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“Have you been dating women with pulses?” She puffed out a breath in disbelief. “I mean, there’s no question you are sexy. I thought that the first time I saw you.”
A grin slid across his lips. “Really? The first time you saw me? At the school ceremony?”
Shit.Sleeping with him had broken all her filters. “We’d better get in there.” She pointed to the hall in front of them. “Noah’s waiting.”
“Oh, no you don’t.” He tugged her closer before she could open the passenger door. “You made me work so hard to get a date with you, but you thought I was sexy from the start.”
She looked down at his hand on her knee, his heat radiating up her leg and arrowing straight for her center. The center this man had awakened. “My eyes recognized you as sexy.” She fiddled with a loose thread on the sleeve of her fleece coat. “My brain had to grapple with some things before I could trust my eyes.” She met his sea-glass gaze. “And now my heart’s gotten involved. Let’s hope that’s not a mistake.”
He leaned forward and caught her mouth in a kiss that felt different than the fun-and-games ones they’d shared so far.
This one was… more.
“It’s not a mistake,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers. “I promise you, it’s not.” He nipped her lips once more. “Call me sexy again.”
She rolled her eyes. “C’mon. Noah’s waiting… sexy.”
Laughing, they both got out of the truck, and Dakota took her hand as they approached the front doors of the hall.
“Prepare for it to be ultra yellow inside this hall,” he said. “It’s Nana’s favorite color and she was specific about decorations.”
“Okay.”
That subtle warning wasn’t nearly enough. As soon as Dakota pulled open the door, yellow spilled out, bigger and brighter than the sun. Tall sunflowers in big buckets were the first thing to catch her attention.
“I’ve never seen this many sunflowers in one location.”
“Nana’s favorite flower along with favorite color. Two for the price of one,” Dakota said.
Before Leah’s mind could inventory all the yellow in the room, Luke rushed over to them, yellow streamers waving behind him as he ran.
“Hi, Dakota,” he said. “Hi, Miss Greenstead.”
Leah held her breath for a moment, wondering if the boy would question why she was with Dakota on a Saturday and holding his hand. When Luke didn’t, she relaxed a little and wiggled one of the streamers waving from his hand. “Spreading sunshine, are you, Luke?”
“Yep. Mom said Mrs. Williams wants this room to be ‘bathed in sunlight.’ I said she should have had the party during the day then instead of at night.”
“Our friend Luke here has a practical side, doesn’t he?” Dakota took one of the streamers and draped it around the boy’s neck. In a series of quick moves, he had fashioned a necktie.
Luke frowned. “Hey, adventure guys don’t wear ties. Rule number one.” He ripped it off and balled it up.
“What’s rule number two?” Leah asked.
“Explore every trail,” Dakota and Luke said together.
Dakota ruffled Luke’s hair. “Excellent, young Jedi.”
“Stop being Yoda,” Noah said as he walked over, “and get your ass on that ladder. Nana wants streamers from that center light to the edges of the room.” He pushed two rolls of yellow streamers into Dakota’s gut. “Hi, Leah. How’s your kitten?”
“Fey is wonderful.” And hopefully Carter had fed her while Leah had been enjoying Dakota’s company. She’d have to text him in a few minutes to make sure.
“Good. She seemed like a sweet critter. Glad she’s found a home.” Noah pointed at Dakota. “Dude, are you still standing here?” He tapped the streamers. “I gave you a job. Get on it.”
Dakota saluted his friend and started for the ladder set up under the central light fixture in the hall. “Don’t tell Leah anything bad about me.”
“I won’t,” Noah called back. “I’ll just give her a copy of the book I wrote titledThe Truth About Dakota Brenton.It’s a dark, dark tale.”
Dakota checked to see that Luke was with his mother fussing with table centerpieces then gave his buddy a middle finger.
