Love Me Forever - Juliana Stone Page 0,41

But before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers again, and his hands claimed parts of hers that were already his.

Boone Avery made love to her several times. Good God, the things he did to her—the things she did to him—and when she finally fell asleep, exhausted and more content than she could ever remember being…it was his arms that held her. His warmth that slid over her skin. His body that fit into hers like it was meant to stay.

And that was something she’d think about later. She’d think about it and wonder…

Was Boone Avery the biggest mistake of her life?

Or the future she was too scared to claim.

Chapter Fourteen

A damn mourning dove woke him.

Boone had been deep asleep, more content and relaxed than he’d been in years, when the endless cooing ripped him from a kinky dream and into reality. With a groan, he scrubbed at his eyes, wiping away an image of Poppy Fairbanks spread across his kitchen table like a sensual buffet of delights, when it hit him.

He wasn’t home. He was at Poppy’s place. The dreams he’d had had actually happened—the buffet included. And the warm body tucked into his side was none other than the woman who’d satisfied every fantasy he’d ever had. And then some.

He smiled to himself and gently moved the hair from her face so he could see her better. In the early morning light, she looked ethereal, like a goddess come to life. Her hair rippled and her skin glowed. He frowned and softly slid his finger over the scar above her eyebrow and followed it up until it disappeared beneath her hairline.

He wondered about it, then decided he’d ask her.

He glanced at the clock on the night table, had to blink a few times to see it properly, and, when he noticed the time, swore and, with regret, gingerly extricated himself from Poppy.

Shit.

He was supposed to be at Cam’s in an hour to pick up Benji because he’d promised his son a day of fishing. And any fisherman knew the best time to be on the lake was just as dawn broke, when the world was quiet and the fish were biting.

He pulled on his shorts, not bothering with his boxers, and slid his feet into his work boots, which were still beside the bed where he’d kicked them off the night before. He shoved his boxers into the back pockets of his shorts and scooped up his T-shirt, which he didn’t bother putting on. With one last look at the sleeping woman, he headed down the hallway that led to the kitchen.

Sprawled on a large round chair in the living room, Mabel jumped off with a bark and ran over to Boone, immediately dropping to the floor and rolling onto her back for scratches. He obliged. It was hard not to; the fur-ball was a sweetheart. When Mabel was satisfied, she headed for the patio doors and waited patiently for Boone to let her out.

While the dog was outside taking care of business, Boone searched around for some paper because he wanted to leave Poppy a note. His phone was dead, but he thought a note was more personal. He leaned over the counter and stared at the blank paper for at least a minute before scribbling “Poppy” across the top.

Then he let in Mabel, found her food canister, and gave her a scoop of kibble and fresh water before resuming his stance at the counter.

What to say?

Last night was great.

Boone stared at that for a couple of seconds and then scratched it out.

Last night was unbelievable.

Okay. That was better.

I’ll be thinking about you all day. And hungry for more.

Shit. That sounded corny, but he’d look like an absolute juvenile if he scratched it out. He scratched his head and frowned. Why was this so hard?

“Just say what you want to say, for fuck’s sake,” he muttered to himself.

I want to do this properly. I want to take you out to dinner.

Now he was getting somewhere.

I’ll call you later today. Make sure you pick up.

He grinned to himself.

I’ll make sure it’s worth it, Boone.

He set the piece of paper on the counter where she’d see it first thing, then headed for the front door. It was nearly five a.m., and as it was, he’d be at least ten minutes late. He closed the front door behind him and headed for his truck. It was already warm, hadn’t seemed to cool down at all from the day