Hey all! Just to clear up something: There will be NO inclusion of the sperm donor. For those who have actual worry, what I said the end of the last chapter was a joke. Please don't panic lol. As for the story, there definitely will be five chapters. Chapter five is just shaping up to be the longest. But definitely five total. Thanks for all the love too! You all are far too kind. Enjoy chapter four!
The Amazingly Different Race Part IV
Luke came from the bathroom in boxer shorts and a thin sleeveless shirt.
His fingers nervously pulled at the back of his hair as he rounded the corner back into the room. Lorelai was sitting on her bed by the pillows. Her right foot was on the mattress in front of her, and she was tying the string to her tennis shoe. She looked up and saw Luke.
"Hey," she said timidly. She lowered her leg to the floor. She looked him up and down briefly. "Had a good shower? I hope I didn't leave too much water on the floor. There wasn't a towel or anything that I could--"
He held up a hand. "It was fine. Thanks." He stopped and leaned against the wall by his bed.
She nodded, her eyes glued to him. "Um…" Luke looked at her without reservation. He lifted his eyebrows, questioning whether or not she was going to finish her thought. She gestured at him. "You want to sit down for a sec?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm good."
"Okay." She looked around pointlessly for a moment then took a breath and returned attention to him. "We need to talk," she said, her eyes squinted in apology.
Luke bit his lip, looked around, and gave one large accepting nod. "You think it was a mistake," he said knowingly.
Her eyes went wide and she looked at him sideways. "I…uh" She shook her head confusedly, "don't think it was a mistake. But..it's nice to know how you feel."
He shrugged. "I don't feel that way," he said simply. "It just sounded like you were about to say that."
She shook her head. "Well, I wasn't."
"Good to know."
She looked at him considerately. "Listen, I don't regret that it happened, ya know? I mean, you regret one-night stands with old fat guys named Bubba," she said lightly. She gestured at him. "Not with your best…Luke," she ended with a smile. He nodded at her but gave no expression.
"So, what happens from here?" he asked in a clipped tone.
"Don't…sound like that…okay?"
"Like what?"
She sighed. "Like I'm saying something that I'm not."
"So, what are you saying?" he asked, trying to keep emotion from his voice.
She stood up. "I'm saying that we don't have to figure this out right now, Luke. We're in a hotel room, for god's sake. This isn't us—this isn't our element! I'm not shutting the idea of you and me down. I'm just suggesting that we finish the race, get back to Stars Hollow—back in our everyday environment—then see what we can see."
He deliberated for a moment. "So, you're saying that you just want to--"
"—snap a cork on it until we get back home," she finished, happy that he didn't sound slighted. "Let's just be Luke and Lorelai for now."
He nodded as thoughts noticeably bounced around in his head. Finally, he shrugged. "Okay."
She moved away from the bed cautiously. "You're okay with that?"
He took a tired breath. "Yeah," he answered honestly. "That's fine."
She smiled with relief and kept inching over. "Good. And I'm sorry. I know I joked about it, but I really do get a little…ya know…when I'm wound tight." He rolled his eyes and she smiled. "And then you made that 'see you as a joke' comment, and…" She shrugged. "The last thing I see you as is a joke. So, that kind of brought out some..." She paused. "You know?"
"Yeah. I get it," he said quickly.
She nodded. Sighed. She now stood at the end of his bed, a couple of feet from him. "So, uh…back to friends?"
He pulled at his hair again and gave her a smile. "Yeah. Back to friends."
She cocked her head. "This isn't going to affect your game, is it?"
He smiled. "No, Lorelai."
"Good. Because I'd hate to have to kick your ass."
He scoffed. "Yeah. Good luck with that."
She smiled and moved in more. "Thanks for understanding, okay?"
"No problem."
She reached for him, and he leaned away from the wall and down to her so they could hug properly. Luke regulated his breathing and looked to the far wall as her fingers lightly ran over his naked neck and shoulders. She held on seconds longer than was appropriate for a friendly embrace. After second eleven, he patted her back kindly and pulled away. He had not put on pants yet, and he definitely didn't want to chance any sort of salute. His boxer shorts wouldn't even attempt to hide it.
Lorelai backed away and crossed her arms. Her eyes dropped to his chest. "So, um, I guess you can put on some pants," she said with a smile. "And we can go stand outside and watch the teams come in."
He narrowed his eyes. "And do what?"
"Well…I was thinking about laughing and pointing, but if you have something better in mind, please feel free to share."
He rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't want anybody doing that to you, would you?"
She considered that. "No, I wouldn't. That provides all the more incentive to come in first!" she ended rationally. She turned away. "Now, hurry up and get dressed before we miss them." She grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. Luke figured she was joking until he saw her button her jacket and go over to the door.
She opened it and peered out into the falling daylight. Her sudden laughter let him know how serious she was.
"Well, well, well," she began loudly. "Look who's just stumbling across the finish line!" The door closed behind her.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Luke pushed forward, Lorelai tailing him by a great distance.
"You're still back there, right?" he yelled.
Lorelai's breathing was heavy. She swallowed, hung her head, and pedaled a few more times before she climbed off of her bike.
Luke turned around since he had not gotten an answer from her. "Lorelai, are you okay?"
She looked up the road at him. He was seven or eight meters ahead. One of her thumbs shot up in the air, and Luke realized for the first time that it was possible for someone to be sarcastic even with a hand signal. He climbed off of his bike and waited for her to catch up.
"Lorelai, I know it's hard, but you have to move faster than that," he yelled down to her. She leaned forward on the hill and pushed her bike up faster.
"I know," she yelled breathily as she got nearer to him, "It's just that…that…this hill hates me."
"It doesn't hate you," he said once she was closer. He flipped the top on his water bottle and squirted a generous amount in his mouth. "It's just mind over matter." He passed her his water. "Mind over matter," he repeated. "Just keep telling your body that."
"My body is tired of listening to me. It told me to go to hell after I got off that damn rock yesterday," she said huffily. She took the bottle and wrapped her lips around the spout like a baby's bottle. Luke shook his head and rolled his eyes at the same time.
"Sure, put backwash in it. That should increase the flavor."
She drank some more then lowered the bottle. Her breathing had evened out just a tad. She passed his bottle back to him while giving him a pointed look. "You think I have cooties, Luke?" He took his bottle and refrained from answering the question. He already knew where she was about to go with that one. It would be somewhere in the region of reminding him of all the bodily fluids they'd shared on the previous day. He didn't seem to care about cooties then.
He gestured ahead and, instead, told her, "Half a mile more. Come on." He walked his bike up the hill since she was doing that.
Lorelai whined. "Oh my goooodddd." She pushed onward to keep pace with Luke. "Whose idea was it to do this competition again?"
