Chapter 77

Amber’s POV

In a panic, I tapped at my body. No… no… I was still wearing clothes. If I’d slept with Julian, surely I would be naked?

I glanced around. The spot on the bed beside me was empty. I myself was laying on top of the blanket, as if someone had just placed me here, rather than us diving beneath the covers for sex.

But if we didn’t sleep together, then what the hell was I doing here? And where was Julian?

Last night was such a blur.

A glass of water and a couple of aspirin sat on the bedside table. Despite my upset at being in Julian’s room, my headache was an irritation. I reached for them, taking the aspirin and then downing the water. As I lowered the glass again, I finally spotted Julian.

He was sleeping on the floor beside the bed. He didn’t even have a pillow or a blanket, but his eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling gently, blissfully unaware of the panic I was feeling at waking up in this place, in the room.

I scanned the room for my purse and saw it sitting on the desk beside an open bottle of wine and two glasses. The sight of it made me angry somehow.

Wait… hadn’t Olivia been here last night?

Maybe I was misremembering but I didn’t think so. I distinctly remembered seeing the video of Olivia entering Julian’s hotel room. That was right, Chase showed it to me. And then I… I ran over to his hotel room to confront him myself.

My head throbbed and I rubbed it with my forefinger and thumb, praying that the aspirin would work sooner rather than later.

Regardless, I had to get out of here.

Keeping my eyes on Julian, not wanting to wake him, I slowly started to make my way toward the foot of the bed. Inch by careful inch, I scooched down, making as little noise as I possibly could.

So far so good. So I moved a little more.

Then, just as I was placing my feet over the edge of the bed, the mattress squeaked.

Julian’s eyes snapped open and he looked right at me. “Amber.”

I hopped off the bed now, and rushed to grab my purse.

Julian was beside me in an instant, moving so fast at his Alpha speed. “Calm down,” he said. “Let me explain.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” I said, even though I kind of did. I wanted to know what happened last night, but my emotions were worn out. I was embarrassed – no, mortified – over having stayed here. Did I drink too much? I hardly ever have more than a glass of wine!

No more rum. Ever.

“Nothing happened between us,” Julian said quickly. He kept cutting me off as I tried to move around him for the door, forcing me to listen. “You came here, rightfully scolded me for having a drink with Olivia. You don’t my drink, and then you passed out. That’s all that happened.”

I paused a moment, and looked up at him skeptically. “One glass?”

He nodded.

Even with the rum… one glass of wine shouldn’t have made me blackout drunk.

“I can usually handle my alcohol better than this,” I said, confused.

Maybe I couldn’t explain what happened with me, but the main point of clarity I still felt was that Julian had accepted Olivia into his hotel room. If they had too much to drink, who knew what would happen?

My anger over that coupled with my irritation from having a headache. It all made everything worse.

“Let me out of here,” I said. “Then you can get back to whatever you were doing with Olivia.”

“Nothing was happening with Olivia,” Julian insisted. “She came over and we were just –”

I definitely didn’t want to hear about this.

I faked like I was going right, and while he moved to block me I dodged left instead.

“Amber, please…”

He could have stopped me with his speed, but he must have sensed just how pissed off I was. And how panicked. I couldn’t be in here anymore, I couldn’t be dealing with this. My heart was racing out of control, my blood pressure was sky high.

When I opened the door, he let me walk through it, though he did follow me out onto the landing.

“Please just hear me out…”

Later, maybe I would. Right now? I just wanted to get away from him as fast as possible.

My purse on my arm, I reached inside to get my cell phone. I hoped to call Anna for a ride, but it was dead. I was also worried about Alice, though I trusted Anna to take care of her. I was certain that was were Anna went when she left here, to relieve the babysitter and take care of Anna. Especially because Anna lived in the same duplex.

Still, I wanted to check in. I needed a ride. And Anna might be the only other person who could fill in some of the holes I had from last night.

With the phone dead, though, I was out of luck.

But then I saw Chase getting into his convertible in the parking lot.

Looking over, he spotted me. “Amber.” The longer he looked, the higher his brows rose. “Aren’t those the same clothes you were wearing last night?”

“Can you drive me home?” I asked him. I was so desperate to get out of here, there wasn’t time to explain.

“Yeah, get in.”

I couldn’t calm down until Chase started the car and drove us out of that parking lot. He revved the engine a few times, which my headache did not agree with, but I couldn’t be mad when he was essentially rescuing me.

A few lights away, Chase glanced at me and said, “I don’t know where you live.”

I started telling him, but then I stopped, seeing the time on the dashboard. “Is that right?”

It was already after 9 am.

“It is,” Chase said. “I was on my way to our appointment when I saw you.” He laughed. “For a minute, I thought you were doing house calls.”

Gods, I already missed another patient this morning. “Never mind going home. Take me to the clinic instead, please.” At the clinic, I had some spare clothes in my locker. Also, in one of the bathrooms we did have a shower just in case something should happen.

I never imagined I’d be using it the morning after I drank too much.

“Yes, ma’am,” Chase said and made a U-turn so fast that I pressed hard against the door of the car.

We drove in silence for a while, before Chase spoke again.

“I wasn’t sure about you and Julian being an item. I’d heard about your marriage of course, once you came back to the pack and revealed yourself. Everyone was talking about how you came back from the dead. I guessed you were just hiding from him. I had thought the two of you were ex’s thorough and through.”

He sped through a yellow light so fast that I held onto the seat cushion for dear life.

“But I guess it’s pretty clear you two are still together,” Chase said.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, mostly to distract myself from his reckless driving.

“Because you slept with him. Oh! Unless this was just a one-time thing? Like for old times’ sake?”

“I didn’t –”

My voice cut off as he slammed on the brakes to keep from bolting through a light that was clearly red.

Inertia pushed me forward for a moment, and then I flopped back against the seat.

With the car stopped, Chase turned to look at me. He grinned at me, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “If you are into one-night stands… would you consider one with me?”