Oh it has been an interesting couple of days. Yep another touchstone chapter that polarized people. Trust me guys that's all I can say.

Before I bring on this chapter though, a couple of reminders: First, Lorelai did tell Luke she is on the pill so yes in a way they are having unprotected sex but no she is not getting pregnant in this story. (And thanks LLFreak for quoting me the chances of someone getting pregnant on the pill!)

Second: this is a stand-alone story from the first story. Yes, I know I dragged out the sexual tension the last time but that ain't happenin here. So yes, they did the nasty and rather quickly. Half the fun of this story is seeing where they go from there. (Actually all the fun heh.)

Third: The "it's all just a dream"—not happening in this story. (Put the pitchfork away please Gymtig, heh). Again this plot is all its own. Whereas a sentence or two from the original may turn up just because I liked how I turned a particular phrase, that's it. Settle back and enjoy the ride(s). Heh.

Yes, this will be another touchstone chapter. Folks are either gonna love it, hate it or spit out their coffee in shock when they read it. Whatever the reaction, please let me know! Thanks gang!

Sexual Disclaimer: For all you readers, please try this at home! Heh.

Our word for the day kiddies is Rrowrr!

To paraphrase the words of General Tarkin from "Star Wars": "I'm taking an awful risk... this had better work."

Another Use for Flannel

Luke was pre-occupied.

He scooped coffee into the filter basket and mechanically slid the basket into place and started a fresh pot of coffee. He surreptitiously looked up at the clock. Almost nine. She was due in any minute.

Luke grabbed a rag and methodically wiped down the already-clean counter once again in case she sat there. His mind drifted back over the past few days.

After their first night together, Lorelai had returned faithfully every night since and spent it in bed with him. Part of him was encouraged; part of him was terribly confused. While the sex had been great—who was he kidding, the sex had been terrific—there was something else going on that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Lorelai had been receptive but there was an underlying wariness about her afterward. She apparently had no problem sharing her body with him but seemed to be keeping her thoughts to herself.

Luke didn't like that at all.

He had tentatively brought up the subject the second morning, before she left, only to have the notion shrugged off before she gave him a dazzling smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, and walked out, once again without letting him make her either coffee or breakfast. It made him feel like a heel, her never accepting anything from him upstairs.

The door chimed and he looked up to see Lorelai enter, cell phone glued to her ear.

"Sorry about that hon, I really forgot and just turned it off," Lorelai said. "Yeah the ringer on the home phone too."

Luke hesitated and considered actually letting her continue her conversation. Then he realized he'd be going against both their ground rule about behaving normally and his diner rule of no cell phones. Act naturally. He cleared his throat and pointed to the sign.

Lorelai paused inside the doorway, gave him a measured look then unbelievably she winked at him. Luke's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Yeah, Rory, I have to go," Lorelai said into the phone. "I just walked into Luke's and he's being all Monk on me with the OCD. Call me when you get out of class….Okay. Love you. Bye."

She sauntered towards the counter as both Miss Patty and Babette chorused out "Good morning!" They both smiled at her.

"Morning ladies," she greeted them then turned and sat down. Luke already was pouring her coffee.

"Ah, sweet nectar of life," she crooned as she lifted the mug and took a long sip.

"Was that Rory on the phone?" he asked.

"Yeah, she'd left some messages and I forgot to call her back."

Luke idly wondered if Lorelai had told Rory about their wager and its outcome. "School going okay? Anything new to report?"

Lorelai looked at him appraisingly. To the rest of the diner, he was making a polite inquiry about Rory and Yale. To her, he was asking if she had told her daughter that she was shacking up with the local diner man.

"No," she replied deciding not to leave him hanging. "Same old, same old. Old guys talk, students study. And study. And then study some more. She's isn't coming home at all. She is prepping for her finals."

"Ah," Luke was relieved. Even though he knew Lorelai missed Rory, he wasn't sure how he would face her if she knew. On the other side of the diner, Babette and Miss Patty were rising to their feet and making their way over to settle their bill.

