"Don’t believe what?" Brenda asked, opening one eye slightly. She and Lois were on the front porch of the Cerullo home on Sunday afternoon, the day after Anthony’s big adventure at the North County Mall. Brenda had slept poorly the night before, so she had stretched out on a chaise lounge on the porch and had nearly drifted off when Lois woke her.

"It’s him! The hunk! He’s back!" Lois said in an urgent whisper. Brenda reluctantly opened both eyes to see Jax getting out of the door of the convertible, which was parked at their curb. Brenda sat up straight.

"If you say ONE WORD to embarrass me, you’re toast!" Brenda hissed to Lois, who smiled smugly. They both watched as Jax approached the front porch.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he said, smiling and oozing that fatal charm that tingled places in Brenda that she hadn’t remembered she had.

"Hi," they chorused, sounding like a grade school class greeting Sister Mary Dalrimple. Jax’s eyes briefly touched on Lois before he was drawn to Brenda. She had on some denim cut-off shorts and a halter-style top, and she had shed her sandals, showing her delicate bare feet and painted toenails. He tried to keep his voice level, even though his heart was racing at the sight of her.

"Did your dad get your mini-van back OK?"

Brenda chuckled. "Yeah. It wasn’t too tough for him to find it – the only mini-van at the mall with "L&B Records" on the side. He had someone from the garage come and jump-start the battery. Then they took it in to the garage and put in a new one. So, I’m good as new."

{Period. End of story. So what do we talk about now, Jax old boy?} Brenda was no more nervous and self-conscious than he was, curving her hair behind her ears and wishing she had combed it before coming out on the porch. He had on blue jeans and a light blue denim shirt, and Brenda immediately decided that he should probably do commercials for blue jeans. Every man would probably want to look the way he did when he wore jeans. Her thoughts traitorously strayed to Lois’ words the night before about the way Jax’s trousers fit, and when he nervously put his hand in his back pocket, she had to consciously try to look elsewhere.

Lois looked from the one to the other, and couldn’t believe these two beautiful people were acting like such wimps. "Hey, gorgeous, why don’t you come up on the porch and have something to drink with us?"

Jax smiled at her bluntness. "No thanks, but I did come by for a reason. I was wondering if I could talk Brenda and Anthony into going with me to get an ice cream cone? I know how much Anthony likes ice cream…" he teased.

As Brenda opened her mouth to refuse the invitation, Lois saw it coming and cut her off at the pass. "Now, isn’t that a shame? Anthony’s taking his afternoon nap." Then she looked pointedly at Brenda. "But BRENDA here could still go, couldn’t ‘ya, Bren?"

Lois caught her off guard, and she stammered. "Oh, I…"

Jax looked serious for a moment. "Oh, I’m sorry. Were you two doing something important?"

Just as Brenda was about to answer again, Lois interrupted. "We were just sunbathing. See, although I AM Brenda’s sister-in-law, I have my own apartment. But I come back here so often, my ma says it’s like I never moved out! And there’s this part of the roof right outside Brenda’s bedroom window where we can sunbathe in TOTAL privacy, if ‘ya know what I mean!" She ogled Jax, and he chuckled to himself. There were those sparkling blue eyes, that shameless flirt again. When it came to playing suggestive word games, Jax had invented some of them himself. But once he saw the fuming look on Brenda’s face, he knew he’d better steer clear of this one.

Instead, his mind began to wander to thoughts of Brenda, sunbathing nude on the roof outside her room, and his eyes began to smolder in a way that gave Brenda the shivers. Lois watched the fireworks going on between them, and decided to make it her personal business that Brenda went with Jax for ice cream. "But then it got too hot to stay out there, so we came down here and I was just going to take a nap. So Brenda is perfectly free to go, aren’t ‘ya, Brenda?" Lois poked her in the ribs, and Brenda had to restrain herself from decking her friend on the spot.

Just as Brenda was about to find another reason not to go, Carmine’s voice was heard from the living room. "Brenda, who’s… oh, Mr. Jacks." Carmine came out on the porch, the epitome of the middle-class casual suburbanite. He was wearing his suit trousers, athletic style undershirt, and dark-colored nylon socks.

Jax smiled to himself. "Good afternoon, sir. I hope I didn’t disturb your nap."

Carmine bristled. "No, not at all," he lied. "I was just looking for the rest of the Sunday paper, and since it was so nice, I thought I’d read it out here on the porch."

"Jax here came by to take Brenda out for some ice cream. Isn’t that a great idea, Pops?" Lois asked, acting like a 10-year-old, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

As Carmine agreed, Brenda tried desperately to find a way not to go. "It WAS nice of him, but Anthony’s …."

