Page 24 of The CEO's Sweetheart Deal
I had to leave Organic Now – and her life – because I couldn’t stand the thought of being close to her and never truly having her. I’ve always assumed that was obvious.
"I walked away because I was trying to set us both up for success!" I shout, but it’s only a half truth. I still can’t bring myself to admit how much her rejection crushed me.
"Bullshit!" She's moving closer now, her vest illuminated by the neon lights, making her an easy target… but I can't seem to pull the trigger. "You only care about yourself."
She fires another shot, but then realizes she’s gotten too close. Turning tail, she starts running, weaving between obstacles, firing wildly over her shoulder. I chase after her, forgetting the game, forgetting the other players, forgetting everything except the need to make her understand.
"Stop running away from this!" I shout.
"I'm not the one who runs, Oscar! That's always been you!"
She's moving too fast, breaking the clearly stated rule about no running. The floor is slick with artificial fog, and the lighting makes depth perception tricky. I see it happening before I can warn her — her foot catches on an uneven section of flooring, and she goes down hard.
The sound she makes — a sharp, pained cry — cuts through all the noise and chaos of the game.
I'm at her side in an instant, kneeling beside her. "Alice? Are you okay?"
She's clutching her ankle, her face contorted in pain. "Do I look okay to you?"
The music continues to pound around us, but players from both teams have started to notice that something's wrong. Sydney pushes through the gathering crowd.
"What happened?" she demands, glaring at me accusingly.
"She fell," I say, my hands hovering uselessly above Alice's injury. "She was running and?—"
"I slipped," Alice interrupts, her voice tight. "It wasn't his fault."
I'm surprised by her defense, but there's no time to dwell on it. "Can you stand?"
She attempts to put weight on her foot and winces. "Not really."
“Come on.” I slip my arm around her so that she can lean into me. “I’ll take you to urgent care.”
“I can drive.”
That makes me snort. “God, you’re headstrong.”
“I almost had you, though,” she gasps as she limps her way to the exit.
“Yeah, you almost did,” I answer, deciding to at least give her that one.
CHAPTER 10
ALICE
Pain shoots up my leg as Oscar helps me into his absurdly expensive car, and I bite my lip to keep from wincing. The last thing I need is for him to see just how much this hurts.
I almost had him, too. If it weren’t for the dark, and how slippery the floor was, and…
Ah, who am I kidding? There’s a reason ‘No Running’ is one of the rules.
Once again, I’ve lost my cool with Oscar. Acted like a complete fool. And now I might have a broken ankle for it.
"Easy.” His hand supports my elbow as I lower myself into the cool seat.
The interior smells like money — that distinct blend of premium leather and newness. I want to turn my nose up at it, but I have to admit… it’s nice. Especially since I need some sort of distraction from the pain.
"I don't need the knight-in-shining-armor routine," I mutter as he starts the engine. "But… thanks for the ride."
