Chapter 16

"Stop looking at me like that," Elizabeth hissed, drumming her shaky fingers against the white tablecloth as she glared at Jason.

"You started it," he replied, smirking as he lifted his whiskey to his mouth. She found herself taking in the way his lips touched the glass, and immediately replaced it with thoughts of shoving the glass in his face.

Yes, that was a much better image.

"Now, you're staring at me," he muttered, setting his glass back on the table and looking across the restaurant to where Johnny was talking to Lulu near the elevators.

Elizabeth followed his gaze, frowning slightly when she saw the blonde still giving him hell. She'd shown up not long after they had sat, asking to speak to him, and completely ignored Elizabeth's presence. She really did want to apologize to the stupid woman for her comments, but Lulu was going to make it difficult, just like she did everything else.

Smoothing things over with Johnny had been harder than she thought, and he was so quiet at the table, though she liked to think the kiss was partly to blame. It was nice to see him go off kilter, to see the shock in his eyes as she turned around after laying one on Jason, trying to pretend that she wasn't as taken back as he was.

Jason wasn't helping matters. He kept grinning at her like a loon and making comments with his eyes, and she just had no idea what he was thinking, and she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Stop," she said, wrapping her hand around the untouched base of her wine glass, annoyed that he was pounding back the liquor, and she couldn't even bring herself to pick up the glass.

He shifted beside her, sliding his chair closer to hers and slumping over beside her. "What the hell is going on, Elizabeth?"

Swallowing hard, she lifted her eyes to his, remembering all too well how it felt to have his lips against hers and his hand pawing the small of her back. "I thought…I thought if Lulu saw us together, Johnny too, that maybe…"

"Maybe what?" he asked, his tongue snaking out to lick his lips, and she found it hard to focus on anything else. "Elizabeth?"

"Just that…I don't know…There was nothing to worry about," she muttered, as his lips twitched with amusement, and she really just wanted to…

"There's plenty to worry about," he said, his voice low and smooth, and he wasn't talking about Johnny.

She hated him.

He was doing this on purpose, trying to get a rise out of her, and she refused to let it work. "Well, you…You let Johnny think we're together."

"So did you," he murmured, sliding his hand over the back of her chair and leaning in close enough for her to smell him.

She couldn't get over how it was all man, rough, but sweet and she wanted to wrap herself up in the scent and hide away.

If only she didn't hate him so damn much.

"I was shocked…And drunk…I didn't exactly put it together as soon as he said it," she said, unable to pull her eyes away from his. He shifted again so that his hand grazed her shoulder and she replaced any feeling of tingles with complete annoyance. "And I don't understand why you didn't correct him in the first place."

He cracked a smile, his eyes glazing over, and she knew it was time to cut him off. "You liked it…The idea, the possibility."

"You're drunk," she grunted, ignoring how his fingertips brushed over her shoulders. "And you're the one that didn't correct him on the first go around, so maybe you like it…The idea, the possibility."

"Or maybe you want me to," he replied, sitting up straight as he spread his hand out over her shoulder. "But you're not my type."

"I apologize for coming late," Lulu said, smoothing her napkin over her lap as she looked across the table at Jason, clearly still ignoring Elizabeth. "I really did have a headache…Long day and all."

"Glad you're feeling better," he murmured, biting back a groan as Elizabeth's heel sunk into his shin. Clearly, he had misunderstood and wasn't allowed to speak to Lulu, even though Elizabeth wanted to fix this. He gripped his drink and tipped his head in her direction. "Feeling okay, sweetheart?"

Her face flushed at his words, and she shifted uneasily in her chair. "Just fine," she said, still holding her untouched wine. "You must be too. You have such a whiskey glow going on."

"And just what are you trying to imply?" he asked teasingly, pointedly finishing off his glass of whiskey and setting it back on the table.

"Perhaps, you should slow down a bit," she replied, resting her chin in her hand and raising her eyebrows at him. "Maybe take a hint from Johnny."

