Chapter 27

Mark's eyes lit up when he realized where they were going, laughing softly to himself. She was driving out to the property he had every intention of building on. He had shown it to her before and she loved it, thought it was just as gorgeous as he did. It was the perfect place for them to talk.

His grin broadened when he realized that he actually wanted to talk to Jasina and expected nothing to come from the night but talking. Maybe this time apart, their going their separate ways, had been good for both of them. Before everything had gone down, Mark knew his mind wasn't as pristine as it was now.

Jasina stopped the car when she found what she felt to be the perfect spot, cutting the ignition and wasn't surprised that Mark parked behind her. She popped her trunk and pulled out the blankets, always carrying them just in case she ended up stranded for whatever reason. They were out in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Mark's property he'd shown her years ago, under the full lit moon and shining stars...with very expensive food to eat as slowly as they wanted.

The night was theirs to do whatever they wanted. What Jasina hoped to accomplish was to finally talk to Mark about everything that had happened since she came back into his life. That included the one question that Steve JR burned into her mind: Did he love her?

"Surprise!" She called out, already spreading the blankets on the soft grass, knowing they would need more than one because of Mark's sheer size.

"Surprise indeed." He rumbled, carrying over the other bags and set them down before returning to his truck. When he returned, he was carrying an armful of wood, shrugging when she simply stared. "I bought a cord off the neighbor since I was feelin' too lazy to cut my own and didn't take all of it from the back of the truck. Turned out to be a good thing."

While the nights could be fairly warm, they could also drop down to an unpleasant cool. Either way, he liked a fire and for this occasion, a small one seemed the much better alternative than using their headlights to see. While the moon and stars provided some light, it wasn't enough, not yet anyway. He neatly stacked it besides the second blanket she spread out before easing himself down.

"No complaints here."

Jasina began pulling the food out of the containers, deciding she wanted dessert before dinner for once, popping a cherry in her mouth from the cheesecake she ordered. While Mark started the fire, she set everything up and took her heels off, wanting to be as comfortable as possible. There was one blanket full of food of their choice while they sat on the much larger one, making sure to keep the desserts away from the fire so they didn't melt. It was too small to do much damage so Jasina wasn't worried about it, the warmth of the fire enveloping her.

She could have the desserts, Mark liked a slice of something sweet every now and again, but the steak was too appetizing to pass up. Laughing softly, he accepted the napkins she passed his way and began tearing the meat into strips, not about to be a total animal and just devour it whole. He was eating with his fingers as it was, but that was one of the things about impromptu picnics, a lack of silverware, unless it was the plastic kind, not that he was complaining.

"This is definitely the best blind date ever, if I weren't a bit upset with them for bein' sneaky, I'd send 'em a thank you card." Mark said thoughtfully. "Hell, maybe after they get the bill I will."

"I'm inclined to agree with you, I've never had a blind date quite like this." Jasina sat beside him and ate the cheesecake with her fingers, smiling when she reached over to swipe some cherry sauce off the corner of her mouth, setting it down after eating half of it. "How's that steak?" She asked, reaching over to take a strip and took a bite out of it, giggling when he growled at her. "Oh come on, if you can't share with ME of all people, who can you share with?"

"Hmm...Nobody, that steak is just that damn good." He shot back playfully, though he did offer her another strip, shaking his head when she took it. "How you can eat cheesecake first and then the steak...yer a piece of work woman."

Mark fell silent as he ate, using a napkin and a bottle of water she procured out of one of the bags to clean his hands before leaning back to look up at the sky. Now that they were out here, he had no idea what to say. Instead, Mark just reached for her hand and smiled when she slipped hers into his, squeezing gently. Jasina settled in to snuggle against his side, draping one leg lazily over his, their linked hands resting on his chest with her head on his shoulder.

"How did we get here?" She murmured thoughtfully, closing her eyes as she inhaled the beautiful crisp night air and bonfire, relishing everything in. "I miss you, Mark." That was very difficult for her to admit. "I miss living with you, having dinner together and even fighting with you. You have to admit, when we fight it definitely keeps whatever we have alive and it's kept us alive all this time...even when I was with Randy." Jasina looked up at him, wondering what was going through his mind. "All I did was cut you down for just being honest with me and I kept bringing up the past, not you. I never meant to do that and I want to make it up to you however I can."

