Stranded (5 page)

             
She ran her hands down his back, and when he hooked his arm under her leg and brought her knee to 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 immediat
ely 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 barely 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.

              He wanted to see how far he could take her before she came apart at the seams.

             
Releasing her creamy mound, Felix licked his way down her stomach, stopping to trace her belly button and the sharp line of her hips. He had only one goal in mind, and that was to taste every inch of her before this night was through.

             
Sliding the rest of the way down her body, Felix settled himself between her legs and took in the sight of her. Pale pink folds glistening with arousal stared back at him, and Felix shuddered with anticipation. “Mmm, very pretty.”

             
Poppy’s head snapped up, and wide fearful eyes focused on him. “What are you doing? Get back up here.”

             
He could see that the idea of what he planned to do made her nervous. She was probably very reserved, and he doubted her ex had enough passion in him to pleasure her properly, or else he never would have let a creature like Poppy slip through his fingers.

Slowly, Felix shook his head. “Just making sure I don’t miss anything, kitten.” Before she could protest further, Felix swiped his tongue across her slit and
smiled with satisfaction when Poppy shouted his name and dropped back against the pillow. As he worked his tongue over her clit, she wove her fingers into his hair, holding him in place. He sucked and licked her until her legs were shaking, clamping down on his shoulders like a vice.

Drawing back, Felix kissed the inside of her thigh at the same time he looked up into her dark, passion-filled eyes. Her lids were heavy and her full lips parted as she drew in a shaky breath. He chose that moment to slip his fingers inside, feeling her slippery wetness coat his fingers as he worked them in and out, up and down. He used his thumb to tease her clit as he moved up her body.

Her feet pushed into the mattress as she rode his fingers until he felt her inner muscles clamp down around him. Knowing she was on the brink, he slipped free and smothered her moan of displeasure with a forceful kiss. Then he reached over to snag the last condom from the table.

Poppy covered every inch of his chest and neck in wet kisses as he rolled the latex down his shaft. Her hands were everywhere, sensitizing his heated flesh, and by the time he was finished with th
e task, Felix was afraid he might spend as soon as he entered her.

Gathering
both of her hands in one of his, Felix raised her arms over her head, causing her to arch her back. Her breasts pushed out, creating a tempting dish that he was all too eager to sample. Positioning himself at her opening, Felix drew one taught peak into his mouth at the same time he slid into her dark depths. He took his time, using long, slow glides to stoke the flames higher. Poppy moaned her approval and Felix rewarded her with deep, hungry kisses. She sucked at his tongue and licked at his lips, all the while raising her hips to meet each of his lazy thrusts, taking him as deep as she could.

He was in no hurry, but Poppy’s tight little body and passionate responses were his ultimate undoing and Felix soon found himself teetering on the edge. Reaching between their entwined bodies, Felix flicked his finger over her engorged clit and increased his speed, driving them both toward the cliff and eventually plummeting into the chasm below.

As he spilled himself inside her, Poppy’s body hugged him tight, and they rode the waves of ecstasy together until they collapsed from exhaustion.

Rolling onto his side, Felix made quick work of disposing of the condom, and then tucked Poppy under his arm. Completely spent, he closed his eyes and let sleep finally take him.

He wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but Felix felt more rested than he had in weeks.

              Looking down, he found Poppy asleep in his arms; her long chestnut hair draped over his biceps and fanned out across the pillow. From this angle the bump he had noticed on her nose almost disappeared and he caught a hint of a cleft in her stubborn chin. He marveled at how well she fit against him, her fist tucked beneath her chin and one trim leg tossed over his. Running his hand down her side, he traced the curvature of her breast, and then followed the line of her body down to the dip where her waist nipped in then flared back out over her hip. His fingers played with the soft globe of her perfectly rounded derriere, and Felix was content to simply enjoy the view of her naked body curled up against his.

             
It was almost like being married again, sharing your bed and your body with someone, taking comfort in their embrace. Since his own divorce, Felix had been with handfuls of women, but never had he allowed the encounters to extend into any sort of sleeping arrangements. In fact, he took measures to make sure that he left soon after, always prepared with an excuse the woman couldn’t argue against, like an early business meeting or a long drive, and when that didn’t work, he flat out told them no.

             
He had a feeling that Poppy was the kind of woman he would have a tough time saying no to. Even now, rested as he was, Felix didn’t feel any urge to duck out and head home. He was perfectly content to lie in this stranger’s bed cuddled up like some loving couple for as long as he could make the moment last.

             
And his desire for her was insatiable.

His body was already stirring to life, preparing to take another turn at playing in what was now becoming his favorite playground.

As if she sensed his thoughts, Poppy shifted in his arms. Turning into her, Felix hitched her leg over his thigh and drew her up tight against him. A soft, wistful smile tipped the corners of her mouth and she slowly opened her eyes to peer up at him.

In that moment, Felix felt something inside of him shift.

With one look, Poppy caught and held him in her sights and it was almost as if he could see his whole future play out in their murky depths.

Lifting her face to his, she was prepared to draw him in when Felix abruptly pulled away and scrambled from the bed.

When he paused to look back, a mask of confusion and hurt stared back at him.

Standing frozen at the side of the bed, Felix scrubbed a palm down his face. What was he doing? In just a couple of hours, this woman managed to sneak past the wall he had erected long ago, and threatened to tear it all down. Everything was exactly the way he wanted it to be. He didn’t want another relationship. No strings, no broken hearts or hurt feelings. That’s how he did things now. That’s the way things needed to be. Never again would he put himself in the kind of position that nearly destroyed him in the past.

In control of himself again, it was painfully obvious what Felix had to do now.

“What time is it?” he asked gruffly, staring at the floor so he wouldn’t have to look at her.

He tried not to notice the way Poppy’s back arched gracefully as she reached into the bedside table to retrieve her alarm clock.