Chapter Eleven

"Are you going to answer that?" she asked, nodding towards his ringing pile of jeans.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, challenging her to make the choice for him, all the while knowing she wouldn't.

"Do you want to?" she countered, hugging herself as she stayed wrapped beneath the blanket.

"It's not a decision if we don't make it together," he said, still slumped forward, his head in his hands.

"And it's not one we can make for each other," she agreed, chewing her lip intently as her eyes roamed over him.

He sighed and leaned back, resting his head against the couch and closing his eyes. "I don't know what you want from me."

"Me?" she scoffed, her lips curling in disgust. "What about you?"

"You're married," he swallowed, his eyes snapping open as he looked at her. "You're devoted to standing by him for his recovery, and-"

"You're standing by her too," she interrupted, sitting up and glaring at him. "Don't pin this on me."

"I'm not," he growled, getting up from the couch and walking over to his jeans. "But you've always stood by him."

"And you know why," she said quietly, surprised that he would throw something like that in her face.

Her husband had been her world since she was a teenager, and he'd stood by her through every horrible thing she'd been through.

"So, are you going to owe him for the rest of your life because he saved you when your fifteen-years-old?" he asked, turning around to face her as he buttoned his jeans.

Her face hardened and she dropped her gaze to the blanket, shaking her head. "You don't understand how hard this is for me," she said softly, pulling the blanket as tightly around her as she could. "I was supposed to love him forever."

"That's not fair to yourself, and you know that," he replied, tugging his shirt on.

"Neither is your situation," she murmured, refusing to be the only one to blame. "You're just as obligated to her as I am to him, and you're with her because…"

"Because I don't want to be alone," he filled in, sliding his feet into his boots. "Your excuse is that you're just too scared to walk away."

"Meaning that none of the blame falls on you, right? We both started this," she hissed, getting up from the couch and wrapping the blanket around herself to hide her nude body. "This was not just me."

"I know," he spat, jerking his cell phone from his pocket when it rang again and busting it against the floor. She jumped back as if she were afraid, her eyes wide. "Sorry…I wanted things to be different this time. Every time we get close…"

"We end up further apart," she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "And we have to start all over again." Sniffling, she stepped forward, holding her hand out to him. "I don't want to start all over again."

"Neither do I," he replied, linking their fingers together. He reveled in the softness of her skin each time they touched, never sure whether or not it would be the last.

"So…"

"So," he echoed, the two of them standing in front of one another, eight years of history building into this very moment.

Choices made for other people, and chances not taken, all the while pretending not to regret any of it, but he liked to think she regretted as much as he did.

"Do you still think about Italy?" she asked, drawing his arm around her waist and leaning against him.

"All the time," he replied, nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek.

"What if we finally went?" she asked, tipping her head back and looking up at him, her eyes full of hope. "What if we disappeared before the sun came up?"

"You don't want to run," he said firmly, giving her no space to argue.

"Maybe this time I do," she confessed, lifting a hand to his cheek. "Maybe I don't want to be afraid anymore."

"Isn't that why you think you want to run?" he asked, leaning into her touch.

"I always wanted to see Italy with you," she replied, shrugging as he tightened his arm around her waist.

"And what happens when we come back?" he asked, running his hand up her back and tugging the blanket away from her.

"We'll be the talk of the town," she shrugged, shivering against him as the blanket hit the floor.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he said, letting go of her hand to help her tug his shirt over his head.

Grinning, she slid her arms around his neck, pressing their bare chests against one another. "I meant what I told you before," she murmured, pressing a kiss against his shoulder as he slid his hands under her bottom and pulled her into his arms. "I love you."

He sighed his approval in her mess of curls, snuggling against her as he lowered her to the couch and splayed his body over hers. "I love you too," he said, bracing himself above her on his arms as she reached for the snap of his jeans. "But I want to love all of you."

"I'm yours," she whispered, gently pushing her hands over his hips as she shoved his pants down.

"Completely," he said, shrugging his jeans off until they were down far enough for him to kick them away. "Mine because you're with me, not just when you're with me."

She nodded, running her fingers up his smooth back. "Then I'm with you," she murmured, arching her body against his. "With you and no one else."

He hesitated at her words, drowning in the promise he'd been longing to hear. "Are you sure?"

She nodded again, stretching beneath him to snatch her purse from the coffee table. It clanged loudly to the floor, a roll of papers peeking out of the top. A nervous smile spread across her face as she looked back up at him. "I'm sure," she said, sliding her hands around his waist, knowing he had seen enough to understand. "I will always care about him, and I want him to recover, but I can't…I can't live my life for him."

