Picking Poppy Read online

She was almost asleep when he finished. Poppy struggled to open her eyes as she heard the click of the brush being set down on her nightstand. “Shhh, blossom. It’s okay. Just let me put you in bed,” his words reassured her, and she allowed herself to relax back to the edge of sleep.

  His strong arms lifted her slightly as he turned to lay her on the bed. He lifted Poppy’s feet and tucked them under the covers. Automatically, she turned on her tummy and nestled into the pillow.

  “Hotdog?” she murmured, missing her usual sleeping buddy but unable to wake sufficiently to look for him. When the well-loved dachshund stuffie was tucked under her arm a short time later, she sighed gratefully as she tumbled into sleep. The long, frantic hours at the shop and the final tasks of her own deliveries had zapped every bit of energy she had in her reserves.

  Chapter 10

  The sound of running water woke Poppy early the next morning. Trying to convince herself that it had to be raining outside, Poppy pulled Hotdog over her exposed ear. When she heard the click of the shower door, she knew someone was in the house. Instantly awake, she jumped out of bed, looking for her cell phone that she always left on the nightstand. Only her hairbrush lay there.

  Snatching it from the table, Poppy tiptoed to the doorway into the bathroom with the brush in one hand and Hotdog in the other. Behind the frosted glass, she saw a large shape. Holding the brush aloft as if it were a lethal club, she pulled open the door. And froze.

  Glistening, hard flesh filled her view. She yanked her gaze up to his face. “Tyler?” she asked in disbelief. Her heart still beat a million times an hour in her chest. She tried so hard to keep her eyes on his bearded face, but they slid down over the impressive scenery in front of her.

  His chest was muscled. Not as if he were a gym rat who spent hours in the smelly weight room, but as if he were active and fit. As her eyes followed the sparsely scattered dark hair down his torso, she admired his toned, flat stomach. OMG! Poppy’s mouth dropped slightly open as she watched his already sizeable penis thicken and lengthen as it rose before her eyes.

  “You’re staring, little girl. Have you seen a penis before?” A dry voice asked.

  She whirled around to face the opposite way, dropping Hotdog to the floor in shock as her hands once again went over her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “I always take a shower in the morning. I thought I could sneak in and clean up before you woke up.”

  Poppy started to look over her shoulder in disbelief when he didn’t answer her question, and he treated this so casually. Catching herself, she yanked her head away. She had only seen one man naked. Well two, if you counted her brother. Shaking that disturbing memory from her head, she asked, “Why are you in my house?”

  A warm, wet hand encircled her waist and pulled her back into the shower with him. Dowsed with water, she struggled to push the wet mess her hair had become off her face so that she could see. Sputtering, she demanded, “What are you doing? I’m getting all wet.”

  “Not as wet as I’m hoping,” he observed wryly. While she was figuring out his secondary meaning, Tyler lifted the petite woman easily and turned her to face him. After helping her smooth back her hair, he whispered, “Good morning, my beautiful blossom,” before lowering his lips to capture hers.

  To call that a kiss is a huge disservice, Poppy told herself before she lost her ability to think. His lips seduced and cajoled hers. Moving from whisper soft to deep and probing before lifting to nibble at her lips and shuffle back through all the possible varieties of kisses, those kisses evaporated her fright and surprise, making her heart race for entirely different reasons.

  Before him, Poppy had never kissed a man with a beard before. The delicate blonde loved the prickle of the stiff hair against her face. Her eyes squeezed tightly closed as she imagined the feel of his beard against more sensitive areas.

  Her hands crept up his water-slick chest to encircle his neck as she clung to him for stability. A needy moan slid from her lips when he raised his head. “Daddy?” she asked, rising to her tiptoes to offer her lips to him.

  As his lips descended once again, she felt his hands move from molding the sodden t-shirt against her back and bottom to sliding under the wet fabric and easing it up over her hips. She froze against him. Poppy didn’t have a lot of curves. Her body had never bloomed into the lush figures of her friends. Her only lover had been unsatisfied with her body, likening her shape to a pre-teen boy’s.

