It was 11pm by the time Jess got home, it was coming up to the end of the semester and this was when her vice principal duties really kicked into gear. She had a mountain of exam papers to grade and she was only half way through. The sight of her classroom was driving her crazy so after throwing down her pen in frustration she had decided to work through the night at home, at least that way she was surrounded by couch cushions and a half way decent cup of coffee. She opened the door as quietly as she could but her bags kept banging off everything as she waddled in, struggling to balance everything she was carrying. Once inside she realised she needn't have bothered, Winston was working a night shift, Schmidt wouldn't wake up if lightning struck him and she knew Nick would be at the bar.

She had noticed he had been working a lot of extra shifts lately, she had seen him pull back to back shifts before when he needed a little cash injection but a small part of her couldn't shake the worry that he was avoiding her. It had been three weeks since they kissed and true to his word he was taking it slow. Very slow. They weren't sleeping together, they weren't really going on dates or anything like that yet but every now and again when she least expected it he would turn up at school just to help her carry her things to her car, or he would cook her a meal, he would rest his hand on her leg as they sat watching TV never taking it any further than that. She still wasn't sure what rules they were supposed to be playing by and to be honest she was still almost as confused as she was before. They hadn't defined anything yet, there were no absolutes, this was all about baby steps but boy was it frustrating. She still had those instincts to go to him, to hug him at the end of a bad day or rub his neck when she could see him cracking it, to straighten out his hair when it was mussed up at the back. Those instincts had never gone away but the will to fight them was wearing her down. To top it all off, tonight she was exhausted and feeling a little over emotional, she would always turn to Nick when she felt like this but she guessed they weren't ready for that yet.

Nick leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator, he was exhausted, he could have done without having to train new staff in the middle of his shifts, it had used his last bit of energy. He had been working a lot lately, he needed the distraction, he needed to spend some time away from Jess or the temptation to jump right back in with both feet was too overwhelming, especially since they had kissed. He had to get this right and he would do whatever it took. He could tell she was getting a little confused and impatient trying to figure him out but if he followed through with his instincts he would do something crazy like propose to her and then they would end up at square one. The truth was he was terrified, he needed her so badly but the thought of losing her again kept him awake at night. He couldn't go through that kind of pain again, yes he wanted to make love to her, yes he wanted to go back to waking up to her every morning and telling the world that she was his girlfriend, but until he was certain they were back on solid ground he would survive on those little moments between them. He had been too scared to kiss her again but he wasn't sure how long his resolve would hold out, she made him feel like no woman ever had. She had him by the short hairs that was for sure.

Walking towards the front door he noticed a little light coming through the bottom, somebody was still awake. He hoped it was one of the guys, he felt a little more in control of himself when he knew Jess was safely tucked up asleep in bed when he got home all tired and vulnerable. But as he cracked the door open slowly he saw her sitting crossed legged on the sofa surrounded by papers. She looked up at him at the sound of the door opening, with a half smile she pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"Hey" She uncrossed her legs dropping her feet flat on the floor suddenly, like he had caught her doing something she shouldn't be.

"Hey...you're up late"

"Yeah I need to have all these papers graded by tomorrow. I think I should be done in another hour or so."

"Can I help with anything?"

"No it's ok...but thanks"

Nick loitered near the door unsure of his next move, then he decided to go for it, to push past the awkwardness once again and see what was there. He did a small detour to the kitchen to grab himself a beer before he settled on the couch careful not to mess up any of her papers. She kept her head down as he took his seat, but she wasn't writing anything, she didn't even seem to be reading as her eyes were fixed, unmoved on one spot of the page.

"You mind if I put the game highlights on...I can mute the sound?"

"Sure"

Another silence descended upon them as she carried on with her work and Nick pretended to watch the TV, when all he was watching was her. After ten minutes of silence Nick started to give up hope that they would have any kind of moment together tonight but as he contemplated going to bed he noticed her place her pen down on the page and look up at him, stretching her arms languidly over her head. His eyes flickered down to her breasts fleetingly as the material of her shirt pulled taught across her chest.

"So how was work?"

"It was ok I guess, we had a new girl start today, that's why I'm so late I stayed behind for drinks."

