God, I wanted to touch them. Kiss them. See if her nipples were pink or rose-colored. If they became hard under my tongue, and if she shivered when I licked them.
I tore my gaze away, shaking my head at my dirty thoughts. It was as though I had a one-track mind when it came to Becca. I saw her, and all I wanted to do was touch her.
I tapped the keys, clearing the problem. With a smile, I handed her back the laptop. “All fixed.”
“That fast?”
I shrugged. “Only a little glitch.”
She shook her head. “I tried everything I knew of to fix it.”
I winked at her. “It’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
She laughed, a soft and inviting sound. “I’m sure you’re worth it.”
She looked around my office. I followed her gaze, wondering what she saw. I had tried to tidy it lately. It was still messy, but better than it had been. At least, I had gotten rid of all the empty food containers.
“You’re not a normal geek.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Sorry?”
She grinned. “You don’t have action figurines or a comic book collection lying around. No gaming posters or autographed memorabilia.”
“They’re all at home,” I deadpanned. “All twelve of my collections. I keep them under glass. I don’t want people touching my things.”
She stared at me. Blinked. A flush started at her neck. It was fascinating to watch it spread, her cream-colored skin turning pink and warm. She looked mortified.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I was teasing. I’m sure they’re all very nice.”
I leaped to my feet, hurrying around the desk. I kneeled beside her, horrified I had upset her. “Jesus, I’m an ass. I was the one teasing, Becca.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, noticing how warm her skin was under mine. “I don’t have any collections except some comic books—and I have those because I like to read them, and I never got one as a kid.”
“Never?”
“No,” I stated, hoping she didn’t ask any more questions. “So, I have some now. And computers. I love taking them apart and rebuilding them.”
She let out a long breath. “Oh. So, you aren’t angry with me?”
I stared at her. Her eyes were so blue they reminded me of a picture I had seen of a sunlit ocean. But her gaze was worried, overcast like a cloud drifting across the water.
“No, Becca. I’m not angry.” I leaned a little closer, unsure why I was doing so. “I could never be angry with you.”
“Okay,” she breathed out.
“I’m sorry I upset you.”
She gripped my hand. I hadn’t even realized I was still holding hers in mine. “It’s all good. Right?”
“Right.”
I glanced at her lips. She stared at mine. Her breath caught. I felt as if an invisible string was drawing me in. I pushed closer, wanting, needing something.
Her.
“Reid!” Aiden’s voice boomed out from the hall. “What the hell is up with the six pizzas that arrived at the front desk? On my credit card, no less!”
Becca and I stood, backing away from each other, the moment broken. Our hands separated, and I felt the loss immediately. She smiled sadly. I hated her looking that way.
“Want some pizza?” I asked, wanting to make her smile.
“Did you really order pizza on his credit card?”
“He said he wanted some earlier. I only saved us time.” I shrugged. “He’ll eat most of it anyway. He always does.”
Aiden appeared in my doorway, a huge slice held in one hand, a pizza box in the other one. He narrowed his eyes as he studied us, then grinned.
“Next time, it’s on Maddox.”
“Okay.”
“I put the rest in the lunchroom. Help yourself.”
“You’re only taking one?” I asked sarcastically.
“Cami is limiting my carbs.”
I snorted, and he grinned. “I gave you fair warning, Reid. Once I finish this one, all bets are off!”
He disappeared down the hall, laughing.
I indicated the door to Becca.
“You heard him. Go grab some.”
“Are you coming?” she asked.
“I’ll be right behind you. I need to close what I was working on.”
She walked away, and I followed her movements with my eyes. I sat down heavily in the chair where she’d been sitting.
If Aiden hadn’t interrupted, would I have had the balls to kiss her?
Did she want me to?
I had no idea. Even worse, I had no clue how to figure it out.
Maddox strolled into my office, Aiden on his heels. Maddox glanced around, his eyebrows rising as he took in the unusual neatness of my area. I had done a complete overhaul of my office after Becca had been there. Sandy had been shocked and delighted when she saw it that morning. She was even happier when I asked her to help me pick out some more new shirts and pants. It was easy to make the old broad smile.
The added touch was the framed Yoda poster I’d bought and hung across from my desk, hoping to make Becca laugh the next time she came in. She hadn’t seen it yet, but I knew she’d be around soon enough. Her glitch was set to go off in a couple of hours.
Maddox sat down, crossing his legs. “Turning over a new leaf, Reid?”
Aiden pushed my door shut and flopped into the other chair. The legs groaned in protest. “I think he’s trying to impress a certain pretty marketing manager.”
I rolled my eyes, though I knew my ears were turning red. “Whatever. I cleaned a little.”
“How long did it take you?” Maddox asked with a grin.
“All night. I found my wallet I thought I had lost. It still had fifty bucks in it.”
Aiden high-fived me.
“Great poster.” He jerked his thumb toward Yoda. “I love the little green guy.”
Maddox rolled his eyes. “Please don’t do your imitation. It’s scary.”
“Whatever. Just jealous you are, mmm-hmm,” Aiden quipped, his voice making my eyes widen.
“Dude, no,” I groaned.
He shook his head. “Appreciation for my talent, you have not, mmm-hmm.”
Maddox smacked his head. “No, you have no talent. You sound as though you’re about to expectorate.”
I chuckled watching them. They glared at each other, then joined my laughter.
I slouched in my chair. “So, what’s up?” I glanced toward my screen. “I haven’t sent the wrong shit out again, have I?”
Aiden chuckled, while Maddox shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about having you install the security program at another place.”
“Oh yeah? Cool. I think I’ve got all the bugs worked out, but more feedback would be awesome. I want it perfect for Ridge Towers.” I dug around and found a pen. “Where?”
“The apartment Becca is renting from me,” Maddox stated.
My head snapped up, and I met his eyes. He was regarding me closely, his expression serious, but his eyes were amused. “We thought, perhaps, your time would be better spent using a direct approach, rather than fixing her computer every day.” He arched a knowing eyebrow in my direction.