Chapter 26
"Jason, if you do not call me back in the next ten minutes," Elizabeth growled, holding her cell phone between her cheek and shoulder as she pulled into a parking spot a block away from her gallery. "I don't know what I'm going to do, but it will not be good."
Swearing, she flung her cell phone onto the passenger seat as she slammed her car into park, taking a deep breath as she leaned back against her seat. She was not going to cry or yell or even get the slightest bit emotional until she actually saw the damage, and once she saw what had happened to her hopes and dreams, she would erratically. Until then, she had to find Jason and decide whether or not she was going to kill him.
"Thank God," she hissed, snatching her phone from the seat when it vibrated. She answered as she unfastened her seatbelt. "Jason, I have been calling you for the last-"
"It's Johnny," he corrected, chuckling into the phone in a way that made Elizabeth want to throttle him. Who knew? By the end of the night she might actually go through with it. "Are you to at the damn gallery yet?"
"No," she huffed, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind her. She made sure to turn on the alarm since there seemed to be criminals in the areas.
"Well, you should hurry. Jas – People are waiting," he scolded, and she just knew he was rolling his eyes at her.
"I was sleeping when you called," she reminded him, buttoning her peacoat as she started down the sidewalk.
Technically it was spring which called for less sweltering clothes, but it was the first thing she grabbed as she started out the door. Johnny had called and gotten her into such a rush that she'd just pulled on a pair of dirty jeans and tucked Jason's t-shirt she was wearing in them as she slipped on her shoes. There was no way she could actually talk to police and whoever else would be there looking like that, so she grabbed her coat and left.
She didn't even want to know how she looked and imagined it was no better than how she felt. It had been a long and exhausting week (for reasons that were primarily her fault), and the last thing she needed was for one of her best friends to wake her up in the middle of the night and say her gallery had been broken into.
Really, who in the hell stole art by a bunch of unnamed artists anyway?
That was when she knew this just had to be Sonny Corinthos' doing. The stupid mobster was bitter that she'd punched his whore of a girlfriend square in the face and now he was going to ruin her.
Ha.
That's he thought.
No one was going to get away with ruining Elizabeth Webber.
"Are you there yet?" he Johnny huffed, and she againshe knew she might have to drive to his house and strangle him.
"Almost, just a few buildings down," she replied annoyed, her brow furrowing her brow as she looked around. There wasn't a police car in sight and she definitely didn't see Jason's SUV anywhere. If this was one of O'Brien's stupid pranks like he used to pull when they were in high school, she was going to egg his house or toilet paper Lulu's herb garden. Surely, he wouldn't find that very amusing. "What the hell is going on?"
Taking a deep breath, she stopped in front of her building and glared at the windows and doors. Neither was broken. "Johnny, you want to explain why you woke me up at one in the morning? Why my boyfriend isn't answering his fucking-"
"Just go inside," he interrupted, followed by a prompt click that disconnected the call.
"Son of a bitch," she hissed, fighting the urge to throw her phone against the pavement. She fished through her keys and started to slide the one for the gallery into the lock, and then realized the door was open. "What the hell?"
Carefully, she pulled it open and peered inside, not surprised to be met with nothing but a dark room dimly lit by the moonlight. She had no idea what the hell was going on and wasn't even sure if she wanted to find out. In fact, she probably would have gone home had Jason actually been answering his phone and she was starting to worry that maybe something was wrong. Or maybe the building really had been broken into and Jason had already handled everything.
"Jason?" she called out, pulling the door closed behind her and locking it, which seemed stupid in case there really were was some kind of intruder that might be inside. But O'Brien would have been down here had the place been broken into. "Jas-" She stopped when she heard light footsteps on the stairs that led to the second level of the gallery, very familiar footsteps, and she knew without a doubt that it was Jason.
She started towards the stairs in a hurry, her fury building with every second, and by the time she was halfway up them, she couldn't stop herself from spewing. "Jason Morgan, I swear to God, if this is some stupid fucking prank…waking me up in the middle of the night…not answering your phone…and you better not be drunk." She stopped at the top to catch her breath, leaning against the railing as she geared herself up for the rest of her rant. "Jason! Why aren't you answering me? If you are drunk, I am going to – Oh. My. God."
Her throat tightened as she rounded the corner of the short hallway that led to the gallery, her eyes widening at the number of candles strewn about the room. It glowed softly in the light, and it was only when she got closer that she saw they weren't actually candles, but tiny lights, which was probably a good idea because at the rate she and Jason went, they'd burn the building down somehow.