"I'm sure you'd like that," he muttered, rolling his eyes and sitting back in his seat. Her jaw ticked, but she forced as smile, trying to hide her annoyance. "I'm surprised you aren't throwing them back too, that's usually your thing."

Her eyes flickered with anger, and he almost thought he'd gone too far, but she quickly masked her annoyance with a grin and leaned forward, sliding her hand over his thigh. Her fingers splayed out, squeezing him tenderly as she looked him in the eye, a devious smirk on her face.

He hated her.

For starting all of this, for stepping off that damn elevator in that damn dress and wrapping her mouth around his.

Her touch was so gentle as her hand moved over his thigh, and even through his pants he could feel how soft her hand was, and he just couldn't stop himself from thinking about-

"Ow," he cried, when she pinched him, patting his leg before straightening back up.

She turned back to Lulu and Johnny, reaching for her wine glass. "Sometimes I have to get him back in line," she said, grinning as she brought the glass to her lips.

Despite the fact that he was now pissed off at her, he couldn't help but watch how delicately her lips wrapped around the glass and how her mouth gently rolled the dark liquid around tongue before swallowing.

"I think I'm going to get another drink," Johnny said, scooting his chair out and glancing at Lulu. "Jason, you want another – or are you cut off?"

He arched an eyebrow, but before he could reply, Elizabeth leaned over and her hand was in his lap again. "I think he's good," she purred, sliding her other hand over his shoulders, stopping to tug the hair at the nape of his neck. "If he has too much he won't be able to spin me around the dance floor later."

Only dancing could ruin the heat that shot through him at her touch. "I don't think so," he said, gripping her hands and pushing them away.

"Aw, but Jason, you know how much I love to dance," she teased, a wide grin spreading across her face. She licked her lower lip and puffed it out, her eyes softening, and all he could think about was how over an hour ago, he'd been sucking on that very spot and-

"I'm going to get another drink," he muttered, getting up from his chair in a hurry, and ignoring Elizabeth's snicker as he headed for the bar.

"Don't worry, I got you one anyway," Johnny laughed, as he approached, holding out a fresh whiskey and a napkin. "Looking a little hot under the collar."

Jason glared at him as he swiped the napkin over his forehead, knowing that Elizabeth knew exactly what she was doing.

"I never knew she was so big on public displays of affection," he muttered, still laughing as Jason continued to pat his forehead.

"Neither did I," he said, heat washing over him as he just thought about what had happened earlier.

Johnny sighed, taking a sip of his drink as he looked at his friend. "I'll be honest…This whole thing between you two is kind of awkward." Jason just looked at him, finding it impossible for O'Brien to feel any more uncomfortable than he did. "Seeing you together…It's weird, it's like ten years ago or something…Minus the makeout because Jason Quatermaine-" He stopped when Jason stiffened at the name and quickly tried to cover his tracks. "I'm just saying…I don't think I've ever seen either one of you kiss anyone like that…And yeah, well, she never kissed me like that – and it's-"

"It's fine," Jason interrupted, holding up his hand and waving it back and forth. "Let's not go there."

"Good idea," he replied, raising his glass and letting out a heavy sigh.

Jason did the same, finding it hard not to wonder why exactly Johnny was so flustered by it all.

"So…" Elizabeth shrugged, watching Jason from across the restaurant, and hating him even more for not realizing that he'd left her alone with Lulu.

Damn him and his drunken stupor.

"An apology isn't necessary," Lulu said, sipping her water as she looked at Elizabeth for the first time since sitting down. "I'm sure you were upset that Johnny came back to town without ever clearing things up, and you seem very taken with Jason, so…"

"I should have been more tactful," she replied slowly, annoyed that she couldn't even give her the chance to apologize, but just bucked it immediately. Granted, her thinking was right on part, just what Elizabeth wanted her to think, but did she have to be so damn perfect all the time?

"I won't argue with you there," she muttered, straightening her silverware as she continued to look at her. "It's just that…When I met John, I knew that something had happened between the two of you, but he always denied it…He said it was nothing, so I believed him."

Nothing.

