“Thanks for the welcoming committee,” he told her, nodding at Daniela.
Daniela pointed at the bright orange tent. “It was that or help Chloe with her tent.”
A young black woman, wearing a red bandana to keep her dark curls out of her face, stood up from behind it. “It is a complicated tent!” She grumbled something in French, then sighed before ducking behind her tent again.
Daniela went to join her, and Madison walked over to Simon and the mayor.
“Paul and Natalie are putting up a net. They’ll be back soon,” Madison told them.
Simon nodded at a backpack next to an unpacked tent. “More fun than putting up a tent?”
“Definitely.” Madison looked over at where Chloe and Daniela had finished. “But they’ll get round to it unless they want to sleep under the stars. The water isn’t boiling, so I can’t offer you coffee yet.”
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting any,” the mayor informed her. “And I’m sure this won’t be my only visit.”
Daniela walked up to them. “You’re interested in our research? What would you like to know?”
“Don’t ask her, you’ll be here all afternoon.” Chloe had joined them, and Daniela elbowed her while laughing. “You always take too long when presenting.”
“There’s too much to tell!” Daniela insisted, her Spanish accent becoming stronger in her enthusiasm. “Birds are too interesting!”
“Agreed,” the mayor said, smiling at Madison as well. “Maybe you can take turns telling me what you’re researching.”
“They could use practice presenting to a lay audience,” Madison mused.
Simon raised an eyebrow at that. “We already know a lot about birds, remember?”
“You could tell us more about the local birds,” Daniela enthused, while Chloe hung her head. Daniela beamed at Madison. “Right? Never disregard the knowledge of locals?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if this local knowledge is gonna be useful to us,” Madison told her. “C’mon, the water should be boiling by now.”
Simon reached for the plastic container in his grocery bag. “Then now’s a good time to give you this.”
“You didn’t have to get us anything.” Madison opened the container, revealing over a dozen muffins.
“Oh, they look good.” Chloe eyed Simon. “Did you make them or buy them?”
“I baked them earlier this afternoon.” That earned him an impressed nod from the French woman, while Daniela looked even more excited.
“You really didn’t have to bake us anything!” Madison laughed before offering the muffins to her two students.
“Just try them before you thank me.” He was more interested in Madison’s reaction, but Chloe and Daniela sounded pleased after their first bites.
Madison picked off a piece. “I can see apple.” She put it in her mouth and closed her eyes in bliss at that first taste.
He desperately wanted to kiss her, and it took all his self-control not to in front of the others.
“His mother regularly wins the baking contest at our harvest fair, so he has all the good recipes,” Mayor McFadden commented.
“You can have one too, if you like.” Simon smiled when she immediately took one.
Madison handed Chloe the container. “Simon, why don’t you join me to find Paul and Natalie? I don’t want them to miss out on these delicious muffins.”
Simon nodded. Going by the spark in her eyes, they’d be taking the long way round to find her two wayward students. “Good idea.”
“Don’t hurry back,” Daniela told them, taking a second muffin.
The mayor sat down in one of the foldable chairs around the stove. “And you two can tell me about your research while we wait.”
Madison set off down one of the trails, and Simon immediately went after her and took her hand. “Apple and cinnamon?” she asked.
“I wanted to do apple pie first, but muffins are easier to eat out here.”
She moaned as she took another bite, and the sound went straight to his groin. “These are really good.”
“I’m glad you like them. I didn’t want to visit empty-handed.”
We would not be an unworthy mate! his hawk insisted, although the bird also felt certain they could do better than baked goods.
When she finished her muffin, she licked the crumbs off her fingers, and he wished he could lick them off instead. He pulled her behind a tree to kiss her, tasting the apple and cinnamon as she pressed close and pushed him back against the tree.
“I missed you,” he breathed, nuzzling her neck.
“I saw you this morning.”
“Still missed you.” He kissed her, desire thrumming through his body.
She grinned up at him. “I missed you, too.”
They kissed again, her fingers running through his hair. He wished they weren’t in the woods. Or at least, that they weren’t in the woods with people nearby and waiting for them. “Can you come by tonight?”
She sighed, leaning against him. “No, I still need to go over everything with them before we get started tomorrow.”
She sounded as disappointed as he felt. “At least you’ll have my muffins.”
“Mm, I do.” Her hands slid down his back to squeeze his ass.
He laughed, kissing her again. He didn’t want to stop.
“I meant it,” she told him. “You don’t need to bring something whenever you visit. We’ve got groceries and plenty of snacks.”
He caressed her cheek. “But I want to.” She’d asked about it this morning and he knew he hadn’t done a good job of explaining. Wanting to feed and take care of her was an instinct he couldn’t ignore. He might as well try to ignore his need to breathe. “You deserve the best and baking muffins is pretty easy. What other kinds do you like? What do you like apart from muffins?”
“Surprise me.” She kissed him again. “But don’t feel pressured or—”
“I want to.” He’d repeat it as often as necessary. “I can’t be with you as much as I’d like, but at least you’ll have my food. I enjoy cooking for you. I enjoy baking for you. I enjoy watching you eat food I made.”
Her face turned increasingly red. “Okay.”
“Or is it too much?” He had to remember she wasn’t a shifter. “Too soon?”
“I like that you want to
