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She let out a breathy laugh. “You said that a time or two.”
I didn’t know what else to say. I’d gone my entire life without feeling drunk after a kiss, until Poppy, and I didn’t know what it meant or what to do about it. Finally, feeling like I had to say something, I swallowed audibly and cleared my throat. “Well. That’s a date with me, I guess.”
Poppy gently pushed me away and slid off the tailgate. “While I can’t complain, I think I can give you some pointers on the date portion of the evening.”
“Not this portion, though?” I just couldn’t help myself.
She snorted. “I humped you like a dog in heat, Cyrus. What more do you want?”
I threw back my head and laughed a deep gut laugh. Tears leaked from my eyes by the time I gathered myself and found Poppy staring up at me with a proud grin on her face.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?”
I wanted to smash the idiotic nerves dancing in my stomach. “Taking you out on a better date?”
She nodded. “This time I’m choosing. I’ll show you how to romance a woman, according to the movies, anyway.”
“Fine. I’m not dressing up, though.”
“With those muscles, every shirt is dressing up, Cyrus.” She sighed. “And if you ever tell anyoneIsaidthat, I’ll deny it until the day I die.”
16
***Poppy***
“Openmydoorforme, loser.” I rolled my eyes at Cyrus and pretended my pulse hadn’t started racing the second I opened my door and spotted him.
“I always open the door for you, jackass.” He opened the passenger door and stared down at me. His dark eyes moved down my body and back up to my face quickly, pausing at my chest for only a split second. “You dressed up for me.”
The jeans I had on were relatively new and fit well. Instead of a normal T-shirt, I had chosen to wear a tank top that was cut lower than I’d typically ever wear. I’d even left my hair down. I wasn’t going to admit that I’d dressed up for him, so I just climbed into my seat and raised an eyebrow at him. “For you? Nope. I see you dressed up for me, though.”
Nice jeans, a solid black T-shirt, and his boots were as dressed up as Cyrus got, but he made it work. He looked good with his hair loose and his eyes bright. “You’ll be happy to know I brought my muscles.”
I pushed him out of the way so I could close the door in his face and then watched him walk around the truck. He got behind the wheel and looked over at me with an expectant look.
Remembering I was supposed to be in charge of our date, I took the lead and directed him to a small restaurant just outside of town. I’d ended up there with Sara one night and we’d both laughed hysterically at how sensual the entire night seemed to be. The booths were super private and the lighting was turned down to let the candles do their thing. It was the picture of romance. Not that I’d had a lot of experience with romance.
I stole glances at Cyrus as he drove. He only ever kept one hand on the steering wheel and he sat with those thick thighs spread so wide that I couldn’t help thinking of the monster he kept hidden between them. When I’d felt it the night before, I hadn’t been sure if I wanted to beg for a replica of it or run for my life.
I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I should’ve walked away from the night before with a determination to get my head on straight. Instead, I’d eagerly set up another date. A fake date, I reminded myself.
Cyrus parked in front of the restaurant and looked over at me. “It’s not a sports bar.”
“No, it’s not. It seems like the women you’re dating don’t like sports bars.” I shrugged. “No complaining. This is your lesson in romance. So just shut up and prepare to be romanced.”
He shook his head. “You’re a menace.”
“I know. Now come open my door for me.”
By the time we were seated at our booth, I was slightly worried that Cyrus would end up strangling me by the end of the night. He didn’t take orders well and I was having too much fun giving them. Still, we managed to make it through ordering drinks and dinner.
With him sitting across from me at the small table, the booth felt even smaller than I remembered. Candlelight cast shadows on his face and made him appear crankier than normal. Of course, it was still painfully attractive.
“I can promise you right now, PoJo, that I’m not doing this with another woman.” He leaned closer and the flames danced in his eyes. “Sitting here with nothing to talk about? Not a chance. You’re the exception.”
My stomach fluttered. “You can talk to other women, Cy.”
“Can? Sure. Want to? Not really.” His eyes moved over my face. “I have a woman in my life that I talk to already. I don’t need another.”
