Page 34 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

When she opened the door for him, he was soaked. His hair was plastered to his head and his clothes dripped much as hers had earlier. She handed him a towel.

“Wow. I really went full on crime drama, didn’t I?”

Josh exhaled audibly. “You scared me.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “Turns out the real threat was just Florida weather.”

“I’ll still stay for a few minutes. Just in case the window tries anything again.”

She smiled and warmth replaced the last of her nerves. “Yeah, yeah. My hero.”

But even as he dried off, she couldn’t help one last glance over her shoulder just to be sure. She felt safer now that Josh was there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had missed something. Or someone.

Josh stayed until the police arrived and made sure the scene was secure. One of the officers mentioned that he knew Chance and thought he was an upstanding guy. It made Randi’s heart flipflop a bit, and then guilt crept in when they praised Josh for rushing over.

Because he didn’t deserve to be part of the dysfunction between her and Chance.

He didn’t deserve to be the safe alternative, the visible contrast, the way she proved to herself that she could move on.

And that she wasn’t stuck in something that had never even fully begun.

Chapter 15

Chance

Chance wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but he didn’t stop when he realized that he was, either.

He stood near the breakroom counter at TimeOff and poured coffee into his mug. He only half-listened to the low hum of morning conversations that drifted through the open workspace. It was the usual soundtrack with keyboards clacking, someone laughing too loudly, and a printer that groaned like it resented its existence.

Normal and routine.

“…yeah, Randi thought someone was actually in there,” Josh’s voice carried from a few desks over.

Chance stilled. He didn’t turn around or move. He just stood there with his mug halfway to full as something in his chest tightened.

“Storm must’ve blown the window open,” Josh went on, casual, like it wasn’t a big deal. “But she was freaked out for a minute. I stayed on the phone with her while she was checking the place. I texted Marissa to call the police so I didn’t have to hang up with Randi.”

Chance set the coffee pot down a little too carefully. His jaw tightened as he stared into the dark surface of his drink.

Of course she called Josh. Why wouldn’t she?

Still, something sharp and immediate flared up in his chest before he could stop it, something hot, irrational, and uncomfortably close to jealousy.

He exhaled through his nose, slow and controlled, like he could push it back down where it belonged. It wasn’t his business, except it felt like it was.

“She okay now?” someone asked.

“Yeah,” Josh said. “Embarrassed more than anything. But she was prepared to defend herself. I stayed with her for a bit after the police left just to be sure she was okay.”

Chance’s grip tightened slightly around his mug. Just to be sure. Right.

Because Josh showed up. That was kind of his thing, to be easy, steady, and dependable. The guy who answered the phone and who didn’t hesitate to rush to protect.

Chance shut his eyes briefly. Josh was the kind of guy who didn’t walk away.

The memory hit whether he wanted it to or not. He had left Randi standing there in the dark building. He just turned his back and walked away from her.

He’d made sure she wouldn’t call him.