“I would be lost without your mom, she is a very kind soul.” I mean every word of it, and I want Poppy to know how much the boys and I like her mom.
“Yeah, she is. I’m very blessed. She can also be pushy, nosy, and a painful nagger, but I love her anyway.” Poppy lets out a little giggle that’s kind of cute. “Anyway, I’ll head home and leave you to get to bed. I know what it’s like to work nights, but at least I get to sleep on shift—well, sometimes.” Pushing up off the couch, she stands, and as I do the same, the space I putbetween us has disappeared and we are less than two feet from each other. A bolt of electricity races through my body, sending a shockwave to my brain.
Fuck.
I step to the side quickly to get away from whatever that was. “Yes,” I grumble at her, wanting to just push her out of the house as quickly as I can, but she keeps talking.
“And don’t you have two boys who will be awake in four hours?”
I can’t help groan at the thought of it.
“Oh, that’s got to be rough. Glad I didn’t draw that short straw,” Poppy says to me, but all I can concentrate on are her exquisite eyes that have caught my attention again. It’s like she draws me to her without even trying, and that’s beginning to piss me off.
“Landon?” Hearing my name, I shake my head and come to my senses. I realize that she has been talking to me while I was zoned out, and I must appear so rude to her right now.
“Sorry, it’s been a long night. You said you were leaving?” I grumble, running my hands over my face.
“I bet. Yes, I’m heading out.” Poppy pads to the front door in her little candy cane socks, which has my sleep-deprived brain thinking about how sweet she would taste.
Pulling myself together, I follow her and stand with my hand on the doorknob. “I can’t thank you enough for your help.” I open the door for her as she slips her feet into her boots that in no way go with her outfit.
“No problem. I look forward to meeting Nash and Kade tomorrow. Good night, Landon.” And with that she is out the door and heading across the lawn to Mrs. B’s house.
“Good night,” I call after her, watching her until she walks in her front door and I hear it close behind her.
Walking back inside, I close the door and then stand in the hallway, trying to work out what the hell just happened.
I have women throwing themselves at me every night at the bar. With their tits on display and their ass cheeks hanging out of their short skirts, they flirt and slip me their numbers on napkins, but not one of them has made me look twice. Yet the moment I saw Poppy’s ID, there was something about her eyes that hooked me in. Seeing her in person tonight, wearing those ridiculous socks, with messy hair and no makeup on, looking like she just got out of bed—and my body had a meltdown.
I can’t think clearly. I’m obviously delirious.
I desperately need sleep and head to my room, turning off the lights along the way, then strip down and walk directly into the shower. As much as I want to get into bed, there is no way I can sleep until I have washed off the smell of the bar and the sweat of tonight’s craziness.
But when I finally lay my head down on the pillow, it’s those blue eyes that are still looking back at me in the dark, and I just can’t shake them. But in the silence of the room, guilt starts to hang over me for even thinking about Poppy like that. No one will replace Lucinda, she was the love of my life. And no one will even come a close second.
“For fuck’s sake, go to sleep,” I mumble to myself as I grab my pillow and bunch it up under my head and then roll onto my stomach. “I don’t have time for this shit.” Reaching for my phone, I hit the white noise app I use for the boys when they are struggling and having a hard time missing their mom.
Tonight it’s my saving grace as I try to will myself to sleep, hoping that I dream of Lucinda’s beautiful brown eyes that were forever mine, because any other color is just a dangerous temptation.
POPPY
Stripping off my jacket and track pants, I quickly get under the bedcovers and wriggle to get comfortable on my back.
From the moment my phone rang, I knew tonight would be intriguing, but I underestimated by how much.
I wasn’t wrong. The voice definitely matched the body. Rugged and hot as fuck.
I’ll be having words with Mom for not bothering to share that there is a hottie living next door. Not that I’m in the market for a man. I’ve had my fill of them for this year. But it can’t hurt to admire what’s on show.
When I woke to see Landon standing in front of me, it was like hearing the call of a level-five fire alarm. You know you are in trouble because there is danger all around you. The lines of seriousness on that man’s forehead told me of his long night, but it didn’t stop the raw masculinity oozing from him too.
His jet-black hair styled short on the sides and a little longer on top, sweeping to the right. His beard and moustache are so beautifully manicured and just long enough to make me wonder what it would be like to run my fingers through them. And the way he was leaning forward, with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together in front of him, left an impression on me for sure. I couldn’t help but notice the sleeves of his black button-up shirt were rolled neatly up to his elbows, displaying his forearms and a few strong veins bulging impressively. With his black suit pants and black socks completing the outfit, he left nothing out of place, giving me the vibe that’s how he likes his life.
Stiff and structured.
And as much as I was impressed by him, that was all pushed aside the moment he stood up.
Landon is intimidating.
