Page 2 of Chasing Me

The eighty-year-old scrunched up her face in deep thought.I kept up my busy motions, knowing she craved attention at night, when the demons came by to visit.“I forgot.Didn’t I have my blood work yesterday?”

I tried not to grin, because she was damn sharp.“This is a different blood test.Oh, your nail polish is chipping off.How about I re-do them tomorrow?What color do you think you’d like?”

She lifted her hands, heavily veined with brown spots.But her nails were squared off with pretty pink polish that sparkled under the dim light.A soft smile curved her lips.“Something different.Maybe purple?”

I shook my head and made a tight crease in the sheets, bringing them up to her waist.“Well, my goodness, you are getting a bit wild on me.Do you want to give Mr.Foster a heart attack?He already can’t keep his eyes off you.”

She cackled out a giggle.“Stop playing with me, child.Everyone knows he’s having a thing with Emma.”

I raised my brow.“For real?How come no one told me?”

“You can’t keep secrets.”

I gasped.“I’m a great secret keeper!”

Mrs.Apple surrendered to the pillow and let out a sigh.“Everyone knows you break under duress.Your heart is too kind.”Her lids slid closed, an effect of the mild sedative she’d just received.“Why aren’t you with your young man?He must miss you.”

I brushed the stray silver hair from her forehead.“He’s waiting at home for me.Good night.Sleep tight.”

“Good night, Quinn.”

I made sure to tiptoe out and pull the door closed.Pushing past a tired sigh, I glanced at my watch.One more hour to go.After a full day of classes, and the night shift this week, I was ready to collapse.I hadn’t spent any quality time with James in a few days, and I missed him.Funny, in the past months, he’d become my rock in a pit of shifting sand.I’d changed since returning last year from Key West, when our idyllic week spent in the sun, fiercely falling hard for each other, blew up when I found out he’d made a bet with his friends to get me into bed.When I got on that plane and left him behind, returning to my normal routine in Chicago, I’d gone through the motions with an empty ache in my gut.

And then he followed me to Chicago.

A shiver bumped down my spine.I’d never forget that moment I saw him strolling across campus, his midnight hair blowing in the wind, pale-blue eyes trained on me with a raw possession and claim that still got me hot.He’d come for me, to make a life in Chicago and see if we could make it together.To me, there’d been no choice but to forgive him and give him a chance.I mean, I loved him, heart and soul.The way he overtook my body with just a dominating glance, the way he tenderly stroked my hair from my face, or made me laugh.The way he held my wrists, and pushed between my thighs while he whispered how I belonged only to him.He’d taken away every choice, and given me only one.Him.Completely.

James Hunt was my everything.

On cue, my phone shook in my pocket.I slid it out, glanced at the screen, and hit the button.“Hey, I was just thinking of you.”

His low chuckle rippled my nerve endings.“Was I naked?”

How was it possible I still blushed when he spoke dirty to me?“No.At least, not yet,” I teased back.

“Too bad.’Cause I was thinking of you.And you were definitely naked.You also had a bottle of chocolate syrup in your hand.Now, what do you suppose you were doing with that?”

“Wouldn’t that be awfully sticky and hard to clean up afterward?”

His laugh vibrated through the phone.“Practical to the end, my Quinn.I’d make it worth the cleanup.”

“Bet you would.How was class?”

His pause spoke volumes.My heart beat in my chest, but I tried to remind myself he needed to find his way, and all I could do was support him.

“Fine.”

Lying by omission.I pushed harder.“Did you work on portraits today?”

This time, he let out an irritated breath.“You don’t need to worry about me.I never expected this to be easy, or waltz into art school while my teacher declared me the best-kept secret and promised me fame and fortune.”

“Damn, I did.”

His laugh broke the tension.“Yeah, would’ve been nice.Still coming over?I made some pasta for you.”

Exhaustion didn’t matter to me as much as sleeping entwined with him, the sound of his heart beating against my ear.Our places were relatively close, and most nights we spent together, but my dad would freak if he thought we were living together.Besides, we both needed our own space for now.“Definitely.”

“Good.I’ll see you in an hour.”

---