The Scale (Martha's Way) (32 page)

“Let’s try something different.”

She was curious. “Should I be scared?”

He kissed her. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his
neck, eliminating any space left between them to deepen the kiss.

“Slow,
chérie
,” he
whispered against her lips, “
until
we can’t take it
anymore.”

Jason deepened the kiss. The level of intensity that rose in
him was overwhelming. It was at that instant he realized for the first time in
his life he wanted permanence with a woman. That realization shook the very
core of him. Gobsmacked, he wanted to pull away to clear his head, but his need
to touch, feel and be buried inside of her won the battle once again.

Groaning and swearing to himself, Jason quickly spun them
around toward the bed. With his body, he lowered her down. Since she was
wearing a dress, Minka instantly raised her legs as his frame came down between
her thighs. As she did so, Jason roughly pushed the hem of the dress up. His
hands felt coarse against her thighs, all the while his lips crushed against
hers.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Minka moan. At
that instant, it occurred to him that perhaps he was being too harsh with her.
Pulling his weight to his arms, he lifted his body to look in her eyes.

Her face was flushed. Her hazel eyes now a shade of amber,
her lips full and swollen from his kiss. With glassy eyes, she looked blankly
at him. Jason’s heart continued to race. At that moment, as he struggled with
the realization that he was in love with this woman whose heart belonged to
another man, he wanted to run, but as he searched her questioning eyes, a smile
escaped his lips because she had never looked so vulnerable and beautiful.

Minka tugged his shirt free over his neck. Then her hands
were on his back.
Flesh and muscles.
She squeezed,
massaged, and fondled until his flesh burned. An indistinct sound escaped his
throat.

“I’m sorry I’m not keeping my part of the bargain. I said
slow
,” he said, kissing her mouth, her chin, and any other
part of her body his lips could find.

* * * *

She wanted those muscles. She wanted Jason Montgomery.
Now and fast.
“I don’t want
slow
.”

Minka saw the struggle in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what he
was fighting with, but perhaps she wasn’t the only one with demons and fears
after all. She raised her hands and unsnapped the waist of his cargo shorts. He
looked surprised by her action, but he didn’t move. Feeling a little confident,
she slipped her hand inside his pants to capture him in her palm.

She stared into his eyes and recognized the battle in them
as he tried to keep his composure and not lose total control. “I just want
you.” As she said the words, she realized at that moment, she meant them. It
was one thing to know you have fallen in love, but it was even a greater
feeling to recognize the place you were is where you wanted to be. And for her,
that was in Jason’s arms, tonight, tomorrow, always.
Or
however long he would have her.
“I want you inside me.”

“God, Minka.” His voice was rough.

Minka raised herself slightly and drew him into a kiss. His
mouth parted at the initial touch of her lips against his and she slipped her
tongue inside, deepening the kiss.

Jason took over the situation. He dropped his weight on her
as his fingers expertly unbuttoned the front of her dress. Then with one move,
he unsnapped her bra exposing her full breasts to him in the silhouette of the
night. The bedroom window was open. With the cool crisp air of the ocean
caressing her body, her nipples hardened.

He lowered his lips and lightly caught each nipple between
his teeth. “I love your breasts,” he whispered against one nipple. “I love
having them in my mouth.” And he showed her just how much he loved them.

Minka used the opportunity to lower his pants to his knees.
Jason helped her along by kicking his legs out one by one. They repeated the
same act with his underpants. Still kissing her, he used his hands to lift the
skirt of her dress up to her waist. She felt fingers run over the light fabric
of her underwear. He stopped to stroke her core in a circular motion through
the fabric. Enjoying the sweet torture, she arched her back to press closer to
him.

Minka wanted more. Her fingers slid between them to find the
thin strap of her underwear, but as she did so his large hands covered hers.

“Let me.”

