chipping in a little for food, but what we’re putting into the rehab? That’s mostly me.”
Wow. They were all putting in sweat equity, but Alex was shouldering the actual equity all by himself? Talk about selfless. Sydney herself was incredibly anal about her savings accounts. Because they represented freedom. The more she amassed, the more choices she’d have. Which is what had given her the, yes, freedom to take this unpaid sabbatical. “No wonder you said this has to work.”
“Yeah. It does.” He leaned over to plant a hand by her side, caging her in. “It will. I’ll make sure of it. You just watch.” The intensity in his voice vibrated through her.
“I will. I believe you.” In a near-whisper, Sydney added, “You’re a remarkable man.”
“Guess you know how to pick ’em.” Alex chuckled. Then he lowered his head just enough so that their lips barely touched. The faintest pressure connected them. He stayed there a moment.
Giving her a moment? A chance to break the connection before it went any further? To stop him?
Sydney did none of those things. She probably should have. That would’ve been smart.
Sensible.
Boring.
Instead, she waited. Held her breath, not wanting to move even a hair in case it broke the mood.
Suddenly, the pressure changed. Intensified. With the swiftness of the initial drop out of an airplane when skydiving. And with the same jolt of excitement.
Alex molded his lips against hers. Sydney immediately opened for him, more desperate to taste him than the chocolate bread pudding they’d just shared. His tongue thrust in, commanding, very much in the lead.
Which was okay—for now. If there was a next time, she’d change that. But she hadn’t yet decided if this time was smart, so his taking charge made it feel less like her own bad decision.
And Alex very much knew how to take charge. His teeth pulled at her lower lip, sending a shock of pleasure up her spine. He leaned in closer, pressing his whole body against hers. It created their own island of heat in the sub-freezing night.
He slid a hand inside her coat, widening his fingers to curve around her ribs while the heel of his hand grazed her breast. “Thanks for not zipping up against the weather.”
“Thanks for keeping me warm.”
Sydney hitched a leg around his. Because she couldn’t get close enough. From the way his other hand immediately boosted her butt so she could wrap both legs around him, neither could Alex.
And the long, slow kisses just kept coming. Wave after wave of licking and sucking and exploration. Her limbs felt heavy, her blood electrified. His strength thrilled her. His desire spurred her on. His low, sexy growls popped up goose bumps on her arms, even beneath a sweater and coat.
But then it occurred to her—what if this was part of the ruse?
What if Alex was just playing the role of the attentive fiancé?
Sydney stiffened. Let her legs slide back to the ground. “You’re not required to kiss me, you know.”
Alex instantly eased back. And frowned down at her. “There’s no windows on this side of the restaurant. Only the wall facing the river.”
“So?”
“So nobody can see us. I’m kissing you because, despite our best intentions, this turned out to be an actual date. A good one. Which means I’m kissing you for me, not for anyone else.”
That simple statement steadied her. Just as much as it surprised her.
Oh. Laid out like that? She’d had a pretty great night, too. It had morphed into a real date at some point.
Rats.
That was a…massive strategic error on her part. Even though Sydney had a sneaking suspicion it’d been unavoidable.
But there were two ways to handle mistakes. Try to ignore the whole mess. Or…lean into the mistake and own it.
She tunneled her hands beneath the heavy folds of his overcoat. And leapt back up, locking her arms and legs around him. “Count me in on that action, too.”
Chapter Eight
Alex made sure to keep his eyes straight ahead, glued to the god-awful speckled linoleum of the Chestertown High School’s hallway.
Because if he stopped concentrating, for even a second, he’d have to look over at Sydney. Pretty Sydney, with pink in her cheeks from the cold wind and a sparkle in her brown eyes from the warm welcome they’d received in the administration office.
He wouldn’t be able to resist. He couldn’t resist her.
That had been proven three nights ago, in the freaking parking lot. He was thirty-two years old. He had zero business making out with a woman in