Lulu knew the truth before she did, and for some reason that just infuriated her even more. Had he told her he was just a Jason Quartermaine stand in too?

"I was more upset that he lied to me. It wasn't really about you, and I understand why he did. He didn't want me to feel awkward, but that doesn't make what he did to you okay, and I-"

"Everything okay?" Jason cut in, stepping up to the table, looking at Elizabeth with glassy eyes.

She nodded, relieved that he'd come over before she managed to put her foot in her mouth again. Lulu just seemed to have an uncanny ability to make her do that, which wasn't her fault at all.

"So," he said, sliding his hand over the back of her chair and leaning over so that his lips were against her ear, "how about that dance?"

She shivered at the heat that came from his mouth, paying no attention as he took her hand and pulled her up from her chair.

"You didn't look happy sitting there," he murmured, gently cupping his hand around her elbow and steering her towards the dance floor.

"I wasn't," she admitted, not believing that he was actually going to dance with her.

Jason never danced.

Or wore suits.

Or combed his hair so that it looked halfway decent.

"It's because you didn't have my company," he said, sliding his hand down her arm to waist and pulling her against him.

"You're so full of shit," she replied, rolling her eyes as she placed one hand on his shoulder, taking his hand in the other.

"You like shit," he muttered firmly, challenging her to say differently, and she just rolled her eyes again. "Just look at the ones who came before me."

"Jason," she sighed, arching her back against his palm as he fingers splayed out at her waist.

"I'm just putting on a show," he said, smoothing his thumb over the top of her hand. "Just like you want."

She swallowed hard, once again telling herself to mistake the tingles for something else, like that bad feeling that came when your leg fell asleep. "It's not a game."

"Then what is it?" he challenged again, nuzzling his cheek against the side of her face.

She lifted her eyes to his, not surprised to find a familiarity there that she once missed. "You tell me."

Jason could tell her a lot of things, ninety percent of which would get him smacked in the face, so he didn't say anything.

"So it is?" she asked, swaying her hips back and forth.

He was surprised that he could actually keep up considering all the liquor he'd consumed. He hadn't even stumbled a bit, and it wasn't that he had missed it because Elizabeth would call him out on it without thinking twice.

"What?" he asked, letting go of her hand to slide it around her waist to hold pull her closer.

"A game," she replied, gripping his lapels as she swayed her hips from side to side, smirking as her hips nestled against his own.

"I don't think it's going to get you anywhere," he said, arching an eyebrow at her. "Well, not anywhere you want to be."

"But you're hoping it gets you somewhere, right?" she asked, raising her own eyebrow in return.

He grunted, tipping his head to the side. "I already told you once, Webber. You're not my type."

She laughed softly, like it was just for him, her eyes lighting up. "I forget that I'm not a bleached blonde bimbo you picked up at the bar."

"If you want to get technical, you picked me up," he corrected, grabbing her hand and surprising her as he spun her around, and pulled her back against him.

"Does that mean I have to pay your bar tab?" she asked, laughing again, and he'd forgotten how good it felt to just see her happy.

"Depends," he murmured, in a low voice as his lips brushed over her ears. She tensed against him, and he couldn't help but enjoy it. "Are you going to pay for the hotel room?"

Her hips stopped mid-sway and her hands loosened on his lapels. Seconds later, she lifted her eyes to his and he wasn't surprised to see the comeback in her eyes, ready before she even opened her mouth. "I don't have to pay. I can get rooms here for free, so pick your floor."

He really did hate her.

It was like Elizabeth to act flirty and forward with other men, but never with him, and it wasn't fair that she was dangling the package in his face, knowing all the while he'd never get to open it.

Not that he wanted to because that was just a mess he wasn't willing to take on, but that didn't mean he couldn't have fun with it.

"Why not right here?" he asked, sliding his hand up her back to wrap it gently around her neck, not bothering to brush her curls aside. Her hair was silky beneath his hand and tickled his palm.

"Well, if that's what-" She stopped as the music ended, sliding her hands down his arms to pull him off of her. "Thank you for the dance, sweetheart."

