Free One Good Reason (A Boston Love Story Book 3) by Julie Johnson Page B

my tech guys will figure it out. Eventually.”
    I snort. “Have you met your tech guys?”
    “Unfortunately, yes.” He stares at me and some of the humor bleeds out of his eyes. His voice goes low. “Tell me your name.”
    My heartbeat picks up speed. “No.”
    “Fine. Then I can’t confirm or deny that your flash drive is in my possession.”
    “ Jesus Christ .” I look up to the heavens, seeking divine intervention. “This is torture.”
    “This? No. This is a conversation between… friends.”
    “We aren’t friends.”
    “You’re right.” He shakes his head. “We’re so much more, snookums. Our connection… it’s deeper than words.”
    “I loathe you.”
    “You love me.”
    I snort. “The day I love you will be the day the Red Sox and Yankees have a giant group hug on the mound at Fenway. Never gonna happen.”
    “Come on. Tell me your name. I’m dying over here.”
    “In that case, I’ll just wait for you to keel over, step around your corpse, and ransack your office until I find my flash drive.”
    “Stone cold.” He shakes his head. “I bet you don’t want to tell me because it’s something hideous. Like Minerva . Or Beatrice. Or Millicent. ”
    “My name is not Millicent.”
    “Whatever you say, Millie.”
    I roll my eyes. “I’ll take Millie over your other nicknames.”
    “Come on. You know my name,” he points out. “It’s only fair.”
    “Since when is anything in life fair?”
    “Touché, snookums, touché.”
    “Call me that again and I’ll kill you.”
    “Tell me your real name and I won’t call you that anymore,” he counters. “Well, I won’t call you that as much . I don’t want to make sweeping generalizations about my potential future pet name use—”
    “Oh my fucking god! My name is Zoe. ZOE !” I shout, just to shut him up. “Are you happy?”
    He takes another step in my direction and I suddenly — scarily — realize he’s rather close. So close, in fact, that I can see those green flecks in his eyes up close and personal when they crinkle in a victorious smile and he murmurs, “Yes. I’m happy, Zoe.”
    Hearing my name from his lips causes a visceral reaction within me. My throat goes dry. My stomach somersaults. My nipples harden beneath my bra.
    Shit .
    He stares at me. “ Zoe . Such a tiny name for such a big personality. It suits you.”
    I haul in a breath, hoping he doesn’t notice that my thighs are suddenly clenched together.
    God, what is it about this man? I want to strangle the life out of him… and fuck his brains out. All at the same time.
    I’ve never experienced anything like it before.
    “Can I have my flash drive now?” My voice is breathy.
    “Must be something pretty important on it, if you’re going to this much effort to get it back.” His gaze flashes down to my mouth for a nanosecond. “I should probably ask you what’s on it.”
    I pause. “Why don’t you?”
    “You aren’t ready to tell me your secrets yet.” His voice is steady. “One day you will be.”
    “I wouldn’t hold my breath,” I murmur.
    “I can actually hold my breath for a pretty long time. Once, I swam a hundred meters underwater from—”
    Before he can launch into another ridiculous stalling tactic, I reach up and flick him right between the eyes.
    “Ow!” Flinching back, he rubs at his forehead. “What was that for?”
    I raise my eyebrows.
    He grins. “Right. No more tangents. You didn’t have to resort to violence.”
    I plant my hands on my hips and crane my neck to glare directly into his eyes.
    “Okay, okay. You win.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “Fix the computers and I’ll give you your damn flash drive.”
    “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
    His eyes narrow fractionally. “I suppose you’ll just have to trust me.”
    I press my lips together, displeased by that notion. “That’s assuring, considering you’re the one who stole it from me in the first place.”
    “How about we shake on