The Scale (Martha's Way) (5 page)

He
recognized a few familiar faces right away. Lynn, the pretty brunette he used
to spend time with, smiled at him. By now, he was over the thought of having
sex, but he smiled back at her. After all, he was raised to have manners. While
he might have a bit of the cad in him, it wasn’t in him to be overtly rude
toward anyone. As he turned to walk in her direction, his eyes spotted Maxie
and the woman sitting at the table.

A
wild tangle of big curls framed her face almost to the point that all of her
features were hidden. Jason recalled the way his body had reacted to her on the
previous night and found himself to be still curious.

He
wanted to see more of her face, her lips, and her eyes. He remembered them
well, an alluring shade of hazel,
a
mixture of deep
green and playful specks of gold,
which gave off a
mysterious but lively aura underneath her sense of quiet amongst the others.
They had a certain tinge of sadness in them that caught him off-guard last
night and was still apparent now, but they were beautiful nonetheless. They had
captivated and enticed him right off the bat. Aware of his scrutiny, she looked
away and sat a little straighter, silently telling him to go away.

He
squeezed through the cramped space and headed to the corner table. Someone said
hello as he walked through. Absently he nodded at the man he had come to know as
a regular at the bar, but his gaze never veered from Minka. Even when Lynn came
pressing a pair of firm, perky breasts he was all too familiar with against his
chest, he tried to brush her off.

“How
come you stopped calling me?”
Lynn pouted.

Jason
glanced back at the table to where Minka was now seated upright with her back
facing him.

“Lynn,
this isn’t a good time,” he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

That
didn’t deter the woman he’d slept with once or twice. Long, red-colored
fingernails ran over his arms and lazily across his chest as she tiptoed to
whisper in his ear. “Come home with me tonight.”

Jason
shook his head, and it wasn’t because of the woman sitting across from the bar
or what had happened with Rita earlier. The sexual urge he’d felt earlier had
long vanished, and quite frankly, the more he thought about what Rita had said,
he couldn’t help but wonder if he had been a bit selfish with his needs.
Gently, he circled her wrists with his hands and removed her hands from his
chest. Her lips curled disapprovingly.

He
cocked then shook his head. “You are barking up the wrong tree, baby.”

Lynn
chuckled and pressed her sexy little body closer to his groin area.

Nope.
Nothing.

Putting
some space between him and Lynn, he shook his head again apologetically. “I
have to go.”

“Someone
else got your attention, Jay.” She followed Jason’s gaze and chuckled. “She’s
not your type.”

The
words disturbed him and he took a breath. His eyes wavered from Lynn to Minka,
her face once again hidden behind her curls. An overwhelming desire to brush
back what seemed to be her shield and look into her eyes rushed through him.

“I
have to go, Lynn.”

“I’m
a sure thing, baby; she doesn’t look like she’ll give in to your charms.”

He
stopped in his tracks and looked into the depth of the other woman’s eyes. Sure
she was pretty but other than that, Jason couldn’t remember what initially
attracted him to her. “I don’t want a sure thing. I don’t want anything. Order
a drink. It’s on the house.” He walked past Lynn and fast-paced over to the table
where Minka Greene sat talking to Maxie.

“He’s
coming this way,” he heard Maxie whisper. “And he can’t stop looking at you.”

He
walked to the open space and closed the distance between them. “Hello, ladies.”

Maxie,
freshly out of college, flashed him her
come
get me
smile. Well aware of her crush on him, Jason returned a warm
expression of friendliness. It was enough to let a woman know he found her
attractive but not enough to give her hope.

Minka
on the other hand, simply nodded her head to acknowledge him, picked up the
menu and buried her face in it. His gaze rested on her, challenging her to look
his way. “Would you like a drink, Jay?” Maxie asked.

“I’ll
get it in a little while, Maxie.”

“Okay,
see you in a bit.”

Her
protector walked away, leaving her alone with him. She couldn’t go on ignoring
him. He leaned over and rested his elbow on the table, showing no indication of
leaving. With reluctance, she raised her head to meet his gaze.

“What
are you drinking?” he asked.

She
shook her head, showing no desire to spend time with him.

“Nothing,”
she answered, “as a matter of fact, I was just leaving,” she said quickly.
Too quickly.

“Have
a drink with me first.”

She
blew out a strand of hair out of her face. He sensed an inner hesitation.

“I’m
sorry. I can’t.”

He
caught her hand and held her gaze. “One drink, then you can leave.”

* * * *

Even
though he still had a hold of her, Minka knew if she asked him to let her go he
would. It would be so simple, and Jason would probably not give her another
thought. He was just being polite anyway. She was, after all, the MOH and twin
sister of the bride. The least he could do was be cordial.

“Lillet,”
she answered.

He
grinned and leaned in a little closer. “I’ll be right back.”

She
watched him go to the bar. Through all of her adult life, Minka always thought
all men’s jeans were created equal. However, as she examined the way the fabric
sat low around his waist, perfectly embracing the tightness of his butt, she
had to admit she was wrong. Although something told her Jason probably looked hot
in anything or nothing at all.

He
leaned forward to order the drink, accentuating his lean, hard triceps. She
caught a glimpse of black ink on his upper arm peeking underneath the sleeve of
his tee.

He
was sexy, which automatically told Minka she was no way in his league. Yet,
there was something very relaxing, casual and confident about him. She thought
of her friend’s text earlier, suggesting she hook-up with Jason.

Did
she dare?

Minka
chewed her bottom lip, pondering Lily’s suggestion.