"The fightin' might have made us feel alive darlin', but we were hurtin' each other, when we had no reason to be. A lot of it was my temper, Arie's birthday party, jealousy over Randy...and some of it was...you cuttin' me down." Mark sighed, bending his head to kiss the top of hers and wrapped his free arm around her tenderly. "That's behind us, Jasina...and we have the future ahead."

He could suddenly see her here with him, designing a house together. He would build it for her, she would design the interior...their daughter was grown up and out on her own. They were both old enough to want to have some relative peace, but still young enough to enjoy life and raise a bit of hell when the mood struck them. They were ready for a new beginning.

"I want to give us another try, Jas." Mark stated, having felt this way ever since he kissed her all those months ago and rekindled the fire between them that had once died. "I wanna make things work between us and give you what I should've given you years ago."

"You do?" Jasina wasn't expecting to hear that, sitting up a little the same time Mark did, the firelight reflecting in his emerald green eyes. "You did give me everything I needed and wanted, Mark. I just didn't accept it for what it was because...I felt like I needed more. But the truth is, we were fine just the way we were before I fucked it all up." Her eyes lowered from his, feeling tears burn her eyes, swallowing hard. "Even when I was with Randy, as much as I loved him, my feelings for you never went away and I couldn't fully give him my heart because you had it all along."

Mark actually felt a little bit bad hearing that because, all in all, Randy had been a genuinely nice guy who had loved Jasina and treated her, along with Arielle and Gary, like gold, which they had needed after he had totally messed up Arie's birthday party. But...Randy was gone, may he rest in peace, and Mark was here alive in the flesh. He was here, with Jasina, and it seemed like she was willing to give him a second chance.

"I love you darlin'," He said simply, sitting upright and hauling her with him, moving her so she was facing him and tilted her head up. "I never stopped."

"I never stopped either."

She caressed his face with her hand, opening her heart completely, having kept it locked up for over half a year since Randy's death. Even if Randy had come back from Australia, somehow she knew she'd end up back in Mark's arms because that's where she belonged. He was her soul mate, her everything, no matter what they'd been through and did to each other.

It was true love, plain and simple.

"And I love you too. Now kiss me."

When his lips touched hers, Jasina poured every single thing she felt into it and Mark fell back with her on top of him, her heart pounding vigorously in her chest. If this is what Trish and Steve had in mind to accomplish, they'd achieved their goal. Whatever Trish and Steve had been trying to do by putting them in 'blind dates', Mark figured this was as close to their intentions if not their exact intentions. He was going to definitely send them that thank you card. Letting out a husky growl, he rolled over so she was astride him, his hands settling on her hips, over the bunched material of her dress.

"Say it again." Mark ordered, his emerald green eyes fastened on her face intently, loving the way the firelight caused her hair to shimmer.

Shivering at his growl, Jasina ran the pad of her thumb over his lips and smiled, especially when he sat up to stare in her eyes even deeper. "I love you." She reiterated, her lips burning and this time captured his, placing her hands on his broad muscular shoulders while his hands ran up and down her back and sides.

Whatever Mark wanted, Jasina would accept and if that meant they lived separately while dating for another four years, she would gladly take it with a smile on her face. As far as Mark was concerned, four years was way too long. He should have made her his in every way possible the last time they had been together and, like an idiot, he hadn't.

Miscommunication errors, jealousy, flat out anger and hatred...between the two of them, they had done their best to tear everything good about what was THEM away. Even though they had tried their best to do so, they hadn't. Somewhere beneath all that anger and hurt, love had remained. It was a shame it had taken them this long to find it, but...Mark wasn't wasting another opportunity.

That night next to the bonfire and under the stars, surrounded by delicious food -Steve would be paying out the ass for it-, Mark and Jasina reconciled, making love like it was the first time. Every kiss, every touch felt new yet familiar all at once, it was absolutely amazing. Jasina gave herself completely to him, knowing somewhere up above Randy was watching over her and had guided her to be with Mark again.

Somehow, Jasina knew that Steve and Trish didn't just set this blind date up on a whim, there had to be a more powerful force involved and Jasina could only hope it was Randy silently pushing them in the right direction. Even as the fire died down to simmering embers, they didn't stop making love. Their body heat was enough to keep each other warm as moans turned to cries of passion and groans turned to deep throaty growls that echoed throughout the night on the property of where their new home would be built.

