February 13, 2014

This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series What Would Happen

1

It started out as a one night stand. No names–just incredible sex. So incredible that they’d agreed to meet again–same place, same time the next night. She’d never had a lover like him before–he had a voice that dripped with sensual promise and a body to fulfill it.

During the three incredible hours they’d spent together, she’d never once thought about what her brother might think or what her fiancé would think. All she could think about was his mouth on her body, the way the skin on his chest rippled and tensed when she touched him.

Afterwards, they laid next to each other–the only sound in the room was their breathing. Heavy at first but then even. It was a long time before they spoke. And even then there was no conversation. She told him that it had been incredible–she’d never felt like that before. He agreed and that’s when they made the pact to meet again. She dressed quickly and quietly without looking at him.

If she looked at him, she might not get out of the room without jumping him again. Once she was in the hallway of the second floor of her favorite bar, she slumped heavily against the door, the diamond on her engagement glinting even the dim lighting.

When she’d been inside Room 4, she’d just been a woman who’d had an itch that sorely needed scratching. It’d been months–actually closer to a year–since she’d slept with anyone.

But now, outside the room, she wasn’t that woman anymore. Inside, she could say it was the hypnotic spell that seemed to be weaved the moment she’d laid eyes on him across the room downstairs. But outside…she was herself again.

Elizabeth Corinthos, sister to Mafioso Michael “Sonny” Corinthos. Sister-in-law to former model Brenda Barrett-Corinthos.

Future wife of Nikolas Cassadine, the number one rival to Sonny Corinthos’s empire.

She pulled her jacket over her rumpled tank top and left it unzipped. If she was going to leave at all tonight, now would be a good time.

She told herself she wasn’t going to come back. No matter how good she’d felt during the last three hours, she couldn’t do this again.

But even as she went down the stairs and left through the back alley…she knew she was lying to herself.

2

The first surprise came not the next night but the next afternoon. Elizabeth and Brenda had come into her brother’s penthouse after a morning of wedding errands and shopping. Her brother was standing by the mini-bar with a shot of whiskey in his hand and the man he was sharing the shot with had his back to the door.

“Elizabeth,” Sonny called. He beckoned them closer. “I want you to meet the infamous Jason Morgan.”

He turned then and it felt like life stood still for a moment as Elizabeth came face to face with the one night stand.

She knew who Jason Morgan was–everyone around Sonny knew about the guy he’d met in Miami five years ago. He’d put the younger man in charge of the Puerto Rico operation–entrusting him with more territory than men who’d been working longer for Sonny could believe.

Brenda had met Jason a few times–trips to the island with Sonny had ensured that. But Elizabeth never had.

The bag in her hand slipped through her fingers and hit the floor as she drank in his face–hoping that the saying that everyone had a twin in the world was true.

But there was shock on his face as well and she knew that it was him. That she’d slept with her brother’s business partner in a night of nameless sex.

And worst of all, she’d planned on doing it again.

He recovered quickly and stuck his hand out. Elizabeth shook the hand that stroked her into oblivion the night before and let it go immediately.

“Nice to meet you. Michael talks about you a lot,” Elizabeth mumbled. She gathered her bag from the floor. “I have to go.”

She bolted from the penthouse and it only once she was across the hall in her own apartment that she was able to breathe again.

3

She’d known all along that she’d go back that night. Even now–knowing who he was–she paused in front of his door and knocked softly. They could straighten out this whole thing and agree to put it behind them.

It made complete and rational sense to her as she drove the six miles from Harborview Towers to Jake’s on the outskirts of town. It made even more sense as she gave the owner of the bar a sheepish smile and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

But once she knocked and he opened the door, she couldn’t even remember what’d she come to tell him.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” he said quietly.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she confessed. “I should go.”

“Probably,” he agreed. But he opened the door further and she stepped inside. She heard the door click shut behind her but she forced herself to keep her back to him. If she looked at him, she’d jump him.

And that wasn’t what she’d come here to do. Right?

“I saw the ring last night but I didn’t ask.” His voice broke the thick silence and she stared down at the object in question. “I’m asking now–even though I know the answer.”

“It’s part of a merger,” she revealed so softly he stepped closer to hear her. She could feel his body heat against her back and it almost had her dizzy. She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure. “They’re merging the territory and a marriage is the easiest way.”

“You don’t love your fiancé?”

