by Danni Rose
Then he read the letter she'd written the day he'd gone to confront her. Beth begged for his forgiveness. She wrote that Archer had threatened to have him arrested if she didn't send him away, and she'd been trying to protect him.
Please come for me. I love you and our baby. Archer has ordered me to place the baby for adoption. Don't let them take our baby.
Jason wiped a hand over his face. He'd been so wrong. Beth had needed him, and he'd failed her. When she sent him away, he'd felt betrayed. Her reward for protecting him had been his lack of faith and contempt. He'd been a fool.
He continued to read her words but frowned when the tone of her letters changed. She worried that something had happened to him. He didn't call or write, and her letters were being returned. She needed him to come back before Archer forced her to give up their baby.
He cringed when he read how she'd run away. She left with no money or clothes, only a desperate need to keep their baby. But the guard Archer had hired, found her and dragged her back to the Boston apartment.
Please help us. I won't ask you to take care of us, but I can't get away without help. I want to keep my baby. Please come to Boston before it's too late. Beth.
His heart bled for the girl who'd been so alone. He held the last letter. His chest was tight with fear. Did her have the courage to read the last letter?
After what he'd put Beth through, she deserved her pound of flesh. He pulled the letter from the envelope.
They took our baby. Now I've lost both of you. The pain makes it hard to breathe. Nothing matters anymore. I wish you loved me the way I love you. Goodbye. Beth.
J.D. Richards' heart bled, and the words on the letter became a watery blur.
A few months ago a letter invited him back to Serenity Bay to learn a secret. He'd returned to make Beth pay for destroying his dreams. Now he knew she'd been the one who had been betrayed. She'd withstood more pain and sorrow than any person should endure in a lifetime.
Not once during the time they'd been together had she belittled him or judged him unworthy. But at the first test of their love, he'd believed the worst. The day he went to see her, she'd been hesitant, wary. He’d decided she didn't want to see him. It had been so easy to believe she'd lied and made a fool of him.
Jason went to the patio doors and looked at Beth. She'd been so young and innocent when they met. He'd wondered how she could care for him, a damaged boy with no future. But her devotion never wavered and made him want to be worthy of her love.
Now her skin glistened in the midday sun, and her hair curled around her face like the halo of light she'd had the first time he'd seen her. She had always been lovely, but now she possessed a body he wanted to explore for the rest of his life.
Jason went to where she lay sleeping and watched her. At eighteen, Beth hadn't been strong enough to stand and fight her parents, but that hadn't stopped her from trying. Not until Archer threatened him, had she obeyed. She’d done all she could to protect him.
He was careful not to wake her as he lifted her into his arms. She snuggled closer. When she murmured his name, he smiled and admitted what he'd always known. He fell in love with Beth the day he saw her in the park, and he'd love her until the day he died.
Could they put the lies and manipulation behind them? He laid her on the bed. Did she still love him, was that why she'd given him the letters? He wanted to know because walking away was not an option.
Beth stretched and burrowed into the softness under her. Her eyes opened. She'd been on a lounge chair by the pool. How had she gotten to her bed? Jason.
She rolled onto her back. The silk sheet slid over her skin—her naked skin. Her cheeks heated. Jason must have removed her bathing suit. Her cheeks burned. He'd already seen her without clothes, but that had been in the heat of passion. Had he noticed the extra ten pounds she wanted to lose or the way her stomach rounded after their son's birth?
Her stomach growled. She looked at the clock. Past midnight. She'd missed supper and her stomach demanded food. Lupita kept the refrigerator filled with snacks and had told her to help herself.
She put on her favorite nightgown, a figure-hugging, silk floor-length negligee with tight fitted sleeves. She loved the lush fabric brushing over her skin. Although it wasn't as luscious as Jason's mouth sliding over her body. Her stomach rumbled again. Food.
