Chapter Three

Jax paced around the dining room. "Carly won't answer her cell. I'm going to her room."

"I'm coming with you ." Sam said

In the elevator, a second after Jason said "Marry me."

Carly said, "Okay."

Because she couldn't say no. She never would to Jason. But the hope lasted only a moment.

Jason quickly moved his arm from around her shoulder. And she went cold. A bone chilling frozenness sunk into her.

Carly laughed, the sound a lonely ache come to life. "Don't worry, I know you are not serious about wanting to marry me."

"I am." He felt around in the dark until he took her hand in his. He slid her engagement ring off her finger.

"Don't play, Jase."

"When have I ever played you?"

"Never. That is why I don't understand this."

"You said you want to marry me and that is the only thing that will stop you from marrying Jax, right?"

"Yes. But what about Sam?"

"Like you care if she is hurt."

"But you do." Carly reasoned

"Of course I do."

"Jason! Give me back my ring and stop joking around." She started patting him down but couldn't find the ring. She angrily got to her feet.

"I can not believe this!" she ranted into the dark "How could you? How dare you joke about this! You know how I feel about you! This is low. I would never do something like this to you."

He stood up and took hold of her arm. "I'm not joking. If I have to marry you to keep you from a fourth marriage to the wrong man then I will."

She jerked away from him. "Have to? I waited half my life to hear If I have to from you? I thought I would take you however I could get you.

But I guess I was lying to myself because this...isn't enough."

She moved close to him, until he was backed against the wall and their bodies were pressed together.

"I wanted it all, Jase. I wanted ..." her lips brushed ever so gently over his. She went to pull away, only wanting to show him what he could have had, when his hand moved behind her head and deepened the kiss.

Jason didn't think about his fiancee waiting for him somewhere in this very hotel, everything with Sam had been strained for a long while, and their engagement was more like a last chance to make it work than a reconciliation.

Instead he let his body take what it craved. Jason deepened the kiss until there was no doubt in Carly's mind he wanted her.

Somehow in the last few years Jason had stopped saying no when he wanted to say yes. And right now he wanted this, her, more than he had ever wanted any other woman.

They didn't speak. That would have risked the moment. They might have stopped unbuttoning buttons and sliding off garments until they were skin to skin. In the pitch black darkness they made love desperately, as if the world would end when the elevator doors slid open.

Jax used his key to enter Carly's room. He called her name.

"They aren't here." said Sam "Do you think they headed to the dining room to find us?"

"We would have saw them in the stairwell."

"So? Where are they?"

"Wherever they are, they're together."

"Good. Jason will take care of Carly."

"Sam, how have you survived this long being that naive? Or is it only Jason you can't see the truth about?"

Sam asked, "Don't you trust your fiancee?"

Jax shot back, "Don't you know yours is in love with his best friend?"