The Scale (Martha's Way) (29 page)

“Don’t forget. I’m the one fucking you right now.” The words
sounded cold and indifferent. God, he was being a dick. But worst, he didn’t
care. Even when her eyes registered the shock, he stood still, tall, and aloof.

“What does that mean?” She choked out the words.

He shrugged with indifference. “It means while we’re
together, I’m the only man fucking you. At least until next week, then I don’t
care what you do.” The words wounded her. The way her bottom lips trembled tore
something deep inside him. But at this point his sense of betrayal was bigger
than any amount of pain she was experiencing.

She sent him a long, pained look. “You think I’m sleeping
with someone else.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t necessarily care.” But, even
as Jason spoke the words, he knew he was lying. He did care, way too damn much.
“If you’re lusting after someone else, then that’s your business. I don’t care,
as long as you don’t spread your legs for him.”

“I’m not in the habit of spreading my legs for men. You know
before you, there was only one other. What’s going on?”

How could he tell her he knew her darkest secret?

It would be so easy to hurt her. That was his intent. But he
cared. No, he loved her.

Even now as she asked the question, her voice carried an
insurmountable level of pain, confusion, and hopelessness. Jason felt torn with
the desire to wrap her in his arms or confront her and maintain his distance
from there on. With a mind clouded by sorrow, he cupped her face. Her warm
breath caressed his lips as he leaned ever more closely, his nose brushing
against hers. The kiss was gentle yet insistent, loving but possessive.

Chapter Twenty

“There are very few
human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant
illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale,
by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic.”

Anaïs Nin

A tingle ran through Minka’s body as Jason’s hot lips
conquered hers, forcing her to inhale through her nose. She closed her eyes to
better enjoy the sensation as his tongue lightly swept across and between her
slightly parted lips. There was an edge of urgency about his kiss, a hunger
that might suddenly rage out of control, yet he was strangely tender and
sensuous.

The hardness of his body pressed into hers as the kiss went
even deeper, almost punishing, making her shiver in anticipation. Desperate
with need, she grazed her tongue along his bottom lip. He moaned with pleasure
and held her tighter as the kiss grew more furious, rougher; seizing what was
rightfully his with his lips.

When he suddenly released her, she gasped for air in an
attempt to clear her head.

“We should head out. Everyone is waiting.”

His voice was rough. She nodded, meeting his gaze. Her heart
skipped. The scintillating brightness she had become accustomed to
was
no longer apparent. His mood change left her perplexed.
But Minka attributed it to the fact that he was returning home after so many
years. His emotions were probably running ragged.

As strong and controlled as Jason appeared most of the time,
she knew enough to know the wound he carried over his father’s broken vow and
the death of his mother had still not healed. Yet he had chosen to bring her
here in spite of that.

Feeling selfish for thinking of her needs, she reached for
his hand. A slight frown crossed his face for a brief moment. She caught her
breath, waiting for him to reject her.

“My words earlier…” his said, “they were harsh.”

Her hand reached to caress his face, silencing him. She
understood his pain. “Let’s go meet the others.”

She turned to leave but he caught her wrist and pulled her
back to him. “I was a dick. I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. Even in
anger, I should not have spoken to you that way.”

“What are you angry about?”

She waited for him to tell her, to confide in her as she had
done earlier but his eyes reminded her of the picture of him on the boat.
Cold and distant.

“Everyone is waiting,” she said with a smile. “Apology
accepted.”

They found the rest of the group by the parked cars. Instead
of two vehicles waiting as Jason had mentioned
,
there
were three, two Jeeps and a sleek black Mercedes Benz convertible.

“You sent your car here,” Jason said to Adam, who nodded
with pride.

Adam wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist. “Come on baby,
you’re riding with me. Jason is all about Jeeps. I go for the speed.”

“In everything?” her friend quipped with sarcasm.

