When he released her arms to delve one hand into her hair and pull her closer with the other, she wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck. As soon as his mouth drew close to hers, she turned her head and claimed his lips in the long awaited kiss she’d dreamed of all day.
Daniel's kisses never failed to take her breath away. They made her feel complete and whole. Every time she was in his arms, she knew she was where she was meant to be. He was her best friend and better half.
She loved everything about kissing Daniel. The rasp of his whiskers when he went a few days without shaving. The confidenceof his strong hands in her hair, on her hips, or splayed across her back. The warmth that flooded over her every time she was in his arms.
They were both breathless by the time the kiss ended, so when he continued to hold her in his embrace for several long moments, she gratefully lingered.
“You’re not mad at me for asking Jake to make you ride out here in the cold are you?”
He chuckled. “Did that kiss feel like I was mad?”
“No.”
Between his kiss and the fire that finally warmed the cabin, she feared she might combust. She anticipated a lot more kissing throughout the evening, but it was best to put a little distance between them for now.
She smiled up at him before stepping out of his embrace. "Have a seat, and I'll dish up dinner."
"Dinner?" He pulled out his phone. "It's only three in the afternoon."
"Yeah." She grimaced. "I didn't plan all of this in a very timely manner, did I?" She shrugged, then turned in a half circle. "If you want, we can play Scrabble before dinner."
"Scrabble." His eyebrows rose, and she hoped he was remembering the last time they played Scrabble together in this little cabin. He looked around, his gaze landing on the extra blankets on the beds. He cleared his throat. "Are you planning on us spending the night here again?"
"It's up to you. If you don't want to spend the night, we can hurry and eat then pack up so we can make it home before dark." She’d looked forward to a quiet evening with just the two of them, but now, a sudden onset of nerves hit her, filling her with self-doubt. Had she overstepped in assuming he'd want to spend the night here with her?
He reached out and slowly pulled her back into his arms. "Do I get to hold your hand again while we sleep?"
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you can beat me at Scrabble.”
He groaned. “I never beat you at Scrabble. You’re better with words than I am.”
She rocked up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I promise I’ll go easy on you.”
“Fat chance of that. You’re as competitive as you are impatient.”
Her mouth dropped open as she pretended to take offense, then she smiled and shrugged. “You’re right.”
“Fine. Let’s do this.” He picked up his coat. “I’m going to go unsaddle Rebel and put him in the lean-to. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Riley barely had time to clear away the candles and the place settings from the table and lay out the Scrabble board before he returned.
Daniel clapped his hands as he took his seat. “Hope the food will keep for a bit because I’m about to beat you at Scrabble.”
“Give it your best shot cowboy.” Riley bit back a smile. No matter who got the most points, she was sure to win tonight.
Although she was eager to use the tiles she'd stashed in her pocket, Riley decided to take her time and play the tiles she drew for the first few rounds. She almost laughed out loud when she drew the letters necessary to spell family. Maybe she'd get lucky and be able to spell the words she wanted without having to cheat.
She sucked in a sharp breath two turns later when Daniel added O-V-E to the L in family. Her gaze jumped to his. Was he playing the same kind of not-so-hidden messages game she was?
He smiled and winked at her.
She studied her tiles, searching for letters to form the perfect word. The best she could come up with was to add T-R-U to the E in love.
"Good one." Daniel's low voice sent a shiver of awareness shooting through her.
