What you need to know before reading:

Elizabeth is married to Lucky. Lucky is an addict and had an affair with Maxi. They have no children at all. Jake and Cameron do not exist.

Jason is working things out with Sam. She slept with Ric. Jason caught them.

Elizabeth and Jason had a NOP during the blackout, but instead of deciding to leave Lucky, she chooses to stay and work things out. She wants to support him. And since there are no children involved, she doesn't mind to keep herself in his line of fire.

Chapter One

She gripped the sides of the porcelain white sink in the tiny bathroom of her studio, while she studied her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't fight the smile that tugged at her lips and she had to admit, she wore that better than the sullen frown she had grown so used to. She had smiled little in the past six months. In fact, it was only nights like these, where she did at all. She felt nervous, but that was a feeling she had gotten used to. The butterflies in her stomach, the hesitation that washed over her body. She looked forward to it because it made every time feel like the first.

She picked up her tube of lip gloss and brushed it over her lips one last time. She shook out her long hair and started to leave it down, but remembered that he liked it up. She cursed, digging through her makeup bag and was thankful when she found a clip. She twisted her hair into a messy bun, pinning it at the nape of her neck. She licked her lips, the pit of her stomach churning. A second of doubt making it's way into her mind just as it always did. She gripped the sink again and hung her head. She wanted this. She needed this. And she was going to have it. There was a knock on her studio door and her eyes flashed to the mirror. She bit her lip, adjusted the front of her top and slipped out of the bathroom.

She hurried to the door, leaning up against it, her hand gripping the doorknob tightly. She could always not answer. He knocked again. She could always stop it here and now. And he knocked again. Walk away and have no regrets. And again. Stop while she was ahead. "Are you here?" Don't be silly, she told herself, as she flicked the bolt with her thumb and pulled the door open.

Within seconds, his lips crashed over hers, his tongue was in her mouth. He pulled his body close to hers as he pushed himself inside. He kicked the door shut with his foot, then spun her around, slamming her up against it. She let out a gasp, but he knew she wasn't hurt. He knew that she liked it. He pressed his body against hers, one hand on the back of her head, holding her face to his, as he slid his other hand across the door to flick the deadbolt.

She kissed him so hard she could barely breath, her arms slipping up the front of his shirt, tracing over his smooth skin. She slipped her hands from beneath them, running them over his shoulder and tugging his jacket off. She broke the kiss, almost unable to pull away from her. His lips brushed over the side of her face, his tongue leaving a trail across her cheek, to her ear, then down her neck. She let out a soft sigh of pleasure as his mouth moved against her neck. He sucked hard and she knew he was going to leave another mark she'd have to cover up.

His hands roamed over her body, eager to touch her skin, but as always she had dressed in layers of clothes. She wanted him to work for it, not caring if she drove him crazy in the process. He jerked at the clip in her hair, not realizing it was tangled. She cried out, reaching to pull it out herself, but he jerked her hand away. He slowly untangled the clip, his lips moving around her neck and across what tiny bit of skin that was peaking from her top.

She groaned in frustration, not wanting to wait. She shifted to start unbuttoning her shirt, but he pulled her hands away, replacing them with his own. She didn't have the patience. It had been too long this time. And she wanted him. Now. She slid her hands under his shirt and around to his back, dragging her nails lightly across his skin. Pulling them around to the front she flicked the snap of his jeans, catching his attention.

"No," he murmured, kissing her again. He kissed her hard and forcefully, while his hands undid the last button and jerked her sweater off. He ran his hands over her smooth and silky shoulders, taking in the feel of her soft skin. He had yet to find anything that felt this good, that left him wanting more. His felt around for the edge of her camisole, his lips still over hers. He pulled away long enough to yank it over her head.

Her hands were on his face and pulling him back to her. She needed his kiss. It was satisfying in a way that she couldn't describe it. It made her feel whole. She held him in place for as long as she could, but he was the one in control this time. It was his turn, so she didn't fight him when he pulled away. She arched herself against him, wanting him to know that she was aching for his touch. "Please," she murmured, running her hands through his hair, as his lips left marks across her breasts.

"Hmm," he murmured back at her, his lips licking over the top of her breasts. He slid a hand over the front of her jeans, pressing hard between her legs.

"Dammit," she said softly, twisting in his embrace as she tried to rub her body against his hand, but he pulled away. She cursed in frustration and he snickered against her skin. She tugged on his hair. "I can't wait."

