She just shrugged and smiled, dumping in the already chopped white onions, boiled eggs, and celery into the potatoes. I busted Phil checking me out from the patio as he hung out and smoked a spliff with Flipper. X was harassing Alys on the grill, his head looking as though it'd caught some of the flames.

Lili and I were shaking our asses to "Every Dog Has Its Day" when I spun and opened the fridge to grab some mustard. Closing the door, I got the shock of my life when I saw Jason standing there.

"Augh! Shit!" I shouted, my hand flying up to press against my shaken heart.

Oh, fuck, I'm going to cry, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. This is all my fault. I did this. I know it!

Huge, fat tears welled up in my eyes. "Oh, Jason," I whispered.

Both of his sapphire-colored eyes were black and purple, especially the inner corners, and his once aquiline nose was taped, swollen to three times the normal size. His mouth was badly bruised black and blue, and it was scabbed up and crusted. He attempted a smile without showing his teeth, and I could see he was in some considerable pain, even as doped up as he was.

Behind me, I heard the violent scraping of patio furniture and the sliding glass door being wrenched open, the glass rattling a bit. I could feel the huge presence of my man, like a gravitational pull, but I forced myself to ignore him.

"Jace-" Phil's voice bit out.

"Will you join us for dinner?" I asked Jason quickly before Phil could do otherwise.

Reaching out, I took his hands in mine. He looked down at them and squeezed my hands in return.

"I'd like that," he replied.

Swallowing hard past the lump in my throat, I told him, "Good. I made you some chili and mashed potatoes. I hope you like it."

"I love chili," he said, his voice hoarse, gravelly.

His own eyes seemed to be filling with tears, but it was kind of hard to tell.

"Kenna...I'm so sorry." He sounded like he had the worst case of a head cold imaginable.

"No worries, Jason. Forgive and forget, yeah?"

He drew in a deep breath through his mouth. I doubted he could use his nose at all.

He replied, "Thank you."

Phil's gravitational pull grew even stronger. I suspected he was right behind me as it was extremely warm on my back. Jason's gaze shifted to the spot just above my left shoulder.

"I needed to leave the room," he said. "It was driving me crazy. I miss you guys."

Phil swallowed loudly. "We miss you, too."

Jason swayed a little and asked, "Where's the Nut-Chucker? That woman deserves a medal for the coolest ball-bustin' in history. I only wish I..." He blinked a few times, trying to focus his vision, and he sucked in another breath. "Wish I had seen it rather than been on the receivin' end."

"She's here," I told him with a smile. Turning to look up into Phil's face, which was full of his own pain and guilt, I said, "Babe, he needs to sit. Can you help him?"

Phil reached out, snaking his arm around the guitarist's waist and anchoring him to his side, as Jason grabbed on to Phil's massive shoulder. Flipper came up and assisted them, helping Jason into a chair on the patio.

"Holy shit," whispered Lili from next to the stove. "He looks..."

"Yeah, he does," I agreed quietly.

Sheri got busy with fixing Jason a glass of iced tea with a straw and hurrying it out to him.

Lili and I both leaned back against the kitchen counter, side by side. We witnessed the shock register on Alys's face as she shoved the grill tongs into X's hands. Hurrying over to Jason, she squatted down, and he reached out a hand, lightly rubbing his knuckles along her cheek. He was saying something to her, and she gave him a luscious-lipped smile, showing her even white teeth.

"Well, I guess getting your face mashed in makes you less of a douche," Lili said quietly.

"Yeah, but he's also heavily doped up," I said.

Phil ducked back into the kitchen, and our eyes connected.

At the very least, I thought, the man looks like he needs a hug.

"Lili, you think you can handle the rest of the potato salad on your own?" I asked.

"No worries," she replied, turning her back on us.

Looking at him, I tilted my head toward the archway. I headed out of the kitchen and deeper into the house. When I turned around, he pulled me into his arms, his body trembling.

"Oh God..." he groaned in defeat.

"It's okay," I told him, hugging him with all my strength. "It's going to be fine, better than fine. Everyone is getting along and has forgiven each other. Done is done. You need to let it go."

"I didn't want you to see what I had done to him," he admitted.

"I know."

"I told myself he deserved it. He even said he did. Why do I feel so bad?"

"Because you broke his face?" I hazarded a guess.

He exhaled long and loud. "I swear, Kenna...I don't hit people."

"I know that. Everyone knows that. So...just let it go."

He swelled with his breath and then let it out. Again and again, he did this until his trembling ceased, and he relaxed around me in my arms.

"My other half," he said softly. He kissed me on top of my head.

"Your better half." I laughed.

"Too fuckin' right."

Phil crashed hardcore. Exhausted from the stress of the day, he'd nodded off the second his head touched the pillow.

