Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(9)

What the hell was happening to me? Not only had I reacted strongly to a complete stranger, but now I was noticing things about my coworker that I had no business noticing. Not to mention, both things had happened within mere seconds of each other.

I somehow made it through the weighty introduction to Hudson, staring at my hand in disbelief when he shook it and a tremor of electricity traveled up the length of my arm. In that moment, I felt aroused and excited and more alive than I could remember in years. Then, just as quickly, those feelings turned to guilt and sadness and I felt the hollow ache that was my constant companion. My chest suddenly became tight and I felt like I couldn’t breathe so I made an excuse about needing to talk to the mayor and got out of there as quickly as I could without attracting too much attention.

There were people milling about everywhere and I pasted a smile on my face as I brushed past them and made a beeline for the stairwell. I climbed the stairs quickly, opening the door at the top and stepping out on the building’s rooftop. I’d first gone up there during my walk-through of the building as a potential site for the new center and had immediately fallen in love with it.

Since we’d made the move to the new building, I’d taken to going up there whenever I needed an escape. I spent my entire day trying to meet the demands of everyone around me and once in a while, I just needed a few moments to myself. I had never needed it more than I did right then. The tightness in my chest slowly began to ease and I made my way over to the half wall that ran the perimeter of the building and sat down, leaning my back against the higher corner pieces.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there until a sound from the sidewalk below caught my attention and I looked down. With the added security lights Morgan Greene had installed around the new center, I was able to make out the lone figure as he rushed out of the front door. My body hummed with an unexplained familiarity and I knew that I was watching Hudson as he leaned against the wall as if he were trying to catch his breath.

Unable to look away, I’d continued to watch him as he stood and began walking towards the parking lot and climbed into his SUV. It wasn’t until his tail lights had completely disappeared that I was able to release the breath that I hadn’t even been aware I’d been holding.

I’d remained on the roof awhile longer, completely bewildered by the events of the night. When I’d been standing in front of Hudson and Isaac, I’d wanted nothing more than to escape and for things to go back to the way they were supposed to be. I should have felt relieved to see him go. So, then why did it feel as if I’d missed out on something important?

Eventually, I’d made my way back down to the party and forced a smile on my face as I showed the various politicians and media personnel around the new center. I’d done my best to stay away from Isaac the rest of that evening and had in fact been avoiding him at work ever since, but I knew I couldn’t ignore him forever. I owed it to the center’s teens to put my own feelings aside, no matter how bizarre they might have been, and focus on what was best for them.

That was why I’d sought Isaac out and asked him to meet with me to go over the ideas I had for the community service project. I’d felt guilty when he asked if he’d done something wrong which had caused me to avoid him, and, I realized I’d been acting like an immature asshole. Isaac was my friend and we’d worked together for years. I just needed to find the simple, easygoing friendship we usually shared and ignore the stirring in my gut that had started to occur whenever he focused his attention on me.

Unfortunately, while that had sounded good in my head, it was actually much harder to put into practice once Isaac followed me into my office. All I could think about was how we were all alone in there, how good he smelled and the fact that I wanted to taste his full bottom lip that pushed out into an adorable pout. What the hell is wrong with me? I rarely took notice of that sort of thing anymore, especially not with someone I worked closely with every day.

Shaking my head to clear it, I’d pushed my inappropriate thoughts aside and refocused my attention on the project. It wasn’t hard to get caught up in the plan though once Isaac showed his enthusiasm, and before I knew it, we were bouncing ideas off each other and making lists of how we were going to make them into reality. The experience reminded me of how well Isaac and I had always worked together and I felt myself relaxing and a genuine smile spreading across my face.

We’d shared a smile when Allison had told us that someone was there for the therapist position and it seemed as if everything was finally getting back on track. That was until the person stepped into my office and I found myself staring into the warm brown eyes of the man who had sent my world spiraling out of control in the first place.

I’d listened as he’d explained that he was a therapist and I was stunned when he stated that he wanted to work at the center free of charge. My head spun at the idea of what this would mean for the kids; the ways that this could help them get further along in their journey towards the happy and fulfilling lives they all deserved.

I’d sifted through the stack of diplomas, references and awards he had in his file and I had to admit that I was very impressed. Dr. Hudson Westley was obviously much more than a handsome face. He was also highly educated and revered by his colleagues and friends. When I’d seen the glowing recommendations written by Lachlan and Rylie, my mind had been made up.

Then Hudson had made the comment about wanting both Isaac and me to know that he was single and I’d seen the same look of interest in his eyes that I saw when we first met. I watched as he and Isaac exchanged a look and the heat between them was palpable. My cock began to stir as I envisioned the two of them kissing, which then switched to an image of me sandwiched between the two of them as they kissed their way down the length of my neck, hands and mouths everywhere, all at once.