Chapter 24
24
Laird
Her blond hair is no longer in disarray.
Her hazel eyes pop under darkened lashes.
The smile I’m used to when she sees me is nowhere to be found when Poppy returns to the living room. She stops, the bottom of her dress fluttering forward from the abrupt action, as if there’s an invisible barrier keeping her out. “Hello,” she says, gulping with pinkened cheeks.
My sister stands from the couch as I rush to greet her. “Hey,” I whisper when I reach her, taking her hands in mine and giving her a smile that evokes her own. She rolls her eyes and looks away with a sigh. Pulling her to me, I kiss her head. “You look pretty, but how are you doing?”
“Embarrassed beyond . . .” She exhales and shakes her head.
Nikki says, “Please don’t be. I know that’s impossible, but . . .” I move to the side, slipping my arm around her waist, and hold her close. “I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about you. ”
Poppy smiles, though she’s blushing even more. She crosses the room with her hand out. “I appreciate you saying that, but I’m going to need a few more minutes to pretend it didn’t happen, that I didn’t just meet you completely naked.”
My sister shakes her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
I say, “We should all be so lucky to meet you in the nude.”
She tips her head, glaring back at me. “It’s too soon.”
“I’ll try again later.” I ask, “Coffee?”
“I’d love it,” she replies.
While I make a cup for my girl, Nikki says, “It’s my fault. I’m used to barging into my brother’s house. I wasn’t thinking he had company. I really am so sorry.” I appreciate the effort my sister is making for her. Nikki has great intuition and doesn’t bullshit with people. If she doesn’t get a good sense of character, she won’t attempt to get to know someone. It’s a skill she had to adapt in the entertainment business. Most aren’t out to help a career but to help themselves.
Poppy tugs at the waist of her dress, fidgeting, but then her hands fall to her sides as she slips into comfortable conversation. “It’s fine. I’ll get over it.” She laughs quietly to herself. “Naked isn’t how I would have chosen to meet you, but there are no redos on first impression, so I can only hope you don’t hold it against me.”
“Never,” Nikki says, glancing out toward the pool. “Would you like to go outside? Laird and I were going to have our coffee outside. It’s a beautiful morning.”
Poppy glances at me, so I say, “I’ll be right out.”
When they go out, I watch as they walk around to the lounge chairs set up poolside. Nikki lies back, and I see her laugh after Poppy does .
My sister is important and a huge part of my life, but she doesn’t decide who I date or spend time with. But to have her get along with a partner is vital since the band and my job keeps us together all the time. The last thing I want to do is bring more turmoil to an already tumultuous situation.
With coffee in each hand, I hand a mug to Poppy and then take a sip from mine.
Nikki visors her eyes to block out the sun when she looks up at me. “Poppy saw us perform at the racetrack in Austin?”
The question isn’t lost on me. The connection she’s bridging from there to here isn’t either. I can’t say anything, not with Poppy here, and I’m unsure how Nikki would react. I never told her the full story. We don’t keep anything from each other, but I kept that morning I was stood up private. I just took it out on the world in Nashville.
“Small world, right?” I reply, seeing the whitecaps on the waves of the ocean. Can I keep these secrets forever if she never recovers her memories? I should paddle out later and see if the ocean can advise me on what to do.
“So small,” my sister says, sounding truly amazed. I chuckle. We’ve performed in front of stadiums of people around the world, and she’s still surprised when someone she meets has seen us on tour. Turning back to Poppy, she taps her arm gently. “We’re heading into the studio next week. I always host a party when we complete an album. I’d love to have you there.” Glancing at me, she adds, “If you guys are available?”
My gaze slides to Poppy’s. I can read her smile like a book, her eyes like they’re a reflection of my own. But this is long term plans, something that happens a few weeks to a month from now if we nail sessions, so I don’t want her to feel pressured. “Let us get back to you. ”
Nikki stands, dusting off the back of her skirt. “Sounds good.” Walking around me, she says, “I need to get going, but I’m glad Deer Lake worked out. Can’t wait to get back into the studio with you.”
“Bored at home?” I joke.
“Never, but I miss my big brother. So I’ll take the time I’m given.” Standing next to me, she faces Poppy. “It was really nice to meet you. We didn’t get to talk about you being a chef, but I’d love to hear more about that soon.”
“Of course. Nice to meet you, too.”
“I’ll be right back.” I follow my sister into the house.
The door barely closes behind me when she says, “I love her. She’s the one.” My feet stop even though she’s still walking to the door. When she finally realizes I’m not behind her, she turns back. “What?”
“What do you mean, what? You’ve never said that about anyone I’ve dated before, much less about someone you met thirty minutes ago tops.”
Her eyes trail out to Poppy by the pool, and a shrug pops her shoulders before she adds, “I like her, and I have a good sense about these things. Remember Jessica?”
“Elrod? Yes, you never let me forget.” I start for the door, ready to give my sister the boot.
