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“Oh.”
“The paperwork is simpler that way,” he quickly went on. “And I was thinking, um, that it would be simpler overall if we kept things casual. You and I can keep…” He lowered his voice. “…keepsleepingtogether, but we can’t let other people see us together. It would give the wrong impression to the other employees.”
“Right, it would,” I said slowly. This felt a little too convenient. Did he know what Owen and I had done last night, and was he trying to tell me it was okay?
“So it’s just a physical relationship,” he said, cheeks reddening. “Nothing more. I mean, I definitely like you. As a friend, and more than a friend. Maybe. But for now, with everything so crazy around here with the expansion, and our workload, we should keep it physical. But in the future, if it goes well, maybe it could become more. Maybe.”
I smiled at him and said, “You just want to make sure we’re not exclusive so you can date other women, don’t you?” If I were getting this speech from any other guy, my comment would have been genuine. But from Jude, the well-meaning and adorably-awkward coder nerd, I meant it as a joke.
His cheeks turned a deeper shade of crimson. “No! Totally not. I mean, I don’t have anyone who… That is to say, either of uscoulddo that, but I don’t think I will. But we could. If we wanted. Although I won’t.”
I gave him a warm, disarming smile. “Relax. I was just joking with you. I know, and I agree with everything you said. Let’s keep it casual. And if it turns into something more…” I winked at him. “Then even better.”
He grinned back at me, and I knew everything was okay. At least, for now. I had the overwhelming impulse to walk over and give him a kiss. Nobody else was up on the second floor. It would be quick. No one would know.
Before I could act on it, footsteps came up behind me. I froze, terrified that it would be Owen, but it was just Will Crawley.
“Hey boss. And other boss.” He nodded to me, then Jude. “Had a question about one of the functions on the Ethereum side-chain. The code history says you both worked on it.”
It’s harder to get privacy now that we have more employees.
“That one was all Jude,” I said, remembering the code he was referring to. “I just added some comments after the fact.”
“Cool. I’m working on the integration with one of the other token-based coins…”
I backed away while he explained his problem. Jude gave me one final, private smile before turning his attention to the new coder. I smiled back at him before twisting to leave the office.
And I ran right into Owen.
His chest was hard like a brick wall, and he hardly flinched at my contact. At the sight of him, my body woke up and sat at attention like a dutiful puppy. He was wearing jeans and a tight-fitting blue polo shirt today, which for him was as formal as a tuxedo. He had a Starbucks mug in one hand, and his eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses that might have cost five bucks, or five thousand.
My mouth went dry, and I licked my lips to force moisture into them. “Sunglasses indoors?” I said with a laugh. “You tech-bros have the weirdest fashion.”
He grimaced. “Partied hard with a new business partner last night. We’ll be integrating with their software soon. A hangover is worth nailing down their business.”
“You’re a real martyr,” I replied, but the sarcasm in my tone was less harsh than it would have been. “What’s with the polo?”
He gazed down at himself. “What about it?”
“I’ve never seen you in anything fancier than a T-shirt.”
“You’ve only been here two weeks,” he pointed out.
Did he dress a little nicer for me?It was the only reason I could think of for the change.
“You have a good night?” Owen sipped his coffee, but I could still see his grin behind it. The grin reminded me of the way he had smiled up at me last night, his sexy face between my legs, tongue swirling and worshiping me…
“My night was okay,” I said. “Could have been better.”
“I’m sure it was noteworthy, even if it wasn’teverythingyou wanted.” His smile deepened.
Suddenly Jude and Will were there, coming out of the office to join us. “Good night?” Jude asked as Will went back downstairs.
“Greatnight,” Owen replied, giving me another lusty smile. But if Jude recognized what it meant, he gave no sign.
“You and Jocelyn hit it off?” Jude asked.
“Yeah, she was even flirtier than I remember,” he replied.
