Chapter 10
Nick
Ipull my car up to Poppy’s apartment building and park in a spot at the side.
I hop out and walk around to the front. When I round the corner of the building and see Poppy standing at the entrance, looking down at her phone, I stop dead in my tracks.
Holy shit.
My eyes go wide as I take in the sight of her. She’s wearing a short red dress that shows off her legs.
Damn, she’s got sexy legs.
Poppy’s not tall, but in this dress, her legs look a mile long.
I rake my gaze along the swell of her hips and her ass. That tight little dress hugs every curve of her body.
I look up and take in the low-cut neckline, how it shows off her cleavage.
Goddamn, she’s gorgeous.
I mean, I’ve always thought Poppy was beautiful. I’m used to seeing her in yoga pants and jeans and shirts, and she always looks so cute and pretty.
I’ve never seen her in a dress like this, though. It’s tight and short in a bold color, and she looks like a fucking bombshell in it.
She looks up and smiles at me. “Oh, hey.”
I quickly look up at her face, hoping she didn’t catch me gawking at her tits like a perv.
I clear my throat and walk up to her. “Hey.”
Her eyes are shy as she looks at me. She tugs at the long sleeve of the sexy-as-fuck dress she’s wearing, like she’s nervous.
“You look amazing,” I say.
Her eyes brighten. “You really think so?”
“Hell yeah.”
Her smile turns relieved. “Your sister helped me pick this out. She said I couldn’t wear my usual outfit of jeans and a T-shirt.”
I grin. “I like your jeans and T-shirts.”
Her smile widens. “You do?”
“Yeah.”
She fidgets with the hem of her dress. “I’m a little nervous to wear something like this.”
“You shouldn’t be. You’re a knock out.”
She blinks at me, surprised. “I am?”
I let out a laugh of pure disbelief. “Yeah. Poppy, you’re a hottie. In this dress, you’re lethal. Every guy who sees you tonight is gonna be drooling over you. And hey, some women too, I’m sure.”
Her cheeks are bright red as she flashes a shy smile and tucks a chunk of her long blonde hair behind her ear. “Thank you. You look nice.”
I hold my hands up by my sides and do a spin. “Brand new Henley. I think it shows off my muscles nicely. Don’t you agree?”
She shoves my arm, but she’s chuckling. I don’t miss the way her gaze fixes on my biceps and chest.
I nod at the sidewalk. “The house where the party’s at is just a few blocks away. We can walk.”
We head down the block.
“Glad I wore my sneakers,” she says. I glance down and smile at the white Converse she’s wearing.
“Anna tried to get me to wear heels, but I told her no way. I hate wearing heels, even though I’m sure they would have made this dress look ten times better.”
She looks down at her sneakers and lets out a flustered chuckle. “I bet I look so weird wearing sneakers with a tight red dress.”
I shake my head. “Not even close. I like the sneakers.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. They’re cute as hell. Just like you.”
She fights a smile as I grab her hand in mine. A bunch of other Hollis U students are walking in the same direction as we are, probably all headed to the house party.
A group of guys standing on the sidewalk across from us is talking and laughing. When they see Poppy, they all stop and stare at her. She glances up at them before quickly looking away.
“You were right. This dress really is getting some attention,” she says, her tone on the edge of nervous.
A protective feeling flickers in my chest. I pull her closer to me and glare at them. They look away.
We turn the corner, and the house comes into view. Loud music booms down the street. We walk up the pathway to the porch, which is crowded with people standing around and watching a couple of guys play beer pong in the yard.
One of them manages to sink the ball in one of the red solo cups. The guy pumps his fist and hollers. Everyone on the porch cheers and holds up their own cups at him, then they all take a drink.
Poppy takes it all in with a wide-eyed stare.
I chuckle and give her hand a squeeze. “You’re looking at this party like it’s a science project.”
“I’ve just never seen that many people take a drink in unison like that.”
I lead her inside. The house is packed. The living room is crowded to the max, with people sitting on the couch, loveseat, coffee table, and side table.
The dining room table has another game of beer pong set up, and a group of four is playing.
People are standing around, drinking out of red solo cups and cans of beer.
I step around the crowd, noting how she’s wincing at how loud the music is.