"Lorelai," Patty said, "how are things going with the Inn?"

"Moving right along," she replied. "Right now we are crossing our fingers that we get everything done. We'll be having a test run before we officially open. You'll be getting the invites shortly."

"Oooh," Babette clapped her hands. "Sounds like fun! Ya gonna bring some nice fella?"

"Sorry to disappoint you ladies but I don't have me a fella." She avoided looking in Luke's direction.

"Aww, that's too bad" Patty commiserated. "A pretty, young, thing like you should get out and have some fun." The way Patty said the word fun, Lorelai was positive she was talking about the no-clothing-required type of fun only to be had indoors.

"Oh now Patty, don't you worry," Lorelai assured her, "I'll take care of that as soon as I get a chance. I know there've been pretty slim pickins but maybe next month I'll go out and land me a man!" she said with a country twang.

Luke stood there quietly listening to the whole conversation, inwardly gnashing his teeth. What am I chopped liver?

Lorelai looked over at him at that moment. "You know, I think I'll just have a donut this morning," she decided. She finished up her coffee. "Give me another coffee to go and the donut. I'm running a little late today."

Luke poured her coffee and bagged a couple of donuts before ringing out Babette and Miss Patty. They left the diner. Lorelai was next.

"Thanks Luke," she said with her normal aplomb, not once commenting on the conversation he'd been forced to endure. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was rubbing his face in it.

"Later," she waved to him coolly as she walked to the door. He stood by the register and watched him go.

Her chilly demeanor was beginning to wear on him already. Regardless of what she said, she was deliberately marking boundaries between them. When he first considered this bet he had hoped he could eventually come clean and explain himself sooner rather than later but she apparently was not interested. Now that they were actually having sex, it seemed like he was even farther away from her than when they had been just friends. He knew he had to break through that shell she had surrounded herself with, regardless of what it took. He also recognized that he'd probably have to go to great lengths to do it. He had the rest of the day to give it some thought.

Desperate times called for desperate measures.

Lorelai carefully meandered through town. Over the past few days she since she had begun her nightly treks to Luke's she felt she pretty much had the town's routine down and knew how to avoid any "trouble" spots. She'd paid attention: Babette's downstairs windows were all dark and the shades were drawn upstairs; she was good to go. The Anderson's liked to sit out on there porch in the evenings; cut over to Peach Street. Yes, she saw all and adjusted accordingly. She could almost trace the route in her sleep.

Lorelai began her other new nightly ritual: mentally planning out her behavior for when she was with Luke. She had to admit it wasn't easy. While she didn't like the "Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Ma'am" way she had to leave each morning, the time she spent in bed with him, oh lord, totally made up for it. She always let him initiate their encounters and acted receptive (hell, who was acting?) to his attentions but she still managed to maintain a calm, careless appearance even after some pretty incredible sex. Luke was proving to be quite a pleasant surprise in bed. He was passionate, open and giving, the exact opposite of the gruff, closed-off diner man persona he presented to the outside world. In the short time they had been together, it seemed like he was more concerned about her pleasure than his own. Finding a man like that was rare and most women would do whatever it would take to keep him.

Rachel and Nicole, she decided, were idiots.

But afterward, she had always sensed a change of attitude. She couldn't figure out why. In a way she knew she should be grateful. If he did get closer to her, continue that intimacy she felt when they were making love—no, no, she corrected herself, having sex, her own somewhat shaky determination to remain aloof would probably collapse like a house of cards. As it was, she was barely holding her own. She knew if she fell for him, she would fall hard.

She made it to the back of the diner and let herself in per usual. She deliberately tamped down her rising excitement about being with him again. He would just be uncomfortable if she got too clingy. As she mounted the stairs, she inwardly rehearsed how she would proceed. She paused outside the door and let out a long breath, stiffening her resolve for the upcoming encounter. She knocked and waited for a few minutes before he answered the door.

"Hey," Luke said, standing back to let her in.

She noticed he wasn't ready for bed yet, that he was still in his jeans and flannel.

