❦ Jason ❦

Propping up myself on one elbow, I watched Kate sleep. She looked so beautiful and peaceful it tugged at my heart. Unable to help myself, I caressed her cheek with the back of my knuckles and felt guilty at the thought that I had pushed her to her limits last night.

I had kept her up all night, fucking her in ways I had fantasized about, until we passed out from exhaustion. She made me feel insatiable. Even now, I was tempted to wake her up and sink into her but I reminded myself that she needed rest.

She let out a small sigh and snuggled into me. I gathered her close, loving the way her body fit mine so perfectly. It was like she was made just for me.

I had thought by spending one night with her I would be able to sate the hunger I felt for her. Instead it made me want her more. She had rocked my world last night and I wasn't sure I could let her go.

The thought of another man touching her sent my blood boiling with jealousy that shocked me. I didn't do jealous. Never had. I suspected my feelings for her went a hell lot deeper than lust. I wondered if I was falling for her again, like I did six years ago.

Unaware of the turmoil flooding my mind, Kate stirred in my arms. She scrunched up her face adorably and rolled on to her back. My gaze roamed over her body greedily and I swallowed, my body going instantly hard.

I had a feeling I would never get used to how beautiful she looked. Reminding myself that she was probably sore after the workout I gave her last night, I ignored my body's demands and slipped out of bed.

But just then I caught sight of the faint bruise on her arm. With a soft curse, I leaned over to inspect it. I could plainly make out finger imprints on the skin and guilt rolled through me in waves.

Pulling the duvet off her, I checked the rest of her body and felt my gut churn when I saw the faint bruises on her thighs and hips. Clearly, I had been too rough with her. She made me lose control, something I had never done with any other woman.

I wasn't into any strange sexual kinks and I sure as hell didn't like inflicting pain of any woman, but I preferred rough sex. And I had told Kate to stop me if I was getting too rough with her but she hadn't. There was no doubt that she enjoyed every minute of last night but I should have been more careful with her.

Tucking the covers around her, I padded into the bathroom and took a shower. Back in the bedroom, I was careful to not make any sound, for fear of waking Kate up, and quickly got dressed in a white dress shirt and navy blue slacks. I was putting my tie on when the phone rang.

It was my mom and I stepped out of the room to answer the call. We talked for a few minutes before she went to the point.

"You're coming for the dinner party tomorrow night, right?"

"What dinner party?" I asked distractedly as I put my watch on.

"Jason, sweetheart. I told you about it last week. It's our annual fundraiser."

"Oh, yeah. That." Each year my parents threw a lavish dinner party at our mansion in Greece to raise funds for charity. People from all over the world flew in to attend it and it was one of the biggest and most anticipated events of the year.

I had completely forgotten about the event. I ran a hand through my hair thinking of all the work I had pending. I had already planned to fly out to India to finalize a deal on a plot of land I was buying. After the Bali hotel was done, my next project was to open another hotel in India. Acquiring land in India was tricky and I had to be there in person for all the legal paperwork so my lawyers and I were flying out there first thing the next morning.

And besides, I still had meetings I needed to attend here in Chicago before I flew to LA later that evening.

I explained as much to her but she was having none of it. "Nathan and Cheryl already confirmed they are attending the dinner. I'm sure they are as busy as you are. But if they can take a couple of days off from work just because I asked, I don't see why my own son can't do the same." Not only was she stubborn, but she was dramatic as hell.

"Really, mom? You're going to emotionally blackmail me into attending the dinner?" I asked feeling a mixture of exasperation and amusement.

"Yes." She said with a laugh. "It's the only I can get you to attend these functions."

"Fine." I grinned into the phone. "I'll be there. I have to go now, mom. I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. I love you."

"Love you too."

After hanging up, I called Andrea and updated her on the change of my schedule. The trip to Greece would take almost thirteen hours and that meant I would have to leave late in the afternoon if I wanted to make it to the dinner party.

I walked back into the bedroom and found Kate was awake. She was about to get up from the bed but stopped when she saw me. A hesitant smile touched her face along with a slight flush and I suddenly realized she was feeling self-conscious.

"Morning. Sleep well?" I asked stopping at the bed and leaning over her to press a kiss to her lips.

"I did." She was chewing on her bottom lip, not meeting my gaze. Self-conscious and embarrassed, I thought. Although, I had no idea why she would feel that way in front of me. She hadn't been that way last night.

Touching her jaw, I lifted her face so that she had no choice but to look at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just...tired, I guess."

Sitting down beside her on the bed, I let my fingers trail over the bruises on her arm, thighs and hips. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..."

She suddenly touched my cheek making me stop. "You didn't hurt me. It was perfect." And then she grinned. "And from what I've heard, sex bruises are the best kind."

My lips quirked up into a smile. "Is that so?"

She nodded, still smiling. "Besides, my skin is too pale and I easily bruise. You know, being a redhead and all."

"Even so, I'll be careful next time."

Her smile faded, and she stared at me. "Next time?"

Enjoying the look on her face, I tugged the cover down her body, baring her breasts. "Yeah, next time. You don't think I'm done with you, do you?" I cocked one eyebrow just as I tugged on her nipples simultaneously. She gasped, her eyes darkening with desire instantly.

"And I don't think you're done with me, either." I let one hand drop between her legs, finding her wet just as I had known.

"Jason..." She moaned when I slipped two fingers in her. Bending my head down I pulled one nipple in my mouth, sucking hard, as I continued moving my fingers. She cried out, her hands fisting in my hair, holding me in place.

I knew her body so well and it took less than a minute for me to make her come. The way she breathed out my name made my already hard dick throb in response but I ignored it. I didn't have time for that and she was probably too sore for any fucking.

