by Nana Malone
Her eyes went wide. “You've known me for months now. Have I ever pulled punches?”
He had to smile at that. Her unfailing honestly was one of the reasons he liked her. Even though, when it was directed at him, it drove him nuts. “Good point.”
“And I think we've established that it's uh ... been a while ... for me. I'm not the one getting blow jobs on the roof of a hotel.”
His skin went hot even as his cock kicked against his thigh. Fuck, that was so hot. So damn hot. Just thinking about her watching him. Her scent on the breeze. She'd watched him come as he'd been thinking about her. “I'm shit at this kind of thing. But you're the only woman I want. And I respect you too much to touch anyone else.” Yeah, and she owned him. Completely. But there was no way he was telling her that. No way he was telling her that he couldn't sleep until she'd texted. That would make him sound pathetic. That would make him that guy he'd been not so long ago.
“Okay.” She bit her lip and it made him want to sink into her again, but he knew it was a nervous habit when she wanted to ask him something.
“What's up?” He propped his head up on his hand.
“Well, it's kind of none of my business territory, but why are you so driven? I mean it's hot, but I'm curious.”
He relaxed marginally. This he could answer. “Well. Growing up. My family didn't really have any money. But we were happy ya know? What spare money we did have my parents spent on me for computer classes and stuff. When Dad died, I saw my mom kill herself to make things happen for me. I promised I was never going to be that poor again. Never going to be in that position to make calls about whether or not I ate in order to get my child something he needs for school.”
“Oh, Bryan.” Her voice was soft.
But he brushed off her sympathy. He didn't need it. In a matter of a week, he'd be a billionaire. None of it mattered. “And you? What about you?”
She shifted in his hold and slid her gaze away. “I saw my mom, this beautiful, bright woman, completely surrender her life over to this man who didn't treat her well. Didn’t have her best interest or mine at heart. And all I could think growing up was, She's so smart. Why is she doing this? I used to set myself little goals to get through the days, weeks, months. I knew if I didn't make things happen on my own, there was no way my father was going to do it or support it. So I busted my ass.”
“I guess you had it tough too.” His voice was soft.
She shrugged. “Whatever. There are people with real problems. Besides, it made me stronger.”
When she brought those dark eyes up to meet his, he knew there was so much she wasn't telling him. But he let it slide. He'd find a way around her walls soon enough. He had time.
Twenty-Five
Kyra was surprised how much things didn't change. At least during the day. Bryan was still a gigantic pain in her ass. There was less shouting than usual, but he was constantly on her ass and not in a sexy, let's do it in the server room kind of way. But in the, you-are-not-allowed-to-be-over-budget-but-I-still-want-to-add-six-new-features kind of way.
Not that the server room wouldn’t have been hot. And not that after one squabble he hadn’t taken her three floors down to the empty floor to “work out their issues” with orgasms. Leave it to him to find a way around the “not at work” rule.
Friday morning was no different. They'd been seeing each other, or whatever the hell they were doing, for nearly two weeks. She'd practically moved into his condo on the weekends with her overnight pack and his insistence on her spending the night. And a couple of times during the week, they'd gone out but he had a knack for picking the out of the way spots.
One night was the drive-in, which was really fun. Of course, he'd taken the opportunity to make out. But then she'd have expected nothing less. Especially as he'd made her come twice during that movie. Hell, she'd be hard-pressed to tell anyone what it was about if asked.
Their second date had been dinner and clubbing, but he'd taken her to Los Angeles. Way out of the way. And he'd gone casual but hip for that date. No one looking at him would have mistaken him for the future billionaire. Dark jeans, white T-shirt, beanie. They'd had fun. A lot of fun. Like dark corner kind of fun. Where he'd showed her just how good he was with his fingers kind of fun.
And the sex. Yeah. He had a policy she could get behind. Which was give her as many orgasms as he could fit into the limited time they had together. It was exactly what she wanted. Then why do you feel like you only have part of him? Because she didn't know when she had it good. This was what she'd asked for. Right?
