Chapter 11
Nicole watched the helicopter fly away with Jared thinking that it was unfair that their time together had been cut short. But then she looked around herself and realized that she was being selfish, still it hurt to be parted from Jared without even a goodbye kiss. But now that the men were out of danger, Seth began barking orders, the first and loudest was that everyone but the engineers were to evacuate the site, and she headed for their tent.
As she packed up hers and Jared’s gear, she began to pick up little snatches of conversation. Everyone was talking about the slide and what had caused it, she kept hearing Jared’s name, but not enough of the conversation to hear what was being said. When Sam and Julie finally joined her, Julie pulled her aside.
“I just want to warn you before you hear it from someone else.” She started, making Nicole’s heart race and her knees go weak. “Jared told Seth that the charge was in the wrong place and it was his fault. Everyone is saying that he was trying to sabotage the project.”
Nicole took a step back and sat down on a log, her knees no longer able to support her. She’d been so sure that Jared had changed, sure that he was behind the project. “But that can’t be true. He wouldn’t… I mean….”
“I’m sorry Nicole, I heard it from Seth’s mouth. It’s not gossip.” Julie said, sitting down next to Nicole and putting her arm around her.
Nicole wanted to cry, she’d been so sure that Jared had changed, but if Seth said it, it had to be true. At that moment her heart broke into what felt like a thousand pieces, it wasn’t just that she’d lost Jared, it was the knowledge that he’d used her that was so devastating. She’d thought that what they’d shared had been real, but it had all been an act, and act to give Jared the chance to destroy what Seth was working so hard to create.
Straightening her shoulders, she said, “I’ll be okay. It was just a fling.” Then stood up and went back to breaking camp.
By the time they went to the village where Annabelle was waiting for them, it had become common knowledge that Jared had tried to sabotage his brother, and risked numerous people’s lives in the process. Nicole had been over and over it in her mind, and kept coming up with the same thing. If Jared had been responsible, how and when had he done it, and why would he have been there when it happened. As heart broken as she was, there was a part of her that just couldn’t believe that Jared had been responsible.
When she walked into the house, their friend Marci took one look at her and said, “You need some sleep.” Then she took her hand and pulled her upstairs.
She tucked Nicole into bed, shushing away her protests about being dirty. “The sheets will wash and so will you. Get some sleep.”
When Marci got back downstairs, she found Sam and Julie in the kitchen and demanded the full story. Although they weren’t exactly sure what had happened between Jared and Nicole, it was clear that it was something significant. They told her as much as they knew, then about the sabotage at the mine and Jared’s supposed role in it, just like Nicole they were having a hard time believing that he’d done it.
Marci listened to them, reading between the lines before she fed them and sent them off to bed, she planned to stay up for a while and see if Nicole woke up. She’d be hungry if she did and might need to talk, so she sat down at the kitchen table, a book in front of her and waited. Her patience was rewarded just as she was about to give up when Nicole wandered into the kitchen, her color had improved but she still looked tired.
“You look better, I’ll bet you’re hungry.” Marci said, getting to her feet.
Nicole’s stomach rumbled in answer and both women laughed. “Sit down and I’ll get you a plate; there is plenty left over from dinner.”
But when Marci set the plate down in front of her, her stomach lurched, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to eat it. “Umm, I’m sorry Marci, I guess my stomach is a little messed up.”
Marci took the plate away and instead set a cup of hot tea and some dry toast in front of Nicole, a knowing look on her face. Nicole finished the tea and toast, then yawned hugely and went back to bed. The next morning when she woke up the nausea was back and even the thought of food made her feel sick. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep but sleep just wouldn’t come, so she got out of bed and went to the kitchen where she was sure she’d find Marci.
Marci took one look at her and sat her down in a chair, then put a cup of tea and some crackers in front of her. “How are you feeling?” She asked, knowing just from the look on Nicole’s face how she felt.
“Not so great, my stomach is still upset. It feels like I’ve picked up the flu, but I don’t know where I would have.” Nicole said, taking a small sip of the tea.