"Am I early?" she asked.

"No," he said closing the door behind her. "You're right on time. Come on in."

She walked further into the room but noticed he was still standing by the door.

"Is everything okay?" she asked curiously. He was behaving oddly, part nervous, part something else.

"Um, yeah," he shrugged. He paused a moment locked the door then came towards her. "Well, actually no," he decided. "Can we talk?"

Lorelai wondered what was coming. "Sure, Joan Rivers," she lightly joked, looking at him expectantly.

"Well," he began, drawing the word out, ignoring the pop culture reference, "I've been wondering…since we started…well…you know…. You know how I've said you've been a little distant?"

I've been distant? That's rich. "I told you, I haven't been," she said a trifle defensively.

"Okay, yeah, you did say that," he backpedaled. "Well even though you've told me you aren't," he noticed her expression getting even more defensive, "convinced me you aren't," he quickly amended, "I was thinking maybe you don't really trust me; that you feel you can't really let go."

"Luke, I trust you," she told him. "I'm not holding out on you."

"I can't shake the feeling that you are," Luke insisted, "and I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a solution."

"O-kay," she said slowly, not knowing where he was going with this but decided to play along. "And what do you propose we do about this."

Luke let out a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. When he first thought this up it took him almost an hour before he could even convince himself. "Well since we're already having sex for the next month," keep it casual, he warned himself, "we might as well get a little, uh, creative."

Lorelai stood very still suddenly wary of the direction this was taking. "How, uh, creative?"

"Would you…" Jeez he wasn't even sure he could form the words. "Would you….let me…tie you to the bed?" he swallowed nervously. He'd pictured in his mind how he would ask her but there was no way he could remain off-handed about this. He was expecting her to slap his face.

Her mouth fell open. "Excuse me? You want to what?" she repeated.

Luke colored slightly. "Look at it as an experiment" he interjected quickly. "It'll be your way of proving to me that you trust me and have really accepted the current situation."

Lorelai's mind was whirling. "And you don't see this as the teensiest bit….uh, kinky?"

"Well," Luke colored again but doggedly stayed the course, "it's not like I am going to be doing anything crazy with whips or chains or stuff like that."

"Gee, that's a comforting thought."

"Fine, forget it," Luke said turning away.

Lorelai gritted her teeth. She was surprised at him for even suggesting this. Still waters most certainly did run deep. Then she felt a prickle of irritation as a new thought occurred to her.

"Did you do this with Rachel or Nicole?"

He turned back to her, shocked. "Seriously, we're gonna have this conversation now? This is so not the time to discuss past exploits," he managed to get out, "and no. I just thought it would be something different," he said giving up then added, "I just didn't want you to get bored."

Her eyes narrowed at him. Bored? Not likely. But by flat out refusing, in some twisted way, he had won this round. Could she really do this? She had never done it before. "Fine," she conceded with an exaggerated sigh. "We can do it though I don't understand why." She suddenly was filled with butterflies. "Ah, what do I have to do?"

Luke took a deep breath not believing what he was about to say. "Strip."

Lorelai barely managed to keep her mouth from falling open a second time. So far they had had sex under the cover of darkness. Now he expected her to take off all her clothes with the lights on and him standing there watching?

Apparently he did because he didn't move. Lorelai turned her back on him, faced the bed and started unbuttoning her blouse. She heard him move away and tried to block him out. She peeled off her blouse then slipped off her shoes and began undoing the snap on her slacks.

Luke suddenly appeared in her range of vision on the other side of the bed. He was carefully folding down the sheet and blanket to the foot of the bed. He didn't even glance over at her. She wasn't sure if she should be grateful for that or affronted that she couldn't even entice him to peek.

Luke kept his eyes averted but it practically killed him to do so. This would really be the first time they saw each other naked and he recognized that both of them were more than a little bit nervous. He moved away over to the closet.

Lorelai turned away from him again and quickly reached up and unhooked her bra and let it drop to the floor. She bent over and eased her panties down.

