“So if you loved the kids so much … why’d you leave? Sounds like you loved it in Wrangel and had a great job doing something you really loved.” He reached up and ran his hands through his hair. His shirt lifted up and I snuck a peek of those abs and that happy trail that disappeared into darkness.
I sighed and sank back into the couch. My nights spent tossing and turning were finally starting to come less frequently, and this man I barely knew had me completely undone.
“Hey, seems I’ve put you in a trance, I’m boring you.” He lifted his beer and took a swig. His lips and a lot of other things were very distracting.
“Oh no, no … just thinking, sorry, what were you saying?”
“I was saying you never did answer my original question. How’d you pick Philly?”
“Oh that’s right.” I smiled sheepishly. “Sierra basically begged me to come, she was established here. She told me I didn’t have to end up like everyone else in our town. Sierra can be a bit dramatic at times— she said and I quote, ‘You were drowning in our town misery.’ Well seems she was right, I desperately needed a change of scenery. And she had a knack for being very convincing. I couldn’t argue. So, Sierra’s boyfriend, now husband, Dodd Baldwin—you may know him, a Philadelphia attorney with plenty of hospital connections—set me up with an interview for a case manager position.”
I decided at that moment I was officially drunk. “So here I am.” A glass and a half of wine? Something wasn’t right. Time to change the subject.
“So enough about me, Dr. Colton...” I shifted on the couch and ran a hand down my ponytail.
“It’s Chase.”
“Um. Okay, Chase.” I was feeling very uninhibited and chatty. Not a good combination. So I continued with what was really on my mind. “Can I ask why you called me Blue before?”
He chuckled and took a long pull on his beer this time.
“You know, Ms. Porter, been a long day … you look tired and we have a long day ahead of us. Time to get you home.”
Well, so much for our chat; he knew I was freaking drunk.
“Hmm, okay, good idea. I’ll call a cab.” I reached for my bag at the side of the couch and dug inside looking for my cell. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
“Hello, Pete, Chase here. Sorry for the short notice but I need the car ... great ... see you in ten.” He clicked his cell off. “Ready, Blue? I’ll get you home. I’d drive you myself, but I’ve had a couple of beers.”
I needed to stand up, walk, and get into a car without making a total ass of myself. “I’m fine, really. I can take a cab. I’ll just see you in the morning,” I muttered, not making eye contact. I slipped my shoes on—
I crouched down and frantically started gathering my crap. I stumbled upon …
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into my ear. He was so warm and so alluring. I couldn’t think. I needed to think. He reached for a piece of hair that had fallen from my ponytail and brushed it out of my face. The heat from his fingertips lingered on my skin. His action was so insanely intimate. This wasn’t about lust anymore, my heart clenched.
I propped my head up and peered over the side of my bed. My clothes were in a crumpled mess on my bedroom floor. I glanced at the clock. 4:33 AM. Crap, it was early.
My contacts were glued to my eyeballs. My head was pounding. I reached into my night table drawer and grabbed a bottle of Advil. Popped three in my mouth and took a giant swig of the stagnant water sitting on my nightstand.
I vowed to NEVER EVER drink sake, or whatever the hell that was, AGAIN!
I needed to Google sake, something wasn’t right. Better yet, my sophisticated city girl needed to enlighten me. Fifty-seven minutes until I had to be up. I was a sweaty mess and naked. I had a bad habit of unconsciously stripping in the night. It was like ninety effing degrees in my apartment
Those mesmerizing grey eyes, that sexy chiseled body, sake, sushi, my emotional drunken rehashing of my life in Wrangel (thank god, skipping the nightmare parts), the freaking tampon and thong pad debacle, those abs, the intimate hair moment, the elevator ride then car ride, inside my apartment, tucking me into bed, kissing my nose and whispering...
I grabbed my phone.
Sierra wake up, I don’t care that you’re gestating,
I need you!
“Doll, you look like hell, you all right?” Guy’s voice pierced my eardrums as I came off the elevator squinting, blinded by the fluorescent overhead lights.
“Shhh, Guy, my head is pounding. I think I have a migraine.”
“Let me get you something. I’ll find Leanne, she can bring you some Ibuprofen.”
“Guy, no, I’m fine. I took something already. It’s too soon for another dose. I think I just need to eat something. I was running late and didn’t have a chance to stop at the cart guy.”
“I got you covered, Dickhead isn’t even here yet. Come, sit down.” He grabbed my hand and led me to a chair behind the nurses’ station. “You sure you aren’t getting sick?” If he only knew how hung over I was … he was being so nice to me.
“No, I think it’s just a headache.”
“I’ll be back in a minute. Bagel with butter and a tea sound good?”
“Thanks, I owe you.”
He gave me a smug look. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of a way you can make it up to me.”
“Petit, you got this. Cover for me, I’ll be back in a minute. Tell him not to get his panties in a bunch, I’ll join you on rounds.”
“Yeah, yeah sure. Just hurry. It’s Friday—I don’t want him pissed all day. I have plans tonight.”
“Oooo Sammy’s gettin’ some with the wifey,” Guy chuckled.
“Fuck off, Guy, just hurry up.”
Guy laughed his way into the stairwell and was gone. He loved teasing Sam.
I guessed my text was a bit aggressive.
Lunch-noon-salad place
B on time
I hv an awake case at 1pm
I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes. I wished I wasn’t awake. The damn thing chimed again.
