“You weren’t fooled at all? Not even a little bit?”
So much for that Hollywood agent who had sworn up and down she’d make a great actress.
“Not even a little bit,” Tate replied gently. “But it’s fine. It made me feel amazing that you were willing to go because you wanted to be with me. If anything, it made me love you more.”
“I’m sorry I’m acting like this. It’s all just a bit much. I think I got overwhelmed for a minute.”
“I had a feeling it wasn’t about the chocolate.”
“Except now I have to share the good chocolate.”
“I’ll buy you your own box,” Tate offered. “But that means I have my own box, too.”
“I guess that’s fair,” she sighed. “Maybe I could try a hazelnut again. Maybe I’ll like them this time.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But if you don’t like them, and I don’t like them, we’re going to have a lot of chocolates left over.”
“It sounds like a good problem to have.”
Cat’s gaze ran over the tidied clearing. It looked like they were ready to go.
“Is it time to leave then? This was an amazing evening. Thank you for going to so much trouble.”
“We don’t have to leave. We can stay here as long as you want. Cooper said we can spend the night, if you like. I can light a fire in the fireplace, and we can finish this bottle of wine.”
“Tate Winslow, if I’ve never said it before, I’m saying it now. You are a genius.”
They stowed the movie screen and other items in the mudroom of the cabin before kicking off their shoes and pouring two glasses of wine. Tate lit a toasty fire, and they threw some cushions down on the floor, cuddling together with her head resting on his chest. She could hear the beat of his heart under her cheek, strong and steady.
They didn’t speak for a long time, simply soaking up the moment and the closeness. His strong arms were wrapped around her, warm and protective. At a moment like this, they were the only two people on the planet.
The fire crackled and popped in the background, and the pitter-pat of raindrops on the roof grew louder. The sky had opened up, and it sounded like buckets of water were being dumped from above.
“Looks like we came in just in time,” Tate remarked. “I’m glad we pulled everything inside so it didn’t get ruined.”
“I love listening to the rain. It lulls me right to sleep.”
“Are you falling asleep on me? Am I that boring?” Tate teased.
“You’ve never been boring a day in your entire life.”
It was silly hyperbole in a way. Everyone had their dull moments, but there was something about this man that she found endlessly fascinating. Even when they were apart, she’d unconsciously compared every man to him.
They’d all come up lacking in some way. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it, but she could see it clearly now. No other man was Tate Winslow.
No words were spoken, but they didn’t need to be. Their lips met by silent consent, soft as a whisper at first. They both knew what was going to happen. It had been inevitable, of course.
The moment she’d walked back into this little town and seen Tate standing in the middle of Josh and Rachel’s living room, she should have known she’d end up here with him. This wasn’t the first time. They’d made love before, but this time it was…more.
They were adults, all grown up with grown-up lives and problems. Neither one of them was the type to hop into bed with someone casually. This meant something. It meant everything. It had all been building up to this moment.
Cat couldn’t have said who made the first move.
Tate’s fingers glided down the skin of her arm, raising gooseflesh and giving her the shivers with his mere touch, sending electric shocks through her body, and igniting a fire deep within her core. Cat leaned into him, her lips seeking his with an urgency she couldn't explain. She only knew that she needed to feel him as closely as possible. She never wanted them to be apart again.
He was as necessary as air and water to her well-being. He was the thing that had been missing from her life, but she hadn’t realized it until she’d come home.
