Holding Her Close (Bits and Bytes, Book 0) (Bits & Bytes) Page 7

  “Discretion. I’m impressed. Did you think maybe that’s not what I’m worried about?” Zach asked.

  What the hell did that mean? She was about five seconds away from completely losing discretion about some things.

  “Don’t take this out on her,” Scott interrupted. “We need a plan.”

  Zach growled. “We have a plan. Cash out, walk away. There’s a decent severance offer for them, and they’re all talented people.”

  “That’s not a plan, it’s retreat.” Scott’s hands clenched into fists.

  “Semantics.” Zach spat the word. “Call it cut and run if you want. It’s our only option.”

  Rae’s head spun, weighted with concern for her sister, only half registering the volatile conversation. Their mother wouldn't understand. At least she could be there for Chloe. Her voice was soft. “She really likes working for you guys. I don't care if she says otherwise.”

  “No one’s getting laid off.” Scott dropped back onto the couch and rested a hand on her knee. “We’ll fix it.”

  “We can’t fix it.” Exhaustion was creeping into Zach’s irritation. “What are the two of you missing about the term ‘hostile takeover’? It’s not our company anymore.”

  Scott flopped back against the couch, back into the cushions. There was a resignation in his voice that had never been there before. “Yeah, same old shit. We’ll do what we have to Monday.”

  “You’re sure?” Zach asked.

  Rae frowned, hating the surrender. She should stop by the grocery store on the way home. Stock up on ice cream. Plan on Chloe crashing at her place for a little while.

  “Later.” Scott didn’t answer the question, instead leaning forward and disconnecting the phone. He dropped his head into his hands. “This sucks.”

  She didn’t know what to do besides agree.

  ****

  Rae didn’t know where she was going. Not home. Her afternoon with Scott had tanked hard core after he’d gotten the letter. She wasn’t in the mood to sit in her own apartment and stare blankly at the TV, but she also didn’t want to be around crowds.

  She navigated her car mindlessly through the streets. Her already scattered thoughts fragmented further when she realized she’d landed herself less than a block from Zach’s house.

  Maybe a face to face conversation would change things. She knew it wouldn’t, but the way things had gone over the phone were less than satisfactory. And she knew he wasn’t considering everything. There had to be something they’d missed. Scott wasn’t any help on that front. He wanted to fix things but didn’t have any ideas. Maybe it was time to approach it from a different direction.

  She had no idea what she was going to say to Zach, but she knocked anyway. He’d been an ass the other night — aside from the whole rescuing her thing, and the incredible sex thing before all that… She pushed the memories away. This was a professional call. Something she was doing for her sister and her best friend. Not a reason to dwell on a one-night-stand.

  The door swung open and he stood on the other side, icy gaze raking over her, a searing heat lurking beneath. “Twice in two weeks. Maybe I’ll keep the coffee of the month subscription.” He stepped aside. “Fair warning, though. I love Scott dearly, but I’m sick to death of his denial, so if you’re here to reinforce his delusions the conversation is over.”

  Wow. Abrasive much? It was true, the stress she felt was all second-party, but it had still been a draining day. Why was she there? She stepped into the foyer, hands jammed into her shorts pockets. “Why do you do that?”

  He looked her over, the heat in his eyes pushing away his irritation. “Do…?”

  A thrilled chill ran through her at the scrutiny. He was being the same asshole he’d always been. Or usually was. There was no reason for her to react like an animal who couldn’t control herself. “You always have to dominate the conversation. The moment you saw me, the first thing you did was make sure you were on top.” She grimaced as the unfortunate choice of words sank in.

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “I haven’t forgotten you don’t mind taking that position.”

  She sighed and shook her head. Damn fantasies needed to stop. “That’s not why I’m here.”

  “Right. The why.” He hooked his thumbs in his pockets and drummed his fingers on his leg. “I’m still not clear on that. I don’t usually do repeats, but sex is supposed to be good for stress, and —” He looked her over again. “—I’ll be honest, I can’t think of many better ways to do that right now.”

