Welcome to the Cassadines: Book II of Kismet

Chapter Twenty

*Desperate Consolation*

Catching her breath after that erotic confrontation with Jason was not easy. Stefan's telephone call caught her unawares. She was committed to him! What would Stefan do if he knew how close she came to succumbing to the past? Of course, that was the only reason why she responded so eagerly to Jason's touch. A momentary lapse in time and space threw her off balance. She vowed never, ever to put herself in that position--or any position with Jason Morgan--again.

"Hey, partner."

She almost jumped two feet into the air, right there on a busy Parisian sidewalk. "Jagger? What are you doing here? How did you know where to find me?"

"I'm a spy, Keesh," he said, taking her bag from her hand. "Locating you wasn't too difficult. I got an uneasy feeling about your sudden departure and when I discovered that Jason only reserved one hotel room... Well, coming to Paris became a priority." He closed a hand over her shoulder and fixed her with a searching stare. "Are you okay?"

"Other than feeling very foolish, I'm fine," she confided. "I won't go into a tirade about being able to defend myself. I'll just say thanks for coming and leave it at that."

He shrugged. "No problem." He led her around the corner to a parked car. After they were settled inside, he said, "I spoke to Stefan. He's reserved rooms for us on the other side of the Tuileries Gardens. He's bringing Tommy Hardy with him."

She nodded. "I know. He called."

Jagger glanced at her as he maneuvered the vehicle into traffic. "If you want to talk about what happened with Morgan... I know I promised to kick his ass, but I'll postpone that. That is, if you need to talk."

"I know, partner, but it's not something I want to discuss." She subconsciously clenched her hands together.

"Seeing the change in him confused the hell out of me," he said softly. "He, Karen, Brenda and I hung out together, you know. Back when we were kids. I always thought he'd turn out okay. Then, the car accident transforms him completely. Poof! The Jason Quartermaine everybody knows is gone and is replaced by this...guy...who is nothing like him, but looks just like him. That had to have been as hard as hell for you to deal with that. Karen and I parted ways fully aware of who we were, but what happened between you and Jason was forced."

Her throat suddenly felt dry as sand. She swallowed hard, forcing her eyes to remain locked on the passing scenery. "Jags, get to the point soon."

"I'm getting there," he said. "The point is Jason Morgan is not Jason Quartermaine. Morgan is fully aware of your past relationship. No matter how confusing it gets or he tries to make it, don't let him. You have friends, Keesha. None of us will hold it against you if you need to release some hot air. Just don't release it with him."

Keesha kept her thoughts to herself. He hadn't said anything she hadn't already told herself. Yet, it was good to hear it from someone else. Friends like Jagger Cates were hard to come by.

~*~

Dara failed miserably. Instead of heading toward the Outback, she asked her driver to make a detour. Straight down the road to her Mama.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Carrie said. She took Dara's hand and led her to the back patio. "Steve's working the grill tonight. You came just in time."

"Hey, Porcupine!" Steve waved with a pair of tongs. "Is Zarek coming, too?"

She bit her lip to stop herself from crumbling into a sniveling mass of tears. "No, he has a late meeting. My bodyguard is out front. Would you mind if I offered him something to eat?"