A/N: This chapter is for another awesome Aussie Gleek – Tashah04 (as she is known on Twitter), for no other reason than because she is awesome. She and GoingVintage floated the idea of Hank stealing Rachel's panties a while back. Since they're both dog lovers, the Hank antics in this chapter belong to them :)
Rachel and Puck had little time alone the next day to discuss, let alone explore, what was blooming between them. Eli, still shaken from his nightmare the night before, was uncharacteristically clingy, not letting Rachel out of his sight or venturing more than a few feet away from her the entire day.
Any hope of some privacy later when the little boy had gone to bed was dashed by the late afternoon arrival of a large, boisterous Texan family who staked out their own campsite on the other side of the small clearing and seemed to have no qualms about what they may or may not be interrupting, as they continually popped over to their neighbors to chat.
Puck fumed at the 'invasion' as he called it, resentful that his time with his son was intruded upon by the tourists who apparently felt the need to shadow every one of their activities, all day. And clearly, their presence meant any hope of re-enacting the previous nights make out session by the fire was dashed.
Rachel, horrified by Puck's deliberate rudeness, tried to overcompensate by remaining polite and accepting of the other family's overtures of friendship. But, after Papa Texas poked his head in their tent without announcing himself, just as Rachel was changing, even she was finding it difficult to maintain a pleasant demeanour.
Puck had been throwing a football around with Eli at the time and had been irate when he learned of the eyeful the other man had received from a horrified Rachel, especially since he seemed determined to give Puck a thumbs up whenever he caught his eye, indicating he thought Puck had done well for himself in the hot girlfriend stakes. It had taken several minutes of placating on Rachel's part, in addition to the promise of a lengthy goodnight kiss (with tongue), for him not to march over there and erase the sight of her naked breasts from the guy's mind with his fists.
On the third morning, when they'd woken up at 6am to the Texan's rambunctious laughter, Puck and Rachel decided it was time for the camping trip to come to a premature end. Puck took Eli down to the lake for a final swim after breakfast while Rachel attempted to avoid contact with their neighbors as she cleared up their breakfast dishes and started packing their belongings back in the truck, ready for a quick getaway – leaving the camping equipment and heavy coolers for Puck to load before their departure.
When father and son returned from their swim they found Rachel scowling at a cowering Hank who was shying away from her, a wad of black material hanging from his mouth.
"What's up, Rach?" Puck asked cautiously as they walked over, noting the return of the school ma'am expression on her features. She had been so relaxed and carefree these last couple of days, that seeing the familiar ice queen look firmly in place had his gut clenching with dread.
Rachel didn't spare him a glance as she stood with her hands on her hips, her foot tapping. "Hank has something of mine and he's refusing to give it back." She replied haughtily, still bestowing the look of death on his dog.
"What?" Puck asked, stepping forward to see what it was that Hank was so determined to hang onto. Rachel yanked him back and he took in her suddenly flushed cheeks with interest.
"Well?" he prompted, his eyebrow arching.
"He has my..." she paused, her eyes shifting away from his, "panties." She finished at a whisper.
He stared at her and then burst into laughter, bending over and slapping his knee with mirth. "How in the hell did a dog end up with your underwear?"
"I had hand washed them and hung them out to dry on a makeshift close line between the truck and the picnic table," she explained uncomfortably. "He must have waited until my back was turned and then he stole them."
Puck's laughter had begun to die down, but it bubbled to the surface again at the thought of Hank lying low in wait until Rachel was distracted, just so he could lift her panties.
Rachel glared at him and crossed her arms and he tried to look apologetic as she pursed her lips.
"S-sorry." He managed, still laughing. "H-hank, give Rachel b-back her…." he spluttered, "p-panties."
Rachel sighed in exasperation, "You're no help at all." She told him crossly, once again moving towards Hank who immediately backed away, drool falling from the side of his mouth.
"Oh, no! Hank!" she moaned in disgust. "Noah, please do something."
Eli looked between the adults in confusion before approached his canine friend. "Whatcha got there Hank? Can I see?" he asked innocently, holding out his small hand. Hank obediently dropped the item into Eli's palm as Rachel gaped in disbelief. "I've been trying to get those back for the last fifteen minutes," she grumbled as she leant forward to retrieve her lost property.
Puck intercepted and plucked the black cloth from Eli's hand, "Lace, Rach?" he whistled appreciatively, twirling the damp material around his finger. "Nice."
She blushed and snatched them out of his grasp, "They're ruined." She remarked in dismay as she took in the holes from where Hank and bitten down when she had tried vainly to tug them away from him earlier.
Puck just shrugged, grabbing them back and stuffing them into the pocket of his swimming trunks with a grin, "S'ok, I'll buy you a new pair." He glanced at Eli who was patting Hank's head and lowered his voice, bending his head close to hers, "Or better yet, I won't buy you a new pair. Think of all the fun we'll have as I demonstrate the benefits of you not wearing panties at all."
She lightly hit at his bare chest as his lips brushed against her ear, "You're incorrigible," she declared with a small smile.
"Yep," he agreed happily. "Now let's get dressed, pack our shit and get out of here before we have to listen to one more fucking rodeo story," he urged, glancing sideways at the Texans and slapping her lightly on her behind.
As Eli ducked into the tent in front of them, Puck reached in and pulled out his small duffel bag. The tent was in no way large enough for the three of them to change and he figured Rachel wouldn't feel comfortable undressing in front of him anyway. At least, not while there was a four year old around and he couldn't touch her like he knew they both wanted him too.
"You haven't told me what you have planned for this morning," Rachel commented as she watching him pull out a pair of faded jeans from his bag.
He paused and grinned, reaching for her hand and tugging her against him.
Puck kissed her thoroughly before letting her go, smirking and grasping her elbow to steady her as she stumbled slightly. "I don't want to give too much away, but what I have in mind is very, very dirty." He declared throatily, watching in smug satisfaction as her blush deepened.