Jason.
Suddenly, she remembered exactly how angry she was with him. She sucked in a breath when her eyes finally found him standing near the wide, open window, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his tuxedo pants. His back was to her, shoulders pulled tight as if he were anxious or nervous.
Somehow, she willed herself forward, looking around the room again and noticing the blanket on the floor, the bottle of wine, and bouquet of flowers. He'd chosen something other than roses this time, but she couldn't quite figure out what they were from so far away. She let out a shaky breath as he turned away from the window, his eyes finding hers, and she knew no other man would ever fill out a tuxedo quite like Jason Morgan. She couldn't have run away even if she wanted to, even though she'd been trying to all week.
God, she was so fucking dumb.
He was going to propose. Again. Except now she'd say yes.
**********
Jason wasn't sure how long he stood there waiting for something to come out of his mouth or Elizabeth's, but nothing ever happened. They just stood there and stared, wistful smiles slowly breaking across their faces. "Hi," he finally managed, taking a deep breath as he fumbled with the first couple of buttons on his tuxedo shirt. The room felt smaller, hotter, and he was starting to wonder if he'd be able to do this. He'd been waiting for what felt like hours and was nervous that Johnny hadn't actually come through on his promise to get her to the gallery.
"Hi," she whispered back, hands fisted in the wool of her peacoat, which he didn't quite understand why she was wearing it. He swallowed hard as she shuffled her way over, her gaze falling every now and then to the lights. Her skin looked softer, fairer, and silkier in the soft glow of the room. He wanted nothing more than to touch her, sure that once he did, his nerves would finally subside.
It was strange to him that for so long, he hadn't wanted this, and now it was all he could think about. Marrying Elizabeth, being with her forever, and dancing with her to some stupid song he had never heard in front of a bunch of people he didn't like.
She froze a few feet away from him, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she ducked her head like she often did when she was nervous. She wanted this as badly as he did; that much was obvious in her eyes, so instead of dragging things out and making them both a nervous mess, he slipped the ring box from his box and slid to his knee.
"Jason," she gasped, stumbling back on her feet, but she caught herself.
He grinned, rolling the small velvet box around in his hand, having prepared a speech a thousand times in his head, but suddenly it was gone. "Uh, I've been trying to do this all week," he confessed, scratching a finger across his brow. "I wanted it to be memorable and perfect, which never comes easy with us, but that's also why it's fun." He licked his lips as he shrugged. "Tonight, I was going to bring you here on the way home…to the first place we ever really made a commitment to one another. Well, one that's tied by law, I guess. It seemed appropriate."
She repeated his name and much to his surprise, dropped to her knees in front of him, and it would have been a relief had he not been hell bent on doing the whole down on one knee bit. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, looking away as her eyes filled with tears. "This – I messed everything up."
He swallowed hard, curious as to why she was crying before he'd put the ring on her finger. This wasn't' how it was supposed to happen, unless maybe she didn't want this anymore. "Elizabeth, if you don't want this," he said, starting to push himself back to his feet, but she grabbed his hands and pulled him back down.
"It's not that," she replied, blinking back tears as she linked their fingers together, one set of their hands carefully holding the ring box between them. "It's actually kind of funny." She forced a smile as she squeezed his hands. "You see…I knew – I knew that you were going to ask me to marry you."
"Oh," he grunted, arching his eyebrows and waiting for the part where he was supposed to laugh.
"And I just panicked," she continued, hanging her head in embarrassment. "I don't even know why. It's what I've wanted all along, what I've dreamed about. I knew when you started pestering me about that dish at the Metro Court, when you gave me the roses and I actually saw the ring box…Oh, God, Jason, I'm so sorry."
"I see," he murmured, taking a deep breath. "Where exactly am I supposed to laugh here?"
"Okay, so maybe it's not funny," she admitted, slowly lifting her eyes back to his.
"Not the slightest bit," he agreed, his jaw tightening. He wanted to get up, pull away, forget that he'd even bothered, but he couldn't do anything except look at her. "Why?"
