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He ran a finger down the lovely slope of her nose. “Must be.”
After declining dessert because all four of them were stuffed to the brim, Carter and Dakota sorted out the bill then led the women to a scenic overlook by the falls. With a quick glance to his sister, he silently communicated with her.
“Carter,” Dena said. “Let’s check the falls from farther down, if you’re interested.”
Dakota didn’t miss the way Carter’s gaze darted to Leah first. When Leah gave him an encouraging nod, however, he followed Dena, his arm going around her shoulders as they walked away.
“That seems to be going nicely,” Leah said as she leaned against a railing in front of the falls. The low rumble of the cascading water captured her words, but Dakota still heard them.
“Yeah, and Dena is super choosy so Carter should be impressed with himself.”
“Are you okay with how much Dena seems to like Carter?” She stretched her arms out and rested her hands on the railing behind her. Her causal lean combined with her outfit and her hair and her body and those boots… damn, she resembled a magazine centerfold. He desperately wanted to pull out his phone and take a picture, but he probably wouldn’t be able to capture the special magic that was all Leah.
“Dena is a big girl,” he started. “I don’t always remember that, but she’s a good judge of character. She also rarely does anything she doesn’t want to do.”
“Unless she owes someone?”
“I think I could have gotten her to come even if she didn’t owe me for fixing her car.” Dakota came to stand beside Leah, but he faced the falls instead. “She and Jacy are… more than what the guys around here are worthy of having.”
“That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You’re a good brother.”
“Most of the time. I’m sure both of my sisters have their stories of times I was a royal pain in their asses.”
Leah turned to face the falls as well. The lights reflected off her skin, turning her purple, teal, and magenta.So beautiful.
“What about your friend, Noah?” she asked. “He seems like a nice guy. I only talked to him once when I got Fey, but I got a good vibe off him.”
“Noah is a great guy, and I’d be thrilled if he wanted to date one of my sisters, but he’s hung up on Krista.”
“Luke’s mom?”
Dakota nodded. “He won’t pursue her though because her husband, Elijah, was our good buddy. He was deemed missing in action years ago. We all assume he’s dead, but Krista hasn’t let go of the possibility that he’ll show up on her doorstep one day.”
Leah’s brows crinkled. “Poor Luke. I had no idea that’s what happened to his father.”
“He was only four when Elijah was reported missing. He knows his father was a soldier, but he doesn’t have any sticking memories of him, you know?”
“Looks as if he found someone to make dad-like memories with though.” She interlaced her fingers with his on the railing, and before he could think too much about it, he’d corralled her between his arms in front of him, both of them facing the falls. She didn’t seem to mind the close proximity. Lord knew he didn’t mind.
“I like spending time with Luke. He’s a great kid.” Dakota breathed in Leah’s lavender scent as he nuzzled her ear with his nose.
“A great kid. Yes.” Leah’s voice had grown husky with his touch.
“Is this okay?” he whispered.
She turned around in his hold, her hands skating up his chest to hook onto his shoulders. With the lit falls behind her again and a little breeze fluttering her hair about, he wasn’t sure he couldnotkiss her.
“This is okay.” Leah pulled him down so his mouth was level with hers. “I want this, Dakota. I want you.”
He didn’t need to be told twice.
****
Leah should be more depressed, more exhausted, more devastated after sharing the story of her family and Chase with Dakota, but she didn’t feel any of those. In fact, standing here kissing him with the beat of the falls behind them was exhilarating. She felt more alive right now than she had in a long, long time.
Dakota’s kiss brought her entire body online with a jolt of electricity that woke her up. The way one of his strong hands cupped the back of her head while the other one pressed against the small of her back created a sense of safety nearly foreign to her. It’d been forever since she’d felt safe. She’d suffered first hand because the world was not a safe place and though Maplehaven was no big city with tons of people, she could never shake the feeling that a horrific tragedy could happen without warning.
Except for right now. The only thing that would be tragic right now was if Dakota stopped kissing her. In an effort to make sure that didn’t happen, Leah held him a little tighter, her arms wrapped around his back, and she deepened the kiss. Her lips parted to invite him in and he took advantage of her hospitality, pressing her into the railing behind her. She didn’t mind being trapped between his warm, hard, muscular body and the cool steel of the railing. It was high time she allowed herself to be in that situation, that moment.
