Page 8 of Kitten Kisses

Calm down before you pass out.

“You can have a seat on the bench while I let Deputy Kingsman know you’re here.”

As Mort dialed, Alex turned and spotted the wooden bench against the wall, medium-sized potted plants resting on each side.

After leaving work, Alex had thought about calling Slater to set up his first fighting lesson but had chickened out.

What if he wasn’t any good at fighting? He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Slater with his pathetic attempts. While Slater was powerfully built, Alex struggled to lift the bucket of ice to refill the soda machine at work.

The central air circulating through the building made the smooth wooden bench cool against Alex’s jeans as he sat down, his palms slightly sweating with nerves. He fidgeted with the papers in his hands, the edges sharp against his fingertips.

Just be cool. Don’t do anything to embarrass yourself. Just give him the papers and set up a date and time for your lesson.

“You made it.”

Alex whipped his head around to see Slater heading his way. His mouth went dry, and he jumped up from his seat, thrusting out his arm to hand over the important statement. But in his moment of panic, the papers flew from his grasp and landed with a loud smack on Slater’s face then scattered across the floor like confetti.

Slater’s expression of shock was matched by Alex’s horror.

“Sorry!” Alex dropped to his knees and frantically scooped up the papers, hoping he hadn’t just given the deputy a million tiny paper cuts.

“I can honestly say I’ve never been assaulted by paperwork before.” Slater crouched down to help gather the pages. “What is this, your manifesto?”

Alex clutched the papers to his chest, eyeing the door for a quick escape. “No, it’s my statement.”

“This novel is your statement?” Slater raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You wrote all this from a brief encounter?”

“I wanted to be thorough, so I made sure to write down every little detail,” Alex argued.

Slater skimmed through a page and frowned. “We don’t need to know about the slushy machine whirring in the background or how the cold air blew from the vent above your head.”

“I’ve never written a statement before and wasn’t sure what was important. Forgive me for including all the details.” Alex snatched the papers from him.

“You’re the most observant guy I know.” Slater chuckled as he helped Alex to his feet. “Most people can’t even remember basic details, let alone get them written down. I’m impressed.”

Alex was unsure if Slater was mocking him or genuinely amazed. Either way, he couldn’t wait for this statement ordeal to be over.

“Let’s head to my desk.” Slater took the mound of paper from Alex and escorted him into a large, open room. “We call this the ‘desk couple’ section,” he explained, pointing to the butted-together desks. “It helps with communication and office romance.”

At the moment, only two were occupied. One of the deputies was Tattoo Sleeves.

Alex really needed to learn his name. He tried to spot a nameplate but didn’t see one.

Slater grabbed a chair by a long table with a mini fridge tucked under it. On top was a basket of snacks, and beside it sat a coffee machine.

It looked like the typical police station Alex had seen on numerous television shows.

“Have a seat, hummingbird,” Slater said when he wheeled the chair next to his desk.

Alex raised an eyebrow at the pet name but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he sat down and pressed his hands between his knees, covertly taking sniffs of Slater’s enticing cologne. “Are you sure I’m not intruding on your office romance space?”

Slater grinned. “I was joking about that. Besides, I’m the only single guy here.”

Was he dropping a hint? If Alex had even a sliver of a chance with him, he’d ruined it by assaulting the guy’s face with his papers. “I’m ready for your interrogation.”

“This isn’t an interrogation.” Slater dropped into his own seat like he didn’t weigh a ton, surprising Alex when the chair didn’t break. The dang thing had to be made of reinforced steel.

“If I’m going to be in a police station, I want the full experience.” Alex pursed his lips. “Though we can skip the jail cells.”

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