35 (NC-17)

"So Johnny's in the hospital?"

Jason nodded as he let her pull his coat from his shoulders. "Yeah."

Elizabeth troubled her lip, holding his leather jacket against her chest. "Are you sure you should be here, then? I don't want to-"

"It's nothing serious," he promised. "We were cutting through a back alley when we heard shots go off. We hit the ground and Johnny hit his head, so we took him in and he has a concussion or something. I put him up in one of those fancy suites and Spinelli volunteered to stay with him overnight. They're playing Kakuro or something. One of their tournaments."

Elizabeth contained a smile as she hung up his coat. "Is that anything like Sudoku?"

"In that I can't pronounce either word? Yeah."

"Is he really okay with staying overnight?"

Her ex-husband smirked. "He's got a cute nurse named Nadine or something, so he was surprisingly agreeable when she said she wanted to keep him overnight for observation."

"Sexy," she laughed. "But won't they wonder where you disappeared to?"

Jason shook his head. "I told them that I was going to go investigate and see who it was that took shots at us."

Elizabeth stared at the back of his head as he walked away, heading to her living room, then trotted after him. "…So shouldn't you be investigating?"

Jason smirked at her over his shoulder, turned around, and flopped down onto her couch. "Nah. No one took shots at us."

"But you just said-"

"It was a car backfiring a couple times. No one was ever taking shots at us."

She chuckled under her breath and sat down next to him, curling her legs up on the sofa. "Sneaky."

-------------------------

"You never told me where you got this from."

Jason looked down at the red glass in her hand and rested his cheek against her head. His hands remained clasped over her stomach as Elizabeth snuggled against his back and continued to roll the thing over and over between her palms.

"I saw it and thought you'd like it."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "Yeah, you told me that when you gave it to me. You said that you thought I'd like the color because it wasn't a normal red. It wasn't flat and one-toned. It was dark in some places, lighter in others, and it felt like the color was alive in your hands. That's what you said."

He chuckled lightly. "I can't believe you remembered that word for word."

"I thought it was kind of poetic," she shrugged. "Certainly the most poetic thing I ever heard you say. I don't know, it just stayed with me."

"You never said anything about it after that. I used to think you threw it away or lost it, but then I saw it on your windowsill. And you took it with you when you ran away that one time."

Her smile grew. "When I jumped out of a moving car to get away from you?"

Jason groaned despite himself. "You know, the guys still haven't let me live that down. Now that they're not afraid of me anymore, Francis and Ritchie bring it up all the time."

Elizabeth laughed. "Why aren't they afraid of you anymore? You're still scary."

"Those two idiots tire me out," he admitted, referring to the joint team of Spinelli-Zacchara. "And when I get a chance to get back to Port Charles, I'm too worn down to do anything about it when the guys tease me."

"What do they say?"

"Well, Sonny and Brenda always start by asking me if I'm seeing anyone." His arms tightened over her stomach, and his thumbs brushed smooth strokes over her silky camisole top. It was one of her own designs and lingerie-inspired at that, and he felt that she wore it tonight just to taunt him. "Now that I'm divorced, I think they're obsessed with seeing me get married again."

Her whole upper body shook with laughter. "Aw, man, you really can't catch a break, can you?"

He smiled against her hair. "So when they ask me if I'm seeing anyone, Spinelli and Michael always jump in and tell them to leave it alone, and that's when the guys say something about how I shouldn't even think about getting married because I'll be stuck paying my spouse's hospital bills for the rest of my life if she keeps jumping out of moving vehicles to escape me."

"Aw." She reached up and stroked his cheek. "Poor thing."

"…I still can't believe you did that."

"That I did it, or that I had the guts to do it?"

Jason resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "That's exactly what Ritchie said."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Hey, you never did answer my question."

"What question?"

Elizabeth rubbed the warm, smooth glass against the back of his knuckles. "Where'd you get this? And why did you really give it to me?"

"I told you – I thought you'd like the color."

"I know, but I don't think that's the only reason."

"It was nice," he defended himself. "I thought you'd like it. And…"

"And?"

"Well, I didn't really know what my first gift to you as your husband should be, so I picked that out."

The corner of her mouth quirked up. "You always were the most original gift-giver. But where did you get it from?"

"Why do you keep asking that?"

"Because I want to know."

"But what does it matter anymore?"

"It matters to me."

