Page 47 of My Secret Santa Dallas

I leaned over to tuck the ends around us and caught a whiff of the intoxicating woody cologne wafting from his skin. I may have paused to inhale longer than I should have, I may have pressed myself into his side without his express permission—but Dallas didn’t push me away.

I needed to get my attraction to him under control before I did or said something inappropriate. Forcing my gaze away, I watched as the evening grew deeper. The lightsfrom the standing lamps glittered over the fresh snow, turning the white banks into something from a fairytale.

“When you were a kid, did you ever do something like this?”

“Nope,” he said. “I don’t think these were things we did back then.”

I sipped my coffee. “Funny enough, I’ve seen these rides in Manhattan, near Central Park, when we went on official business, but never once have I thought of getting on one. I guess I never really had anyone to go with, either.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “No swanky boyfriend?”

“They’d probably put three towels down before they even considered staining their Marc Jacobs,” I snorted.

“God,” he grunted. “What kind of assholes did you date?”

I sensed that was rhetorical. “What kind of girls did you date?”

“Date is strong for a continuous stretch of one-night stands,” he said. “If I had difficulty relaxing, do you think I had time to date?”

“Did you have a dog back in Cali?”

“No, I didn’t have a dog, cat, or a plant,” he said. “I tried once, and I swear the bush wilted before my eyes. I don’t think you found your dates on the grimy club floor.”

My mouth twisted, and my expression must have been enough for him to read my mind, because he chuckled. “The last time I’d been somewhere with a dance floor was my sophomore year in a club in Boca.”

“Yeah, I don’t see you as the regular club-going type,” Dallas said as we rounded a bend, and snow began fluttering again. “You’re the country club type of girl, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. Have you ever met a real-life prince?”

“I’ve met four,” I replied. “England, Denmark, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.”

“And none of them swept you off your feet?”

“Eh,” I shrugged. “You meet one prince, you’ve met them all. They kind of have the same playbook. Flash cash, expensive cigars, fast cars, and ridiculously expensive wine. Except for the Saudi, he flashed a massive white tiger.”

Dallas laughed, full-throated with his head thrown back. It was a beautiful sight. My eyes dropped to the side of his neck, the muscle strained and his pulse kicked.

I wanted to press my lips against it and feel the sound of his laughter, to stick my tongue out and lick it. He caught me looking at him, and I did nothing to hide the emotion heating my blood. His laughter quieted, ending with a sharp intake of breath.

Tension suddenly crackled between us. Dallas licked his lips, pressing them together briefly before clearing his throat. “What?” he asked.

“Do you know how handsome you look when you laugh?” I asked. “You don’t look like the grump we know you to be.”

“Don’t say a word about that,” he murmured. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

This part of the park came to the east end of Silverwood Lake, and God, it was beautiful. “Wes, stop a minute, please.”

“Sure,” the driver slowed the horses, and they stopped at the perfect lookout point.

The vista of the lake was laid out in front of us; a thin veneer of frost hid the deep blue of the water, the sparkling from the twilight sun made the ice look like faceted diamonds, the hills stacked beyond the north end, giant snowy peaks shooting skyward in the distance. Icould only imagine what moonlight would look like over the water.

With its rustic, simple charm, this was the most romantic moment I have ever been in.

My heart twisted.

“You okay?” Dallas murmured.

“No,” I whispered, turning to him. “I want to kiss you.”

I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in, but I waited until he caught on, and his eyes flickered to my lips as the tip of his tongue came out to wet his lips. I leaned in, pressing my lips to his as softly as possible. Before I could dream of deepening it, Dallas’ hand came up to hold the back of my head, and he slanted his lips over mine more deeply.

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