Reid: Vested Interest #4 Read online

  Reid—Vested Interest #4 by Melanie Moreland

  Copyright © 2018 Moreland Books Inc.

  Registration # 1150618

  All rights reserved

  ISBN: 978–1-988610–15–3

  Edited by:

  D. Beck

  Lisa Hollett, Silently Correcting Your Grammar

  Cover design by:

  Melissa Ringuette, Monark Design Services

  Interior Design & Formatting by:

  Christine Borgford, Type A Formatting

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author's imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Family isn’t always about blood. It’s about love.

  To my dear Mum-in-law, Valerie,

  and my adopted sisters, Megan and Kay-

  Thank you for being part of my life and making me part of your family.

  Your love and support mean so much.

  And Matthew—always. Forever.

  Contents

  REID

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Van is Coming Soon

  A Note from the Author

  A Word of Thanks

  Books by Melanie Moreland

  About the Author

  Reid

  I LIKED LISTS. I always had, even as a kid. They helped me focus. Even in the worst of places I lived, I could find a few scraps of paper and a pencil.

  I would write out a list, then number what to do in priority. It gave me a sense of accomplishment when I could run a thick line through an item when it was completed. If I was lucky enough to have more paper, I could rewrite the list—smaller and more organized until I’d finished it.

  Now, as an adult, I still liked lists. But with today’s technology, I used my computer instead of paper, my keyboard instead of the stub of a pencil. With the click of my mouse, I could sort, organize, remove, and reprioritize my items.

  I stared at my computer, looking over my latest list. I called it Project B.

  Learn to talk to Becca like a man instead of a stuttering idiot

  Get Becca to notice me as a man—not as the company IT boy

  Finish the new program I developed for Becca so she falls in love with me

  Ask Becca out on a date

  Send Becca flowers

  Buy Becca coffee

  Kiss Becca

  Lose my virginity to Becca

  I pursed my lips and moved buying Becca coffee into second place. I wondered if I should send her flowers before or after the program installation. Once she saw what it could do for her, she might be the one sending me flowers. Perhaps she’d throw in a kiss or two. I was certain she’d say yes to a date.

  I wasn’t sure she’d go for the helping me lose my virginity thing. I probably had to work up to that idea.

  I saved the file to my private drive, knowing I needed to concentrate on Bentley’s latest request. I would return to my list once I had his requests done.

  I tugged off my glasses and rubbed my tired eyes. I had pulled another all-nighter. Between all the ideas for Ridge Towers, the new programs I was working on for control freak Maddox, ensuring the security protocols were current for big-ass Aiden, and our systems were safe and impenetrable for overanxious Bentley, my days were full.

  On top of that, I had to add in Becca detail. She sat less than twenty feet away from me, separated solely by a wall, yet it might as well have been twenty miles.

  From the moment I had rushed into the boardroom, late and disheveled, planning simply to give my excuses and leave, I was entranced.

  She sat in my usual spot at the boardroom table, a small intruder in my space. She gazed at me, her eyes wide with surprise. I knew I looked worse than usual and I should leave, but my feet carried me forward, and I sat across from her.

  She was the prettiest woman I had ever seen—rich, dark brown hair, creamy skin, and brilliant blue eyes that captured my attention. She was dressed in a business suit, her hair perfect, understated makeup, and her small laptop open, a notebook and pen at the ready, a professional woman prepared to do business. Yet, there was a softness to her gaze, and her smile was warm, even a touch shy.

  She was incredibly sexy.

  So sexy, I almost missed my chair when I sat down. I was lucky Aiden saved me from that embarrassment. I was doing well enough on my own in that department. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. More than once, I had to adjust myself discreetly under the table, grateful Bentley preferred wood to glass. My dick liked what he saw—more than liked.

  That day, he decided she was what we had been waiting for all my life.

  As I discovered, talking business with her was easy. She was intelligent, understood computers and the lingo. She asked smart questions, made notes she often referred to, listened carefully to my replies. But it was when business was done and she became Becca, the girl, I became Reid, the loser.

  I had so much I wanted to say to her, but I found I couldn’t say anything. There was this disconnect between my brain and my mouth. I could barely form a sentence in her presence.

  I ran a hand over my face. My behavior hadn’t changed much since she arrived. The only smooth interactions we had together were business-related. In meetings, we were on the same page. When she came to my office to ask a question, I could answer her without hesitation. Yesterday, she had told me about her dream report.

  “One where I could have all the information about a campaign in the same place,” she mused. “It would make my life so much easier.”

  My ears perked up. Anything to make her life easier was something I was interested in. I grabbed a piece of paper. “Tell me.”