Outside, the wind was picking up. The weather forecast had warned of some severe storms rolling through for the next couple of days. Being a true lover of this sort of weather, I quietly crept over to the windows and cracked one open, so I could listen as I snuggled into bed with him.

When next I opened my eyes, I found myself looking into Phil's, his face just inches from mine. He was sporting some decent stubble, and it made him look-the gods forbid-even sexier. With him smiling at me, I felt his fingertips stroking down my spine.

Thunder rumbled through the cracked window, and by the sound of it, it was quite close. The room was still pretty dark since the sky outside was thick with the storm.

"Stay with me?" he asked sweetly.

Those wonderful words had me grinning. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," he replied. His warm gaze smoldered. "You're absolutely beautiful when you sleep. I haven't been able to see it before today."

Rising up on his elbow, he leaned over to kiss my cheek, his fingertips trailing over my rear, down my thigh, and up again.

My crotch was starting to deliciously tingle and throb.

"Mmm..." he hummed. "Lay down on your belly."

I complied.

Burning lips pressed to my shoulder, his stubble scraping over sensitized skin. Kissing and tonguing, he slowly made his way down my back and over a butt cheek.

Spreading my thighs slightly, he slid an arm beneath my hips, propping me up, and suddenly, I was nervous as all hell.

What's he doing?

His face was awfully close to all of my secret bits. Taking a deep breath in an effort to stay relaxed-yeah, not happening-I screwed my eyes tightly shut. I was so embarrassed, yet...I really wanted to let him do whatever it was he wanted to do to me.

His warm breath caressed over possibly the most intimate view of my body. His mouth pressed against me there. His hot wet tongue probed my slit, dipping into me.

Oh, damn...he's going down on me from behind.

My intestines tingled, and my poor asshole puckered.

For the love of all that's holy, don't fart!

Stubble rasped wondrously against my skin as he kissed and licked over my lips, sliding his tongue in and out.

Wow. Just...wow. I am so loving this. This is so...hot!

As mortifying as it was, it felt so good.

"Oh, damn," I moaned.

Phil kissed his way back up my spine until his lips caressed over my ear.

"I think you're wet enough now," he whispered. He lifted my hips, pulling me up onto my knees. He rubbed the fat head of himself between my tingling lips and slowly pushed in.

"Fuck, it's so good like this," he said, sinking balls deep.

Fuck yeah, it is.

In this position, he couldn't get any deeper. For a few heartbeats, he stayed still, just enjoying the amazing sensations pulsing through the both of us. As he held steady into that one spot, he made me feel like I was melting in on myself.

"For fuck's sake, Phil!" I pushed back, needing the friction.

"What's our word, Baby Girl?" he asked softly.

"Kashmir," I replied.

"Too fuckin' right," he bit out in his angry voice. Pulling back, he slammed into me with his full force. "Think you can handle that?"

"Hells, fuck yes!"

He chuckled at my enthusiasm.

The first few slams were at a hot, sexy pace, but it wasn't long before he was ramming hard and fast, bombarding his magic spot over and over. I fisted my hands into the bed covers and screamed like a madwoman into the pillows. He was fucking relentless. His hands grasped my hips hard, and he just kept pile-driving me.

"Fuck!" I screamed. I rose up onto my hands, pushing back with each of his pounding strokes, my cunt squeezing and bearing down on him.

Feeling the orgasm building up inside me, he yanked me back into his chest and slid one hand between my legs, his fingers working my clit. His other hand came up over my chest, grabbing my face and turning me toward him so that he could take my mouth with his.

"Squeeze me hard," he growled against my lips.

My inner muscles clenched around him, drawing a deep groan out of his chest.

"Again," he commanded, rubbing my clit and punching his hips. "Try to break me."

I bore down as hard as I possibly could.

"Fuck!" he cried, his head dropping back.

A swelling warm wave swept me up, pushing me higher toward my peak. Phil felt it, and he was being caught up in it with me.

"Fuck, you feel amazin'. There is nothin' better than feelin' you come all over my dick," he groaned.

He rubbed my clit a little harder, and I detonated.

"Phil!" I moaned loudly. My whole body tensed, strung tight like a bowstring.

When my drained body flopped limply, he pushed me forward, flat onto the bed, pressing in deep and covering me completely. His hands clasped mine and pulled them up above my head, and his full weight crushed me for a few breaths.

"I have fantasies of restraining you," he confessed softly, his mouth brushing my ear.

Securing both my wrists in one of his massive hands, he pushed himself up and braced his upper body with the other arm, relieving some of his weight off my back. The motion ground him deeper into me.

"Of holding you down and making you beg for all of me."

Hot damn. That's...that's fucking turning me on, the thought of that.

Groaning nothing coherent, I turned my face to the side.

Phil started to roll his hips, riding in and out of me in a sensuously slow circular motion.