Three's a Crowd
Description: Rachel has ulterior motives when she invites Lorelai over for dinner with her and Luke. Season 1 AU. Rated hard M for reasons that will become exceedingly clear.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did it would have been on HBO or Cinemax at night.
Lorelai stood across the street from Luke's holding a $5 bottle of Doose's finest wine. Nerves roiled in her gut, and her fight or flight response was telling her to run away, as fast as she could.
This was not a normal reaction to being invited over for dinner.
Ever since Rachel showed up in town, Lorelai had been an awkward, fumbling mess. She was not usually intimidated by beautiful women. She was, after all, a beautiful woman herself. But there was just something about the fiery redhead who swooped in and snatched Luke right back up that made Lorelai uneasy.
It didn't help that she was friendly. So. Goddamn. Friendly. She could hate her if she was a bitch. But nope, Rachel was kind and polite and funny and so freaking pleasant all the damn time. She wanted to be around her. She wanted to hang out and talk about boys and go shopping and have game nights. Damnit, she wanted to be her friend!
But she couldn't, because that would mean accepting the truth that she didn't want to admit just yet, that Rachel got the guy because Lorelai didn't move fast enough.
Fucking hell.
Lorelai took a steadying breath, looked both ways, and crossed the street. The bells jingled signaling her arrival, and Rachel – always Rachel – looked up from behind the counter with that knockout smile and greeted her.
"Hey! Just on time," she said. "Luke's upstairs cooking for an army. I didn't think we needed a whole pot roast, but he insisted."
"Well, he knows who he's feeding," Lorelai said, self deprecatorily. She held up the bottle. "This should probably go in the fridge before dinner. I don't know much about Doose's wine, but I'm pretty sure it'll start to congeal if it gets warm."
Rachel laughed. God, her laugh was like fucking windchimes tinkling in a summer's goddamn breeze.
"Head on up. I'll just be a few minutes, I just have to finish shutting everything down here."
"I'm surprised Luke's letting you close down. He doesn't even let Caesar do it alone."
"Well, I've done it a time or two," Rachel said with a wink, a not-so-subtle reminder that she and Luke had history, and lots of it.
"Yeah, sure, of course you have…" Lorelai stammered. "Well, I guess I'll just head on up then!"
She swept past the end of the counter and behind the curtain, feeling like a world class idiot. Why couldn't she just interact with this woman like a normal human being? Good lord, she was Luke's girlfriend, not the damn Queen of England.
She took a deep breath and started up the steps as if she had done it a million times, like going to Luke's apartment was a normal, everyday occurrence. With each step those nerves grew. She did not want to do this. She did not want to be here.
Why had she agreed when Rachel extended the invitation? She didn't want to. The look of sheer panic on Luke's face was proof positive that he didn't want her to. But before she could put together a pleasant but firm refusal, she found the words, "That would be great!" falling from her lips.
Betrayed by her own tongue, again.
Lorelai made it to the landing and found the door to Luke's apartment ajar. The smell of pot roast wafted out, and she had to admit, she was enticed. It smelled warm and homey and welcoming.
The nerves still roiled.
Lorelai steeled herself another minute, before heading for the door.
"Knock, knock," she said, poking her head in. Luke turned from the where he was working at the stove.
"Hey, come on in," he offered. Lorelai snuck past the door and headed for the fridge.
"Okay if I put this in here?"
"Yeah, sure," he said, turning back to the stove where he shuffled some veggies around in a pan.
"So… thanks for inviting me over," Lorelai attempted to make conversation. Luke shrugged.
"Rachel invited you," he reminded her. Lorelai rolled her eyes.
"And clearly you're heel-clickin' delighted about it." He rolled his shoulders a little, but his attention remained on his work.
"It's fine."
"Luke," Lorelai tried to get his attention. She wandered over to stand next to him, resting her hip against the counter. "I didn't know how to say no."
"You didn't have to," he told her.
"I don't want you to be mad."
"I'm not mad," he said, too quickly. Lorelai shot him a look, and he glanced over to see it. "It's weird," he quietly admitted. Lorelai nodded.
"I know."
"I'm just not used to having people up here, in my space, making plans for me… you know?"
"So wait, are you upset about me being here, or that Rachel invited me? I just want to make sure I'm totally clear on that."
"I'm not upset about anything. It's just gonna take some getting used to." He turned down the heat on the burner before stepping away from the stove. He grabbed an open bottle of beer off the table and took a long drink.
"I can leave if you want me to," Lorelai offered, half wishing he would take her up on it.