"Oh" Jess lowered her eyes to her paper once again.

Nick sat foward suddenly in realisation, waving his hand to shake off what he had just said.

"No it wasn't just me and her...there were other people there. I didn't...I mean I wouldn't..."

"It's ok Nick you don't have to explain anything to me...I mean we're not...you know...?"

Suddenly that familiar cloud of awkwardness drifted over them again. They had both thought that it was lessening but it would still rear its ugly head reminding them that it was still there, that there was still a stuff for them to work through.

"Um...I think I'm gonna go make some tea" Jess scratched at her neck nervously and made a swift exit to the kitchen but Nick wasn't ready to let this drop. He deposited his beer on the coffee table and followed behind her.

She stood at the counter with her back to him fiddling nervously with the kettle which was now the only thing filling the silence.

"I'm not seeing anyone else Jess...you know that...and I don't want to. Ever."

Jess continued to stand with her back to him raising her voice a little to speak over the sound of the kettle.

"Look Nick it's ok."

"Really?...cos it doesn't seem like you're ok."

"I'm just tired Nick" There was frustrated, desperate tone to her voice that made Nick want to go to her but he knew where it would lead.

"Jess look at me"

She ignored him, continuing to fix her drink, suddenly feeling like she was on the verge of tears and not understanding why, he hadn't done anything.

"Jess!" He raised his voice.

"What?...Ah dammit...ow!"

Jess stifled a yell as her sudden movement caused her aim to faulter as she was pouring water out of the kettle, burning a little of her left hand in the process. Nick was over to her in a shot standing close behind her to see what she had done. So close the she could feel his heat radiating on her back, his scent was flooding her senses. Suddenly the pain in her hand didn't seem so bad.

"Jess are you ok...what did you do?!"

"It's nothing, I just spilled a little of the water on me...it's fine really I think I just got a shock."

"Wait...here let me see."

Jess held her breath as Nick's arms encircled her from behind, grasping her hand in both of his and holding it under the running cold water, rubbing gently over the slightly reddening area. She could see the look of concern and concentration on his face as she turned her head ever so slightly towards his. She hadn't actually hurt herself all that badly and if she had she couldn't feel it anymore as any feelings of pain were surpressed by a rising sense of arousal. She allowed him to take care of her, to touch her tenderly, just the feel of being in his arms again was making her legs go weak. He reached for the dish towel after shutting off the water and began to dry her hands as affectionately and as gently as before.

Nick could feel the heavy rise and fall of her back against his chest as her breathing quickended, or was it him who was struggling to breather? He could see she had closed her eyes, her neck bending slightly as her head drifted back a little closer to his but not quite touching. Jess could feel his breath blowing the soft hairs at the side of her head, she could hear his breathing more loudly in her ear now and feel the pressure of his chest pushing delightfully against her back. As her senses spun rapidly into overdrive she felt it all start to pool low down in her belly before the heat spread down between her legs. She was in trouble.

Without thinking Jess pulled the towel from his hands dropping it on the counter and ran her hands up his strong forearms. She heard him inhale sharply as his now empty hands moved to grip the front of the sink. She moved her hands up and down his arms painfully slowly, savoring the feel of the soft hairs tickling her palms. Jess felt the whole of Nick's body pressing up against her from behind as he took a step foward, his hands now taking residence on the flat of her stomach making small strokes with his thumbs. Turning his head into her neck he dragged his lips lightly over the exposed skin at the juncture between her shoulder and her neck making her whimper ever so slightly. He tried to take another step towards her even though it wasn't possible trying to increase the friction against his groin which was now positioned snuggly against her butt.

Jess leaned her head back against his shoulder exposing her neck to him and he was lost, his mouth opened against the pale skin of her throat leaving wet kisses on every part he could reach. He groaned as her hands moved from his arms to rest on his thighs, rubbing up and down and slowly moving his hips against her behind. The situation was now escalating wildly out of control, Nick was edging ever closer to the point of no return. He kissed wantonly up and down her neck and began to speak in breathy gasps as his hands drifted closer to her clothed breasts.

"What are we doing Jess?"