The sun was actually beginning to slowly come up by the time they had temporarily sated their mutual need for each other and Mark watched it, trying to remember if he had ever seen a more beautiful sunrise. He knew what made this one so special to him. It was the woman in his arms. Jasina lay sprawled on top of his chest, one of her extra blankets tossed haphazardly over them as they just lie there, enjoying the feel of being in each other's arms again and trying to recover from what had been a sleepless but thoroughly enjoyable night.

They had been with each so many times before but last night had seemed almost like their first time and yet...it wasn't. It was also like coming home. Mark had explored every inch of her body, already knowing the layout so to speak, but it had felt like...years, decades, since he had last touched her. Sighing contentedly, he kissed the top of her head, smiling when she tilted her head up to kiss his jaw line.

For the first time in ages, Jasina felt complete in every way, her teal eyes reflecting off the sunlight that suddenly stretched across the large plantation. She nuzzled Mark's jaw and neck before resting her chin on top of his, laughing softly when he gave her ass a firm squeeze. He always did have a thing for rears, some things truly never changed.

"You know normally by now I would've asked what happens now, but I don't think I need to, do I?" When Mark simply growled and rolled her over on her back, Jasina giggled as he blew raspberries on her neck, curling her legs around his. She just hoped this was for good and not another disappointment, not able to help remembering the previous times she had with Mark. "I guess JR was right, eh?"

"For some reason, darlin', kids usually are." Mark chuckled, remembering Stevie's words and then thought back to Arielle when she had locked them up for that weekend, wanting them back together.

Even then she had seen something still burning in them for each other.

Granted, she had totally gone about getting them back together the wrong way, but he did occasionally wonder what would have happened for him and Jasina if not for that weekend. Would they have gotten back together or eventually gone their separate ways? Given that he had always, and would always love, he tended to think that they would have found their way to each other again, maybe not as quickly.

"You realize, we are never going to hear the end of it from Trish and Steve? They'll think that boy is the next Dr. Phil." Mark teased, reading the worry in her eyes. He knew she was thinking about the last few times their relationship had ended, knowing the only way to take those doubts from her was to show her that he had changed.

That they, as a couple, had changed for the better.

"They can say anything they want, I really don't care." Jasina honestly meant that, bringing his lips down to hers to kiss him again softly. "What I'm looking forward to most is Steve receiving that credit card bill and trying to hunt you down."

She giggled, knowing they were evil for maxing it out, but it served their friends right for sticking their nose where it didn't belong. Instead of letting it happen in its own time, Trish and Steve just had to give them that push and luckily for them it worked like a charm. What if it hadn't though?

It was due to both of them being angry at their friends that they managed to get through the blind date, but what if they'd simply run into each other and did have actual blind dates? What would've happened then? What did the future hold for them?

So many questions ran through her mind as Mark rested his head on her chest over her heart, her fingers running through his long hair. Only time would tell what would happen. Jasina just hoped this wasn't another huge relationship letdown.

~!~

Steve had had a very long day at work, wondering if Mark would change his mind about coming back to the shop. He had even called and asked Mark what he was doing with his retirement and gotten a 'none of your damn business', followed by the dial tone. He had been on pins and needles about the blind date and knew Trish had been too, but Jasina and Mark hadn't given any details about it, just said it had been fine and that was that.

The heartless pricks.

Sighing, Steve picked up the mail that waited on the marble countertop and began shuffling through it, rolling his eyes at the bills. Grunting, he tossed them onto the table before getting himself a beer out of the fridge, popping the top before settling himself at the table. After a bracing swallow, he began opening them one by one. It wasn't like they were hurting for money, but sometimes their bills could be scary. When he seen the bill for the credit card, he smirked, knowing this one would be absolutely nothing, like it always was and took a long swallow.

Trish frowned when she heard a long, pained bellow from the kitchen, her red pen hovering over the article she was editing in her home office. When she then heard screaming and cursing, she got up and went to see what had set her husband off. He simply hurled a piece of paper at her. Frowning, she stooped to pick it up, her brown eyes widening at the credit card bill.