Monday morning. Luke's Diner.

Lorelai held the coffee mug with both hands. As she drained the last of the satisfying brew from its depths she peered over the rim, watching the coffee's maker as he scuttled from one end of the counter to the other, bringing requested breakfast food to his other customers.

It was a fine sight.

Reluctantly she put down the oversized mug and glanced inside, just in case it had miraculously refilled.

Nope. Still empty.

She put her hands on the table and grudgingly pushed herself up to her feet. It was going to be another hectic day at the Dragonfly. Her inn ― her dream, her joy, her second baby ― had been open for going on eight weeks now, and every day had been an exercise in time management, tact, and ingenuity. This week would be no different.

She rooted around inside her purse, trying to locate her wallet by touch. When that failed she opened her bag further and looked inside, pushing past the cosmetic bag that had been a free gift , (or it cost $75.00, if you counted the products she had to buy to get it), the half-empty bag of crushed Oreos, and the notebook-planner that was still stuffed with receipts for last-minute purchases for the Dragonfly.

Her spine tingled with sudden awareness. She looked up and Luke was looking at her. She didn't even try to fight the smile that lit up her face. He smiled, too, slowly and sexily. Electricity snapped and crackled between them. Then his name was called, he gave her a shrug, and he turned away to deal with the responsibilities of his business.

With the purse slung over her shoulder and her wallet clutched in her fingers she made her way over to the cash register. Luke was still too busy to ring up her bill, so she looked around at the familiar space. She got as far as the cloth separating the diner from the back of the building before her gaze was arrested.

It had been just yesterday morning when she'd stepped out from behind that curtain without pants, alerting all of Stars Hollow to what she'd done the night before and starting a new chapter in her life. Of course it had been embarrassing, but she didn't mind that people knew. She'd spent enough years denying how she'd felt about the man currently rushing a plate of hot scrambled eggs over to Bootsie. Let people talk about them. She had nothing to hide.

She grinned to herself. Yesterday morning she'd barely hid anything at all.

Her smile faded as Luke held up a finger to her as he grabbed the coffeepot to refill the table by the window. "Be right back," he promised, hurrying away from her.

She watched him rush away, feeling grumpy. This week was going to be a challenge. Caesar had the week off to go visit his sister in San Antonio and that meant Luke was going to have to fill in, leaving him with very little time to see her, the girl he'd been pining over for eight long years. Starting tomorrow the Dragonfly was booked solid, which meant she was going to be running herself ragged, putting out the fires associated with any new venture. Plus her daughter had returned and would need some Mommy time. All-in-all, their new lover glow was going to have to sustain them this week. They were going to have to be adult, and mature, and just ignore whatever cravings they may have for each other.

Luke suddenly took his place on the other side of the cash register, all scruffy and blue-eyed and smelling like toast, and she gulped.

No one said it was going to be easy.

He was frowning at her and she loved that he was frowning at her. His frown was amazing.

He leaned his head towards her and she leaned towards him.

"I don't want you paying," he complained. Not exactly the sweet words of love she'd been craving.

"You can't feed me for free all the time," she disputed. "Upstairs, you can give me all the food you want. Down here, I'm a customer, and I pay. Of course, if you want to give me extra cheese on my burgers because I'm your girlfriend ―" She batted her eyelashes outrageously at him, "― that's up to you. But I'm paying." He still looked ill-tempered so she added, softly, "Besides, this way I get to spend a little quality cash register time with you. Otherwise, I might not see you at all this week."

"Fine," he capitulated, not sounding fine at all. He took the bills from her hand, his thumb trailing over her palm for an extra second of contact.

"See ya, Luke," she said, tossing the coins he gave back to her inside her bag. She smiled at him.

"See ya," he repeated, watching her with those deep blue eyes that made her shiver. He didn't smile.

At the door she looked back over her shoulder, but he had already hustled into the kitchen.

Monday morning, continued. At the Dragonfly.