If he was surprised by her words, he didn’t show it.
Instead, Adam laughed easily at her words.
“Only for
quickies, but otherwise nice and slow.
You will see.”

Minka watched her friend rolled her eyes to the heavens, but
followed Adam to the sporty car nonetheless. Keely and Blake made their way to
the other Jeep.

“We’ll see you at the house,” Blake shouted as he got behind
the wheel.

With a hand on her back, Jason led her to the second Jeep.
He waited until she buckled her seatbelt before driving off on the only paved
road on this side of the island.

The drive was mostly made in silence. Minka used the
opportunity to take in the serenity of her surroundings. Chappy, as Jason
referred to it, she noticed was the least developed district in Martha’s
Vineyard. Most of the roads were single-lane sand tracks.

“This is the only shop on this side of the island.” He
pointed to a small barn house. “It carries a few necessities such as milk and
women’s toiletries.”

“What if you need something and they don’t have it?”

He chuckled. “It’s best to bring water, picnic food, drinks,
sunscreen, and all of that other stuff.”

“How did you live here like that?”

“Well, it wasn’t always separated from the rest of
Edgartown.”

She nodded, recalling what she’d learned of the island from
the bits she’d read on the internet. “There’s a Japanese garden here.”

“It’s called Mytoi. I can take you for a tour if you like.”

“Yes, that would be lovely.”

“It’s not very big. But it’s nice to have a picnic there.
Quiet and serene.”

“I think I would like it.”

He smiled at her words. His expression a bit more relaxed.
“You will.”

Minka smiled. The more time she spent in Martha’s Vineyard
discovering all of its beauty, the more she fell in love with the island and
the man sitting inches away from her.
“Yes, very much.”

“We’re here,” he said as he steered the Jeep unto a private
road. He drove for about three quarters of a mile before he parked the car and switched
off the ignition.
“The Montgomery compound.”

She wished she could see his expression, his eyes, but they
were hidden behind those damn glasses. Unable to read him, she nodded and
offered him a slight smile. He made no attempt to move; therefore, Minka
remained in the passenger seat and took in the grandeur of the waterfront house
where Jason had spent his childhood.

“Come with me.”

Before she knew it, he was by her side opening her door and
taking her hand in his. The tension from earlier seemed to have vanished
completely. Minka walked with him across the perfectly manicured acres of land.

“This is where you grew up,” she said. And couldn’t help but
think the sprawling lawn was the perfect venue for children to run and play.

“I used to play croquet here with my father.”

Images of Jason as a young boy running around with his
mother and father made her smile. “Tell me more about your life here.”

“I don’t have much to complain about. I had a good
childhood. My father was always around. Let me show you something.”

They walked past a basketball court. From there, she noticed
a cabana a few feet away from the main house. “Is this occupied?”

He followed her direction and shook his head. “No. More like
a guest house really. The staff sleeps in the house if they need to but, with
the exception of Rosa, most go home.”

“Who lives here now? It’s such a big house.”

“Mostly my father, but I’m guessing he’s rarely here.”

They rounded to the back, past the guest houses, and came
upon a white, sandy beach. She turned to Jason. He stood back and smiled at
her. “This is part of the Atlantic?” Minka asked in awe.

He nodded.

“Is this private?” She faced the water.

“We have the largest salt water pool in New England right in
front of our home.”

Folding her dress between her legs, Minka lowered her weight
to her knees and squatted by the ocean. She placed her hand in the water,
enjoying the coolness of it. “It must be nice to have your own beach.”

“It has its perks. It made skinny dipping easier. No fear of
getting caught by the cops.”

She laughed, enjoying the discovery of the man as a boy. He
lowered himself to kneel beside her.

“And do you do that often?”

“Not in the last five years or so. Last time I went skinny
dipping here with a girl, I was in college.”

The confession made her smile. Not so much of Jason swimming
around naked with some college girl, but really the image of him as a young
man.

“You brought a girl home. It must have been serious.”

