Hey Guys! Thanks again for the amazing reviews! Here's the next post, hope you enjoy! And like always typo's and other things, my mistake...I'm human.
Maxie sat on the couch awkwardly unsure what to do. Normally she wouldn't be there without Spinelli, and now even if he came down the stairs, or arrived at home, Maxie didn't know how he would react to her being there. Jason had disappeared into the kitchen a few minutes ago but had yet to return, and Maxie was growing increasingly uncomfortable sitting in her torn clothes.
Finally coming back in Jason held the small first aid kit and walked to sit facing Maxie on the couch. He first took the wet cloth he had brought and gently wiped the dry blood from her cheek, gently moving her bangs back to see the cut. "It's already closing up, so you won't need stitches." Jason informed her as he gently cleaned the wound, the wince she let out when he pressed against the cut wasn't lost on him. "You'll probably have a bruise though."
"Nothing make-up can't cover." Maxie said keeping her eyes down gazed at the coffee table, in their close proximity with Jason's hand gently cupping her cheek, his thumbing gently stroking whether he meant it too or not, she didn't want to risk looking up, for fear of what she might do.
"Does anything else hurt?" Jason asked bringing her out of her thoughts. He moved back, allowing some distance between them. He lowered his hand back towards the coffee table letting her bangs fall across her face again.
"My back is a little sore, I feel pretty hard after the first hit." Maxie explained, she didn't remember the events too vividly after the first fall. She knew the first blow had landed on her back sending her to her hands and knees, but after that she had no idea.
"Um, I don't know what we have in the terms of food, but I can order you something." Jason said before standing moving to put his gun and jacket in the closest.
"I'm not really hungry. Do you think—do you have some clothes that I could—I should probably shower I'm sure I smell like a dumpster." Maxie said standing from the couch as quickly as she could. The thought of her designer clothes ruined and then added; sitting on Jason's leather coach wasn't the most appealing idea.
"Yeah, um you know where everything is right?" Jason asked looking down at his own clothes that probably needed to be changed, making a mental note to check his leather jacket later.
"Um, this is going to sound weird, but could I use your shower, I mean I assume you have your own bathroom, I just don't want Spinelli to come home and find me and assume—"
"Right, no problem. You know where it is?" Jason asked again, quickly, knowing that she had never been in his room before but there was only one other door at the top of the stairs. The minute she suggested using his shower images of Maxie naked in his bathroom were all that filled his mind.
"Yep. I promise I'll be quick."Maxie said before slowing walking up the stairs turning towards Jason's bedroom. She had always been curious what his room had looked like. If it was anything like the rest of the penthouse; with the excepting of the pink room, there wouldn't be too much to see.
The gray walled room was simply furnished with a bed, end tables and a dresser which spoke to his quiet simple demeanor. The only thing that gave the room a glimmer of personality was a painting that hung on the wall, by the signature at the bottom she knew it was from Elizabeth.
Trying not to let her curiosity get the better of her, Maxie left the painting quickly heading towards the bathroom to accomplish the mission at hand, taking a shower. Once groping the wall to find the light she was pleasantly surprised when she found it almost the size of her bedroom. She had expected a simply shower stall, toilet and sink but was pleasantly surprised when she found a free standing Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower stall, with simple clear doors. She made sure a towel was in plain sight before turning on the water, the last thing she needed was to wander around naked looking for something to dry off with.
Begin to disrobe she tried several times to reach the zipper at the top of the designer dress, but an unmistakable pain between her shoulders prevented her from competing the task. Opening the bathroom door Maxie found Jason standing shirtless by his dresser, his hands unfastening the button on his jeans which hung low on his hips giving Maxie a glimpse at his black underwear.
"What's the matter?" Jason asked due to the fact she had still yet to shower.
"I can't reach the zipper, I tried but it hurts too much, could you—" Maxie said quietly. It was never in Maxie's personality to be quiet which probably worried Jason more than her possible concussion.
Still shirtless Jason walked towards her, her back to reach the zipper. Slowly dragging the zipper down the designer dress, Jason could already see a large purpling bruise settled right between her shoulder blades.