Luke grabbed what he was looking for and turned from the closet just in time to see her bend over and take her panties off and Oh god. His eyes were fixed to Lorelai's naked ass. That firm, gorgeous, luscious, naked ass. She straightened up and caught him staring. Their eyes locked across the room and she was very much aware that she was completely undressed and he was not. His eyes slowly wandered over her from head to toe. A tremor ran through her body.

"Um," she managed to get out. "What do I do next?"

It took a moment before her words jolted Luke out of his reverie. She was killing him. The perky breasts, the narrow waist, the—oh god. "Uh," he stammered, "uh, lay down in the center of the bed."

Lorelai stretched out on her side of the bed and almost sinuously maneuvered herself to the center. She was breathing a little hard and noticed Luke was too. She finally noticed what he has crushed in his hands.

"What are you going to do with those?" she asked nervously.

He let the flannel shirts fall to the bed. "I—ah I figured I would use these since I don't want to use anything like rope," he explained.

"Oh." She distracted herself by moving a pillow under her head as he bent over her right foot.

Luke kept his eyes focused on his task, twisting one sleeve and securing it to the bed frame then twisting the other sleeve and tying it around Lorelai's ankle. He moved to the other side of the bed and repeated the same process.

Finally he moved to the top of the bed and half-gestured for her to raise her arms over her head. She focused on his face even though he didn't look at her. He tied the last shirt to the frame then gathered her hands together and tied her down. When he finished he backed away from the bed.

Lorelai moved her arms and legs to test the bonds and found that she had some movement but the soft twisted flannel was stronger than she thought; there was no way to free herself. Her nervousness ratcheted up another notch but right along with it she recognized the underlying feeling of anticipation. Oh god, she thought in surprise as she realized she was starting to look forward to this, who knew?

She turned her head and watched Luke turn off some of the lights, but not all of them. Lorelai felt the fluttering excitement increase as she realized she wouldn't be able to hide in the darkness this time. She locked eyes with Luke and watched him start to unbutton his own shirt.

Luke swallowed nervously as he shed his flannel and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He imagined Lorelai had felt the same way, undressing in front of him. He squelched his nerves as best as he could. He decided it was only fair that he experience the same. He was still in awe that she had agreed to this and allowed herself to be put in such a vulnerable position. If he played his cards right, maybe he would shatter that protective bubble she had encased herself in and hopefully bring her closer to the realization of how it could be between them.

Lorelai was already blushing, watching Luke disrobe. Her eyes fell on of all things, a tattoo, something so un-Luke-like yet given her current position on his bed, she wasn't all that surprised. Even with as standoffish as he had been, she was still getting to know him—very intimately.

His shoes and his socks came off next before he undid his belt buckle. Lorelai could see he was a little self-conscious about his impromptu Chippendale routine but was determined to see it through. He unzipped his jeans and pulled them down revealing a pair of non-descript boxers.

"Aww and here I thought they would have little burgers flying on them," Lorelai managed to crack, desperately trying to relieve the tension in the room and regain the upper hand.

He shot her a look as he bent and slipped the boxers off and—Oh my! Lorelai didn't even think of looking away even as she felt her cheeks burning. Even though Luke was not one of those six-packs abs, ripped kind of guys, he had a pretty good body and Lorelai was secretly glad she could now vividly picture what she had previously only felt in the dark.

As he padded around the bed, her moment of admiration burst and the nervousness returned in full force.

"Relax," he said as he slipped in beside her on the right side. "It'll be okay."

He reached up and gently kneaded her upper arms, easing the muscles. He brushed her hair away from her face then slowly stroked the soft skin of her arms. His hands moved down continuing to stroke and caress her sides.

Lorelai's tension began ebbing away in slow degrees. He patted and rubbed various parts of her body. His hands glided over her skin but she noticed he refrained from touching her breasts or between her legs. She relaxed even further as his hands massaged and molded around her body. His hands felt so good, so patient, so wonderful. Her eyes half-closed and she let out a little sound of pure contentment.

