Chapter 6 #2
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a terrible liar?” He slides down his bed and then pulls his covers over himself as well, before reaching out for his phone. We are now both looking deep into each other’s eyes.
“All the time growing up. My mom especially.” I smirk at him.
“Shit, Poppy. I swear that wasn’t the kind of talking I was messaging you about.” And for the first time since I’ve met him, Landon looks vulnerable.
“I know, and that wasn’t the kind of sex I was expecting tonight either. But here we are, and I’m not complaining.” There is something about him that makes me give him my honest truth.
“At least I can sleep tonight,” Landon says, freely admitting that he was as worked up as I was.
“Same,” I reply. “Oh, and is Nash okay?” I can’t help asking, because those two little boys have already dug deep into my heart.
“Yeah, he’s fine. It happens every so often. He has nightmares about losing me. I understand it. It must be hard for a little brain to process everything. I mean, I struggle most days as an adult.” And I can see the sadness in his eyes for not only his wife but also the life he lost.
“You are raising two gorgeous boys, Landon. You should be proud of yourself. Life sometimes throws curve balls at us, but it’s how we catch them and run forward with them that makes all the difference.” He nods, acknowledging what I said.
We both just lie there in the silence for a moment.
“Poppy, I like you, a lot, but I don’t know what to do with that.” His words hang in the air between us.
“I feel the same, but it can’t be anything more than this. We both know that. My life is in Rochester and yours is here. We are worlds apart in so many things.” We need to be realistic.
“I know.” He pauses. “I haven’t looked at another woman since my wife died, and then you walk into my life, full of sass, a rocking-hot body, and such a beautiful soul to my kids.
You’re kind of hard to ignore, although I should’ve.
” I’m sure this conversation is easier for him to have with me not being in the same room.
“If it was a different time and place, this could’ve been something, but I still stand by what I said to you.
Take a chance and let’s have some fun. No commitment, and we have an end date.
I leave on Boxing Day. So, we have eight days left.
What do you say?” I’m almost begging him again; I don’t even know who I am right now.
“My boys can’t get confused or hurt in this.” The worry in his voice is cute.
“They won’t know, and neither will my mom because I don’t want her getting any ideas.” My comment makes him chuckle.
“What’s in this for you?” he asks, surprising me so much with his question that I blurt out the truth.
“My ex. He could never keep his eyes from wandering even when we were together, which always made me feel like shit and that I wasn’t good enough.
He has now moved on with a twenty-year-old, and he’s thirty-nine.
So yeah, I need someone to make me feel good about myself, as shallow as that sounds.
” Just even saying it out loud has me cringing.
I hate that Dean still has that power over me to feel like I don’t meet the mark to hold on to a man.
“Forget that asshole, he’ll regret letting you go. You are simply breathtaking, Poppy.” And in that moment, I feel his attraction to me right to my core. He will never understand what that means to me right now.
And then his whole demeanor changes. “God, I really want to fuck you,” he rasps.
A shiver runs through my whole body as I push my legs together. “Then say yes,” I plead softly.
He nods, and my chest flutters in anticipation.
“Good night, Landon.” I think we both need time to process what we have agreed to and what just happened between us.
“Sleep tight, Poppy, I’ll see you tomorrow.” My finger hovers over the red X, not wanting to end the call, but I know one of us needs to. Pushing it, Landon’s face is gone as I let out a deep sigh.
Exhaustion instantly washes over me. Today was a lot, between the craziness of Kade on sugar—even though I was warned, I had no idea what he would be like—and then tonight with Landon. My body is still tingling, so there’s not one bit of adrenaline left in me.
I close my eyes to sleep, but no matter how tired I am, I can’t get the vision of Landon in all his glory as I made him lose control leave my mind.
Yeah, sleep isn’t happening in this bed tonight.
LANDON
“Who’s ready for the cookie-baking competition?” Mrs. B asks as we take our spots around my kitchen counter. I insisted we do it here because I feel so bad that she has had to clean up after my boys every day.
Including when Kade vomited on her floor the day after making gingerbread houses.
Initially I thought it was all the candy he ate the day before, especially when I heard the stories from both Nash and Poppy. But it turned out to be a stomach bug which is the joy of young kids in daycare together. They love to share germs.
