Her hands seemed to know exactly where to go to drive him crazy and ramp up the aching want that was building inside of him.
He'd never felt anything remotely like what he was feeling at that moment, as he felt her lips moving on his. They were soft and warm and teased him with a promise of something more. And when he would try and deepen their kiss, she would shake her head and laugh softly.
He'd never suspected that she could be such a tease or that he could be so aroused by it. Who was he kidding?
He never suspected that he could be so aroused by her.
Clark could feel his heart beat furiously in double time. He frowned in confusion because he couldn't figure out exactly when he'd started getting caught in these daydreams.
And it wasn't that they were particularly vivid, but more that he was in an obviously intimate situation with a woman that he couldn't see.
It was worse at night because his senses were heightened and he could almost feel a pair of hands skimming his chest and his shoulders and his arms.
It was pure, blissful torture.
What tortured him even more though, was that he had no idea who she was.
Clark shook his head as he tried to clear faint wisps of the images away when the elevator came to a smooth stop. There was a soft 'ding' just before the doors opened and when they did, Lois was standing on the other side.
How the heck had she gotten up there so fast? "Lois?"
"You didn't seriously think I meant taking the stairs all the way up here, did you?" One of her slender hands rest on a hip and the look she was giving him was saying, 'Oh, Smallville.'
"Then how-"
"I walked up to the first floor and took the other elevator." Lois explained to him as she reached in and grabbed his sleeve. "Come on, we're late."
She turned on her heel, not bothering to wait for him and walked toward Tess's office. And as he followed behind, took the opportunity to watch the swish of her slightly mussed hair as it brushed against her back which drew his gaze to her trim waist, her long legs and the way her skirt accented her-
Stop that! She wants to keep the game on the field remember?
Face it Clark, you lost your chance; and the thought of it frustrated him.
It was a frustration that had started after he'd made the decision not to join her at the café for coffee. It was a decision he regretted before he'd even sent her the text that he wouldn't be able to make it, but felt it was the only thing he could do.
The fact was he wanted to protect her; from his secret and from the burden knowing that secret would put on her.
Everyone he knew had been affected in some way or another because they knew about his true origins. And the last thing he wanted was for something to happen to Lois, because she meant so much to him.
He didn't know exactly when, but his feelings for her had changed. They'd snuck up on him so quietly that he didn't fully realize how he felt about her until she'd vanished into thin air and he had no idea where she was.
He'd searched for days and there was no sign of her. He even called her father, who'd been stationed at the Pentagon, but hadn't heard from his daughter. He promised to use every means at his disposal to find her.
He'd held out hope that General Lane would be able to help him, But when he couldn't, Clark lost his will to keep going on as though nothing had changed because everything had changed.
He'd lost the woman he'd fallen in love with and a good friend had been killed.
It was in part, because of that, that Clark had made the decision to give up his humanity. He'd allowed himself to be swayed by others who thought they knew better than he did and in the end Jimmy Olsen had died.
If only he'd stood firm on sending Davis to the Phantom Zone and not let Chloe sway him, Jimmy would still be alive and Lois would too.
That was the conclusion he'd come to about her and it was the last straw that got him to declare that Clark Kent was dead. Because it was Clark Kent who had been responsible for letting two people he cared about, die.
So he'd headed up to the Fortress to fulfill his promise to Jor-El and began his training. And the longer he stayed, immersing himself in his Kryptonian heritage; Clark Kent became a distant memory.
But even as he'd begun to think of himself as Kal-El, son of Lara and Jor-El, the one thought he couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried, was Lois.
Memories of her haunted him at night when he should have been resting, they haunted him as he systematically went through each crystal and learned more about his home world and even when he would patrol the streets of Metropolis at night.
It was on a particularly quiet night that he'd finally given in to the overwhelming urge to go to the Planet, though he knew she wouldn't be there.
He'd hidden in the shadows of the darkened basement, watching her desk in the desperate hope that he would see her. And as would always be the case, there would have been a large cup of coffee sitting near her hand, ready to be sipped after which would come the inevitable, 'Crap', because it would still be too hot.
But all he'd seen were two empty desks that were cleared of any personal belongings and he wondered where their things could have been taken.
"Clark, would you snap out of it?" Lois' voice brought him up short. Even with an impatient frown on her face, she was still beautiful and he'd missed her. "You've been like this ever since you came back to the Planet."
"I'm sorry Lois, I was just thinking."
"Well stop thinking and start moving." She huffed and he felt his heart pulse. She may have been annoyed with him, but at least she was here, and she was alive.
"I don't appreciate being kept waiting by two cub reporters." They were greeted as Clark walked into the office with Lois leading the way. "Especially those same reporters who left this newspaper without the courtesy of a two-week notice."
"What do you want Tess?" Lois cut to the chase.
"And you wonder why you're still in the basement." Came the mocking response. "Lane, with an attitude like that, that's where you're going to spend the rest of your career."
"I wouldn't bet on it." She shot back. "I earned my way into this job because I'm a good reporter, what did you do?"
"Whether you earned your way into the job is debatable, but rumor has it that you kept it by giving the editor a little personal attention."
Tess was deliberately baiting her and Clark stood next to Lois and brushed his fingers against hers, letting her know she had his support.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She balked at his touch and he sighed quietly.
He deserved that.
"Don't be coy Lois." Tess's voice was smooth and Clark knew she was aware of what he'd just done. "Sleeping with the editor is the oldest ploy in the book."
"Who told you that?" To her credit, Lois wasn't defensive, just irritated.
"Lex compiled dossiers on everyone who ever worked for him." Tess smirked at her. "And yours was quite the interesting read, including your extra curricular activities with Grant Gabriel."
"I never would have taken you for a voyeur." Lois ignored the obvious insinuation and Clark could feel the tension in the room. There'd been a palpable animosity between the two women since Tess had taken over for Lex, but it had intensified since he'd come back to the Planet and he didn't know why. "But I guess when your own life doesn't have a lot going for it; you have to live through other people."
"My life is going just the way I want, thank you." She didn't take the bait. "But I didn't call the two of you up here so that you and I could trade barbs."
"Then why did you call us up here?" Lois frowned. "I'm in the middle of a story."
"Not anymore." She answered and picked up a file folder from her desk. "I'm reassigning you."
"You can't do that!" Lois protested. "I still have to interview the mayor."
"I'll be giving that to one of the senior reporters and they'll take care of it." Clark didn't like the look on her face and suddenly had the feeling he wasn't going to like what she had in mind. "I've got something else, for you and Kent."
He definitely didn't like it.
"Clark?" Her voice pitched up. "Why him?"
"Because I think the two of you are perfect for what I have in mind." Tess elaborated a little more and Clark suddenly felt as though the floor was about to drop from under his feet.
It didn't take long.
"You're going undercover as newlyweds."
They were toast.