Stranded (Night Calls)

  “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he told her between breaths.

  She did as she was told which put her core in direct contact with his rigid length. Unconsciously, Poppy rocked against him trying to find the release her body craved, but he was having none of that. With a few quick steps inside the room, Felix pushed her back against the wall, pressing all his hardened planes into her softer ones.

  “You keep that up, kitten, and this will be over before it gets started.”

  He claimed her mouth with a brutal kiss that knocked her head back and stole her breath. Poppy dug her nails into his shoulders and gripped her thighs tighter around his waist, drawing him as close as she could manage, but it wasn’t enough. She needed to feel him moving inside her, claiming her inside as well as out.

  “Clothes,” she gasped out, clinging to him as his hands moved to her gown, shoving it over her thighs and up her waist. She hated to let him go, to sever contact of any kind, but when he got to her breasts and could go no higher, she let her feet drop to the floor and raised her arms over her head so he could lift it the rest of the way off.

  Felix froze, his hot gaze searing a path down her body. He licked his lips and hand shot out to cup one of her breasts. “God, you’re beautiful. Fucking perfect.”

  She let her own gaze drop, a rush of crippling heat suffusing her core when she realized that, somewhere along the way, he had lost his towel. His thick shaft jutted out proudly, and all Poppy could think about was finally getting him into her bed.

  But if this was going to be her first, and probably only, time bedding a man she didn’t know, then she was determined to make it last. Every moment had to count, because she didn’t know when, or if, she would experience anything like it ever again.

  Looking down, she took in the sight of him once again. His sex was thick and heavy, the crown round and glistening with his arousal. Poppy licked her lips as ideas of what she wanted to do with that arousal ran through her head. She had always hated the idea of performing oral sex on a man. Jimmy had always complained about her inexperience and refusal to try new things, but she just never saw the need for it. Now, though, she was feeling bold. The very sight of him made her mouth water for a taste.

  Without hesitation, Poppy dropped to her knees and wrapped her fist around him. Felix gripped her by the hair and threw his head back with a loud moan as she drew him into her mouth. She ran her tongue from base to tip, tasting the salty flavor of his juices, and was surprised when her own private area clenched with renewed arousal. Despite never having performed this way before, Felix seemed to be enjoying himself, letting small moans slip out each time she drew him in. She figured out pretty fast that the deeper she took him, the more he liked it. Encouraged by his throaty responses, she worked her hand up and down his length, mimicking the movements with her mouth, until he suddenly pulled his hips back and tugged her to her feet.

  Confused by his reaction, Poppy went into a panic. “What’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”

  “Oh no, kitten, you did everything very right. But the night is young, and there are so many things I want to do to you. When I finish, it’s not going to be in your mouth, it’s going to be buried deep inside this sweet body.”

  To emphasize his words, Felix pulled her against him, running one hand down her belly, forging a heated path to her core, then, at the same time he leaned down to crush his lips to hers, he pushed a finger inside her slick channel and Poppy saw stars explode behind her closed lids.

  “Oh!”

  Felix grinned against her mouth. “You like that, kitten? I wonder…Oh yes.” He slipped a second finger inside, stretching her, and Poppy shouted, grasping his shoulders before she crumbled to the floor. “You are so tight,” Felix whispered in her ear as he worked his fingers in and out. “You’re going to make me come so hard, kitten. What do you say we take this to the bed?”

  Poppy heard his words but was incapable of responding. When he curled his fingers inside her and thrust them deeper, however, she managed a loud squeak and a subtle nod, hoping that would be enough. It was. In seconds, Felix had her lying on the mattress beneath him. As he rocked against her, she could feel his length probing her entrance, and she lifted her hips, eager to take him in.

  Felix laughed and pulled his hips back. Poppy groaned her displeasure. “So impatient.” He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair away from her face as he gazed down at her. “Not yet, kitten. First things first. Do you have any condoms in here?”

