He pushed a lock of her hair over her ear, and she slanted her head into his touch. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She dropped the banner onto the table.
“Come here.” He leaned over, and when his lips brushed hers,his kiss was slow and gentle. “Wanna go for a walk?” he asked while his fingertip traced her cheek and jaw.
“Yeah.”
They headed down the deck stairs toward the path leading to the orchard. Their shoes crunched along the leaves, and the air smelled like fresh apples, the windswept lake, and a woodburning fireplace. The sky above them was clear, and the sun had started to set. Jake held her hand, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
Emily couldn’t shake the notion that they belonged together. She was with Jake, and they were in her favorite place—the orchard at Splendid Lake. Her home.
He led her down the path toward their old fort, and they picked up the pace. When they reached the tree, he turned toward her. “How about a visit to our ol’ fort as our first official date?”
“I love it!” She giggled.
He made a sweeping motion toward the ladder. “Ladies first.”
She climbed up onto the platform and scooted over as far as she could before he joined her. As soon as he sat down, she claimed his mouth with hers. He cradled her head in his hands and tunneled his fingers through her hair. As he deepened the kiss, she wound her arms around his neck and allowed all time and space to melt away. Nothing mattered except for her and Jake.
When they finally came up for air, she tipped her head against his shoulder and sighed.
He chuckled under his breath while he wrapped his arm around her. “You warm enough?”
Was he kidding? She was on fire! “Yeah,” she managed to say. “You?”
“Yup.”
Silence stretched between them, and she enjoyed the view of the trees with the lake in the distance. She turned toward him. “Okay. Confession time.”
“This ought to be good,” he teased.
“Do you know how many times I sat up here and wondered what it would feel like to kiss you?”
“I have no idea.”
“At least a thousand.”
“Huh.” He rubbed his jaw.
“Let me guess. You never even thought about kissing me when we were up here, did you?”
“That’s actually not true.” He held up a finger. “The last time we were up here and you hugged me, that was the first time I felt the urge to kiss you.”
She studied him. “The last time we were up here?” She pointed to the platform, and he nodded. “You mean like a month ago?”
“Exactly. You held on to me, and I had to stop myself from lifting your face up from my chest and kissing you until you were breathless.”
His words sent a shiver racing through her. “Why didn’t you?”
“Honestly, I was afraid that you didn’t want the same thing. And I didn’t want to risk losing you because that would kill me. I can’t imagine not having you in my life.”
She swallowed as emotion clogged her throat. “I feel the same way,” she whispered.
He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Knowing what I know now, I should’ve kissed you then, huh?” His grin was wolfish.
“Yeah, you should’ve.” She laughed.
His expression softened. “I’m sorry about Claire and her oblivious mom.”
