I run my fingers through my hair as I turn back to my office, not sure if being related to that firecracker, even through friendship, is a good or bad thing.
Two hours later, I’m still sitting at my desk, getting absolutely nothing done for the day when there’s another knock on my door. I drop my glasses on my desk and rub my tired eyes.
“Come in,” I call, thinking it’s Olivia again. She’s been quiet since our conversation.
It’s not Olivia, but Eric. He peeks his head in. “You got a minute?”
“Yes,” I say, gesturing for him to come in.
Closing the door behind him, he makes his way to the chair across from my desk. Taking his seat, he throws an ankle over his knee, leans back and gets comfortable. I steeple my fingers and wait for him to talk.
“Have you heard from Poppy?” he asks. I straighten in my seat, not liking hearing her name come out of his mouth.
“She’s still sick,” I say vaguely. He still doesn’t know of our involvement, and I’m in no mood to enlighten him of it.
“I’m worried about her. She hasn’t missed a day since she started working here. She comes in even when she’s sick. Are you sure nothing happened while you two were gone? I’ve tried calling her a couple times, but I just get her voicemail.”
My hackles rise and anger instantly rushes in. This is the first I’m hearing of him calling her. There’s no fucking way I’ll let this continue. I was going to wait to tell him about my connection with Poppy after we worked things out, but obviously, that’s not going to work now.
“Why are you calling her?” I ask first, needing to know how deep his feelings are.
He turns his eyes away from me, then shifts in his chair. “Because I’m still interested in her. I never got to take her out—”
“Stop,” I bark and stand from my seat. This shit stops now. I lean my hands on my desk and drop my head, trying to control the rage coursing through me. It’s not his fault. Poppy is… well, Poppy. She’s beautiful, smart, sweet, and has an innocence about her that draws people in. I know I’m not the only man that sees her as such. Although I recognize all this, I still can’t help the possessiveness I feel. I know other men will look, but it won’t be done right underneath my nose by my employee and friend.
Fuck no.
I look up and across my desk into Eric’s eyes. There’s no way he can miss the heat blazing from them. His wide eyes prove that.
“I’ll tell you this once and only once. You need to forget any interest in Poppy that you have. She’s not available to you or any other man.” My fingers dig into the hard wood as I lean further over the desk to emphasize my next words. “Except me.”
Eric looks back at me, shock registering on his face. He drops his leg and straightens in his chair, no longer looking relaxed.
“Shit, Asher, I had no—”
“It doesn’t matter. The only thing that does matter is you backing off her. Poppy is mine.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, palms coming up in a ‘calm down’ gesture. “I get it. You’ll get no interference from me.”
My jaw still tics, but I try to push the anger back. I still don’t like knowing he still may have lingering feelings. Or him looking at her and imaging her in anything other than a professional manner. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll keep an eye on him for a while. If I sense there’s more coming from him, I’ll take care of it.
“How long has this been going on?” He looks at me with interest.
I take my seat and force my body to relax against the leather.
“I’ve had feelings for her since the beginning, but haven’t made them known to her until Dallas.”
“Wow,” he mutters. “I really had no idea.”
I shrug. My phone pings on my desk and I grab it to check the message.
Rex: That guy Sam just pulled up.
Me: Keep an eye on things. Let me know if something feels off.
As soon as Olivia and I were done with our conversation earlier, I came into my office and phoned Rex to update him on the situation. When I told him the creep somehow slipped past his men, he was livid. After investigating and finding footprints and talking with his men, we found out the guy came from the back of Poppy’s property and scaled her fence. He knew where to avoid Rex’s men. That’s what has us confused. How in the hell does this guy know of my protective measures? He also knew about the cameras and where to avoid them so he wasn’t seen.
“Why did it take you so long to pursue her?” Eric asks curiously, pulling me from my thoughts.