Chapter Text
Holy fuck, she actually said yes. He had no fucking clue what they were gonna do. What were they supposed to do? Were they going to finish what they started in the library? He frowned. He slept on a shitty couch and the fat cop slept on the bed.
What would she think? Would she even care? Christ. Of course she would. You don’t just take a woman back to your place and ask her if she minds banging on the kitchen floor. But then again, he’d never done anything like this. Maybe he could just take her up against the wall? Or maybe she didn’t want to do any of that. Would she get there and decide to run after the driver in a desperate attempt to get away?
The drive back to his place was too fucking quiet. The only noise was the radio in the background in the small ass car that picked them up. But the questions rolling around in his head were loud as fuck.
For fucks sake, he had to sit in the fucking front seat with the driver while Poppy sat in the back. He had tried to get in the back with her but there wasn’t enough room or time. She was drenched as it was. He had to get in the front. Life wasn’t some sort of romantic comedy, but fuck what he wouldn't give to be on the bus with her instead of in the front seat with this kid who had acne and foul body odor.
The kid and Tora kept glancing back at her in the rearview mirror at the same time. Not that Tora could blame him. But if Tora caught him one more time, he was gonna bash the kids head in the goddamn steering wheel. Her cheeks pinked as the heater warmed her skin. She nestled into the seat, wiping her face, ridding it of the rain with the hem of the sleeve of the hoodie. Her eyes met Tora’s in the rearview, a small smile tugging at her lips.
What was going through her mind?
She was doing this. She wanted to get to know him, and not just from the true crime podcasts she had listened to.
What was he really like when it was just him at home?
What was his place like? How many rooms? Did he have a roommate? Did she have to meet the roommate? Do ex-prisoners have roommates? Was he a clean person? He cleaned for a living, so he had to be, right? These were all pretty presumptuous thoughts. She rolled her eyes at herself. She shouldn’t just blurt things out, in her mind or not.
This whole week has been so up and down. Between him catching her twice, the incident with Mr. Lam and Julri, on top of her actual job and grading papers,she was lucky to get to work and muster the energy to eat cold pizza for dinner.
Maybe that’s why he went ballistic on her in the library? She did basically ignore him for the rest of the week. But she smiled at him to acknowledge him every time she saw him.
Something about him though makes her crazy. He’s always so mad, this man who keeps her on her toes. Each time they interacted with each other, it was always that of war and peace. When one of them is trying to be sensible and clear headed, the other is demanding a battle. And when neither of them get what they want, someone always ends up yelling at the other. Very few times have they just had a civil conversation.
What was that game? Tug-of-War where both sides are fighting for dominance, refusing to meet in the middle? That’s what this was.
She was two seconds away from slapping the ever loving shit out of him before he kissed her the first time.
The second time, she was so tempted to let him take her up against the bookshelf at the library and get in even more trouble. Now that she thought about it, that would be pretty hot.
But Poppy never did anything like that. Instead, she played it safe. And thank goodness that man Joe showed up when he did or else by the time the librarian got there, well, her fantasy may have happened.
And that was another thought that went through her mind. How did Tora know him? Were they neighbors? Joe seemed to trust him enough to let him borrow his car.
Poppy glanced into the rearview mirror, the heat of the moment replaying over and over in her head, keeping her busy while they sat in the silence of the car. To her amusement, Tora was looking at her too. Ugh, her cheeks were pink. Hopefully he thought it was from the heater being put on full blast. Her nose wrinkled as the smell of onions permeated throughout the small car. Tora’s hoodie smelled amazing though. She placed the hem of the arm on her face, taking in the scent of pine and campfire with a subtle hint of tobacco, shielding her nose from the offensive odor of their driver.
Her eyes darted away as soon as the drivers met hers and she looked back at her phone. What a creep.
No sooner did Tora’s hand twitch with a promise of pain did the driver pull up to his place. Thank fuck for all parties involved. He really hoped Joe didn't leave a mess before he left. He dug his key out of his pocket, knowing full well that neither him nor Joe were dumb enough to leave a spare key under a doormat.
He got out of the car, not even caring to say his thanks, and helped Poppy from her side. Shutting the door behind them, he heard the car take off in the background. Holy shit it was raining hard. Putting the key in, and turning the handle, he took a deep breath. With his hand on the small of her back, he led her in.
Immediately, she took off her shoes, moaning as one boot fell from her tortured foot then the other. And even though it wasn't sexual at all, he wanted to hear her moan like that again.
Here’s to hoping she didn’t leave.
God, her feet were throbbing. It felt so good to get those shoes off. After placing them on the floor, she took in her surroundings.
Well, this place was charming.