At some point his voice had become low and gravelly, his words punctuated with the wet, smacking sounds of his lips against her skin.

"I don't know...we should...uh...we shouldn't be doing this."

In spite of their feeble protestations neither of them pulled away. Quite the opposite. As Nick rubbed his hand up and down her torso his index finger caught the hem of her shirt pulling it up a little to expose the skin on her stomach to his touch. Every charge of energy in his body was now firing straight down to his groin, he could feel himself growing harder and harder against her ass. He flattened his hand against the soft plain of her naked stomach, the tips of his fingers dancing cautiously against the underside of her breast.

Jess could feel how hard he was against her, she knew she should stop this, it wasn't part of their plan but it felt so amazing. She wanted his hands everywhere, all over her. She wanted him to touch her the way he used to, the way nobody else could. Releasing her hands from the outside of his thighs, she reached one behind her blindly to thread her fingers through his hair, her nails scratching lightly against his scalp. The other she pushed under her shirt to rest over his, forcing it upwards along with the material of her shirt, urging him to touch her where she wanted him.

As he felt his palm slide over her bra covered breast Nick blew out a shaky breath.

"Jess we can't do this...not tonight" He continued to kiss up and down her neck, licking the small part of skin below her ear which never failed to make her moan.

"I know...I know. ..just please.. I need..."

"What...tell me what you want Jess" Nick could hear in his own voice how charged the moment was, how much he wanted her.

"Please just touch me...just for tonight. I need to feel you again."

At her soft pleas Nick buried his face into her neck, his fingers deftly pulling down the front of her bra exposing her breasts to him for the first time in months. As he looked down over her shoulder the sight made him rock hard. He ground himself into her behind trying in vain to relieve some of the pressure. He squeezed her breasts as he devoured her neck with his lips, he could see her skin had become reddened from the stubble on his face but he couldn't get enough of her.

As he ran both of his thumbs firmly back and forth over her nipples, the heat between her legs was becoming unbearable. She wasn't going to be able to put a stop to this, she knew it. Her fingers scraped desperately through his hair as she struggled to hold it together. She had never felt this close to the edge before and they both still had their underwear on, this was crazy. She could hear in the sounds that he was making that he was fighting to stay in control as much as she was, still she wanted him to feel what she was feeling. With that she moved her other hand behind her, reaching down to his groin and squeezing gently, eliciting a low groan with reverberated against her oversentized neck. She repeated her action, she knew what she was starting but it was hopeless trying to fight it.

"Uh...Jess...oh God"

His sentence trailed off in a breathy whisper as the feeling of pleasure radiated through his body. Nobody touched him like she did, she set every nerve on end. His brain was no longer in charge, it had taken a back seat along with his common sense and rationality. He trailed his right hand back down her stomach and ran his hands over the front of her jeans to press firmly between her legs, the heat he could feel from her was intoxicating.

"Nick...yes...God Nick please touch me."

Just as Nick popped the top button of her jeans ready to slide his hand in they heard a door open. Nick stepped back quickly and Jess frantically rearranged her shirt to cover herself up. Neither of them could breathe as they saw a sleepy looking Schmidt walk in the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to the charge in the atmosphere that had been created moments ago.

"Jeez Jessica can't you make a cup of tea properly, there's water all over the floor." Schmidt muttered, fumbling around for a glass.

"Yeah I know I'll clean it up."

"What are guys doing up to late anyway?"

"Talking, we were just talking" Nick sputtered fairly ineloquently.

"Yeah we were just talking...I'm going to go to bed now I think."

Jess' eyes flickerd up to look at Nick, his face was still a little flushed, she imagined hers was too. Her eyes locked with his briefly. There was so much to say but this wasn't the time to say it. Jess ran the towel over the pool of water on the floor and counter and then stood, breezing past Nick without looking at him. This had been a close call. They had promised to take it slow and she couldn't let this be a quick post-break up hook up on the kitchen counter, they meant too much to each other for that. When it happened it would really mean something. It would mean everything.

She gathered her papers up from the sofa as Schmidt shuffled back into his bedroom. She looked up at Nick who was still standing over in the kitchen and smiled.

"Goodnight Nick."