“Not really,” he replied honestly. “It was fun.”

“Like you and me.” Once again, the words were spoken before
she could process them. Minka silently cursed herself over the carelessness.

What exactly was she looking for?

A declaration of love?

Only minutes ago, he had made it clear their tryst was just
till next week. She needed to stop dreaming of possibilities.

“I didn’t mean…”

“We are different,” he replied, cutting her mid-sentence.
“We are adults, not college kids. Let’s go inside. The others are already here.
I’ll give you a tour and introduce you to Claire’s mother.” He rose to his
feet,
then
extended his hand to her. Hand in hand,
they walked off the beach, across the impeccably landscaped grounds, and past
the swimming pool into the house.

The spacious interior of the main residence featured multiple
living spaces. Jason led her past the formal living room, which opened onto a
comfortably furnished sun porch set up for dining in the evenings and sunset
views, to a game and library room where the others had already made themselves
at home.

Blake and Keely were at the pool table. Adam stood behind
the bar. Lily sat by the bay window that opened to a delightful courtyard
bordered by perennial gardens.

“Blake and Keely, do you want the carriage house?” Adam
asked his friend.

“You can have it. Keely and I will crash in one of the three
suites.”

“Yeah, we’d much rather hang out with everyone,” Keely agreed.

“Princess,” Adam called to Lily, who pretended to not have
heard him. “Lilianna, you’re welcome to join me.”

“Give it up, slick.” Lily refused to look in his direction.

Minka smiled. Her friend might deny it, but there was an
attraction between the two of them. And she knew her friend enough to know she
was enjoying the flirtation.

Jason left her side to join Adam at the bar. She watched
them work as if they were at Vapors fixing everyone a drink.

“A beer, Blake,” Jason yelled out to his friend who nodded
without breaking his attention from the pool table.

Just then a beautiful African-American woman with long
braids lined with gray streaks walked into the room. The woman appeared to be
in her early to mid-fifties wearing very little makeup. But her skin was
wrinkle-free and glowing.

“That’s Rosa. Claire’s mom,” Jason said in a low tone.

She nodded. “I gathered.”

Everyone abandoned what they were doing to greet Claire’s
mother. Adam caught Lily’s wrist and brought her to him, instantly making her a
part of the greeting committee. Minka remained still, not quite sure what to
do. Jason returned to her side and handed her a glass of wine.

 
“Come, I’ll
introduce you.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

He smiled at her.
“Nonsense.
You’re
Keely’s sister. You’re family.”

She nodded. But his words continued to cause her grief for
they did not reflect her relationship with him. Jason made a quick introduction
between her and Rosa, who pulled her in her arms and hugged her.

“You are the woman Charles mentioned. Jason has done well,”
she whispered in Minka’s ear before releasing her.

“We’re only friends.”

Rosa dismissed her claim with a warm smile. “I also heard
from Luc and Marjorie.” She winked. “They love you.”

Minka’s skin grew warm. “They are very nice, but Jason and I
are…” Minka let her words trail off. There was no point in continuing. From the
wide grin on the woman’s face, it was obvious her mind was made up.

The older woman patted her shoulder. “You two will figure it
out. Just know Jason is like a son to me. Treat him well. But, more
importantly, thank you for bringing him back home.”

Minka opened her mouth to argue, to point out she had
nothing to do with this trip. But Rosa had moved past her to the rest of the
group. “Behave, children. I’m going to go to Menemsha and meet Charles so I can
give you young birds the house for the weekend.” She leaned over and placed a
kiss on Minka’s cheek. “I hope to see you again back here.”

Weakened by Rosa’s kindness, Minka could only nod. “It was a
pleasure meeting you. You have a lovely daughter and home.”

Rosa was once again surrounded by all of Jason’s friends,
including her sister. After countless hugs, kisses and shouts of love, Rosa
walked out of the room promising to see everyone again soon. Minka was still
smiling when she caught Jason staring at her.