The living room was wide open with a plain, gray loveseat and matching chairs on each side. In the center was a glass coffee table with a fake cherry blossom tree, mimicking the much larger one on the cobbled street in front.
Her eyes darted to the kitchen window and gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
It was like the kind she had at home in Moonbright. Antique white paint window panes, chipping away from age. She wandered over to it, leaving Tora to lock up behind them. She had tried to jostle the window open, but it was stuck. She frowned and peeked over her shoulder to see Tora still trying to lock the door.
“ Mother fucking lock .”
She suppressed a giggle and turned back to the kitchen.
Nestled in the far corner was a round oak table and four matching chairs. In the middle there was a bowl of fruit, real fruit. Not like the glass-blown ones Erdene had made. They looked fresh like they had just been picked up from the Narin River Farmers Market that her and Erdene frequented.
She peeked up the narrow staircase that went into another room. The door was shut though. Maybe that was the attic?
Before she could ask, Tora rushed past her, going up the stairs.
“I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll be Poppy!” she tossed over to him as she took a seat. She wasn't sure but she thought she heard a snort of a laugh coming from him as he ascended the stairs. God, she sounded like a twelve year old.
He needed to get a goddamn condom. Thank fuck Joe had a whole stash of them. Was this what it was like having a dad? Was he supposed to thank him later while he was watching whatever that show was? The Golden Hags or some shit? Like “Hey Papa Joe, thanks for the condoms. They really came in handy. That girl ya met that I was making out with? I fucked her. And I fucked her good.”
That is, if she hadn’t left already. He did kind of stomp up the stairs and rush past her.
He needed to get a goddamn grip. After he got that condom. His eyes narrowed at the stash they kept under the sink. Magnum lambskin XL for a natural feeling. He tucked it away in his pocket and went back downstairs.
She was standing back over by the window. On top of the counter. What the fuck was she doing?
*******
“Have you ever sat in a man’s lap like this before?” Tora asked as they sat on the floor in the kitchen from where he caught her again . Something about fixing a screw or something to open the window. They were up against the cabinets, breathing heavily, searching each other's eyes.
“No.”
“Are you a virgin?” he needed to know.
“No, but, it’s been a while for me,” she whispered, her eyes cast down and her hands ringing together. Tora reached for her then, tilting her head up with one hand and taking her hands with the other.
“Me too,” he said, just as soft.
“Just, please, be careful.”
If he didn’t know any better, she was pleading with him to read between the lines. He didn’t trust easily, that much was apparent. But this woman who seemed to have no problem telling him where he could shove it, was guarded. Maybe even more so than him.
“I will. I’ll try not to hurt ya.”
She nodded, and their lips met, soft and gentle. Straddling him, she moved her hips, grinding on his lap. She surrounded him in all of the best ways. The scent of rain and lavender clung to her skin as he breathed her in. The taste of sugar on her lips was so fucking delicious, he wanted more. He licked her lips, and she gasped before her own tongue darted out to meet him halfway.
He pulled his mouth from hers, wanting to taste more of her body. Lifting her from his lap, he encouraged her to take a seat on the couch next to them. She looked at him, breathless and beautiful. He said he wouldn’t hurt her, and he meant it.
She shed her sweater, leaving her in a lacy, pink bra with cherry blossoms. It was soft, subtle. She stood then, taking off her pants to reveal a matching set of panties. Her body was glorious. Curvy and perfect. Would he ever be able to look at a cherry blossom tree without thinking of her? Her areola was peeking out from behind the lace, and god damn, he knew the answer was “ NO .”
He knelt on the floor, an act of worship as she sat back down. Stripping off his shirt, she was watching him with rapt fixation as he blindly threw it.
He put his hands on her knees, kissing each cap. She started trembling, and for a moment, he thought maybe she had never been touched like this before. She wasn’t a virgin, she said so. But even if she had, he’d make damn sure that whenever she parted her legs for anything, she would miss his touch.
“Just, relax.” He kissed her inner thigh as he coaxed her legs apart, opening her up to him. He grabbed her panties and slipped them off of her, having them join where he sat. He kept his touch light, merely a brush of his lips on her skin.
Languidly, he made his way up to her pussy, her breathing coming in short and heavy, and he dived in, tongue first.
Christ.
“Oh my god,” she whispered harshly. She had never been licked before. Her ex-boyfriend, Nick, was such a selfish lover, if you could call him that. He always took from her and never gave. All of the times they had sex, it was always rushed, like he was in a race to see who could get off faster.
It was always him.
Why the hell was she even thinking about him at a time like this? She was pretty sure that she would never open her legs without thinking of Toraki Hara between them ever again. He looked up at her then from under his eyelashes, a hungry beast of a man sucking and licking in all of the right-
Oh my .
