Nathan watched, rather intently, as Sydney fumbled with her chopsticks for a minute or so…then gave up and used her fingers to grab a piece of sushi. When she looked up and saw his expression, she simply shrugged her shoulders and laughed at herself. "I have never once in my life been able to get the hang of those things."

Nathan deliberately picked a piece up with his chopsticks. "Hm, I just don't see what's so tough about it." He winked at her and she smiled. Nathan didn't realize it, but he was making Sydney feel a bit awkward, but not in a bad way by any means. It was like the "jitters" she would get in high school when she was around someone she liked…only he was reciprocating. With David and John – her only two serious relationships – things were intense from day one. Even when they were in a casual situation, she never felt fully relaxed and always felt her guard was up. With David, that was due simply to his bigger than life nature; with John, it was their eerie sense of familiarity, which wound up being an act as far as she was concerned. She had neither of those "worries" with Nathan and was grateful for it.

"So, um…" She took her time with a piece of Monster Roll, unsure of how to ask Nathan about the very intimate kiss they shared earlier. "You kissed me."

"I did," he laughed. "Quite a bit over the last few…"

"I mean tonight," Sydney interrupted. "You kissed me." Nathan's eyelids lowered as he looked down at his plate and Sydney found herself enamored with his lashes. Women would kill for those…

"Was it bad?" he asked, worrying just a little.

She bit her lower lip before responding. "Bad? No, very far from it, it was just…I'm not sure that intimate is the appropriate word…"

"It was too much, wasn't it? Too close to what we're not supposed to be doing?"

Sydney didn't know how to respond. On one hand, that kiss conveyed something she couldn't quite pin down - something safe and beautiful. On the other, that beautiful, safe thing scared her, as she knew she could easily lose herself to this man and the scar tissue on her heart told her that she simply couldn't let that happen, no matter how much she liked him. Aside from that kiss, they did more than just sleep together the other night, which was beyond dangerous territory as far as she was concerned. Feeling guilty, but seeing it as a necessary evil, she changed the course of the conversation.

"You looked amazing tonight. Sexy and dangerous."

"That is a terrible diversion," Nathan responded, pointing at her with his chopsticks. "You brought up the kiss and…"

Since they were sitting at the sushi bar of the restaurant, they were next to, rather than across from one another. This allowed Sydney to distract Nathan without being noticed. Her hand wandered his thigh. "It's a fun diversion, isn't it?" Her fingers lightly stroked between his legs.

A look of frustration spread across his face and he grabbed her hand. "Sydney, you don't have to do this," he said, his voice sad. He brought her hand to the counter, and held it gently. "I know what we agreed on, but…I listened to some things today and all I meant by that kiss was that I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Sydney's lip trembled. "You can't promise that, Nathan. It's not possible." She tried to discreetly dab at her eye. "You can't see into the future and you can't…"

Not caring where they were, he put his hand on her face, cradling her. "I know I can't, but I need you to trust me. I've been through some seriously fucked up shit too, remember? The sex is amazing, but I know there's already more to whatever it is we have than that." He watched as she let a tear spill freely from her eye. "Isn't there? I mean…I really don't think I'm imagining it."

Sydney breathed deeply, trying so hard not to cry any harder. "No, you're not, but it's only been what, a week…"

"It's been months," he interrupted, his voice hardly more than a whisper. "We've gotten to know one another over the course of months…we've just been physical for a week."

Sydney pulled herself together as best she could. "You're…right." Those words hung in the air as she finished her last bite of sushi. "I'm letting myself freak out a little and I'm sorry. You're wonderful and…"

Nathan slipped his debit card into the billfold and placed it to his left so the waitress would take it without interruption. "I'm not looking for affirmations about myself. I just want you to understand that sticking to our agreement may pose some challenges as we continue to get to know each other on a different level."

As Nathan signed the check that had been taken and returned without a word, Sydney rose from her seat. "Then you're going to need to accept it when I set up sexual detours." She quickly made her way to the front of the restaurant, Nathan all but jogging after her.

"Were you just going to leave?" Nathan called after her as she unlocked her car. They both parked in the back of the nearly deserted lot. Sydney smiled to herself as she slid into the backseat. He took the bait, getting into the side closest to him. He shook his head and laughed gently. "Sexual detours, huh?"

"I told you, Nathan, we get to benefit from the boundaries." She hated herself for handling things this way and she knew it was something she learned from David. When things felt strained between them, he always brought sex into the mix and somehow it always worked. Her backseat was rather roomy and it took no effort at all to straddle Nathan and claim his lips.

When she took his earlobe between her teeth, he swallowed hard. "Syd, I…"

"Shh…" She kissed him again.

"I smell like…"

"It's sexy." She ground against him and felt him harden beneath her. "That's better," she breathed.

His hands went up her back, beneath her shirt, and he chuckled. "I can't believe we're doing this, we're adults." He unhooked her bra and his hands moved to her freed breasts.

"Adulthood is extremely overrated." Her back arched as he gently bit down on her nipple. "I want you, Nathan…"

"One aspect of being an adult is that you stop carrying condoms in your wallet." A grin then spread across his face. "However…" He wrapped his arms around Sydney and kissed her, a definite change in his mood. He positioned her so she was on her back and didn't take his time as he slid her jeans down her legs.

"Nathan…"

He got on his knees on the floor of the car, he was happy for the room in her backseat. "You wanted diversions, Syd." He breathed on her core, her panties still in place. "I'm pretty sure I owe you." Her heart began to race. "Mmm…I can smell you," he whispered. He licked at the fabric, teasing her. If this is the game she wanted to play, he was willing to comply.

"Oh, God," she whimpered.

He pulled her panties aside and didn't give her time to think about what was going to happen next. His tongue slid along her folds and she cried out. This was an act his ex was never fond of. As Sydney's hips rose up from the seat, he realized he hadn't done this in at least twenty years. "Relax," he purred, coming up for air. He coaxed her hips back down and continued his sinful assault. He teased her, circling his tongue around her sensitive bundle of nerves before suckling at it. Her cries turned into a heated scream and he smiled into her. He then lapped at her with long, deliberate strokes before slipping his tongue inside. He had to press down on her hips to keep her still.

"Fucking hell, Nathan…"

His thumb manipulated her clit while his tongue continued to stroke her walls. He felt her begin to tremble and went at her even harder as she came, her fingers tangling in his hair. As she rode out the wave of pleasure, his actions softened, but didn't cease completely. Only when he felt her body relax did he lift his head.

"Enough of a diversion for you?" he asked, licking his lips making the act as erotic as he could.

"There is no way I'm going to be able to look you in the eye at school tomorrow," Sydney panted.

He slid up her body and nuzzled her neck, a soft laugh coming from him. "Maybe not without getting a little…wet."