With the Martinique safely back in its display case, Brenda slid her hand out. "Now, Stefan," she said cautiously, holding her hands out far to the sides, "I know this looks bad, but it’s not what it looks like, really!"

Stefan started walking slowly towards her. "Really? Then what is it?"

She clasped her hands nervously in front of her and grinned. "Well, I know it seems as though I’m stealing your gem, but I couldn’t be, because it was already stolen!! And I guess it looks like I’m putting it back, but then you would wonder where I got it, and you would ask me, and I would have to say I couldn’t tell you….." Stefan kept nodding his head slowly, his eyebrows arching higher and higher, as he approached his neighbor. "……and then you would probably think that *I* took the Martinique, and then I would have to say I couldn’t tell you….." She winced and drew her elbows in at her waist, her fists clenched in frustration. "…..and I guess when it boils down to it, this *is* what it looks like and I *am* putting your Martinique back."

Stefan stood only a foot away from Brenda now. His face was a serious mask, and he still had the weapon aimed somewhere in the vicinity of her neck. "You impress me, Brenda."

Her eyes widened a little and she smiled. "Thanks!" Then her smile disappeared. "Why?"

"Because I have never heard so many words spoken on one breath." Brenda tipped her head to the side in a "oh, it was nothing" gesture, but then she gasped when Stefan raised the weapon and gripped it tighter. "Unfortunately, those words only confirm my suspicions and you leave me with no choice."

"Stefan, NO!" Brenda screamed, but when she saw his finger tighten on the trigger, she closed her eyes. She screamed again as he fired. "STEFAN!!!!!"

Jax would have been shocked to see his usually staid and reserved neighbor collapse into a fit of giggles. "Gotcha, dear lady!!"

Brenda was half-crying, half-laughing herself as she wiped the water from her face. "You are a sick man, Stefan Cassidine! First you have all these priceless treasures, then you’re too lazy to come up with different security codes, and then you defend them with a WATER GUN!!!????"

Stefan wiped tears from his own eyes and then sighed. "Ahhh, Brenda….if you ever recall meeting my mother, you would know why I have such an abhorrence for any sort of violence."

Brenda pulled up the hem of her shirt to wipe her face. "Well, that thing sure had me fooled!" She clapped her hands and rocked back and forth from her heels to her toes. "Sooo, now that everything’s okie-dokey again, I’ll just be going back home......"

Stefan grabbed her by the arm as Brenda tried to saunter casually past him. "Hold on there a moment, Brenda." She froze and grimaced, murmuring an obscenity. "Although I’m pleased to have the Martinique back, I’m afraid your explanation lacks some........detail."

The late hour, the built-up tension from searching for the gem, and post-partum hormones caused Brenda to suddenly erupt into tears. "Ohhh, Stefan.....I’m begging you......PLEASE don’t call the police!" She started to crumple to the floor but he caught her around the waist. "They’ll put me away in some women’s prison and I’ll never see Jon again and....." Her lips quivered as tears ran down her cheeks. "......he’s nursing, and how will he eat if I’m behind bars?"

She cried even harder and for once, the unflappable Stefan Cassidine was at a loss for words. His hand flailing uncertainly in the air, he finally reached down to stroke her hair as he tried to comfort her. "Don’t cry, Brenda. Nobody’s going to prison." She hiccuped and looked up at him. "Lord knows why, but I believe you’re telling the truth," he whispered.

He pulled her to her feet. "Ttthhhh.......thanks, Stefan." She pointed over her shoulder towards the French doors. "I’ll jjjjj......just go home and I’ll bbbb.....be fine......"

He held her arm. "I’m not going to call the police, Brenda, but I think that you *do* owe me some kind of explanation." Tears started to roll down her cheeks again but he held up a hand, trying to settle her. "Now," he crooned, moving her towards the door of the gem room, "why don’t we just go to my library and have a brandy and discuss this calmly....."

Brenda froze. "Not bbbbb.....brandy.....I can’t have brandy......I’m nursing Jon, and I can’t......I cccc....can’t......."