Tora groaned, the sound reverberating through her as he flicked her clit with his tongue. Her hands went to his hair then, getting lost in the sea of ink, encouraging him to stay right where he was. He then pulled her hips, her bottom meeting the end of the couch, and he threw her legs over his shoulders, his tongue going deeper in her than she thought was even possible. His tattoos were beautiful. The koi fish and peonies danced on his skin as he pulled her down with him.
“Tora-” she panted.
And goddamn if that didn’t go straight to his dick. He was so fucking hard and it took all of his will power not to just whip out his cock right there and stroke himself. Her hands tugged on his hair again, pressing him deep between her thighs. She tasted sweet and a bit sour, like the strawberry juice he favored.
Tora inserted his ring finger in her, groaning again when he felt the resistance. His dick twitched, demanding relief, but that had to wait.
She was wriggling then, his name falling from her lips. Could she sound any hotter? He placed his pointer finger in and she let out a beautiful cry of pleasure with his full fucking name. “Toraki-please. Please. PLEASE.”
Re-doubling his efforts, he sought out her clit with his thumb. Against her smooth bead, the rough pad stroked it, encouraging her to let go of the pent up frustration and give into the pleasure.
A moment later, he felt her tighten, her thighs trembling and her hands assaulting his scalp.
Her body went taught as he looked up, a beautiful “ O” forming on her lips with her eyes closed, her brows furrowed as the intense orgasm flew through her body. God damn, she was so fucking beautiful. He wanted her to make that face over and over.
Before he could give anything else a second thought, she stood on the couch. He stood with her, wondering what the hell she was going to do.
Screw it, she was going to climb him like a tree. She lunged at him, and wrapped her legs around his hips.
“Holy fuck–” he yelled as he caught her, cupping her bottom. She didn’t even care that he hadn’t even washed his mouth. She needed to taste her pleasure on his lips. She kissed him eagerly, nipping at his bottom lip. Moving towards the back wall, they crashed against the wood paneling.
He trailed searing hot kisses up the length of her neck, biting her here and there, making her gasp.
Marching back over to the couch with Poppy still clinging to him, he got the throw pillows and the few blankets that hung from the back, tossing them down in rapid succession with her kissing his neck.
He knelt back down, settling her on the ground on top of the blankets. Standing back up, he took off his pants and boxers, leaving her staring at him wide-eyed. Tora grabbed the condom from his discarded pants and rolled it on. Poppy unhooked her bra and threw it blindly to the side, joining the puddle of clothes.
Poppy's chest was heaving and her eyes were blown wide, her lips swollen. Tora hovered over her, and she wrapped her legs around his hips.
He took a breath before he entering her. He moaned as her tight heat sucked him in. He dropped his head to her tits, loving them, marking them as his own. He nibbled on them, tenderly, swirling his tongue around them, making for fucking sure to savor every moment. Because come Monday, though he hoped it was just his mind fucking with him, they wouldn’t be equals.
But not right now.
With their hips rocking against each other and his warm kisses trailing along her neck, Poppy gasped. Waiting for more friction, more him, more everything was making her so deliciously impatient.
Poppy leaned into him, and it sent electricity through her. It felt like her body was supposed to be against his. The way they moved in unison, like they had done this so many times before was nothing like she had never felt. But they hadn’t. And it was all so much, pulling her under with him.
His hands were all too happy to embrace her, loving the feel of her warm, silky smooth skin under his rough hands.
Breathlessly, his name was whispered into his ear. He mindlessly sought out her clit, knowing already what she liked. But like reading his favorite book, he knew the words, pages, and what it took to get there. As much as he had been tempted like so many times in the past to skip ahead, he held back, letting himself enjoy this part.
He thrust into her, grabbing her hips to pull her in closer.
She wasn’t a virgin but Christ she was so tight.
He stole her breath with a kiss and he was about to fall over the edge himself. She cried out, and he went for her clit then, rolling it just like he knew how to. Her brows furrowed and her thighs trembled.
“Tora…” With a few more snaps, her pussy clamped around him. He let go at that moment, spilling into her with a moan.
They laid there, his nose touching hers as they both caught their breaths. He couldn’t move. He could only think of one thing.
God Damn.
What was sex like before her? If he couldn’t remember, it sure as hell didn’t matter. The way she moved with him like their bodies were meant to be joined was something he had never fucking felt before.
Her soft gasps, her tiny cries of pleasure, her panting his name in his ear as she fell apart under him? It was the most intoxicating symphony he had ever heard.
And he was hooked.
******
The rain was still falling and he wasn’t about to make her leave out in that. Her friend wasn’t around, he had no fucking car, and like hell was he going to make her get in a ride share. The best and only option in his mind was to have her spend the night.
