I twist the stem of my wine glass. “And what do you think?”
“She’s probably right. I’m watching how Mattis is working with Jim Adelson’s team. Their developer is a woman.”
“That will be thoroughly telling. Is he purely a network guy, or is he a failed developer?”
“He came to us as a network guy. I don’t remember his resume and whether he’s done any development work.”
We sit in silence, watching the lights flicker across the Bay Bridge.
“I had fun with you the night we met,” Landon remarks in a low tone that revs my traitorous body.
I smile. “So did I. I never expected to see you again.”
“I’d planned on going back to the bar to find you the next day.”
Heat rushes through me, and I can’t help but be pleased. “Really?”
“I figured you weren’t a nurse, and unless Chrissy had a wealthy boyfriend or girlfriend, I was fairly certain she wasn’t a teacher.”
I turn crimson. “We do that a lot. Most guys don’t notice.” I pause a moment. “How did you know I wasn’t a nurse?”
“You didn’t want to talk about it. And I was pretty sure you weren’t even looking for what you got.”
Not in the least. “I’m not impulsive like that.”
He shrugs. “It was a lot of fun. I liked you that night. But after watching you with your team and seeing the way your mind works with your code, I like you even more.”
“I’m sure I’m one of many…” I deflect the compliment.
“No, you aren’t. I’d like you to consider exploring something with me.”
I shake my head. “As tempting as that may be, it has a neon sign that shouts, MISTAKE all over it. We’re committed to working together for ten years, or until we sell Disruptive.”
He’s quiet. “I think if we don’t explore what’s going on between us, that would be the mistake.”
I shut my eyes. I’m so tempted, but I don’t usually keep guys around for long, and in this situation that would be a disaster. I open my eyes to find Landon looking at me. In the muted light, his eyes are begging. I take a deep breath. “How about a compromise? I don’t have much of a long history with partners. I don’t know you well enough to know if that’s the case for you—”
“That’s a fair statement,” Landon offers.
“So how about we get to know one another better?” His face brightens. “We can hang out together—with our clothes on—for the next few months, including Claire on occasion, but for now we remain friends and co-workers. Then we’ll see what we want after that.”
Landon’s shoulders fall. “That’s probably the smart thing to do.” He looks at me. “The longest I’ve been celibate since I was seventeen was two weeks.”
My jaw drops. “I hadn’t been with anyone before you that night in a long time.”
He leans his head back and groans. “Do you know how tight you were? It was like a vice—incredible.” He shakes his head. “I’m going to become overly familiar with my right hand.”
“Bob and I will maintain our close relationship.”
“Who is Bob? If I’m damn well going to be celibate, you are, too. You don’t get to have someone while we figure this out.”
His face is turning beet red. I can’t stop my laugh. “Bob is my vibrator. Bob stands for battery-operated boyfriend.”
He looks up. “Jesus, woman. You about gave me a stroke.”
“I see that.” I’m still chuckling.
“I’ve never been much of a voyeur, but I wouldn’t mind watching you and Bob together. Can we have FaceTime sex while we wait?”
I shake my head. “You’re going to make the next six months hard, aren’t you?”
“Six months? A couple means two.” He rubs his hands on his thighs. “You’re going to kill me.”
I shake my head. “It’s the only way. If we become friends first and then lovers, we might not ruin our work relationship.”
“At least you didn’t say, we could make a go of getting married.”
“Married? No way. I don’t believe in marriage.”
Landon’s eyes pop wide. “What?”
“Nope. It’s a piece of paper. Why do you need a piece of paper to remain committed to someone?”
“Do you want kids?”
I shrug. “Probably with the right person, sure. But you don’t need to be married to have kids either.” I scrutinize him. “You want to marry and have kids?”
“I do. But not right away. I’m only thirty-one. I have time. Men can have babies into their seventies.”
“True, but only with much younger women,” I remind him.
“You’re much younger.”
“No, I’m not. Six years is nothing.”
Landon has a twinkle in his eye. “Do you think we should have sex to seal the deal?”
I look at the ceiling. He’s going to wear me down. I’m sure of it. I need to remain strong. “Absolutely not. We’d never stop.”
“Well, at least we agree on that.”
“We have amazing chemistry. But please look at it from my point of view: if it doesn’t work out, I walk away with nothing. All the work I’ve done is out the window.”
“I know, and honestly, Claire would castrate me if I did something that caused you to leave the company. As soon as she met you, she was all about you being part of Disruptive. And, trust me, there’s no stopping her when she sets her mind to something.”
“I like Claire a lot, and we have to consider that. I suggest that if after six months we decide to make a go of a personal relationship, she needs to be onboard with it, too.”
“I’ve never asked my sister for that kind of permission before,” Landon grumbles.
“She thinks you’re a manwhore.” I cringe. That was awfully direct, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“I’m not as bad as she thinks.” Landon
