really go back and change anything, but if Poppy had approached him, he could easily imagine kneeling at her feet. Poppy is the kind of woman Cin is inclined to worship. "You're so different. Much prettier."
"Flatterer." Poppy sits back in her armchair and adjusts her skirt. "You're surprisingly confident for your age. Most people are a little scared of us. Me and Tom."
"What's the worst you could possibly do to me?"
"That's one way of looking at it." Poppy licks cream away from her lips and sets her drink down. "I'd warn you that I have practically unlimited resources at my disposal if you ever hurt my brother, but I don't think you'd hurt him. Not on purpose, anyway."
"I wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose. There's enough of that in the world, too."
"You're right there." Poppy taps her perfectly-manicured nails on her coffee cup. "You're also very wise for your age."
"Because agreeing to spend the summer with a practical stranger at his house in the middle of nowhere is the pinnacle of wisdom."
"You're young. You're allowed to do potentially-stupid things from time to time."
Cin sits back and relaxes. Poppy is great company and he feels like he can relax around her as much as he can around Tom. It's ridiculously easy to imagine himself slotting into their family comfortably, sitting around the dinner table and chatting night after night. It's something Cin promised himself he wouldn't want from Tom, because he knows that's not why he's here, and he can't resent not having it if he never wanted it in the first place. He doesn't want to resent Tom, or his position, or the million reasons they absolutely can't keep each other.
"I guess. It's not as though I sold my soul to him or anything. I'm just here for the summer." Saying it out loud makes Cin uncomfortable, as though he's giving up on something he actually wanted, but that's not Poppy's problem. His face must have betrayed him, though, because Poppy's looking at him with her neatly-plucked eyebrows drawn together. Cin can't talk while she's looking at him like that. He doesn't imagine most people can.
"I don't want to make this sound like you're in any way obliged to stay with him, but Tom wouldn't have brought you out here if you were disposable to him. Not that anyone ever is, but you're good for him, too. Again, not that I'm trying to guilt you into staying with him. All I'm saying is I see your doubt, and I understand it, but you could absolutely be family. I've always wanted a cute little brother."
Cin smiles despite himself. He's not sure he believes all of that, but it's good to hear it and he'd be proud to call Poppy his sister, too. "You'd make a great older sister. I'll keep that in mind."
*~*~*
"I dated a football player for a while once," Cin pants. "The benefit was, obviously, the whole stamina thing. The downside was that he would not shut up about football or running or weights or whatever and I don't care. I don't care to an aggressive degree. Basically, I'm not usually really into lovers who talk a lot. You don't count because you talk about interesting things ." He turns his head to look at Tom, who's panting a lot more heavily.
"The downside with you is, I'm half-afraid you're going to have a heart attack right now." Cin waves a hand at Tom to draw attention to his breathing. He's not really worried, but Tom's pretty clearly exhausted. Cin's kind of proud of his achievement. "Though I would find that flattering."
"I'm fine," Tom chokes out. "Just not used to hour-long cardio workouts."
"One workout a year?"
"One workout a year." Tom nods.
"Me too. Or no workouts a year, but sometimes I have to move into or out of my dorm room and that sort of counts. Please don't start working out more. Your tummy is such a turn-on." Cin rolls back to Tom's side and throws an arm over him. He'd never really thought of himself as a post-sex cuddler before, but he's also never been with one person this long before. Maybe it's just a natural part of
"Flatterer." Poppy sits back in her armchair and adjusts her skirt. "You're surprisingly confident for your age. Most people are a little scared of us. Me and Tom."
"What's the worst you could possibly do to me?"
"That's one way of looking at it." Poppy licks cream away from her lips and sets her drink down. "I'd warn you that I have practically unlimited resources at my disposal if you ever hurt my brother, but I don't think you'd hurt him. Not on purpose, anyway."
"I wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose. There's enough of that in the world, too."
"You're right there." Poppy taps her perfectly-manicured nails on her coffee cup. "You're also very wise for your age."
"Because agreeing to spend the summer with a practical stranger at his house in the middle of nowhere is the pinnacle of wisdom."
"You're young. You're allowed to do potentially-stupid things from time to time."
Cin sits back and relaxes. Poppy is great company and he feels like he can relax around her as much as he can around Tom. It's ridiculously easy to imagine himself slotting into their family comfortably, sitting around the dinner table and chatting night after night. It's something Cin promised himself he wouldn't want from Tom, because he knows that's not why he's here, and he can't resent not having it if he never wanted it in the first place. He doesn't want to resent Tom, or his position, or the million reasons they absolutely can't keep each other.
"I guess. It's not as though I sold my soul to him or anything. I'm just here for the summer." Saying it out loud makes Cin uncomfortable, as though he's giving up on something he actually wanted, but that's not Poppy's problem. His face must have betrayed him, though, because Poppy's looking at him with her neatly-plucked eyebrows drawn together. Cin can't talk while she's looking at him like that. He doesn't imagine most people can.
"I don't want to make this sound like you're in any way obliged to stay with him, but Tom wouldn't have brought you out here if you were disposable to him. Not that anyone ever is, but you're good for him, too. Again, not that I'm trying to guilt you into staying with him. All I'm saying is I see your doubt, and I understand it, but you could absolutely be family. I've always wanted a cute little brother."
Cin smiles despite himself. He's not sure he believes all of that, but it's good to hear it and he'd be proud to call Poppy his sister, too. "You'd make a great older sister. I'll keep that in mind."
*~*~*
"I dated a football player for a while once," Cin pants. "The benefit was, obviously, the whole stamina thing. The downside was that he would not shut up about football or running or weights or whatever and I don't care. I don't care to an aggressive degree. Basically, I'm not usually really into lovers who talk a lot. You don't count because you talk about interesting things ." He turns his head to look at Tom, who's panting a lot more heavily.
"The downside with you is, I'm half-afraid you're going to have a heart attack right now." Cin waves a hand at Tom to draw attention to his breathing. He's not really worried, but Tom's pretty clearly exhausted. Cin's kind of proud of his achievement. "Though I would find that flattering."
"I'm fine," Tom chokes out. "Just not used to hour-long cardio workouts."
"One workout a year?"
"One workout a year." Tom nods.
"Me too. Or no workouts a year, but sometimes I have to move into or out of my dorm room and that sort of counts. Please don't start working out more. Your tummy is such a turn-on." Cin rolls back to Tom's side and throws an arm over him. He'd never really thought of himself as a post-sex cuddler before, but he's also never been with one person this long before. Maybe it's just a natural part of
Similar Books
