Chapter 26 Poppy
Poppy
When I wake up, my head is throbbing.
I groan softly into my pillow.
I peel my eyes open. It takes a second for my vision to focus, but when it does, I spot a glass of water on my nightstand, along with two Tylenol.
Huh. I don’t remember doing that before I went to bed, but I’m glad I did. That’s exactly what I need right now.
I ignore the ache in my skull and push myself up to a sitting position so I can down the pills and water. The inside of my mouth feels like sandpaper, so I drain the entire glass. I lie back down, my head fuzzy as I try wake up and remember what happened last night.
I think about winning homecoming king and queen with Nick. That was such a fun surprise. So was that hot-as-hell kiss we shared.
My skin tingles even just thinking about it now. How good Nick’s tongue felt, teasing my lips open and flicking against my tongue. How much it turned me on. How much I want to kiss him again.
I can’t believe I broke my no kissing on the mouth rule for him. But I couldn’t help it. I got caught up in the moment. We were on stage while the entire crowd cheered for us to kiss.
I bite back a smile, my cheeks on fire as I replay that moment. It was perfect. Nick was perfect.
There’s a soft knock at my door. I gasp. Who the hell is in my apartment? Wait, did someone break in?
I scan my room for a weapon to use against the intruder, but come up empty. There’s nothing in my bedroom that I can defend myself with.
Heart pounding, I grab the empty glass of water, prepared to throw it at his face.
But then I hear Nick’s soft voice.
“You okay in there?”
I let out a relieved breath and set the glass back down. “Yeah.”
Hearing his voice triggers my fuzzy memory. I vaguely remember taking shots in the bathroom with Anna. Then walking beside Nick as he took me home. Him carrying me up the stairs and tucking me into bed.
He must have spent the night here.
A warm, fuzzy feeling blooms through my chest.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
“Yeah, of course.”
When he opens the door, I almost gasp again. Because oh my god, he looks so handsome.
He’s not wearing his suit jacket or tie anymore, just his dress shirt and pants. The buttons at the top of his shirt are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up, showing off his forearms.
My mouth waters. They’re so thick and muscley. And veiny too.
He steps up over to me, and I look up at him. His dark hair is messy, and his eyes are a little puffy, like he just woke up.
He looks so damn yummy, I can barely take it.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
I swallow hard, fighting a smile. “I’m okay.”
“You have a headache?”
“Just a little one. It’s not too bad.” I’m surprised at how quickly my headache is fading. I guess the shock of seeing how good-looking Nick is first thing in the morning was the cure I didn’t know I needed.
“Do you feel like you’re gonna throw up?”
I shake my head and glance back at the empty glass of water. He did that.
“Thank you for the water and the Tylenol,” I say.
He sits down next to me. “Yeah, of course. I would have had you take that before you went to bed, but you were pretty tired.”
I groan softly. “How embarrassing was I?”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a sexy half-smile. “Not embarrassing at all. You’re really cute when you’re drunk. And sleepy.”
I start to laugh. “What did I do?”
“You suggested that we make out.”
He smiles like he’s amused, like he’s not bothered at all, but I still groan and cover my face with my hands.
“Oh my god, I did?”
He lets out a low, rough chuckle. “Yup.”
I can just imagine what I must have looked like, throwing myself at him. “I’m really, really sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. It was adorable.”
I drop my hands from my face and look at him. “I’ve never been drunk like that before, so I had no idea that’s how I’d act.”
“Don’t be embarrassed, Poppy. I liked it.”
“You did?”
He nods, that sexy smile still dancing across his thick lips. “It’s a nice little ego boost being lusted after by you.”
I shove his shoulder. We both laugh.
For a second, we just sit next to each other, smiling, the air thick between us. My gaze falls to his lips, and I think about our kiss. I wonder if he’s thinking about it too.
My stomach growls, and I let out a flustered laugh.
“You need to eat,” he says, his gaze focused as he looks at me.
“You’re probably right.” I glance down at my lap. “So, um, you stayed the night last night?”
“Yeah. I wanted to be here in case you needed anything.”
That warm feeling inside of me intensifies.
“You slept on the couch?” I ask.
He nods, grinning, then runs a hand through his messy hair. “That’s how I got this great new hairstyle, from being wedged against the arm of your couch.”
I wince. “Sorry. It’s way too small for you to sleep on. You should have gone home. You didn’t need to stay just for me…”
He scoops my hand in his. “Hey. Stop apologizing, okay?”
I swallow hard at the command in his low, rough tone.
“There was nothing in the world that would have kept me from you last night, Poppy. I wanted to be here. I wanted to take care of you.”
