Life After Dark: Book Two of the Dark Series

Chapter 68

When it comes to love, there's no easy answer

Only you can say what you're gonna do

The roar of the rushing water pounded in Jason's ears as the stream of water pounded on his back. But he didn't hear it, nor did he feel it. His senses had shut down. It was a trick Jason Morgan had perfected and Jason was a little surprised it still worked for him. Over the last few weeks, he had intentionally rejected all things Jason Morgan, but this one last remnant refused to disappear and for that, Jason was grateful.

Going through the motions, Jason grabbed the shampoo bottle and began to lather his hair. Even in his present state of listlessness, he still moved with urgency, so without thinking he wiped his eyes with his lather covered hands. The sting of the soap awakened all his senses with amazing speed and the feelings he had been trying to avoid swooped down and took over his soul.

He hurt! But not in his eyes. The water from the shower flushed the offending shampoo from his eyes. But in his heart. It wasn't the typical heartache that consumed him when Robin left him and moved to Paris. No, this pain went much deeper. It squeezed him and if he stood very still, he was almost certain he could feel the blood as it oozed from his heart.

Why did she kiss him was the question that screamed in his ear and tormented his spirit. They had made so much progress. The times they spent together had brought them closer. He knew it had. And even though during their argument they both said things which would have been better left unsaid, he knew they could move past it. He had believed that if he gave her time to cool off and if he cooled off himself... Later, when their minds were clear, they could discuss Tommy and Jason's plans for the future like mature adults. He might have even been able to ask her if she was ready to discuss a future with him. If she was ready to commit to him the way he was ready to commit to her.

But after seeing her in AJ's arms, he wasn't sure of what to do anymore. He accepted and understood that she needed time to come to terms with everything. She needed to learn how to trust him again. She needed to learn that she could trust herself to love him and to believe that he wouldn't hurt her. He understood her reservations and he understood that he had to prove himself to her. He even understood her having residual feelings for his older brother, but dammit! Jason didn't want to understand how Keesha could let AJ kiss her!

He didn't want to understand, but he did. She had to be certain of her decision. Keesha wasn't the type of woman to keep two men on a string, and if her heart wasn't clear on who the one man would be, he'd have to understand. He loved her enough to give her the time she needed, but the longer it took for her to make her decision, the closer to the breaking point he came.

~*~

Are you gonna stay with the one who loves you

Or are you goin' back to the one you love?

AJ whistled to himself as he stepped out of the shower. All in all, he'd had a good day. Hell! He'd had a wonderful day. He didn't want to gloat over Jason's stupidity in calling her irrational or having chosen the mob as his career, but AJ couldn't resist. He loved his baby brother with all his heart, but that love was surpassed by his love for Keesha.

Oh, how he loved that woman! After he quickly toweled himself dry and as he stepped into his boxer shorts, he thought about their kiss. He paused as he dressed himself to lightly raise a finger to his lips. A smile spread across his face as he remembered the sensation of her delicious full lips on his. He never rated kisses or compared them, but if he had to rate them, the kiss in the hallway was even better than the kiss on the enclosed garden.

Sure, the Hallway Kiss, as he now referred to it, wasn't a deeply passionate one, not like the Garden Kiss. But for some reason, the Hallway Kiss was special. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something different about the way their lips met. The way Keesha responded to him was unlike anything they had ever experienced in the past.