No Strings Attached

Chapter Seventeen

Not only did they drive the rest of the way to the airport in silence, but they boarded the plane and got themselves situated without a word to each other. Alex had to say, she was quite impressed at how he'd gone out of his way to get them first class seats and so she decided to finally break the silence, figuring that maybe it would help her ignore her feelings and end the tension.

"You travel like this all the time?" He stopped loading his items and looked behind him before returning to face her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you talking to me?" She rolled her eyes as he winked and slid into his seat. She followed his actions and they strapped themselves in.

"I don't like this."

"Don't like what?" He knew exactly what he was doing. She knew he knew what she meant but he just wanted to draw it out of her. He blinked innocently, frustrating her.

"Us... Not talking and... Ignoring each other!"

"Stop pretending then." He said it with a shrug.

"Pretending wha-." Then it clicked into her mind and she thought back to her plan. "I'm not pretending, Jason." She lowered her voice. "We're just friends with benefits, but we just have a different arrangement to the norm. Please don't try and complicate things." If she had decided to look at Jason at that moment, she would've seen the hurt that flickered in his eyes, but he instantly covered it up with a head shake and a sigh.

"You're really gonna do this?" She looked away from him and he chuckled bitterly. "Fine, let's do this your way." He spotted an air hostess with a cute red bob coming his way and stopped her. "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know how long this flight will be do you?" He smiled at her and Alex saw her swoon at the dimples on display.

"Uh, roughly 5 and a half hours, Mr Arden." She batted her eyes and Alex rolled her own. Jason was not going to get her jealous.

"Oh please," he slyly peered at her name tag, "Harriet, call me Jason, Mr Arden is my father and he's long gone." He added a laugh.

Alex thought that last part of his statement to be a little harsh and she gave him a weird look. Obviously his father was a sensitive subject for him but still... Ouch.

Harriet giggled and reached out to stroke Jason's arm but then stopped herself. "Oh, I'm sorry Mrs Arden. Um, would you like anything to drink?" The expression on Alex's face was priceless. Had she heard correct or was her mind playing tricks on her. "Mrs Arden?" There! She said it again!

"Wait, what?"

"Is everything all right, Mrs Arden?"

"I'm not-."

"My wife is fine, she's just a little cranky cos she's already, you know," he mimicked drinking from a glass, "so please excuse her." Harriet giggled at his joke then immediately stopped when she saw the glare Alex was sending Jason. The air hostess dismissed herself and he laughed.

"Your wife?"

"There was a deal on a holiday getaway for two, first class included, so," he shrugged nonchalantly before getting comfortable in his seat, "goodnight Alex Arden." She hated to admit it, but the name did sound good on her, especially rolling off his tongue and she could already picture what she'd change her signature to if such a thing were to happen.

Alexandra Amelia Arden; sounds kinda nice, she thought. "It does doesn't it?"

She eyed him as he chuckled some more, his eyes still shut. Had she said that out loud?

Time almost flew by and the next thing she knew, Jason was above her, reaching for the items he'd stuffed up there earlier. "Are we there yet?"

"No, the airplanes' just stopped for no reason." He stated sarcastically as she frowned and stood, making them face to face.

"Simple question. All it needed was a simple answer, Jason." Some people were already exiting the plane as the two squared off.

"Yeah well, as you know I don't like simple. I prefer the complicated things." She realised what he was referring to and licked her suddenly dry lips. His eyes then darted down to her mouth and lingered there for a moment before meeting her stare again. As soon as she saw the glint of passion and lust in the hypnotic orbs, she cleared her throat and turned away. "This isn't the you I knew in high school."

"What are you talking about?"

"At Jefferson, you'd always face problems head on and now, more than 10 years later, you're running away from them." Not wanting to reply, Alex grabbed her bag and headed off the plane. She realised how stupid of a mistake leaving without Jason was when she remembered that she'd never been here, she didn't know where the hell anything was at. "And you're missing some of your logic too." He whispered playfully to her before taking her hand and leading them the right way.

"So after we see your grandmother, what are we doing?" They stepped into the long, non-moving line and she began to feel a tension in her neck. She tried to roll her neck to make it go away but it stayed there.

"Today? We won't have time for anything. If I'm correct, my nana will have her girls at her house and they'll be reading the latest romance novel, gossiping about how they want a man like the guys in the books. We'll probably be there for hours." They shared a laugh as he eased behind her and gently kneaded the base of her neck. "You're so tense."

"I think a lot." She replied.

"About me I'm guessing." He smirked as she reached behind and pinched him. "Just kidding, but seriously I think you need this break. Either I haven't been doing my job of de-stressing you properly," she could already feel the heat building up from her toes, up her legs and steadily towards her thighs as he talked to her in a hushed yet intimate tone, "or something happened that is heavy on your mind. What happened?" She faced him and wanted to tell him that she was probably tense because she'd been having to fight off feelings that her heart knew she had but her mind didn't want to acknowledge.

"Did I tell you that Jonathan and Alexis are moving in together in a house that's just 10 minutes away from me?" she said instead, even though that had been not been anywhere near the front of her mind.

"Alexis' idea, right?"

"You know it. 10 minutes, Jason! She done it purposely to rub it in my face that she got him." From over his shoulder, Alex could see a tall, leggy woman staring at the two of them. Honey dipped skin, dark locks and full lips. She was beautiful. Even in her casual wear, she still stood out. Every man's attention was on her and all the women around were looking at her as well. Suddenly feeling the need to fix up her hair, she tore her eyes away from the vision. "I'm going to the restroom, I'll be back." She left and rushed to stand in front of the mirror. Her hair was in its' natural state and she only had a bit of mascara and lip gloss on. Other than that, she was make up free.

