But the next thing that Brenda knew, her screams were cut short as an ear-splitting mechanical whine rent the air. Then, there was a metallic clatter, and as Brenda looked around, Rashid’s guards started diving for the ground. Her eyes followed in the direction that the guards were pointing, and Brenda caught her breath as a huge, dilapidated helicopter appeared over the courtyard walls. It hovered for a few seconds and Brenda could clearly see some peasants hanging out the open doors of the chopper. Before she could even blink, they fired automatic weapons, spraying the enclosure with bullets.

As the helicopter flew into the center of the courtyard, continuing to lay down a barrage of bullets, Brenda screamed even louder. She never looked over at Jax to see the pure joy and relief on his face. The helicopter descended slowly as Rashid and his guards scrambled for their rifles, which had been neatly stacked in a corner of the courtyard. The handguns which the guards normally carried would be as effective as pea-shooters against the heavy artillery on the helicopter.

With Rashid’s defenses in shambles, two peasants jumped out of the hovering chopper carrying lethal-looking machine guns. Brenda finally lifted her head to watch in amazement as one of the peasants made a beeline for Jax as the other fired shots to cover him. When the peasant came up to Jax, Brenda saw him pull something out of his pocket that glinted in the morning sunlight. But her scream died in her throat when she saw him slice the knife through the ropes binding Jax to the pole.

Jax grinned his thanks at the peasant and then caught the knife as his rescuer tossed it to him end over end. Brenda started crying again, but it was tears of relief, as Jax made his way to her through a hail of gunfire. He crept up behind her and she felt the ropes give way as he used the knife to slice through them cleanly.

She was tempted to hug him until he turned blue but Jax cut short her celebration. "Come on, duchess! They won’t be able to hold off Fathead for long!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards Rashid’s helicopter. As Jax boosted Brenda into the passenger seat, she turned to see Rashid’s livid face. He tried to yell something to his guards, but there was another fierce burst of gunfire from the rescuing helicopter.

Jax ran around to the pilot’s side of the chopper and quickly got in. He buckled his seat belt in one smooth move and then stared down at the controls. "Let’s see now, I always forget. Is it the blue switch or the green one that starts this baby?"

Brenda slapped his bare arm hard. "Will you stop making jokes and get us the h*ll out of here??!!" she screamed.

The words were no sooner out of her mouth than the entire passenger cabin started to vibrate. Jax grinned at her. "How about that? I *do* know what I’m doing!!"

As Rashid’s helicopter slowly lifted out of the courtyard, Brenda turned around to see the fate of her rescuing angels. The chopper had hovered for a few more minutes, but then as soon as Brenda and Jax were safe, it dropped just low enough to pick up the two peasants who had freed them. They grabbed for the landing skids and as it lifted into the sky again, they hung on for dear life. She looked down into the courtyard and saw Rashid, shaking his fist at both choppers and then turning angrily to vent his frustration on his guards.

When Brenda turned back to Jax, his attentions were totally focused on flying the helicopter. "We made it!!" she shouted exultantly, trying to be heard above the whine of the motor. She grabbed Jax’s arm tightly. "We really got away from him!!"

Jax smiled at her as he gave her a sideways glance. "Of course we did, duchess! Was there ever any doubt?"

Brenda put her hands on her seat-belted hips. "Stop being so d*mn smug and tell me who those guys were!"

Jax glanced down at several of the gauges on the control panel. "The cavalry, love. Didn’t you know they always arrive in time to save the good guys?"

"Jax…..be serious." Brenda sighed and looked down at the treetops rushing by beneath her. "Did you contact the WSB somehow to come in and get us out?"

"Nope." Jax’s hand gripped the control stick of the chopper tightly as he executed a broad turn. "Those were the same guys that were captured us two days ago."

Brenda’s jaw dropped. "You’re kidding!" She looked back over her shoulder. "That was….." She pointed back towards the palace. "That was Tarak and the rebels? Risking their lives to get us out?"

