A/N: This is for Lulu, because she is the bestest. This chapter fits into Packaged Goods Chapter 36 – Hanging on by the Bridal
Sway
He took a deep breath and said, "Okay, here's the irrational part. At least, I hope it's irrational."
"Okay," she said slowly.
"Sometimes when I see you like that; holding a baby, or all wrapped up in some scheme with the kids, I worry."
"Worry?"
"Worry that you'll decide that you want that again. Worry because I can't, uh, do that anymore. Well, I could have it reversed, I guess, you always see ads for that stuff," he rambled as he absently drummed his fingers on his stomach. "But I have to think that the odds of that working, and the trouble we've had with getting pregnant before, well, they're pretty slim."
"Luke…"
"And then I start looking around, wondering who would be the guy you'd dump me for," he went on. "I mean, you'd probably have to go outside of Stars Hollow, because let's face it, the pickings are pretty slim, but you'd figure something out, you always do."
"Luke," she tried again.
"And frankly, I like the way things are now. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to another kid, but I'm not sure that I have the energy for it. Yeah, I miss having a baby around, that smell, those little hands," he trailed off closing his eyes. "But I don't miss the diapers, or the lack of sleep, or the ear infections that make you feel like complete crap because you can't do a damn thing because they can't tell you what's wrong."
Lorelai pushed to her feet, heedless of the sand that clung to her knees and shins.
"I'd be okay with adopting, though, I think. You know, one of those babies from China that people are always bringing home like they picked them up at Wal-Mart. I'd be like Brad Pitt, if you wanted me to be," he said. Luke sensed her standing over him, but didn't open his eyes.
"I don't want another baby," she told him bluntly.
"You don't?" he asked as he peeked up at her cautiously, blinking as the bright sunshine made spots dance in front of his eyes.
"Wow, you are irrational," she said with a small smile.
Luke chuckled softly and then said, "Takes one to know one."
"Shove over, I'm getting in," she warned.
"There's not room," he protested.
"I'm getting in," she insisted as she plucked the bottle from his hand and planted it in the sand.
"We'll tip over," Luke said as he lowered his legs to either side of the hammock to steady it.
"Then I'm taking you down with me," Lorelai answered as she bent down, pressing her chest to his as she kissed him. She lifted her feet from the sand and the hammock swayed precariously.
Luke grasped her waist and hauled her up into the hammock on top of him, figuring that if they fell, she'd at least land on top of him. He raised his hand and brushed back a stray lock of hair that danced in front of her eyes, obviously annoying her. "Better?" he asked gruffly.
"Much. Thank you," Lorelai said as she wriggled a little, pulling herself up a bit higher atop him.
"You've gotta hold still or we'll dump this thing over."
"You act like we'd be plummeting a hundred feet onto concrete," Lorelai teased.
"I'm not a fan of sand in the trunks," he answered with a smirk.
"I'm a big fan of what you've got in those trunks."
Luke's fingers tangled in her hair, hoping to become inextricably enmeshed in those soft curls. "How are you feeling?" he asked with a worried frown.
"I'm fine," she assured him.
"Are you lying to me?"
"I could be, but I'm not." Lorelai kissed him again, effectively cutting off any further questions. When she pulled away, she glanced back at his legs dangling over the sides of the hammock, his big feet barely skimming the sand. "Put your legs up," she said as she turned back to him.
"I'm keeping us balanced."
"I think we've proven that we're both a bit unbalanced," she answered with a sly smile. "Let go, Luke. Let's see what happens," she added, her voice softly coaxing.
He only hesitated for a spilt second. "Hang on," he warned and then lifted both legs at once. Lorelai giggled as the hammock swayed heavily under their combined weight. Once he straightened his legs, the striped fabric curled up around them, enveloping them in a cocoon that swayed in the warm summer breeze.
"Hi," Lorelai said with a bright smile.
"Hey," he answered, his lips curving as he jerked his chin at her in acknowledgment.
"We're all alone," she whispered.
"We have been."