He laughed as she practically dove into the tent and, not caring if any of their Texan neighbors were watching, stripped off his wet shorts and pulled on a pair of boxers and his oldest, most threadbare jeans.
He had packed everything but the tent into his truck by the time a fresh faced Eli emerged from the tent, some ten minutes later. He gathered that Rachel had cleaned two days worth of dirt and camping grime off of him as best she could with her trusty baby wipes, judging from the howls of protest he'd heard coming from inside. She joined them just as Puck finished reattaching the small boat trailer to the truck and when he caught sight of her, he stopped in his tracks.
"Rach, what the hell are you wearing?" His eyes racked over the short, white denim skirt that barely covered her ass and displayed miles of tanned thigh, and the plain white cotton tank top that dipped into a low V, framing her cleavage in a way that made his mouth water.
"What do you mean?" She asked self consciously, pulling at the hem of her skirt.
"I told you that we're gonna get dirty. You're practically the picture of the Virgin Mary in all that white."
He didn't mean to sound so gruff and he didn't want her to think he thought her anything less than absolutely gorgeous in that get up, but she was in no way dressed for the day he had planned.
Her mouth dropped open and her lips formed a perfect O. "Dirty?"
"We're going mud bogging today," he explained patiently. "Your outfit is going to be completely ruined."
"Mud bogging?" she gaped. "Oh…mud bogging. I thought that you meant-" her mouth snapped shut and she averted her eyes.
He watched her jaw tighten and he replayed the conversation from earlier in his mind.
Shit.
He'd been flirting with her, teasing her, and she'd thought that what he had planned involved something of a sexual nature. He snuck another look at her attire. It didn't escape his attention that having reached that conclusion, she had dressed accordingly.
"You thought I meant a different kind of dirty, huh?" he figured, touching her arm. He frowned when she shrugged him off, picking up hers and Eli's bags and carrying them towards the truck without a word.
He'd embarrassed her.
"Rach," he took two quick steps and snagged her around the waist. "I'm sorry I didn't make things clear." He apologized sincerely, grasping her chin and forcing her to look at him.
"It's fine," she replied woodenly, desperately trying to escape his hold.
"No, it's not," he corrected, dipping his head and pressing his lips firmly against hers. She stopped struggling after a moment, but when he pulled back she still wouldn't meet his gaze.
"You look hot," he murmured, his hand trailing down her arm to squeeze her fingers. "I just don't want you yelling at me later when you have mud streaked all over your clothes. Don't you have anything else to wear?"
Rachel shook her head, smiling bravely. "This will be fine." She claimed, her eyes flicking over his face quickly. "You should pack the tent Noah, so we can get out of here."
"Hey," he held her hand more tightly as she went to walk away again. Puck waited until she finally looked at him before speaking. "I really am sorry."
She nodded and shrugged, her smile turning derisive. "It was silly-"
"Was not," he countered, "And now that I know you were actually considering it, you can bet I'm putting it on today's agenda." He winked, roguishly.
She allowed him to pull her in for another scorching kiss, before loud whistling and clapping had them parting. Puck glared towards the Texan's camp before sighing and looking down at her. "It's time to go." He stated firmly.
Rachel could only nod emphatically in agreement.
***/***
After leaving the campground, Puck drove 15 miles outside of town and turned onto a dirt road - much like the one he had taken when they'd gone on their little off road adventure on Long Island the week before. After they had driven a few more miles along the narrow track, the trail widened and eventually they reached a clearing and a large natural depression in the earth. A sea of mud, roughly the size of a football field, awaited them.
Puck turned his head and grinned as he saw both Rachel and Eli gazing through the windshield, their eyes as wide as saucers. Eli's expression was one of abstract longing and he began to bounce in his car seat, eager to be let out and set free to explore this muddy wonderland. Rachel's face though, reflected horror.
"This is what you mean by mud bogging?" She asked when she found her voice. "Noah, it's huge. We could probably drown."
He rolled his eyes and parked off to the side. "Nuh uh, it's pretty shallow. Are you ready Eli? Do you want to drive through it first?"
"YEAH!" the little boy crowed, and Puck grinned, jumping out to unhook the trailer before shifting the truck into four wheel drive and aiming for the middle of the bog.
"We're going to get stuck," Rachel predicted fearfully, clutching at the dash in preparation. "You'll never get us out again."
Puck scoffed, "We're not going to get stuck. Like I said, it's pretty shallow; Mike and I have done this a thousand times." The mud was crisscrossed with tire tracks and deep grooves, a clear indicator that countless people before them had come to take their turn at spinning wide wheelies through the area.
"Hang tight," Puck felt an acute sense of deja vu as Rachel shrieked, her knuckles turning white as she held on for dear life. As they plunged into the middle, the truck bounced violently and she tipped forward, grasping the side of Eli's car seat and Puck's leg for balance.
"I'm going to die," she moaned, digging her nails into his thigh as he slammed on the brake, letting the back end of the truck careen through the mud, Eli's excited whoops filling the cab of the truck. When they came to a shuddering stop, Puck shifted into reverse and glanced at her with a grin, "You're not going to die. You just gotta trust me babe."
She met his gaze and to her credit, she barely hesitated in replying, "I trust you."
He pecked her on the lips quickly before stomping on the gas, backing them quickly up the embankment before plunging in once more. This time, Rachel barely made a sound, though her grip on his thigh didn't ease. She was breathing in through her nose, her lips pressed tightly together as she forced herself to relax. She did trust him, and she felt completely comfortable with Noah behind the wheel, but her own four wheel driving adventure was weighing heavily on her mind and it was a struggle for her to share in the enjoyment Puck and Eli were so obviously deriving from their present activity.
Finally, ten heart stopping minutes later, Puck drove them out of the bog and parked off to the side.
Rachel let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, sinking back wearily into the seat. A second later she felt his hand on her cheek and she opened her eyes again to see him looking at her, half amused, half contrite.
