Page 13 of Kitten Kisses

He sat there feeling as if he’d just had an out-of-body experience. “Uh, yeah. Two nights off.”

Why did he want the beast to come back? Its pull had been so strong, and Alex still wanted it to claim his soul. What the hell?

“So do I. Do you want to try another lesson tomorrow?”

Alex forced himself to pay attention to Slater, to let go of something that couldn’t have possibly happened.

“But you’re not allowed to whine,” Slater added with a smile.

“I didn’t whine!” Alex huffed. “I was simply suggesting more enjoyable options.”

Still not fully recovered but he was getting there.

“You almost convinced me with the arm-curling snacks,” Slater teased.

Now Alex was back to crushing on the deputy.

“When’s my next lesson in embarrassment?” Alex picked up his drink and took a sip.

“Are you zoning out on me?”

For a good reason.

“We’ll just chalk it up to another embarrassing moment.” Alex smiled. “I’m on a winning streak.”

Slater reclined back and grabbed his glass. “I asked if you wanted to do another lesson tomorrow.”

He gaped at Slater then stopped himself from whining about an intense workout two days in a row. Alex wasn’t ungrateful. Slater had offered him lessons free of charge, and who better to teach him than a trained police officer with a body that showed he knew what he was doing?

Although Slater said he was homegrown, Alex was sure the guy also worked out. Genetics might have made him large, but only pumping iron produced those kind of muscles.

Forget about the beast.

“What time?” Alex’s voice didn’t hold any enthusiasm. He couldn’t muster it when he was dreading the exercise. But on the bright side, he would get another chance to try and maim Slater. Why not strive for a two-day streak of embarrassing moments?

Slater leaned toward him. “I tell you what, since you’re a beginner and I don’t want you overdoing it, why don’t we grab some breakfast instead? My treat.”

“What time do you want to meet?” Alex tried not to sound so eager, but that ship was leaving the port. “I’m used to third shift, so I’ll be up for the rest of the night. If you’re an early riser, we could meet around six or seven.”

“I’ll rise any time for you.” Slater’s nose wrinkled with a playful smile.

“Now I know you’re doing it on purpose!” Alex laughed. “I like your sense of humor.”

“Now you have to ask yourself if I’m just having a bit of fun with you or if I’m giving you clear signals.” Slater’s lips curled into a smug smile as he sat back.

Alex’s head snapped to the right as a sudden movement caught his attention. A large raccoon was sitting at the bottom of the porch steps, its beady eyes fixed on him. And to make matters worse, its paw was poised on the stairs as if it was about to climb them.

Alex had never been this close to a raccoon before, and he couldn’t stop himself from screaming.

Panic set in as he frantically tried to climb over the back of his chair to get away from the menacing creature. He knocked over his drink in the process but didn’t care as long as the raccoon stayed away.

The bulky animal seemed unfazed by Alex’s reaction.

“Calm down. She’s not going to hurt you, hummingbird.” Slater grabbed for Alex, but fuck that.

He wasn’t going to allow Slater to pull him closer to the dangerous pest. Raccoons carried diseases!

In a desperate attempt to put some distance between himself and the animal, Alex flung himself over the back of his chair—or at least that was his intention. But in his terror, he forgot to lift his legs and ended up folding over the back of the chair like a clothespin on a clothesline.

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