Love Is the Drug Read Online Free

just given him had sent sex sparks zing ing through his system like the amped-up purple lightning of a Tesla coil.
    Not only surprising, but freaky as hell.
    He shifted, balancing his weight on his other leg. Okay, guy, focus. Focus on the business at hand.
    Partners.
    With the sister of the woman who caused the horror his life had turned into five years ago. The cause—no matter what his dad said—of his father having a major heart episode. The cause of his finding out that that same man, the father he adored, was not the father he shared DNA with.
    That jittery, unbalanced feeling, which made his lungs feel like they were going to collapse, showed itself again and Jason swung around and began striding toward his car. “No way,” he said, keeping his eyes directed forward as he lifted his hand high and waved it in brusque farewell. “Not gonna happen.” Except… shit!
    He slid slightly on the gravel as he came to an abrupt halt. Dropping his hands on his hips, he tipped his head back slightly and looked up into the boughs of the pecan tree not far from where he stood.
    His dad really wanted this. And this project might just be the ticket to getting them back to that easy place they’d been before everything had fallen apart.
    He took a deep breath and released it. Then he turned around and stared hard at the girl—the sister. She looked a little lost and a whole lot buffaloed. That made Jason smile.
    “Okay. Maybe.”
    With long strides, he walked back to stand before her. “You hungry?” he asked. And then, not giving her time to answer, he took hold of her upper arm and pulled her toward his Vette, saying, “Well I am. Let’s go to Jimmy’s. We can talk more about this partnership idea while we get a bite to eat.” 1
    * * *
    “So, how long have you owned that gorgeous piece of machinery, anyway?” Jason asked, noticing again that nervous habit Julie had of tucking her hair behind her ear and sucking on her lower lip, before he shoved the rounded, thick edge of his bacon-cheese burger in his mouth.
    He had a weird déjà vu moment then.
    Oh, yeah. He’d been here many times before. In high school—even a little in college. After a game, he’d take his date out for burgers. And back then, most of those girls were pretty nervous to be out with the star quarterback.
    “The truck?”
    Jason nodded.
    “Oh, I haven’t had it for long, actually. About a month.” She lifted the red plastic tumbler that held her iced soda and took a sip before continuing, “It was a gift, actually, from…from my sister.”
    Jason’s shoulders and neck bunched. Shit! He placed his burger down on his plate and sat back, studying her a minute as he extended one leg out and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.
    The vinyl covering on the burgundy booth seat gave a low squeak of stress when he crossed his arms over his chest. “Let’s talk about Connie. Clear the air, so to speak, and then we can talk some more about this partnership idea. Okay by you?”
    Might as well deal with it up front so he’d never have to talk about it again. Ever.
    Hell, he and his dad still hadn’t spoken about the horrible discovery that had come out of the fiasco with Connie Del Mar. And the more time that passed, the more likely it was that they never would.
    That suffocating feeling welled up in him again and his heart pounded. He took a deep breath, hiding it by pretending to yawn. Yeah, he and his dad not talking about it was fine with him.
    But he couldn’t see a way around talking about Connie with her sister. Once.
    Jason cocked a brow at her and prodded, “Well?”
    * * *
    Julie leaned forward, resting her crossed arms on the edge of the table in front of her. She’d been too nervous to eat in front of Jason, so she’d only ordered a Diet Coke. Some sane part of her brain had almost instantaneously known that they’d have to talk about what happened five years ago if they were going to become partners, but the less focused side of