by Jill Sanders
“I hate reporters.” The simple statement made Jason smile.
“Well, at least the news will clear up that you are indeed a free woman.”
She turned, and crossing her arms, looked at him with question and laughter in her eyes.
It dawned on him what he had said, “No – not like that.” She watched his face turn a light shade of red. “I mean that you weren’t kidnapped.” She could tell he was struggling to explain himself.
“It is so much fun to mess with you, Jason.” She smiled and started walking towards a large shop that had clothes in the window.
“We could use the reporters to our advantage, you know.”
Katie stopped and looked at him.
“Katie, you’re in the spotlight, and if you remain so no one will try to grab you again.”
“No, I don’t want to be in the spotlight. I can’t stand being in the spotlight. Spotlight! More like microscope. No.” Shaking her head, she continued walking. “Besides, I think we’ve lost them.”
She smiled at him.
He stopped her just outside the store. “You know how I took it, how I was after my father died. You could see my mood swings before they happened. Why won’t you let me be here for you, the way you were there for me?”
She sobered up and looked at him. “Jason, my mother didn’t die in some huge plane crash. She wasn’t taken away from me quickly and tragically. No, my mother chose to lie to everyone who loved her for years, twenty-six years to be exact. It wasn’t just a one-time lie; she continued to go behind our backs and live a double life. Being married to two men, raising two different families. Who does that?”
“Men, usually.” She knew he was trying for humor but the moment was gone.
“You know what?” She turned to walk into the shop. “You’re right.”
As they started shopping, she looked over at him and continued the conversation. “If it had been my father, I don’t think it would have received as much news hype as it did. But because it was Kathleen Derby, socialite, they flooded the news every day with every aspect of our lives. Then everyone I trusted betrayed me to any network that would pay them enough.” She flipped through the racks of clothes, looking for shirts and pants as he did the same across the aisle in the men’s section. “Well, I handled that, but then I saw you.” She stopped and looked off into the distance. He walked over to her, took her by the shoulders, and just looked into her eyes.
“Katie?” His voice snapped her out of the deep thought.
“What is your relationship with Katie Derby?” she asked.
He looked down at her with question in his eyes.
“What is your relationship with Katie Derby?” she asked again, pulling away from him slightly.
“Wait, what is this all about?”
“What is your relationship with Katie Derby?” she repeated a little louder.
“Katie, please.” He looked around the small shop and noticed the sales clerk was staring at them, strangely.
“It’s a simple question, Jason. One I’ve been waiting over a year to hear the answer to.”
“Is that why you left?”
“No!” She tried to push him away.
“Katie,” he held her still and looked into her eyes, “you are my best friend. You’re the little girl I’ve loved since I rescued you from the swimming pool, the one person who’s been there for me no matter what. The girl that’s grown into a woman I love for so many reasons I couldn’t possibly list them all in one lifetime.”
Part of her broke off and floated to the heavens upon hearing his words. She looked into his blue eyes and thought of how perfect the moment was.
“Jason --” Just then the clerk walked up and interrupted, spoiling the most perfect moment in her life, so they continued shopping in complete silence.
Changing clothes in the dressing rooms, they packed their other clothing purchases in the backpacks they had each bought.
They stopped by two other stores in the shopping area where they each bought flashlights, batteries, and baby wipes. Katie watched as Jason purchased a box of condoms, which had her heart fluttering the entire time they’d eaten lunch at the busy courtyard. They actually enjoyed a hamburger and french fries and watched people rushing around them.
“It’s so nice to get American food somewhere.” Jason bit into the large burger.
Katie watched in amusement as she nibbled on her chicken strips and fries.
After lunch, they walked to the middle of the mall area and purchased ferry tickets at a kiosk. The ferry was set to leave in just over two hours, which gave them plenty of time to walk the three blocks to the ferry docks.
Jason wanted to get there early, just in case they ran into trouble. So they did a little more shopping, hitting some of the smaller, more local shops on the way to the docks. Both of them kept their eyes opened, looking for either man, never losing sight of each other. Actually, he’d held onto her hand and hadn’t let go; she hadn’t wanted him to.
They finally walked the short distance through the newer part of town and arrived at the docks. Jason was totally on guard now, watching everything. They boarded the boat from the very large dock area, quickly and without incident. She did notice the extra police around and wondered if they had anything to do with the men not being around, or if they had just given up trying to kidnap them.
They quickly found their small, private cabin on the large boat and locked themselves in, ready for the almost ten-hour trip to Italy. Katie looked across the space at the small bunks they each sat on and felt more nervous than she had ever felt around him.
It reminded her of her first kiss. She’d been at a friend’s party, and they’d played spin the bottle. Whoever the bottle landed on, they would have to go into the closet with and kiss.
