Poppy's Passions Read online

  Engagement parties and baby shower dates were set. She received happy cards from her two sisters in Arizona, promising to visit and stand with her at the wedding. High on approval and affection, she’d let herself be led. The last trials to get her nursing license had still challenged but in the evenings she was with her family, laughing and surrounded by what she’d thought was love.

  The affection fest lasted as long as the pregnancy and engagement. A full ten weeks. When it ended, she not only lost the baby she wanted, but the fiancé she thought she loved as well as the affection of her father and sisters.

  Courtesy of the backlash she’d been up to her ears in self-loathing, but luckily, it hadn’t lasted. Once she decided to focus on making friends, she found co-workers who were decent and showed the smallest glimmer of acquaintance respect. It was a start, if nothing else.

  There was very little to be proud of in her life, but she finally knew her goal. Respect. She couldn’t make her family or anyone else love her, but she could love herself. She liked the woman she was becoming. Before any other real relationships could blossom, she needed to love and respect herself enough to start looking for the good in others—men especially. Thanks to her father and former fiancé, the road would be longer.

  The Patriches had a way of smoothing the bumps from her paths. It amazed her how they managed to make her feel so good about herself with only their quiet constancy and bone-deep decency. She felt their respect and affection.

  When the food arrived, the waitress tried not to be awkward but unlike the rest of the bar, Poppy knew the tone at their table was somber. She slipped by a minute later with extra napkins, but then left them be.

  Poppy let Trevor tease her out of the dark mood she’d embraced since the accident. The last year had taught her that one negative always led to another, but the Patriches were putting a stop on the pattern. Trevor fed her pizza and nudged her to smile. There was no way to make her day disappear, but she appreciated their best efforts to push back the ugliness for at least a little while.

  “Hell, is it already ten?” Trevor said when his cell beeped and vibrated wildly.

  “Yep.” Michael tossed a few bills on the table. “Do you have it from here, Cody?”

  The youngest brother was already moving from his spot to allow the others to exit. His eyes found hers, and the smile that curved her lips was small but it was one he’d helped make. “Yeah, I’ll keep her company.”

  “Sorry, Poppy,” Trevor said. He took an extra moment to hug her again. “We’re meeting with one of the racing promoters at ten-thirty. It’s been in the works for a couple months now or I’d tell them to go fuck a cow or something.”

  She couldn’t stop her burst of laughter. It was the first in too long. She hugged him hard. “That’s so sweet, Trevor.”

  “I am a sweet guy,” he admitted, and she laughed again.

  “Thank you.” Because no words she knew were enough to thank him for all he’d done, she reached over and kissed his cheek.

  “You’re welcome, babe.” He reciprocated with a gentle kiss to her temple. “Make Baby Boy dance. He’ll bitch about it, but he will if you want.”

  “Okay.”

  He stood and moved to Michael’s right. Side by side there was no mistaking the family resemblance. Michael was fair to Trevor’s dark hair but the jawline was the same, the cheeks too.

  She smiled at the handsome picture they made. “I hope your meeting goes well.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to go,” Michael confessed and bent down to kiss the cheek she offered. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. This kind of stuff, it’s hard and it scars, but it doesn’t stay heavy longer than we can stand it. You’ll be all right.”

  “I know. Thanks.” She felt a small loss as she watched the two brothers weave their way out of the bar, leaving her with Cody.

  Of the three brothers he was the least intimidating, his demeanor not at all demanding. That nature allowed her to accept his first drink earlier in the week. He was the kind of guy most women felt good with, big and down-home handsome with incredibly strong shoulders and ripped arms. The look was one of a man who was no stranger to hard work.

  He avoided perfection by balancing the shoulders with a little belly. It wasn’t a beer belly, just the softness from eating too many cookies. She found it impossible not to like a man with all Cody’s attributes who also ate peanut butter scotcharoos.

  Conversation stayed light after the older brothers left. Telling stories came naturally to Cody and he pulled her in with tales of his beautiful home. Spending time on a farm had never been a driving desire for her, but after his descriptions of the land and animals, she wondered if she’d been missing more than she thought by staying in the city.

  When he described the barn cleaning equipment she nodded and smiled but let her mind wander. She was grateful for the random, innocent conversation with Cody. The day she’d endured would have been the last straw a week ago. She would have broken, but today she had Cody, Michael, and Trevor, and they’d refused to allow her to wallow in anger and grief. Two hours after arriving she was smiling and happy to be alive when bitterness had tried to consume her.

  Trying adamantly to deny the attraction she felt to the brothers had occupied every hour of her last seven days. The week had been a treat, she’d been able to focus on other things instead of wallowing in her troubles. The Patriches had invaded her mind often and kindly. She tried to convince herself she wouldn’t get involved with them in anything more than friendship. They weren’t part of her plan. They weren’t what she needed.

  At last call she found herself heading back to their hotel. Lying to herself was an option. She could convince herself she didn’t want to be alone, but that would be an excuse she didn’t want in her life anymore. The truth was she liked being near Cody. He smelled right and his voice made her want to keep listening to anything he said. She loved how his head tilted down so he could hear her as they walked.