  “I have to go to every site, and collect the click rates, follow-throughs, page views, etc. For print, I have to wait for the numbers to be sent and then download them. I would love something that took all that information and put it in one place. Then I could compare and analyze things so much faster.”

  I jotted down notes, my mind already working. “Can you send me examples?”

  Her eyes glowed. “Really? You could do that?”’

  It was going to take a huge amount of work.

  I met her gaze. “For you, yes.”

  Her smile was brilliant. I felt as if I had won the lottery.

  But once the conversation was over, as usual, my throat dried up, and all I could do was to stare at her.

  Wanting. Longing. Silent.

  She smiled and left before the right words hit me. But it was too late.

  I was always too fucking late.

  I flipped open the cover of the thick file folder on my desk. I had been working on breaking down Bentley’s notes, making my own list so I could ensure it all happened for him in the timeframe he wanted and the order h
e needed it done.

  I clicked the icon for his list, scanning what I had typed earlier. Heavy footsteps made me glance toward the sound. Aiden stood in the doorway, his massive shoulders filling the space. He looked as if he was on the borderline of losing it. I stiffened at his words.

  “Got a minute?”

  Aiden was never that polite, not unless there was something wrong. “Yeah.”

  He entered and closed the door, ramping up my anxiety. He never shut the door.

  He sat across from me, silent for a moment.

  “What’s up?”

  He swallowed, meeting my eyes. “So Bentley asked me to come and talk to you.”

  “About?”

  “You, ah, well . . .”

  My stomach fell. “Are you firing me?”

  “No. Absolutely not,” he responded vehemently. “Not a chance.”

  I relaxed somewhat. “Okay, what’s up?”

  He lost it and bent forward, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

  I stared at him, unsure what the hell was so funny.

  He leaned back, wiping his face. “Reid, dude. You need to get out of this office. Get some sleep. You were here all night again, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  He began to chuckle again. “Maddox and I were meeting with Bent. We all got a notice about a new checklist.”

  I glanced at my screen with a frown. “I wasn’t finished with Bentley’s file—I didn’t send . . .” My voice trailed off as realization hit me. “Oh, holy fuck.”

  “As much as we appreciate being kept in the loop on your personal endeavors, Bent really doesn’t want to know about your plans to have Becca punch your V-card.”

  I shut my eyes, actually embarrassed—which was a rare occurrence for me. Instead of saving my list privately, I had shared it on the drive with my bosses—all three of them.

  “How angry is Bentley?” I asked, unable to look at Aiden.

  Bentley’s temper didn’t explode often, but when it did, it was like a volcano erupting. You got out of the way as fast as possible.

  “You know that sound he makes when he can’t speak? The odd choking noise in his throat? The way his eye starts to twitch a little?”

  I nodded, unable to speak myself.

  “He did that. Twice.”

  “Fuck,” I repeated.

  “Well, obviously that’s your end game, but Reid, dude . . . a list?”

  “It’s how I plan. I write shit out.” I sucked in a big breath. “And get myself fired, it would seem.”

  Aiden chuckled. “Nah, you’re good. We were all a little stunned, until Maddox started to laugh. I was so entertained, I fell out of my chair. Bentley saw the humor, and we all howled. However, he lectured me about your irresponsible behavior and sent me in here to ‘sort you out,’ even though he was still laughing when I left his office.”

  I exhaled hard. I had dodged a bullet there. I met Aiden’s gaze. He was relaxed but serious.

  “He was rather amused but also relieved you didn’t save it on the company’s shared drive. Our conversation would have been vastly different, and I would have had HR in here with me. He wants you to erase the list, immediately, and is requesting any further personal item lists like that be made in the privacy of your own home.”

  My heart stuttered at the thought that Becca would have seen it. Everyone would have seen it. My exhaustion was making me careless. And yes, irresponsible.

  “Holy shit,” I breathed out. “That would have been a disaster.” I pulled my laptop close, my fingers a blur as I typed away. “Okay. It’s in my private drive. I removed it from our shared one.”

  “Good.”

  “It won’t happen again.”

  He smiled in understanding. “I know, Reid.” He studied me. “If you’re serious about Becca, you need to step it up.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “She’s just a girl. Talk to her. Ask her for coffee.”

  I shook my head. “She’s not just a girl, Aiden. I think she’s the one.”

  His brow furrowed. “The one to be your first, or the one to be your last?”

  “All of it.”

  He reclined in his chair, crossing his leg over his knee. “That’s a pretty huge statement considering you can’t talk to her unless it’s work-related.”

  “She boggles my mind. It’s as if I freeze.”

  “So, find common ground besides work. Drop into her office to say hi. Take her a coffee. Tell her how much you like her cookies. Offer to show her Toronto the way you wanted to when you found out she was moving here. Make a move.”

  “I know it sounds easy. It’s only . . .”