"Stop looking at me like that," Jason hissed, twirling his fork around in his hand before dropping it on his half-eaten plate of food.

"You started it," she replied, her annoyance growing as he continued to trace circles on her shoulder with his fingertips.

He, however, was very much enjoying it.

Not because her skin was smooth as silk and he just couldn't stop himself from touching her, but also because he liked watching her tick. Liked how the annoyance started at her feet, where she crossed her ankles, one foot always jerking back and forth as it spread upwards to the stiffness of her back and her clenched fists at her sides. Her mouth was his favorite, her tight-lipped frown that sometimes twitched into a smile when he tossed the right come on her way.

"You are such a jerk," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she looked over at him.

"You're just indecisive," he shrugged, tossing his napkin on his plate and dropping his hand to the back of her chair. She immediately relaxed, the tension poured from her shoulders and her hands unclenched. And he could guarantee if he leaned back in his chair and looked beneath the table, her feet would be uncrossed and still.

Maybe he liked it so much because he was surprised he could rile her up this much, but then again, he'd never really tried before.

"No dessert," she said, snatching the menu out of his hand as soon as he picked it up.

"You didn't even give me the chance to feed you," he muttered, frowning at her.

"Pay the bill," she growled, looking across the restaurant to where Johnny and Lulu were talking next to the elevators.

They'd barely spoken all night, and Jason knew it was because he was still upset over what had happened, but he couldn't change Johnny's mind anymore than Elizabeth could. She swallowed hard and glanced at him impatiently, and he realized he didn't like the way she was looking at him. Maybe it was the booze or the afterglow of built up sexual tension, not any that she brought on, just the need that came with…

Oh, hell, who was he kidding anymore?

Had it been any other woman giving him the kind of soft eyes that said she was thinking about him in anything but a suit, he would have pounced. He'd probably already have a hotel room and the deed would be done, and he'd be back to drinking with Johnny at the bar, but this was…Very different.

"What's wrong?" he asked, touching her shoulder again.

"Just Lulu," she replied, furrowing her brow as she watched them.

"She upset you," he said, not giving her a chance to deny it.

"Not really," she murmured anyway, pulling her lip back and forth between her teeth. "I just…She knew…You know, before me…She knew that I meant nothing…"

"Elizabeth," he sighed, lifting his hand to her face and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"He told me…He said he was never anything more than a Jason-a Jason Quartermaine stand in," she whispered softly, still chewing her lip. It quivered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, shrugging it off. "Do you think that's true? That I just…" She shook her head, still watching them, her body jerking straight when Johnny's eyes landed on hers. He held her gaze briefly, almost looking apologetic, and Jason knew he felt bad for all of this, even if Elizabeth couldn't see it.

"I don't know what you feel," he replied seriously, noticing the way sadness, or maybe it was nostalgia, consumed her.

"You and me both," she muttered, still staring at Johnny, who was surprisingly looking back.

And suddenly, he just couldn't help himself anymore.

"Hey," he whispered, sliding his hand around her neck and pulling her in his direction. The second her head turned towards him, he placed his mouth over hers, forcefully parting her lips before she had the chance to realize what was going on. She melted against him as their tongues swirled together, and she slid her hands up his chest, pulling him as close as she could without climbing into his lap.

"Jason," she groaned, when he nipped her lip, her hands suddenly flat against his chest and pushing him away. "No…"

"I'm sorry," he said, sitting up as she scrambled to grab her purse from the table and get up from her chair. Her cheeks were flushed and her hands shaking. "Elizabeth, I didn't mean to…"

"I should go," she replied, shaking her head as she dug through her purse for her keys. She tossed a credit card down on the table. "Pay the bill…Get a cab home. You drank too much to drive, okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded, watching her stumble away from the table, rubbing her hand against her forehead.

"Son of a bitch," he muttered, grabbing her card and turning it around in his hand. Swearing again, he slid it into his pocket and pulled out his money clip. "Just a game, my ass."