North of Normal

Chapter Twenty Three

Polly was curled up in the corner of the sofa staring out at the lake, a steaming mug of coffee in her hand and a slight smile on her lips, despite the occasional twinge of her ankle, which, while black and blue, seemed to be less painful today than yesterday when she had injured it.

The slight smile undoubtedly had less to do with her miraculous ankle recovery and more to do with waking up in Chase Colton's arms.

He'd pressed his lips to her temple in the dim morning light, murmuring 'good morning' as she had emerged from sleep, their limbs tangled together, her head pillowed on the smooth contours of his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her. They had lain that way for a long time, both of them reluctant to step out into the cold morning away from the quilts, or to break the spell of their time together. It was only when Jack had jumped onto the covers and pressed his nose into Chase's armpit that the spell had been broken, and they had both emerged from bed, slightly embarrassed but also slightly closer as well.

Polly honestly couldn't believe she had such urgent, undying feelings for Chase Colton when they hadn't so much as kissed since seeing each other again.

Maybe because every time she thought of it, an image of Matthew flashed in her mind, putting the brakes on any untoward thoughts.

If she was honest, the thought of hot, raunchy 'revenge sex' had crossed her mind several times, but the reality was that she couldn't go through with it, no matter her feelings for Chase. She had to resolve her emotions – and her marriage one way or another – before anything like that could happen.

But that didn't mean she couldn't relive the tenderness of his kiss to her forehead, the feel of his warm skin beneath her cheek.

She had to snap out of this.

Fast.

Two damaged people didn't make one perfect couple, she mused, taking another sip of coffee. She was lugging around these emotional scars of the life she had chosen to lead in California, and the realities of her husband's infidelity and theft, and the realization that this wasn't the life she had envisioned for herself, and no amount of fancy cars or high price lunches could fix that.

And as for Chase... he obviously had a few damages of his own, both physical and emotional. She could sense that he carried the weight of his team member's death like a boulder with him, as well as the feeling that he had let down his team, his country, himself in not being able to perform like he once did as a highly trained SEAL.

Because he'd nearly been blown up.

She still shuddered when she thought about how he had cheated death – and with the further thought that she was sure it wasn't the first time he was in harm's way.

Two damaged people like them should definitely not get together.

Besides, she had other things to think about than Chase Colton's perfectly toned pecs and husky voice.

She had a damn novel to write, a furnace part to pay for, and apparently, a few legal consultations to tackle.

There simply wasn't time to dwell on the 'should she or shouldn't she' of dipping her toes in Lake Chase.

Polly jumped as the porch door slid open to admit Mae, her smiling face making Polly grin in return. "Howdy neighbor. Coffee?" She asked, gesturing to the coffeepot with her mug.

"What did you do to your ankle?" Mae asked with barely a backwards glance, instead rooting around in the cabinet for a mug and the sugar pot. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better. I twisted it something awful yesterday, but Chase managed to get me back here without having to amputate," Polly explained, shifting a bit and moving her ankle slightly.

"Chase, huh?" Mae said, flopping down beside her. "You and he play doctor for the rest of the night, then? Did he prescribe lots of 'bed rest'?" Mae asked, wagging her eyebrows lasciviously.

"You are terrible," Polly said emphatically, even as her cheeks flushed. "He was very... gentlemanly." She paused, and then whispered, "He had to help me take off my pants."

"I bet he did," Mae shot back, not missing a beat, and Polly dissolved into giggles.

"He DID! But he was very nice about it – wore a blindfold and everything."

Mae studied Polly for a long moment. "You know, you should hit that."

"Hit what?" Polly asked innocently.

"Hit Chase."

"Why would I hit him?" Polly asked in confusion, and Mae laughed out loud.

"In less delicate terms, it means you should fuck his brains out. He's so damn fine, and you are so damn cute, and you obviously like each other, and you need a man to get rid of that anger you have at Matthew cheating on you. So, you should hit that."

In a flash, Polly wondered if bearing her life story to Mae Jacobs had been a good idea after all. "I'm not going to hit that. We're just friends."

"You should be better friends. You should be naked friends," Mae replied. "You'd be good for each other. You need revenge sex and he needs a woman that is as smart and sassy as he is. He needs someone to keep him in line, not just oiled up and ready to ride."

"Mae, ish," Polly said, though both women giggled like schoolgirls for several minutes at the mental image of Chase in just such a state. "Don't you have something to work on? Aren't we paying you by the hour or something?"

"Nag, nag," Mae said, sticking her tongue out. "I was going to tell you that the furnace part is in so the furnace dude should be by today, and to ask you to please call Rob Fitzhugh. He's really eager to talk to you."

"Now who's a nag?" Polly asked as Mae stood and stretched.

"Yeah, but you love it," Mae shot back. "I'm like the little, annoying sister you never had."

After Mae had breezed back out the door, Polly realized she was absolutely right about her regarding Mae as a younger sister.

But she was dead wrong about hitting anything – especially Chase Colton.