The Scale (Martha's Way) (26 page)

His hands caressed her bare arms. “You seemed okay around my
father.”

“I was. He was very warm today. I had a good time.”

“He’s charming.”

She chuckled against him. “A trait you’ve inherited.”

Smiling, he turned his face to hers. The brightness of the
stars gave him full access to her features.

“You find me charming?”

With her lips inches away from his, she whispered, “Very
much so.”

He allowed his lips to brush hers, loving the shape of her
mouth against his. “I want to make love to you here under the stars.”

“But…”

He chuckled. He already knew her concern. “No one can see
us.”

She looked at him.
“No one?”

He shook his head. “We have full privacy.
Ready
to live on the edge with me?”
She released a sweet laughter that floated
in the darkness of the night. One of his hands found her breasts under the
sheet. “I take that as a yes.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him over her.
Jason pulled the sheet, ensuring they were fully covered.

“This chair will break,” she complained.

She didn’t sound worried, rather, there was a hint of
amusement in her voice. His hands lifted the skirt of her dress up her thighs.
One long finger ran over the silk of her undergarment. “We’ll replace it. God,
I want you. I’ve wanted you all day.”

“I feel the same way.”

Rarely did she express her desire for him. He knew she
wanted him as much. She proved it every night with the way her body responded
to him. He understood she wasn’t as free and easy as he was. From the little
bit of time he had spent with her, he knew her world was built on restraint
whereas he was footloose and spontaneous.

“So good to hear that,” he growled. His lips ran circles
along the nape of her neck then left a trail of kisses on her shoulder. Unable
to control his urges, he lowered his head to one breast and took the nipple
between his teeth. Each time they made love, he promised himself to take it
slow but as his need for her grew, so did his inability to slow the pace of
their lovemaking.

“Jason…” she moaned, her nails digging into his back.

He brought his mouth to hers, the kiss filled with hunger.
“I want you all damn day and night, Minka,” he whispered against her lips
before taking possession of them again. “Do you understand that?”

“I feel the same way.”

Her words thrilled him. He might not fully grasp what was
happening to his heart, but he understood the physical need. From that aspect,
he could give her all of him and he wanted the same in return.

“I want all of you, Minka. Give me all of you.”

Her hands came to cup his face, brushing the hair away to
give her full access to his features. She smiled at him. “You have me.”

His lips landed on hers with a possessive force. He plunged
his fingers into her until she arched her back underneath him. Her body
exploded at his touch; the warmth of her breath caressed his face. Jason wanted
to scream with pleasure, but held back. As always, he wouldn’t be satisfied
until he was buried deep inside her. He remained on top of her until her body
steadied.

When he finally pulled away, he swiftly stripped naked. To
his luck, he found the condom he’d placed in his back pocket and slipped it on
before rejoining her. Slipping under the warm blanket, he slid between her legs
and plunged himself hard and deep inside her.

For a moment, neither moved.
He
couldn’t think straight and couldn’t deduce which of their bodies was
shivering. “Cold?” he asked, locking his fingers with hers.

She shook her head. “I’m okay.”

He began to move inside of her, a slow rhythmic motion at
first until she joined him and turned their clash into a full speed of urgency,
desperation. Lost in his own need, Jason hammered himself into her, driving him
to the rim of euphoria.

“Jason…I…” she stammered in his ears, “God, yes.”

Her muscles flexed underneath him. Knowing she was at the
brink of pleasure, he watched her while she released before letting himself
float into oblivion.

When he finally detached himself from her and removed the
condom, Jason found he needed an extra second to slow the beating of his heart.
He had fallen in love. He felt unbalanced, which was an unfamiliar feeling. He
let out a deep breath in an attempt to clear his mind.

“Is everything okay? Your body is rather tense,” she asked
against his chest.

He lowered his lips to her hair. “I’m fine. That was
amazing.” It wasn’t a lie. It was one of those connections that left one
speechless. “Want to go inside? It’s going to get chilly.”

She chuckled against his chest. “My legs are shaking.”

“Want me to sweep you in my arms and carry you to my
dungeon?” He teased and smiled to himself when she chuckled softly against him.

“That’s okay. Just give me a few minutes.”

“No rush. Take all the time you need.”

Chapter Eighteen

"It's
true,
the scale can give you a numerical reflection of your
relationship with gravity. That's it."

Steve Maraboli

Minka was babbling with uncontained joy and excitement. And
by the look on his face, she could tell Jason was being a good sport and
letting her go on and on about her fondest memories with Lily. He didn’t look
disinterested. She couldn’t accuse him of that mostly because his eyes were
hidden behind those damn sexy aviator glasses. From being with him over a week,
she had learned Jason’s eyes were a mirror of his soul. They twinkled when
amused and darkened with passion.

Not wanting to bore him, she turned her attention to the
ocean. They were in Oak Bluffs sitting in his Jeep waiting for the ferry to
arrive. From there, they would drive to the port in Edgartown to meet everyone
and board the Montgomery yacht to Chappaquiddick. Once she got over her panic
attack about the whole bathing suit thing, thoughts of the trip became more
exciting. A whole weekend with her best friend, Jason, she couldn’t ask for
more.

“Why did you stop?” he asked, turning to look at her.

“I was babbling,” she admitted. The last thing she wanted to
do was to become a nuisance or dull.

He chuckled at her words and reached to stroke her cheek. As
always, her body caved to his touch. Had someone told her in a matter of a week
she would become addicted to a man’s touch and fall madly in love, she would
not have believed it.

“How long have you known Lily?”

“Since college.”

“So around the time you met Blake?”

Funny, Blake seemed so far away now. To think six days ago
she thought her world had collapsed at his engagement party.

“Tell me about your friendship.”

