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| ~*~Chapter 3~*~ Elizabeth didn�t have time to think before Ric�s lips were on hers. She couldn�t fight the urgent caresses of his tongue demanding entry into his mouth. She didnt want to fight it. She forgot how much she loved his kisses. She missed the way she felt in his arms, the way her skin heated under his touch. She was about to reach her arms up around his neck and pull his body closer to hers when she remembered where she was. They were in the hallway with Carly. She had to be in complete shock. It had been atleast a fifteen second kiss at this point. So instead of using her raised arms to pull Ric close, she pushed him away. With their physical connection at a zero, she was able to think more clearly. All of the terrible things he�d done came rushing back to her. He made Carly think they�d slept together. He came to town to destroy his own brother. And she knew, was positive, that he�d slept with Faith Roscoe. �Ric, what are you doing here?� Elizabeth scanned the length of him. He looked terrible. Well, as terrible as he can look. For some reason his bad days always seemed to resemble anyone elses good days. His hair wasn�t its usual gelled-to-spike self. The ends were curling over at the tips. If he would just let it grow a little longer it would be perfect. His eyes were accompanied by large, dark bags. Obviously Faith kept him up pretty late last night. Elizabeth tried to hide the instinctive jealousy that came with that nasty thought. He was wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a tight knit shirt that was riding up a ways, exposing his sexy, left side divot. Whoa, how she loved that perfect little spot. She had to fight the urge to run her hand along it. Obviously she let her eyes wonder his body a little too long. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she saw a mischievous smile dance onto his lips. Great, she chided herself. All I need is him thinking he has a chance with me. �I needed to see you.� He sent a sharp glare toward Carly. �Alone.� �I don�t think so.� Carly stood in front of Elizabeth protectively. Maybe she wasn�t so bad. �There is no way I�m leaving Elizabeth alone with you.� �Carly,� Elizabeth smiled at her new friend as she turned to face her. �It�s okay. I�ll be fine.� �I�m not leaving you alone with this psycho, Liz.� Carly insisted. �Thank you so much, Carly, for helping me today and for looking out for me now, but I kind of need to talk to Ric.� Elizabeth gave her a knowing smile. She needed to tell Ric about the baby before he found out on his own. She knew she didn�t owe him after everything he�d done, but she did owe her child�s father a little respect. This was all for the new life growing inside of her. Carly still looked worried. �Are you sure?� Elizbeth nodded her head. �Yeah. I need to talk to him.� Carly gave her a quick hug. �Give me a call later. You have my cell and home numbers, right?� Elizabeth just nodded again. �Okay. Bye Liz.� She shot a disgusted look in Ric�s direction, before turning and walking down the stairs. Elizabeth turned back to Ric. �Maybe we should go inside.� Elizabeth slowly walked past Ric and made her way to the door. She felt him come up behind her, but he didn�t touch her. He just stood there, breathing. But that was enough. Feeling the heat of his body, the warmth of his breath, it was enough to make her lose all conscious thinking. But she had to stay focused. She couldn�t lose control. Not now. Not with him ever again. When she pushed the door open, she quickly stepped out of his reach. She threw her coat and purse on the couch. She started to turn around. �There�s something I have to...� Elizabeth watched as Ric pulled his jacket off of his shoulders and exposed his arms. �Oh my god, Ric. What happened?� His arms were covered in rashes and cuts. Elizabeth ran to his side. �What are these? Did someone do this to you?� She ran her hands along his arms. He didn�t seem to flinch in pain. It was Sonny, she knew it. He sent Jason to do this to Ric. But why was he so bruised? Elizabeth remembered seeing Zander after his attack by Jason. The hitman knew how to make it hurt without leaving marks. He was trained to do that. So why had he made an exception with Ric? �I, um, I have something I have to tell you.� Ric paused for a second to rub his forehead, then went on quickly. �I slept with Faith Roscoe last night.