Jason leaned against the bar propping his thick soled boot on the brass foot rest as he watched Leo and Tom throwing darts near by. Tom had tried to no avail to get Jason to play with him but he just wasn't in the mood. Lately Jason hadn't been in the mood for much of anything – except for maybe a petite brunette who shall remain nameless. Ever since that day in the garage Jason found himself thinking about Elizabeth Ryan more than he wanted to. The fact that she had such knowledge of engines, cars and racing in general had him noticeably intrigued – if not even a little astonished. Jason wasn't at all accustomed to women being a part of the circuit except if anything more than window dressing. And while Elizabeth was certainly beautiful to say the least, Jason couldn't help but think there was far more to Ms. Ryan than just a pretty face.

Jason took a swallow from his long neck bottle of beer as his mind wandered back to the Ryan garage. There she stood helping him with the hood of his car, pointing out the tiniest of oil leaks and doing it all looking as natural as natural could be. He'd lost count of how many times that night he resisted the urge to reach out and push away a lock of her chestnut hair that insisted on covering her amazing cobalt eyes. He saw those blue orbs in his sleep that night and the pout of her red lips. She plagued his thoughts and his dreams to the point that he ended up spending most the night starring up at the ceiling trying to talk himself out of thinking about her. It didn't matter that she was beautiful or that she knew her way around a racecar like no other woman he ever met or even the fact that he was so comfortable with her that it scared him. What did matter though was that she was Pat Ryan's only daughter and for Jason he knew that spelled trouble anyway he looked at it.

Tom stood by as Leo threw another perfect bullseye. He grumbled under his breath as he watched the score on Jorgenson's side of the dart board climb. Tom was more than a little agitated. He hadn't wanted to play with Leo. Darts was something he, Jason and even Jake did but when Jason so adamantly refused and Leo eagerly stepped up to take his place, Tom was left with little choice but to agree. Leo was working on his third win and well Tom had had just about enough. As Leo continued with his winning streak, Tom looked over at Jason who appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. He studied his friend carefully trying to gauge Jason's expression. Tom hated that all of the sudden there seemed to be this widening gap between the pair. It was like the loss of Jake's influence had left Jason flapping in the wind and as much as Tom tried to reign his friend in it just wasn't happening.

"You up for another game?" Leo asked invading Tom's thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You want to play another game?" Leo said again.

Tom looked at the board only to see that Leo had beaten him again. The competitor in him got the better of him and he found himself agreeing to go another round. "Yeah, sure."

"You want another beer?" Leo raised his bottle in the air indicating he was heading to the bar for another round of drinks.

"Sure," Tom answered pulling the brightly colored darts from the electronic board.

Tom was determined not to let Leo get the better of him this time around. He hated to lose and losing to Leo only seemed to make matters worse. Yet this game the pair appeared evenly matched to the point that Tom was nearly beating the man he considered his rival. It all came down to his last throw. All Tom needed was six points and he would be successful in winning. He could easily do that – in his sleep he thought. But the sight of Elizabeth Ryan walking into the bar suddenly made what should have been simple impossible. The dart flew from Tom's hand and missed the board completely piercing the wall beside it leaving another tell tell mark of lesser players. He didn't even bother looking in the direction of his shot but rather his eyes were fixed on Elizabeth as she stood looking around the room.

It was the sound of the dart making contact with the wall that caught Jason's attention. He looked over at Tom and Leo and almost laughed at his friend's piss poor shot until his eyes followed Tom's gaze across the room only to see Elizabeth Ryan entering the bar. Immediately his breath hitched in his throat. She was as stunning as he recalled. There she stood in tight black jeans that hugged every inch of her curvy body, cropped white tank top that barely grazed the waist of her pants and short black leather jacket. Jason felt his pulse quicken and he took a gulp of his cold beer hoping to squelch the fire suddenly burning in the pit of his stomach as he stared at her.

Elizabeth's steps faltered as her eyes came to rest on of all people Jason Morgan. She pressed her lids closed and forced them open again hoping that perhaps the figure was only a figment of her over active imagination however that wasn't the case. There he stood leaning against the bar. Immediately she felt her body begin to tingle even though she willed it not to. His denim shirt hung open grazing loosely against his muscular frame covered by the taut gray fabric of the tee shirt that stretched across his broad chest. Absently she rubbed her palms against her jeans as they had begun to perspire. 'Damn,' she thought.

It was finally Leo's turn to swing around and see who or what Tom was so intently staring at. It was then he saw his friend. "Liz," he bellowed from across the large room as he closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug surprised but equally glad to see her. "You girls out to paint the town red?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Leo was more than aware of Elizabeth and Melanie King's penchant for turning the town on its ear.