"Yours."
"Ugh. Remind me to smack myself later, okay?"
"Consider it on the 'to do' list."
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
It took one and a half hours for Luke and Lorelai to complete the Triathlon.
They biked up a mile-long hill after having to make it on foot for two miles. Only the walking portion was done with their gear. Swimming came last. Each team had to swim back and forth in a 25-meter pool a total of four times. Though each team member had to participate, there was no rule as to how many laps any one team member had to complete. As long as both did at least one.
When Lorelai made it up the pool's step ladder, she dropped down in the grass at Luke's feet. He leaned over her, his wet hair dripping onto her swimsuit.
"You okay?" he asked with a lighter breath. He was exhausted as well but had been given time to rest as Lorelai took her turn. "You're still alive, aren't you?"
Her chest rose and fell heavily. "Barely."
He smiled and sat down in the grass beside her. "You know you could've let me do three," he said, responding to her fatigue.
Her eyes were closed. She blindly laid her hand on his bare back. "We've had…to…do the same exact…stuff." She breathed for a moment. "We're both exhausted. Wouldn't be fair for you to…pick up my…slack too."
They'd already had that argument before Lorelai stepped in the pool. She had complained all the way up the hill, and Luke knew she was tired, so when it came to this portion of the race, he volunteered to handle most of it. She refused. As she swam, Luke watched her with knitted brows. He discovered that Lorelai was a very talented swimmer. Her strokes told him that she'd had lessons—maybe in her youth. Her strokes were smooth, and her body's fluent movement beneath the water gave her a remarkable pace. Her time was much faster than Luke's, and he realized they would have been better off if she'd been the one to volunteer the heavier workload.
"So, you're a swimmer," he mentioned.
She found strength to laugh. "Please."
"Seriously. I was watching. And…damn."
Her eyes remained closed, and her hand still rested lazily on his back. She used her nails and raked lightly across his skin. He felt that mild sensation everywhere. She spoke normally. "I took lessons for a few years as a kid. Remember I grew up with the Gilmores. I was to be kept thin, flexible, agile, smart—just any and all traits that would help me secure the highest millionaire bidder."
He chuckled. "Well, they did a good job."
She smiled. "Are we in the lead?"
Luke looked around at the empty pool area. "Nope. I think we're pretty far behind actually."
She groaned. "Oh darn. I guess we need to not be sitting here lounging in the sun right now, huh?"
He nodded. "Yeeeep, we should probably get a move on," he said musingly.
She rubbed his back with more commitment. "Can you get up, then help me up, please? My legs…are just so ouchie," she said with a pitiful moan.
He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Your legs are 'ouchie'?" She lifted her arms to him, and he took her hands. "I guess nobody wants ouchie legs," he mocked.
"My legs, my neck, my back," she complained while Luke pulled. "…all ouchie. So much ouchiness." He pulled harder as he realized she was giving very little assistance. She made it to her feet. "Thanks, babe," she said softly. She began to wring her hair out.
He leaned down, picked up a couple of towels, and handed her one. "Okay, let's go change so we can get a move on," he said, finally back in competition mode. Lorelai nodded. She went off to the ladies room and Luke went to the men's.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
The sign was a big one.
It was big and shaped just like an actual 'Yield' sign.
Luke wanted to strangle the one responsible. But that was nothing compared to Lorelai. He'd never seen her so angry.
On the sign, there was a large picture of one team who was forced to wait there for a full hour. An hour! The team who'd made it to the sign first had the honor of choosing the team to suffer that fate. There was no question as to who arrived first because that team's photo was tacked at the bottom beside the words: Courtesy of.
Luke and Lorelai stared at a picture of the two of them. Below that picture, beside 'courtesy of' was a cheesing picture of Kirk and Marla.
Luke's frustration took a backseat as he worked to calm Lorelai down.
"We're already behind, and look what we have to deal with now!" she screamed.
"I know. It sucks. But Lorelai--"
"This is it. We're going home. We're going home thanks to stupid Kirk and his weird, wonder-woman granny partner! I'm going to kill him!"
"Listen, I know how you feel," Luke began rationally. "Trust me, but we can't start---"
"I swear…I-I just…" She paced. "I cannot believe this!!"
"Lorelai."
"It's over. It's so over. It's so unbelievably over."
Luke rolled his eyes tiredly and folded his arms. It didn't even seem like Lorelai was hearing his voice as he spoke to her. She was way too upset. She paced for minutes more. She mumbled and uttered hateful words then had those around her jumping in surprise when she turned up the volume and shouted more words without warning.
Around the ten minute mark of their detainment, she simmered. She moved beside Luke and took a heavy breath.
"Why aren't you more upset?" she asked.
He shrugged lethargically. "I was. I think whatever anger I had was worked out by watching you rant and rave."
She shook her head as a few lingering frustrations passed through. "Sorry. I'm better now, though."
He sighed and pointed to the sand. "Wanna sit?"
She smiled a little. "Sure, why not? We're gonna be here for a while."
They sat down and quietly entertained their own thoughts. Lorelai picked up a stick and drew a few squiggles and stick figures then erased them. She drew a tic-tac-toe board, an 'x' in the middle, then passed the stick to Luke. He rolled his eyes and took it. He drew an 'o' in one of the corners, and they continued on silently.
Lorelai won three in a row before Luke realized how much of an advantage she had by going first.
She smiled when he brought it to her attention, but since he had yet to win one, she still got first selection. The next one was a 'cat'. She won two more, then gave him a courtesy by allowing him to lead. Luke won the next one, then lost. Lorelai won twice more. Luke erased the board and began a game of Sprouts.
Thirty-five minutes later, the two of them looked up at the sound of footsteps. The other Woodsbury team which consisted of two cousins—a guy and a girl—were making their way to the final clue.
Luke and Lorelai shared a look. They were pretty sure that that team was the last one. They still had fifteen minutes left to remain there, and the last team was about to be on their way to the pit stop. The cousins gave a collective sigh of relief when they saw that they were not in last place. They got their clue and continued on. Luke tossed the stick in the sand as he noticed Lorelai's distraction. She quietly watched the team move quickly to their destination.
Luke leaned back on his hands. "Hey, y'okay?" he asked considerately.
She looked at him and then down to the sand with an accepting sigh. "Well, I suppose that's that." Luke looked away from her sad expression. He felt a tap on his knee moments later, and he met her eyes. She smiled. "Why'd you drop the stick? We didn't finish our game." She picked it up and passed it to him. He smiled a little and used the stick to draw his next curve.
Lorelai took it when he extended it back to her. "Good one," she praised quietly as she determined her next move.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
When given the 'okay', Luke and Lorelai gathered their bags, figured out the final clue, and hurried to the pit stop. They knew they were last, but it still didn't affect the fight they'd displayed for the past four days.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived.