I left her on the bed, flushed from the orgasm, and headed into the bathroom. After filling the marble tub with warm water, I added lavender scented bubble bath to it.

I wasn't familiar with what women preferred when it came to bubble baths but I remembered Cheryl taking elaborate baths when we lived together in college. She had music on with candles all over so I figured it would also work for Kate.

There were dark red candles set in candelabras in the bathroom so I lit them up with a lighter I found in one of the drawers. Then I switched on the tv on the opposite wall and tuned it to a music channel.

Satisfied with my work, I walked into the bedroom and scooped Kate into my arms.

Her eyes widened when I carried her inside the bathroom. "You did this?"

"No. The little elves that live here."

She rolled her eyes but she was smiling as I lowered her into the warm water. She sighed in pleasure and sank deeper into the tub. "This feels amazing. Thank you."

I left her and went to make a couple of calls. When I came back, she was humming softly to the song playing on the tv.

"I've ordered breakfast for you." I crouched down next to the tub and cupped her face. "And when you want to go home, call Alex. Don't go by yourself."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah. I have several meetings scheduled for this morning and I'm already two hours late." I explained, wishing I could spend the day with her. "And I'm leaving to Greece later this afternoon so I'll be back in a couple of days."

"Oh." I knew what she was thinking. The look on her face said it all. There was uncertainty and again the self-consciousness I had seen earlier.

"I know we need to talk." I said caressing her cheek. "I'll come see you when I get back from my trip."

"That's okay. You don't have to. I mean I know this is just a one-time thing. So you don't need to..."

I stopped her with a quick kiss. "Let's just talk later, okay?"

She still looked doubtful but nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want."

After last night, I knew I couldn't let her go but I had a feeling she would try to fight me. She was stubborn but this time I wasn't giving up so easily. But before I talked to her, I needed to figure out my feelings for her. So it was better to wait until I got back from my trip.

❦❦❦

❦ Kate ❦

"What? He ran you a bubble bath?" Hal's voice echoed in my bedroom.

I nodded at the screen of my laptop. "With candles and music." Hal and I were facetiming and I was filling him up on what happened two nights ago.

"Wow, that is so romantic. Peter never did that for you."

I ignored the last part even though it was true. "I don't know what to think of all this. I mean, we had an amazing night but I thought that would be it. I honestly didn't expect to see him there when I woke up."

"Maybe he wants more than one night with you."

"That's what he hinted but I'm not sure."

"Well, I don't think he would go to the trouble of running you a bubble bath, ordering breakfast for you, and giving you all that attention unless he wanted to continue the relationship."

"There's no relationship."

Hal grinned. "Fine. Let me rephrase. Unless he wanted to extend your one night stand into a lot of nights."

"Maybe he was just being nice."

"Uh, no. Men act nice before sex. After they get what they want, they are never nice." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I speak from experience."

"Oh, that reminds me. How's things with Andy?"

"It's going pretty well but let's not talk about me." He gave me a wicked grin. "C'mon, dish out the details."

"I already told you. It was amazing."

"I need the dirty details."

I sighed. "Go ahead."

"How many orgasms?"

"Jesus, Hal." I groaned. "Why do you have to be so weird?"

"Everyone needs a weird best friend. You're lucky to have me. Now tell me."

"Okay, I stopped counting after the fifth."

His mouth dropped open. "Marry him."

I laughed. "No, thanks. Men like Jason are not the loyal type."

"You don't know that."

"I swear you have a crush on him or something. You're always taking his side." I rolled my eyes and stretched on the bed. "I've got to go. I'm going out with Paige and I need to get ready." We talked a couple more minutes and ended the call.

I knew Paige would be there in ten minutes but I found myself lying on the bed thinking about Jason. I hadn't been able to get him out of my mind for the past two days.

Memories of our night together was always playing in my head, refusing to disappear. I remembered Jason telling me that after he fucked me I wouldn't be able to walk straight for days. Now I knew how true his words were. Even after two days, I still felt deliciously sore between my legs. Every time I walked, I was reminded of him inside me.

I had known sex between us would be explosive. Six years ago, he had rocked my world and he was just an 18-year-old boy then. Now he was a man, a man with more experience and enough patience to drive a woman crazy for hours. Even thinking about it was making me ache for him and I groaned into the pillow. I hadn't expected my emotions to go haywire after sleeping with him.

I thought I would be able to get him out of my system but instead I wanted him more than ever.

What I had told Hal was true. I hadn't expected him to be there when I woke up. I thought he wouldn't want to make any morning after conversation. But he had surprised me completely.

He had been so sweet to me, not only because he ran me a bath. Some people would consider that not much of a big deal but to me it was. No one had ever done that to me before and in that moment, I felt so very pampered under all his attention.

He had told me he wasn't done with me yet and he wanted to talk to me when he got back from his trip. Maybe Hal was right. Maybe Jason wanted more than one night.

But I didn't know if I could give him that. I wanted him but a part of me warned me to stay away from him. He might be sweet and charming, but I shouldn't forget that he was a playboy.

And then suddenly, I remembered about Delia Costas and what she had told me during the dinner party in Palm Beach. Her words reverberated in my mind.

"Jason and I have an understanding. He knows we are meant to be together but he is not ready to settle down yet. He is going to come to me when he is ready and I don't care who he fucks until then."

How could I have forgotten that? Jason was only interested me for sex and when he got bored he would move to the next woman, until he wanted to settle down. In that case, he had a beautiful woman like Delia waiting for him.

I wasn't going to get involved with him. It would be like a one-way ticket to heart break. I already liked him too much and I didn't want to risk falling for him. He had broken my heart once, even though he said he hadn't meant to do it. But I wasn't going to give him a second chance to break my heart either intentionally or unintentionally. And that meant, I had to stay away from him.