"Yep." Jax frowned at the control panel momentarily but then looked out into the distance again.

"But that doesn’t make sense. Tarak didn’t give a hoot about what happened to us," Brenda argued. "He just sold us to Rashid yesterday, and as I recall, all he wanted was his money and guns and his own people back in exchange. Why would he have changed his mind?"

"Well," Jax drawled, "while you were in the luxury boxes back in the rebel camp, I had a little talk with Tarak when he came to visit me in the cheap seats. I tried to bribe him, but he said he was getting more money from Rashid for us. Then he gave me his little speech about getting guns and some rebel prisoners back, too. Sooooo, I just pointed something out to him."

"What?" Brenda watched as they passed over a small village. The streets were deserted, so obviously word of their escape hadn’t passed beyond the palace walls as yet.

Jax grinned. "Tarak told me that the only thing that bothered him in this whole scenario was that he was making Fathead so happy." Jax leaned towards Brenda while still keeping his eyes forward. "Helping Fathead sleep like a baby doesn’t go down well with a man whose sole purpose in life is being a thorn in the little worm’s side." Jax glanced down at the instrument panel again and then down at the landscape as he shrugged. "So I just pointed out to him that the *best* revenge he could have was by stealing us away from Fathead."

Brenda’s eyes widened in understanding. "So this way, Tarak has Rashid’s money, but Rashid doesn’t have what he wanted all along!" She giggled. "Have I ever told you how brilliant you are, Jasper Jacks?"

"Not lately." He gave Brenda a sideways smile that made her heart flutter. It was difficult enough to keep her mind out of the gutter while he was sitting shirtless next to her. Brenda’s only consolation was that she could admire his bare chest while he had to concentrate on flying the helicopter. Then suddenly she frowned.

"But wait a minute – I *still* don’t understand how Tarak got us out at just the critical moment," Brenda persisted. "I mean, how could he have known that Rashid was going to execute you publicly – in the courtyard? He just as easily have shot you on sight in your cell in the dungeon."

"Tarak’s no different than the leader of any opposition, Brenda," Jax replied. "He’s probably got people on the inside who would have let him know Rashid’s plans even before *we* knew what was going to happen to us."

"Like double agents?" Brenda whistled softly. "Wow – I never figured that a guy who uses a knife to pick his teeth would be that smart." She closed her eyes, smiled, and then snuggled down deeper into her seat. "Well, however he did it, I’m just glad he did. Now all we’ve got to do is fly this baby across the border into Lontak and we’re home free."

There was a fifteen-second delay and then Jax’s voice was strained. "I wouldn’t exactly break out the champagne yet, duchess."

Brenda opened one eye. "Why? Do you think the folks in Lontak will mistake us for bad guys and start shooing at us? Can’t you just call them on the radio?"

Jax reached down to tap on a dial on the instrument panel. "No – that’s not exactly the problem."

Brenda suddenly sat up straight with both eyes wide open. "Then what is?"

Jax kept tapping on a dial and then referring to some other dials on the other side of the instrument panel. "Let’s just say that I don’t think Fathead is familiar with the concept of giving his teenage son the car with a full tank of gas in it."

"We’re running low on gas??!!" Just as Brenda was clearly beginning to panic, the engine gave a sputtering noise.

"No – we’re completely out." Jax’s words were terse. "Actually we’ve been running on fumes for about the last three minutes."

Brenda looked around her at the ground, which seemed to be coming closer. "What’re we going to do?"

"Well, I’m going to look for a place where there’s some clear space to put this baby down and then try to keep it in one piece while I do." Jax peered over the edge of the skids as the helicopter continued to lose altitude. "Make sure your seat belt is tightly fastened….."

"……and all tray-tables are in the up-and-locked position – I know the drill, Jax!" Brenda replied sarcastically. She held on tight as the chopper began skimming the tops of the trees. "Are we far from Lontak?"