"No, I mean, we're all alone here, in our special little hammock world."
"Oh, here," he said, playing along with a sage nod.
"Wait," she said as she shifted slightly, setting the hammock to swaying again as she moved her legs to bracket his. "That's better," she said with a nod. "Felt weird with mine inside yours."
"Happy now?"
"Ecstatic," she murmured as she brushed her lips teasingly over his.
"Me too," he answered as he pressed his fingers to her scalp and held her there, taking the kiss fractionally deeper. "I love it when you smell like coconuts," he murmured between lingering kisses.
"Sunscreen."
"Before our honeymoon, you had that shampoo," he reminded her.
"I'll find some more."
Luke thanked her by parting her lips with the tip of his tongue, letting it slide tantalizingly along her bottom lip. "I like kissing you."
"You may have mentioned that before," Lorelai whispered just before he pulled her lips back to his. His tongue slid over hers, taking his time tasting and testing her; as lazy and unhurried as only a man wrapped in a hammock with the woman he loved could be.
When she moved, circling her hips slightly, he groaned and broke the kiss. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just some neckin', that's all," she whispered enticingly. "You like neckin'."
"I do."
"Kiss me for hours, just like you did last night."
"It wasn't hours," he argued between kisses.
"We were all prune-y," she pointed out as he dotted a string of soft wet kisses along her jawline.
"It was a little while, but not hours," he murmured low and deep in her ear. "I could kiss you for hours, though."
"You think? Usually we get distracted with other things."
"Not last night," he pointed out.
"Yeah, well, we'd already had a pretty full day."
"Yeah," he breathed as he sank his teeth into her ear lobe and then pulled it into his mouth.
Lorelai moaned softly circling her hips again in time with the gentle sway of the hammock. He slipped his hand from her hair, stroking the slender column of her neck with the very tips of his rough fingers. Luke captured her lips again in a slow, sensuous kiss. His fingers grazed the thin silver chain that held the locket he had given her, the warm silver pendant lay trapped between their bodies, radiating their combined heat. He deepened the kiss, his tongue circling hers languorously as he slid the flats of both palms down her slick back and tucked his fingertips into the top of her bikini bottoms, gently tracing circles on the smooth curve of her ass. His bare toes brushed over the silver charms that dangled from the anklet she had put on that morning. He hummed in quiet appreciation for both the velvety softness of her tongue and the little pirouette she had done as she pranced through the bedroom in her new bikini, the sun and the moon and the stars winking as they encircled her slender ankle.
"You are so good at this," she said as she sucked in a greedy breath of warm, moist air. Lorelai ducked her head and pressed her open mouth to his neck, tasting the heady mix of sunscreen and sweat that glistened on his skin.
"The only thing in the world I care about being good at," he said gruffly.
"That's not true," she murmured. "You care about being a good dad."
"The only thing in this world," he corrected. "We're all alone here in hammock world."
"I love you like this, all slow and sexy and relaxed," Lorelai whispered as she traced the shell of his ear with the tip of her tongue.
Luke chuckled. "Not really relaxed. I can't relax when you do that," he said as he tried to evade her tickling tongue.
The hammock swayed violently as they tussled for a moment, and then settled it with a hot, hungry kiss. Luke pulled his hands from her bottom and slid them up over her ribs, brushing the sides of her breasts with his thumbs as his fingers pressed into her back, holding her firmly against him.
Lorelai smiled as she pulled back and looked down at him. His eyes were slumberous, a deep violet blue that she knew well. She reached for the head of the hammock and pulled herself up a little higher above him, her smile widening as he scowled.
"What are you doing?" he asked as he resisted the urge to slide his legs from under hers and drop them over the sides to steady the hammock.
"Loosen your trunks," she said softly as she lifted her head and scanned the beach.
"What? It's broad daylight."
"Untie them."
"We're on the beach."
"We're all alone," she corrected him as she looked down into his eyes. "Just push them down a little."
"We're in a hammock," he felt compelled to remind her even as he wriggled his hand between their bodies and tugged the drawstring on his board shorts loose. But the acknowledgement of their present location didn't keep him from pushing the shorts down as he looked up into her bright eyes.