"You like this?" he asked quietly, not stopping what he was doing. He was enjoying the feel of her soft skin, feeling her muscles loosen up. He could tell he was lulling her into a contented state.

"Oh yes," she let out a shaky sigh. Both her body and her mind were unwinding under his tender ministrations. "You've got magic hands."

He smiled, genuinely pleased over her apparent pleasure and decided it was time.

As his hand suddenly grazed her lower belly, Lorelai's eyes flared wide and she couldn't stop the moan from escaping her lips. Luke moved a little closer, lightly rubbing up against her as his hand came to rest on the same spot.

"You liked that too," he observed.

"Yes," Lorelai admitted breathlessly. He drew a finger lightly over her and her belly quivered in reaction.

He leaned over so he could whisper in her ear. "Lorelai," his hot breath was taking its toll on her breathing. "Tell me what you want." His hand came up and fondled her left breast.

"God." Lorelai twitched against her bonds, too late recognizing the trap she had fallen into. He had relaxed her just a little too much leaving her very open and receptive to a wealth of new sensations.

She was discovering there was a very fine line between contentment and arousal. This was more than an experiment in trust. He was going to tease the hell out of her but he was gonna make her tell him what to do, thereby keeping her brain fully engaged and accepting of what was about to happen. He had taken away the tension, her nervousness—and all the mental barriers she had so carefully constructed. She tried to corral her wayward mind back to her earlier resolve only to find she didn't want to. She was treading on dangerous ground and she knew it.

"Tell me," Luke whispered insistently. His thumb was tracing in a circle around her hardened nipple.

She was lost and she knew it. "S-suckle my nipples," she got out closing her eyes.

Luke leaned over and laved his tongue over her nipple as she arched up giving him better access. The roughness of his tongue sent jolts of pleasure coursing through her body then his mouth closed on the hardened nub and he sucked it into his mouth, the rhythmic tugging making the hot blood surge through her.

As he moved to give the other breast the same attention, she noticed that he was adding his own little improvising touches further shredding her defenses. The way his mouth explored her entire breast and the way his hands continue to deliciously massage her, there was no way for her detach herself.

He drew back slightly. "Tell me," he whispered against her skin. He realized he was enjoying this ever bit as she was and when they finally came together it would be so incredible good.

"South," Lorelai said dreamily, caught up in the whirlwind of sensation. "Take…take your time. Oh!"

He licked and kissed his way down her ribs to her belly button before his hands followed. Her moans and sighs of pleasure were telling him that he was doing everything right. Occasionally his hands would drift back up to play with her nipples. He focused on her belly button, rimming it with his tongue then thrusting it in and wiggling it. He felt her body jerk in response.

"Don't stop," she panted straining up pulling at her flannel bonds.

His mouth moved lower across her taut, quivering belly and he flicked his tongue out, alternating with little brushing kisses. Her body was writhing in pleasure beneath him and he was tempted to let go but he knew he had to stick to his guns.

"Tell me, Lorelai," he urged her. He couldn't stop himself from hinting where he wanted to go. "Your clit?"

"God yes," she begged. "Spread my lower lips and suck on it."

Luke gently pulled apart her lips and saw the pink bundle of nerves. He leaned over and tenderly flicked her clit. Lorelai's legs tensed at the initial contact then relaxed. He lowered his head again running his rough tongue over her clit. He could feel her body shaking in reaction. He nibbled, he suckled; her hips were thrusting her body up to meet his mouth. He drew back for a moment accurately gauging the tension of her body. He wanted to be inside her when she came. He lowered his head and blew hot air across her clit.

Lorelai bucked up, caught up in the sensations, her body surging with desire, her head moving from side to side. "Ohhhhhh, that feels so good." She couldn't hold out any longer. "Luke."

His tongue worshipped her once again. She instinctively knew this was affecting him too. "Luke," she said insistently.

He looked up at her and he saw her eyes had turned a smoky shade of blue that he had never seen before. He looked a query at her.

"I want you inside me," she pleaded desperately. "I need you inside me."