  “Just stop.” The attention flooded her entire body with heat. “If this is going to devastate Chloe, how is it not devouring you?”

  He spun away, long legs carrying him into the living room. “Do you really believe that?”

  She almost had to sprint after him. “You’re not really convincing me — or anyone else — otherwise.”

  He stopped behind the sofa, took a deep breath, and spun to face her again. Anger flashed on his face. “Because letting it show doesn’t do anyone any good.” He raked his fingers through his hair, snagging on the ponytail holder and yanking it out with a snarl.

  He tossed the elastic aside. “We don’t own the company anymore. We’re not even being offered noticeable shares of DM as part of our buy-out. We’re not in charge. It’s all gone. I’m not surrendering because I want to, or because I like watching the people I trust and respect suffer. We. Don’t. Have. A choice.”

  The hint of vulnerability dug deep, and she couldn’t suppress her sympathy. Seeing this side of him gnawed at her. Made her want to tug at the loose thread and see what else she could reveal. She crossed her arms and rested her butt against the back of the couch. “It just seems so final. It doesn’t even directly impact me and it hurts to see it all ripped away.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, breathing shallow. He finally focused on her again. “How do you think I feel? I don’t know what else to tell you. I don’t have a magic answer. We can’t talk or buy our way out of this. Scott’s genius won’t save us. I can’t spin some bullshit for the internet to make us shine. You don’t think I like that, do you?”

  “No.” She frowned, not able to meet his gaze. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

  He leaned back next to her, copying her posture, arm resting against hers. “It’s a pretty common sentiment these days.”

  A shock of warmth rushed through her at the contact. It was comfortable, pleasant, and without all the animosity attached to the conversation, alluring. Not that it mattered. Despite his earlier jab, they’d had their closure. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.” She pushed away, trying to ignore her reluctance. “I’ll let you get back to planning your early retirement.”

  “For what it’s worth.” He rested a hand on her arm, spinning her to face him, touch lingering. “I appreciate the passion. It’s just a shame it’s misplaced. At least you’re being rational about it.”

  She should pull away but his palm against her arm was nice, summoning more memories she’d tried to repress. This time she let them dance through her thoughts. “I’m not always an unreasonable child.”

  He gave a short laugh and straightened up, closing the distance between them. His hand dropped to her hip, steel eyes locked on hers. “I don’t actually think that about you anymore. Sometimes I’m even a little envious at your ability to just let go.”

  What an odd statement. “I don’t let go. I just hold different things close than you do.”

  He grasped her fingers lightly between his. “Sometimes I envy that too.” He leaned back against the couch again, tugging her closer. “For instance, what were you two doing before reality interrupted the afternoon?”

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, never breaking the contact between them. “Tetris.”

  He shook his head, laughter dancing in his eyes. “See? I couldn’t do that.”

  She rolled the words over in her head. She didn’t know which confounded her more, that he was expressing inter
est or that he thought for some reason it was off limits to him. “Why not?”

  He shrugged. “I fell behind that curve a long time ago. I can’t play those games anymore. I suck.”

  She wanted to laugh at the simple statement, but the serious crease in his brow made her think twice about it. “You stick a controller in my hands that’s attached to any kind of digital weapon and I get my ass kicked. It doesn’t stop me from playing when I want.”

  He shook his head. “Like you said, we hold different things close.”

  “Like your ego?” She made sure the comment was soft. There was no malice in the thought and she hoped it didn’t come off that way.

  He shrugged. “Tell me your ego has never held you back from doing something.”

  The question should have put her on edge, especially coming from him, but the conversation didn’t feel threatening. It was thought-provoking, but still casual and non-threatening. Like those talks they’d had back in the day that kept them out long past curfew sitting on the grass in some park, wrapped in each other’s arms. “It absolutely has, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good excuse.”

