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her know later and that Monica was at her parent ' s. Ashley implored her to be safe before she hung up the phone.
    Ryan immediately went ballistic.
    He came to his feet in front of her and began pacing back and forth, running his hand repeatedly through his hair in agitation. He turned to her and glared.
    " We wouldn ' t be having this problem if you just moved in with me completely. I don ' t like you living at that apartment. It ' s not safe. "
    Ashley bristled. That almost sounded like an ultimatum. " It ' s completely safe. "
    " It ' s not safe, " he growled, vibrations coming deep from his chest. His anger was apparent.
    " Monica and Julie have to live there --" She stopped talking when he cut her off.
    " I can ' t help where Monica and Julie have to live. That ' s for them to worry about or for some other guy to deal with. Not me. Not you, " his voice continued to hammer at her, his impatience on the surface.
    She took a deep breath to begin her rebuttal. " We split the rent three ways. And the utilities. We just signed a new lease. "
    His hand slashed through the air. " I don ' t care. I ' ll pay your share until the lease expires. It doesn ' t have to stop you from moving in here. As long as your roommates get the money, they ' ll be fine. "
    " You can ' t do that, Ryan, " she said, her voice soft.
    His mouth flattened into a grim line as his expression darkened. His hands clenched in fists as he leaned forward and invaded her personal space. " Yeah, I can. Did you sign for six months or a year? "
    " A y-year, " she answered in a shaky voice.
    " I ' ll pay it up front. You won ' t be breaking your word or the lease. We can move your stuff tomorrow. " His words were absolute, stating how it would be.
    " Ryan, I don ' t know if that ' s fair to them, they weren ' t just expecting money. They were expecting me to be there. A roommate. A friend . "
    " I understand that, but it can ' t be helped. No way can the three of y'all think that set-up will last forever. Shit happens . People move on. I ' m not saying you have to give up your friends, I ' m saying you can ' t live in that rat-infested excuse --"
    " Rat infested! It ' s a gated community! It ' s gorgeous, it ' s expensive --"
    " Whatever. Okay , I exaggerated . But the point is, I want you here, Ash. I ' ve wanted you here every second of every day since we got back together. No way in hell are you going back there after an incident like this. It just ain ' t happening, babe. "
    Ashley stood staring at him, indecision confusing her mind. She wanted to be with him. She wanted it deep down in her soul. She loved her friends, but she loved him m -- She cut that train of thought off quickly. She wanted to be with her friends, but she wanted to be with him more .
    The real worry was that she was abandoning Monica and Julie. But they would understand . Monica especially had gotten over not trusting Ryan. The more time they spent together, and the more Monica came to know him, the more she realized what they had together. Both girls loved her and wanted her to be happy.
    And it wasn ' t like she would be breaking the lease. He ' d offered to pay her share, but she wouldn ' t let him do that. If she lived here with him, she could easily continue to pay her share of the rent and utilities.
    And he was right. Things changed. People changed. Relationships happened and life moved on. Maybe it was time. An insidious feeling of contentment crawled up her spine and filled her with pleasure. She would love living here with him. She couldn ' t think of anything she ' d like more.
    And one thing was for sure. If she turned him down now, he would be a complete and total bear in the future. She wouldn ' t get one moment of peace until she agreed to his demands.
    She took her time about answering him. She could feel his appraisal, steadily on her. He stood tensely, a tic in his cheek, pulling oxygen into his lungs so deeply she could see his chest rise and fall. " If I do this, Ryan, it