Chapter 25
25
JARED
E ven three labs away, I was still pulsing from Amelia.
The boldness of what we’d just done.
My skin felt too tight, and my blood raced with the memory of how she’d begged for me.
She tried to act like she didn’t want it.
Like she could resist me.
But fuck, the way she trembled and the way she sounded when she came apart gave her away.
She wanted it as much as I did.
It was only a matter of time before we both gave in again.
It was clear that whatever was between us was very real.
It wasn’t a one-off.
It wasn’t just getting out some tension.
There was this strange connection between us.
My scientific brain was already trying to come up with a reason.
What was the draw? Why couldn’t I keep my hands off her?
Even now, I could still taste her, and I wanted to go right back in there for seconds.
I smirked at my own reflection in the glass window as I passed an office.
Even rumpled and looking like I’d been thoroughly spent, I felt like a fucking king.
I went back to my office feeling like I could actually focus now.
My mind was clear. She was back and getting laid always helped.
I sat down and pulled one of the files from the stack.
I couldn’t help picturing her when I closed my eyes.
Amelia on that table, all mine.
The thought came with a stab of need that was as shocking as the first time I’d had her.
Whatever this was between us, it couldn’t be ignored any longer.
Tonight, we’d figure things out.
After a long day, I was on my way out when I heard Amelia.
My body responded immediately.
I turned and spotted her.
Damn. I was halfway to being erect just hearing her.
I watched as Amelia walked out of the building with Clair.
She saw me and glanced over her shoulder at me.
Goddamn, she was gorgeous—just thinking about how undone I’d left her had my adrenaline spiking again.
And how she’d left me.
I didn’t know if there was a word for it, other than maybe obsessed.
I hadn’t seen it coming and I didn’t know how to stop.
Fuck, I didn’t even want to.
When it came down to it, this whole thing with her made sense in a way nothing else did, even though it was a tangled mess that had me spinning in circles.
“Jared!”
I stopped and turned to see Shawn strolling toward me.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Let’s get a drink,” he said.
My first thought was no.
But I wasn’t expecting Amelia until later.
I may as well do something to pass the time, or I was going to be sitting at home pacing like a caged tiger.
“Yeah, sure,” I said.
We walked out of the building together.
Amelia and Clair were up ahead.
They looked to be having a serious conversation.
I wondered if Clair knew about us.
I didn’t care if she did.
Not really. We were all adults.
Amelia and Clair headed toward the residences while Shawn and I headed for the cantina.
We sat down and ordered burritos and Coronas, then talked about nothing in particular.
I didn’t see her, but I felt her.
I looked up and there she was.
Across the room, Amelia and Clair were seated at a table, deep in conversation.
She had to have seen me.
I was sitting in the middle of the fucking bar.
People were walking by our table saying hello.
She knew I was there, and she hadn’t so much as glanced in my direction.
It was driving me insane.
“You’ve been weird all week,” Shawn said.
“What?”
“You’re distracted,” he said.
“I’ve never seen you distracted. You’re always laser focused. What’s wrong with you?”
I finished my beer, my eyes still on Amelia.
“I’m fine. Just overworked. Need a vacation or something.”
I held up my empty bottle to signal for another.
Shawn snorted, shaking his head.
“Yeah, right. You’ve been grinding your teeth so hard I’m surprised you haven’t cracked a molar.
“What are you talking about?
”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you staring at Amelia for the last fifteen minutes.”
I shot him a glare, but he just raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
“It’s nothing. Just… work stuff.”
Shawn didn’t look convinced.
“Work stuff, huh? You sure it’s not something else? Something personal having to do with a certain woman.”
I hesitated.
I wanted to tell him the truth, to spill everything about Amelia and the mess we’d gotten ourselves into.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
Office romances weren’t exactly frowned upon at Welch Labs, but they weren’t exactly encouraged either.
And the last thing I wanted was to drag Amelia into a whirlwind of gossip and speculation.
“It’s nothing,” I said again.
“Yeah, I can tell it’s nothing.” He snorted.
“Just drop it, Shawn.”
He studied me for a moment, then shrugged.
“Fine. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think it would be the end of the world if you just told her how you felt.”
I froze, my chest tightening.
Told her how I felt?
What did that even mean?
This thing with Amelia was just a fling.
We were using each other to work out the obvious tension between us.
That was all. Right?
But deep down, I knew that wasn’t the whole truth.
The way I felt when I was with her, the way my chest tightened when she smiled, the way I couldn’t stop thinking about her…
it was more than just physical.
