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Eager and intent, Poppy strained upward to put her ain He allowed it for just a moment, then pushed her back A s rippled visibly down his throat If the first kiss had startled him into silence, the second had utterly disarmed him

"Poppy," he said hoarsely, "I didn’t want to hurt you I tried to be gentle"

Poppy laid her hand softly along his cheek "Is that why you think I left, Harry?"

He seemed stunned by the caress His lips parted in a wordless question, his features stamped with exquisite frustration She saw the

Bending over her with a groan, he kissed her

The shared heat of their ue, filled her with pleasure She answered hi him search and stroke inside her as he wished His ar beneath her bottoht up on her toes, Poppy felt her body list forward, chests, storessively aroused, his flesh jutting boldly against her, every hint of friction wringing out deep and resonant delight

His lips dragged along the side of her throat, and he bent her backward until her brsts strained the front of the dressing gown He nuzzled into the valley of coue His hot breath hly he sought the tip of her breast, but it was tucked too tightly beneath the soft pink fabric She arched desperately, wanting his

She tried to say soo to the bedroo Harry tugged at the front of the bodice, discovering the row of concealed hook-and-eye closures He opened the bodice with stunning swiftness and stripped the dressing goay, leaving her naked

Reaching for her, he turned her away fro fall of her hair aside His , al, while his hands slid over her s peak while his other hand slid between her thighs

Poppy ju in anticipation as he parted her Instinctively she tried to widen her stance for hiainst her neck He held her in a deep fondling eers until she arched back against hi the shape of his erection He coaxed sensation fro her vulnerable flesh

"Harry," she panted, "I’ to f-fall--"

They sank to the carpeted floor in a sort of slow, grappling collapse, with Harry still behind her Hewords of need and praise against her skin The texture of his mouth, wet velvet surrounded by the bristle of his jaw, caused her to shiver in pleasure He kissed his way along the curve of her spine, following it to the small of her back

Poppy turned around to reach for the placket of his shirt Her fingers were unusually clumsy as she undid the four buttons Harry held still, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he watched her with volatile green eyes He stripped off his open waistcoat, pulled his leather braces to the sides, and tugged the shirt over his head His chest was h-knit hardness covered by a light fleece of hair She stroked hi hand and reached down to his trousers, trying to find the concealed placket at the front

"Let me," Harry said brusquely

"I will," she insisted, detere She felt his sto the elusive button, she worked on it with both hands while Harry forced hiers inadvertently brushed against his erection

He h "Poppy" He was breathless "Damn it, please let me do it"

"It wouldn’t be so difficult--" she protested, finallyto free the button, "--if your trousers weren’t so tight"

"They’re not usually"

Coaze, and a shy, rueful grin curved herat her with a longing that raised the hairs on the back of her neck

"Poppy," he said raggedly, "I thought about you every e drive About how toI’ll buy you half of bloody London, if that will suffice"

"I don’t want half of London," she said faintly Her fingers tightened on the waist of his trousers This was Harry as she had never seen hi to her with raw honesty

"I know I should apologize for co"

"Yes, you should," she said

"I can’t I’ll never be sorry about it Because if I hadn’t done it, you’d be his now And he only wanted you if it was easy for hiet you Not because you’re beautiful or clever or kind or adorable, although the devil knows you’re all those things I want you because there’s no one else like you, and I don’t ever want to start a day without seeing you"

As Poppy opened her mouth to reply, he s her to wait until he had finished "Do you knohat a balance wheel is?"