Page 79 of Brewing Up a Bad Boy

That man hadn’t been capable of this sunny, warm feeling that was inside of him now. That feeling that was down totally to Poppy.

She and her friends made their way down the path singing “IDGAF” by Dua Lipa. His confidence, which had never been a problem for him, wavered for a second. That song was about keeping an ex out of her life. Was that where—

Fuck it.

He wasn’t going down that road. He was here for himself as much as Poppy, and it was time to stop playing it safe. Actually, it was too late; he was already in his feels where she was concerned.

There was no easy way out of this.

“Ali?”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Hoped you’d want to take a ride with me.”

A car pulled in, and he noticed Merle behind the wheel. Of course nerd boy drove a sensible sedan that everyone could easily fit into.

The anger he felt toward Merle wasn’t exactly the mood he wanted to be channeling at this moment. He also recognized that it wasn’t anger at Merle per se, but just anger at himself because he wanted Poppy to come with him.

“I’ll go with you. It was Merle’s turn to retrieve us, so that’s why he’s here,” Poppy said, waving bye to her friends.

“Retrieve you?” he asked as she took the spare helmet he’d brought for her.

“Yeah, we like to drink and get all into our ritual. I’m buzzing from the moon and the night. It’s better not to drive in this state,” she said. “Why are you here?”

He leaned back against the Ducati, crossing his legs at the ankle.Be cool.Except his heart was racing, and he realized he’d been holding his breath when he let it out in a huff.Yeah, so cool.

Was there ever a time when he’d stood by this woman and not lost all of his chill?

“I missed you.” The truth sort of spilled out.

Her face softened, and she played with one of her curls. “Me too. So where are we going?”

“Thought you might like a moonlit ride,” he said. The moon seemed important to Poppy, and she shone on nights like this in a way that he found irresistible.

There was no pretending he didn’t want to have her up against the bike. Just reach up under the full skirt of the dress she was wearing and take off her panties...then put her on the bike. He moved before he fully realized what he was doing. Reaching under her skirt, he cupped her butt and lifted her onto the bike.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck. “I’m sensing you want more than a ride.”

“I want it all,” he said against her neck.

One of her hands slipped down to stroke his erection through his jeans. He took her mouth in a long, deep kiss, his body vibrating with the love he felt for her. The words were trapped inside of the lonely boy he’d been, but the man he was now knew how to show her what she meant to him. How much he needed her in his arms and in his life.

Lifting her up, he tore her underwear off, shoving them in the front pocket of his jeans. Her hands were on the front of his jeans, lowering the zipper until she had him free.

“Back pocket,” he said, not wanting to take his hands off of her to get the condom. Her skin was so soft and cool. She smelled of summer and night, and it was intoxicating.

She took the packet out and handed it to him. “Hurry.”

He put it on and was back between her legs. Her hands were on his butt, pulling him closer. He drove himself up into her, burying his face in the side of her neck, sucking at the skin there.

He drove himself into her as the words kept echoing around in his head. Words that he was determined to say to her. Not while they were fucking. He wanted it to be romantic, without any doubt of his intentions.

Her hand under his jaw forced his head up, and their eyes met. The love he felt for her surged through him. There was no way she couldn’t realize how much she meant to him. He felt...oh God, he almost felt like she might welcome his feelings.

He started to talk, but her mouth was on his, sucking his tongue, exploring. Her fingers were between them as he drove into her, rubbing her clit until she tore her mouth from his, crying out his name as he felt her pussy tightening around his shaft.

He drove into her again and again until he came in a long rush, emptying himself completely. He braced his hand on the Ducati seat next to her as his other arm wrapped around her, holding her to him. Her head rested over his beating heart, her fingers still teasing the hair at the back of his neck.

“Alistair,” she said.

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