A week later, Pacey was leaving a message for Joey as he entered his apartment. "Hey, Jo. I thought we could go to dinner and see a movie at the Rialto since we both have a rare Saturday night off tomorrow. Plus, Jack will be here for the day, so it might be fun for the three of us to go out. Let me know. Ok. Bye"

When he was finished, he snapped the phone shut and then tossed it on a nearby end table along with his keys and wallet. The past week since he and Joey talked had been better. The wanting to kiss her started to fade into the white noise he was used to as they focused on their friendship. When they weren't working, they went to the beach, had movie nights, and just hung out. At the rate they were going, all would be normal by the time she went back to Boston.

He kicked off his shoes and stopped by the fridge to get a drink and then laid his chef jacket on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. When he was done, he turned out the light and then went to his bedroom eager for a good night's rest after a long but fulfilling day in the kitchen.

However, when he opened the door, he stopped short at the sight before him. Joey was laying on his bed wearing nothing but a black lace bra and pantie set. Behind her, she'd painted the words ASK ME TO STAY on his bedroom wall. It was illuminated by the soft glow of his bedside lamp. He was so shocked that his brain wouldn't function.

A few seconds later, Joey got up and walked over to him, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. When she reached him, she lightly grasped his hand to pull him into the room and then closed and locked the door behind him. When he still didn't move, (why couldn't he move?) she came back around to face him and said, "So, I've been thinking and I've changed my mind."

"Uh… How so?"

"I don't just want to be friends. And I know you don't either. Not really. And you're right. This could end badly. Or, it might not. But, the only way to find out is to take a leap of faith."

His brain was completely scrambled, but he managed to point to the sign and ask, "So, what's this?"

"That's my grand gesture. You once asked me to ask you to stay because you weren't prepared to give up on us. I couldn't do it. I'm hoping you're smarter than I was."

His brain turned back on. "I can't ask you to stay in Capeside. That's ridiculous. You're going back to Worthington next month."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm going back to Worthington, doofus. That's not the purpose of this."

He furrowed a brow. His brain had apparently shut off again. "Then, what is?"

"I want you, Pacey. And I want to stay with you tonight. But you need to ask me to."

He shook his head. "I can't. Please don't ask me to do this," he begged.

"I've watched you this past week mentally check yourself from reaching for me every time we're within five feet of each other. I know you want this as much as I do. But I need you to meet me halfway."

He stepped backwards until his back was against the door. "This could end really badly."

She stepped forward. "It could. And it might. But what if it doesn't, Pace? Won't you always wonder?"

"I need you in my life Jo. That much I know. And if we go through with this, I could lose you."

"That won't happen."

"It could."

"It won't. We're stronger than that."

"But…"

Suddenly Joey stepped forward, trapping him between her and the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then rolled onto her tiptoes. Lips next to his ear, she whispered, "Pace, if you feel for me even a shred of what I feel for you, then we wouldn't be standing here right now having this conversation."

When she pulled back, he knew she knew she'd won. They had a thousand reasons why they shouldn't go back down this road. But there was one powerful reason they should. And he was tired of fighting it. Before he could stop himself, he whispered, "Stay." And then he kissed her.

~zzzzz~

When Joey agreed to Pacey's proposition last week, she wasn't sure she could do it. And, as the week progressed, she realized that fighting the pull between them was a lost cause. Their banter returned, but the touching didn't. She caught Pacey several times as he reached out like he was going to touch her and then stopped. And there were a few instances, like when they went to the beach the other day, that she'd noticed the raw desire in his eyes before he could hide it. And last night had been the deciding factor. They'd shared a moment after getting into a food fight when they were alone in the kitchen of the closed yacht club. Somehow, she'd ended up pinned between him and one of the prep tables. Just as she was about to throw caution to the wind, he pulled away. It was damn frustrating.

So, as Joey recalled the sweet chat she'd had with Jack during the ski trip before she and Pacey made love the very first time, Joey decided it was time to leap. She would either fly or fall flat on her face, but at least this thing between them would be resolved. This morning Joey conned Doug, who had Pacey's spare key, into letting her inside by claiming she'd left her purse there the day before. Since it was her, he'd left her alone, which was when she painted the message on his wall. She didn't think Pacey had ever been on the receiving end of a grand gesture before, but, after their conversation that night at the hotel room, she knew he'd know the significance of what she was about to do.

