Chapter 16
She lay in the dark feeling the bed shake.
“You have no fleas,” Poppy hissed at her cat. “I’m sure you just do that to annoy me, Hercules.”
But he wasn’t really the reason her eyes were open. She’d rolled over and landed on her wrist, and the bite of pain had woken her.
It was dark; no light slipped in through cracks in the curtains. Sitting up, she reached for the lamp on the nightstand. Her hand connected with the glass of water and sent it crashing into the wall.
“Well, hell.” Fumbling for the switch, soft light soon flooded the room.
The cat gave her a look as she pushed aside the covers.
“You’re no picnic to sleep with either, bud.”
Looking down, Poppy saw the water had mainly hit the wall and carpet. Getting out of bed, she grabbed the pain meds and went to the bathroom. Turning on the lights, Poppy headed to the sink and swallowed a couple of pills, washing them down with water.
It wasn’t the wisest idea to look in the mirror, but it was over the sink, so it was the natural thing to do. She looked like she’d slept in a dumpster. Her hair was a mess, eyes bloodshot. “Not your best day, Poppy.”
Grabbing a towel to soak up the water, she headed back into the bedroom. The tap on her door had to come from only one person.
“I’m okay, Nick.”
The door opened, and there he was. Sweatpants and no shirt. Hair standing off his head and eyes sleepy. Who looked that hot when they woke in the middle of the night?
“Can’t sleep?” His voice was raspy.
“Go back to bed, Nick. I just needed to take the pills. Why are you awake anyway?”
“I heard a thud.”
“Light sleeper?”
“Not usually.” He yawned. “What’s the towel for?” He came closer.
Poppy wondered what his skin would feel like. Still warm from sleep, or cool? Dragging her eyes from the nice slopes of muscles across his pecs and down his abdomen, she lowered herself to the floor.
“What the hell are you doing?” Hands grabbed her, and soon she was back on the bed.
“I spilled water and was clearing it up!”
“You’re injured.” He glared at her, but seeing as his eyes were all squinty from sleep, it held little weight.
“I made the mess. I can clean it up.”
“Shut up.” He dropped the towel onto the water and stomped on it.
“Don’t tell me to shut up,” Poppy snapped back.
“I will if you’re being an idiot. It’s water, no big deal.”
“Water can leave marks!”
He didn’t answer, just wiped the wall and whatever else was damp. Poppy then watched his really nice ass walk to the bathroom, where he threw the towel in the sink. He returned and stood beside the bed, looking down at her.
“You take the pain meds?”
“Yes.”
“Did your wrist wake you?”
She nodded and then sighed.
“What’s the sigh for?”
“I’m okay now, Nick. Go back to bed.” Poppy moved to sit against the headboard. “Really, and thanks again.”
“You hate asking me for anything, don’t you?”
“We barely know each other, and here I am staying in your house, and all the other stuff you’ve done for me….” Poppy tried to explain how she was feeling. “I’ve been on my own for so long?—”
“And now you’re not,” he said.
She watched him switch off the light. Nick then walked around the bed and sat on the other side, because she felt the mattress dip.
“What are you doing?”
“You can’t sleep. I’ll stay here until you do.”
As a loud yawn followed this, Poppy said, “You’re tired. Just go to bed, Nick. I’ll fall back asleep soon.”
He bounced a bit, and Hercules made a noise, expressing his displeasure.
“Settle down, cat. I was just testing the mattress. I’ve never slept in here.”
“Possibly because it’s your guest bedroom,” Poppy said.
“Possibly.” He lowered himself down on the bed until his head was on the pillow. “It’s comfortable.”
“It is.”
“So lie down, then.”
“Do you spend your life telling people what to do?” Poppy asked, but she did as he said because she was exhausted.
“Most of the time.”
Poppy snorted. “This should feel weird.” This time she yawned.
“We were friends once,” he said. “And comfortable with each other, so it stands to reason we still can be.”
Comfortable wasn’t the label she would put on it, but she knew what he meant. They’d had a connection—well, on her side anyway. She’d found him easy to talk to, and that didn’t happen often for Poppy.
“I’m not sure we were ever friends,” she said softly.
He was silent for a while and then spoke.
“I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Did you overhear me talking to my friends that day about you doing my assignments, and that was why I kept you around? Was that the reason you said what you did in the library?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, Poppy.”
“It’s okay?—”
“It’s not, but I’m glad I had a chance to apologize,” he said.
