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“Jay here is the brain; he’s the CEO, and our older brother Theo is basically Batman; he lives in a cave,” Kent chuckles. I laugh, too, because he’s not far off.
Poppy’s forehead furrows, “An actual cave? Like spelunking?”
She knows what spelunking is. Another box is checked. Careful, Poppy. You might rank as my dream girl.
I shake my head. “Theo is an engineer and leads our technology development department," I reply. Then, I try to change the subject. The last thing I want to do is talk about work. I want to get to know Poppy better. I want to hear it from her lips and not others.
“What about you?” I ask.
Poppy grabs her beer, taking a small, teasing sip. The sight of the amber liquid glossing her lips is tantalizing, and when her tongue flicks out to catch a stray droplet, it hits me hard. I feel a visceral jolt so intense that I almost lose it right there.
Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I try to control the rush of raw desire coursing through me.
“I took Business Administration in college, so I am still trying to discover my path. I worked in reception for three years, but I just got a job as a Personal Assistant. I like to organize and manage schedules; it relaxes me.”
“That’s perfect.” Kent adds, “Julian was a soldier, so he is used to taking orders. Just boss him around, and he’ll comply.”
I’m going to kill him. Slowly.
Poppy tries to hide her giggle with another sip of beer. At least she is used to the horrible jokes because Harper has no problem dishing them out.
“If you need something organized, labeled, or rearranged to flow smoothly, Pops is your girl.” Harper spins her barstool towards Poppy. “She is going to be amazing.” She grins at her friend with such pride.
"Remember those thousand-piece puzzles we used to have as kids? We were all losing our minds, but Poppy was like a puzzle ninja, slicing through them with the patience of a saint. Absolutely astounding!”
“So you’re not a saint then?” Kent probes.
“Please. Sinners have much more fun.” Harper bats her lashes.
Poppy waves her hand, “I’m nothing compared to Harper. She was recruited out of college because her hacking skills are next level.” She boasts.
“Hacking?” Kent’s brows inch up to his hairline.
“When she said she liked a pretty face with an impressive head, she was referring to herself,” Poppy chides, “She is beauty and brains.” She continues to wax poetic about Harper. The shock on Kent’s face is priceless. For once, he is silenced, giving us all a break from his comments.
I’ll admit I’m shocked, too. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book by the cover, especially when the cover looks like Harper and acts so goofy.
I can tell my brother is impressed, but more than that, there’s a shift in his eyes. Harper puts on a front of being a flirtatious bimbo, but it’s a mask covering up her biggest secrets: she’s an impressive, dangerous nerd. A cunning player that my brother wants to challenge. I see it now.
Poppy uses Harper as a shield, deflecting attention towards her friend. People deflect because they don’t want attention focused on them; it could be because they are shy, insecure, or carrying a secret.
I wonder which is Poppy's reason?
Chapter 14
Julian
I glance down at my watch. One hour. One freaking hour, and I'm already losing control.
I want to kiss Poppy.
Scratch that; I want to sit her on this table and bury myself deep inside of her.
She is my fantasy woman: sweet, innocent, seductive without knowing it, kind, sincere, so fucking hot. Brown hair that has some red undertones when the light hits it, full lips, did I mention beautiful? And her laugh—it's got my cock planning a mutiny so he can take control of my movements. I want to hear that laugh every day. I wonder what her moans sound like?
Since Kent and Harper left to play pool, I’ve been listening to Poppy tell me stories about the trouble Harper has gotten her into. I haven’t retained a word. I just keep thinking about what I will do with her when we’re alone.
Our thighs are nestled between each other as we sit intimately close, the proximity tempting me to claim what I desire. The bar's noise has increased, but the silver lining is that Poppy has gradually inched closer to me.
