"Had enough to drink yet?" she grinned as she sat next to him. She was entirely meaning to tease, but Jane was well aware of how creepy she'd come off over the past few days. James hadn't seemed to mind it terribly, and she did give him plenty of room to tell her to back off.
"I think I might need another drink or two before it sounds like a good idea." he said, face a little flushed from all the drinks he'd had already.
Or maybe it was because she knew the thought of being with her was absolutely one of his fantasies. Either way, Jane suddenly had an idea, and stood up. She reached out in front of him for his hand. This would either ease his nerves, and they could actually take this slowly, and have it be something they both wanted, or it would be a complete disaster and they would both wake up tomorrow morning with the worst hangover known to man.
He looked at her hand, then up to her eyes. He must have decided the risk was worth it, because he took her hand and pulled himself up. Though, he dropped his hand the second he was up. She didn't pay much mind to it, and walked with him back towards the office. Luckily, it was empty, now that Tali had found somewhere else to sit.
"Why are we back here?"
"I thought I'd teach you something before you go to N7 school." she smiled. "Might help you along."
"Shepard, if I'm going through it, I want to do things on my own-"
"You'll learn it one way or another, James. Just let me do this one thing for you." she knew she was putting on her best puppy face right now, and that it didn't always have the desired result. But it seemed like right now it was working because James sighed and shrugged his shoulders with a smile.
"I guess I can't stop you."
"That's right. Now take up a defensive stance." she said, pulling her hair back quickly.
"Lola, are you going to teach me how to fight? I know how to do that."
"You don't know how to defend yourself too well. Or do I need to remind you of the huge bruise on your back from our last sparring session?" she smiled apologetically as she came back over, taking her own stance as well.
"I know how to defend myself!" he laughed, easily blocking a left hook from her. She was going to let him warm up a bit, and she took a few more easy shots, managing to hit him once.
"But you have to keep yourself from destroying the room." she grinned, shifting her weight to her back foot, turning, and quickly bring her foot up and around, hitting him in the shoulder, instead of the head, with speed that he likely hadn't expected from her. Though before her foot could drop, James grabbed it, lifted her leg even higher, and then twisted her leg, forcing her body to turn in compensation.
Jane leaned down on her hands just as quick as he'd turned her around, bringing her other leg up to kick him square in the chest. She managed to get him to loosen his hold on her enough so she could stand back up. She faced James and came at him again before he could recover, landing several blows to his torso, and getting in a few kicks to his sides. After that, she paused, letting him catch his breath against the bookcase he'd been backed into.
"You're cornered, James." she panted, grinning. Though she didn't realize just how sultry her voice had come off from the exertion and exhaustion. "I don't think that quite qualifies as knowing how to defend yourself."
"I don't know why I expected you to go easy on me." he stood up straight once he caught his breath. Jane looked in his eyes as they backed into the center of the room again, unable to help herself. She loved looking in his dark brown eyes, admiring how they changed with the light. Right now, they looked like black holes, and she couldn't resist their pull.
"Again." she said, still lost in his eyes as she began throwing punches and kicks at him. His eyes locked on hers, and she shuddered when he caught her hand, twisting it up behind her back as he used her momentum against her. As much as she wanted to let the words slip from her tongue, she couldn't hold back just yet. She had a real reason for this - James wasn't always going to be expecting a fight, he had to be able to handle himself. She kicked his shin and he grunted, but instead of letting the pain overwhelm him, he tightened his grip and pushed her forward onto the desk. Her cheek and chest pressed against the dark oak, and Jane wasn't usually one for rough foreplay or sex, but she couldn't deny that his show of power was definitely making it harder for her to resist him. She kept her mouth shut, though she closed her eyes, and let out a rather loud laugh, more at herself than anything.
"What?" James asked, still keeping a grip on her, but definitely loosening it.
"You just ought to be careful, James. I don't want you breaking my face, I need it." she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a devilish grin on her face, this time. She felt James remove his hand from her wrists, and she saw him smile a bit.
"Can't have you breaking your pretty face." he said almost under his breath, gently helping her back up. But the fact that he'd said anything gave her some hope that she wasn't just forcing him to go along with this. God, she hoped he didn't feel like this was something he had to do.
James was smarter than that, too.
"Glad we can agree on that." she finally said, looking up at him and still grinning, though it had softened. His chest was still rising and falling at a faster than normal pace, and she had a hard time ignoring it since she was just inches from him.