She turned then and met his intense gaze. If she’d felt dizzy before, she wasn’t sure how she was still conscious now. Everything was spinning and cloudy now. “Does it matter?” she asked, her voice husky now.

“Does it matter to you?”

Oh dear God, how was she supposed to concentrate on his words when he had the edge to his voice? That deep, gravelly edge? She blinked, trying to clear her vision and keep her mind clear. “No,” she whispered. She pulled the ring from her finger and slipped it into the pocket of her denim blue jeans. “It doesn’t matter to me at all.”

“You’re Sonny’s sister,” he said.

“It didn’t matter last night.”

“I didn’t know that last night.”

Her heart was pounding–she was having a hard time trying to breathe. “Does it matter tonight?”

He stepped closer to her, his scent overwhelming her then. She blinked again. She’d come here to tell him something…what was it again?

“It should,” he answered finally. He lifted a hand and brushed it against the skin just underneath her cheekbone. When the thick calloused skin made contact with the softness of her own, she moaned and her eyes fluttered shut. God, just a touch could undo her. The power this man had over her–she’d never known desire like this–or was it just plain old lust? Did she even care? “But it doesn’t,” he replied.

“Oh, God, I want you,” she breathed or even half moaned, she wasn’t sure. Didn’t even matter.

When he finally kissed her, it was even more intoxicating than the night before but now it had a sense of desperation because it was even more forbidden tonight. Because tonight, he knew who she was–what the penalty could be if her brother ever found out.

The knowledge that she was the sister of Sonny Corinthos should have stopped him but it only made him kiss her harder, pull her closer and he was even more eager to strip of her jeans and t-shirt. He wanted her in his bed again–immediately.

He backed her towards the bed even as he was peeling her jeans off her body. Jason slid his hands to her upper thighs and tugged so that she let him lift her into his arms, instinctively wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.

“Take this off,” she grumbled, tugging at the hem of his black t-shirt. He set her down on the bed and climbed over her, on all fours. She nearly ripped the shirt in her haste to get it off. She ran her fingers over the warm skin of chest, brushing against his nipples.

He was just as anxious to have her shirt off, only he did rip it at the seams in his rush. His hands cupped her firm breasts and she moaned into his mouth. “Please,” she murmured, not even knowing what she was asking for.

He slid down her body, his mouth roving over her porcelain skin, leaving a trail of red marks. His fingers slid under the straps of her panties and slid them down her legs, nipping at the tender skin of her inner thighs.

“Please,” she begged, threading her fingers in his hair and trying to pull him back up. “I need you now!”

He nibbled his way back to her lips before thrusting his tongue past her lips and devouring her mouth greedily. She blindly unsnapped his jeans and started to shove them over his hips, sending his boxers with him.

Jason reached towards the nightstand and found the condom on top–where he’d put it that morning before leaving. He was anticipating that tonight would be as incredible as the night before and he wanted to have it at hand. Now he was glad he hadn’t put it away after meeting Elizabeth.

She took it from him. “You concentrate on getting the rest of your clothes off,” Elizabeth told him breathlessly. He grinned then and kicked off his pants and boxers. Once he was fully nude, she braced her legs around his waist again and rolled them over.

“I think this was the one position we didn’t try last night,” Elizabeth remarked with a saucy smile. She nibbled and licked her way down his chest before reaching his hard shaft. Before he could stop her, she gave it a few licks–almost like she was licking a lollipop. Jason groaned when she swirled her tongue around his tip a few times before rolling the condom over him. She smiled at him mischievously. “Maybe we can try that in full force later,” she suggested as she let him pull her back up his body.

He adjusted her over his shaft and thrust his hips up, impaling her in one smooth motion. Elizabeth arched her back and fisted her hands in her hair. “Oh, God, this feels so good,” she murmured, closing her eyes. His hands slid over breasts and strummed her nipples as she started to lift herself up and down.

After a few minutes of the slow rhythm, he slid his hands down to grip her hips and he quickened the pace and she rode him harder. At first she was chanting his name but as she got closer to the edge, they just merged into one long moan. When he felt her tighten around him, he came to his own climax.

Sweating and shaking a little, Elizabeth collapsed on top of him. They were still connected and she could feel that every time she moved a little. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair.

“I’ve never felt like this before,” she admitted softly. “Even as I drove over here, I knew I shouldn’t.”

“I didn’t think you would come,” Jason admitted. “I hoped…but I knew why you might not.”

