Destroyer

11

"The brakes are certainly touched, sir" Jason gritted his teeth. "Professionally done and if your wife hadn't been driving so slowly she probably wouldn't just have a dislocated shoulder now" added the man on the other end of the phone and Jason looked at the sleeping Cassidy. "Buy a new car, something not too flashy, Cassidy doesn't like show off and put a tracker on it" Jason ordered and hung up the phone, continuing to look at his wife.

His father had gone too far. It was one thing for the two of them to be at war with each other, but to try to kill Cassidy was a death sentence, and Anthony surely knew it. Jason smiled coldly, five months had passed since the beginning of their marriage, another month and Jason would be rid of his father in the company. Then no one would notice if Anthony Mallory suddenly disappeared, would they?

Cassidy shifted and he climbed onto the bed next to her keeping an eye on her shoulder, Jason pulled her to his chest. "Love?" she yawned and opened one eye, but quickly closed it and rubbed her face against his shirt, sniffing him noisily. Jason liked this little habit of hers, as if his touch and voice weren't enough, but his smell gave her proof that it was him.

"Cas,wake up,my love" he gently lifted her chin and pecked her lips. Cassidy whimpered in denial but pursed her lips for more kisses and he smiled. "Honey, we need to talk, and for that, you need to wake up" Cassidy sighed and moved her shoulder slightly, making a face. Jason almost gritted his teeth at the pained note that drew her brows down for a moment, but then quickly disappeared. His father was going to pay for it.

"I have a proposition, love" Jason whispered into her hair and Cassidy opened her eyes slightly, wrinkling her nose in the cutest possible way Jason had ever seen. "Because of my work, we didn't get to celebrate Christmas and New Years properly" Cassidy sighed, remembering how Jason had dragged her from office to office party. "And your birthday is in two weeks" she opened her eyes wide and pricked up her ears curiously.

"How about a week's vacation in Barbados?" Cassidy's eyes widened with enthusiasm and she sat up on her knees, bringing her face close to his, as if checking to make sure Jason wasn't kidding. "Are you serious?" her voice was somewhere between a happy whisper and disbelieving shock. "I'm totally serious, love" he smiled and pulled her back against him.

"And to make it more fun, we'll take your friends too, I know you haven't seen all three of them in a while" he smiled and kissed her lips. "You are kidding!" he shook his head and Cassidy's eyes filled with tears, Jason panicked and sat her up, wiping away her tears. "No, no, no, don't cry, please don't cry, why on earth are you crying?" his face was so scared that Cassidy couldn't help but kiss him.

"No one has ever done anything so nice for me in my entire life" she whispered against his lips, wrapping her fingers around his neck, her forehead against his. "You are going to finish me, woman!" Jason sighed in relief and Cassidy smiled softly. "I love you, Jess, more than anything in the world" she kissed him again, this time harder and longer. "I love you more baby, you have no idea how much I love you" he cupped her face possessively and took over her mouth, leaving her breathless.

Cassidy's shoulder quickly recovered, faster than Jason had expected and after a basic checkup at his insistence and after he had convinced her to go back to work after their vacation, again at his insistence, they were now sitting in his private jet on the way to Barbados. Cassidy, Mia, and Christina were sitting at one end of the plane, talking to each other in a "girly" way, while Jason had a conversation a few seats over with Peter and Trevor, Christina's husband.

"He really can't take his eyes off you, can he?" Cassidy looked up from Damon, Christina's two year old son, who had grabbed her cheeks and was speaking to her in his own language, smiling charmingly at her, and met her husband's who smiled and winked at her, making her blush. "I'm sorry I haven't been paying you much attention lately" Cassidy sighed and Christina burst out laughing. "Girl, with such a husband and only five months after the wedding, we are lucky to hear from you on the phone!" Cassidy blushed at her comment and Maya burst out laughing, drawing the men's gazes for a moment.

"Well, how is it, I want you to tell us everything!" Maya demanded and Cassidy looked down at Damon again, holding him in her lap and trying to smile at him, even though he was squeezing her cheeks hard, mimicking the face she was making, then bursting into his sweet childish laugh. "I love him," Cassidy simply replied and her two friends squealed, jumping out of their seats and attacking her with hugs. Damon protested that the toy was being taken from him and the two returned to their seats but leaned forward heavily, waiting for more news.

"What about him?" Maya demanded again and Cassidy turned red, nodding. The two women stood up on their knees from their seats and looked at Jason, who raised his eyebrows questioningly. The two giggled and returned to their seats. "Who would have thought that our little mouse Cassidy would fall in love with the most handsome millionaire we've ever seen" Christina clicked her tongue, shaking her head with her arms crossed and a knowing expression.

"You know you're being discussed right now, right?" Jason turned his questioning gaze to Trevor. "You think so?" he looked back at Cassidy, who was so flushed and beautiful that he wanted to go and kiss her and then throw her in the toilet and bang her, making sure all the birds in the sky heard her screaming his name . "Definitely, Christina and Maya will make sure to do a full dissection of your relationship" Peter nodded and he and Trevor burst out laughing.

"Ahem" Jason hummed, lost in the sight of Cassidy with the toddler in her lap. He didn't care what her friends knew or didn't know, nor the attempts of these two to be friends, but the sight of Cassidy with a child just captivated him, she was so beautiful, she was so suited to have a child in her arms, she would be a wonderful mother. Jason had asked her once, but she hadn't answered and he hadn't pressed, knowing how early in their marriage and acquaintance he had done so.

"How did that happen, Jason Mallory?" he asked, drooling over his wife. It was only supposed to be a six-month contract, and he turned out to be a head-over-heels-in-love fool who was obsessed with this cute magical creature whose smile drove him crazy. "Man,we have you to thank" Jason absently raised an eyebrow looking at Peter and Trevor. "For what?" he turned again and looked at Cassidy, who just met his gaze and her lips formed an "I love you".

"For all of this" Trevor held out his hand, pointing at the plane as if Jason had performed a miracle. Jason smiled and nodded. How can he admit that he would do the impossible as long as Cassidy is happy? How could a man, who has been alone all his life and lives in a world like his, get a woman like her? What could he do to deserve this angel and her love? And that scared him, terrified him, that a moment would come when this angel would find out what kind of devil her husband really is and leave him, that she would look at him with disappointment and hatred.

"Get some sleep" Jason kissed her forehead and Cassidy curled into his lap like Damon had curled into his father's lap. "I love you" she murmured softly so only Jason could hear her and her small fists clenched his t-shirt. Jason squeezed her tighter. She was so tiny, so small compared to him, and she had no idea what power she held in her hands, how her fingers had dug into his heart. If Cassidy knew what kind of man she married, if she even suspected? Jason knew, he wouldn't let her go, he wouldn't be able to, he would probably do anything to keep her by his side, he would endure anything, he would break her.

But could it? Could he really hurt her? Would he really live to see her broken, hating him? He couldn't allow it, he had to protect her from everything and everyone, but who would protect her from him? Jason knew that what he felt for Cassidy was more than love, that it was unhealthy, that if he lost control of himself, the angry, painful way he was obsessed with her would drive her away. He had to make sure she never left. His gaze shifted to Damon, sleeping peacefully on top of his father, and Christina, curled up under Trevor's arm. He had to make sure Cassidy would get pregnant, a woman like her would put up with anything for her child.