He
must have felt her watching him because he turned his head toward her direction
and met her gaze. She wanted to look away but their eyes remained locked. A
strange sensation vibrated through her veins, making her shiver. It scared and
excited her at the same time. He smiled; a short brief smile. And Minka found
herself smiling back, hers a bit unsteady and not as confident as his, before
he turned his attention to the man beside him and fell into a casual
conversation.

What
was that? Did her heart just flutter? More important, did she just feel a
sensation around her breasts, or even someplace farther down between her
thighs? The simple acknowledgement jolted her pulse as well, not quite into
heart-attack-land but close enough.

The
pretty brunette who caught his attention earlier walked straight into Jason’s
arms and planted a big fat, lingering kiss on his lips. For a slight second, he
froze in surprise but just as quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist to
accept the kiss. Minka turned her attention away from the display. But from the
corner of her eye she caught Jason coming to his feet as the woman stumbled
against him. He took the dangling keys from her and led her outside. Minka
dropped her head and blocked out the disappointment creeping inside of her.

One
hour later, Minka felt surprisingly relaxed. After she’d watched Jason leave
with the woman, she went back to her dessert along with the Lillet he’d sent to
her table. The atmosphere around the bar had picked up a notch to a standing
room only. The musician for the night was on stage doing his rendition of
No Woman No Cry
.
And, s
omewhere
along the way, she’d managed to sweep the man with the penetrating blue eyes
out of her mind.

She
eased back in her chair and scanned the crowd, her head swaying in time with
the music. The fact that she was alone didn’t bother her as it would have in
the past. Instead, she felt free and loose. She didn’t shy away from the few
men who glanced at her or even those who approached her table. She understood
the atmosphere. It was summer in Martha’s Vineyard. People were looking to get
laid. Not that she had that in her horizon, but it didn’t hurt to flirt.

So
when a friendly man approached her table and started a conversation, she
welcomed it but declined his offer to buy her another drink. Another glass of
wine only meant more exercise. Wait, she was still struggling with that part.

“Then
a dance,” the man continued.

She
shrugged. One dance then she’d leave.
“Okay, but after I
finish my drink.”

The
handsome stranger smiled. “I’ll be at the bar.”

As
she nodded, heat ran down her spine, causing her body temperature to rise. She
knew right away Jason had returned, and her body was aware of him. A fact she
couldn’t deny.

Who
could fault her?

Especially
since it appeared half the women on the island felt the same way.

She
should ignore him and not let him know how much he affected her. Shifting her
body, she turned her head to look around the room and found herself staring
straight at the object of her desire.

He
stood too close, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He was flirting
with her. The reality of what was happening was unsettling. A need to reach out
and touch him rushed through her, but Minka knew better and busied her hands by
tucking a chunk of curls behind her ears.

One
long finger reached over to brush a loose strand of hair away from her face.
His touch sent a bolt of electricity down her spine and her lips parted with a
sudden need to be kissed.

Whether
he was able to detect the yearning in her eyes remained a mystery. His gaze
lingered over her face, taking in every detail. Feeling naked and vulnerable, she
licked her bottom lip.

“You
shouldn’t do that,” he said, his voice hoarse.
 

She
had a nice buzz from the two glasses of Lillet, but she wasn’t drunk. Hence she
needed to stop drooling over this Greek god-like creature.

He
continued to watch her lips, and when he seemed tired of that, he met her gaze.
He was still smiling. She wasn’t sure whether he was smiling at her or with
her.

“I
drove her home. She was drunk,” he explained.

“Oh…”
she managed to say, thinking back to the way the other woman had openly kissed
him. The way he’d responded to the kiss.

Did
they have a quickie?

An
image of Jason naked on top of a woman shot through her mind. Her stomach
hardened with a manifestation of dread.

“As
part owner of this place, I try not to let people drive drunk. I thought you
left.”

This
meant he had kept his clothes on, that was good news. The unexpected tension
abandoned her body. “I went upstairs to the lounge for a little bit,” she
explained.

 
“I’m glad you didn’t
leave.
”

There
was something about his voice as he said the words. Low and gruff and it did
something to her. Her pulse raced. Oh, she really shouldn’t drink. The alcohol
was doing weird, wonderful things to her equilibrium. Feeling the need to break
the strange pull he had on her, Minka said, “Sorry,” she stammered again, “I
need to go pee.”

Oh
God, if only she could smack herself. Did she just tell him she had to go pee?

Couldn’t
she come up with something more sophisticated, like she needed to go powder her
nose? That would have definitely had more flair to it.

His
eyes twinkled with mischief. He leaned into her, his lips coming very close to
her ear to whisper, “I’ll help you down the stairs so you can…
pee.
”

Before
Minka could argue, he took her hand in his and led her away from the crowded
bar. With her hand clasped in his, body parts she had forgotten existed tingled
all over. In silence she followed him down the stairs to the dimly lit
corridor.

He
stopped in front of the restroom and flashed her that charming smile once
again. “
I don
’t
think I’m allowed to go in there.”

“Oh…”
Okay, when did
Oh
become the
only intelligible word in her vocabulary?
Minka turned on her
heels to make an escape just as Jason reached over her shoulder and pushed the
door open.

“I’ll
wait to help you back upstairs.”

She
flashed him a thankful smile, or at least she hoped it came across that way,
before disappearing into the ladies’ room. She needed to regain her composure
and make sense of what was happening. Her behavior was out of character. She
was drawn to a man she barely knew.