After several minutes, she rolled off him and rested her head on his shoulder instead. She didn’t want to ask the question knocking in the back of her head. An irrational concern told her if she didn’t ask, he couldn’t give the wrong response. She forced the words out, voice soft. “Do you have to get home?”
“Mmm…” He grabbed a tissue off the nightstand. After stripping off the condom, he wrapped it up, the tossed it in the trashcan nearby.
The vague answer dug deeper than she thought possible. Was he brushing her off? It shouldn’t matter, but she couldn’t ignore the hope he was sticking around. She tried to keep her tone light. “That’s not an answer.”
He trailed his fingers up her spine, drawing her closer with the light touch. “Something wore me out.” The energy was gone from his voice, but the playfulness was still there. “I don’t know if I should drive.”
Relief flitted through her. This was a dangerous line to walk, but if it was only for one night, she was grabbing as many pleasant memories as possible. She smiled against his shoulder and kissed along the bare skin. “You’d probably better stay here, then. Just to be safe.”
She shouldn’t be taking it so far. This was a mistake, but the warm body next to her, the strong arm around her, told her regret could wait until tomorrow.
****
Rae rolled onto her back, still wrapped in sleep. Something didn’t feel right. The thought jolted her toward consciousness. What was wrong?
She reached her arms out to either side. Nothing. Well, blanket, twisted sheets, and a pillow she didn’t usually keep there, but no one else.
She sighed and closed her eyes again. Of course Zach was already gone. What had she expected? Even though she didn’t make a habit of one-night stands, she’d done it a couple of times. There was sex, sometimes there was sleeping in the same bed, and there was never more the next morning. It wasn’t as if they were going to have coffee and breakfast together and chat the day away.
At least he saved her the trouble of an awkward goodbye. She sat up, hair falling around her face as she slouched forward. They’d rewritten their ending, just like he suggested. They could be in the same room together again, and she’d be done with the childish swooning. Starting over, as friends and nothing more, would be easier now without animosity haunting them.
It was closure. It had been incredible, but that chapter of her past was finally finished. She could move on.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, and she grabbed it out of habit. She couldn’t hide her smile as she flipped through Zach’s messages.
Had an early meeting, or I would have said goodbye.
Best closure ever.
Enjoy your day.
She climbed out of bed. Why did that make her feel better? Nothing else had changed, but knowing she wasn’t the only one it had left an impression on helped. Now she just had to focus on reminding herself an impression was all she needed.
Shower, then start digging up her next contract. Last night wasn’t enough to make her forget they ended a long time ago. Throwing herself into her job hunt should get rid of the lingering traces of something she couldn’t name.
Chapter Eight
Zach tried to ignore the one-on-one meetings going on in the conference room. Vance was interviewing everyone individually to get to know his new people better. Zach didn’t like the sound of it, but hadn’t been able to craft a valid objection.
He made himself comfortable in the chair across from Scott's desk and waited for acknowledgment. Back in the day, when they were decorating, he’d given Scott crap for the plastic mesh on metal legs. Even though the seats kind of matched the modern décor everywhere else, they were butt-ugly. Zach realized over time they were also the most comfortable chairs in the office.
Magazine reviews and industry awards glared at him; black frames against white walls reminded him how much they had poured into the company.
Scott glanced in his direction but didn't pull his attention away from the three flat screens between them. “You score?”
Zach studied him. Had Rae already said something? No. The question was too vague. “Huh?”
Scott nodded toward the conference rooms. “Miss bun-so-tight-it-has-to-give-her-a-migraine, who was winking at you through the entire evening? I’ll take that as a no.”
Zach shrugged. That should be his segue. The entire reason he was there. This wasn’t the kind of secret he could keep, and it wasn’t as if it was a big deal he’d slept with Rae. They both agreed it was an outlet. A means to an end. So why was he hesitating?
Scott typed a few more things, still not pulling his attention from his work. “Probably smart. Odds are she fucks like a woman who knows she’s attractive.”