The Scale (Martha's Way) (33 page)

Jason nodded in the darkness. “I don’t think they have a
clue.”

Another short silence fell between them. They each took a
sip of their beer.

Adam was the first to speak this time. “I can beat him up
for you,” he threatened lightly. “The problem is he’s not a douche bag. We all
actually like him a lot, maybe even love him. And Keely is pretty sweet.
Besides, drop-dead beautiful.”

“They’re in love.” Jason words weren’t a warning to his
friend, but more so an acknowledgement of the feelings shared between Keely and
Blake.

Adam nodded. “That’s pretty obvious too.” After a short
pause, Adam turned to lean on the rail, giving his back to the waves of the
ocean. “So what are you going to do?”

Jason shrugged. Hell if he knew.

“There’s more,” Jason added softly.

“Did you declare your undying love?”

Jason chuckled. “We had sex…”

“I’m glad to hear that. I kind of figured that started
happening a while ago.”

“Without a condom.”

Adam raised an eyebrow. “You pulled out?”

“First of all, that bullshit method doesn’t work,” Jason
answered. He was surprised to realize his voice carried no anger. “And no, I
didn’t. I kind of got lost in the moment.”

His friend crossed his arms over his wide chest and stared
into the darkness of the night. Jason took another swallow of the cold beer.

“I wish I was an expert on matters of the heart,” Adam finally
spoke. “But my genius only goes so far.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

“Quite frankly, bro, I don’t see the problem, or why you are
standing here freezing your balls off. You’re in love with her. If she ends up
pregnant, just marry her.”

“If only it were that easy. You’re forgetting she has
feelings for our friend.”

“And if she says no, then I could be convinced to beat up
Blake and mess up his pretty face.”

Jason chuckled, in spite of himself. No one was going to
beat up Blake, because Blake wasn’t responsible for this situation. “You’re an
idiot.”

Adam laughed. “That’s true.”

They turned their attention back to the ocean. It was dark
and hard to see, but they stood in silence listening to the waves crashing. It
was then they noticed the soft silhouette walking toward the house. Puzzled,
they glanced at each other and continued to watch until the woman’s figure
became clear.

“Lily,” Adam whispered.

“What the fuck was she doing out there?”

“I’m going to find out.”

“Adam, don’t fuck with her,” he warned his friend. “She
looks a little vulnerable.”

He turned his attention back to Lily. She had no clue the
two of them were watching her. He surveyed her expression. Her short hair was
blowing in the wind. She wiped a hand away from her face, confirming his
thoughts. She had been crying and looked quite shaken.

“I’m not that much of an asshole,” Adam said.

Jason detected the seriousness in his friend’s voice, a
trait rarely displayed. He nodded. He knew when Adam wasn’t jerking around. He stepped
back and allowed him to go to Lily.

Placing his beer on the table, Adam stopped by the door to
look back at him. “Go back to Minka. I’m sure her mind is going crazy right
now. I’ll give you an update on Lily in the morning. I’ll make sure she’s
okay.”

But he didn’t move right away. He remained in the dark and
watched Adam approach Lily. She looked surprised and tried to walk past him.
Until whatever Adam said caught her attention and she slowed her steps. He
watched his friend extend his hand to her. Reluctantly, she placed hers in his
and they walked back toward the ocean and faded into the darkness.

He pulled himself away and walked back inside the house. He
wasn’t worried about Adam and Lily. His friend, like him, lived on the edge,
probably more so than he did, but Adam had always been careful. Besides, his
rush was speed, racing cars. Anything else, including women, was mere
distractions.

When he reentered the bedroom, Jason made a conscious effort
not to make any noise and removed his jeans as quietly as possible. His eyes
rested on the bed and focused on the outline of the body before him. Her
breathing was even, a sign she was fast asleep.