"I don't want you to leave," he said, although his tone seemed less sure than his words. She sighed and gestured to his beer.
"You have another one of those?"
"In the fridge. Help yourself." He pulled out a chair from the table and sat, and Lorelai followed suit once she liberated the beer from the fridge. She fumbled with the cap for a moment before Luke held a hand out for her to pass it over. He made it look easy, twisting it off, which gave Lorelai an unexpected and unwelcome jolt of arousal.
"Thanks," she said in an uncharacteristically small voice as she took it back.
They drank in uneasy silence for a few minutes. Luke broke it.
"I'm sorry."
Lorelai's eyes shot up. "What for?"
"For being a jerk. I'm sorry. I know it's not your fault that we're doing this. I know you're as uncomfortable as I am, and I'm just… sorry."
Lorelai frowned. "Why is that, do you think?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Why are we so uncomfortable?"
He shot her a glare.
"What? I'm just asking."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well, we'd better figure it out before Rachel comes up and senses all this tension," Lorelai said plainly. Luke huffed a sigh that sounded a little closer to a growl. Lorelai felt that, too. "What, exactly, is your problem?"
"What do you think, Lorelai?" he finally broke. "Why would I want this? Why would I want to be here with both of you? You don't see why that's a little weird for me?"
"I thought we were friends…" she attempted.
"We are friends," he shot back, though his tone belied the statement.
"Doesn't feel like it much right now."
"For the love of…" he muttered.
"Luke, I asked you if there was another reason why you didn't want her back. I asked you. I gave you that chance, and you said no. So I'll ask again, what is your problem?!" Lorelai exclaimed, getting tired of the runaround. Luke was acting like he was caught between his wife and his mistress, and she was a little sick of not knowing which role to play.
"I'm not having this conversation with you right now," he bit back.
"Why not?"
"Because my girlfriend is gonna be here any minute, and I can't do this with you now, Lorelai. Okay?" His exasperation was clear.
In a harsh whisper, Lorelai bit back, "Well your girlfriend has been watching us like a hawk for weeks trying to figure out what's going on here, so if you can't put on a pleasant face and get through dinner, I don't think you're going to have a girlfriend for much longer. Do you?"
Luke gulped down the rest of his beer, before answering. "Probably not."
Quieter, Lorelai asked, "Is that what you want?"
Luke sighed, an obvious attempt to release some tension. "I don't know."
Lorelai frowned. She cared about Luke, a lot. More than she cared to admit. And despite her lack of enthusiasm for his new relationship status, she really didn't want to play a part in its failure. Rachel was nice – damnit – and she clearly loved Luke, and he clearly had some sort of affection for her, so she didn't want to stand in the way of that, especially if she wasn't really prepared to explore whatever feelings may or may not lurk beneath the surface between her and her chief caffeine supplier.
"Maybe I can have an emergency," she suggested. Luke eyed her, confusedly.
"What?"
"I can have an emergency. Rory could page me asking me to pick her up from Lane's."
"Lane lives two minutes from your house."
"Well, maybe she's sick. Maybe she has gallstones. Oh! Or appendicitis. She could have to go to the hospital. That's serious, Luke!"
"You don't need an excuse to leave."
"Don't I?" she asked, pointedly. Luke shook his head.
"Look, I'm sorry. Again. Let's just make that the theme of the night, okay? I'm a jerk and I'm sorry. Stay and have dinner. Rachel wants you to, and… I want to you to, too."
Lorelai eyed him skeptically for a moment. "I tried to give you an out. I want you to remember that."
"It's locked in there. When I'm old and senile and I don't remember my own name, I will remember that you tried to give me an out," he offered facetiously. He hit her with a small smirk at the end, which made her relax ever-so-slightly.
"I'm gonna hold you to that," she said, jokingly. Luke huffed a small laugh and Lorelai smiled, feeling some of that tension give way. "By the way, dinner smells amazing," she extended an olive branch.
"Yeah, should be pretty good. You like pot roast, right?"
"Love it. Want to marry it and have little mini-roast babies."
"I guess you're in luck then." He got up from the table and pulled the roast out of the oven. It had already been sliced, but was being kept warm.
"Something smells amazing in here!" Rachel's voice carried through from the landing.
"Is there an echo in here?" Lorelai joked, turning to greet the interloper with a smile.
"Everything closed up?" Luke asked over his shoulder as he transferred the veggies to a serving plate.