"Why was I scared?" she asked, shrugging exhaustedly. "I don't even know." She bit her lip and scooted forward on her knees, letting out a shaky breath as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. The touch was more comforting than he imagined and he couldn't resist slipping his arms around her waist, the ring box nestled against the small of her back. "I just freaked out. You didn't want to marry me before-"
"I thought we were passed-"
"We are," she interrupted, keeping her eyes on his. "The point is that you didn't and now you do, and you've changed a big part of who you are for me, and what if you don't like it? What if I end up being the most terrible wife ever? I'm already a terrible girlfriend seeing as you couldn't even propose without me fucking it up. And all I'm going to do is make your life a complete and total wreck and out of everyone you could marry, all the other really good prospects, you're-"
"Will you shut up?" he cut in, lifting one of his hands to her face to cup her cheek.
"Jason!" she scolded, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm trying to be honest-"
"I know…but just let me talk for a second, okay?" he asked, waiting until she nodded, and then suddenly he had no idea what to say.
Elizabeth Webber was the only woman who could make him come undone.
"I – I know that you're a mess. That you're annoying and loud and piss me off more times during the day than I can count," he said, cringing when she started to argue, so he hurried up and finished. "But I like that you're a mess and loud and annoying. You're worth being pissed off over and at and I wouldn't want anyone else to get under my skin the way you do."
"And we've already gone through all the ways you fall short," he added, hoping to remind her of the conversation they'd had before she moved in. "I know there are a lot-"
"Jason, nowNow you're just being an asshole," she interrupted, swatting him on the arm. He arched his eyebrows impatiently. "Okay, I'm shutting up, so you can insult me."
"You like when I insult you," he teased, his chest tightening when she smiled coyly. "The point is that – that I want you to drive me crazy for the rest of our lives. I want you to burn my dinners and bleached my colored clothes. To delete my shows off the TivoTiVo so you have room for the shitty things you watch and to bring me coffee that's as thick as oil every morning."
"You've lost your mind," she laughed, her eyes glistening with tears.
"I love you," he said seriously, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I love you more than…God, Elizabeth. I didn't even know love was until-" She cut him off by jerking him towards her, her mouth covering his, covering his mouth with hers, and swallowing anything he had left to say.
He groaned, his lips parting anxiously and seeking out the touch of her tongue, and he knew there would never be anything better than this. Her fingers curled into his lapels as she started to push him back, a newfound desire washing over the both of him, but Jason refused to let her get ahead of him.
"Wait," he ordered roughly, tearing his mouth from his as he gently shoved her away, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "Stand up." She was still a little dazed from the kiss, so he repeated his command one more time, and she moved to her feet, standing shakily in front of him.
Grinning, she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Just ask me, Jason."
Nodding, he rolled the ring around in his hand, finally holding it between his thumb and forefinger as he stared up at her. "I've had this ring for a long time-"
"You've talked more tonight than you have the entire time-" She giggled, pursing her lips together. "Sorry."
Like he expected anything less.
"This ring – it was given to me a long time ago, and I was told to give it to someone special. Secretly, a part of me always wanted to give it to you because you are the only person who could ever understand what it really means," he said, carefully opening the box and turning it to face her.
"Jason," she breathed, reaching out to touch the ring with her fingertip. "It's Lila's."
He nodded, relieved that she had remembered it, though he had no doubt she would. It was the only item his late grandma had left to him, along with a note about what the ring meant to her and why she wanted him to have it. She'd left orders that he give it to someone special, someone he loved, and someone who would cherish him. Sure, women liked jewelry, especially diamonds, but he couldn't give this ring to just anyone, which is why he'd always thought about Elizabeth.
With a shaky finger, he slipped the ring from the box and took Elizabeth's hand in his, his eyes never leaving her face. "Marry me, Elizabeth."
"That sounds more like an order," she teased, dropping her gaze to the ring as a tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
Groaning, he glared playfully, unable to breathe when she nodded slowly, then faster, and finally let out a shrieking yes. Their bodies fused together instantly, Jason springing from the floor to pull her into his arms, their lips parting long enough for him to gently slide the ring onto her finger. She grinned softly as she admired the ring on her hand and he was relieved that it fit perfectly after having it resized.
"Jason," she murmured, pulling back long enough to rest her forehead against his again and look him straight in the eye. "I love you."
"I love you so much," he replied, brushing his lips against hers.
"You're not mad at me?' she asked, nibbling her lip. "You know for ruining all the other…"
"Oh, you'll be making up for that," he replied smugly, spinning her around in such a hurry that she stumbled back against the window.
Just like he'd hope.
"In fact, I think you could start right now," he teased, pressing her back up against the glass window as he kissed her again, his hands undoing the buttons on her coat.
