Chapter Twenty-Three
Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls, dry and stale.
Parting her lips, Elizabeth inhaled deeply, but it brought very little relief for breathing only intensified the foreign taste on her tongue.
Sighing, she finally opened her eyes and gazed up at the white ceiling hovering over her. Her temples throbbed like a hammer was pounding on them. Her eye sockets ached and the base of her skull was no better. Letting her heavy eyelids drop, she drew in a ragged, unstable breath. Lying perfectly still, she told herself to just slowly inhale and exhale.
Blinding grasping for the corner of the closest nightstand, she found an edge and held on tight. Using of the table for leverage, she dragged her herself up into a sitting position. Her stomach turned as she shifted until her back was perfectly aligned with smooth surface of the wooden headboard. Painfully angling her eyes, she spotted a bottle of aspirin.
Popping two white tablets into her mouth, Elizabeth gulped them down and and gladly welcomed the bitter taste. Pressing her cheek against the cool material of the moist glass, she waited patiently for the full effects of the over the counter drugs to seep into her system.
Remaining immobile, the seconds ticked by as her the splitting headache slowly dulled into a distant yet pestering ache. Gradually her mind began to function as normally as possible at a sluggish pace.
She had the mother of all hang overs.
There was a four year old that would be barging into her room soon enough.
A possibly furious employer and friends to face.
Worst of all, she could barely remember the previous night.
She remembered Brenda insisting on a girls night out, rummaging through her closet for something to wear, and then the earth shattering kiss Jason had planted on her. She sighed softly as her lips tingled at the thought of his demanding lips asking her to just give in. Then it was a dazed elevator ride and boldly accepting a bet. The rest was a blur of tequila shots and colorful drinks.
"I'm such an idiot," she moaned, smacking her forehead in self-loathing. "Ugh," she cried out as her brain vibrated from the self-inflicted punishment. Cradling her head in her hands, she silently groaned, waiting for the motion to cease.
She was never, ever giving up designated driver duties again.
Untangling her legs, Elizabeth sat up straighter and the room tilted. The bile rose in the back of her throat as her stomach churned. Gasping for a deep breath, she clamped down on the nausea and took small sips of water. Gradually, the cool liquid helped calm her nerves.
Sighing heavily, she returned the heavy glass to the nightstand and leaned back against the headboard. Slowly, her drowsy nerves awakened fully and realization hit her that she could feel the soft surface of the headboard against her bare back. Frowning, she shifted her legs to feel the smooth satin sheets brush against her skin. She wasn't wearing pajama bottoms.
"What the hell..." she trailed off at the cool air that grazed her exposed chest.
She was shirtless.
Swallowing roughly, Elizabeth forced down her growing panic. Tightly grasping her white bedsheets at her waist, she raised them a scant inch before frantically pulling them up to her chin.
She was naked.
She gaped at her bedroom door as her heart took off on a gallop. The seconds ticked by, echoing in her silent room and with each tick tock anxiety coiled tighter in the pit of her stomach.
"I don't think we should be doing this, Elizabeth," he croaked hoarsely as his thumbs drew circles on her lower abdomen.
"Stop thinking," she mumbled in between pressing open mouth kisses to his throat. "Just feel."
"What if—" she brought the rest of his words to an abrupt halt by biting down on his bottom lip.
She sucked on the full sensual lip and smiled in triumph at the low groan that vibrated through his broad chest. Growing confident, she traced the open seam of his lips with her tongue. As she had hoped, he opened completely and she didn't hesitate to greedily seek out his tongue. His hands tightened on her hips and held her securely in place above him. She only pressed closer to the sweltering heat that radiated from his hard body.
She blinked once.
She blinked twice.
She blinked three times.
"I could spend days just touching you," he murmured against her lips. "Your skin..." he trailed off, caressing her hip. "You skin is like satin."
His large calloused hands trailed fire over her skin as they traveled away from her waist. One tangled in her loose hair and using the other he raised his upper body until he was sitting on the bed, taking her along with him. His lips never slipped from hers, only continued devouring. Pressing a hand to the base of her spine, he molded their pelvic bones together like two pieces of a puzzle.