When she heard him come in, she geared up for battle. She had the element of surprise in her favor. That plus her lack of clothing was bound to stupify him enough for her to finally get through to him. She hoped.

When Pacey backed away from her, Joey felt his resistance crumbling. And when she whispered what she did in his ear, nearly the same words he'd said to her two years ago, she knew she'd won. And when she heard him murmur, "Stay," her heart did a little flip of joy.

But when he kissed her, her relief at finally breaking his defenses was replaced by pure unadulterated lust. She wanted him and she was tired of waiting.

Pacey's kiss was rough and demanding. He'd taken control in a way he'd never done with her before, turning them around so she was the one plastered between him and door. His hands roamed her barely-clad body as his hips ground into hers. The roughness of his denim jeans against her skin sent molten lava coursing through her body. She had to feel him skin-to-skin, so she blindly reached for the hem of his t-shirt and yanked. When he didn't budge, she managed to say a quiet but demanding, "Off."

Pacey broke the kiss and pulled away only long enough to strip himself of the offending garment. Immediately afterward, he crushed his body against hers. The bare contact made her shiver with desire. As his hands fondled her breasts, Joey raked hers all over his torso and back with abandon. It had been so long since she touched him like this and she'd forgotten how thrilling it was. When his lips and tongue replaced his hands on her breasts, she moaned. And when his hand brushed her core through the lace of her panties, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Unwilling to wait, she pushed him away. He was confused at first, but when she inched the panties over her hips and shimmied out of them, kicking them aside, and then reached behind her to open her bra clasp, the confusion was replaced with a predatory gleam she'd never seen in his eyes. The moment she slid the bra off her body, he pounced. Pacey yanked her against him, cupped her ass, and lifted her up so that her legs were curled around his waist. With a small step forward by him, her back hit the wooden door. The combination of the hard cool door at her back plus the scratchy denim against her vagina was her last straw. Tightening her grip around his neck, she yanked him close. All modesty long gone, Joey commanded, "Fuck me, Pacey," before pulling his lips to hers for another searing kiss.

Upon hearing those words, Pacey growled from deep in his throat. When he gripped her tighter and then moved to step backward, she murmured against his lips, "Not the bed. Here."

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "No."

She pulled away from the kiss and eyed him. "No?"

But he just smirked and then took a giant step to the side and deposited her on the empty surface of his double dresser. "Here."

"Why?"

"Easier."

Realization dawned when he briefly let go of her to unzip his jeans and push them and his boxers downward. When they were on the floor, he kicked them away and then moved back toward her. When he wrapped his arms back around her and pulled her to the edge, she felt him there. "See?" he asked.

"Uh, huh," Joey whispered as she once again encircled his waist with her legs, hooking her heels together. Without any distance between them, the need for him to be inside her heightened. As she wiggled in an effort to make that happen, he stopped her. Questioningly, he asked, "Condom?"

"Pill. Unless?"

"Clean bill of health."

Pacey was active, but not irresponsible. He didn't gamble with his life, nor would he with hers. "Ok."

The moment the word left her lips, he was inside. The feeling shocked her. She'd forgotten how perfectly they fit together. "Pace…" Was it a plea to move or to stay right where he was? She wasn't sure.

His, "Jo," was similar. The gentle kiss he gave her before he began moving was like the ones they used to share back when they were together.

Joey's mind was pulled back to the present when Pacey's hand snuck between them and he began touching her in the way she knew he knew drove her crazy. That, combined with his thrusting and the wonderful things his mouth was doing to her breasts, pushed her over the edge quickly.

She collapsed into his body, breathing heavily. A "Holy shit," escaped her lips unbidden.

She didn't have much time to recover though. After bending down to place a soft kiss where her neck met her collarbone, Pacey begged, "Touch me." Joey knew how powerful of an effect she had over him, so she did as he asked. As one hand grazed his hard nipple, the other snaked into the hair at the nape of his neck and yanked back with just enough force to cause painful pleasure. The moment his lips were close to hers, she leaned in and brushed hers against them. He tried to deepen the kiss, but she wouldn't let him. Instead, she sought out the pulse point at his neck and sucked as she began moving her hips against his renewed vigor. When he got close, one last pinch of his nipples triggered his release and she felt him spill into her.