"Were you really that freaked out?" He asked guiltily.
"It didn't exactly rate on my top 10 list of favorite moments," she conceded. "I think I'll pass next time, I don't think my heart can take it."
Something flickered in his hazel gaze and his expression turned thoughtful, "I think your heart can take a lot more than you give it credit for," he said seriously, his thumb stroking over her bottom lip.
"Noah-" she breathed, her head tipping to the side as she leant forward ever so slightly.
"I WANNA GET OUT!"
They both jumped at Eli's frustrated yell and laughed.
Puck freed Eli from his seat and, having been cooped up in the truck for far too long for his liking, the little boy made straight for the bog.
"You coming?" Puck asked her, itching to follow his son and Hank.
Rachel noted his barely contained excitement and shook her head. She smiled indulgently at him and waved him off, "You go, enjoy yourself."
Puck didn't bother trying to change her mind. Instead, he took off at a run, yelling (jokingly) that Eli better not be having any fun without him. Rachel retrieved a blanket from behind the seat and spread it out over a grassy slope, watching as Puck caught up to his son and squatted beside Eli at the edge of the mud. Smiling to herself, she picked up her trusty novel and thumbed to the page she had marked, leaving the boys to their fun as she submerged herself back into her 'impeccably researched' historical romance.
Eli was waiting expectantly at the edge for Puck to reach him and Puck, being somewhat of an expert in mud himself, wasted no time in taking off his son's shoes and rolling the pants of his expensive looking overalls up past his knees. He glanced up at Rachel who was once again engrossed in her book, before starting his latest father-son tutorial.
"Look," he said, showing Eli how to make a handprint. Then, he made a footprint with Hank's paw.
In no time at all, Eli had gotten the idea and was eagerly perched on his knees, pressing his palms into the mud as he cooed in delight. Puck took Eli's hand in his and together they strolled out into the bog, laughing deliriously as the black goo sucked at their toes.
"What on earth are you two doing?" They looked up to see Rachel standing at the edge, her hands perched on her hips.
"We're getting dirty," Puck stated obviously, "It's what boys do." he added teasingly.
"Ugh," she fixed him with her best 'I am not amused' look and he held in a chuckle. Watching her flit between frigid school-teacher-from-hell to normal, relaxed Rachel was quickly becoming one of his favorite pastimes. He enjoyed riling her up and waiting for the inevitable moment when her annoyance would win out over her cool aloofness and she'd give him a piece of her mind.
Not that she'd been acting neither cool nor aloof these past few days. His gaze lingered on her legs and he couldn't help but glance at his watch. As much as he loved sharing this with Eli, he was counting down the hours until he could have her to himself and prove just how far from frigid and cold she actually was.
"Come on in." he invited, beckoning her with a crooked finger.
"Never," she answered adamantly. "Do you know how many germs would be festering in there? I've read about germs burrowing into the bottom of children's feet, so I really think-"
"Rachel," he interrupted, "You know how I feel about all your reading."
She sniffed and fixed her gaze on her brother. "Eli," she said sweetly, "Come here and let me get you all cleaned off."
To Puck's amusement, Eli glared at her mutinously. Obviously he was just beginning to explore the joys of getting dirty. There was no way he was ready to get cleaned up just yet. She glowered at Puck in the wake of Eli's disobedience and he shrugged, "Two against one, Rach. Give it up."
"Eli is four," she pointed out. "His vote doesn't count."
Puck looked down at his son who was cheerfully ignoring Rachel and marching around in circles, happily chanting, "Mud, mud, mud, mud!" over and over again.
"Actually babe, I think his vote is the only one that really counts."
She stared at him, a churlish look on her face. "Sometimes I despise you," she informed him seriously.
He tried to not let the comment bother him. "Yeah, well you're no picnic either." he retorted, advancing on her slowly. "But even when you're being a huge party pooper, you're still hot."
Rachel tried not to smile and he grinned back at her, "I think you're going to despise me a hell of a lot more after this!"
She caught on a second to late, squealing as he lunged for her. She turned to run but he scooped her up easily.
"Put me down." she demanded, a giggle escaping her lips even as she frowned at him and clung to his neck.
He shook his head, "No can do. Kick your shoes off." Puck whirled around so her feet were facing the direction of the embankment.
"Noah, please don't." she pouted.
He arched his eyebrow and said nothing. After a minute she gave a long suffering sigh and kicked off her shoes, as directed.
"I want my protest noted," she muttered as he sloshed back through the mud towards Eli and Hank.
"I promised you dirty babe, and I always deliver." he winked and she rolled her eyes.
"What if there's glass under there? Or metal?" she fretted as he came to a stop.
"Fuck, you over think everything." he complained. "What about monsters or flesh eating insects?"
"Don't even joke," she warned.
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, I'm putting you down."
"I'll scream." she warned, making a last ditch effort to escape the torture he had planned for her.
He chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Funny, I'd already pegged you as a screamer," he whispered into her ear as he dropped her feet first into the mud.
"God, must you always find innuendo in every innocent comment?" she asked with a huff, "This is awful. I hate this." she bitched as she lifted up her foot. She pursed her lips and was about to launch into another rant when a strange expression stole over her face.
Puck crossed his arms and watched. She looked up at him and squinted.
"Pretty nice isn't it?" he asked knowingly.
"No," she denied and he laughed.
"I've told you before Berry, you're a crappy liar. Don't bullshit a bullshitter."
"Fine, well-" she closed her eyes and lifted her foot again, "I suppose..." she set it down again and felt the mud - warm from the heat of the day - ooze between her toes. The texture reminded her of pudding, she decided as she hesitantly took a walk, circling Eli and an amused Puck.
"Well?"
She stopped and turned towards him, sighing in exasperation. "Alright, you win. You were right. This feels good."
