Such a shame his ex couldn’t see that, couldn’t see the joy this side of the company brings him.

“I still can’t believe you developed my favorite sticky note app. I love that thing.”

He smiles smugly. “You’re welcome.”

His fingers fly over the keyboard again as he shuts the system back down.

I swivel around in the chair, and Zach notices my penchant for doing so.

“You like the chairs?”

“Like? I love them. They’re stupid comfortable. I could sit down here all day and watch you work.”

“Watch me work? You want to watch me squint at a screen all day?”

I nod. “Oh, Zach. You don’t even know how sexy it is. Your eyebrows pinch together and you do the cutest thing with your mouth. Don’t even get me started on how hot your fingers are with how fast they fly over the keyboard. Makes me wonder about things.”

His brows lift. “What kind of things, Delia?”

I grin and spin around in the chair again. “Like, you know…things.”

When I spin back around, Zach’s there on his knees, waiting to catch the chair. He jerks it to a stop and I sit up, our noses now mere inches apart.

His touch begins at my ankles as he slowly drags his fingertips up my calves, over my knees, and right up along my thighs. He stops at the hem of the shirt I’m wearing.

“My shirt is sexy on you, Delia.” He grabs the hem and tugs, lifting it up to see what’s underneath, then trails his fingers under the shirt, under the edge of my panties. My legs spread of their own accord, welcoming his exploring touch.

Moving the material aside, he keeps eye contact with me as he circles my clit with the tip of his finger. I want to close my eyes, want to throw my head back and moan, but I don’t want to miss the way his green eyes light up.

He knows what he’s doing to me, knows he’s pushing me to the brink right now with slow, methodic strokes. Sweat is starting to form on the back of my neck and I can feel the pressure building up inside me, so persistent that my hips begin to move in time with his fingers, desperate to find the release he’s offering.

With his other hand, he pulls at my shirt, encouraging me to sit up. He scoots me to the edge of the seat, his lips seizing mine once I’m close enough to him.

He presses his tongue against the seam of my lips and I open for him as he moves his fingers to my opening and works them inside me.

I moan into his mouth and he swallows the sound.

He twists his finger within me as he rolls his tongue over mine. He’s hitting just the right spot and I’m riding his hand.

I wrench my mouth away and cry out as my body shudders with relief.

Zach pulls his fingers from me slowly, stroking me a few more times before pulling away entirely. He kisses the tip of my nose and sits back on his heels, a satisfied grin on his face.

“You’re proud of yourself, huh?”

I playfully kick at his chest and he grabs my ankle, pulling me down off the chair and under him in no time. His grin hasn’t moved an inch as he hovers above me.

“Very,” he whispers before kissing me again. “Now, let’s go to bed and stay there until we absolutely have to leave. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Sixteen

Me: Can we please go back to lying in your bed and snuggling? This college shit is for the birds.

* * *

Zach: This real world shit is for the birds.

* * *

Zach: I’m ready for a break myself.

* * *

Me: Oh, idea! Let’s meet for lunch. I don’t have another class until 3. Want to do me?

* * *

Me: NO. NO. TYPO! I DID NOT MEAN THAT!

* * *

Me: I mean, I did, but not right now.

* * *

Zach: Oh, I’d LOVE to do you. WINK.

* * *

Me: And lunch?

* * *

Zach: I’d love that as well. That pizza place I was raving about is about halfway. Want to do that?

* * *

Me: Let’s get it on.

* * *

Me: THE PIZZA! The pizza date!

* * *

Zach: Riiiiiiight.

Me: I’m here. Where are you?

* * *

Zach: I’m here. Come over to my car.

* * *

Me: This sounds like the beginning of a slasher film. Do you have any candy?

* * *

Zach: Just bring your cute ass over here, Delia.

* * *

Me: Roger that! On my way, sir!

I slide out of my car and glance around the parking lot, finally spotting Zach’s sleek black ride at the back. He’s parked nowhere near anyone else.

Figures—men and their automobiles.

