were a deep azure from this angle. A light breeze carried his clean soapy scent, a mixture of sweet and spice.
Chase looked away. “Alana, there’s nothing to talk about. I’m leaving and you’re staying, so let’s just move on. I have a flight to catch.”
She lowered her eyes. “Don’t speak to me like I’m an unintelligent being. I know what I saw, and I know what you did. You have time, so tell me.”
“I have time?” He raised one dark eyebrow.
“You do own your own plane, don’t you? I can’t imagine them taking off without their one and only passenger,” she shot back.
Naturally, she expected him to deny her straight answers, but she was going to demand them. Outwardly, she stood defiantly in an attempt to fool him into believing she had a cool and calm demeanor. Inwardly, she was everything but, her heart drumming a furious tempo. Her hands felt clammy and she kept them fisted to prevent the onslaught of moisture.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“Tell me how you manipulated those lights from your hands.” Now that she had his attention she was not backing down. “How did you do it? How did you bring him back to life? Are you some kind of mad scientist that’s invented some new technology? Have you made some medical breakthrough? Do you have an implanted chip in your arms somewhere? What is it?”
Chase chuckled quietly at her interrogation. “You are something else, Alana. A mad scientist? Implanted chip? That’s a good one.” He had the audacity to look amused.
Alana crossed her arms over her chest and shot him an aggravated look. “You’re not going to tell me?”
Chase held her gaze and stepped closer. There was a masculine beauty about him, a compelling strength that radiated off him. His voice lowered as he looked down seriously into her eyes. “I am none of those things, Alana.”
Alana felt something shift in the atmosphere. She shivered despite the heat and sweat beginning to pool on her upper lip.
“Then who are you?” she asked quietly.
When Chase didn’t shift his eyes from her, she suddenly wished she’d never asked. She didn’t want to be there anymore. She wanted to be a hundred yards away, inside the safety of the hospital walls, checking on patients and cleaning up their vomit. Peering up, she could see the internal battle storming in his eyes as he gazed down at her gently. He had sensed her unease.
“You should never have witnessed what I did, Alana. I got carried away. It was a mistake on my part—”
“A mistake?” she interrupted. “Your saving Mr. Filipo’s life was a mistake? How can you say that?”
He was contradicting everything she learned in her training to be a nurse—to preserve life, to care for and save people. He belittled his actions and she could not accept that.
“I’m not sorry about what you did, Chase,” she said. “If you think I’m upset about what happened, you’re wrong. What you did…it was a miracle.”
“As far as everyone knows, you revived Mr. Filipo,” he declared. “You brought him back, Alana. Not me. That’s the way it will remain.”
Alana looked at him perplexed, her eyebrows creased. This man standing in front of her was a mystery, a contradiction.
“I wasn’t going to tell anyone what you did.…” she trailed off.
Chase stood still, a look of indifference crossing his handsome features. She saw it. The closed off look. The one that told her she wasn’t going to be getting any more answers. She recognized it immediately because it was one she often displayed.
Finally straightening, she nodded her head in resolve. “Mr. Malek, it’s clear to me that you will not divulge your secret, and I will certainly not pursue this any further because you are obviously not comfortable enough to trust me. I’m sorry I’ve wasted your precious time with my petty questions. Thank you for everything you have done for our humble hospital. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Samoa. I’ll leave you
Chase looked away. “Alana, there’s nothing to talk about. I’m leaving and you’re staying, so let’s just move on. I have a flight to catch.”
She lowered her eyes. “Don’t speak to me like I’m an unintelligent being. I know what I saw, and I know what you did. You have time, so tell me.”
“I have time?” He raised one dark eyebrow.
“You do own your own plane, don’t you? I can’t imagine them taking off without their one and only passenger,” she shot back.
Naturally, she expected him to deny her straight answers, but she was going to demand them. Outwardly, she stood defiantly in an attempt to fool him into believing she had a cool and calm demeanor. Inwardly, she was everything but, her heart drumming a furious tempo. Her hands felt clammy and she kept them fisted to prevent the onslaught of moisture.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“Tell me how you manipulated those lights from your hands.” Now that she had his attention she was not backing down. “How did you do it? How did you bring him back to life? Are you some kind of mad scientist that’s invented some new technology? Have you made some medical breakthrough? Do you have an implanted chip in your arms somewhere? What is it?”
Chase chuckled quietly at her interrogation. “You are something else, Alana. A mad scientist? Implanted chip? That’s a good one.” He had the audacity to look amused.
Alana crossed her arms over her chest and shot him an aggravated look. “You’re not going to tell me?”
Chase held her gaze and stepped closer. There was a masculine beauty about him, a compelling strength that radiated off him. His voice lowered as he looked down seriously into her eyes. “I am none of those things, Alana.”
Alana felt something shift in the atmosphere. She shivered despite the heat and sweat beginning to pool on her upper lip.
“Then who are you?” she asked quietly.
When Chase didn’t shift his eyes from her, she suddenly wished she’d never asked. She didn’t want to be there anymore. She wanted to be a hundred yards away, inside the safety of the hospital walls, checking on patients and cleaning up their vomit. Peering up, she could see the internal battle storming in his eyes as he gazed down at her gently. He had sensed her unease.
“You should never have witnessed what I did, Alana. I got carried away. It was a mistake on my part—”
“A mistake?” she interrupted. “Your saving Mr. Filipo’s life was a mistake? How can you say that?”
He was contradicting everything she learned in her training to be a nurse—to preserve life, to care for and save people. He belittled his actions and she could not accept that.
“I’m not sorry about what you did, Chase,” she said. “If you think I’m upset about what happened, you’re wrong. What you did…it was a miracle.”
“As far as everyone knows, you revived Mr. Filipo,” he declared. “You brought him back, Alana. Not me. That’s the way it will remain.”
Alana looked at him perplexed, her eyebrows creased. This man standing in front of her was a mystery, a contradiction.
“I wasn’t going to tell anyone what you did.…” she trailed off.
Chase stood still, a look of indifference crossing his handsome features. She saw it. The closed off look. The one that told her she wasn’t going to be getting any more answers. She recognized it immediately because it was one she often displayed.
Finally straightening, she nodded her head in resolve. “Mr. Malek, it’s clear to me that you will not divulge your secret, and I will certainly not pursue this any further because you are obviously not comfortable enough to trust me. I’m sorry I’ve wasted your precious time with my petty questions. Thank you for everything you have done for our humble hospital. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Samoa. I’ll leave you
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