What Endures (25 page)

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. This is. . .” She touched her temple and realized that her headache was gone. “Lunch sounds good. Just give me some time to put myself back together again?”

He grinned. “That shouldn’t take too long right?”

“Don’t ruin the moment," she said lightly.

He chuckled and got up. “How about in a few hours? I need to do my morning PT exercises anyway.” He gave her another one of those breath-taking smiles before he started toward his bedroom.

“Jason?” He stopped and turned around. “Thanks for last night, you know with the. . .”

He nodded, but his eyes twinkled mischievously. “I don’t want a woman who has just spent the night with me to wake up feeling like you do. What would that do for my reputation?”

He winked at her before he turned and continued toward his room. She didn’t know whether to laugh, or to grab the nearest object and fling it at him. She settled for staring at his retreating back open-mouthed.

Whatever else happened from that moment on, she knew for sure it wouldn’t be boring. Life with Jason, even this ‘incarnation’ of him, never was. Oddly, instead of feeling scared of what laid ahead, she was looking forward to it. And she realized that it was the first time in months that she was actually looking forward to something.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

June. . .

“You’re kicking me out?”

“Just for a few hours though,” he said with a smile.

“Because you need to set something up here? Like a catered dinner?”

“Nice try.”

“Jason!”

He laughed. “You are
terrible
with surprises you know that?”

“That’s because I don’t like them.” She looked at him pleadingly. “Just tell me.”

He shook his head and took her hand, leading her toward the front door. “In a few hours.”

“Did I mention that I really don’t like surprises?”

“How do you know you won’t like this one?” he asked reasonably.

“Please?” He remained unyielding. “A hint then? Just a little one?”

“You want a hint?” She nodded, giving him her best smile. “O.K. Food will be provided.”

She scoffed. “That’s your hint?”

“No, that’s
your
hint. I don’t need any hints. I already know.”

“That’s clever,” she retorted.

He laughed. “You’re cute when you’re pouting.”

“How do I know what to wear?” she asked, trying another tact.

“It’s taken care of,” he replied, opening the door. She was surprised to see a black limo parked in their driveway.

She turned to him. “What is-“

“Mike here will take you shopping for the clothes you need. You also have an appointment at a spa in a little while.”

She glanced at the driver, clad in the customary dark suit, who had emerged from the front of the limo. He nodded politely at them before he moved to the back of the limo and stood patiently by the door. “How did. . .what is. . .”

He smiled. “It’s not too bad so far right?”

It wasn’t. But she wasn’t going to give up so easily. “How do I know what clothes to buy? Or if I have enough money?”

“It’s like pulling teeth,” he mumbled good-naturedly as he walked out. Since he was still holding her hand, she had no choice but to follow. He walked over to the driver. “Hi Mike.” Jason’s greeting was familiar, as if they were old friends.

“Mr. Kincaid.” He nodded at her and opened the door. “Are you ready Ms. Williams?”

“I’m not sure.” She smiled sweetly at Mike. “Is this going to be a long trip?”

Both Jason and Mike laughed before Mike looked at her apologetically. “Sorry, Ms. Williams. I can’t answer that.”

“Again, nice try,” said Jason as he ushered toward the open car door. She made no move to get into the car. She wondered how Jason knew the driver’s name, or that he knew theirs. Clearly, whatever Jason had up his sleeve today, he had planned it well. He looked at Mike. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Take as much time as you need,” said Mike as he moved over to the side giving them some privacy.

“O.K., Ms. Wants-To-Spoil-The-Surprise, now that you know I’m on to you just go along and enjoy the ride hmm?”

“Doesn’t look like I have much choice.”

“No, you don’t,” Jason said lightly. “And I know you don’t like surprises but. . .” He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against his hard body. At the contact, all thoughts of trying to figure out what he was up to flew out of her mind. He leaned down and whispered into her ear,

“You’ll like this one, Megan. Trust me.”

