his eyes, blinking sleepily. He didn’t immediately recognise where he
was, yet he didn’t feel that jolt of fear he usually did when waking in a strange place. The events of yesterday filtered through his mind and he thought he should try to get up but didn’t, feeling uncharacteristically lazy. Instead, he lay there and watched the dust motes floating in a strip of sunlight coming through a gap in the curtains. He even let his mind wander into fanciful thoughts, making up little stories about what those motes might be and spinning adventures for them in his head.
“It must be the drugs,” he grumbled when he realised what he’d been doing. Chase
rolled onto his back and carefully draped an arm over his eyes. Otherwise he didn’t trust himself not to drift back into la-la land. If he kept that up, he’d soon be spouting poetry and shit like that. That’d go so well with my tough guy image. Except, it wasn’t an image; Chase www.total-e-bound.com
A BIT OF ME
Bailey Bradford
35
knew he was tough, and mean, and crazier than a shit-house rat at times. He could spout all the poetry in the world and those things wouldn’t change.
A tap on the door had Chase removing his arm from his eyes and trying to sit up
unsuccessfully. The door opened and Josh came in, dressed in the most godawful bright hot pink scrubs with… Chase squinted and wondered if he had sleep in his eyes still, because that sure as shit looked like penguins all over his scrubs.
“You like them, don’t you?” Josh crooned.
Chase blinked rapidly and penguins danced behind his lids every time he did, so he
gave up and looked at Josh’s face instead—or, he meant to, until he saw the mug of coffee in Josh’s hand. As soon as he spotted it, the aroma reached his nostrils and Chase took a deep breath. It was almost as good as drinking the stuff.
“Admit you like them and I’ll give you your coffee,” Josh said in that almost-singing way he had.
Chase considered glaring, or just taking the coffee away from the guy, but he had to admit, the whole hot pink thing suited Josh, and the penguins were…well, he’d never admit it out loud, but they were kind of cute. He settled for, “I don’t hate ‘em, but I’d never wear them.”
Josh snorted and set the coffee on the nightstand. “Like I’d let you!” He put a knee on the mattress, then gestured at Chase. “Can you sit up, or do you need help?”
“I need help,” Chase admitted, only hesitating for a couple of seconds before
answering. He was surprised he was able to admit the truth, but something about this place, these people here, made him feel things he didn’t want to examine too closely.
“All right, just…let’s do this.” Josh gave him a wicked smile, then straddled Chase’s hips. Josh kept himself upright on his knees, but it still seemed erotic and wrong to Chase.
He was fairly certain Nick would strangle him if the surly guy walked in. “Here we go.” Josh scooted up and hooked his arms around Chase.
Chase was too stunned, because now he was kind of pressed to Josh from stomach to
chest, and Josh’s groin was rubbing against Chase’s belly as Josh dragged him into an upright position. There wasn’t anything sexual about it, but there could have been, and that freaked Chase out just a little.
www.total-e-bound.com
A BIT OF ME
Bailey Bradford
36
Josh seemed completely unaware and unaffected as he settled a pillow behind Chase’s
back, then crawled off the bed. “That FBI agent called and asked if he could move your interview until later this afternoon. Seems he’s got someone he’s close to who’s been hurt and is in the hospital.” Josh shrugged and handed Chase the coffee. “I told him that was fine, and that he could just interview you at the hospital since you have to go in for physical therapy today at three.”
It really sucked that he’d just got out of the hospital and already had to go back for PT, but
was, yet he didn’t feel that jolt of fear he usually did when waking in a strange place. The events of yesterday filtered through his mind and he thought he should try to get up but didn’t, feeling uncharacteristically lazy. Instead, he lay there and watched the dust motes floating in a strip of sunlight coming through a gap in the curtains. He even let his mind wander into fanciful thoughts, making up little stories about what those motes might be and spinning adventures for them in his head.
“It must be the drugs,” he grumbled when he realised what he’d been doing. Chase
rolled onto his back and carefully draped an arm over his eyes. Otherwise he didn’t trust himself not to drift back into la-la land. If he kept that up, he’d soon be spouting poetry and shit like that. That’d go so well with my tough guy image. Except, it wasn’t an image; Chase www.total-e-bound.com
A BIT OF ME
Bailey Bradford
35
knew he was tough, and mean, and crazier than a shit-house rat at times. He could spout all the poetry in the world and those things wouldn’t change.
A tap on the door had Chase removing his arm from his eyes and trying to sit up
unsuccessfully. The door opened and Josh came in, dressed in the most godawful bright hot pink scrubs with… Chase squinted and wondered if he had sleep in his eyes still, because that sure as shit looked like penguins all over his scrubs.
“You like them, don’t you?” Josh crooned.
Chase blinked rapidly and penguins danced behind his lids every time he did, so he
gave up and looked at Josh’s face instead—or, he meant to, until he saw the mug of coffee in Josh’s hand. As soon as he spotted it, the aroma reached his nostrils and Chase took a deep breath. It was almost as good as drinking the stuff.
“Admit you like them and I’ll give you your coffee,” Josh said in that almost-singing way he had.
Chase considered glaring, or just taking the coffee away from the guy, but he had to admit, the whole hot pink thing suited Josh, and the penguins were…well, he’d never admit it out loud, but they were kind of cute. He settled for, “I don’t hate ‘em, but I’d never wear them.”
Josh snorted and set the coffee on the nightstand. “Like I’d let you!” He put a knee on the mattress, then gestured at Chase. “Can you sit up, or do you need help?”
“I need help,” Chase admitted, only hesitating for a couple of seconds before
answering. He was surprised he was able to admit the truth, but something about this place, these people here, made him feel things he didn’t want to examine too closely.
“All right, just…let’s do this.” Josh gave him a wicked smile, then straddled Chase’s hips. Josh kept himself upright on his knees, but it still seemed erotic and wrong to Chase.
He was fairly certain Nick would strangle him if the surly guy walked in. “Here we go.” Josh scooted up and hooked his arms around Chase.
Chase was too stunned, because now he was kind of pressed to Josh from stomach to
chest, and Josh’s groin was rubbing against Chase’s belly as Josh dragged him into an upright position. There wasn’t anything sexual about it, but there could have been, and that freaked Chase out just a little.
www.total-e-bound.com
A BIT OF ME
Bailey Bradford
36
Josh seemed completely unaware and unaffected as he settled a pillow behind Chase’s
back, then crawled off the bed. “That FBI agent called and asked if he could move your interview until later this afternoon. Seems he’s got someone he’s close to who’s been hurt and is in the hospital.” Josh shrugged and handed Chase the coffee. “I told him that was fine, and that he could just interview you at the hospital since you have to go in for physical therapy today at three.”
It really sucked that he’d just got out of the hospital and already had to go back for PT, but
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