"There it is," Lorelai said with a point. She pointed to the sign that was lugged around from pit stop to pit stop to let the racers know they'd made it. This time, they stood in front of a bed and breakfast in Litchfield.
"Oh, I see it," Luke said. They made their way to where a greeter stood awaiting them.
Lorelai lowered her bag to the ground.
The man that was the evening's greeter appeared to wait until they both looked settled before he spoke.
"Luke, Lorelai…." He paused. "You are the last team to arrive at the pit stop today."
Lorelai's heart sank to her feet.
She knew they were going to be the last team. That was obvious. But it was something about having it be made official that made it increasingly worse. She felt Luke's arm go around her shoulder, and he pulled her closer and kissed her in her hair. Her hand went to his chest, and she offered a kind smile to the man who was delivering the awful news. Her eyes went up to Luke.
"Well--" she started to say.
"However," the man continued. "During the swimming portion of the Triathlon, all teammates were instructed to swim at least one lap in the pool. The team that arrived prior to you guys had one person swim all laps." Lorelai's eyes widened. "In order to have completed the challenge successfully, they would have had to go back and re-do that part of the challenge. They opted not to."
"So, does that mean…?" Lorelai began excitedly.
The man smiled. "So," he continued, "By default…you two are safe from elimination," he finished.
Lorelai squealed. Luke looked over at her with a bright smile. She reached over and hugged him and then she hugged the greeter. They all laughed. The man dropped his official sounding tone and waved them toward the large bed and breakfast.
"Go in, get settled, and go get some dinner. It's been a long day."
Lorelai picked her bag up, and she and Luke made their way to the building. She couldn't seem to let go of the smile she wore.
"Luke…god, I never thought I'd be so happy to make it through on a technicality."
Luke chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I would've taken anything. We've come so far, ya know? It just sucked to be standing there being told we were the last team."
"Man, you have no idea," she said as relief and happiness replaced all thoughts in her head. She laid her hand on his shoulder. "We have to kick some serious ass tomorrow, dude. I can't go through this again."
"I'm with you on that. Serious ass kicking." He held out his hand, and she laughed as she took her hand from his shoulder and slapped five with him. She leaned into him happily and rubbed his arm with affection. They separated gradually and walked up the stairs to enter the establishment.
As soon as they walked inside, they spotted a few of their competitors just hanging around in the lobby talking. Lorelai sighed with relief that she was still one of them.
She spotted Kirk over in a corner near a bookshelf. He was skimming titles. Lorelai's smile immediately disappeared, and she stalked over to him. Luke didn't even notice she'd left his side until he heard her yelling.
"Kirk, you jackass! What the hell did you yield Luke and me for?!"
Kirk spun around and stood stock-still at hearing the angry words. "Uh w-what?" he asked confusedly.
Lorelai lowered her bag to the floor in front of him. "You yielded Luke and me!" she accused. "Why did you do that?" Her tone softened a bit that time. She was genuinely confused and hurt at his actions.
Kirk's eyes were wide like he was scared she was going to attack him. Luke came up behind Lorelai and looked at him too. Lorelai didn't seem like she was about to fly completely off the handle, so he just stood behind her, awaiting an answer to her question.
Kirk looked from Luke to Lorelai and back again. He looked terrified like he thought they were really going to rough him up.
Lorelai sighed and brought her fingers to her temples. She spoke with patience. "Look…I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't—I-I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry." Kirk nodded while looking at her distrustfully. She continued on slowly. "I just need to know why," she said, her voice becoming harsh. She paused and got control once again. She spoke through her teeth. "I need to know why. you. would. do. that."
Kirk seemed to relax with her kinder tone and body language.
He sighed. "Well, this is a competition, isn't it?" he asked smartly.
"Watch it, Kirk," Luke warned.
Kirk rolled his eyes at Luke. "Look, this is a competition. I'm not taking pity on anybody in this race. I'm sorry if I made it there first and beat you two to the punch, but hey, look at the bright side. At least you guys made it and didn't get eliminated, right?" He looked between them as he waited in vain for agreement. "So, don't get bent out of shape here. Just go get some food, go up to your room, and rest up for tomorrow's defeat."
Luke made a move toward Kirk, and Lorelai stopped him with her arm. Kirk backed away and kept a watchful eye on him.
Lorelai got in his face and talked loudly like he was hard of hearing. "Kirk, I want you to liiiisten to me!" she began as she tapped her own ear in demonstration. "You and I are both from Staaaaars Hooolllooowww. You do. not. yield a Staaaaars Hooolllooowww team when there are three other teams!"
She moved away, and asked him with a wide-eyed look if he was clear on what she'd just said.
Kirk looked confused.
"So…I'm not supposed to compete with you?" he asked.
Lorelai sighed quietly and spoke to him in a normal tone. "No, I'm not saying that. You and I can have our own little competition going. It's nothing wrong with that. If you make it to point A first, you can shove it in my face. That's fine. I plan to do the same thing to you." She grasped the sides of his arms and looked at him squarely. "But we don't hold each other back in the race. We're representing for our town, Kirk. If you get an opportunity to yield someone, yield one of those losers," she said pointing to the people in the lobby. "We don't care about their town. We just want Stars Hollow to come out on top. Now once we've knocked out all the other competition, and it's just you and me…" She let him go and smiled. "Then it's all war baby. Trip me, pull my hair, yield me. Do whatever you have to do to make sure you and Marla win this thing. But until that time comes---"
"They're the enemy," Kirk said evilly as he looked over into the lobby.
Lorelai nodded. "Exactly."
"You get it now?" Luke asked snippily.
Kirk nodded in a humble manner and looked back and forth between them. "I'm sorry I yielded you guys."
Lorelai took a large, exhausted breath and hit his shoulder in a show of good sportsmanship. "Enh, don't worry about it. We still made it."
He smiled and looked down. With sudden enthusiasm, he asked, "Hey, you guys gonna go eat dinner now? I've already had dinner, but I haven't eaten dessert. We can eat together!"
"Why can't you eat with your own teammate?" Luke asked unapologetically.
He sighed. "I would, but she's in the bed." Both Luke and Lorelai looked at their watch. "I know, I know. It's only 8:30pm. Strikes me as odd too." He waved away that momentary puzzlement. "Anyway, what do you two say? Can we eat together?" he asked.
Lorelai scowled playfully. "With you? Dude, you're our competition. We can't be seen fraternizing. What's wrong with you?"
His happiness fell away. "Oh. Yeah…I guess you're right," he said, taking Lorelai's comment to heart. "Well, uh…try the spaghetti, then. It's really good."
