This entire night had blown all my expectations into smithereens. Zane had taken the map of the man I had in mind and torn it to pieces. Now, I was trying to put it back together and understand him. I was also trying to grasp the fierce need that beat with its own heart between us, and the raw tenderness and carnal eroticism with which he touched me.
Zane took another bite of his pizza, and we ate quietly. I was surprised at how comfortable it was to be with him. I just wished I didn’t feel so insecure, so uncertain and floundering in relationships. I mean, my God, the only reason I was sitting here with him tonight was because we had a chance encounter. I was certainly out of my depth.
I turned to look back at the computer screen, idly running calculations in my brain when I felt Zane’s palm curl on my shoulder and slide down my arm. His fingers tangled with mine when I looked his way.
“I’d never use the word crush to describe the way I felt about anyone, but you can bet I knew exactly who you were and never forgot your name. The only reason I didn’t make a move on you before was because you were an intern. I even have policies about that in HR at my company,” he said with a wondering laugh.
“You mean you don’t chase after all the hot interns? I’m pretty sure I wasn’t one of them.”
The look he gave me sent licks of fire over the surface of my skin. “Eva, hot doesn’t even come close to doing you justice.”
Our self-appointed chaperone, George, leaped onto the desk then. Zane was lightning fast and closed the pizza box before George climbed in and helped himself.
“Do you need to check on your George?” I asked as my eyes flicked to the clock on the computer screen. I didn’t quite know how, but it was approaching midnight. Zane seemed to have magical powers, and I lost all sense of time with him.
“I already texted Danny. He checked on George for me.” For just a second, I thought I saw uncertainty flicker in his eyes. The moment passed.
He brought his eyes back to the screen, and we lost ourselves in technical talk and debating the various merits of different games.
Chapter 15
Zane
Seven weeks later
“Oh, it’s on!” Eva arched a dark brow. “You think you can beat me? You are so wrong.” She gave me a saucy smile from across the room.
It was Friday night, and we’d both had long days at work. We’d fallen into a pattern of spending every weekend together. Both of us had pretty relentless and busy work schedules, so getting together during the week was hit or miss. It was on the tip of my tongue every Monday morning to ask her to just move in with me, but a tiny corner of my heart and my mind hesitated.
I knew I was in love with Eva. But I found myself wondering if maybe she didn’t return my feelings with the same intensity. As she crossed the room, my body hummed with tension. She was so fucking gorgeous. She was wearing a pair of boy shorts that hugged her curvy bottom and a loose tank top. I’d already stripped her bare and assuaged the fierce need I’d been holding at bay all week.
We’d eaten dinner and were busy bouncing between work projects. Aside from the sex, which was incredible and mind-blowing, working on projects together was the best part about hanging out with her. Business was never boring, and she got just as bogged down in the nitty-gritty of computer coding as I did.
I patted the couch beside me. “We’ll see who’s better. When I was a kid, I played this game with my friends all the time.”
Eva plopped down on the couch beside me, hooking a foot under her knee and taking the controller I handed to her.
Within minutes, the basketball game was a dead heat. At one point, she distracted me when I felt the silky skin of her thigh press against mine as she deftly blocked me from scoring. She let out a laugh, raising her fist in the air when she won that game.
“We’re tied now, right?” Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes wide with excitement when she glanced my way. My heart tripped and fell again.
“Oh, yeah. It’s tied. Another round.”
When Eva moved again, I decided I would take control of my distraction problem. “Let’s change the rules.”
She turned and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Can you play sitting here?” I patted the couch between my knees.
It felt as if sparks flew between us as her liquid brown eyes held mine. “That might not be an advantage for you,” she teased.
“We’ll have to see, won’t we?”
With a grin, she rose, sliding her hips between my knees. My cock nestled just against the curve of her bottom, and she gave a little wiggle, purely to torture me.
“Don’t forget,” I murmured in her ear, “I’ll get you back.” I nipped her earlobe and trailed my fingertips down the side of her neck, loving how her skin pebbled under my touch.
I had no idea how much time passed, but we both sucked at the game after that. I had my fingers in her slick pussy as she rocked back against my arousal. When I drew a circle around her clit before delving into her channel, she threw her controller to the floor. “I forfeit.”
Before I could even react, she had turned around and pulled down my shorts. In a hot second, the warm suction of her mouth drew me in, and I tangled my hand in her hair.
“No, really, I think we should try again,” I insisted. “We can make it a real thing, like a tournament.”
We were in my bed with my George purring away at the foot of it. Eva’s skin was dewy against mine where she rested on my chest. She laughed. “Oh, my God, you’re too perfect.”
That, that right there, made something crazy happen in my brain. Eva was perfect, and I didn’t want to play this cool anymore.
She curled her hand into a fist, resting her chin on it on my chest. “Why so serious all of a sudden?”
For a few seconds, I thought about playing it off, but I didn’t. I smoothed my hand over her hair, my palm coming to rest between her shoulder blades where I sifted my fingers through her silky locks. “We’re pretty perfect together.”
Her eyes widened. “Yeah?”
“Don’t you think? Here’s the thing, Eva. When this all started, I didn’t know where it would go. It’s turned into more than I expected. I don’t think it’s just me. I’d like to make, well, I guess to make it official that we’re exclusive.”
Her brow knitted as she regarded me. “I’m not the kind of girl who would date more than one person at a time anyway.”
“I’m not the kind of guy who usually dates,” I said, offering more honesty than was perhaps helpful.
Eva was still looking at me, and the silence felt loaded. “Zane, what do you want?”
Puzzled, I lifted my brows in question.
“With life, with relationships,” she clarified.
“I don’t know,” I finally said. “Well, except for work.”
Anxiety pricked my thoughts. I was facing up to the feelings I had for her, but I sensed she was asking for more definition. Seeing as I didn’t know how to find it in my own mind, I wasn’t sure what else to say.
“You are all business, after all,” she said, her lips kicking up in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Speaking of business, are you going to the tech and arts fundraiser next week?” Her tone was light, and the tense lines on her face softened.