“Comfortable?” He chose the cushion right next to mine and angled his body to face me, resting his arm along the back of the couch. My body tightened at his close proximity. I lifted my glass to my lips and sipped. A drunken hot mess was closely approaching.
After reviewing a couple of our patients and discussing Kelly’s case, he dove directly into my personal life. A place I didn’t like to frequent.
“So Blue, how’d you end up in Philly?”
I sighed and took another sip. Was it too late to turn back?
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for my best friend I wouldn’t be here. I grew up in one of those towns where everyone knew everyone’s business. My dad couldn’t afford to send me away for college, so in a way I was stuck. Born in Wrangel. Die in Wrangel. Crazy town motto.” I shrugged. “Unfortunately my father didn’t know any other way to raise me. I ended up putting myself through community college.”
“Wow, that’s some feat,” he said, nodding in approval. “What’s your degree in?”
“I got a certificate degree as a social worker-slash-case manager, an extra year tuition for a master’s degree just wasn’t in the budget. As it was, I worked two jobs through high school and continued with one through college. I struggled a bit, but I was pretty motivated.” I placed my glass on the coffee table and ran my hands through my hair. I decided on a quick ponytail. It was warm.
“So what’d you do after college? You said you’ve only been in Philly for three years, right?”
“That’s right.” I picked my glass back up and emptied it. Diarrhea of the mouth ... shit. “I actually loved my job. I worked with underprivileged and abused children at a crisis center. It was extremely heartening to see how simple it was to make a difference in someone else’s life. I know that might sound cliché, but seriously, these kids had nothing, no one to care for them, no food, barely a roof over their heads, and yet it was effortless to make them smile. I really miss them sometimes.” My voice cracked.
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.