"God, I can't stop."
"Then, don't," she groaned.
He didn't respond, but tightened his grip on her hair and tilted her head back, exposing the full length of her throat to his roaming tongue. He nipped, licked, and laved a path down her throat to pause at her collarbone.
Panic clawed at her.
She had brought a perfect stranger into Jason's home. Into her room, next door to Lil's room. He had trusted her and she had betrayed that trust. Nausea swept through her. What had she done?
Flipping them over fluidly, she welcomed his hard body weighing down on her. He brushed his lips across one heaving breast, followed by the next. Then, she felt teeth rasp the tender tip of a nipple and a cry of pleasure escaped her lips.
"I've wanted to do this for so long," he whispered, his tone laced with unquestionable lust. His mouth closed over a tip and he suckled, while his hand cupped and kneaded the other. She only arched her back in response, willing him to continue his onslaught. His tongue flicked and his teeth scraped as he paid equal homage to her breasts.
He clamped down on one nipple, she gasped, her nails sinking into his shoulder. Her body hummed as she slowly grew frantic for him to bring her release.
"You're so beautiful," he mumbled, nuzzling the valley between her breasts. "So beautiful," he repeated, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin.
"Please," she begged, moving against him. Arching off the bed, she pressed against his throbbing length.
"Shhh," he whispered. Levering his body on one elbow, he brushed his lips against her racing pulse as his free hand swept down her abdomen. He hooked a finger in the band of her panties and drew the fabric slowly down her hips. "Lift," he commanded softly and biting down on her bottom lip, she silently obliged.
She mewed the moment his calloused hand cupped her already weeping mound.
"Please, I need more of you."
Her vision blurred.
She drew in an unstable breath as she stared blankly at a point on the wall.
She felt the remnants of sex on her body.
The musky scent lingered on her skin. Her breasts were swollen and sensitive. Her lips felt abraded. And between her thighs, she felt a tender ache.
A sob escaped her and her chest heaved as she struggled to hold herself together. Covering her mouth, she let the tears fall.
What had she done?
A soft knock jarred Elizabeth back to reality.
"Liz?" a muffled voice traveled into the room.
Eyes growing wide in horror, she gawked at the closed door.
"Liz, are you awake yet?" Lil asked, gently knocking again.
Snapping out of her momentary daze, Elizabeth flew out of bed. She swayed on her feet before grasping an edge of the nightstand again for balance. Stumbling onto wobbly legs, her eyes frantically ran over the room in search of something to wear. Spotting a silk robe she had a received from Brenda for Christmas, she grabbed it from her arm chair, and pulled it on.
Fastening it with shaking hands, she suppressed a groan at the length of the robe. It fell mid-thigh and hugged every curve of her naked body. With each step, she could feel the silk rub against her bare skin. From now on, she was asking for gift receipts from her friends to exchange any clothes she may receive from them for more appropriate ones.
"Liz?"
"I'm coming, sweetie," she said, hurrying to pull the open collar of the robe together. Fisting one hand on the two ends of silk, Elizabeth flung open her bedroom door.
Lil stared up at her, her stunning blue eyes full of concern. "We made you breakfast," she announced, smiling tentatively.
"Thank you, Lil," Elizabeth murmured, returning the young child's smile.
She forced her eyes to remain on the energetic four year old and off the towering figure that stood behind her charge. He stood perfectly still, making no move to leave or acknowledge her. His presence only caused her scattered nerves to grow restless and her muscles to tense to unbearable levels.
"We made your favorite. Uncle Sonny sent you waffles too," Lil pattered on, her pigtails swinging in the air with every move she made. "Daddy said that we can have breakfast for dinner later. Right, Daddy?" she peered up at her father for confirmation. Not bothering to wait for an answer, she charged on. "He let me mix the batter just like you do and put in the chocolate chips. Don't worry, we still have some left to make cookies with."
