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Charlotte giggles and Anna finally lets a bit of laugh slip out.

I look down and cringe, realizing the bottom of my burrito split open and spilled a chunk of its contents out onto my shirt.

I chuckle and set it down again. “And that… is how we stay humble. Excuse me, ladies. I’ll be right back.”

I dip my head down and walk toward the laundry room in the back of my bathroom — though, laundry closet is probably a better term. There’s a basket sitting on top full of small, unfolded towels. I search my memory, wondering if they’re washed or not. I grab one and smell it. It’s clean.

“Hey, Milo.”

Anna stands in the doorway, still fighting the smile from taking over her face.

“Hey,” I say, wiping the mess off my shirt. “So, I totally meant to do this.”

“Oh, really?”

“Anything to make the kid laugh. Am I right?”

She steps in, her hands stiff at her sides. “Thank you for making her breakfast,” she says. “That was really sweet.”

“It was no problem,” I say. “My pleasure, honestly. She’s… she seems like a really cool kid.”

“She is — but I’m biased, so…”

I chuckle. “Yeah. Me, too. I guess.”

Anna fiddles with her index finger. “Milo, can I ask you another question?”

I toss the towel away. “Sure.”

She moves just a little closer and I pause, my eyes falling to her bottom lip pinched between her teeth. They press together again, but she’s not holding back a laugh this time.

“You in there?” I ask.

“Kiss me again,” she says.

I smirk. “That’s not a question, Detective.”

She moves closer, so close I can almost feel her body heat. “Will you kiss me again?” she asks.

My tongue taps the roof of my mouth, but I hold it back. “Why?” I ask.

“Because…” She looks down as I feel her fingers barely graze the front of my shirt. “Because I felt something last night and I need to know if it was just alcohol-laced adrenaline or not.”

My face burns. “Yeah. Sorry. Men can’t really control that…”

Her eyes grow wide. “No! No, not… I didn’t feel that. I actually didn’t know that you…”

I wince. “Oh.”

“Thanks, though,” she says. “That’s a compliment, I think.”

“It was!” I nod. “It was a very big… compliment.”

She smiles and my knees lurch. Her fingers put the slightest pressure on my abs, making the skin ignite beneath my shirt. “So, if the moment isn’t completely dead now… will you?”

“Not dead,” I say. “Moment still very much alive. Though, I gotta say, I kind of prefer it when women take charge and just go for it⁠—”

“I haven’t done this in over five years.”