And that scared me.
I didn’t do relationships.
Not real ones, anyway.
Everyone I loved, I pushed away.
My family, my friends, my colleagues.
It was easier that way.
Safer. And Amelia… she was different.
She was smart, driven, and beautiful in a way that made my chest ache.
If I let myself fall for her, I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop.
And I didn’t know if I could survive losing her.
And something told me she wasn’t really in this for the long run.
I couldn’t explain why, but I got the feeling she had one foot in Florida and the other in England.
I didn’t want to deal with the pain of losing her when she chose to go home.
And I was certain she would eventually choose to move on.
The waitress brought me another Corona.
I quickly took a drink as if I could swallow down the thoughts that were suddenly plaguing me.
“Did you sign up for that conference in Dallas?” I asked him.
Shawn shook his head, clearly amused at my attempt to change the subject.
“Not yet. I figured I’d wait and see what everyone else was doing first. You going?”
“Maybe,” I said, taking another swig of my beer.
“Depends on if there’s enough about bio implants to justify it.”
“I heard the neural processing talks are supposed to be good this year.”
“Better than last year?” I asked.
“They have to be,” he said.
“I mean, come on, we nearly fell asleep during that keynote.”
He was right.
Last year’s conference had been a joke, especially for a company like Welch Labs that prided itself on living at the edge of technology.
I knew I had been invited to boost their attendance.
When they got to claim I was going to be there, it helped attract more people.
“If they have any sense, they won’t waste time on old tech,” I said.
“Everyone wants to hear about rapid adaptation algorithms now.”
Shawn laughed.
“Are you hoping for an excuse to skip?”
“I could use one.”
“You? Mr. Workaholic? What’s that about? Don’t you want to go and brag about all of our research?”
“I’d rather go to the big one at UCSF,” I said.
“At least there they know what’s cutting edge.”
Shawn raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, but it’s not for another six months. What are you gonna do, sit around and stew about the person that shall not be named in the meantime?”
I shot him a look, but he just grinned.
“I’ll keep busy,” I said, leaning back in my chair.
“UCSF should be a hell of a conference,” Shawn continued.
“Are you going alone or thinking of taking someone with you?”
I hesitated, swirling the bottle in my hand.
“Depends who gets locked into other stuff around here,” I said.
My eyes drifted back to Amelia once again.
She was eating and acting like I didn’t exist. I wondered if she was going to show up at my place or not.
Was she teasing me?
I finished my drink and stood up, tossing some cash on the table.
“I’m calling it a night.”
Shawn raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
I nodded, my eyes flicking to Amelia one last time before I turned and walked out of the cantina.
I walked back to my house.
I found myself taking it slow, just in case she wanted to walk with me.
I was halfway home when I figured out she wasn’t going to run out of the restaurant and come after me.
When I got home, I poured myself another drink and sat on the deck, staring out at the water.
The sound of the ocean was soothing.
But it did little to calm the storm in my head.
What the hell was I doing?
I knew what I should do.
The logical choice. But damn if I could convince the other half of my brain to follow the logical choice.
I checked the time. It was after ten.
I knew the cantina had closed an hour ago.
I had a feeling that meant she wasn’t coming.
I shouldn’t be surprised.
She made it pretty clear at the restaurant she was doing her best to pretend I didn’t exist.
I was about to go to bed when I heard the doorbell.
I opened it to find Amelia standing there.
Her hair was loose, falling around her shoulders, and her eyes were shadowed.
She didn’t say anything, just stepped inside.
I closed the door behind her and couldn’t help but smile.
So my gut hadn’t been wrong after all.
I reached for her, my hands sliding around her waist and pulling her close.
She stopped me with a hand on my chest and gently pushed me away.
I frowned, my brow furrowing.
“Amelia?”
She took another step away from me.
“You said we needed to work this out tonight. That’s why I’m here.”
“Yes, I did.” I reached for her again.
She shook her head. “You were obviously implying that meant sleeping together again.”
I couldn’t stop the cocky smile.
“Don’t act like you didn’t like it. Like you don’t want me.” I leaned forward.
“I can smell you, Amelia. I can smell your desire.”
I saw her nostrils flare slightly.
She did want me. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips.
“I don’t think we should do that again.”
I cocked one eyebrow.
“What are you talking about?”
“I came here to tell you we shouldn’t keep doing this,” she said.
Part of me was glad she was trying to pull back.
I had always enjoyed the chase.