"That's great, honey," Elizabeth replied, gulping in air. Smoothing an unsteady hand down the the lavender silk robe, she breathed in deeply. "Why don't I get changed and meet you downstairs for breakfast?" She would do anything to get away from her employer while dressed in nothing, but a skimpy robe.
"I already had breakfast, silly," Lil giggled. "It's almost lunch time for me."
"Lunch time?" she parroted.
The young blonde nodded her head exuberantly. "Uncle Sonny promised to make me mac n' cheese for lunch and Aunt Brenda is taking us to the zoo." Lil grinned, clapping her hands in excitement.
Swallowing the trepidation that blossomed in her, Elizabeth forced a smile.
"Will you come with us to the park, Liz?" the four year old asked, her eyes shining with hope.
Before she had the chance to answer, Jason interjected. "Angel, Elizabeth isn't feeling well and needs her rest. We talked about this," he replied softly.
"I remember, Daddy," Lil sighed heavily. Tilting her head back to gaze up at her father, the four year old addressed him directly. "Will you take us to the park tomorrow, please? Liz won't get to go to the zoo today, but she can go to the park with us tomorrow. It's only fair that we take another trip so that she can go."
Jason chuckled, causing every nerve-ending in Elizabeth's body to hum in appreciation. She loved hearing him laugh. As quickly as pleasure had swept through her, anxiety replaced it and her heart clenched painfully. She was leaving in a few days and to top it all off she had ruined the precious friendship they had formed. He was never going to forgive her.
"If Elizabeth agrees, we can go to the park," Jason said, flicking one of her pig tails playfully.
"A picnic too?" Lil pleaded.
"If Elizabeth wants to, then yes."
Spinning sharply enough that the skirt of her yellow sun dress fluttered and Mr. Floppy's legs swung in the air, Lil stared up at her with expectant eyes. Grasping her hands, the child smiled widely. "Can we have a picnic? Pretty please."
Feeling her throat constrict with emotion, Elizabeth managed to only nod her head in agreement. Lil squealed in delight, her eyes laughing in joy as she flung herself at her nanny and hugged her legs tightly. Despite the ringing of her head, she awkwardly hugged the child back.
Pulling back, Lil grinned. "Do you want Mr. Floppy to stay with you? I don't want you to be alone."
Elizabeth smiled weakly at the child. Lil had a heart of gold and it killed her to know she would be breaking it soon. "Thank you, but Mr. Floppy deserves a day at the zoo with you."
"You sure?" she inquired, her wise eyes watching Elizabeth closely.
"Yes, I'm sure, angel," Elizabeth reassured her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
"Daddy, I will see you downstairs," Lil informed her father right before lounging at her nanny again. Burying her face into the crook of Elizabeth's neck, she sighed. "I love you, Liz."
"I love you too," she mumbled back, past the lump in her throat. "I'm going to miss you today."
"I'll be back soon."
With one last kiss, Elizabeth released her.
"Bye bye," Lil sing-songed as she skipped down the hallway.
"Bye bye," Elizabeth sang back under her breath.
She deliberately stared after Lil long after the child disappeared down the stairs. His eyes were riveted on her and she wasn't ready to look at him. Her body zinged as she breathed in and out, the silk softly grazed her breasts with each gulp of air. Crossing her arms, she zeroed in on her toes and examined them. Simply sharing the same air as him made her ache inside with longing for what could never be. Especially after last night.
Jason cleared his throat roughly. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," she replied politely, eyes still downcast. "You didn't have to arrange for Lil to be taken care of today. I'm feeling fine," her head contradicted her words, but he didn't need to know that.
"Elizabeth," he sighed heavily, raising his hand. It hovered in mid-air before it dropped back to his side. "Just take care of yourself. The guards are downstairs if you need them."
Numbly, she just nodded her head.
He didn't move for what felt like hours instead of only seconds before he finally turned on a sigh and left.
A tear drop stained her silk robe as she watched him walk down the hallway, never looking back.
He was never going to forgive her.