Beth went to the kitchen. Instead of disturbing the night with harsh of lights, she used the light of the moon to find her way. When she opened the refrigerator, the light went on and she hunted for a snack. Cheesecake. Yummy. It was in a Delectable Delights box, so it must be one of Erik's creations.
She turned to get a knife and collided with a wall of hard muscle. Jason. Embarrassed to be caught raiding the refrigerator, she mumbled, "I was hungry."
She looked at him and felt the heat of a blush wash over her face. He wore slacks with no shirt or shoes. His hair was a sexy mess as though he'd just gotten out of bed. She swallowed. No man should look so delicious.
He nodded. "I'm not surprised."
"You're not?"
"You haven't eaten all day. I tried to wake you for dinner, but you made it clear you didn't want to be disturbed." He grinned. "You were snoring when I left your room."
She giggled. "I don't snore."
"Yes, you do. It's a cute little noise, but definitely a snore."
She tilted her head and smiled. "Do you want a piece of cheesecake?"
"Yes. I'll have coffee with mine." He asked, "Do you want a cup?"
"Is there enough for both of us?"
"Lupita makes a fresh pot if I work late." He walked to the opposite counter. "I'll pour the coffee while you cut the cheesecake."
They worked together to put the cheesecake and coffee on the table. He lit a candle and set it on the table next to a peach rose in a crystal bud vase.
With everything on the table, they sat next to each other. Beth took a bite of cheesecake, closed her eyes, and savored the flavor of the caramel macchiato cheesecake. "I love Erik's cheesecake. He tries new combinations and creates desserts that are decadent. I told him he has to stop or I'll weigh two hundred and fifty pounds."
"Lupita is still worried you aren't eating enough and called the shop. They put together a bag of goodies to tempt you. I guess it worked." Jason took a slow, deep breath. "Why didn't you show me the letters sooner?"
Beth shrugged. "It felt like you wanted to blame me. Besides, I wasn't sure they would change your mind."
"You were right."
She dropped her head and stared at the table to hide the pain those words inflicted. "You still think I’m lying?"
"No, that's not what I meant." He shifted in his seat. "I made you prove you were telling the truth, but I expected you to believe everything I said. I demanded your trust, but never gave mine in return. Can you forgive me?"
"Do you believe me now? Even the things I can't prove?"
"I do."
"Why?" She narrowed her eyes. "Because of the letters?"
"The letters proved what I already knew, but didn't want to admit. You're the same person I met twelve years ago. The one person who never cared who my parents were, or where I lived."
"Those things never mattered. Besides, my father may not have hit me, but he stomped all over my self-confidence."
He grimaced. "It's true that Archer manipulated us, but he wouldn't have succeeded if I'd had more faith in you."
"My loving father. All my life I wanted his love and approval but was never good enough to satisfy him. I thought the fault was mine. That, if I tried harder, I could make him care." She heaved a heavy sigh. "Now I wonder if he ever loved me."
"Don't waste your concern on him. He's not worth it." Jason pulled her onto his lap. "We'll find Daniel, and we won't let Archer stop us. Now that we know what he's done, we won't let him manipulate us any longer. Although there's one question I would like answered."
"What's that?"
"Who sent the anonymous letter and why?"
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br /> CHAPTER TWELVE
Jason watched her and brushed circles on her back. When she ran her tongue across her lips, he leaned in and stole her breath. When she opened to him, he slipped his tongue in and she lost herself in his heat. As he deepened the kiss, she slid her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer.
He stroked her tongue and the inside of her mouth. Need flared at her core. Then he slipped a hand between them to cup her breast, and she made a soft mewling sound. When she shifted her hips, the globes of her butt pressed against the bulge of his cock.
"I want to make love to you." He cupped her cheek. "Tell me that's what you want."
She held out a hand. "So much I'm shaking."
He pulled her close and touched his forehead to hers. "Thank heaven."
