Jason is mid-shower when the door flies open. Carly, dressed in a red silky slip of a nightgown, stands outside the shower, hands on hips, eyeing him for a second. It's a hell of a view. He jumps, turning his body away from her, while also trying not to devour the sight of her too obviously.
"Carly," he lets out a shout.
When his body begins to react to her presence, she gives him a bright smile, "Thanks. Nice to see I still affect you. I needed that extra confidence boost today."
Jason growls at her, "Carly, what are you doing? I'm taking a shower here."
"You can continue. I won't stop you. I have something I need to talk to you about." She gives him a pleading smile.
He rinses off quickly, then grabs a towel and wraps it around his hips. He grumbles, "You had to talk to me while I'm naked?"
"Jason, we have a growing little bean that proves I've done way more than see you naked. What's the big deal?" She gives him a head tilt.
He can't tell her that the big deal is that it's making it nearly impossible to keep his hands off her. That she might literally drive him crazy with wanting her. A man is only so strong, especially when he's only surviving the torment by taking himself in hand far more often than he's ever had the need to in the past. And thank God she hadn't walked in on him doing that. He can't help it, living with her is a test of control. Even knowing she is still raw from everything with Jax, that it's too soon, he can't stop himself from noticing when she wears sexy little nightgowns, or cuddles up to him on the couch, sometimes wearing those enticing slips of fabric. Despite what people in this town think, he's a red blooded man who feels intensely, especially where this particular woman is concerned. Knowing he's about to tent his towel, he averts his eyes with effort.
"What do you need to talk to me about?" He asks, his voice deep.
When she doesn't answer, his eyes go back to hers. She is staring at his damp chest, hypnotized as her eyes trace droplets as they take a path her mouth really wants to follow. Is it crazy to be jealous of water? If so, then, call her crazy. She feels her nipples tightening, and her skin feels like every nerve is suddenly alive and aching for Jason.
He watches her eyes dilate, her tongue slip out to wet suddenly dry lips, and caves. "Fuck it." Then, he's pushing her back against the tiled bathroom wall, his hand buried in her hair. His breathing is harsh and uneven, as he growls out, "You drive me crazy. If you don't want this, tell me to stop."
Instead of answering, she takes the remaining distance, crashing her mouth into his. Jason kisses her like he's desperate for her, like she's the air he needs to survive. He tears his mouth from hers long enough to rip her nightgown over her head. Carly's head drops back against the wall, as his lips and hands taste and tease her everywhere.
"Jase" she cries out, already on the verge of coming. She grabs his head, pulling his mouth to hers, begging against his lips, "Please Jase, I can't wait."
He lifts her, causing her to hook her ankles around his waist. Sitting her on the bathroom vanity, he looks in her eyes, watching her face intently as he slowly enters her. He stills for a moment when he's all the way in. As he gives her time to adjust, he gives her deep soulful kisses that steal her breath and pull at her heart. As the rest of the world melts away, Carly and Jason are swept away into the sweetest heaven.
When they settle back on Earth, Carly lets out a laugh, "Okay, maybe you have a point. You naked is maybe more than I can handle, especially with all the hormones making me extra horny."
He brushes back her hair, giving her a smile, "I take back any objections. If this is the result, feel free to barge in every time."
She lets out a laugh, her head going back. She gives him a cheeky grin, "It's good to know I've still got it." She runs her hands over his chest, leaning forward to place kisses on his pecs and over his still pounding heart, "That's the way to start the day." She lets out a sigh, leaning her head against his chest, "I needed that. God, how I needed that."
"Happy to help," he tells her with a smirk.
She lets out a bark of laughter, smacking him on the chest, "Shut up."
He tilts her head up, leans down and gives her a kiss. She can feel the difference in the emotion behind the kiss, as it starts slowly and softly, and then builds. This kiss is so much more than the scratching of an itch, more than bodies reaching out for the nearest source of relief. There's a sweetness and reverence that takes her breath away. She feels her love for this man pulse through her, causing a tear to escape down her cheek. When he pulls back, both of their breathing ragged, she studies his face.