  Her mind swelled with possibilities of where the night could go but neither acknowledged what could be, simply walked and enjoyed the warm San Antonio night. It felt like borrowed time, and for the moment she was the woman she wanted to be.

  He held her hand. She tried, but she couldn’t remember the last time an adult besides the brothers had held her hand. Through the lobby and even in the elevator he kept their hands embracing, not letting go until they were in his suite and he needed both hands to close and lock the door.

  “If all you want is company and a cuddle, Poppy, they are yours with no strings attached.” He led her further into the luxurious suite, giving her time to look around as he turned on lights.

  “Thank you,” she said as she followed him to a center sitting room. “You’re a nice man, Cody.” She laughed when he grimaced. “That’s a good thing. You can be sexy and still be nice, not all men can be, but you pull it off well.”

  “Yeah, whatever you say.” He sat on the couch, and though there were plenty of places on the surrounding chairs and sofa, she sat beside him. “So?”

  She shrugged. She didn’t go home with men and with only one lover under her belt she wasn’t sure of proper protocol or procedure in leading up to going to the bedroom. Actually, now that they were in his hotel room, she wasn’t sure if it was what she wanted.

  “I really don’t know, Cody.”

  “Fair enough.” He put his Stetson on the backrest and settled his arm around her shoulders. “Want to watch a movie?”

  “I don’t think so.” His delicious scent was different from Trevor’s, not as refined but equally as engaging. It went right to her head and made the thoughts she was trying to maintain scatter.

  “Ah, are you still hungry or thirsty? I could order something, or the fridge has stuff in it.”

  There was something amazing about being with a man like Cody. He didn’t demand anything or expect her to act a certain way. She’d been pressured and made to feel obligated to do things before, and she hated herself f
or giving in. She despised her tendency to give everything when someone demanded she earn their affection. It took a week but she knew Cody Patrich wasn’t a man who did those things. She didn’t feel like he required reimbursement for his attention, and that made it sweeter.

  She had power with this man and his brothers, power she’d never experienced with anyone. Snuggling in, she smiled when he looked down at her. She pressed her lips to his, the warm softness drawing her deeper. There was much promise in one little kiss. Desire ignited in the intimate touch. She thought she understood passion. The pleasure of making love wasn’t an unknown, but compared to what she felt with Cody, her past experiences were boring beige.

  “Cody?” She almost didn’t recognize the breathy tone as her own.

  “Yeah, darlin’?” he replied, still pressing little kisses to the side of her mouth and cheek.

  “Just…just be nice, okay?” It felt silly saying it out loud, but she knew how close she was to breaking. What happened between them didn’t have to be love. It didn’t have to be forever, but to keep moving forward she had to know he wouldn’t knock her back to square one in a moment of insensitivity.

  “Of course,” he said, and shifted his hold to her face, cradling it gently in his big hands. “I’m going to take very good care of you, sweetheart. Forget everything you’ve heard about me and my brothers. Put away all the other stuff you’ve been worried about and relax with me tonight. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  “Okay.” She rubbed her cheek to his hand, no longer trying to deny how much she wanted his touch. “Where’s your bedroom?”

  Cody lifted her like she weighed nothing, and his strength thrilled her. He carried her to one of the closed doors, and she turned the knob and pushed. The city lights dimly illuminated the room, which was nearly full with the huge bed. Wicked images jumped through her mind at the sight of the acre covered in silk.

  Something special was going to be shared between them in that space. It was going to be in turns wicked and sweet, like Cody. She couldn’t ignore, though, that she’d only known him a week. She tried to set it aside, but the fact that they hadn’t shared much physically beyond less-than-innocent kisses made her tense.

  “You just say ‘stop’ if you don’t like something, all right? If anything doesn’t feel right, tell me and we’ll do something else. This is all about you,” he said as if he was reading her mind. “I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want, darlin’, and if you want to go back to cuddling, just say the word.”

  “I trust you, Cody.” His promise eradicated her last doubtful thoughts. She’d been drawn to him even when she’d been suspicious of his motives. Now she knew him, even if it was a short courtship, and knew he would never intentionally hurt her. “I trust you to make everything all right.”

  He was smiling when he settled her on the bed. She scooted back until she sat against the headboard and couldn’t help but return the smile. He was hard and big, bigger than any man she’d seen outside of medical books, and just the sight of him excited her.

  With an ease speaking of his comfort with her, he stripped. Already excited, his growing erection put to rest any doubts she had about him finding her attractive. He switched a bedside lamp on before turning off the overhead light.

  He sat on the edge of the bed, leaving some distance between them but wasting no time moving closer. She couldn’t possibly resist the expanse of warm male suddenly before her. Her fingers needed activity, and as he began to rub her arms with his big hands she let hers explore. His body hair was wiry and dark, a rough delight to her palms as she dispensed with hesitant touches and caressed him with her whole hands. She didn’t want to miss any part of him.

  If she was to wake up and it was all a fantasy, she wanted it to be one hell of a dream. Her hospital issued scrubs provided little resistance once he started untying the feeble strings. If the plain white cotton of her panties and bra weren’t the sexiest things, it didn’t matter because he removed them with the same efficiency as her clothes. For a moment he paused to look, and she forced herself not to squirm under the sudden scrutiny. There were reasons she’d only made love in the darkness, but the lust in Cody’s face made her forget what they were.

