Briar grinned at her, chest heaving. ‘This is meant to be a thank you. So if you don’t mind…’
She ducked her head, lips trailing down to Alice’s chest. Briar pushed up Alice’s tank top, mouthing at Alice’s abdomen and lower still.
Finally, Alice’s brain caught up with Briar’s words. ‘You don’t have to— Oh, holy shit.’
And then she couldn’t argue anymore.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Briar asked her afterwards, playing with Alice’s hair.
‘That I didn’t get a s’more at the campfire,’ Alice said wistfully. ‘The campers wouldn’t leave me alone. They needed to tell me every detail about the mushrooms they found during their hike.’
‘They love you,’ Briar cooed.
‘No, they love mushrooms, which is honestly better,’ Alice said. ‘I hope I’ve just created a new crop of mycologists.’
‘I’d study mushrooms if it was you teaching.’
A few seconds passed and then Alice sat up suddenly.
‘Oh no,’ Briar said, but a smile was blooming on her face. ‘That’s your scheming face.’
‘Do you want to sneak into the kitchen and make s’mores?’ Alice asked, grinning at her. ‘Like we used to?’
Briar shook her head slowly, but Alice could tell she was just playing the part. ‘I’m too old for those sorts of unlawful activities. I’m reformed now. No one can pull me into the world of crime again.’
‘Not even me?’ Alice asked, tracing Briar’s collarbone with a finger.
‘Well…’ Briar breathed.
‘Come on,’ Alice said, pulling her out of bed.
They pulled on semi-presentable clothes and made their way to the mess hall without a flashlight, not wanting to be caught. It felt like they were kids again, the adrenaline pumping through Alice’s veins, making her feel giddy.
‘You know we have a key, right?’ Briar asked as she boosted Alice through the mess hall window.
‘But it’s more fun to break in.’
There was only one problem: when they got into the kitchen, Robin and Sam were already there, making s’mores over the stove.
‘What’s this?’ Alice said reproachfully. ‘You already had s’mores! While you were pestering me with questions!’
Robin shrugged, unconcerned by being caught. ‘We wanted another.’
‘Why are you here, anyway?’ Sam asked, his eyes narrowing on Alice and Briar.
‘We got a tip-off,’ Briar said, very convincingly, ‘that there had been a kitchen break-in.’
‘These sorts of trespasses have to be dealt with by the highest authority,’ Alice said.
Briar glanced sideways at her, and Alice could tell that she was almost on the verge of breaking the act and cracking a smile. ‘That’s us. The authority.’
It took everything in Alice not to laugh, picturing Robin and Sam watching them squeeze through the window – a feat that had been much more easily accomplished when they were smaller.
‘Then why did you break in?’ Robin asked suspiciously.
‘We were testing out the potential entry points,’ Alice said.
‘We just came in through there,’ Sam said, pointing at the ajar door to the mess hall.