He slipped under the covers next to her and ran a hand over
her thighs. To his surprise she had changed into one of those flimsy things she
had been wearing for him. His hands cupped her thighs; they were no model
figure thighs. He let his hands moved up to the contour of her ass and sucked
in a deep breath. He wanted her all over again. Her ass was his kryptonite, he
mused.

She stirred and tried to turn, but he held her still.

“Jason, you’re back,” she whispered.

He could tell she was barely awake. He allowed his lips to
leave a trail of kisses on her back. “I’m back.”

“Everything is okay?”

He nodded, but realized she couldn’t see him. “Yes. Why do
you ask?”

“I was worried that you were mad.”

He pressed his nakedness against her. “No, I’m not mad. Just
a little…” he paused, searching for the right word.

“Shaken,” she said.

He chuckled and nodded again. “Yes, that’s appropriate.”

“Me too.”

The admission caught his attention.

“You are?”

“Our lives could change, but I thought about it.”

Jason caught his breath.

This time, when she turned to face him, he didn’t stop her.
Her hazel eyes were bright in the night.

“I’m okay with this.” She signaled between them. “And
whatever happens as a result.”

He leaned in and kissed her, a kiss filled with hunger. “Turn
on your stomach.”

She hesitated. He knew what she was thinking. They were
about to be intimate again without any protection.

“I can put on a condom if you want.”

He watched her play the situation in her head. Of course, if
she instructed him to put one on, he would.

“I don’t want you to.”

“Are you sure?” he asked once more. Once could be attributed
to being caught up in the moment, but this was now a conscious decision.

She nodded.

“I’ll pull out at the right time,” he heard himself say as
he removed the barely-there shorts. Then he spread her legs and ran two fingers
over her folds. He was delighted with surprise to find she was ready for him.
“Turn on your stomach.”

She obliged. Jason pulled himself over her and entered her.
He heard her moan. One of these days, he would take his time and make sure not to
rob her of any pleasure. He would kiss and caress her all over instead of
burying himself deep inside her like an animal. But, for tonight, like any
other time once they were joined physically, he lost control.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“We can scale the
heights of mountains and see the world rayed out before us,

but
we fail to recognize that which is before
us.”

Ruth St. Denis

The morning sun caressed Minka’s face. With a smile, she
opened her eyes and let out a lazy stretch in the huge bed. She glanced over to
the empty side where Jason had lain next to her, holding her for the night. The
cautious voice reminded her not to get caught up in the moment, but it was
brushed aside.

Last night had been magical. A wall had been brought down,
bringing her closer to Jason. The words of love were not spoken, but they
hadn’t been necessary. The weight of their actions spoke greater in volume.

I love him,
she
thought. Elated with the way the words sounded, she rolled over to her stomach
to his side of the bed and inhaled his scent.

The bedroom door opened and Jason stepped inside the room,
covered in sweat from his morning run, his exercise of choice.

He looked delicious, even covered with sweat and all.

She watched him remove the damp shirt, exposing tight, ripe
muscles, and ached for him all over again. He closed the door behind him. He
flashed her that sexy smile she fell in love with before allowing his gaze to
wander over her. Instantly, she reached for the sheet to cover her body, well
aware the sleeping shorts she slipped into were too revealing.

 
“Don’t do that,”
he said in a husky voice.

The sheet fell from her fingers.

Slowly his eyes skimmed over her not-quite-naked body.

“You’re beautiful, Minka. Don’t ever let someone tell you
otherwise.”

The words hung in the room. She wasn’t beautiful, she knew
that. Yet she believed he saw something in her she was incapable of seeing.
Unable to speak, she could only watch him. Still in his sweatpants, he took
quick steps to stand by the bed. One hand found her exposed thighs and slowly
caressed.

“I’m going to shower,” he said in a strained voice. “If I
wasn’t covered in sweat, I’d make love to you right now.”

Minka brushed a strand of curls away from her face and
smiled at him. Little did he know she didn’t care how sweaty he
was.
“I don’t mind the sweat.”

