Playing for Keeps

Chapter 21

"Can I have my keys back?" Haley asked, holding out her hand expectantly just as Jason placed the last bag in the back seat.

"Nope," he said, making the word pop, stepping past her and climbing into the driver's seat.

Sighing, Haley climbed into the passenger side, knowing there was no point in arguing with him and she really didn't have the energy. All she wanted to do was find the cottage, take a bath and sleep for the next day or two.

She pulled her hand away when Jason tried to hold it. Instead of arguing he acted like nothing happened and focused on the printed driving directions. After a few minutes he took her hand into his again.

After a two minute tug of war Haley gave up and let him have his sad little victory, mentally promising herself all kinds of revenge when he smiled smugly. She was too tired to argue so she sat back against the cool leather seat and tried not to doze off.

Her eyes darted to the rearview mirror and narrowed on the large pile of grocery bags. She turned her glare onto Jason. "I hope you don't expect me to cook for you." She decided that if he so much as pouted over that announcement she was going to break out the fists of fury on his ass.

He shook his head. "You're not allowed to cook this week," he said, surprising the hell out of her.

"What?"

"You're on vacation. I don't want you to lift a finger," he said, raising their entwined hands and pressing a sweet kiss to the back of her hand. When she felt herself starting to melt she reminded herself what he did last night and why.

After one last useless attempt to tug her hand back, Haley sighed and sat back in her seat, watching as they passed small houses, apartment complexes, small business. Ten minutes later they passed through a quaint downtown shopping area and onto a scenic road that took them past several large hotels along the beachfront.

Haley was just about to drift off when Jason said, "I think this is it."

She forced her eyes open and watched as they drove past several small cottages. A minute later they were pulling onto the long driveway of a small one level cottage.

"Do you have a key?" Jason asked, throwing the car into park and shutting it off.

Biting back a yawn, she nodded. Without a word she climbed out of the car and trudged up the short crushed sea shell walkway and let herself into the house, deciding she'd handle Jason later. Right now she was too tired to do anything more than take a bath and nap. She looked around the cottage and noted that it was cuter than the pictures her grandmother's realtor sent her.

The wicker furniture in the living room was small, but looked surprisingly comfortable, she noted as she walked through the open doorway into the small eat-in kitchen and looked out the double glass doors. She frowned as she watched the waves crash against the smooth sandy beach. There was no way a cottage on a private beach was only a thousand dollars to rent for a week.

"Damn it," Haley cursed, stomping her foot. Once again her grandmother had tricked her. When Haley asked Grandma to see if her realtor could look into rental properties for her, she should have known Grandma wouldn't be able to stop herself from swooping in and taking care of it.

No one in her family understood why she wanted to make it on her own, least of all Grandma. Haley knew her grandmother meant well and that she was worried about her, but she really wished she'd stop pulling stunts like this one. There was absolutely no doubt in Haley's mind that her grandmother had paid for more than half the rental price.

Well, there was nothing she could do about it right now. More importantly, she was too damn tired to be pissed. Sometime this week she'd go into town and ask around to find out what a rental property in this area went for. Then she'd send her grandmother the difference.

"Are you sure this place only cost a thousand?" Jason asked, placing a half dozen grocery bags on the table.

Haley looked over her shoulder and sighed. One more problem to deal with. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and pulled her cell phone out of her front pocket. "Look, why don't you call one of the guys to come pick you up?" It would take a good five hours for someone to get here. Hopefully she'd sleep through Jason's wait.

"Why would I do that?" Jason asked as he emptied the bags and started to put the food away.

"Because you're not staying here," she said bluntly.

He snorted.

"I'm serious, Jason," she said, stepping forward, blocking him from putting the ice cream away. He simply sidestepped her and put it away.

"I'm not going anywhere, Haley."

"Look," she said, taking in a deep calming breath, "I'll give you a ride right now to one of the hotels we passed along the way. You can stay there until someone can come get you."

"I'm staying right here, Haley, until we work this out," Jason said firmly.

"You're not staying here. First of all, I paid for-"

"Here," Jason said, cutting her of, as he slapped a check onto the white oak kitchen table. "I'm paying for the cottage so there shouldn't be any problems."

Jason was the only person besides her grandmother she knew that still carried checks in his wallet. She picked up the check and frowned when she saw that he intended to pay the entire amount.