Stefan nodded quickly and turned towards his housekeeper. Mrs. Lansbury had awakened when Brenda screamed, and if Brenda hadn’t been so upset, the woman’s robe and curlers would have caused a fit of giggles. "We’ll be in the library, Mrs. Lansbury," Stefan said quietly. "Could you bring Mrs. Jacks and I a cup of camomile tea to calm our nerves?"

The housekeeper nodded silently and as Stefan led Brenda down an unfamiliar hallway, her sobs subsided to occasional sniffs. The library lived up to its name -- it was lined with shelves and shelves of books and smelled like a paper mill. Stefan led Brenda to a brown leather couch and sat opposite her. "Now, where shall we start?"

Brenda took a shaky breath. "I think we need to start where......where I dddd.....died.......the day Jon was born."

"Go on -- I’m listening." Stefan sat back on the couch and folded his arms.

{Yeah -- you’re listening, but how much can I really tell you?} Brenda folded her hands in her lap after wiping her eyes. "Stefan, do you believe in God? And Heaven?"

One eyebrow raised in thought. "I believe in a Supreme Being, Brenda, although I’m not necessarily sure what His name is." He leaned forward, gesturing in agreement. "And you must remember that I come from one of the oldest civilizations known to man. Our Greek culture has held belief in one form or another of the "afterlife" since the dawn of time."

{So far, so good.} "Well, I haven’t really talked to a lot of people about this, but when I died that day, I think I went to heaven -- or someplace nearby, maybe. And Somebody -- God, or Gabriel, or Somebody -- decided to give me a second chance. To make up for all the terrible things I did the first time around." She noticed Stefan’s eyes had narrowed. "Do you believe me so far?"

He put his fingers to his lips. "I believe that you have become a far different person now than you were before, Brenda. Even a blind man could tell how much you love your son, just from the tone of your voice when you hold him or care for him." His face grew stoney. "The old Brenda would not have known that such feelings existed."

{Good, very good.} "Well, see, I really don’t remember much about how sh......I was before. The dying thing gave me amnesia, like Jax said. But the bottom line is that after we had breakfast the other morning, I found out that ......" She paused diplomatically. "......*someone* had convinced me -- the old me -- to steal the Martinique from you."

"Someone? Just someone?" Stefan’s mouth was a grim line but for some reason, Brenda felt safe talking to him about it.

She looked down into her lap. "I guess Jax told you sh.....I.....the olde me..... was having an affair." She looked up and was happy not to see censure in his eyes. "Well, I think he was the guy who wanted me to steal the thing." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it’s no use hiding his name since Jax would tell you anyway -- Miguel -- and I can’t remember his last name."

Stefan frowned. "Jax had told me of your..... assignation." He gave a crooked smile. "Again, in the Cassidine family, infidelity is more the norm than it is the exception."

"Well," Brenda rushed on, "when I found out about stealing this thing from you, I was just sick! I mean, the new me would *never* do something like that!" She saw that Stefan didn’t seem inclined to call the insane asylum yet, so she continued. "So at Jon’s christening, that Miguel guy told me that sh......I had hidden the Martinique somewhere for safekeeping." She leaned towards Stefan confidentially. "And by the way, I told Miguel that same day he should take a hike -- I didn’t want to have anything more to do with him EVER!"

Stefan nodded. "A very wise move." He smiled as Mrs. Lansbury appeared with two cups of tea, and as soon as she discreetly left the room, he gestured at Brenda. "Go on."

"So since Jax was in Gstaad today, I made up my mind I would find it and just give it back to you. I searched my whole room, and finally found the thing -- well, it doesn’t matter where. But after I found it, I couldn’t figure out how to get it back to you without the police finding out."

"So when you conveniently saw the combination to the security system when you were here for dinner last evening..." Stefan let the statement trail with a smile.

"You really should be more careful, Stefan," Brenda scolded. "That’s probably the way that sh......the old me found out the combination and stole the Martinique in the first place." She took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes as the warm liquid soothed her. But when Brenda opened them and looked into Stefan’s eyes, she started to wonder if she had done the right thing. "You look upset. Are you still going to call the police?"

