"What you did could hardly be called a kiss. That's why I had to give you a real one."
A sheepish look crossed her face. "Do you know why I kissed you?"
"You told me you didn't want to graduate from high school, never having been kissed."
"That was true but..."
"But what?" Daniel ducked his head to meet her lowered gaze. When she finally made eye contact with him, he asked, "Why did you really kiss me?"
"I was...jealous."
His head reared back. "Jealous? Of whom?"
"You'd spent all day talking about all the college girls you'd dated and hung out with, and I got jealous. I knew I wasn't as pretty and sophisticated as them, but I wanted to...stake my claim."
He held up a hand in protest. "First of all, you are plenty pretty, Pockets. Gorgeous, in fact. But what do you mean by 'stake your claim'?" Daniel's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Did you want to be more than friends? Or were you afraid I'd quit being your friend if I started dating someone seriously?"
His heartbeat pulsed loud and strong in his ears as he waited for her response.
She shrugged. "Before you kissed me, you made me promise not to tell anyone, especially not my family. I assumed you didn't want anyone to know because you didn't like me like that."
"I said that because I didn't want Robert and Jake to beat the crap out of me. They would have killed me if they found out I took advantage of their little sister."
She rolled her eyes. "You didn't take advantage of me."
"Maybe not, but you have to admit the kiss I gave you wasn't exactly a peck on the lips."
He'd planned on making a quick getaway that night after the dance because he was finding it so hard to fight his attraction to Riley, but when she admitted she'd never been kissed, no way could he walk away and let herdown. He'd gotten a little carried away, though. Not only did Riley get her first kiss, she also got a taste of French kissing.
"I never told anyone. Not even Paige."
"Really?" Daniel thought for sure she'd told Paige first thing the next morning. He'd always wondered why Riley's cousin never said anything to him.
"Four years later, and it's still one of the best kisses I've ever had." She gave a soft smile, but her gaze remained on the table where she continued to trace the edge of the Scrabble board.
Daniel sucked in a sharp breath. "That's a shame, because I've learned a lot about kissing since then."
Her gaze jumped to his, and they stared at each other for a long moment. Then without breaking eye contact, he reached out and took her hand. "You didn't answer my question. Did you want to be more than friends back then?"
She ducked her head again. "I kept telling myself it was just a silly teenage crush, but?—"
"You're not a teenager anymore, Ri."
She was twenty-two now. Had she really had a crush on him for four years?
Was that why she always came up with things for them to do in the evenings, even though they'd spent all day working together? Dancing at Scooters, riding four-wheelers, target practicing, watching a movie. He assumed she was bored because Paige was gone for the summer, playing nanny on the East coast, but each evening he spent with her made him fall a little harder.
We've wasted so much time.
"No, I'm not a teenager." Finally, she lifted her head. "And after spending sixteen to eighteen hours a day with you every day this summer, I'm pretty sure it's a whole lot more than a crush."
Daniel's chest expanded with a hopeful yet anxious feeling. He scooted his chair around the table until his leg pressed against hers. "I feel the same way. Question is: what do we do about it?"
"I don't want to ruin our friendship." Her hand tightened around his.
"Me either."
"But I want to date you. I want you to kiss me again, like you did four years ago." She pulled their clasped hands toward her.