  Pulling her mouth away from his, she desperately asked, “Wait!”

  Immediately, Tyler looked at her with concern. “I’m sorry, blossom. Am I moving too fast? I thought you were enjoying my kisses.” He began to twist to turn off the water.

  Her urgent “No!” made him face her once again. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed with me. With my body.” Her eyes dropped to his broad chest. “I’m not very exciting to look at,” she confessed.

  “Whoever told you that is an idiot,” burst from his lips. “I have a pretty good view of what is under that wet shirt, blossom. My mind and body are extremely excited by your shape.” He cupped her small bottom and pulled her pelvis tight to his.

  There was no denying that his body was attracted to hers. His erection thrust thickly against Poppy. Moaning softly at the feel of him against her soft stomach, she could feel he was as hard as iron. Without thinking, her hand slid between their bodies to explore the length of his shaft.

  The sharp intake of his breath made her eyes jump up to meet his. Desire smoldered in his eyes. Poppy felt herself lift once again onto her tiptoes as she pressed an eager kiss to his lips. This time when his fingers began to raise the t-shirt, she didn’t protest but raised her arms over her head to assist.

  “Thank you, blossom.” His desire-laden words wrapped around her as she heard the wet splat of the sodden shirt as it landed in the corner of the shower floor.

  Poppy’s breath gushed from her lips as his hands settled on her slender hips. She hid against his body, hoping not to disappoint him. Her eyes closed in silent prayer. His hands did not push her away to expose her body to his eyes but simply reached down to cup her small bottom and pull her upward to press her even closer to him.

  His aroused groan at the feel of her wet, nude body sliding against his hard flesh made Poppy open her eyes. The heat blazing from his dark gaze made her shiver against him. There was no misreading that look. He wasn’t disappointed with the feel of her slight curves against him.

  Forcing herself to be brave, the small woman stepped backward slightly, allowing an inch of space between their bodies. His hands moved to wrap around her ribcage. Poppy froze as she felt his thumbs brush upward to graze the underside of her small uplifted breasts.

  “Please,” she begged without realizing that she was speaking out loud. When his lips lowered to take hers, she opened her mouth under his, eagerly seeking to deepen the kiss. His tongue swept in to explore as his hands moved to cup her small breasts.

  Unable to focus on either caress individually, her mind stopped analyzing the arousal he was building and just felt. Felt his slightly rough fingers slide on her wet breasts as they traced her small curves. His thumb began to brush lightly across her budded nipple. Always sensitive, now it felt like an electric spark that led directly to the heat that was building in her pelvis.

  She arched backward pulling her mouth from his. Poppy needed to feel his mouth on her needy breasts. When Tyler began to trail warm kisses and soft bites down her slender neck, she tried to hurry him along by arching her back further.

  A strong, masculine arm wrapped around her back to support her as the captivating man whispered against the upper curve of one breast, “Little girl, you please me so much. Never doubt yourself. You’ve just needed your daddy’s attention.”

  Nodding in agreement, Poppy held her breath as his lips and tongue caressed their way toward her pale pink nipple. When his tongue trailed a path around the bumpy edge of her flesh, and the stiff hair of his mustache brushed against
that sensitive skin stoking her arousal, she begged, “Please. Please.” Her voice was high and needy, sounding Little even to her ears.

  Just as she thought his lips would close around her budded tip, the water turned off. Looking at him in disbelief, she couldn’t imagine that he could stop now. Her hands tightened on his biceps, “Nooo!” she protested.

  “Shhh, little girl. I’ll make everything better. I promise.” His eyes met hers as he reached for the thick towel draped over the top railing of the shower stall. He wrapped it around her before opening the door and picking her up in his arms.

  Automatically encircling his neck with her arms, Poppy leaned forward to lick the water droplets from the bend of his neck where it met his broad shoulders. She felt his muscles contract against her. She clung to him as he reached the bed and set her in the middle of the covers.