"..sleeping like a baby, which HE is!" Carmine said, laughing hysterically at his own joke. He stopped short when nobody else seemed to appreciate his attempt at humor. "Seriously, Brenda, Gloria and I can watch him just fine. You go ahead – it would do you good to get out for a change."

{What is this, a conspiracy? Doesn’t anybody here think I can put together a complete sentence by myself?} Just as Brenda was about to lose hope, she calmed herself. "All right, I’ll just go in and change into something more presentable." She smiled sweetly at Jax, but as she got near the screen door, Lois snaked an arm out and caught her.

"Oh, I don’t think she needs to change, do you Jax?" Lois saw her friend’s ruse in a second. She would go upstairs, presumably to change her outfit, and then wake up Anthony, who would not take it too kindly and would begin screaming. End of possibility of date.

Lois looked at Brenda. Although she had been thrilled that Brenda married her brother, she knew that Brenda was an attractive woman who didn’t deserve to throw herself on her brother’s grave and live the rest of her life without love. Jax was the first man brave enough to try to get past the wall that Brenda always put up between herself and any possible suitors. Lois was going to make it her personal goal to make sure that Jax didn’t become discouraged and slink away like so many others had when Brenda gave them the freeze. "She doesn’t need to dress up, does she?"

Jax smiled at his ally. "Not at all." He offered his hand to Brenda. "Shall we?"

Brenda was still fuming on the inside, but there was something about the way that Jax spoke to her that made it very difficult for her to turn him down. She glared at Lois as she went to get her sandals, and then came to stand at the edge of the steps. "Well, I guess it will be alright. As long as we don’t take too long."

As she walked down the steps to Jax and he placed his hand at the small of her back, they heard Carmine’s voice. "Don’t worry about the time, Brenda. Just have fun!"

Brenda thought she was about to explode by the time Jax assisted her into the car. She was shocked when he pulled to the curb after only driving a few blocks. "Look, I know they embarrassed you back there, and I don’t want you to be. OK?" He placed one finger under her chin, and she felt a tingle shoot all the way to her toes.

She smiled wanly at him. "I was embarrassed. I was expecting Lois to tackle you to the ground, just to make sure you didn’t get away before I could get down the stairs to you."

Jax, meanwhile, was having difficulty keeping his body from responding to touching her perfect skin. "I take it you haven’t had many dates since your husband died?"

"None at all," Brenda said curtly. "And I don’t want to date."

{Whoa, did it get cold in here all of a sudden?} Jax took a deep breath. {Well, that’s good, the fact that she doesn’t date. At least you won’t have to beat out 5 other guys standing in line at her front door on Friday nights.} He drove quietly. {But that’s bad, since she probably won’t give you the time of day. No dates means no dates. Period.} He snuck a look at her out of the corner of his eye. {But wait – if she’s really serious about "no dates," then what’s she doing here, in my car, going for an ice cream cone? It’s not a Friday night at the movies, but it’s a start, right?}

Brenda, meanwhile, was feeling guilty for her comment. The man had been nothing but generous and kind to her and Anthony, and she had been almost rude. She looked over at Jax as they stopped at a red light. "I guess there’s no harm in going for ice cream, though." She smiled at him, a genuine smile, and he ached for a taste of those lips.

As they drove through the downtown area, Brenda pointed out some of the offices of the movers and shakers in Port Charles. To her surprise, Jax already was familiar with the names, and discussed their holdings with authority. She was shocked when he pointed out the building where the J&J Jacks offices were. "Wow, that looks like the Taj Mahal compared to the teeny little building L&B is in!"

"Oh, you’re fine right where you are," he said, and then cursed himself at the slip. At her puzzled look, he continued, "I drove past your building yesterday after I took you home. It looks perfect for the size of your business."

{Watch out, Jax, you’re only digging yourself in deeper.} They drove for a while, and then Brenda was surprised to see they were turning off the highway into a residential area. The surprise showed on her face when they turned off onto a gravel road into a part of the subdivision that was still being developed.

"Is this taking us to some ice-cream store that’s new in town?" Brenda asked nervously. They turned again, this time onto an unpaved road, and began driving into a forested area that was still far from being fully developed with homes.

Jax smiled a devilish smile at her. "Maybe I’m just taking you far into the woods where I can have my way with you!" But then he realized that Brenda really WAS afraid that he had evil designs. "Relax!" he joked, and she could breathe again. He patted her knee with his hand. "I’m getting tired of living out of the Port Charles Hotel, so I decided to have a house built. I’m not sure at this point if I’ll keep it or sell it, but some of the carpenters are working overtime on it today. Since the rates they’re charging me are outrageous, I just wanted to stop by for a minute and make sure I’m getting my money’s worth. Do you mind?"

