I brought my pickax down on the rock, sparks flying out momentarily. Although we were deep underground, the air was hot as hell, thick, stagnant almost. The sound of metal on rock filled my head, the other coal miners chipping away piece by piece at the walls surrounding us.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, my entire body tense, my muscles strung tight. I worked for another half hour, my focus on the task at hand, my body tired, sweaty.

When my shift was finally over, I grabbed my pack and followed my fellow workers out of the cave, ready to go home and sling back a few beers before getting into bed and crashing.

There were other things I wanted to do, of course. They were things like being naked in my bed with one specific woman, both of us sweaty for far different reasons than working in the mines all day. Just thinking about sweet Poppy had my cock hardening. But I didn't bother adjusting the bastard, just focused on the ground and followed the other workers out.

I stepped into the fresh air, the sun starting to set. I immediately looked over to my left, knowing she'd be there.

Poppy leaned against the hood of her car, her focus on her phone. Kevin, her older brother, walked over to her, and she lifted her head and smiled at him. Because Kevin had totaled his car after a long night of drinking, Poppy was here every day to take him home.

And every day I wanted her more.

I moved off to the side so the other workers could walk past me, but my focus was trained right on Poppy. Kevin got in the passenger’s side and rested his head back on the seat, closing his eyes. I looked over at the one woman I wanted more than anything else.

She might be a little young for me, just barely turning nineteen, and I might be fifteen years older than her, but that didn't mean anything.

She was perfect for me in every way.

She walked over to the driver’s side and opened the door, but before she sat down, our gazes locked. Here she was, all clean and perfect and looking so damn vulnerable. And here I was, fucking filthy, sweaty, and sporting a raging hard-on that I wasn't even trying to hide.

Even from this distance I could see the way she swallowed, the long line of her throat working from the act. She started breathing harder, her breasts moving up and down under the thin material of her shirt. God, I just wanted to tear the fabric away and see the perfection underneath.

She finally got in the car and shut the door, but I still stood there staring at her, holding her focus with mine. And even after she started the car and drove away, I was still there, my cock rock-hard, my thoughts focused solely on her.

I wanted her.

I'd have her.

* * *

I pushed the food around on my plate, my thoughts on a man I shouldn't have any business thinking about. But there was something about Jakob, something that made my blood race and my heart pound harder and faster.

“Are you not hungry? Something on your mind?”

I lifted my head and looked at my older brother. It was just me and him in this world, and because our parents had passed away a few years ago, I didn't know if telling him how I felt for Jakob was really the smartest move. He was protective of me, and letting him know that I wanted a fellow coal miner might not go over so well.

“Nothing is on my mind.” I looked at my food maybe a little too quickly, because I still felt his gaze on me. When I looked up again, I saw he was watching me, his expression telling me he knew something was up.

He set his fork down and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at me with this stern look on his face. “Poppy, you're my baby sister. I know when something is up.” I didn't say anything for long seconds, and finally he exhaled and shook his head. “This is about Jakob, isn't it?”

“What?” My voice squeaked, and I could feel my face getting hotter from embarrassment. He knew, even if he was phrasing it like a question. Was I that easy to read?

“You know what I'm talking about.” His expression became emotionless as. He’d put me on the spot, but it was probably better this way. It would be better if I just told him how I felt. I didn't want to keep this bottled up, and it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of friends to confide in.

“Yeah, I know what you're talking about.” I broke eye contact and looked at my food. But it didn't matter because the conversation had already been brought up and Kevin wasn't the type to let it go. But he didn't sound angry either, or overprotective about it. So that made me curious about why he’d brought it up if he wasn't going to try and deter me from wanting to be with Jakob.

“So, you want to date him or something? Or has he asked you out and you're thinking about it?”

I shook my head and didn't say anything for a few seconds. “I've never even spoken to him. But I like him. A lot.” God, saying that out loud sounded incredibly ridiculous.

Aside from him watching me every day when I picked up Kevin, it wasn’t like he actually went out of his way to say anything to me. I didn't either. For all I knew, Jakob wanted nothing to do with me, and the looks that I thought meant something more really meant nothing at all.

“He's a lot older than you, Poppy.”

“You know what?” I said, not wanting to talk about this anymore. “How about we just drop it?” I stared into my brother's blue eyes, which were the same shade as mine. “It's not like he's ever said anything to me, or like anything would ever happen.” I stood and grabbed my plate, making my way over to his side. I felt his gaze on me again, and I looked him.

“Do you think I don't notice when he looks at you every time you pick me up?” My brother's words had everything in me stilling. “Do you think it's not obvious that he wants you?”

I didn't know what to say after that. So instead of saying something stupid and embarrassing myself further, I just stayed quiet.

“Look at me, Poppy.”

I glanced up and stared at Kevin, feeling my cheeks heat further. Truth was, I never talked about this kind of stuff with him. I was inexperienced in those kinds of things with guys, and talking about this with Kevin just seemed grossly inappropriate and uncomfortable.

“Were you afraid that I would be upset? Did you think that I would demand you stay away from him?”

“I didn't know what to expect, honestly. I assumed you'd tell me he was too old, too rough around the edges.”

“He’s both of those things, but you're also a grown woman and know what you want. You're smart, got a level head, and you never have been one to be reckless. I'll always be here to protect you, but I’m not going to tell you not to go after what you want. I'd be a hypocrite.” Kevin stood up and kissed me on the head, grabbed his plate, and headed to the kitchen.

I was left standing there wondering if I could really do this, tell Jakob how I felt and hope that I wasn't humiliated because he felt nothing for me. I didn't know if I could push my insecurities aside and go after what I wanted.

What I did know was, I wanted to try, because if I didn't, I would never know what could have been.