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Chapter 6

"Thanks." Liz said smiling as Jason held her chair out. When he leaned forward she raised her head to receive his kiss. She had noticed that after making love earlier he had been kissing and touching her more. She was very much enjoying that. She wasn't highly tactile, but he was going to be the exception.

"Be right back." Jason said going into the kitchen and returning with a plate. "I made you an omelet." He also brought over a mug of tea for her. He sat down joining her despite the fact that he wasn't eating anything. They were on the terrace enjoying the warmth of the late spring sunshine.

"Thank you." Liz picked up her fork and started eating. "I love your omelets."

"I know." Jason had made them for her on numerous occasions. He was becoming more confident in the kitchen with some help from Sonny. Elizabeth was definitely the better cook of the two of them. She cooked for him at least one a week and Jason always looked forward to an evening in her company. Now that they were a couple he was guessing the number of meals they shared would go up. There was a way to ensure that. "I was serious."

"About what?" Liz asked putting more eggs in her mouth. She was hungry. Normally when she was upset or stressed the opposite was true. When her grandmother passed away she lost five pounds between the time she died and the funeral.

"The offer to move in." Jason put his mug down and leaned on the table. "It's not as crazy as it sounds." He said ready to convince her to his way of thinking. They hadn't even gone on a real date yet, and he was talking about them living together.

"We just made a major change to our relationship. We should probably let that settle first." Liz was trying to be mature about this decision and not just go pack up all her stuff. She didn't want him to get sick of her always being around so soon in their relationship.

"We both knew this change was coming. So it's not a surprise." Jason reached over and snagged one of her hands since she was done eating. "We've been heading here for years." Because they took their time, they were stronger than most new couples. "I know more about you than anyone else in my life. I've seen your bad habits and you've seen mine. When you come over, I hate when you leave."

"I hate leaving here too. Or when you leave my place." Liz had no problem admitting that.

"Going all in can seem a little scary." Jason said starting to smile. "But I think that we are up to the challenge."

"It doesn't seem scary at all." Liz answered his smile with one of his own. "Which is why I'm asking if this is the right move. Our systems are still humming with endorphins, and I'm dealing with what happened with Logan. Right now living alone is not something I'm at all interested in." She explained what she was thinking. "It's always said that you shouldn't make a major life decision when your emotions are running high." He was still in full on protection mode.

Jason tugged on her hand and when she came over he pushed his chair back so Elizabeth could sit on his lap. "You are worried that you are using me? Or that I'm trying to rescue you?" He thought that was what she was getting at.

"Yes. Although the worry that I'm hiding behind you, or that you are trying to shelter me from life, is really very small. But I think it's important that we admit those impulses are there." Liz let him know. They could talk about anything, and it was good to see adding sex to the equation wasn't changing that. Yes it would change other things, but the lines of communication had to stay open.

"You're right it is important that we not lie about the fact that Logan kidnapping you does affect things. You are also right in that it's not the main reason for me making this request or you accepting it." Jason wanted her to know.

"The main reason for me to say yes it that I want to be with you. That's really what my decision comes down to. What we have is new, but it's already strong. Stronger than any relationship I've had before. Being intimate with one another has enhanced the connection we share, which is how it should be." Liz was opening her heart to him. She was falling in love with him and that made her so happy.

"I don't think you're using me. I'm your guy you should be able to turn to me when you feel scared or hurt or just because. I should be able to turn to you for those same reasons." Jason linked their fingers while grinning. "The second part is true though. I do want to protect you, that's an instinct that will never go away. I want you here, or at a house if you don't want to stay here. I do think it was very mature of you to not just leap into the decision." Neither one of them was impulsive by nature so he got her stopping to take a moment to think about this. That level of maturity was another reason he was falling in love with her. She was an adult, and that was sexy.

"I love it here." Liz leaned forward and gave him a kiss that was supposed to be short but wasn't. "If I leave my keys can a crew bring my things over while we are gone?" Decision made.

"They can bring your things over today." Jason just needed to make a call. He was ready to do this.

"My clothes and personal items can come over first. I'll need to figure out what to do with my furniture." This felt so incredibly right.

"You can redecorate." He let her know. Furniture was not something he was overly attached to.

Liz just laughed. "I created the current look, so no I'm not going to change it." She loved the warm and homey feel of the penthouse. Lots of earth tones that would relax you at the end of the day. Her personal stamp was already on what was now their home. "In fact your place and my former apartment look a lot alike." She said that with a wide smile.