He sighed and shifted on the couch, causing her to shift as well as he adjusted himself. "I had it for a while before I gave it to you. I got it when I was in Italy the first time."

Her eyes widened with delight and she twisted around to look up at him. "Italy? Really? I've always wanted to go there! I was actually supposed to study abroad there one semester, but we-"

"I know."

Her brows pulled together. "What? How did you know?"

Jason licked his lips. "The night we got married, Brenda took you across the hall to show you my place and Michael told me a bit about you. He said that you didn't get along with your parents-"

"Which you saw firsthand."

"And that you loved hot cocoa-"

"Again, which you saw firsthand."

"And that you wanted a pet parrot so you could teach it bad words-"

Elizabeth shook her head and shuddered. "Yeah, no. I baby-sat Elton's pet parrot for a week and changed my mind immediately. Parrots are not all they're cracked up to be. Smelly little flying rats."

"…And he told me that you really wanted to go to Italy one day, and that you were planning to go for school, and that I should surprise you and take you for the first time." He shrugged modestly when her eyes began to glisten. "I kept that piece of glass with me for years, not really knowing why I had it, but when I heard that, I thought it would be perfect for you."

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, resting her forehead against his rough cheek. "I knew there was something special about this red glass."

Jason kissed her nose and let his hands slide around her waist when she turned so that she was facing him. "I hoped you'd like it."

"I love it," she smiled, leaning down to brush her lips against his. With their proximity, Jason felt it acutely when her breath hitched as she murmured, "and I love you."

He stilled, his hands resting stiffly on her hips, and only dared to let out a breath when she pulled back and looked down at him. "You don't have to say that."

Elizabeth smoothed his hair back from the face and pulled just the corner of her bottom lip into her mouth. "I know. You've never once pressured me to say it, and I only would if I meant it. And I do mean it. I love you, Jason. And I can't believe I was almost too afraid to do this again."

His lids drooped as she lowered her mouth to his, and the kiss remained light and tentative. Jason slid his fingers into her hair, angling for a better hold, and pulled her close to him. He could either return the sentiment plainly, or tell her that he had loved her since she had last worn his ring on her finger.

In the end, Jason smiled against her mouth and waited until they parted to take a breath. "I knew we'd work the second time."

Elizabeth grinned and leaned down again, this time to press a kiss to his jaw. His hands slid up from her hips, up to the narrow pinch of her waist, and Jason smoothed up her silky camisole until a fair expanse of creamy skin was exposed. Elizabeth nudged his chin, forcing him to angle his head back, and trailed kisses down his neck.

She lifted her head and glared mischievously at him. "And this is happening, so you better not try to convince me that we should take it slow again."

Jason smirked back at her. "Not a chance."

He sat up straighter and pulled her securely into his lap, wanting to feel all of her with him. They'd been inching toward this slowly for weeks now, never letting it go too far, always holding back, but he needed this now more than he had ever needed anything before. All he wanted was his wife.

She curled up in his embrace and let out a contented sigh when his lips moved along the line of her jaw. Jason's fingers fanned out along her neck, sweeping through her silky hair, and he swept his thumb lightly over her beating pulse point.

Elizabeth dragged a hand boldly down from his chest to his stomach, slipping her fingers under his jeans just to torment him. He shifted on the couch, thrusting upward involuntarily, and that was all the encouragement Elizabeth needed. She grasped the edge of his t-shirt and tugged it out of his pants, then stripped it off his body.

Jason snarled as she flung it away and reached for her, eager to feel the silk of her camisole against his hot flesh. Elizabeth gripped his strong shoulders and lowered her mouth to the sensitive skin of his neck. She licked, nipped, and sucked, tasting his heat and the light saltiness of his skin. She trailed her fingers downward, scraping firmly with her nails as she went but not hard enough to hurt him.

He skimmed his hand up her back, sliding the silk fabric of her shirt higher and higher, watching it roll and scrunch until he removed his hand and it slipped back down again. Elizabeth pulled back from kissing his neck and looked down at him, her eyes dark and smoldering, as she once again rested her fingers on the waistband of his jeans. This time, she grasped the silver zipper and tugged, pulling it gently down over the gentle bulge until it was all the way down.