That was all he needed to hear. Truth be told he wasn't sure how much longer he could've held off being inside her.

He moved up her body, dropping a lick or a kiss here and there and braced his arms out, fully sinking into her deeply. God she was so hot, so wet. He kept himself braced over her and thrust again.

Lorelai was so ready she was already coming by the second thrust. She surged up against him as far as her bonds would let her. She was caught up in the white hot sphere of delight and suddenly wished she wasn't bound so she could return the favor and touch him.

Luke held himself still, letting her grind and thrash up against him. He couldn't believe he was managing to hold off while watching the spectacle of her reaction beneath him. He hung on, desperate himself, until she finally quieted and her eyes focused on him again.

He lowered himself onto her, kissing her deeply and his hands moved up and he blindly fumbled with her bound hands, freeing them before he began moving inside her again.

Lorelai didn't realize immediately her hands were free but as Luke moved she became aware and instantly her arms went around him, her hands slipping on the fine sheen of sweat on his back. They surged and ebbed against each other, each stroke taking them closer to the nirvana they so desperately sought.

And suddenly there it was: the delicious bliss that melted all cares, qualms and troubles away. Lorelai's hands slipped down to his ass and held him there as they rode out the sensations to the fullest. By slow degrees they both sank into the bed letting the waves of pleasure gradually fade away.

Neither moved for a few minutes. It dawned on Luke that he had to be crushing her but as he tried to move away, her arms tightened around him. He didn't move, savoring the contact. He wasn't sure she would let him withdraw. She was still clenched around him.

Lorelai tried to collect herself. She was overcome. He had mastered her and she'd loved every minute of it. What in the hell had he done to her? She felt him brush a kiss in her hair and move again.

"I'm crushing you," he whispered, "and your legs are gonna be sore if you stay tied up like this."

Wordlessly she eased her grip on him both externally and internally. As he gently withdrew she couldn't stop the whimper of protest. He smiled at her, not a smug smile, but one of understanding and brushed her hair away from her face before leaving the bed and heading into the bathroom.

He was back a few moments later at the foot of the bed, washcloth in hand. He set it down and released one ankle then the other. He gently massaged his way up the outside of her legs and back down again loosening up the tense muscles.

Once he finished he picked up the cloth and gently eased it between her legs to soothe her and clean her up. Her hand snapped down and caught his wrist as he brushed over the sensitized skin; her breath came out in a low hiss. He looked at her and she shook her head, closing her eyes trying to put herself back together.

Luke took the cloth back to the bathroom then returned to the bed. He gently moved Lorelai to a more comfortable position. She was so relaxed; her limbs were limp like a stuffed doll. He slipped into bed beside her, drew up the covers and turned off the light.

Lorelai forced her boneless body to move. She eased herself over to Luke's side of the bed and curled herself around him craving physical contact with him. His arms went around her as she tiredly rested her head on his chest, not caring if he thought she was being too clingy.

Luke pulled her even closer inwardly reveling at her actions and wanting to comfort her. "I've got you," he assured her softly.

They slept.

Lorelai heard the alarm go off and groaned into her pillow, burying her head under it. After such an incredible night the last thing she wanted to do was get dressed and leave. She was exhausted. She realized Luke would be rousing her momentarily and she didn't like it one little bit.

She felt the now-familiar hand on her hip, making her aware of his presence just like he had every morning so far.

He leaned over and kissed her shoulder. "Go back to sleep."

Lorelai somehow sank back down into oblivion again, grateful for whatever reason she did not have to leave her comfortable surroundings. She wasn't even aware when Luke left the bed.

A short while later, something tickled her nose and she gradually came awake. She looked over at Luke's side of the bed. Empty? She sniffed the air and realized what had awakened her.

Coffee. She sniffed again. More than coffee, she smelled food, real food and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. She was about to get up and investigate when Luke came into view bearing a tray.

He was standing there in sweats and a t-shirt, the bed tray he was holding had coffee, eggs, bacon, a mountain of toast and some beverage she couldn't identify.