"Nah, I just left it to the vandals and thieves," Rachel teased. She stepped up behind Luke and put a hand on his back as she peered over his shoulder. "Look's great." Luke gave her a smile – softer than he usually gave Lorelai. She couldn't help the twinge of jealousy at the subtle intimacy between them. Rachel brought her hand up to his hair and gave his head a little scruff before heading for the fridge.
"So you guys are drinking beer. Didn't trust the wine?" she joked as she peered inside.
"Seemed safer," Luke said over his shoulder.
"Well, I like to live dangerously." Rachel snagged the bottle and went for the far cupboard and grabbed a few glasses to set out at the table. It was already set with plates and cutlery for dinner.
She sat at her seat across from Luke's, next to Lorelai, and poured a glass before handing the bottle to Lorelai. She took a sip and winced.
"Wow," she croaked.
"Got some zip to it, hey?" Lorelai teased, pouring her own glass.
"I'll say. I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like that."
"Well, maybe it'll pair well with the beef. If not, we can offer it up to the funeral home as embalming fluid."
"You paint a lovely picture," Luke cut in, coming to the table with the food. He set the dishes down in the middle before snagging a fresh beer from the fridge and taking his seat. "Dig in."
"Thank you guys for inviting me," Lorelai said as they began to serve themselves.
"It's long overdue," Rachel said easily. "You're one of Luke's good friends. I should get to know you better. Right, Luke?" she asked him directly.
"Yeah, sure," he said, focusing his attention decidedly on the food in front of him.
"Besides, there aren't a lot of people in this town I don't know, and I have to admit, I find you kind of fascinating, Lorelai."
Lorelai's eyes shot up at that. Luke's drilled further into his plate.
"Fascinating? Me? Why?" she asked, awkwardly. Rachel's laugh trilled through the room.
"Not in a 'she should be studied' kind of way, just… you're so different from the other people around here, especially Luke. I guess I was wondering how you two became friends."
"You could've asked him," Lorelai suggested.
"Sure, I bet I would have gotten the full, unabridged story out of him," she teased. She nudged his leg under the table and he looked up with a mix of trepidation and plastered-on amusement. "So, Lorelai, how did you two meet?"
"Uhh… I don't really remember. It's been a while," she hedged. She turned to Luke. "It must have been at Luke's, right?"
"I guess."
Rachel rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You see what I'm dealing with."
Lorelai laughed gamely, and Luke sighed.
"It was at the diner. She came in during the lunch rush demanding coffee, I gave it to her, the end."
"The end?" Rachel pushed. "That hardly sounds like a lifelong friendship in the making."
"That honestly sounds like 90% of our interactions, so it checks out," Lorelai offered.
"No, come on, there has to be more to it than that. Give me something good."
"What's good?" Luke asked, irritation beginning to show. Rachel cruised right by it.
"What made Lorelai stand out? I mean, other than the obvious," she said, sweeping a hand up and down gesturing over her face and body. Lorelai flushed, and could see that Luke was similarly affected.
"I don't know, really," he attempted. "She had energy. She was loud. Kind of hard to ignore."
"So basically you noticed me for all the same reasons you would notice a bullhorn?" Lorelai asked.
Luke huffed a laugh. "You said it, not me."
"If I recall correctly, you didn't want to serve me," Lorelai pointed out.
"I had no problem serving you, I just wanted you to wait your turn."
"Patience has never been my strong suit," Lorelai admitted, more to Rachel than Luke. She laughed to herself as she started to remember the story. "I do remember something about a horoscope."
"A horoscope?" Rachel asked, and Luke stilled, wishing Lorelai had forgotten that little detail.
"Yes!" she went on. "I asked Luke for his birthday. He told me, eventually, after a good dose of harassment, and I found his horoscope in the paper and wrote something on it like, 'Give the crazy lady coffee'. I don't remember exactly what it said."
"You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away," Luke rattled off. Lorelai threw her head back with laughter.
"I can't believe you remember that," she said, her grin in full force.
"Did it work?" Rachel asked.
"Of course it did," Lorelai said, triumphantly. "He's a softy. You just have to know how to work him."
"I gave you coffee because you promised to go away," he droned.
"I didn't, though."
"I guess that makes me a sucker, then," he admitted.
"Aww, you're not a sucker, hon. You were just outsmarted. It's happened to many-a-vulnerable man," Lorelai teased, patting his wrist. Rachel watched the interaction, taking it in.
"Well, I have to say, that story is better than I expected," she cut in, stealing focus. "I wonder what ever happened to the horoscope."
"Didn't I tell you to keep it for luck?" Lorelai said, laughing. Luke chuckled lightly.