"You might say that," Elizabeth smiled back.

"How about I buy you ladies your first drink of the night?"

"Sounds good to me," Elizabeth agreed grabbing Melanie by the hand as she followed Leo towards the bar – towards Jason. Once standing there sandwiched between Leo and Jason she desperately tried to remind herself how to breathe.

"What'll it be ladies?" the large man behind the bar asked.

"Beer for me."

"Me too," Melanie agreed as she did her best to look anywhere but at Leo whose stare she could feel piercing her body. Looking for a means of escape she leaned forward trying to get Elizabeth's attention. "How about we grab a table?" she suggested.

"Sure," Elizabeth agreed needing her own means of escape yet reluctant to leave Jason's side just the same.

"Elizabeth, hi," Tom said finally finding enough of his voice to join them.

"Hey," she replied.

"How's it going?"

"Good and you?" she questioned feeling a bit uneasy at the way he stood in front of her.

"Great, just great." Tom wanted to kick himself for how stupid he knew he sounded but something about being that close to her always made him take leave of his senses.

"That's good," Elizabeth said trying to look passed his shoulder to where Melanie had now taken seat. "Are you liking it at Ryan Racing?" she asked feeling obligated to continue with their conversation.

"It's great! I'm loving it."

"Good." She shifted back on her black heeled boots again looking for an escape route.

"Liz," Melanie's impatient voice came from across the room as she motioned to the empty seat at the table she had gotten them.

"If you'll excuse me," she said inching her way passed Tom who gave her barely enough room to squeeze by him. He enjoyed the way her body was forced to make contact with his.

Jason watched his friend's eyes linger on Elizabeth's retreating form a little longer than he thought they should have. He grip around his beer tightened a bit and his jaw clenched suddenly feeling incredibly overprotective of a woman he barely knew.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Melanie questioned as Elizabeth slipped into the chair across from her.

"What do you mean what do I think I am doing?" She was noticeably confused by Melanie's remark not to mention that she was having more than a difficult time keeping her eyes from focusing on the bar – on Jason Morgan. She was thankful that Melanie had taken the seat that allowed her full view of Leo, Tom and most importantly Jason. Elizabeth knew herself well enough to know that that vantage point wouldn't have served her in the least. If anything it would have only made matters worse.

"Don't play dumb with me Liz. You really expect me to believe that we just happened to show up at the same bar as Leo?" Melanie tapped her French manicured nails against the scarred table top in disbelief. "It's not going to work!" she said forcefully.

"What's not going to work?"

"This attempt at trying to get us together. I told you that already." As Melanie spoke those words her eyes trailed the length of Leo's frame as he stood at the bar talking intently with Jason and Tom. How she wanted to look away but something about the easy air he had around him made it almost impossible for her to do so. And when he laughed at something funny that he just been told him Melanie felt her heart jump. God it was happening again. She was falling and she had to put a stop to it.

Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder following her friend's stare right to the face of none other than Leo Jorgenson. An all-knowing smile curved on her muted red lips. It didn't matter how much Melanie denied it it was more than obvious that Leo had gotten her attention. Elizabeth snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face. "You want to try telling me that again?" she giggled.

Melanie felt her face flush at being caught in what she considered more than a compromising gaze. "What?" she said taking a swig from her bottle of beer trying to hide from her friend's all knowing eyes.

"You know what!" Elizabeth asserted looking again at where Leo stood. "Are you still going to tell me you aren't in the least bit interested in Leo?"

"It doesn't matter if I am or if I'm not. We both know how it's going to end – badly."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do Liz. It's inevitable."

Elizabeth let out a groan as she watched her friend cross her arms over her chest in stubborn determination. This was going to be much harder than she ever imagined.

Tom stood between Jason and Leo yet he hadn't heard a word either of them had said. His entire attention was focused on the table that was only mere feet away. Even though he couldn't see Elizabeth's face he studied her frame just the same. Her dark hair fell in soft waves down her back and the overhead strobe lights bounced off it with a brilliant sheen. His pulse quickened as he watched her slip off her leather jacket and hang it on the back of her chair. The creamy skin of her shoulders revealed by the thin spaghetti straps of her tank begged to be touched to the point that Tom felt his palms begin to itch. When Elizabeth and Melanie got up from their seats Tom expected them to make their way to where the three of them stood however they headed toward the dance floor instead.

