Edible Delectables (24 page)

Jason felt the weight of his guilt give and breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful for Eric’s quick forgiveness.  “That would be great, thanks,” he answered.  Eric nodded his head and began to pull Evalyn away but she resisted.  Taking a deep breath she stepped forward and hugged Jason as well.

“Just fix it, okay?” she whispered into his ear. 

Jason squeezed her tight for a second in silent promise, and before letting go replied just as softly, “I will.”

Chapter Nineteen

Eric and Eva left, closing the door silently behind them.  The room was quiet, the only sounds were Paul’s vitals monitor and the muted sounds of the hospital beyond the door. For all intents and purposes, Jason and Kara were now alone standing side by side, as Paul lay asleep and sedated.

“You didn’t have to come,” Kara murmured, not looking up as she spoke to him.

“I wanted to be here for you.” Jason fought the urge to reach out his hand to touch her, clenching his fist and pulling it back before he made contact.

Kara simply nodded her head, letting him know she had heard what he said.

“I’d like to look over his chart if that’s alright with you?” 

Kara’s head snapped up at his inquiry, looking surprised by his request, and a little worried.

“You’re not worried are you?  Do you think he’s in worse shape than they’re saying?”

“No, I just want to look it over, read the notes. For my own peace of mind.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding after a moment. “Do I need to go with you?” It was clear she really didn’t want to leave Paul’s side.

“No, I still have my Texas license and medical identification; they shouldn’t have a problem with my looking at it - with your permission. If they need to they can come speak to you here.” His need to touch her overwhelmed him.  He finally gave in and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, then stroked her cheek gently before turning to head out to the nurses’ station for the chart. 

When he returned to the room, Paul was awake and alert, talking quietly with his daughter.  Clearly surprised to see Jason enter his room, Jason observed the rapid, confused, look between Paul and Kara, before Paul silently questioned his daughter about the situation with a raised eyebrow. Kara’s reply was a small smile, which softened Paul’s features as his own smile slowly slid onto his face. The subject was dropped before anything was ever said out loud.

“You need sleep, Kara,” Paul’s voice was gruff and barely above a whisper, as his throat had to be sore from the breathing tube inserted during his surgery.

“I’m not leaving.” Kara dismissed him before he could say the words suggesting she actually leave him.

“I’m not going anywhere, kid,” Paul tried to joke, but grimaced when Kara blanched at his statement.

“I’m going to be alright, Kara,” Paul said as sternly as he could.

“I know,” Kara sniffled, the emotional day having caught up with her.

“Then go with Eva and Eric to the hotel, and get some rest, baby.  You can come back and see me tomorrow.”  He turned his attention to Jason, who was still standing near the door, not wanting to intrude.  “Can you see that she gets to the hotel safely?”

“Yes, sir,” Jason nodded his head.

“Go, get some rest, and I’ll do the same.”  Paul pulled his hand from under Kara’s and covered hers, as he patted it gently.

She stood slowly, silently relenting to Paul’s request, and whispered something in his ear as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Love you too, kid.”

~*~

Leaving the hospital, Jason and Kara walked quietly beside one another before Jason realized he didn’t have a car, as he’d taken a taxi from the airport.  He was about to say something when he realized Kara had already led him to her van. The day having taken its toll, she didn’t even put up a fight when he insisted he drive her to the hotel, and they drove in companionable silence, both lost in their thoughts. Once parked, neither of them made a move to get out of the car.  He gazed at her for a few minutes before she finally looked over at him.   

“You’re here.” 

“I’m here.” 

“Thank you, Jason.  Thank you for coming…” Her voice broke as a tear slipped down her cheek.  She turned away from him, to look out the window.

“I’ll always be here, Kara,” Jason whispered as he reached for her hand, anguished at seeing her cry. 

She turned back to him with a disbelieving scoff, compelling him to pull back his hand before it reached her. He swore he saw anger flash in her eyes.  “Always?”  He couldn’t miss the insinuation in her tone.

“I left.”  Jason acknowledged, his head dropping chin to chest.  He took a deep breath as they sat quietly for a minute before he finally spoke again, “I’m sorry.  God, Kara, I’m so sorry.”  He looked at her, pleading for her to believe his words.  “I thought I was doing the right thing, sacrificing my happiness so that your life wouldn’t change.”  Jason shook his head in frustration.