"You're terrible," she hissed, closing her eyes as her head fell back against the glass, his mouth making its way to her neck, where he sucked long and hard. "Lucky for you…" She paused to catch her breath, roughly raking her fingers through his hair. "I don't think I've ever wanted you more than I do now."
"Mmm." He groaned his approval against her neck when she pressed her body against his, her hips bucking wildly, and he knew there would never be anyone else that was turned on by just his mouth.
Ha.
Actually there would never be anyone else again period, and that made his pride swell more smugly than he thought possible.
She was his.
He was hers.
And nothing else would ever matter.
"What are you wearing?" he asked, laughing against her neck as he striped her coat over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
"I was asleep," she groaned, shoving his own jacket over his shoulders and going to work on his buttons. "So I just…Oh!" She cried out, clutching his shirt as he slipped a hand into her pants.
No underwear.
Not like he should be surprised.
"Looks like you forgot to put something on," he whispered, nipping her earlobe as he undid her jeans and eased the zipper down so he could pay the appropriate amount of attention to her. She swore when his finger traced her slit a few times, and then abandoned her to shove her jeans to her feet. Hurrying, she kicked off her shoes and shoved the clothing aside.
"I was hurrying," she panted, growing frustrated with his shirt, so she just jerked the fabric apart, the buttons pinging across the floor. "We have to remember to pick those up."
"Good luck with that," he growled, shrugging his shirt over his shoulders and tossing it the floor.
Quickly, he whipped her t-shirt over her head and flung it behind him, wrapping his arms around her and pressing holding her against him. There was no greater feeling than the touch of her skin against his. It was the sweetest, most tender friction that existed, and he'd never grow tired of it. She moaned against his mouth as her breasts rubbed against his chest, their mouths fused together.
"Jason," she hissed, her back arching away from the window when he pressed her against it, his hands skimming over her nude body.
Goosebumps appeared as she shivered, torn between pushing herself away from the chilly glass and letting him have his way with her. Passion one out and she reached for him, pulling his mouth to hers as she dropped her hands to the snap of his pants.
She slipped a hand into his pants just like he had her, shivering again, this time from the heat that she held in her hand. Her touch was like liquid fire, each stroke drawing out more pleasure than he thought was possible. Satisfied when she pumped him enough her hand, forcing him to swear and lose focus, his hands planted firmly against the glass on either side of her head as she stroked him, she finally withdrew, his lips parting in a groan of firm disapproval.
Swearing again, he hung his head as she shoved his pants down, stopping long enough to grab his wallet and fish out the condom she knew was inside, and even that only took her a few seconds. Her hands skimmed over his backside, fingers curling into him as she pulled him against her, gasping when he rocked against her, his desire hard and rough between her legs.
Jason dropped his face to her neck, nuzzling her hair away to kiss her as she tore the foil wrapper open, his hips bucking as she carefully, but quickly, rolled it on. He resisted the urge to jerk her legs apart and thrust forward, at least until she raked her nails up his thighs and wrapped a slender leg around his waist. Pulling back, he swept his eyes over her, grinning at the determined pout of her lips as she wiggled against him. Most nights, he would have dragged this part out, enjoying how easy fun it was to tease her and pull deep, throaty moans from her lips, but tonight, he just couldn't.
Skimming his hand up the leg that was wrapped around him, he settled his hand at her hip, the other planted against the window as she dropped a hand between their legs, aligning their bodies. With a quick snap of the hips, he buried himself inside her, both letting out contented sighs as they fell into one another.
And then suddenly all desire to be rushed faded away. Just being inside her was enough to tide him over until he had teased her relentlessly – besides, when else would he have the opportunity to do her against the wide window of the second floor of her gallery?
Ha.
She probably hadn't even thought about it. Or maybe she had a. And she liked the possibility of being seen. Or maybe she just didn't care."
"Jason," she whispered raggedly, stretching on her tiptoes and lowering herself back onto him. "Please."
He gave into her request, his thrusts quick and steady, slowing his pace as he ducked his head, and dragged his tongue across the tops of her breasts. Dropping his hand from the window, he traced the curve of her side with a slender fingertip, cupping her breast in his hand as he raked his teeth and tongue over the other. Her head fell back against the window, her back arching as he rolled her nipple between his fingers.
