After several tense seconds, her chest deflates and the tension in her body lessens. The ache in my stomach decreases.
“Okay,” she says delicately.
“Just breathe, Beautiful. I promise you won’t regret letting me in.” Not only into her home, but also into her body and heart, I silently add.
“Okay,” she says again.
“I’m going to hang up now. Stay there, okay?”
She nods.
I hang up and pocket my phone. With one last glance at Poppy lying in bed, waiting for me, I walk to her back door. I unlock it without a sound and close and lock it behind me. My only focus at the moment is getting to her before her nerves start to take over again. On my way to her bedroom, I light two candles that I spot on an end table in her living room and take them with me.
When I make it to her room and silently slip inside, I’m not prepared for the sight that meets me, no matter how much I thought I was. There’s a huge difference between watching her through a thin pane of glass and seeing her only a few feet away, lying in bed in the nightie I bought for her. Her lavender scent assaults my nose. I promise myself that tomorrow I’m going to buy whatever scent she’s wearing so I can smell her any time I want.
She notices my presence and sucks in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly.
“Sterling,” she breathes.
On unsteady legs and my stone-hard cock pressed against the rough material of my jeans, I take a step closer to her. I set the candles down on the bedside table and flip off the lights.
“I’m here, Beautiful,” I tell her gently, keeping my voice low. It’s hard keeping my accent in check, because the sight before me has the real me wanting to come out. In anticipation of tonight, I also bought a new cologne. I can’t very well show up smelling like her boss.
The soft moan that slips from her lips at the sound of my voice has my already precarious control slipping several notches.
Why in the hell have I waited so long? Right, because my fucking body wouldn’t cooperate. And then my twisted mind thought it was smart to just watch her for a while before making myself known, I answer my own internal question.
I take one of the candles and place it on the other bedside table before turning back to face her.
Her nightie has parted, and I can see her panties, which are sheer enough to show a small patch of darkness, even in the low candlelight. Her flat stomach is on display and it’s currently moving up and down with her rapid, heavy breathing. Her lips are parted, and every few seconds her tongue darts out to lick them, tempting me beyond measure. Her hair fans out across her pillow. She is truly the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.
I feel like I can’t breathe, so I unbutton the top few buttons of my shirt.
I sit on the bed by her hip and lean slightly over to rest my hand by her other hip. Feeling like I’ve waited a lifetime to touch her, I lightly trace my fingers across the softness of her lips. Her breath hitches.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper. “I want to both devour and cherish you.”
“I want to see you,” she whispers back.
“Soon, Poppy, I swear to you. Please, be patient with me.”
Noticing the vase of flowers on her bedside table, I pull one of the lavender roses from it. Starting with her lips, I slowly run it across them. She sucks in a shuddering breath and then releases it. With a moan, she lifts her head as I trail the rose down the column of her neck. The rose travels over her collarbone to the center of her chest, before I move it to play over one of her nipples. Her back arches off the bed. This woman amazes me with her beauty.
Needing my hands on her, I drop the rose on the bed beside her. My fingers take the same path as the rose as I glide them across the seam of her lips, and her tongue darts out to meet them. I groan in response, loving the feel of her tongue on my flesh, even if it is just my fingertips. I apply pressure on her bottom lip, opening her mouth a little wider, before I trail the digit slowly down the column of her neck. I feel her throat move when she swallows.
Instead of going the route that I know she wants me to, which is down her chest, I veer off to go across her collarbone to her shoulder. I leisurely make my way down her arm, causing goosebumps to break out across her skin, until I reach her hand. I pick it up and flip it over so her palm faces my lips. I place gentle kisses there, before taking little nibbles.
“I’ve waited so long to touch you,” I tell her, taking one of her fingers into my mouth and sucking. I remove it, place another kiss to her palm, then put her hand against my chest, right over my heart through the opening of my shirt. “And to feel you touch me.”
Her nails dig into my skin, eliciting another groan from me. Her hand is so warm and soft. I’ve never felt such pleasure from a single touch.
“Sterling,” she sighs. Hearing the nickname she gave me sends desire racing through me. I want her to shout the name in pleasure, but I want to hear her shout my real name more. I have to force back the words that will reveal who I am. It’s not time yet.
Panting, Poppy runs her hand down my chest until she reaches my abs and traces the tight muscles there. My stomach spasms with the feeling of her hands on me. It takes every single shred of control I have not to pounce on her. I want to make this good for her. Tonight isn’t about me, it’s about Poppy.
When she starts to roll to her side, reaching for me with her other hand, I pull her hand from my stomach.
“No.” My demand is soft.