� His words hit Elizabeth like a ton of bricks. He did it. He really did it. She�d been telling herself that he did all day to prepare herself for when he said it, but for all of her efforts, she was still crushed. However, as destroyed as she was, she managed a reply. �She did that to you?� Ric looked down at his arms and then back at Elizabeth. His movements were quick and edgy and his voice was so rapid she could barely keep up. �No. I did this. I wanted to get rid of her off of my skin. I was disgusted with myself. I needed her off of me, so when I had you back I would be clean. I want you back. I need you back, Elizabeth. You�re my life.� He did that to himself? she asked silently. What was wrong with him? Was he sick? Did he need help? Whatever problem he had, she couldn�t help. She had a child to think about now. �Well,� Elizabeth tried to sound as icy as she could. �I don�t want or need you.� �Elizabeth, no. Please. You love me too. You need me.� He went to her and pulled her into another explosive kiss. He let his hands roam her body and pull her tight against him. Elizabeth could feel his erection against her stomach. What was he doing? What was she doing? This wasn�t right. No matter how much she wanted to be in his arms, she had to stay away from him. She needed to stay away from him. Elizabeth tried to push him away, but he kept a tight hold on her. �I need you, Elizabeth. Please don�t push me away. I love you. You�re everything to me.� He kissed her again, and let his hands swiftly drift up her shirt. �No, we can�t. It�s just...this is wrong.� She tried to explain between feverish kisses. Her hands were securely wrapped around his upper arms, but for the life of her she couldn�t remember if they were initially put there to push him away or pull him closer. Either way he was there, planted firmly to her front side, and he didn�t seem to be going anywhere. His hands began to roughly massage the skin below the wire in her bra. She moaned into his mouth. �Oh god...Ric...� Ric trailed harsh kisses down her neck. �I need you. I can�t explain it, but I need you more than I�ve ever needed you. You�re all I have left, Elizabeth.� She ignored the heavy throb between her legs that started at the sound of his hoarse voice uttering her name. She couldn�t do this. He just said it. She was all he had left. She was his conselation prize. Oh hey, I can�t make Sonny pay like I want, but there�s Elizabeth. She follows me around like a lost puppy. Why not take her for another ride? Well there was no way in hell she was going to settle for second best. Not this time. She used her hands that were still firmly planted on his arms to shove him away from her. He must not have been prepared---obviously! She was all over him the second before---because he stumbled and eventually fell to the floor. She briskly walked to his side, and began to lay into him---a mixture of pain, anger, desire, and love coating her words. �How dare you?! Things aren�t working quite like you�d like with Sonny---you don�t have his wife to blackmail, his sister to kidnap, or his best friend to annoy, since they�re all on to you---so you came back to me. Innocent, naive, sick in love Elizabeth who�ll gladly bed you again. I mean, afterall, you are a smart, Harvard-educated lawyer, and I�m merely a stupid, smalltown waitress, right? Bet you have girls like me---lost in love---scattered all around the globe, don�t you Ric? Tell me something, Ric, did they risk their lives by helping you escape mobsters, too? Or was that just an added bonus since I know your brother? Did you ever really care about me? Or was I just a way to pass the time?� Elizabeth had been too busy hurling insults to notice Ric. He was sitting on the floor, knees against his chest, hands covering his face, shaking in hysterical sobs. Elizabeth froze. She didn�t know what to do. Ric was always so controlled, so strong. Now he was acting like a child who�d lost his favorite toy. �Ric?� She asked tentatively as she knelt beside him. �Ric, are you okay?� Without looking up, Ric began to speak quickly, without pausing. �Elizabeth, I�m so sorry. I�m sorry. I never meant to make you feel like you weren�t everything to me. I love you. I love you so much. I�ve been an idiot, a fool. You are so perfect and beautiful. You deserve so much better than me. You deserve someone who will always put you first. I�ve been such a jerk. I let my need for revenge ruin the best thing that�s ever happened to me. I�m sorry.