“Is this too much?” I ask, my voice low and rough.
Her lips part, and I can feel the hesitation dissolve, replaced by something far more dangerous. “No,” she says, the word barely audible over the music, but it’s all I need to hear.
“Good.” My breath mingles with hers next. “Because I really want to kiss you.”
She tilts her head, her lips curving into her signature smile—mischievous and inviting all at once. “Then what are you waiting for?”
I close the small space between us, brushing my mouth against hers, tentative at first, as if testing how we fit together. She runs her tongue along my lips, making me open up more.
I moan when I taste her sweetness for the first time. Her response is immediate—her fingers curl around my neck, tugging me closer. The kiss deepens, wild and hungry.
She tastes like champagne and promises of good times. The way she presses against me feels divine, her body fitting against mine seamlessly. Her curves mold against the hard planes of my body, her hands tucking into my hair as if she can’t get enough…and I fucking love it.
My hand slides to the small of her back, memorizing every inch on its way. If we weren’t at the club, it would be traveling up the slit of the dress instead.
Poppy pulls back to meet my gaze, her lips swollen and her breaths shallow. Her pupils are blown wide while her chest rises and falls rapidly. She’s fighting the same lust that I am.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you at the bar,” she confesses, her voice breathless. “And it was so much better than I expected.”
My pulse quickens at her words. Her honesty is electrifying. And my mind and body crave more. The way she looks at me, like she’s no longer holding back, only stokes the fire inside me.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, “for it to feel this way after one kiss.”
Her eyes darken with a hint of something deeper, something that mirrors the hunger building inside me. The tension is charged as if the universe itself is daring us to push further.
She leans in again, her mouth less than an inch away from mine. “Maybe we should see what else is possible.”
She claims my lips again, leaving no room for doubt about where our night is heading.
4
IF WE WERE TRULY ALONE, WITH NO CAMERAS AROUND, YOU’D BE RIDING MY FINGERS RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
RASMUS
Itake a lock of Poppy’s hair between my fingers as we walk arm-in-arm toward the hotel where the team is staying after dancing another hour at the club. “Is your hair normally this deep, dark red color?”
“No, it’s a wig that my hairdresser spent almost two hours applying earlier today.”
My eyes widen and I stroke the strand. “It looks real.”
“That’s the whole point. But thanks,Mister,” she flips the hair over her shoulder and flashes me a flirty smile.
We reach the hotel, and she releases my arm to grab the door. “Superheroes with masks first,” she says playfully.
“I’m not a superhero, but I thought the saying wasvillains first.”
She gasps mockingly. “Are you calling me a villain?”
“If the sexy dress fits,” I reply, giving her a playful nudge as we step inside. “You’re a temptress who might ruin me.”
Poppy raises an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re taking a detour to the dark side?”
“That’s the plan.”
The faint hum of the elevator is the only sound surrounding us as we’re finally alone. Poppy leans against the mirrored wall, being the embodiment of ultimate sin wrapped in dark red. My heart races as I admire her, my fingers itching to feel the softness of her skin.
I swallow hard, eyes fixed on the floor numbers ticking upward. If I touch her before we get to the room, I won’t be able to stop. But I don’t want to wake up to our faces splashed across the tabloids, so I must behave. Once we get to the room, all bets are off.
