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“I don’t think he’ll want to use that in his next marketing campaign.”
“Probably not.” Leah dove in for another round of kisses, those traveling up another level on the heat index. She was slowly going to kill him. “Besides, your lips are going to be busy for a while.”
He reached over and pulled her more firmly in his lap. “Is this okay?”
“More than.” She settled a bit and having her small weight against him was heaven. Her ass pressed against his thighs and the heat of her was making his body come alive. He hoped he had the necessary control to not go too fast, because right now he wanted to carry her off to the bed of his truck and do things Brenton Lake and the surrounding mountains had never witnessed.
Their kissing continued and Dakota’s senses became filled with everything Leah. Her lavender scent teased his nose. Her curves stimulated his hands as he held her in his lap. Her hair brushed against his cheeks. Her soft moans resonated in his ears. Her mouth tasted like… well, like Kyle’s pizza. She was right about that one, but it became his new favorite flavor.
Sight was the only sense not totally engaged because there weren’t many lights in the park. The closest one was over by the parking lot, but it didn’t matter. He wasseeingwith his other senses and the overall picture was one he liked with his whole body.
When Dakota didn’t think he could restrain himself from taking total control of the kiss, Leah leaned away from him, a slight grin on those amazing lips. “I thought our point in coming to the park was to enjoy the night sky.”
Dakota put his hands up. “Hey, you’re the one who mentioned kissing.”
“True.”
“And did the kissing help you decide whether or not you like ogres?”
“Oh, it helped me come to the conclusion that you can’t possibly be an ogre.” She slid off his lap and sat beside him again.
“Why not?”
“You kiss too well to be an ogre.”
“I see. Well, I guess the new question then is… are you intome?”
“I think you may already know the answer to that question, Dakota.” She pulled her sweater sleeves over her hands in what he assumed was an attempt to keep them warm.
He slid out of the flannel shirt he’d struggled into while driving over to the park from Mountain View Pizza and draped it over Leah’s shoulders, letting his arm rest on the back of the bench behind her. “I’d like to hear your answer anyway,” he whispered.
She slid her arms into the sleeves of his shirt, and though it was dark, he was positive she made flannel sexy. Pulling the sides closer together, she nestled into the space along his side, and he automatically let his hand come to rest on her far shoulder. He cautioned himself from pulling her any closer.
Her terms, he reminded himself.
“I’m into you,” she said softly, “but can we take things slowly? I… I’m not sure what I’m ready for.”
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and gave her a squeeze. Just a little one. “Of course. I can do any speed you want, Miss Greenstead.”
If it wasn’t his imagination playing tricks on him, he could have sworn Leah’s muscles relaxed as she cuddled into him a little closer. How badly had she been hurt in the past? It must have been pretty bad if she was so guarded.
But Dakota didn’t have a reputation for hurting anyone. He was usually the one that got hurt. His sisters weren’t wrong about him dating often. The problem was, however, most women ended up taking advantage of him being a nice guy. They took and took and didn’t give much back. And while Dakota wasn’t in a rush to settle down and do the whole married-with-kids thing yet, he guessed he did want that. Someday.
He wanted a true partner for that life too. Not someone who was going to use him up until there was nothing left of him. He also wanted someone who’d understand his need for adventure. Someone who wouldn’t tie him down and get all pissy with him if he wanted to spend a weekend—or maybe longer—hiking in Colorado or mushing in Alaska or going on an African safari. He had to have those adventures.
His last serious girlfriend, Natasha, had absolutely lost her shit when he’d announced he was taking a trip to Iceland two years ago. They’d been dating for nine months and things were going… okay. Now that he could look back on that relationship with some distance, he’d known she wasn’t The One, but he was content to play along for a while. He’d given her the proper amount of attention, spent the required funds on dating her, and she’d even gone on some local adventures with him.
That was why he hadn’t thought an Iceland guys’ trip would get her so riled up. But shit, it had. She’d cursed him, his hiking buddies, his family, his business… his dog. Nobody cursed Ginger. Nobody.
Natasha had broken up with him before he could end the relationship. Were there no women out there who would understand that traveling was a life requirement for him? He was so tired of the same old thing playing out the same old way, time after time after time.
Sitting with Leah now, however, didn’t feel like the same old thing. This felt like something new. Something better. Something fated.
What do I know about fate?He couldn’t get carried away here. They’d had one date. Well, two if he counted the field trip he’d orchestrated. He definitely felt a connection between them, but he’d felt a connection with any number of women in the past. No need to rush this thing with Leah.
And if she needed him to go slow, he’d do that.
“It really is beautiful here at night,” Leah said. “I’ve only been here during the day.”
