Chapter 38
JETT
The golden morning light shining through the curtains wakes me, and it takes me a moment to become aware of my surroundings. All I know before I open my eyes is that I’m warm, and there’s a deep contentment that I haven’t had waking up in a long time.
There’s movement next to me, and I crack my eyes open to see Poppy, snuggled under my arm, her head resting on my peck.
Her dark eyelashes flutter against her cheeks, dark wispy bangs in disarray and pushed off her face. A smile takes over my face, and an unmistakable joy is about to burst from my chest.
It’s been a lot of that over the last few days.
Winning the World Cup qualifier, coming home to see Poppy, the intimate moments we shared yesterday, and last night. Several times. But this feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s one I want to live in forever, right here with Poppy.
She shifts on me, eyes fluttering open as she reaches her hand up to rub them. Something aches behind my sternum. It’s almost painful, the way I love her.
I turn on my side so I can pull her close to me, and bury my nose in her hair, kissing the top of her head. She makes an mmm sound that has almost a hint of a tease in the tone of it, and before I have time to react, I understand why.
Her small hand is trailing down the ridges of my abdomen and she curls her fingers around my morning wood, stroking the tip with her thumb.
The sound that comes out of my throat is somewhere between a moan and a groan, and when she pumps me in her fist it awakens my need to ravish her the way we’ve been doing since I arrived back in Heartwood.
Now, I’m rolling over onto my back, my hands gripping her waist so she follows and ends up straddling my hard length. She nips at my jaw and my neck with her mouth, drawing another moan from me.
“Can you show me how to…” Poppy whispers, a flush spreading up her chest to her cheeks, matching the pink shade of her lips. I reach over to grab one of the fifty thousand condoms I got for Christmas off the nightstand, ripping the package open with my teeth.
“I’d love nothing more,” I say, as I roll on the condom before guiding her down onto me. She sits upright and closes her eyes as she takes me inch by inch. But mine are wide open, and I’m unable to tear them away from the sight of my cock disappearing into her perfect cunt.
Once she’s seated on me fully, her eyes snap open and she locks her gaze on mine as I guide her hips into a rocking motion.
“How’s this?” She asks, keeping up the movements I showed her.
“You’re a fast learner,” I manage to grit out, even as my release is threatening to erupt from me at any moment.
I’ve learned with Poppy that under the right circumstances, all control I once possessed gets thrown by the wayside, and just a look from her can have me coming undone.
I find her hands and intertwine my fingers through hers, letting her use me to steady herself as she continues to rock her hips, pumping me with her tight, slick opening.
I push my hips up into her, countering every one of her movements until we find a rhythm together, so in sync, so connected with each other.
We’re both panting and sweaty when her walls clench around me, her mouth opening in a silent scream as her orgasm rips through her. Her whole body convulses, but all I can focus on is how her pussy squeezes my cock, pulsing around me.
She cries out as she finishes, quickly regaining control so she can focus on fucking me until we’ve both been satisfied.
She’s so fucking tight, and I’m so goddamned close.
“Oh god, I’m gonna…” I can’t even finish my sentence before I’m pumping into her, my vision flashing with a blinding white light. Poppy flops over, laying curled on top of me, before easing herself off my length.
Our chests heave in tandem, breathing ragged after the letdown of our release.
Eventually, she untangles herself from me and lays back on the mattress, completely spent. I managed to lift myself and prop myself up on one elbow to look at her, arms behind her head, her perfect tits bare and uncovered.
I lean down and kiss them, taking a moment to sweep my tongue around each of her pert nipples. Goosebumps scatter over her ribs, and she lets out a soft giggle at the sensation.
The sound of her laughter reenergizes me, and even though I’m wrung dry, I find myself crawling on top of her, trailing kisses down her ribs, her abdomen, and ducking my head below the blanket.
Her pussy is still swollen and wet, and I lap at her, licking up every sweet drop and then silently begging her for more. She tastes sweet, and I think if ever I had to choose a last meal, it would be her.
I make her come again, easily, quickly, and even more intense than the last one. When she’s finished, I lay my head on her abdomen and close my eyes as she runs her fingers through my hair.
“Are you tired of this yet?” I ask her, turning to look up at her from where I’m laying between her legs. We’ve been fucking like this for damn near twenty-four hours.
She shakes her head no.
“Just. Need. Fuel.” She breathes out in a broken sentence.
I hop out of bed and snatch my boxers up off the floor and put them on.
“Can I make you breakfast?”
The question easily slipped out, as if it’s something I say every day. But I’ve never offered to make a woman breakfast before Poppy. And now I’ll have made her breakfast twice. The way I feel about her is like a runaway train, and there isn’t anything I can do to stop it.
“No groceries.” Poppy turns over and props her head up on her hand. “I couldn’t get any while I was under the weather, I just ordered in.”
“Is the café open?” I ask.
