Peeling her shoes off, she half limped, half jogged down the hallway. "Make yourself at home, I'll just be a minute," she called to him over her shoulder.
Jason nodded, not really hearing her. Throwing his tuxedo jacket onto the back of a well used navy blue chair. His eyes scanned the cluttered room, taking in the litter of half empty boxes, folded easels and bare canvas frames. Sweeping his gaze to the left, he found the pile of canvas material and the staple gun she used to fasten the material to the frames. Venturing further to the left, he found the kitchen. Or what he thought was the kitchen. The sink was full of dirty dishes, a half empty box of Honey Smacks lay on it's side on the counter, and a blender sat on it's stand, a dark, crusty ring forming inside of it. He shook his head, wondering how she could be so organized at the warehouse, yet so cluttered in her home.
His eyes were dragged down the hall to her shadow bobbing along the wall opposite of her bedroom. A second later, she came sauntering out dressed in a pair of black faded jeans and a sapphire colored sweater that deepened the shade of her eyes. He smiled when he noticed her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her chestnut curls bobbing with every step she took.
"Do you think the sweater will be warm enough? I still can't find my coat." She held her arms out the her sides, acknowledging the mess at their feet.
His chuckle washed over her like a warm summer rain, "If not, we can grab an extra jacket from my penthouse." He rocked on the balls of his feet. "I wanted to go up there anyway and get out of these clothes."
Her smile fell a notch at the thought of him in jeans. Taking in the rolled up sleeves of his shirt, the way his pants slung low on his hips - even with a belt - and the way the pants accentuated his butt, she knew it would be uncomfortable for him on his bike in those clothes. Still, she couldn't help wanting to unbutton each of those onyx buttons, revealing his golden skin underneath the starched shirt. Her tongue swirling around his belly but--
"Elizabeth?"
Her eyes jumped back to his face and her smile widened instantly, a light blush stained her cheeks. "Yes?"
His smile was slow, knowing. He had noticed her eyes were focused on the patch of bare skin his partially unbuttoned shirt revealed. "Are you ready?" Walking towards the door, he opened it, holding out his hand, waiting for her to go first.
Her eyes skipped around the apartment, her blush deepening when she realized what a shambles it was in. She headed out the door, grabbing the keys from the table before Jason followed her.
They were silent during the elevator ride up to his floor, and stayed that way until he came down the stairs from his bedroom, looking just as sexy in a black short sleeved tee shirt and well worn blue jeans as he did in a tuxedo. If anything, he looked better because he was more relaxed. His smile was less forced and his eyes twinkled at the thought of going out on his bike again.
Little did Elizabeth know that the twinkle in his eye was mainly from the idea that her slim arms would soon be wrapped around his waist, her body pressed against his as they raced through Port Charles on his bike.
He headed for the closet to grab his leather jacket. Tossing it to Elizabeth, he grabbed his keys and again opened the door for her, waiting for her to exit first.
She looked at the jacket and then to him in his short sleeves and handed it back to him. "You'll need this more than I will." Walking out, she gave him no room to argue.
He watched her from the door of his penthouse; the bouncing pony tail, the determined stiffness in her back, the distinct sway of her hips, the way her jeans hugged the curve of her bottom. A quiet groan escaped his lips as he pulled the door shut behind him.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
They drove for an hour, seemingly going nowhere. As soon as they left the city behind, Jason sped up, the trees around the a hunter green blur out of the corners of their eyes.
Elizabeth pressed herself into his back, silently cursing herself for not taking his jacket, at least for the ride. She might as well have ridden shirtless with the wind ripping through her the way it was. She'd be lucky if she didn't catch pneumonia.
She felt it when he began slowing down, noticed when the trees started to separate. She had no idea where they were, but the adrenaline was flowing freely through her veins from the bike ride. They could've flown to Mars and Elizabeth wouldn't have cared. She focused on their surroundings while Jason pulled off the main highway onto a dirt road. The trees surrounded them instantly, isolating them from the rest of the world. The only light that shone was the headlight of the motorcycle.