"Breakfast in bed?" she said agog. There was no way she could stop the look of pleasure from crossing her features. "Wow!" She sat up and arranged the sheet around her.

Luke set the tray down over her lap then got into bed beside her. She stared at the food in delight then looked at him.

"You got dressed," she observed.

"Had to," he replied. "It's a cardinal rule of cooking: Never cook naked."

She laughed, looking at the bacon. "Makes sense. A stray splatter could ruin something…vital."

He chuckled as he reached for a piece of toast. She grabbed the only fork on the tray and began eating.

"Mmmm," she savored the eggs. He made them just the way she liked them. She eyed him curiously. "I don't get it. The last few days you have been shooing me out at the butt crack of dawn and today I'm getting the royal treatment." She flushed a little wondering if it was because of last night. "What gives?"

"You have been scampering out of here at the butt crack of dawn," Luke shot back at her. "You never even stayed for a cup of coffee. I'm not opening the diner this morning, Cesar is and I figured since we had a little extra time, I'd make you some breakfast," he shrugged. "If you don't want it…" He reached for the tray.

"Move away from the tray, mister," she warned him in a no-nonsense tone. He grinned at her then grabbed the glass from the tray and took a drink.

She was elated by this new turn of events. She was secretly glad that he wasn't behaving as casual as he had been and she found herself touched by his thoughtfulness of making her breakfast. She frowned as she watched him drink whatever it was that was in the glass.

"What is that?" She wrinkled her nose. It did not look appealing.

Luke hesitated and suddenly the answer came to her. "No! It isn't! It can't be!" she said incredulously. "It's the infamous Mega-Man Powder!"

"Don't knock it unless you've tried it," Luke shrugged noncommittally.

That sent Lorelai into gales of laughter. Luke watched how open and natural she was, none of her previous reticence anywhere to be found. She settled down and finished eating while he polished off his drink.

He sighed and glanced at the clock. "As much as I hate to say it, we gotta get a move on." He got up, picked up the tray and retreated back to the kitchen allowing her to have some privacy while getting dressed.

Lorelai swung her legs out of bed and noticed her clothes lying across the foot of the bed. She shook her head and smiled.

He came back just as she was putting on her shoes. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him.

"I'll walk you down," he said leading the way.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows in surprise but made no comment.

They quietly picked their way down the steps not wanting to alert Cesar to their presence. Luke escorted her to the back door, his hand resting on the small of her back.

"Guess you won't be coming in for breakfast," he said, realizing that feeding her would cut into their daylight time. He would miss her coming in but he much preferred the breakfast they had had.

"Are you kidding?" Lorelai said shocked. "You think I would miss Danish day?"

She smiled at him, half-tempted to kiss him good-bye but was uncertain how far she should push her luck. She opened the door carefully and peeked out making sure no one was around.

"See you later," she said over her shoulder as she slipped out.

Lorelai paid the barest minimum of attention to her surroundings as she made her way home. No one was out and about. She went over everything that happened last night. She knew Luke had succeeded in knocking down that wall she had erected to protect herself. It was going to be a lot harder for her to remain detached from him now.

She stopped dead as a new thought occurred to her. She acknowledged that she was developing some very serious feelings for Luke. Who was to say that over the course of the month she couldn't persuade him that once this bet was over and done, there was no reason for them not to continue on as a real couple? She wondered if she could convince him. She recalled the intensity of their liaison last night. Then she remembered the times she had talked him into putting up the rummage sale sign and painting the diner and buying her basket. She had faith that her wiles would win him over but it didn't hurt to add a little extra oomph to their remaining nights.

She grinned to herself. Ah, the game may have changed but the players remain the same.

The rest of this month was gonna be fun.

tbc

To quote Lou Reed: Hey Babe, take a walk on the wild side.

A/N: Okay I've boldly painted the target on my chest. For those of you that were offended, my apologies; for those of you who were not—did ya like it? I now declare open season on Jmaka.

P.S. Please don't kill me (whimper). Hee.