  His hands carefully unwrapped the towel from around her slight body. She wasn’t nervous anymore. She knew he wanted her. Bravely, she laid back against the pillows, disregarding her wet hair, feeling desirable for the first time. The heat in his eyes grew even hotter, and the stare that devoured her delicate curves seemed to warm even the air around them as he roughly dried his skin with the damp towel.

  “Mine,” he claimed her in a low tone dripping with desire as he threw the towel away. Dropping to his knees beside her on the bed, Tyler captured her lips in a searing kiss. He tore his lips away as his hand once again wrapped around her small breast.

  She watched this handsome man finally lower his lips to her nipple. As he sucked it firmly into the warmth of his mouth, she arched up from the bed. His other hand spanned her abdomen to pin her to the mattress as he explored her body. Unable to move, she was forced to endure the sweet torture that he inflicted on her sensitive flesh. Those firm lips kissed across her breastbone to capture the other nipple that begged for attention.

  The breath caught in her throat as she felt that restraining hand glide down her body to the sparse curls between her thighs. Fingers tugged gently at her adult hair. Poppy knew without him saying that this sign of her maturity would soon be removed just like in all those books that she had read. Her daddy would help her become Little as she had dreamed about for so long.

  As his fingers traced the wet seam between her legs, all rational thought evaporated from her brain. Poppy could only focus on the feel of his fingers as they dipped into the welling moisture that gathered between her slender thighs. She didn’t think that she had ever been this wet—this ready for anyone’s touch.

  Biting her lip in anticipation, she held her breath as his fingers traced the entrance to her vagina. “Daddy?” she questioned as he seemed to hesitate. The air rushed from her lips as two large fingers pressed slowly but deliberately into the tight channel, forcing her body to stretch. When fully inserted, his motion paused again before the slow slide out began.

  He would not be hurried. When she tried to arch against his hand to push his fingers inside more rapidly, he simply stopped, and his other hand would pin her twisting body to the crumpled sheets below her. She realized that he was in charge. He would bring her pleasure when he felt it was time. Panting with desire, she just allowed herself to feel, to accept his caresses as he wished to share them. He was in charge, she thought with a thrill.

  Her mind realized that he was moving, but the sensations of his intimate touch distracted her from focusing on anything other than his fingers and wicked lips. When she felt him move her thighs widely apart to take a position between them, her closed eyes which had been clamped shut to concentrate on his touch, sprang open. The sight of him kneeling between her legs with her slender thighs draped over his thick quads took her breath away.

  After racing over his hard body from those broad shoulders down his fit torso, Poppy blue eyes were drawn to the fierce erection that thrust upward between his thighs. The broad head of his penis glistened with the evidence of his desire. She reached for him trying to draw him forward, but he had other plans.

  His hands slid under her slim frame to lift her hips up to his mouth. She was totally displayed for him. The erotic sight of his lips and tongue as he tasted her drew a needy moan from her lips. Tyler still would not be rushed. He licked and nibbled at her flesh. His prickly beard brushed against her intimately, adding an extra sensation to push her excitement higher.

  Her arousal fluid gushed from her core, bringing an appreciative, “Mmmm,” vibrating over her pink folds. When he finally sucked her erect clitoris into his mouth, she exploded in a climax greater than even her vibrator had ever coaxed from her.

  Over and over, her skilled lover helped her find her pleasure until all rational thoughts were erased from her mind, and she could only feel. When he finally lowered her gently down to the damp sheet, Poppy blindly reached to cling to him. When he asked a quiet question, she could only point to the nightstand table.

  Even at the height of their passion, she realized that he was taking care of her. After the rustle of the small packet opening, she watched him once again claim his position between her widely spread thighs. At the feel of the broad head of his penis being fit against her body, Poppy eagerly lifted her hips toward Tyler.

  Slowly, his thick shaft began to move into her. Her tight channel yielded slowly to his invasion as she felt him enter. So lubricated, his penis glided inside her on a cushion of slick fluid. She could feel the muscles of his arms and shoulders bunching as he resisted the urge to thrust quickly into her heat. They both roughly exhaled as their pelvises finally pressed together.