Down on her hands and knees behind the check-in counter, Lorelai reconsidered her desire to be a business owner. She was tired of being the only one who knew where things were. She was tired of being at the top of the chain of command. She was tired of being the one who was expected to have all of the answers.

She moved yet another box of invoices from one pile to another and pushed back her hair. She knew they'd had brochures printed up detailing the marvelous sights to be seen in and around Stars Hollow. She knew that the box had been shoved somewhere down behind the counter during those first hectic days. Where it was now, nobody knew. But she was the boss, and she'd find it. Just like she found everything else that anybody needed.

"What are you doing here?" she heard Michel say, his voice doing that subtle slide into contempt that he did so well. He was supposed to be helping her in the search, but so far all he'd done was to move the pages of the latest Martha Stewart.

There was a faint clanging noise and she stopped. She knew that noise. She peered around the side of the counter and she saw Bert. Long, masculine fingers were curled around Bert's handle. A strong forearm was visible from under a rolled-up flannel shirt sleeve. She popped up and saw the rest of Luke looming over the counter. He glared at her.

"Hi," she said, blushing a little at how breathless she sounded.

"Well, I'm here," he said, as crankily as she'd ever heard him.

"Yes, you are," she agreed perkily, at a complete loss.

He raised Bert slightly and shook him, making the tools jangle inside. "You've been after me to get over here to fix, and I quote, the 'doohickey,' for weeks. So here I am. Show me what's wrong. I don't have all day, because believe it or not, I've got my own business to run!"

Her head reared back and her mouth opened as she prepared to tell him he was crazy, but then his eyes met hers. Her pulse started to throb in her neck and she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She'd seen his eyes look like that before. On Saturday night, actually. And again on Sunday morning.

"Finally!" she said, playing along and trying to sound miffed. She turned around and swiped the keys to Room 7, practically without looking. "Well, come on!" she said, stalking towards the stairs. "I don't have all day either!"

She was so aware of him, right behind her on the steps. His free hand touched the small of her back and her body all at once seemed to be lacking in muscular structure. Moisture, however, she had in abundance.

Weak-kneed, she struggled up the remaining stairs and reached the door. His hand slid lower, his fingers stretching to cup and squeeze her bottom.

"Luke!" she hissed, panic and arousal fighting inside of her. This was so unlike the Luke she thought she knew that the floor seemed to tilt under her purple summer heels. What if she'd been wrong about him? What if she didn't know him at all?

His face brushed her hair as his mouth came close to her ear. "No one can see," he told her, his voice gruff and low. His hand continued to rub circles on her bottom, making the silky material of her flirty skirt tickle the skin of her thighs. She put her palms flat against the door and leaned into it, forgetting everything else for that moment.

"Lorelai, open the door," he said, his voice now sounding urgent.

"Right. Right," she said. She managed to fit the key into the lock. She had to add her other shaking hand on top of the first to have enough strength to turn it. The door opened and she was propelled inside by the force of the anxious man behind her.

He leaned back against the door to close it. She leaned past him to lock it.

Bert hit the floor.

His mouth was on hers, the kiss instantly deep and intimate, bringing them both back to the connection they'd made for the first time two nights ago in his apartment. One hand held the back of her head before rubbing down across her back and pulling her even closer to him. His other hand found the edge of her skirt and dove underneath, sliding up her thigh to the elastic of her bikini panties, his fingers already skimming under that small barrier.

The shock of his sure fingers already finding her made her gasp against his mouth. He withdrew and brought both hands to her backside, his hands cupping her ass before he lowered them to her thighs. He bent his knees slightly, grasped her tightly, and when he raised himself back up he brought her along. He leaned backwards, letting her feel the whole length of him.

Her feet weren't touching the floor and she kicked off her heels.

"Can we use the bed?" he asked, already moving them towards it.

"It'd make my life easier if we didn't," Lorelai somehow found a way to say even as Luke was sucking on her upper lip.

"I can work with that," Luke muttered, and stopped where they were. He put her on her feet and started opening the buttons on her sky-blue blouse.

