Being Chased (12 page)

Peggy
looked at her, shaking her head. "Julia! You know better than to watch those things. Don't you remember my having to stay with you when you were younger?"

"Yeah, I know. It was really dumb of me."
Julia shook her head too, apologized then went to her bedroom to get ready for work.

This had been her fault. She knew that. She'd been the one to cross the line with
Chase this time, but things could go back to normal, she was sure of it. After dressing, she took a deep breath, and steeling her resolve, left her room, going to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Across the hall,
Chase sat on the edge of the bed holding his head in his hands. What the fuck had just happened? Jesus. Hell, he might as well follow the "Brock Rule" and sleep with her so he could move the hell on. But damn it, seemed the more he got of her, the more he wanted. 

He pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes to think for a second.
Okay. Nothing was impossible. He could salvage things, move back into professional mode. And wasn't that going to be just as easy as pie?

****

Julia was sitting at the bar eating her toasted bagel and reading the paper when Chase came into the kitchen.

"Hey," she
mumbled, her mouth full.
Oh, now, that was ladylike
.

"Hey," he said back, fixing himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes, leaning against the counter as he ate.

Good. This was doable. Things seemed kind of okay. They ate in silence, listening to Peggy moving around in other rooms.

"Ready?"
Julia sneaked a look at him as she rinsed her coffee cup. Oh, thank God, he was grinning at her.

"Yep."
He felt the tension leave the room immediately and knew they were good.

"Bye,
Peggy! Have a great day!" Julia hollered out as they left.

"You too, dear!
Bye, Chase!" Peggy answered from Allen's office where she was dusting.

Chase yelled back a goodbye then left the apartment with Julia.

"I'm really sorry about this morning," she said as they got on the elevator.

"No big deal."
He blew out a breath not knowing what part of the morning she was sorry about.

"Yeah, it really was. I had no idea you had a gun. Things could've gone really bad."
She looked up at him, a sheepish look on her face.

"
Julia, I'm more than adept at handling a gun. It's not like I would've shot first and asked questions later. I'm perfectly capable of assessing a situation." He raised an eyebrow at her.

She sighed. "Okay. And now you know that scary movies
kinda get me a little keyed up."

"A little?"
Chase barked out a laugh.

"I can't help it! Ever since
Lily showed 
The Exorcist 
at her slumber party, I've been scared shitless of that kind of stuff." She couldn't help but laugh too. Before they knew it, they were both cracking up.

"You should've seen the look on your face."
Chase snorted.

"You should've seen the look on
 
yours.
" Julia was holding her stomach from laughing so hard.

"Okay, so no scary movies and no sneaking up on you,"
Chase said after they'd settle down a little. "Anything else I should know?"

"
Um, I love the smell of napalm in the morning?" She chuckled.

"And she knows lines to fuck-
awesome movies too,” he muttered with a grin, looking down at the floor shaking his head.

He walked her into her office building telling her to have a good day then went by his apartment before he had class. Thank
God they'd gotten past things.

"Fuck me." Chase looked around his apartment at all the trash that was strewn everywhere.

"Tempting, but no thanks."
Brock snorted.

"Dude. Damn. I leave for a couple of days and this place goes to shit. What gives?"
Brock had left fast food containers and beer cans all over the place.

Brock
sat on the couch watching cartoons, spooning Lucky Charms down his throat as if it were his last meal. He looked around. "Doesn't look any different than it usually does."

"You're such a slob."

"Can't help it, man. My mom spoiled me." He looked at Chase. "Hey! The shiner's about gone."

"Yeah. T
ook enough damn time. I'd be willing to bet asshole's nose is still looking like shit, though."

"No shit. You all but destroyed the fucker. So how's it going at
 
Casa de Cooke
?"

"Going okay. We watched
 
The Ring
 last night. I didn't know Julia couldn't take scary movies, so this morning around five, she freaks the fuck out, screaming her head off, so I had to run into the living room with my goddamn gun drawn." Chase plopped down on the sofa next to Brock.

"What was wrong with her?"

"She thought she saw that girl from the movie climbing out of the TV."

They both laughed
.

"So, did you 'comfort' her?"
Brock asked, wiggling his eyebrows, elbowing Chase in the side.

"Fuck off, man. The maid came in so we
got ready, ate breakfast and left."

"You mean to tell me there's nothing going on between the two of you? You've got that huge-ass apartment all to yourselves and you're not banging the shit out of her?"

Chase rolled his eyes. "So, you heard anything from that leather skirt chick?"

