12. Axel
Chapter 12
Axel
I was getting way more writing done than I would have thought possible when I learned I’d be sharing this cabin with three other people. I figured I would be too distracted by the noise they caused to focus, but when I locked myself in my room during the day, the steady patter of rain against my window helped to cover any small sounds that might come from downstairs.
I finished the third chapter of my novel and leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms over my head with a groan. I’d been sitting in front of my computer since right after breakfast, and I was ready to take a break. Checking the time, I wasn’t surprised by the stiffness of my limbs when I realized I’d been sitting in place for almost five hours.
Standing, I picked up the coffee cup I emptied hours ago and headed downstairs. I’d missed lunch, and my stomach rumbled in protest. Heading to the kitchen, I decided to throw together a sandwich to tide me over until dinner. Poppy was sitting at the island, and I was distracted from my goal as I saw she was bent over a sketchbook. I’d seen it in her hands a couple of times over the last three days, and I was curious enough to pull out the stool next to her and take a seat.
“What are you drawing, princess?” I asked, leaning over to get a look.
I almost expected her to pull it away or shut it to hide whatever she was working on from my view. We didn’t have a close relationship, after all. It was entirely possible that she’d want to keep whatever she was working on a secret.
Instead, she turned the sketchbook in my direction, revealing a drawing of a dress. I wasn’t expecting that, so I stared at it for a moment in surprise.
“It’s still a work in progress,” she said, starting to close the sketchbook, but I placed my hand on the page to stop her.
“No, it’s great,” I said, thinking the design was unique but somehow also familiar. The dress was a green color with a pattern of oblong shapes that were round at one end and pointed at the other.
“It’s inspired by the trees outside,” she said.
My eyes shifted to the window, and I realized that was exactly why it seemed familiar. She made the pattern look like leaves.
“Do you have other fashion designs?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ve been so inspired by being here.” She flipped to another page, and there was a blue skirt on the page that seemed to flow like water. “I want to start my own fashion line, you know.”
“I had no idea.”
And that made me a shitty father. If I were honest with myself, I hadn’t really thought of myself as a dad in years. Sure, I had a daughter, but Poppy was an adult now, and we rarely saw each other. I’d screwed things up in our relationship so long ago, it felt like it was impossible to fix any of it now.
We were almost strangers. Not that it made it okay to lean in close and inhale the fruity scent of her shampoo or to think about how soft her skin looked. Nope, I was still fucked up.
“I’ve been designing my own clothing line for the past year,” she said. “I started working for a pretty popular fashion designer just as a job to pay the bills. I didn’t expect it go anywhere, but once I started to work for him and saw exactly what his job is, it just clicked. I knew that this is what I want to do with my life.”
She flipped through the pages, showing me her designs and stopping to explain her inspiration for each one. Several of them had been drawn over the last few days, inspired by the nature around us. I knew she didn’t go to college for fashion design, but she seemed to have raw talent for this. I was impressed.
When I told her that, tears shone in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s just…I know I shouldn’t care because I ended things between us, but Joey was never supportive of this, never interested in it,” she said with a small smile. “He didn’t ask to see my designs or care that I wanted to provide clothing for plus-sized customers. I just…thanks for listening.”
“Of course.”
She showed me the rest of her designs, the older ones she personally critiqued, explaining she needed to start somewhere, but that she’d come a long way since she drew them. I leaned closer to look, one hand resting on the backrest of her stool. My chest brushed against her shoulder, and it was like receiving an electric shock. Every part of me suddenly become aware of every part of her. Poppy turned her head to face me, but I was leaning in so close that the movement caused our lips to brush.
Poppy gasped, her green eyes going wide, and I snapped. I couldn’t stop myself. My lips fused to hers, my tongue forcing its way into her mouth as I grabbed the nape of her neck and squeezed, holding her in place. My cock was a steel bar, ready and aching as lust made my head spin.
She moved her lips against mine for a few seconds until a little whimper came from her. The next thing I knew, she was pushing me away, wrenching herself out of my hold so suddenly I didn’t even get the chance to consider holding on to her tighter. She stumbled off the stool and almost fell to the ground until she caught herself with a steadying hand on the island. Her eyes were wild and she was panting as she stared at me. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out. Then, she turned and fled, running through the living room and up the stairs.
I clenched my fists and forced myself not to follow. My lips tingled and my blood was on fire. A part of me couldn’t believe I just did that, but the other part reveled in it. I finally got a taste of that forbidden fruit and it was sweeter than I could have imagined. I didn’t think I could stop at just that one taste, but the way Poppy had freaked out made me pretty sure that she wasn’t going to easily accept how much I wanted her.
A throat cleared behind me, and I turned to see Mason sitting in a chair by the fireplace in the living room. I didn’t notice him when I came downstairs, and it seemed that he’d seen the whole thing. Fuck. At least, her ex was nowhere to be seen. I didn’t want him giving Poppy a hard time. Mason better not either.
“T-that was just…a mistake,” I stammered. “A stupid mistake.”
“Didn’t look like a mistake,” Mason said with his usual laid-back attitude. A grin curved his lips. “And I doubt that you’d call it one if you had any idea how tight her pussy is.”
Surprise rippled through me, and my mind was suddenly filled with images of Mason fucking Poppy. I would have expected to feel angry, especially considering that was all I felt when I remembered him with my high school girlfriend, and married to Janie. But I had a different reaction to the idea of him fucking Poppy. The rush of longing I felt made it hard to breathe.
“You slept with her?” I asked.
Mason must have seen something in my face that told him how unbelievably turned on I was at the thought of them together because he got out of the chair and sauntered over to me with a confidence I couldn’t help but admire.
“No, I didn’t fuck her, not yet. But the way that her tight little pussy squeezed my fingers will live rent free in my mind for a long time. I intend to bury my cock deep inside of her as soon as possible though.”
I groaned as my cock twitched in my pants. He was going to fuck her here? Tonight? All thoughts of writing fled my mind, along with any reservation I might have had about this because she was my daughter. I was half-crazed by the idea of watching Mason fuck her. It was impossible to fight the need pulsing through my veins for her now. Right or wrong, I didn’t give a shit anymore.
“We should work together, don’t you think?” Mason suggested. “We can make this the best damn vacation that Poppy’s ever had.”
Yes. I was stuck in this cabin with her and Mason for a few more days, and I suddenly couldn’t think of anything I’d rather do than fuck her with him on every surface of this place.
I studied Mason for a long moment as I thought about his offer and it all clicked into place for me. All these years, I thought I was pissed with Mason for sleeping with my girlfriend and ex-wife. Every time I imagined him with either of those women, I felt a hollow ache in my chest that I hated so much, I covered it up with anger.
Now, I knew I wasn’t really upset that he fucked them. I was jealous because I felt left out. I wanted to be involved, to watch and participate. It was what I wanted all along, I was just too stubborn to realize it. Accepting that it was what I wanted came easily once the thought entered my mind.
I smiled at Mason for the first time in several long years. “What’s the plan?”