A/N: The rating change finally happened! That said, I have a small confession: I've never written smut before. I've read it (an embarrassing amount of it if I'm honest), but I've never tried writing my own. Hopefully I did an okay job! I hope you enjoy it. I very much appreciate all of you and all of your kind support and patience! You're all very, very amazing!

Twenty-Two
Chapter Six.

The fight that Jess and Cece had over Nick was worse than any of the fights they'd had before over the course of their long friendship. It ended with hurt feelings, slammed doors, and Jess' overwhelming realization that it was her procrastination that had made their present situation this bad. She had been putting off dealing with the hard stuff for so long, she wasn't sure if she could put everything right again. Maybe she couldn't fix everything that had gone wrong…but she had to try. There was only one way to start fixing this mess and she knew it.

Normally she'd ask Cece's advice for matters of the heart. This time, however, her best friend had locked her bedroom door and cranked up her music, and anyway Jess couldn't forget how broken Nick had looked after the other's hurtful words. There would be no help from that end.

She walked over to her tall mirror and bit her lip; she was a mess. It took a while to clean the mascara from her eyes and cheeks, and her skin was a little blotchy from all the high emotions and yelling.

She stared at herself for a long time. Then she stood, changed her clothes, and sent a quick text. She took a deep breath before leaving the apartment. Nick had been right: it was time to go after what she wanted and not let anyone hold her back.

-22-

She met Sam at a park not too far from his apartment. At first he hadn't noticed her downcast continence, but after a few minutes he seemed to realize what was about to happen. A frown appeared on his handsome face, and Jess wondered for a second if she was about to make a huge mistake. But only for a second.

"Sam, I can't be your girlfriend anymore," she said.

"I know you're going through a hard time right now, Jess, but if you stick it out I think you'll see that everything is going to turn out great." He tilted his head, staring at her. His words were kind and might even have been true, but there was a curious lack of emotion in his tone. He liked her, she knew that. She liked him too. But not enough.

"I don't want that future. I don't want to be a lawyer. And I think I'm falling for someone else." Her natural instinct was to touch him, to impart some sort of comfort after such a harsh truth. She forced herself to keep her hands at her side. She couldn't give him any mixed signals.

He nodded. His tone of voice was pretty final. "I thought this might be coming."

"It's not just Nick. It's all of it. If I keep trying to finish law school, I'm going to fail. I just don't want it, I'm not passionate about it. Being a lawyer sounds like a prison sentence to me, not like a future."

"What are you going to do instead?"

She shrugged. "I may switch to child development or social science…but no matter what I'm going to get my teaching credential. I don't know how I'm going to afford it, but that's the only thing I want. It's what I've always wanted, it's just no one was listening to me."

Her dad was going to be furious, but she was certain. She'd been certain since she was twelve years old. Being a lawyer was a difficult and respectable career, but Jess was never going to be successful at it.

Sam didn't seem to know what to say. He blew out a long breath and stared past her for a few minutes. Then at last he nodded. He seemed resigned to the fact that she was ending things, and his shoulders slumped a little as he focused on her again.

"This is really what you want?"

"It really is." She nodded. Then, softer: "But I hope we can be friends."

"Maybe." He hesitated, then accepted her hug. "Are you okay to go home?"

When she assured him that she would be fine getting home alone, he said goodnight and left her. All in all, it had been a very amicable break up. Jess supposed that was because it had been so long in coming. Sam didn't need to say that he'd seen the end as soon as Nick had come into her life, and there was some truth to it. Nick had captured her attention like no one else had, he made it impossible for her to stay away.

In fact, she was tired of trying to stay away. She had a different plan altogether: she was going to seduce him.

-22-

It sounded like an easy plan. It should have been an easy plan. It would have been an easy plan, but Nick had pretty much disappeared. He didn't come to class anymore, and Schmidt refused to tell her anything. He'd clearly taken Cece's side in their argument. She looked for Winston to see if he could help her, but he didn't seem to be coming to classes either. Dammit, why hadn't she asked where he lived before now? Was he in one of the dorms?

It took two days for her to get the information out of a very reluctant Schmidt. As it turned out, he hadn't so much taken Cece's side in the argument as he was protecting his best friend.

"He's very sensitive. I'm not sure you're good for him." Schmidt looked her up and down. "He's been pathetic all week. I had to beg him to shower. I crushed vitamins into cup-of-soups because he hasn't been outside in days."