Stefan tipped his head to the side and sighed. "I really don’t know what to do, Brenda. I’ve got the Martinique back, which is what I always wanted. But the police will need to know that it’s been returned in order to close their paperwork. And I’m sure they’ll have questions." He took another sip of tea and then raised his cup when an idea occurred to him. "What about this scenario? Obviously, neither you nor I give a rodent’s behind for this Miguel person. What if I delicately leaked his name to the police? I could tell them that I received an anonymous clue pointing to him as the culprit."

"NO! You can’t do that!" Brenda almost spilled her tea in her excitement. At Stefan’s questioning look, she sat back and tried to calm herself. "It’s not that I care about him anymore, but I’m sure that he won’t be too pleased to find out that I gave you the gem back. If the police start to question him, he’ll name me as his accomplice just to spite me. And then I’ll have to try to explain to some judge that I’m not guilty because the "old me" committed the crime -- and I would bet that he won’t be as astute and understanding as you are."

Stefan raised his eyebrows and nodded. "An accurate assumption." Then he brightened and raised a finger. "What if I told them that I received an anonymous demand for cash and when I paid it, the gem was returned to me? And I never saw the thief?"

Brenda shook her head grimly. "Nope. That won’t work either. Miguel will just figure I decided to cheat him out of the money and come after me….." Tears gathered in Brenda’s eyes. "……or someone I love. Like Jon." Visions of her nightmare flooded Brenda’s mind.

Stefan spoke so softly she almost didn’t hear him. "Or Jax."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hand. "You can tell? That I love Jax?"

Stefan reached out to pat her hand in a fatherly gesture. "It was plain to me already that day when I met you after Jax and I played tennis. I hadn’t seen you looking at Jax that way since your wedding." He chuckled. "In fact, I’m not even sure that I saw that much love in your eyes on your wedding day." Then he straightened up and assumed a serious stance. "But do not misunderstand me -- despite the way I speak to your husband, I must admit that I’m quite fond of him, Brenda. He is a formidable business adversary, a convenient victim at tennis......" He turned somber eyes to meet hers. "......and the most loyal, genuine friend I have ever had the chance to know." He pointed a finger at her. "Were you to break his heart again, I would definitely be required to let my heartless mother wreak my vengeance on you."

Brenda leaned forward, her eyes equally grave. "I won’t break his heart again, Stefan. I promise you that. In fact......" She took his hands in hers, a twinkle lighting up her eyes. "......if I ever even give a *hint* of breaking Jax’s heart again, I promise I’ll......" She put her finger to her lips, her thumb to her chin, as she considered an appropriate punishment. Then she gasped with the answer. "........If I break Jax’s heart, I’ll be your slave forever and clean your house for the rest of my life!"

A genuine laugh escaped Stefan’s lips. "You’ll clean *this* house? From top to bottom?"

She nodded. "Yep." Then she stopped and raised a hand. "Except.....I don’t do windows."

"No windows?"

She shook her head. "And I don’t do bathrooms."

"No toilets either?" Stefan tried to keep a straight face. "Then what *do* you do, dear lady?"

Brenda thought for a minute and started giggling. "I order takeout really well!"

Stefan erupted into laughter again and slid over on the couch to put his arm around her. "Ahhhh, Brenda.....Fortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever have to collect on that wager."

Tears collected in the corners of Brenda’s eyes. "I had to take the chance to put the Martinique back, Stefan. Jax has problems trusting me as it is. I’ve made some progress, but I couldn’t risk losing everything by having that gem turn up in my possession somewhere. Besides, it was just plain wrong of he......me to steal it in the first place."

Stefan rose and pulled Brenda to her feet. "Well, my little reverse cat burglar, will you allow me to walk you back to your house since it’s quite late at night?"

Brenda nodded sheepishly. "You’re right. I’d better get some sleep. Jax is coming home tomorrow and I don’t want to look like I was up all night -- unstealing a Martinique!"

*~*~*~*

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance,

The following day seemed to fly by for Brenda. Lois came and the two women went shopping for more baby clothes as Jon continued to thrive. She accompanied Brenda and Jon to a checkup at the pediatrician, where he was pronounced healthy and happy.

After dinner, Brenda listened to tapes and CD’s that Lois brought with her. Lois explained about some of the local talent that she dreamed of signing if Jerry ever agreed to buy her that record label. Mentally, Brenda formed a plan to try to lobby Jax to persuade his brother not to be so pig-headed where his wife’s career was concerned.

