Vested Interest Box Set Books 4-7 Read online

  “Good advice.”

  “You’re a great guy, Reid. As I’ve learned, your past is that. Past. You can’t change it, but you can move forward. Don’t make my mistake and let it define you.”

  I nodded, knowing he was talking about his recent marriage to Cami and the way she had changed him.

  “And you do have family,” he added, his voice low and serious. “You have us. You’re a valuable part of our team, and you should be proud. You have fought your whole life and accomplished a lot. Don’t forget that.”

  I blinked. Aiden rarely got personal, and his words meant a great deal to me.

  He stood and went to the door, his hand on the knob, but he didn’t turn it.

  “And because we have to put our two cents in, we all agree. Buy her a coffee, have a conversation, ask her out, then send flowers. The rest will follow. Although, to be honest, Bent thinks flowers are always appropriate.” He winked. “But don’t go overboard.”

  I laughed. “Okay.”

  “I think you might find her as interested as you are, Reid. I’m just saying.”

  With a wink, he left, making me wonder what he knew that I didn’t.

  I looked at my computer, then glanced toward my door. I needed to talk to Becca and get both of us comfortable.

  I knew only one way to accomplish it.

  With a few swipes of my mouse, and some fast typing, I put my plan in motion.

  I sat back and waited.

  Reid

  A soft knock at my door made me glance up from my screen. Becca stood in the doorway, professional and polished. Her dark hair was up in a knot, her deep gray suit unwrinkled, the skirt hitting her knee modestly. My gaze was drawn to her heels. They were red and sleek, an unexpected sexy twist to her outfit. They made her legs look incredible.

  I wondered how they would look wrapped around my waist.

  She frowned, and I realized I had been staring. Again.

  “Sorry. What’s up?”

  “I’m not sure. I was working, and my computer froze. I can’t get to my document, and it won’t allow me to reboot.”

  I hid my smile. “Odd.” I held out my hand for her laptop. “Let me have a look.”

  She sat across from me. “I hope you can fix it. I was so busy, I hadn’t saved the document.”

  “I have everyone’s laptop set to autosave every two minutes,” I assured her. “In fact, yours saves every sixty seconds. You’ll never lose your work.” I had made sure of that when I set up her computer. I added every safety feature and backup I could possibly cram into it.

  She leaned on my desk, resting her hand on her chin. “You are so awesome.”

  My gaze flickered between her face and her chest. The way she sat pushed her breasts together. They were right there. Plump and inviting, the rounded orbs peeked out from between the silky folds of her blouse. Was she aware of what she was doing to me?

  God, I wanted to touch them. Kiss them. See if her nipples were pink or rose-colored. If they became hard under my tongue, and if she shivered when I licked them.

  I tore my gaze away, shaking my head at my dirty thoughts. It was as though I had a one-track mind when it came to Becca. I saw her, and all I wanted to do was touch her.

  I tapped the keys, clearing the problem. With a smile, I handed her back the laptop. “All fixed.”

  “That fast?”

  I shrugged. “Only a little glitch.”

  She shook her head. “I tried everything I knew of to fix it.”

  I winked at her. “It’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

  She laughed, a soft and inviting sound. “I’m sure you’re worth it.”

  She looked around my office. I followed her gaze, wondering what she saw. I had tried to tidy it lately. It was still messy, but better than it had been. At least, I had gotten rid of all the empty food containers.

  “You’re not a normal geek.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Sorry?”

  She grinned. “You don’t have action figurines or a comic book collection lying around. No gaming posters or autographed memorabilia.”

  “They’re all at home,” I deadpanned. “All twelve of my collections. I keep them under glass. I don’t want people touching my things.”

  She stared at me. Blinked. A flush started at her neck. It was fascinating to watch it spread, her cream-colored skin turning pink and warm. She looked mortified.

  “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I was teasing. I’m sure they’re all very nice.”