“Kyra, could you come in here please?”
She depressed her intercom. “Yeah, two secs.”
She quickly fired off an email to Brennan Technology. They’d been hounding her for some contract work. It never hurt to pad her resume, but she really didn’t want to work with them. Maybe it was just time for a sit down and some frank talk about how it wasn't going to work out. Because at this point, they’d just keep calling her.
She picked up her laptop and her burn charts because she knew exactly what this was about. She had two resources out with the flu, so he was going to have to adjust his expectations. And of course, he didn't want to, so yeah, she was ready for a fight and the make-up sex.
She knocked on his office door and was surprised to find Megan there along with their hardware lead. Her friend beamed at her and the guilt twisted her gut. She'd given some lame ass excuses for not being able to go shopping this weekend and she was pretty sure Megan had seen right through them.
But she was making it up to her with lunch tomorrow.
“What's up?” She asked even as she steeled herself for Bryan's perusal of her body. She'd opted for jeans today but she'd worn his favorite stilettos. The ones Micha had let her borrow. And she'd gone for a flowy white top. She'd dressed for their date tonight because she wouldn't have time to go home. He lifted a brow when his gaze drifted to the red-bottomed stunners. Yeah, that's right. I'll be wearing nothing but these later.
Bryan cleared his throat and just like that, he was all business again. “I need you to explain how it is we're going to stay on track with Rob and Mack out? I figured with the four of us, we can figure out a solution.”
She sighed as she took a seat. “Like I've said it's not as easy as testing around their pieces, but these guys can help me walk you through it.”
Twenty-Six
“Hey Boss man. You coming or what?”
Bryan looked up from his laptop to find Kyra standing in the doorway with yoga pants, some tight top that showed off enough cleavage to make him more than interested and a jacket thrown over her get up. Dick. Hard. That was a constant state he was learning to live with. Like he’d promised, work was a no fly zone, so he, for the most part, paid attention to that. Though there was the occasional meeting or two where sparks had flown and he’d needed a cooling off period alone, in his office. Or they’d needed time to work out “issues” three floors down. The best way he found to resolve a fight was to fuck her first, then talk about it.
He would have preferred some alone time with her in his office, but that wasn't going to happen. Only problem was a little tension reliever in the middle of the day wasn't nearly enough. Not when it came to her. Maybe because the tension relievers weren’t enough. Maybe you’re looking for something more substantial. Shit. He was not going to go there. Not with her. Besides, they’d already had this conversation.
“Where are we supposed to be going exactly?”
“Paintball. How could you forget? I forwarded you the flyer no less than four times. I even asked you yesterday before you ran away from my apartment. Remember when I said, don't forget paintball tomorrow?”
He frowned. He did vaguely remember something like that, but mostly because he’d been thinking about washing paint off of her. Where were they again? “I’m sorry; I guess it slipped my mind. Just fill out the reimbursement forms and I’ll deal with it when you get back.”
She put her
hands on her hips and he couldn't help the uptick of his lips. “Bryan, I don't need you there to pay for it. You're supposed to come because it’s a team builder.”
“I still don't get it.”
She rolled her eyes and stalked into his office, going to the bureau in the bathroom. She pulled out black workout gear and tossed it at him. “Come on. We’ll be late if you don't get a move on.”
“You can’t expect me to go.”
“Why not? You were part of the team. And I thought you believed in work hard, play hard?”
“I do, but this is for the development team. We don't have to—”
She put her fingers against his lips and his breath caught. “Look, I know it’s really not your thing, but it’ll be fun and I think it’s good for the team to see you out relaxing. It would make you seem more human. They’d be less intimidated by you.”
He frowned. “No one is intimidated.”
“What, the soon to be tech billionaire doesn't know he’s intimidating? Bullshit. I think you know you are and have no idea how to change that.”