"You still need to work on covering your body-"
"Shepard!" Garrus came into the room and both snapped their heads to look at him. Garrus was looking like he was about to collapse, but he laughed as he clung to the wall for a moment before continuing, "Wrex and Grunt are going at it, I think you might want to come stop them before they break something."
"Oh god, they didn't already break something, did they?." she quickly turned to go break up the fight, not even thinking to tell James she would catch up with him once she was done.
A few hours later, it seemed like everyone was either falling asleep, straight up passing out, or just appreciating that it was beginning to quiet down some. Jane was up above, looking down at the split living area with a grin as she leaned on the railing with a cup of water in her hand. She felt ready to sleep, too, but she wanted to make sure she wasn't needed for anything first.
She hated that her first instinct was a motherly one. They were all adults - well, Grunt was still considered a child in some aspects, but he was well off nonetheless - they could take care of themselves. She should let herself get some sleep while she still could.
"Lola," a gruff voice came from behind her, "you look ready to fall asleep."
"I'm getting pretty close, that bed looks comfy." she laughed lightly, pushing off the railing, keeping her voice down so she wouldn't disturb anyone else. "Did you need something?"
After the stunt Grunt and Wrex pulled, she'd almost all but forgotten her attempts to woo James. He was clearly interested, but it seemed like he needed a little more time with her.
"I was just thinking that… You showed me something earlier, so I thought I could show you something now. I-If you want."
James didn't normally stutter, but judging by the way he was rubbing his neck, and the slight pink creeping up it, she could tell this wasn't just the usual 'let me show you something,' and that caught her interest.
"I'd love that." she relied softly, giving him a tired smile. "As long as it won't take too much energy from me."
"I doubt it." he smiled, actually reaching to take her hand, pulling her further into the upstairs rooms, searching for an empty one before closing the door quietly. Jane was excited and admittedly a bit nervous for what he had in store. He led her to the foot of the bed and had her sit down and close her eyes. With a grin, she nodded and shut her eyes. The bed shifted behind her for a few moments, before she heard shuffling in front of her.
Jane was then picked up by the waist, and plopped down between a pair of legs, with a firm, warm chest behind her. When told, she opened her eyes, and tried her best to keep from laughing.
"We are not watching this, James!"
"Why not?" he laughed, already holding the remote for the vid screen just across from the bed, finger hovering over the play button.
"I don't think you realize how tired I am, James." she laughed, letting herself settle against him since he'd decided he was comfortable with this. As much as she loved the third remake of How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days, it was a bit too much of an emotional investment for her. She also hadn't expected him to pick this.
"Well then we can watch as much as you want before you sleep." he grinned, pressing play. Jane laughed, and settled in to watch the movie, surprised at how much James seemed to enjoy it as well. She never would have pegged him as the type to enjoy a good RomCom.
Soon enough, she felt herself drifting to sleep half way through the movie. Jane, of course, didn't remember falling asleep, but she knew that she'd done so on top of James, making it more than difficult for him to move and go find a spot of his own to sleep.
Her head felt as if it was going to throb itself off her neck, when she finally woke up. Though, the solid mass beneath her head was definitely helping her to keep her sense of balance as she opened her eyes. It wasn't bright in the room, like she'd feared. Rather, it was just dark enough, with light from outside peeking through cracks to gently illuminate the room.
When she was ready, she lifted her head, with some effort, and looked down at what was beneath her. She Jane wasn't exactly shocked, but she was pleasantly surprised.
She'd never seen James look so relaxed, and young. All the lines on his face were gone, and Jane hummed happily as she let her finger gently trail over his full lips, and along his stubbled jaw. Though, she quickly retracted her hand when she remembered that she and James had really only fallen asleep together. At least that's what she remembered - and they were still clothed.
Then James stirred, and she panicked slightly, but then remembered that the only reason they were here was because of him. He'd knowingly and willingly sought her out for her company, and he could have left at any point. She lowered her head to his chest with a soft sigh, trying to calm her pounding heart.
"Lola?" his voice was thick with sleep, and his usually subtle accent. She didn't realize that both of his arms had been resting on her back until he pulled one away to rub his eyes.
"Morning." she smiled once she managed to lift her head again. She then decided to sit up a bit, and move the weight off of him. Except his arm was still around her waist, and she felt it tighten.
"You don't have to move." he smirked. "I doubt I'll ever get the chance to wake up like this again, so I want to enjoy it."
"James, I don't think your ego needs any more stroking." she laughed, relaxing some, "But I'll stay. You're comfortable to lay on."
