Get. A. Grip.
Chase’s gaze never faltered and completely hypnotized me. There was something different about his eyes. Something I couldn’t explain. It was like looking into a stormy rain cloud waiting for the sun to come out. They told his story. A story I may never know, but a story that had me completely intrigued. This guy had yet to touch me in a real way and yet his eyes alone had me coming apart at the seams.
“So I heard you loved Pediatrics-” He interrupted my inner dialogue.
“Mm-hmm.” I smiled and slowly nodded.
“Dr. Hunter was mumbling something about why we couldn’t get ahold of you that first morning on rounds, your pager was broken by a kid...”
Still bringing up the morning I missed rounds ... ugh!
I scrunched my nose and gave a nervous giggle. This evening was so not going to end well. I
never
giggled.
“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.”
Pete, who? Blue, AGAIN? Focus.
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—
thank god for ballet flats—
and stood up from the couch. I took a few steps and lost my footing, transitioning from the carpet to the hardwood floor. Yep, definitely drunk. My oversized bag slipped from my shoulder and crashed down, spilling its entire contents. Damn bridesmaid gift. Did I really need the extra large Tory Burch shoulder bag that Sierra insisted on?
I crouched down and frantically started gathering my crap. I stumbled upon …
really,
a loose tampon and thong pad. OMG, KILL ME NOW. It was too late. He walked up behind me. I grabbed the feminine products and stuffed them in my bag. His sexy laugh was, of course, very distracting. But what topped my list of distractions was his arm wrapped around my waist, gently lifting me up, which squeezed his rock hard abs—the ones I’d fantasized about all night—into my side.
“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.
Wait. Not blurry? Shit.
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!
Rice wine, my ass.
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
again.
I guess I had an excuse. No way in hell I was falling back to sleep with the night’s events on replay.
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...
HOLY SHIT ... what did he whisper?
The heat from his lips still lingered on my nose …
I grabbed my phone.
Sierra wake up, I don’t care that you’re gestating,
I need you!
“D
oll, 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.”
Is he really flirting with me at this ungodly hour?
“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.
Chime.
U better b dead or I’m gonna kill u myself
What the hell kind of text was that
This better b good
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.
This better b huge
Rescheduling my dr appt for u
C u at noon
I prayed the mortification from last night would disappear. Maybe I dreamt it. If I squeezed my eyes tight enough maybe I would never lay eyes on him again.
“Good morning.” I heard the humor in his voice from behind me. God, I had no luck. He leaned down to hover over my ear. “How you feeling? That sake is some strong stuff, huh, Blue?” The heat from his breath on the back of my neck sent a shiver up my spine. So this was his way of telling me he enjoyed me making a total ass out of myself.
The floor was swarming with people. I wasn’t about to talk about last night. He moved to stand in front of the nurses’ station. His arms rested comfortably against the counter while he studied his tablet. Long chocolate brown eyelashes covered his eyes and his slightly dampened hair hung loosely across his forehead. A crisp white lab coat covered his faded light blue scrubs. This man was going to be the death of me.
“Petit, where’s Hunter? I have cases all day.” He glanced up, catching my eye, before I averted my gaze.
I totally got caught checking him out.
“It’s Friday. I wanna get going,” he barked.
“Oh ... um ... he had to run get something,” Sam stuttered.
“Guy ran to get me some breakfast. I have a little headache and thought food might help. He should be right back,” I interrupted.
“If he wants to operate with me all day he better get his ass back here. Sam, let’s get started, I’m not waiting.” Chase looked pissed.
I cringed and stood from my chair, following them to the first patient’s room. Now it was my fault for Guy’s impending shitty day.
We had already visited two patients when Guy returned. He handed me my tea and a small brown bag and draped an arm around my shoulder.
“How ya feeling? Any better, doll? Do you think you have a fever?” He lightly brushed his lips against my forehead.
“I’m okay. Thanks. I don’t think I’m feverish. He’s pissed though, your day’s gonna suck,” I whispered.
“Whatever. You felt crappy, it’s the least I could do.”
“Dr. Hunter, so nice of you to grace us with your presence. Why don’t you remove your lips from Ms. Porter’s face and present the next patient?”
Holy crap, was he jealous? Maybe Leanne wasn’t wrong. Guy was a touchy feely kind of guy and I had a feeling Dr. Colton just wasn’t feeling it.
“I want details, as well as the proposed surgery.” His eye daggers bounced from Guy to me and back. “I’m waiting.”
Guy rambled on and on about the patient and the surgery. Dr. Colton nodded and agreed. I hoped Guy dug himself out of the hole I created. Or maybe the one he created. All I knew was I needed a reprieve from the intense pounding in my head and constant Sanskrit. I sipped my tea and stood silently, pretending to listen.
Noon came and the headache finally subsided. I met Sierra at our favorite salad place for lunch.
“Look at you, preggers, can you get any cuter?” Sierra always dressed to the nines.
“Look who’s talking, hottie, those are flats I might actually be caught dead in.”
I rolled my eyes.
The restaurant was packed, full of hospital employees. Last thing I needed was someone overhearing our conversation, so we picked a secluded booth in the back. I rehashed every detail of my evening with Chase. Her face morphed into something I rarely saw.
“Lil, I’m being serious right now.” Sierra NEVER did serious. “You deserve something
good.
You’ve had a whole lot of shitty the last twenty-seven years, maybe this is your something good.”
“Am I just torturing myself? Why should I think this could mean anything? I’m not even sure I want it to mean anything.”
“I’m just happy you actually felt something. I wondered if hormone injections were in your future. This, Lili ... is what it feels like when you
like
someone and they completely turn you on.” Sierra was blunt. Period, end of story.
“At the end of the night he carried my sleepy ass to the door and eventually tucked me into bed. He totally used my extra set of keys to lock up on his way out. My last memory though is a kiss on my nose and a whispered ‘
let’s do this again sometime
.’”
Sierra was quiet. Sierra NEVER did quiet. I waited.
“Asspuck, say something.”
“You’re gorgeous, he’s into you, why wouldn’t he be? Let’s ignore the kickass figure and amazing boobs. You’re the perfect package—kind, loving, gentle, smart, sassy, sexy ... I could go on and on, but I don’t need to because it looks like hottie patottie brain surgeon guy figured it out.”
I shrugged. “But it’s just not normal to embarrass the shit out of yourself five times in two days. He must think I’m such an idiot. I need to run. Literally run. Really fast.”
“Go run, hot stuff, clear your head. Maybe you’ll have room for some sexy thoughts.” She giggled.
The awake case at one went off without a hitch. I was in my shit brown scrubs, of course, but luckily my headache was gone. Chase was extremely quiet. Guy, on the other hand, was bitching about the music choice. I happened to love all things acoustic. My Pandora station seemed to be approved by all yesterday. Chase hadn’t balked.
“Leave it, Guy! I like this song.”
If he played Red Hot Chili Peppers one more time, my head was going to explode.
“Leave it, Hunter, or just fucking turn it off!” The tension in Chase’s voice exceeded the level of regular annoyance.
You could have heard a pin drop in the operating room. I held my breath. The agitation and turmoil spinning around in his eyes was disheartening. What the hell was his problem? The circulating nurse made the executive decision to turn the music off. I agreed that was probably the best decision, but that meant we stood in complete silence. For six hours.
Luckily the case ended without complication, I hightailed it out of there and made it to my apartment in record time. A good long run proved to be my go-to stress reliever. I quickly changed into running clothes, grabbed my iPod and headed toward the river. The four-mile loop was beautiful, peaceful, and more importantly, flat. Two miles in, I made a pit stop to tighten my loose lace.