"Something like that."
"And did you?" Rachel asked.
"Sure, I had it frame and mounted," he deadpanned, deflecting from the truth.
"I'm sure it's in a scrapbook somewhere, right next to the picture I took of him in his Jimmy Buffett shirt the day his washing machine broke," Lorelai said. Rachel laughed brightly and the two went on to converse easily through the rest of the meal. Lorelai was relieved to have gotten through the first hurdle with minor discomfort, and Luke was just happy to be mostly left out of the conversation. Rachel, however, continued to watch the way they interacted, looking for clues and planning her next steps.
XXXX
Dinner went better than either Lorelai or Luke could have expected. Long after dessert was finished, the trio continued to sit around the kitchen table, drinking wine and beer and chatting amiably about everything and nothing.
Lorelai enjoyed learning more about Rachel and her travels. She had to admit that she could see why Luke liked her. She was bright and vivacious, had a wicked sense of humour, and a liveliness that countered his mellow personality in a way that was obviously complimentary. She found herself relating to Rachel in a lot of ways, and part of her wondered if her life had gone differently, could she have been the type of person who could hop from place to place, pack up and leave whenever the mood stuck?
Of course, that wasn't Lorelai's life at all. She loved being in Stars Hollow, a place that still seemed much too small for Rachel. She loved the simplicity of her life, and she knew Luke loved that too, which is why she was starting to understand his lack of enthusiasm around taking Rachel back. As much as she swore she was ready to settle down, Lorelai just didn't see it happening. Not in the long term.
That hint of wanderlust that Rachel still had gave Lorelai a glimmer of hope. Hope for what, she wasn't quite ready to explore.
But still, Lorelai liked her. She liked her way more than she thought she would, and the evening was a treat for the woman who was usually flanked by teenagers, not fellow adults.
She was just finishing up a not-safe-for-work story about Michel and an abandoned vibrator at the inn which he mistook for an electric toothbrush, and had Rachel howling with laughter. Even the usually stoic Luke couldn't help but laugh at the image Lorelai had described.
"My god, I don't think I've laughed that hard in years," she Rachel said, wiping away tears. "You're so funny, Lorelai. You remind me of an old girlfriend of mine."
Lorelai waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, my girlfriends have learned to put up with me over the years. I think they tune me out most of the time."
Rachel's eyebrows raised, "Oh, are you a lesbian?"
"Oh, uh, no. I just meant my friends. My friends who are girls. Isn't that what you meant?"
"No, I meant my girlfriend, Ariana. She and I were together when I lived in Paraguay."
Lorelai shook her head, feeling stupid. "Sorry. I didn't realize…"
"No, no, it's fine. I don't really publicize it. You know how people can be," she said. Her tone was casual, showing Lorelai she didn't take offense.
"Yeah sure. But you and Luke…" Lorelai said, looking between them, confused.
"I'm bi," Rachel clarified quickly. "Luke knows. He's always known. I think he's the first person I told, actually."
"Oh, well… that's great," Lorelai said, unsure of what, exactly, to do with that information.
"I'm glad you think so," Rachel said with a broad smile, sipping her wine. Luke eyed her and could immediately see the wheels starting to turn. It was a look he was a little too familiar with.
"You know, it's getting kind of late," he attempted. Rachel fully ignored him and forged ahead before he could get a foothold.
"Have you ever been with a woman, Lorelai?" she asked as innocently as if she was asking if she liked puppies.
Lorelai, who had just sipped her wine, sputtered at the question.
"Pardon me?" she asked, wondering if she misheard.
"Sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. I'm just curious."
"You don't have to answer that," Luke cut in. Lorelai shrugged off his concern.
"No, it's okay. To answer your question, no, I haven't been with another woman."
"You don't find women attractive at all?" Rachel pushed, although Luke was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with her line of questioning.
"No. I mean, well… yes, of course, I find some women attractive, but it's not something I've ever considered acting on."
"Is that a non-starter for you?"
"Rachel, come on," Luke said again, his voice low. Lorelai looked between them, eyes wide, confused.
"What? What am I missing?"
"Luke's afraid I'm gonna put the moves on you," Rachel said, unabashedly. Lorelai's eyes shot to him and his skin burned.
"You are?" Lorelai questioned him, incredulously.
"It's not entirely out of character, I have to admit," Rachel allowed.
"It's not?" Lorelai asked, surprised. Luke looked up and met her gaze, begging her silently not to take the bait, but it was a losing battle. Lorelai's interest was beyond piqued.