Lorelai chuckled. "I was kidding, Kirk. Give us a minute to get our room, and we'll meet you back down here."
He lit up. "Okay! I'll be here."
Lorelai picked her bag back up and walked with Luke over to the check-in desk to get their key. "Are we really gonna eat with him? I don't wanna eat with him, dammit. He yielded us!" he complained.
Lorelai laughed. "Grow up, Luke. He didn't know what he was doing," she placated. Luke rolled his eyes as she came to Kirk's defense. Lorelai leaned close. "Besides, I have some chocolate laxatives in my bag. Now, we wouldn't want them going to waste, would we?"
A slow smile came over Luke's face as he studied her. "You wouldn't…"
"He's gonna have his dessert alright," she announced gaily. "With a little chocolate surpriiiiise on the siiiiide."
Luke shook his head, more satisfied than he was willing to admit. "Why do I ever doubt you?"
She shrugged lightly. "Beats me. You'll learn one of these days," she ended with a cool wink.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Luke emerged from the bathroom, went over to the cot that he had set up, and climbed under the covers.
"Can you turn that TV down?" he said to Lorelai.
"It's not even that loud."
"It's too loud to go to sleep to." He wiped his eyes.
Lorelai pressed the volume down arrow several times until the voices from the television could barely be heard. She looked down at him from where she lay in the large solitary bed. "Better?"
He looked over at her as well. "You don't have to turn it down that much," he deadpanned.
She shrugged and flipped the channel. "Doesn't matter. I'm about to hit the sack too." She went past a channel that had soft erotica playing. The flipping ceased, and Luke slid down under his covers and turned away like he had a sudden urge to fall asleep at that very moment.
"Turn from that," he said.
"Why?"
"Fine. Leave it there. Whatever."
She turned the TV off and reached over to the lamp. "Night."
"Goodnight."
She clicked the switch and sighed as she nestled beneath the covers. Luke's cot squeaked as he moved around trying to find a more comfortable position. There was a bright light that shined into the room from outside. It came from a very ambitious streetlight and shined directly in Lorelai's face. She turned away from it and put pillows behind her to block it. A few seconds of silence passed, then Luke started moving around again. Lorelai smiled. More seconds passed, and the squeaking started once more. She chuckled quietly to herself then sat up in the bed.
"Luke, just come up here. That cot is driving me crazy so I can only imagine what it's doing to you."
He raised his arms and dropped them to the outside of the covers. "No, I'm good," he said pitifully. "Just takes a while to get comfortable, that's all."
She pulled the covers off of her body and placed her feet on the floor. "Let's switch."
"What? No, I told you I'm good."
"Come on, you take the bed, and I'll take the cot." She stood up and crossed her arms casually as she moved over toward him. "I slept on a cot when I first moved into the potting shed, so I have prior experience," she replied lightheartedly. She stopped a couple of feet from him. "It's not a problem."
He looked up at her. "Lorelai, go get back in the bed. I'm not switching," he said stubbornly.
"Alright, but when I get back in that bed, don't think about changing your mind. This is a pretty good deal I'm offering you here."
He pulled cover higher on his chest. "Yeah, and I appreciate it, but it's not necessary."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself." She turned to get back in the bed but took note of the open window with the high-beaming streetlight shining through. She moved toward the window. "What, is this thing like the whole town's security light? I wouldn't be surprised if we woke up tomorrow and saw ships and vessels beached on the lawn."
Lorelai walked around where Luke laid. He was on his back. He leaned his head back into the pillow and watched as she went over to the window. "It is a little bright, isn't it?" he asked casually.
She searched out the cord on the curtain, then pulled it. "A little?" she asked arguably. "This light probably confuses the roosters." Luke smiled. "Have 'em cocodoodledooing at midnight." She pulled the cord, and it barely moved. "Thing's stuck," she muttered as she looked upward at where the cord hung from.
She yanked on it.
"Don't pull it like that," Luke said.
She glanced back at him. "It's not moving."
"I know, but don't yank it. That's not gonna help."
"Ya know, I see you laying there talking, but I don't see you helping much," she replied smartly.
"Oh jeez." Luke pulled away his cover and stood. He walked over sluggishly while still watching her do exactly what he'd said not to do. "Lorelai, I wouldn't be surprised if that whole thing just--" His eyes bugged out and he rushed over at seeing the whole left side of the heavy curtain come down, rod and all. Lorelai ducked down but was still knocked over the head with the end of it. Luke made it to her just as it happened, and he pulled it up off of her. She grasped her head.
"Ow!" she said with a frown.
He laughed. "I told you not to pull on it like that."
"Damn it," she whispered. "That really hurt."
He touched her head where she'd been hit. "You'll be okay," he determined quickly.
"Oh, thanks," she said in sarcasm as he brushed off her injury.
He took a nearby chair and climbed onto it. He easily reattached the curtain and lowered himself back down. He took a breath and pushed the chair away. "Sorry," he said of his disregard. He gave her his full attention again. "Are you okay? I didn't feel a knot or anything."
She clutched her head. "I guess I'll be alright." She dropped her hand. "Thanks for the delayed concern," she said scornfully.
"Hey, better late than ne--"
Her hand went over his mouth. "Do you really think that's gonna help your case right now?" She felt his lips turn up into a smile beneath her hand. He shook his head, no. She smiled as their eyes remained focused on each other. Luke mumbled words that she couldn't determine due to the muffle she'd created. She chuckled. "What?" He mumbled again, and she laughed more. "What?" He lowered her hand from his mouth.
"If you get your hand from my mouth, you'll be able to hear me."
She still smiled. "That's not what you said."
"I was telling you to take your hand from my mouth."
She nodded hugely. "Ooohhh. Got it." The hand that she had over his mouth went to his T-shirt, and she swiped her hand down, then back up his chest. They looked at one another. "You spit on me," she whispered with an exaggerated glower. He smiled.
Her movement slowed. They didn't break eye contact. She continued to swipe her hand up and down his chest. To his stomach and up to his chest. Luke's smile faded from his lips. Her hand went up, then went back down…down to the band on the jogging pants he wore. She parted her lips and brought her hand up once more. A light fistful of his shirt was grasped, and she pulled him to her.
Lips met lips, then tongue met tongue. Lorelai's back slid across the door, and she lifted Luke's shirt as her hands explored more and more of his strong back. Her legs wrapped around his waist, then her arms went around his neck. He grinded her body slowly. He kissed her deeply. Angled his head a bit and kissed her even deeper. She held his head and moved with him. She desired even more of that which had her fleeing out of control. Luke pulled away to catch a breath. Lorelai needed one too.
She swallowed and shook her head, her eyes closed due to mind-numbing, coursing sensation. Luke's mouth was below her ear. He sucked softly. So damn skillfully. He marked her skin. Then he was on her neck. Doing the same incredible damage.
