Page 18 of Legacy of Smoke
“Here and there. We had a ride yesterday. I’ve been staying at Sprout’s mostly. Friday’s party was … uh wild?”
And Lily-free because Sprout wouldn’t lie to me, would he? “You’re staying at Sprout’s? That’s good. I hope you aren’t bothering Danielle too much, she’s an introvert.”
“Not when she’s drunk.”
I laughed, because his comment was accurate. She was a downright lively drunk. “I missed the ride.”
“Did you get feeling back in your ass yet?”
“Yes, thank you for asking.” I smiled, remembering how amazing it felt to be on the back of his bike. And wrapping my arms around him. I could still sense the firmness of his stomach in the tingling of my fingertips, and imagined the smell of leather in my nostrils. It was glorious. “I enjoyed it.”
“Despite what I said, I could invite you to the rides. We can’t… I can’t go there with you, Poppy, but I can get you back in the fold. Let you have fun with your father’s club. Under their watchful eye.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I enjoyed having you on the back of my bike. It felt… right.”
“It felt like home.” I didn’t mean to say it aloud, but I didn’t regret saying it either.
“It did. And I haven’t had one of those in a while.”
That hurt to hear. Knowing my father was stuck in prison and would never know that place again made it even harder to hear. I gathered up my courage and let my heart guide me. “I didn’t mean it when I said that was a one-time offer. It’s open any time.”
He was so quiet; I heard the laughter of one of the whores they kept there. “You have to know, I’m not a saint, Poppy. And your offer? It’s tempting.”
And I wanted kisses so amazing I’d brag to my sister about them. “Come home.” I hung up the phone and stared at it. I’d made my choice. And I didn’t regret it at all.
6
KEEP OUT
AUSTIN
Sprout actually thanked me for not following him home. I rode up to Poppy’s house, cutting the engine and letting the machine coast into her driveway.
The light over the garage went on. It wasn’t a motion-activated one, and soon Poppy stood in the doorway, waiting for me. I walked the bike into the space where the asphalt widened until it was conveniently hidden behind a bush. I locked it down and met her in the divide between house and yard, light and dark, truth and, ultimately, lies. “I can’t.”
“Please don’t go.”
I shook my head. “I can’t stay away. As much as I should, I can’t.”
Her smile started small, but got bigger with each step into her life. She locked the door. Her hand stroked my beard, tangling into the thicker regions and tugging me toward her lips. I kissed her softly until her breath brushed my skin. Then I deepened the kiss. This time, I led her. The hallway off the living room had a bathroom door, open. Another door with a huge, suspiciously real-looking, “Keep Out” road sign, after that was a door too narrow to be a bedroom door, so it had to be a closet.
But at the very end was heaven. Poppy’s room.
It was painted green and had bamboo mats mounted on the far wall, hiding what I assumed was her closet. Lush painted leaves and flowers adorned the other walls, but not the bright kind on her jacket, these were softer. Like her skin. Gentle, like the curve of her breast. Sensual. Like the taste of her pussy. I fell under her spell completely. She was sweet and salty, smooth and fierce. I lingered over her shivers and kissed them calm. Like waves beating the shoreline at night. We were carefully wild.
And when she’d gasped my name and panted for more. I paused for only a moment.
The condom in my hand was one of three. When I grabbed them on my first solo shopping trip, I got the smallest package possible, because wasting money on an unknown was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Now I was cursing myself for not buying the big box. “Hold that thought.” I tapped her parted lips.
Her skin had a rosy flush that made her tan deeper. Her eyes sparkled as they tracked the way I rolled the protection on.
“You’re big.”
Oh yeah. I’d heard that once or twice. “I’ll be careful.” She was precious, and I took extra care to rub the now-covered tip in her juices. At the apex, she gasped.
“Found your clit.”