"Maxie I'm so sorry." Jason said softly, lightly caressing the skin surrounding the bruise. Unable to stand on her own anymore, Maxie leaned back into Jason, whose arms quickly moved around her waist to support her. The dress slowly slipping from her shoulders with the movement leaving the bare skin of her back against his bare chest.
"I know I shouldn't have talked to him, I knew it as I was walking across the street, but I couldn't stop myself—"
"It's okay Maxie, your safe that's all that matters right now." Jason tried to assure her, "let's get you in the shower before the water runs cold." Jason easily led her back to the bathroom and put her in front of the shower, she was still holding the dress to her chest. "I'll put some clothes out on the bed for you."
Before closing the door he saw Maxie drop the dress to the floor giving Jason a full glimpse of her pink lacy boy shorts. He watched her attempt to reach the clasp at the back of her bra but after watching her miss twice Jason leaned forward using two fingers to quickly undo the clasp. "Sorry just thought I'd try to help you out a little bit." He smiled hoping he hadn't crossed a line. He had been so close to doing that the day they had kissed. And he was pretty sure it would have gone that far if Spinelli hadn't opened the door.
Jason closed the bathroom door leaving Maxie to shower, and himself to his thoughts which at the moment weren't running pure. Stripping himself of his remaining clothing he changed into a pair of sweats and a black T-shirt, grabbing another of each for Maxie leaving them on the bed before heading down the stairs. He needed to get his mind and hormone's under control before Maxie came back down. In the past 10 minutes Jason had seen more of Maxie's skin than he had ever dreamed too. He had always known she was a beautiful girl.
Girl being the operative word. With the 12 year age gap he had never picture Maxie in a sexual way, before the night of the kiss. Whether it be missing Elizabeth or something else, something had seriously changed in the past few days and it was something that Jason now couldn't ignore. It had taken all the strength he had to leave the bathroom where she stood in only her underwear. He had wanted to take her in his arms, and make her believe that this wasn't her fault and that he was sorry she had been hurt because of his lifestyle. But his conscious always won out, knowing that Spinelli was head over heels in love with Maxie, and that made her off limits.
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After finishing the shower, Maxie quickly dried off and put on the clothes Jason had left for her, pulling the hair that would fit into a messy ponytail she made her way downstairs where she found him sitting on the couch nursing a beer; a stack of take out menu's littered the coffee table.
"Pick whatever you want to eat." Jason said before he saw her, he had heard her coming down the stairs.
"I don't know if I'm hungry. But I'll take a beer if you have any more of those?" She said walking to sit in the arm chair next to the couch. Jason then got his first look of Maxie swimming in his clothes, and he had to admit she looked good. The black shirt covering her to mid thigh, she probably could have gotten by without the oversized sweat pants, but then his thoughts and actions would have taken on a whole new level of inappropriate, and he was already having enough trouble with that.
"Should you really be drinking with a concussion?" Jason asked.
"Says you. Nothing says that I have a concussion, other than the headache." She said standing up, "So there are more beers in the kitchen?"
"You have a seat, I'll get you a beer, and I don't need you hurting yourself further by tripping in those pants." Jason said standing from the couch and quickly disappearing into the kitchen. Maxie quickly moved to the couch picking up a handful of menus to look and see if anything appeased her appetite. From behind her she could hear the doorknob jiggle much like it had the day of the unspoken kiss.
Meaning only one thing, Spinelli was about to walk through that door.
As soon as Spinelli saw the blonde haired woman of his heart sitting on the couch his facial expression drastically changed. "Maxie, what are you doing here?" He asked quickly, not looking her fully in the eye.
"I—" Maxie started to say standing, Spinelli first getting a glimpse of her in Jason's clothing, his mind instantly going to the worst possible place.
"Are those the clothes of Stonecold? What is the fashionista doing in such garments?" Spinelli began to ramble. "Surely the Master and fair Maximi—"
It was then that Jason chose to return with the beer his clothing looking similar the state of dress Maxie was in.
"Stonecold, I see your stint in the hospital was short lived, I do hope this means all is well with body and soul." Spinelli said trying to keep his attention on his mentor and not the blonde who plagued his dreams.