  He studied her a for a moment. “Would you think less of me if I told you I was only half joking with the stress relief comment earlier?”

  Her skin burned under his hand, wanting more, and her imagination kicked into overdrive. The shift in conversation caught her off-guard, but it didn’t feel forced. In fact, the suggestion enticing. She tried to keep her tone light. “I don’t know if that’s possible.”

  His mouth twisted. “You wound me.”

  Her, “I doubt that” died in the back of her throat when she saw the sincerity in his expression. She needed to step away from that line, they were past swapping insults. Still, she should pull away. Except the thought wasn’t enough to make her act. “You know this is a bad idea.”

  His finger traced a line down her cheek to her jaw. “I don’t know anything like that. I’m also not stopping you from leaving.”

  She didn’t want to argue anymore. She was tired of the parrying, and deflection, and pretending to not notice how intense the spark was between them. The close, unguarded warmth tugged a memory loose she hadn’t seen in ages: their first day of high school, over a decade ago, at lunch time. Her friends had all been on a different schedule, and she’d found an isolated spot under a tree to eat alone. A guy approached who she knew from his posture and gorgeous steel eyes had to be one of the popular kids, and floored her by asking if he could share her tree.

  She’d accepted, and the next couple of years had flowed from easy banter and people watching into something more. By the start of their junior year, it had been him with his back to the same tree trunk, and her sitting between his legs, his arms draped around her neck.

  Something ached in her chest as the memory faded but didn’t vanish. She leaned into his touch. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

  He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, and then rested his forehead against hers. “Not that we’re making a habit of this.”

  She pressed closer, every inch of her screaming for more. A voice whispered in her thoughts that she’d make it a habit in an instant if she thought she could get away with it, and she obliterated it. “Of course not. Stress relief, right?”

  “Right. Sure.” He ran his mouth along her jaw, down to her throat, and kissed along her collarbone. His voice was muffled. “I don’t even care what we call it.”

  She ignored the implication. She wouldn’t lose herself in the emotions of the past. Falling for him had almost destroyed her all those years ago, and the memory was at least as powerful as the good ones. That didn’t mean she had to ignore the physical. Regardless of what he thought this was, it was just a fling for her.

  She tilted her head back with a sigh, closing her eyes and sinking into the sensations. He traced a line along her ear with his tongue, and caught her earlobe between his teeth. She whimpered at the current that raced through her entire body.

  “That sound does wicked things to me.” His growl filled her head. He twisted his fingers in her hair and tugged her head back, mouth finding hers. He kissed her hard, and she pushed back, teeth cutting into the inside of her lip.

  He spun her so her back was to the couch and nudged until her butt collided with it.

  The power in his voice and strength in his grip was enticing and terrifying at the same time. Not that he scared her, but her reactions to him bordered on terrifying. She struggled to close the door on her heart and still focus on his mouth pressed against hers.

  Her feelings pushed back, bursting through the gate and intertwining with her and the moment. That was bad. So why didn’t she want to lock it away again? She could deal with that later. She pressed closer to him, memorizing every inch of his hard body pressed against hers.

  She’d definitely deal with it later. Right now though, feeling him was all that mattered.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It had taken the rest of Zach’s self-restraint to play it cool when Rae showed up on his doorstep, passionate anger flashing in her eyes. It probably wasn’t the best idea to indulge the craving, but the last few months had worn on Zach and if she was the one time he didn’t have to hold back, he was diving into it.

  He tugged her hair, exposing her neck, and drew his tongue down the soft skin. Her whimpers – a sharp contrast to the shell she normally had up – spurred him on. He wanted her now and wasn’t in the mood to play anymore.

  He dropped his hands to her waist, under her shirt, and pushed up. The friction of fabric on skin was rough against his palms. She sighed and shifted her weight against him, every inch of her body rubbing through clothing. That was an issue — too many clothes. His cock pulsed in agreement, already hard and straining against her hip.