  Not waiting for any more invitation than her being naked and willing before him, he took her nipple in his mouth. Sucking just hard enough, he made her arch for more of the new sensation. Everything felt bigger, harder, and stronger than anything she’d ever experienced and she wanted it all.

  She felt like a new toy as he explored every inch of her, taking his time with her breasts but also rubbing his hands up and down her arms to make her even warmer. Delightful friction burned everywhere he touched. She wanted more. As intoxicating as his touch was, her hands felt empty.

  His pupils dilated when she reached closer and wrapped her hand around his cock. With the lights on she should have been more shy, but she wasn’t, not when she was getting responses like Cody’s. He pulled her hand away from him and shook his head when she protested.

  “I’m already not going to last as long as I want, Poppy.” He kissed her mouth to silence her protest and moved closer on the bed. “We’ve got all night, darlin’. Let me handle this first part.”

  She’d promised herself she wouldn’t be “handled” anymore, but she was happy to make an exception for Cody Patrich and his incredible lovemaking. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed searing kisses down her ear and neck, the sensitivity of the area already ignited from the other teasing.

  Despite his request, she found she couldn’t not touch, so she took biting kisses from his bare neck and shoulders while her hands explored his muscled back. He stiffened under her touch like he was reining in his response before he shifted lower and sucked hard at her nipple.

  Never before had she felt so damn potent. Her kisses were making him hotter, and he didn’t bother to hide it from her. She thought he might ask her to stop again but instead he moved back to her neck, kissing and stroking it harder, distracting her with the suction and pressure in the soft hollow below her ear that nearly had her coming all on its own.

  She tried to escape the sensual attack but arching her neck away made her hips thrust closer to him. He groaned at the new contact, pulled her flat to the bed, and moved over top of her. Body to body, there was no missing the size of his penis. She’d seen it when he undressed, and her brief contact earlier assured her it was as thick as it looked. Feeling it so close to the part of her weeping for company extrapolated her appreciation.

  A shattering wave of desire came with the position change and sent shivers up her body, but instead of taking, he moved aside.

  “Cody!”

  He replied with a bracing hand on her hip. She thrust her pelvis up, shamelessly demanding what her body needed. After a quick squeeze to her hip, he moved his hand closer to her center. His long fingers brushed by her belly to rest at the top of her mound. Another protest at the delay threatened, but his mouth clamped around her nipple again and she was torn between sensations.

  To match that glorious cock, his fingers were hard and thick, and as his mouth stayed busy at her breast, a single one slid easily into her weeping cunt. The superior weight of his body was the only thing that kept her grounded as explosive sensation took over. He kept a slow pace, alternating filling her to bursting and leaving her wanting more.

  Almost from the moment she saw him, she’d wanted and firmly told herself “no.” Finally saying “yes” was proving to be exactly what she needed. She moaned when he added another finger and delighted in the delicious stretch as her body tried to accommodate the change. She pressed into him harder, demanding more, but he kept his pace and pressure while also flicking gently over her sensitive clit. Juices poured helplessly from her, easing her enough for another finger.

  “Oh, hell yes,” he muttered, kissing back to her mouth. “Now you’re getting ready for me.”

  Despite the expert foreplay, she wasn’t surprised when the stret
ched feeling turned to discomfort as Cody finally lay between her legs and slid in. He was careful, but it felt like she was losing her virginity again. The tautness didn’t last long, not with the kisses and caresses he continued to rain on her aroused body as he waited, still and patient inside her.

  Patience wasn’t high on her list of virtues with him so hard and thick inside her. When she rolled her hips in encouragement, heat flashed in his emerald eyes, and in no time they were both enjoying the other, touching as deeply as they could. He rocked inside her with easy strokes, leading up to a rhythm she gladly met as each thrust left her a little breathless.

  She was shocked. What had always been a mundane sort of pleasure was insane with this man, but she gladly embraced the insanity. His height took his mouth from her breasts as he thrust inside her, but he reached her neck easily and pressed hot kisses there. The amazing sensitivity paired with the sensual assault between her legs made her gasps become moans that filled the room. Her body was in charge as she mindlessly met every touch. Every motion brought her closer to what was promising to be the best orgasm of her life.

  She could see it, visualize the explosion of feelings and pleasure as it gathered, and she lifted to him with more urgency, grinding her clit to his pelvis when he was at his deepest. So close. He wore a condom but she could feel him finish in the jerk of his body, the pulse of him throbbing inside her just before she climaxed.

  “Cody!” she wailed, so close to coming, the frustration drawing tears. “Please!”

  “It’s okay, baby girl, we’ll take care of you.”

  She shoved herself up to her elbows when another voice pierced the room. Cody was out of her and lying on his side next to her, barely winded from his efforts.

  “This is all up to you, baby. I’ll take care of you or Trevor and Michael can join us, but it’s your decision,” he murmured, kissing her ears and the shallow places beneath them as he continued to tease her engorged clit with his slippery finger.