“No,” she begged, “please…” Her mind was too foggy to form
the rest of the sentence. She wriggled her body under him as she brushed her
panty to her upper thigh. “Now please, Jason.
Right now.”
Her voice was short and rushed against his ear. “I can’t wait any longer.”

“Fuck, Minka. You make me lose all self-control.” He lifted
himself away from her to settle between her trembling legs. Sliding his hands
under her, he cupped her butt and lifted her slightly off the bed. “I can’t do
slow,” he said one last time.

Minka smiled at him, loving the way his blue eyes shimmered
in the night. “I don’t want slow tonight.”

He brought her hands above her shoulders and held her
wrists. His dark look met and held hers for a moment. Smiling, she tried to
wiggle out of his grip. “Let me touch you.”

He released her then, but continued to lock gazes with her.
Unlike the other times, she stared back and reached to brush the strands of
hair away from his face. She wanted to see all of his handsome features.

“I can cut my hair.”

She shook her head. “I love your hair. I just want to see
your face.”

With a slight nod, he granted her wish. Minka let her
fingers trail from his hair to his face. When she reached his lips, he sucked
in one finger, then another. The sensation left Minka breathless.

“Let go, Minka. Let go and feel.” With a deep plunge, he
filled her with all he had to offer. Minka’s body automatically arched under
him, accepting all he gave her.
Welcoming him.
Flesh
against flesh, he continued to rock inside her, groping, tugging at the dress
that remained a barrier between them.

She was hot. Minka heard herself muffle some inaudible
sound, but her breath was quick and difficult to understand.

He slowed his motion enough to force her glassy eyes to come
to some focus. With desperation she started to move under him, urging him on.
She wanted more. Their gazes met and held.

“Let me love you,” he rasped. His voice was filled with a
kind of hunger.

“Please,” she begged.

He pummeled himself into her. The sensation was
overwhelming. She shuddered under him, wanting to give back as much as he was
giving her. Minka pumped her hips, urging him on. Then they went mad.

She felt free, loved, and happy.

She closed her eyes and drifted to the glorious sound of
their damp flesh, hungry mouths, and desperate touches. When she came, her cry
of release was both of extreme happiness and capitulating to the man who
captured her heart and soul. Shortly after, she held him tight in her arms as
he hammered inside her until his body collapsed on top of hers.

For a moment, they remained silent, both lost in their own
thoughts, recovering from the intensity of their lovemaking.

“Jason,” she muttered, once able to breathe.

“Hmm,” he answered, still on top of her.

“In September, your photography show…”

“Come and be with me.”

Her heart leaped with joy. “Okay.”

“Let’s see where this goes, don’t you agree?”

She nodded. Oh, God, did she agree. “Yes.”

Another comfortable silence fell in the room. Minka closed
her eyes, enjoying his weight on her, the sound of the ocean coming from the
window carrying a soft breeze into the room. She shivered, not from cold but
from all that had transpired. She was in love with the most handsome, giving
man. And he wanted her. He wanted to give them a chance. He wanted to see how
far they could go.

She felt his body freeze over hers. Minka instantly opened
her eyes. Jason had shifted his weight to his arms and was pulling out of her
and rolling onto his back. Her body trembled once more, but this time it was
from the cool breeze. The room was dark, but she could see him, the shine of
those eyes that would forever haunt her.

“Shit!”

Confused, Minka sat back and dragged the covers to her. She
fought back the tears.

“I’m sorry, Minka.”

Why was he apologizing? “What’s going on, Jason?”

He let out a deep sigh. “I forgot to put on a condom. I
wasn’t thinking straight.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Don’t give the scale
more power than it has earned.”

Steve Maraboli

Her body tensed next to his. Jason didn’t blame her. She had
every right to be upset. He wasn’t worried for himself. Her sexual history was
limited, not something he could say for himself. Putting aside his brief
girlfriend in college when they were careless once, he had always used
protection. Furthermore, his medical history was clean and current. Still his
carelessness nagged him.

