Holding Her Close (Bits and Bytes, Book 0) (Bits & Bytes) (3 page)

Rae plucked another walnut from her salad and nibbled on it. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the rest, but the nuts were her favorite bit and she’d never been very good at spearing them with her fork. “It’s not a big deal.”

Chloe pushed her
potato chips around her plate before picking one from the pile. “Then you shouldn’t have made it one.”

If it weren’t for the fact her younger sister dyed her hair black and kept her skin pale, Rae and Chloe would have
looked like twins instead of the five years apart they actually were. Not that either of them minded their personal tastes made them look like separate people.

Chloe was drilling her about whether or not she and Zach were on speaking terms again, and Rae was sick of it.
“I didn’t.”

“
Whatever.” Chloe mumbled between bites of sandwich. She washed it down with a swallow of sweet tea. “Then this won’t bother you.” She looked past Rae, waving at someone. “Hey, guys.”

Rae followed the movement, stomach flipping when she saw who her sister was talking to. Never, in the entire time she’d been meeting Chloe for lunch, had she ever seen Zach in the place. She’d always assumed the deli wasn’t his thing
and now there he was, with Jordan, waving back from the counter.

Rae turned away from the new arrivals
to glare at Chloe. “Did you have to do that?”

Chloe shrugged and grabbed another fry.
“Presumably. It’s not like I could ignore them. He signs my paychecks. Besides, it’s not a big deal, right?”

“
You couldn’t have just said ‘I wanted to talk to my boyfriend?’” Rae kept the question soft.

“
That’s no fun.” Chloe’s smirk spread into a wide grin seconds later.

Even if a hand hadn’t rested on the back of her chair, Rae wouldn’t have had to turn around to know what had provoked the change in expression.

“Ladies.” Zach’s greeting was warm. “I was looking for one of you. Funny coincidence.”

One of them?
Something fluttered through Rae’s chest against her will. That needed to stop. He wasn’t talking about her, and she didn’t care even if he was.

“
Oh?” Chloe sat up straighter.

“
We’re brainstorming commercial ideas,” Jordan offered, eyes never leaving Chloe. “We were going to invite you.”

“
You’re busy.” Zach didn’t missing a beat. “We’ll catch up later.”

Good.
Rae could finish her lunch in peace.

Chloe nudged a chair out with her foot.
“Eat with us. We’re just rehashing the same old stuff.”

Or not.

“Okay.” Jordan dropped into the offered seat.

Zach moved into view.
“You’re sure we’re not interrupting?”

Rae froze on her answer, half of her not wanting to recreate the other morning in his kitchen and the other half not minding the scenery. He made the button
-down and slacks look even better than the pajama’s he’d been wearing the other day.

“
It’s all good,” Chloe supplied for her. “Not a big deal at all.”

Rae shot her a look before pasting a smile in place.
“Absolutely. Pull up a chair.”

“
So, commercials.” Chloe leaned in the moment they were both seated, pushing her plate aside. “TV, right? Since we need artwork?”

“
Webisodes.” Jordan’s grin was just as big. Where Chloe headed the writing staff, he was the art director. “Five minutes long. Epic, right?”

Zach looked at Rae, the apology in his
steel eyes muffling something she couldn’t interpret. “You sure you don’t mind?” he asked.

“
She’s fine,” Chloe answered first, attention always on Jordan.

“
It’s all good,” Rae assured him. It was an interruption, and it was annoying, but she could put on a happy face. The last thing she wanted was for Zach to know she was intensely aware of close he was sitting.

Even if he hadn’t been there, she loved listening to Chloe
— or Scott or really anyone from their office — talk about what they were working on. There was something about their work that was so creative compared to the contracts she had. If she could, she’d set herself up in a game company long-term. Too bad that had never been an option.

She pushed the rambling thought aside and focused on the conversation, which
was mostly Chloe and Jordan tossing story ideas back and forth, trying to make content work with visuals. Occasionally Zach would nudge them in a direction. All three of their lunches went untouched.

“
You can’t do that,” Zach interrupted as Chloe and Jordan reached an animated consensus on something. “It’s too easy. She needs to work harder to solve the problem.”

Chloe stopped, eyebrows reaching toward the top of her head.
“Say what?”

Rae leaned in, resting her arms on the table.
“Of course they can do that. The idea is perfect for your target market. Layla has to lean on the hero at least a little.” Layla was the main character for Cord’s top-selling title.

Zach shook his head.
“Part of the point of this is to draw in new audiences. We have to step away from the sexist assumptions. Like that Layla can’t defend herself.”

Rae bit back her first response. It probably wasn’t the right time t
o tell him he needed to start closer to the core of their company image — like their playboy executives — if he wanted to get rid of their sexist image. “She’s already wearing skin-tight leather. It’s not about toning her down or hiding her weaknesses, it’s about making sure she comes across as confident. Self-reliant is not the same as bossy or standoffish.”

