“Sydney,” he grounds out and grabs my hand.
“Wait, I need to go back inside.” I jerk my hand from his and walk back inside. Spotting Meredith still at the counter, I walk over to her. “I would like to order two burgers, and a large order of fries. If you have bottled water, that would be great too. This is to-go.”
“This will be 15.60,” she says after she adds everything up on the cash register. Taking my card out, I pay for the food.
“Thank you. I’ll put the food in now and it should be done soon,” she says before heading into the kitchen.
“Expecting to get hungry later?” Kane chuckles from behind me. Giggling, I shake my head no.
“You should have let me pay for that.”
Shaking my head again, I narrow my eyes at him. No way am I letting him pay for that. From the corner of my eye I see him shake his head in frustration. He’s such a guy. Rolling my eyes, I lean back against the counter, watching through the little window into the kitchen at the man fixing the food.
Kane wraps his arm around me and hugs me into his side before whispering into my ear, “What were you doing over by the side of a building?”
Leaning the back of my head against his chest, I tell him, “I was talking to a friend.”
“A friend?” I can hear the confusion in his voice.
I nod. To be honest, I’m sad. A person who fought for this country is living on the streets. Without food or water. Nothing. A man who served this country deserves to always have a place to sleep. Shame is what I feel.
Spotting a napkin on the counter, I take a pen from the cup by the register and jot my number down. If he ever needs anything I will help him. No questions asked.
“Here you go, honey.”
Looking up I see Meredith holding a massive carry-out box and two waters. Smiling at her, I mutter a thank you before taking it from her.
“Here, let me take it from you.”
I start to argue, but Kane already has it in his hand. Taking the waters, Kane puts his other hand on my back and leads us out of the diner.
“Wait. This way,” I tell Kane as he tries to lead me toward the truck. He looks confused but follows me.
Walking into the alley, I see the man still sitting there. He looks up as I walk up beside him and then snaps his gaze to Kane who is standing behind me.
“I brought you something,” I tell the vet and set the waters down beside him. Taking the food from Kane I bend down and hand him the tray of food.
“Here is two burgers and fries.” His hands shake and his eyes never once leave the food. I almost choke up, but I hold it in. Grabbing the napkin from my back pocket, I hand it to him.
“If you ever need anything at all, let me know. Here’s my number.” He smiles and nods at me.
Stepping back, I look up at Kane who I can feel is starting at me with mixed emotions. Taking his hand, I lead him out of the alley and straight to his truck, not wanting the veteran to see my emotions.
Sadness sweeps through me. I worked at the veteran’s center. Seeing someone on the streets, hungry and especially a veteran is like a punch to the gut. What if that was my brother? Blinking rapidly, I try to stop my tears. How can life be so cruel? How can people be so cruel?
Kane opens the passenger door before his hand goes under my chin and lifts so I’m looking up at him.
“That was the most amazing thing I ever seen, Sydney, what you just did.” His face shows his raw emotion mixed with awe. Blushing, I watch as his eyes travel down to my lips. My lips part on their own accord. My heart races in anticipation. Is he going to do what I think he is? My hands grip Kane’s biceps. My breathing comes out in shallow bursts.
He lifts me off the ground and onto the seat. I let out a squeal as I bounce on the seat for a second, and I place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. His hand goes to my jaw before he presses a kiss to my lips. Without hesitation, my lips part, and I deepen the kiss. I slide my hands down his back, pulling him closer to me as I wrap my legs around his waist. My heart is beating out of my chest. Kane’s warm lips caressing mine in a way that makes all the other kisses I’ve had fly out of the window. This kiss is a one-of-a-kind kiss that makes the world stop. Pigs fly. The kind of kiss that you will compare all others to.
He breaks the kiss a second later and lays his head on my shoulder trying to catch his breath. He presses one last kiss to my bare shoulder blade. Goosebumps break out across my skin. Holy crap! I close my eyes, trying to compose myself. It’s taking everything in me not to jump his bones. That kiss. Minutes, seconds, I don’t know, my breathing finally returns to normal.
My hands slide down his back seductively not able to help myself. At my movement Kane pushes himself off of me. My legs stopping him from moving farther back. Amusement showing on his face at my reaction. Scrunching my nose at him, I can’t resist the urge to press one last kiss on his lips.