“Don’t make me cry,” I warn, trying to smile through it. “I’ve already hit my emotional limit for the day.”
My heart’s pounding so loudly, I’m sure Clint can hear it. But he doesn’t move, just stands there, waiting, trying to figure out if he’s on the right page.
Before I can process it, Clint’s hand is reaching out to me, and my brain short-circuits. His fingers brush mine lightly, and something clicks between us.
This time, I don’t wait for him to make the first move. Instead, I slide my hand into his, and,bam, we’re in this weird but wonderful bubble of chemistry.
“Clint,” I start, but the words die on my lips as his thumb brushes over my knuckles.
His gaze drops to my mouth.
I’m on my feet without quite meaning to be, his chair scraping softly as he stands too.
“Dakota…” He says my name, testing it out, and then before I can breathe, he’s kissing me.
At first, it’s all sweet, a kiss you would expect from a first date. Soft, a little shy, almost like we’re both figuring out the rhythm of this new thing.
But it’s not a first-date kiss. It’s more like two people who’ve been dancing around each other for way too long and are finally done with all the pretense.
He deepens the kiss, tilting his head, one hand finding the small of my back, pulling me in closer. I’m not sure what I’m doing anymore, but my hands are suddenly tangled in his shirt, and I’m leaning into him like I don’t have a care in the world.
He groans into my mouth, a sound that goes straight through me and hits a part of me I didn’t even know needed it. Clint’s fingers are warm against my cheek as he moves me back just enough to look me in the eye, his forehead resting against mine, both of us breathing heavily now.
“Wow,” I murmur, because honestly, wow.
I wasn’t expecting that. Not after everything we’ve just talked about. But the chemistry? Still unreal.
“I’ve got to go.” He shifts slightly, backing away, but his eyes never leave mine. “But I’ll be back tomorrow. To take Charlie to the park with you. If that’s okay with you.”
I nod, but I can’t help the silly grin that spreads across my face. “Yeah, that’s totally okay. About ten?”
“Perfect. Ten on the dot. See you then.”
“Goodnight, Clint,” I say softly, watching him step out into the night.
And as I close the door behind him, I can’t help but smile.
Tomorrow, he’s coming back to take Charlie to the park. Tomorrow, we start actually parenting together.
Charlie won’t be informed right away, of course, but we’ll be moving in the right direction. And I never thought we’d get to that place.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Reid
“How doyou think it’ll go?”
We’ve hyped Clint up, let him know it’ll all go well, but I have to admit I’m actually a little worried. I just can’t help it.
Sawyer glances over at me, the usual calm in his eyes, but there’s something in his face that says he gets where I’m coming from.
This is huge. There’s no way it won’t at the very least be life-changing.
He takes a breath. “Honestly? I think they’ve got this. I mean, they both want to put Charlie first, and that’s the most important thing.”
“Yeah, but it’s not just about Charlie. It’s about everything else, too. Their past, all the mess with the ranch, hell, even us being here for them…”
With the way things have been recently, we can’t deny that this could very well have an impact on all of us.