“
Besides.” Jordan glanced at Chloe before turning back to Zach. “Self-confident is sexy.”

Zach tugged on his ponytail, exhaling loudly.
“I’m not arguing that, but she’s the one who has to save the day, right? Isn’t that the point?”

Normally
Rae would wonder if he was just spewing rhetoric, but one of the things she’d adored about him when they’d dated was his ability to concede she was better at things like math. And he’d been incredible at things debate, history, and knowing exactly where and how to use his mouth. The memories seared her skin and made her pulse race, and she squashed them before they could do more.

Rae considered
her words before responding. “It’s true, but she doesn’t have to do it alone. Even Superman needs help sometimes, and you want her to appear human.”

Chloe tapped her knife on the edge of her plate.
“You’re ruining my character. Layla is full-on control, even off-screen.”

Jordan smirked.
“That’s hot too.”

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose.

“See?” Chloe looked smug. “He’s our target market, he knows.”

Zach leveled his gaze at her.
“So are most of our developers.”

The programmers, right
. A walking collective of dick and fart jokes wrapped in some hardcore testosterone. Rae shook her head. “If you’re going to target it specifically to them, throw away any conversations about not being sexist and just have her bounce around naked for five minutes. Besides,” she said, looking at Chloe. “You’re not unveiling her entire back story. You can leave things like what she does and doesn’t dominate outside of killing Horde to the imagination.”

Chloe’s brow furrowed for a moment before a small smile replaced it.
“I suppose. That is what fan fiction is for.”

The conversation moved in deeper, with
everyone taking notes, and things finally wound down as everyone noticed their lunches again.

“
You know.” Chloe locked her attention on Rae, corner of her mouth twitching up. “Someone didn’t like hunting me down on Saturday.”

B
arely contained memories broke loose, flooding Rae’s thoughts all at once and raising her blood pressure, reminding her how close Zach sat. She needed to get this under control.

“
I don’t blame her.” Zach pushed his half-eaten sandwich aside again. “A grown woman shouldn’t require hunting down.”

Chloe made a half
snort, half laugh noise. “Okay, whatever. My point is she would have called anyone else. Give her your number so it won’t happen again.”

Except she’d called both Chloe and Jordan and it hadn’t done her any good.
Rae looked at her sister in disbelief. Her, “How about you don’t let it ha—”

Ran into Zach’s,
“Good point.” He was already pulling out his phone. “We’ll swap.”

She should protest. Something about the entire thing sounded like a bad idea. But she couldn’t think of a rational way to phrase it, so she agreed.

Chloe looked smug as she slid back into more random conversation with Jordan. Rae was wondering whether or not she should just bail when her phone buzzed. An excuse. She didn’t know if she was relieved or not.

Her indecision grew when she saw the text from Zach.
Had to check.

It took a moment for
his meaning to sink in. He thought she might give him a fake number? She couldn’t hide her smile as she met his gaze. He shrugged and nodded at her hand. Seconds later her phone buzzed again.

Can we talk?

Her fingers twitched over the touch screen, but she didn’t type a reply. It was bad enough he was doing this in the middle of lunch — and she might have been bothered if part of her brain wasn’t acting like a giddy child on too much sugar — she wasn’t going to encourage him. She gave him what she hoped was a questioning look.

And seconds later had another message.
After lunch? Away from other ears?

Even if she wanted to tell him no
, curiosity wouldn’t let her. She gave him a slight nod.

Chloe looked at his phone
and then at him. “If you have places you need to be, we won’t be offended if you bail.”

Zach pocketed the device, smug smile marring his face.
“I have to wait for the other party to be free anyway.”

Rae exhaled softly at the
steel eyes almost searing into her. She needed to calm down. This wasn’t a big deal.

Rae told her sister she just wanted to duck in and say hi to Scott. If Chloe thought the behavior was odd — especially since Rae had never stepped foot in the offices before when Zach was around — she hadn’t said anything.

Now Rae was second
-guessing her every movement. What if he read too much into the denim skirt? Lunch with her sister was a good enough reason to dress up.

H
er stomach was doing so many flips she was grateful she hadn’t finished her salad. Zach emerged from his office just a few feet away, and she froze, heart slamming into her ribcage. He looked good. Better than good. Delicious might be a better word. He looked up, eyebrow raised, mouth twisted.

She swallowed, not sure what to say. She needed to be casual
and get it over with. Get on with life again. He was just the guy everyone she knew worked with. It wasn’t like he mattered to her personally. He’d been the one to teach her she didn’t need a guy to define her, and she wasn’t going to let a couple of winks and soft touches erase that lesson.

He nodded toward his office, speaking before she could figure out what to say.
“You have time now?”

