“I will.”
Lowering down, he drops his lips to my head, lingering a second longer than necessary.
“I wish you’d told me about all of this when it started, Pops. But I understand why you didn’t, and I really appreciate your loyalty.”
“Always, Jake.”
He pushes from the bed and walks to the door.
“Pops?”
“Yeah?”
“All that stuff you said about Zayn. It would be much more believable if you said it while you weren’t wearing his number.” He winks at me, a smirk pulling at his lips before he slips through the door, closing it behind him and I tug the covers up higher over my body.
35
Zayn
I stay in the kitchen with Mom while Jake heads upstairs to check on Poppy before he goes home.
“You okay, Son?” she asks, her eyes searching mine.
“Yeah,” I say, dropping my head to my hands. “Today was... yeah,” I breathe, not really knowing what to say about it.
“Poppy was really lucky that Jake figured out where she was.”
“I know, I dread to think...” A violent shudder runs down my spine. It’s bad enough that I can’t get the image of him lying lifeless on the concrete ground out of my head, but thinking about Poppy being laid beside him. I can’t... I just can’t. “Is everything going to be okay with the police and everything?”
“Yeah. They need to come back and talk to you all again but there shouldn’t be an issue.”
“That’s good. Poppy doesn’t need any more on her plate.”
Silence settles between us before Mom disappears to her office after telling me that we’ll order takeout when Harley’s home.
I agree but right now, I don’t think I could stomach eating anything.
Jake’s footsteps on the stairs has me pulling my head up just as he appears in the doorway.
He smiles at me sadly. “Is she okay?”
“She will be. She’s stronger than we give her credit for.”
“Trust me, I know.”
“Okay, I’m out. Call me if anything happens.”
“Of course. Mom thinks we might need to talk to the police again.”
“Sure, whatever they need.” He turns to leave but stops before he disappears. “Look after her, Hunter. She might not want to admit it, but she needs you.” It pains him to say that, I can see it in his eyes.
“I will. You don’t need to worry about her.”
“I’d better fucking not. You know that if you hurt her, I’ll come for you.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else, Thorn.”
He nods at me before disappearing.
Every muscle in my body screams for me to go up and check on her but I don’t. She wanted space, so I need to respect that.
I’m not going to stay away forever though because I fully intend on standing by that promise, I just made Jake. I’m not going to let anyone, or anything hurt her again.
Harley appeared not long after Jake left, and Mom and I told her what happened before she went running up the stairs to see that Poppy was okay with her own eyes.
She spoke to Harley, but she refused to come down for dinner and the food Harley took up was untouched.
Trish also dropped everything the second Mom called her to explain what had happened and she spent a couple of hours here to see with her own eyes that Poppy was okay, but even she couldn’t lure her out of the bedroom or make her eat anything.
I wanted to take charge, to storm in there and demand she eats something, but I know it’ll just end up with her chewing me out.
Restraint isn’t one of my strong suits. But I’m really fucking trying.
Before heading to bed, I cave to my need to check on her despite the fact I know she’s okay because both Mom and Harley have been in to see her and spoken to her, so I knock on her door.
I wait for a beat, but unable to walk away, I twist the handle and poke my head inside.
She’s got the covers pulled right up to her neck, her eyes are closed and her lips slightly parted.
Something aches in my chest at the sight of her. My need to step inside and crawl in beside her is almost too much to bear. But knowing I can’t, I silently slip from the room and close the door behind me.
I shower, hoping that the memories of today will disappear down the drain with the dirty water but as I lie in bed staring at the ceiling and running the events of the day through my mind, I realize it was wishful thinking.
The room is in darkness and the house is in silence. Harley and Mom went to bed hours ago.
I toss and turn for hours, the image I’ve conjured up of her lying lifeless beside Preston earlier won’t leave.
I’m almost at the point of getting back up and putting the TV on or something seeing as sleep refuses to claim me when my door cracks open.
The hallway is in darkness so there’s no extra light, but I don’t need it. I already know who it is.
She doesn’t say anything, Instead, she just lifts the covers once she’s at the bed and she slides in beside me.
Turning on my side, I watch as she moves right up to me, her eyes catching the little light that’s creeping through the curtains.
“Pop—” My word is cut off when her lips press to mine.
I hesitate for a second, not because I’m not willing, just because I’m so shocked.
My lips part when her tongue teases them, accepting her kiss. My arm snakes around her waist, pulling her up against my body.
No words are spoken as we devour each other. Her hands run over the bare skin of my back as I roll her onto hers and lock her ankles behind my waist.
Ripping my lips from hers, I kiss across her jaw and down her neck. My hands skim up her thighs until I get to the fabric covering her. Wrapping my fingers around it, I start pulling it up her body but I pause when I notice the color of it.
“Poppy?” I ask when I realize she’s wearing my jersey. My cock twitches with my need for her. “Were you in bed wrapped in only my number?”
“Zayn, please. Make it stop.”
“Fuck, Poppy. Anything.”
She pushes up from the bed, making it easier for me to pull the fabric free from her body. The second I drop it over the side of the bed, I lower my hands to her breasts.
“I just want to remember your touch. Please, Zayn.” Her words rip me open. I hate that she’s suffering because of him. That he even had the power to hurt her in the first place.
Lowering her back to the bed, I brush my lips down her neck, over her collarbones, and down to her breasts. I kiss, lick and nip over every inch of her skin. I suck her nipples into my mouth until her back arches off and she moans my name.
“Zayn, more,” she begs, her nails scratching across my scalp as I lick down her stomach, dipping my tongue into her belly button.
Finding the edge of her panties, I wrap my fingers around them and tug.
The sound of them ripping fills my room along with her shocked gasp.
Pushing her thighs wide, I lower myself to my belly before running one finger through her folds.
“Fuck, you’re soaked.”
“Zayn.” Her voice holds a warning, one that I’m more than happy to hear.