"Not as far as we were before, but not as close as I’d like to be," Jax replied with a grimace. "Hang on!" he shouted, and then a few seconds later, he brought the helicopter down with a bounce in a small clearing.

Brenda kept her eyes closed until she felt the chopper stop moving. She felt Jax’s hand on her arm. "Brenda? Are you OK?"

She opened her eyes experimentally to see him gazing intently at her. "Yeah – I think." She looked around and then sniffed the air. "Is that gasoline I smell?"

Jax was already unfastening her seat belt. "I wouldn’t doubt it. There’s not enough left to fly this thing but probably enough to cause a h*ll of a bang if there’s a fire." He pulled her seat belt open and grabbed her hand. "Which only reinforces my point that we need to get out of here -- NOW!!"

Jax let go of Brenda’s hand long enough to push her out of the chopper on her side. He jumped out on his side and then raced around to help her to her feet. As soon as she had her footing, he took her hand and pulled her towards some rocks north of where the chopper had landed. They were about 50 feet away when Brenda heard a popping noise behind them, a rush of heat on her back, and then a large explosion shook the ground beneath them.

Jax rode the wave of air from the explosion, cradling Brenda to his chest as he rolled towards cover. A few seconds later, he brushed off the rock and debris that had rained down on them and lifted Brenda’s face to his. "Are you OK, duchess?"

Brenda blinked twice and then smiled in relief. "Yeah – I’m fine." She looked back at the chopper, which was engulfed in flames. "But it looks like our way out of this stinking country isn’t doin’ too good."

Jax rolled away from her, resting his back against one of the rocks as he finally slipped his shirt back on. "Now, Brenda – don’t give up hope yet." He glanced at the burning wreckage as he buttoned his shirt and then brushed off his pants. "That little bonfire over there may just be our ticket to Lontak."

Brenda placed a hand to his forehead. "Are you delusional? How can we use something like that to get to the border?"

Jax winked at her. "I never said we would actually use the chopper to get there, Brenda." He leaned closer. "It’s going to be our *cover*," he explained, rubbing a smudge off her cheek with his thumb. "When Fathead’s troops find it, I’m hoping that they’ll think we crashed along with the chopper and died in the explosion."

"And he’ll quit looking for us?" Brenda shrugged. "It might work." Then she looked up askance at him as Jax jumped to his feet. "And I take it you have a plan B in the meantime?"

"Don’t I always?" He put his hands on his hips and squinted into the distance. "We passed over a village a few minutes ago….." He paused, turned around, and then pointed. "…..that way, I think…..west."

Brenda nodded. "I saw it. So?"

Jax extended a hand to pull her to her feet. "So, we start walking there and praying that news of our escape hasn’t reached them yet." As Brenda brushed the dust and soot off her legs and stretched, Jax put his hands on his hips again and chewed his lower lip. "Although even if they don’t know we’re on the lam from Fathead, I wish I still had my emergency cash with me."

"To bribe them?"

Jax gave her an indulgent smile. "I prefer to think of it as bartering, duchess." He rubbed his hair briskly with his right hand. "We’re not that far from the border into Lontak, but we’d make it a h*ll of a lot quicker with some horses." He kicked at some small rocks with his foot as he thought out loud. "If we just had something valuable that we could give them in trade……"

Brenda’s eyes suddenly got as big as saucers. "I’ve got it!" She fumbled with something inside the neckline of her sweatshirt and then smiled triumphantly as she pulled out a gold chain with something dangling from the end. "How about these? Think we’d get anything for them?"

Jax whistled softly as he let the two rings suspended from the chain rest in his open palm. "Hot d*mn, duchess! Where’d these come from?"

Brenda looked immensely pleased with herself. "They’re mine." Jax’s eyes filled with skepticism. "Rashid gave them to me – don’t you remember?" She took one of the rings and held it up to him. "This was my engagement ring. I wore it for that stupid portrait that they ran on the cover of People Magazine."