Puck nodded, satisfied. "That's all I wanted to hear Berry." He said smugly, turning and heading towards where Eli was building a tower of mud. He'd taken two steps when he felt the slap on the back of his head and thick wetness sliding down his neck. He touched his fingers to his neck and wiped away the mud. Rachel's giggle had him turning back towards her slowly.
"Oh, you are in for it now." He growled playfully, lunging for her once again. This time she was prepared and easily evaded him. Hank started barking and Eli jumped to his feet and took off after them, racing to catch up with Puck as he chased her around in large circles.
"I'm coming for you Rach!" he yelled, rapidly advancing on her.
"Noooooo!" Rachel screamed, laughing as he grabbed her around the waist.
"Gotcha!" They pivoted in the mud before falling in a tangled heap.
"Omph," He fell on her heavily, pressing her underneath him into the mud and she pushed at his chest, easing his weight off of her diaphragm. Puck propped himself up on his hands but made no move to get off her.
"Finally, I've got you where I want you," he said cheekily, gazing down at her. "Hi."
"Hi," she repeated softly, looking back at him with shining eyes. He dipped his head and kissed her languidly.
"Dirty looks good on you," he told her with a grin when he lifted his head again, wiping at a streak of mud on her cheek but only succeeding in making it worse. She barely had a chance to take a much needed breath before Eli was jumping on them, eager to join the fun. Puck held him off while he rolled to the side and then they were laughing and pushing mud over her legs.
"Bury her!" Eli cried, pushing at her chest as she tried vainly to sit up.
"Alright!" she surrendered and fell back, grimacing as they essentially mummified her.
When they had covered her entire body, except for her face, they helped her out of her mud cocoon and buried Puck, then Eli. They attempted to bury Hank but the dog took off and the three of them spent the better part of half an hour trying to catch him, slipping and sliding through the mud and squealing with laughter.
Rachel watched Eli's face as he played; his smile so wide she thought his face would split in two. She'd never seen him so happy and as Puck lifted him in the air and spun him around in circles, she felt her heart seize painfully as that realization sunk in.
She had tried to give Eli the best of everything. He wore nice clothes, had the best reviewed educational toys and a wide variety of lessons to keep his interests well rounded. She took him to the park and spent hours lying on the rug with him and his alphabet books. He had play dates and trips to the museum; they played hide and seek and listened to the Wiggles together, but she had never engaged in this type of unrestrained exuberance with him – this down and dirty, boisterous kind of fun had never been part of their experience together.
Until that very moment Rachel would have claimed to have given her brother the ideal childhood but seeing him now, perched up on his father's shoulders, Rachel finally admitted to herself that marrying Finn would be a huge mistake.
Eli didn't need the security of a two story house by the water, a kitchen full of stainless steel appliances and a tabby cat that spent more time glaring at him than letting him pet her.
He didn't need her to marry a man she didn't love, just to provide a stable role model for him to look up to. He had a father, one who already loved him unconditionally.
Eli needed her to be happy and as she looked at Puck, she thought for the first time in a long time that she was. It was him; it was Noah. He made her laugh and forced her to relax and enjoy life, rather than simply go through the motions and live it. He could probably turn a trip to the store for milk into a full blown adventure and she couldn't help but feel she wanted to be the one to take that adventure – all of the adventures - with him.
"Stop thinking," Puck growled in mock annoyance, noticing her contemplative look. He tugged her to her feet and stole a kiss before leading her and Eli back to the grassy embankment where they ate a lunch of fruit and sandwiches. Afterwards, happy and exhausted, they lay back on the blanket, pointing out shapes in the puffy white clouds before returning to the mud bog and building, with the help of Eli's bucket and spade, what Puck declared the most badass mud castle there ever was.
"You're still thinking," Puck accused later as they say on the edge of the mud bog and he watched Rache unfold her legs from underneath herself and rake her toes through the mud. She'd got over her aversion to the stuff hours ago.
She smiled at him, "Guilty. Do you have a penny for my thoughts?"
Puck fished through the pocket in his jeans and came up with a crumpled dollar. Rachel snatched it up and tucked it into her bra, much to Puck's amusement.
"Well," he prompted. "Spill. What's going on it that crazy head of yours?"
She lifted her shoulder and watched Eli making piles of mud pies.
"Nothing of consequence, I was just thinking that again, you were right." She paused and pointed at her top, one that was white a few short hours ago, but was now black and grey. "My clothes are going to be ruined."
"Mmm-hmmm, I just gave you a buck woman. How about you give me my monies worth and tell me the truth?"
She looked at him in surprise, "How do you know I'm not telling you the truth now?"
Puck grinned and leant forward, touching her forehead, "because you get these little lines between your eyes when you lie, right here."
"Oh." She touched that spot. He was looking at her expectantly and she smiled.
"In that case, I was thinking how fun and," she paused, "unexpected today was."
"You had fun, really?" he asked as though he couldn't guess from the grin she'd been sporting for the last few hours.
"Yes."
He shifted so he was sitting next to her and she leant against him and reached for his hand, allowing her head to fall on his shoulder as they watched Eli and Hank.
"I'm happy, Noah." She told him quietly. "Are you happy?"
He squeezed her fingers and slid his arm around her waist, pressing his lips against her hair.
"Yeah, baby. How could I not be? I have a son who is possibly the smartest and cutest kid to ever walk the planet and a gorgeous woman beside me, who's just begging to be kissed."
She turned her head, "Begging? Really?" She arched her eyebrow and he chuckled, pulling on her elbow until she turned in his arms.
"Don't pretend you don't want it," he murmured, kissing her temple and then her cheek, angling towards her mouth. Her breath caught in her throat as his mouth lowered slowly and her heart seemed to still until she felt the first touch of his lips.