Beth brushed her mouth over Jason's then kissed him with the hunger that flowed through her veins. His lips were hot on hers, and she couldn't get enough. She wanted to make love to him for the rest of her life, but she'd take whatever he offered. If they had only one night, she'd treasure it.
He pulled away.
Beth tried to pull him back. "What—"
"The table doesn't look very comfortable."
"The table?" Her eyes popped open, and her cheeks heated. "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh." He grinned and helped her to her feet. Then he took her hand and rushed to the study. She had to run to keep up and giggled at his impatience. He locked the door and pulled her to the sofa. Her body shook when his hands swept over her.
"This negligee is stunning, but now I want to feel your skin against mine."
He undid the button at the back and brushed the fabric off her shoulders. Her negligee drifted down her body until it pooled at her feet. He stepped back and his gaze brushed over her like a warm caress.
Beth reached for him. "Please."
Jason stepped close and kissed her with a fierceness that stole the breath from her body. Lust flooded her senses. Afraid she'd fall, Beth held onto his shoulders. He nipped at her lips before his tongue slipped into her mouth to caress and tease her.
When he cupped her breasts and rolled her nipples between his fingers, she moaned and arched her back. Then he leaned down and sucked on first one nipple then the other. Chills raced through her body from her head to her toes.
She pulled on him. "I need you in me."
He took a step back. Beth wobbled but stayed on her feet. She watched him as he pulled off his pants. When he stepped out of them, she wrapped her fingers around his erection.
His shaft jerked, and he muttered, "Tighter."
She tightened her hold, and he moaned.
When his head dropped forward, she fell to her knees. He lifted his head and looked at her. She gave him her most seductive smile. She ran her tongue along the blue vein from the base of his cock to the tip. When she reached the tip, a drop of cream oozed out of the tiny slit. Her tongue circled the purple head, and she licked it to catch each milky drop on her tongue. When he sucked in a breath, she took him into her mouth.
He growled, "Yes."
Beth sucked harder. When she swallowed, he moaned and fisted his hands. He rocked his hips working his shaft in and out of her mouth. She wanted to tease him and used her tongue to glide over the ridges of his shaft slow and easy.
"Enough!" He took a step back and pulled out of her mouth.
She frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I want to be inside you when I come."
"Oh."
"But first…it's my turn." He helped her to stand. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her off her feet. She leaned in to kiss him and wrapped her legs around his waist. With a sigh, she savored his taste and the satin softness of his lips. So lost in his kiss, she jerked when she felt the sofa under her. She laid back and shifted her hips.
Jason knelt between her legs then leaned over her. He teased her, brushing his mouth back and forth over her lips until she caught his bottom lip and nipped at it. She savored his kiss and felt the cream pool between her thighs. She ached to have his body fill her, and she lifted her hips to rub against him. "Please…."
"Soon." He placed light kisses on her eyes, cheeks, and ears. His mouth drifted over the skin of her throat until he got to that sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met. He swirled circles with his tongue. Pleasure, fierce and wicked, streaked through her body.
Jason fondled her breasts. When he rolled and pinched her nipples, she arched her back. He slipped from one breast to the other and used his teeth to tease her. Her muscles grew taut, and her back lifted off the bed.
When his mouth left her breasts, she whimpered until he moved down her body scattering kisses on her ribs and stomach. His lips reached her slit and, before she could protest, he ran his tongue through her damp curls. She writhed at the erotic caress then gasped when his tongue stroked her clit. Nothing in her life prepared her for the intimacy of this act.
A heartbeat later, he pushed a finger into her sheath. Her hips bucked as she tried to force him deeper. Pleasure took command of her body and flung her into a whirlpool of intense sensation.
When he slipped a second finger in, her heart pounded a frantic beat. Jason leaned over her and swirled his tongue in her cream. Her breath came in short, desperate gasps, as she fought to survive the furor that gripped her body. She jerked her hips to meet his strokes desperate to release the tension building in every nerve and muscle of her body.