“You asked me before if I loved Nikolas,” Elizabeth began. “I don’t. I barely know him.”

Sensing the conversation was taking a sharp and serious turn, Jason slid out of her body and disposed of the condom. He slid back into the bed and pulled Elizabeth close to him, covering them with the thin sheet at the end of the bed.

“I wasn’t really paying attention before,” he admitted. “You said something about territories.”

“You know that Michael’s wanted the Cassadine territory for years,” Elizabeth reported. “Helena is getting old and Nikolas isn’t in a position to run it to its full potential so he agreed to merge the territories.”

“And the simplest way to do that through marriage,” Jason sighed.

“I didn’t want to agree at first but Michael’s done so much for me, how could I not do something for him?”

“Marriage is a pretty big favor,” Jason remarked.

“It didn’t bother me until now,” Elizabeth replied softly. She turned more into his embrace. “I know this is just sex but I’m supposed to get married in two weeks and…”

“If this was just sex, Elizabeth, you wouldn’t have come back tonight,” Jason told her gently.

“It’s really great sex,” she corrected. She propped herself up on her elbow. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not like this usually–I don’t let my hormones make my decisions.”

“If Sonny found out I was sleeping with his baby sister…” Jason trailed off and shook his head.

“Maybe I should just go home and we forget all about this,” Elizabeth suggested quietly.

“We’re going to have to eventually,” he replied. He touched her face. “Because I know it’s even more forbidden when you’re the wife of Nikolas Cassadine.”

“What do you want me to do?” Elizabeth asked. She pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. “Because the longer we do this, the harder it’ll be to walk away.”

“We couldn’t even walk away after one night. You tried and I even made up my mind to turn you away if you did come.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked curiously.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Because the second I opened the door and saw you…I couldn’t.”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly and laid on her back next to him. “So this is going to be a thing huh?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

4

It was definitely going to be a thing.

She stayed over that night, falling asleep in his arms. When he stirred the next morning and saw her curled up next to him, he groaned. How would he get her out of here without being seen? Because all it would take would be the wrong person seeing her leave his room and it would get to Sonny before the day was over.

And once Sonny knew that Jason was sleeping with his engaged baby sister…there were really only two options. He’d be sent back to Puerto Rico or…

He woke up her up quickly and she dressed in a hurry, understand the ramifications it got too late and someone saw her. She left, not making any plans to see him there again but they both knew that they’d be meeting again that night.

When he came home around eight, she was already in his room, curled up on his bed. She was on her side, her shoulders shaking. He quickly pulled his jacket off and kicked his boots to the floor before climbing into bed behind her and pulling Elizabeth into his arms.

She turned to him and he realized that she’d been crying. Within minutes, his shoulder was soaked.

She wouldn’t speak–wouldn’t tell him what had happened to upset her and Jason found himself cradling her as her sobs quieted and she eventually slipped into sleep.

He didn’t pull away or try to wake her. He just held her more tightly and within an hour or so, he fell asleep too.

She woke up around four in the morning and found herself still in his arms. Elizabeth smiled, her face tearstained and she touched his cheek, moved that he’d comfort her like this.

He felt her moving and opened his eyes. “Hey,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I just…I needed to get it out.” She laid on her back and sighed. “I was at my dress fitting this afternoon and I guess it really hit me. I’m getting married to a man I barely know…” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard. “Oh, God, Jason, I don’t want to marry him.”

Jason drew her close him again and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know what I can tell you.”

“There’s nothing to say,” she said mournfully. “I have to see this through.” She sat up suddenly and pulled her shirt off–tossing it to the floor. Elizabeth slid on top of him and started to kiss him.

He held her away for a moment. “Elizabeth, we don’t have to do anything. I can just hold you.”

Elizabeth’s eyes were soft and she could feel the tears coming again. “I want to,” she whispered. She leaned down and kissed him again. This time he responded.

Their clothes were shed quickly and in lieu of foreplay and different positions, he just slid in between her thighs and entered her slowly.

The whole act was different this time and they both felt it. Where it’d once been hard and fast, it was gently and slow. She locked eyes with him as he thrust and they kept the connection. He never went any faster and she didn’t beg him this time. Instead, they made love for nearly an hour before either of them found release.

And making love was the right phrase, Jason decided as he fell into another sleep with her in his arms. Before, it really had been sex. But this time…they’d made love.

