Page 36 of Dream Chaser

My insides chilled. Of course, he’d offer, but he couldn’t know I didn’t have a home. I got myself into this mess by marrying the wrong person, and I was going to get out of it on my own, no matter what it cost me.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m going to walk to my car. I need to clear my head.”

He looked at me as if he couldn’t quite figure me out. That was fair. I wasn’t an open book—more like a liar.

“Okay. See you at the office then. Hopefully, the power won’t go off tomorrow.”

“Thanks again for lunch. It was delicious.”

He nodded as if it wasn’t a big deal. It always seemed like nothing was a big deal to him.

Cool air seeped under my blazer. I watched him walk away, then strolled along the sidewalk, hugging myself. Too early to go to my car. Too late to be anywhere else. Where would I park tonight?

My shoulders slumped under the weight of decisions I’d rather not make. A few minutes later, our office building came into view.

Alejandro had told everyone to go home after the power outage, but the cleaning crew was going to be there. Roaming the streets for hours was way less appealing than spending a few hours working.

An idea appeared—dangerous, reckless.

I went into the building and took the elevator to the tenth floor. In the hallway, a vacuum cleaner hummed, and a middle-aged woman was polishing a glass door.

“Good afternoon. Can I come into the office? I need to do a few things, but I can wait until you’re done.”

She smiled. “Of course. Come in.”

Warmth and the fresh scent of cleaning spray enveloped me as I entered the office. I powered on my computer and sat at my desk.

While waiting for the cleaning lady to leave, I worked on the NitroFlow pitch. It was already in great shape, but I had a few ideas that might help Alejandro secure the deal. By the time I finished tweaking the last slide, my eyes burned and my neck ached.

Once I was alone, I locked the office, returned to my chair, curled up, and let sleep claim me.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Alejandro

August

“So, did you guys lose power yesterday too?” Asher asked as our feet pounded against the asphalt. I was tired, but our morning run was the only time we could see each other. He was busy training between races and spent every spare moment with Kaia.

“Yeah,” I said. “Nova and I got stuck in the elevator.”

His pace faltered. “Are you kidding? How long did you have to wait?”

I sped up. My muscles burned, and I finally started to relax. “An hour or so. Could’ve been worse.”

“At least you got stuck in good company.” Mischief danced in Asher’s pupils. Another happy victim of love and commitment. I had enough with Manu.

“I hired her permanently,” I said, panting.

Asher wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. “Good. You should ask her out too.”

“If she wasn’t my employee, maybe I would. I’d rather not get sued for workplace sexual harassment.”

Asher chuckled. “Hm. So you’re attracted to her, and the only obstacle is her employee status.”

Fuck, when did it get so hot? I ran a hand over the back of my neck. “I didn’t say I was attracted.”

Laughter spilled out of him, spooking a few seagulls perched on the walkway’s railing. “You didn’t need to. Barcelona was enough.”