Page 68 of The Falcon and the Foe

He pulled two plastic forks from the paper bag.

I snapped open the plastic case and gazed down at the pie.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Eating dessert first.”

He opened and closed his mouth and blinked at me as if I was performing telekinesis. “Eating dessert first?”

“Live a little.” I nudged the pie on the coffee table.

He dug his fork in.

“So, what’s up?” I leaned back in the armchair, cool as a cucumber. This was a business meeting, essentially, no matter what the boner in my pants thought.

Russ took out a neat stack of paper clipped at the corner. “I typed up a plan last night for badge progression, starting with badges for safety and camping since that encompasses the bulk of their skills to date.”

Was there a badge for resisting the urge to jump someone’s bones? Asking for a friend.

“Let’s get all the badges.”

“It will give the kids a sense of pride. And the scout leader in Eastbrook always brags about how many badges his Falcons get, so it’d be nice to beat him.” Russ flashed a competitive half-smirk. He had a down and dirty side I was itching to see. “Anyway, I want us to be on the same page about this.”

I held up his stack of papers. “Literally.”

“I was thinking of creating a monthly schedule centered around a theme. We can tie in fun activities but also make sure they’re on track to earn badges.” Russ took another sip of water and grabbed a coaster from the bottom shelf of the table. I had forgotten those were there, a housewarming gift from Buzz. He put his glass down. “What do you think?”

The plan made logical sense and was something we could’ve talked about on the phone. In my eyes, it didn’t require a meeting, but it was obviously important to Russ. And I’d take any excuse to look at him because I was a shameless individual with a thin layer of self-control.

“I mean, yeah. That works. I trust you, Russ. You know this stuff better than me, so you can have your way with me—it.” I gulped hard. “I mean, do what you want.”

To me!!!!

I chugged my water. It kept my mouth from speaking.

“I appreciate that, but this is a partnership.” His eyes gleamed at me, and I became very aware that we were alone together. His knees pointed toward me, diminishing the space between us. I clenched my hands on my knees, telling myself to be calm and cordial.

“A partnership,” I repeated, heart pounding.

“I want us to be in agreement.”

“We are. I agree.”

“Great.”

“Excellent.”

“Fantastic.”

“Kiss me.”

“What?”

My calm, cordial self dove out of my seat and onto Russ like a linebacker tackling an opponent. Our food and drink tumbled across the carpet.

I kissed the life out of him. His lips reawakened every feeling from the woods. It was better than I remembered.

Russ pushed me back, eyes wild and hungry. He was about to say something, but instead, he pulled me down for more. We skipped the pleasantries and went straight for hardcore making out. He wrapped his hands tight in my hair and pulled me close.

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