She sighed and leaned into him, her hands sliding over his chest. His body was warm and hard underneath her palms and her fingers tightened in his shirt as his hands pushed up the hem of her top so they could settle against the bare skin of her lower back, pressing her against him. He groaned against her mouth as her lips parted and he deepened the kiss, the tip of his tongue sliding slowly over her upper lip until she thought she might die with the prolonged torture of wanting him.
When he pulled back and she saw his eyes, their hazel color dark and warm as they gazed back into hers, she smiled. Rachel considered the butterflies that took flight in her stomach whenever their gazes connected; she could get used to them.
"Noah?" She whispered just before their lips touched again, "I want it."
***/***
Puck was a goner.
Rachel Berry on a normal day, with her spotless tennis shoes and her long silky hair coiled into a tight bun was stuff that fantasies were made of, but this Rachel Berry - the one with mud streaked across her face and her warm chocolate gaze sparkling with happiness - was simply irresistible.
He got to his feet and pulled her up with him. Impulsively he dipped his head and kissed her again, feeling her smile against his lips.
When he pulled back, he brushed his thumb over her cheek and gazed at her, trying to make sense of the last 72 hours. He knew it would be easy just to lose himself in her; to get caught up in this new spirited, breath taking woman that had emerged from behind the defensive shield she had constructed for herself, and was only just allowing him to penetrate, but he knew he had to think long and hard about this.
His life was tied to hers now, forever because of the little boy they had agreed to share and although they had discussed their attraction maturely, sensibly, he knew all too well how easily it was to succumb to passion and suppress rational thought.
It was almost laughable really. Rachel had been the one insisting from the beginning that they couldn't explore the heat that existed between them when they had Eli to consider, and here she was, willing to jump into a relationship with him and Puck was the one taking a mental step back, considering carefully the ramifications a break up would have on all three of them.
But he was in too deep. He couldn't put a stop to it now, even if he wanted too - which he didn't.
Rachel was leaning into his hand, her eyes searching his. "Is everything alright, Noah?" She asked quietly, worrying her lip as she noted the solemness of his expression.
"Yeah," he smiled down at her and brushed his lips over her mud-caked forehead.
"I was just thinking, I should take you back to my place, rather than the motel." He dropped his hand from her face, his eyes searching for Eli who was still happily making mud pies at the edge of the mud bog with Hank by his side.
"I need to unhook the trailer from the truck and I don't think you and Eli have any clean clothes left at all, do you?"
Rachel shook her head ruefully, pulling the filthy tank top away from her body and then letting it go; it slapped wetly back into place and as she shifted she grimaced, feeling the mud slide down her thighs. "I'm in dire need of a washing machine," she admitted.
"Right, well we'll go home and shower. I mean, not together or anything," he clarified quickly, cursing under his breath as he felt his cheeks warm and saw her arch her eyebrow in amusement.
Since when did he get embarrassed about a little innuendo? Shit was just not on.
"We just really need to get out of these clothes," he forged on, only to stop and snap his mouth closed as she giggled.
"That wasn't supposed to come out like that," he said awkwardly.
"Like what?" She blinked innocently and winked.
He chuckled and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck self consciously. "Fuck Rach," he growled jokingly, "There are 15 year old virgins with better game than me at the moment."
She laughed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they headed over to Eli.
"I think you're endearing," she told him, leaning into him as they walked.
"Would you have something at your house we could change into while I do the laundry?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Sure, I've got t-shirts and sweats, we'll make do. What do you say we keep with the camping theme and grill some steaks on the deck tonight? Or in your case, some vegetables," he rolled his eyes and Rachel poked him in the stomach as she smiled.
"That sounds wonderful,"
They came to a stop beside his son who looked up at them with a tired grin, Puck grinned back, "C'mon bud, it's time to go. Where are your shoes?"
As Eli pointed and jumped up to collect his abandoned shoes and socks, Rachel stepped out from under Puck's arm and bent down to collect the bucket and plastic shovel Eli had been playing with.
"He looks wiped out," Puck commented, stopping to gather their empty water bottles and his and Rachel's own shoes, "he'll probably be in bed early. He can crash in the guest room and we could curl up on the couch with a movie, what do you think?"
She thought it sounded like he was asking her out on a date. Her smile widened; she couldn't wait to have him to herself for a while.
"I think that's a good plan," She replied casually as she straightened, accepting her mud caked tennis shoes from Puck and stuffing her feet into them without bothering to undo the laces. Eli joined them then and Rachel wiggled her fingers at him, smiling as he took her hand. She whistled shrilly over her shoulder.
"Hank, its home time!" she called merrily. The dog obediently trotted to Rachel's side from where he'd been off, nosing around in the thicket for rabbits, and Puck smiled as she reached down with her free hand to scratch him affectionately behind the ear.
He tucked the empty water bottles under his arm and stuffed his hands into his pockets, humming a random tune as he followed them to the truck.
She liked his dog. He knew it.
***/***
On the drive home two things occurred to Puck. The first was that he was taking Rachel and his son home to his house - a house that was declared a national disaster even by his own standards. The engine that had sat on the counter during Rachel's first visit was still sitting in the same spot, he had a weeks worth of dirty dishes stacked in his kitchen sink and he struggled to remember the last time he had cleaned his bathroom.
Rachel was going to pitch a fit, he could feel it.
The second was 'the list'. The page full of notes he had painstakingly written out when he had appointed himself the task of determining 'What a Woman Should Know', was somewhere amongst the clutter in the pigsty he called home, and he had no clue where he had left it last
The possibility of Rachel accidentally finding it before he had a chance to dispose of it had him ushering her and Eli hastily into the house and straight to the bathroom. "You two can use the bathroom first," he offered gallantly. That would give him time to get the engine off the counter, submerge the dishes in hot, soapy water and search quickly for his list.
"Wait," Rachel dug her heels into the carpet as he practically shoved her into the bathroom. "We need something to wear."
He nodded and marched purposely towards his bedroom, "Stay there," he instructed, "I'll be right back."
