“Don’t do that,” Jace complained as he shifted forward and pulled her into his arms.
Instead of pulling away like she usually did if somebody touched her, she leaned into the hug, wrapping her arms around him.
“I don’t care about any of that,” he whispered into her ear. “Maybe we won’t have children and travel the world. Maybe we’ll adopt ten children. Whatever my future holds, I want to share it with you.”
Millie broke down a little at that, but Jace just held her tighter, whispering sweet nothings to her until she fell asleep.
Chapter 31
By the time the fire burned low, so did Blade’s resolve. Above him, the stars shone brightly, the moon in the shape of a sickle. Blade sat by the fire, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Africa and Riot were close by, chewing on some long grass. Across from him, Dakota lay on her bedroll, staring up at the night sky.
They had reached Houston, but since it was late, they decided to set up camp for the night. Tomorrow, they would go look for Austin and hopefully find Maxwell, too. Blade watched Dakota, taking in every detail—the way the fire lit up her face, her long eyelashes, her hand casually resting on her Colt. Realizing he was in love with her had caused him a lot of confusion, but there was no denying it. Dakota was his best friend, but she had become so much more than that.
Blade had never been interested in a woman before. Revenge and training had been his only focus. The feelings he had for Dakota were completely raw, very confusing, and undeniable. He had been trying really hard to push them away or to simply ignore them, but it wasn’t working.
Deciding that he had to do something before he drove himself mad, he stood up and walked over to Dakota, sitting down next to her.
“Are you okay?” Dakota asked, sitting up. She looked worried.
Blade nodded. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”
“About facing Austin?”
“No.” Blade shook his head. “I’m excited about that. I’m nervous about right now.”
Confusion washed over her face. “What do you mean?”
Blade didn’t know how to say the words. So instead, he simply acted on what he felt. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers. Dakota didn’t move. He had no idea how she would react and half expected to get punched in the face.
He was just about to pull away and start apologizing when her lips started to move, melting against his. Blade had never kissed anybody before and didn’t know what he was doing, but it felt good. He moved his lips faster, eager for more. Dakota moaned softly and grabbed his shoulders, slipping her arms around his neck.
It felt like his whole body was starting to take flame. Rising from the pit of his stomach was an overbearing senseof happiness. It was new but oh so welcome. Blade reached out, his hands finding Dakota’s hips as she moved onto his lap. This time, he moaned, and he could hear her laughing as she pulled back slightly, parting their lips.
Her eyes found his—dark but brighter than the moon and stars. “You were nervous about kissing me,” she stated, but it sounded more like a question.
“I was nervous about getting punched in the face and losing my best friend.”
“You’ll never lose me,” Dakota assured him. “Punching you in the face is still on the table.”
Blade moved forward, adjusting his position under her so that he could pull her body closer to his. Their lips met again. “Why do you want to punch me?” Blade asked between kisses.
Dakota pulled away again, her lips swollen from the kiss. He had never seen her look more beautiful.
“Because,” she replied, “you’ve been acting strange, had me worried that something was wrong.”
“Sorry,” Blade whispered. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you and didn’t know how to tell you.”
Dakota shifted on his lap, straddling him with her legs. “You should have told me sooner,” she said, leaning in closer.“We could have been doing this a lot sooner.” She pressed her lips against his, her hands finding their way into his hair.
Blade kissed her back longingly. It was even better than he could have ever imagined.
***
Sleeping under the stars with Dakota in his arms was something that Blade would never forget. It was the best night of his life. If he were to die today, he would die a happy man, knowing that the woman he loved returned his affections. Some said that love made you weak, but that was not true at all. If you love the right person, that love can encourage you to be a better person and to dream bigger. That is what Dakota did for Blade. Before, he had never thought much about what came after revenge. Now, as they followed Mrs. Cassidy through the streets of Houston, it was all Blade could think about.
“You need to get your head in the game,” Dakota said from beside him. “You’ve been distracted since we woke up.”
Blade smiled as he looked her up and down. “Can you blame me?”
