Happy New Year!
The thing, the problem, the deal with Puck was that he had moves.
No, seriously, just look at the way he talks to people, Rachel thought. He has that badass attitude about him, so when he is a fraction nice to people he gets them to do whatever he wants.
When Rachel, on the other hand, tries to be badass, people just call her a bitch.
Which, if she thought about it, probably made sense.
Ok, the focus was Puck now, not herself. He managed to look hot and casual wearing just about anything. Even once in NY, when he borrowed her robe because she'd spilled cranberry sauce on his shirt and demanded he took it off so she could wash it, or it would stain. She was such an idiot. She should've made him stay shirtless. Like, forever. He was shirtless right now, on that stupid bake sale she had made up.
Shut up, Rachel. It is for a good cause.
Yes, of course it was, it had to be a good cause to make her stay inside that goddamn hot kitchen, baking cupcakes all by herself while everyone else got refreshments by the pool. Life is so unfair. I'll never do a good deed again.
She had opened her big mouth on last Monday's rehearsal to say that they could have a bake sale to help raise funds for a summer play the students wanted to do. Money came more easily to the Glee Club these days, but it didn't mean that the other Arts were having it easy too.
Mr Schue readily said it was a great idea, so he offered his (and Mrs Schue's, former Pillsbury) house and said he would contact every one of the former glee clubbers to help.
Great help they are, lounging by the pool like that. She glared through the kitchen's windows, straight at where Santana playfully splashed Artie. Sure, Rachel had put on her bikini as well, hoping to have some fun after the cupcakes were decorated. But she couldn't abandon her work right now. Like everyone else is doing.
It was boarding on unbearable, staying inside that oven-hot kitchen, with all windows closed (she couldn't afford the risk of some wandering fly landing on one of the cupcakes), whilst watching everyone else so fresh out there. An idea suddenly occurred to her. She could take off her dress and cook in her bikini.
It was a rather unappealing idea to her. First, she found that to be really gross. She thought that the kitchen area should provide a clean, orderly appearance, and there was something pretty wrong with showing up after a swim to cook. Second, she wasn't comfortable walking around semi-naked. Sure, sun bathing at her house was ok, staying inside the pool was ok, but in the presence of other people she preferred to cover a little. Call her insecure or old fashioned, but that's the way it was with her.
Still, it was incredibly hot in there. She had a pretty clear view of the yard, so if anyone came towards the kitchen, she could quickly throw her dress on. Everyone else was wearing bathing suits anyway.
She looked both ways before she pulled her dress over her head and folded it in a neat pile on top of a chair. Much better. She fanned herself, enjoying the heat reprieve.
She was actually working pretty fast, she thought. There was a batch of chocolate cupcakes already in the oven, and she was preparing some vanilla to go in right after. The icing was almost done, too. Had she brought her special tools from NY, they might've had some stars on top of the cupcakes, but the cute pink icing would have to do.
She carefully opened the oven to check if the first batch was ready. They are usually ready by now when I bake them in NY, but I guess this oven is different. She closed the door, humming to herself while she wiped her hands and put the towel aside. She missed out on the fact that Noah had just come into the kitchen and was standing very still right behind her.
She was distractedly organizing and putting away things, so she was pretty surprised when she turned around and found herself very close to Noah. She gave a small yelp of surprise and stood still, mere inches from him. "Need help?" he asked, huskily. He seemed to be pretty comfortable with the fact that they were both half naked.
She turned her back on him again, embarrassed, but found it to be the worst possible thing for her to do, because now his breath was right against her right year as he spoke in a low voice to her. "You know, someone back in NY taught me a thing or two about baking" she could hear the lazy smile in his voice and she fought the shiver that wanted to rise.
She smiled nervously, trying to pretend she didn't notice his flirty tones. Or his lack of clothing. He knows he looks good. She thought, exasperated at him. Seeing her control about to snap, she decided to just turn around and face him, before she lost it and leaned back against him. As much as she was dying and would love to do that.
"Noah!" she exclaimed, pretending to be annoyed at him. Of course I'm annoyed. My body just went haywire. She looked around, desperate to occupy him. "You can sift the flour!"
He raised his eyebrows sarcastically at her, as if to say "really?" but moved to get the flour anyway. She knew him to be a good cook. He didn't enjoy cooking as much as she did, but the guy could handle it. She looked at him flexing his biceps as he worked on his task. She felt a definite pull towards him. There was a strange temptation for her to just go behind him and kiss his shoulders, and the worst part was that it seemed so natural that she was almost doing it.
She turned her attention back to the icing she'd been preparing. She tried to rationalize with herself that it would be a bad idea to do this with so many people around. But that made another intriguing thought rise amidst the others: So I should just invite him over to my place.
She was still distracted a few minutes later, thinking about the implications of her inviting him over like that, and ended up letting the icing get too stiff. She went for some milk to help soften it when she heard a "Damn!" being muttered. She looked over to where Puck had been standing, and looked back at her, his expression neutral. "Rach, come over here, there's an issue".
When she went over to see what was going on, he simply smirked at her and tossed a bunch of flour at her general direction. She gasped, surprised and looked at him. At first she became pissed, then she laughed and then the possibility of vengeance occurred to her. She deliberately sank her right hand at the flour pot and spread it over his chest. He looked down, seeing the mess she made and flour war began.
They chased each other around the kitchen, messing it with flour, laughing. They were fully covered with it until Noah decided to wash them off by turning the flour fight into a water fight, so now, instead of soaked in flour, they were simply soaked. Rachel, wanting revenge, cornered him against the isle, not quite sure what she'd use against him now.
She looked up at him and he looked down at her, both breathless and laughing from the joke. Again, they were mere inches from each other and that didn't seem to go unnoticed to either. The laughter died down as they looked straight at each other's eyes, and his look turned smoldering. Rachel was sure that she couldn't keep the desire away from her eyes, either.
In one fluid motion, he put his hand behind her head and brought her up towards him, at the same time that she put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him towards her. Their lips met in a hungry, much postponed kiss, and it soon became a full body contact.
Rachel hugged his neck, wanting him even closer. Their breaths were coming in short intakes; she didn't want the kiss to end and, she imagined, neither did he. He slid one hand to the small of her back, securing her position. Rachel couldn't form a single coherent thought; only half-formed phrases flashed through her mind. His skin… feels so good.
She hungrily attacked his mouth, which he reciprocated. He eventually moved the kisses down to her jaw, then in the direction of her ear and neck. Her breath came in short gasps in his ear. His hand descended from the small of her back to the outer side of her leg, pulling it to hook it around his waist. She scratched his back in response, to each he lightly moaned in her ear. The heat seemed to emanate from them, engulf them, making her forget her surroundings.
The sound of a door suddenly closing made them crash back into earth, startled and breathless, only to see Finn standing right there in the kitchen.
