And the worst part was, I had no backup plan. No parachute. Just faith.
I need some air.
I threw a zip-up hoodie and a pair of shorts over my bikini, slid my feet into sandals, and made my way upstairs. The rooftop pool was still open.
I just needed a moment.
The rooftop door clicked shut behind me, the cool metal handle still warm from my grip as I stepped into the night, only to freeze a moment later.
There was someone in the pool.
Nathan.
He was submerged to his chest in the water, arms stretched out along the edge behind him, his head tilted back to rest against the tile. The city skyline twinkled around him, reflections from the pool casting soft ripples of light across his bare skin.
He hadn’t seen me yet.
For a split second, I considered turning around and leaving quietly. I wasn’t trying to crash his moment. But I came up here for a reason too, so I swallowed the lump in my throat and decided to be bold.
I slipped off my hoodie and dropped it on one of the nearby lounge chairs. I was already wearing my bikini underneath—teal, skimpy, and possibly too revealing for a work trip, but here we are.
I wiggled out of my shorts, and when I looked back up, Nathan was no longer lounging with his eyes closed.
He was watching me. Tracking every movement like he was trying to memorize it.
His gaze dropped, lingering over the curve of my hips, then down the length of my legs. His throat worked around a swallow, and even in the low lighting, I didn’t miss the way his jaw flexed or how his fingers curled tighter around the pool edge.
“You couldn’t sleep either?” he finally asked, his voice lower than usual.
I shook my head and padded over to the steps, dipping my toes in.
The water was warm. Nathan was silent as I descended one step at a time, until I was waist-deep and directly across from him.
We didn’t say anything for a long moment.
Just floated in the quiet.
The lights from the city cast a soft gold shimmer over his skin, and for the first time in three years of working together, I was seeing himlike this. Bare. Relaxed. His hair messy and damp. His abs on full display. His face softer, less guarded.
He looked like someone I didn’t know.
And I liked it.
“I was gonna come knock on your door,” Nathan said after a minute. “I wanted to thank you again for bringing Darryl to my attention. We wouldn’t have landed him if it wasn’t for you.” Nathan said, surprising me with his rare moment of humility.
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. You’re a vital part of the company,” Nathan told me. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it wasn’t for you.”
My heart fluttered at his words. “Thank you.”
His words settled over me like warmth, quiet and unexpected. I looked down, letting the soft ripple of water kiss the tops of my thighs where they dangled in the pool. The night air wrapped around us. Cool, still, and fragrant with distant jasmine and chlorine.
A beat passed and in that stillness, something inside me loosened.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, so softly I almost hoped he hadn’t heard.
He looked over at me. “About what?”