She leaned lower, brushing her lips temptingly close to his, and Jason tilted his head for a kiss. But Elizabeth evaded him and stealthily reached under the flap of his jeans, cupping him through his boxers. He groaned and arched his back, and she lowered her head and nipped at his neck, knowing it always drove him wild when she did that.

Sure enough, her coy but commanding touch was costing him his patience, and Jason gripped her silk camisole in both hands and yanked it up, forcing her to remove her hand from his body so that they could send the shirt sailing. He was reaching for the snap of her bra when she touched him again, this time through his boxers, and he had to suck in a quick breath as her fingers artfully caressed him.

Elizabeth chuckled and raked her teeth across the shell of his ear, letting her chest, bra and all, brush against his skin. She curled her back up, bringing them closer together, and Jason's fingers skimmed down to the small of her back and rested on the band of her trousers. Her touch grew firmer, stronger, and she could feel his heart thunder in his chest when she squeezed him and then pumped.

Jason had already had enough. He squirmed on the couch until he had unseated her, then pulled her against his side and threw her crimson afghan onto the carpet. Once it was spread, he lowered them both to the floor so that Elizabeth was on her back with little hope of continuing her delicious torture.

"Jason?" Her blue eyes were wide and starry, and she reached up and caressed his rough cheek.

He could never resist her when she looked at him like that, like he was all she ever needed, and Jason leaned down and kissed her soundly, luxuriating in the silky warmth of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, eager to feel his warmth, and Jason skimmed a hand over the quivering muscles of her stomach to the snap of her beige tailored trousers. He slid the zipper down and finessed the pants off of her with as much grace as he could manage.

She bent her knee, resting it against his hip and giving him a comfortable place to settle himself. The wool was soft against her back and Jason's hand were quite rough against her skin, but she relished the contrast and squirmed underneath him, eager for his touch. There was something about the man that just set everything inside of her on fire. He had treated her with such exquisite care that night at the Greystone, even though he had been rough and aggressive and controlling, and she was only just beginning to learn that such innate contrasts were what made him such an extraordinary man.

There really was something to be said for a man that could make her feel so safe and loved when they were alone and be so cold and hard to everyone on the outside, the man that could smile with her and laugh with her but be entirely unreadable to the rest of the world. It was like he was her secret, only for her to know and enjoy, and she held him close to her heart.

Jason slipped his wallet out of his back pocket, and she heard the crinkle of foil before he tossed it aside and struggled out of his jeans. His fingers skimmed up her side, sliding under her back so that he could undo the snap of her bra. Once it was loose, he tugged the light blue scrap down with his teeth and flung it away, replacing it quickly with his lips.

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to mew and shift restlessly as he nibbled, nipped, and sucked. He paid thorough attention to her breasts, molding them to his palm and testing and rolling and squeezing their supple weight before he knew from her ragged breathing and the heedless way she scraped her nails hard across his skin and scalp that she had enough.

She heard the crinkle of foil again and felt him boost himself off of her just for a moment before he leaned down and joined her again, placing one rough hand on her knee to give himself enough room. And when he slipped into her, slowly, inch by inch, Elizabeth had to arch her back and tangle her fingers in the loose weave of the afghan just because she honestly didn't know what else to do with herself.

He smoothed her hair away from her face, bracing his weight on his elbows as his hips began to move steadily in an age-old rhythm. Elizabeth groaned and squeezed his sides, urging him to pick up the pace, and sweat broke out in beads along his brow as Jason struggled to maintain the slow, steady tempo.

She was growing restless beneath him, both from the rhythm of their dance and the strength of her impending release. And just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, she felt the force of his release roll through her in waves of heat, and Elizabeth jolted in surprise. Jason always tried so hard to push her to the edge first, but his muscles had already locked and he was gritting his teeth against the force of his passion. His release, once he was spent and partially collapsed on top of her, triggered her own, and Elizabeth's hips arched up off the floor with enough strength to lift both of them two full inches off the ground.

Jason had already had time to recover while she basked in the heat and light of her release, and he stroked her cheek gently as she floated back down. His eyes were half-closed, his head was resting on his arm, and he looked so peaceful that she couldn't imagine doing anything else but curling up into his side, pressing them both together from head to toe, and sharing the rhythm of his breathing.

"Jason?"

He murmured lazily in reply. "Hmm?"

She traced circles on his chest and hid her smile. "So you're making me breakfast tomorrow morning like you promised, right?"

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her crushingly close. "Just like I promised."