He brought up his texts with Joe, and it looked like Tora got lucky, not for the first time that day. He huffed out in amusement at his own joke, as he read that Joe would have to work overnight.
That settled it then.
But where the fuck would she sleep? She could take the couch downstairs that Joe had bought a few days ago, but that would be awkward as hell. He wasn’t going to offer Joe’s bed. Who knew how many times that asshole jacked off. Well, he could sleep on the floor next to the couch. That would be fine, right? But how would she react if she saw him sleeping on the floor?
Christ. What had he gotten himself into? He deadpanned, “ Poppylan Wilkes, you horny bastard.”
“What are you doing?” She came up from behind him. She was wearing the green T-rex sweater he had loaned her while her clothes were drying. And he had to hold himself back from fucking her again because holy fuck she was in his boxers too. He was never going to wash those again.
“Well, it’s still storming really bad. And I uh…well I was thinking um…I think it’d be best if ya–”
Her heart fell. She knew what was coming next. He was sending her away. She wanted to cry. She could feel her chin quiver as hot tears started to make their way to the surface.
“If I left?” she asked quietly as she moved to gather, well, her purse for starters since she had no clothes because they were in the dryer.
Tora turned to her, his face screwed up in confusion. His hands reached for hers. “No. I want ya to stay, if only for the night.”
******
Tora woke up, his eyes adjusting to the delicate golden morning light coming in from the window with rays caressing his skin. The morning birds sang, their melodies drifting in from beyond the glass. His arm was draped over Poppy and for a moment he thought he was in that space between dreams. Because this seemed too good to be true, but fuck if he never wanted it to end.
He stroked her back as she laid next to him on their makeshift bed on the floor. The pile of pillows from the couch and the multicolored sea of blankets laid on the hardwood. What had seemed to be a ridiculous idea to him, camping out in the living room, turned out better than he could have ever imagined.
The powder blue sheet teased him while it barely covered her breasts. Yet the cloth missed her back, but tortured him as it wrapped around her hips, and swept over her ass. Her arm was outstretched to the side, with Stardust on the outskirts of where they had spent the night.
He had never laid down by a woman before. Not like this, anyways. He could easily do this again. Fuck, he wanted to do this again, as many times as he could. As many times as she would allow it.
Would she allow it? Or was this a one and done thing for her? He knew for him, once Monday morning came, he was terrified of how she would act. Would she pretend like last night never happened? And would they go back to being strangers who passed in the hallway?
Would she get shit from everyone if they knew that she had slept with someone who did time in prison and could only scrub toilets to make a living?
Continuing to caress her while the sound of rain softly pitter-pattered against the window, he sighed, making the few baby hairs that laid on her face dance and twirl as they tickled her nose. He smirked when her lips formed a frown. Her hand went up then to brush them out of the way, leaving Tora catching her wrist in his grip.
She blinked up at him, her eyes still hazy from sleep, and fuck she looked like an angel. He raised her hand to his lips, wondering still if he was going to wake up. With each tender kiss to the tip of her fingers, Tora recalled everything from the night before.
“Mornin’, sweetheart.”
Poppy never thought she would be the kind to wake up with someone like him next to her in the early morning after an impromptu sleepover. Yet here she was, staring up at someone who was more than rough around the edges. He was a razor with a heated blade; ready to slice and scorch in one smooth swoop.
But she couldn’t deny that with his fierce and fiery temperament, also came a dulcet disposition, Like how she felt the soft brush of his fingers this morning on her skin as he stroked her back.
She could lay like this with him for as long as he wanted, if he wanted her to.
Would he still want her? What would happen when Monday came? They both worked at the highschool. Would he try to get a job somewhere else so that he didn’t have to see her? Was he trying to coax her awake just to send her away?
This was why she stopped seeking out relationships. The good ones were taken from her like a thief in the night. The bad ones only sought her out so she could be used. But once she stopped shining for them, like a burnt out star, she was discarded.
Shoot. She was doing it again. He wouldn’t do that, right?
He had said last night that he wanted her to stay just for the night. But she didn’t want to leave.
Her thoughts were whirring around so fast in her mind, like a cyclone, that when he brushed his lips over her fingers, they spilled out from her eyes. Her tears kissed the pillow while memories of the night before pulled her to the surface.
“Good Morning, Tora.”
He pulled her towards him, helpless in his need to be near her again. He kissed the crown of her head, and she leaned into him, their legs tangling together.
“There’s something between us; a sort of pull. Something you do to me…” he whispered at the nape of her neck. She turned into his embrace.
“And you to me…” she whispered back.
And for the first time in 26 fucking years..he started to feel…
Wanted.