Endless Obsession Read online

  It takes her several seconds, but she lays her head back against the headboard and lets out a small sigh before answering.

  “It feels good. It’s soft and smooth, and it feels cool. I love how it fits perfectly against my curves. It makes me feel incredibly sexy. Cosabella is one of my favorite lingerie makers. How did you know?”

  “I’ve already told you, there’s a lot I know about you. You deserve everything you’ve ever wanted, Poppy, and I needed to know what those things were. I plan to be the man that gives you everything your beautiful heart desires.”

  “What if I want to play with a skunk? Will you let me play with one?”

  I chuckle at the ridiculous question. This woman can be so damn funny sometimes. I’ve never seen her silly side up close, but I’ve witnessed it a few times when she talks with Olivia from work. During those times, a wave of jealously washes through me. I want to be the one she feels comfortable enough to joke around with.

  “I’ll buy you a damn skunk, along with a hazmat suit so you can play with it any time you want.”

  She giggles. “But what if I want to play with a skunk in your house?”

  “Then I’ll buy us both a hazmat suit and prepare myself to buy all new clothes, linens, and furnishings.”

  “Wow, you must be loaded to be able to do that.”

  “I am, but even if I wasn’t, I’d find a way,” I say truthfully.

  “Are you real?” she asks in awe, making me smile.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, what happens if I want a fat, paunchy, unemployed man that drinks beer all day in his favorite thirty-year-old tatty recliner watching football while he drops pizza crumbs on his hairy beer chest?”

  “Jesus, where do you get this shit?” I mutter into the phone while shaking my head.

  Poppy laughs, and the sound has my body tightening. I grip my phone tighter in my hand and clench my other hand into a fist. I want to yank the window open and jump the woman lying in the bed only feet from me.

  There’s mirth in my voice when I say, “I guess I’ll give away my company, go to an old furniture store, invest in a rotted out recliner, stop my workout regimen, and become best friends with beer and pizza.”

  “Ahh… a man after my own heart.”

  I’ve had enough of the joking. As much as I enjoy the sound of her laugh, I need to hear the sound of her moans more.

  “I have a confession,” I whisper to her.

  Through the window, I watch as Poppy adjusts on the bed and scissors her legs, like she’s trying to relieve an ache between them.

  “What?” It sounds like a moan and my body goes completely rigid.

  “I can see you.” The whisper comes out huskily.

  I’m prepared when Poppy quickly sits up in bed. Her gaze snaps around the room for a split second before it lands on the window. I’ve already stepped back into the shadows so she can’t see me.

  She scoots to the side of the bed and prepares to get up when I demand, “Don’t.”

  It’s obvious she’s waging a war in her head as she sits on the side of the bed, her eyes stuck on the window and her body tense.

  “I know it’s not exactly what you wanted, but we do this my way for now. Okay?”

  Fuck if I know what I’m going to do if she says no. I don’t know how much longer I can hold off. I need the extra time to worm my way in, but if she’s not willing to give it, I may go insane.

  She stays silent. Through the darkness and into the light of her room, I watch as her chest rises and falls with her heavy breathing. Her back is straight with her feet planted on the floor. The split in her nightie is open enough that I can see her flat stomach and the tops of her thighs. The wisp of material covering her pussy is so small, it’s barely noticeable. She bites her bottom lip, mimicking what I’m dying to do.

  I wait with bated breath as she comes to her decision. I release a relieved sigh when she finally relaxes and whispers quietly, “Okay.”

  Although she agreed, she still keeps her eyes on the window.

  “Do you have the scarf?” I ask.

  She doesn’t answer verbally. Instead she nods, knowing I can see her.

  “I want you to use it to cover your eyes. Tie it good for me.” I keep my voice low.

  She hesitates, thinking through if she should do as I ask, I’m sure, before she gives another nod.

  “Good girl. After you do that, I want you to lie back against the pillows and wait for me.”

  “But how will you get in?” she asks with uncertainty.

  “Don’t worry about that. But you have to promise not to remove the scarf.”

