Page 36 of Ethan

"You looked deep in thought."

"Rehashing the past."

"Anything you need to talk about?"

I'd need to tell Daniel about my moods—eventually. A sexy weekend together didn't seem like the time. "Nothing that can't wait." I turned in his arms and brushed my fingers across his lips.

"Am I permitted one of those kisses yet?" Daniel's gaze was full of need.

I grinned at him. "Still heating them."

Daniel pulled me tighter into his arms, rocking me back and forth. "I oughta spank you."

I giggled into the shoulder crease of his thick coat. "Now, you're talking."

He separated us to arm's length, gripping my shoulders, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah?" When I nodded, I swear, a shiver ran up his spine. It appeared he liked that idea.

Noted.

"Are the steaks ready?" I asked.

Daniel groaned and smiled at me. "What steaks?"

"Ha ha."

"I'll lift them off." Daniel went over to the barbeque, clicked it off, and put our steaks on a plate. My stomach grumbled as he set the perfectly cooked meat on the table. Wafts of visible steam rose off the food. The air was getting chillier as the evening advanced.

I must have shivered.

"Are you cold?" asked Daniel.

"I should have brought a warmer coat."

Daniel swung his legs over the picnic table seating. "I'll get you something better." A few seconds later, he came back with a padded tartan coat like his. I slipped out of my inadequate jacket and into the coat he brought me. I grasped the material and sniffed the collar.

It smelled like Daniel. Woodsy and fresh.

I kept the collar to my nose, breathing in and out, and held Daniel's gaze. I could keep inhaling the scent of him forever. I pressed my lips together, carried away, and whimpered.

His mouth popped open and hung there.

We wouldn't be able to keep playing this game of seduction for much longer.

"Food is getting cold," I said, abandoning my grip on the collar. I had cut and eaten my first piece of steak before Daniel moved. When he did, his hold on his cutlery was shaky.

"How's the steak?" he managed.

"Perfect."

"I'll start a fire after we're done. Warm you up a bit."

I had much more entertaining ways in mind to warm myself, but I was going to take Owen's advice. Go at Daniel's speed. He wanted to enjoy a campfire with me. It made him even sexier because he wanted to share his world with me. We had all night to find our way between the sheets.

"What were you like as a kid?" I asked as I swirled a piece of potato through the juices left by the rare steak. "We've talked about what a rebel you were as a teenager."

"I kept to myself mostly. My dad didn't like a lot of noise in the house."

"Opposite of my house. My sisters were always screaming about something."

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