Lorelai was paralyzed by her desire. Every single one of her nerve endings was begging her to have sex. She had no motor control left to help him or guide him ― not that he needed guidance. All she could do was to stand and feel and want.

Her blouse was opened and yanked out of her skirt. The front latch of her bra was sprung and her breasts were bare. He took a moment to stare and savor, and she thought she'd die before he finally put a rough thumb over her right nipple, circling over it and making it even harder than it already was. She closed her eyes and felt more dampness between her legs while he played with her. She heard his breath hitch in his chest. She opened her eyes back up just as his hand reached for her left breast and his mouth attached to her right.

He sucked her hard, taking out his desire on her nipple. She leaned her head back, lost in the sensation, and his hand was there, cradling her head, supporting her so that he could feast on her. He shifted his thigh, bringing it between her legs, and she rubbed herself against it gratefully, desperate to ease the need inside of her.

Suddenly he was no longer touching her and when she looked to see why, he was pulling off his own clothes. The green-plaid shirt was already on the floor and his head was emerging as he pulled off his t-shirt. He toed off his shoes as he reached for the button on his jeans. She could barely breathe as she watched his hands carefully pull down the zipper over the straining front of his briefs. The tip of him was just visible, growing out from under the gray band where it had been trapped.

The sight gave her the strength to move again. She stepped forward and wrapped her hand around him even as he bent to shove his clothing down over his legs. She couldn't wait to feel him throbbing in her hand again. He stilled, his chest heaving, as she rubbed her fingers over and around his length.

"We'll have to be quick," she murmured, completely mesmerized by the feel of him.

"Trust me, that won't be a problem." He nudged her hand away and sat down on the authentic-looking rag rug she'd found from a supplier in Chicago, his legs stretched out straight in front of him; his erection stretched out as well, quivering for her.

She stepped closer and he raised his arms, attacking the closure on her skirt. Her skirt and panties were dragged down her legs. She made to step out of them, but suddenly his hand was stilling her hip, the thumb from his other hand was pushing through her curls and she held her breath until he traced over her lips and then through her lips and then finally, finally, he touched her clit and rubbed her and she thought she'd explode, right there and then.

But he had other things in mind.

He pulled her towards him as he laid back. She lowered herself down, putting her knees on either side of his waist. She rubbed herself up and down his hardness, letting him feel just how wet he'd made her. He bit his lip but a groan slipped out.

She forced both of them to wait while she slowly used her folds to get him into position. Then, finally, she allowed him to enter her, grasping his shoulders as she worked him all the way in.

She put her hands against his chest and he clutched her waist as they both tried to gather some control. They were both breathing hard. She could feel him pulsing inside of her and she contracted around him in answer.

"Oh, god." He pulled her down against him; wrapped his arms around her as he held her there against his chest. "This is what I've wanted." She heard and felt him swallow and one arm moved down her back, rubbing her spine, caressing her bottom. "All morning long. As soon as I saw you this morning, this was all I could think about. All I could think about was how much I wanted you again." His kisses against the side of her face were frantic. "All I wanted was to be inside you."

His words added more fuel to her need. She pushed herself upright and rocked back and forth experimentally. She was already right on the edge. She didn't think she could deny herself for long. She ran her hands over his chest, down to his belly button. Her thumbs massaged the area where his dark hair disappeared under her skin. She tightened further, leaning over him as she moved herself up and down his length.

She choked back a cry as the pleasure hit her all at once. Her whole body tensed and then quivered as the fiery delight tore through her. She could tell that Luke tried to give her time to savor it, but he needed release, too. His feet went flat to the floor as his knees rose behind her. His head arched off the rug as he held her hips to him and thrust up into her. He held her tightly against him as he filled her, his breath pouring out of him in long, shuddering gasps.

When at last she was sure he was done, she laid down again against his chest, snuggling there as he wrapped his arms around her. She kissed his jaw and his neck, waiting for her heart to slow down to a normal rhythm again.