The pleasant company, the fresh air, and Brenda’s relief that the Martinique matter was finally settled all conspired to put her into a deep sleep that night. Her last conscious thoughts were that in the morning, Jax would be back. She could start trying to win him back full time, without any distractions to stop her.

Brenda bounded down the stairs that morning, hoping to find Jax either in the study or at the pool. But she was disappointed when Charles informed her that Mr. Jacks had already eaten an early breakfast and gone to the office for some meetings related to the banking disaster in Gstaad. She tried to keep herself busy around the house – exploring, taking care of Jon, and going through her clothing again to decide what she could keep and what needed to be replaced.

It was almost 4 o’clock and Brenda was changing Jon’s diaper after his nap when Jax finally made an appearance. Brenda had Jon on the changing table and tickling him when she froze in place. "Oh, my God! Oh my God!"

Jax had been watching her silently from the hallway. The jacket to his suit hung over his one shoulder, his finger acting as a hook to keep it from falling. The top buttons on his shirt were undone and Jax had pulled the knot of his tie loose as soon as he stepped out of the car in the driveway. He was exhausted as he climbed the steps, but he heard her voice, he followed the musical tones as though he were hypnotized. He watched her at the changing table and was amazed all over again by the difference in her. {Why can’t you just believe that she won’t go back to her old ways, man? You know that the old Brenda wouldn’t have been able to put on an act like this! She couldn’t have been that loving with your baby – with ANY baby for that matter! You know how she acted around Brooke.} But when Brenda startled and her fingers stopped in mid-air, Jax panicked and rushed over to her side. "BRENDA! What’s the matter? Is something wrong with him?"

Brenda jumped at the sound of Jax’s voice but she had enough presence of mind to hold the baby in place so he didn’t fall. "JAX!" She put one hand on her chest, trying to slow her breathing. "You scared me!"

Jax ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you kept saying "Oh, my God!" and looking at Jon – what was I supposed to think?"

Brenda broke into a relieved smile and finished diapering their son. "Oh, Jax, I’m sorry I frightened you." She lifted up the tiny baby and placed him into his father’s arms after Jax threw his suit jacket onto the rocking chair. "Show daddy what you just did, my precious angel."

Jax held Jon in the crook of his arm somewhat awkwardly but Brenda didn’t notice. She put a finger to the baby’s cheek and rubbed gently. Jax started breathing faster when a dimpled smile -- the very mirror of his own -- appeared on his son’s face. "Did he……?" Jax said the words softly, his gaze bouncing back and forth between his son and his wife. "....Did he just......he smiled!" Jax continued to stare into his son’s bright face as Brenda nodded. He swallowed hard and clutched Jon even tighter to his chest. "It wasn’t .......he didn’t just burp or something? It was a real smile?"

"Yep. It wasn’t just gas this time." She tickled his cheek again and he repeated the performance for his astounded father.

"You smiled for me, little man," Jax whispered, replacing Brenda’s finger with his own. When he gently stroked Jon’s cheek and he repeated his newest feat, all the jet lag and exhaustion from the complex negotiations seemed to fade into nothingness.

Jax was still admiring Jon when Brenda lifted a finger to trace the cleft in Jax’s chin. "He looks just like you when he does it," she murmured.

Jax completely forgot about the baby in his arms as his eyes locked with Brenda’s.

Swing, swing – swing the spinning step,

Jax cleared his throat as he seemed to feel the room closing in around them. "He…uh….." He shifted his weight and held his son tighter in his arms. "He feels heavier. And I’ve only been gone a few days."

Brenda realized the moment was past and she took Jon back from his father. "Lois helped me take him to Dr. Kreuser for his first check-up yesterday. She said Jon’s doing great – gaining weight right on schedule." Jax walked to stand next to her and he cupped his son’s head in his hand lovingly. Brenda looked up into Jax’s eyes again. "We’ve missed you. I’m glad you’re home."

Jax took a shaky breath and then leaned down and kissed the top of Jon’s head softly. He stroked his son’s baby-soft hair, and then his face suddenly brightened. "Stefan called me before I left this morning, you know."