“Do you remember what you said to me the day after our first night together?” he asked, turning to Kara, willing her to look at him and understand.  She looked at him questioningly, shaking her head slightly, indicating she was unsure of what he was referring to.  “You said you were romantically inept,” Jason chuckled, remembering the moment.  There Kara had been, standing before him covered in gunk from the dumpster, while he frantically tried to figure out what he had done to make her so angry with him.   

“We’re a lot alike.  I never meant to hurt you.  I should never have made you think I wanted you any less than I did,” he paused, then added softly, “than I do.”

“Jason,” Kara began, but he continued.

“I’m sorry,” he insisted, his eyes shimmering with emotion.  Overwhelmed, she covered her face with her hands, fisting them over her eyes as she began to cry.

“Hey,” he reached out for her, but found himself hindered by the console between them.  Frustrated, he yanked the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the van. Rounding to her side, he quickly opened her door and reached in to grab her hands, practically lifting her from the vehicle and into his arms.

“I love you.”  He swore to himself if he ever had the chance to say the words to her, he wouldn’t pass the opportunity by again.

Kara gasped at his declaration. 

“I do, Kara, I love you. I need you to know that,” Jason said again, holding her tightly to him.

She let out a deep sigh her body giving in as it reveled in his closeness.  “I know,” she replied, her voice a mere whisper.  She pulled back slightly to look up at his shocked face. “You flew five hours to be here for me,” Kara elaborated, “Eric pointed it and forced me to admit it to myself.  That, and Jaime may have mentioned it.”  She gave him shy smile before looking away, then turned back to look in his eyes, “I love you, too.  I should have told you before.  And I’m sorry, too.”

Jason shook his head determinedly, “No, don’t say that.  There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.  Kara…” he struggled, searching for the right words to make her understand. “I just love you, and nothing else matters.  I don’t want to lose you.  Ever.  I’ll move back to Austin if you’ll have me.  I’m miserable in Seattle without you.” 

She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him, essentially cutting off anything else he was going to say.  Slowly, she began to cover what she could reach of his face with soft kisses, before settling back on his lips, where they locked passionately.  He held her firmly against him as his hands ran up and down her back, tangled in her hair, and ghosted across her neck, before running the circuit down again to cup her ass and pull her tightly against him.  His desire was overwhelming.  She was here, in his arms, kissing him. Accepting him. Forgiving him. He came to his senses and remembered where they were just in time to pull them back from the precipice of unbridled passion that was threatening to ensconce them.  As he pulled back gently, he grasped her hand in his and led her from the parking lot to the front desk of the hotel. There they retrieved the key to the room Eric had reserved and walked hand-in-hand to
their
room.  He wasn’t leaving her again

~*~

As soon as the door closed behind them, Kara was back in his arms kissing him again.  His hands found the bottom of her shirt and slipped underneath, now trailing along the bare skin of her back and around to the front of her belly. 

“I missed you,” he whispered into her ear, his hot breath causing a shudder to run through her. 

She moaned and nodded her head, lost in the feelings of Jason surrounding her.  He recaptured her lips in a searing kiss, while his hands slid up her sides pushing her shirt up as he went.  Once it was off he tossed it across the room away from them. 

“You are so beautiful.” His voice sounded breathless. “Seeing you here, like this, in front of me, takes my breath away.  I have no idea how I made it two months before getting my ass back on a plane back to Texas. It feels so surreal, I’m almost afraid I’m dreaming again, but my dream you never compared to this – this is absolutely perfect.”  His mouth crashed against hers as his hands cupped her breasts over her bra; his fingers dipped under the soft silky material to run along the tops, just barely teasing her nipples into erection.  He pulled his mouth from hers only to begin nipping and licking his way back down her jaw to her ear once again.  He nudged her ear with his nose, captured her lobe between his teeth in a gentle bite, released it and kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. 

“I love you,” he whispered again, his breath teasing her, once more unleashing a full body shiver of desire. 