"I'm fine Spinelli." Jason said handing the beer to Maxie, he watched her use the shirt to open the bottle a smiled unconsciously forming on his lips.
"Well, the Jackal bids you both goodnight—" He said before rushing up the stairs to the regrettably pink room.
"Jason what just happened?" Maxie asked taking another sip, almost finishing the bottle.
"Don't worry about it, Spinelli will come back down in the morning, and I'll straighten this all out." Jason told her simply, he wasn't too concerned about it he would be able to convince Spinelli that nothing had happened. "Let me check your head."
"And in the mean time? Jason he probably thinks, that you and I are having sex, I mean this doesn't look good." She exclaimed but moved over on the couch giving him a place to sit while he examined the cut under wet her bangs.
"Maxie it doesn't matter what other people think. We both know what happened, and once I explain this to him, he'll understand this part too." Now that she had washed up, he could see the well defined cut across her forehead, but it wasn't too deep.
"I don't want him to know." Maxie said quickly and quietly if Spinelli was listening at the top of the stairs. "I don't want Spinelli to know about this thing with Jerry. Because if he does he's going to instantly forgive me and that's not how I want to get my friend back."
Instantly Jason had a new level of respect for Maxie. I would have been easy for her to run up the stairs to Spinelli and tell him about the attack, but she cared more about Spinelli's feelings than a means to an end.
"I won't tell him." Jason told her letting her know he wouldn't hear it from his lips.
"Okay then what about the other part?" Maxie asked flatly, Jason just gave her an expression of confusion. "The part where we kissed, right over there by your desk?" she continued.
"I thought that we were both agreeing to not mention that." Jason smirked dropping his hands, taking another long pull from his beer.
Anger rising up Maxie moved towards Jason taking the beer out of his hand and setting it on the coffee table. "Jason don't shut down on me. Just because it's uncomfortable don't you dare shut down on me?"
"Maxie the kiss was a mistake, amazing as it was it still can't happen again." Jason went to reach for his beer again, only to be stopped by Maxie straddling his waist. "What are you doing?"
"Tell me you don't want to kiss me?" Maxie said planting her hands firmly on the tops of his shoulders. The confidence that Maxie usually exuded was wearing thin, the longer she sat on his lap. "Jason just tell me what—"
Before Maxie finished the sentence, Jason easily lifted her off his lap setting her on the couch next to him before standing. "This isn't happening Maxie. Not again."
"Why? Why Jason, why won't you kiss me?" Maxie demanded standing from the couch she had to keep a hand on the waist of the pants to keep them from falling off.
"Maxie, this isn't a good idea, any of it. For starters Spinelli is in love with you. I would never do that to him." Jason declared, trying to keep his voice in check so Spinelli wouldn't hear.
"We already did, we kissed, it happened!" Maxie said pointing out the obvious. "Haven't we been over this? I'm not in love with Spinelli; frankly I'm not in love with you either! I'm just going for what I want!" Maxie yelled back. "I'm not faking what I feel, isn't that what you told me to do?"
"I meant towards Spinelli! Maxie you're a beautiful, impulsive, reckless girl." Jason said softer, he didn't mean to upset her, but Jason's was loyal to a default. "The last thing you need is to get further mixed up in this life."
"Isn't that for me to decide?" Jason stopped moving away from Maxie giving her the opportunity to grab his hand. "Jason I'm a big girl, I can make my own decisions." She tried to pull him closer, but he shook free of her grip.
"Maxie, how many times have you been attacked threatened or injured since getting involved with my lifestyle? This time made 3 by my count." Jason said his voice once again rising.
"Diego doesn't count. That would have happened with or without my ties to you and Spinelli." Maxie reached for Jason hand again pulling him back to the couch. "My father is the police commissioner I'm threatened everyday. Don't run this time. I promise I won't jump you, if you promise to be open and honest with me."
Jason followed her back to the couch picking up his beer and taking another sip. "Okay talk."
"I was actually hoping you would talk to me." Maxie said folding her legs underneath her. "Why were you looking for Jerry Jaxs? I know you don't like him."
"You're right I don't. But he's the only person who can give me answers." Jason stated.