"Let's just say we've had our fair share of wild nights, right Luke?" She hit him with a full-toothed grin and Lorelai's eyebrows shot up.
"Can we change the subject, please?"
"Oh, ho, ho, no," Lorelai cut in. "You can't drop that and leave me hanging."
"Oh, come on, Luke. We were young. You're supposed to do stupid things when you're young."
"Well, we're not young anymore, so leave it," he pled. Rachel rolled her eyes back to Lorelai and grinned devilishly, letting her know how much she enjoyed teasing Luke. Lorelai couldn't deny, it was one of her favourite pastimes as well.
"What's wrong, Luke?" Lorelai jokingly asked him, and he hit her with a steely glare.
"It always took a little work to get him onboard," Rachel admitted. "I think he just likes to be worn down."
"I do not like to be worn down," he grumbled, now realizing it was officially two against one. What he wasn't sure of was if Lorelai understood that Rachel wasn't playing a game.
"Maybe he just doesn't think he can handle us both," Lorelai joked. She turned to Luke and fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously. Without warning, Luke pushed his chair back from the table and stood.
"That's it, I'm leaving."
"This is your apartment," Lorelai pointed out.
"You can have it," he said with a wave of his hand. He started around the table, only to have Rachel jump up in front of him and stop him with her body. She got close, closer than either he or Lorelai expected, to the point where his chest was in contact with hers.
"Luke, come on," she said, a little grin on her lips.
"This is my friend, Rachel," he said, his voice low and measured.
"What? You don't want to?" she shot back. "I've seen the way you look at her. It's not exactly subtle."
Lorelai, overhearing this, got up from the table and stepped toward the couple.
"Look, I was just playing around. I don't want to be the cause of any friction here," she said gesturing between them. Rachel turned to look at Lorelai, and for the first time, she felt like she was being appraised.
When Rachel spoke, her voice was oddly pleasant. "You are the friction, Lorelai. You've been the friction ever since I came back." She stepped away from Luke and toward her, coming to stand closer than Lorelai expected. Her voice was a low, almost a whisper as she went on. "I just want to know what he's waiting for."
Rachel reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind Lorelai's ear, letting her fingers run through it. The intimate gesture made Lorelai's breath hitch in her throat. She had never been this close to Rachel, close enough to smell the fruity aroma of her shampoo, close enough to see the flecks of green in her brown eyes. Her eyes flickered unwittingly down to her lips, which were plump and red and parted. Rachel's tongue came out to wet them, and she felt something primal surge within her.
"Lorelai," Luke's voice was low, a little gritty. "You should go."
She flicked over to him, saw his concern, frustration, but there was something else there too. Something she had seen a time or two, when they got too close to that imaginary line that kept them as friends and nothing more.
"Luke," she whispered. She looked to Rachel again, and then back to him. She swallowed. "If you want me to go, I'm gone," she promised. The ball was in his court. She was a grown woman who could deny her more basic urges if she had to. If that's what he wanted, as his friend, that's what she would do.
Luke took a shaky breath, looked over as two sets of eyes, one brown, one blue, watched him and waited for him to make a decision. He was warring with himself, trying to find the strength to just say 'no'. But those eyes. God. The brown, but especially the blue. They taunted him.
"There's no going back from this, Lorelai," he told her. She offered a soft, nervous laugh.
"I think we're past that point already, don't you?" There was sadness there. Just a little, because it was overshadowed by want, but Luke saw the flicker of it. It was the end of their friendship as they knew it, one they had built over four long years.
"Yeah, I guess we are." In that moment he didn't know if he hated Rachel or loved her. His body was pushing him in a direction, one he wasn't sure he was entirely prepared for, but he couldn't deny it.
Luke and Rachel had done this before with other women, years and years ago. It was something she convinced him to do in their early twenties, and he went along with it because why would any guy refuse a threesome with his gorgeous, bisexual girlfriend and other equally beautiful women? It wasn't something Luke necessarily missed when Rachel was gone, he was very much a one-woman-man, but being here like this brought back all of those memories of long nights that sometimes turned to days as three people brought each other ecstasy.
Still, this was different. Their circumstances were different. He was different, and Lorelai, most certainly, was different. He had never done this with someone he had feelings for – Rachel had always been the star on these nights of fantasy. This time, his mind was embattled. Rachel was his girlfriend, but Lorelai was the woman he loved.
He met her gaze. Her eyes were so big and blue. He wasn't sure how they ended up here, but he was losing his battle to remain on the right side of that line of friendship with her.
"You sure about this?" he asked, giving her one last out. Lorelai offered a small smile.
