“Yeah. That reminds me I have to mow tomorrow before she gets there.”
His nose wrinkles in question. “She doesn’t like tall grass?”
I chuckle. “No, she does.” Shereallydoes. The kid isn’t afraid of anything, I swear, not even snakes. Though I about had a heart attack when she nearly stepped on a big black snake in the backyard last summer. She wanted to name it. “She just loves dandelions.”
I watch his face morph into deeper confusion. “So, you’re going to mow over them?”
“Well notallof them.” I laugh at him looking scandalized. “But they’re covering my yard, and the kid will cry if she sees me mowing them down. I have to cut the grass.”
He doesn’t look too certain about that. I think Amber and he would get along just great. “If you say so.”
I let out another hearty laugh. “Hey, I make sure to leave her plenty!”
“Sure you do,” he says, the teasing lilt to his voice only making me laugh more.
“I’m just supposed to not mow all spring and summer, huh?”
He shrugs, stroking Mavis’s head. “I mean...” It’s nice seeing this side of him, but soon he’s become pretty quiet and serious. I wonder what’s going on in his head but don’t have to wait for long. “Gabe?”
“Hmm?” I ask.
“The other night . . . trivia.”
He stops, his voice barely above a whisper, and I move a little closer to him, pleading silently with him to continue. “Yeah?” I watch as he takes a deep breath.
“Was that a date?” My eyes widen in surprise that he’s asking, but I think he takes it the wrong way because he hurries to say, “Because it’s fine if it wasn’t. I didn’t really think it was, but I... well, I mean your friends were there, so of course it wasn’t.”
“Dakota,” I stop him from rambling and smile, putting my hand on his that’s resting on his thigh.
“Yeah?” he squeaks.
“I wanted it to be a date,” I say firmly because hell yeah, I wanted it to be a date. Maybe I chickened out by inviting friends. Maybe I don’t understand it. But yeah... I wanted it to be a date.
“Oh,” he breathes, staring into my eyes.
And I can’t take it anymore. I have to have a taste. I wrap my free hand around the back of his head, feeling his soft, short hair glide through my fingertips as I lean in slowly, giving him every opportunity to stop me. But he doesn’t.
The hand he was petting Mavis’s head with moves to my chest, but not to push me away. He leans into me, and I can’t wait another second. I move forward, brushing my lips over his, softly at first. A brief glance of our lips against each other, but the spark is instant.
My entire body lights up, and my fingers flex, gripping his hair as I pull him into me. I feel his fingers clenching my shirt as I kiss him harder, my lips melding with his in a bruising kiss.
He isn’t hesitant or submissive like I expected. His fingers grasp my shirt as he kisses the hell out of me, his tongue parting my lips and sweeping inside. I’m desperate for him, my entire body alive and begging for more. I turn so I can have better access to him, one hand in his hair, the other sliding over his firm chest over the fabric of his hoodie. His tongue strokes mine and makes my cock throb in my sweats.
Holy. Shit.
I never even thought about kissing a man before, but now, I’m pretty sure I’m obsessed with kissing this man. I want to taste every part of him. I lick into his mouth and then take my time just tasting his lips, ravenous for him. I’m just about to lift my hoodie off, not caring that it’s cold, but needing my skin to touch his when I hear a loud howl.
We both pull away and look at Mavis and a blob next to her. A wet slimy thing. “Oh my God,” Dakota gasps. “A kitten.”
I smile as Mavis goes to work freeing her little one and cleaning it up. “Yeah.” I smile. “Good job, girl,” I say, petting her head gently but still clinging to Dakota.
We turn to look at each other again, his lips swollen and his cheeks flushed. I can’t see much out here, but I can see that,and a pure feeling of satisfaction fills me. We settle next to each other, my hand on his thigh as we do our best to give Mavis encouraging words to get through birthing her first litter.
When all is said and done, Mavis has four little kittens nursing on her as she lies there, exhausted but looking pretty content.
“Wow,” Dakota says, a serene look on his beautiful face. “They’re really cute, huh?’
“They are,” I say, not bothering any of them and letting them bond, but it’s hard to look away from their little faces and Mavis. “You did good, girl.” I say, petting her head. She purrs and leans into my touch. “What are you going to name them?” I ask Dakota, and he sighs, leaning back against his house like he’s exhausted. I suppose he did have a pretty late night. It’s almost four in the morning now.
