Page 3 of Sex, Lies, & Techy Guys (Love on the Sunshine Coast)

It’s easy to think of Kyle as a buzzkill, but I value his voice of reason. Kyle and I balance each other, likely a result of being friends since we were kids.

“Right. We have to focus. Which room should be our office and which is our bedroom?”

“This one is closer to the common area, so I’d say it’s the bedroom. Our office will be tucked back farther, more privacy and less noise if she has anyone over when we’re trying to work.”

The thought of her having anyone over sets me on edge. This week’s going to be wicked hard if she makes me this crazy every day. And night, because I know she’ll be in my dreams.

When Kyle doesn’t share my feigned enthusiasm over sorting the rooms out, I punch his shoulder. “Decision made.”

Our client hired us to dig up evidence of who stole his crypto wallet, which means we have to spend time discussing illegal activities with criminals on the dark web. A skill we happen to have, but Kyle is right, it’s best kept quiet. The criminals we have ‘ins’ with would destroy us if they caught onto any piece of information about who we are in the real world. We have to remain anonymous.

We move the furniture while Penny stays busy in the kitchen, and I swear my dick threatens to get hard every time we step into the hallway and I catch sight of her.

Who wears aprons anymore? Not objecting. In fact, why wear anything else? I groan at myself.

Arranging our laptops and assorted office supplies on the makeshift desks, I say, “She’s fucking hot, dude. How did we get so lucky?”

“Keep your dick in your pants. The only person we need to be worried about pleasing right now is our billionaire client who’s more than ready to refer us to wealthy friends. Remember?” Kyle emphasizes the last word.

“Yeah, got it.”

“Great. So where did we leave off? Did you finish compiling that chain of IP addresses the hacker used?”

“Almost. I’m going to get a bite to eat first.”

Kyle slams a fist on his desk, rattling the pens he’d set out. “You’re looking for a goddamn excuse to go talk to her. Do not kiss her again.”

“Don’t worry, I’m actually hungry.”

“Fine, but make it quick and don’t sign us up for any more home renovations or car repairs or anything else.”

“You need to get laid,” I mumble.

“Not more than we need to satisfy our client.” He doesn’t flat-out deny it, which means he must also have it bad for Penny.

That’s a problem. Rather than sorting out bro code and wondering who Penny would choose, I keep it light.

“I beg to differ.”

“About what?”

“Our client isn’t the only one we could satisfy.” I drop the bomb and leave the room.

When I round the corner, Penny’s still in her apron. Our eyes lock for a moment, flaring up my possessive side, then she looks away and sets the dish of cheese things on the bar.

“Offer for a snack and drink still good?”

“Of course. Do you prefer fresh-squeezed lemonade or tea?”

“Lemonade sounds perfect.”

Kyle comes in and takes a seat at the bar next to me. “Can I get a lemonade too?”

“Sure, and I have these if you’re hungry, or if you’re more in the mood for muffins, I baked some earlier. All I have to do is warm them up.”

“I’m good with these.” I take one of the wafers from the top of the stack she arranged into a cute pyramid and pop it into my mouth. It’s a flavor explosion but nowhere near as good as I imagine her tasting.

She sets small plates and cloth napkins in front of us and I realize I shouldn’t eat like a Neanderthal.

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