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Nineteen
Jayson sat on the corner of his desk in the center of the tech department, addressing his team. Everyone was sitting at their surrounding desks, eyes on him while he delivered the very good news that the software glitch had been unglitched.
Gia lingered at the threshold of her office, arms folded, hip propped on the doorway. In case anyone was watching her, she needed to appear both supportive and comfortable. The supportive part was easy. Jayson was amazingly adept at work and was a respected and admired leader.
The comfortable part took some doing.
Watching him sit there, one foot on the floor, the other dangling off the corner of the desk, his hands folded between the spread of his thick thighs made her want him. The way she’d wanted him last night.
He hadn’t tried anything and she kept telling herself she was glad. After all she’d been trying to establish boundaries.
And now, voilà. Boundaries.
His team laughed at something he said and Jayson smiled. He had an easy way of wielding power. Like a gladiator in the ring who knew he was in charge of the crowd. Even the standard office attire of a gray-blue button-down shirt and dark tie, dark gray pants and leather shoes didn’t distract from that power.
She had been surrounded by powerful men all her life. Men, this one included, who thought they knew what was best for her. She’d never been intimidated or afraid to stick up for herself. She’d never been afraid to speak her mind.
She recalled his moment of vulnerability, when he’d admitted he’d been heavy-handed while they were married. He had, but their problems weren’t only caused by him. He’d been trying to help, which made her wonder... Had she been so concerned with asserting herself that she’d trampled on his efforts to care for her?
That was an uncomfortable thought. Almost as uncomfortable as her cheeks going warm the moment he turned his head and focused on her.
Oh, how she’d been tempted to keep him at the house a little longer. To talk him into a glass of wine and some kissing on the couch. It would have been playing with fire, she knew. So why was she so disappointed that he’d left instead?
He’d confused her lately.
She’d thought she knew him. Knew his tendency to steamroll her, and that he hadn’t been the best listener, but lately she was beginning to think he’d changed. Not only had he admitted he didn’t handle things best while they were married, but he’d also argued with Royce that she could handle things on her own.
She’d been unable to believe what she was hearing.
While she’d been hyperfocused on their inability to work things out in the past, she couldn’t help thinking that fixing the unfixable tablet issue was a symbol of how much she and Jayson had grown since they’d divorced.
Her body wasn’t helping matters.
Every nonsexual thing he said now grew wings and flapped low in her belly. The phrase integrated software analysis shouldn’t make her want him.
“I appreciate the team’s attention to detail,” Jayson’s voice dipped into an unintentionally sexy husk. “You should be proud of how hard you’ve worked. I know you’ve been sweating over the details in search of that magical sweet spot...”
As she absently twirled a few strands of her hair, her eyes feasted on the broadness of his chest. The hardness of his body. She’d stayed up past dark working up a different kind of sweat with him when they were married... And she recalled with clarity how tirelessly he’d searched for her magical sweet spot...
“Now the confession,” he said, his gaze arrowing straight to her. “Gia solved the problem. We had a bet going, too. I lost.”
After applause, and her demure curtsy, one of their tech gurus, Ric, called out, “What’d you lose, Coop?”
“I have to spend several hours in a hot kitchen making my grandmother’s homemade pasta recipe.” One eyebrow rose in an insanely sexy way. With a heated glance toward her he added, “If I would have won—”
“I would’ve had to cook for him,” she blurted out. “Great work everyone. It was a team effort, no matter who found the glitch. Sometimes finding what doesn’t work can be just as important as what does.”
Jayson gave her an approving smile. “Well said, Gia.” He turned back to the group. “We’re going to celebrate with a party here at ThomKnox for our department. Champagne will flow, but not yet. First we have to finish the corrections that I started, coordinate our efforts with Marketing, and then put the update back on the calendar. Thanks, everyone. You know what to do.”
The team turned around in their chairs, opened computers or laptops, reached for their tablets and did as Jayson asked. He stood from his desk and followed her inside her office.
“Champagne?” She asked when he shut the door. “That was nice of you.”
“Nice, huh?” He took another step closer to her and she tightened her arms over her chest, refusing to let him in on the fact that her nipples were desperately trying to get his attention. “I didn’t know you were going to cook for me if I won.”
“Well... I couldn’t tell them the truth,” she whispered.
“Which was what, again?”
