Chapter 37
Poppy
Iclose the bedroom door as Nick stumbles to the bed. He fumbles with the tie on his swim trunks before pulling it loose and sliding them off.
Then he turns to me and holds his arms out, a sleepy grin on his face. “I want a naked hug.”
I burst out laughing. He’s drunk from all the vodka shots he took with his teammates.
I walk over to him and wrap my arms around him. He hugs me tight and nuzzles his nose into my wet hair.
“You’re so pretty, Poppy. And nice. And smart. And sexy. Your ass is out of this world, too. So are your tits.”
I giggle. “You’re very sweet when you’re drunk. Even sweeter than when you’re sober.”
He yawns. “I’m tired. Time for beddy bye.”
I step away and pull down the comforter on the bed. He flops face-first onto the mattress.
I’m laughing when I see his feet dangling off the bed. I grab his legs and push him so he’s all the way on it.
“You’re so heavy,” I groan.
“I’m a big boy, Poppy. You know that,” he says into the pillow.
Once he’s fully on the bed, I pull the comforter over him, then head into the attached bathroom to take a quick shower, dry my hair, and brush my teeth.
Ten minutes later, when I walk back into the bedroom, Nick is snoring loudly in the same position I left him in.
I smile, then walk over to my suitcase and pull out his T-shirt. It’s the one I wore when I spent the night at his house during that winter storm. He let me keep it, and I’ve been using it as a sleeping shirt since then.
I crawl into bed, trying not to wake him up, but the second I pull the comforter over me, Nick rolls over onto his back and yawns. He blinks a few times before turning to his side. When he sees me, his eyes light up and he flashes the biggest smile.
My heart bounces around my chest at the way he looks at me. Like he’s seeing me for the first time.
I run my fingers through his hair. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“It’s okay. I like being woken up by my pretty girlfriend.”
I chuckle softly. He’s still drunk.
He cups my face in his massive hand. “My pretty, pretty, pretty girlfriend.” His sleepy gaze rakes across my face. “So very pretty,” he murmurs.
I’m smiling so hard, my cheeks ache. He’s an adorably affectionate drunk.
He softly runs his fingers over my eyebrows. “Pretty eyebrows.” He hovers his thumb over my eye. “Pretty eyelashes.”
He skims his fingertips along the bridge of my nose. “Oh man, what a cute nose too.” He touches the tip of my nose, his eyes wide like he’s in awe. “You’ve got the perfect little tip.”
I’m giggling so hard, my tummy hurts.
“Oh damn! You have freckles! Those are cute too!” He gently taps the bridge of my nose, where I have a scattering of light-gold freckles.
“So you like freckles?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah. They’re my favorite.”
He holds my face with his hands and kisses the bridge of my nose, then he kisses my mouth.
“Pretty, pretty lips. So yummy,” he mumbles. I chuckle against his mouth.
He pulls back, his sleepy gaze drifting to the side. He blinks. “Cute little ears too.”
He breathes in, and his gaze focuses. “I’m so lucky you’re my girlfriend, Poppy.”
My heart slingshots around my chest.
“Lucky lucky guy to have a pretty pretty smart smart sweet sweet girl like you.”
A second later, he closes his eyes, his hands fall away from my face, and he starts snoring.
I gaze at him, a warm, fuzzy feeling expanding in my chest. I run my fingers through this thick, dark hair. He moans softly.
I can barely take how sweet Nick is. Other people get mad or sloppy or annoyed when they’re drunk. But Nick turns into an adorable romantic and showers me with compliments and praise.
He’s the perfect boyfriend…except he’s not my real boyfriend.
The silent reminder I speak to myself snags in my brain. It feels wrong to dismiss him like that. Because Nick is better than my ex ever was. He makes me feel doted on and cherished and cared for. He makes me feel like a priority. And the things he does for me in bed…
He’s the best I’ve ever had. And we haven’t even had sex yet.
I want to, though. Nick turns me on in a way that no man ever has.
I think about being together with him for real. Would it honestly be that different from what we’re doing now, pretending to be a couple?
Nothing we’re doing or saying to each other is fake. This whole fake dating set up with Nick feels more real than anything I ever had with my ex…
No. I can’t rush into a relationship. That’s what I did with Brody, and look what happened—I ended up with my heart broken and my focus completely shot.
I know Nick isn’t like Brody. I know he’d never purposely hurt me.
But he’s never had a serious relationship before.
All he’s ever done is hook up and fool around.
What if once things get serious between us, he realizes he doesn’t like being tied down to just one person? I’d end up hurt, just like before…
I can’t let my feelings get the best of me again. I need to take this slow like we agreed.
I turn off the lamp on the bedside table and snuggle under the covers. Even though Nick’s fast asleep, he wraps his arms around me and cuddles me into his chest, hugging me tight.
That warm, tingly feeling inside of me lingers. I fall asleep trying to remind myself not to fall too hard, too fast for Nick St. George, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist him.