  Time stands still as I wait for her acceptance. I wonder if I’ve pushed too far and asked too much of her. I can understand her reluctance. I’m a stranger, and I’m asking her to trust me with not only entering her home, but also with her body. She has no reason to, but obviously there’s something about me that makes her want to. Even the fear that I’m sure she’s feeling of knowing I’m so close and can do irreparable damage to her won’t keep her from saying yes.

  “I promise.” She says it so quietly, I barely hear it.

  A bout of pleasure rushes into my chest and goes straight to my cock. It pulses in my jeans, and I feel a drop of precum leak from the tip.

  “Go ahead, Beautiful,” I coax in a strained voice.

  I stand in the shadows and wait with anticipation as Poppy grabs the silk scarf from beside her and presses the material against her eyes. After she ties it in place, she slowly scoots back until she’s lying with her head on the pillows.

  “Stay there and wait for me.”

  Even to my own ears, my tone sounds rough.

  I turn away from the window and am about to hang up, when her frantic voice stops me.

  “Wait!”

  When I turn back, her body’s as stiff as a board. The hand that’s not clutching the phone is balled into a fist at her side. Even through the window, I can feel the tension radiating off her body.

  When she speaks next, I have to press the phone harder to my ear to hear her.

  “What in the hell am I doing, Sterling? How do I know you won’t come in here and hurt me?”

  The vulnerability I hear in her voice damn near crushes my lungs. I hate hearing this scared and uncertain side of Poppy. As Sterling, she’s only shown me the strong and confident woman. As her boss, yes, she’s been nervous and jittery around me, but there’s also an underlying self-assuredness about her that she can’t hide. Seeing her now, uncertain and completely exposing her weakness, hurts something deep in my chest.

  I make sure my voice is strong when I reply. I want her to take my words to heart and know them for the truth they are.

  “Poppy, I would rather cut off all my limbs, then soak in a bath of acid than hurt you. You have no reason to trust me, but I swear on everything I am that I would never hurt you, because if I do, I would be hurting myself.”

  She takes a shaky breath that I not only hear over the phone, but also see. It’s hard to stay on this side of the window when I see her struggling with her decision. I want to go to her and show her that I would never hurt her. I hope she gives me the chance.

  After several tense seconds, her chest deflates and the tension in her body lessens. The ache in my stomach decreases.

  “Okay,” she says delicately.

  “Just breathe, Beautiful. I promise you won’t regret letting me in.” Not only into her home, but also into her body and heart, I silently add.

  “Okay,” she says again.

  “I’m going to hang up now. Stay there, okay?”

  She nods.

  I hang up and pocket my phone. With one last glance at Poppy lying in bed, waiting for me, I walk to her back door. I unlock it without a sound and close and lock it behind me. My only focus at the moment is getting to her before her nerves start to take over again. On my way to her bedroom, I light two candles that I spot on an end table in her living room and take them with me.


  When I make it to her room and silently slip inside, I’m not prepared for the sight that meets me, no matter how much I thought I was. There’s a huge difference between watching her through a thin pane of glass and seeing her only a few feet away, lying in bed in the nightie I bought for her. Her lavender scent assaults my nose. I promise myself that tomorrow I’m going to buy whatever scent she’s wearing so I can smell her any time I want.

  She notices my presence and sucks in a sharp breath before letting it out slowly.

  “Sterling,” she breathes.

  On unsteady legs and my stone-hard cock pressed against the rough material of my jeans, I take a step closer to her. I set the candles down on the bedside table and flip off the lights.

  “I’m here, Beautiful,” I tell her gently, keeping my voice low. It’s hard keeping my accent in check, because the sight before me has the real me wanting to come out. In anticipation of tonight, I also bought a new cologne. I can’t very well show up smelling like her boss.

  The soft moan that slips from her lips at the sound of my voice has my already precarious control slipping several notches.

  Why in the hell have I waited so long? Right, because my fucking body wouldn’t cooperate. And then my twisted mind thought it was smart to just watch her for a while before making myself known, I answer my own internal question.

