the sheet. Then I set the tray aside and turned to him.
“The only problem with our plan for today is that I need to go back to my place.”
His brows drew together. “Why?”
“Clothes. Toothbrush.” I swept my hand down the length of my body. “Normal human things.”
He shrugged and pulled me against his side. “Wear my stuff. Looks better on you anyway.”
“I guess I could do that while I’m here. But I’ll at least need to go home Sunday night. I can’t wear your stuff to work on Monday.” Heat bloomed in my cheeks. “Unfortunately, you can’t keep me naked in your bed forever.”
“Watch me.”
I laughed, but the sound caught in my throat when he brought my hand to his lips to brush a kiss against my knuckles.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll take you. But only if you pack enough to stay Sunday night too.”
“Deal.”
We showered, which didn’t save any water at all because we got dirty all over again before washing up. Then we drove to my apartment in his SUV. He followed me inside, watching me like a hawk while I pulled a duffel from the closet.
“Use a bigger bag.”
“I don’t want to overpack.”
“Better to have too much than not enough.” He reached past me to roll my biggest suitcase out of my closet. “I want you with me, baby.”
There was no way to argue when he said sweet stuff like that, so I tossed enough stuff for more than a week into the bag. But I didn’t use any of it except my toiletries until Monday morning. Colter kept me too busy to worry about clothes, as he proved he could keep me in bed for hours on end.
9
ACE
The August heat still hadn’t eased as I navigated the morning traffic toward Poppy’s office. Sunlight glared off the cars around me, a stark contrast to the warmth radiating from the woman sitting in the passenger seat beside me. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel as I glanced over at her, possessiveness surging in my chest.
Poppy had become my new favorite distraction. It had been hard as fuck to let reality back in after the amazing weekend we’d spent together. I loved having her in my space…which was quickly becoming ours. Her adorable rambling was as cute as it was sexy, and I could easily sit and listen to her talk for hours. She was sunshine and vivid color, bursting into my life and bringing joy I didn’t know existed. Just being with her was almost as appealing as being inside her.
“You’re staring,” Poppy murmured, casting a sideways glance at me. Her lips quirked into a shy smile as a faint blush spread across her cheeks. “I can practically feel your gaze burning holes into the side of my head.”
“Can’t help it.” My voice was deliberately teasing as I offered her a lazy grin. “It’s not my fault you look that fucking good.”
Her blush deepened, and she leaned back into the seat with a soft laugh, shaking her head. “You know, I never thought I’d get used to your brand of flirting. It’s intense, but I kind of like it. A lot, actually.”
The earnest admission hit me square in the chest, causing a pleasant ache to form. I reached over, squeezing her thigh gently. “Good. Because I have no intention of stopping.”
The rest of the drive was filled with an easy silence until we pulled up to the building where she worked. I leaned over and brushed a slow, possessive kiss against her lips, savoring the sweet little sound she made in response. Her fingers curled into my cut, tugging me closer as her mouth opened eagerly beneath mine. It took all my strength to pull away, my forehead resting against hers as I exhaled slowly, reigning in my control.
“Have a good day, baby,” I murmured, my voice rough.
“You too,” she whispered, her green eyes wide and a little dazed. “See you tonight.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement. I couldn’t resist the grin that spread across my face as I watched her climb out and walk toward the building, waiting until she disappeared through the doors before finally pulling away.