"Yep
. 'Sposed to do something tonight with some of her friends. But we've got a real date tomorrow night." Brock slurped on a spoonful, spilling cereal and milk down the front of his bare chest then tried to lick it off but his tongue couldn't reach it. After picking up the cereal pieces and putting them in his mouth, he settled for wiping up the milk with a pillow from the couch.

"Jesus. I hope you don't plan on taking her to dinner with those manners of yours."
Chase shook his head at his roommate then got up, going to his room to pack more clothes.

He went to his Evidence class where Professor
Ford must've been having the shittiest day ever, deciding to take it out on her classes because she laid the homework on even though finals were the next week. Every other professor had just reviewed for their test, but Ford wanted full outlines of the last three cases they'd reviewed. Well, there went his weekend. But, hell, his weekend was gone anyway because he was having to stay with Julia. Not that she was any trouble. It'd just take time from his studying if he had to take her places.

****

"Wanna go out tonight?" Julia asked Chase after getting in the car that evening.

"Uh," he stammered. Was she asking him on a date?

"I'm not asking you on a date." She chuckled. "Some of us had planned on going bowling, so if you wanna come, it's cool. But if you're busy, you could just drop me off."

"Oh. Who's going to be there?"

"Lily and Claire, of course. Jacob, Blake, and maybe a couple of other people," she said.

He rankled at the mention of Jacob. Like he really wanted to watch her hang all over her b
oyfriend all night long. But maybe it’d really cool things off between them. Yeah. Great plan. But he could have some of the guys meet him there and they could drink a couple beers, make fun of Pussy Boy while they were at it. Yeah, that'd work.

"Yeah. Sounds like it might be fun.
How about I call some of my friends?"

"
That’d be great! Claire’ll be thrilled. She was scoping some of them out the other night.” She chuckled. “We're meeting at eight. If you want, we could take a cab so you could drink."

Well, wasn't she the thoughtful one.

"Sure. Sounds like a plan."

Chase
checked the apartment, as usual, when they came in, having the Glock handy just in case. Allen had called earlier, making sure things were okay, so having the gun with him and staying serious about the situation, well, minus the incident that morning, made him feel better reporting back to her father.

Julia
had marinated rib eye steaks in the fridge all day, so she pulled them out ready to put them on the grill.

"Oh, grilling! Now I can do that shit!"
Chase said, all excited because there was finally something he knew how to do when it came to cooking. It was another thing his dad had taught him and his brothers.

He went out to the patio an
d started the grill. After it heated, Julia put potatoes wrapped in foil on it, shutting the lid. Back inside, she offered him a glass of pinot noir, the same one she'd used in the marinade, then whipped up a pasta salad as they chatted. It was nice seeing how this morning wasn't causing any discomfort between them. At least not on the surface anyway.

Now
Chase put the steaks on, looking at his watch to time them. This grilling business was an exact science. One false move and the steaks would be ruined. At just the right moment, he turned them, watching the time again. When time was up, he flipped them again and shut the lid, counting down one minute. He then took them off the grill, knowing he'd achieved perfection. Grinning as he brought the plate in, Julia had to laugh. He was so proud of himself.

"They look great," she said.

"Thanks," he answered shyly as he presented her with the steaks like they were the damn Nobel Prize or something.

Men and their grills.
Julia guessed it must go back to cavemen and their primal predilection with being able to provide food for their family. That, or men were just base. She chuckled quietly to herself at that.

The meal was delicious and after they'd eaten and cleaned up, they took a cab to their "not a date" date.

Lily and Claire were already there. When Oz came in, he and Chase knocked knuckles then ordered a couple pitchers of beer.

"
Where's Jacob and Blake?" Julia asked Lily, sipping on her beer.

"Oh, Jacob had a
mani-pedi already scheduled, so he said they'd be here after."

Chase
and Oz snorted at this.

"Dude, boyfriend sounds more feminine than
his girl," Oz whispered to Chase.

"I know. What guy gets
mani-pedis? What a pussy."

"Let's play already,"
Claire said, giving Oz a once-over, a flirty smile playing on her lips while he did the same back.

Boone
and Gunner showed up just then. “Party can get started now, motherfuckers,” Boone said grinning.

“What’s up, little bro?” Gunner asked, punching Chase in the shoulder.

“Damn, dude. Watch it,” Chase said with a laugh, rubbing his shoulder. His brother was four years older and built nearly the same. They shared the same black hair, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Gunner had eyes that were so blue you’d almost think he wore colored contacts. His disposition was also very different in that he was a silent brooder and a general badass all the way around. Whenever Chase needed backup, first one he called was Gunner, who never disappointed.

