Page 39 of Salty, Spiced, and a Little Bit Nice

My breath caught when he leaned forward, his nose nuzzling the sides of my neck.

“Is it roses? Lavender? Tulips?” He wriggled underneath me a little, and I stopped breathing when his lips made the lightest contact with the dip in between my collarbones.

I ignored him and pulled away before one of us—my bets were on me—lost our mind. Slamming his door, I took a deep breath before getting into the driver’s side.

“Roses, lavender, and tulips are now my favorite flowers,” he announced, his words slurring. “Hey, where are we going?”

“Home, Alec. Party’s over. We’re going home.”

He shifted in his seat to peer at me. “You’re cute. Have I ever told you that? C-U-T-E. Cuuuuuuteeeeeee.”

My heart jumped a mile high, because he hadneversaid anything like that to me before. But my rational brain took over, telling me to squash any absurd thoughts immediately, since he wasn’t himself, and the alcohol was obviously flirting on his behalf.

So I only chuckled, hoping it sounded cool and casual, while I eased his car into the queue of vehicles leaving the Goodwin mansion. Sober Alec might be grouchy and annoying, but drunk Alec was downright adorable. “Well, Kim thinksyou’recute.”

Another yawn answered me. “Kimwho?”

“My next-door neighbor at the shop. You’ve met her, remember?”

My reply was a deafening silence. Alec was already asleep, his mouth slightly open, snoring softly, and his head slouching to the side. His suit jacket was draped over his lap, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, showing off some impressive forearms. I drove back to his house; the only audible sounds were of his steady breathing, Taylor Swift on the radio, and the gears of my brain turning.

The past three hours only confirmed that I was completely unequipped to be in a pretend relationship with this man. At least,if I wanted to emerge from this with my heart unscathed. Right now, at the rate I was going, I’d come out the other side bruised and battered; an even worse repeat of ten years ago.

What I needed was a solid plan. A detailed list to keep me on track, resist his charms, and focus on the bigger picture: getting the bakery up and running ASAP.Yes, that’s it.The first thing I had to do once we got home was to work on that lifesaving plan.

Alec was still out cold when I pulled up at the house. Opening his door, I gave him a gentle poke. He groaned, then turned his face to the other side to dodge my nudging. I briefly considered leaving him in the car the whole night, but unfortunately my parents had raised me better than that.

“You owe me big time, Sir Grouchiness.”

I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the challenging task ahead, then dragged him out of the car, nearly buckling under his solid weight. Good thing I was stronger than I look—all those early morning runs had prepped me for this. It took me ten minutes to finally get him inside the house, up the stairs, and into his room.

“Okay, sleeping beauty. Let’s get you ready for bed.”

I pushed his door open and flicked on the lights. My guest bedroom was bathed in light colors, but his room was the complete opposite. The walls were painted gray, and artsy black-and-white pictures decorated the room. Two bedside drawers flanked the dark-framed king-size bed, covered with a gray blanket and white pillows. It was neat, fuss-free, and it fit him to a T.

I guided him toward the bed and dumped him unceremoniously onto it. Alec continued to snore, with his hands spread wide at his sides. Staring at his unmoving figure, I once again contemplated leaving him be, but he looked uncomfortable lying on his back with his legs hanging off the edge of the bed, and he obviously needed help to get out of his formal attire.

Somewhere at the back of my brain, a wise voice warned methis might not be a good idea. Still, my feet propelled me toward his drawer, where I pulled out a white T-shirt and an old pair of gray sweatpants.

“Here we go,” I mumbled.

First his shoes came off, followed by his socks. Then I undid his shirt, my eyes concentrating hard on each button, because the temptation to stray and stare at his chest was too enormous. I worked as fast as humanly possible, pulling and tugging at his sleeves, until I finally slipped the shirt off him.

I took a long, steadying breath before tackling the next piece of clothing.

Unbuckling his belt was the easy bit. Unzipping the pants, then pulling them off his long legs, while doing my best to ignore the intriguing bulge under his black trunks, was the tricky part. Then, although I’d never live it down if he found out, I paused to admire the glorious view that was almost-naked Alec.

Kim was wrong, because he was anything but cute. He wasgorgeous. A beautiful male specimen who was even more attractive now than the young Alec I had crushed on ages ago, because underneath his grouchy exterior, there was gentleness and kindness, and a hidden vulnerability that I’d never seen before.

Which was why, as soon as I was done covering him with some clothes, I had to get started on that Stay on Track Plan.

Alec stirred, reminding me to get on with the job. Picking up the T-shirt, I lifted his upper body and slipped it over his head. It was no easy feat juggling his weight with one hand and putting his T-shirt on with the other, while simultaneously trying not to ogle his chest.

“Ellie?”

He groaned, his eyes drifting open.

I froze.

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