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Chapter nineteen

Sweet Time

P oppy startled awake, panic seizing her as her brain registered the room’s brightness. “Shit.”

“Hush, sweet Poppy.” Rai’s voice rumbled hypnotically. “Have you dreamt poorly?” He drew her closer to his smooth chest, which she had been drooling on.

She blinked up at him, confused for a moment before she remembered how he’d gotten there. “What time is it?” She hastily wiped at the drool, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

“It is not late.” He kissed her forehead. “It is not even nine.”

Her hands were already grasping the covers to fling them away when the rest of yesterday’s events flooded into her mind, and she relaxed.

She didn’t need to stress over missing the eight o'clock transcript job drop today.

Rai was here, and she was going to paint him later. For a crazy amount of money.

Except that was businessy stuff that she wasn’t going to think about now, not when Rai had oozed from beneath her to above and was nibbling on her ear. His teeth might not literally gleam in the sunlight like a toothpaste commercial, but dear god he knew how to use them to make her nerves sparkle.

“I should check on Mom.” She stroked her hands down Rai’s back, caressing his shoulder blades.

He shivered and let out a rumbly growl. “I have texted her. She says she is well. There was an emoji I did not understand.” He began to kiss down Poppy’s throat, his strong, slender fingers stroking her stomach.

Poppy closed her eyes briefly, arousal and amusement fighting for control. “I think I need to know exactly what you texted.”

He paused in his downward trek and lifted his head. His face was worried, storm-pale eyes wide. “Have I overstepped?”

“No, no.” Poppy ran a finger along the enticing line of his cheekbone. “Like I said, she knows what we’re up to. I just… I can’t interpret her emojis unless I’ve read what she’s emoji-ing to.”

“Ah, of course.” Rai grinned and rolled away, reaching for his cell phone.

Somehow he managed to look like a Michelangelo painting in the process, cast into gentle chiaroscuro by the diffuse light from the window.

God, it was a waste she wouldn’t be painting him naked.

He rolled back, eyes shining. “Do you wish to see or shall I read it to you?”

The choice between pixels and Rai’s delicious voice was a no-brainer. “Read it.”

He propped his head on his elbow, regarding his phone.

“‘Good morning to you, most esteemed Jen. My sweet Poppy has promised we shall have a walk of shame to break our fast with you, but she is yet asleep, and I cannot bear to wake her. I have watched over her all night, and she remains well. Is there aught I may do for you this morn? I would be most pleased to fetch you coffee or sweets.’” He turned his earnest gaze back to Poppy. “I was most careful not to break her.”

Poppy blinked sudden tears away. “Like you even have that in you. You’re so sweet.”

He looked downward. “I am trying.”

She gave him a swift kiss, edging closer. “What did she say?”

He brought the phone up between them. “‘No, thank you. I have coffee already. Tell Poppy to take her sweet time.’ And then there is this face.” He turned the phone toward her.

Poppy grinned wickedly. “That’s a winky face. Like nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say-no-more.”

Rai’s brow furrowed. “So it means she wishes me to be silent and not text her again? ”

“No.” She pushed him back and rolled atop him, taking the phone from his hand. “It means she guessed that I was gonna want to do this.” She dropped the phone on the bed and bent to kiss him in earnest.

He let out a hungry growl and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her close, his chest firm and cool against her tender breasts. She was a little sore all over, but in an itchy way, a gimme-more-of-that way, and he was just so darn naked and yummy.

“Where did the condoms go?” She pushed up just far enough to look around.

His hands settled on her hips. “We do not need them,” he said, low and growly. “Not yet.”

“I think we need them now,” she said with a desperate laugh, but then he pushed her hips forward and slid his own body in the opposite direction until his wicked grin was right under her and oh god he was just diving right in with the tongue and the mouth and the rumbly vibrations, and she grabbed the headboard and surrendered to sensation, the sparkling running like lightning all through her body.

“Okay,” she conceded, her voice high and shaky. “Not yet.”

He simply laughed.

And it had been a sweet time. Not just the oral sex—though that alone was a revelation, the idea that it was a tasty treat and not a reluctant obligation—but the long shower that followed, and the slightly awkward breakfast with her mother after that, and even the really awkward part back at the guest house, when she’d reminded Rai that she needed his payment before their trip to the art store.