“
Sure.” She let out a tiny breath — at least she had kept her voice steady — and followed him.

He shut the door behind her.
“For privacy. I hope that’s okay.”

She nodded and took the chair across from his desk.
For as brilliant as his programmers were, they could be some of the most immature gossips and children when they found an excuse. Whatever this was about, she didn’t need it to be their excuse. What was this about?

“
I like your office.” She studied the decor. It was actually as boring as the front lobby: straight out of a catalog, from the black leather chairs to the primary colored modern art decorating the walls. The only hint of personality was a single photo frame on the back part of his desk. Even in the half angle view she recognized Scott and him with copies of their very first game.

“
It does the job.” Instead of sitting he leaned back against the desk, legs extended and crossed at the ankles, keeping him less than a foot away.

She forced her gaze
away from his sturdy build and to his face. There was no reason to study the way his crossed arms accentuated a slender but firm chest. “So…”

He sighed.
“This has to stop.”

She frowned. Was he telling her she wasn’t allowed in the office anymore? That
was a bit harsh. And didn’t hurt at all. Was he talking about something else? “You’ll have to elaborate.”

“
I’m sorry about pushing your buttons Saturday. It was a cruel stunt, and you didn’t deserve it.” He drummed the fingers of his right hand on his left arm. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes the avoiding each other thing drains me.”

She could argue. Tell him
it wasn’t about avoiding him, because she didn’t care enough about him to notice whether or not they ran into each other again. But a whisper of something less defiant nudged her in a different direction. He’d apologized twice now, and she’d been over him for years, so why were they still keeping up the façade? “You might have a point.”

The corner of his mouth tugged up.
“Did you just tell me I was right about something?”

Her apprehension
mingled with light amusement. “Rumor is you’re right about a lot of things. So we let what happened in high school go?”

“
If you’re admitting it was your fault.”

Her eyes narrowed.
That didn’t sound like an apology. “You’re serious?”

And just like that his smile vanished.
“You think otherwise?” Irritation crept into his voice. “It wasn’t just a casual ‘oh hey, this isn’t working out’, but a full-blown, accusation-filled break down over an imagined slight.”

The truth of the statement hurt and defensiveness spilled in to shield her.
“Imagined? Because unlike half the female population of the school, I wasn’t good enough for you to sleep with, even though we’d been dating for six months?”

“
Because I—” His jaw worked up and down a few times before he finally snapped it shut. His steel eyes raked over her, jaw clenched. “So apparently neither one of us is as over it as we claim.”

The only bit of it she wasn’t over was the bit that helped her remember why she stayed single.
“I’m fine.”

He puffed his cheeks out and they deflated as he exhaled.
“And we really can’t avoid each other forever.”

They’d done okay so far. Then again
, “That should make Scott happy.” She really didn’t want to be the thorn that came between the two friends. She’d always promised Scott she wouldn’t ask him to choose sides. Being on speaking terms with Zach would make it easier.

“
See? Reasonable suggestion.” He reached for the pack of smokes in his shirt pocket, dropping his hand last minute.

“
Fine.” She might push the issue but debate wasn’t her strong suit. Even if she had some kind of comeback, odds were good he’d find a way to argue circles around her. “So what do we do about it?”

He rested his hands on the edge of the desk, his weight creasing his wrists.
“Remove the obstacle.”

A flicker of understanding blinked through her and vanished before she could grasp it, leaving a racing pulse in its wake.
“Excuse me?”

A smile worked its way onto his face.
“If neither of us ever got over that one moment, we need closure. Give us both what we wanted but couldn’t have back then.”

There was no way.
That arrogant asshole. Was he really suggesting sleeping together would make things less awkward between them? And if the idea bothered her so much, why were her nipples hardening at the thought? Not that he needed to know she had any reaction besides disgust. “I’m not sure what kind of women you’re picking up if lines like that work for you, but I expected better. You’ve slipped.”

He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not a line. Just because I’m not interested in pledging my life to you doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed you’re gorgeous. You’ve grown up, filled out, and the thin, white, peasant tops? Nice touch. I’m just saying we need to get it out of our systems. Once we have closure we can move on.”

She wasn’t going to react to the compliments. There was nothing about his words that warmed her. She would focus instead on the underlying insult.
“Get it out of our systems. So charming. I’m not the tramp you pick up on a business trip. Why would you even think I’d do something like that?”

He rolled his eyes.
“Okay, I’ll bite. When was the last time you dated someone seriously?”

Two years ago. The egos of the guys she dated tended to clash with her
desire not to surrender her identity to them. “I don’t know.”

He raised his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twisted.
“Right. Last time you got laid?”

Three months ago, guy she’d met in a bar.
Unless she counted her vibrator, but that probably wasn’t what he was asking. “I don’t know.”

He shook his head.
“Nice. More recently than the serious relationship?”