Patting me on the arm, she laughs. “For good reason, brother.”
“I’m allowed to make mistakes at nineteen.”
“Absolutely. I made enough for both of us when it comes to dating. But now I want to see you happy.” She grins up at me like a Cheshire cat. “And Poppy makes you happy.”
I don’t try to hide it, grinning right back. I’m fucking ecstatic on the inside, but I’m good at holding my cards close to my chest about the current situation. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel bad for keeping secrets from my sister. “She does.”
“Come to dinner this weekend. Mom and Dad will be there. I think she’ll enjoy meeting the family.”
“I’ll talk to her.” I pass her by to open the door and shoot her a cheesy grin. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“Message received. Have fun.” She walks outside, then stops and turns back. “I’m glad you’re back. Not to jinx anything, but it’s good to see you again.”
“You just saw me days ago.”
“No, you, the old you. The guy who’s been missing for a while. It’s good to see you smile.” Walking away, she waves over her head. “See ya.”
“Drive safe.” I close the door and lock it. Turning back to the living room, I spy Poppy. She’s still outside but now standing, taking in the view. Her arms are crossed over her stomach, her gaze directed into the distance.
When I slide open the door to the backyard, I say, “Guess you met my sister.”
She looks over her shoulder and laughs. “Not the way I’d like. You know, with clothes on.”
“It could have been worse. It could have been my parents.”
“True.” Her arms fall to her sides, and she turns toward me as I approach. “Be honest. Was she just being nice?”
“She is nice, but she genuinely liked you. Looked like you got along out here talking.” I’ve wanted to touch her all morning, but since it was a rough start, I kept it light. Now, since we’re alone, I pull her into my arms, enveloping her against me. I kiss her head. When her arms come around me, I feel us falling into each other. As much as it’s been fast to any onlookers, the pace felt right for us.
For me, we’ve picked up where we left off. The reasons I fell in love with her the first time are evident—her laughter and smile, the way she treats me like I’m deserving, our kisses and the connection, the sex and the smart comebacks, her gorgeous lips, and the eyes that mesmerize me—this time around. She’s the complete package as if she was intended for me.
When she kisses my chest and looks up, resting her chin on me, she says, “I was naked when I met Nikki Faris. I will never live this down.”
“At least you have a good story to tell. Isn’t that what life’s about?”
She wriggles free, laughing, and heads toward the house. “I guess it is now.” Another giggle bubbles up. With the door in her hand, she stops to look back. “Coming?”
I chuckle, though I shouldn’t because of the fear in my gut. This feels too good, so right. I’m happy. Don’t I deserve that after all these years?
“Coming,” I reply, worry plaguing me if I let her out of my sight. What if something happens again?
Poppy’s washing her mug in the sink.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say. We can do it later.
“I like a clean kitchen.”
It’s center stage for her profession, so I’ll respect that. I tend to be neat myself. “Hey.” I sit on a barstool in front of her. “Is there anything you want to do today?”
Her grin gives her away. “I know exactly what I want to do with you.” The sexy vixen. She says, “Go grocery shopping.”
“Okay, not what I was expecting.”
Coming around, she kisses my cheek too chastely for my liking. “Why? What were you thinking?” Fucking you on the patio and then maybe over the kitchen island. Going down on you in the shower and then a solid nap .
Fuck. I rub the back of my neck, knowing this hard-on isn’t going down on its own. Do I take care of it privately or let the supermarket take care of it? “Nothing. How much time do you need?”
“I’ll be ready in five.” The supermarket wins this time . . . I shift my dick and follow her into the bedroom, watching her ass. It’s not helping, but it’s a beautiful sight.
Without turning back, she asks, “You going to walk around like that, or do you need some assistance?”
“Are you offering?”
She spins, her back suddenly pressing to the doorframe. Her eyes lock on mine as she starts to slide down. “I am.” When her knees hit the floor and her hands take hold of the waistband of my shorts, my cock becomes steel for her.
I wasn’t prepared for visitors, so I never managed underwear this morning. I’m not upset about the easier access. One less obstacle keeping me from Poppy’s mouth. My shorts fall to the floor, my dick bobbing in anticipation for her. Running her hands up the back of my legs, she looks up once more—stunning green, brown, and gold mixing in her eyes as she stares up at me. “No warm-up needed, then.”
Sliding my fingers into the top of her hair, I pull her closer, craving her mouth around me too much for patience once the offer was on the table. Her eyes close as she tilts her head back. Taking a deep breath, she appears to lean into the gentle tug of her hair.
It’s not the first time she’s sucked me, but the need in my belly is too hungry to make light or wait. I angle my erection with my other hand and move closer. “You going to take all of me?”
Her eyes open, her gaze on me, as her hand wraps around my length. “I’m going to have you thinking about this every second for the rest of the day. And when we get home, you will return the favor.”