And somehow, that made all the difference.

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series What Would Happen

5

When she heard the key in the door, Brenda set aside the magazine she’d been staring at since about eleven the previous night. She stood and crossed her arms.

Elizabeth pushed the door open and stopped in her tracks at the sight of her sister-in-law. “Brenda.”

“If you hadn’t shown up in about ten more minutes, I would have told Sonny you never came home,” Brenda said, quietly. “Where were you?”

“How long have you been here?” Elizabeth asked numbly, frozen in the doorway.

“Since I got a call from Bobbie saying you never showed up for your shift,” Brenda replied simply. “I called the seamstress and she said you left around six–nearly in tears. Where were you?”

“Brenda–”

Brenda took in her sister-in-law’s rumpled clothes, the buttons in the wrong holes and her messy hair. “Or maybe I should ask who you were with.”

She flushed then and looked away. “Brenda–”

“Are you insane?” Brenda asked stepping towards her. “You’re getting married next week–and I know you weren’t with Nikolas.”

“That’s right, I am getting married next week so why don’t you let me live my life the way I want to?” Elizabeth snapped suddenly. She shut the door and tossed her bag to the floor.

“God, Elizabeth, if anyone found out–”

“No one’s going to find out,” Elizabeth remarked acidly. She stalked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

“But if they did, do you know what would happen?” Brenda demanded.

Elizabeth turned to face her, her skin suddenly pale, her eyes wide. “I can’t stop,” she whispered. Her hands were shaking and she brought them up to grip the counter. “I tried. But I can’t.”

Alarmed, Brenda pushed Elizabeth into a nearby chair and kneeled in front of her. “Can’t stop what?”

“I told myself I wasn’t going to go back,” Elizabeth said softly. “After the first night, it was just out of principle. Because I am engaged and it felt wrong. But when I found out who he was–”

“Who is it?” Brenda asked stricken.

“Jason,” Elizabeth whispered fearfully.

“Jason Morgan?” Brenda repeated. She sat back on her heels. “How the hell did that happen? He’s only been back for three days.”

“We didn’t know each other the first time–it was just supposed to be sex,” Elizabeth tried to explain. “And when I found out who he was, I knew I couldn’t go back.”

“But you did.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Brenda, I’ve never felt like this before–not with anyone. I don’t know how to explain it. When he touches me, the rest of the world fades away. I can’t even concentrate on anything else when he’s in the room.”

“It’s lust,” Brenda told her. “That’s all.”

“That’s what I thought until last night. I went to his room after the fitting. He wasn’t here but I just curled up on his bed and started to cry. And when he came home, he wasn’t angry or even put off.”

“What did he do?” Brenda asked resignedly.

“He pulled me into his arms and let me cry on him until I fell asleep,” Elizabeth remarked wistfully. “And when I woke up in the middle of the night…something was different. I was different.”

“What do you mean?” Brenda asked carefully.

“We made love,” Elizabeth confessed. “It wasn’t sex. It was…”

“Are you saying you’re in love with him?” Brenda hissed. This was worse than she thought. She needed to pay an immediate visit to Jason.

“No!” Elizabeth denied quickly. She faltered. “But I think…if we’d met at a different time, under different circumstances…I could have been.”

Which meant, given some more time–she could fall completely and Brenda had to put an immediate stop to this. Marriage to a man she didn’t love was going to be hard enough but if Elizabeth was going to be pining after Jason, it could only end badly for everyone.

“Listen to me, you need to end this. Now. You can’t see him again,” Brenda advised her. “Jesus, if Sonny found out Jason was sleeping with his sister…he could send him back to Puerto Rico…” she gulped. “Or worse.”

“I know.” Elizabeth clenched her fists. “I won’t go back tonight.”

“Good.”

The phone rang then and Elizabeth reached for the cordless sitting on her table. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

“Jason,” Elizabeth breathed, glancing at Brenda. “Is something wrong? I just left there.”

“I need to see you again,” he said immediately. “Today.”

“Jason, I don’t think–”

“Meet me on the docks at two. Don’t be late–we can’t risk being seen.”

“Jason–”

His voice dropped to almost a whisper then. “It’s important. Please.”

She closed her eyes. “Okay. I’ll be there.” Elizabeth hung up the phone and stared at Brenda with apprehension. “He wants to see me again.”

“You can’t go.”

Elizabeth stood and started for her bedroom. “He said it was important.”

