Diner Dilemma – 24

Elizabeth Webber was a cuddler.

That was what Jason Morgan discovered upon waking up the next morning. During the course of the night, the petite brunette had shifted and crawled closer and closer until she was effectively sprawled entirely on top of him. Her smooth legs were tangled with his, her breasts were pressed flat against the hard plane of his chest, and her head was tucked neatly under his chin as she slept.

Smirking at the ceiling, Jason made no attempt to move. She wasn't that heavy, and it wasn't as if she was crushing him with her tiny frame. Instead, he buried his fingers in her thick chestnut locks and spanned the flat of her back with his other hand, content to let sleeping beauties lie. She shifted slightly, turning her face into the dark cavern of his neck, and continued to slumber peacefully.

Twenty minutes passed, judging by the alarm clock at his bedside and the gradual appearance of the morning sun, and Jason was considering resituating their bodies so that he could slip out of bed when he felt her stir. Holding still, he was rewarded with a soft murmur as Elizabeth shifted on top of him, stretching out her slender legs. She curled her neck lower, jostling him slightly, and when her torso moved against his, Jason could feel his own body begin to stir. It was only when her small hand skimmed a soft, sensual trail from his shoulder down to his hip that Jason realized he'd better put an end to this.

In one smooth motion, he had wrapped his arms around her and flipped her over onto the mattress, reversing their positions. This time, when she opened her large doe eyes and blinked sleepily, he was the one on top. Her plush lips curled into a smirk as his cerulean orbs twinkled down at her, and Elizabeth lazily brushed her mussed and tousled hair from her face.

"Mornin'."

Instead of a reply, she received a lingering kiss on the lips. Grinning against his mouth, Elizabeth stretched out luxuriously in his large bed but let out a displeased whimper when muscles she didn't even know existed protested against the movement. Jason looked worried for a moment but a telltale smirk played across his lips when he realized just why she was wincing. The brunette rolled her eyes with a huff, smacking his chest before glancing at the clock and frowning.

"Ugh. Time for work." Jason nuzzled her neck as she glared at the clock, trying to intimidate it into receding an hour or perhaps two.

"You and me both," he murmured, dropping butterfly kisses along the column of her throat.

Her fingers raked through his thick golden hair. "Yeah?"

Jason just nodded. "I'm gonna open up the garage today."

That had her attention. "Wait – you mean it's already ready?"

He nodded once more. "Yeah, I had it done before the rest of the house. I wanted to get it open either today or tomorrow, and today seems good enough. No sense in waiting around when I have nothing else left to do."

Elizabeth was looking thoughtfully up at him, and Jason leaned into her touch when she brushed her fingers against his lips before cupping his rough cheek. "You know, it's gonna be really weird not seeing you at Kelly's every morning."

"You can see me here every night," he teased with a suggestive twinkle in his cerulean orbs as Elizabeth giggled.

"You know what I mean," she replied, twining her fingers behind his neck. "Man, I'm gonna have to get through the early morning banter we usually exchange all before I run out the door."

Jason frowned as she swept her thumbs through the light wheat-colored hair at his nape. "What do you mean, we exchange? You babble, I listen."

"No, I babble, you grouse," she corrected, looking pointedly up at him. "There's a difference." He narrowed his eyes as she lifted her shoulder in a deliberately careless shrug. "You're just naturally cranky, I guess."

Her sharp squeal echoed through the room as he snaked an arm underneath her back and flipped them over, landing on his back with her on top. Her hair was in her face, her cheeks were flushed, the sheets were only half on her body, and she was laughing uncontrollably as he grinned up at her.

"Anything else, Webber?"

"N-No," she managed to get out through her giggles. "Let go."

"Not a chance," he sneered back, immediately regretting it when she regained her balance enough to straddle his hips. She didn't realize her possible advantage in that position and was currently more interested in wrapping the cotton sheets around her nude body as Jason did his best to appear as if nothing was wrong and he wasn't slowly becoming aroused. "You have time for breakfast before you leave?"

She grinned down at him, tucking her dark hair behind her ears. "Pancakes with a side of pancakes?"

He laughed and gripped her hips, gently easing her off of him. "You got it. The bathroom's right down the hall, if you want to shower and get dressed."

"Do you think you could drop me off at my studio before Kelly's?" she asked, nibbling on her bottom lip as she dangled her legs off the bed. "I don't have any clothes here."

Jason nodded, reminding himself to make sure they changed that before too long. "Yeah, no problem." He closed his eyes as she pressed a sweet but shy kiss to his lips and succeeded in snaking his arm around her in order to pull her close and deepen it. She moaned into his mouth, forgetting her coyness, when his tongue slithered in without permission. After a long, oxygen-deprived moment, she pulled back and flashed him a bright smile before hopping off the bed and prancing out into the hall, dressed in nothing but his white cotton sheets.

Jason Morgan didn't even bother to suppress a grin as he collapsed back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling as the birds chirped outside his newly built house. He could definitely get used to this.