“Even though I was angry and confused by your actions, I kept looking for you, and one day, you didn’t turn up to class.
Then the following three, you were missing.
The only person you really seemed to spend any time with was Lindy Rae.
I asked her where you were. She told me you’d left college.
I got your address out of her, but when I arrived, the super at your building told me you’d left town. ”
“It wasn’t just because of you, Nick.”
Maybe it was the dark, or maybe she was ready to talk about her life because for so long there had been no one to listen, but Poppy thought she wanted to tell Nick some of her story.
“My mom never recovered from my brother dying. Dad left us when I was young, and we didn’t see him again.
She kind of derailed. A few nights after I overheard what you had said, she called me.
She was leaving, and I needed to find somewhere else to go because she wasn’t paying rent on the place anymore. ”
“What do you mean leaving? You were going, too, right?” Nick said.
“No, I wasn’t invited, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called Aunt Jenny. She booked a flight for me. I stayed with her until I was qualified and got work.”
“I bet it’s not that simple,” he said.
No. There was a whole lot of hurt and pain, but she’d dealt with it.
“My aunt Jenny is pretty special,” Poppy said.
“I know. We’re friends now.”
“Ha-ha.”
“And because of Malcolm Davy, you can’t live near her?” She could hear his anger.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry that assface did this to you.”
She felt him move, and then she was looking up at him as he shifted above her.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not, but it will be,” he vowed, and she almost believed him.
His lips took hers, soft and slow. It melted her bones. Poppy slid her good hand around his neck to hold him there. Being with Nick made her feel different. He took away the pain and fear, and she’d grab that, even if it was only brief.
“I enjoy kissing you, Poppy.”
“I like it too.” She whispered the words against his lips.
The kiss grew deeper, heavier, and then his hand was on her. Sliding under her shirt, one hot palm moved up her body, stroking, caressing every inch it encountered.
He eased back, but she noticed his hand stayed where it was flat on her stomach. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She could hear the tension in his voice and feel the evidence of his arousal pressed into her side.
“You won’t,” Poppy whispered.
“Never again.” His thumb brushed her lips.
“I mean you won’t hurt me now.” She wanted this desperately.
His smile was sweet.
“You have bruises and aches, baby. If you promise to lie still, I’ll make you feel better.”
“What?”
His hand slid higher and cupped her breasts.
“Y-you are not doing that.”
“That?” The hand moved in slow circles, stroking the sensitive peak. “Getting hot and heavy, do you mean?”
“You know what I…. Oh God.” Her words fell away as two of his fingers rolled her nipple.
“I always enjoyed making out. Just the kissing and touching stuff.” His breath was hot on her damp skin, making her shiver. “I like the other stuff, too, but this, getting the feel of a woman’s body, exploring and mapping it.” He made a noise deep in his throat.
“I’ve only done it once!” The words exploded from Poppy’s mouth.
Nick looked up at her. “Tell me it wasn’t with that soon-to-be-dead Malcolm Davy.”
His hand moved from her breast to lie flat on her belly again. How did he look so calm when she was on fire? Well, maybe not calm. There was the length of hard flesh pressing into her thigh.
“I—ah, we probably shouldn’t. I mean, we’ve only just met again and?—”
“Are consenting adults who like each other… now,” he said with a wicked grin. “But getting back to you being an almost virgin?—”
“I’m not!”
“I said almost. It wasn’t him, was it?”
She shook her head. “But after him, I didn’t want to get close to anyone.”
“Because he could hurt them?”
“Just like he could hurt you, so maybe you should go back to your room, Nick.”
“You’re staying in my house. If he’s watching you, he’ll probably know about me, Poppy.”
The panic that sliced through her at his words had her trying to get out of bed. He held her in place.
“Nope. No more running. We’re dealing with this, and I’m not scared because I’m an Atherton. Untouchable.”
But he wasn’t and could be hurt just like anyone.
“Stop thinking.” His hand moved to stroke her hair. “It will be okay, Poppy. I promise.”
“People can be assholes” was all Poppy managed to whisper as her eyes drifted shut.
“I hope I’m not included in that anymore and you’re talking about assface Davy.”
“Yes. One act and my life changed.”
“And we’re going to change it back. We won’t do any more necking for now, but we will get back to it. You’re tired, and I was wrong to touch you, but soon, Poppy. Real soon.”
He didn’t speak again, just lay on her pillow and placed a hand on her stomach, and soon the only sounds in the room were of them both sleeping.