"Good to know."
They both sat in silence for a few minutes, spacing out and thinking of different things. At least that's what they thought. In actuality, both were lying there, wondering if they'd really been misinterpreting their little chats, and the sparring sessions. James swore the one time he'd managed to pin Jane to the ground, he saw something in her eyes - more interest than he'd seen any other time, perhaps. Or maybe it had been shock, like he'd initially thought. Jane could clearly remember the one time some of their flirting had gotten a little out of hand in the lounge on the Normandy, along with their drinking, and she'd let James pull her into his lap on the couch. She'd liked it, and she could tell that he was happy she liked it.
"So do you think anyone else is awake?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know. What time is it?" she sat up a bit to stretch so she could see the alarm clock on the other side of the bed. "Maybe… it's about 10." she smiled and settled back down against him, resting her head against his shoulder, this time. "I don't want to get up, though."
"What if I do?" his tone was light, like it usually was when he would start pulling out his charms.
"Then you're just going to have to deal with it." she hummed with a grin.
"Such torture."
She could hear the smirk in his voice, and she couldn't help but laugh. They were being ridiculous, and even if she was enjoying it, Jane was suddenly finding herself wanting just a little something more. She sighed and wrapped both of her arms around his middle, settling in to think about what it was she was craving.
His arms wrapped around her again, and she realized that it was all she'd wanted. James held her so firmly, but she hardly felt trapped. She imagined this feeling was similar to a safety blanket for a child - it felt right, and it was soothing. It wasn't very often she was held at all, for that matter.
"It's been a long time since someone's held me." she mumbled, still in deep thought.
"All you have to do is ask. If it makes you feel a little better, considering all the shit going on, then it's the least I can do." James shrugged. Jane propped herself up again, smiling as she looked down at him.
"It's good to know someone cares about my well-being."
"Someone has to look after you. I can't remember how many times you would have skipped a meal if someone hadn't invited you to eat." he smiled, bringing one hand to rest behind his head.
She laughed gently and looked over him. The lines on his face were back, but they were softer, more subtle. The casual nature they were both laying with each other was… intimate, but comfortable. Her legs were sprawled on either side of his, and her elbows were propped up by his shoulders so she could manage to look him in the eye. His hand was also on her back right where it curved, and her shirt bunched up. She could feel it shaking just slightly, almost like he wanted to do something, but was making himself stop.
Jane didn't know what came over her, but before she knew it her lips were suddenly brushed along James', her eyes closed and both of them very hesitant. They pulled away before either could really register if it had been pleasant, but they looked at one another in silence before she felt his hand more firmly on her back, and the hand behind his head moved to push himself up on the bed. When he was half-way up their lips met again, far less hesitant and more curious.
They were sitting up, now, and with James holding on to her with his one arm, and both of hers naturally sliding around his shoulders, both were comfortable enough to focus on their lips, and the feeling of being pressed so close to one another willingly. Jane couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed by anyone, or had a kiss quite this tender. Her lips moved slowly with his, both of them seeming to remember how it went. James was the first to tentatively brush his tongue along her lips, easily sending a pleased chill down her spine.
For several minutes, at least, they explored each other with tongues, hands, and even some light over the clothes action. Jane pulled herself away when she could feel her willpower slowly slipping away, taking control while she still could. Even though they knew to breathe through their noses, the both sat there catching their breath, looking at each other for a moment before laughing.
"What was that?" he asked, voice rough and low.
"I'm not sure." she absentmindedly ran her hand up through his hair, though she watched as he shut his eyes with a pleased smile.
"Well, uh… I know that's something I wanted to do last night, but… Well, we um… we both had a lot to drink, and I didn't want to… you know…"
"All you have to do is ask." she smirked, echoing the words he'd said not too long ago. He opened his eyes and grinned at her, gripping her shirt a bit. "And I appreciate that you were thinking of how I might feel in that situation. You can never go wrong with watching a movie and cuddling." she grinned back at him, now.
"That's what I thought."
"Still, I wouldn't necessarily mind it if you wanted to… do some of the things you wanted to last night, now."
"Lola!" he laughed, blushing some as he glanced towards the door, then back to her.
"What? We've been dodging this long enough, I say let's see where this goes while we have the time for it."
"You're crazy."
"And?"
"I just might take you up on that offer." he said with a grin, his hand bunching up her shirt and lifting it up slightly as he leaned in to kiss her again.