"Luke…Luke…god…bed….please." Her words were barely audible. She wondered if she'd even spoken them. Her mind remained with Luke's touch. Luke's sensation. Luke's…sensation. All his. His and his alone. It was unbearable and still so desired, so very essential.
She said his name. Called his name over and over, making repetition her plea. A million times, she called his name. And he answered when he touched her. He responded as he sucked her tongue. He showed he was listening as he laid her down and entered her in one long, smooth stroke.
Lorelai cried out, and she begged him to not stop. Her limbs anchored him, and her nails marred his muscular back. He entered and exited her tight body with force she inspired. Sensation rained upon her and dampened her sanity. She felt herself floating and falling and sailing away as he penetrated her desire.
Lips met, and they kissed. Stirred passion even more.
Luke pushed hard. He moved his ass, worked the middle, and had moans and whimpers filling the room.
He brought her to climax in the middle of a feeling she didn't want to end. There came a strangled moan that seemed to go on. His pelvis remained committed to the up and downs. Lorelai's nails went deeper into his skin as she found an inability to catch a breath at the never-ending orgasm. When left with no choice, he slowed, clipped the feeling, and Lorelai breathed deeply and allowed the aftershocks to course her body.
She searched out his mouth and kissed him passionately. Luke's speed increased and he groaned into their kiss as he filled her with his release.
Still, they kissed. His strokes slowed, and he just moved gingerly. Their lips separated.
Quiet breaths floated between them.
Lorelai's legs relaxed, and she slowly took them from around Luke's body. He looked into her eyes, then carefully pulled himself out of her. She whimpered. He whispered the word "sorry" then kissed the corner of her mouth. She moved her head and met his mouth fully. They opened up and gave tongue. The kiss went even deeper before it slowed. They pulled away once again and met eyes.
Lorelai's finger lightly traced a welt formed from one of many fresh scratches on his back.
"Are you going to be okay," she whispered. He nodded as he looked down to her. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he said, matching her tone.
She brought her hand to the side of his hair and dragged her fingers through affectionately. "I'm gonna go sleep on the cot…" she said softly. He looked at her but said nothing. His eyes revealed question and hurt. He nodded a little and started to lift himself from her, but she pulled him back gently. "Hey. Remember. Just until Stars Hollow." He slowly recalled their earlier conversation, and his eyes came to show that remembrance. Lorelai smiled at seeing that. "We're okay?" she asked.
He nodded more believably that time. "Yeah. We're okay."
She smiled more. "Okay." He started to lift himself once more, and Lorelai leaned up and kissed his lips. He paused and pressed his lips back onto hers. They held it for several seconds then pulled away. "Friends til Stars Hollow," she whispered on his mouth. He nodded, then initiated a deep, tongue kiss. They separated.
Lorelai slipped from beneath him and stood up. She looked back at him nervously then walked around and collected her clothes. After stepping into the bathroom for a moment, she came back out fully dressed and looked over at Luke who had used the time to dress also. She got under the blankets on the cot and laid down.
"Goodnight Luke."
Luke stared at the ceiling. "Goodnight Lorelai."
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
It was now the fifth day and four teams remained.
Back home, Stars Hollow and Litchfield were already in celebration mode. Four eliminations had taken place, and both towns still had all of their teams in the competition. Woodbridge and Woodsbury had taken all hits. The first two teams to go were the ones from Woodbridge. But Woodsbury wasn't too far behind. Many thought the brothers would bring home the gold, but they had ended up being the third team gone. Because, unfortunately, Lorelai had been right in her prediction. It was the guys' nonstop bickering that ultimately did them in.
Two more eliminations were to take place. Three full days of competition remained.
All eight team members sat downstairs in a large recreational-style room at the B&B. They were positioned in a half-circle. It was Luke and Lorelai, The Litchfield ladies, the frat boys, and Kirk and Marla. There was a small space between each team.
In this room, the day's contest would begin. Unlike other legs of the race, they were not given times for departure based on when they'd completed the previous day's race. This delighted Luke and Lorelai more than anything because they knew their late arrival the day before would have given them a disadvantage.
On this day, the competition would go a little differently. The four teams were going to go on a whole day's worth of different challenges. They were to head in four different directions. Previously, each day consisted of 8 to 10 events which were to be completed by everyone. Today that would change. Up for grabs was the option to do 20 easy events, 15 events with a slightly higher difficulty level, 12 intermediate events, or 8 difficult ones.
In the rec room, they were going to compete in a trivia contest to determine who got to pick first, second, and so on.
Lorelai was giddy. As it turned out, the contest was movie trivia. An audio clip was going to be played. The teams would have thirty seconds once it ended to 'Name that Movie'. There were twenty-five clips total. Each team held small dry erase boards, a marker, and an eraser. They all waited for the game to begin.
"Ya know, I really do think you're a great partner," Luke began to Lorelai, "I haven't had any complaints so far."
"I sense a 'but', and I gotta tell you, Luke, it better be a damn good one."
He rolled his eyes at her. "But," he went on to say, "This is the first time that I almost feel sorry for the other teams. I feel like they don't even stand a chance here," he said seriously.
She smiled. "Yeah, here's where my couch potato existence finally pays off."
Luke shook his head, still in disbelief. "I guess I'm pretty useless on this one, huh?"
"Luke," she said with a firm pat to his thigh, "You're not useless. Don't ever think that way. It's bad for the self-esteem." She passed him what was in her hand. "Here, you can hold the eraser. Now, you have a job."
He took it. "Oh joy."
A man went to the front of the room and got everybody's attention. After a few more of the instructions were stated, he made sure all teams were ready, then he played the first audio clip.
The beginning of Aretha Franklin's R.E.S.P.E.C.T rang out. As soon as she began singing, a man joined in—high-pitched and off key. Soon after he began singing, there was the beating of drums. He continued to sing goofily. Then, a distant door could be heard closing. The man stopped singing, and Aretha continued unaccompanied. The music was turned off shortly after.
Voice
1:
Quick, what's the meaning of life?
Voice
2:
Dale Beberman.
The audio was shut off, and each team was given time to come up with an answer.
Luke looked down as Lorelai scribbled 'St. Elmo's Fire' down without delay. He looked up at her, and she smiled as she brought the board close to her chest.
"Thank God you're on my team," he muttered as he watched the other teams whisper back and forth.
The man called time, and four boards flipped around. Three out four of the teams got it right. Lorelai leaned over to Luke.
"Wait, I can do better," she whispered.
"What?"
She held up a finger, signaling for him to be patient.
They were instructed to erase their boards and prepare for the next audio clip. The man pressed play.
