Chasing Frost by Isabel Jolie

Author:Isabel Jolie [Jolie, Isabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Isabel Jolie

Twenty

Sadie

* * *

A heavy, warm body presses on top of mine, comforting and cozy. I snuggle back against the heat source. A hotel room, Cedar Falls, the wedding, last night. Chase. I’m not wearing clothes, and while my naked back is to his front, without visual proof, there’s strong evidence he’s not wearing any clothes either.

The pleasant warmth his body emanates increases to the intensity of a furnace. I inch forward to separate us.

Bright golden light breaks through the edges of the drapes, providing little hint as to time. We’re all supposed to meet downstairs at ten for breakfast, then we’ll head home at, I suppose, whatever time we make it to the tarmac. The hotel room’s digital clock can’t be seen from the pillow level, but I always wake early. We should have plenty of time before we need to meet the others.

I lie still on my pillow, not wanting to wake Chase. One arm is draped over my waist, keeping me near. This warm intimacy is what I’ve been craving for a long while. Not just physical intimacy, but someone to depend on, to be close to.

When I completed my paperwork for my apartment lease, it asked for an emergency contact. Why, I’m not sure. I suppose they need a number to call if they find a body. I listed my sister’s number, and the twenty-three-year-old squinted and said, “That’s international.” She pushed the paper back to me. “It’s much smarter to have someone local.”

Yes, I moved to a new city, and most people in my situation wouldn’t have a local emergency contact either. But here’s the thing. I lived in D.C. for years and had one person I counted as a friend I could use as an emergency contact. One.

Is that what last night was about? Me being lonely? Did all it take is some alcohol and a sweet wedding for me to throw my inhibitions out the door and forget I’m on an assignment? Once my carefully constructed wall came down, I practically threw myself at Chase.

He doesn’t know my real name. There’s a good chance I’ll be off the case tomorrow, or at least off UC, and then what? I admit to my boss I let myself get involved with the prime suspect? My heartrate quickens as the reality of what I’ve done bears down on me.

Yes, we cleared him. And he’s a good guy. But I’m on a job. He’s not even my type. I tend to surround myself with rule followers, Type A competitive leaders. Not t-shirt wearing nonconformists.

Chase’s top priority is to enjoy life, and I have to admit, it’s a draw and completely different from anyone I’ve known, but that doesn’t make any of this right. Breathe. It doesn’t matter. Chase is not something I need to wrap my head around. Chase’s priority is to enjoy life, and as such, he’ll be on to his next conquest within a week. When I don’t show up at the office, he probably won’t notice because he’ll be actively avoiding me after our hook-up.

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