taking their toll. So far she’d managed to cut herself shaving, burn a lock of her hair with the curling iron, and now poke herself in the eye with the mascara.
She looked worse than when she started getting ready.
“What are you doing?”
Poppy looked in the bathroom mirror to see Daisy behind her. She had on a baseball cap and Windbreaker. A backpack was slung over her shoulder.
“Getting more makeup in my eyes than on my lashes.”
Daisy smiled, excitement on her face, which Poppy knew wasn’t related to her trip with Emma. “You look great.”
Poppy didn’t feel like she looked great.
“What time is he picking you up?”
“Six,” Poppy said, although the
She certainly couldn’t explain that she was just having a fling with the man. No, Daisy would never know about that.
“Okay, well I have to head down to Emma’s. They are leaving in like fifteen minutes or so.”
“What time is it?” Poppy asked.
“Only five-fifteen. You have plenty of time.” Daisy grinned again like a kid finding out that Santa had left the very gift she’d asked for under the Christmas tree.
A pang of guilt tightened Poppy’s chest. But she took a deep breath and forced the remorse aside. After all, she was taking steps in the right direction.
Sort of, anyway.
Poppy turned as Daisy stepped into the bathroom. They hugged, and Poppy kissed her cheek.
“Be good.”
Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’m always good.”
“I know,” Poppy said, not holding back an ounce of the love and pride she felt for her little sister. Daisy was a great kid. She probably would have been no matter what, but Poppy allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. She had done a good job raising her sister thus far.
“Text me when you get there,” she told Daisy, hugging her again.
“Of course.”
“Actually, text me when you get on the road too.”
Daisy shook her head. “Don’t be such a worrywart. Just enjoy your evening.” She started to leave the room, then paused. “You haven’t even told me this guy’s name.”
The question caught Poppy off guard. She hesitated, then she spotted the shampoo on the edge of the tub. Herbal Essence.
“Herb,” she said automatically.
Daisy wrinkled her nose. “Herb? That’s not a hot name.”
Poppy made a face. She couldn’t disagree.
“Well, have fun with Herb. I hope he’s cuter than his name.”
“Oh, he is,” Poppy assured her. Killian was much cuter than the imaginary Professor Herb.
Daisy left then, off for her weekend of seaside fun.
What kind of fun was she going to have tonight? Poppy wondered as she returned to the mirror to repair the damage done earlier.
Killian had lurked in the hallway outside Poppy’s door most of the day—making sure Vepar, in any form, didn’t appear at her apartment. Now Daisy was gone, and he couldn’t wait any longer to see Poppy. Both to be sure she was safe and also just to see her.
Since his run-in with Vepar, he’d debated going back to the original plan of just finding Poppy a man and returning to Hell—tonight if possible. But he still wasn’t sure. Something kept telling him he had to stay. Something beyond this spell.
One thing was for sure, he had to keep Poppy safe.
He pounded on the door with more force than necessary, his nerves and protectiveness making him agitated, anxious.
What was taking her so long? He lifted his hand, ready to knock again, when he heard the knob rattle. Then the door opened to reveal a Poppy he’d never seen before.
And all other worries left his mind, as his gaze roamed over her. She looked … gorgeous.
She wore a Chinese-style dress with a high collar and ornate cloth buttons. The black brocade with bright red flowers brought out the paleness of her delicate features and the darkness of her wide eyes. Her brown hair was swept up into a loose chignon, tendrils escaping to frame her face. The dress stopped mid-thigh, revealing a long expanse of shapely legs and tiny feet encased in strappy black heels.
Her weight shifted from one of her small feet to the other, and Killian realized he was doing nothing but staring. He looked up at her face, only to realize she was staring at him too.
Once he’d formulated this “affair plan,” he’d purchased some new clothes just for this date. A Kenneth Cole suit coat, black tie. He’d also bought a Kenneth Cole shadow stripe dress shirt, which he wore with jeans. He’d even bought a new pair of black shoes. Bruno Magli.
He suspected not a single thing Poppy wore was designer, but her look blew him out of the water.
She obviously didn’t agree.
“You look amazing,” she said, smiling tentatively. Just a hint of the dimple he found so appealing appeared. A little tease.
“I think ‘amazing’ is the word that applies to you,” he told her. Then, for the first time, as if it was totally natural and truly his right, he kissed her. Right in the open doorway.
Poppy stayed in his arms for a few moments. Then, groaning, she pulled her lips away from his. But she rested her forehead against his chest.
“If we keep doing that, all the work of dressing up will be for nothing.”
Killian smiled, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. He liked knowing she was struggling not to just head straight to the bedroom too. But he followed her lead, and with hands on her hips moved her away from him.
He smiled at her. “We’d better go now then. Or we never will.”
She nodded and disappeared back into the apartment to grab a black wrap and her purse.
Killian rested his head on the doorframe, willing his body to calm down. How could he be feeling like this? He had a crazy demon stalking Poppy. He had been gone from Hell for nearly a week. Gone from the place he considered home. And possibly, Satan was really pissed at him. Yet all he could think about was this woman. This little slip of a mortal.
He was losing his mind. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to follow her inside, close the door and ravish Poppy on every bare surface in the house. And just pretend nothing else existed except the two of them.
“Ready,” she said, returning to the door. He straightened and forced his brightest smile.
He nodded. He would figure out how to best protect her, but after tonight. Tonight was theirs.
Once out on the sidewalk, Poppy lifted her flushed face toward the evening breeze, thankful for the cool air.
One kiss and she was burning for the man. If she’d been a little more forward, she would have suggested forgetting the outing and just heading to bed. But she wasn’t that forward. Yet.
Silly girl, her aroused body told her. And she couldn’t argue. But she managed to rally and get her body under control. A bit.
“Where are we headed?” she asked.
He took her hand, linking his fingers through hers. “You just follow me.”
She smiled at his self-assured tone. “So you know your way around now, huh?”