Jax looked down at the four carat, emerald cut flawless diamond that winked at him from a platinum setting. Now it came back to him. Brenda wearing some kind of fancy dress that made her look like Cinderella, complete with a diamond tiara. Her left hand was resting prominently on her lap so that "the ring" could catch the light from the photographer’s strobes. Fathead was standing behind her, his right hand resting on her shoulder, in his full military uniform.

Jax grimaced and cleared his throat. "Yeah – now I remember it."

Brenda sighed. "I never wore it much because I always thought it was too gaudy. But it always made Rashid so happy when I did that I compromised and wore it on this chain around my neck, along with this one that he gave me for a birthday present……"

Jax lifted the other ring, a perfect pink diamond surrounded by natural rubies from Siam. "Nice." Then he squinted at it. "Although it’s still a little gaudy for my taste." He let the rings drop. "Whatever possessed you to put these on this morning?"

"I don’t know." Brenda shrugged and stared down at the ground as it was her turn to kick the dust with her toe. "Force of habit, I guess. I always used to put them on when I got dressed."

"But you didn’t have them on before….."

Brenda blushed a little and then gave Jax a coy smile. "If you’ll recall……it was *you* who dressed me that night." Jax’s eyes widened in understanding and he nodded. "I was too inebriated to know what was going on until we were halfway down that wall." She took a deep breath, clasped her hands in front of her, and looked around. "ANYWAY…….I’m obviously not inclined to hang onto them for sentimental value. So do you think they’ll be enough to get us some horses?"

Jax let the rings drop as he extended his hand to her. "Duchess, we should be able to hire ourselves a coach and four with these headlights!" Brenda rested her hand in his as Jax led her away from the wreckage and in the direction he had pointed earlier. "It shouldn’t be far……maybe about an hour’s walk….."

Suddenly Brenda stopped cold, holding Jax back by their clasped hands. "But what if they already know about us in the village, Jax? What if they’re loyal to Rashid? What if they won’t……."

Jax placed a finger against her lips to silence her. "Look at it this way, Brenda. We’re *due* for some lucky breaks, don’t you think? I mean, we’ve already *had* just about the lousiest luck any two people could have in this little adventure." Brenda gave Jax a grudging nod. "I know you always thought I was a pessimist while you preferred to see the silver lining in everything, but in this case, I think we’re due for a little optimism."

Brenda nodded again and Jax pulled her next to him as they continued to walk towards the village. They had walked for several minutes in comfortable silence when Jax spoke softly. "I didn’t get a chance to ask you before……" Brenda stopped as Jax took her by both arms. "……Fathead…..he didn’t hurt you…….or touch you……" Jax swallowed hard as a combination of fear and guilt racked his body.

"No, Jax." Brenda cupped the side of his face with her hand. "He…..well….." She blushed a little. "He got a few jollies by looking at me in the bathtub, but he only looked. He didn’t have time to touch."

"Good." Jax nodded and let her arms drop, turning towards their destination again. "Good," he repeated quietly.

They had only gone a few steps when Brenda spoke. "You were right, you know." Jax looked down at her with a question in his eyes. "Back when we were ….. together. I always used to think that you were so negative – always looking at the logical side of things – at what could possibly go wrong in any situation." She sighed loudly. "But now, I’m beginning to see just how smart you were……and wish I had done a little logical analysis of things before they got this far."

"I assume you’re talking about your relationship with Fathead?"

Brenda nodded briskly. "I was just like one of those big birds that hides its head in the sand. An ostrich?" Jax confirmed it with a nod of his head. "I mean, if I had paid attention to some of the signs, I could have figured out that Rashid had other wives, and that he was a cold, calculating b*stard who would make me miserable." She sighed again and stooped to pick up a rock. She pitched it to the side of the road angrily. "Instead, stupid little Brenda used to lie in bed at night and dream about some fairytale future. Rashid and I living in some beautiful white castle; me, wearing all these gorgeous evening gowns and him in his formal uniform; having beautiful children with blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect teeth; everyone in Drakar cheering for us and calling us the best king and queen they ever had….." She laughed a little. "I probably even dreamed of wearing a diamond tiara while I was cleaning the toilets!"