Voice 1: I know your head aches; I know you're tired; I know your nerves are as raw as meat in a butcher's window. But think what you're trying to accomplish. Think what you're dealing with. The majesty and grandeur of the English language, it's the greatest possession we have. The noblest thoughts that ever flowed through the hearts of men are contained in its extraordinary, imaginative, and musical mixtures of sounds. And that's what you've set yourself out to conquer, Eliza. And conquer it, you will.
The audio was shut off. Even more whispering followed.
Lorelai wrote, then showed Luke. He nodded, then shrugged. "Looks good to me," he said flippantly. Lorelai smiled. The time ended, and each of them presented their answers. The frat boys had a question mark, Kirk and Marla had an empty board but continued to whisper back and forth, and both the Litchfield ladies and Luke and Lorelai had written 'My Fair Lady'.
Lorelai sighed and leaned into Luke once more. "I can do better," she said again.
"What are you talking about?" he asked annoyed.
Again, she silenced him with a finger.
Boards were cleared, and again an audio clip played.
Voice
1: Outside
of the fact that you don't like him, you haven't got a thing against
King.
Voice
2: He's
a fake, Ellie.
Voice 1: He's
one of the best flyers in the country.
Voice 2: He's
no good, and you know it. You married him only because I told you not
to.
Voice
1: You've
been telling me what not to do ever since I can remember.
Voice 2: That's
because you've always been a stubborn idiot.
Voice 1: I
come from a long line of stubborn idiots!
The clip was turned off. Luke peeked onto the board as Lorelai scribbled down an answer, again taking very little time to think before writing.
"You're like those brainiacs on Jeopardy when it comes to this stuff, aren't you? Able to pull up random knowledge at the drop of a hat."
She showed him the board with a smile. "What can I say? I'm a gifted lady."
The man at the front called 'time', and all teams showed their board. Lorelai looked around quickly from one wrong answer to the next. Her smile turned bright as she received the only point for that round. She leaned into Luke.
"Told you I could do better. She shoots…" She playfully shot a basket, "Swiiishh…"
Luke smiled and shook his head. "She scores," he finished.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Lorelai folded the leg of the pants into the middle and allowed the top part to fall over her arm, completing the fold. She tossed them to the side and picked up a kiddie-sized T-shirt. She held it up and scanned the print.
"Aw, Luke," She chuckled and turned it to face him, "Look at this one." The shirt had a replica of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign on it. She read the words aloud to him. "'What Happens at Grandma's STAYS at Grandma's.'"
Luke allowed her a few moments of laughter, then he spoke. "Lorelai, it would really speed this whole process along if you stopped admiring the clothes you're folding."
She rolled her eyes downward and acceded. "Alright, Mr. Grumpy-puss. Just trying to liven up the party a little."
"It's live enough already," he said plainly.
They were in the large store area of a Women's Shelter. As one of their 12 intermediate events stipulated, they were to clean the room and organize its contents. Because as it stood, nothing was easily accessible. Nothing had a place of its own.
Luke grabbed a couple of boxed game boards and stacked them on the empty shelf space that he'd just cleared. He, then, pushed a couple of tricycles over where he'd put some scooters and skateboards.
Lorelai placed a stack of clothes off to the side and started working on another. She looked around the room thoughtfully. "I can't believe it's so much children's stuff in here. It's more toys and little clothes than there are adult items."
Luke paused and looked around. He sighed. "Yeah, I know. I noticed that too."
"All these women…coming from these horrible situations, and they have these little innocent kids. I can't even imagine."
Luke shook his head and leaned down to pick up a box filled with action figures. He sat the box down then picked up one of the toys. "Makes you think, doesn't it?" He dropped the toy back in the box and cradled the heavy load. "I mean, I have this sister who I think has the worst taste in guys of anyone I've ever met in my life," he stressed. He set the box on another area of the shelf. "Then, I come to a place like this, and I realize…it could definitely be worse." He straightened the box. "Thank God it's not worse," he added quietly.
Lorelai took a heavy breath. She picked up a Onesie and held it out. "I've got this little girl…growing up in this big, mean, cruel, stupid world, and even just the possibility that--"
"Hey, don't even think that Rory would end up…" Luke's voice faded, and his head continued to shake at her, "Not as long as I'm still on this planet," he ended seriously.
Lorelai smiled. "Jeez, Luke, can't I confide without you turning all Mighty Protector on me?" she asked jokingly.
He turned away and started working again, his jaw clenched. "Just saying."
Her eyes followed him as he worked vigorously. Then, she looked down to the item in her hand as she folded it slowly. "Well…" she began then paused, "Personally, I know for a fact that I'm gonna end up with one of the good ones." Luke tossed her a glance but kept working.
"You don't say," he said nonchalantly.
She nodded. "Yeah. Someone who'll love me. And respect me. Be there for me. And who'll treat me like I deserve to be treated."
"Hm."
"But most importantly will love my kid more than life, itself."
He stood up and took a breath as he looked around the room. "Well, that is important," he commented.
She continued on after a moment. "That's the guy that's gonna get my heart."
He looked at her, and he smiled a little. "And you know for a fact that you're gonna get a guy like that?" he asked.
A slow smile came over her lips. "It's pretty certain."
He nodded and chewed on his lip at the same time. "Well, good luck to you," he said lightly.
Lorelai threw the garment in her hand at him, and he caught it before it hit him. He chuckled and held it up. "Well, this definitely isn't going to help the process. Less throwing, more folding," he ordered as he tossed it back to her.
Lorelai smiled and picked it up from where it had landed.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Nothing
beats a nice Kodak moment.
Well, maybe except making new
friends.
Let's try 'em both out just for fun.
Grab a
Polaroid cam and head to the Pyramids.
Egypt is much too far, but
properly stacked blocks will make you feel like you were there!
Get
seven friendly strangers and start BUILDING a new connection one
block at a time.
No one goes on an adventure without visual proof
so use the camera and snap, snap, snap!
Once all are in place,
uncover the words on each block.
Be some good little racers, and
do what it says. Get your next clue from there. Have fun!
"I knew something like this was bound to happen," Luke grumbled.
Lorelai took her backpack off and put it up against the building that had a 'For Lease' sign in the window. She and Luke stood on a sidewalk in Hartford. "What?" she asked of his statement.
Luke took his bag off as well and laid it beside hers. He took the paper with their instructions and put it in his pocket. "This," he answered. "Some sort of stupid challenge where we'd have no choice but to involve innocent people in this craziness."
"There has been plenty of challenges that called for audience participation," she said laughingly as she pointed to the city dwellers walking around them.
Luke sighed. "I know. They were choices, though. We've always gone with the ones that didn't."