"Just…give me a chance to fix this. Please Schmidt?" Jess batted her eyelashes up at Schmidt. He made an incredulous noise.

"Please. Your big blue eyes aren't going to work on me. I'm immune." He glared at her, but when she kept staring at him pleadingly, he gave in. With perhaps the most long-suffering sigh she'd ever heard, he rolled his eyes and told her which dorm they were staying in.

"If you hurt him, I will end you. I will dance on your grave."

"Seriously, Schmidt? That seems a little harsh. And I have no intention of hurting him."

"Just…he's been through enough. Treat him right." For once, Schmidt sounded like he really meant what he was saying. It occurred to Jess then just how much he cared for Nick. She crossed her heart and kissed his cheek. It was finally time to put her plan into motion.

-22-

She'd gone home, found her sexiest underwear, and covered herself in glittery body dust. She stood in front of her mirror and tilted her head. She tapped her chin, then tried a tap number. She turned and wiggled her ass at her refection. Then she shook her head. The lingerie was nice, and she hoped she'd have a chance to wear it for Nick in the future, but this time…

She returned to her closet and considered her options, then smiled when she spotted her old trench coat.

-22-

It took Nick a long time to answer the door when Jess knocked. When he finally did, he looked a bit messy. He hadn't shaved in a couple of days and he'd probably been sleeping in that T-shirt and those jeans just a few minutes before. She was very nervous; she had to resist the urge to make sure her ass was covered by her coat every five seconds and while her heels were very sexy, they were also really starting to crush her toes. He stared at her, then blinked a couple of times very rapidly, as though he thought he was dreaming.

"Hi Nick," she said, and she didn't have to fake a breathy voice. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

"Jess." He hesitated. "What are you doing here?"

"I got into a huge fight with Cece." Her fingers clutched her coat. "I broke up with Sam. I told my father I'm switching majors and I'm not sure he's talking to me."

He stared at her with wide eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You said I should go after what I wanted and not let anyone stop me. You were right." She took in a deep, shuddering breath. "Invite me in."

He stood aside and she stepped into his dorm room. It was cluttered and there were a couple of old pizza boxes lying around. It smelled a lot like beer and Old Spice. Surprisingly, she didn't mind. This wasn't exactly her erotic film-noir daydream of a setting, but as long as she and Nick ended up together, it didn't really matter.

It finally seemed to dawn on Nick that Jess was standing in his dorm room in a long coat and heels. He swallowed, his eyes roaming over her legs, over her curves, to rest on her face.

"You broke up with Sam?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"He wasn't the one I wanted."

It was such a simple sentence, but she could see that it was having a huge effect on Nick. He looked as though everything he ever wanted was just about to be handed to him, and he wasn't quite sure how to take it. His hands were curling and uncurling against the sides of his legs.

"Who do you want?" His voice cracked, but he didn't break eye contact. She answered him by slipping off her coat.

It was a ridiculously powerful feeling, standing in front of him in nothing but high heels. He let out a low groan as he drank in the sight of her, all of her, standing before him. She thought she'd immediately want to hide or cover herself, but the heat of his gaze only made her more confident. She lifted her chin and smiled at him, and he made a low, growling sort of noise that had anticipation shooting through her veins.

"Fuck, Jess…"

He took two long steps and pulled her into his arms, his mouth colliding with hers. She moaned the instant he kissed her, parting her lips for him as his tongue slid over them. His mouth was hot and he tasted like smooth Irish whiskey. She stroked her tongue against his and he let out a groan. They were both desperate for this, and his hands were greedy as they slid up and down her sides and over her ass. He dug his fingers into her backside, then hoisted her up. She gasped against his mouth, wrapping her legs around him.

"Nick…" He was so hard, and she ground herself against him, whimpering into their kisses. He moved again, his mouth never leaving hers, and her back collided with the wall.

"Fuck, you're already so wet." He was breathless, his voice low and dark. With her propped against the wall, he could slide one hand between her legs. She cried out as his fingers slipped to her core, tracing her entrance and then dragging up to find her clit.

"Oh God, oh my God…" Her eyes rolled back and his mouth moved to her neck, sucking at the line of her throat as he rubbed her, a little wildly at first and then, sweet fuck, just right, just like that—

"Please, please—"

"Cum for me," he growled. His teeth caught her ear, tugged at it. She arched her back as he slid two fingers deep inside of her. His thumb circled her clit as she rocked against his hand. Then he sucked her nipple into his mouth and rolled his tongue over it, and she came apart, keening his name.

