AN: So sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I hope to get back to my normal updating schedule very soon. Also, this chapter does contain sexual content. Just a head's up. :)

Prompt: "The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." W.M. Lewis.

Part Twenty-four

"Everyone, get out."

Three male voices spoke at the same time but Jason registered none of them immediately. He continued to stare at Elizabeth, his scowl dark, his heart racing a mile a minute with pure relief to see her alive and ok.

Sonny's registered first. "Jason, maybe you should calm down first, man. Just think…"

"She's so small, I… I could lift her above my head with one arm. You could really hurt her if you're not thinking clearly, Jason. And she's got tender feelings. She's very sensitive when…" Johnny's voice blended in with Sonny's.

Max felt safe to speak his protests at leaving Elizabeth alone with Jason when he was in such a mood when both Johnny and Sonny we're speaking. Jason probably wouldn't be able to hear him. "You must be crazy if you think we are going to leave her here with you right now. It's our job to protect the little miss, even if it's against you." Unfortunately for Max, both Sonny and Johnny stopped speaking, allowing everyone to hear what he was saying.

All he was trying to do was stick up for Elizabeth and now he was going to die.

Jason's dark scowl turned on Max, his jaw ticked three times before Max swallowed. "But I can tell that's not necessary." Max forced out through his swallow. He felt a tight grip on his arm and reached out to pry Elizabeth's fingers off of his forearm.

Jason stared at each of his friends for several seconds. In a low voice, he repeated his earlier statement. "Get out."

Everyone rushed for the door at once, Max and Johnny both went through the opening at the same time, getting stuck because their big shoulders reached both sides of the door-jam. They glared at each other when they hear Jason's low growl, letting them know they were not leaving quick enough.

Elizabeth, trying her hardest to leave with the three men, pushed forcefully on their backs, almost falling forward when the men were free from the door-jam. She recovered quickly and was almost out the door when Jason's low voice stopped her. "You, stay."

She didn't turn around, knew his eyes were boring holes into her back. She cringed, biting forcefully on her lower lip. Sonny moved past her to leave the penthouse, patting her softly on the shoulder. His eyes were sympathetic and when she locked gazes with Johnny and Max, it felt like they were staring at her to get their last image of her before Jason killed her.

She pleaded with them with her eyes. All three looked like they were about to come to her rescue when the door was slammed in their face. Startled, Elizabeth spun around and backed up straight into the door when Jason stood right before her, his hands braced on either side of her against the door. His expression was dark.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"I…" Elizabeth stopped, narrowing her eyes into slits just like Jason's were. What the hell did he think he was doing? Intimidating her into answering? She had realized almost immediately that running away from Kelly's was pretty stupid, and if she didn't see the three guards stationed around her in the park, she would have come home sooner. But, dammit, she needed that time to herself. It had seemed like forever since she was outside. She knew that when Jason found out about what she did he would be pissed, but there was no way he was going intimidate her.

"I've missed you." She smiled sweetly up at him, ignoring his question and leaning on her tiptoes to kiss him. Jason, confused at first, just stared at her. Once he realized what she was doing, he backed up, narrowing his eyes.

"What were you thinking?" He asked through clenched teeth.

Sighing, Elizabeth ducked under his arm, walking to the far side of the room. It was a lot easier to not act intimidated when he wasn't so close. "I was thinking that I needed some time to myself."

"Did you even think about the danger?"

"No." She answered honestly, not even caring how angry he looked.

"You could have been hurt."

"I wasn't."

His shoulders visibly tightened when he clenched his hands. "Did you forget how scared you were when you were almost kidnapped? How it felt to have strange men grab you?"

She didn't forget about that. But it didn't bother her as much now as it did then because she had Jason. She knew about the danger, knew that what she did was so stupid, but she did not want to go through another lecture about the danger. Jason continued to go on about the danger, making Elizabeth grow more and more annoyed.

"…You can't leave without telling anyone where you are going. Someone… what are you doing?"

"Nothing." She answered with the innocence of a three year old.

Jason took a step forward, unaware that he was moving closer to her. "Don't… stop." His voice was rough, not at all supporting his words.

Elizabeth continued to unbutton her shirt, pulling it slowly open. Jason took another step forward. She pulled her shirt off, dropping it to the floor. Her hands reached behind her, undoing the snap of her braw.

"Put your shirt back on." Again, his voice and actions contradicted what he was saying. Elizabeth smiled up at him, dropping her arms to let her braw fall to the floor with her shirt. Jason swallowed. "I can't… I can't think when you…" He couldn't finish, just lifted his arm and gestured to her state of undress.

Her smile widened. "It's working."