Jax tried to echo her laugh. "There’s nothing wrong with that, duchess." He tried to keep the melancholy out of his voice. "Everybody should have dreams." But the truth was that deep inside, he was dying with every word she said. {How could you ever have thought you had a future with her, man? She *deserves* to live like a queen. Not with some James-Bond-wannabe who flies off at the drop of a hat to try to save the world. An out-of-shape, over-the-hill James-Bond-wannabe, at that.}

Brenda smiled, not looking up at him. "Yeah -- I guess you’re a good example of living your dream." They came to some thick brush and Jax helped her wade through the vegetation until they came out on the other side again. "So, what are you going to do when this is all over?" Jax stopped short and Brenda gave him a confused look. "I mean -- I thought you said that you weren’t working for the Bureau anymore, so I just wondered........"

{Don’t do it, Jax. Don’t get her hopes up. You know you’re miserable playing "corporate big-shot." You know you’d make her miserable, too, within six months. You’re just not meant for "little-cottage-with-the-picket-fence" kind of life, and you sure can’t afford four carat engagement rings and diamond tiaras.}

Jax sighed and tried to sound blasé about the situation. "Well, once we get to Lontak, I’m going to take the longest, hottest shower in history, and then I’m gonna get room service to send up the thickest steak they’ve got in the kitchen.….."

Brenda chewed her lip and tried not to show her nervousness. {It’s now or never, Jax. If you still care for me, now would be the time to say it. Unless…….unless you think I wouldn’t be good enough for you……since I couldn’t give you a child……} She slapped at his arm playfully. "You know I didn’t mean it like that, Jax. I mean once we get back to *real* civilization."

{Tell her now, Jax. Don’t let her build up any dreams about a life with you when you know you couldn’t make her really happy.} Jax stopped walking and put his hands on Brenda’s arms again, forcing her to face him. "Brenda, if you’re asking if there’s going to be an "us" after we get out of this h*ll-hole, I think we both know the answer." He saw the hope in her eyes despite her best efforts to look passive, and it hurt him fiercely to extinguish it. "We couldn’t make a go of it before. There’s no reason to think any of that’s changed."

Brenda felt like someone had opened her chest and cut out her heart, right there in the middle of the Drakarian highlands. "But Jax……I thought…….well, after all we’ve been through……and the cabin……"

Jax cupped the side of her face, and he almost cringed visibly at the desire that shot through his body. But he still was an agent deep down, and so he managed to keep up his masquerade. "That night was magical, Brenda. I’ll never forget it." He sighed and looked down at his feet, but he kept hold of her face. Jax could give up everything else, but d*mn it – he wasn’t going to give up touching her until it was absolutely necessary. "But I thought we both agreed that morning that it had been a mistake."

Brenda tried to search his face for his feelings. But if there was anything she had learned from living with Jasper Jacks for a year, it was that he was a master at hiding them. Unfortunately – time had only improved his talents. Finally, she pulled away from him and started walking again. "You’re right."

Jax’s heart sank. {She doesn’t want you. She realizes that you can never be the Prince Charming that Cinderella deserves.} He fell into step beside her. "Soooo….." she intoned softly. "I guess you’ll be going back to working for the Bureau, then?"

Jax shrugged. "Don’t know. I might." He looked around at the trees and the path ahead – anywhere but her eyes. "Maybe this all proved to me that I’ve still got what it takes….." He gave her a teasing grin. "…..that the old war horse isn’t quite ready to put out to pasture yet."

The rest of their journey was a mostly silent one. A few times, they stopped so that Jax could shake the gravel out of his sandals or check for any hidden ambushes. But about an hour after they left the wreckage of the chopper, Jax and Brenda walked into the small village they had seen from the air. After a few minutes, one of the peasant men was brave enough to come up and talk to Jax and Brenda. Jax had a terse conversation with him in Drakarian, as Brenda almost died of suspense standing next to him.

