Page 31 of The Great Maple Mistake

“I am.” He squeezes my hips and gives me a quick kiss on the neck before making sure I’m steady on my feet.

My body is thrumming from his proximity, and I curse him under my breath. “Such a tease.”

He laughs and walks toward Kylee and Bella. “I’m serious, Kylee. You need to adopt this pup. She adores you.”

The handler from the shelter saunters over and clips the leash onto Bella. “I happen to have adoption papers with me. You can fill them out, and I’ll take them back with me when I leave.”

Kylee bites her lip and then grins. “Let me call Toni and see what she says.” She follows the worker toward their vehicle.

Cody turns back toward me. “Guess I’m up.”

My eyes drop to his cock and snap back up as soon as I realize what I’ve done. He’s grinning and winks at me, and I know I’ve been caught. Even though I’m responsible for my own actions, he doesn’t have to be so smug. “Charlie, would you get the spray bottle, please?”

Charlie makes a choking sound but scurries off to grab the sprayer. Cody raises one eyebrow and stares me down, slowly pulling the braces of his gear from his shoulders and yanking his navy blue T-shirt over his head, tossing it to the side. Fucking hell. Just like his damned face, with that aw-shucks smile and gentle gaze, Cody’s chest is perfection. Charlie rushes over and snags the shirt off the ground, keeping his eyes away from Cody, which is funny and absolutely correct behavior. I snort and roll my eyes at both Cody and myself. Possessive much? “Charlie, would you please spray Cody down with the water?”

Charlie’s head snaps around to stare at me, his eyes wide. “Huh?” His voice cracks, and I should take pity on him, but I don’t.

“Spray him down.” I make a spraying motion with my hand. “All over his chest, please.”

He gives me a deer-in-the-headlights look, and I feel a little bad for making him do this, but he did volunteer to help. When I don’t change my mind, Charlie visibly swallows and turns to face Cody, who holds his arms out to the sides, his eyes never leaving mine. When Charlie has Cody’s chest misted to perfection, I call him off. “Looks good, Charlie. Would you grab his turnout coat, please?” He scurries off to the sidelines like he’s being chased by Mabel.

“You spray me down to cover me up?”

“Trust me.” I know exactly what I want from this shot. “For this one, let’s go next to the building.” He shrugs and follows me, Charlie trailing behind us with Cody’s gear. “Okay, put on your coat.” Charlie holds it out, and I can see him stealing glances at Cody’s bare chest. Cody takes the coat and shrugs into it, leaving the front hanging open. “Okay, lean back against the wall like you’re casually hanging out with the guys.” I start taking pictures, moving around to shoot him from different angles. God, he’s beautiful. “Look to the right.”

He laughs. “Your right or my right?”

Fair question. “Your right. Grab the edge of your jacket and hold it away from your body like you’re airing it out.” I have an idea for some post-production smoke I could add, like his body is so hot it’s steaming. Which isn’t far from reality. I knowI’mabout ready to combust over here. “Perfect. Now, put one foot up on the wall behind you.” He does as I’ve asked, and, fuck me, the sexy factor ratchets up about a million percent. I hear Charlie make another choking sound. Yeah, buddy, I feel ya. “Okay, Charlie, can you grab Tux and give him to Cody?”

Cody’s expression switches from smoldering and sexy to boyish and excited. He holds out his hands the moment he sees the kitten. “Bring me my boy.” His slight baby-talk tone is adorable, and now it’s not just my body that’s melting. My heart is too. Cody takes the kitten from Charlie and nuzzles the side of his head. I shake myself and get back into work mode, bringing the camera up and snapping away. “Hello, Tux. You missed Daddy, didn’t you? You’re purring up a storm.” Oh god. My heart is going to explode from the cuteness.

Tux rubs his head against Cody’s jaw and then sets his paws on Cody’s shoulder. “Do you think he’d stay if you set him up there?”

“On my shoulder?” Cody shrugs. “We can try.” He looks at Charlie. “Will you stay close in case he decides to bolt?”

Charlie nods and locks his eyes on Tux. “We have Tux’s sister.”

Cody grins at him. “That’s right. Did you guys give her a name?”

His lips twitch like he’s fighting a smirk. “Mabel.”

Even though I mentioned the name to him a few days ago, Cody laughs like he’s hearing it for the first time. “Like the town cryptid?” Charlie grins and nods, then launches into a story about the kitten and her antics, now that she’s feeling better. Cody somehow manages to focus his attention on the story while still smoldering at the camera. “We’ll have to get them together and let them play.”

“Oh, I think she’d love that. I’ll mention it to Finn.”

Before Charlie starts to feel awkward again, I redirect their attention. “Okay, Cody, see if Tux will sit on your shoulder. Charlie, get ready to grab him if he tries to make a run for it.” I raise my camera and start shooting. It takes a few tries, but somehow, Cody gets Tux to sit and stay. “Okay, look at me, please.”

Cody turns, giving me a proud, genuine smile, and I swear Tux is smiling too. And looking smug. I get a dozen quick shots before Tux decides he’s had enough of perching on Cody’s shoulder. Cody lifts his arm, trying to keep the kitten in place, but he’s having none of it. As if a road has opened in front of him, Tux takes a stroll down Cody’s arm. I continue to snap pictures as Charlie laughs. When the kitten gets to Cody’s hand, he turns his palm over and Tux walks right into it. Cody pulls the little guy against his chest, keeping him safe. I snap a few more pictures and call it done. “I think I have enough shots from just this one session to make an entire calendar. That was amazing.”

“We make a great team.” Cody kisses Tux on the head and scratches behind his ears. The kitten leans into Cody’s fingers, eyes closing with pleasure. And now I’m jealous of a cat.

I lower my camera and walk toward them. “You do. Someone should write a children’s book about you two.The Adventures of Cody and Tux.”

“Alex! Cody! Come get some treats.” We both turn as Rae calls our names.

I look at Charlie and jerk my head toward the baked goods table. “Do you want something? I’m buying.” Charlie’s stomach growls, and I have my answer. “Come on.” He grins, and Cody and I follow him to the table. “Hey, Rae, Eleanor, Agnes, Lydia, Celia. Have you met Charlie yet?”

Rae waves me off. “Of course we have. How are you, Charlie?”

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