"No one can see us, we're all alone in our cocoon," she assured him. Lorelai pushed down slightly, moaning when she felt him hard and hot against the thin nylon of her bikini bottoms.
"This is nuts," he whispered as his hands grasped her hips, guiding her as she undulated against him.
"We're just neckin'," she whispered as she lowered her lips once more and pressed them softly to his, her breath mingling with his as she waited patiently for his response. Luke strained up to meet her, angling his head as he kissed her feverishly, his fingers slipping into her bikini bottoms once again. When his head fell back, Lorelai smiled smugly and whispered, "Pull them out of the way."
Luke pulled one hand from her bottoms and gently caressed her ass as he reached between her legs and pulled the crotch of her suit aside impatiently, his fingers curling around the fabric as she continued to rub against him, barely moving. Lorelai pulled herself up higher again, the mound of her sex pressing against his stomach as her slick skin slid over his. The hammock swayed violently at her abrupt move, and Luke closed his eyes, praying that they didn't topple over in their current state. As the hammock began to stabilize again, he opened his eyes and looked up to find her watching him.
"You with me?" she asked softly.
"Always."
Lorelai smiled and slowly slid down. When the head of his cock brushed her folds, she whispered, "May need a little help."
Luke nodded and lowered his other hand between her legs, parting her gently with his fingers and positioning himself at her entrance. "Okay?" he asked breathlessly, wishing he had the leverage to be able to push up into the temptingly damp flesh pressing against him. He pressed his feet into the end of the hammock trying desperately to rise up to meet her and grunting in frustration when it got him nowhere.
Lorelai smiled and pushed on his shoulders, sliding her body down his until the very tip of him was enveloped in her heat. "I've got it," she whispered.
"Hate the hammock," he grumbled.
Lorelai's smile widened as she shook her head. "And you think the kids get the pouty thing from me," she prodded as she lowered herself to his chest and snuggled into his neck.
Luke's smile was slow as he raised his hand to stroke her back. "Gonna have a nap now?"
"Shh. Listen to the waves," she murmured against his throat.
Luke closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as he cataloged every bit of this moment. The waves rushed to the shore, breaking with a gentle whoosh on the sand. Lorelai's heart beat against his, the pulse of it mixing with his own hammering heart until they were almost indistinguishable. His hand smoothed down the column of her spine, gliding over the fine sheen of sweat that collected there. His other hand tightened on the fabric of her bikini bottoms, holding them away from her as her body pulsed around him; hot and wet, safe and warm.
"Can we stay here forever?" Lorelai asked softly. "Just like this?"
"Yes," he answered, pressing his lips to her tumble of dark curls. "I wanna stay just like this," he sighed as the hammock swayed and the warm breeze played over their damp bodies.
Lorelai puckered her lips and pressed a lazy kiss to his neck before lifting her head and kissing his lips. Soft, sweet kisses beat in time with the sway of the hammock as they lay locked together. Her fingers combed through his hair, her nails raking his scalp as he groaned into her mouth. His free hand traveled the length of her spine as if memorizing each and every curve for the first time.
"You're my guy," she whispered as she moved against him, holding him just inside of her.
"My girl," he answered hoarsely as he looked into her eyes. His hand slipped over her shoulder, caressing her arm as he sought her hand. When her fingers threaded through his, he sighed contentedly, pressing his palm tightly to hers as their damp bodies slid against one another's.
The hammock swayed, rocking from side to side as she moved forward and back, each stroke taking him a tiny bit deeper, each movement pushing her a little closer to the edge. Luke could feel himself hard and hot, brushing against his knuckles as he held her bikini aside, pushing a little deeper into her with each movement. He felt her tightening around him as she whimpered softly against his lips, and held himself as still as he could, letting her take him with her as she climbed.