As I approach the car, he rolls down the window and out pops Marshmallow’s head.

“Psst. Hey, we have candy in here,” Zach says, grinning.

“Um, excuse me, you have a goat in there. I’ll get in for a goat way before I get in for candy.”

Zach mocks offense while Marshmallow makes a loud high-pitched noise and does that cute sloppy goat grin he does.

I slide into the passenger seat and take Marshy off Zach’s hands.

“I can’t believe you brought him.”

“I didn’t want him to miss out on pizza. Plus, he missed you.”

“He missed me? Or you did?”

“Okay, it was me. I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other in a week, again. Our schedules are shit,” he complains.

“They are, but Thanksgiving is coming up and I’m sure we’ll be—” I clamp my mouth shut.

I almost made plans with Zach—holiday plans. That’s getting serious, and I don’t know about getting serious.

I bury my nose in Marshmallow’s fur, snuggling him close as a distraction.

Zach doesn’t let me get away with it.

“Were you trying to say we’ll be spending Thanksgiving together, Delia?”

I give the goat another hug.

“Stop hugging the goat.” Zach plucks him from my arms and sets him in the back seat on the dog pillow he has back there.

“But he’s so soft,” I whine.

“What were you saying about Thanksgiving?”

“I…hell, Zach, I don’t know. I guess I was unintentionally making holiday plans with you. We haven’t been dating long and we’re nowhere near the meet-the-family stage, so I’m not sure why I said anything at all.”

“I see. And what if I were to ask you to spend Thanksgiving with me and my family? Would you turn me down?”

My eyes shoot to his. He’s being serious. He wants me to spend Thanksgiving with him.

“No.”

The word falls out of my mouth, and I can’t take it back.

But I don’t want to. I mean it—I do want to spend Thanksgiving with him. Call me nuts, call me stupid, call me whatever the hell you want, but spending time with Zach has quickly become my favorite thing to do. There’s no way I’ll say no to him.

“Delia, would you like to spend Thanksgiving with me? Meet my parents, my brother?”

The family. I have to meet the family. Fuck.

“It’s only my stepmom, dad, and younger brother, no one else. We keep Thanksgiving small. It’s close to the anniversary of my mom’s death, so we don’t go all out.”

That breaks my heart. After all these years, after another marriage, they still pay their respects to his mom.

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“I said I want you there. That’s not intruding. Do you already have plans with your family?”

“Liam’s heading to his new girlfriend’s place, my mom is going on a cruise—her first vacation in years—and Zoe is spending time with her family. So, no. I was planning to pig out on the couch and surf Black Friday deals, maybe see you the day before or after.”

“You’re doing Thanksgiving with the Hastings then.”

“It’s settled.”

Marshmallow grunts and curls into himself on his bed.

“So, we going in to grab grub or what?” I ask.

“I have that covered already.”

Not even two seconds later, there’s a knock on his window. Zach clicks the button and the smell of pizza wafts into the car.

“Um…” A guy holding a pizza box bends down, face peering into the car. He flicks his gaze to me and then to Marshmallow. “Right. Um, there’s a delivery to this car?”

“Yep. I ordered two drinks, ranch, and extra napkins too.”

“All right here.”

The delivery guys balances a bag on top of the box and slides it through the open window before handing over the drink carrier.

Zach grabs the outstretched pizza and drinks and hands over a few bills. “Thanks, man. Keep the change.”

The kid stands there, dumbfounded. He scratches his head, looking from the receipt to Zach and back a few times before finally shrugging and trudging away.

Zach clicks the window back up and removes the drinks from the carrier, placing them in the car’s cup holders. He then digs around in the bag, pulling out the napkins and ranch.

“Good, they gave us enough ranch.” Opening the box, he holds it my way. “Chow time.”

“You seriously had a pizza delivered to the car as we sit in the parking lot of their establishment?”

“What? I can’t take Marshmallow inside to eat, so I had to do what I had to do.”

I shake my head and sigh. “How can you be so cute and so weird at the same time?”