Chapter Six

Brenda turned her computer back on and logged on to America Online, completely puzzled by Jax’s behavior. She had barely shown him her "tower" before he practically bolted for the shower. This was turning out to be an even bigger nightmare than she imagined, and to top it all off, FlyGuy wasn’t online anymore. Did Jasper Jacks have any idea what he was doing to her life? He was laughing at her. She knew it. He was standing in the shower, laughing at her: warm water pulsing against his bronzed skin, rivulets flowing down his broad chest. Laughing at her! She shook her head, and anger brought a flush to her cheek. "Anger? Who are you kidding, Brenda? They guy’s hot; he’s H-O-T-T hot." But that was beside the point. Jasper Jacks would be sorry, Brenda vowed to herself. Sorry for taking her company, sorry for moving into her cottage, and sorry for laughing at her. He would get exactly what he deserved.

**

Jax let the warm water soak his skin, as he ran his hands through his hair. "She must think I’m crazy." His mind was reeling; his pulse was racing; his world was exploding around him, in Technicolor, no less. Could *Brenda Barrett* be PrncessBB?

The more he thought about it, the more it all made sense. Sure, he had been looking for a house *like* BB’s .. .. .. but the same, exact house? He hadn’t paid that much attention, but .. .. ..For god’s sake, she was PrncessBB: "BB"-Brenda Barrett. All of the pieces fit together *too* well. BB had been defending an independent record label; Brenda was the "B" of L&B Records, or at least she had been. BB was having business problems; Brenda just lost L&B to him. BB said someone had moved into her cottage, and here he was, and ten feet away from her "tower" no less. And to think, they had been talking over instant messages all night, while they had been in the same house, without even knowing it!

What would he do? What would he tell her? *Would* he tell her? No. Definitely no. Probably not. Not tonight, at least. Maybe tomorrow. Yeah, he could tell her tomorrow. He’d sleep on it. "Good work, Jax. Always thinking clearly, always anticipating what’s coming next, always using your head." He groaned at his own Freudian slip, and tried to focus on his decision. "I’ll sleep on it. I can sleep on it." He willed his heart to agree with his mind. "I can sleep on it.. .. ..or, I can sleep with her, and spend the entire night, and most of tomorrow, with my hands lost in her dark brown hair, looking into those twin chocolate pools, feeling the soft silk of her skin against mine, hearing her cry out in unintelligible words of ecstasy as they-." His train of thought came to a screeching halt as he quickly turn the faucet to cold. He and Brenda: FlyGuy and PrncessBB, together in the same house. He’d be getting awfully used to cold showers.

**

Dream
When you’re feeling blue
Dream
That’s the thing to do
Just watch the smoke rings
Rise in the air
You’ll find your share
Of memories there

After his shower, Jax went straight to bed, afraid that if he saw Brenda again that night, that he would be unable to control his unquenchable desire to make passionate love to her the whole night through. And so, he had resigned himself to bed, where he was extremely unsuccessful at falling asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all Jax saw was Brenda, looking every bit the princess that she was, in a shimmering, flowing gown, bathed in moonlight that reflected in her hair and danced in her deep, expressive eyes.

So dream
When the day is through
Dream
And they might come true
Things never are as bad as they seem
So dream
Dream
Dream

Jax finally gave into his desire to see her, and left the room, heading toward the dimly lit tower. The breath surged out of him at the vision Jax saw before him. Brenda had fallen asleep in the armchair in the corner of the "tower." Only one candle still burned, casting a tiny golden glow across her skin, as the moonlight reflecting off of the snow made the room shimmer and shine, creating a scene right out of one of Brenda’s fairy tales.

The headphones on her ears kept most of the hair out of her face, except for one stray strand that had fallen over her eyes, which was more than Jax could resist. With a shaking hand, he reached out and brushed the hair from out of her eyes, relishing the softness of her hair, and the warmth of her skin against his hand. He carefully took the computer from her lap, and placed it on the end table beside them; since Brenda must have just logged off of AOL, the shut down screen was still up, and there it was, clear as the nose on his face, her screen name: PrncessBB.

Dream
When the day is through
Dream
And they might come true
Things never are as bad as they seem
So dream
Dream
Dream

Though his thunderous heartbeat, Jax was sure, was loud enough to wake the peacefully sleeping Brenda, he scooped her up into his arms, and carried her to her room. The desire that surged through him had manifested itself so much physically that Jax was actually grateful that Brenda was asleep. After settling Brenda gently on her four-poster bed, Jax lingered, fascinated by her. As he turned to leave, sure he would finally be able to get a descent night’s sleep, he leaned over his sleeping Princess, and brushing her hair back from her forehead, he placed a tiny, gentle, tender kiss there.

But that one kiss was enough; it told him everything he needed to know about Brenda. She was the one, the only one for him, the only one there ever would be. He’d make her his, Jax vowed. He’d marry her, make her happy, and above all else, he’d love her, from this moment on, forever. He’d make all her dreams come true, just like she had for him. Brenda was his happily ever after; his dream come true.

(Song credit: Dreams by Roy Orbison, featured on the soundtrack of You've Got Mail)