Elizabeth had given up that evening on trying to get Melanie to see the error of her ways when it came to Leo. All their continued conversation had been successful in doing was frustrating the both of them so when the DJ began playing some driving 80's tune and Melanie suggested that they dance Elizabeth willing joined her on the floor. Once out on the inlay wooden floor with the heavy bass pulsating through her body Elizabeth decided that for tonight she would let her friend think she won this battle but she reassured herself that Melanie wouldn't be winning the war.

Slowly the dance floor filled with other of the bar's patrons and Elizabeth took the opportunity of her crowded surroundings to direct not only her attention but her stare in the direction of the bar – the direction where Jason was still standing. She studied him carefully without his knowledge. She liked how the corners of his mouth puckered when he smiled or the way his eyes glinted when he laughed. He had now discarded his denim shirt, as the temperature in the bar began to climb several degrees, revealing to her again his gray tee shirt pulled tight against his muscular chest. Elizabeth felt her body quiver uncontrollably as she thought about what it would feel like to run her hands across Jason's torso. All of the sudden it was like the movements of her body had a life of their own as she allowed herself to get lost in the heavy beat of the music never once taking her eyes off of him.

Jason took the beer that Tom offered him and to those around him it appeared as if he was enthralled in all the talk of racing that the other two men were engaged in. Jason was indeed enthralled with something but it was a far cry from NASCAR statistics – it was Elizabeth Ryan and the way her body moved on the dance floor. Easily he brought the frosted bottle to his lips as his eyes lingered on the sway of her hips and the way her white tank rode up further on her stomach when she raised her arms high in the air. Jason's gaze followed every movement she made and felt a warmth grow from his groin that took him more than a little by surprise. He shifted uneasy as his mind entertained thoughts that he wasn't able to control when it came to Elizabeth.

The pounding music slowed as one song melded into another and those on the dance floor began coupling as the soft sounds of a ballad filled the room. Elizabeth and Melanie took the opportunity to head to the bar to quench the thirst they had worked up.

"Two beers please," Elizabeth said from the end of the bar. She stole a sideways glance at Jason who was now sitting on one of the high backed barstools.

"I got those," Tom said putting his twenty dollar bill over the money Elizabeth laid on the bar. Jason watched how quickly she pulled her hand out from under his.

"Thank you," she said almost reluctantly and handed one bottle to Melanie who was doing her best to look anywhere but at Leo.

"Looks like you lost your table," Leo said pointing across the room showcasing the table that had been using was now occupied. "Why don't you join us?" he suggested. His reasoning was two fold – one for his best friend and one for himself. Even though he wouldn't dare to admit it to Elizabeth he liked Melanie and wanted to get to know her better even though the young red head sent out blaring warning signals saying keep away. The other reason being the way Elizabeth looked at Jason and he returned the stares. It was funny how two people trying so hard not to be obvious could be doing such a horrible job. Leo almost laughed wondering if either of them knew how bad they were at it.

"Sure," Elizabeth spoke for both of them as Melanie gave her the look of death from behind Leo's back.

Elizabeth and Melanie slid into the stools that Tom and Leo willingly vacated standing behind each of the young women. To the outside world it would have looked like they were couples and something about the idea of Elizabeth and Tom in that scenario had Jason's senses heightened. He sat beside the foursome adding to their conversation now and again all the while his concentration was centered on Elizabeth.

"Jas, man," Tom's voice prodded for his attention. "How about we show these ladies how it's done?"

"Huh?" Jason had missed the entire conversation where Tom and extolled their virtues as expert dart players having won the last three tournaments they had entered as a team.

"Darts man," Tom said waving the brightly colored feathers in his friend's face. "These two seem to think that they can beat us. I say no way!" Tom puffed out his chest as if to show his manly prowess.

"I don't think so," Jason returned quietly as he looked at Elizabeth thinking to himself that he needed to steer clear of her not put himself nearer to her.

"What you chicken Morgan?" Melanie said mockingly. "You afraid us two meager women will whip the pants off the two you?" Like Leo she too had taken notice of the not so subtle way Jason and Elizabeth had been trying so artfully to ignore one another and failing miserably. That coupled with the conversation she had witnessed between Elizabeth and her father earlier that centered around Jason Morgan had Melanie more than a little eager to turn the tables on her friend and play matchmaker herself.

"Hardly," Jason laughed amused by the red head's attitude. "I just don't feel much like playing."

"Well then," Tom began. "I'll take you both on." He wasn't willing to give up the opportunity of being close to Elizabeth.

"I'll play," Leo spoke up.

Tom did his best not to roll his eyes at the remark. But when Elizabeth and Melanie headed to the dart board with Leo in tow he followed along deciding to make the best of it. Much to Tom's surprise the two girls were quite good. He enjoyed watching them jump around and squeal with each bulleyes made. They were so good in fact that they easily beat Tom and Leo the first game.