She is left wondering what this means to Jason. The way he is looking at her and kissing her, it feels like it means something more to him. But, she's scared to hope, scared she's going to get the 'we are just friends' speech. She hates that damn speech! And her ego is currently so bruised she doesn't think she can stand it if he rejects her.
Jason watches as she withdraws from him, though not physically retreating, emotionally, she's subtly pulling back. He runs his fingers down her face, before softly running them through her hair. She leans into the touch, unable to do anything else when he touches her.
The feeling of vulnerability is overwhelming Carly. It's a hard path needing someone so desperately, having no defenses where they're concerned, and knowing they don't feel the same. She knows he loves her, knows he would do anything for her and her children, except for accepting her heart. Over and over, she has given her love to him on a silver platter, and over and over he's turned it down. Loving her, but not being in love with her.
She looks down. He puts his hand under her chin, tilting her face up to look at him. He sees that she's shuttered her heart for the moment, pulling back in fear. He looks at her tenderly, then gives her a soft gentle kiss, barely there. She leans into him, kissing him more firmly. Soon, she's once again so caught up in the chemistry and connection that her worries slip away.
Between kisses, he tells her, "I seem to have gotten all dirty. And I got interrupted in the middle of my shower."
She pulls back and with a twinkle in her eye and a fake sad face, she says, "Oh you poor thing."
Picking her up and carrying her into the shower, her legs once again wrapped around his waist, he tells her with mock seriousness, "It's a shame. Maybe you should join me to make sure it's done properly this time."
Locking her arms more tightly around his neck, she says against his lips, "Jase, shut up." Then, desperately kissing, they get lost in each other all over again.
Coming downstairs a little later, she finds Jason sitting on the couch with Michael and Morgan watching cartoons. Michael has a bowl of cereal in his lap and Morgan has a plate with some fruit on it. Spinelli is typing at warp speed at the table behind the trio. Her heart melts at the sight of her little family.
Seeing the domestic scene, after making love to him this morning, is sending crazy thoughts and emotions bombarding through her. She has loved this man, wanted him desperately since she was twenty two years old. And it's never gone away. She has tried to push it down, tried to get over him again and again. But even when she was in love with other men, she has never been able to stop loving him. Even when she was ashamed of it, her yearning for this man has never diminished.
He looks up when she enters the room, his eyes assessing her. She looks nice in a black pencil skirt and a white, sleeveless, silk blouse. He wants to take her back upstairs and take every bit of it off her again. He wants her eyes cloudy with passion instead of filled with turmoil. Standing, he walks to her, "How are you feeling?"
She gives him a tender smile, "Amazing. I've got all kinds of endorphins flooding through me thanks to a very enjoyable shower."
His eyes heat up, a smile brightening his face. Pulling her into a hug, he kisses her forehead, aware of three sets of eyes potentially watching. When he pulls back, he asks her, "What did you want to tell me earlier? We got distracted."
She fidgets, her eyes once again shuttered, "I need to go by Diane's office to sign some paperwork. While I'm out, I think I need to go see Mama. She left me a message and sounds concerned. Today is Leticia's day off. If you're busy, I can…"
"Spinelli and I are going to be working on stuff here today, trying to figure out where Jax is and what he's up to. I can watch the boys." He takes her hand, entwining their fingers, "I've got this covered. Go talk to your mom."
She gives him a quick, soft peck on the lips, so brief it's over before he can react or prying eyes can see. She tells him, "Thank you." Then, directing her attention to her sons, she explains, "Boys, I have to go run some errands. I expect you to mind Jason and Spinelli."
She gets both their agreement, then gives each a peck and rushes out the door. Feeling like he just survived a whirlwind, he looks at the boys. Neither bothers looking up from their cartoons. With a slight shake of his head, he gets a smile so big it would shock the people in this town. But, damn he's had a great morning.
Later that afternoon, Carly's sitting in her mother's kitchen telling her everything that's happened since she last saw her. She tells her how "Jax has been cheating on me with Brenda, but the jackass had the nerve to call me a slut in front of my son." And that, "Sonny found out and has come sniffing around again. He never likes when others play with his toys, even Jason." In true mama bear fashion, Bobbie is ready to kill Jax and Sonny. Her exact words are, "They need to stay away from you or I'll make them. I have learned a thing or two from my brother about hiding bodies."