"If you are." He watched her for any last seeds of doubt. Seeing nothing but nervous anticipation, he made his decision.
"C'mere." His voice was hoarse, and he swallowed hard to wet his throat. Lorelai spared another glance at Rachel, who was watching the scene unflinchingly. She offered a small, encouraging smile, and Lorelai started to move.
Luke kissed her. It was gentle, easy, almost too familiar, and she melted into it.
Rachel stepped up next to her, her hand going to Lorelai's upper back. Luke pulled back from the kiss and Rachel leaned into him, claiming his lips for her own. Lorelai's eyes fluttered open, not sure how it happened that she had just been in the middle of, easily, one of the best kisses of her life, only to have that man now kissing another woman mere inches from her face. She tamped down the jealousy, tried to extinguish it before it could take hold.
She found herself pulling them apart, squeezing herself between them, and planting one on Rachel before she made the conscious decision to do so. Rachel kissed her back with fervour, her pillowy soft lips parting Lorelai's and her wine-flavoured tongue slipping inside.
It was unlike kissing a man, Lorelai realized. Her lip were softer, fuller. Her tongue was thinner and more pliant. Her cheeks were powder-smooth and her scent was all woman. As their bodies came together flush, she felt Rachel's breasts against hers, and she wrapped her arms around the woman's tiny waist and pulled her close.
As they kissed, Luke moved behind Lorelai. He pulled the curtain of her hair away and dropped his lips onto her neck, shocking her out of the kiss. Lorelai gasped and leaned back into his body. His hands took up residence on her hips and she could feel him hard against her ass. Meanwhile, Rachel continued to stand in front of her, and the couple sandwiched her between them as her hands stroked upward over Lorelai's shirt, palming her breasts and making her moan.
On the eroticism scale, Lorelai was pretty sure none of her previous experiences matched this one. She felt consumed by them, their hands were everywhere, his large and strong, hers small and soft.
Rachel met Lorelai's gaze with an intense one of her own as her hands stroked down her body to the waist of her jeans. She slipped her fingers inside and easily slide the button from its hole, the fly following quickly. Lorelai said nothing and did nothing to stop her as she pushed the tight denim over her hips, crouching before her to pull the jeans to her ankles.
Luke's mouth found her ear and he kissed beneath it before whispering, "Is this okay?"
Lorelai nodded, and his hands coursed upward, under her shirt, coming to palm both of her breasts, squeezing them gently as he pushed his hips into her ass, seeing friction.
Lorelai worked with Rachel, lifting one leg then the other as her denim was pulled from each foot along with her socks. Luke kept her steady through the process, his large, stable body a veritable wall behind her as Rachel dropped to her knees and went for Lorelai's panties.
"Wait," Lorelai said softly, and all motion ceased from both partners. "I'm just… feeling a little exposed here."
Rachel rose to her feet before her, and with eye contact, pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a simple, plain white bra, which was quickly tossed to the floor. Lorelai took in the sight of her, more well-endowed than she, as two milky white breasts were revealed with pale pink tips.
Rachel reached out to Lorelai and took her hands, pulling her a step away from Luke. Lorelai let her pull her shirt over her head, and quickly brought her back in to her lips, craving more of her incredible kisses. As their mouths moved together, Rachel brought both of Lorelai's hands to her breasts, inviting her to become intimately acquainted with them. Luke took the opportunity to divest himself of his flannel and undershirt, stepping back into Lorelai and enjoying the feeling of her skin against his.
Lorelai barely noticed as her strapless bra went slack and was pulled away by Luke, who dropped it onto the pile of clothing littering the floor. She was too wrapped up in Rachel to notice as his jeans and socks went next, then Rachel's, until the three of them were left wearing nothing but their underwear, standing in Luke's dining room, touching and rubbing against each other in a slow-moving dance.
Rachel broke away from Lorelai's kiss, meeting her gaze with a playful one of her own.
"I think he's been a little left out, don't you?" she asked, gesturing behind Lorelai to where Luke was still touching her. Lorelai huffed a small laugh and turned her head a little so she could see him.
"Are you feeling left out, Luke?" she asked, her voice breathless from her kisses with Rachel.
"I'm doin' fine," he murmured, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder, thoroughly enjoying her taste.
"'Fine' won't do," Rachel said, determinedly, she took Lorelai's hand and pulled her out of Luke's grasp, stepping in to fill the space. She kissed him hard, and he fully engaged. Lorelai watched as he took Rachel's ass in both hands and pulled her against his straining erection, not even remotely hidden by the thin fabric of his boxer-briefs. Rachel moaned into his mouth and the sound rippled through the air and Lorelai's body, making her tingle with need.