  He tugged her top and she took the hint, breaking away long enough for him to yank it over her head. Red bra today. He scraped his teeth over her neck while he undid the clasp. Fuck that was sexy, and her panties were probably cotton, mismatched, and had some kind of obnoxious screen-print on them.

  He tossed her bra aside, and trailed his lips down her chest. She arched her back, bringing her closer. When his mouth closed around a swollen, pink nipple, her fingers dug into his scalp, holding him close.

  Every sound she made pushed him further into the moment. He flicked his tongue across her skin, getting harder with each squirm and sigh. Reason told him to stretch the moment out, make it last, but reason was rapidly evaporating.

  She pulled his face back up, pressed her mouth to his, and caught his bottom lip between her teeth when she pulled away. Brown eyes danced frantically over his face, searching for something. “At the risk of sounding crude.” She trailed her nails over the back of his neck. “I desperately want you inside me.”

  The request broke the last of his control. He was surprised he didn’t tear something yanking her jeans open and pushing them to the ground. Hands on her hips, he lifted her to sit on the back of the sofa.

  He pushed between her legs, fumbling with his own zipper. Something occurred to him, and paused, dropping his forehead onto her shoulder. He didn’t want to lose this moment. Fuck.

  “Something’s wrong.” Her pout was audible.

  He looked at her again. He needed at least a hint of mental power to do this. Fortunately, not a lot. “Don’t move?”

  She gave him a hesitant smile. “Okay?”

  Condoms. Night stand drawer, next to the bed. It took more concentration than it should have to not trip sprinting up the stairs. A moment later he stepped back into the living room. She was still there, legs crossed at the ankles, every gorgeous curve exaggerated by her posture.

  The creases in her forehead melted away when she saw him. He held up the cellophane package and she shook her head with a tiny laugh.

  “I suppose—” She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. “—I should be grateful you don’t have those stashed all over the house.”

  He sli
d the rubber on, and then rested his hands on her hips. Her heat was rapidly pushing away the ruined moment, tempting him again. “Your opinion of my sex life is a lot more interesting than the reality.” He kissed up her neck, letting the scent of strawberries sink into his thoughts. “I’ve never even done this on the couch before.”

  She pulled him closer with her feet, voice breathy. “I get to be a first. I never would have guessed.”

  “I suspect a lot of things about me would surprise you.” He positioned himself near her opening and nudged.

  She sighed and tipped her head back. He pushed inside her slowly, and her nails dug into his back. She moaned when he pulled back out almost to the tip, and then repeated the process.

  She shifted her weight against him, prompting him to increase the pace. He moved a hand to the small of her back to help her keep her balance, and found her tit with the other. He pinched her nipple hard and she pushed back harder.

  He wasn’t going to last at this pace. She was so tight, so slick, and her cries short-circuited his thoughts. He nipped her earlobe, voice gravelly. “Tell me what I have to do to make you come.”

  Her reply was breathless. “More of what you’re already doing. Please don’t stop.”

  He could do that. He drove deep inside. She scraped her nails down his back, and her legs tightened around him. Her breathing grew shallow.

  Her pussy clenched, milking his cock as she climaxed. She didn’t let up, even as her moans slowed. The pounding rhythm pushed him past his limits and he grunted as he slammed against her. He slowed and then stopped as the peak fell away.

  She rested her forehead against his chest, and he dropped his head on her shoulder, both of them silent while they tried to catch their breath.

  ****

  Zach propped himself up on one elbow, couch against his back, Rae’s bare skin pressed against his front. Part of him was already looking forward to the next time. This was getting dangerous, and he didn’t even know if he cared. It wasn’t like he was tied to this place anymore. They could have a little more fun and it didn’t even matter if it went anywhere — which it wouldn’t — since he didn’t have to stick around. There was still the option of selling everything and moving to New Zealand.