She blinked and looked around her as she came back to earth. They were indeed on the floor of one of her rooms at the Dragonfly. Luke ― Luke! ― had just basically forced her upstairs in her place of business and had had his way with her. Her blouse and bra were still hanging open over her chest. Their clothes and shoes lay scattered all over the floor. Her gaze landed on Bert, abandoned by the door, having played his part in the ruse.

"I can't believe you did this!" She made her voice stay in a whisper, as she lightly smacked his nicely-toned bicep. "You, of all people!"

He looked at her lazily, sated. "It'd better be me doing this," he reminded her.

"No, I mean …" She shook her head, trying to explain. "You! Luke! Doing this!" She waved her hand towards their discarded clothing.

She felt the chuckle rumble through him, and he pulled her into a hug. "Eight years, Lorelai. For eight years, every single time I looked at you, I've wanted to do this. Now that I can, I'm not wastin' it."

She struggled up a few inches, just enough to see his face. "Really?" she asked, skeptically. "For eight years, no matter how annoying I was, you wanted to do this?"

He opened his mouth, but then stopped, and she could tell just by the look in his eyes that that was the truth. He shifted his gaze and took a breath, but then his eyes came back to look straight into hers. "Eight years," he said again. "Every time." His voice was incredibly tender.

"Oh." Air rushed out of her and feelings rushed into her, and one of those feelings she strongly wanted to identify as 'love,' but that seemed dangerous and risky and way too soon, so she settled for happiness and pride and feeling really, really good. "Well, I've only wanted to do this to you for six years, so I guess you do win in the self-control department."

He laughed again and they kissed, and then a moment later he sighed.

"I'd better go," he grumbled. "I left Lane in charge and told 'em to only sell things off the menu that they didn't need to cook."

"Yeah." Lorelai snuggled against him for one more moment. "I'd better get back downstairs before Michel launches a search party."

Luke's face creased in a wide grin.

"What?" she asked, smiling herself.

"Just picturing Michel's face if he'd open the door right now."

Lorelai giggled. "And tripped over Bert."

Luke lightly rubbed her bottom. "There's probably all sorts of French words to describe what we just did."

"Yeah, but I don't want to hear them come out of his mouth." It took all of her willpower to disengage from him and get to her feet. "Come on, big boy, let's get cleaned up."

She walked over to the double sinks positioned beside the bathroom. She glanced into the mirror and saw that Luke was still flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Smiling, she grabbed a washcloth and opened the small bar of soap. The water ran into the sink, and once it was warm enough, she wet the cloth and rubbed the soap over it, working up a lather. Her mind started to drift to the dozen or so odd tasks that awaited her downstairs.

When Luke spoke from directly behind her, it startled her. "I'll do that," he said, and his voice had once again pitched into that low growl of desire.

Her pulse raced into overdrive. He took the washcloth from her and turned her around, leaning her against the edge of the counter. He dropped to his knees and parted her legs further, wiping the soapy terry cloth over and through her curls. He washed her thoroughly, not missing a spot, and when he reached her clit she bit down on her bottom lip hard, her fingers clinging to the quaint tile counter, trying to hang on to her senses.

He reached past her and rinsed out the cloth, and then brought it back to her again, wiping away the soap with the warm cloth. She thought she was going to go out of her mind. She heard herself whimpering.

"Feel good?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was stretched to the breaking point.

She nodded, barely.

"Good," he growled again, centering the rubbing on her clit. The terry cloth was expensive, the best they could afford, but even that velvety softness felt rough on her sensitive nub. The best type of rough. She found herself undulating against it.

He urged her up on the counter, keeping the cloth moving against her. He stepped between her legs, opening her further, and looking down she saw that he was completely hard again. He pushed into her, the terry cloth still teasing her clit.

She couldn't stand it. She truly couldn't stand it. One more second and she'd lose her mind. She threw her arms around his strong shoulders and leveraged herself up, and then she rubbed herself against him; against the cloth, against his fingers, against his hard cock. She moved against him until she came again, explosively, not caring if she muffled her cries this time.