  “Only?” he prompted.

  “I’m-I’m not sure I’m good enough for her.”

  “Because of your past?”

  “I’m an ex-con. It makes life difficult. I have no family, nothing really to offer her except a great comic book collection and some vintage T-shirts. She deserves better.”

  He shook his head, his frustration evident. “Why don’t you let her decide what she deserves? Let her get to know you, and you her. Stop looking at your endgame and take it a step at a time. You’re putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Live in the moment.”

  “Good advice.”

  “You’re a great guy, Reid. As I’ve learned, your past is that. Past. You can’t change it, but you can move forward. Don’t make my mistake and let it define you.”

  I nodded, knowing he was talking about his recent marriage to Cami and the way she had changed him.

  “And you do have family,” he added, his voice low and serious. “You have us. You’re a valuable part of our team, and you should be proud. You have fought your whole life and accomplished a lot. Don’t forget that.”

  I blinked. Aiden rarely got personal, and his words meant a great deal to me.

  He stood and went to the door, his hand on the knob, but he didn’t turn it.

  “And because we have to put our two cents in, we all agree. Buy her a coffee, have a conversation, ask her out, then send flowers. The rest will follow. Although, to be honest, Bent thinks flowers are always appropriate.” He winked. “But don’t go overboard.”

  I laughed. “Okay.”

  “I think you might find her as interested as you are, Reid. I’m just saying.”

  With a wink, he left, making me wonder what he knew that I didn’t.

  I looked at my computer, then glanced toward my door. I needed to talk to Becca and get both of us comfortable.

  I knew only one way to accomplish it.

  With a few swipes of my mouse, and some fast typing, I put my plan in motion.

  I sat back and waited.

  Reid

  A SOFT KNOCK at my door made me glance up from my screen. Becca stood in the doorway, professional and polished. Her dark hair was up in a knot, her deep gray suit unwrinkled, the skirt hitting her knee modestly. My gaze was drawn to her heels. They were red and sleek, an unexpected sexy twist to her outfit. They made her legs look incredible.

  I wondered how they would look wrapped around my waist.

  She frowned, and I realized I had been staring. Again.

  “Sorry. What’s up?”

  “I’m not sure. I was working, and my computer froze. I can’t get to my document, and it won’t allow me to reboot.”

  I hid my smile. “Odd.” I held out my hand for her laptop. “Let me have a look.”

  She sat across from me. “I hope you can fix it. I was so busy, I hadn’t saved the document.”

  “I have everyone’s laptop set to autosave every two minutes,” I assured her. “In fact, yours saves every sixty seconds. You’ll never lose your work.” I had made sure of that when I set up her computer. I added every safety feature and backup I could possibly cram into it.

  She leaned on my desk, resting her hand on her chin. “You are so awesome.”

  My gaze flickered between her face and her chest. The way she sat
pushed her breasts together. They were right there. Plump and inviting, the rounded orbs peeked out from between the silky folds of her blouse. Was she aware of what she was doing to me?

  God, I wanted to touch them. Kiss them. See if her nipples were pink or rose-colored. If they became hard under my tongue, and if she shivered when I licked them.

  I tore my gaze away, shaking my head at my dirty thoughts. It was as though I had a one-track mind when it came to Becca. I saw her, and all I wanted to do was touch her.

  I tapped the keys, clearing the problem. With a smile, I handed her back the laptop. “All fixed.”

  “That fast?”

  I shrugged. “Only a little glitch.”

  She shook her head. “I tried everything I knew of to fix it.”

  I winked at her. “It’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

  She laughed, a soft and inviting sound. “I’m sure you’re worth it.”

  She looked around my office. I followed her gaze, wondering what she saw. I had tried to tidy it lately. It was still messy, but better than it had been. At least, I had gotten rid of all the empty food containers.

  “You’re not a normal geek.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Sorry?”

  She grinned. “You don’t have action figurines or a comic book collection lying around. No gaming posters or autographed memorabilia.”

  “They’re all at home,” I deadpanned. “All twelve of my collections. I keep them under glass. I don’t want people touching my things.”

  She stared at me. Blinked. A flush started at her neck. It was fascinating to watch it spread, her cream-colored skin turning pink and warm. She looked mortified.

  “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I was teasing. I’m sure they’re all very nice.”

  I leaped to my feet, hurrying around the desk. I kneeled beside her, horrified I had upset her. “Jesus, I’m an ass. I was the one teasing, Becca.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, noticing how warm her skin was under mine. “I don’t have any collections except some comic books—and I have those because I like to read them, and I never got one as a kid.”

  “Never?”

  “No,” I stated, hoping she didn’t ask any more questions. “So, I have some now. And computers. I love taking them apart and rebuilding them.”