There was something about her voice, the yearning in it, that reminded him why he always wanted her this badly. It was mutual. Their need for one another. She let out another quiet plea and he knew he couldn't torture her any longer.

He pushed her back against the door, undoing the snap of her jeans. She pushed her pants down and bit her lip in anticipation, her body instinctively rocking towards him. She arched her back, shoving her hips towards him. "Are you sure you can't wait?" he whispered, his breath hot on her ear.

She whimpered in frustration. "I swear to…GOD!" she cried out, when he slipped a hand into her underwear, a finger slipping inside of her, all in one swift motion.

He buried his face in her neck, biting at it lightly, as he moved his hand against her. She lifted a leg, crossing it behind his, her head falling limply to the side. She let out a long, soft moan. "Come on," she said, rocking her hips against his head.

"What?" he asked, his lips moving from her neck and back to her chests. His tongue left a long, hot trail across her skin. She sighed growing more and more frustration. "Say it."

She rocked her hips against his hand several more times, his finger moving in and out of her slowly. She could have died from the pleasure, but she wanted the release more. "Faster," she begged. He continued to move slowly. "I said faster!" She cried out loudly when he obliged, his thumb flicking over her tiny bud. And in second, she was coming and collapsing into his arms.

He let her rest her head against his shoulder, while she fought to catch her breath. Slipping his hand from between her legs, he pushed to shove her underwear down. She stepped out of them without him asking her to and suddenly she was on the couch, his body over hers. She realized his shirt was off and his pants were gone. She couldn't figure out when he undressed.

He shifted his weight over her, stopping for a second to take in the sight of her body beneath his, before taking her mouth in his again. He kissed her hand, settling down between her legs. When he pushed them apart and started to enter her, she cried out for him to stop. He froze in place, pulling back to look at her.

She pushed him away from her until he was sitting up on the couch. "I'm sorry," he said. "Did I-"

"No," she said, moving quickly to straddle him. "You didn't do a thing." She positioned herself over him, looking him square in the eye as she lowered herself slowly.

He cursed loudly, knowing that he could let go and come on the spot if he wanted to, but he wanted to make sure she did one last time. He slipped his hands over her hips, gripping them tightly, while she tightened her hands over his shoulders. "Mmmm," she said quietly, as she started to move herself up and down.

She let her head fall to his shoulder as she moved. She was consumed, delirious, drunk from pleasure. God, she wondered, is it always this? But she knew the answer to that. It got better every time.

He rubbed his cheek against hers, moving one of his hands to the back of his head. He pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him. He stretched to kiss her briefly, then pressed her forehead against hers, making sure to keep his eyes locked with hers.

She gripped his shoulders tightly as she grinded down on him. She wanted to look away from. She wanted to forget how intense it was. But she didn't. She kept her eyes on his, not faltering even when his hands tightened on her hips and jerked her down as fast she moved up.

His hips rose to meet when she came down and he knew she was close. Gripping her waist tightly, he slid his other hand in front of her and rubbed her light. He felt the tremors shoot through her body and when she cried out, he felt the pleasure of her body wash over his, and in second he was coming with her. She kept her eyes positioned, locked on his as she came. He groaned loudly, biting his lip, as he tried to catch his breath.

She collapsed over him, her head falling on his shoulder. She shivered, when he ran a single finger up and down her spine. "You okay?" he asked, his breath hot on her cheek. She nodded against him, tears coming to her eyes. She was too afraid to move, to look at him, for him to see her face. This was something new. It hadn't always felt this way afterwards. She sucked in a breath then pulled herself off him. She pulled the blanket from the back of the cover over her, too afraid to look at him.

"You don't have to do that," he said, not looking at her. She never used to do that, he told himself. She never used to cover herself up afterward like she was ashamed, like she was wrong. His cell phone rang from his jeans pocket where they were lying on the floor. He looked over at it, but made no move to answer.

"Are you late?" she asked, tightening the cover around her.

He shook his head. "I'm just not a good liar anymore."

She nodded, knowing the feeling. She drew her knee up close to her and rested her chin on them. "I um, I-"

"Don't," he interrupted, slumping forward. "You have to make it like this."

"I'm not," she said defensively, rubbing a finger over her shoulder. She could feel a faint bite mark on her shoulder. "I just…" She paused her eyes welling up with tears. "I just think we have a decision to make."

His eyes flashed to hers and when she looked at him, she felt completely naked, as if he saw her entirely. "And what would that be?"

"Are you going to leave her?" she asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

He grunted. "Are you going to leave him?"