I was wrestling with an actual physical, magnetic pull to him. My body yearned for him, for more.
After a moment had stretched, Zane asked, “Are you free next Friday?”
My head bobbed up and down in an instant, and it took me two tries to respond verbally. “Yes,” I finally said, too breathlessly for my comfort.
“Perfect. Can I pick you up a little earlier, say six?”
“Yes,” I managed again.
Apparently, mind-bending orgasms left me capable of nothing more than one-word sentences.
He dipped his head once more, this time brushing what I imagined he intended to be a chaste kiss across my lips. Except that wasn’t what I wanted. After murmuring something incoherent, I reached up and slid my hand around his neck to pull him closer.
Zane, because he was awesome, sexy, and kissed like a dream, didn’t hesitate. He fit his mouth over mine and swept his tongue inside. My knees went weak again, and I was clutching his shoulders for balance when he broke free with a startled laugh.
“Next Friday,” he said before stepping back.
I was frozen where I was, and he slid a hand in his pocket. “I’m waiting until you go in,” he added.
My belly did a little flip, but I reached for the door handle and walked inside. The door clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, listening to the sound of his footsteps crossing my porch and descending the stairs.
My legs were still feeling wobbly as I pushed away from the door. My purse slid off my shoulder, falling to the floor with a soft thud. I draped my jacket over the back of the couch and kicked my shoes off as I made my way into the bathroom. Leaning my hands on the counter, I stared at myself in the mirror. My lips were puffy, my cheeks flushed, and my eyes wide.
Zane had done what I thought was impossible. He made me lose myself with abandon. With a mental shake, I peeled off my clothes and climbed into the shower. Just thinking about how I had an orgasm in the middle of a restaurant got me hot and bothered all over again.
Chapter 10
Eva
“Friday?” Sarah asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes, Friday. What’s wrong with that?”
“Is that the only day of the week he goes out?”
“How am I supposed to know?” I lifted my hands in exasperation. “I’ve only had one dinner date with him.”
“I know, and I’m still waiting for you to fill me in. How did it go?”
Sitting in one of the conference rooms at the office, we were going over the resumes and our notes from the round of interviews we had finished this morning. One thing I’d learned while running my own company was not to drag out the hiring process. Most people were looking for work because they needed a job, so if you delayed too long, someone else would snap them up. I never rushed, but once we got to the stage of interviews, I tried to make prompt decisions.
Sarah leaned back in her chair, spinning a pencil between her fingers as she eyed me. My cheeks got hot.
“Well, then,” she said with a satisfied smile. “I’d say it went quite well. I don’t expect you to give me all the details because you’re too private for that. Please tell me he was better in bed than your college boyfriend.”
My face had to be three shades of red by this point. “It wasn’t like that,” I insisted. “We didn’t even spend the night together.” Perhaps I left out the fact he gave me an earth-shattering orgasm in a café, but I wasn’t ready to share that.
Sarah laughed. “Well, whatever happened, it’s making you all hot and bothered. I am on team Zane. I’ve never even heard anything bad about the guy.”
“He has his grandmother’s cat. His cat is named George too,” I offered.
“Clearly, you’re meant to be then. You both have cats named George.”
I giggled and couldn’t even believe I was giggling about anything. Zane had me feeling like a foolish girl.
There was a sharp knock, and our receptionist, Ellen, poked her head around the door. “You have a delivery.”
“Me?” I pointed at my chest, honestly confused because I wasn’t expecting anything.
Ellen smiled. “Yes, you.”
Sarah was hot on my heels as I walked down the hallway. A massive bouquet of wildflowers was sitting on the counter surrounding Ellen’s desk.
“This is for me?” I gestured to the flowers as Sarah and Ellen appeared at the end of the hallway behind me.
“Yes,” Ellen said.
Sarah squealed. “Open the card,” she demanded, pointing at it.
With my heart pounding and butterflies spinning in my belly, I reached for the card tucked in the flowers.
This made me think of you.
Zane
“Please let me see,” Sarah said, holding her hands behind her back. I knew she was resisting the urge to snatch the card from me, so I handed it over.
Ellen stepped to her side, and they read the single sentence together.
Ellen looked up first. “Oh, my.”
“Oh, my what?”
“He likes you,” Sarah declared as she handed the card back to me.
“How do you know?”
“Zane Maddox is not exactly a romantic guy. He’s all business and mostly unapproachable. Not only did he take you out to dinner, not only is he taking it slow with you, but he found the exact kind of flowers you would love. You love wildflowers. Remember in our dorm room? You had a flower box in the window every spring filled with wildflowers. You have flowers at your house too.”
“You better find a way to thank him,” Ellen said solemnly.
My panic must’ve shown on my face because Ellen reached over and lightly squeezed my shoulder. “Eva, it’ll be fine. Obviously, he likes you just the way you are.”
As we walked back down the hallway, Sarah nudged me with her elbow. “Do something awesome.”
“What?” I really didn’t know what to do.
“Think of something that might surprise him and do it. You’re creative. You’ll think of it.”
Chapter 11
Zane
A day after I sent the bouquet of wildflowers to Eva, there was a knock on my office door. “Come in,” I called, my eyes on the spreadsheet on my screen.
Eva had sent me a thank-you text yesterday evening. I was deeply regretting my choice to wait a full week before I saw her again because I craved to see her sooner.
Brian walked into my office. “Here.” Crossing over, he set a small box wrapped in silver paper on my desk. It had a burgundy note taped on top.
He stood on the other side of my desk, a slight glint in his gaze as he looked at me. “Are you going to open it?” he finally asked.
“Are you going to insist on watching?” I countered.
“You bet.”
I shifted my shoulders, rolling my neck from side to side to ease the tension starting to bundle there. It wasn’t bad tension. It was anticipatory tension. I sensed this little delivery was from Eva, and my uncommon excitement about it was unsettling.
Reaching for it, I flipped open a note on top. To Zane was all it said.
I quickly unwrapped the small box. Lifting the lid, I found two things. First, a set of silver cuff links. When I turned them to the side, I smiled at the bold Z carved into the surface. The other was a small piece of card stock. Lifting it, I smiled as I read it. It was a series of numbers and letters with a link.