boots, an old T-shirt, and shorts. He’d obviously gone straight to the Coach House from the boutique. His hair was longer than he normally wore it, and he hadn’t shaved in a few days. There was a rough edge to him, and damn, but it was a good look. He was wholly male, and her body reacted to him on a level that was basic. Animalistic.
He glanced up, and her mouth went dry. Slowly, he stood, and she became very aware of how tall and broad he was. He filled up the place without trying. She realized how much she liked seeing him here. She could tell herself she was lonely and it was nothing more than that. But she knew it was. And that’s the part that was concerning, because where did they go after this?
God, what the hell was she doing? Again, the question darted through her mind, but Mabel hopped up and demanded to be let out. Boone pointed toward the patio doors, and Poppy nodded, letting him take out the dog while she retreated to the shadows and tried her best to regroup.
I want him, she thought. She stared out the window at the moonlit deck, and while Mabel ran in circles and disappeared, Boone stood there, hands shoved into the pockets of his shorts, legs spread and neck angled so that he could stare up at the sky. She wondered what he was thinking, but then, she knew, didn’t she?
It was the exact same thing she was thinking about. Sex.
Hot. Sweaty. Lusty. Sex.
He turned then, abruptly, and she shrank back against the wall, her heart nearly beating out of her chest. Poppy had just enough time to grab a quick glass of water and down it before he strode back into her house, Mabel happily scampering behind him. The dog zipped past them and jumped onto the circular chair, tail thumping as she waited expectantly for her human to join her.
“Not tonight,” Poppy murmured, slowly turning to face Boone.
Wrong. Thing. To. Do.
Her stomach fell. Hell, it took a nosedive and was currently sitting somewhere near her knees. It was silly to feel like this, she thought, considering she’d had sex with the man only a few days ago.
But this was different. He was in her home. And other than Link and a few bad dates, no male had ever come back here. And none of them had ever spent the night. But then wasn’t she getting ahead of herself? How did she know he’d stay over?
“Poppy,” he said, voice raspy and deep. “Are you sure about this?”
She said nothing, because she couldn’t get a single word past that stupid lump that was still at the back of her throat.
“Should we at least talk about what happened at the Blackwells’?”
She shook her head no. But that was more or less because she couldn’t speak.
He groaned, or made some sound that punched a hole right through her resolve to try to keep her shit together. Poppy’s knees nearly buckled, but Boone was there, so it didn’t matter. He slid his arms around her and moved her up against the wall. His hands were everywhere, it seemed, and his mouth… Good Lord, but his mouth trailed a line of fire along her collarbone and up her neck until he slowly made his way to her lips. He kissed her long and hard, then soft and smooth, and when they finally came up for air, Poppy felt light-headed.
If there was an award for kissing, Boone Avery would win hands down. His mouth was magic, and his hands were weapons. One of them cupped her breast, and she looked down, hypnotized at the sight of his thumb as he slowly massaged her nipple through the cotton fabric of her top.
Every time his thumb moved, shards of pleasure shot through her body, sizzling like lightning bolts that settled between her legs. A slow throb began there, thick with desire, and she whimpered as he increased the pressure.
“You like that?” Boone asked, dipping low and stealing a kiss before she could answer. He ravaged her mouth, then tore a path of desire down her neck. When he undid the buttons of her shirt along with the clasp of her bra, her head fell back. His mouth slid over her nipple, hot and demanding, and by the time he had her shirt completely off, her legs were noodles and she could barely stand.
Boone reached for the waistband of her shorts and tugged on