  I take one of the candles and place it on the other bedside table before turning back to face her.

  Her nightie has parted, and I can see her panties, which are sheer enough to show a small patch of darkness, even in the low candlelight. Her flat stomach is on display and it’s currently moving up and down with her rapid, heavy breathing. Her lips are parted, and every few seconds her tongue darts out to lick them, tempting me beyond measure. Her hair fans out across her pillow. She is truly the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.

  I feel like I can’t breathe, so I unbutton the top few buttons of my shirt.

  I sit on the bed by her hip and lean slightly over to rest my hand by her other hip. Feeling like I’ve waited a lifetime to touch her, I lightly trace my fingers across the softness of her lips. Her breath hitches.

  “You’re so beautiful,” I whisper. “I want to both devour and cherish you.”

  “I want to see you,” she whispers back.

  “Soon, Poppy, I swear to you. Please, be patient with me.”

  Noticing the vase of flowers on her bedside table, I pull one of the lavender roses from it. Starting with her lips, I slowly run it across them. She sucks in a shuddering breath and then releases it. With a moan, she lifts her head as I trail the rose down the column of her neck. The rose travels over her collarbone to the center of her chest, before I move it to play over one of her nipples. Her back arches off the bed. This woman amazes me with her beauty.

  Needing my hands on her, I drop the rose on the bed beside her. My fingers take the same path as the rose as I glide them across the seam of her lips, and her tongue darts out to meet them. I groan in response, loving the feel of her tongue on my flesh, even if it is just my fingertips. I apply pressure on her bottom lip, opening her mouth a little wider, before I trail the digit slowly down the column of her neck. I feel her throat move when she swallows.

  Instead of going the route that I know she wants me to, which is down her chest, I veer off to go across her collarbone to her shoulder. I leisurely make my way down her arm, causing goosebumps to break out across her skin, until I reach her hand. I pick it up and flip it over so her palm faces my lips. I place gentle kisses there, before taking little nibbles.

  “I’ve waited so long to touch you,” I tell her, taking one of her fingers into my mouth and sucking. I remove it, place another kiss to her palm, then put her hand against my chest, right over my heart through the opening of my shirt. “And to feel you touch me.”

  Her nails dig into my skin, eliciting another groan from me. Her hand is so warm and soft. I’ve never felt such pleasure from a single touch.

  “Sterling,” she sighs. Hearing the nickname she gave me sends desire racing through me. I want her to shout the name in pleasure, but I want to hear her shout my real name more. I have to force back the words that will reveal who I am. It’s not time yet.

  Panting, Poppy runs her hand down my chest until she reaches my abs and traces the tight muscles there. My stomach spasms with the feeling of her hands on me. It takes every single shred of control I have not to pounce on her. I want to make this good for her. Tonight isn’t about me, it’s about Poppy.

  When she starts to roll to her side, reaching for me with her other hand, I pull her hand from my stomach.

  “No.” My demand is soft.

  “Please,” she pleads. “Let me touch you.”

  I place a kiss on both her palms before placing them above her head with one hand.

  “I will, later. But right now, this is for you.”

  She whimpers, and I almost chuckle at the desperate sound.

  “Keep your hands there.”

  At her nod, I glide my hand back down her arm, then remove it when I reach the side of her breast. Standing, I remove my shoes and finish unbuttoning the rest of my shirt. I decide to leave my pants on for now, because the temptation to take her will be too great if they’re not in the way.

  By the time I drop my shirt to the floor, Poppy’s legs are seesawing on the bed and she’s breathing heavily. Her face is still turned toward me. I know she can’t see me, but she can hear what I’m doing.

  “Do you ache for me, baby?” I ask, taunting her.

  “Yes. Please, Sterling.”

  “Be patient for me, and I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I get up on the bed and straddle her waist. Having her beneath me is something I’ve wanted and imagined for almost a year. Having it now is so much more than I fantasized.

