I take the receipts from her hand and drop them back into the filing drawer, moving closer so that only a few inches separate us. “Believe me, Poppy, I’d like nothing better than for you to get in my way. In fact, I’m counting on it because whether you’re ready to admit it or not, there’s something between us that won’t be ignored.”
She bites her lip nervously. “I’m out of my league here, Jensen. I told you about my ex-boyfriend and… I don’t want to get hurt again.”
“The asshole you found in bed with another woman,” I nod grimly. “I’m sorry for what he did to you, how he made you feel, but I’m not sorry that he’s out of your life. God alone knows why he cheated on you. The man must be blind or fucking stupid.”
“Maybe if I hadn’t made him wait—" she murmurs, almost to herself.
I frown. “What do you mean?”
Her cheeks turn crimson, but she holds my gaze unwaveringly. “I wanted my first time to be special, so I asked him to wait. I grew up with a mother who thought love and sex were the same thing. Sometimes it seemed like there was a never-ending stream of men in and out of her bed. I didn’t want that for myself. I wanted it to mean something. Jeremy said if I weren’t so frigid, maybe he wouldn’t have had to go elsewhere.”
“Dear God!” I rasp, wanting to break his fucking neck. “And there’s a part of you that believed him, isn’t there, sweetheart?”
Poppy shrugs self-consciously. “Maybe a tiny part. I know I’m a big girl, too many curves in too many places, as Jeremy used to say.”
I almost bite my tongue clean through to stall the stream of expletives that want to break free.
Cupping her chin in my hand, I lift her face to mine. “Just proves my point that he’s a fucking idiot! Because when I look at you, I see an absolute knockout. I see a woman I’d be fucking proud have by my side.”
“You shouldn’t say stuff like that to me,” she whispers, her eyes shiny with emotion.
“Why?”
“Because, right now, I’m working for you. For the next few months, you’re my boss. I’m here to help you salvage your business, which means I need to remain professional,” she points out.
“Hate to break it to you, baby, but if I’m your boss, and that means you have to do what I tell you,” I say with a smirk.
Poppy chuckles and shakes her head. “Oh, God, what have I let myself in for?”
I sober as I look at her thoughtfully. “Whatever you want, Poppy. I won’t pressure you. You need more time? You’ve got it. But it’s only fair to warn you that I want you, and I’m not talking temporarily here. I’ve wanted you from the first time you almost knocked me off my feet.”
“Me?” she splutters, looking outraged. “I think you’ll find that you’re the one who—"
I cut her off with my mouth again, sealing my lips to hers. It’s been over an hour since I tasted her sweetness, and I need another fix. She’s turned me into a junkie, in the best sense of the word.
Poppy melts against me with a moan as I deepen the kiss, rubbing my tongue seductively against hers. I back her up against the wall, my body pressing into hers from chest to thigh. Her hands fly to my shoulders, and her body trembles against mine as I taste every inch of her mouth. Her reaction makes me want to howl with satisfaction, and a red haze of lust settles over me.
I break the kiss, trailing my mouth along her cheek and down her neck, licking and sucking at her soft skin like she’s a fine delicacy. My thigh settles between her legs, feeling the heat of her pussy burning me through the fabric of my pants.
Instinctively, she grinds against me, seeking the friction she needs to get off. My hand moves up her bare thigh beneath her dress, feathering inwards across her hip to cup her sex.
“Fuck, you’re soaked, sweetheart,” I groan, sliding a finger along the seam of her pussy over the material of her panties.
Poppy’s head lolls back against the wall, eyes hooded with desire, cheeks flushed, lips swollen from our kisses. “God, what are you doing to me?” she gasps, even as she opens her legs a little wider.
“Gonna make you come, my little nymph,” I growl, sliding my hand inside her panties. I part her folds, and she jerks and cries out as I press my thumb against her clit. “I can’t wait to feel this tight pussy wrapped around my cock, taking me deep,” I mutter, her juices slick against my hand as I slide two fingers inside her.
“Jensen,” she whimpers, her hips thrusting against my hand as she seeks her release.
I gently pinch her clit between my thumb and forefinger, and she goes rigid in my arms, her fingernails biting into my shoulders. I claim her mouth, swallowing her cries of pleasure and trying not to cum in my pants as she shakes and shudders her way through her orgasm.
Once it’s over, I cuddle her against my chest, soothing her as her breathing returns to normal.
She lifts stunned eyes to mine, those emerald depths still misty with echoes of pleasure. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“Believe it, sweetheart, because it’s going to be happening again. And again. But not until you ask me to, not until you understand that I’m not going anywhere and that we’re meant to be together.” I place a tender kiss on her lips. “Ball’s in your court.”