Of course she’d hoped that it would land on Jason so they wouldn’t have to do anything, or so her eleven-year-old mind had told her. But no, it had landed on Dave. Dave had been the boy who’d hit puberty before all the others. His hormones were in full swing and she’d nervously entered the closet where he’d instantly kissed her, pushing his tongue into her mouth. He’d tasted of Cheetos and Root Beer, a mix that still to this day turned her off.
Now she sat on one of the bunks and felt the room getting smaller, and the air somehow seemed to be leaving the space as well. She wasn’t nervous like she’d been with Dave; this was a different kind of nervousness. It was more anxious than anything. She knew what it was like to be with Jason. He was Jason, her best friend, her only lover, yet all of a sudden she didn’t know what to say to him. How to act around him. She was probably over-thinking things again.
She looked over at him and her eyes took in the bump and bruise on his forehead, then followed the path down his jaw and his neck. She noticed how wide his shoulders were and remembered how they felt above her as she grabbed them and held them to her. She watched his arms flex and remembered how they felt holding her. Her eyes traveled down his arms and she looked at his hands, remembering how they felt on her skin, how they had caused her to moan and squirm under his light touch. Then she went back to his chest and remembered nibbling on his nipples and licking his stomach muscles, following the light trail of hair down to his cock, remembering what he did with it and how she’d enjoyed sucking him to completion. She couldn’t take her eyes off his crotch and was mesmerized by every movement he made. She could see him getting hard under his jeans and couldn’t stop herself from licking her lips with desire.
Jason watched Katie and knew she was nervous and was probably over-thinking their relationship. What did she have to be nervous about? Then she looked down at his hands and he realized she was not just nervous, she was turned on by him. He watched her eyes travel his body and couldn’t stop himself from getting hard. How could she do this to him by just looking at him?
Smiling to himself, he leaned back and thought about having a little fun with her. If she could make him feel this way, he was going to show her just how
much he could turn her on in return. Slowly, he pulled his arms over his head and gripped the back of his neck, showing off his perfectly toned arms. The motion stretched his new shirt over his chest and pecs, giving her a very nice view of his build.
He watched in amazement as her eyes followed his every movement and then she zeroed in on his arms and chest. He slumped a little in his seat and spread his legs wide, almost bumping into her knees. Her eyes went to his jean-clad legs and then moved up to his crotch, where it was obvious that he wanted her, too.
He watched as her eyes grew large and her tongue darted out and licked her bottom lip.
“Katie.” When he spoke, her eyes darted to his like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Come over here.” He told himself that he’d give her a choice, but the truth was, he didn’t know what he’d do if she told him no.
Without saying anything, she stood and walked the two steps it took to cross the small space. She sat next to him, and as he reached his hands out to touch her, her head dropped back and her eyes closed. Lightly he traced her neck, and ran his thumb over her bottom lip to feel the moisture there from her tongue. She took his thumb into her mouth and lightly sucked on it, and he felt a jolt of electricity that traveled all the way to his core, as she sucked on it. When she smiled up at him, there was so much seduction steaming off her skin that he became nervous as well.
He moved his hands lower to her shoulders, then gently pulled her shirt buttons loose one at a time, until she sat before him, exposed to his view in broad daylight.
She’d purchased some fancy new bra and panty sets and when she’d bought them, he’d only had one thing in mind -- getting them off her slowly.
Pulling her shirt off her shoulders, he made eye contact again with her. They hadn’t kissed yet and the anticipation was almost too much, but he wanted it to last a while longer.
Pushing her legs wide, he ran his hands up and down her new jeans and watched as her eyes clouded over. Unbuttoning, unzipping, and removing her layers undid his willpower. He felt his hands shake as he helped her step out of her jeans. She stood before him clad only in bright pink silk and lace and he wished for a camera to hold onto this moment forever.
The boat had already left dock and the light was changing, growing softer in the cabin, casting shadows and giving off hues of color that highlighted her beauty.
“You are too beautiful,” he whispered.
He watched as heat flooded into her face and he could tell she was becoming shy. Slowly, for her pleasure, he reached up and removed his shirt as she stood in front of him. Once his shirt was tossed aside, he stood and removed his jeans just as slowly. Her eyes followed his every movement and he wished he could hear her thoughts.
Now he stood in front of her, clad only in his new cotton boxers and felt almost out of control. The shaking had increased and so had his need.
“Jason…” He watched as she started to raise her hand towards him. “You are so beautiful, so strong. I can’t believe you want me.”
“My God, Kat, if you knew how long I’ve wanted you, wanted this.” He stepped closer, closing the distance and took her into his arms. Her skin felt so soft next to his and he ran his hands up and down her back slowly. His mouth hovered just over hers, “I want you so bad, I can barely breathe through it.”