The waves washed up onto the shore, the sound of each one breaking smothering the tiny moans of pleasure and frustration as their carefully choreographed movements brought them painstakingly closer and closer. Their lips parted, but clung to each other as they struggled to take in precious oxygen, but unwilling to break the spell. Lorelai pressed her glistening forehead to his cheek, feeling the rasp of his stubble against her heated skin.
Her fingers tightened on his as she whispered, "You're mine. I'll never let you go."
"Good," he answered in a raspy voice as his fingers dug into the back of her hand.
"You're everything. I want to stay here, just like this."
"There's no place else I want to be," Luke whispered as he kissed her ear, her cheek, her eye, anything he could possibly reach. "Look at me, Lorelai." When she lifted her head, he promised, "I'll love you 'til I die. Forever." She looked down at his parted lips and heavily lidded eyes, and knew he was telling the truth.
Lorelai licked her parched lips, whispered, "Me too," and then kissed him over and over again as she moved a little faster, making the hammock swing in time with them for a change. Hers lips clung to his as she whispered his name, his hand held hers tightly as she closed around him, pulling him deeper as wave after wave of quiet pleasure coursed through her body, rocking him to his core.
"That's my girl," he groaned as he released his hold on her bikini bottoms and pushed into her as much as he could, letting her take him with her. "Oh, Lorelai," he sighed as he guided her hips up and down, his toes curling as he surged desperately for his release.
Lorelai's lips curved against his cheek as she felt him flooding into her, his body quaking beneath hers as he groaned low and deep in his throat. "I love you, Luke," she murmured as she pressed soft kisses to his cheek, trailing them up to his temple where the vein throbbed just beneath the thin skin. "My life meant nothing until you used my toothbrush," she whispered as she pressed her lips to his pulse.
Luke smiled and laughed breathlessly as he wrapped his arm around her hand hugged her hard. "Welcome back," he said simply.
"Thank you. I'm glad to be here," she said as she pressed her face into the curve of his neck.
The sides of the hammock bowed up as they relaxed into it, cocooning them in a world of their own, hidden from view but for the laced fingers that dangled over the edge.
"Still hate the hammock?" she asked.
"Love the hammock."
"Thank you for being as crazy as me," she whispered as she nipped at his earlobe.
"No one is as crazy as you."
"You are. You confessed," she reminded him. "I'm glad that I got to do it with you," she whispered, smiling at her own double entendre.
"The things you make me do," he murmured as his fingers tightened on hers.
"Yes, I forced you," she said with a laugh.
"I'm crazy about you."
"Obviously."
"I've made no secret of it," Luke replied with a small shrug.
"So, you're crazy, I'm crazy and we're raising a passel of crazy kids," she summarized.
"Sounds about right."
Lorelai sighed contentedly as she snuggled into his neck. "This feels so good."
"Yeah."
"I don't even mind that you got me all sweaty."
Luke chuckled and said, "Maybe you got me all sweaty."
"We could swim," she said lazily.
"In a little while."
"Happy?" she asked.
"Content," he replied.
"Good."
The hammock swayed gently as the warm breeze washed over them. Luke closed his eyes, letting the sound of the waves washing ashore cleanse away the last vestiges of doubt that had lingered between them. "Lorelai?" he whispered as he felt her breathing grow slow and even.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing," he breathed with a small smile as her body pressed warm and lax against his. He carefully pulled her up a little, ignoring her groans of protest as he slipped from her heat.
"Why'd you do that?" she whined.
"Our cocoon doesn't make us invisible," he said with a chuckle as he pulled his shorts up.
"It should," she pouted.
"I know," he crooned in her ear as he rearranged her bathing suit bottoms as best he could.
"Now I can't feel you," Lorelai complained.
"I'm right here," he answered as he squeezed her hand.
She sighed heavily, her breath rushing warm and soft over his slick skin. "I'm so comfortable," she mumbled.
"See? I told you, comfortable is good," he whispered into her hair. Luke pressed his head back against the hammock and stared up at the cloudless blue sky, noting that it was the exact same shade of blue as her eyes.
"So good," Lorelai agreed drowsily. "Almost as good as contented."