She saw too much and he wasn’t necessarily a fan. “With paintball.”
“It could be ceramics for all I care. The idea is for you to bond with the team. I know how much you loved working in the trenches again. Different kind of trenches, but the guys would love it. I would love it. Please come.”
She dropped her fingers from his lips, but he caught them in his grip and brought them back, gently kissing them before he released her.
“I know that is against the rules, but I don't care,” he said gruffly.
Her tongue peeked out to moisten her bottom lip and his gaze pinned to her lips. “Bryan.” Kyra’s eyes went wide and for once the wall that she erected between them wasn't up. She was laid bare and vulnerable, if only for a second. She wanted this. Wanted him. But she was still fighting.
Patience was the name of the game. Now that he’d been with her, he finally got the difference between something manufactured and something real. The difference between fighting for breath and effortless breathing. But no way in hell he was going to tell her that, because after the last couple of weeks, he understood she was squeamish. He could be patient. But he wasn't letting up. They could be good together. She just had to think it was her idea.
“I’ll be good, Kyra. I promise. I can follow your rules. But I want a reward for being so restrained right now.”
She cocked a delicate brow. “In that case, I promise to try not to shoot you in the ass today. That’s the best I can do.”
He grinned. “And if I shoot you in the ass, I promise to kiss it all better until you moan my name.”
Her pupils dilated even as she nodded. “Done.”
* * *
This was fun. Too much fun. Kyra rolled in the mud and positioned her weapon to aim into the woods. On her team, it was just her and one of the other developers, Ryan, left. On the other team, there were three. Bryan amongst them. She would have sworn he’d been taking shots at her all damn afternoon. Jackass.
A splatter of paint popped on the tree above her head and she cursed and scrambled for cover.
Somewhere in the woods, Bryan called out, “You might as well give it up Kyra; you guys are outnumbered and surrounded.”
She raised her gun and fired blindly into the brush. A screaming curse told her she’d hit at least one target. “Looks like it’s even now, Ross. You feeling good about your odds there?”
His chuckle was loud and throaty and it warmed her from the inside. He was having fun. For once, he wasn't concerned about being perfect or the product. It was these moments that she loved the most with him. And she could tell his team was loving it too.
From her right, her last remaining team member cursed low. And in her com unit, he muttered. “I’m hit. I’m out.” Damn it. That meant one of Bryan’s team was in their area. Now she really was outnumbered … again. She had to get to cover about fifteen feet away. Even with the brush, she was still too exposed.
Levering herself into a couching position, she prepared to move, when there was a low, throaty growl behind her. “Now if only we were alone. Making love in flagrante has a certain appeal.”
She whipped around gun at the ready, and sure enough, there he was, wearing a shit-eating grin. He looked so happy and possibly the most relaxed she’d seen him outside of their first meeting. God I love him like this. What the hell? No. No. No. No. Not love. Sex. Good sex. Great sex. Not love. Damn it. She was not going to get caught in this situation again. No way.
He frowned. “You okay, Kyra? You look—”
She fired. Pink splatters of paint stained his shirt and his concern morphed to a scowl. “You seriously shot me?”
“Honey, you do realize this is paintball, right?”
“You actually shot me?”
There was a hint of a second that she knew she was in for it. Knew that she’d crossed some kind of marker. It was only after his remaining accomplice shot her in the behind and he roared with laughter that she realized she’d gone and fallen in love.
Twenty-Seven
Kyra could only keep up lying for so long. As if sitting for the last two hours with Megan during the big tech QA meeting wasn't hard enough, lunch wasn't any easier. The girls chatted amiably around her and Kyra sat sipping her iced tea and attempting to skillfully avoid land mines surrounding her dating future and some friend of Beckett's Ricca wanted her to meet.
Finally, Megan leaned forward and said, “Oh cut the shit, Kyra. You're in love with him.”