As he crossed the threshold of his bedroom he stopped short and gaped; his eyes travelling over the unmade bed, the mass of clothes over the floor and the pizza box on the nightstand that he fervently hoped was empty. He quickly closed the door behind him.
"What a fucking mess," he muttered to himself, sure that it wasn't this disgusting when he'd left a few days before.
He crossed quickly to his dresser, glancing quickly around the room for a flash of yellow paper that might be his list. He opened the second drawer and rummaged through his t-shirt collection for something for Eli and Rachel to wear.
"Is everything alright?" Rachel called through the door a few minutes later, wincing as she heard a bang and Puck's muffled curse.
"Yeah, everything's fine." he replied, followed by a panicked, "don't come in here!"
Rachel bit her lip to keep from laughing, "It doesn't have to be the perfect fit. I can tie the pants up with some string if I have to." There was no response and she frowned. "Noah, if it's too much trouble I can always go back to the motel. There may be something moderately clean that will suffice."
"No, I've got heaps of clothes. Just give me a minute."
The problem was, Puck thought sourly as he glared into his drawers, vainly hoping that the list would materialize from between the sloppily folded t-shirts, that he had too many clothes. None of which were suitable.
For instance, did he offer her the bright red t-shirt emblazed boldly with 'MY BETTER HALF' and an arrow pointing downwards? Or a light grey one with the picture of a caution sign-like outline of a woman kneeling in front of a man, and the slogan 'BE SAFE - USE MY BREATHALIZER'.
He shook his head and tossed both shirts to the floor in disgust.
Mike gave him t-shirts almost every year for Christmas despite the fact that he knew Puck was Jewish. Gifts were a tricky thing amongst the members of the N.G.M.N.F.W.N.F.E club - they were guys, so they didn't want to be too sentimental. Luckily, few years ago Mike had discovered t-shirts as the perfect bro gift and every year since then, he and Puck had taken great pleasure in selecting the most crude and borderline offensive shirts for each other, just for laughs.
Most of Mike's gifts Puck had never worn because you didn't want to ruin a perfectly good shirt fixing cars when you already had a half dozen grease stained work shirts with holes in them. Looking over the shirts on offer, Puck had to admit that them being new was not the only reason he hadn't worn them in public. There was a bright blue one that said, 'Long story short, I fucked her' that joined the rapidly growing pile on the floor and a black one emblazed with 'Blow Me' above a pair of dice.
He had a feeling Rachel wasn't ready for Mike's in-your-face sense of humor just yet.
He sighed in relief as he located a plain white one towards the bottom of the pile and he snatched it up, along with a pair of sweats with a draw string waist that would just have to do. He crossed to the door and paused. If her bra was dirty too, which he had to assume it was, then she would be forgoing underwear after her shower. The thought of Rachel in his clothes without a barrier of panties had his knees buckling. That, and the fact that her nipples would be totally visible through the thin white cotton, had him growling and tossing the white shirt to the ground.
Stalking back to his drawers he found an old, grey William McKinley High School t-shirt with his football number on the back. He nodded in satisfaction and inched open his bedroom door, thrusting the t-shirt and sweats out to her before slamming the door shut behind him so she couldn't see the mess in his bedroom.
He turned quickly, dried mud flying off him in all directions. Now - something for him. The best part about being a bachelor was that you could get dressed in the dark. You didn't need to spend precious time searching for something that would make a fashion statement when you could -
"Noah," Rachel's soft knock interrupted his internal monologue. "Do you have another shirt I can put on Eli while I wash his clothes?"
The white one would do for Eli. Puck opened the door barely a crack as he shoved it out to her.
He cursed his poor housekeeping skills as his eyes roamed over the room again, twice as untidy now as it had been when he'd got home, if that was even possible. He kicked at the pile of rejected shirts on the floor, searching for an option for himself when he stopped suddenly. He was behaving like a nervy, teenage boy and he was pissed at himself for acting as if his choice of fucking t-shirt even mattered. He had bigger problems, like the fact that he had limited time to get the engine of the counter and search for his list.
Still, a stubborn part of him that was trying to insist that he didn't give a flying fuck what Rachel thought of him reached for the first shirt he touched. It was the black one with the dice. At the last second, he turned it inside out so she wouldn't be able to read the slogan.
He was so fucking whipped.
Puck decided to leave on his muddy jeans until after his own shower and headed for the kitchen, pausing as he heard Eli splashing merrily in the tub and Rachel's melodic voice echoing off the tiles. He wasted precious minutes listening to them, letting the sounds of his son and his - well, whatever Rachel was - wash over him, creating warmth throughout his home that he hadn't realized had been sorely lacking until that very moment.
He charged into the kitchen, telling himself the whole way that getting the engine off the counter wasn't about impressing her either. He wondered why it should even occur to him to do so. Rachel had started off thinking the worst of him when they first met, and yet she was still willing to explore a relationship with him, so he must have been doing something right. And yes, he said relationship, because that's what he knew this was turning into. He wasn't an idiot. Puck knew he wasn't going to be able to walk away from her at the end of the two weeks. Hell, he didn't want her to go back to the motel to change, that's how close he wanted to keep her.
He wrapped his hands around the engine to hoist it up and stopped. Where the fuck was he going to put it? Opening the garage and moving it all the way out there was a bigger job that he had time for. His hazel gaze scrutinized the compact kitchen and he fixed his eyes on the cupboard under the sink. Jackpot. He pulled out the garbage can, lifted the engine - grunting under the weight of it - and shoved it under the sink. Now the cupboard door wouldn't quite close and the garbage can was sitting right in the middle of the floor, but there was a vast improvement over the countertop.
Shit. Was that the sound of the bath draining?
He looked at the garbage can and quickly opened the oven door, jamming the can inside. The oven door didn't shut either, but it was hardly noticeable. Puck grabbed a scouring pad and was scrubbing the grease off the Formica countertop as best he could when Eli came barrelling into the kitchen, tripping over the white t-shirt which was miles to big for him, with Hank, looking as filthy as ever, trailing after him.