“Well, you just drink that and see how you feel. Eat a bit of the toast if you can.” Marci said, going back to the sink where she’d been standing when Nicole came into the room.
Nicole didn’t really feel like drinking or eating anything, but she couldn’t refuse Marci, so she slowly sipped the tea and took a few bites a cracker. Before long she was feeling better, still tired but the nausea had gone.
“I feel a bit better, but I’m still so tired.” Nicole said, when the cup was empty and the crackers were gone.
Marci came over and sat down at the table with Nicole. “I thought you might.” Then she pulled a white and pink box out of her pocket and set it down on the table in front of Nicole.
Nicole looked at the box, not sure what it was at first, then realized that it was a pregnancy test. “What’s this for? I can’t be pregnant.” Nicole said, then realized that she and Jared had never even talked about birth control and a blush crept up her cheeks.
“Are you sure?” Marci asked, “I could be wrong, I have been before, but do me a favor and take that.”
Again, Nicole couldn’t refuse Marci, but it had only been a week since she and Jared had started sleeping together, it was impossible that she was pregnant, there hadn’t been enough time. But they hadn’t used any birth control, hadn’t even talked about it, which meant that there was a chance, a slim chance, but a chance none the less.
When Nicole came back to the table, she was pale and shaking. She set the test down in front of Marci and asked, “How did you know?”
Marci jumped to her feet and put her arms around Nicole, “It’s just something a woman can see. Come on sit down here and let’s talk, you’ve got some choices to make.”
It had been nearly three hours since Jared and the injured man had arrived at the hospital, three hours spent pacing the waiting room and berating himself for getting involved with Gina. He should have seen that she was bad news, but he’d been so distracted with feeling sorry for himself that he’d missed all the signals. Worst of all he’d let her convince him to behave like a spoiled child, to strike out instead of adapting and adjusting to the changes in his life.
He still hadn’t figured out exactly how Gina had done it, wished that his computer and phone weren’t hundreds of miles away. But knowing how she’d done it wouldn’t change the fact that she had and he was responsible for her even being involved. Now he wasn’t sure how to go forward, how he was supposed to make this right, how he’d ever explain to his brother what had happened. Staring out the window at the mountains in the distance, he wished that he could go back to the beginning of the summer and do it all differently.
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Seth come in, “I’m surprised to see you here. I thought by now you’d be back in Juneau trying to figure out how to get yourself out of this one. You went too far this time Jared.”
There was so much that Jared wanted to say, all of it jumbled in his mind, so he took a minute to collect his thoughts. “I didn’t do anything, well I guess that’s not completely true. I didn’t have anything to do with the charge in mine.”
When Seth only started at him, arms crossed over his chest, he continued. “Look at my emails, Gina did this. It’s my fault that she did, but you have to know that I wouldn’t have done something as crazy as this.”
“Then why did you say it was your fault?” Seth demanded.
“Because I let Gina convince me that I needed to get even with you.” Jared said, then sat down heavily in a chair.
“And?”
Jared took a deep breath and told Seth about his original plan to bring the project down, listening to himself, he could hear just how selfish he sounded. When he’d finished, Seth said, “Well, if what you say is true, the police will sort it out. I’ve given both your lap top and your phone to them. Until this is sorted out, I’d appreciate it if you’d stay away from all of us and the project.”
It was more than Jared could have hoped for, “Thank you Seth, and I promise you that I had nothing to do with this.” He said, then understanding that it was time for him to leave, he walked away from his brother, who watched him go in silence.
When he emerged onto the street, he looked around him unsure what his next move would be. Part of him wanted to go straight to Gina’s apartment and confront her, but then he realized that it was Nicole who he really needed to talk to. He could only imagine what she must be thinking right then and he wasn’t sure what was worse, that she’d think that he had sabotaged the mine, or that he’d used her to make it happen.