Rachel broke the kiss and dropped her fingers to Luke's underwear. She turned and looked at Lorelai with a devilish grin. "Pay attention. You're gonna like this part."
Luke snorted an uncomfortable laugh, but didn't stop her as she stripped him of his last remaining barrier. Lorelai's eyes went wide as she took him in, erect, long and thick, the proverbial pot of gold at the end of his treasure trail.
She swallowed and met his gaze, finding him watching her intently.
"Wow," she croaked, feeling a little overwhelmed. She could see what kept Rachel coming back.
The redhead grinned as she lowered herself to her knees before him, and Lorelai watched with rapt attention as she took Luke into her mouth. His groan was instantaneous, and the look of pure pleasure on his face, the sexiest thing she had ever witnessed. She wanted to be a part of things.
Lorelai stepped forward and took Luke's face in both of her hands, bringing his lips to hers in a fiery kiss. He gave back as good as he got, moaning into her mouth as Rachel gave him pleasure on her knees. The feeling of having both of them there was overwhelming.
Luke broke the kiss and dropped his forehead to Lorelai's as his breathing picked up. His eyes bore into hers and she saw so many things behind his baby blues. He was fighting hard to hold back, but she knew the look of a man on the cusp. He was more affected by all this than he wanted to let on.
She felt herself being pulled to the ground by Rachel's hand in hers. She heard her pop off Luke's cock audibly.
"You want a taste?" she offered. Lorelai looked down at her, saw a grin worthy of the Cheshire cat gracing Rachel's lips, and then back to Luke.
"You don't have to," he assured her.
She wondered what vibe she was giving off, if it was nerves, excitement, trepidation or fear. None of those were exactly right, none completely off the mark. She was excited. She did want more. She had to know where this could go, but she still had the voice in the back of her head reminding her: this is Luke. Your friend, Luke. You will never be able to walk this back.
She took a steadying breath and met him with a smile, one she hoped looked confident and sexy.
"I want to," she told him. His eyes darkened, and he gave her a nod of consent. He stood tall as Lorelai lowered herself to her knees next to Rachel. She peered up at him, gave him a reassuring wink, and let her years of experience take over.
Luke groaned loudly as Lorelai took his cock in her mouth. She had a different technique than Rachel, one that included shallower bobs but more suction. Luke watched with eyes wide open, short breaths falling from his lips, as Lorelai sucked him diligently, every-so-often passing him off to Rachel who would take him deep into her throat, over and over again. The combination of sensations was beyond anything he could ever imagine.
Luke watched as Rachel popped off his cock one more time and began licking along one side of it. Lorelai shot him a conspiratorial grin before she went for the other side, the two of them working together to bathe him with affection, every so often their tongues dueling over one particular spot. It was erotic and pornographic, and something Luke knew would be seared into his memory for life.
But it was also early, and unless they wanted this to come to a sudden and somewhat embarrassing conclusion, he had to take matters into his own hands.
"Enough, enough," he said hoarsely. He stepped back so his straining cock was out of reach, and both women looked up at him expectantly. He shook his head, seeing the delight on each of their faces. "You and you," he pointed at each of them, "Get in the bed."
Lorelai giggled at his demand as she and Rachel got to their feet.
"Or what?" she said, defiantly. Luke narrowed his eyes.
"I mean, I can make you, if that's what you want," he shot back with attitude. Her eyes widened in surprise, she smiled broadly.
"Oh, I would love to see you try," she teased. Rachel looked between them and backed up, hands up in a show of passivity.
"I'm going willingly, I don't know about you two. See you when you get there," she said, laughter filling her voice as she marched through the living room and around the divider. Lorelai met Luke's gaze with a determined one of her own.
"It's just you and me. What are you gonna do now?" she questioned.
"Depends." He took a step closer. "You gonna cooperate?"
"You know, I've never been much of a rule follower," she said, enjoying his slow advance.
Luke sidled up until he was flush against her, his cock trapped between their bodies. Lorelai took it in her hand and began to pump. He shook his head.
"You're so mouthy. I should have done this to you years ago," he told her.
"What's that?" she asked, a rebellious smile on her lips.
He dropped his voice, low enough that the other occupant of the room couldn't hear. "I'm gonna fuck you until you can't speak," he whispered. Lorelai's hand tightened on his cock and she shivered.
"Is that a promise?" she asked, shakily.