The shower turned on and Puck knew he had brought himself more time, as long as he didn't allow himself to get distracted by the thought of Rachel, standing naked in his tub. A very naked, wet Rachel. He let out a guttural groan and closed his eyes. He felt something hit his knees and he looked down to see Eli wrapping his arms around his legs, his smiling face tipped upwards.
Puck threw down the scouring pad, wiped his hands on his shirt and lifted him, setting him down on top of the freshly scrubbed counter. The clock was ticking and although he had only minutes in which to complete a multitude of tasks, he gave up. The insanity stopped here. Why would he voluntarily turn down precious time with his son when he'd already missed so many lazy summer afternoons just like this, not to mention the birthdays and the bedtime stories? No way. The choice was a no-brainer.
"Hey Buddy, all clean?"
Eli nodded, "Yup. All clean." He lifted his hands for Puck's inspection and Puck took one in his, pretending to check it for signs of dirt.
"Good job."
Eli nodded again and flashed him a wide grin, "Now can we bath Hank?"
Puck laughed, "Well bud, bathing Hank isn't exactly easy. It's not something to be undertaken lightly."
It wasn't something to be undertaken at all. Not when you were desperately trying to get your kitchen to pass muster anyway, since the only place it was possible to control the dog was in the oversized kitchen sink.
"Please Puck?" the request was accompanied by the blinking of wide hazel eyes and a pouting lower lip.
Well how the fuck was he supposed to resist that? Especially since it was one of only a few direct requests Eli had ever made of him. Puck quickly piled all of the dirty dishes in the ancient dishwasher that he wasn't sure was even still operational, and then turned to help Eli off the counter.
"Hank," Puck whistled, "Come here, boy."
Hank, whose instincts were so finely honed that he was usually nowhere to be found if he so much as heard the word 'bath', peeked around the side of the door and skulked reluctantly towards them.
Puck smirked, "That's love," he told his dog as he scooped him up and deposited him in the sink. "It gets you in hot water faster than you can blink."
Hank was so besotted by Eli that he just sat there as Puck grabbed the dog wash and brush and dragged a chair over for Eli to stand on. He whined lowly but didn't move an inch as they ran warm water around him, not wriggling or nipping threateningly with his teeth as he was prone to do when Puck bathed him.
Clearly Hank wasn't the only dude in the household not thinking straight, because there was a woman in his house that screamed "I'm a keeper" and Puck wasn't employing any of his own highly effective escape manoeuvrers either.
More troubling was the fact that, with Rachel in his shower and Eli and Hank in his kitchen, there was nowhere Puck wanted to escape to. What kind of N.G.M.N.F.W.N.F.E member was he, hiding engines in kitchen cupboards and agonizing over outfits? He vowed to make sure Mike never heard of this, because it wouldn't be just his club card that would be revoked if he was found out, it would be his man card too.
Surreptitiously, he adjusted himself in his pants. Yeah, still there.
By the time Rachel emerged from the bathroom, Puck's only job was to keep one finger hooked into Hank's collar as Eli scooped bubbles over the dog's head. Again, Puck marvelled at Hank's complete and utter surrender - it usually took all his strength, a couple of c clamps and a bungee cord to keep Hank in the sink for more than 2 minutes and yet here he was, allowing a four year old to rub shampoo in his coat and scrub lovingly between each toenail.
"What's all this?" Rachel asked as she took in the scene before her. Puck turned to reply and when he saw her, the words died in his throat.
She looked absolutely breath taking; her hair was towel dried, tussled and curling around her shoulders and her cheeks were pink and clean from the shower. She should have looked ridiculous in his too large clothes, but unfortunately, ridiculous was the last adjective on his mind.
She'd rolled his sweat pants up to her knees and her feet were bare. His shirt was knotted at the back, displaying a large expanse of toned stomach and he knew immediately that she wasn't wearing a bra; his jeans tightened in response. She looked fucking awesome in his old football number. He had a feeling that 16 year old Rachel would have been in his 16 year old spank bank if they had been in high school together. Her wearing that shirt and nothing else.
He vowed to make that mental picture a reality by morning.
Rachel smiled at him and he felt his pulse pick up in response. His eyes roamed over her once more and he licked his lips and glanced at the clock. It wasn't even close to Eli's bedtime and immediately he felt ashamed for his eagerness to send his son off to bed when he'd been so keen to get a few extra minutes with him earlier.
It was just that he wanted her so badly. No, needed her. He'd been fantasizing constantly about how she would look lying underneath him and he was counting down the minutes until he could trail his hands all over her soft skin, without interruption.
His eyes flickered to her face and he groaned when he saw her looking back at him, her lip caught between her teeth and her own eyes darker than he'd ever seen them. She was entertaining thoughts along those same lines, he knew it.
"Shit."
"Noah," she chastised immediately, as she crossed over to them, hip checking him as she settled between him and Eli. "Don't swear."
She tried to frown up at him but her grin couldn't be contained and she reached on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before plunging her hands in the water. In seconds she was up to her elbows in suds, laughing at Hank's woeful expression.
Puck stared at her, amazed.
He hadn't been imagining it. She really did like his dog!
That was it; he was tendering his resignation to the N.G.M.N.F.W.N.F.E Club.
Suddenly he was deeming the club juvenile, formed by a couple of guys too jaded by romances gone sour to admit that they were lonely. Why the hell would anyone hang onto that membership when they had a woman like Rachel, with her compact little body, doe-like Bambi eyes and spitfire personality to keep him on his toes? He was starting to think he could spend the rest of his life kissing her lips, and those things that she was so vocal in wanting? A diamond ring and a signature on an ever-after kind of contract? Not so scary.
Shit, he was a total goner.