  I leaped to my feet, hurrying around the desk. I kneeled beside her, horrified I had upset her. “Jesus, I’m an ass. I was the one teasing, Becca.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, noticing how warm her skin was under mine. “I don’t have any collections except some comic books—and I have those because I like to read them, and I never got one as a kid.”

  “Never?”

  “No,” I stated, hoping she didn’t ask any more questions. “So, I have some now. And computers. I love taking them apart and rebuilding them.”

  She let out a long breath. “Oh. So, you aren’t angry with me?”

  I stared at her. Her eyes were so blue they reminded me of a picture I had seen of a sunlit ocean. But her gaze was worried, overcast like a cloud drifting across the water.

  “No, Becca. I’m not angry.” I leaned a little closer, unsure why I was doing so. “I could never be angry with you.”

  “Okay,” she breathed out.

  “I’m sorry I upset you.”

  She gripped my hand. I hadn’t even realized I was still holding hers in mine. “It’s all good. Right?”

  “Right.”

  I glanced at her lips. She stared at mine. Her breath caught. I felt as if an invisible string was drawing me in. I pushed closer, wanting, needing something.

  Her.

  “Reid!” Aiden’s voice boomed out from the hall. “What the hell is up with the six pizzas that arrived at the front desk? On my credit card, no less!”

  Becca and I stood, backing away from each other, the moment broken. Our hands separated, and I felt the loss immediately. She smiled sadly. I hated her looking that way.

  “Want some pizza?” I asked, wanting to make her smile.

  “Did you really order pizza on his credit card?”

  “He said he wanted some earlier. I only saved us time.” I shrugged. “He’ll eat most of it anyway. He always does.”

  Aiden appeared in my doorway, a huge slice held in one hand, a pizza box in the other one. He narrowed his eyes as he studied us, then grinned.

  “Next time, it’s on Maddox.”

  “Okay.”

  “I put the rest in the lunchroom. Help yourself.”

  “You’re only taking one?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Cami is limiting my carbs.”

  I snorted, and he grinned. “I gave you fair warning, Reid. Once I finish this one, all bets are off!”

  He disappeared down the hall, laughing.

  I indicated the door to Becca.

  “You heard him. Go grab some.”

  “Are you coming?” she asked.

  “I’ll be right behind you. I need to close what I was working on.”

  She walked away, and I followed her movements with my eyes. I sat down heavily in the chair where she’d been sitting.

  If Aiden hadn’t interrupted, would I have had the balls to kiss her?

  Did she want me to?

  I had no idea. Even worse, I had no clue how to figure it out.

  * * *

  Maddox strolled into my office, Aiden on his heels. Maddox glanced around, his eyebrows rising as he took in the unusual neatness of my area. I had done a complete overhaul of my office after Becca had been there. Sandy had been shocked and delighted when she saw it that morning. She was even happier when I asked her to help me pick out some more new shirts and pants. It was easy to make the old broad smile.

  The added touch was the framed Yoda poster I’d bought and hung across from my des
k, hoping to make Becca laugh the next time she came in. She hadn’t seen it yet, but I knew she’d be around soon enough. Her glitch was set to go off in a couple of hours.

  Maddox sat down, crossing his legs. “Turning over a new leaf, Reid?”

  Aiden pushed my door shut and flopped into the other chair. The legs groaned in protest. “I think he’s trying to impress a certain pretty marketing manager.”

  I rolled my eyes, though I knew my ears were turning red. “Whatever. I cleaned a little.”

  “How long did it take you?” Maddox asked with a grin.

  “All night. I found my wallet I thought I had lost. It still had fifty bucks in it.”

  Aiden high-fived me.

  “Great poster.” He jerked his thumb toward Yoda. “I love the little green guy.”

  Maddox rolled his eyes. “Please don’t do your imitation. It’s scary.”

  “Whatever. Just jealous you are, mmm-hmm,” Aiden quipped, his voice making my eyes widen.

  “Dude, no,” I groaned.