  Startled, Poppy shook her head. She didn’t think she would ever find herself in this situation again, so she never thought to keep any on hand. Sex hadn’t been the farthest thing from her mind, exactly, but having it with a man certainly had been. She had even stopped taking her birth control. And here she was, preparing to let some guy she’d known for two minutes plunge himself into her, and she hadn’t even thought about protection of any kind. She wanted to slap herself for being so stupid.

  “That’s okay,” Felix assured her. “I have a couple in my wallet. I just have to go and get them.” He pushed himself off of her and Poppy squirmed from the loss. “I’ll be right back.”

  She watched as he walked away, completely naked and not caring in the least. He looked almost as good walking away, she thought, smirking to herself. Laying in complete silence made the time stretch on forever. Bo shifted in the corner and huffed loudly, and Poppy’s head snapped up. He was staring at her, in that way that animals sometimes do that makes you feel completely exposed and a little shameful.

  “What?” Poppy asked, refusing to feel guilty. “I’m not doing anything wrong.” Bo tilted his big head and looked at her quizzically. “Don’t look at me like that. When you go without sex for as long as I have, then we can talk. Besides, he seems like a perfectly nice guy, and I don’t see you kicking up a fuss.”

  Felix strode into the room then and looked at her strangely. “Who are you talking to?”

  Propped on her forearms, Poppy smiled shyly. “Just Bo.”

  “Ah.” He glanced back at Bo. “I don’t think he likes me.”

  Poppy waved him off. “If he didn’t like you, I think you’d be missing a limb right now. Bo is very protective of me, and the fact that he hasn’t tried to kill you for touching me yet is pretty telling.”

  “Yet being the operative word,” Felix muttered as he climbed onto the bed and settled himself between her legs again. He held up a foil packet. “I wonder how old Bo is going to react when his master is screaming to the heavens.” He wagged his eyebrows at her and tore the foil open with his teeth.

  “Screaming, huh?” Poppy’s belly clenched with anticipation. She watched as he rolled the condom down his erection.

  “Oh yes,” he assured her with a wicked smile.

  When he positioned himself at her opening, Poppy drew back slightly. “I thought you said we were taking things slow?”

  Dropping down onto his forearm, Felix kissed her lips lightly and pushed the tip of his erection into her. Poppy sucked in a breath. “I did say that, but then I came back to find you all spread out, your legs open, waiting for me, and I changed my mind. I won’t lie, this time will be fast. But after that, I’m going to take all the time in the world to get you know this body.”

  “I—Ah!”

  Felix shoved his way into her body and Poppy nearly came undone. He was bigger than her body was used to and he stretched her, touching every inch of her and creating a delicious friction that threatened to push her over the edge. He was right. This would be fast.

  Already Felix was panting as he strained to control himself. “God, Poppy, you feel so good. So tight. You’re going to make me come, kitten.”

  She liked how he kept calling her that. Kitten. She never had a nickname before, and it was only made more special by the way that he said it so reverently, as if she was undoing him the same way he was undoing her.

  She ran her hands down his back, and when he hooked his arm under her leg and brought her knee t
o her chest, she scored him with her nails. Sweat slicked their skin and the sound of their bodies slapping together with each powerful thrust filled the room.

  “Come for me, kitten,” Felix commanded, and then tilted her hips back so he could plunge deeper inside.

  Poppy had never climaxed with a man before, and she would have thought it impossible now, but Felix touched parts of her she didn’t even know she had, and before she knew it, her body coiled tighter and a pressure began building.

  “Come on, kitten. Give it to me.”

  His words acted like fuel and Poppy felt her inner muscles contract, and then she splintered apart, her whole world narrowing into a single moment of explosive sensation that washed through every cell like a tidal wave. Felix shouted and she felt him grow bigger still as he toppled over the edge with her. He slammed his hips into her, rocking the bedframe so hard it knocked against the wall in time with his movements. Poppy held on tight, and when Felix arched back, she looked up and caught her breath.

