I saw the notifications on my phone. He’d been texting and calling, and I’d been blowing him off. I still didn’t understand it.
I had dreamed about having him for so long, and then when he was mine, it had all happened so fast and it had overwhelmed me, my need for him. How quickly I had started to fall for him. It had all terrified me, my own speckled past of relationships not great lessons on how to be in a real relationship. And was that even what we were? A real relationship? We had slept together a few times, that was all. Right?
“Ahh! I am driving myself insane.” I said, speaking out loud to, well, myself. It was a bad sign, I was sure of that. “What the hell am I even doing?”
I swept my hair back out of my face and into a messy pony tail on the top of my head, pacing around the tiny studio as my thoughts spun dizzyingly inside my mind. My phone buzzed again and, yet again, I ignored it.
I had never been this confused in my entire life. I always knew what I wanted and would fight tooth and nail to get it. But this felt different. More important somehow.
My phone buzzed twice more, a phone call this time and in a fit of pique I grabbed and stabbed the button to answer.
“What is it, Nate? I’m really busy.”
“I’m outside.”
“I’m not at home.”
“I know, I’m outside the studio. At least, I hope it’s your studio. It’s actually kind of shady out here, there is a very dark alley and I can hear someone rustling around in there. Please come open the door.”
“You’re…here?” I said dumbly, shock momentarily diffusing all my other volatile emotions. I walked over to the door, unlocked the deadbolt and opened it enough to see that yes, it really was Nate and he really was standing outside my studio. And he was holding a bottle of champagne and a bouquet of flowers.
Nate’s grandmother’s words flew through my mind as I opened the door wide enough for him to step through, closing and locking it up behind him.
I stared at Nate for a long moment, fighting between desire and frustration, anger and joy, at seeing him standing there in front of me. His eyes were smudged with shadows underneath as if he hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Well good, I thought. That made two of us.
“Please, Poppy, let me apologize–.”
“Listen, Nate, I–.”
We both tried to speak at the same time, and both froze mid sentence, before bursting into laughter. The tension between us faded away like a fine mist and I smiled up at him.
“You go ahead,” I said, not about to make it easier on him. I still wanted to hear that apology. It was the least he owed me. The champagne and flowers certainly didn’t hurt either.
“I brought you these,” He said, suddenly soundly nervous as he held out the flowers and that charmed me even more. Nate was all alpha male, always in charge, always confident in himself. It disarmed me to see him vulnerable like this and a little more of my anger slipped away.
“They’re lilacs. They only bloom for a short time so they’re hard to get, but they are worth it.”
I took the bouquet and held it to my nose, inhaling the sweet and sultry scent.
“They’re lovely.”
“Not nearly as lovely as you,” He murmured, fire lighting in his dark gaze that had an answering one spark to life between my thighs. But I wasn’t done with him yet.
“So, you came to bring me flower?”
“And champagne. Don’t forget about the champagne,” He paused, looked around suddenly in a panic, “You don’t happen to have glassed do you? Damn it, I can’t believe I forgot to bring glasses.”
“We don’t need glasses.” I said, biting back a small grin. “So, you came to bring me flowers and champagne, then?”
“Not just that.” He turned back towards me with his brows furrowed and his dark eyes serious, the fire banked for a moment. “Poppy, I…I’m so sorry for what I said, when we were at my grandmother’s. I was so out of line, and I know that. There’s something you need to know about me, though.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I get really protective of the people I care about, but I promise I won’t try and make decisions for you like that again. I know it was wrong of me.”
My heart hitched painfully in my chest at his words. He cared about me? I suddenly had a hard time breathing, let alone forming any sort of cohesive response to that.
“Poppy, will you forgive me? I promise I’ll try and do better. I’ll try and be better. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you or jeopardize what we have.”
“Yes, I’ll forgive you. On one condition.”
“What is it? Anything you want, it’s yours.”
“I want you to kiss me.”
Nate’s eyes went all dark and fiery once more, that banked heat rushing to the surface in an inferno of need. He stalked towards me and before I even had the chance to say another word, his mouth was on mine, dominating me, stealing the last of my rational thoughts.
The kiss was intense, knocking the breath from my lungs as Nate’s lips moved over mine. His tongue swept into my mouth, teasing mine in a rhythm that had my whole body aching for him and moisture pool between my thighs.
His hands grabbed my hips and pulled them hard against his, I could feel every inch of his erection straining against the fabric of his pants, desperate to get out. I felt exactly the same way.
I reached for the button of his pants but he stopped me.
“No, let me. I want to see you. I want you naked and wet and spread out in front of me,” Nate whispered the words roughly against my lips, sending another tsunami of desire crashing through me. “I want to worship your body.”
“Worship away,” I said breathlessly, letting my arms fall bonelessly to my sides. If he kept saying things like that, he could do whatever he wanted to my body, and I had a feeling I would love each and every single thing.
He kissed me again, hard and fast, until both of us were desperate for the other, our breath loud and ragged in the small studio.