Swallowing hard, her hands settled at his hips as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Not when I want to live it with you," she whispered, raising her head to press her lips to his. "Now, the choice is yours."

"Mine?" he asked, arching an eyebrow as he kissed her lazily.

"Do we stay or go?" she asked, her eyes lighting up at the mention of Italy again.

"You don't want to run," he repeated, laying his forehead against hers.

"Not unless you want to," she shrugged, running her hands up and down his sides. "But the only way we have that choice is if you are finished with-"

"You know I've been finished from the start. It was nothing more than a pitiful distraction," he interrupted, shifting his weight over her. "Are you ready for this?"

"It won't be easy, but nothing worth having ever is," she muttered, chewing her lip. "And so many things are never on our side, like timing and circumstance, so who says we have to wait?"

"We can make our own," he smiled against her mouth, before crushing his lips against hers.

Her body arched against his immediately, her legs lifting up and around his waist. His tongue swirled around hers as their hips surged together, desperate not only for release, but to be with one another knowing that nothing else mattered.

"Are you sure?" he panted, pulling his mouth away from hers and looking her in the eye.

She nodded. "Maybe we've been over-thinking this from the start," she replied, raking her nails up and down his back. "It's always been about everyone else, when it should have been about us, and we never thought about the bigger picture. What we wanted, what we needed – we never really have put each other first."

He brushed his lips against hers, bracing himself above her on one arm, his other roaming over her velvety skin. "So, we're putting each other first."

"You sound so unsure about it," she frowned, gasping as his palm settled over her breast and rolled the tip between his thumb and finger.

"It's what we wanted, and we don't usually get what we want," he replied, grinning as her nails dug into his hips. "And I've always wanted this – and you – and I never thought…" She moaned his name as he took the hardened tip between his lips and gently sucked. He lifted his head, looking her in the eye, before lowering it to the other breast. "I never thought I'd have you – all of you."

"I know what you mean," she groaned, fisting one of her hands in his hair and clutching him to her breast.

She withered below him, trying to push him in the direction she wanted, but he bucked, shaking his head against her chest.

"We don't have to rush," he said, stretching to press his lips to hers. "We have nowhere to go. Right?"

She grinned at his apprehension, sliding her hands up to his shoulders to push him off of her. "I have no where to go – unless it's with you."

"I love you so much," he murmured, lowering his mouth to hers and parting her lips with his tongue.

He kissed her slowly, gently swirling his tongue around her mouth, his hands lazily roaming over her body, clearly reveling in not having to rush. When she pulled away, desperate to catch her breath, he took the opportunity to move his mouth elsewhere; grazing over her cheek, her ear, and her throat as he made his way downward, stopping at her breasts. She tossed her head to the side, letting out a throaty moan as he flicked her nipple, sucking the tip between his teeth, continuing his assault until she was withering below him, begging him to give her a break.

"Oh, god," she gasped, when he licked his way across her chest, his mouth working her other breast in the same way, all the while his hands moved over her body, gently stroking her.

Her hands gripped his shoulders as her hips surged upwards, desperately grinding and needing some release. He snickered against her skin, nuzzling against soft flesh as he moved to place a soft kiss in the valley of her breasts, before moving downward, his tongue leaving a blazing trail across her stomach.

"Mine," he murmured satisfyingly, dipping his tongue into her belly button, his hands skimming down to squeeze her thighs.

"Yours," she purred, fisting her hands in his hair and not so subtly pushing him towards his destination.

"So impatient," he teased, stroking her thighs as he placed a kiss above the soft curls between her legs, and finally slid between them.

She panted in anticipation, feeling his warm breath between her warm center, softly saying his name as she heard him breathe her in, his hands continuing to stroke the inside of her thighs. Her body tingled all over, like she was ready to burst into pieces, and when she felt the tip of his tongue lightly trace her slit, she honestly thought she might. He groaned against her center as she tugged his hair, his tongue working its way between her folds, taking her slowly and intently, despite her attempts to rush him.

"Jason," she hissed, his tongue pressing against her tiny bud, circling around it and working it between his lips. His hands gripped her thighs, pinning her down as her hips bucked and settled into a rolling motion. She let go of his hair, one hand clawing at the couch cushion, raking the other through her hair, seeking something to hold onto as his mouth moved against her.