"I noticed that." Jason just had more furniture than she did. But it was in the same style and general color palette. "You have more accent pieces and more art. Those things will look good here."

"That they will." Liz gave him another quick kiss. "I'll take my plate in and you can call the crew. I'd like for them to bring everything over tomorrow after we are gone." Putting things away would distract from her day with Jason.

"That will not be a problem." Jason stood up and followed her inside. He would call the crew first, and then call Trent so that a key could be made for Elizabeth.

"The crew is all set for tomorrow. When we leave in the morning just drop your keys off with Trent." Jason stood up as she came down the stairs. When she walked over to where he was waiting the urge to kiss her started pressing down on him. So he did. Kissing wasn't something he did a lot of with past girlfriends but with Elizabeth it was becoming an obsession.

"So what shall we do now?" Liz wanted to know.

"I was thinking a bike ride." Jason needed to get them out of the penthouse before he threw her over his shoulder and took them back upstairs. He had no doubt that he would have her again, soon, but they weren't going to spend the entire day in bed.

"I will never say no to that. Fortunately my things are already in the penthouse." Liz took his hand and pulled him over to the closet. Last weekend he had picked her up for a day trip on the bike. They ended up back at the Towers before getting a call inviting them out with Cody and Nadine. They took the SUV because it had started raining so her jacket and helmet had just remained here. The boots she had been wearing last night because they were stylish, comfortable, and looked great with jeans.

A grin spread across his face when she slipped into her leather jacket. He had offered to purchase the riding equipment for her. The offer was declined which wasn't that surprising. Elizabeth rarely let him buy her anything, always saying she didn't need much. That would be changing now that she was his girlfriend. Not long after that conversation she called him up and asked to go for a ride. The white leather jacket and matching helmet had been a surprise. She just smirked and said that she wanted to still be stylish while zooming down the highway.

"Would you like go to nowhere or ride along the cliff roads?" He wanted to know as he opened the door.

"That is a very tough call." Liz loved riding to both locations. The ride along the cliff roads had been what inspired her painting The Wind. The urge to create it had been somewhat surprising because she hadn't put a picture on canvas since her college art classes. But that image just wouldn't leave her. It was in her studio. She was going to bring here because she wanted it in their home.

The cliff roads was a longer ride, but nowhere would mean a ride out plus them stopping to hang out. She looked at the clock on the wall. "Would you mind swinging by the post office before we go on our ride?"

"Not at all." Jason responded as they stepped into the elevator.

"Then I'd like to go to nowhere." She thought the peaceful atmosphere would help keep the relaxed vibe of the day going. Liz was very much in the moment, but in the back her mind memories of last night were trying to push forward. This was normal, and she couldn't ignore them indefinitely, they just didn't get center stage right now. "I want to apply to change my address before we go out. It can take up to two weeks for that to go through so that gives me time to get my loft cleaned, and painted. I also need my lease broken."

"Diane can handle the paperwork when she's feeling better. A crew can handle everything else." Jason escorted his girl over to where his Fat Boy Lo was parked. Last year he had gotten a new bike and he took her along as he picked the parts for the custom machine. She found the process fascinating, and he had driven from the dealership right to her apartment the day he picked it up so she would be the first to see it. "Anything else you need to do for the move while we are out?"

"No. This will be the easiest move I've ever had." Liz smiled up at him before putting her helmet on her head. Once Jason was on the Harley, she mounted up as well. Shortly after that they were rolling out of the garage and speeding down the road.


"I love it here." Liz said as they walked down the path to the tree where they generally sat when they were out here. "How did you discover this place?" They hadn't ever talked about that.

"Driving around one night. I was still living at the mansion and I'd had another fight with my parents and grandfather, I jumped on the bike and started riding." Jason helped her over an uneven patch of ground. "I had only owned the bike for about a week at that point and I hadn't really been out much. I almost drove off the bridge." He could laugh about that now but it had scared the crap out of him at the time.

"Seriously?" Liz stopped and looked at him. Nowhere had a bridge that had been broken during a storm. The drop off was huge which was why people were discouraged from coming out here.