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t go.”

She turned to face her, tears in her eyes. “He said please.”

Brenda’s hands fell to her side. “Elizabeth–”

“He said it was important and he said please.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I have to go.” She went into her bedroom then and Brenda sighed.

Time to reason with the less passionate one.

6

When Jason got to his temporary office at the warehouse that morning, he found Brenda waiting for him. “What’s going on?” he asked.

She sighed. “You have to stop this Jason.”

He frowned. “Stop what?”

Brenda shook her head and leaned against his desk. “I know about Elizabeth.”

He blanched and closed the door immediately. “How did you find out?” he asked quietly.

“She never showed up for her shift at Kelly’s last night so I went over to her apartment to find her. She didn’t come home until about eight this morning.”

“Brenda, I can explain–”

“I sure hope so. Because do you have any idea what Sonny would do to you if he found out?”

“I know what could happen and–”

“You can’t see her again,” Brenda interrupted. “Not later today, not tonight, not again. Jesus, Jason–”

“I can’t. I have to see her today,” Jason replied.

“Oh, son of a…” Brenda swore under her breath. “What the hell is wrong with the two of you? Neither of you can seem to stop this. Don’t you get it? If you get caught now, Sonny will send you to Puerto Rico but if you continue this after her wedding–”

“Look, I know what would happen and I’m willing to accept the consequences,” Jason muttered.

“What…is she that good in bed?” Brenda snapped.

He glared at her. “Don’t speak about her like she’s a whore. That’s not what this is.”

“Oh, it didn’t start out as a one night stand?” she demanded shrilly.

“It did,” Jason admitted. “It’s…it’s more than that. She’s…I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Why? Because you made love last night instead of just fucking?”

Jason frowned. “How…” he couldn’t help the hopeful look in his eyes. “Did she say it was like that?”

Brenda threw up her in hands in exasperation. “Jesus Christ, you’re hopeless. Look, if neither of you are going to stop this…then please be careful.” She touched his arm. “For what it’s worth, Jason, I’m glad it’s you. And I wish you guys could have met in a better time.”

“Yeah. Yeah, me too.”

7

She was on the docks at two and he was there a second later, guiding her around the corner and onto his bike. Within moments, he had started the motorcycle and they were on their way out of town.

They drove for nearly twenty minutes before he pulled off onto an old road off the highway. After another twenty minutes of riding along a bumpy dirt road, he pulled to a stop near an old bridge.

She took the helmet off and shook her hair out. “Where are we?”

He turned off the motorcycle and swung his leg over the seat. “An old estate that burned down–this is the road that connected it to the highway.”

She followed him onto the bridge and leaned against the side. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

“Brenda came to see me this morning,” Jason told her. “To talk me out of seeing you again.”

Elizabeth sighed and stared at the ground. “It would be for the best,” she told him softly. “This won’t end well.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I told her I wouldn’t see you. But then you called and I couldn’t say no.” Elizabeth peered up at him. “I can’t…I can’t seem stay away.”

“The reason I wanted to see you today was to talk about last night,” Jason told her. “It was different. We were different.”

“Jason…” Elizabeth protested. “We can’t…”

“I know you told Brenda something along the same lines,” Jason argued. “Why can’t you admit it?”

“What good would it do to say it out loud?” she asked tearfully. “We need to stop this. Because if anyone else ever found out–”

“I’m going to go back to Puerto Rico after the wedding,” Jason cut in. “Because if we’re in the same city, I don’t know that I could stay away from you.” He moved in front of her and brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. She closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation. “Just give me until then. Please.”

Her eyelids fluttered opened, revealing her eyes–their blue surface darkened with desire. “Every time you touch me,” she breathed, “I just want you more.”

He cupped her smooth cheek in his large hand and lowered his face to kiss her gently, his tongue sweeping through her mouth as if trying to memorize every recess. She moaned and stepped closer to him, curling her hand in the flap of his jacket.

If he didn’t stop this right now, he’d make love to her right on the bridge. He started to ease the kiss back but she wanted more. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and dragged her nails down his shirt-clad chest, feeling the muscles underneath ripple.

Jason fisted a hand in her long dark locks, tilting her head back so that he could nibble his way down her throat.

“Make love to me,” she whispered, tugging his shirt from inside his jeans. She met his eyes. “Please.”

