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Authors: Kelly Hunter
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arousing close body contact could be.
And now she did.
The quad throbbed beneath her but it wasn’t enough.
Seb had noticed her inexperience. Picked it, pegged it, been horrified by it and, yes, age-for-experience she was in the minority, but she was open to change and always had been. She’d just never found the right vector for it.
Before now.
Poppy kept on driving and minutes later parked the quad in the little shed behind the guest house and made her way up the back steps, through the wet room and into the tinykitchen, turning the light on as she went. A sucker-footed gecko skimmed along the wall, taking refuge behind a cupboard, tail in and nose out.
Poppy leaned down, hands on her knees until she spotted half an eye and then she spoke.
‘He kissed me, gecko. No one has ever kissed me like that before. It was…’
The gecko’s nose twitched. A little more eye appeared. Not much, but it was all the encouragement Poppy needed. ‘It was breathtaking. I almost melted in a puddle at his feet. It was very disconcerting.’
Two eyes now. This gecko was definitely into girl talk. ‘I know,’ said Poppy solemnly. ‘He’s going to have to do it again.’
CHAPTER FIVE
S EBASTIAN’S day began with a swim and a cup of strong black coffee back at the house. The house stood quiet and empty but for him, and it made him restless, more restless than usual.
Far be it for Seb to admit that he was waiting for Poppy to arrive.
Or that while he waited he turned over in his mind the events of last night.
He’d started it, he knew that much.
He’d finished it too, but only after Poppy had turned to a statue in his arms. If she hadn’t stopped, he probably wouldn’t have either. They’d have woken together, he’d have brought her some coffee and maybe made love to her again. He’d have made sure they were both sated and satisfied and these next few days could have been made quite pleasurable, and then she’d have gone on her way, no damage done.
That was how it should have played. Could have played.
And hadn’t.
Innocence or caution? Or something else entirely? That was the question plaguing Seb this morning, along with another that asked why did he care?
She wasn’t his type. Too timid and too plain.
His brother called her mouse.
And then a graceful, slender woman opened his back door without knocking, her toffee-tendrilled hair caught back in a thick ponytail and her cornflower-blue eyes framed by silky brown lashes. Poppy met his gaze and all thoughts, plain or otherwise, fled before Seb’s wild and brutal hunger.
‘Coffee’s hot,’ he offered gruffly as she glanced longingly towards the hallway that led to the bat cave. No way. He wasn’t letting her off that easily. ‘Strong and black with one, right?’
‘Right.’ She squared her shoulders and headed towards him. ‘About last night…’
‘What about it?’
‘It occurred to me that I may have been sending mixed messages,’ she said. ‘And I wanted to thank you for your restraint.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You’re quite the gentleman.’ She waved a hand in the direction of Seb’s good self. ‘Underneath.’
‘Underneath what?’
‘The recklessness.’
‘Poppy,’ he said as evenly as he could. ‘About those mixed messages. You’re still sending them.’
‘Oh.’ She looked disconcerted. ‘Maybe I should just forget the coffee and start in on the work.’
But he’d already poured it for her. He dumped a spoonful of sugar in it and slid it across the counter towards her, spoon and all. ‘Take it with you.’
Hospitable, that was him. Gentleman host. As for being reckless…he’d been working on curtailing that particular tendency for quite some time now.
The word
caution
had entered his vocabulary.
Recent lessons involving recklessness and caution had been etched on his soul.
Not so reckless after all, because when she retrieved her coffee with a quick smile and a thank-you and then headed for the hallway,
And now she did.
The quad throbbed beneath her but it wasn’t enough.
Seb had noticed her inexperience. Picked it, pegged it, been horrified by it and, yes, age-for-experience she was in the minority, but she was open to change and always had been. She’d just never found the right vector for it.
Before now.
Poppy kept on driving and minutes later parked the quad in the little shed behind the guest house and made her way up the back steps, through the wet room and into the tinykitchen, turning the light on as she went. A sucker-footed gecko skimmed along the wall, taking refuge behind a cupboard, tail in and nose out.
Poppy leaned down, hands on her knees until she spotted half an eye and then she spoke.
‘He kissed me, gecko. No one has ever kissed me like that before. It was…’
The gecko’s nose twitched. A little more eye appeared. Not much, but it was all the encouragement Poppy needed. ‘It was breathtaking. I almost melted in a puddle at his feet. It was very disconcerting.’
Two eyes now. This gecko was definitely into girl talk. ‘I know,’ said Poppy solemnly. ‘He’s going to have to do it again.’
CHAPTER FIVE
S EBASTIAN’S day began with a swim and a cup of strong black coffee back at the house. The house stood quiet and empty but for him, and it made him restless, more restless than usual.
Far be it for Seb to admit that he was waiting for Poppy to arrive.
Or that while he waited he turned over in his mind the events of last night.
He’d started it, he knew that much.
He’d finished it too, but only after Poppy had turned to a statue in his arms. If she hadn’t stopped, he probably wouldn’t have either. They’d have woken together, he’d have brought her some coffee and maybe made love to her again. He’d have made sure they were both sated and satisfied and these next few days could have been made quite pleasurable, and then she’d have gone on her way, no damage done.
That was how it should have played. Could have played.
And hadn’t.
Innocence or caution? Or something else entirely? That was the question plaguing Seb this morning, along with another that asked why did he care?
She wasn’t his type. Too timid and too plain.
His brother called her mouse.
And then a graceful, slender woman opened his back door without knocking, her toffee-tendrilled hair caught back in a thick ponytail and her cornflower-blue eyes framed by silky brown lashes. Poppy met his gaze and all thoughts, plain or otherwise, fled before Seb’s wild and brutal hunger.
‘Coffee’s hot,’ he offered gruffly as she glanced longingly towards the hallway that led to the bat cave. No way. He wasn’t letting her off that easily. ‘Strong and black with one, right?’
‘Right.’ She squared her shoulders and headed towards him. ‘About last night…’
‘What about it?’
‘It occurred to me that I may have been sending mixed messages,’ she said. ‘And I wanted to thank you for your restraint.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You’re quite the gentleman.’ She waved a hand in the direction of Seb’s good self. ‘Underneath.’
‘Underneath what?’
‘The recklessness.’
‘Poppy,’ he said as evenly as he could. ‘About those mixed messages. You’re still sending them.’
‘Oh.’ She looked disconcerted. ‘Maybe I should just forget the coffee and start in on the work.’
But he’d already poured it for her. He dumped a spoonful of sugar in it and slid it across the counter towards her, spoon and all. ‘Take it with you.’
Hospitable, that was him. Gentleman host. As for being reckless…he’d been working on curtailing that particular tendency for quite some time now.
The word
caution
had entered his vocabulary.
Recent lessons involving recklessness and caution had been etched on his soul.
Not so reckless after all, because when she retrieved her coffee with a quick smile and a thank-you and then headed for the hallway,
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