"Thanks for the ride." Elizabeth was grinning as she combed down her wind-blown tresses with her fingers. Jason had made her the most amazing breakfast – pancakes with a side of pancakes, as she had requested – and then driven her to her studio and Kelly's the long way on his motorcycle. The only thing that could have possibly made the morning better was if he had let her steer, but so far, no luck. She'd have to work on that.

"You can ride with me whenever you want," he replied honestly, his lips breaking out into an impish grin when she smacked his chest.

"You're not always gonna be like this from now on, are you?" she asked warily, swatting his thick bicep when he reached for her again.

"I'll see if I can stop," Jason smirked, pulling her to him so abruptly that the petite brunette actually yelped when their hips crashed together. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, letting her pull him into a kiss and set the pace. She sighed contentedly into his mouth and smoothed her small hands up his thick biceps to his broad shoulders and finally wrapped them around his neck, opening up to him and mewing when he accepted the invitation.

Neither heard the approaching footsteps until it was too late, and Bobbie Spencer was swallowing a chuckle as she strode up the cobbled walkway only to see Elizabeth melting in her nephew's arms.

"Good morning," she beamed, smiling cattily when Elizabeth hastily pulled away from Jason upon hearing her walk up. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

The brunette blushed and her nephew rolled his eyes, not amused with his aunt's harmless teasing. "Morning, Bobbie. I was just…going inside."

"I know what you were just doing, Elizabeth," the older woman replied sweetly, her shoulders shaking on a suppressed laugh when the young woman's blush deepened. "But there's no rush; we don't open for about ten minutes. Are you coming inside, Jason? Can we get you some coffee?"

"Coffee would be great," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I could really use it today-" he was cut off by the ring of his cell phone and he flashed both women an apologetic look as he stepped back to answer it. "Sorry."

Bobbie turned her sights on Elizabeth as Jason spoke quietly into the phone, and the two women chatted until he was done.

"Who was it?" Elizabeth asked, noting the pleased look in Jason's eyes.

"Lorenzo," he answered, tugging on his earlobe as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "He wanted to know if I was free to work on some of his cars."

Both Bobbie and Elizabeth were beaming up at him. "That's great!" the younger woman exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Your first day and you've already got something to work on. How awesome is that?"

"That's wonderful news, Jason," his aunt smiled warmly, patting his arm in her matronly way. "So you're opening the garage today for sure?"

He nodded, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. "Yup, today's the day."

"Elizabeth, you've seen the garage, right?" Bobbie asked, remembering Jason saying something about showing it to her a while back.

The brunette nodded, doing her best to look casual. "Yeah, I've seen it."

"What do you think?" Bobbie asked seriously. "It's nice, but…"

The brunette immediately saw where she was heading, and voiced her agreement. "…it could use a bit more of a personal touch."

Jason looked at the two women as if they had lost their minds. "What are you talking about? It's fine."

"It's a bit plain, dear," Bobbie told him gently, pursing her lips together. "You should spruce it up a bit – oh! I know! What about plants? Have you thought about plants, Jason?"

Elizabeth did her best not to giggle as Jason made a face. "I don't like plants."

"Well, how about some artwork or something?" Bobbie persisted, not noticing how Jason's eyes twinkled as he glanced at Elizabeth.

"I think I can work on that," he answered glibly. "I know just the artist for the job."

Bobbie glanced at Elizabeth and smiled. "Now that's a start! Ooh, what about curtains? Oh, Elizabeth, have you seen the windows? They're as bare as prison windows!"

"I know," the brunette agreed, wrapping her hand around Jason's thick bicep. "Jason, you need curtains."

He looked like he had just eaten something rancid. "I don't like curtains. They're all lacy and wispy and I don't like them."

"Jason," the brunette beauty sighed, rolling her eyes. "Not all curtains have to be girly. We'll find you some nice curtains."

"I don't want curtains."

"Manly curtains!" she exclaimed, flexing her muscles and looking at him expectantly.

She might as well have been speaking in tongues. "There's no such thing."

"Oh, Jason, you are no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun – you're the one that's crazy."

Bobbie tilted her head to the side as she listened to the two of them bicker. Elizabeth was talking circles around her poor, bewildered nephew, going on about valances and window treatments and potted plants – not because she actually believed in any of it, but because she enjoyed confusing Jason.

The older woman shook her head and quietly slipped into the diner. It couldn't have happened to a more deserving boy.

"I'm so going to turn this into a column," Emily O'Brien sighed happily over her steaming mug of hot chocolate. "Ooh – maybe a weeklong series column! Yes! I'll call it Why Fools Fall In Love. I can see it now, and it's glorious. Wait – maybe I'll turn it into a book!"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as she sipped her own hot chocolate, swiping the whipped cream off her lip with the tip of her tongue. "And I'm not going to see a dime for this, am I?"

"I told you," Emily replied sweetly as she batted her lashes, the very picture of innocence and magnanimity. "That's the wonderful thing about our friendship – we don't let money matters taint it."