She cried out his name as he slid a finger inside her, his tongue continuing to lap at her bud, alternating between rushed and hurried movement and lazy, frustration-inducing thrusts when she neared her release. He kissed her gently before pulling his mouth away as he shifted above her, sliding a second finger inside, eager to watch the pleasure spread across her face. Her body stiffened as she neared her release, clearly expecting him to tease her again, but instead he pressed his thumb against her, rubbing her hard in just the right spot, and his name burst from her lips as her body shook.

Her body went limp as the release continued to wash over her in steady waves, and she barely noticed him crawling up her, pressing tender kisses against her skin as he made his way to her mouth. She moaned against his lips when they found hers, the taste of herself on his lips setting a fire all over again. Her hands ran down his chest, gently working his muscles against her palms before settling between his legs, ready to tease him just as much as he had her.

"Elizabeth," he growled, pulling his lips from hers as her hands wrapped around him, pumping him steadily.

She grinned, her eyes hazy and content as she whispered for him to sit up. He hesitated and she squeezed him hard enough so that had no choice, simply because he needed to pull away. She rolled onto her stomach, stretching like a cat, her legs still weak from what he'd done to her, but she managed to slide onto the floor and settle in front of him.

One look at him and she knew he was nearly over the edge, that he would fight her, but she just smirked, her hands working the taut muscles of his legs. "We don't have to rush, remember?"

He grunted, his hands fisting the couch on either side of him, doing his best to keep from pulling her into his lap and thrusting into her, taking her just the way he wanted to, but he'd had his fun and now it was her turn.

Groaning as her hands gripped his thighs, he couldn't stop himself from tangling a hand in her hair and jerking her mouth towards him. She obliged immediately, swirling her tongue delicately around the tip, wrapping one of her hands around his shaft and gently stroking him as she licked his tip. He tightening his hold on her hair, and she cried out, only to slowly slide him into her mouth seconds later, clearly showing him she liked the roughness.

"Elizabeth, I can't," he hissed, his hips bucking against her as her mouth worked him, sucking hard and he was barely able to stop himself from coming.

"You're done," he said roughly, his voice like gravel as he tried to tug her away, his hand still fisted in her hair.

She moaned around him, sending a wave of pleasure bursting through him, and he just had to get her to stop. Jerking her harder this time, she finally released him, his arm snaking around her waist to pull him into her lap.

"I thought we weren't rushing," she purred, curling against him as he positioned her to straddle him.

Sliding a hand between her legs, he stroked her hurriedly, knowing he wouldn't last once he was inside her, and he needed her close to another release. She gripped his hands, her face pressed against his neck as he rolled her bud between his fingers, causing her to thrust against him. He found a good rhythm and soon she was panting his name, begging for a release. Pulling her head back to kiss her, he snaked an arm around her waist, lifting her up, and she took the initiative to position him at her slick entrance, and they both trembled as she lowered herself onto him.

"Rushing isn't so bad," she moaned, wiggling her hips as she adjusted to him, her hands gripping his shoulders.

"Besides," he murmured, running his hand up her back and gently gripping her neck, holding her head so that she looked him in the eye. "We have forever, right?"

She chuckled through her pants, rocking against him as her eyes fluttered opened and closed. Leaning forward, she took his mouth in his, kissing him forcefully. "Forever," she mewed, grinding against him.

He tugged on her hair at the base of her neck and her eyes flashed open, landing on his, and he clutched her hip tightly with his other hand, urging her to move faster and harder. "Mine," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers, pulling her hair when her eyes started to close.

"Yours," she panted, her hips rising and crashing against his in a steady motion, her eyes narrowed at his.

She clenched around him, her body telling him that she was near the edge. He slid his hand between her legs, and she moaned the second his thumb swiped over her, overly sensitive from all the attention he'd paid her. Sliding her arm around his neck, she held him closer, pressing their foreheads together.

"I love you," she whispered breathlessly, her breath hitching as his thumb pressed against her.

Seconds later, she tossed her head back, her release exploding through her, and Jason followed right after as she tightened around him, milking his release. She collapsed against him in a sweaty heap, and he wrapped his arms around her, gently stroking her back as they both came down.

She grinned against his chest, pressing a kiss to his slick skin. "Rushing is so much better," she laughed softly, lifting her head to look up at him.

"I'd have to agree," he replied, brushing his lips to her forehead. Her eyes softened as she looked into his, waiting him for to speak. "So, we're doing this?"

"You mean Italy?" she teased, her face breaking into a grin.

He groaned, his head falling to the back of the couch.

"I thought we already covered this," she said, shifting over him, her hands planted against the couch on either side of his head.

He lifted his hand to her face, drawing her lips to his to kiss her chastely. "You're leaving him."

"And you," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against his, "are leaving her."

The End