Knowing Jason had the ability to see through her, she turned
her attention to the moving water. After a moment of silence, she asked.
“With Blake?”

There was a slight pause from him before he replied, “Lily.”

“She’s the sister I never had.” The words were spoken before
Minka could process them. “I mean, it’s a different relationship than mine and
Keely’s.”

He nodded and didn’t probe further. However, she became
unsettled knowing she had given Jason a glimpse of her relationship with her
sister.

“You said she recently caught her fiancé cheating.”

“Yes, I was pretty shocked. But she seems to be doing well.”

“This weekend will be good for her.”

She nodded. “Yes. And thank you for opening your house to me
and my friend.”

She felt his fingers on her curls. Turning her face to him,
he shifted his body and leaned into her to take possession of her lips. She
welcomed him. He deepened the kiss, taking all she had to offer.

His hand left the steering wheel to cup her breast through
the cotton material of her blouse. She moaned at his touch, aching and wanting
all of him.

“I want you,” he whispered against her lips.

Earlier they had made love, a continuation of last night. It
should be enough for her, for them. Instead, she brought her arms around his
neck and clung to him and didn’t pull away until she heard the sound of the
ferry coming to shore. She glanced at the docking ship. Since Lily had taken
the express ride over and didn’t bring her car, she would be out soon enough.
It took all her effort to pull away.

“Sorry.” She ran her fingers through her curls.

“For?”

Minka licked her lips.

Her shyness was still apparent but the last few days she had
become more expressive. It was surprisingly liberating. “I was enjoying kissing
you.”

“
Moi
aussi, chérie
.
We have the weekend and next week.
Non
?”

She pressed her lips in surprise disappointment and broke
eye contact with Jason. The words affected her.
And not in a
good way.
The days were quickly fading away. Soon he would no longer be
part of her every day.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing,” she answered a little too
quickly. “I’m going to go inside to get Lily.”

Minka stepped out of the car and started to walk away. She
paused, stopped and looked back at where Jason was now leaning against his
Jeep, his arms crossed over his chest and his aviator glasses over his eyes.
The man was the epitome of hotness. And he had her all bunched up in the
inside. She shrugged off the little voice that said
That’s
your own fault
and entered the waiting area to find Lily.

* * * *

As Jason waited, his mind wandered to the way she’d reacted
during their conversation. When she thought he was inquiring about her
friendship with Blake, a pained look had crossed her face. It never occurred to
him she might be uncomfortable discussing her friendship with his friend. But,
for the first time, he had noticed a level of discomfort with the topic.

His years as a lawyer and having to rely on body language to
read others made him make a mental note to ask her about Blake. He wouldn't be
surprised if the friendship started out as a teenage crush on Minka’s part. He
grew up with Blake and knew his friend was a charmer. Still, the thought
troubled him, which was ridiculous because what Minka did or felt for anyone
before him should not matter. Just as his life before or after should have no
bearing on their relationship now.

Her response about Lily had also surprised him, giving him
for the first time a glimpse of her relationship with her twin sister. He had
to admit he’d never thought much of it. They always appeared friendly enough.
Again, he had not pushed. Being the only child, he didn’t understand the
dynamics of siblings. The closest thing he had to that was with Forrest, Blake,
Adam, and Claire. And he knew better than to compare his connection to them to
Minka and Keely.

From a distance away, he spotted Minka as she hugged a tall,
lanky woman with a pixie hairstyle. From his view, the women were physically
complete opposites with Minka being more petite and fuller and her friend built
more like a dancer. But he detected an ease between them as they pulled out of
their embrace. They exchanged words, laughed, and fell into each other’s arms
again. Jason couldn’t help but smile at the picture before him. He was seeing a
side of Minka he had not been exposed to before.

When they finally released each other, Lily looked in his
direction. Crossing his arms over his chest, he allowed her to scrutinize him.
That was the duty of the best friend, to ensure the other hadn’t been sleeping
with a total creep. He understood that and smiled mostly to
himself
over the fact that barely a week ago, the last thing he envisioned was to be
someone’s lover.

As they got closer, he was able to examine Lily’s features.
Whatever they were talking about made her smile, a bright, contagious smile
with friendly brown eyes. Jason decided she was pretty and he liked her. He
smiled at them and waved. Her smile widened while her gaze stayed on him. She
had spunk, he noted. She would fit right in for the weekend.

Pulling himself off the Jeep, he walked forward to relieve
her of her overnight bag. “Hello, Lily, I’m Jason.” He extended a hand, which
she shook firmly.

“You are more handsome than I thought.”

Her voice carried a teasing hint that could also pass for
flirtation. But Jason could tell she meant nothing by it. And as pretty as she
was, his body didn’t react to her presence. It also helped to see Minka didn’t
look bothered by her comment.

“I’m glad to hear that. I wouldn’t want you to think Minka
has been hanging out with a dog the last few days.” He grinned at Lily as he
opened the back passenger door to allow her in.

“And a gentleman too.
No wonder my
friend is...”

Jason noticed her eyes met Minka's briefly and she seemed to
reconsider what she was about to say. Instead, she leaned against the leather
cushion to fasten her seatbelt. “Thanks for playing host for the weekend.”

“It’s a pleasure.” He closed the door before joining Minka.

During the drive to the inn, Jason joined their conversation
here and there, but for the most part he allowed the two women the opportunity
to catch up.

As their conversation continued, he eased the Jeep onto
State Road. Lines of cars were already parked by the beach, an indication that
the summer season was almost in full gear on the island.

“What’s going on there?” Lily asked from the back seat.

For a split second, he looked away from the road to the
bridge where people were gathered. “This is Jaws Bridge and an island
tradition,” he said. “Your visit is not complete until you’ve jumped from the
bridge into the ocean.”