"About Michael, about the shooting?" Maxie questioned, it was easy to see where his mind had been over the last few weeks. Especially with Michael's surgery coming.
"Yeah, I need to know who was responsible for this, and I need to make them pay." Jason said forcefully. "Nice topic change." Jason pointed out smirking.
"Well, I thought I'd try and find a topic that would piss you off less, but I see I failed at that."
"Maxie it's not that it pisses me off, I just don't have any good answers for you. That kiss, it was a great kiss, but I can't hurt Spinelli, not after all he's done for me."
"Do you really think I want that? Jason the kiss wasn't planned, if just happened, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one into it. For the first time in so long, I'm not planning on scheming or lying to get you in bed." Maxie explained. "I don't want to hurt Spinelli—"
"Then we can't do this." Jason said quietly. "Because this—whether we mean it too or not, it will hurt Spinelli."
Maxie took a minute to finish her beer, before setting it back on the coffee table. "I'm going to call Lulu. If she's at the apartment I'll have her bring me some clothes and I'll be out of your way." She said standing from the couch and grabbing her cell phone off the desk quickly scanning through until she found Lulu's number. "Lulu, hey are you at the apartment? Could you grab the sweats off my bed, and bring them to Spinelli's. No we didn't make up yet, it's a long story. Thanks."
"Maxie you don't have to leave."
"Yeah I do. I'm trying not to hurt Spinelli, and my being here like this will." She quickly walked back over to the table taking the empty bottles and began walking back to the kitchen rinsing them out, mostly to keep her from having another awkward conversation with Jason.
She wasn't really given a choice when Jason followed her and trapped her by the sink placing one of his muscled arms on either side of her small frame; his breath hitting the bare skin on her neck, his broad chest coming into contact with her back. Letting her head hang down she released a breath she had been holding the tickling of the warm air making her want to scream.
"If you're going back to your apartment, I'm sending a guard with you." He whispered, his mouth coming close to the shell of her ear. By the tone in his voice Maxie knew it wasn't up for discussion.
"Fine," Maxie said trying to regain her spunk. It had been a long time since a man had been able to rattle her, but Jason made it seem easy. Almost as if he wasn't trying, which frankly he might not have been. "I should go wait for Lulu, she'll be here soon." Pushing back, Maxie tried to move Jason, so she could move back to the front room. At first he didn't move at all, forcing her to stop and take a breath to readjust her mind. "Jason please."
Knowing that he was pushing her further than he should Jason took a step back. Without time for more conversation a knock came from the front door alerting their attention. Maxie quickly walked to the door opening it to find Lulu standing with a bag outstretched in her hand. "You owe me."
"You have no idea." Maxie said quickly taking the bag and walking up the stairs as fast as the loose fitting pants would allow.
"Hey Jason." Lulu said walking into the penthouse. "So what happened here tonight, Maxie get herself into some trouble?"
"I'm sure Maxie will fill you in." Jason said sitting on the couch running his hand across his face, settling with his head in his hands.
"Okay I definitely missed something here." Lulu commented. She knew that Jason wasn't much for words but this was a new level of silence.
"Did you walk here?" Jason asked finally calming himself down, "I'm sending you both home with a guard, just for the next few days."
"Okay, but what happened." Lulu said now more concerned for her roommate. Maxie had a knack for getting in trouble and clearly she had again, if she was getting mob protection. Finally making it back downstairs Maxie quickly slipped on her heels and waiting by the door. "Okay, I guess I'll see you around Jason."
Lulu gave just a small wave and smile before following Maxie into the hallway outside the penthouse, Maxie was already waiting at the elevator. "Okay spill, just you aren't your normal quippy self and the clothes? What is going on Maxie?"
"Single-minded to the point of recklessness, let's just go home." Maxie said as the elevator doors closed. Down in the lobby was an SUV with Cody as a driver and he would be staying on their couch for at least the night.
Lulu kept waiting for Maxie to explain but they made it all the way back to the apartment and Maxie had yet to say a word. The only thing she did say was a quick thanks to Cody before entering her room. Clearly she had missed something big and even if it took going to Jason herself Lulu was going to get some answers.
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