"Buck up, Luke. It won't be so bad." Lorelai bent down and inspected the hatbox-sized wooden blocks that lay before them.
"Easy for you to say," he mumbled. "You'd talk to a rock if you thought it'd sit still long enough to listen. I don't like to bug people, especially people I don't know."
Lorelai stood back up with a sigh. "You know what you're doing right now, Luke?" she asked leadingly. He rolled his eyes to her. She went on. "You're complaining and therefore are wasting precious time, and not helping this situation," she ended as she leaned close to his face. She backed up and patted his arm. "Now, do you want to snap the pictures or recruit our helpers?"
He reached over and took the camera that she held. "Definitely snap," he replied.
"All right. That'll work." She gathered her hair in her hand and slid the band from her wrist to her hair, making a quick ponytail. "Now, to get snag our talent," she said with a brow lift.
Luke allowed a smile to form at her enthusiasm. He looked down and prepared the camera. "Think we need the flash?" he called out.
"Uuuh, no flash. It's still pretty light out," she said, her voice distant.
"Okay." He looked up and saw her talking to an older man with white hair and a fanny pack. "Here we go," he mumbled. He watched as Lorelai led the man over to the scattered blocks. She pointed to them and just told him that he'd only have to put one of them in place while smiling toward the camera. Luke rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure the challenge didn't call for any sort of mandatory delight.
The man pushed his fanny pack to the side of his waist and grasped the block that Lorelai indicated. He moved it up a few inches and turned it in the direction the pyramid would go. Lorelai leaned down with him, pointed to the camera, then whispered something to him, and he chuckled. Luke held the camera up.
"One, two, three," she counted. "Coffeeeeeee," they both sang out.
Luke took the picture. Lorelai stood up and thanked the man with a gentle handshake. He smiled and moved along. Luke walked over. "Coffee?" he questioned.
She smiled and slid the picture from his fingers and continued to shake it as he was doing. "Yeah. I'm not a big fan of 'cheese'. It's cheesy."
"Doesn't matter if it's cheesy. It's used because you show teeth when you say it. It's ideal for pictures," he reasoned.
She shrugged. "Well, I always show teeth when I hear the word 'coffee'." She smiled brightly, then gestured to her mouth. "See, all 32 are on display."
Luke smiled. "And you actually got him to say that?"
"Yeah. Men are easy," she said garishly.
He fumbled around with the camera a bit. "Mmhm. When you look like that," he said nodding at her, "I bet they are."
"Hey, I'm sure you can pull a few of them, too. What about that guy over there," she said with a point, "I guarantee that if you show that smile or give him a little leg action, he'll say anything you want him to say," she said compellingly. She laughed at the look he gave her.
Luke turned away with an eye roll when she began to push him in the man's direction. "Just get the next victim over here so we can finish this up, please."
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Lorelai flung herself on her bed.
"Mmmm," she moaned contentedly as her head went into the soft pillow.
Luke laid down on his bed as well, his head on the pillows and one of his legs remaining on the floor. "I second that," he said.
She smiled. "And then there were six," she replied indolently.
"Yeah." He looked at her. "Sorry your eye candy had to go home," he said referring to the frat boys.
"Whose eye candy?" she asked with a frown.
Luke smiled. "That day in the bowling alley," he reminded. "Don't think I forgot that."
She recalled the day in reference. The day she'd been checking out Luke's lower form and had been accused of looking at a neighboring team when Luke saw her wandering eye. On that day, she'd chosen not to enlighten him or bring clarity to his wayward accusation. She just took the bullet and moved on.
At Luke's re-mention of that occurrence, she rolled her eyes. Her response was simple, as she chose not to speak the things that would disturb his clueless mind.
"I'll get over it, I'm sure," she said without emotion.
Luke nodded, and silence followed. It remained for only seconds more. What replaced it was Lorelai's snickers.
Luke rolled his eyes at the sound. "Not again," he whispered.
It got louder, and Lorelai turned on her side to face him. "I can't stop thinking about it," she said.
"Obviously." He groaned through Lorelai's laughter. "Lorelai, it was like three hours ago. Let it go!"
She propped herself up. "Hoooome, hooome on the raaaaange, where the deeeeeer and the antelooope plaaaayy."
"A hundred bucks if you drop this forever! I'll give you a hundred bucks, I swear to god, Lorelai!" he said with his hands clutching his head.
"Where seldom is heeeeard a discooouraging woooord."
"Give me a break."
"And the skiiiiies are not cloudy all daaaaay." Lorelai drummed her hands on the nightstand in-between the two beds. "Yaaaaaaaay, more more. Encore. 'Wheeeew, Take your shirt off!' " she finished sneeringly. She stopped drumming as she recalled the woman's playful request for nudity. "Lots of horny Hartford whores roaming the streets mid-day, isn't there?" she asked casually. She moved past the woman's image which had embedded itself in her head, and instead chuckled more at Luke's humiliation.
He dropped his hands. "You had to sing too, ya know. I can mock you just as bad!"
She scoffed. "Oh please."
"I could. So, you either let this go, or I'll start in on you. How 'bout that?"
She sat up fully. "Okay, imagine us retelling this story to all of Stars Hollow…"
"God, please don't do that."
"Just imagine, Luke. We get home and sit everyone down. We let everyone know how I had to sing a goofy song on a public sidewalk and collect two bucks. What do you think the reaction would be?" Luke didn't say anything. Lorelai laughed. "Exactly! You know they wouldn't care! I'm whacky. People expect it!" She pointed. "But you…?"
"Oh jeez," he said irritably.
"Who woulda thunk it?" she asked with a shake of her head. "Certainly not I."
"You know, I really should have just let us fail the challenge. Because this isn't worth it."
Lorelai smiled goofily and continued her relentless ridicule. "Mm mm mm. The satisfaction I got from that should be illegal. Really."
"Whatever."
"So incredibly satisfying."
"Okay!"
"Like, if I died right now--"
"Lorelai, I get the point."
She laughed and looked over at him. Luke dropped his hands and turned attention to her when he didn't hear mockery and laughing for long seconds. They met eyes and she smiled and put both hands under her thighs comfortably.
"What?" she asked.
"Whaddya mean 'what'? You were looking at me first."
Her smile stayed in place. She shrugged. "Okay. So, I take my 'what' back. Happy?"
"Thrilled," he deadpanned. He brought his feet to the floor and sat up. Lorelai's eyes still followed his. He straightened his cap. "You finished making fun of me now?"
She grinned. "Oh heck no. I'm just giving you a break, mister. Don't mistake the break for completion."
Luke dropped his head and shuffled his feet. "What am I gonna do with you?" he muttered. He looked up with a smile and was met with her gaze. She no longer grinned. Luke's smile slowly faded, and he swallowed. There was quiet. With every slow blink, each set of eyes opened up to reveal a shade slightly different.