She was still shaking from her orgasm as he carried her to his bed. While he lowered her to the sheets, his lips found hers. His kisses now were soft, sweet…he was savoring this as much as she was. He continued to press slow kisses to her lips as she trembled, his hands sliding over her body. His fingers traced every inch of her skin, pausing to tease her nipples or stroke the insides of her thighs. She reveled in the attention for a few moments, and then impatience took over.

She tugged off his shirt and dragged her hands over his chest. Sam hadn't had any chest hair, none of her boyfriends had. She found Nick's unbearably sexy. Then she tugged at the button on his jeans. Her hand slipped inside and she wrapped her fingers around him, groaning. He was big, bigger than she was used to. She could feel him throbbing in her hand.

"I want you inside of me," she whispered, licking his ear. "Please?"

His cock twitched in her hand but he shook his head at her. His eyes were dark, hot pools. He trailed his way down her body, his mouth trailing over her and leaving waves of pleasure in their wake. With one smooth motion, he hooked her legs over her shoulders and spread her open with his fingers. She gripped his hair and he gave her a small, cocky smile before he lowered his mouth to her.

"Nick!" She jerked as his tongue slid over her clit, tugging on his hair without meaning to. He only chuckled and gave her another long, slow lick. A moment later he was sliding his tongue in and out of her, and she was crying out his name again and again.

"I need you, I need you in me, please…please, Nick, please…"

Two, then three long fingers teased their way into her, curling leisurely until they brushed that spot inside of her just right. She cried out, her hips thrusting up against his hand.

"God Jess, you're so fucking perfect. You make me so goddamn hard."

He was driving her crazy, his fingers stroking her into a frenzy. She was right on the edge: her whole body was shaking, desperate to cum, but he wouldn't let her. Not yet. He teased her until she was a trembling mess, begging for him, and then finally he spread her legs wide. His eyes were on hers as he moved between her thighs, and he rubbed his cock up and down her slit. She bucked as it slid over her clit, and she dragged her fingernails hard down his back.

"Condom?" he asked, his voice strained from the effort of holding back.

"Pill," she told him, trying desperately to pull him inside of her. She had to have him, had to his big dick stretching her—he was driving her so insane— The head of his cock slid inside of her and his back arched.

"Christ, Jessica…"

He couldn't seem to stop himself from thrusting all the way in, and his head dropped to her shoulder. He bit her there before thrusting again, so slow.

"More, give me more," she demanded, catching his ear in her teeth and tugging.

"You're so fucking tight…so fucking wet…" He moved faster, using quicker, shorter thrusts that had her bucking up to meet him. She was making sounds she didn't recognize, throaty and needy, but then so was he: low, desperate sounds of ecstasy that were making her even more crazy.

"I'm going to cum…oh God, Nick, I'm gonna cum!"

His hand slipped down between their legs and his rough fingertip teased her clit. She buried her face in his neck as she shattered around him, her hips grinding hard against him as fireworks burst behind her eyes. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, there was nothing but bliss as he groaned her name, still thrusting into her. He grasped her hips, unable to hold back anymore. She felt so goddamn good, so perfect, he was fucking her and she was clawing at him, her body still convulsing from her orgasm.

"Yes…oh God yes, yes! Nick!" She could feel him swelling, and then he came hard. His hips bucked against her as he gasped her name. His arms were shaking and nearly gave out as he rode waves of ecstasy. Still trembling, he rolled onto his side and pulled her with him, curling her againt his chest as he pulled in short, harsh breaths.

"Jesus." He stared at the ceiling, then looked down at her in awe. "I mean…that was…"

She was pressing as much of her body against his as she could, reveling in how warm he was, in the fact that this was Nick's bed and she was in his arms.

"Amazing. Better than amazing," she agreed. He grinned at her. She'd never seen him so happy, so at peace. She touched his face and he surprised her by leaning into her hand, then turning his lips into her palm and pressing a kiss there.

"This is really what you want?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in her answer. Nick grinned at her and then pulled a blanket up around them. Safe in his arms, Jess let herself drift asleep. Life was finally starting to make sense, and whatever was coming, she could handle it with Nick at her side.