her brows drawn down in dismay . She knew even though they’d crossed the line a couple times, he’d told her that they couldn’t become involved. She knew this. So why did it hurt so much to hear him say as much again? He was never going there with her, so she needed to move on.
Chase reached a hand out, running the backs of his fingers down the side of her face, his gray eyes penetrating hers so deeply she could hardly breathe. "I'm here to protect you, and that's what I'm going to do. I'd die if anything happened to you." His eyes held hers for a few seconds before he realized what he'd said and he drew his hand back quickly, turning away, a look of consternation on his face. He cleared his throat roughly, turning to face the front. Shit. He needed to watch what he said, damn it.
H e was impossible. And if actions spoke louder than words then he definitely had feelings for her. Julia looked at his profile thinking how handsome he was. "I know you care about me," she whispered, still looking at him.
"I ca n't allow myself to." He sighed and focused his eyes on the numbers above the door.
God, this was killing her. She knew she had to respect what he was saying. And he had a girlfriend anyway. So why couldn’t they both just drop this?
"Besides, what would your boyfriend say?" He now looked down at her, eyebrow raised.
She frowned. "I don't have a boyfriend."
"T he guy at the bar with you?"
"Jacob 's one of my best friends."
"Well, you'd better hope you don't need the little wuss to protect you any time soon. I saw him cowering during the fight the other night." Chase shook his head.
"Oh, what, that makes you a bigger man because you know how to throw a punch?" Julia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well, yeah. It's kind of what makes a man a man."
"Jacob's a fine man. He's just… sensitive. Besides, you don't even know him!" she responded, getting ticked off now. She crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the elevator door.
"I don't think I'd wanna know someone who's as big of a pussy as he is," Chase said with a sneer.
"You’ re such a jerk," she mumbled under her breath, shaking her head.
"What was that? You think I'm the hottest guy you've ever seen?" He bent down trying to make her look at him. She really was too cute when she was angry. And wasn't he a shit for making her that way.
"I said you're a jerk, " she repeated through clenched teeth as she stayed focused on the door. God, he was aggravating.
They were silent the rest of the way down and all the way to her office , Chase thinking it was for the best that she was angry at him and that things could finally cool down between them, Julia still seething over his assessment of Jacob thinking what an asshole he was.
After arriving at her office building, Julia got out of the car then stuck her head back in to say something to Chase but he'd gotten out.
"What are you doing?"
"Your father wants me to make sure you get inside safely."
"Oh, brothe r. I forgot. That's so frickin’ dumb."
H e chuckled.
She gave him a dirty look for laughing at her, still ticked off at him. "What I was going to tell you is that I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon at three. Think you could be here to take me?"
"Yep. I think I ca n handle that. Pick you up right here at two-thirty then?"
"Yes, t hat's fine. See ya, Ricky." Julia smirked when Chase narrowed his eyes at her, not getting her reference that with his black eye he resembled a raccoon.
H e left her office building making a mental note to look up the name.
****
True to his word, Chase was waiting for Julia in the lobby of her office building instead of in the car when she came down. Damn Allen. Inside the car she gave him the address to her doctor's office and he put it in the GPS.
"So, you sick?" he asked her, trying to make small talk. May as well get along, loosen the tension between them, keep things friendly, right?
"No. Why?"
"You're going to the doctor."
"Oh. No, just a yearly
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