he tried to stand up. “Please, I promise I’m fine.”
“You’re a wonder, you know that?” he asked, pushing her hair from her face. “Baby, you might be fine, but I’m not. I need to hear the doctor say that you’re okay.”
“I have to go to work,” Poppy said, trying to stretch out the nausea. “I haven’t had a shower or anything… I have no idea what I’ll tell them.”
“Charley said you had a family emergency.”
Poppy relaxed to blink up at him. “What? How did she do that?”
“She’d noticed you weren’t there, then overheard your boss calling you and jumped in to say she just forgot to tell them you had a family emergency… She snuck off to the bathroom to call me.”
Poppy’s mouth opened, but she didn’t know what to say. “I can’t believe she… She lied for me?”
“She covered for you,” he said. “It’s what we do in this family. So you don’t have to rush off anywhere… except the emergency room with me.”
“I don’t need to go to the emergency room,” she said, rolling onto her side, away from him. “Will you unzip my dress, please?” He did as she asked. “How did Charley know to call you?” When the zipper was down she dropped onto her back, gasping. “Do you think she saw something between us? Sensed something?”
He smirked. “Like all the sexual tension? Maybe.”
It was nice to see him dialing back a little. Poppy much preferred it when he was happy than when he was worried. But he’d worried for her. That in itself was nice; it was humbling. Raising her shoulders, she peeled the torn fabric down, pushing the whole bodice to her hips.
“Don’t mock,” she said, though she wasn’t sorry he was relaxing. “Why else would she call you?”
“Because I’m the cavalry, baby,” he said, bending down to kiss her again. Just a short one, a non-rule-breaker, but she’d take it. “I’m the guy you call when anything goes wrong. That’s the rule with my family.”
“Okay,” she said, doing her best to stay still as his gaze traveled down her body. She was wearing a bra, though it didn’t seem to put him off his perusal. “I don’t have your phone number.”
“You will after today,” he said. “I’m packing up your stuff and shipping you off to my mom’s too. I’ll take you into work every day with Charley.”
“You give Charley a ride every day?”
“I do now,” he said, laying a hand beneath her clavicle. “You scared me, Popkat.”
Sitting up, she draped both arms over his shoulders. “I’m fine, First. I am going to be just fine. And unless shipping me off to your mother’s changes our inside rule, I’m staying right here.”
“First,” he said, kissing her brow. “What’s that?”
“You’re my first.”
“Your first.” Turner pulled back to land a discerning eye on her. “You haven’t…”
“Not that first,” she said, nudging his arm.
His attention shifted away from her. “Okay, I don’t know whether to be relieved or depressed about that.”
Using her arms to push against his strength, Poppy pulled herself higher to rest her lips on his jaw. “If it means you’re willing to pop my cherry, I’m happy to play any game you want, First.”
His laugh filled her with delight; it was like Christmas all over again. There he was. Turner was himself again. Pushing her across the bed, he flipped around to lift his legs up to lie next to her. He was fully clothed and even wearing his boots. But they were lying in bed together, Poppy wasn’t going to complain.
His gentle touch eased her hair from her eyes. “So if it’s not first that, it’s first what?”
Pulling the clip from her hair, he let her locks loose and lost his hand within them.
“My first everything,” she said, wriggling closer, sliding a hand onto his waist.
He was so warm. So incredible. Capable. Handsome. Caring. He cared about her. So much he’d been scared when he thought she was hurt. And not just like a little freaked, actually afraid for her.
“Your first everything?”
“First man who ever made me feel like this,” she said, her hand tracking up and down. “My first priority. The first guy who ever came to my rescue.”
Her lips quirked, so he gave her hair a tug. “Not ready to make light of that yet.”
Poppy kissed his tee-shirt. “Sorry, baby… You’re the first thing I think of in the morning when I open my eyes. The first thing I think about when I’m happy or sad… The first one I