He hadn't meant to scare her. "Seriously." If he could lie he would have backtracked some, but softening the story couldn't happen. "I haven't driven out onto the bridge since." He kept the fact that the bridge was unstable enough that it had shook hard as he backed the Harley up. Jason sat down and help out his hand. "Have a seat." Normally she sat beside him, today she sat on his lap.

"So what's been going on in your life that I don't know about?" Jason asked her. Even as often as they talked, he still missed things. She could say the same. With them living together that would no longer be the case.

"I think I found a location for my boutique." Liz had been planning on sharing this over the weekend because she would hopefully have more information.

"Where at?" Jason was hoping that she had picked a nice neighborhood. The location of her loft had spiked everyone's blood pressure when she first moved in. Sonny had come over to the penthouse and ranted for almost an hour ending with a demand that Jason go make her move. Even her parents had spoken up and they rarely noticed what their daughter did.

It was almost like she could hear the monologue running through his head. Not laughing at the fact that he was bracing himself for her response was hard.

"It's across the park from the hotel." Liz told him. "Carly was the one to call and tell me about it." The fact that her friends unconditionally supported her meant a lot because Liz had met a wall of resistance when she told her parents this was what she planned on doing with her life. They had just assumed she was going into medicine. Her parents had come around when it was clear that she wasn't going to be moving back home because she was broke. "Since I've expanded my line each season for the past few years, I think now is a good time for my own shop. I have enough product to fill a store."

Elizabeth had started her career with just active wear. Then when she was feeling brave she had added daywear. Things like fun dresses for the summer, graphic tees, and jackets. Next a corporate line had followed after her mother complained that women's professional clothing didn't move well with her body when she was at the hospital. This past winter she had added coats and jackets. For the coming fall, that line should be arriving next month which might work well with her new shop, Liz had decided it was time to go glam. So ball gowns would be making their debut in her catalog of clothing. She was hoping to get some of the Nurses' Ball business, as well as snagging some of the corporate holiday party shoppers. She was already looking ahead as well. A line of lingerie was teasing at her brain. Liz was looking to dress women from the inside out, before maybe turning her attention to men. She still wasn't sure about that. If she did go there it wouldn't be for another few years still. Port Charles didn't have a home grown couture designer and she wanted to fill that gap.

Having high profile clients also boosted sales. Her friends were loyal customers, coming to the studio to shop because she didn't want them to pay shipping. Emily had even appeared in the paper in one of Liz's ink stained silk shift dresses, which caused the website to crash. Diane made her cry when she came in and bought the entire corporate line after trying on one suit. Even Jason's grandmother, Mrs. Q., had been seem wearing items. That had left Liz speechless.

"The building that has been sitting empty for the past two years?" Jason asked pulling up his mental map. An unoccupied space on what was essentially lower Main Street was not something the city council was happy about. It didn't reflect well on the harbor town's image. They had started offering all kinds of incentives, like a tax break, when the building began to look abandoned. Still no one was interested. Until now apparently. "What shape is it in?"

"I'm not sure, we haven't been inside." Liz said shrugging her shoulders. "The reason the last owner moved was because of foreclosure, and the guy did some damage before leaving." Probably out of spite. That much was in the seller's disclosure. "Because it's a foreclosure I have to take it as is. Diane said I have room to negotiate the price down some because no one else is even interested, and because it's just sitting there." She explained to him. "The foot traffic that will walk by the shop already has me excited."

Port Charles was a growing city, but small businesses wasn't an area that was rapidly expanding. They were known as the city with not only the top teaching hospital in the country, but cutting edge medical care. Bigger businesses were booming and the entire region was profiting from that. A new convention center just opened which was bringing in business for the hotels. A section of the water front had just been redone into a family friendly pier which was attracting vacationers. New restaurants were opening. Now the city council wanted to encourage other small business to grow so those who came to visit spent their money here.

Jason had to smile as she started rambling. Elizabeth was practically glowing with her excitement. He loved it when she got like this. What he loved even more was that it didn't have to be something big to get this reaction. He had brought back a piece of unformed red glass from a recent trip to Italy. He was going to use it as a paperweight, since he now had an office, but she had fallen in love with. In fact she had spent almost an hour looking at how it reflected the light, and in her next line he saw several pieces that were influenced by it. "How much is the building?"