He put the blame solely on himself for their negligence and
any ramifications that may follow. He should have discussed this with her
before he plunged himself without any protection.
Way to go, Jay
.

What the hell has
gotten into me?

The answer was already known, he was a goner.

Shit! He was screwed.

“I’m safe,” Minka spoke softly next to him.

He nodded. He knew before him there had been one other. He
never asked about it or why. He tried to keep himself separated from her
history, but the curiosity was there. “I’m not worried about that. But still, I
could have endangered you.” He turned his head to look at her. “But, for the
record, I’m safe as well.” He shook his head with regret. “Still Minka, I
shouldn’t have.”

“I could have stopped you so don’t blame yourself entirely
for this. I trust you, Jason.”

Her sweet words caressed something inside of him, twisting
his heart with overwhelming emotions. “You’re not on the pill.”

“No.”

She focused on the ceiling. He could tell her mind was
traveling too fast, the realization of what they did finally settling. It
wasn’t just about diseases, but the fact they could have produced another life,
something that would forever link them together.

After a moment of silence, she turned to meet his gaze
again. There was a stubbornness there he had not seen before. He waited.

“You would not have to marry me if I became pregnant.”

“You would keep the child?”

“Of course,” she answered. He could tell by the
determination in her voice no other option had entered her mind. “I mean, I
would tell you, but ultimately, the choice would be mine and…”

He didn’t let her finish. Jason cupped her face and kissed
the words away. Of course, he would convince her to marry him if she were to
end up pregnant, but this argument he wasn’t ready to have at the moment.

When he finally pulled away, she looked flushed in his arms.
He opened his mouth to confess his love, but caution told him to wait. Too much
was happening too fast. He needed air and time to make sense of everything
between them.

“I’m going to grab a beer. Do you want anything?”

She shook her head. With one last lingering kiss, he removed
himself from her. “I’ll be back in a few.”

He slipped into a pair of jeans nearby and threw on the same
cotton tee he sported earlier before closing the door behind him. He never knew
sex, self-anguish and love could be so damn good.

Jason stepped onto the porch a few minutes after leaving
Minka. He let out a deep breath, welcoming the cool sea air into his lungs. He
leaned against the porch rail and the cold beer hit his palette.

“You look deep in thought.” Adam’s voice echoed in the
darkness.

Without turning to look at his friend, Jason shot back, “I
thought you snuck a woman or two into your bed.”

Adam chuckled before coming to stand near him. “I should be
asking you why you’re here when Minka is probably naked in yours.”

“You probably should never say Minka and naked in the same
sentence.” His voice was light, but carried an edge. Not that he was worried
about Adam making a move for his woman. But, damn
it,
there was a need to establish who she belonged to.

Adam chuckled and didn’t appear offended by his friend’s
words. “Lily is intriguing.”

This time, it was Jason who chuckled. “You don’t stand a
chance.”

“We’ll see.”

Jason glanced over at his friend. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s Minka’s best friend.”
Jason pointed out the obvious. “You can’t just screw her best friend.”

“Speaking of Minka,” Adam changed the direction of the
conversation, “why aren’t you in bed with your girlfriend?”

He sighed. “I’m in love with her.”

Adam shrugged. “So what’s the news?”

“I didn’t plan for that to happen.”

Adam laughed and patted his shoulder. “I’ve never met anyone
who said, ‘I planned on falling in love with this person.’ Seriously, you’ve
been gone for quite a while.”

“Unfortunately, there’s one problem.”

“She’s has a thing for her sister’s fiancé,” Adam said.

Jason’s jaws tightened.

He wasn’t surprised Adam had picked up on that little fact.
It was pretty obvious. Still, he couldn’t help asking. “Is it that obvious?”

“The kissing scene earlier was pretty obvious.” Adam
shrugged again.
“At least to me.
But for what it’s
worth, the dude has no clue. Neither does Keely. Or if they do, they’re great
actors.”