He pulled away from her then and spread his jacket out over the surface of the bridge before gently pulling her down to next to him so that she could sit on it. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. He pulled her t-shirt over her head and laid her back on the jacket.

Later, while she was cradled in his arms, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You know…you said it.”

She frowned and looked up at him. “What’s that?”

“You asked me to make love to you.”

She flushed. “Jason–”

“Because that’s what it is.” He smoothed her hair from her face. “I’m falling in love with you.”

She sat up then and shook her head. “No. It’s only been three days. It’s impossible–”

“I don’t care,” Jason remarked stubbornly. “I know how I feel and I think you feel the same–”

“It’s too soon,” she said. She snapped her bra back on and reached for jeans and panties. “We should get back before someone misses us.”

He slid his jeans on. “Elizabeth–”

“Jason, this has been so wonderful…” she hesitated and pressed two fingers to his soft lips. “Can we not argue about this right now?”

He sighed. “Yeah. We’ll talk about this later.”

8

They didn’t talk about it later. The next five days flew by. Elizabeth spent every night at Jake’s–she’d leave her house around nine at night and she’d be back by seven every morning. They didn’t always make love–sometimes she’d just curl up next to him and talk. She’d tell him about growing up with Sonny, her friendship with Brenda, how much she missed her parents. He’d talk about growing up in Miami never knowing his parents, about being grateful to Sonny for giving him this opportunity to prove himself.

The changes in their behavior didn’t go unnoticed. Jason wasn’t looking Sonny in the eye and Elizabeth was always ducking her brother’s phone calls. To top it off whenever Sonny would talk to Brenda about this, she’d change the subject or leave.

He was beginning to become slightly paranoid. He wondered if something he’d said or done had caused this.

And he wanted to clear the air between him and Jason as soon as possible.

9

Elizabeth giggled and leaned down to kiss him again from her position straddling his hips. She was using her arms to keep his at his side and alternating between biting and licking his chest as she worked her way down to his erection.

She was somewhere down near his abdomen when the knock came and they were both too lost in their actions to hear it or the second one. Jason groaned when Elizabeth’s lips closed over his tip and as soon as the sound left his mouth, the door swung open.

“What the fuck–?”

At the sound of her brother’s voice, Elizabeth squealed and ducked under the covers as soon as possible while Jason brought a sheet up to cover him. “Jesus, Sonny–”

Sonny stared at his right-hand man and the lump next to him that he was almost sure had been his sister. He closed his eyes. “Tell me that wasn’t Elizabeth I saw when I came in.”

“Sonny–”

“Tell me that wasn’t my sister I saw when I walked in!” Sonny ordered.

Not wanting to put Jason in the position to lie, Elizabeth poked her head out, careful to keep the blanket clutched to her chest. “Michael–”

“Son of a bitch.” Sonny punched the wall, leaving a hole in the plaster. He smoothed a hand over his head. “I’m going outside and the two of you are going to get dressed, do you understand?”

“Michael–” Elizabeth pleaded. Her brother just shook his head and closed the door behind him.

Elizabeth was frozen where she sat even as Jason got out of the bed and pulled his jeans on. She started to tremble and tears started to slide down her cheeks. Jason sat in front of her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. “Oh, God, Jason, what are we going to do?”

“You’re going to get dressed and he’s probably going to send you home while he deals with me,” Jason told her quietly.

“I’m not going to leave here like that,” she said, a desperate edge to her voice. “Jason, what if–”

“Listen to me, I can take care of myself. Please just promise me that when he tells you to go, you’ll go. Don’t argue with him, don’t try to explain–”

She shook her head. “No, Jason, I have to–”

He cut her off with a hard and brutal kiss. “Promise me,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love you,” she whispered back. She hugged him tightly. “I love you, Jason.”

He closed his eyes. “I love you, too. Promise me.”

“I promise,” she choked out. She let him go and stood to reach for her clothes. When Elizabeth was ready and he’d pulled on a shirt, Jason opened the door.

Sonny entered and cleared his throat. “Elizabeth. Go wait in the car.”

She opened her mouth to protest but then she caught Jason’s eye and shut it. She passed by Sonny and stopped, touching his arm. “Michael, I want you to promise me something.”

“Elizabeth–”

“I love him,” she whispered. “Please…don’t do anything you’ll regret. Please.”

He exhaled slowly. “Go wait in the car.”

