Page 10 of Cocky Tech God
“Just because we’re in such close proximity doesn’t mean we’ll cave in.” She didn’t look at me. Her t-shirt, scrunched up between her clenched fingers. “We’re not hormone-crazed teens.”
“Right. Even if you came out of the bathroom buck naked, I wouldn’t have a single obscene thought about you.”
Our eyes met.
“And if I accidently walked in on you getting out of the shower, I wouldn’t imagine anything,” she said.
“Nothing.”
The silence buzzed between my ears, and the crotch of my trousers grew tighter with every second I was not not imagining her up against that shower.
As if she could read my thoughts, and feel my arousal through the air, pink spots bloomed on her cheeks. “Speaking of shower. I get to shower first.”
“That’s random.” And nice. I liked the idea of going into a wet shower knowing she’d been in there, as weird as it sounded.
“It’s a rule, Hansen. I have to be first in the shower.”
“I get the left side of the bed,” I said, patting the pillow behind me.
“But I prefer the left.” Her eyes narrowed, and it seemed like she was getting too close to me.
Maybe I was just imagining it. The space between us on the bed got suddenly small.
“Hmm…well, I guess you’ll have to sleep on top of me.” I lifted my hands. “I promise I won’t touch. But I’ll tell you a secret. You are more than free to touch me.”
“Hansen.” My name was a low purr on her lips.
“Just saying.” And like that, I moved closer. Her knees touched me. “You don’t have to worry. I will respect your wishes.”
“And I will respect yours.”
“Sweetheart, you have no idea what my wishes entail. These are your rules I’ll commit to, Lucia. I have no limits where you are concerned.”
The breath hitched in her throat. For a moment, I thought she would throw all this out of the window and leap in my arms.
She didn’t.
“I did mean what I said on that call, Hansen. I’m not ashamed to admit it. But you and me can’t happen because we are competitors, for one. Secondly, we are so connected in our industry, it would be too…incestuous. And I don’t need the gossip that would surely come if we hooked up.”
“I don’t listen to gossip.”
“I don’t either, but with you…it would be too much trouble.” She backed up an inch. “You have to agree with me on this. And you must keep this mishap to yourself. No one at this conference or back home can know we are sharing a room. That would be a gossip nightmare.”
I sighed, moving my gaze away from her beautiful face. She was right. Most of the women I hooked up with weren’t in tech, generally. Hooking up with Lucia would be like hooking up with my assistant…or boss, if I had one.
I moved farther from her, opening the space between us to unfortunately too large, until I was on the edge of the bed, my bare feet planted on the carpet. “Okay. I see your point. And my lips are sealed about the room.”
“Also, there can’t be any nakedness of any kind.” She bit her lip again, making my resolve to not imagine her naked more difficult. And it also proved she was not convinced of her own rule. Or her decision to suppress her natural inclinations where I was concerned.
“No touching. You shower first. I get the left side of the bed. No one knows about us sharing a room,” I said. Our eyes met. “No nakedness.”
“Yes.” The simple agreement was a whisper on her lips.
“Anything else?”
“I can’t think of anything else right now.”
“Great.” I could keep those simple rules because she wanted me to. I stood and peeled off my unbuttoned shirt. Cold streams of air conditioning hit my skin in sweet relief. I needed it.