Brenda actually didn’t mind, but the disturbing thing was that when he had touched her knee with his hand, the skin burned with a familiar fire. She glanced at him as he drove, and wondered why his touch affected her so. Little did she know that he was quaking on the inside from that same touch.

They drove down a lane and suddenly, the house appeared in a clearing. The lot sloped downward toward a creek, and even though it was far from being completed, Brenda could see that it would be modern and luxurious.

"Oh, Jax, the lot is so beautiful!" she exclaimed as he helped her out of the car.

{YES!! She called me by my first name!! Score one point for me!}

She stood there for a moment, but then looked down at the short shorts and halter top she was wearing. "Maybe I’m not dressed appropriately." Some of the workmen had stopped when they saw her get out of the car and were visibly watching her every move.

"I’m the only one they have to worry about," Jax said with authority. "If any of them gives you a hard time, they’ll have to answer to me." They began to make their way through the piles of building materials to get to the house, and as soon as Jax gave one of the workers a pointed stare, the sounds of hammering and sawing could be heard again.

Jax began guiding her through the beams. "The front door will be here. Then the entry hall will extend here to the right. I was thinking of a tall ceiling in the hallway, with lots of windows."

Brenda breathed deeply. "I LOVE windows."

Jax looked down at her. He already knew that.

Jax reached for her hand. "Here, come this way. I want you to see where the living room will be. And the dining room is through there. Oh, and that’s where the fireplace in the living room will go. And the master bedroom will be through here."

Brenda glanced around. "It’s so beautiful out here. It’s a shame you have to close it in."

"Exactly what I thought. That’s why every hallway will have at least one wall of windows. Bring that airy feeling inside."

Brenda suddenly felt self-conscious, with Jax holding her hand and showing her the room where he would be sleeping. She felt so small compared to his large, masculine frame. Thankfully, a carpenter came and broke the awkward moment.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jacks, but we’re having a problem. We need your advice on a window placement."

Jax sighed. "Sure, Tom." He looked at Brenda. "Come with me?"

She nodded, and they followed the carpenter down the hall from the bedroom. "You said you wanted a window in this bathroom, sir, but the specifications just won’t allow it. There’s not enough wall space for a window. Do you really need one in here?"

Jax looked disappointed. "No way you can do it?"

The carpenter shook his head. "Sorry, sir. Even if we special-order the glass, it just won’t do, with the wiring and all that’s already in the walls."

Jax looked at Brenda. "What do you think? Don’t you think this room needs some natural light in addition to the artificial lighting?"

Brenda looked shocked. "Me? What do I know about windows and blueprints and bathrooms?"

"You know a lot about good taste and decorating. I can tell. So just tell me what you think."

She glanced around, walked to the center of what would be the bathroom, and closed her eyes. "The tub will go here, and the shower there, right?" she asked. The carpenter nodded. "And the vanity there?" Another nod. She walked back over to Jax. "Well, what about a skylight? Just imagine, relaxing back in the bathtub, looking up at the trees and clouds overhead. And out here in the woods, I don’t think you would have to worry about peeping toms!"

The carpenter scratched his head. "Not a bad idea. I can check with the specs, but I think there’s enough space on the roof above us to fit it in. It may need to be angled to fit the incline of the roof, but we’ll work on it. I’ll let you know, Mr. Jacks."

As the carpenter walked away shaking his head for not thinking of it first, Jax grabbed Brenda in an unexpected hug. "Thanks! That sounds great!"

Brenda looked up into his face. She had never been this close to those amazing eyes. She pulled back a little, but as she did, she didn’t notice a bag of concrete behind her and she almost tripped. Jax, with his arms still around her loosely, tightened his grasp, pulling her against the front of him tightly.

She felt so good there. He thought he was going to explode, feeling her between his legs, holding her there so she wouldn’t fall. She was so small, but so much a woman. Maybe bringing her out here was a mistake.

Brenda, meanwhile, had forgotten just how pleasurable it was being held in a man’s arms. She breathed in deeply the scent that was shaving cream, cologne, and sweat – the essence of Jax’s masculinity. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, Brenda was afraid that he was going to kiss her.

"Hey, are you OK down there, Mr. Jacks?"

The sound of a carpenter’s voice rescued Brenda, but she wasn’t entirely sure she was happy about it. Jax looked deeply into her eyes. "Are you OK?"

