No Strings Attached

Chapter Sixteen

'Don't let the ho in! The ho-ho is a no-no!'

His mind yelled at him as he stood still. "Jase?" Why was she calling him by his old nickname? He peered down at his watch and she quickly stepped forward. "This won't take long, I promise. I just want to talk to you." He narrowed his eyes. WHY WAS SHE HERE? He thought. All this was doing was delaying the moment he'd see Alexandra. "Please." She pleaded and he took a step to the side as she fully walked in. "Where are you going?" she asked as soon as she saw his bags. He shut the door and leaned against it, letting her know that she wasn't staying for long.

"Barbados with Alexandra." Her eyes darted up and he saw that same look in them that he'd seen in Jonathan's at the BBQ.

"Why?" she fumed.

He crossed his arms, ready to defend Alex. "What do you mean 'why?'?" He replied when he saw her eyes blaze with rage.

"I didn't know you two were that serious." Her tone softened when she heard the defensive stance he'd taken on.

"It's a business trip if you must know. I've just signed with her firm." He said, not wanting to tell her that he really just wanted Alex of all people to be the first to see the restaurant.

"Isn't it a little bad to mix business with pleasure?"

Jason ignored her. "Why are you here Alexis? I should be going." He turned to leave, but as soon as his hand reached the doorknob, he felt her directly behind him. "Alexis."

"I miss you, Jase." He faced her and she stroked the side of his face, frowning when he knocked her hand away. "I miss what we had. You were my first love and I hate to admit it but it kills me to see you with Alexandra. I don't know what's going on with me." She dropped her eyes to the floor and bit her bottom lip. This wasn't like her usual self but Jason had always made her vulnerable.

"What about Jonathan?"

"I love him too but-" she ran a hand through her freshly done hair, "you were my first... well, everything. First kiss, first love, first time." She took a step towards him. "And you know what they say right?"

He shrugged. "No."

"You never forget your first love." He looked down as he saw her hand running down his chest seductively. He grabbed her hand then gave her a small push back.

"I have a flight to catch and you have a man who you stole from your sister to get to." The look on her face made it clear that his words had hurt her. He reached for his suitcases before grinning at her. "Have a nice thanksgiving." Without another word, he left to go and pick up Alex.

As soon as she heard the knock, Alex jumped up from her seat excitedly and went to open it. "Hey you." She greeted as he kept his bag outside. He couldn't help but capture her lips in a searing kiss, urgently needing her lips against his own.

She fell weak into his arms and he didn't hesitate to hold her upright, stepping into her home to kiss her better. Her tongue wrapped around his as she moaned, adoring his taste and it seemed as if the two were caught up in their own little world. She finally pulled back and rested her forehead against his; pulse racing and blood humming under her skin. "Hi." He whispered as she tried to get her breath back. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah." It came out in a breathy voice but he still heard her. He leaned down and took her suitcase in his hand as they walked out.

"I see you're a light packer."

She shrugged as she shut the door and locked it. When she turned she watched as he lifted his own suitcase as well and even through the navy coat he wore to protect himself from the Chi-Town weather, she could still see his beautifully sculpted muscles. "Like you said, it's just six days so I mainly packed light trousers, dresses and bikinis." He turned towards her.

"Oh, we're gonna have fun." He sent her a wink and she laughed as they got on the elevator to go down to Jason's car.

"So what's the first thing we're doing when we get to Barbados?"

"Actually, I have to go visit my grandmother. She doesn't know I'm going there so I want to surprise her. She's always the first person I go to see when I'm over there." They finally reached Jason's car.

"Aww." She cooed as Jason helped her in the car. She was really getting used to the gentleman side of Jason. It was sweet. "Are we going to be staying with her?"

He smirked as he got in. "No. Girl please, like I'd miss the opportunity to have you alone for five nights." She fell quiet as her cheeks heated up. "But we will be having Thanksgiving with her, if that's okay with you?"

"Yeah it's fine."

They drove to the airport in a content silence. Usually Alex hated when there was silence between two people but she didn't mind at all at that moment. "Guess who stopped by my house today?" Alex shook her head and shrugged. "Your twin."

She shot up in her seat. "What? Why?"

"What do you think she wanted?" He gave her a brief look and she rolled her eyes.

"I swear to God this girl always wants what is rightfully mine." She froze as she realised what she had said. When she turned towards Jason, she saw a smirk on his face.

"Are you claiming me, Alex?"

"Th-that's not how I meant it, I just-."

"I understand. Besides, I've already claimed you. In my eyes, you're mine and mine only." She suddenly went quiet, trying to process what he had just said. She tried to ignore how her heart suddenly beat a little harder and she shifted in her seat. "And don't worry, I think it's kinda sexy you claiming me." He was about to tell her that he knew now that no other woman would satisfy him like she could but he bit his tongue.

"So I'm yours and yours only, huh?"

"Yep. Don't even think about giving what's mine to someone else."

She heard how serious he'd gotten and cleared her throat. "I never knew friends with benefits could own each other like that?"

They came to a red light and he turned to her. "Are you seriously going to look me in the eye and tell me you still believe that's all that we still are?"

She blinked repeatedly, not sure what to say. She hesitated for a while before sighing. "What do you mean?"

"We're way more then friends with benefits, Flatty, you and I both know that. The fact that you agreed to come here with me shows it." He watched her, waiting for a reply that never came. "Keep pretending, Alex, keep pretending." He said, driving when the light turned green.

Jason silently cursed himself. It was way too soon. He shouldn't have said any of that stuff but the moment he told her she owned him, he went into overdrive and wasn't fully in control of what he was saying anymore. It all came spilling out but he was right. They were not friends with benefits anymore. All the daily conversations, dinners and sleepovers made them more than that.

He'd never given anyone so much attention before. Never. Alex was at the forefront of his mind every morning and not because she'd be laying beside him but just because... He didn't actually have an answer to why.

He didn't do love. Jason and love don't mix. It never works out.

Alex didn't know what to say anymore. Everything was now slightly awkward. He was right but she didn't want to voice it. She didn't want to say out loud that there was a small chance, a small small, itsy bitsy, teeny weeny chance that she was falling for Jason.

But it couldn't be. It took her eight months to start to fall for Jonathan and Jason had only come back into her life just over 2 weeks ago. Technically she had known Jason for longer than she's known Jonathan. She turned towards Jason and took him in. He could be caring when he wanted to be, his protectiveness made her heart swell and he made her laugh like no other person could. She loved their banter. She loved their deep conversations. She loved... How he made her feel.

Everytime she was with him, she forgot about how Jonathan had hurt and betrayed her. She forgot about all the other shit going on in her life and she forgot about how he used to verbally abuse her back at high school.

She paused and snapped her head away. Before, when she'd look at him, her thoughts would be pure filth but now... She shook her head and sighed.

If she was falling in love with Jason, she couldn't tell him. She knew what type of person he was as well as the gentleman and she didn't want to get her heart broken. Not again.

So she was going to ignore what she was feeling. Ignore it and it will go away.

Alex let her eyes drift shut as she thought about her plan. It was for the best. Jason had already gotten into her system and she didn't want him to make her shut down completely.

Ignore it and it will go away.