His voice had dropped into that low, husky timbre that never failed to send a shiver down her back. She glanced up and met his eyes, which were a clear shade of green.  Breathing suddenly became an issue. “I-I do. I mean I trust you.”

He gave her one of those killer smiles of his and she felt her heart beat even faster. “Good. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss, before ushering her into the car. Before he closed the door, he gave her a wink. "Have fun."

As the limo pulled away, she caught one last glimpse of him. The twinkle in his eye was unmistakable, and so was that smirk of his. Those two things, coupled with that mischievous wink that he had given her made her seriously wonder just what was in store for her as Mike drove off to destination unknown.

She had no further contact with Jason for the rest of the day. Although she felt his presence at all times. Everywhere she went that day, it was ‘Mr. Kincaid’ this or ‘Mr. Kincaid’ that. She quickly realized that ‘well-planned’ couldn’t even begin to adequately describe what Jason had set up.

Mike had driven her into Chevy Chase, Maryland, one the wealthy suburban enclaves surrounding Washington, D.C. They had gone straight to one of those exclusive boutiques that specialized in the ‘complete shopping experience.’ Lingerie, clothing and shoes all in one place. She had been unsure of what to buy but ‘Mr. Kincaid’ had taken care of that. The saleswoman had greeted her warmly at the door and then had ushered her into a private room in the back where an array of stunning cocktail dresses had been set up for her perusal.

She had tried to subtly grill the saleswoman on what she knew about Jason’s plans for the day, but Jason had taken care of that as well. The saleswoman had kindly, but firmly, resisted her attempts to get any information about the day. Finally, she had just given up and had simply shopped. She had spent over an hour trying on different dresses before she finally settled on one.

A red, halter-top dress with a flowing skirt. The red of the dress brought out the golden tones of her hair, and the fit of the dress emphasized her small, but curvy figure. The dress was much sexier than her usual style but she chose it for a reason. If Jason was going to keep her off-balance with this whole surprise thing, then she was going to throw him a little off-balance too.

As soon as she had picked out everything that she had wanted, and from what the saleswoman was telling her, she could have bought out the entire store if she had wanted, all her purchases had been wrapped and sent out to Mike, who had told her they would be at her unknown destination later that evening.

By then, Megan had decided to do as Jason had requested and go along for the ride. She was enjoying it. A lot. She had already figured out that this was going to be their 'official date,' which they had talked about a week ago when she and Jason had decided to start new. Things had gotten in the way so they hadn't managed it until tonight, and it looked like Jason was going all out.

Since deciding to start new, things had been developing between them. That awkward politeness that Jason had referenced was gone, but replaced by a building sexual awareness between them. They had become more. . .tactile with each other. Kissing, and then some. But they had always stopped. But it had grown harder and harder to stop and she knew they were both at the tipping point.

Neither knew what to do with the changed status of their relationship. It wasn’t like they were two strangers who had met and decided to date. There was too much history there. But in many ways, they were like strangers since they, at least Jason, needed to learn so much about the other. But there was a familiarity to their physical interaction that had surprised her, and she knew they couldn't keep dancing around the subject.

The desire between them wasn't something that could be ignored for much longer. She wanted him, and she knew without a doubt that he wanted her just as much.

It had been over lunch yesterday that Jason had first mentioned them going on a ‘real’ date. She hadn’t taken him seriously. She remembered telling him that they had gone on plenty of dates. After all, they ate out, they watched movies, and went places. A date seemed kind of redundant at that point. But Jason had argued that they should have an official date.

She had spent almost the entire afternoon in Chevy Chase, first shopping and then being pampered silly at a beautiful salon. Jason had arranged the full spa treatment for her - massage, manicure/pedicure, facial, hair and make-up. And sure enough, the dress along with the accompanying accessories that she had chosen, had been waiting for her in the salon’s dressing room when she had finished.