  If she could have frozen that moment in time, Poppy would have. He filled her completely and felt so right as if he were the other part of her that that been missing for so long. But their arousal couldn’t wait forever; she needed him to move. Rearing up, she sharply bit his chest just below his collarbone. Instantly, his body reacted, and their frantic movements crashed against each other over and over.

  When their final cries of pleasure filled the bedroom, Tyler lowered himself to the bed and cradled her close to his hot body. Slowly the sound of their heavy breathing calmed as they held on to each other. With one arm and leg wrapped around her, there was no doubt that he had claimed her. Poppy smiled against his chest as she whispered, “Daddy.”

  Chapter 11

  Lying cuddled against her daddy, Poppy’s mind was having great trouble processing how comfortable she felt with this man who had appeared in her life so recently. She didn’t sleep around. Only one man had shared this quiet young woman’s bed. She had been sure they would marry and have babies. Life hadn’t worked out that way.

  James had been her high school sweetheart. They’d always been together. Waiting until the excitement of after senior prom to sleep together, they’d planned a future together. Swearing that nothing would ever come between them, he’d gone to a university on the east coast, and she’d stayed in their hometown, taking courses online and working in a nursery.

  His phone calls and emails had slowed to a trickle and then stopped. Poppy had looked for clues on his social media accounts but found that she had been blocked. At first, she decided to just disappear from his life. If he wasn’t interested in her, then fine.

  The future engineer had failed to remember that his friends back home were also her friends. Poppy had noticed a picture appear on James’ best friend’s feed. She’d copied and saved it quickly in case it disappeared, but it didn’t. The image was of very well-dressed James dancing with a laughing brunette with a very curvy figure highlighted by her low-cut, skin-tight evening gown.

  The comments had hurt the most. Insensitive jerks made laughing comments about him trading up or that it must be different to hold a woman rather than an old high school flame who was built like a stick. Finally, so angered by the mean-spirited remarks that they never thought she’d see, Poppy had exploded. The poor bush she had been trimming had been decimated.

  By the time she’d put down the hedge clippers and seen the damage she had caused the living plant, Poppy knew
what she needed to do. She knew that she was angry because of the unkind comparison between herself and the new woman in James’ life. Inexperienced, she had confused infatuation with love. James had been everything to her, but looking back, she realized that marriage between their mature selves would have never worked out.

  In her mind, she plotted all sorts of ways to get back at him and make him sorry that he had left her behind. Most of them involved plastic surgery and changing who she was into something that, thank goodness, she realized wouldn’t be an improvement. Making a big scene and returning the promise ring he had given her, and other mementos to his parents’ house would have felt good at the moment, but James’ parents had been totally innocent in the decision that he wanted someone new and different.

  Finally, Poppy decided to do nothing. She tucked the ring into an envelope and put it in her sock drawer. If he ever wanted it back, she’d be glad to return it. If not, she enjoyed thinking that at least her socks got to step all over his present.

  Now cuddled in Tyler’s arms, she glanced over at that sock drawer. It was a good thing she couldn’t remember her social media password anymore. She hadn’t had anything to compare James’ lovemaking to before this morning. She hoped he’d learned a whole bunch more about pleasing a woman because if not, the curvy woman in that picture was stuck with a dud.

  “I wish I had a video of the thoughts crossing your mind. In the last five minutes, you’ve been angry, sad, and now I’m seeing an emotion that looks like smug.” He chuckled, jostling her slightly as his chest moved. “I like the smug. The others I don’t care too much to see on your beautiful face.”

  When she looked at him wordlessly, trying to figure out what she was supposed to say to that, Tyler laughed and rolled her over onto her back. Holding her pinned to the bed, he began to rub his soft but stiff beard over her sensitive neck and shoulders. “Wait! Stop!” She giggled and squirmed beneath him as she tried to avoid his whiskers.