Brenda turned away, chewing on her lower lip. "Really? Something about business?" She carried Jon towards his crib, bouncing him nervously.

"Well, he wanted to know how things went in Gstaad, but that wasn’t the main reason he called. He says he got the Martinique back!"

Brenda tried to remain calm. "Really?!" She placed Jon into his crib and prayed that Jax didn’t notice her grasping the bed rails for dear life. "Did the police catch the thief?"

Jax shook his head, scratching it briskly with his fingernails. "Nope. Stefan says it was the strangest thing. He opened his front door yesterday morning and there was this old, crumpled fast food bag sitting there on the stoop. And the Martinique was inside it! Can you imagine??!!"

She started to breathe a little easier but still stayed by the crib for support to stand. "So that’s it? Isn’t Stefan going to have the police keep searching for the thief?"

"Actually, just the opposite!" Jax walked to the window of Jon’s room and looked towards his neighbor’s house. "Stefan is afraid that if the police keep dragging this thing out, somebody else might get a bright idea to try to steal it again. Or he’s afraid that if one of the thieves had pangs of conscience and returned it, the other thieves might decide to steal it back again." He turned back to Brenda. "He tells me that he’s ordered the police to close their file and if they refuse and continue the investigation, he’ll sue the city and the police department for all they’ve got!!"

{Bless you, Stefan Cassidine. I owe you on this one – big time.} Brenda tried to control her boundless happiness. "You know, Jax," she said as she walked over to him, "this works out perfect! After Stefan’s gotten over the shock of getting the Martinique back, maybe he’ll invite us over for dinner again later this week! Then I can actually see what this thing looks like, since I don’t remember seeing it last time!"

Brenda was surprised when Jax’s face paled a little. "Well, Brenda….that might be a problem……." He walked away from her and towards the door to the hallway.

Brenda bit her lower lip and clasped her hands together nervously. "Yeah, I guess that was a pretty pushy idea." Her loud laugh betrayed her uneasiness. "Leave it to me to invite myself to dinner somewhere!!"

Jax finally turned back to her and took a deep breath. "That’s not it, Brenda." He stared down at his feet. "I’ve decided……well, I’ve got to leave again tomorrow."

"More problems with the banking thing?" Brenda’s voice grew quieter.

"No, not this time." Jax lifted his suit jacket from the rocking chair and picked at an infinitesimal piece of lint. "There’s this old friend of mine – Thao D’Estana is his name. We’ve been working together for years trying to set up a business alliance." He shifted his weight from side to side, obviously not wanting to have to break this news to Brenda. "Anyway, I ran into him while I was in Gstaad, and it looks like the timing is finally right for both of us to move on it."

"So?"

"So…. I……actually *we* own a beach house in Malibu, and so does Thao. I need to go there for a few weeks to meet with him and thrash through the paperwork of turning our dream into a reality."

Brenda tried to smile, even though she had the feeling the ground was falling away beneath her feet. "Malibu sounds wonderful at this time of year."

Jax lifted pained eyes to meet Brenda’s hopeful ones. "I wasn’t planning on taking you with me, Brenda. I’m going alone."

Her face fell. "But I don’t understand, Jax! Even if you’re tied up in meetings all day, I could just find other things to do there and then we’d be together in the evenings! And Dr. Kreusser says Jon is perfectly healthy! I’m sure she would give him the OK to travel that short distance……"

Jax interrupted Brenda as he came to take her shoulders in his hands. "This isn’t a vacation, Brenda. Negotiations will be going on at all hours of the day AND night." He tore his gaze away from Brenda’s face and looked somewhere over her right shoulder. "Besides -- I guess you don’t remember, but you met Thao before, and the two of you just don’t get along."

"But that’s ridiculous!" Brenda pulled away from his grip. She put her hands to her head in frustration. "This is the *new* me, remember? And what about Jon? This is such an important time in his life." She held out her hand towards the crib. "He’s setting milestones every day now, and he should have both his mother *and* his father see him do it."

Jax finally shook his head and when his eyes met Brenda’s, she saw the hint of tears. "You just don’t understand, Brenda. There’s the business thing with Thao, but......." He took a shaky breath. "......I just.....I need to get away ALONE for a while …. I have to sort all of this out in my mind."