He
laughed,
a rich, wonderful laugh
that made her heart flutter with happiness. “I may have to find a way to
convince you to never leave this island. A man could get used to waking up to
this every morning. You think I can hold you hostage?”

She wrinkled her nose at the thought, although deep down
she
loved the idea. “Will you lock me up and torture me or
something?”

Again, his laughter filled the room. She smiled.

“Or something.”
But he didn’t touch
her further. Instead he stepped back and made his way to the door that led to
the bathroom. “We’re going to hit the beach after breakfast.”

He closed the door behind him.

Minka froze. She had been basking in the aftermath of their
lovemaking so much that she had forgotten about the bathing part of this
weekend.

Fuck!
She groaned.
A fucking bathing suit.

Was it too late to say a silent prayer to the gods and wipe
away the sun and give her a pass for the day?

She closed her eyes and decided it was at least worth a try.

She blinked once, twice. Nope!

She was still in bed, alive and well.

A clear sky glared at her when she looked toward the window.
Yup, there was no avoiding the situation. And as hard as she tried, she
couldn’t form a plausible explanation to get out of it.

A long, heavy sigh escaped her just as Jason reentered the
room gloriously naked. Minka tried with all her might not to look at him, but
of course she did.

He walked in his usual confident manner across the room to
retrieve a pair of blue surfer swimming trunks and slipped into them.

He turned to watch her. “What’s on your mind?”

A part of her wanted to be resentful of his physical
perfection, but it wasn’t his fault she was twenty pounds overweight. Well,
maybe thirty. According to the latest health magazines, there was a weight
window where one can allow herself to gain a few pounds and still be within
their ideal weight. So thirty pounds it was.

 
“Nothing,” she
said with as much gaiety as she could muster. But his slight frown was an
indication he wasn’t buying the bullshit.

“Are you getting out of bed?”

Nope, never! I’m
staying here until you drag me off, preferably for more of that sweet
lovemaking.
“Eventually.”

She watched him. She knew enough to know Jason possessed
superpowers when it came to reading her, as he was doing now. To her relief, he
dropped the topic. Instead, he came to lie next to her on the bed and pulled
her in his arms.

She moaned with pleasure. This was so much better than
getting into a bathing suit and letting the world see her cellulite.

His chin rested on her head as his hands stroked her bare
arm. Minka closed her eyes.

“Take your time,” he said before placing a kiss on her mass
of curls. “I’m going to grab a bite, then wait for you. The others are ready to
go.”

He released her and came to his feet.

Minka cringed.

Coming to a sitting position, she asked, “What are we doing
again?”

She could tell by the twinkle in his eyes he was on to her
and her bathing suit phobia. She was doomed with no possibility of escaping.

“Catch some waves, swim, and paddleboard. Do you swim?”

“Yes.”
But I wish I
didn’t
.

“
It’s perfect
weather for paddle boarding. Have you done that before?”

“Umm…no.”

He smiled. “I’ll teach you.
Very easy and
fun.
See you in a few.”

With no care in the world, he closed the door behind him.
Minka let out a deep breath, blowing some loose curls away from her face before
letting her weight fall back on the bed.

Curse you, bathing
suit gods.

* * * *

Minka quickly surveyed her group. Keely and Blake were
lounging in the sun; they looked so perfect together that it almost made Minka
sick. With her Jackie-O glasses to cover her eyes, Lily looked striking in a
two-piece bathing suit. Adam came to sit next to
her,
he grabbed the tube of sunblock, leaned into her friend and said something. In
response, Lily turned to her stomach. Adam’s fingers found the strings of her
top and loosened the knot,
then
his hand was on her
friend’s back, applying the lotion to her bare skin.

Then there was Jason. He was already in the water, laughing
and talking to a well-shaped woman in what everyone considered to be a bikini,
but the thing was as thin as dental floss.

She sighed, regretting the decision to go with everyone and
hit the local beach instead of their private piece of the ocean. At least back
at the house, she would not have to compete for Jason’s attention.