When supper was over, they cleaned the dishes. Poppy washed, and Francis dried. If the staff of the shipping company could only see him now.
I should give them a few more days off. The ledgers can wait.
He caught himself smirking over that thought. When had he reached the point of not worrying over the books of account? The mighty were truly fallen.
“Oh, that reminds me,” said Francis.
After hanging the tea towel up over the rack near the fire, he made an excited dash over to the cupboard near his bed. When he returned to Poppy’s side, he was holding something very special behind his back.
“Close your eyes, and hold out your hands,” he said.
She gave him a quizzical look but did as she was instructed.
Francis placed the heavy set of books in her hands. “Now you can look.”
Poppy opened her eyes and glanced down. “What are these?”
Francis took the topmost book and held it up. “The latest and probably last books from Jane Austen. Two full novels published over four volumes. This first one is called Persuasion, and the second story, Northanger Abbey. They were released only this week.”
He couldn’t hide his excitement. He had been waiting months for these books to arrive. His plans had been to sit up late at night and devour them but matters with Poppy had concentrated his mind.
“You bought me romance novels? Oh, Francis, I don’t know what to say.”
Much as he wanted to pretend otherwise, it was only fair that he told Poppy the truth of his private passion. “Actually, I had ordered them for myself. Some time ago, I found Eve’s copy of Pride and Prejudice and decided to read it. Just for a lark. But I must confess that I found it a fabulous read. I’ve read all of Austen’s books.”
Poppy held the rest of the books out to him, offering them back. Francis shook his head. “Please. I want you to have them, Poppy. Though the gift does come with one condition. You have to let me read them when you are finished.”
A laugh left her lips. “Big bad Francis Saunders is a romantic at heart. That’s wonderful. But if the stories are set over different books, we can take turns reading them. I can read Persuasion while you read Northanger Abbey.”
He considered her offer. Typical of Poppy—she had a ready-made solution to a problem. But Francis had a better idea. “Or we could snuggle up in bed together each day and read to one another.”
She trained her hazel eyes on him, clearly not buying his story. “You know as well as I do, my love, that if we tried reading in bed, we would never get any of the books finished.”
Poppy handed Francis the bottom two volumes. “Northanger Abbey. And don’t you dare give away any of the plot.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“I love you.” Poppy hadn’t meant to say the words as Francis filled her with his morning erection, but her heart demanded it. Having confessed her love to him, the sentiment now slipped easily from her lips. If he was going to claim her body, it was only right that she yielded her soul.
“I love you too. And I shall till the day I die,” he whispered in her ear.
His thrusts were long and masterful. Francis was an expert at building the tension slowly. He might well have been a green boy in some aspects of business, but he knew his way around a woman’s body like a skilled craftsman, kissing and touching her in all the right ways, in all the best places.
She wrapped her legs around him, hooking her ankles together. This position allowed her to take him more deeply while Francis was then able to angle his thrusts hard against her sensitive bud. Every stroke sent pleasure through her body as he hit the perfect spot.
In comparison to their wild coupling of the previous night where they had let loose on top of Francis’s desk, this morning’s sex was sleepy and gentle.
Poppy lay back in the bed and let her man have his unhurried, delicious way. His hips rocked back and forth as he brought her to climax. He stilled above her a moment or two later, then rolled off to one side.
She scuttled over and lay her head on his chest, listening to his heart as it slowly returned to a steady, slower rhythm.
“I think we should do one last check of the proposal this morning, then walk up to the office and submit it,” she said.
“If you think your bruises have started to fade enough, then I am going to take you somewhere nice, and we can have a long breakfast. You make me a hungry man in more ways than one,” replied Francis.
She gifted him a tender kiss, then climbed out of bed. “I will stoke the fire and get us some hot water. I can’t function very well until I have had at least two cups of coffee.”
Poppy stopped and came back to Francis’s side of the bed. “Your mother won’t expect me to drink tea when I visit with her, will she? I know it’s become a bit of a thing here, but I am a coffee drinker to my bones.”
