AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The way his gaze zoomed in on her lips sent a tropical heat wave rushing over every part of Leah. She had questions about that balcony, about the property it overlooked, about how long he’d lived in this beautiful cabin, about a dozen other things, but those questions died away when he pressed his lips to hers. Nothing else mattered besides the feel of his mouth, the warmth of his body, the smell of him combined with the night air coming in from the still open doors behind her. All of it turned her on in a way she hadn’t experienced before.
Not even with Chase.
She and Chase had enjoyed a fire between them, but not like this. Not like this crackling blaze threatening to completely incinerate her in the best way possible.
Dakota spun them around so he could back her up to the bed. With his lips still on hers, he lowered so she had to sit on the edge. He broke the kiss and kneeled down in front of her, his eyes full of need and… compassion.
“I’m going to ask you one more time.” He rested his hands on her knees, his thumbs massaging in just the right way. “Because I’m almost at a point of no return here.” He puffed out a breath—one that was a little shaky as if he were trying hard to rein in his desire for her. “Are you sure you want to do this, Leah? With me? Are you sure you’re ready?”
Leah leaned forward and cupped his whiskered jaw in her hands. “Everything about you, Dakota, makes me absolutely certain this is what I want. I am ready. Ready to be with you, like this, tonight.” The fact that he’d given her one more chance to change her mind made her want him all the more. Had she ever come across such a gentleman?
He pressed a kiss into her palm then put his hand behind her left ankle, raising her leg a bit. “Boy, am I glad to hear you say that.” Slowly, he unzipped her boot and slid it off along with her tall boot sock.
A black boot sock that had bright orange pumpkins all over it.
“Not sexy, is it?” Her cheeks got hot. She hadn’t thought she’d end up getting naked tonight. Not that she had any sexy socks. Did they make such a thing?
Dakota wiggled it in front of her. “It was on you, so yes, it’s sexy.” He placed the sock and the boot reverently beside the bed. He did the same with her right boot and sock and part of her liked how respectful of her accessories he was. Another part wanted him to start ripping things off and throwing them out of the way.
When his strong fingers kneaded the arches of her feet, her ankles, her calf muscles, the backs of her thighs, she told herself to let him do whatever the hell he wanted. Clearly, he was good at this.
So good…
She hooked her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into the space between her knees. When he straightened up a bit and slid his arms around to cup her ass, heat flooded her core. She hadn’t been touched like this in forever. She’d nearly forgotten what it was like to be this close to another person.
Dakota was making her remember.
Leah nipped at his full lips, her fingers delving into the softness of his hair. She slid one hand into the collar of his dress shirt and under the T-shirt he had on underneath, pressing her palm against his bare shoulder. The heat of his skin stoked the fires burning inside her.
She had to see him.
Pushing back a bit, she held his gaze as she slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt. She’d never thought slow could be so sexy, but the anticipation heightened everything. And the way he stared at her—as if she were some rare gem or something—made her entire body buzz.
She got to the last button and peeled the dress shirt off his broad shoulders. He helped by pulling at the sleeves and the shirt fell to the floor beside him. A dark gray T-shirt molded to his chest and abs making her want to rip it down the middle with her teeth to get to the good stuff.
The ink on his exposed arm, however, caught her attention. What she’d seen on this forearm, which hadn’t been much more than a few faint crisscrossing blue lines and the edge of something more colorful but unidentifiable, traveled up to the hem of his T-shirt sleeve. Shapes, colors, words spiraled around his left forearm, elbow, and bicep.
She took his hand and turned it so his arm turned as well and she could get a better look in the dim light of the end table lamps. “Is it… is it a map?”
Nodding, he reached over his shoulder and pulled his T-shirt off in one smooth yank.
Leah couldn’t contain her gasp. “Wow.” She ran her fingers along his forearm up to his bicep and over his shoulder. A vintage-looking map with land and water and faded blue latitude and longitude lines ran over most of his left side with an intricate compass rose high on his pectoral muscle. “It’s gorgeous, Dakota.”
As were all those muscles beneath the ink.Holy shit.
He looked down at the tattoo, running the fingers of his left hand along his ribs as if remembering when he’d gotten it. “Thanks.”
“So what’s the story?”
“When I first started getting into adventuring, my mom was afraid I’d get lost. She bought me ten different compasses, all different kinds, different shapes. She was crazy about it. Wanted me to give her actual coordinates of where I’d be exploring.” He smiled and the love he felt for his mother tugged at Leah’s heart. She’d been close to her own mom. Before. She missed that special mother-daughter relationship. How awesome it would have been to call her mother and gush about Dakota.
“Your mom wanted you to be safe.” Was that such a big thing to ask for? Safety?
“She did.” Dakota took Leah’s hand and pressed her palm against the compass rose so she felt his heart beat beneath it. The fast rhythm of it told her how much he wanted this night to happen too. “So when I was on an extended trip to Alaska, I got this tattoo. I told my mom she didn’t need to worry anymore because I’d always have a map with me.” He took her finger and traced the compass. “And she’d always be pointing me in the right direction.”
Leah’s eyes stung. “That’s beautiful.”
Dakota reached up and brushed away the tear that escaped down her cheek. “Your mom is always with you, Leah.”