  Lost in the throes of his own climax, Felix was the most delectable man she had ever laid eyes on. The muscles in his arms and chest bulged, the veins his in neck stood in stark relief against his heated flesh, and he gritted his teeth as if in exquisite pain. Finally, he collapsed on top of her, tucking his face into her shoulder. His weight was considerable and Poppy was forced to take shallow breaths, but she enjoyed the feeling of cradling a man between her legs, missed it, really. Running her hands languidly up and down his back, she soaked in the moment of pure bliss, listening to Felix’s heavy breaths calm and eventually even out.

  A while later, Felix pressed his lips against the side of her neck and lifted himself onto his forearms. His stony expression gave nothing away as he gazed down at her. His thumbs stroked her temples and he dipped his head to kiss her sweetly.

  “You were amazing,” he said when he released her mouth.

  Poppy couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. “I should be saying that to you. You did all the work.”

  Grinning, Felix sat up and Poppy felt his now flaccid sex slip free, leaving her feeling empty. Suddenly feeling exposed and a bit shy, she slipped under the blankets as he climbed out of bed and disposed of the used condom in the trash can she kept beside the bed.

  What would he do now? she wondered as he left the room without a word. She had just had amazing sex with an incredibly hot guy. It had been fast and hard and everything she wished she had had during her marriage to Jimmy. Was this just Fate’s way of giving her a taste of something she would never have again? A wave of sadness crept over her like a shroud at the thought of Felix leaving soon. But of course he had his own life to get back to and she had…her books. They were strangers, after all, who happened to cross paths but weren’t destined for anything more than a quick romp in the sack.

  She would just have to remind herself of that when he left because she had a feeling the loss was going to hit her like a club over the head.

  Felix appeared in the doorway holding a washcloth. Kneeling on the bed beside her, he tugged back the blankets and nudged her legs apart. Poppy immediately closed them again; confusion knitted her brows together, but Felix just pushed them apart again.

  “Let me clean you, Poppy.”

  She had no idea why he would want to do that and she felt incredibly uncomfortable with the offer, but when he turned his warm, hypnotic gaze on her and began walking his fingers up her calf to her inner thigh, she let her knees fall open. With a satisfied smirk, Felix placed the warm cloth against her and gently wiped away the evidence of their joining.

  When he was finished, he hung the cloth on the bedpost and climbed under the blankets with her, pulling her into his side. Poppy curled into him and rested her head on his chest while Felix trailed his fingertips back and forth down her spine.

  “So why does a woman like you live all alone in the middle of nowhere?” Felix asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

  6

  So they were going to spend some time getting to know each other then.

  Poppy hadn’t truly believed him when he said it before, but apparently Felix was a man of his word. As she prepared to answer him, a small voice in the back of her head whispered that it was a bad idea to start sharing personal information with this man. Already she felt herself not wanting to let him go, which was exactly why it was bad for women to have a one night stand, because when women had sex, their hearts had a nasty habit of getting involved. Men, on the other hand, treated sex like another business venture.

  Running her fingers down his abdomen, Poppy tried to explain. “When I got divorced, I needed a change. Getting away from the city seemed like a good idea, and when I found this house, it gave me the perfect opportunity to start fresh. I got Bo so I wouldn’t be alone, though.”

  “How long ago was your divorce?”

  She shrugged. “Less than a year.”

  “Was it something you both agreed on?”

  Releasing a heavy breath, Poppy said, “Once I found out that he was keeping a girlfriend on the side, yeah, it was mutual.”

  Felix’s hand stilled. “I’m sorry.”

  Tilting her head back, Poppy frowned up at him. “Why? It isn’t your fault my ex is a sleazebag.”

  “No, but I know what it’s like to be betrayed, and I don’t think anyone ever completely gets over something like that.”