She pulled out of his embrace, careful this time to avoid the bag. "Yes. I’m fine." She smoothed her shorts, and then picked her way carefully back to the entrance to the house. He helped her back into the car, and as they drove away, she looked back at it again. "It’s really going to be spectacular, you know. I wonder who’ll end up living in it."

Jax never took his eyes off the road. "You just never know. Maybe you and Anthony." Brenda gasped, but when she looked at him, he hadn’t flinched. When he finally did look at her, his eyes were twinkling. "Now, how about that ice cream?"

She was still aflutter from the comment about her and Anthony living in the house. "Oh, we’ve been gone so long already. You can just take me home. Anthony will probably be waking up soon."

"But I promised you an ice cream cone!"

"That’s OK. It’s no big deal."

"It is to me. A promise is a promise." With that, Brenda realized that she had lost the battle and she’d better concede. Even though he was confident enough to push a baby stroller and leap into fountains to rescue babies, he was also masculine enough to be pig-headed and single-minded in his planning. It enlightened Brenda a little to see that determined side of him.

They finally arrived at a small ice cream shop not far from the Cerullo house. They went inside and as they stared at the menu board, Jax said, "I think I’ll get my favorite, French silk."

"No way! My favorite is French silk, too!" {That would have to be his favorite – the say he says the word "French" makes it sound so provocative and erotic – and it’s just ice cream, for goodness’ sake!}

He indicated to the waitress that they would have two double-dip French silk cones, and after he paid for them, he put his hand on the small of her back again. Brenda had regretted wearing the halter top several times already today, because the touch of his hand on her bare skin did things to her that she hadn’t felt in years. "Come on, let’s go outside. You’re freezing."

Brenda didn’t know to be glad or upset. She was glad, because the air conditioning was cranked up to "high" in the shop and she was rapidly getting goose bumps on her bare back and legs. But then, she realized that if Jax knew about the goose bumps, he had been studying those parts of her anatomy, and it made her feel uncomfortable.

They went outside to a bench, and as Brenda sat down, Jax straddled it facing her, his leg touching her bare one. When he put his arm up to lick the bottom of the cone, Brenda noticed the scar running down the back of his left arm. He caught her noticing it, although she tried to mask it. "Were you in an accident?"

"Sort of," he answered evasively, but she thought he just didn’t want to talk about it because it was too painful. "Actually, I’m so accustomed to the scars that I forget they’re there sometimes. I was going to wear shorts today, but then when I noticed the railroad tracks on my left leg, I thought it might repulse you."

Brenda ate her cone thoughtfully. "Don’t be silly. You can wear shorts around me anytime you want." She glanced up at Jax after saying it, and caught her breath at the way his eyes were burning her again.

"I’ll remember that," he said in a low voice.

{Great. Now he’ll think I’m a desperate widow on the make.} Brenda looked around for something else to talk about. As she did, she noticed a young couple seated at one of the wrought-iron tables that the ice cream shop owner had put on the sidewalk. Obviously in love, they were sharing an ice cream sundae and speaking in low tones. She watched as the young man leaned in and lightly kissed his girl on the neck, making her giggle. The soft laughter floated across the sidewalk to where she and Jax were seated. When Brenda looked back at Jax, she saw he had been watching them too.

"Sooo," Brenda rattled, "you said you’re living in the Port Charles Hotel?"

The young woman put her hand on the man’s chest, moving it slowly downwards, her thumb stroking his chest softly.

"I have a penthouse there for now, but I do want to find someplace more permanent eventually. Room service gets pretty boring after a while." Jax watched as the young man took a spoon of ice cream and fed it to her, slowly pulling the spoon back out of her mouth. He put the spoon in his own mouth and cleaned it carefully with his tongue, taking his time, staring into the girl’s eyes erotically.

"Ummm… must be luxurious," Brenda said inanely. The woman stroked her hand up her boyfriend’s arm, and then nuzzled his neck. "You said you have family in Alaska?"

The lovers kissed in earnest this time. A soft moan could be heard floating across the square. "Yes… mum and dad live there, but dad’s often commuting to our offices in different parts of the country."

"Hmmm…" The kiss deepened, and the lovers tilted their head so that they could more fully taste each other. Brenda inhaled sharply as she saw the girl begin to French-kiss her boyfriend. Brenda and Jax could hear more soft moans of pleasure, and Brenda felt Jax’s thigh muscle tighten against her leg. The lovers shifted so that their bodies could be closer.

"You need to lick it," Jax commanded suddenly in a hoarse voice, and Brenda jumped.