“
I have to be anywhere that isn’t here.” She stood to leave, and he was between her and the door so quickly she barely registered him moving. She didn’t step back, torn between the familiar scent of peppermint gum and soap and being furious about being blocked in.

“
You’re single, attractive, and married to your job. I bet you’ve done it before.” The lilt was gone from his voice, replaced with something plain, almost sincere. “Is the idea really that repulsive to you?”

Yes. Yes. Yes. The answer chanted in her head. She needed to just say yes.
It might not be a big deal if it was anyone but him asking. She’d learned to be independent since they’d dated, but there was no reason to put that resolution to the test. “N—Obviously.” She winced when her tongue betrayed her, stumbling over the lie.

He stepped out of the way and gestured to the door.
“I don’t believe you, but I’m also not a ‘no means yes’ kind of guy. Sorry to take up your time.”

Walk out the door, down the hall, and into the elevator. That’s all she had to do
. Pretend this conversation never happened and go back to avoiding him. In case that wasn’t enough rationale for her, she needed to keep something else in mind. “What about Scott?”

“
You two aren’t a thing, right?” He stared back, expression blank. “Because we don’t usually share.”

Usually.
The word twisted her thoughts into unrecognizable shapes. Why was she stalling? “No, we’re not, and that’s not what I meant.”

His smirk was back.
“You already mentioned he doesn’t like the tension. This gets rid of it.”

Damn it, he was being logical
, and part of her was intensely grateful for it. “One night, just to prove a point, and we move on?” What was she doing?

If he was smug about the fact she was still there it didn’t show on his face.
“Night, day. Not picky about the time.”

“
It does make a certain amount of sense.” It wasn’t like she was going to get attached, and she could think of worse ways to remind herself why she and he didn’t talk anymore. Besides, the thoughts of running her hands over his sturdy chest, trailing her fingers down his arms, feeling his mouth…well…everywhere, made a compelling argument for giving it a try.

And once that tension was out of the way, maybe they could actually talk again. Rediscover the friendship that existed before they dated.

“Is that a yes?” He hadn’t moved, but every muscle in his body was tense.

No. No. No. What was she doing?
Exactly what she wanted. “Yes. If it clears the air and makes it possible for us to be in the same room, then yes.”

“
No other reason at all.” He closed the distance between them, stopping close enough to feel his heat, but not touching her. “It’s all about closure.” His gaze raked over her, lingering on her hips and again on her chest. “Well, maybe not completely. I’ll enjoy the view, too.”

Her breath hitched at the dark look.
“When do we want to do this?”

He raised a hand
until it hovered less than an inch from the side of her face, but never made contact. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“
Now?” She cringed at the squeak in her question. Swallowing to clear her throat, she tried again. “Don’t you have work?”

“
It can wait. Besides, if I let you leave I might miss my chance.” His voice was low but firm.

At least he had that right
. Her desire focused intently on the man in front of her. “I don’t have any plans for a few hours. Did you have something specific in mind?”

He locked the door, closed the remaining distance between them, and dipped his head. His eyes searched hers, lips hovering millimeters away, and then he kissed her.

The sensation was so light she wasn’t sure she felt it. She leaned in, mouth opening and whimper escaping when he traced his tongue over her bottom lip. Every nerve ending was on fire, screaming for more. His hand rested at the base of her neck, holding her in place, and then deepened the kiss, going from gentle to hungry in an instant.

His tongue twisted around hers in a desperate dance, and desire blossomed in her gut. God this was incredible. Had it been like this before? No, neither of them had been so experienced. She rested her hands on his chest, heat searing her palms.

She fumbled to find her breath when they finally broke apart. His finger brushed her swollen lips, dancing over the sensitive flesh.

“
You’re sure this is a good idea?” She didn’t want to question it, but she needed reassurance. Another voice to tell her the lust screaming through her veins wasn’t misplaced.

The corner of his mouth pulled up and he nudged her back, hands on her hips, guiding her until she bumped into the desk. His soft growl echoed in her ear as he kissed along her lobe.
“Possibly the best fucking idea I’ve had all week.”

Zach never swore when he had a leash on his words.
He was as lost to the moment as she was. The realization made the warmth between her legs slick with anticipation.

Hands still on her hips, he lifted her to sit on the edge of the desk. She draped her arms over his shoulders, fingers interlocking at the base of his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. His slacks scraped along her thighs when he nudged them apart with his knee. Her denim skirt crept higher when he slid between her legs.

He traced a line down her jaw and to the base of her throat, kissing the hollow immediately below her choker. His voice rumbled through her chest. “A collar. Fantastic.”

“
Don’t read too much into it.” Her laugh was cut off by a sigh when he slid a hand under her shirt and up her spine.

She scooted closer, wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock strained through fabric, pressing against her mound and making her pulse scream in anticipation.