Read Online Love Is the Drug by K. E. Saxon - Free Book Online

both of us wanted to see fulfilled.”
    Julie nodded and looked over Jason’s left shoulder as she thought some more. “Yeah. Yeah. And I’ll tell them that in the last few months of her life, and as part of her drug addiction treatment, Connie had owned up to her own responsibility regarding things that had happened in her life.” Julie lifted her eyes to him once more. “Which she did, by the way.” And then she shifted her gaze to the countertop saying, “I’ll also say that, as part of the healing process, she had forgiven everyone whom she believed had done harm to her and that she would embrace this partnership as a way for both of our families to mend our differences.”
    Her gaze focused on him again. “Which I think she would.”
    Jason picked up Julie’s abandoned smiley face glass and downed the remainder of her whiskey. “Well,” he said then, “if they ask me if I tried to drug and rape her—I’m standing by what I said five years ago: No I did not.”
    “Fine,” Julie answered. It was only fair, after all, since he really hadn’t done it.
    * * *
    “You’re not still planning to go to Dallas tonight, are you?” Julie asked as Jason took the steps down off her front porch a few minutes later.
    He glanced at his watch. The hands and numbers glowed bright enough that she could almost read them from where she stood. “Yep,” he said. “It’s only eleven-thirty and Dallas is just a little over an hour from here.”
    Julie stepped further out onto the porch. “What’s the rush? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning? After you’ve had a good night’s sleep?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe, but…” he sighed, stopped, and turned to face her with his hands on his hips. “Look, Julie. Here’s the deal: I’m not going to Dallas on business. I’m going to Dallas for pleasure. Get me?”
    Julie’s brows drew together. It took her a minute to figure out what he was talking about, and when it finally struck her, it hit with the force of a one-ton weight against her chest. She actually stopped breathing for a second. “Oh. I see. Yeah.” She blinked. “I get you, sure.”
    The way he’d acted earlier at the bar, when they’d danced together, when he’d seemed miffed at Mike for spending so much time with her, and then, especially, when he’d held her to him—real protective like—when they came upon Nora Lee. Well, she’d thought, maybe, he was, possibly, a little attracted to her too .
    Jason turned toward his car. “Good. I’ll see you on Sunday.” He was almost at the Vette’s rear bumper when he turned around again. “You’ll be alright now, dealing with the questions while I’m gone, right?”
    She gave a small sigh but nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” She fluttered a brief wave in his direction. “Take care, Jason. Drive safely.”
    He grinned and shook his head but then he nodded and gave her a salute. “Yes, ma’am.” He was in his car and peeling out of the makeshift space before she had time to blink. As she walked back inside and shut the door, she had to take several very deep, very long breaths to fight the self-pity that threatened to take hold.
    After another moment, she walked into her kitchen and brought out all nine ingredients for making fudge brownies.
    * * *

CHAPTER 5
     
     
     
     
    Jason let up on the gas and slowed the Vette, preparing to make the turn onto Julie’s gravel drive. It was late Friday morning, and an early return from his not-so-stellar attempt at escape. Escape from the questions. And escape from his attraction to the wholly inappropriate person of Julie Del Mar.
    Yes, now that he’d failed—big—he could admit that part of the reason he’d fled to Dallas had been because of her. And, now, the entire reason he’d returned—only a day and a half later—was also because of her.
    He was almost to the house before he noticed the all-too-familiar black Mercedes sitting in his usual parking spot next to Julie’s red Chevy