“Oh, Jason.”  Kara grabbed his head and pulled it to her, kissing him hard.  She pushed him back down on the bed, taking charge of their situation.  Immediately she yanked his shirt off of him, tossing it to the side, not caring where it landed.  She didn’t stop there; she was done with the teasing.  Once his shirt was off she moved to his pants and discarded them quickly, pulling his boxers along with them.  Jason was naked in front of her, breathless, as Kara’s eyes worked over him in the most intense eye fuck of his life.  She grabbed his erection assuredly and began working him up and down, slowly at first and then faster as his breathing picked up.  She dropped to her knees when her need for him reached a peak, and took him in her mouth.  With her eyes on his, she licked up his shaft with the tip of her tongue, until his head dropped back against the bed breaking their contact.  She ran her hands up his thighs, gripped his base, and took his length into her mouth in one plunge.  Jason, startled at the sensation, released a loud moan and wove his hands into the hair at the back of her head, thrusting slightly into her mouth.  After only minutes of her warm ministrations, Kara felt him try to carefully push her back, as though he were on the brink.

“Kara, stop,” he gasped, trying to pull her mouth from him.  She released him instantly, and jumped up to stand before him.  She hastily unclasped her bra, yanked it from her body and tossed it aside.  Her pants followed, and in the blink of an eye, she was naked before him.  Jason reached for her hands, grasping them as he pulled her down onto his lap.  Kara gave a husky chuckle and quickly situated herself.  She rubbed against him, coating him with her wetness, then, in one quick move she took him inside and began to move.  Their rhythm was fast and needful.  Animalistic. Jason thrust as Kara ground down, the meeting of their bodies and heavy breathing the only sounds in the room. Too soon Jason was groaning with restraint, once again trying desperately to stave off his release.  His hand slipped to where they met and his fingers began to tease her gently at first, only a whisper of movement, then increasing gradually as Kara began to unwind. 

Shaking her head no, Kara begged to prolong it, but Jason would not relent.  He continued working her until she began to clench and shudder.  Her hands clawed his back, working their way up to tangle in his hair.  Succumbing, her head fell back, shaking back and forth while she moaned his name over and over.  And as she came down he let go and spilled himself into her, catching her as she collapsed against him. He wrapped her in his arms, keeping her flush against him, still buried inside of her, while their breathing slowed from gasps to deep breaths. 

She wasn’t sure how long they sat there like this, but after awhile she slowly eased off his lap.  She missed the feel of him immediately, and as though he felt the same, he followed after her, laying them both down on the bed to curl up together.  They spent a while caressing each other, mostly in silence, tracing their bodies with fingers and kisses in between.  Every now and then one of them would declare their love and follow it with a hot and needy kiss.

“Thank you.”  Jason said after awhile, settling his forehead against her own.  “Thank you for forgiving me, for taking me back after I made a mess of things.  Thank you for loving me.”

Kara traced his mouth with her finger tips, then leaned in and kissed his lips, nipping them gently with her teeth.  “You’re welcome.  Thank you for not moving on.”

“Never,” he stated firmly, shaking his head.  “Only you.”

“I don’t want you to leave the fellowship.”  Jason snapped his head to look at her in shock.  His mouth opened as he tried to find words.

“Kara, I need you, I don’t want to be without you anymore…” but Kara put her finger against his lips to quiet him.

“Shhh.” She removed her finger and kissed his lips gently.  “I’m not going anywhere,” she stated quietly.  “I love you.  But I want this for you, and I’ll do whatever I need to, to help you achieve it.  We don’t have to be apart.”

Jason looked at her confused, not sure what she was saying. “But how?”

“I’ll come to Seattle,” she answered, grinning as Jason’s eyebrows shot up.

“I’ll hire a manager for the shop, and I’ll take a leave to be with you.  Neither of us gives up anything,” she looked at him pointedly, making clear to him what her earlier conversation with his sister had been about.   

He sighed and snuggled his head into the crook of her neck.  “I don’t even know if I want it anymore,” he mumbled into her skin.  Kara ran her hands through his hair as she waited for him to continue.  He pulled back just enough to look at her, “I don’t know if emergency pediatrics is what I want to practice long term.  I mean, this fellowship is important, and it does add to my credentials, I’m just not sure I want to actually use it, if that makes sense.”  He closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at Kara longingly, “I’ve been thinking I’d like to join a practice, get to know my patients, watch them grow up,” he finished.