� Ric continued his verbel self-abuse, while Elizabeth pulled his trembling body to hers. She ran her hands soothingly down his back and through his hair and spoke softly, reassuringly in his ear. �It�s going to be okay, Ric. Shhh. Everything is going to be fine.� She only wished she could believe her own words. ~*~ Diego walked along the docks with Faith. He had the bag full of food in his right hand, and his left arm was wrapped tightly around the blonde�s small waist. He smiled to himself. Only three hours in Port Charles and he�d already secured himself a warm bed to return to after a hard day of revenge. Ah, yes. Revenge. It was obvious his presence in this tiny hole-in-the-ground town was no coincidence. Even Blondie picked up on it. She could be useful. The mob moll hated the right people. Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. They were just as responsible for his brother�s murder as they were for Faith�s husband�s untimely death. Sure, they didn�t push Luis off of his balcony---the crazy lawyer would pay as well, of course---but they were the reason he was in Port Charles in the first place. Then of course there was Jasper Jacks and Brenda Barrett. That little twit, and her obsession with Corinthos and Jacks, is what forced his brother to come to this dreadful place and get on the wrong side of a nutcase. But he couldn�t hurt Brenda. Out of respect for his brother, and his love for the brunette, he�d leave her alone. Besides, one look at that knock-out, and he�d change his mind. There was something about that exotic beauty that rubbed him the right way. And last, but definitely not least, there was Ric Lansing. That prick was going to pay from trying to steal from his brother. One year in that South American prison is going to seem like a walk in the park when Diego was finished with him. �No, you�re dead. I know you�re dead! Alexis killed you!� Diego turned his attention to the screaming blonde standing at the top of the staircase at the docks. God, he sighed to himself. Was there any woman in this beatnik town that did not bleach her hair? �Oh,� Faith started with fake sympathy. �I think Mrs. Corinthos has seen a ghost.� Carly Corinthos. Famous mob moll. So this is the seductress that Sonny chose over the lovely Ms. Barrett. Not bad. Small figure---with the exception of her, obviously, pregnant belly. Her face had a slightly cartoon-ish look, but her eyes made up for it. Beautiful, dark, soulful. Eyes you just want to get lost in. Good choice, Mr. Corinthos. Well, that wasn�t true. Diego would have chosen Brenda over the blonde anyday. He had a thing for brunettes. Diego put on a lost, confused, even a little hurt, expression. He let go of Faith�s waist. �Um, Mrs. Corinthos, is it? I�m sorry. I think you have me confused with my brother, Luis. I�m Diego Alcazar.� He walked up the stairs toward the scared blonde, but she backed away from his extended hand. �No. You stay the hell away from me, Luis...Diego...whoever the hell you are.� She shot a glare towards Faith, then looked back at him. �You being here---and with her---you are up to no good, and you better get the hell out of town while you still can because you better believe my husband will eliminate you before you can hurt any of us.� �I�m sorry that I scared you, Mrs. Corinthos, but I promise that I mean no harm.� Playing nice and innocent was so much fun. �I�m simply here to wrap up some business my brother left behind. I know he hurt you and your family, but I can assure you I�m only here to make things right.� �Like hell! You better watch your back. My husband�s enemies have a nasty habit of winding up gone!� With that she took off in the opposite direction that she arrived from. Diego turned back toward Faith who was looking at him with eyes full of hunger. Yeah, he was good. �Wow. You play good so well.� Her eyes gave a little jump like fire had shot through them. �Play good?� He smiled at her. �Who said I was playing?� �Oh please.� She was obviously done playing stupid. �You show up in town six months after your dear brothers untimely fall from the balcony of his suite at the PC Hotel, and you expect me to believe you�re not out for blood?� �Mrs. Roscoe,� He said with all of the innocence he could muster. �Like I told Mrs. Corinthos, I�m only here to make things right.� And the only way to make things right is to pay back the people that killed his brother. |