“You say that as if it’s a threat.” Cupping her by the chin, I say, “It will be my pleasure.”
Her tongue dips out to tease my end, and then she opens her mouth nice and wide and takes me in.
“Sausage or ham?” The question is posed an hour later at the store, but I’m still thinking about how I came in her mouth.
Fuck me. Her magic mouth performed a Houdini act when she took me deep into it. She was right. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how fucking incredible it felt to get off like that.
“Laird?” I’m poked in the stomach, causing my abs to tense.
“Yeah?” I grab her finger, and ask, “What?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Men are so easy to please.” Holding up the packages of deli meat, she says, “I’m getting both. Genoa is good with you, right? I was thinking for sandwiches. I can get pepperoni if you prefer.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought this much about sausage before.”
She starts walking away from the cart while still talking, “I love to cook but not every meal.”
Hunching down, I rest my forearms on the grocery cart and catch up to her. “For sure. Do I get to try the chicken pesto?”
I’m shot dead with a glare. “I’m not sure if you deserve it after I went to the trouble and it ended up in the garbage.”
“It only ended up in the garbage because you put it there.” I’m still laughing when I see some asshole checking her out. Lifting my chin, I make sure he’s on the receiving end of a silent threat. He looks away but then back again like he might recognize me. I spin the hat around and pull the bill lower on my brow. “It sounds amazing,” I say, trying to act like nothing happened.
She bounces on her sneakers when she spots something on the shelf. “They’re always out of these olives.” I’m not sure I’ve been excited over olives, but I can support her enthusiasm.
“I’m your lucky charm.”
Her smile warms my soul. “You must be.” Lifting to kiss me, she says, “I’ll make you the chicken pesto.” It’s not the words that hit me straight in the heart. It’s the gesture.
I bend to kiss her this time, my eyes taking in my drop-dead gorgeous girl, and whisper, “You’re so in love with me.”
I’m whacked on the arm before I can jump out of the way and still cracking up when I spy some fucker eyeing her ass while she’s paying attention to me.
The fuck?
The first guy had me thinking I might have overreacted, but now this guy, and when I look a little farther down the aisle, another asshole is staring at her. She turns, her blond ponytail flying through the air just as he passes. He leans in and says, “Hi,” to her.
What the fuck is happening?
Do they really think a woman of her caliber would fuck around with them? I’m a fucking rock star. Am I not standing right the fuck here?
“I think I preferred you in Deer Lake, where there weren’t guys staring at you everywhere.”
“Oh yeah, I was just a hunchback there. Now I’ve morphed into . . .”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know,” she says, still walking.
I let the distance extend between us, ready to let that fucker back there know what I think of his fucking despicable behavior toward my girlfriend. The sleeve of my T-shirt is tugged, and I’m dragged along with her. “Come on. Don’t worry about it. It happens all the time. It’s annoying, but it is what it is.”
My brows are high as the fucking sky in reaction. “That doesn’t make it right.”
She shrugs. “What am I going to do? Fight the world?” Tapping a list on her phone, she adds, “We only need a few more things, and we can get out of here.”
I know she’s fully capable of handling any situation and has her whole life, but it still angers me that she has to put up with that shit. “Yeah, okay.” I push the cart behind her, following a little closer now. Call me territorial.
The cart slams into the back of her legs, and then she bounces on one leg. “Ow, Laird. That hurt.”
“Sorry, you stopped suddenly.”
She comes around next to me, bends down to rub the back of her ankle, and stands up again. “I’m assuming we can keep the leg?”
I’m whacked on the arm again, but it had no power behind it. She was laughing too hard. When she finally catches her breath, she whispers, “I stopped because that chick back there—”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Language,” I tease, loving every minute of fair play in this jealousy game. I'm glad I’m not alone, but as memory serves, she didn’t love Lori even sniffing around me at Maggie’s. I feel her pain since I almost knocked out the guy in the deli.
She’s still cracking up. “She not only smiled at you, but she said hello. See? It happens all the time to you, too. Probably more since you’re in a band.” A quick roll of her eyes, and she adds, “Why do I have to fall for the bad boy? ”
“I’m not even bad anymore. I’m a fucking wuss around you.” Pulling her into a playful headlock, I kiss her head. Then I need to see her eyes and connect my soul to hers again. I release her, rubbing her lower back, and tilt my head to the side. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Her smile this time is worth a thousand guys staring at her because it’s the one they’ll never have. Her love. She hugs me right there in aisle five, not giving a fuck who is staring, which seems to be everyone. “I think you’ve been spotted.”
“That’s the thing. It could be either of us, but more attention than I like off the stage. Anyway, I have a present for you when we get home.”
“Oh yeah? Is it meat related because I think we’re fully stocked.”
“Not fully.”
“Oh geez,” she says, taking the cart and walking away. At least I made her laugh. I’ll make it up to her in other ways when we get back. That’s a promise I intend to keep.