Carly responds with a half smile as she looks down at her hands, wiping condensation off the glass in front of her. Her mother watches the nervous action, seeing that there's something she isn't telling her. She asks, "How are things going at Jason's? You know there's a room here for you and the boys."
Carly shakes her head, "I am fine where I am. I, uh…"
When she stops talking suddenly, Bobbie puts her hand on top of hers, drawing her daughter's eyes to her. "What's going on, Carly?"
"I slept with Jason." She confesses to her mother, her voice sounding lost.
Bobbie tilts her head, "Clearly. You are pregnant with his child."
She shakes her head, "This morning. We hadn't since…" her hand rubs over her belly. "And it's messing with my head. The first time we slept together, when we made our little bean, it was because he needed something to escape the pain. It wasn't about him having romantic feelings for me. But this morning…" she trails off, looking down at her hands.
"How was this morning different?" Bobbie asks gently.
"I don't know." She says in a frustrated cry. "I don't trust myself where my feelings for Jason are concerned. Am I just imagining his feelings? Because nothing I have done, no one I have tried to replace him with has ever made my love, my longing for him even a little less. So, am I seeing things… am I imagining emotions just because I want him to feel those things for me?"
"What emotions? What do you think you're seeing?" Bobbie questions, keeping her voice soft.
"Love. And I'm not talking about love for a friend. I know he loves me like that. When we were together this morning, I think I saw and felt everything I have dreamed of seeing in him all these years. He looked at me and touched me like he is in love with me. But maybe I'm imagining things, maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see. And, Mama, I can't screw this up. It's Jason. I can't lose him."
"If you haven't lost him yet, I doubt he's going anywhere." Bobbie's voice gentles as she asks, "I'm hearing a bunch about how he may or may not feel. How do you feel? I know you love him, but you just got out of a marriage, your world has been completely shaken up, and you have a baby on the way. Do you think now is the right time to be thinking about another relationship?"
Carly considers the question for a moment, then shakes her head and tells her, "Mama, I would kick myself if I didn't take a chance with him. And honestly, I'm pretty sure I don't have an ounce of willpower where he's concerned. He comes around, all shirtless and intent, and I fold like a bad hand. It's all over but the mind blowing orgasms." She leans in, telling her in a conspiratorial whisper, "And, Mama, it's the best sex I've had in my life. I've got these pregnancy hormones that are making me feel like I am coming out of my skin. And then I see him and it's like my body doesn't know how to do anything but surrender. I mean, have you seen the man?! Who could turn that down?"
Bobbie laughs, "Fair point. And those pregnancy hormones are no joke." Then, she looks at her cautiously, "Have you talked to him about any of this?"
Carly cries out, "I can't! If I hear that we need to just be friends after everything I have been going through, I might actually break. Sometimes it's better not knowing."
"Oh, sweetheart, I don't think that's what's happening. That man cares about you. He shows up for you again and again." She tells her daughter gently.
"I know he cares about me. I'm his best friend. That doesn't mean he wants the same thing or feels the way I do." A tear drips down her cheek.
"I don't think he would ever treat having sex with you lightly, Carly. He has never been careless where you are concerned, at least that I've seen. I doubt he's going to start while you're pregnant with his child." She tilts her head, asking, "If he is feeling the way you're scared to hope, do you want to build a relationship with him?"
Carly looks at her mother like she's crazy. "Of course! He's…" her voice gets soft and a little dreamy, "the best man I know. He takes care of me and the boys, always willing to help us as though it's no big deal. He sees all of me, the good and the awful, and still loves me. God, I remember what it was like being a family with him when Michael was a baby, how it just felt right. And now there's no one threatening to take our baby. I get to build a family with him. The thought of him being in love with me, of being a real family, that's the sweetest dream."
Bobbie stands up, standing behind her giving her a hug over the back of the chair. "If you really want to build a family with Jason, you need to talk to him about this. You can't build anything worth having, anything that will last, without good communication." When Carly turns her head to look up at her mother, Bobbie brushes her daughter's hair back, "There's no other way except putting everything on the line and being brave."
Carly looks like she's miles away as she whispers, "Maybe you're right."