"Yeah, yeah," the brunette huffed, hunkering down with her mug once more. "I'm glad I make such a fascinating case study, Em."

"Aww, you're so supportive," the redhead gushed, shouldering her with a laugh. "I swear, I'm going to set up an appointment with my publisher right now. I hope she buys it."

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth snorted. "Irene's been after you for years to put out a book; she'll be thrilled that you finally came up with something. Oh, I'm sorry; I mean, she'll be thrilled that you finally found something else from my life to steal and print."

Her best friend laughed and set her mug down on the table. "Seriously, though, Elizabeth, your life has the makings of a sappy romantic comedy. It's even got the time-honored cliché of a deception gone awry ending with the happily ever after. It's so fricking sweet I feel like I should be brushing my teeth after I talk about it."

Instead of glaring at the redhead, Elizabeth felt her lips relax into a bright, beaming smile. "It does, doesn't it? I could be the next Bridget Jones. And I wouldn't even have to gain 50 lbs for the role."

"Please, Bridget Jones has nothing on you," Emily assured her playfully before becoming serious. "Honestly, though, Liz, I'm so glad everything worked out."

The brunette traced a finger around the edge of her mug. "It almost didn't," she admitted. "I'm so fortunate that Jason isn't the type of guy to hold a grudge."

"Or be petty," Emily agreed. "I mean, he might be a total neanderthal, but he was really on the ball with this one."

Elizabeth glared at her, not pleased. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. Anyway, I'm just glad that this whole thing turned out okay. It could have gone so badly. I mean, I was so stupid; I never should have done any of that in the first place."

"Okay, pact-time," Emily interrupted, holding out her pinky. "We, Emily Bowen O'Brien and Elizabeth Imogene Webber swear never to anything as retarded as this again. Pinky swear."

"Pinky swear," Elizabeth agreed, sealing the deal with her little finger just as they had since they were young.

"So, what do you think you're going to be doing after work today?"

She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "I think I'll probably end up dropping by the garage."

Instead of jumping on that like Elizabeth thought she would, Emily just glanced down at her watch. "How much longer are you on break?"

"Um…about six minutes. Why?"

The redhead's grin was downright wicked as she set down her mug and raised her brows triumphantly. "I want to set the world record for Most Crude Jokes About Sex Made In Six Minutes."

The sun was setting when Jason Morgan heard the audible click of heels on his driveway. He quickly set down his wrench and wheeled himself out from under the massive Lincoln Continental in his garage and tried to get a glimpse of who it was. What he saw made his lips break out in an easy smile.

Elizabeth, dressed in her simple jeans and a t-shirt was walking up his driveway with her favorite canvas tote bag tucked under her arm. She wore a similar grin as he did and quickly covered the distance between them.

"Hey," she smiled as he wiped his grimy hands on his jeans before reaching for her. His lips crashed against hers in a hard but surprisingly chaste kiss and she looked around when he pulled back, admiring the new facilities. "How's work going?"

"Not too bad," he replied, setting his tools on a nearby bench. "I was going to call it a day in about ten minutes. You want to go out and get some dinner?"

"Sure," she agreed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Can we take the bike?"

He was nodding as he turned and scrounged around for something on his somewhat cluttered workbench. "Yeah, but I have to give you something first."

She tried to peek over his shoulder but he was already turning around and pressing a silver piece of metal down into her palm. Grasping it with her fingers, she peered up at him with wide eyes. "A key?"

"A key," he shrugged, not wanting to scare her with any weighty implications she wasn't ready for. "Just in case you drop by and I'm not here – I want you to be able to let yourself in."

To his relief, she smiled easily back and reached into her tote bag for her own keys. They were hidden under the pair of shorts and t-shirt she had also stowed in there – just in case – and it took her a minute to get them out. Soon, she was adding the new key to the ring and tossing them back in her bag. "Great. You wanna wash up and then go?"

"Yeah," he nodded, ushering her into the house and locking up the garage. "There's some beer in the fridge if you want one. I don't think I have any food yet, though."

Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was rolling her eyes as she stepped into the kitchen. "Typical guy."

Jason couldn't help but smirk as he passed behind her, making sure to nip at her ear as he did so. "Honey, there isn't anything typical about me."

She was laughing as he let himself into the bathroom and began to wash his hands. When he was done, he came back out to see her sitting on the counter and drinking a cold beer. Apparently, she decided that she didn't want the whole thing and handed it over to him. He ambled up the stairs to change his clothes, and just as he had tucked a clean shirt into the waistband of the jeans, she appeared in the doorway.

"You still haven't put the drawers into the dresser," she teased, the laughter evident in her voice as she leaned against the doorjamb.

He shrugged his shoulders, looking over at the pathetic piece of furniture. "I was gonna get around to it." His saw her glancing discreetly at his unmade bed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So…are you going to stay tonight?"

She gazed back at him from under thick, curly raven lashes. "Are you asking me to?"

"Yeah," he replied without hesitation. "I'm asking you to stay."

Her smile was small but illuminating. "Then I will definitely stay."