Repeating his name, she lifted her hands to his shoulders, one digging into the firm muscle, the other raking through his hair and holding his mouth against her. Eventually, his mouth traced a lazy path to her neck, tonguing the fine curve of her neck, and finally settled at her mouth, taking her plump lips in his. He continued to stroke her breasts, molding them in his hands, the hard peaks tightening against his palm.
She kissed him as hard he touched her, tongue swirling forcefully around his, stopping only to nip his lip and sometimes catch her breath. Her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling the short spikes as she twisted against him, every ounce of her body reacting to his touch. She clenched around him, causing his hips to jerk, and when his thrusts remained slow and steady, she did it again, causing him to groan against her hips.
Resting his forehead on hers, he skimmed his fingers down her arms to take her hands, linking their fingers together, and quickly presseding them against the glass. She clenched around him again and again, and he swore, knowing he was going to have it give in. He shifted to hold her wrists in one hand, dropping the other to her hip as he pulled out and slammed into her hard. A throaty gasp burst from her lips, her body trembling, but he knew he hadn't hurt her.
Their foreheads still together, her eyes lit up as she smiled softly. "Again."
Each time he pulled out and slammed into her, she demanded more – again and harder – and he gave it to her until finally he couldn't wait any longer. He slipped a hand between them, touching her lightly, and she bucked, tossing her head aside. Quickly, he wrapped his other hand around her neck, forcing her to look at him as he touched her, his thrusts faster and faster. Her nails dug into his skin as she moaned and tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her.
When he touched her a little harder, she cried out, the sound echoing off the walls around them as her release came over her. Her eyes lit up, soft and surprised, but then darkened, becoming hazy as she rode it out, and it was one of the sexiest things he'd ever seen.
He dropped his hand from her neck to the window as he continued to move, his own release coming right behind hers. She stopped him when he started to fall forward and bury his face in her neck; cupping his face in her hand and making him look at her. She grinned, tightly clenching around him, her eyes dark as she watched intently when his body jerked and he raggedly called out her name. Falling against her, he buried his face in her neck, his arms wrapping around her, and she curled against him, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder.
When he finally started to come down, he pulled back to look at her, and she grinned, her cheeks flushing as she was caught staring at the ring on her left hand. He brushed his lips against her mouth, and heand then drew her hand to his lips, kissing her palm, her fingertip, the back of her hand, and lastly the ring.
"Mrs. Morgan," he teased, kissing her hand again before leaning forward to kiss her mouth.
"Or Mr. Webber," she murmured, laughing when he noticeably cringed.
"Uh…no," he said firmly, lowering her leg to the floor as he slipped out of her, and she just laughed again, too happy to argue. He turned away to dispose of the condom and when he looked back Elizabeth was standing with her back to him, her arms folded over her chest as she stared at the window.
So, she had known exactly what they were doing, and for some reason, that just made him love her more.
"You okay?" he asked, slipping his arms around her waist as he stepped up behind her.
She nodded, linking her hands in his, and he couldn't stop himself from staring over her shoulder at the ring on her hand. "Do you think anyone…saw?"
Chuckling, he kissed her shoulder. "Isn't that what makes it fun?"
"Oh, you're just awful," she laughed, letting her head fall back against his shoulder.
"Actually," Jason murmured, craning his neck as he looked out the window. "He may have seen."
"Who?" she asked, inching her way towards the window and gasping. "A cop?"
Elizabeth just glared at him when he laughed, and he shrugged as they watched the officer stop next to car, and pull out a pad. "Someone's getting a ticket," he muttered, grinning at the idea of them being caught.
He didn't really know why it was so funny – or such a turn on. If someone watched them having sex in the privacy of a wide opened gallery, they were the weird ones, not them.
Right?
"Shit," Elizabeth hissed, pulling out of his arms and hurrying to gather up her clothes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, watching her jerk her shirt over her head.
"That's my car!" she cried, shaking out her pants as he looked down at the street.
"Looks like someone parked in a handicapped spot," he scolded, reaching out to grab her before she could pull her pants. "Do you really want to go out there?"
"I need to at least move-"
"And if he did see us, he'll know-"
"Jason," she interrupted, letting her pants fall to the floor.
"Not going outside now, huh?" he asked, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her against him.
"Which is exactly what you want," she replied, not fighting him when he tugged her shirt back over her head.
"I'll tell you what I want," he murmured, shuffling her towards the blanket in the middle of the room. She arched an eyebrow, her eyes darkeninglips curving in a sexy grin. "On your hands and knees, Webber."