  He shook his head. “Appreciation for my talent, you have not, mmm-hmm.”

  Maddox smacked his head. “No, you have no talent. You sound as though you’re about to expectorate.”

  I chuckled watching them. They glared at each other, then joined my laughter.

  I slouched in my chair. “So, what’s up?” I glanced toward my screen. “I haven’t sent the wrong shit out again, have I?”

  Aiden chuckled, while Maddox shook his head. “No,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about having you install the security program at another place.”

  “Oh yeah? Cool. I think I’ve got all the bugs worked out, but more feedback would be awesome. I want it perfect for Ridge Towers.” I dug around and found a pen. “Where?”

  “The apartment Becca is renting from me,” Maddox stated.

  My head snapped up, and I met his eyes. He was regarding me closely, his expression serious, but his eyes were amused. “We thought, perhaps, your time would be better spent using a direct approach, rather than fixing her computer every day.” He arched a knowing eyebrow in my direction.

  “Um . . .” I swallowed. She’d had to come see me many times last week. We hadn’t had another moment the way we did the first day, but I kept hoping. The problem was I kept freezing and my brain couldn’t come up with the words, and the silence became awkward.

  “There have been a lot of glitches with the machine,” I said, the words lame.

  “Glitches?” Maddox laughed. “I work across the hall from the two of you. She is in here daily with a problem, or you’re trotting down the hall to her office to help fix something. If the machine has that many problems, we should simply get a new one.”

  “No! I’ve got it handled.”

  Aiden stroked his chin. “Strangest thing too, I can’t find a single ticket in the system about Becca’s constant computer trouble.”

  “Oh yeah, well . . .” I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s easier to help her out, rather than crowd the system with tickets.”

  Aiden’s head fell back, his laughter booming out in my office. “Crowd the system? Reid, since you came on board, we have no tickets. No downtime. No errors.” He wiped his eyes. “Fess up, boy. What are you doing?”

  I sighed. “I send little viruses to freeze her computer so she has to come see me. I wanted to take the time she’s here to talk to her.”

  “And how’s that working for you?”

  I tossed my glasses onto my desk. “It’s not.”

  Maddox leaned forward. “You are such a wimp.”

  “I know.”

  “You talk to Sandy. You talk to Liv. All the other females in the office. Why can’t you talk to Becca?”

  “I can talk to the rest of them because I’m not imagining their mouths wrapped around my dick every second of the conversation! I don’t think about how I want to throw them on their desk and bury myself inside of them to see if it would be as fucking awesome as I dream it would be!” I burst out, slamming my hand on my desk.

  They both gaped at me. Maddox glanced down, fighting his smile, but Aiden’s grin was wide. “You are so fucked.”

  “Well, I want to be,” I muttered.

  “You got it bad.”

  “Tell me about it. My fucking hand is sore, and I keep running out of lotion.”

  “TMI,” Maddox drawled.

  Aiden hunched closer. “Okay. Listen up. Maddox is going to tell Becca he wants to install the system at her place. You’re going to arrange a time suitable to her. You are going to show up and bring her a coffee. Smile at her. Chat as you’re working, the way you chatted with Cami while you set up my place. Think with your big head, not the little one.”

  I met his eyes. “It’s not little. Trust me.”

  He groaned. “Whatever.”

  Maddox snorted. “The point here is, be yourself. She likes you. You like her. Get to know her as a person. Let her see Reid outside the office.”

  “How do you know she likes me?”

  Maddox rolled his eyes. “Why do I feel as if we’re twelve and passing notes at school? She asked me about you once. I got the feeling she was interested. But she’s a cautious young woman. So unless she thinks you feel the same way, she is not going to approach you.” He stood. “Man up. I’ll go let her know, and the rest is up to you.”

  He walked out of the office, leaving me with Aiden.

  “He’s right. Stop playing around. You want this girl? Go for it. I know this is all new to you, but the fact is, only you can do this, Reid.”

