He shook it all aside. He didn’t have a right, or a need, to feel any of that toward her. So what if she got along well with Scott after all this time? They’d always been close. Big deal if she looked incredible in the thin peasant top. It didn’t matter images danced in his mind now of joining her somewhere private, pushing her against the wall, and making her moan and whimper in pleasure.
Zach drained his ice water, unable to take his eyes of Rae, as she sipped her coffee and grinned at one of Scott’s jokes. The way her eyes lit up, the quirk of her lips, and the crystal of her laugh, all seeped into Zach’s senses. His cock strained against his slacks when she licked her bottom lip.
Fuck, this was going to kill him. It was just lust, though. It wasn’t attraction, and it certainly wasn’t a desire to revive whatever they’d had in the past. She was a gorgeous woman, and she caught his eye.
He needed to flush her out of his system. He only knew two ways to do that, and since never seeing her again probably wasn’t an option now they were publicly on speaking terms, he’d have to go with his second choice.
He needed a taste to sate the curiosity, to prove to his psyche she was just another person. That was how it worked when a woman wormed her way into his thoughts and wouldn’t leave, though he didn’t know if it had ever been this intense or distracting. Even with Kelly.
The question was, what did she need to hear to be convinced of the same thing? She had to be at least a little interested. That her gaze met his over and over, the hint of pink that flushed her cheeks, and the way she snagged her bottom lip between her teeth every time she caught him staring. It was possible he read the signs wrong, but he rarely made a mistake like that.
Seduction was a tempting choice. Finding a quiet place to talk, trailing his fingers along her arm. Kissing up her neck…
But dancing around the truth caused them trouble last time. Each of them assuming they knew what the other was thinking. This called for a straightforward approach. The thought was foreign but appealing. He’d have to be upfront with her.
Chapter Four
Rae plucked another walnut from her salad and nibbled on it. The weekend had been a nice break, but Chloe needed to go back to work this morning, and Rae knew she couldn’t put off looking for a new contract for much longer. She had savings, but she’d rather not dip into it if she could avoid it. She could job hunt and network from here since that all happened online and over the phone. Spend some more time with everyone. So she and Chloe were having lunch, to break up having to dive back head first into their Mondays.
“It’s not a big deal,” Rae said.
Chloe picked through the potato chips on her plate before plucking one from the pile. “Then you shouldn’t have made it one.”
Chloe was drilling her about whether or not she and Zach were on speaking terms again, and Rae was sick of it. “I didn’t.”
“Whatever.” Chloe mumbled between bites of sandwich. She washed it down with a swallow of sweet tea. “Then this won’t bother you.” She waved at someone behind Rae. “Hey, guys.”
Rae followed Chloe’s gaze. What were the odds? Zach was there with Jordan, waving back from the counter.
Rae glared at Chloe. “Did you have to do that?”
Chloe shrugged and grabbed another chip. “Presumably. It’s not like I could ignore them. He signs my paychecks. Besides, it’s not a big deal. Right?”
“You’re not as clever as you think you are.” Rae kept the statement soft. She wasn’t going to let this get to her.
“You love me, and you know it.” Chloe’s smirk spread into a friendly grin seconds later.
Even if a hand hadn’t rested on the back of her chair, Rae wouldn’t have needed to turn around to know what had provoked the change in expression.
“Ladies.” Zach’s greeting was warm. “I was looking for one of you. Funny coincidence.”
One of them? Something fluttered through Rae’s chest against her will. That needed to stop. He wasn’t talking about her, and she didn’t care even if he was.
“Oh?” Chloe sat up straighter.
“We’re brainstorming commercial ideas,” Jordan said. “We were going to invite you.”
“You’re busy,” Zach said. “We’ll catch up later.”
Good. Rae could finish her lunch in peace.
Chloe nudged a chair out with her foot. “Eat with us. We’re just rehashing the same old stuff.”
So much for an uneventful lunch.
“Okay.” Jordan dropped into the offered seat.
Zach moved into view. “You’re sure we’re not interrupting?”
Rae froze on her answer, half of her not wanting to sit through a meal where she felt like she had to watch her words, and the other half not minding the scenery.
“It’s all good,” Chloe supplied for her. “Not a big deal at all.”
Rae shot her a look before pasting a smile in place. “Absolutely. Pull up a chair.”
“So, commercials.” Chloe leaned in and shoved her plate aside the moment both men were seated. “TV, right? Since we need artwork?”
“Webisodes.” Jordan’s grin was just as big. “Five minutes long. Epic, right?”
Zach looked at Rae, the apology in his blue eyes masking something she couldn’t interpret. “You sure you don’t mind?” he asked.