I spot Beckett, my teammate and one of the guys who lives here, just a dozen feet away, setting up a pyramid of beer cans on a big table with endless bottles of liquor.
When I walk up to him, he grins.
“St. Nick! My man! About time you made it,” he says. He tosses a beer can at me, and I catch it with my free hand.
Poppy’s brow furrows as she looks at me. “He calls you St. Nick?” she hollers over the music.
“Yeah. Hockey nickname. Half the guys on the team call me that.”
Beckett turns to Poppy and grins. “And this must be the missus.”
I laugh. Poppy blushes.
“The guys on the team told me you were paired up, and I didn’t believe it,” Beckett says. “But now that I see it with my own eyes, I’m a believer.”
“This is my girlfriend, Poppy. Poppy, this is my teammate, Beckett.”
He shakes her hand. “Good to meet you, Poppy. Gotta say, I’ve got mad respect for you. You tamed the beast. I never thought I’d see this guy settle down.”
Poppy lets out a flustered chuckle. “Thanks, I guess?”
Beckett just laughs.
“Hey, can you turn down the music, man? My girl doesn’t like it deafening,” I say.
“Yeah, sure.” Beckett pulls out his phone and turns down the volume on the speaker system. I notice Poppy’s shoulders ease instantly.
She smiles up at me, then turns to Beckett. “Sorry to be a pain,” she says.
Beckett holds up a hand, an easy grin on his face. “No worries. I get it. Happy wife, happy life.” He pats my shoulder and winks at me before walking off.
“He’s a character,” Poppy says.
“He is. And one hell of a defenseman. He’s a beast on the ice.”
She looks over at Beckett, who’s now in the middle of a push-up contest across the room with some guy wearing a T-Rex costume.
Her eyes widen. “That’s something I never thought I’d see. A dinosaur doing pushups.”
“You always see something unexpected at Beckett’s house parties. He and his roommates are wild.”
I crack open the beer can Beckett gave me, and together, Poppy and I watch the showdown.
The people crowded around them count out the pushups in unison.
Beckett and the dinosaur start to slow down, until a few seconds later, when the dinosaur falls to the ground.
Beckett does one more pushup before falling to the ground.
The crowd cheers for Beckett while he grins.
He stands up and helps the guy in the dinosaur costume stand up, too.
They’re both laughing as they high-five.
“Wow. Beckett’s in really good shape,” Poppy says.
“Yup. I’ve never won a push-up contest against that guy. Really pisses me off.”
Poppy chuckles and pats my hand.
“You want something to drink?” I ask her.
“Yeah, but I don’t think there’s anything that’s not alcohol.” She glances at the drink table. “It’s okay, I’m good.”
I walk over to the table and grab a can of Sprite, which is sitting in a cooler on the floor.
People have been grabbing them to drink as a chaser, but I have a better idea.
I pour the can into a red solo cup, then I grab a jar of maraschino cherries and dump a few into the cup along with a small splash of the juice.
“Shirley Temple okay?” I say as I hand Poppy the glass.
She beams, her eyes bright. “That’s perfect. Thanks, Nick.”
“Anything for you, hot tutor.”
She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. I pour some beer into a cup for myself to sip on.
“Here, let’s go somewhere less crowded.”
I gently place my hand on the small of her back and guide her through the crowd toward a spot near the wall by the closet, on the edge of the living room.
She turns and leans against the wall, sipping her drink as I stand in front of her. I watch as she takes a drink and scans the room.
“People keep looking at us.”
“No one’s looking at me, Poppy.”
I quirk my eyebrow at her, then look down at her dress. She bites back a smile.
“Feeling okay?” I ask.
Her smile softens as she nods up at me. “Yeah. This party’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad, huh? I’ll take that as the highest compliment from you, a certified party hater.”
She chuckles, playfully smacking my arm. “Seriously, though. I’m having a nice time, and it’s because of you. Thank you.”
She holds my gaze, her smile soft. Something warm swoops through my chest hearing her say that.
“You really went out of your way to make me comfortable. You’re really sweet, Nick.”
“I can be sweet for you, Poppy. I can be anything you want.”
She swallows, and I follow the movement along her delicate throat. God, she’s so pretty.
Her lips part like she’s about to speak, but then she looks past me, and that warm expression on her face fades. She looks freaked out now.
“Oh no…”