Page 81 of Playboy

Did she want to try one?Hell, she was already imagining how that gooey chocolate would taste so sweet.

She looked at Clover and quirked her eyebrow.

Clover threw her head back, laughing. “I guess that was a stupid question to ask you, considering one of the main ingredients was chocolate.”

Gabby snickered and reached for one of the small paper plates. She then used a spatula to scoop up a cookie and put it on her plate.

She didn’t care that it was still hot, she wanted that damn cookie. She brought it to her lips, and the sweet mix of chocolate and cinnamon filled her nose. She took one bite, and as soon as the sweetness hit her tastebuds, she couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped her lips.

Clover started fanning her face with her hand. “Damn, Gabby. I don’t know what was hotter. The heat from the oven or watching you eat that damn cookie.”

They both started laughing. Once Gabby got herself under control, she looked at Clover.

“This is delicious.”

“You better enjoy her desserts because that is all that she can make,” Jocelyn teased.

Gabby looked at Clover. “You don’t like to cook regular food?”

Jocelyn laughed even louder. “Oh, she tries to cook, but she sucks at it.”

Clover chuckled. “She’s right. I think I even burnt water once.”

Gabby laughed. “Come on, you can’t be that bad.”

“Wanna bet,” Jocelyn called out from the living room. “One Thanksgiving, her mom let her attempt to make the green bean casserole. When she brought it out to the table, it was tragically deflated, resembling more of a swamp than a side dish. It looked like it had given up on life hours ago.”

Clover nodded, though she was laughing too. “It’s true. It was awful. From that day on, my only responsibility during any dinner is dessert.”

After Gabby finished her cookie, she decided to really rest her leg. Pulling up her pant leg, she cringed as she popped her prosthetic off. But as she started to rub the stump, she closed her eyes as she began to feel instant relief.

When she opened her eyes, Amira was standing in front of her with her head slightly tilted to the side. The little girl looked worried, but she also looked like she had questions as she stared at Gabby’s leg.

Gabby hoped that her stump didn’t frighten Amira.

“Ms. Gabby, does your boo-boo hurt?”

Gabby smiled warmly at the little girl. “Sometimes. Like right now, it is a little sore.”

“Is that bad?”

“No. It just means that I probably overdid it a little too much today.”

“Mommy and Daddy said you were hurt protecting Daddy and my uncles from the bad guys. Daddy said that you were brave.”

She would take brave over stupid, as Alley had been overheard calling her.

“Being brave is just part of our job.”

“That’s not what daddy says.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. I heard Daddy telling Mommy that he’s seen some real chicken shits compared to what you did.”

“Amira!” Jocelyn gasped from her seat in the living room. “That isn’t a nice word to say.”

Amira leaned close to Gabby and cupped her mouth as if she was going to tell her a secret.

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