Nate reached for the hem of my blouse then, stripping it off me in one smooth motion. As he continued to take of my clothes bit by bit, his words whispered in my ear.
“You are so beautiful, Poppy,” My skirt was gone, “I love your body, I love feeling you tremble when I touch you,” My bra and panties disappeared, “I love hearing your cry of pleasure when I make you come.” `
If he kept this up, I was going to come right there and then, without him even touching me. I’d never been so turned on or felt so beautiful in my life and I could see in Nate’s dark gaze that he meant every single word.
It had taken me a long time to learn how to love my body, and an electric thrill shot through me to hear Nate profess that he loved my body too. Loved how he could bring me pleasure. I loved that part too.
His hands were shaking as he ran his fingers over my hypersensitive skin until I felt like my legs were about to give out beneath me. I grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the blow up mattress where I’d been sleeping the last week and pushed him onto his back in the center.
“I know this probably isn’t what you’re used to,” I said with a shrug of apology. It’s not exactly the Ritz.”
“It’s perfect. Because I’m here with you.”
I melted at his words and I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to touch him, to see him. I just needed him. All of him. As much as I could get.
I started with his shirt, unbuttoning each and every button, savoring the delicious sight of him, teasing him with wisps of touch just like he’d teased me. As I moved on to the zipper of his pants, I realized I was teasing myself just as much as him and I ran out of patience. I couldn’t wait another minute for him to be inside me.
Finally, we were both naked, and I straddled his hips, staring down at him and for a moment I felt a sense of vertigo. As if I was standing at the top of a too tall building, staring down at the most incredible view. I could hardly believe that he was really there, wanting me just as much as I’d wanted him for so damn l
ong.
“I’m glad you came,” I whispered, meeting his gaze as he gave me a slow, devilish smile.
“I haven’t come yet,” He said, surprising a husky chuckle out of me.
“Let’s do something about that.” I gave him a sinful smile of my own as I moved over him, the head of his thick cock straining to reach me.
I sank down slowly, taking him in inch by inch until he was buried all the way inside me. We both let out a desperate groan of pleasure. And then his hands were at my hips again, his strong fingers digging into me deep enough to leave marks as he took control but I didn’t care. It was exactly what I needed.
He hitched my hips, grinding up with each movement, thrusting faster and faster until we were both panting with need and slicked with sweat.
It was too much. It wasn’t enough. My nerve endings were going haywire, flying out of control and the only anchor I had was the point where our bodies met. Nate’s thumb travelled across my hip and landed softly at my clit. All it took was a few circles of the pad of his finger to send me flying up and over the edge.
All I could do was hold on to him as pleasure racked me, my muscles clenching down hard on Nate’s cock still buried deep inside me as I drew him over with me.
Wave after wave of orgasm hit me, stealing my breath, and I threw my head back as fireworks erupted up and down my body. It was a long moment before I could draw breath again and gasping, I collapsed on top of him, the last of my strength gone in the aftermath of the storm he’d wrought inside me.
I didn’t know how long we lay there, neither of us moving, my thoughts a peaceful blank. Eventually, I started to move, started to slide off of his chest sure I must be crushing him, but Nate’s arms wrapped around me, holding me in place, plastered against him.
“Poppy, I…”
“You don’t have to say anything. I know it was amazing.”
Nate let out a husky laugh that sent another thrill down my spine.
“Yes, it was, and no, that wasn’t what I was going to say,” Nate’s tone was serious, “I was going to say that I want us to date exclusively. No one else.”
I looked up at him and saw that his expression was just as serious as his tone. Things were moving fast, I knew that, and I also knew that I didn’t want them to slow down. There were bound to be bumps along the way, the same as any relationship, but when I was with Nate, I was happy. Truly happy, in a way that I hadn’t been in a long time.
“I want that too.” I whispered and the smile he gave me stole my breath away. “Thanks for coming after me.”
“Thanks for letting me in.”
“I always will. I promise.”
11
Poppy
I was having the most delicious dream. Warm and secure, wrapped in Nate’s strong arms, it felt like heaven. The same heaven I had been dreaming about for a year, since the first day that I met him.
Every night it was the same. That perfect feeling of being held by him. Sometimes we’d be in bed, or in a park, or at a restaurant, but he was always there. We were always together, and I was always filled with a sense of bliss and peace that I never experience during my waking hours.
That’s how I knew this had to be a dream. Snuggled close against Nate’s big body, shadowed by his strength with his arms wrapped possessively around my waist in a way that sent chills of awareness up and down the curve of my spine.
This wasn’t real life. This wasn’t my life. My life was focused on work, on my art, on my business and career. And the little time I had for any sort of love life usually involved fantasies of Nate and my vibrator.
But this felt real.
It felt more real than anything else. It was intense and solid. My eyes were still closed as I inched my arm behind me, freezing when my hand made contact. Oh yes, he was real. He was real and hot and hard, laying pressed close against me. My back was plastered against his front, hip to hip, shoulder to chest.
I grinned sleepily. I didn’t care if it was a dream or not. All I knew was that I felt…happy. I felt excited. And I felt horny, damn it.