Every night I came home from work, he was curled up asleep with Poppy on the couch.
It was hard to look at, because it made me wish for things I can’t have.
And as much as I told Poppy I don’t want the boys to get hurt, I’m already expecting tears the moment she leaves.
They have fallen for her just as easily as I have.
There is something about this woman. I’m standing here watching her gear up my sons to beat me with their cookies, and it just hooks me in. I could fight it, but it’s a waste of time, I’ve discovered.
I haven’t had more than a few stolen moments with her since that night.
As she leaves each night, I can’t help pushing her against the wall and tasting her.
We are torturing ourselves with heated kisses and touching that is far from appropriate with my son just around the corner asleep on the couch.
But I have thrown all caution to the wind with Poppy, which is not like me.
“Okay, Kade and Nash, let’s start putting our ingredients in,” Mrs. B says. “Daddy and Poppy will help you measure, and then you can pour them in and do all the mixing.” Watching the boys’ eyes light up just reminds me how lucky we are to have her next door.
Mrs. B’s cellphone starts ringing, and she steps out of the room to go answer it, and it’s time to get the boys revved up.
“We’ve got this, Kade, champion cookies coming up, right?” Poppy lifts up her hand, and they high-five. She doesn’t understand how much it means to me that she doesn’t seem to mind how he is a lot of hard work. Nash is my quiet considerate soul, where Kade is my tornado but with the biggest heart.
“Not a chance, hey, Nash? We are going to make the best cookies ever, right, buddy?” Holding my fist out, we fist-bump, and he puffs out his chest with confidence.
“Not when I’ve got Perfect Poppy on my team.
She always makes everything better, so there is no way you will beat us.
” Kade stands up on his chair, yelling loud enough I think all the houses around us will hear him.
And I can’t help but laugh at the title of Perfect Poppy, because I tend to agree with him.
Before I can say a word, Poppy whispers in his ear, and I can see she is already redirecting his energy into the task at hand. Now that takes talent, because some days even I struggle to do that.
“I need a name Nash, am I Perfect Daddy?” I’m trying to make sure that Nash doesn’t think he lucked out being on my team. Because let’s face it, Poppy is way cooler than their dad will ever be in their eyes.
I can see him thinking hard, and I’m scared of what he will come up with, so I start throwing ideas out there.
“What about Mega Dad, or I know, Dad the Magnificent. Oh, hang on, I’ve got it: The Man of Steel: Super Dad.” I flex my muscles, and everyone in the kitchen breaks out in laughter.
“No, silly, they don’t start with the same letter like Perfect Poppy.” She looks across at me, and her smile is full of mischief.
“Fine. I’ve got it. How about Daddy the Devil.” And I’m not even looking at either of the boys now. Instead, I hone in on Poppy, and the reaction I was hoping for is instant. A faint blush pinks up her cheeks as she drops her face slightly, but I can still see the cheeky smile on her.
“But the devil is a naughty man, and you’re not naughty, Daddy,” Nash says to me, so matter of fact.
“You’re right, Nash,” Poppy agrees. “How about we go with Dashing Daddy, because he always looks so dashing when he is dressed for work. Plus, Daddy should stay away from where the devil lives because it’s very hot down there, isn’t it, Landon?”
“Yes, you must be careful around Mr. Naughty Devil, because you never know what can happen when you play with fire. Things can heat up very quickly.” I glare at her, and she just smirks and helps Kade with his next cup of flour.
“Fire can burn you, Daddy, can’t it, Poppy. Poppy is a firefighter, so she told us to always be careful of hot flames,” Nash comments so innocently.
“Yes, Poppy is correct. Never play with fire.” My cock is hardening in my jeans, and I know I need to stop all this innuendo, otherwise I won’t be able to move away from this counter without embarrassing myself in front of Mrs. B.
“Now let’s put the sugar in next because I love a good, sweet cookie.
” It was out of my mouth before I thought about it, causing Poppy to nearly choke on the other side of the counter.
“I need a glass of cold water, anyone else need one?” The boys are too focused on what they are doing, but Poppy’s hand shoots into the air, signaling for one as she gets over her choking on the dirty thought we both jumped to, of me eating out her sweet cookie.
Who would have thought that making cookies with the kids could be so arousing. Where is that cold water?