He felt himself go very still and over the sound of water slopping, Rachel and Eli laughing and Hank's gentle "woofs", Puck could hear his heart hammering double time in his chest. He stared at Rachel's profile for a full minute, his eyes tracing the curve of her chin, and the shape of her nose. His gaze then shifted to his son, and then back again.
This was it, it was what he wanted. Rachel and Eli, in his kitchen, in his house and in his life. Forever. And not just part time, on holidays or two weeks over summer vacation, but everyday. How the fuck was he going to make that happen? She was with him, kind of. At least she said she wanted to be, for the moment. But in the two days since she'd made the decision, they hadn't really had any time together and she hadn't come right out and said that she wasn't marrying Finn.
It was implied, he supposed, since Rachel had heard Quinn (without knowing it WAS Quinn) in the background at Finn's house, but he needed to hear her say the words. He wanted her to tell him she didn't want to marry anyone else, not now or in the future; that she couldn't imagine that picture perfect family unit she was always going on about without him standing there, right by her side.
His man card was surely in ashes by now.
Fuck, he thought he might kind of love her.
Puck let go of Hank completely, running his hand over his head and ignoring her quizzical gaze.
Love? He snorted. That was bullshit, right? Impossible. He barely knew her, really.
He couldn't be in love with her, already.
She'd appeared out of nowhere less than two weeks ago, he couldn't seriously be considering re-writing his entire future to include her, when she was technically still engaged to another man. Shit, he hadn't even fucked her yet.
He looked up and was caught by her dark chocolate orbs. Immediately, he lost himself in them.
He totally was.
In a daze, he spun away from her and turned on the oven. Tonight he would dazzle her with his epic BBQ skills and then, once Eli was asleep, he'd spread her out on his bed and finally see how she looked against the whiteness of his sheets, her hair fanned out across his pillow.
Maybe he'd even share his thoughts on diamond rings and ever-after kinds of contracts, and how they pertained to her. Or maybe not.
His thoughts returned to the menu as he pulled open his fridge and inspected the contents. He'd grill some steaks for himself and Eli, careful not to let any of the meat touch the vegetable patties he'd brought before their camping trip, especially for her. He rummaged around in the vegetable crisper and decided on baked potatoes with all the fixings, because they were always a crowd favorite. There was stuff for salad, ice cream for dessert and –
"Noah," once again Rachel was interrupting his internal monologue. "There seems to be smoke coming from your oven."
He came out of his reverie to see black smoke curling out of the burners of the hotplate and the slightly ajar over door.
Fuck! The garbage can!
He leapt across the kitchen and yanked open the over door, enveloping them all in a thick cloud of black smoke. Rachel lifted Eli down from the chair just as the smoke alarm started to squeal. She urged Eli onto the back porch and Hank, smart dog that he was, jumped from the sink and ran in the same direction towards the sanctuary of the backyard, a trail of bubbles in his wake.
Twenty minutes later, when both the garbage can and Hank had been hosed off, they all sat in Puck's backyard, watching the sun go down as they waited for the smoke to clear from inside. Eli was leaning happily against Puck's shins as he dug in the dirt for worms, while Rachel sat on the grass nearby, Hank wrapped up in a large beach towel on her lap.
She had actually braved the smoke to retrieve towels after Puck had hosed Hank down, not wanting the dog to catch a chill. She wasn't pretending. Hank had definitely won her over.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Enough, Noah. I want to know why there was a garbage can in your oven, why there's an engine sticking out from underneath the sink, causing a hazard to anyone with shins and why you have that horrible 'Blow Me' t-shirt on inside out."
He looked down in surprise and sure enough, the slogan was faintly visible. He stilled for the second time in less that an hour and clenched his eyes shut. A million excuses came to mind, some true, other's not, but he couldn't seem to voice any of them.
"I should hit the shower," Puck muttered, making a move to rise.
Her hand shot out and grasped his forearm, "Not until you answer my questions." She said firmly.
He glared at her. "You want the truth?" at her nod, his scowl deepened. "The truth is that I've turned into a gigantic pussy and embarrassingly, I seem to be doing everything I can to like, impress you. And I'd say, from the smoke stinging my damn eyes and the fact that you smell like wet dog and garbage, that I'm doing a pretty shitty job of it."
Rachel frowned, "I smell like wet dog and garbage?"
He rolled his eyes and she touched his arm. "You're wrong you know, Noah. The only embarrassing fact is that you managed to impress me a while back, without even half trying."
"Yeah?" he questioned sceptically.
Her gaze was level, "Yes."
Puck stared at her, as if he couldn't quite figure out if she was telling the truth, and then leaned forward. She met him halfway and they shared a very brief kiss. When they parted, they both glanced at Eli who was failing to pay them any attention.
His kid was awesome at the oblivious stuff when they needed him to be.
"So, I should really take that shower." He said again and she nodded, flashing him a smile.
"You do that. We'll be here when you get out."
He paused and squeezed her fingers before running his hand over Eli's soft brown hair.
"Good," he murmured before heading inside.
When he was gone, Rachel let out a small squeak that had Eli looking up in surprise.
Rachel leapt to her feet and spun around, laughing. When she saw Eli just staring at her, she reached for his hands and pulled him up to dance with her. Hank wriggled out of the towel she had wrapped him in and ran excited circles around them.
"He's trying to impress me," she told her brother ecstatically. "He likes me."
She had her suspicions of course, but this – he admitted it. Rachel was practically giddy.
Here she was, with a stinky wet dog jumping on her, smoke billowing out of the kitchen windows and the remains of a blackened garbage bin beside her. With Eli there and the sounds of Puck singing some classic 80's rock song in the shower, she'd never been happier.
He really did have a lovely singing voice.
A/N 2: There. Two updates in a week...who said I wasn't motivated? Thanks to those that voted in my WAWSK sex poll *snicker*. Slow and Sensual is winning but there's still time to vote - link from my authors page. The result will be in the next chapter. As always, thanks for reading!