Before he could even come up with a plan, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the hospital, followed by what was obviously an unmarked car. When the officers got out of the car, he had the insane urge to run, but stopped himself. He should have been prepared for this but hadn’t really thought about being arrested, but that was exactly what was about to happen. Knowing that it was probably the best way to get this matter settled, he waited for the detective, then volunteered to go with them to the police station.
After hours of interrogation and a night spent in a jail cell, his lawyer insisted that they let him go, they had no evidence that Jared had known what Gina was doing. In fact, everything pointed to the fact that Jared had changed his mind about his plan to sabotage his brother’s project. But Gina had disappeared, packed up her clothes and personal items and vanished. There was some suspicion that he’d warned her, but once they’d traced his movements, it became clear that he’d been nowhere near Gina for weeks.
His assistant picked him up, a capable man who had been with him for years, he’d gotten Jared a new cell phone and arranged for a vehicle for him to drive. He wanted to see Nicole, needed desperately to make her understand that he’d had nothing to do with the sabotage of the mine. But when he got inside his apartment, exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he barely made it to the bed before he was asleep.
It had been two days since she’d arrived at the main house and Nicole was sure that she’d only slept a few hours in all that time. She was completely exhausted but her brain just couldn’t seem to shut down. Every time she shut her eyes the choices she had to make flooded her brain. Tonight, she hadn’t even tried to go to sleep, instead she’d grabbed a warm blanket and settled down on the balcony outside her room.
Being outside seemed to calm her nerves, the sounds of the night like gentle soothing music, but the sound of a car coming down the drive interrupted the quiet. It was nearly midnight and the house had been silent for hours, but obviously not everyone had made it home for the night. When the car finally pulled up in front of the house, she didn’t recognize it, but she did recognize the man who stepped out of it.
She’d know Jared’s walk anywhere, and as he got closer to the house, his features became clear. It was no secret that Seth had asked Jared to stay away from all of them until things had sorted themselves out, and it wasn’t going to be a good thing if he was caught sneaking around the house at night. Jumping to her feet, she leaned over the railing and softly called his name.
He was just about to go in the front door, but changed course when he saw her standing on the balcony. “What are you doing here?” Nicole asked, as quietly as she could.
“I had to see you.”
Nicole’s heart was pounding in her chest, part of her had hoped that Jared would come looking for her, and part of her wished he’d just stay away. She’d still made no decision about the baby, it had been too much of a shock, too much to cope with after learning that Jared had been using her. But she couldn’t turn him away, no matter that she knew she should, so she motioned for him to come to her room.
When he came in the door, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, and Nicole knew that she was lost. No matter what Jared had done, her body still responded to him in ways that took her breath away. All it took was one touch and she was powerless to resist him. And when he kissed her, she gave up even trying to resist, she wanted him, wanted this one last encounter before she sent him home to Juneau.
She abandoned herself to the kiss, pushing thoughts of the future from her mind, whatever happened after this, what ever decision she made, this night would be her last with Jared, of that she was sure. The baby didn’t change the fact that they were different people, that their lives would go in two different directions, there was no ignoring that fact, but they still had tonight.
That one kiss had left her panting and full of desire, her body demanding Jared’s in a way that startled her, igniting something else inside her, her love for him. He must have felt it too because he opened his mouth to speak, but she put her fingers across his lips.
“Don’t say anything. We both know where this is headed, let’s just be happy to have this one last night.” Nicole said, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill over her eyelashes.
“But…” Jared desperately wanted to explain to Nicole that he wasn’t responsible, but when she pulled his head down and kissed him again, he knew that it didn’t matter right then, all that mattered was that they were together.
Nicole was desperate to feel Jared’s naked skin on hers and began tearing at his clothes, but in her haste to get his pants off, she forgot his shoes and he nearly fell. “I’m sorry, here let me help.” She said, kneeling in front of him.