She looked at him in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"Lick it. Quick. It’s melting and it’s gonna drip on your leg." With a sigh of relief, Brenda realized Jax meant her ice cream cone. When she looked back at it, she saw that the grip she had on it had nearly crushed it into oblivion.

"Oh… my gosh! I didn’t get any on you, did I?" Brenda felt like a complete idiot, watching her ice cream run down her fingers and begin to drip into her lap. She tried to clean it up with a paper napkin, but it was hopelessly melted.

"Are you finished with it?" Jax asked, and Brenda felt like she was no better at eating an ice cream cone than Anthony. Jax took it from her and went to throw it away. Brenda shook her head when he wasn’t looking.

{What happened to the air? Did someone suck all the oxygen out of this part of the universe?} First, she was stunned by Jax’s remark about her and Anthony living in the house. Then, while she was seated next to a gorgeous, sexy man, a couple nearly had sex on the sidewalk to provide atmosphere. Could anything else this afternoon take her breath away?

She had stood by the bench, waiting for Jax to return from throwing away their trash. When he turned back to her, she was framed in the late afternoon sunlight, her golden skin glowing and her face flushed from listening to the erotic play going on 25 feet from them. Jax took a deep breath, and he was suddenly not sure he felt that guilty about switching beds with Louie on that fateful night. He was very much glad to be alive and in this place at this moment in time.

"Jax, is something wrong?" Brenda asked, seeing his hesitation.

"No," he said, walking slowly back over to her. He traced a line up her arm. "I was just thinking about you, sunbathing on the roof." The finger lightly slid beneath her halter top at her neckline and went to the back where it tied, stroking the sensitive nape of her neck. "I would give all of our family fortune just to see that sight."

Brenda’s eyes were held captive by his. She swallowed hard. "Yes, Lois has quite a figure."

The finger came from back to front again, and started to trace the edge of the halter back down the front, just to the first swell of her breast. "I wasn’t thinking about Lois." He then took the hand away, and extended it to her in a silent invitation. She took a deep breath, and then placed her hand in his to walk back to his Jag in silence.

When they pulled up back at the house, Brenda could see Gloria, Carmine, and Lois each watching the action at the curb from a different window in the house. She couldn’t bring herself to look Jax in the eyes. After he helped her out of the car and walked her up to the porch, she turned to face him. "Thanks, Jax. I had a nice time. It was lovely seeing the house, too."

{Wow, Brenda. You are some conversationalist. I bet he can’t wait to get away.}

{Jax, you blew it. You had to go and make the comment about the sunbathing, and touch her skin. Her skin. God, it had felt so good.} "I had a good time, too, Brenda."

Inside, Lois was motioning at her mother to go out on the porch before Jax and Brenda completely blew everything. Gloria sauntered through the screen door at that moment. "Oh, Brenda, you’re back. Mr. Jacks, how nice to see you again."

"Mrs. Cerullo," Jax said with a smile. He winked at Brenda, and she knew that he understood that it was a Cerullo plot to bring them together.

"I just made some sandwiches and iced tea. Why don’t you stay to supper with us?" Gloria said.

Jax glanced over at Brenda, who looked like she was about to pass out from embarrassment. {Better not. You already had to go and get lusty and ruin the afternoon with the sunbathing comment and the touch-thing.} "I’m sorry, Mrs. Cerullo, but I’ve got an important meeting first thing tomorrow morning, and I need to look through some files to be prepared for it."

Gloria’s face fell. "Well, maybe some other time."

"Yes, maybe." Jax looked back at Brenda. "Thanks for going with me, Brenda. Say hi to Tony the Tiger for me."

Jax walked back to the car and got in. As soon as he drove away, Carmine and Lois barged out the front door of the house.

"How was it?" Lois asked.

"Are you going out with him again?" Gloria asked.

"Did you find out why he limps?" Carmine asked, and Gloria and Lois both turned and gave him a look that could kill.

Brenda, meanwhile, turned in a huff. "For goodness’ sake. The man just asked me out for some ice cream! He’s not a "gentleman caller." Would you all please get a life!" She went back through the screen door, leaving the Cerullo’s standing on the porch open-mouthed.

As Brenda went up to her room and flopped on the bed, she couldn’t believe how angry she was. But what was she really angry about? The Cerullo’s being concerned about her welfare? Jax’s blatant sensuality? Lois’s obvious matchmaking?

She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. {No, Brenda. Admit it. You’re angry at YOURSELF. You’re angry because you’re disappointed that Jax turned down Gloria’s invitation for supper.}

To be continued…