When her small hands reached for the snap in her jeans Jason lost all control. He had been trying to hold back from grabbing her the second she walked into the penthouse. He wanted her to realize what she had done, what could have happened to her before he pulled her into his arms and let the anxiety he had been feeling out on making love to her. But she wasn't letting him do what he planned. She was tempting him and making him skip the danger talk and go straight to pulling her into his arms.

They met each other half way, their lips fusing together in a kiss full of need. Jason's mouth moved over hers with such bruising force her knees gave out on her. Luckily for her, his arms were wrapped tight around her, holding her against his strong body. Elizabeth could feel the need, frustration, anger, and relief Jason had gone through the entire day in that one kiss. She felt horrible for putting him through that and knew that she wouldn't do it again. They would have to come to some type of understanding, but that would have to wait until later.

She slowly ran her hands up his back and into his hair. Her lips softened under his, urging him to slow the kiss. His tongue snaked into her mouth, slowly moved with hers. With one hand still running through his hair, Elizabeth lowered her other until it moved under the hem of his shirt. His skin was warm and hard against her palm, causing the need to feel his skin against her own grow stronger than ever before.

Jason pulled his head away from hers, stared into her large doe-like eyes, drowning in their depths. So captivated by her beauty and in complete awe that she was his, he didn't realize he was being undressed until his pants feel around his ankles and he felt her chest against his.

How the hell?

Elizabeth smiled up at him, a slow sexual grin that raised one side of her mouth into a smirk. She pulled his head down towards her, loving the feeling of his hair through her fingers. Their lips met in a deep, yet tender kiss, growing with more strength as their passion grew. She started to walk them back towards the couch, laughing when he fell back when he tripped on his pants that were still around his ankles.

They fell to the couch, him grunting her laughing. He quickly shed his jeans, kissing her neck the entire time, turning her giggles into moans.

Again, Elizabeth slowed the kiss he planted on her lips when it became too hungry. She didn't want it to be rushed, wanted to savor every moment. She kissed her way down his chest, teasing one nipple then the other. She marveled in the texture of his body which was such a contradiction to the man she knew inside. Outside, he was hard, rough, almost as if he were made out of stone. Yet on the inside he was soft and smooth. Not that he wasn't a strong man in the inside, she knew he was. But when he was with her, when he let his guard down and was the amazing man she knew him to be, he was so beautiful she thanked her lucky stars every day that she met him.

She wouldn't even change the day that they met; even though it was still the scariest day of her life.

Her lips tasted every part of his chest and stomach, and as she moved lower, she locked eyes with him, her intent clear. Jason groaned at the darkness of her eyes, knowing exactly what she planned to do. If he didn't need to be inside of her at that very moment, he would let her do to him anything that she wanted. But he couldn't wait. He had waited too long as it was already.

Grabbing her around the waist, Jason lifted her up his body until her legs straddled his waist and her lips were fused with his.

Elizabeth didn't fight the raw need this time. Instead, she let it overtake her, let her body and mind get lost in the moment of sexual bliss. She felt him against her, couldn't take the torture any longer and took it upon herself to connect their bodies.

They both gasped at the feeling. They had been together many times before, but just like every time, it felt like the first time they made love. Their bodies were made for each other, moved in sync, and brought both to heights that could knock either unconscious.

Elizabeth braced her hands on the arm of the couch, one landing on both sides of his head. Their eyes locked before she moved, and a feeling so strong, so consuming washed over Elizabeth she thought she might burst.

Jason gripped her hips, confused by what he was feeling but unwilling to dwell on it any longer.

He would not allow himself to go there.

His hips moved as he moved hers, bringing them both back to the situation at hand, their lovemaking. Her eyes closed, a moan escaped her lips, and for the next half-hour their bodies moved slowly, the rhythm decided when their eyes had connected when their bodies had.

The torture and pressure began to build to escalating heights for both of them, causing their bodies to move faster, harder. Elizabeth's head was thrown back, her hands now resting on his knees as completion overtook her.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, just felt the whirlwind of emotions that washed over her. She collapsed against him, her hips still moving to bring him to the same heart stopping orgasm her bestowed upon her.

Jason wrapped his arm around her and held tight as he braced himself for what was to come. She was clenching around him, her body was weak, but she still moved with him, breathing heavily against his neck.

She lifted her head, looked him straight in the eye and when he finally let go and plunged into her one last time, he stopped pretending. In that moment, he stopped fighting with himself and knew… just knew that he had lost.

Lost to Elizabeth and the feelings she evoked in him.

Their breathing was heavy but it didn't stop them from bringing their lips together for a lazy kiss. When she pulled her head back, Elizabeth looked into his eyes, wanted to cry by the happiness he made her feel but rested her head against his chest instead.

She was in love with him.

And it took her long enough to admit it.