Page 127 of Dream Chaser

My chest clenched. I suspected who he meant, but I let him continue.

“It was Cris. Alone in an empty meeting room. I asked her what was wrong, and…” The crease between his brows deepened as he caressed the back of my hand. “She was five months pregnant with Ignacio’s child. He ended things and fired her before passing out the bonuses, then went on partying like nothing fucking happened.”

“So, they were dating?”

“If you can call it that.” The corners of Alejandro’s lips turned downward. “He told her she was talented and smart, made her think she was important to him, and promised her the promotion of her dreams. They were secretly together for over a year. When she told him she was pregnant, he made her believe he wanted the baby. But then he changed his mind, claiming a child wouldn’t fit his lifestyle. Of course, he no longer had a use for Cris, either.”

Our eyes met. The guilt in Alejandro’s frayed me.

“What did you do?”

He leaned his head on the back of the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I waited until the party ended, then confronted him. Said he couldn’t fire a pregnant woman and leave his future child with nothing. He laughed in my face. Slapped my back like we were best friends. Blamed Cris for getting pregnant and said I’d do the same if a hot, young woman worked for me. And I lost it. I told him to go fuck himself and stormed out.”

I inched closer and put my hand on his knee. “He was wrong. You’re not like him, Ale.”

He gave me a barely there smile that collapsed just as fast as it appeared. “That night, I couldn’t sleep,” he went on. “I went to see him first thing in the morning and gave him an ultimatum. Either he let Cris stay and support his future child financially, or I’d quit my job. I felt so guilty. If I was as smart as I thought, how the fuck did I miss what was going on under my fucking nose? How could I trust him and admire him? Why didn’t I see what kind of person he was?”

“Some people are good at hiding who they are,” I said quietly. “Ask me how I know.”

He rubbed his chin, nodding. “He obviously thought I was bluffing. Who in their right mind would leave a job that paid so well? Only I did. I quit. And suddenly, I had nothing.

“I remember sitting at Manu’s restaurant a few days later, downing shots like water and drowning in self-pity. He’d just opened El Buen Vivir. I’d been listening to him bitch about loans and bureaucracy for months, but that night, he said something that stuck with me.” He smiled, this time for real. “He said that if I could do it working for Ignacio, I would also succeed on my own. The bastard believed in me more than I ever believed in myself.”

“He wasn’t wrong.”

“No,” Alejandro said on an exhale. “He wasn’t. I took a leap of faith, set up Guerrero Sports Agency, and never looked back. Once Cris’s maternity leave ended, I gave her a job. You know the rest.”

“She’s okay now, isn’t she?”

“She is. She’s got a loving partner. She and Carlos have been together for a few years. I know him well. The other day, he told me he was going to propose.”

“But you still feel guilty.”

Alejandro shook his head. “It’s not guilt anymore. I just… I guess I was afraid of being like Ignacio. Of taking advantage of a younger woman working for me the way he did.”

“You’ve never taken advantage.” I cupped his face, making him look at me. “Never. You’ve never done anything I didn’t want. You’ve never pushed. Everything between us has always been consensual. In fact, I propositioned you.”

His eyes softened. “The best offer of my life. So, what now?” He slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. My chest against his. His lips inches from mine. “Now that you know everything. I told you what I want. Tell me what you want, Nova.”

My fingertips feathered over his jaw as he waited for my answer. “You, Ale.” I leaned my forehead against his. “I want you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Nova

January

As soon as the elevator stopped on our office floor the following day, I slipped my hand out of Alejandro’s.

His brow rose, but the amused tilt of his mouth betrayed him.

“I know.” I sighed as we stepped out. “It’s just easier if you’re the boss during the day.”

“As long as I’m Ale at night.” His hand pressed to my lower back, warmth unfurling over my skin. “Don’t work too hard. I’ll be watching.”

One more smile, one heated look, then Alejandro’s phone rang, and he stayed behind to answer as I entered the office where Eleanor was already working.

“Happy New Year,” I said, setting a gift bag on her desk.