"Let's try again, please," she whispered as she leaned into him.
Her warm lips grazed against his in a feather-light kiss that was little more than a whisper. The contact sent a ripple of sweet pleasure cascading through him. An energizing sensation that didn't stop until it reached his toes.
He should push her away and put an end to the kiss, but making the right choice was not one of his strengths, and he sure didn't want it to be now. Not when Riley's lips were on his. Besides, he'd never been good at telling her no. She was his weakness. Well, his first weakness, alcohol had become his second.
Her lips pressed more fully against his as she leaned against his bare chest and slid her hands over his shoulders. Desire ignited in him, and he ached to pull her closer—to crush her against him—andclaim her mouth in a kiss that was far less sweet and much more passionate. But the last thing he wanted was to upset her and put an abrupt end to this delicious torment.
Exercising every ounce of self-control he possessed, he settled his hands on her waist. He couldn't afford to let them roam no matter how badly he wanted to. It didn't take but a moment, however, for them to gather the fabric of her oversized t-shirt into his balled fists as her mouth continued to nip and nuzzle at his in a tantalizing dance of want and need with a sprinkling of pent-up emotion.
He had the potential to break her heart in more ways than one, so he shouldn't be enjoying the kiss so much, but he felt powerless to stop. To lose contact with her. Because now that he'd experienced her kiss again, he knew the craving for more would never go away. It would make his battle with alcohol feel like a walk in the park.
The rough bark digging into his back only emphasized the softness of her lips and the teasing tangle of her fingers in his hair. It would be so easy to lose himself so completely with this woman.
A loud guttural sound filled the air, and Riley jerked away.
Struggling to catch his breath, Daniel looked up to find Jake standing only a few feet away, a grin as big as the Joker's on his face.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I left my hat in that tree." He stepped close and reached over Daniel's head to pull his cowboy hat from a V in the branches.
He and Riley shared a surprised look. Her lips pinched as though she held back a laugh.
Jake paused before walking away. "I'm glad to see you guys are working things out, but tread lightly." He motioned to them with his cowboy hat. "You're both dealing with your own trauma. Trauma that can quickly grow worse if this goes south." He looked directly at Daniel now. "Take it slow." Then he turned to Riley. "And don't play games with him by starting something you aren’t willing to see through."
Her mouth dropped open. "I am willing."
"Good. I'm worried about both of you." He looked back and forth between them. "Keep a perspective on each other's struggles as well asyour own." Then he looked at Riley again. "I understand that Daniel is a safe space for you, but don't toy with his emotions." He focused his attention back on Daniel now. "Just because Riley can tolerate a kiss doesn't mean she's ready for a serious relationship yet."
Riley slapped Jake's shoulder. "You told me you'd be okay with us getting back together. And now you're saying you don't think I'm ready for a relationship?"
When did Jake tell her that?
"I am okay with you getting back together, but you two have been down this road before. It didn't end well last time, and you were both hurt. I don't want that to happen to either of you again. You're both carrying additional baggage you didn't have last time, so take it slow. Don't start something that you aren't prepared to see through."
Baggage.
Daniel had baggage alright. Baggage that could come knocking on his door someday and destroy the happiness he hoped to find with Riley. It wasn't fair to her to saddle her with the mistakes of his past.
Jake took a deep breath, then let out a sigh. "Okay, lecture over. For what it's worth I hope things work out between you two. You both deserve to be happy." He wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them in for a quick hug.
Riley's face registered the surprise Daniel felt.
Jake released them then smothered a yawn as he walked away.
"Jake's right," Riley said, shifting from one foot to the other again. "We should probably discuss what we both want before we 'experiment.’" She made finger quotes when she said experiment.
"Jake is absolutely right." Daniel backed away from her. "We have a lot of baggage we didn't have before. I should never have kissed you last night or this morning." He turned and walked away.
"Now who's the one playing games?" Hurt laced her words.
He spun around. "It's never been a game for me, Ri. Never."
"Then why are you walking away?"
"To protect you."
"From what?"
"From me. You deserve a better man than me."