She took off one shoe, then the other, conscious the entire time of Jared’s erection just inches from her mouth. Finally, unable to resist, she took his throbbing penis in her hands and flicked her tongue across the tip. Jared lost in the pleasure of her hot tongue, threaded his fingers through her hair, and groaned making her insides begin to throb and moisture to blossom between her legs.
Feeling more confident, she opened her mouth and took him in, moaning when he stiffened and groaned. Understanding now the power that she had, she sucked on him, her hands massaging his tight sack until with a growl, Jared pulled her back to her feet, and stripped off the nightgown she’d been wearing. He backed her up against the door, his eyes locked on hers, then reached around, grabbed her butt and lifted her up.
Nicole let out a little scream, but wrapped her legs around him and grabbed onto his shoulders. Before she could take a breath, he’d buried himself inside her so deeply it took her breath away, the pleasure so intense for that one second that she felt dizzy. But then he began to thrust his hips, driving himself into her over and over, until she cried out as her orgasm washed over her.
Jared seemed to surface then and realize where they were, he gently set Nicole on her feet, the pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, I just lost control.” He said, then scooped her up and carried her over to the bed.
He laid her on the bed then joined her, rolling them until she was laying on top of him. Nicole’s body was still vibrating with pleasure, her nerve endings still alive with longing, when Jared grabbed her hips and shifted her until she was straddling him. She could feel his erection rubbing against her swollen clit and began to move her hips until he was sliding wetly across it, the pressure inside her beginning to build again.
Jared grabbed her hips, lifted her up and entered when he brought her down again, filling her in a way he never had before. Nicole threw her head back and instinctively began to ride Jared, setting the pace and loving every minute of it, she drove herself to the edge, then backed off again. Jared thrust his hips up to meet hers, his mouth finding her breast and teasing the nipple until it was stiff and hard in his mouth.
Nicole was sure that nothing could feel better than what she was feeling just then, but Jared reached between them and found her clit with his thumb and began to rub. She leaned back, unable to do anything more then than let Jared drive her body higher and higher, closer and closer to fulfillment. She could feel the pressure inside her growing, that wonderful spiral of pleasure that consumed her, that drove her to move her hips again.
“Nicole, look at me.” Jared said, his husky voice sending a thrill through Nicole. “I want you to look at me when you cum, I want to see your eyes.”
Without slowing her pace, Nicole managed to look into Jared’s eyes which were full of love. It took her breath away to see that love, and for a moment she thought she’d cry for what could have been, but then Jared pulled her down and kissed her. Thrusting deeply into her until with a strangled cry, she came, her body shuttering and trembling.
Jared took her cry of passion into his mouth like a man who’d been starving, relishing in the moment when her body clenched around his and she was unable to do nothing more than cling to him. As her body shook, he drove himself deeper into her, grinding his hips into hers until he came, his orgasm so powerful the world went dark for a second.
Nicole collapsed on top of Jared, too spent to move, unwilling to let the real world back into the cocoon they’d created in her bedroom. But as their breathing returned to normal, the world did come back, and Nicole slid off of Jared. He gathered her in his arms, thinking that if things were different he’d pack her up that night and take her with him, but Nicole interrupted his thoughts.
“When are you going home? If Seth finds out you’re here, he’ll be furious with you and me.” Nicole said, wanting to get the leaving part over with as soon as possible.
“I know but I had to see you.”
“I’m glad you came, but I think you should go now.” Nicole said, getting out of bed and slipping her nightgown on again.
Jared got out of bed and followed, “I don’t want to leave you like this.” He said, taking her into his arms.
She pulled away, “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. We were never meant to be anything more than a summer fling. I don’t fit into your life in Juneau, you know that as well as I do.”
“But maybe in the future…” Jared didn’t want things to end this way, didn’t want things to end at all.
Nicole reached up and stroked his face, there had been a time when she would have been happy to wait for Jared, but the baby meant that she had someone else to think about. “No Jared, I thing we’re done. You have an entirely different life in Juneau, a political campaign to run, I don’t belong there.” She said, then kissed him. “But I’ll always remember our time together.”