"Oh?" I say. "Well I don't know what I could possibly offer in exchange for—ah!"
He suddenly pinches my side, tickling me, and I squeal and jerk into him, laughing and trying to squirm away but there's nowhere to go. He catches my jaw in his other hand, tilting my face up, and pulls me in for a kiss. I melt completely against him, my hands coming up to grip his shoulders, all thoughts of escape evaporating.
"You know…" I manage between kisses.
"Mmm?" He hums against my mouth, then starts to make his way down my neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses along my throat.
"We should really be more careful about not getting caught," I say, trying to suppress a moan as he bites my earlobe gently and my hands involuntarily pull him closer, feeling his body pressed against mine, solid and warm and perfect.
"Yes, definitely," he agrees, biting harder, and I do moan this time, unable to stop it. "First thing tomorrow, we'll be very careful. Exercise extreme caution."
I laugh breathlessly and pull him back up for another kiss,deep and hungry. We stay like that for a long minute, unable to keep our hands off each other, his hands sliding up my thighs, my fingers threading through his hair.
I'm getting so turned on that I could let him take me right here on this counter, health code violations be damned, and I'm usually an absolute stickler for food safety regulations. But there's something about Alex that makes me want to break all my rules.
A voice calling out from somewhere else in the building—maintenance maybe, coming from the supply closet down the hallway—startles us both out of it. We freeze, looking at each other for a moment, eyes wide, and then both start laughing quietly, trying to muffle the sound.
I reach for my latte and take a sip, trying to calm my racing heart. It's perfect, of course. He's gotten terrifyingly good at knowing exactly how I like it. He grabs his own latte, leaning back against the island counter directly across from me, putting a respectable amount of distance between us for the first time in ten minutes.
"We should talk about what to do about my father," I say, the thought sobering me quickly. "I mean, it could really screw you over, Alex. Destroy everything you've been working toward. And I'd fight it, believe me I would fight it with everything I have, but considering he's never listened to me before, I seriously doubt he'd have an epiphany and start now."
Alex shrugs, completely unconcerned in that maddening way of his. "If he finds out, I’ll figure out how to handle it. I know you'll think this is crazy, but I actually think I could get him to come around eventually."
I laugh. "You're confident, I'll give you that. But you don't know Jean-Pierre like I do. He's stubborn and controlling and absolutely convinced he knows what's best for everyone, especially me."
He smiles at me, soft and affectionate. "We'll see. In themeantime, I have to admit that a bit of forbidden romance, sneaking around, keeping it secret—it's pretty hot."
I smile at that, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't do something for me too, the thrill of it, the secrecy, keeping it hidden from everyone, the stolen moments and careful planning. There's something exciting about it, even though I know it can't last forever. At some point we'll have to deal with reality. I push that thought away and consider something else.
"I might tell Margot though," I say, thinking out loud. "She's suspicious already. She gave me this look yesterday that told me she knows something's up. And I like her a lot. She's trustworthy, and honestly it would be nice to have someone to actually talk to about this, to process it with someone other than just you."
Alex nods easily. "Yeah, Margot's great. She won't say anything. And in that case, if my brothers ask directly, I'll probably tell them too. I'm not good at lying to them."
I gulp, my stomach flipping nervously. "You sure? I mean, we've only been actually together for a few days now. This is still so new, what if it doesn't work out and then you've told everyone and?—"
He smiles at me, cutting off my spiral. "I will if it comes up naturally, and I've been crushing on you for weeks now, so this feels like it's been a long time coming for me. I had to wait for you to catch up and all, realize that you had feelings for me too, that you wanted me as much as I wanted—ow!"
He laughs as I smack his arm, hard, and then he catches my wrist and pulls me forward off the counter and into his arms, wrapping them around me tight. He smiles down at me, that devastating smile with the dimple that makes my knees weak.
"Am I wrong though?" he asks, his voice going soft. "Tell me I'm wrong."
I look up at him, at those brown eyes that see straight through every defense I've ever built, and sigh. "No, you bastard.I like you very much. More than I should, more than is probably smart, more than I've ever liked anyone."
He grins, triumphant and smug. "Told you so, Princess."
And then he kisses me again and everything else falls away—the kitchen around us, the complications waiting outside, the uncertain future, all of it. There's just this, just him, just us, and for now that's more than enough.
CHAPTER 18
Alex
I lean in the doorway of her cottage watching her stuff a few last things into an overnight bag. I'm taking Isabelle away for the night. It's a rare night off from the pop-up today, and I've been planning this all week, keeping it secret and watching her try to guess what I have planned.
While I love our stolen evenings in each other's cottages and the sneaking around between services, I greedily want her all to myself for an entire day and night without having to hold back and pretend we're just colleagues. Without having to keep my hands to myself or watch what I say.
"Alright, I think that's all I'll need for a day trip. Though it would be a lot easier if you'd actually tell me where we're going," she says, throwing a pointed glance at me over her shoulder as she zips up the bag.
"Do you really want the surprise ruined?" I ask, pushing off from the doorframe and walking toward her, unable to hide my smile. "Because I think you keep asking but you don't actuallywant to know. You like surprises, you're just too proud to admit it."