When the peasant scurried away, Brenda grabbed Jax’s hand and squeezed it tight. "What did he say? Will they help us?"

Jax kept his eyes straight ahead but Brenda felt him squeeze her hand in return. "Apparently, they’re not too fond of your former fiancé here, duchess. And since the treasury in this burg is pretty empty, they wouldn’t mind the infusion of capital that those rings will provide."

Brenda didn’t dare look at him. "Translation?"

She felt Jax’s body relax as the peasant came walking back towards them with several others, both men and women. "Translation – we’re going to spend the night here and then they’ll provide us with two horses and provisions in the morning. We should be in Lontak by lunch."

Brenda didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. She certainly wouldn’t regret leaving Rashid and his world behind her, but getting to Lontak also meant saying good-bye to Jax, and she wasn’t quite ready to do that yet, either.

The peasants welcomed them warmly. They were separated briefly as both of them were allowed a chance to bathe and change into clean clothes, although it made them look like fellow peasants. Jax spent most of the afternoon conferring with the peasants about the quickest road to Lontak. When he saw Brenda’s eyelids drooping in exhaustion, he made some discreet inquiries. Peasant women soon took Brenda to a hut where she got some needed sleep while Jax did the same sitting outside her door.

They shared the evening meal with the peasants, and Brenda realized that she was coming to genuinely like the Drakarian common people. A pang of remorse hit her when she thought of the good she could possibly have done for them in a position of power as Rashid’s wife. But then again, when she remembered how Rashid had acted, she knew that he never would have agreed to any of her suggestions for improving the lives of the lower-class citizens of Drakar.

After the sun set and the remnants of the evening meal were cleaned away, Jax and Brenda found themselves sharing a hut for the night. She looked at him awkwardly as he gestured towards the one blanket spread on the floor. "Oh, come now, duchess – don’t tell me you’re getting shy on our last night……"

She shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "Me? Shy?" She plopped down on the earthen floor of the hut and Jax dropped down next to her. As he pulled her body closer to his, swearing it was just for the purposes of sharing body heat, she couldn’t stop the chain reaction his touch ignited. Brenda lay on her side, staring at the wall, Jax’s body spooning hers from behind. She heard his relaxed snore, but she still couldn’t stop the sensations his nearness created from wreaking havoc with her libido.

Finally, she rolled over to face him. She traced every line and angle of his face with her finger. When his eyes lazily opened, she smiled at him. "Duchess…….what’re you doing?"

"Memorizing you," she replied in a husky whisper. "I mean, you said you’d be going your own way tomorrow, so if this is our last night together….."

Jax inhaled sharply when Brenda’s hand slipped beneath the rough blanket. It slid slowly down his chest towards the drawstring waistband of his peasant trousers. He held his breath. "Brenda," he choked raggedly, "this probably isn’t a good idea….."

She slid her hand inside his pants and Jax’s eyes closed in rapture as she finally reached the part of him that she had awakened. "You’re right," she murmured, continuing to drive him wild with soft touches. "It’s probably not a good idea." His eyes flew open when she withdrew her hand, but then widened when she pulled her own coarse linen tunic over her head to expose her bare chest to him. "But you know I’ve always been a firm believer in equal rights." She reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head to press against him. When her firm breasts rubbed against his furred chest, Jax groaned. While she continued to brush against him in a way that provided an almost painful pleasure, she gave him a feline smile. "I’m just making sure that before this night is over, you’ll have *me* memorized, too." {And it’ll be a cold day in h*ll before you forget me!}

Brenda scooted up to kiss Jax’s strong jaw, taking her time as she traced the cleft in his chin with the point of her tongue. She slid against him as she placed a track of kisses down his neck, and she was pleased to feel his needy fingers thread into her hair. His chest received her lips’ attention for a long time, but then she felt Jax gasp when her right hand slid inside his waistband again. "You know," she purred as she planted kisses in a line down the center of his chest towards his navel, "I never realized just how wonderful these peasant clothes were." She lifted her head and her eyes glittered at him with passion. "Very……" She pulled the drawstring and pushed them past his hips towards his knees. "…….convenient."

