Free Wicked Hearts by Claire Thompson Page A

initial instinct had been right. Reese was nothing more than a one-
    night-stand kind of guy. Jeff was probably no more than a memory by now, the only
    trace of his existence a used condom in the trashcan.
    How would Reese behave when they saw each other in the office? How would Jeff
    react? He"d be damned if he let Reese see it mattered. Shit, the guy was probably doing
    him a favor. Who needed the complication of getting involved with someone at work?
    All at once Jeff"s ears pricked to the sound of Reese"s deep, rich voice. He was in the
    office! Nerves started creeping over him like little insects and he reached for his Dr.
    Pepper, taking a gulp to steady himself.
    He forced himself to focus on his monitor, trying to lose himself in his work. A
    tricky bit of code actually drew him in, and he was able to pry the fingers of his
    obsession with Reese loose enough from his brain to allow him to focus.
    “Hey.”
    Jeff jumped at the sound of Reese"s voice. He looked up to see Reese"s handsome
    face over the top of the silk screen that gave Jeff some privacy from the rest of the office.

    “Hey,” he replied, his heart suddenly clutching in his chest.
    “Is this a good time? You look really busy. I could come back—”
    “No!” Jeff cut him off, aware of the blush creeping up his cheeks. “I mean, it"s a
    good time. Perfect, in fact. I was just thinking of taking a break.”
    “Cool.” Reese moved around the screen, settling into the chair in front of Jeff"s desk.
    Leaning forward, he spoke in a quiet voice. “Did you have a good rest of the weekend?”
    “Sure,” Jeff lied. “I had a lot of stuff to do.”
    Reese nodded. “Yeah, I figured, when you left so early and all…”
    For the first time it occurred to Jeff maybe Reese hadn"t wanted him to leave. Had
    he spent a similar kind of day, worrying and wondering where they went from here?
    Jeff almost laughed out loud at the preposterousness of that thought. Like Reese
    Armstrong ever worried about a thing.
    “Hey, wanna grab a coffee or something?”
    “Sure.” Jeff"s heart did a crazy flip flop and he realized he was grinning. Forcing his
    face into neutral, he pushed back from his desk and stood. Reese stood as well. Jeff was
    dressed in a black T-shirt that said 1+1=10 in white, and his usual faded jeans and black
    Converse sneakers. Reese was wearing a starched yellow shirt with pale blue stripes
    and dark blue trousers, his jacket slung casually over one shoulder. He looked like
    something out of a GQ magazine, posing for the camera, a smoldering look in his eye.
    Jeff was aware they were being observed as they walked together through the
    building. How long before their relationship became the stuff of office gossip? The idea
    wasn"t altogether displeasing, but at the same time it was a little disconcerting.
    They walked to a small diner a block over from Strata Systems. Once they settled
    into a booth, Reese grabbed one of the huge, plastic-coated ring binders that served as a
    menu. “Have you had breakfast? I"m starving.” He rubbed his face with his hands and
    ran his fingers through his hair. Offering a sheepish grin, he said, “I wasn"t exactly
    hungry when I woke up this morning. I had too much to drink last night. I like tequila,
    but it doesn"t like me all that much, not the next morning, anyway.”
    Jeff was silent as he absorbed this unwelcome information. His mind immediately
    went to whom Reese had been drinking with, and what they"d done afterward.
    Mentally he shook his head, refusing to go there.
    Unaware anything was amiss, Reese smiled brightly at him. “They make this great
    French toast with blueberries. I"m gonna get some. How about you?”
    “Just coffee for me, thanks,” Jeff said. The waitress came over, filling their mugs.
    Jeff watched her eyeing Reese surreptitiously, though Reese, still scanning the menu,
    seemed oblivious. Once she took the order and left, Reese began to make small talk
    about Strata"s latest