  Propping herself up on her elbow, Poppy studied him curiously. “Have you been married before, Felix?”

  “Yes.”

  She frowned at his tightlipped response. “Are you married now?” Please say no. The last thing Poppy wanted to be was a rebound or “the other woman.”

  “No. We divorced a few years ago, but I remember the sting all the same.”

  “Oh.” Good. She sighed with relief and rested her head on his chest again. As much as she liked the idea that Felix was free to date, she wanted to get off the topic of failed marriages. It had a way of sucking the life out of the room. So she changed the subject. “So what do you do for a living, Felix?” Male model, Playgirl… her brain supplied.

  He must have known what she was trying to do, because, in a move so incredibly tender it made her chest ache, Felix lifted his head and kissed her forehead then gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

  “I’m a literary agent.”

  Oh, she had heard of those before. “So you work with writers, then.”

  She felt him nod. “I do.”

  “Isn’t that a pretty demanding job?” From what she understood, it took a lot of fast talking and good salesmanship to be in that field.

  “It can be sometimes. Normally, authors come to me and I read through their ideas. If one jumps out at me, and I think it has potential, I will pitch it to a publisher. But I search for clients too. You never know when you’ll stumble across a diamond in the ruff.”

  “You sound like you enjoy what you do.”

  “It’s been good to me.” She heard the smile in his voice and couldn’t resist her own. “What do you do, Poppy?”

  She pursed her lips, wondering how he would react to her confession. “I used to frame pictures for this art shop on Thirty-Second and Main, but it went belly up last year and I haven’t been able to find anything since that pays as well or offers the same benefits.”

  “A year ago,” Felix thought aloud. “So you lost your job and got a divorce all in the same year.”

  It was pathetic, she knew, but she was confident that something would come along to turn things around eventually. As her mother always said, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” Already things were looking up, Poppy thought, and ran her finger down Felix’s side, making him jump a little.

  “How do you survive?” Felix asked, stilling her hand.

  “Alimony. We were married for just over ten years and Jimmy made more money than I did, so the judge ensured that he would pay enough for me to keep my head above water. It’s not much, but it’s enough.”

  Actually, it was ba
rely enough. If she hadn’t started socking away money when she first discovered Jimmy had been cheating, then she wouldn’t even have enough money to buy clothes or afford basic creature comforts, like the occasional smutty romance novel. Having Bo only taxed her budget more, but he was her best friend and only source of companionship, so no matter how tight things got, she would always find a way to take care of him.

  “It sounds like you’ve been through a lot,” Felix said sympathetically.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  Adjusting her so that they both lay on their sides facing one another, Felix pushed her hair behind her ear and smiled. “You strike me as a fiercely independent woman.”

  Poppy narrowed her eyes on him, not sure how to take his words. “Is that a compliment?”

  “Definitely a compliment,” Felix said huskily and leaned in to press his mouth against hers. “I find strong women incredibly attractive.” He kissed her again, longer this time. “Sexy, even.”

  “Oh yeah?” Was that her voice, all breathy and wanton? Poppy smoothed her hand down his biceps, feeling the corded muscles flex beneath her fingers.

  “Oh yeah.”

  In one quick move, Felix had her on her back. Poppy’s heart slammed in her chest, excitement pulsing through her veins. Kissing his way down her chest, Felix wrapped his lips around one pert nipple and sucked. Not wanting to leave the other one out, he used his fingers to pinch and roll her nipple into a sensitive point. When he was finished laving one breast, he switched, pinching and licking and sucking her into sweet oblivion.

  Poppy was lost in sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Little zings of pleasure shot down her spine with each swirl of his wicked tongue, and Poppy felt the tingles all the way down to her toes.

  His little kitten was more responsive than any woman Felix had ever been with. Each touch made her arch, and tiny mewling sounds slipped through her parted lips. She was like a live wire in his arms, her body arching, her hands gripping his shoulders as if she would burst any moment.