After she was dressed and ready, Mike had ushered her back into the limo and from what she could tell, they were headed back to Harbor Bay. Her curiosity was now at an all-time high. Jason was rarely one for large, sweeping romantic gestures. He wasn’t one to bring flowers on a regular basis, and even though they could now afford it, they didn’t dine out at fine restaurants frequently. So all of this was quite new for her and she really had no idea what to expect. But she was dying to find out.

The limo came to a stop and she could see that they were at the Harbor Bay marina. She looked around, confused. They didn’t own a boat, although they rented one whenever they felt like sailing. She wondered if Jason had bought a boat recently. Lord knows he could afford one, or several. And he was well versed by now on all of his business holdings, and net worth. Mike opened the door and offered a hand to help her out. She took it and climbed out of the limo, looking around, expecting to see Jason. Instead, she just saw rows of boats.

“Mr. Kincaid’s waiting for you at the end of that dock over there,” said Mike, pointing to a spot just ahead of her. “Have a good evening, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile, before she started cautiously down the dock. She didn’t spot Jason until she was almost upon him. His back was toward her, and he was staring out at the water, the surface shimmering with the last golden rays of the setting sun. At the sound of her approaching footsteps, he turned around and she literally stopped in her tracks at the sight of him.

He was in a black suit, with a crisp white shirt and no tie. Casual, yet elegant. He smiled at her and she sucked in a deep breath, telling herself to start walking again. As she approached, she saw his eyes light up appreciatively as they slowly traveled up and down her body. She felt a thrill at his reaction and slowed her pace slightly, taking her time to reach him, adding some sway to her hips as she walked.

“Hi,” she said softly when she finally reached him.

“Hi,” he murmured, his eyes still transfixed on her.

She smiled. She had definitely made the right dress choice. When Jason didn’t say anything in the next few seconds, she chuckled softly. She loved that she could affect him like that. “Are we waiting for something?”

 “Wh. . .huh?” he stammered, as if he had just been jolted from a daze. “Oh, uh, no.” He gave her another once over and a slow smile spread across his lips. “You look gorgeous.”

 “Thank you,” she said, smiling up at him. "You look very handsome." He grinned, offering her his hand, which she took. He began leading her to a large yacht a few feet away. Its boarding plank was down and waiting. “Is that. . .”

 Jason glanced at the boat. “Yeah.”

“You bought a yacht?”

He chuckled. “No. What would I do with a yacht? We're borrowing it for a while.” Jason turned and signaled to someone on the yacht and she noticed for the first time the uniformed crew on board. “Crew included.”

#

“So how did you like your surprise?” Jason asked, coming up behind her as she leaned against the yacht’s upper deck's railing, staring at the star-filled sky. It was beautiful out here. Normally she didn't like sailing, as it conjured up memories of her parents, but there was just something about sailing at night that made her forget everything but enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat. Then there was the utter stillness of the night, and he stars, and in tonight’s case, half a moon, as the only means of illumination. It felt as if the night had wrapped itself around them, shielding them from the rest of the world. Out here, it was just them, adrift in a sea of tranquility. It was hard not to get lost in it all.

She looked over at Jason. The yacht’s interior lights were on, and provided enough light for her to make out his features. “Let’s see, you sent me on a shopping spree, then a day at a spa where I’m treated like a queen, then you whisk me off on a beautiful yacht, with full crew no less, and just fed me probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had.” She gave him a teasing smile. “So the surprise really sucked."

He laughed. “Damn.”

She turned so that she was facing him. “How’d you manage all of this?”

He grinned. “Can’t give away my trade secrets.”

“Not even if it’ll make you seem really ingenious?”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Probably,” she agreed with a chuckle.

He laughed and she realized then that she hadn’t heard Jason laugh this much since his accident. Or herself for that matter. Not once all day had she worried or heard that voice in her head. If she dared to think it, she would even say that she was happy. Or as close to happy as she had ever been since his accident.

“Have I mention how beautiful you look?” he asked, breaking their momentary silence.

She smiled. “Not in the last hour.”

“My bad,” he said, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. “You look beautiful.”