* * *
SYDNEY HEARD THE HARSH beep of her alarm clock. She was about to reach over and hit it when the sound suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew’s muscular arm above her.
“Could you have found a more annoying alarm clock?” Matthew asked in a husky growl.
She grinned. “You should hear it when I keep hitting the snooze button. It gets worse.”
“I can’t imagine.” Matthew gathered her into his arms and she tucked her head against his shoulder. She wanted to hold on to this quiet moment. She still couldn’t wrap her mind over what had happened last night.
It had been illuminating. Amazing. Freeing. Even better than the fantasies she’d written in her fake erotic diary. Matthew was exactly what she wanted in a man. A lover. A partner.
Sydney tensed as the idea floated in her head. She was getting way ahead of herself. If she wanted to restore her professional reputation, she shouldn’t be with Matthew.
“Let me take you to Dawson’s for breakfast,” Matthew said.
She stroked her hand along his arm. “That’s not a good idea.”
Matthew lifted his head. “Did you already forget what I said last night?”
“I remember perfectly,” she said primly. “You said please...yes...just like that...”
He laughed and slid his hand down her back before resting on the curve of her hip. “Before that. No more excuses. So what if people question our being together? It might get difficult but I’m willing to deal with it. In fact, I think it’s better for us to be out in the open.”
Her smile dipped. It would be better for him. Let everyone talk and dissect their relationship months before the actual election and by then it would be old news. But she wouldn’t get the same treatment because she was a woman and an outsider. And a journalist was supposed to remain impartial. She’d lived this story before.
“I can’t, Matthew. I’ve been in that kind of situation before and I can’t go through it again.”
He gently caressed her back. “What happened?”
“I dated a political aide while I was writing about local government. I trusted him as a source when I shouldn’t have. I don’t know if he started dating me just to push his boss’s agenda or if the idea came later. It doesn’t matter. I lost my credibility and my job,” she continued. Her explanation came in short bursts. “That’s when I moved down here. No one else but Wendy would give me a chance to rebuild my career. I don’t like talking about it. Please don’t tell anybody.”
* * *
MATTHEW CONTINUED TO SLIDE his hand along her back as his mind churned with the information. Why would she believe he would advertise her mistake? What kind of guy did she think he was? “Why would I tell anyone? Who would I tell?”
She shrugged uncomfortably. “There are no secrets in Seedling and I’m worried someone will use this information against me.”
Matthew pulled back. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
She held out her hand. “I know, I know. That’s not what I meant. I have tried my best to show Seedling that I’m a good reporter, but no one is going to remember that if they find out about us. They’ll dismiss my work and say I play favorites.”
“Most people already think we’re dating,” he felt it necessary to point out.
“They can think that all they want,” she declared. “We aren’t confirming it and they have no evidence.”
He remembered the notebook locked in his desk at his office. He couldn’t say how many people had read it but a lot of people had heard about the content.
He had decided not to tell her that the diary had gotten out, or that he had it. Saying anything now would only make things worse. He would give it back, but the timing wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure when it would be.
“You should tell Wendy about us if you’re worried about a conflict of interest,” Matthew said as he got out of bed.
Sydney grimaced and sat up. When she flipped her hair out of her face, he noticed she was blushing. “Not yet. It’s too difficult to explain after...well, after everything. Right now I think it’s best if I don’t cover local government.”
“So when will I get to see you?” He lifted her up and held her by her waist. “I don’t want to sneak around.”
Sydney clung to his shoulders. She pressed her naked body against his and wrapped her legs around his waist as he started to walk to the bedroom door. “Where are you taking me?”
“To the shower.” Her eyes glowed with interest. Sex in the shower wasn’t one of the fantasies she’d included in her notebook, but it was high on his list. “And then you make me breakfast.”