“Not yet. We open later Sundays, but the coffee should be ready,” she explains, flopping her head back down on the pillow and closing her eyes.
I head towards the front door.
“Get a couple danishes from the case while you’re down there,” she calls from the bedroom.
I don’t bother getting dressed, I’m just going to run down quickly and get what I need. The café will be empty, and I can secure the danishes and get out.
But as I near the bottom of the staircase, and head out into the café, what was a strange din of voices has quieted down to a complete silence. A very awkward silence.
As I look around, I realize that there are about twenty sets of eyes, all trained on me. Very exposed in very thin boxer shorts.
My hands instinctively cover my crotch, though the rest of me is frozen. I must be dreaming, having one of those nightmares where you show up somewhere public naked.
But as I’m about to pinch myself to wake up, Ethan’s face morphs into a shocked expression behind the bar. He thinks quickly and drops the drink he’s working on, grabbing me an apron to throw on.
“What are you doing, man? Trying to get arrested for indecent exposure?” Ethan asks as I throw the apron on over my head and cover myself up.
“Poppy said the café would be closed,” I reply. “Show’s over everyone, you all missed your chance to take a picture.”
Most of the café patrons go back to their drinks and conversation, and I make a shooing motion towards the last couple lookie-loos.
“It’s the start of the Valentine’s Hot Chocolate Festival, so I opened a little early. I didn’t think Poppy would mind but I didn’t realize that she’d have…” Ethan’s voice trails off as colour blooms on his face.
“Her very attractive husband staying with her?” I quip, as I make my way behind the bar, now just owning the fact that I’m walking around Thistle + Thorne in my underwear.
I grab the tongs and select a few pastries out of the case, and then turn to pour some coffee, being careful to not spill on myself.
“Is this going to be a regular occurrence?” Ethan asks. “Because I’ll make sure to stick to the posted hours.”
Something twinges behind my peck. The fact that the truthful answer to his question is no, but something in me so badly wants it to be yes.
“Might be a good idea,” is all I say as I pass him, sticking a pastry in my mouth so I can carry the rest upstairs.
I push the door open since I had left it ajar on my way down and return to find Poppy on the couch with Cordelia, watching the recap and highlights of my event. The Big Earner has been the top replayed moments of the entire day. At this rate it might make top sports highlights of the year.
“What are you doing in my apron?” She asks when she sees what I’m wearing.
I drop her danish and her coffee on the coffee table in front of her.
“Turns out Ethan decided to open a little early today since there was a lineup down the block for hot chocolate,” I inform her.
She slaps a palm to her forehead. Her hair is now tied back in the half-up bun she likes to wear. I’ve started to like it that way too.
“Crap. I forgot all about that,” she groans. “Ethan will probably be so overwhelmed today. I should go down and help him after.”
“He seems to be managing just fine.” I sit down next to her, taking the apron off, and throwing it over the arm of the couch.
I lean in to give her a kiss on the cheek and then can’t resist planting a few more along the angle of her jaw.
“Just enjoy the day with me. Let’s just be in our own bubble today. Our own, sexy bubble.”
She scrunches her neck with a laugh and pushes me away.
“Okay fine, but the bubble can be sexy after breakfast. And after I finish watching all the highlights,” she says, picking up the remote and rewinding so she can see my trick again.
“Didn’t you watch it live?”
“Yes. But I’m so proud of you I could watch it a million more times and never get tired of it.”
My heart feels like it might burst, having someone—Poppy—care about my skiing maybe as much as I do. Having her say she’s proud of me.
“When do you leave for the final?”
“In a week,” I answer. “But you’re coming with me, right?
” A strange feeling rolls around my gut.
Nerves. I don’t know if Poppy will be coming with me.
We haven’t discussed it. And with my trip secured, Poppy getting the deed to the café, the only thing left for us to do after I win the cup is get a divorce.
Six months is what we agreed on, and although we’re a few months out, that date is approaching faster than I’d like.
“To Zermatt?” Poppy’s nose scrunches, and my heart sinks.
I nod.
“I don’t know Jett… I want to but I don’t know if I should be away from the café that long. And my last flare was… it was bad.”
I suck in a long inhale. I know Poppy gets nervous about travel, going to events and new places she isn’t familiar with. If a flare hit her when she was far from home… she likes to have all her things nearby to help her cope.
“It’s okay, Pops. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I swallow my disappointment as I say it. I want more than anything for her to be there to celebrate with me as I finish my run. But I get it.
She leans her head on my shoulder, and we watch the replays together, sipping our coffee for a moment before she speaks again.
“But hey, we can enjoy this week together, right?” She looks up at me with her big, brown eyes and I fucking melt. “If you’re not too busy with training.”
“No, no training for me.” My mouth lifts into a playful smirk.
Poppy turns back toward me and tilts her head.
“I’ll be too busy coaching my wife.”