Which had to be a bad sign.
Then again, I had no hangover whatsoever. Not even a headache.
In fact, other than the sore muscles, I felt fantastic.
Whatever. Shrugging, I went in search of my suitcase. Then paused.
Why the hell didn't I have my suitcase? Details came rushing back. I'd been staying with the Titus family during the wedding, meaning my suitcase was still there, and I was… here? Whose hotel room was I actually in? Because it sure as hell wasn't mine!
I scratched my head then resorted to slapping myself in the face to jolt any sort of memory. But nothing. Still blank. Maybe Beth knew?
Right. That's what every woman wanted to hear: "Hey, you're hot, but I totally don't remember what you look like naked. Even though we woke up that way together. Thanks for a good time? Oh, and PS, whose room are we in?"
May as well put the name Jake Titus across my forehead and do the walk of shame.
I wasn't some billionaire playboy like Jake was. I was responsible. In control. Hell, I was the youngest damn senator Oregon had ever seen.
And that's when reality hit.
In a force so strong my eyes frantically searched for a paper bag.
Holy shit.
It was going to be in the newspapers.
If I couldn't remember being drunk or getting to the damn hotel, that meant I was sloppy about every single thing that happened.
I checked my watch. Six a.m. With a curse, I reached for my cell and winced. Fifteen missed calls.
I never put my phone on vibrate.
Then again, I'd never had a one night stand, kissed a girl whose last name I can't even spell, or done a walk of shame Jake-style. So maybe I was turning over a new leaf. Or maybe Jake's whorishness had left him the minute he said his vows and floated into my consciousness.
Shit. Now I was freaked about being possessed? By what? The need to screw every female within a ten-mile radius?
A throat cleared. I looked up. Beth stood wrapped in a fluffy white towel, her dark wet hair clinging to her neck and shoulders.
Scratch that. Not every girl within a ten-mile radius. Her. Just her.
"What's your last name?" I asked, needing the distraction as she shifted from one toned leg to the next.
"You're kidding, right?" Beth's eyes narrowed.
"Yes?"
Yeah. It was definitely a day of firsts. For example, not only was I the first person in my family to make it into politics, but I was going to be the first male of the family to die before the age of thirty.
How would she do It, I wondered? Suffocation? Push me out the window?
"Why are you so pale?" Beth slowly walked toward me.
"I, uh…" Damn. I had nothing. My entire career was spent talking, and I had absolutely nothing. Words escaped me. My focus was on her lips as they moved. Fantastic. First I want to actually be the cookie she bites into, and now I'm obsessing over her lips.
But they had this naturally pink tint to them.
Which reminded me of bubblegum.
I had a thing for gum. It kept me from getting nervous during speeches.
I had a feeling Beth would do the same thing, if only I was given the chance for one, small taste.
One night stand. One night stand. Maybe if I kept repeating it to myself, my body would catch up. Getting lost in those gorgeous green eyes or looking at that amazing ass was going to get me nowhere in life. I needed a solid, committed relationship where both parties equally benefited from said partnership. Not a fiery green-eyed temptress who ate cookies at 3:00 a.m. and cried into a box of them when she discovered they were peanut butter instead of chocolate.
"Jace?" Beth reached out and cupped my chin with her hand, peering into my eyes.
"What are you doing?" I stepped back.
"I'm a doctor." Beth rolled her eyes.
Doctor my ass. I distinctly remember hearing she played with diseases for a living; no way did I want her hands anywhere near my face. Then again, they'd probably been on other parts all night.
Mental note: Scrub harder in shower.
"You're a chemist. Big difference." I swatted her hand away.
"So you know I'm a chemist, but you don't know my last name?"
"You were doing the periodic table of elements in your sleep and were talking about curing cancer? Remember? Doesn't take much math to add that one together, sunshine."
Besides, part of my homework given by the lovely Grandma Nadine was to do a background check on Char and her family. That woman was insane; she wanted no stone unturned. In the end, I'd broken at least four laws to get the information she'd needed. But I owed her. She'd pulled me out of my slump. I remembered Char from high school since we were closer in age, and Beth? I remembered her for entirely different reasons…
"Are you okay?" I asked, approaching the pretty girl in the white dress. Normally I wasn't so brave at another school's functions. After all, I played for their rival team, and I was quarterback. I kept a low profile. My cousin, however, had needed a date for prom, and I couldn't say no.
"Yeah," she sniffed and then looked down at her hands, "thanks."
That moment defined me, not because of anything special happening like fireworks lighting up the sky or romantic music floating through the air. It defined me because it was the first time in my life that a girl's tears had actually cut me to the core. I wanted to fix it, and I didn't even know her. It pissed me off that she was crying, and it pissed me off that I cared so much.
"Want to dance?" I held out my hand.