Page 59 of Falling for the Playboy Pilot

Pickle raised his bottle to me. “You need another drink? You look like you could use one.”

He said it with a smirk because he knew exactly what was going on.

“Yeah,” I said. “Bring one for Janna.”

“Thanks,” Janna said, settling back into her chair as Pickle wandered off to grab our drinks.

Laser dropped into the empty chair next to us, balancing a plate loaded with enough food to feed a small army. “Shit, Janna, these cookies are insane. I’ve had three already and I’m not even sorry about it. They’re almost gone.”

“Four,” Pickle corrected as he returned with two cold beers. “I saw you sneak that fourth one when you thought nobody was looking.”

“Traitor,” Laser muttered, but she was grinning. “Seriously though, what’s your secret? I’ve been trying to perfect my chocolate chip recipe for years.”

Janna took a sip of her beer, looking pleased. “Real vanilla extract. And I brown the butter first.”

“Brown the butter?”

“Melt it in a pan until it turns golden and smells nutty. Changes everything.”

I found myself watching her as she talked, the way her eyes lit up when she got excited about something. It was the same look she’d had when she was talking about the Night Witches, or when she’d first seen that old crop duster. Passion. Pure, unfiltered passion for the things she cared about.

And I had been on the receiving end of that passion.

The thought hit me straight in the groin.