Page 71 of Fall With Me
I hold up three fingers in a scout salute. “I promise.”
Her lips twitch like she’s suddenly fighting a smile. “My kisses turned you into Smokey the Bear?”
I cock my head to the side, not following her meaning. “What?”
“He warns people about the dangers of unplanned human-caused forest fires. You jumping away from me prevented you from combusting. I think your nickname is now Smokey. You’re still a teddy bear through and through, but when we’re alone? You’reSmokey.” She says “Smokey” in a sultry tone.
Again,not helping, Chlo. “Smokey? I accept. You’ve got to admit, Smokey and 007 sound cool together.” And Smokey is way better than Bear.
Chloe smiles at me in a way that says she forgives me. And our conversation is helping me focus on something other than my body…and hers.
“Like we’re partners in crime.” She shakes her head. “No, we’re better together, not criminals. Special agents? Operational partners?”
“Secret intelligence officers?”
Her eyes get big and her face lights up. “Yes! I like it.”
“Should we test our climbing abilities in case we have to escape by scaling a cliff or castle wall?”
“Absolutely. We can’t let our training slide.”
Feeling more in control of myself, I take a step closer and say, “Thanks for understanding.”
Her face softens in a look conveying she gets it. Slowly, keeping eye contact with me the entire time, she takes a step forward. Then another. And another until she’s a foot away from me. “I appreciate you telling me instead of brushing it off. Let me know what I can do to help not push your limits.”
I grin at her. “Sucking at kissing would be a huge relief.”
She winces. “No can do, Smokey. We’ll just go slow and build your resistance.”
Slow and steady. An attainable goal. Placing a quick kiss on her forehead, I open the car door for her. “007.”
Getting in on my side, I drive us to the indoor climbing gym. Once I pay and we sign the waivers, we’re hooked up to harnesses. Staring up at the blue and gray wall towering above me, with different shapes and colors of handholds, my mouth goes dry. This is bigger than I expected. Am I about to make a fool of myself in front of Chloe?
“Want to make a bet?” Chloe asks, her fingertips grasping the fake orange rock in front of her.
I throw my head back and laugh. “I thought you were done with wagers after Cornbelly’s.” At least she lasted a few days before wanting us to compete again.
“Well, yeah, I learned not to make the consequence something I can’t do.”
I sigh, pretending I’m put out with her suggestion, though I need the competition to drown out my nerves. “What happens to the loser?”
Her head wobbles. “I’m torn between making dinner for the other person sometime next week or a foot rub. Do you have a preference?”
One truth I will never share with Chloe: I have ticklish feet.
I found out when we got a puppy when I was seven. Ginger loved licking feet. Not hands or faces. Stinky, sweaty feet. Every time I came in from playing outside, especially in the summer, Ginger would wait until I peeled my socks off then she went to town bathing my lower extremities with her tongue. She loved getting between my toes, which tickled the most.
“Dinner is enticing. Your breakfast was fantastic. I can’t wait to see what you do for other meals.”
She puts her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side. “You’re assuming you’ll win.”
Chloe’s fit, but my legs are thicker than hers. I’m banking on my quads propelling me faster up the wall. “No, I’m hoping for a night off from making Finn something to eat. Being the only one cooking gets exhausting.” Chloe also is the only one cooking for herself, but she can make whatever she wants and will eat it. Finn can be picky and his mind changes constantly.
“Well, dang, Smokey, when you phrase it like that, it makes me want to lose.”
My comment wasn’t meant to make her pity me, but I’d rather do laundry or wipe down the bathroom over cooking when Finn’s in a mood. If she’s offering to help, even for one night, I’ll do whatever it takes to win. “Your effort is all up to you.”
She sighs. “All right then. First one to ring the bell takes it?”