Memories of the night before flooded my mind, and my hips moved in automatic response. I could feel a delicious soreness left over from last night and it just fueled my desire even more.
I arched my hips back into his again, and I could feel that he was already hard, his hot erection pressing against me. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
We moved together, both still half asleep as his hand swept up my rib cage to cup one full breast. His talented fingers teased my nipple into a hard little bud of sensitive nerve endings that had me gasping out in pleasure.
The sharp sound of my cell phone ringing jarred me out of my daze for a moment and I felt Nate’s fingers grow still against my skin.
“Just ignore it,” I demanded groggily, my voice low and rough with sleep, “Don’t you dare stop.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Nate answered with a husky laugh behind me before sliding his hand back down my side until he reached the curve of my hip, and then lower.
I felt his fingers at my entrance first, making sure I was ready for him but I was so wet I could feel the desire slick in between my thighs. I forgot all about the ringing phone, all I could focus on was Nate, and the way he made my body feel like it was on fire and floating on clouds at the same time.
He took me, thrusting slow and steadily against me as I arched my back to take him in even deeper.
We moved in that same slow, rocking rhythm as my climax drew closer and closer. His cock filled me, pushing me even closer until my fingers were tangled in the sheets just trying to hold on a little longer, trying to make the pleasure last as long as possible.
My orgasm rocked through me, tingling from the tips of my toes, up my spine, through the crown of my head in a ball of electric sensation that I was helpless to hold out against. After a moment, Nate’s climax claimed him and I reveled in the way he groaned behind me, out of control and out of his mind with pleasure.
We laid like that for a long time, just breathing together. A part of me still couldn’t believe this was real, that it was really happening. As I watched Nate get up and pad naked and gorgeous to the tiny bathroom, that feeling of disbelief still didn’t fade.
It was my dream, and I didn’t want to wake up from it. But after a moment, I did have to move. My phone was buzzing again and with a sigh of irritation at the unwanted intrusion I reached over, intending to just shut the thing off entirely. I paused when I saw a text from Thalia. It just read ‘S.O.S.’.
Concerned, my brows furrowing, I unlocked the phone screen and saw the voice message she’d left. I pushed the play button and held it to my ears. She wanted to know if I would be free to meet up with her at a favorite local café we frequented. Her words were normal but I could tell by the sound of her voice in the message that something was wrong.
I sent her a quick return text, letting her know I would be there in ten minutes to meet her just as Nate walked out of the bathroom.
“Hey, Nate. I’m sorry to do this, but Thalia just called and I think she needs help.”
“Of course, go take care of your friend.” He said, dropping a kiss on the top of my head as he walked around the studio searching for the clothes I’d stripped off of him the night before, “besides, I know that Thalia needs a lot of help.”
“Hey!” I tossed a pillow at him, “That’s not very nice.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not. I know it’s not. Would a kiss make up for it?”
I looked up at him, lost all over again as his lips moved against mine. It was a breathless ten minutes later that I was finally leaving the studio and I had to text Thalia again to let her know I was going to be late.
She was already sitting at our normal booth in the corner when I got there. She was wearing a red velvet dress and fringe, classic Stevie Nicks vibe complete with the enormously oversized sunglasses.
Thalia gave a relieved sigh when I sat down in the booth across from her. I w
aited until the waitress came and took our order before leaning forward, crossing my arms on the worn wood table in front of me.
“Okay. Spill it. What’s going on? Did someone troll you on social media? A bad email? Is it about a boy?” I demanded, peering at her in equal parts concern and frustration. I loved this woman, but she had a terrible habit of making things harder for herself than they needed to be.
Thalia nodded dejectedly, “The last one.” She said with a snuffle. “The boy one.”
“Did someone hurt you?” I asked quietly, suddenly enraged for her, “Thalia, if some asshole tried to hurt you, you tell me right now, and I’ll find them, and I’ll make sure they pay for anything they tried–.”
“No! No, nothing like that.” Thalia said with a shudder, “I’m fine, physically. It’s my heart that’s causing all the problems.”
“You’re heart? Is there someone new that I don’t know about, because that was fast.” There was always someone new, even while she was technically dating Nate, and I had made a point of not knowing. It was better for my peace of mind that way. And besides, Thalia was a grown woman. She could do whatever she wanted.
“No, not someone new.” She snuffled again, waiting as the waitress brought out our drinks, a steaming hot coffee for me and a bloody Mary for Thalia. “It’s about Nate.”
I nearly spit out the gulp of coffee I’d just taken.
“Nate? What about him. You guys split up weeks ago.” I prayed that she wouldn’t notice the emotions that flickered across my face.
“I know, I know. It’s ridiculous, really.”
“I thought that you didn’t really care about him, remember? You told me you were just using him to keep your parents off your back.”
“I am! I was. I just…I don’t know, he was like a security blanket. Boring, dull, a little ragged around the edge, but always there if I needed him. And now…”
Best Friend's Boyfriend (Be My Boyfriend Book 2) Page 8