When Brenda gave her full attention to the proof of Jax’s desire, she saw him clutching the blanket out of the corner of her eye. It was taking every ounce of his self-control not to cry out at the pleasure she was giving him. She mercilessly stroked the one spot that seemed to make his world ready to come apart at any minute. "Brenda…." she finally heard him growl, "don’t you think you’ve had enough time to……memorize me?"

When she stopped and looked up at him, her eyes were as dark and soft as the night air around them. "Haven’t I ever told you?" she whispered, crawling slowly up towards his face, "I’m a *really* slow learner."

Before Jax could even draw another ragged breath, Brenda slid her hands up his neck to tangle in his blonde hair. Her lips met his halfway in a voracious kiss and brought soft moans of pleasure from both of them. Brenda felt Jax’s hands playing over her bare back and she tried to stifle her own moan when he slid her peasant trousers down to her knees. Then his hands skimmed sensually up her back to grip fistfuls of her hair. The last thing she expected was for Jax to suddenly break the kiss and push her up so that he could look into her eyes. "Jax?" she whispered softly. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah." When she saw the spark of desire blazing into a full-fledged inferno in his eyes, she knew she was in for some powerful pleasure of her own. Her heart hadn’t even beaten twice before Jax surged up against her, flipped her to her back, and joined them in one swift move. "I think it’s about time I got a share in this learning curve."

At that point, Brenda realized just how potent Jax’s desire for her was. He paid back her actions, nearly driving her mad as he loved her with slow, teasing strokes. Brenda’s head thrashed back and forth on the floor of the hut as she crammed her fist in her mouth to keep from waking the rest of the village with her cries. The erotic promises he whispered in her ear – of exactly how and where he would touch her – left her almost as breathless as the touches themselves. When her hips lifted instinctively to meet his movements, Jax almost thought he might lose control. "Oh, no," he growled, "I don’t think I’m quite finished with you yet, duchess."

When Jax lowered his head to her breasts, Brenda let out a low-pitched moan. She threaded her fingers through his hair as memories of other times they had made love flooded her mind. "Jax!" she finally murmured, "please…..no more! I need you!"

He looked up with a cocky smile. "Well……I never thought I’d say this, but for the first time in 7 days, duchess……" He punctuated his words with hip movements. "…….I *completely* agree with you!"

The pace quickened as Jax and Brenda held onto each other for dear life. Facing death so many times seemed to lend a new urgency to their lovemaking. They not only shared their love – they celebrated their lives. And when Jax reached a fulfillment that seemed to go on and on, Brenda gripped his arms so tightly in her own pleasure that her fingernails cut into his flesh.

Later, when their breathing had slowed and they lay in each others’ arms, Brenda stroked Jax’s chest with her hand. "I forgot …… just how *amazing* you could be."

Jax opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. "It always *was* amazing between us, Brenda."

She lay her hand flat against his chest. "Then where did we go wrong, Jax?"

Jax’s voice was cold in the dark hut. "Maybe when you realized that although the sex was great, you didn’t have a future with me, Brenda. When you decided to end it all."

She pushed herself up to stare down at his frigid eyes. "What do you mean – no future?" She pushed the hair back out of her eyes. "And I told you before – I would have talked to you if I knew you came to see me. I didn’t want to *end* it permanently!" she added emphatically.

Jax looked up at Brenda, her lips still full and bruised from his lovemaking. "Well, if you didn’t want to end our relationship, then why did you decide to *end* our baby?"

Jax felt Brenda tremble. "What did you just say?"

Jax pulled himself to a sitting position next to her. "I said, Brenda……why did you kill my baby?"

To be continued…….