Jason proceeded slowly, ducking a low branch here and there, until the road began to widen. Pulling to the right, he stopped the bike, kicked the kick stand down, and waited for Elizabeth to get off.
He smirked when she stepped in front of him, teeth chattering body trembling from the cold. It may have been June, but you wouldn't have guessed it from the night's temperature. Still, he had to admire her stubbornness. She wouldn't ask for his coat, and even turned to walk away from him so he wouldn't see her shaking.
"Where are we?" she asked without turning around.
He followed her down the gravel path, slipping his coat off to put on her shoulders. He grinned when she slipped her arms into the sleeves, like it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. "This is a place I like to go that nobody knows about. My friend Daniela owns it." They stopped when they reached a fork in the path.
"To the left- he pointed to the path that curved through the trees and out of sight "- is her cabin. To the right is the lake." His hand found the small of her back and gently pushed her forward, down the path that led to the lake.
Elizabeth walked slowly down the dark path, her eyes darting between her feet and the opening emerging at the end of the naturally formed tunnel. When she saw the silver glow radiating from the end, she stopped. Her eyes were transfixed on the body of water. It was like something out of a dream. A light wind blew across the surface, causing the water to ripple gently, the moon light shimmering in the deep blue waters.
Jason urged Elizabeth to continue on, not speaking until they finally reached the banks of the lake. He led her to the pier, where a jet ski was tied up, bobbing lazily in the water.
"How did she find this place?" she whispered, her eyes drinking in the scenery around her. Looking back, she could see the tall structure of the two story cabin looming above them. The whole wall facing he lake was made of glass, providing a spectacular view.
Jason shrugged, and laid down on the dock, his legs crossing at the ankles and his hands behind his head. "I'm not sure. I don't even know why she has it anyway. Dani's hardly ever here."
She turned to look at him, the her breath catching in her throat at the sight of him bathed in moonlight. He looked so beautiful, lying there, unmoving except for the rise and fall of his chest. She giggled to herself, never had she thought of a man as beautiful before.
He propped up on an elbow at the sound of her giggles. "What's so funny?"
Shaking her head, she coughed a couple of times before answering. "Nothing." Her eyes locked with his; in the moonlight they were like twin pools of liquid mercury. "So," she broke their eye contact to clear her throat, "Why do you come here?"
He shrugged. "To get away from everything. To be alone."
She chuffed at his answer. "'To get away from everything?' What's 'everything'? Like the coffee warehouse is a bee hive of activity."
Jason simply stared at her profile, the gentle slope of her cheek bone, the slight bump just below the bridge of her nose, her full lips. What he wouldn't give to be able to drink from those lips. He could only imagine what the felt like, how soft they'd be, how pliant to his tongue.
She could feel his eyes on her, and the blood rushed quickly into her face. Turning away from him, her attention focused on a stray thread in her jeans. "So why did we come out here?" she asked quietly, not quite sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
He sat up and dragged his eyes from her face. "Well, after dressing up in a tux, I needed to unwind, and I figured this was the best place to go. Why, do you want to leave?" He stood up, fully prepared to take her where ever she wanted to go, even if was back to the Towers.
"NO!" She jumped up to look at him. "I mean, no. We don't have to go. I was just wondering." Her staccato chuckle echoed throughout the forest. Turning away, she walked the length of the pier to sit at the end, with her feet dangling above the water.
His smile was rueful, as was the shake of his head, but he followed her to the end of the pier and sat down next to her. Close, yet far enough apart to keep her comfortable. "So." He watched her out of the corner of his eye, heard her steady breathing.
"So," she repeated, forcing herself not to look at him. "Is there-" she turned to him, her eyes focusing on the space between his eyes so he couldn't unnerve her. "Is there something you wanted to ask me?"
"Actually," his grin was slow, like fine molasses. "I would like to get to know you better-" he paused, and leaned toward her so his mouth almost brushed against her cheek.
"Beth."