Luke's eyes went off to the side quickly before going back to her. "Um, fireflies."
Lorelai squinted. "What?"
His mouth opened, and he paused. "Fireflies," he said again.
She leaned her head forward in confusion. "O..kay."
He pointed toward the door. "Um..uh..'cause fireflies are..uh..I heard that they're here and uh plentiful." He pointed more. "And they're out there. Just…lighting away. And I was thinking maybe we could…" He pointed between them, then pointed to the door again. "You know…go…"
Lorelai watched and listened to him with slow, confused nods. He paused, and she jumped in with a show of support for that idea. "Um yeah! Sure. We can go…uh go look at them—the fireflies. That's a great idea." She stood. "Ready?"
He stood up too, then immediately moved toward the door when he realized he and she were inches apart. "Yeah, I'm ready." He hurried to the door and opened it. "Grab the key card," he said over his shoulder. More concerned with the exit, he rushed out and let the door close behind him.
Lorelai stood in place and made an admirable attempt not to laugh at herself. With a deep breath, she went to the dresser, retrieved the key card, and went to the door.
"Well, those fireflies aren't going to watch themselves," she muttered amusedly before walking out to meet Luke.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Around ten o'clock that night, Luke and Lorelai re-entered the room.
They'd sat outside until they went to eat, then they went back for additional fresh air.
They talked casually and allowed normalcy to wash over their minds and bodies in the bed-less outdoors. Gaps of silence only occurred when a topic was exhausted. And even then , they used the time to enjoy sounds orchestrated by mother nature while they waited for the emergence of a new one.
Back in the room, they got showered and changed for bed within the half hour.
Luke laid down. And when Lorelai came from the bathroom, she flipped off the television and laid down as well. There were soft goodnights spoken between them.
Lorelai turned to look at him in the darkness. He was on his back looking up. He turned his neck to her and saw her head move away.
"Did you put the chain on the door?" he asked.
She looked over at him. "No. I think you did."
"Really?" he asked doubtfully. "I don't remember."
"Well, don't worry about it. No one can come in."
He pulled back his covers and climbed from the bed. "No, it's safer to always have the lock that only we can control in place. People are crazy these days," he muttered.
Lorelai smiled and watched his image move across the floor. He reached the door and felt for the chain. "Is it on?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered as he found that it was already secure.
"Told you not to worry about it."
"Better safe than sorry," he replied as he reached his bed.
"Yeah, I guess. Hey, Luke," she said quickly. He froze and looked at her with his knee on the bed. She paused, swallowed. "Do…you…wanna w-watch TV?"
He shook his head a bit. "No thanks," he said quietly.
She nodded. "Okay. So bed?"
"Yeah, bed."
Again, she nodded. Luke remained with his knee in place for several seconds while still looking down at her. Gradually, he removed it and stood upright. He faced Lorelai, and they looked to one another. Lorelai's hand went to the edge of her cover and she pulled it downward. Luke took a step. She shifted and pulled it off more. Luke moved over to her and placed his hand on the mattress to the side her. Lorelai lifted the cover and brought it around him as he slowly brought his weight down.
His lips went to hers, and they kissed with an instant deepness.
Her fingers caressed his neck then slid into his hair. Luke took his talented mouth to her neck, and Lorelai moaned and whispered his name. His hand went to her breast as she lay underneath him, and he massaged with his palm. Her legs were wrapped around his, and she brought them down as Luke's hands dropped, and he made a gentle effort to rid her of the shorts she wore. He got them off then pushed her shirt upward and took his mouth to her nipples. He sucked both breasts lingeringly as if he could spend all night doing just that.
When their lips met again, Lorelai's legs went back around his body. Their kiss became heated, then they broke.
"Please," Lorelai whispered. "Please, Luke."
Her hand slid between them, and she made it to his navel before she rubbed her palm back up his stomach, lifting his shirt and caressing the hardness of his mid-section. Luke reached down and freed himself, pushing his pants down only a little. Any more and it'd call for separation. The tip of his erection went to her opening, and their lips reconnected in yet another passionate kiss.
He pushed inside of her, and Lorelai wriggled her hips until he had made a full entry. She sighed in satisfaction and hugged his neck.
They resumed kissing. A slow kiss.
Luke moved. Lorelai moved against his movements. They rocked together in insane synchronization, wanting and striving to get the deepest connection possible. Her legs spread wider, and Luke brought his legs up a bit and went deeper and harder inside of her.
Both moaned.
Lorelai came to orgasm and made Luke's feeling increase. He said her name and moved into that tightness achingly slow as he savored. Lorelai continued to moan, her lip now between her teeth. Luke's speed increased, slowed, then increased again before he followed her with a climax of his own.
They lay there and found their breath.
Lorelai's soft breathing was on his ear as his lips rested on her shoulder. He pulled back, and they looked at one another. He lifted his weight and carefully extracted himself from her body as they stared.
"Stars Hollow, right?" he whispered. She stared at him for seconds more before there was a slow nod. He nodded back, a small smile coming over his lips. "Okay." With a gentle kiss to her lips, he started to climb up, but he found her grip on his back still remained. He paused and met her eyes. Again, there was wordless staring. Her fingers slowly fell away from him, and she smiled shakily.
"Sorry. I'm ready now."
Luke swallowed and stood up from her. He fixed his clothes. Lorelai reached for her shorts and pulled them on as he climbed in his own bed. She moved to the opposite side of her bed, farther away from Luke and turned to the window.
Luke pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes hard enough to see twirling lines of light. His focus was on that when he heard Lorelai call his name. "Luke."
"Hm?" he answered as he lowered his hands.
She paused. "What do you think of…throwing the race tomorrow so we can head home?"
He smiled. Waited a beat before responding. "I'd say I think we've come a long way, and we should probably ride this thing on out."
"Figured you'd say that."
"And you want to finish too," he reminded.
"Yeah," she said quietly.
Luke turned on his side and stared over at her small silhouette. "So…you're gonna give your all tomorrow, right?"
He could hear the smile in her voice. "I suppose so."
"Good. Cause I'd hate to have to…find someone to kick your ass," he said mockingly, re-phrasing what she'd said to him. Her body shook as she laughed. Luke smiled. "Well, I couldn't do it. You're a girl," he explained.
"Thanks for the consideration," she said sarcastically.
"No problem."
A short silence followed before Lorelai's quiet voice was heard. "Goodnight, Luke…buddy."
Luke shook his head, rolled his eyes, and turned away. "Yeah, same to you…pal."
…TBC…
What did you think of this chapter? Are you enjoying the story? I'd love to know. One more installment, so stay tuned!!
