Capsizing Her Billionaire Boss - Sarah Gay Page 0,10
doesn’t stop at your face,” he said, kissing the tip of her eyebrow. “Every inch of your skin shimmers.” He rested his head on her shoulder and kissed the side of her neck. His warm, minty breath heated her from the outside in, penetrating her core.
If there was a paradise on earth, this was it. “I’m glad Kai asked me to come.”
“Kai?” Damian coughed out as he sat up. “What does Kai’s new project mean to you, really Poppy? I..I..” he stuttered out. “…I just don’t know that I have the willpower to do this.”
“Willpower?” Poppy panicked. Didn’t he want this? Want her? “I’ll be hands off. If that’s what you’re worried about.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll give you space.”
He lowered his chin and wrinkled his nose in protest. “Space? What kind of space?”
“You know…to do your thing. We’ll only have to meet once a week. You’ve got this,” she said with encouragement. “Kai has complete faith in you.”
“What about you?”
“Me?” she asked, pointing to her chest. “Absolutely. Or I wouldn’t be here.”
“No, I mean…what does this venture mean to you? For your future?”
She stared down at her lap. “It means everything to me.” She pushed back her pride. “We’ve slowly been losing my dad to MS.”
“Poppy,” he said, placing his hand over hers. “I’m so sorry.”
She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “The doctors thought they’d found the same lesions in…” She bit her lower lip. Too much information. He didn’t need to know the details of her surgery. “Anyway, we’ve also seen mighty miracles along the way. My dad used to be so fun, so with it. Not many people even know about his aggressive form of MS and my mom’s not one to accept charity; she barely makes enough to support herself.”
“So, the financial burden falls on you?” he asked.
She sat tall and blinked away her embarrassment, allowing hope to fill her chest.
“I’ll find the willpower,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I promise. But do me a favor.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “…Remember our plane rides.”
“Huh?” she asked but he was already out. The time she’d spent with him had been unforgettable. “Impossible,” she said, reaching up and giving him a soft kiss. She snuggled in at his side.
Patch of sunshine, she thought, drifting off into blissful slumber.
Chapter Four
The top of the white ambulance flashed red. The Dallas EMTs hoisted Wyatt’s stretcher into the back of the truck and drove away, leaving the rest of them shivering on the airport tarmac, unprepared for the early morning, February temperatures.
Damian’s first instinct was to fold Poppy in his arms to keep her warm. Willpower. You can do this, Damian. Be a jerk.
While his brothers and Poppy watched the ambulance drive away, Damian bolted inside the airport. The less interaction he had with her, the better. It’s for her own good, he told himself, rationalizing his rude behavior. It’s the only way. Hadn’t Kai said something along those lines?
He made it to baggage claim before Poppy and the others caught up to him.
Poppy smiled brightly. “You okay, Damian?” Her voice competed with the clamor of the active baggage carousel at their side.
“Yeah,” he said flippantly. “I’m still kinda out of it from the sleeping pills.”
“Do you want me to make sure you get home okay?”
I should be offering to help get her home! “Do you—” he caught himself. No mister nice guy. “You’re all set, then? With a place to stay?”
“Ahh…um,” she stuttered out. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Okay,” he said, forcing a far-off look. “I guess I’ll see you next week for our first virtual pow wow with Eli and Kai?”
Her face dropped, forcing him to look away from the pain he’d inflicted. She blinked a few times before answering. “Yeah. Next week. That’ll be perfect.”
“Just shoot me an email when it’s all set up,” he said, following her attention to the far end of the terminal.
Her mouth dropped open. “Why is he here?”
Damian followed Poppy’s wide eyes to a thin man staring up at an arrival screen. A toy dog, the kind that crazy women dressed to match themselves, stood at the man’s feet on a leash. “Who is that?”
“I broke up with him last night after we kissed.” She grabbed a fistful of her hair and held it to her scalp. “Why is he here? And how?”
Sirens went off in Damian’s head. “You broke up with him? Why?”
Poppy’s bottom lip quivered.
“It’s just…” He blew out a breath. “I’m