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Poppy lifted her hand in a wave and let me tug her away. I told myself I was just pulling her away from those jackasses, but I found myself leading her to a darkened corner of the massive room. She let me lead her without question. Only when I suddenly pinned her against a wall and closed the space between our bodies did she look up at me in shock.
I leaned in and trailed my nose along her bare shoulder, inhaling her sweet scent. For a woman who claimed to be anything but girly, she sure smelled like sugar and spice and everything nice.
Her hands gripped my sides and I heard her breath catch as I moved my mouth to her ear. I was debating if I wanted to suck on her soft skin and leave my mark on her or if I wanted to dive straight into kissing her full mouth when she sighed. “Oh, I get it. Sasha’s watching.”
“Who?” I was going to taste her before I marked her, I decided. I wanted to know if the rest of her was as sweet as her mouth.
“Sasha. The woman of your dreams?” Poppy’s breasts moved faster as her breath came faster. “Isn’t that why you’re putting on this show?”
I watched her chest and groaned. I was a breast man and Poppy had fantastic tits, it turned out. They were large enough to fill my hands and just a bit more.
“Someone’s coming.” The urgency in her voice had me shifting away and turning so she was behind me. Her hands went back to my sides and I clenched my fists to keep from grabbing her again.
I heard the same footsteps she’d heard and saw that Sasha and her uncle were coming toward us. I forced myself to relax and moved to the side so it didn’t look like I was hiding Poppy.
Gerald Dorsey was a shark of a man and I’d worked with him for five years. He owned a major tool brand and we’d cut a deal after meeting a few times. He was an important part of my business running smoothly, and that was why I’d been so cautious about Sasha.
“Who are you hiding away over here, Allen?” Gerald’s booming voice filled the space around us. “I’ve never met you before, honey. I would’ve remembered a pretty face like yours.”
Poppy laughed and held out her hand to shake his. “Poppy Summers. I know we’ve never met because I would’ve remembered a man who called me honey and pretty in one conversation.”
Gerald shook her hand and grunted at her handshake. “I was going to ask if that was a good thing or not, but judging by that handshake, I take it you don’t like being called honey.”
“Uncle Gerald, most women don’t want a stranger calling them pet names.” Sasha tucked her hand into her uncle’s elbow and smiled sweetly at me. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t bring him up to speed.”
Poppy just smiled. “I’ll let you call me honey if I can call you pumpkin.”
Holding up his hands, Gerald laughed. “Fine, fine. I get it. More importantly, where has Allen been hiding you, Poppy Summers?”
“Before this dark corner? Mainly back home in Breeze Point.” Poppy looked up at me and there was an expression on her face I’d never seen before. She looked resigned. “I should leave you three to whatever you need to talk about. I’ve got to find something real to eat. I never know why people think that passing around two trays of the tiniest bits of food is a good idea.”
Sasha cleared her throat and seemed like she was hiding a laugh. “I tried to tell Uncle Gerald that not everyone eats like his wife, Muffy.”
Poppy winked at Sasha and looked at Gerald. “Listen to the woman. She seems smart.”
“Let me call in something more substantial for you. It’s the least I can do after starving you all night.” Gerald looked to me. “What do you say?”
Before I could say anything, Poppy moved closer to Gerald and put her hand on his. “That’s so kind of you, but I’m already mentally halfway to the server with the red hair. He seems like a weak link. I’m sure I can get him to sneak me a few full trays of something or another. You three stay here and talk.”
I wanted to stop her, but she slipped away faster than I would’ve imagined she’d be able to move in her heels. I didn’t want to be left behind with Sasha and Gerald. I wanted to follow Poppy around and see her interacting with people more. It’d been so long since I’d seen her in a situation where she had to mingle with strangers that I’d forgotten how good she was at it. She was so unapologetically herself. I couldn’t help following her with my eyes as she left.
“She’s quite the woman, isn’t she?” Gerald was also watching her, I saw when I looked over at him. “Are you two an item?”
I looked over at Sasha and knew that I might not get another chance with her. Our timing was never right. Poppy had complimented her, so maybe that meant something good. I was bargaining with myself and trying to make myself remember how enamored I’d been by Sasha’s dark beauty before I kissed Poppy.
“No. She’s my best friend.” The words felt wrong, even though they were the truth. I shoved my hands into my pockets and tried to find Poppy in the crowd again.
“In that case, I’m going to go help her find that server. You two catch up.” Gerald slipped away, leaving me alone with his niece while he went on the hunt for Poppy.
Every nerve ending in my body felt raw and exposed as I watched the much older man go after my best friend. I rolled my lips inward and bit down on them to keep from shouting at the man.
“I was hoping you’d be here tonight.” Sasha drew my attention and smiled. “We’re always just missing each other.”
I understood what she meant and nodded. “Seems that way, doesn’t it?”
“We should think of a way to help avoid that problem in the future. Some sort of way we could make sure we wouldn’t miss each other.” She bit her lip and reached out to touch my forearm. “If I gave you my number, would you call?”
I forced myself to look at her and see her beauty. She was kind and smart, everything I wanted in a woman. She was in the business and would understand my hours. She also wasn’t my best friend. As much as my body was screaming that that fact was a con, I knew it was a pro. “I would.”
