Through the fog, he remembered…
"Oh my God!" she said suddenly becoming aware and putting her left arm in front of her chest in an attempt to hide her cleavage. She kept a firm hold on the door with her right hand, because something told her she might feel the need to slam it shut in a minute.
"Yeah that worked." Dean sniggered, at her feeble effort to cover herself up.
"What the hell are you doing here Dean?" she said with strong eyes fixed on him.
"I've forgotten." he said dragging his gaze up, from her ankles to her thighs…very…slowly…
She rolled her eyes, dropping off her tiptoes and then frowning. She moved backwards and pushed the door shut, but he edged his foot forwards and stopped it.
"Now I remember." he said pushing his way passed her.
Jo sighed, closed the door, turned round and crossed her arms, "Well?"
Dean just turned to face her and raised an eyebrow.
She looked down at herself momentarily and then back at him. "You've seen everything now, no point worrying. Just say what you want to say and then you can leave and I can go back to bed…So why are you here?"
"Well, we need to settle stuff. We need to talk about why you avoided me back at the bar." 'And why I didn't want to come see you in the first place.' he added to himself.
"Daylight hours are good times to talk you know?"
"It is daylight hours." he smirked.
"You know what I mean." she returned.
"Yeah, but the thing is me and Sam are leaving in a few hours – we got a job – so I wanted to talk before we left."
"You mean you didn't want Sam to know you'd gone soft, so you told him there was nothing to talk about, then snuck out of your room while he was sleeping so he'd never know you came to see me."
"Psychics are scary." he joked, but then he saw Jo's serious face under the hand on her brow and he tried to be serious too, "Yeah; something like that."
Jo walked past him and sat down on the old leather couch she had. Eventually he sat beside her.
"Are you mad at me because I never called?" he asked bluntly, the only way he knew how to be.
"No." she replied, but when he looked at her she realised she was going to have to elaborate before he'd believe what she had said, "First off, I'm not really mad at you, not really," she continued, "and second, I knew you wouldn't call."
"Huh." Dean laughed, "Good old reliable Dean hey? Everyone knows he'll let them down." he mumbled.
"What?" she asked confused. She was still half asleep and lacking the concentration she needed to focus on what he was saying. All she could hear was the deep gravel sound his voice made. It gave her butterflies.
"Nothing; just thinking out loud." he said more clearly.
"Are we done?" she ventured.
"Are you that eager to get rid of me?" he joked.
"No." she said honestly, "Just eager to get to bed."
Neither of them said anything or did anything for a while and then Jo broke the silence. "Where are you staying? Is it far?" 'Damn,' she thought 'I'd meant to pick one or the other to say, this isn't 'twenty questions'!' Her thoughts were so jumbled.
"No. Only about 20 minutes away."
Jo shivered and he immediately asked her if she was okay. She said she was just cold. She was, but she couldn't help but notice that he was now staring at her goosepimpled legs. When they locked eyes she almost completely forgot what she was going to say.
"Maybe I should get changed after all." She said finally, standing up. As she moved away Dean caught her right arm, just above her wrist. He stared at it and she turned her head back.
Both stayed still, confused by what had just happened until Dean spoke, "No; don't. I should go." was all he said.
"Gotta sneak back before Sam wakes up right?" she guessed.
"Yeah, but he doesn't even move a muscle until gone 9 some days. 'Cept that's my fault, I…" he stopped.
Jo turned fully round when he let go of her arm.
"Well, when he can sleep, I just let him." Dean finished.
Jo relaxed, softening a little and sat down opposite him on the edge of the coffee table. She was beginning to get to that point where she'd been awake so long, she wasn't sure she could get back to sleep even if she went to bed now, so she thought 'If you don't have to go, why don't you stay a while?' but she knew she couldn't ask him that. He'd stay if he wanted to stay, and he was saying he should leave.
He'd just let a piece of him go. With that insight he'd become exposed, vulnerable and he didn't feel comfortable with that. He should go; he said he would, but he stayed sat staring at her, forgetting how to put one foot in front of the other and leave. Then Dean kicked back into himself and he stood up. Jo was slightly relieved, as she had just been about to reach out for his hand, and by doing so probably embarrass them both.
"Okay." he said trying to avoid the view down her top that his new elevated position afforded him. Then Jo stood up too, and walked him to the door. She opened it and he stood to her right in front of it. All he needed to do was walk past her – in between her and the door – and go into the hallway and he'd be gone, but he hesitated again. This time he was just searching for a way to leave things with her, "So…"
"Yeah." she said, glancing at the floor, "I'd better be off to bed."
Images of her in bed came into his mind involuntarily – well him wrapped around her in her bed to be more specific – and he was sure his face was giving him away, so he covered his actual lust with a lustful joke, "Room for one more?"
"Huh?!" she declared, shocked, looking up at him.
"I was joking." he said, kicking himself for not realising she was in no state to find anything funny.
"Yeah. Of course you were…I'm just…" she rushed a hand to her temple and laughed, "I'm just tired."
He nodded as she swung the front door to and fro. He couldn't understand why that simple, easily breakable barrier – her holding the door – was preventing him from leaving for some reason.
"Are we okay?" he asked through the fog.
"Yeah." she smiled, "We're okay."
And with that he moved gently forward. Jo released the door and he made it all the way to the side of her before he hesitated again. He could smell the jasmine on her – of course he had no idea that was what it was – and it made his stomach tighten, sending messages somewhere else. His 'downstairs brain' took over immediately and made him lean in to smell her hair.
As he moved close Jo could smell him too; aftershave and that leather smell from his jacket that made her feel safe and warm somehow.
He moved his head down her neck. He took in the curve of it with his eyes, and moved his lips closer so his breath was hot and inviting, but kept far enough away so that he was teasing.
Her eyes were closed now and she looked as if she was going to fall, or was concentrating on not falling. To steady her – and also in an excuse to touch her – Dean brought his left hand up to rest on the inward curve of her waist, just above her right hip. He continued to breathe heavily at her neck and she had to bite her lip when his hand began to move slowly, skating up and down her skin and each time brushing her top up a tiny bit.
Dean was watching her and relished every sign of pleasure in her that he saw. Even though his own expression remained unflinching, hers gave away all those emotions she'd managed to keep hiding from him the day before.
Finally closing his eyes he let his lips brush along the side of her neck.
"Dean." she moaned.
Hearing her he hung his head, moving his lips away and letting his hand fall back to his side. He turned to look out into the hallway.
"I'm sorry." he said moving to leave, but Jo put a hand on his chest, pushing slightly, hard enough to halt him.
Dean got the message – she wanted him to stay – so he kicked the door shut behind him with the back of his foot. He walked to stand in front of her and watched her as she looked up at him.