I wait for her to continue. I have a feeling I know what she’s going to ask.
“How is…everything else?” Concern and worry lace her voice.
I blow out a breath and give her what she needs to hear. Fortunately, what I tell her is the truth.
“It’s good and is as it should be. You know I’d let you know if it were different. The results continue to show improvement.”
She releases a sigh of relief over the phone. It’s been very stressful the last few months, and I know it’s taken its toll on my family, especially my parents. I’m lucky to have such loving parents and a brother and sister that would do anything for me, as I would them.
“That’s good. Really good, Asher.” I hear the slight hiccup in her voice, and I wish I was there to pull her into my arms. My family and I have always been close. I live a few hours from them and don’t get to see them as often as I’d like, but I always try to make sure I make it out to them at least twice a month. However, there were several months I wasn’t able to. Instead, they came to me.
“Love you, Mom. Now, I really need to go.”
“Okay, honey. Love you, too. I’ll email you the details about the dinner.”
We hang up and I drop my phone on the desk. Enough time has passed for Poppy to have made it home. I bring up the video feed on my computer and see her sitti
ng down with a container of Chinese and a glass of wine. The angle of the camera shows her from the side. She slips off her heels and curls her feet up onto the couch. The way she’s sitting has her tight skirt pushed up her legs, showing off more of her thighs. My body gives a jolt when I see a peek of her garter belt. Her hair is still in the neat updo she had earlier. I watch as she flips on the TV and settles on something to watch. From this angle, I can’t see what it is, but I bet its Lost. It’s her favorite. I know this from the cable company records I hacked into.
I watch her sitting on the couch, eating her food until I hear a knock on my door once again. Feeling irritated, I close the program, bring up the email Eric sent over and bid him entrance, already wishing this meeting was over so I can get in my car, drive over to Poppy’s, and watch through her window as she gets ready for bed.
It doesn’t take me long to get to Poppy’s house. Of course, that may be because I broke a few speeding laws along the way. The need to see her was strong, especially after my plans to be here earlier were thwarted by the meeting with Eric. By the time we were done, I swear my hands were shaking. It’s ridiculous to get that way over seeing someone that won’t even know I’m there, but I learned a long time ago, anything to do with Poppy is out of the norm. My strides to the fence are determined and impatient.
Now I’m standing in front of her window when suddenly, her head turns to face it. I step to the side with my back to the wall of the house. Seconds later, I see her shadow appear as she looks out the window. I’m not worried about her seeing me. I’m in the shadow and the angle isn’t right.
This is the first time she’s sensed me watching her, and I wonder what tipped her off. Doesn’t matter. She won’t see me unless I want her to. Even though I’m not ready to give this game up, the thrill of nearly getting caught has my dick growing in my slacks.
Poppy moves away from the window and I wait several more seconds before I peek around the frame, just as she closes the door to her bathroom.
Motherfucker!
She’s undressing in the damn bathroom, probably spooked by her sixth sense of me at her window. And once again, my normal has been fucked with. She usually undresses partially in the bedroom before taking a shower. I’m used to getting small glimpses of her and she just deprived me of that.
My eyes fall on the vase of flowers on her nightstand. A feeling of possessiveness runs through me at seeing them. I like knowing she’s sleeping close to something I gave her.
It takes a good forty-five minutes for Poppy to reappear and make her way to her bed. She unknowingly exposes her naked body to me and satisfies my need to see her before crawling beneath the covers. I decide not to enter her house tonight. Having her tell me she didn’t sleep well last night and her suspicions of someone watching her tonight make me leery.
Tomorrow’s Friday, and then it’s the weekend. For normal people, Friday is their favorite day of the week because it’s the start of the weekend. For me, it’s my least favorite. It means I have two full days of no Poppy, except for watching through her window and on my computer, or my phone.
I need to spice things up, move things along, make Poppy aware of me, and that starts tomorrow. I’ve given myself three weeks before I make my move and let her know what I want. The trip to Texas isn’t just for a business meeting; I only need to be there for a day or two. The rest is for me to tell Poppy everything. I picked Texas because I know it’s a place she’s always wanted to visit. I have three weeks to make her realize she can’t live without me, to make her fall for me so deeply that there’s no way she can dig herself out. Because once I’ve unmasked all my secrets and Poppy knows the extent of my obsession with her, there will be no going back. I refuse for the outcome to be anything but having Poppy in my arms, in my home, my bed, with my ring on her finger and my babies in her belly.
Chapter Four
Poppy
I wake to a beautifully sweet smell. When I open my eyes, they are immediately filled with a soft light lavender. A smile touches my lips when I realize they are my roses from yesterday. I grab my phone off the nightstand just as my alarm goes off. I’m not normally a morning person, preferring to sleep in, but for some reason, waking up and seeing the roses has put me in a really good mood. It’s a stupid move on my part. Like I told Liv yesterday, there’s no telling who this guy is or what’s he’s capable of.
I reach over, turn my lamp on, flip the covers back, and climb out of bed. It’s still dark outside, but through my window the sky is starting to turn a pretty pink, indicating the rising of the sun. Grabbing my robe, I pull it up my arms and belt the waist as I make my way to the bathroom. From there, I get ready for my day. I set my coffee machine at night so it kicks on and is ready for me in the mornings. I walk to the kitchen on bare feet and am met with the delicious scent of morning magic.
After making a cup and downing half of it, I go back to my bedroom. Sitting on the side of the bed, I slip one thigh-high up my leg and begin working on the second one when my phone dings with an incoming text. I grab it from my nightstand, wondering who would be texting me this early in the morning.
I frown as I glance at the screen. It’s a random number that’s not programmed into my phone. Curiously, I swipe my finger across the screen to open the message.
Unknown: Have you enjoyed the flowers I’ve sent you?
I freeze, except for my eyes, which pop open wide in shock. My breath gets caught in my throat when I realize this must be my mystery flower guy.
Holy hell! It’s him!