Casting one last lingering look at Jason, Elizabeth obeyed and when they heard her footsteps on the staircase, Sonny cleared his throat again. “Is there anything you have to say for yourself?”

“I’m in love with her,” Jason said bluntly. “But it was never going to go past her wedding. I was going to go back to Puerto Rico.” He squared his shoulders. “I knew the possible consequences and I don’t regret a single moment I spent with her.”

Sonny nodded. “Yeah. Okay. If I did anything to hurt you, I could never look my sister in the eye again, so here is what’s going to happen. You’re going to leave for Puerto Rico tonight and you’re not going to see my sister again. Ever.”

Jason swallowed hard. “Okay.”

“She’s going to get married at the end of the week and eventually, you’ll both forget about each other. Understood?”

“Yeah.”

“Goodbye, Jason.”

“Goodbye, Sonny.”

10

Brenda drew a brush through her long dark hair and met Sonny’s eyes in the mirror. “You did the right thing by just letting them end it and sending him back to the island.”

Sonny shook his head. “I can’t believe this was going on under my nose and you couldn’t even tell me.”

She sighed. “Baby, Elizabeth was going insane with this wedding–she needed Jason to distract her, to keep her together. And I couldn’t tell you because I was scared of what would happen.”

“If Nikolas Cassadine ever found out–”

“Oh, screw Nikolas Cassadine!” Brenda exploded. She stood up from the vanity and whirled to glare at him. “Screw the whole thing. Jesus, Jason stood up to you tonight. He told you he loved your sister and didn’t regret one moment they’d been together and I bet your ass she feels the same way. I could see it that day I confronted her. She was scared of what was happening but underneath it all, she was happy. Because he made her feel good–he made her feel different and I am so sorry she had to give that kind of love up so that you could have your precious territory,” she spat out.

Sonny blinked. “You always did think I was wrong when I asked Elizabeth to do this for me.”

“I didn’t think it–I knew it. She is twenty-four years old and she is going to marry a man she doesn’t know, doesn’t love and probably doesn’t respect. While I–at that same age–got to marry someone that I loved deeply and until this moment, I respected.” Brenda chuckled harshly. “You know, I briefly entertained the idea that the moment they confessed their love to you, you’d tell Elizabeth that Nikolas and the territory could go to hell–you were going to do what made her happy.”

“You think I should call off the wedding, chance a bloody street war so that my sister can go and sleep with Jason Morgan?” Sonny demanded.

“I think you should call off the wedding so your sister can be happy with the man that she loves,” Brenda challenged.

11

Jason slid his hands inside his pockets and sat down on the white sandy beach of Sonny’s private island. Instead of going straight to Puerto Rico, he’d detoured here for some time to himself.

He’d left Port Charles with only the memory of Elizabeth to keep him sane. The memory of her face, of her touch, her taste, her scent, her smile, her laugh. God…if only he’d gone to Port Charles a year ago. He could have been with her.

She was due to marry Nikolas Cassadine the next day. He’d even tortured himself by picturing her in a wedding gown, walking down the aisle towards a faceless man. If he ever found out he’d hurt her, there’d be no place on Earth Nikolas Cassadine could hide.

“I haven’t been down here in years.”

Jason snapped his head up at the sound of her voice. Was he hallucinating now?

“I’ve forgotten how beautiful it is.”

When he heard her again, he got to his feet and turned to see her standing a few yards away, dressed in a bikini, a sarong around her waist. She was smiling tentatively. “Hi.”

“What…how?”

“Brenda threatened to leave Michael if he didn’t call off the wedding and send me to you,” Elizabeth reported. She twisted her fingers and bit her lip. “So, he did and here I am.”

He stepped towards her hesitantly and reached out to touch her cheek. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

Elizabeth smiled a little and stepped closer to him. “I missed you so much,” she whispered. She slid a hand up his chest to curl around his neck. Her eyes searched his. “When I found out you were gone, I felt like someone had ripped out my heart.”

He moved an arm around her waist and tugged her closer before kissing her hard–letting out the built up ache and passion. She moaned and threaded her fingers in his hair. “I missed you too,” he told her.

“Can we do something?” she asked, smiling now.

“Anything you want,” Jason replied.

“Can we be happy for a while?” Elizabeth asked. “We’ve spent the past two weeks suspended in this world where it could all end at any moment and I just want to be happy for a while.”

“I think we can handle that,” Jason replied. He kissed her again. “I definitely think we can handle that.”

The End