Love Is the Drug (16 page)

“You went on a walk by yourself—in hundred degree heat!” Jason reached his side in three long strides. He gripped Gabe’s upper arm. “How far did you go? Did your cardiologist say it was okay?”

Even though Gabe really hadn’t done any such thing—he just thought he needed an excuse for why he wanted a bar of soap—he still took offense to his son’s imperious tone. After all, he
might
have wanted to take a walk. “Jason, you really don’t need to worry. I’m perfectly capable of making adult decisions regarding my own health.”

“Except your doctor told me that the angioplasty could have been avoided had you stuck to the diet and regime he’d laid out for you.”

Gabe stepped around Jason and walked toward the door to the guest bathroom. “Well as far as I’m concerned, it’s just as much about quality of life as it is about longevity—and I don’t want to eat oats and groats for the rest of my friggin’ life, like I was some goddamned horse put out to pasture!”

“Dad—”

Gabe slammed the door shut and leaned against it. Some of that diatribe had been for effect, but a majority was the bald truth. He liked good food, even if it meant a shorter life. But with this last surgery, he’d come to terms with just how little time he might have to get his son happily settled first.

* * *

Jason strode back toward the kitchen. He’d delayed the little ‘treasure hunt’ Julie had enticed him with so that he could check on his dad. The man had been acting very peculiarly since they’d gotten back a few hours ago and Jason was worried that he might be having the onset of another heart episode without telling anyone. Just like the last time.

Why wouldn’t his dad take better care of himself? It seemed to Jason to be just one more piece of hard evidence that Gabe Jörgensen’s feelings toward him had changed since learning that Jason wasn’t his real son. Otherwise, wouldn’t he
want
to do whatever he had to do in order to stay in this world and be with Jason?

Jason’s gut knotted into a cold, hard fist.

He needed a distraction—and he knew just where to get it. He rushed through the doorway of the kitchen and said, “He’s taking a shower.” Then he unzipped his pants and took a condom out of his pocket. “Bend over the stove—we have time for a quickie.”

Julie grinned at him. Shaking her head, she slid several feet away, saying “No way. At least not until you find the prize—remember our agreement?”

It surprised him, the power her smile had on him. The fist in his gut unfurled. He felt good now. Real good. “Yeah. But that’s the main course—this would only be a snack.”

She shook her head again. “Nope—you promised to play my family’s cleanup game with me first and I’m holding you to it.”

Jason released a loud huff and jammed the condom back in his pocket. “Oh, all right,” he said, zipping up his pants, “but it’s just as much your loss as mine, little lady. I can guaran-DAMN-tee you that.”

Julie’s cheeks flushed with color as she giggled, shrugged, and moved back to the sink. “The list is on the island—you can choose any one of the items to do first,” she said over her shoulder. “We stop cleaning when you find the prize.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’m going to have one super-clean kitchen!”

Jason growled and shook his head as he strode to the island and picked up the piece of paper.
Fuck!
There were at least twenty things on this list! She was out of her mind if she thought he was going to do all this stuff. Out. Of. Her. Mind.

He looked up and watched her for a minute. Watched the swing and sway of her hips as she hummed softly, watched the graceful arc of her tanned arm as she placed a dish in the drainer. But, damn, she was just so effin’ sexy. And tasty as hell.

And if he wanted any of that tonight, he’d best find that damned treasure. PDQ.

He took another quick glance down at the list. Where would she have hidden it?

Probably the last place most people would think—or want—to look. Like the trash.

His lip curled as he stared at the gooey-topped mess in the can, then he flicked his gaze back to Julie and that sweet little derrière.

Okay. Trash it is.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Julie stored the remaining two pieces of angel food cake in a plastic container. “C’mon Jason—you
still
haven’t found the prize?” She peeked over her shoulder and saw him rummaging around in the pantry. “You’re cold—Arctic cold.” When he growled under his breath, grabbed the broom and dust pan, and looked over at her, she gave him the most obnoxious smart-ass grin she could muster.

He returned it with an irritated one of his own and narrowed his eyes at her. “Hey, I never said I was an ace detective, lady.” With the broom and dustpan in one hand and the other on his hip, he grumbled, “Tell me again why you thought this was fun as a kid?”

Julie put her hand to her mouth and giggled before she answered, “I guess because I was a lot better at it than you!” She sobered and shrugged one shoulder. “Also, it was nice having my dad all to myself for awhile.”

Jason nodded and began to sweep. “Well, as far as I can tell, your dad was a freakin’ genius, because he got you to do all these damned chores.”

Julie shook her head at him and walked over to the island. With a brisk sweep of her hand, she scooped up the piece of paper and held it up so the list was facing him. She pointed to the bottom direction. “Did you read this?”

He squinted at it. “Yeah.”

“But you didn’t follow it?”

He stopped sweeping and leaned on the broom. “Follow what?”

“The direction which states: ‘see other side’!”

His eyes widened and his lips thinned. “Shit.”

She cackled.

“Give the damned thing to me!” he snapped and stormed over to her. He grabbed it out of her hand and read the words written on the back of the paper. “Shit,” he said again.

“So—do you wanna?”

“Fuck yes, I wanna.” He took hold of her hand and barreled toward the doorway, dragging her with him.

His cell phone rang. She was surprised when he ignored it, and after three more rings, it finally stopped. But just as they walked through the door of the bedroom, it started ringing again.

“Jason! Aren’t you going to get that?”

“No. We’re only six paces to bliss. Fuck the phone.”

Julie pulled it from his belt clip and looked at the display. She stopped dead in her tracks and yanked her hand from his. “It’s Adam Taylor,” she said and looked up at him as she pushed the button that engaged the call.
“Jase?”
she heard Adam say as she pressed the phone to Jason’s ear.