All my insides go warm and gooey. I’m not even his real girlfriend, and he went out of his way to take care of me.
My tummy dips, just like it does every time Nick does something sweet for me. I like him so much.
He stands up, still holding my hand. I stand up with him.
“I’ll make you breakfast,” he says.
“Okay. Thank you,” I say softly. “I’ll change and then meet you out in the kitchen.”
He leaves my bedroom, closing the door behind him. I slip out of my dress and pull on a pair of shorts and Nick’s hoodie.
I walk out, run to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth, then head into the kitchen. I see him standing there, whisking eggs in a bowl. He looks up at me, and his eyes widen. He stops stirring, and his mouth parts open.
I tug at the hem of the hoodie. “I hope it’s okay that I’m wearing this. I know I joked about keeping it forever, but I really should have given it back to you days ago. It’s just so cozy and warm. I love it. I wear it all the time when I’m at home.”
A hard swallow moves along the length of his thick throat. For a long moment, he stares at me, his jaw bulging.
He licks his lips, his gaze on my body. “You keep it.”
I grin. “Really?”
He smiles too. “Yeah. You look way cuter in it than I do.”
I chuckle and walk over to him. I want to slide my arms around his waist and hug him. And kiss him. But I don’t because this isn’t real. He isn’t really my boyfriend. This whole thing is fake.
Then how come standing in my kitchen with him feels so fun? How come I feel so giddy around him?
Because you like him.
I shove aside that thought and refocus. This crush I’ve developed on Nick is an inconvenient wrench tossed into our fake dating plan.
But a crush isn’t a big deal. It’s just because he’s hot and funny and kisses like a demon and looks dangerously handsome in a suit and is currently cooking me breakfast.
It’s not like I have real feelings for him.
A twinge of uncertainty flickers in my belly. I can’t. I can’t have real feelings for Nick.
The last time I had real feelings for him was in high school, and that ended in a humiliating rejection.
I shove that memory aside and refocus on him as he pours the eggs into a pan on the stove.
“What can I do to help?” I ask.
“Nothing. I’ve got it under control. You should have some coffee, though.”
He nods to the coffee maker on the counter, which is full of piping hot coffee. I pour myself a mug, add a few splashes of almond milk, then take a sip. I let out a satisfied hum.
“What are you making?” I ask.
“Bacon, eggs, and toast. The perfect hangover food.”
He leans down and opens the oven, where there’s a sheet tray of bacon sizzling away.
“You cook bacon in the oven?” I say.
“Yup. Best way to cook it.”
“There’s no way I’ll be able to eat that whole tray. Or that many eggs.” I look at the fun pan of eggs scrambling on the stove.
He just grins. “I know. That’s why I’m here.”
I chuckle and stand at the kitchen island while sipping my coffee, watching as he cooks. He pulls a plate from the cupboard and sets it on the counter. Once he’s finished cooking, he piles everything up on a single plate and sets it on my small dining table.
“You should eat,” he says.
I sit down and dig into breakfast. “So yummy,” I say around a mouthful.
He grabs the other chair and scoots it next to me, then digs in with his own fork.
“Hitting the spot?” he asks. I nod as I chew.
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes as we eat together. This is such a couple-y thing to do, share breakfast on a single plate. I try not to think about how real it feels…and how much I like it.
I eat a couple slices of bacon, a piece of toast, and not even half the eggs before I’m full.
“You can have the rest,” I say.
He inhales the rest of the food on the plate.
I watch while sipping my coffee. “Such an animal.”
He winks at me and smiles. When we’re both finished, I look up at him.
“Thank you for breakfast. And for staying over last night to take care of me,” I say, my voice soft. “It was really sweet of you.”
His smile is warm as he swipes a chunk of my hair behind my ear. “My pleasure, wild girl.”
I can’t help but grin wide at that nickname. “I thought you would only say that when I did something wild.”
“I like the way you blush when I call you that.”
My skin tingles once more. Oh.
His gaze on me sharpens as he scans my face. “You blushed when we kissed last night. It was really sexy.”
My heartbeat kicks up. We’re sitting so close to each other that I can feel the heat from Nick’s body skim over me.
“I was always so embarrassed at how much I blush,” I say in a shy voice.
“You shouldn’t be. You’re so pretty when you blush, Poppy.” He plays with the ends of my hair. “You’re always pretty.”
The air is thick between us as we fall quiet. His gaze falls to my lips, and my entire body aches. I want him to kiss me so bad.
A loud knock at my door shatters the moment.
I hop up out of my chair to answer it. When I look through the peephole, my stomach drops.
It’s Brody.