He took the cloth away and held her to him, rubbing his hands over her back as she calmed. She finally took a big breath and looked at him, and he attacked her mouth, kissing her with an uncontrolled passion that let her know he was not yet satisfied.

She made a noise of protest as he pulled out of her and he chuckled, breathlessly. She went breathless herself when she saw how huge his cock had gotten inside of her, and how slick it was from being in her.

He turned her around and braced her hands on the counter. He kneaded her bottom while his cock rubbed between her legs. The next moment he was buried inside of her again.

She looked into the mirror and saw that he was watching himself push in and out of her, his tongue wedged between the corner of his lips. He caught her glance in the mirror and turned them slightly sideways, allowing her to see too.

She wanted him to feel as good as she had. She pushed back against him as hard as she could, tightening herself around him. With a groan he grabbed her hips and thrust himself against her, over and over, until his head jerked back and he exploded into her.

After a few moments he turned her around and held her to him, putting out one hand to the counter to help keep them upright.

"Wow," Lorelai murmured against his chest. "That was … That was …"

"Yeah," Luke agreed, his eyes still closed tight as he swayed against her.

"We need … We can't …" Lorelai gave her head a shake and tried again. "As great as this was, we need to get out of here."

"I know," Luke agreed. He let her go and reached for a washcloth of his own. "And just so you know, that's what you do to me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lorelai said, trying to quickly get put back together in spite of shaking hands and wobbly legs.

As soon as they were dressed, Lorelai grabbed the used towels and the soap and laid them outside the door. She locked the door behind them and put the key in her pocket.

"Is this going to be OK?"' Luke asked, his shoulder indicating the door, the towels, everything. For the first time he sounded worried.

"It'll be fine," she assured him, patting his incredibly wonderful arm. "If anyone even asks ― and they won't ― I'll just say you needed to wash your hands after you fixed the doohickey. A little later I'll come back up here and make sure everything's ready to go in there. No one will ever know."

"OK," he said, but he still looked doubtful.

"Hey," Lorelai said, as they reached the stairs. "Maybe 'doohickey' should be like a code word for us!"

Luke snorted and she smiled. Just as her foot touched the top step, he pulled her back.

Very softly and carefully, he leaned down and kissed her mouth. "When I die," he whispered into her ear, "I'm gonna die with a smile on my lips. And the reason for the smile will be because I died remembering what we just did in there."

"Mmm," she sighed, melting into him. "Doohickey," she whispered into his ear.

"Stop that," he ordered, scowling, but she could tell there was a smile just on the other side of the scowl.

They straightened up and kept a careful distance between them as they entered the lobby. Michel glanced up, uninterested.

"I'll send you my bill," Luke said curtly, striding towards the door.

"Maybe we could barter something!" Lorelai called out.

Luke paused and turned back, glaring.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" she added, waving her arm gaily.

He allowed himself one knowing smile before he walked out the door.

Lorelai took a deep breath and tried to settle all of the quivers still chasing through her body.

"So did you find the brochures?" she asked Michel.

"No," he said, still leafing through the magazine. "I think that Tobin has probably hidden them. He is devious like that, you know."

Lorelai sighed and headed for the kitchen. Coffee would help to calm her down.

Sookie whirled around as soon as Lorelai came through the door. "Man, you look happy!" she observed. She smiled, her dimples showing in her cheeks. "Did you do something slutty?" she asked, teasing.

"Nope. Not me!" Lorelai said. She hoisted herself onto the counter and helped herself to a piece of the dark chocolate that Sookie was chopping.

"Then what's got you all lit up?" Sookie asked suspiciously. She waved her knife at Lorelai. "You're practically glowing!"

Lorelai swung her legs back and forth and chomped happily on the chocolate. "Oh, you know me," she told Sookie, a carefree lilt in her voice, "I just like Mondays!"

TBC … Next up: Tuesday!