She stared at her reflection. She really was a spitting image of her father, with her mothers' eyes. At the thought of the man who abandoned her, Alexis and her mother, a deep frown fueled by painful memories, pulled at her face. She did miss her father, lying and saying she didn't wouldn't help. But sometimes she did think that maybe it was for the best. She was who she was because of her mother and for that she was grateful. Feeling the yearn to hear her mother's voice, she pulled out her phone and dialed her number.

10 minutes and a joyful conversation later, she walked out of the ladies room and tried to locate Jason. When she found him, she froze. He was with that beautiful woman who'd been staring at them. Wait, what were they- was he giggling? Did Jason just blush?! She watched as the woman edged closer to him as the line moved forward. That was when she decided to approach them. "I was about to get security to come and rescue you from the bathroom." She grinned and he reached down and took her hand again.

"I'm Zara, an old friend of Jason's." Her thick Bajan accent made her seem even more exotic and beautiful. The woman extended a hand and not wanting to be rude, she shook it. In her head, Alex knew there was more. Judging by the way they were interacting before she arrived, they were more than that.

"I'm Alex, Jason's..." She paused, not exactly sure what to label herself when it came to Jason. Girlfriend? No. Acquaintance? No. Fuck buddy? Hell no, that was too embarrassing to say.

"She's a good friend of mine." Jason filled in for her, although that wasn't what he wanted to say.
Zara's eyes lit up. "Oh really?"

Seeing the wheels turning in the taller woman's mind, Alex gripped his hand tighter and placed her other hand on his arm. "Yeah. I'm a really good friend." Zara narrowed her eyes at the feisty woman just as Jason chuckled.

"Jealousy looks hot on you, Flatty." She blushed at him realising what she was trying to do and they moved forward with the line. When there was an available booth, Jason picked up both their bags. "It was nice seeing you again, Zara. Honestly."

"I can only hope we bump into each other again." She flirted, adding a wink.

"Who was that?" She asked as soon as they'd left earshot. He only grinned and handed the man in front of him his passport as Alex did the same.

"If you must know, she's an ex of mine. Don't worry, she doesn't hold a candle to you." Her cheeks reddened even more at the compliment as she followed him towards his rented car.

He opened the car door for her and threw their bags in. After getting himself seated, he started the car. "She was really beautiful though." He heard her say and he turned to her, taking her chin in his hand and tilting it so that she was facing him.

"Zara is sexy. You, my dear Flatty, are beautiful."

 When she opened her mouth to reply, he leaned in and pulled her mouth into his warm embrace. Her arms found their way around his neck and he hoisted her out of the chair so that she straddled his lap. With a flick of his tongue, the passionate kiss suddenly turned intimate and hot and urgent. Alex's hips gyrated to their own movement, causing a sweet ache in Jason's groin.

His curious fingers made their way underneath her top and she squealed in excitement. Her eyes fluttered open as her head tilted back, with Jason peppering her mocha neck with sensual kisses. Abruptly, she stopped and leaped back into her own seat. "Alex!" he growled, pointing at the visible tent that had formed in his jeans.

"We have an audience, Jason." he looked at her completely perplexed before following her stare and realising that there were a group of pedestrians watching them. Annoyed that they'd ruined his moment. He flipped them the middle finger and drove away.

"When I get you alone, we are finishing this off." They atmosphere for the rest of the journey was sexually charged and yet they stayed in a comfortable silence, unlike the silence they had earlier.

20 minutes later, the car came to a stop. Jason hopped out of the car eagerly, almost forgetting to help Alex out. "JASON! BABY, IS THAT YOU?!" They both turned towards the sound and saw an elderly woman walk out onto the front yard, wiping her hands with a cloth. Her head was covered in a lilac headscarf and she was a heavyset woman with the same piercing and captivating eyes that obviously ran in the Arden family. Alex watched as the woman approached them and he smiled with genuine excitement.

Up close, she still had an air of elegance and she radiated a loving warmth that only a mother could provide. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, the older woman's smile stretching from ear to ear. "I knew it was you the moment I saw this fancy car outside! Only you would bring something like this! How have you been?"

They pulled apart, but they still held hands. "I'm great, Ma." Jason preferred to call his grandmother 'Mama' because to him, she was more like a mother than his actual mom. "I'm here on business but you know I had to come and see you first. You're looking well." She also noticed how he talked to her with the upmost respect in his voice.

"Looking well and feeling like shit." Alex couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her lips at hearing the older woman cuss. Jason's face fell in embarrasment.

"Ma, you can't be cussing like that!"

She waved him off. "Have you bumped into Zara yet? I heard she's back in the country. It wouldn't be a bad idea to-."

"MA!" his eyes dropped to Alex and Mrs Arden snapped her own gaze towards her.

"And who is this, Jason?" Already sensing the hostility in her voice, Alexandra put on her client-winning smile and extended a hand.

"Alexandra Armstrong, Mrs Arden. It's nice to meet you."

"Jason what have I told you about bringing your little sex friends here?" Alex didn't know how to respond. In a way, his grandma was right but in a way she wasn't. Wanting to comfort her, Jason reached down and held her hand, rubbing the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb, a gesture that his grandmother didn't miss. Maybe she'd judged their relationship wrong.

"Excuse my grandmother, Alex." he whispered to her as she nervously bit her lip.

"Come on in, the girls couldn't make it today so I was getting pretty bored." Just as they both took a step forward, she put a hand on Jason's chest. "No, no, no. You stay back and get the bags, Alex baby, come with me."

Alexandra blinked a couple of times, unsure what to do. "I don't bite, chile. Come on." She grabbed her hand and led her away but before they entered, Alex turned back towards Jason.

Frantically she mouthed: HELP ME!