Gunner ha
d flown choppers in the Army for eight years, eventually becoming a Night Stalker, which was a highly elite group trained to fly with Special Forces, known for their proficiency in nighttime operations. Like Layton’s, Gunner’s missions were top secret, and the family’d really only learned of one in particular when Gunner had lost his best friend in a snafu where several soldiers had been killed. The details had been sketchy, but they all knew it’d taken a toll on him, making him even more sullen and withdrawn than usual. But he’d been a huge asset to CEP when he’d joined up once his enlistment was over, their dad welcoming him with open arms, grateful to have him and the skills he brought.

              Introductions were made all around as they got their shoes, and when Boone chose to gripe because he claimed the shoes were unsanitary, Chase, Gunner and Oz died laughing.

“Fucking kidding me. Y
ou’re gonna bitch about where you put your feet but have no concern as to where you stick your dick?” Oz said with a snort.

             
Boone shot him a look. “I use protection, asshole.”

             
“Seen some of your women, Boone. You using body-sized condoms when you do ‘em?” Gunner asked, eyebrow raised.

             
This caused a new round of laughing from the guys.

             
“Fuck all ya’ll,” Boone mumbled, then cussed them out a good ten minutes under his breath, which made them laugh even more.

They
decided to play girls against guys, the game starting with Lily gutterballing. Oz was next and got a strike then Claire went through her wind up and upon releasing the ball, broke a nail, so she announced that she was through playing and wasn't messing with balls for the rest of the night. The guys snorted, and when she realized her gaffe, she hid her reddened face in her hands. Chase took his turn after that, also getting a strike, high-fiving the guys as he sat down while Julia scowled at him.

She
got a spare and stomped back to sit down pissed that her team was getting beat. Chase had to chuckle at her, but he really just felt lucky that he got to watch her ass wiggle as she warmed up to throw the ball. God, she was hot.

The guys ended up winning the first
game, which really got Julia’s competitive side going. She and Lily huddled together before the next round.

"Now, Li
l, all you gotta do is try to hit at least 
one
 pin. I mean, ten gutterballs in a row is definitely some kinda record, but try to at least nick some white next game, 'kay?"

It was the middle of the next game before Jacob and
Blake finally showed up.

"Hey, hone
y!" Julia said, smiling.

Chase
turned to see the guys approach and choked on his beer. Jacob and Blake were holding hands. Jacob was gay. Damn, he hadn't seen that one coming. Julia had said he wasn't her boyfriend but her best friend. And didn't this make him all kinds of happy inside. Not that it'd change anything, but at least she was as single as he was, he reasoned.

Jacob and
Blake joined the girls' team since Claire had backed out. Julia was getting better as the game went on, having bowled strikes her last two times up. And the good thing was that the more Chase and his friends drank, the more their games started sucking. And that’s when the trash talking started.

Julia
was up for her turn, once again feeling Chase’s stare on her ass as she had all night. She made sure to shake it a little extra to distract him. Hey, anything to win.

"Hey,
Julia? What do a bowling ball and your boyfriend have in common?" Boone asked.

Julia
stopped mid-bowl and turned around, looking at him, eyebrows raised.

"Chances are at the end of the night, they'll both
end up in the gutter."

She
rolled her eyes as the guys laughed and high-fived Boone. She turned around to make her approach, getting another strike then came back to the table, smirking at Boone.

"You're up,
Boone," she smiled innocently.

As
he got ready to release the ball, Julia hollered at him. "Hey, Boone?"

He stopped and turned toward her.

"What's the difference between a bowling ball and your last girlfriend?"

"What?"

"You can only get three fingers in a bowling ball." She snorted as they all looked at her in shock then burst out laughing. Chase couldn’t believe that she’d held her own against Boone. Sexiest damn thing he’d ever seen.

"Damn
, girl!" Boone was still laughing as he proceeded to knock down only four pins followed by three on his second bowl. Oh, she had them now. Who knew dirty jokes would help her win? Well, that and copious amounts of beer.

Julia
's team won the game, which led to her and Lily dancing dirty, rubbing against each other seductively, saying it was their victory dance. Chase and the guys sat watching with their mouths hanging open as Claire, Jacob and Blake cheered them on.

Afterward, t
hey all decided to go to a nearby bar walking the two and a half blocks to it, laughing at jokes Boone and Oz were drunkenly throwing out, which were raunchy as hell. Chase and Julia walked in the back, quietly laughing at the jokes. The tension had built between them all night. Every time their eyes had connected there was an intensity in his that had taken her breath away.

Stick to the plan, Julia.
Ignore him. He has a girlfriend, remember? Do
not
go there. You’ve been drinking. It’s screwing up your ability to reason.
But, God, she wanted to feel his lips on hers again, his body against hers.
Ugh, I’m such a tramp.