She swallowed hard. "You mean business? Or…….*us*?"

Jax reached out to take her hand but Brenda pulled it away. "When I was in Gstaad, you asked me to only think of the *new* you, Brenda." Tears started running down her cheeks, but Jax managed to grab her hands and forced her to face him. "Don’t you know that’s *all* I can think of lately? Sometimes I hardly remember the old you at all!" His grip softened. "And I’m just so d*mn scared, because deep down I still can’t be sure that the old Brenda won’t come back."

Jax turned and started walking towards the door. He wasn’t prepared when Brenda came running after him and grabbed him by the arm. "Jax, that’s just *not* going to happen! How many times do I have to tell you that?" Jax shook his head but Brenda gripped his wrists tighter, her voice a low whisper. "When I died that day in the hospital, Jax, God gave me a second chance. She gave me a chance to make it right this time. I came back so that I could love you the way you deserve to be loved."

"I see." Jax nodded and Brenda’s hopes soared, but then when his eyes were cold she realized she wasn’t getting through to him. "So now you’re not really another person? You’re just the new and improved Brenda Jacks?"

"Jax, no....." Brenda wiped furiously at her tears, not wanting to break down in front of him.

"And just how long did God give you for this second chance, huh? Or let’s say I let myself fall for you again and we give it another shot. What’s God going to do to you if after a year you get tired of me and my money again? Like you did the first time around? Is lightning going to strike you in the middle of the tennis court? Or......"

"STOP IT!" Brenda finally couldn’t take it anymore and she screamed the words at him, which caused Jon to start crying hysterically. She stormed over to the crib and lifted him to her shoulder, crooning and rubbing his back as she tried to soothe him. She gave Jax a pointed look. "Are you happy now, Jax? Now that you scared the wits out of him?"

Jax ran both hands through his hair and swore softly under his breath while Brenda soothed the baby. He walked over to where she stood and patted the baby on the back gently. "I’m sorry, Jon. Daddy didn’t mean to scare you like that." When Brenda finally got him quiet again, she put Jon back in his crib. "I’m sorry, Brenda," Jax apologized. "Between the time changes and all the stress of the meetings the past few days, I’m not exactly thinking too clearly."

"Apology accepted." Brenda watched as Jax sighed in relief but then walked towards the door again. "But you’re still going to Malibu alone, right?"

He stopped at the door, not turning to face her. "I have to, Brenda. I agree it’s bloody awful timing, but it can’t be helped." His shoulders slumped. "I’ll just get a few clean things together and drive there tonight."

Brenda sighed. {OK, God. You gave me a MAJOR break on the Martinique thing, but I need your help to handle this one again.} "Well, if you have to go, I think you owe me one favor before you leave."

To her surprise, Jax turned back, a half-smile gracing his lips. "I seem to sense a pattern developing here, Mrs. Jacks."

She shrugged. "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, Mr. Jacks."

"What’s the favor this time?"

The waning daylight in the nursery lent bronze highlights to Brenda’s raven hair. Jax almost swore he saw a halo of gold around her face. "I want you to kiss me good-bye." Jax’s jaw dropped slightly but Brenda only moved closer to him, her words coming out in a husky whisper. "But I want a real kiss this time, Jax. You don’t have a plane to catch, there’s no cab waiting outside, and Jon’s just about asleep."

"You want a real kiss?" Jax whispered the words in reply. "Why?"

Brenda closed the distance between them and took Jax’s suit coat out of his hands, tossing it back into the rocking chair. "Geez, Mr. Jacks. I know I don’t remember much, but were you this stingy with your kisses before?" She threaded her hands up into his hair, pulling his face down to within inches of hers. "One kiss won’t hurt you, Jax. I promise."

Brenda kept her eyes open until the very moment that Jax’s lips touched hers. When she saw Jax’s lids flutter shut, Brenda did the same so that she could concentrate on the charges of lightning that his lightest touch was sending along her nerve endings. Their lips were still barely touching, sliding along each others’ sensually, exploring the textures when Brenda slid her hands down to rest on his chest.