Then he was kissing her and her hands were on him, all over him, until his eyes closed and he moaned.
Backing them up, he quickly pulled the couch down so that it became a double bed, then he gently laid her down and covered her with his body.
She tasted and smelled so good as he ran soft kisses down her neck until he reached the pink silk that covered her. He bent down to wet it with his mouth until he felt her nipple peeking through the light material. He pulled it aside and just looked at her; she was perfection.
Running kisses along her collar bone, he repeated the motion on the other side, then removed the barrier all together. Next he ran kisses down her tight stomach and played his tongue just around her navel until she was squirming under him.
“What?” He laughed at her obvious frustration. “Tell me what you want, I want to hear you tell me everything.”
At first he thought she was going to turn shy and keep quiet, but she surprised him when she started talking dirty, telling him exactly what she wanted him to do to her.
He smiled and followed her every demand, running his mouth over the outside of her panties until they, too, were wet. He slid them down her legs and took her with his mouth until she moaned with delight, then he moved back up her body and slid slowly into her as they both moaned.
This time was different, this time they could see each other, what they did to one another. He knew he’d never get the vision of Katie out of his mind, laying on the cushions, her hair fanned out, and her eyes clouded with desire.
Later that night, they dressed and traveled to the dining area and enjoyed the large buffet that was offered. They sat at the table and she looked across to him and flirted with him, almost like he’d done to her in the cabin. She made a point to lick the whipped cream from her mocha off her fingers slowly, enjoying the heat that came into his eyes.
She ran her foot up his leg under the table, something she’d seen in a movie once, and had always wanted to try. His eyes had bulged and his smile had been devious. She could tell he was thinking of everything he could do to her when they got back to their cabin, and she could feel herself quivering in anticipation.
Would there ever be a time when she didn’t want him like she wanted him now? Her mind flashed to a memory of seeing him naked for the first time in full light and she felt herself getting wet. Just the thought of him naked, standing in front of her, did this to her.
She’d always admired his body. He had taken Judo at the country club while she’d attended gymnastic classes, something her mother had forced her to do. She’d always hated bending and jumping about. She’d wanted to be a dancer instead, but her mother had quickly told her she was too short and her legs weren’t long enough. So she’d attended gymnastics against her wishes. She couldn’t complain now, though. At twenty-four she was more flexible than most girls and she knew it had come in handy with Jason. She smiled and remembered what they’d done just before coming to grab some food.
“What?” he smiled across from her.
“What,” she replied back with her sexiest voice.
“You know you are in so much trouble now, don’t you.”
She smiled and enjoyed how quickly he paid for their meal and started pulling her back down the hallway towards their cabin, with her laughing the entire way down the long hallway.
When he finally got the door open after fumbling with the key, he pushed her into the dark room and threw her up against the back of the door, his mouth on hers and his hands everywhere. He tasted like spice and she couldn’t get enough of his hands on her. The skirt she’d been wearing was hiked up and her new panties yanked down quickly. Then his fingers were inside her and her nails dug into his shoulders as she held on.
He fumbled for his zipper and a condom and before she knew what was happening, he’d grabbed her legs and was thrusting deep inside her. She held onto his shoulders as he took her quickly against the locked door.
His face was set in concentration and so she reached up to grab his head and bring it to hers, taking his lips between her teeth and nibbling just a little until he moaned, and she could feel him buck under her hands. His thrust became uneven and when she reached around to hold his butt, she knew he’d lost it just as she had. He buried his face in her hair and felt his warm breath on her neck. She didn’t want to move, couldn’t move. Her legs were shaking and she wasn’t sure that if she opened her eyes, she would see anything. How could sex destroy you so fast? He’d turned her into a marshmallow, soft and gooey and easily melted.
Jason surprised her by picking her up in his arms in a quick motion, then depositing her gently on the narrow bed. He disposed of his shoes quickly a
nd climbed in next to her.
“You destroyed me,” he said into her hair again as he spooned her.
She laughed, “Really? I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
“Katie…” He snuggled deeper into her back, running his hand over her naked thigh. “I’m really glad I came to Europe to save you.”
“Me, too.” With that she heard him snoring and she smiled into the darkness until sleep finally overcame her.
Chapter Ten
When the ferry docked in Brindisi, Italy, early the next morning, he could tell Katie was a bundle of nerves, no doubt anxious about meeting her family. Jason’s eyes scanned the docks, searching for the men who were looking for them. He had the funny feeling they had somehow made the journey to Italy, as well.
Whoever had hired the men hadn’t spared any expenses; the cargo van had been brand new. He had a few questions about how the men had been able to stay on their trail. Katie had come up with an idea last night, that they must have left some sort of tracking device in her backpack when it had been left at the café, and that’s how they had tracked them down in the barn.