Sweet Seduction (Sweet #3)(75)

Julie's eyes watered. "Do you know why I decided not to go back to The House?"

Both Serena and Damon gave her puzzled looks.

"I saw you that night." Again she looked at Serena in apology. "You and Damon in the common room."

Serena's mouth formed an O.

Damon's expression was no less perplexed. "I'm sorry if you were offended, Julie."

"No," she said huskily. "I won't lie. When I first saw what you were doing, I wanted to run over and kick your ass and then put my arms around Serena."

"You're a very loyal friend," Damon said with a smile.

"You changed something in me that night. I decided I wanted a man who looked at me the way you looked at Serena."

"Ah, Julie," Serena murmured as she stroked a hand through Julie's hair.

"Nathan looked at me like that," she choked out. "He said he loved me."

"And you don't believe him?" Damon asked.

"I do," she whispered. "That's what scares me so much. If I thought he didn't really love me I could laugh it off and know that his infatuation would wear off and it wouldn't bother me because I'd know from the beginning that it wasn't real. But I can't stand the thought of him growing to hate me."

A chill overtook her, and she shook uncontrollably. She rubbed her hands up her arms in an attempt to infuse some warmth. She hated the cold that had settled into her bones ever since she'd run from the apartment.

"Julie, I'm going to be honest,'' Damon said. "I understood Serena's concerns about our relationship. Because she shared them with me."

Julie flushed and closed her eyes. In other words, Serena wasn't the stone-cold coward Julie was.

"I understood them, but I was frustrated all the same, you see, because all I wanted was a chance."

Silence fell as his meaning settled over her.

"All you can do is give him a chance. Just like I asked Serena to give me. If he loves you, if you love him, you owe it to both of you to give him—and yourself—a chance. What do you have to lose?"

"Everything," she whispered.

"But think of what you could gain," Serena said gently. "Think about it, Julie. You were ready to kick my ass. Remember? You kidnapped me and ratted me out to Damon. Don't make me tell you what a dumbass you're being now."

Julie laughed even as a tear trickled down her cheek. "I love you, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I seem to have that irresistible quality that no one can resist."

"Conceited bitch," Julie said without heat.

Damon chuckled. "I'm going to leave you ladies now. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. If you need—"

The front door crashed open causing Julie to jump. They all looked up to see Nathan barrel around the corner, a murderous gleam in his eye.

Sam appeared from nowhere, stepping between Nathan and the other occupants of the room. To Julie's astonishment, Nathan curled his hands around the big man's shirt, snarled and shoved him out of the way. Sam appeared equally astonished and gaped as Nathan passed him on his way to Julie.

Ignoring both Serena and Damon, he bent over, trapping Julie by placing his hands on either side of her hips on the couch.

"I've tried doing this your way," he growled. "I've tried being patient, understanding, gentle even. I didn't want to come across as some knuckles-dragging-the-ground Neanderthal because I was afraid you'd run hard in the other direction. Ha! Well, I'm done with that. This time we're doing it my way."

She squeaked in utter shock when he simply hauled her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Damon, Serena," he said in a calmer voice. "I appreciate you being here for Julie when she needed you, but from now on, if I can help it, I'll be one she runs to and not from when she does her little panic act. Now if you'll excuse us, she and I have a hell of a lot to discuss, and I'd rather not do it in front of an audience."

"You be careful with her," Serena said fiercely as she rose from the couch.

Julie was getting a kink in her neck from peering around Nathan's back, and why the hell wasn't she putting up a fight? She was honest to God too stunned to do more than just lie there like a complacent twit.

"I'm going to do what I should have done a hell of a long time ago," Nathan said evenly. "And that's show Julie that she damn well belongs with me, and that all these silly games are over."

Chapter 32

Julie sat in stunned silence as Nathan drove his truck through the gates of Damon's home.

"How did you get here?" she squeaked out.

"Well, you damn sure didn't make it easy," he grated out.

She sighed and huddled on her seat.

"Damn it, Julie, don't you look like that. I could cheerfully strangle your ass right now, but you can give up that kicked puppy look."

"I'm sorry, Nathan," she said quietly.

Nathan sighed then reached over and took her hand. "What I want is for you to sit quiet and let me get over the urge to strangle you. We're going to go back to your place where we're going to have a sane, reasonable discussion about the direction of our relationship. And make no mistake, Julie. We are having a relationship."