Jax pulled away momentarily but as quickly as Brenda opened her eyes to see why, she felt him put his hands on her waist. Not even a split-second later, he pulled her flush against him and his lips closed possessively over hers. Brenda sighed into his mouth as his hands moved to her back, pressing her breasts against the firm, muscled wall of his chest. Jax lifted his lips but before Brenda could protest, he planted a baby kiss at the right corner of her mouth. Then at the perfect bow at the center of her top lip. Then the left corner. Then as Brenda felt her knees buckling, Jax gently sucked her lower lip at the center. Then he moved back to the right corner.

It took every ounce of self-control Jax had not to groan at how right it felt kissing Brenda. But when he finally returned to take her lips once more and she made a little whimpering noise in the back of her throat, it was his undoing. Jax’s hands moved up from around her back so that he could cup her face in his hands. He moved her head so that he could angle his lips more effectively on hers and deepen the kiss, and she made the little moaning sound again. Suddenly, he realized just how dangerously sexual the kiss was becoming. As he was about to break it off, Brenda did the one thing that completely shot his good intentions all to h*ll. She traced his lips with her tongue.

Brenda had never been an aggressive kisser, but then again -- no man had ever kissed her like this before. Like she was the only woman in the world whose lips were made to be kissed by him. Like every time he kissed her, he could find new ways to bring her the most exquisite pleasure she would ever feel. So when she felt Jax pulling away, she decided that it was time for her to do something to stop him. She felt his body stiffen when she touched his lips with the tip of her tongue, but then just as quickly, his lips parted and her tongue sank into the moist heaven of his mouth.

She had barely begun to explore every part of that delicious part of him when she felt his tongue come to life. When Jax stroked the side of her tongue with his, Brenda’s hands came up from his shoulders to grip the hair at the back of his head, pulling him even closer to her. When she pulled her tongue back shyly, she felt his tongue surge into her mouth to gently trace the rough surface of her teeth. Brenda vaguely heard Jax’s soft groan of pleasure, but she didn’t realize that she was making little sensual noises at the same time that were just about driving him crazy. As Jax’s index fingers moved to the nape of her neck and started to tenderly massage the muscles there, Brenda could feel the heat build in the lower part of her body.

It seemed like their tongues danced and chased for hours. Actually it was only a few minutes later when they both pulled out of the kiss out of a mutual need for oxygen. Brenda gently rubbed her thumb over Jax’s lower lip and smiled. "I got lipstick all over you. Guess that wouldn’t look too great if you had to meet with Thao later tonight, would it?"

Jax shook his head, still too moved by the kiss to answer. When his breathing finally returned to something near normal, he whispered. "I’ll call you when I can. Good-bye, Brenda."

She watched as he slowly picked up his suit coat and then turned to walk out the door. But before he closed it behind him, he turned to look at her one more time -- her hair still mussed and her breathing still uneven from his kiss. Brenda put her fingers to her lips as he closed it and blew him a kiss. As she heard him go down the hallway to his own room and then heard the door open and shut, she sank into the rocking chair and started to rock, humming softly to herself.

Jax pulled out of the driveway an hour later but before he had gone three blocks, he pulled over to the side of the road. He pushed the button to retract the top on the convertible, and as he felt the warm breeze ruffle his hair, he put his fingers to his lips. They still burned where she had touched them with her tongue. He could still hear those little moaning noises that came from somewhere down deep in her chest. He could still feel the way her chest moved -- the gasping breath she inhaled when he traced the roof of her mouth with his tongue.

As Jax pulled away from the curb, he shook his head in disbelief. Like a moth to a flame, his fingers were drawn back to his still-swollen lips. Only an hour earlier, Brenda had given him the most sensual, erotic, toe-curling, knee-buckling, mind-blowing French kiss that he had ever experienced in his life.

Brenda Jacks had done that. His wife. The same Brenda Jacks who had told him -- in no uncertain terms -- on their first date, on their honeymoon, and numerous times after that -- that she found French kissing disgusting, unsanitary, and the one sure thing that would never stimulate her libido. In other words -- a total turn-off.

To be continued........

Music credit: "Kiss Me," Words and music by Matt Slocum, recorded by Sixpence None the Richer for the movie "She’s All That" and the "Dawson’s Creek" soundtrack.