Free The Thrill of the Chase by Lynda Chance Page B

couple of margaritas between them. He was unusually quiet, and Julie quickly made note of the date. It was, for all intents and purposes, their first date.
    Even though they ' d already had sex.
    He played with her hand across the table while his margarita melted. She watched his face and decided to be bold and get it over with. " That can ' t happen again. "
    He knew exactly what she was referring to. " No? "
    " No. "
    " I don ' t care to use a condom, babe. "
    " But you said you always did -- before. "
    " Yeah, but now it ' s you. Just you and me and I want to be able to feel your soft skin, babe. "
    " I ' m guessing you don ' t want a baby though. "
    " Not yet. "
    Their eyes caught and held. Instantaneous lust sizzled around them. " So how do you propose we keep that from happening? "
    " You ever been on the pill? " he asked. He was more than curious. He wanted to know about her past. Possessiveness ran through his bloodstream.
    " No, " she answered softly.
    " No? " He was pleased and couldn ' t keep that feeling out of his voice.
    " That ' s what I just said, " she reiterated.
    " So, you haven ' t had any long term sexual partners? "
    " Wow, that ' s a personal question. "
    " What ' s the answer? " he asked with impatience in his voice. He wanted to know. She would tell him .
    " I ' ve had a couple of boyfriends, but they always used condoms. " She glared at him when she said that. " And then we broke up before we decided on anything else. "
    " Well, that ' s not going to happen. "
    " Yes. You ' ve already stated you don ' t care for condoms, " she said in a short voice.
    " I mean the breaking up part. " He watched her intently.
    Julie ' s jaw dropped as she stared at him.
    " What? " he asked.
    " You don ' t think we ' re going to break up? " Julie ' s heart began beating out of time. It was loud in her ears.
    He shook his head. " No. Not really. "
    " Why? "
    " I don ' t know. Just a feeling, I guess. I want you pretty bad, babe. You know I ' m probably going to lose my best friend over this. "
    " Ryan? " she asked softly.
    " Yeah. "
    " You were serious? That n-night in the club? " her voice shook.
    " Yeah. "
    " You think Ashley hates you or something? " Julie needed to get to the bottom of this.
    " Ryan thinks it, " Gibson answered.
    " Ashley doesn ' t hate anyone, Gibson. They don ' t come sweeter than Ashley. "
    " Sure they do. " His eyes were intense as they held hers.
    Warmth heated her veins as his hands tightened around her fingers and his gaze continued to hold hers. She sucked in a breath. This sounded serious. He sounded serious. Happiness clamored through her veins. " Do you want me to try the pill? "
    " Would you mind? " he asked with hot, liquid heat shooting from his eyes.
    " No. Do you think it ' ll be worth it? " she asked. She still couldn ' t quite believe what he was saying.
    " What do you mean? "
    " Um, I mean -- I just wonder if we ' re going to be together long enough for --"
    " Seriously? You think I ' m letting you go now? " his voice was harsh.
    " Gibson, you can ' t know --"
    " Julie, babe, we ' re not talking marriage here, but I honestly can ' t imagine getting enough of you any time soon. " His expression grew fierce. " Unless you ' re thinking about blowing me off already? "
    " No! "
    " Good. Okay, then. Get on the pill. We ' ll see how it goes. "
    ****
    She got on the pill and it went well.
    Days turned into weeks. Weeks became months. They showed no sign of slowing down or letting up.
    He told Ryan right away. He didn ' t put it off. The conversation went better than he thought it would. He didn ' t have a problem like he expected to with Ryan. Ryan was secure in his relationship with Ashley.
    The four of them began spending time together.
    Julie worried about Monica. The guys offered to fix her up with one of their buddies, but Monica declined.
    Ashley told Julie in confidence that she thought there must have been someone in Monica ' s past that broke her heart. They didn ' t know who it