A New Beginning ~ Part Four
by: Karen

A couple of hours later, Brenda sighed and smiled. She stretched lazily, reaching out a hand, and found cold empty space. She bolted upright at once. "Jax?" she called out in a voice somewhere between a wail and a scream. After a moment she realized that every available surface in the room was covered with bouquets of long stemmed red roses. A delighted smile curved her lips.

"Jax!" she repeated in a calmer tone.

"I'm right here, sweetie," Jax said.

And indeed he was, looking more handsome than any man had a right to look Brenda thought, as he leaned against the doorframe, clad only in black silk boxers. She sucked in her breath, and with difficulty found her voice again. "I woke up and you weren't here, and I panicked for a minute."

Jax came and sat on the bed beside her. "I wasn't very far away. I can never be very far away from you, Brenda, because you're in my heart and soul, just as I am in yours."

She regarded him thoughtfully. "That's true, isn't it? You know, when we made love earlier, it was more incredible than it's ever been, because for the first time, I finally felt that my heart and soul were all mine to give, and I gave them to you freely." An awestruck look crossed her face as she gently touched a crystal tear which spilled from his aquamarine eyes.

Jax swallowed convulsively. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear you say that Before I met you, I was determined to play the games and have fun, but never to care, never to love again. And then you walked into my hotel room, and the pinball machine said "Jackpot", and I knew this game would be winner takes all, and the stakes had just been raised."

"We're two of a kind, Jax. We like the same game. We play for the same stakes...all or nothing. I just raised. Now it's your call. Marry me," Brenda said.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you quoting me, or proposing to me?"

She laughed. "I'm proposing, you big lug, but now that you mention it, I may have stolen that wonderful line from someone."

"Someone? I'll have you know, that line is copyrighted by a very successful corporate raider."

"Copyrighted? You mean I wasn't the first one you said that to?" She clasped her hand to her heart in a dramatic gesture. "I'm wounded, Jax. I thought I was the great love of your life, and now I find out you asked me to marry you with a used proposal."

Jax's eyes twinkled. "Brenda, you know very well I never said those words to anyone else. But they were so good, I didn't want someone to go and steal them from me."

"Ohhh, so now you think you're good, huh?"

"I seem to recall you thinking so yourself a couple of hours ago," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

For answer she batted him on the side of the head with her pillow.

"Two can play at that game, you know<" Jax claimed as he picked up both pillows from his side of the bed.

"Jax! Don't you dare! Oh!" Brenda shrieked as the pillow landed on her head.

The war was on and the pillows flew fast and furious for the next several minutes as they chased each other all around the bedroom. At last, in an effort to distract his attention, Brenda gasped, "Jax honey, how on earth did you get all these roses in here?"

He dropped his ammunition and pinned her against the wall. His eyes gleamed as he said seductively, "Not only am I good, but I am a man of multi-talented."

She looked up at him with sparkling eyes and cheeks flushed from exertion. "Oh really?

Would you care to show me some of those talents?"

"Your wish is my command, my lady," Jax said, and he lowered his mouth to hers.