Jason gave her a surly look and turned to pace to the wingback chair in the corner. “Hi, Adam. What’s up?” As he sat down he glanced back at her and said, “No. No, we didn’t get the message. Sorry—we were tied up most of the day and I forgot to check for calls.”

Julie walked on shaky limbs into the bathroom and closed the door with hands that were cold and numb.

* * *

Jason hung up the phone a few minutes later, switching it off entirely, as he had done earlier while they were in the hotel. Then he got up and stripped down to his briefs before striding over to stand with his shoulder against the wall next to the bathroom. He rapped lightly on the door and then crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

* * *

Julie gnawed on her lower lip and looked down at the door handle. That phone call from the attorney working on their annulment had put a serious damper on her earlier sexual confidence—on her resolve as well. But she wouldn’t run from the truth; whatever that might be at this point. So she took a deep breath, threw her shoulders back, bucked up her chin, and turned the handle, swinging the door wide.

“Now I’ve got ya!” Jason crowed, swinging her up into his arms.

“Jason!” She threw her arms around his neck as he propelled them both toward the bed. “Jason! Stop! Tell me what Adam said first.”

He dropped her unceremoniously on top of the mattress and tore at the fastenings of her cutoffs.

She tried to slow his progress, but he batted her hands away, laughing diabolically. “Jason! Tell me!”

“
He just wanted to let us know that he’s still looking for Lou-the-postman and the other witness.” Despite her best efforts to keep her clothes on, Jason managed to strip her shorts and panties off her. Then he leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “I told him to forget it and come home.”

She stilled but her heart nearly tripped out of her chest. “You don’t want an annulment?”

He raised up and looked into her eyes a moment before giving her a soft, oh–so–tender–and–much–too–brief kiss on the lips. Then he said: “Sure I do.” His gaze traveled to the strands of hair that fell across the pillow next to her ear. He twisted a bit of it around his finger. “But what’s the rush? I’m sure, if need be, we can find Lou through a detective agency later. Plus, there’s no statute of limitations on annulments in Texas, and my dad’s not completely recovered yet from his surgery.”

He returned his gaze to hers then. “You’re still okay with us keeping our annulment plans from him until after he’s recovered fully, right?”

Julie nodded. “Yes.”

* * *

Jason gave a mental sigh of relief, bent his head and kissed her. There was some gratitude behind it, but mostly, now, it was pure, unadulterated passion. When she began to squirm beneath him, he ran his hand up under her shirt and rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. After another long torturous minute, he broke the kiss. Resting his forehead against hers, he said “I love the feel of your skin against me,” and then he pressed his erection into her mons. “I can’t wait to be inside you again.”

She arched her back. “Yes!” she whispered and delved her hands under the waistband of his briefs, tugging them down off his hips and then wrapping her legs high around him so that the unsheathed, hard heat of him pressed against the hot, damp center of her.

He ground his mouth against hers; forced her lips to open wide as he thrust his tongue deep into the moist recesses. Then, in the grip of his growing need, he broke the kiss and hitched her top up higher before clamping his mouth down over the tight peak of her breast. He sucked her so hard, she arched and cried out.

He couldn’t get enough of her.

He yanked her head back further to give him better access to her neck as he rotated his pelvis, stimulating her clitoris with the underside of his cock. “Julie, Julie, Julie,” he rasped between harsh, suctioning,
biting
kisses down her neck, “God how you turn me on.”

His need was driving his actions now. So much so that he lifted his hips and pressed the head of his cock into her a little before he remembered he didn’t have a condom on.

He jerked out of her. The sex fog cleared in a painful, heart-pounding
swoosh!
and he realized just how close they’d come—he’d come—to making a very big, very bad mistake.

“Shit!” he said under his breath. Then he leapt off the bed and darted into the bathroom.

* * *

Julie bit her lip and rolled onto her side, facing away from the door Jason had just gone through. His sudden desertion had felt like a betrayal. But how stupid was that? They had no business having unprotected sex—no business at all. She knew that. Okay, her
head
knew that. But her heart? Well, that was another matter altogether.
Stop it, Julie!
Stop it right now. You knew when you began this that it wasn’t for real—for the long haul. Just enjoy the here and now, for once in your life. Jason is a wonderful lover and he’s good to you. Allow yourself a little adventure and stop, stop, STOP dreaming about the future!

* * *

Jason looked at the wild man reflected in the mirror and grabbed hold of the edge of the counter, leaning further in. There was a fierceness in his eyes he’d never seen before. His body was still on fire for her, so much so that he ached—he quivered—with it.
Get a grip, man.
He slammed his hand onto the cold-water knob and twisted it to full blast, then he splashed his face, his neck—even his chest. After a moment, he dried himself off and stepped over to the cabinet where he’d stored the condoms earlier. This thing—this over-the-top sexual desire coupled with the intense tenderness he felt for her—was getting way out of control, but he couldn’t fight the force of its momentum.

And what was scarier still: He didn’t want to.

He opened the condom box and pulled out the gold foil strip. He almost tore off a couple, but then thought better of it. The way things were going, he’d probably use the whole pack tonight. Well, maybe not tonight, but at least by tomorrow night. Yeah. Much safer to have these guys within easy reach. He should have thought of it earlier. So what if she didn’t have a drawer in her nightstand? After last night—and no doubt tonight—his dad was surely well-aware of what they were up to in here, even without the proof of it lying on top of the bedside table. 

He stepped into the room and an anxious feeling darted through him: Julie was giving him her back.