"Enough that I had to breathe into a paper bag after Diane told me." Liz still got nervous thinking about that number. "She's going to try to negotiate the price down, like I mentioned, and the tax break will help." If she bought the building it came with a ten year tax abatement since it was listed as a fixer upper. "It's going to wipe out almost all my overhead." The risk was worth it though. Liz was convinced this was the moment she had been working for. "No, you can't buy it for me." She saw the question in his eyes.

Jason leaned forward and kissed her. Yeah, he was about to make that offer. "You need to do this on your own."

"Not exactly. I need to pay for the shop on my own. I need to be able to point to it and say I did that." Liz got that on some level she was still trying to prove to her parents that she had made the right choice. She also knew that from this point forward Jason would be there to support her emotionally, and yes financially if she needed it.

"Does that include renovations?" He wanted to know.

"I was going to talk to Cody about that. Since he owns a renovation company." Liz had been surprised to learn that the former solider was actually also a master carpenter. It was how he relaxed, and the company offset his illegal income.

"He's not going to charge you." Jason said laughing. Cody thought of Elizabeth like a little sister.

"I didn't say I was going to hire him." She said smiling wide. "Just that I was going to talk to him." Realistically he wasn't going to let anyone else do the work, so she was already prepping herself to argue with him about paying. Even if it was just for the supplies.

"Good luck with that. I'm going to stay out of that discussion." Jason would let them fight that battle, and he would assuage his girlfriend's guilt when she lost.

"I'm just going to give him a steep discount on my clothes, which he will give to Nadine." Liz knew she wasn't going to win that talk.

"Smart." Jason laughed harder. "As your boyfriend do I get a discount too?"

"I don't think I have anything you'll look good in." She said with a smile. "You have really wide shoulders."

"Brat." He said tugging on one of her curls. "I meant for when I buy gifts for my grandmother or my mom. I'm not buying anything for Em."

Liz knew that Jason was not a fan of his sister's hemlines. Em had amazing legs and she liked to rock a miniskirt. Liz wasn't going to tell her guy that she approved of her friend's style. "I could be persuaded into giving you a discount, in exchange for some kisses."

"It would need to be a deep discount because my kisses are not cheap." He was enjoying this conversation. When they were together he was always a lot lighter. With as stressful as his job could be he needed that.

"Your lips are pretty amazing." She leaned forward and kissed him.

"You don't know the half of it." Jason said letting his voice drop to a husky whisper. "The next time we are in bed together I'd be happy to show you."

"Oh my." She said fanning herself. "I hope you have the skills to back up that swagger Mr. Morgan." There was no doubt in her mind he did.

He gave her a slow sexy smile as his phone rang. "Morgan."

"Hey." Johnny knew that his boss was not home. He also knew that Jason had left the Towers with Liz, but this was information the blonde was going to want. "Sorry to interrupt your afternoon, Logan is awake."

"Is that right?" Jason's smile turned feral. "I'm out with Elizabeth, so that has to wait." There were times he had to drop everything for work, this wasn't one of them.

"He's not going anywhere." Johnny pointed out.

"That's true. Can you please call Sonny for me and tell him Puerto Rico?" Jason had forgotten to call earlier. Asking the guys to do things for him wasn't common, but he wanted to give his partner time to set everything up.

"Are you making me go?" Johnny was hoping to hear the word no.

"Of course I am." Jason said laughing. "I'm hanging up now because you are cutting into time with my girlfriend." Just like that he made it official.

"I'm going to pout throughout the trip." Johnny said already starting. "Bye." He had to go tell everyone that Jason and Liz were dating. Getting gossip first almost made up for having to leave. Almost.

"If you need to leave its fine." This wouldn't be the first time plans of theirs had to change because of work.

"No. Logan is awake." Jason shared with her what he could. "He can wait."

She got quiet and nodded.

"I can go now if you need me to." Jason told her.

"Logan isn't really the problem." Liz started and then stopped. "He is part of the problem. The bigger issue is Zander. I want to know why he had me snatched. Based on how we ended I can't think it was for something good." She couldn't help the shiver that ran through her.

"He won't hurt you again." Jason said looking into her blue eyes. He could see unease, and some fear.

"I know." Liz leaned into Jason. "Believe me I know."

"Want to get back on the bike and ride some more?" Once Zander was located Jason would get the answer to that question.

"Yeah." Liz told herself to let it go.

"Come on." He helped her to her feet. He would send Max a message to meet them at Elizabeth's apartment in about an hour. For now they would just concentrate on the road.


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