He’d barely blinked, just dragged his roll of bills out again.

It was a really thick roll of bills. Poppy felt queasy looking at it, though she covered it by quipping, “Is that fifty thousand dollars in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

“Of course I am happy to see you.” He started to count them.

She looked away. “You don’t have to pay me all of it now. I mean, you can do a partial deposit…”

“You must repair your car,” he said firmly. “And purchase supplies. I will pay the ten thousand now.”

Oh god, her car. “I should call for a tow.”

Rai looked at her blankly, then at his feet. “You may use my toes, if you wish. They are at your service.”

“No, a car tow. Get it to the shop.”

“Ah.” He frowned thoughtfully. “You do not wish me to carry it to the place of repairs?”

She burst into giggles.

He watched her laugh with an oddly wary expression. “That is funny?”

Hadn’t he meant it as one of his deadpan jokes?

“I’m not laughing at you,” she hastily added.

“Just, you know, I pictured you bench pressing the car like Superman and…” She almost didn’t complete the sentence, but hell, Rai seemed comfy enough with his masculinity.

“It was cute. You were cute. In my head, I mean. All grrr and sexy, maybe shirtless…”

He pressed the wad of cash into her hand and started to unbutton his limp shirt.

She dropped the money on the floor and grabbed his hands. “That wasn’t a request.”

He tilted his head back, somehow looking both arrogant and innocent. “What is cute ?”

“You.” She went on tiptoe to kiss him. “You are so fucking cute.”

He set her hands to his chest, kissing her back. “It is good to be cute?”

“The best.” She stroked over his shirt and back to the buttons he’d undone. “Anyhow, keep your shirt on.” She buttoned him back up.

He nuzzled her hair. “If I must.”

“Tragically, yes. For now.” It was so, so tempting to drag him back to her bedroom, but their to-do list for the day had been long even before adding the tow, and now that he’d given her money, she was already anxious about the painting itself.

And every minute that passed before they left would just make the day’s heat more oppressive.

“You ready to go shopping?” She’d call for the tow when they were back, just in case the wait was ridiculous.

He nodded happily, then bent over to gather the scattered bills. Which… Yeah, she should take care of those. They just didn’t seem real. It wasn’t that she’d never seen hundred-dollar bills, but she wasn’t used to seeing them all stacked like a waitress’s tips, except in movies.

Rai was real. And for all her twinges, he wasn’t acting any different than he had before they’d agreed on the commission—puppyish, eager, teasing, and fervently dedicated to her pleasure.

Certainly he didn’t seem to think he’d bought anything other than a painting, which weirdly made her more anxious, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It would almost be a relief if he hinted at a blow job.

He finished his gathering and swiftly counted the bills again before handing them over. “It is not too hot?” He glanced at the window, brow furrowed .

“It’s only gonna get hotter. And the store closes pretty early, so waiting for it to cool down wouldn’t be any help. We’ll be fine if we bring some water.”

His face brightened. “Yes, water bottles! I will fill many.” He strode to her recycling bin and started to pile bottles in his arms.

She laughed. “We’re not crossing the Mojave Desert. It’s only five blocks. One for each of us should be enough.”

His face fell into worried lines. “But what if we are more thirsty than one?”

“Well, two maybe. You can’t tell me you want to carry all of those.”

“I am very strong,” he said, face mutinous. “And I…do not wish for you to thirst.”

She sighed and waved a hand in the air. “Bring as many as you like. But I can’t imagine I’ll be that thirsty.”

He looked about to argue more, but then blinked and burst into a sunshiney smile. “One will be enough.” He set off toward the studio with his armload of empty bottles.

“Okay.” Poppy frowned at the money in her hand, adding a bank trip to her list. It would be just her luck to get burgled the second she was temporarily flush enough for it to matter…

and she should technically set some aside for her quarterly taxes…

but cash would be good for groceries, and art supplies, and…

She didn’t have the brain to do the math right now.

With a stab of conscience, she tucked several of the bills in her bedraggled purse and hid the rest in her sock drawer for the time being.

Water was still running in the back when she came out. “Rai?” she called down the hall. “Everything okay?”

“I am well!” he called back. “Do not worry!” A moment later, he appeared, a water bottle in each hand. “Shall we depart?”