I was nodding as he shook his head. “I think I was walking down the hallway. As soon as your receptionist let me go, I wasn’t waiting. I love you,” he said, repeating his text.
Throwing my arms around him, I murmured, “I love you too,” squishing the gorgeous flowers between us.
Zane managed to set the vase on the edge of my desk without letting me go. His arms folded around me, pulling me into a full-body clench.
“I kind of freaked,” I mumbled into his chest. “Sorry I didn’t tell you what I was thinking when I saw you give Mara a ride home.”
He smoothed my hair, his voice right beside my ear where his face was tucked into my neck. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. It was just a ride, but I can imagine it didn’t look good. I hope she told you I didn’t put her up to coming to talk to you,” he said when he finally lifted his head.
I took a deep breath because I simply needed to inhale Zane’s scent. He always smelled a little crisp, and his shirt smelled like clean laundry. Finally, I looked up at him. “She did tell me that. I’m ridiculous.”
He shook his head, his eyes scanning my face before he lifted a hand to brush a wayward lock of hair off my cheek and tuck it behind my ear. Just that subtle brush of his fingertips against the sensitive skin there sent goose bumps chasing over the surface of my skin.
“You’re not ridiculous. You’re absolutely right about the possible rumors about us and how things might look. I can’t change that because the world sucks, and it’s really hard on women, especially in our field. But I still love you, and I’d rather face it with you.”
My eyes stung with tears, and I had to swallow through the emotion clogging my throat.
“Same here. I’m sorry I doubted you. Mara even told me you turned her down.”
Zane leaned his head back, closing his eyes with a sigh. In another second, he leveled his gaze with mine with a look so intense, my breath seized in my lungs. “You need to understand that once I was with you, that was it for me.”
Although I was crystal clear that nothing had passed between Zane and Mara, I couldn’t help but voice the tiny insecurities chasing their tails in my brain. “Just so you know, you haven’t mentioned it, but if you wanted to take me to Club—”
Zane shook his head sharply as his hand slid down to cup my nape. “Eva, what you and I have isn’t about that. I mean, if you want to go, then by all means, let’s go. With you, I’m already pushing boundaries that don’t exist in any other way. I also don’t want to share you,” he murmured.
His thumb was brushing lightly along my throat, sending licks of fire across my skin. I took a breath, feeling the press of my nipples against his chest. Although I was overcome with emotion, nothing could keep my body from its instinctive response to being close to Zane.
Since I didn’t know what other words to use, I leaned up and pressed an open-mouthed kiss right over the divot at the base of his throat. His hand tightened in my hair, and then we were kissing and kissing and kissing. Zane’s hands were traveling roughly over my body as my own greedy touch mapped his chest and clutched at him.
We were snapped out of our passionate kiss by a sharp knock on my door. “Unless you’re into putting on a show,” Sarah called through the glass as she walked by, “you might want to leave.”
His chuckle rumbled against my ear when I tucked my face against his chest. When I peeked out from the shelter of his arms, the hallway was blessedly empty. With my office door all glass, there wasn’t much privacy to be had.
“Can I steal you away?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“If you’re working on something, I can wait,” he added.
“I don’t want to wait,” I said firmly. “I appreciate that you respect my work.” A smile tugged at my lips as I trailed my fingertips along the stubbled edge of his jaw. “Did you forget to shave today?” I asked as he stepped back.
He cast me a sheepish grin. “I’ve been distracted. I missed you.”
I felt a little bashful as I took a step back. Reaching over, I stroked my fingers down the side of the blown glass vase. When I looked up, I saw Zane was looking down at his phone, his lips curving into a smile. “What do I win?” he asked when he brought his eyes to mine.
“What do you want to win?” I teased, that fizzy joy spinning through my veins.
“Just you.”
We stared at each other, smiling, until I heard footsteps in the hallway again. “Sarah thinks the flowers are to match my hair,” I commented as I glanced back at the bouquet of wildflowers.
“Sarah happens to be right,” Zane said as he stepped closer, sliding his arm around my waist where his palm rested possessively on my hip.
“That’s kind of romantic,” I murmured, feeling hot all over.
“I was trying. Did you notice the other thing?”
Puzzled, I looked back at the flowers, searching until my eyes landed on the thin silk ribbon and the jump drive tied to it. Reaching for it, I asked, “What’s this?”
“My new project. I could use your help.”
“Zane, you don’t need my help.”
“Yeah, I do, sweetheart. I might be good at figuring out details and logistics and difficulty levels, but you’re more creative. My thinking is a little dry and technical sometimes.”
I opened my mouth to protest again, but he shook his head as he lifted a hand to trail his knuckles along my cheekbone. “It’s true, and I don’t mind admitting it. We can look at it together tonight. After dinner.”
“Just dinner?”
His gruff laugh sent fire chasing over my skin.
Chapter 21
Zane
Eva’s eyes held mine, her lips curling in a saucy smile. “I told you I would win.”
I almost laughed, but my release tightened in my balls as she rose up and down, sheathing me one more time in her silky, clenching core. She cried out right when everything in me sizzled to a crescendo.
Moments later, I was still trying to catch my breath. Eva was a warm, luscious bundle in my arms, and I was still buried deep inside her. “I could live like this,” I murmured into her hair.
She lifted her head and shook it. “I don’t think so.”
“No?’ I teased as I lightly cupped her breast and rolled her still pebbled nipple between my thumb and forefinger, savoring her soft whimper.
“You like to use your brain too much,” she said, trying to be serious.
“I might like using your body more than my brain,” I mused as I let my hand slide over the soft curve of her belly and gave her generous hip a squeeze. Of course, her comment got the wheels in my brain turning. “You really think we should have two bosses?” I asked, referencing our conversation some indeterminate amount of time earlier about my latest project.
“Yes. Games last longer, and there are more gameplay and more complicated dynamics when you have two alpha bosses in them. My favorite suggestion would be to make one of them have a secret code for players to crack.”
“Oh, I love that idea.”
Eva laughed and shimmied off my lap. “We have work to do.” She gave me a quick grin over her shoulder as she practically pranced into my shower. I followed her and made good use of our time there.