Kyra choked on her iced tea. “Uh, who would you be talking about?” When caught red handed, deny, deny, deny. Megan just rolled her eyes. “Dude, you're not fooling me. I can see it written all over you.”
Ricca sat forward. “Megan, what are you talking about?”
Her new friend laughed. “Kyra is screwing Bryan Ross and she's gone and fallen in love.”
Kyra squirmed in her seat as Jaya, Micha, Ricca and Megan all stared at her expectantly. “I—uh ...” There was no way she was going to be able to just pretend her way through this.
Megan rolled her eyes. “You know I'd be inclined to believe you more if he hadn't just spent the last two hours trying hard not to stare at you and your fabulous footwear by the way. And if he wasn't boring holes into the back of your head from his lunch meeting in the corner of the restaurant.”
Oh fuck. He was here? No wonder she felt tense and jumpy.
“You're imagining—” But then all the girls met her with raised eyebrows and she knew they knew. “Damn it, how did you know? Besides him, you know, eye fucking me as you put it.”
Micha grinned. “We didn't know for sure until now.”
Jaya rolled her eyes at Micha. “Guys, maybe Kyra has a good reason for not telling us all the details. Though, I can't imagine why she would not tell us about falling in love.”
“Yes, I had good reason.” She took another big gulp of iced tea. “It's not anything. I’m not in love. I—”
Megan shook her head. “Nah, I don't believe you. The way he's looking at you right now, it's hot, but it's also ... total focus. And tender. Spill. Leave nothing out.”
She’d have to remember Megan's inner sleuth when it came time for her birthday. As she spilled the whole story, they all stared at her. When she told them she loved him and had no idea what to do, Ricca’s mouth hung open.
“Come on you guys, say something.”
Megan leaned forward. “How many orgasms did you say?”
Kyra laughed. “Okay, something besides that.”
Ricca was barely more helpful. “So you're not dating, but neither one of you is sleeping with other people. And you still text and chat and you go on dates and he gives you orgasms so good you were happy with the arrangement, then you realized you love him and are unhappy with the arrangement and the fact that you love him?”
“Uh yeah. Sort of it in a nutshell.”
Her friend slid a glance to Micha. “You're the straightforwa
rd one.”
Micha leaned forward. “One more thing. You're the one who wanted to keep this quiet?”
Kyra nodded but added, “But he agreed. This would kill my career. I don't want people thinking I slept my way to get the best assignments.”
“Nobody would think that,” Megan chimed in. “At least not at X2. You're the only one who knows how to handle him when he's in tyrant mode.”
Micha snorted. “Oh, she can handle him all right.”
Kyra flushed. “You guys, come on.”
Micha shook her head. “I hate to break it to you, Honey Bunches of Oats, but you're dating him and you’re in love.”
Kyra frowned. “Make it stop. He finds out and he's out of there. We aren't labeling anything.”
“Keep fooling yourself if you want, but there is no turning it off.”
How was that possible? “No. I swear—”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. “Sorry to interrupt ladies, but can I borrow Miss Benson for a minute?”
Micha grinned at him. “Speak of the devil and he will appear in all his sexy fineness. Keep her as long as you want, Bryan. ”
She was going to kill Micha. Megan too. Kyra met Bryan's gaze as she stood. The intensity should have had her shrinking back. But it didn't. Instead her blood heated. “What can I do for you Mr. Ross?”
* * *
Bryan led the way through the lobby of the Westhorpe, back around the business center, and past the largest of the conference rooms. Right about now, he didn't know what he was doing. He'd finished his meeting earlier than expected and she'd still been there, laughing with her friends.
It was technically during work hours but not in the office. So it complied with their stipulations. And given the hooting and laughing and her stricken expression at the lunch table, he had a feeling her friends knew about them. He had at least figured something out. Megan was smart. More than once during their earlier meeting, she'd caught him eyeing Kyra's footwear. Or her tits. Or just fucking staring at her.