She held the check out to him. "I'm not taking this."

"Yes, you are," he simply said as he headed back into the living room. "If you tear that up I'll just write you another one when we get home."

Haley folded the check and stuck it in her back pocket. One more argument to have later, she thought miserably. Right now she was too tired to care. She walked into the living room and headed for the small hallway to the right, deciding she'd get her bags after her nap that would hopefully give her the energy to deal with this nonsense.

She headed for the only door in the hallway and almost ran into Jason as he was coming out.

"Sorry," he said, stepping to the side so she could walk into the room. "I was just bringing in the bags."

"Thank you," she mumbled, feeling more exhausted than she could ever remember. She hadn't slept at all last night and the night before they'd stayed up late watching movies and cuddling.

"You look tired, baby," he said, reaching up to touch her face only to drop his hand away at the last second. "Look," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "why don't you go relax. We can talk everything over later."

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him there was nothing to talk about, but that would only start an argument so she simply nodded, closing the door behind her.

She looked over the small Cape Cod style bedroom and nearly groaned. This place would have been perfect for a romantic getaway if Jason hadn't gone and ruined everything. She threw a look of longing towards the bed before heading for the bathroom. Although she'd like nothing better than to curl up on the double bed, she desperately needed to soak in a hot bath. It didn't matter that it had to be ninety degrees in the small cottage. She was still sore between her legs from last night and knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she took some aspirin and soaked in a hot bath for a while.

It was just another reminder of what he did last night. She still couldn't believe he'd hurt her like this. Despite Jason's flawed dating past she'd trusted him, more than anyone. He was the only person that never took advantage of her "doorstep" tendencies.

He'd been kind, sweet and considerate with her and never tried to manipulate her into doing something she didn't want to do. When they were intimate he'd never once pushed for more than she was willing to give him. That alone had made her love him even more. Too many times in her past men had gone out their way to coerce her into taking a step she wasn't ready to take.

When she'd refused they tried to sweet talk her, manipulate her, guilt her, until they finally got pissed. More than one man had ended things with her when she wouldn't sleep with him. She'd been called a bitch and a tease more times than she cared to remember. The fact that she'd been upfront about her sexual comfort level hadn't mattered.

There had been several men that ended things as soon as she told them she wouldn't have sex with them, but others thought she was lying, teasing them, or setting up a challenge. When they eventually realized she hadn't lied things would end, they'd turn cold and mean. Some had hung around a little longer hoping to change her mind, but she never did.

That is until Jason.

His reaction had been anything but typical or expected. Instead of arguing or questioning her, he'd readily accepted what she told him with a smile and a little teasing. Every time they became intimate she'd prepared herself for Jason to push her into having sex, but he never did. Not once. Even those times when she knew he was dying to take her he hadn't. He'd grit his teeth and accept whatever she offered him, which was why she felt comfortable and ready to make love to him last night.

Taking the next step with Jason had felt so natural last night. It wasn't until after his little announcement that she regretted what they'd done. He'd done it because he thought she was playing him only to end up playing her. Last night he'd manipulated her into sleep with him to prove something and then actually had the balls to announce it like it was no big deal.

She wiped away a tear. It was a very big deal to her. She'd waited all her life for the right man and the right time only to be used by the man she thought cared for her. He said he loved her last night, but he really didn't. There was no question that he cared for her a little, but love? No. Last night proved beyond a doubt that Jason wasn't capable of loving her. If he loved her he wouldn't have treated her so callously.

The simple truth was, Jason was stubborn. It was the reason why he slept with her to prove something and the same reason he hid in her car and was being bullheaded about this breakup. She doubted he'd ever been dumped before and he probably wasn't handling it well. Jason liked to call the shots when it came to women and having his shy little neighbor dump him probably grated on his ego.

There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that if she took him back he'd dump her ass in a matter of weeks just so that he could be the one to make that decision. It was better for everyone that they ended things now. This way she was only disappointed in Jason and didn't hate him, although maybe that would be for the best as well.

She paused in the bathroom doorway and sighed heavily as she took in the steaming bubble bath Jason had drawn for her in the deep claw footed bathtub. He even set out a towel and her favorite tee shirt to change into afterwards.

"Stupid jerk," she mumbled, once again stopping herself from melting. She just had to remember that this was all a game to him and she'd be fine.