Then he pinched her sensitive nub, the air rushed from her lungs, and she shattered. She dug her nails into his shoulders while the walls of her pussy rippled around his fingers. He sucked on her slit to draw out each flutter of her orgasm.
She struggled to get air into her lungs, and as he crawled up her body he nuzzled, licked, and tasted her skin until he reached her mouth. He took her lips in a kiss more passionate than any they'd shared. A kiss that left its imprint on her soul.
Jason slid his shaft over her slit coating it in her cream before he slid into her. He stroked in and out, in and out. His cock rasped over the sensitive walls of her heat. Beth wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted to meet his thrusts. Then she slid her hands around to his back.
In a few short strokes, he had her desperate for his possession. When she tightened her legs, his cock sunk deeper. Jason grunted and his thrusts came faster. Desperate for orgasm, their demands turned savage.
They moved together in a hot, frenzied rhythm. He slipped his hands under her hips. With his next thrust, he pushed so deep shivers raced through every part of her body. The muscles in her pussy clenched around his cock, and her world exploded. She rode the violent waves of her orgasm.
As though from a distance, Beth heard Jason roar her name. His hot seed pulsed into her and sent another wave of shudders through her body. Every part of her hummed with satisfaction. When he dropped to her side, she felt the heat radiate from his body.
Sweat covered Jason's brow, and his heart pounded a wild beat. After a deep breath, he draped an arm over her stomach. Eyes narrowed to slits, he looked at a sleeping Beth and smiled. Her beauty dazzled him, but her courage and spirit captivated him.
Their lovemaking had been so much more than he expected, but he already wanted her again. Only this time he didn't want to worry that they'd fall off the sofa. He stood and lifted her into his arms. She didn't wake, but a sweet smile curled her lips.
As he carried her to bed, he grinned at the cute not-quite-a-snore she made. Nine years ago, what they shared had been special because it had been young, innocent. But tonight had been much more. Their loving tonight held a promise of what they could have if they were willing to take a second chance to make a life together.
Careful not to wake her, Jason settled Beth in bed and climbed in next to her. Propped on one arm, he watched her. She'd survived the manipulation and betrayal of the past with her heart intact. Archer hadn't crushed the spirit of the young girl or the generous, loving woman she'd become.
Beth whimpered, and her body thrashed. Was this anothe
r nightmare of the accident? He pulled her close and brushed her hair back. "Shh. Sleep, Angel. I'll keep you safe."
She snuggled into his chest and sighed.
Jason wanted her to sleep next to him for the rest of his life. He needed a plan. What would it take to make her his?
In the morning, Jason woke to Beth with her arm and leg thrown over him. His stiff cock made its approval known, but he'd scheduled an early teleconference he couldn't miss. He slid out of bed to shower and dress. He kissed her forehead and forced himself to leave.
Two hours later, Jason's meeting ended, and he studied a proposal. Then a soft knock caught his attention, and he looked up to see Beth at the door. He rushed over and kissed her. With his arm around her, they went to breakfast.
After they served themselves, Jason said, "I had an idea. Gabriel needs the information your father has, and Archer will never give it to us. There has to be a way we can get it." He paused. "Could we search his office?"
Beth gave him a sly smile. "I presume without him knowing?"
"That's my preference." Jason chuckled. "Archer manages every detail of his projects—even the minor ones. Someone that controlling wouldn't have trusted anyone else to handle the arrangements for the birth and adoption. Somewhere he must have the names and addresses of the people involved."
Beth's eyes lit with excitement, and she grabbed his hand. "You're right. When I was in high school, he lectured me if I didn't get the best grade in a class. He had information about the classes I took, the names of my teachers, even the names of my classmates."
"Do you have any idea where he might keep the information about your pregnancy?"
"He has three file cabinets in his office that are locked. That must be where he keeps his important papers. He also has a safe, but I don't think even Mother knows the combination."
Jason rubbed his chin. "The pregnancy is old business. He has no reason to keep the file in the safe."
