Poppy’s head tilted again, and she let out a quiet bark.
“Yeah, you’re right. That’s too desperate. Have you had babies, Poppy? Seriously, the body goes crazy.”
Poppy licked her foot one more time, then rested her head on her paws and stared at Alyssa.
“Okay, it’s official. I’ve lost my sanity. I am actually holding a conversation with a dog.” She ran a hand through her mussed-up hair.
“I think it’s quite charming.”
Alyssa froze as she looked up and found Jackson standing in the doorway. Oh, no! How long had he been there? Please, only fifteen seconds. Please! She rewound her conversation with Poppy in her head and felt her cheeks heat.
“I thought you were out with your brothers,” she muttered, embarrassed beyond belief.
“Just got home and heard you talking.”
From the gleam in his eyes, she wasn’t sure what he’d overheard, but it had to be something good. Of course, she had Poppy with her right now. It wasn’t like he was going to crawl into her bed.
“By the way, yes, Poppy did have a litter of puppies,” Jackson said with a big grin. “They are spread out with various family members, and we make sure to give them reunions several times a year. I didn’t actually want a dog in the first place, but Poppy was found near my dad’s ranch, very pregnant, and my brother Spence brought her over. I fought him, but he left her sitting in my living room. I caved when she looked at me with those pathetic eyes.”
Yeah, he’d heard it all. Dang. And how was she going to keep her distance when he said he was so against commitment, but then took in a beautiful lost dog? He might say one thing, but his actions said another. Alyssa was more confused than ever as she sat there not knowing what to say.
“Also, I have had many an erotic dream over your curves. You are unbelievably sexy and I would be more than happy if you climbed into my bed—completely naked. Anytime, night or day. You can wake me; you can call me back to the house. Hell, you just crook your little finger, and I will make you purr.”
He was standing there, his breathing shallow, his eyes bright, and when she glanced down and saw the bulge in his pants, her forehead broke out in a sweat.
One word and she could be flying high. One word and this ache would go away. All it would take was one word. She tried to open her mouth, tried to lift her finger, tried to tell him that, yes, she wanted to make love. About a thousand times in a row. But no words came out. She just stared at him, taking a giant gulp when she realized she was too chicken or too stubborn to ask for what she really wanted.
“You’re missing out, Alyssa,” he said as he began unbuttoning his shirt.
No. No. No. She just wouldn’t look. The last thing she needed to see was his glorious chest.
Though she told herself not to look, she found her head turning back just as the last button came undone, showing off an expanse of hard muscles and taut flesh that had her drooling. How in the heck did a business guy have such an incredible physique? Pretty hot and tempting, indeed.
“It’s too bad,” Jackson said as he turned away, giving her an unhindered view of his beautiful back. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t a single piece of Jackson that wasn’t tasty and delicious. Yes, the perfect word to describe Jackson was yummy.
And she was pretty damn hungry right now!
“I’m just across the hall if you want me,” he said before turning back around and looking at her. “The door’s open and I sleep . . . commando.”
He disappeared into his room. She watched as the light flashed on, then she heard his steps on the hardwood floor. A few seconds later, his shower started, and she groaned. He was getting soapy and wet right now. She could slide against him so easily.
“How much am I supposed to take, Poppy? Really. He’s so not playing fair. I know what he’s doing, dammit. If I make the first move, he wins.”
Poppy was losing interest in her ramblings. Heck, she would lose interest, too, if she were the dog. She was sounding more and more irrational every day. But she had her reasons, and they were valid. They were! she insisted in her own head.
“It’s just that this . . .” She paused, trying to think of the word. “It’s not a lie,” she said defensively, as if Poppy were judging her. “I just haven’t told him. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Alyssa could have sworn that Poppy rolled her eyes.
“A good night’s rest. That’s all this is about. I just can’t sleep on this bed. It’s terrible,” she grumbled as she sank down so she was lying on her back.
In reality, it was the best mattress she’d ever slept on, and she’d slept in some fancy hotels during her better photo shoots. The pillows and blankets were soft and heavenly as well.
No, it wasn’t the bedding that was causing her lack of sleep. When the shower shut off and the light across the hall soon went out, Alyssa had to force herself not to scream. He was climbing into his bed, naked, and now he was lying there. All she had to do was slip from her bed, go across the hall, slide beneath the covers, and he’d take over.
She closed her eyes, picturing him removing her pajamas, his hands sliding across her aching flesh, his mouth following his hands, those lips . . . ah, those lips could do magical things to her body. Then, when she was wet, ready, he’d slip inside her, fill her body . . . A groan slipped past her throat as she flipped over to her other side, her core pulsing, her heart racing.
Flipping over again, she punched her pillow and Poppy looked up, her ears high as she tried to figure out what in the world was wrong with Alyssa.
“I’m sexually frustrated, okay?” she said.
Poppy closed her eyes and snuggled a little closer, the conversation done for the dog. Alyssa really needed to make up her mind sooner or later, because this indecision was causing her far too much stress.
The smell of fresh biscuits and hot chocolate drifted up the staircase and straight to Alyssa’s nose. Her stomach rumbled loudly enough to wake her, and she found Poppy curled up in a ball at her side, better than any electric blanket.
“Do you smell that?” she mumbled.
Poppy’s tail wagged, and Alyssa took that as a yes.
“Oh, this could be bad,” she said as she reluctantly threw off the covers and got to her feet. Poppy whined and looked beseechingly at her from the bed.
“I know the bed is nice and warm, but I’m starving,” she told the pitiful dog.
Taking the world’s fastest shower, Alyssa dressed in comfortable clothes and made her way downstairs. It was her day off, and though she wasn’t going to admit it to Jackson, she needed it. Coming back and working three days straight had been a lot when she was just getting off bed rest.