  “You’re right. I’ve been an idiot.”

  “Yep.” He walked to my door. “Now, go get your girl.”

  * * *

  A few hours later, I stopped in the doorway of Becca’s office. She was busy, her attention on her screen, her hand using the mouse to create some visual. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and the tip of her tongue peeked out between her lips. I had to swallow, imagining how much I wanted her tongue in my mouth.

  I studied her quietly, taking in her professional appearance. Not a hair out of place, her suit unwrinkled, her makeup light. Her office was organized, her desk precise. She even had a coaster under her cup of coffee. She wore a pair of reading glasses, the half-moon frames highlighting her bright blue eyes, making her even prettier.

  Not to mention sexy. She was so sexy it made my heart race.

  I glanced down at my black jeans and blue button-down. Self-consciously, I patted down my hair. I knew it was all over the place. Compared to her, I resembled an unmade bed, as Bentley often referred to me. Could she possibly be interested in someone like me?

  I raised my hand to knock when she glanced up. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, nothing existed but her and the hypnotic spell she had on me. She smiled, wide and sweet, the dimple in her chin clear.

  “Hi.”

  I shook my head to clear it. “Um, yeah. Hi.”

  She leaned back, the movement causing her blouse to tighten across her chest. I tried not to stare at her breasts.

  I failed.

  She cleared her throat, and I snapped my gaze back to her face.

  “So Maddox asked me to install the security system at your place?” I asked. I was shocked to hear how steady my voice sounded.

  She nodded. “He told me you would be coming by.”

  I stepped in, edging my way to her desk. “Is that good for you?”

  Let it be good for you, I pleaded silently.

  “How long do you need?”

  I shrugged. I could easily drag it out to a day or two. “I need to scope out the apartment first. Check the door and windows for the right layout. See what would work best. Map it all out and make sure I bring all the right equipment. The install is only a few hours, barring any complications.”

  I planned on there being lots of complications.

  “Okay. So you need to drop by one night and do the install another day?”

  “Yeah. How about tonight? I could swing by
and get any info I need, and we’ll go from there?” I faltered, remembering it was Friday. “Unless, of course, you have plans.”

  Please don’t have plans.

  Relief flooded through me when she shook her head. “Nope. Tonight is good.”

  “Great.”

  “You don’t, ah, have a date?”

  I wanted to snort. I hadn’t had a date in a couple of years. The last one was such a disaster that I decided to stop trying.

  “No.”

  “Okay, so tonight works. What day is best for the install?”

  “Once I figure out what the best setup is for you, I have to get all the pieces ordered in. Next weekend should work. Saturday is best,” I stated firmly. I could have her all to myself for the day if I played my cards right. “I like to come early in the morning.”

  Her eyes grew round.

  Realizing what I had said, I grabbed the back of my hair, yanking on it in frustration. “I mean, I prefer to start early.” I gripped my hair again. “In case there are any issues,” I finished lamely.

  I expected her to laugh. Or throw me out of her office. Instead, she smiled. “Saturday is fine.”

  “Okay, great.” I began to leave her office. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Reid.” Her voice stopped me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t you need to know where I live?”

  I wanted to laugh. I knew exactly where she lived. I might have been in the neighborhood a couple of times, hoping to bump into her.

  Because I had turned into a Becca stalker. A fumbling, idiot of a stalker.

  I smiled, offering her a half-truth. “Maddox gave me the address.”

  “All right. I’ll see you tonight.” She smirked. “If not before.”

  I couldn’t resist. “It’s a date.”

  I hurried away.

  * * *

  Time dragged on until I could finally go to Becca’s apartment. I was edgy at work all afternoon, and I didn’t mess with her computer. I needed to play it cool. If that was possible.

  She had dropped by my office to confirm the time, laughing in delight over my poster.

  “Yoda is the best, he is,” she quipped looking far cuter than Aiden while doing her imitation. She winked before leaving. “I think you got that just for me, Reid Matthews.”