  I lean forward to rest my hands on either side of her raised arms and glide my tongue across her lips. I’m desperate to take them, but I need to know she wants it just as much. There’s been so many times she’s been in my office at work, or in meetings, or when I watch her sleep at night that I’ve imagined kissing her. I know without knowing that she’ll taste unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. Once I know that taste, nothing else will ever compare. I’m already addicted to it, and I haven’t even tasted her yet.

  When she lifts her head to get closer to me, I have my answer. I drop my head the rest of the way and take what I’ve been dying to have. Her mouth opens immediately, and I dip my tongue inside. Just as I knew she would, she tastes like pure fucking heaven. We swirl our tongues together and mimic the act of sex with our mouths. I could kiss her all day and never in a million years get enough of it.

  I pull back slightly, giving myself just enough room to tug on her bottom lip with my teeth. She whimpers and moans beneath me. I settle more of my weight on her and feel the lace of the bodice and the swell of her breasts against my chest. My cock presses painfully against my jeans, and I both curse and thank God I decided to leave them on.

  Poppy becomes restless beneath me. Her stomach presses against my erection, and I growl into her mouth. She’s making it so goddamn hard to stay focused on what I want to do right now.

  I feel her arms moving, and to prevent it, I pin them back down. Against her lips, I tell her, “No. My control is slipping, Poppy. Keep your hands there or I’ll lose it.”

  “That’s exactly what I want you to do,” she breathes out and arches her back, pressing her gorgeous tits harder against my chest.

  Shit. I really need to pay them some attention next.

  “Believe me, baby, you definitely want me to lose it, but I’m not ready yet. Right now is for you. Now, be a good girl and keep your hands above your head.”

  Her arms relax once again, but her lips turn into a pout. I do the only thing I can do and drop mine back to hers for another searing kiss. I feel the satin of the scarf against my heated face. I want to rip it away and see the desire in her
eyes, but I don’t.

  Pulling back from her addicting lips, I leave wet kisses down her neck. When I stop between her breasts, I look up to find pure rapture on Poppy’s face. Her lips are parted and her face is flushed. It sends my blood to boiling and my need skyrockets. I keep my eyes on her as I trace my fingers along the edge of the cups covering her tits. I pull the material down a centimeter by slow centimeter, until it’s tucked below her breasts. I’ve watched from the window as she’s undressed numerous times, so seeing her tits is nothing new to me, but holy fucking hell. Seeing them up close and having them inches from my mouth and hands has my body locking up tight.

  Unable to hold back any longer, I run the tip of my tongue around one dark nipple before tugging it between my teeth. It instantly tightens up into a hard nub. Her body withers and she cries out.

  Spurred on by her cries of pleasure, I yank down the other cup and palm that breast. I pinch the tip between my finger and thumb, making her gasp and jerk. I release that nipple and plump up her other breast and bring it to my mouth.

  I lift my head and shift the loose material that’s below her tits, so it falls to her sides.

  “You are so fucking beautiful,” I murmur huskily.

  I drop my head again and lay kisses on her stomach, dipping my tongue into her belly button along the way. I make my way down until I reach the top of her skimpy panties. Kneeing her legs apart, I settle between them, my eyes landing on her satin-covered center. Her arousal has soaked the material. I blow gently and her hips jerk up.

  “Oh, my, God! Sterling, please!”

  A rush of satisfaction hits my gut with her plea. Giving into both our needs, I settle my mouth over her clit and suck her hard through the material. I moan, not only because the vibration will add to her pleasure, but because she tastes so fucking amazing, even through a layer of satin.

  Getting on my knees, I tug her panties down her legs, impatient to taste her bare. I settle back down and swipe my tongue through her folds. She bends her knees, and using her feet, she jerks her pelvis up for me. I hold her in place by putting my hands on her stomach. I alternate between sucking and tugging her clit between my teeth. When I look up at her, her hands are fisting the headboard above her head so tight, her knuckles are white. Her head thrashes back and forth and her moans become louder.