"Best two out of three," Tom suggested.

"You're on!" Melanie said eagerly. She was enjoying herself more than she imagined she would playing darts especially with Leo. For that moment in time she allowed herself to not think about all of her failed relationship or how badly things ended most of the time before they even started and just ran with the laughter and the fun.

Jason sat at the bar watching the four of them laughing and playing suddenly wishing he had agreed to play. Each time that Elizabeth made a good shot and would high five Leo, Jason felt a pang of jealousy. He knew that Leo and Elizabeth had been friends ever since he joined Ryan Racing years before but that still didn't stop the green eyed monster from surfacing now and again. But it was the way that Tom placed himself against Elizabeth every chance he got that really had Jason seeing red. This wasn't like him at all. Most of the time he was more than happy to see his friend find someone but the idea of that someone being Elizabeth Ryan wasn't sitting well with him.

"Looks like you girls owe us a dance," Tom said as Leo pulled the last dart from the board. "We won that's the deal."

Melanie and Elizabeth looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. The music was loud and fast what would one dance hurt both of them thought. Tom excitedly took Elizabeth's hand and snaked his way to the middle of the floor. This was what he had been waiting for all night – a chance to be close to her.

Elizabeth occasionally glanced over at Leo and Melanie who much to her surprised appeared to be enjoying themselves. She thought maybe if she didn't push so hard things would just happen naturally – yet there was a part of her that wasn't sure she could just leave it all up to fate. Fate hadn't been her friend many times in her life up until now.

Again the music around them slowed and Elizabeth took that as their cue to vacate the dance floor yet Tom had other plans as he reached for her arm and pulled her against his chest circling his arms around her tiny waist not giving her much wiggle room.

When the floor cleared a bit, Jason sat up straight in his seat when he saw Tom and Elizabeth pressed against one another swaying to the melodic music. He tried to stop the urge he had to go out there and physically part them. He needed to remember that Tom was his best friend and the he himself didn't have a single claim on Elizabeth Ryan other than the ones floating around in his brain. Yet there was something in the way that she held her body tight – almost tense even that had all the bells and whistles going off in Jason's head. And when he got a glimpse of her face as they circled around once more Jason knew he wasn't reading the signals wrong – she wasn't at all happy about where she was. In fact she looked downright uncomfortable. So Jason found himself striding across the room weaving his way through the other dancing couples until he was standing in front of them.

"Mind if I cut in?" Jason asked yet took Elizabeth by the hand before Tom had the time to object. Easily his larger hand swallowed her smaller one as Tom looked on watching Elizabeth melt against Jason in a way she hadn't with him. Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans Tom made his way to the bar and ordered himself a shot and a beer never once taking his eyes off of his best friend and the girl he wanted for his own. Quickly he downed the shot and signaled he wanted another. The second one burned a path into the pit of his stomach only serving to enrage the fire growing there. How was it that Jason Morgan came out on top of most things without so much as breaking a sweat? Tom asked himself. He had spent the better portion of his life watching so many things come so easily to the blonde whether it be his mechanical skills, his ability as a driver not to mention the women that seemed to circle around him. Even back as far as high school Tom had watched Jason glide effortlessly through his life. He wished he wasn't angered by it all but ultimately deep down he was and now looking on as Jason held Elizabeth Ryan close that image only served to fuel the fire that over the years Tom had kept at a controlled burn. Tom promised himself that there would be no repeat performances of times gone by and he was by far out of the game for Elizabeth's affections.

Gently Elizabeth laid her head against Jason's chest. He towered over her by nearly a foot yet his stature made her feel anything but dwarfed. Dancing there wrapped in his arms she felt like she owned the world and that was an odd sensation for her. She listened to his heart beating rhythmically and loved the way his hands gently circled her back occasionally making contact with her bare skin. His touch set her on fire.

Jason rested his chin on the top of Elizabeth's head drinking in her scent as a stray curl of her hair tickled his nose. He liked the way her body fit against his – almost in a perfect way. He felt the rise and fall of her chest against his own and quickly he found their breathing synchronizing to one another. His body tingled when she tightened her grip around him trying to keep herself upright as they tripped over each other's feet each giving out a laugh at their clumsiness. It was at the moment that their eyes locked blue to blue and before Jason knew what was happening he was leaning towards her perfectly formed mouth. If it hadn't been for the sudden change in tempo it was almost certain that he would have kissed her. That thought in and of itself sent a million red flags up in Jason's head to the point that he dropped Elizabeth's hands and bolted from the bar without looking back.