"It's a damn guarantee," he said. Lorelai didn't have time to register his next actions until he was hoisting her into the air and over his shoulder. He gave her ass a little smack as he headed for the bedroom, Lorelai shrieking with laughter behind him.
He deposited her unceremoniously on the bed next to Rachel, who was laying naked, having divested herself of her panties. She was stroking her sex up and down with two fingers. They glistened with her natural juices.
"What took you so long?"
"Had to wrangle a wild animal," Luke said. He leaned in to kissed Rachel fully, and then retreated to the space between Lorelai's legs. In a smooth motion, he grabbed Lorelai's panties and yanked them down her legs, eliciting another laugh from her at his antics. Then, he dove in with his mouth, shocking her with his sudden assault which transferred into an immediate moan of pleasure.
Rachel rolled over onto her side and brought a wet finger up so Lorelai could see.
"I'm guessing you've never tasted another woman," she said, not really asking. Lorelai shook her head and stared at the glistening finger. "You want to?" Lorelai bit her bottom lip, still pretty distracted by what Luke was doing down below. She offered a quick nod of her head, and that sexy smile was back on Rachel's lips. She brought the finger to Lorelai's lips and swept some of her juices onto them. Lorelai's tongue peeked out to taste.
"Okay?" Rachel asked. Lorelai nodded, her lips open. "Want more?" She nodded again, and Rachel brought both soaked fingers to her mouth. Lorelai took them in eagerly, sucking them clean, causing a moan to fall from the lips of the other woman. She pulled her fingers back and dove in with her lips, tasting her own flavour on the other woman's tongue and finding that remarkably sexy.
Lorelai's hands tangled in Rachel's wild curls as Luke's tongue twisted around her clit, making her hips jerk of their own volition. Rachel squeezed Lorelai's breast and tweaked her nipple between her thumb and forefinger, just hard enough to cause a twinge, not enough to hurt. Lorelai groaned and her back arched into the sensation, which urged Rachel lower, wanting a taste for herself.
Lorelai laid on her back staring at the ceiling as the couple feasted on her body, Rachel nipping and sucking at her hardened nipples, Luke flattening his tongue against her clit, making her entire core shiver with need. It was an experience like no other, and all she could do was lay there and let it happen. She gasped when Luke entered her with two fingers, curling them inside of her as he sped his movements with his tongue, at the same time, Rachel sucked her right nipple further into her mouth, letting her teeth scrape the straining nub.
"Oh god," Lorelai ground out. She couldn't reach Luke past Rachel's body, but her hips started to move with more purpose. She felt his hand flatten on her lower abdomen as he went harder, more purposeful, fucking her faster with his fingers.
"Fuck. God, don't stop," she said breathlessly. Her eyes clamped shut and she gave herself over to the feeling of four hands on her body, two tongues, two sets of teeth, two hard bodies. She lost control of her volume as she fell over the edge for the first time, shivering and fighting against the hold they had on her, trapped on the mattress as she writhed with unadulterated lust and satisfaction.
Luke continued to lick her, more gently, as she came down from her height, until Rachel finally retreated from her worked-over breasts. When Luke arose, Rachel kissed him hard, plunging her tongue into his mouth to taste Lorelai's juices, which covered his chin, lips and tongue. Lorelai watched through heavy lidded eyes as they made out over her spent body, hands moving desperately over hot skin. Luke handled her with such finesse, his hands skilled and practiced. She never doubted him, not really, but seeing him in action, still reeling from the effects of his talented tongue, was so much more than her dreams ever conjured.
When he broke from his kisses with Rachel, Luke crawled over Lorelai and dipped down to kiss her again. She delighted in her taste on his tongue, in the way his mouth claimed hers and his tongue wound around hers. She wanted every bit of this man, this man who did not belong to her.
Starting to come back to herself, Lorelai pushed herself up into a seated position, and she urged Luke onto his back between her and Rachel. She kissed him again, just because she could, before reaching for Rachel.
Both women knelt on either side of Luke, above him, so he had an unobstructed view as they kissed passionately, hands roaming each other's bodies freely. Lorelai spared one hand to tend to his straining member, and pumped him in time to their kisses. He forced himself to relax, to enjoy the show and not let himself go too quickly, because this was something worth savouring.
Rachel pulled back from the kiss and looked down at him, flashed him a sexy grin before returning to Lorelai.
"You wanna fuck my boyfriend?" she offered. Even in the midst of everything, hearing it laid out so plainly was shocking to Lorelai. Her eyes went wide and her hand stilled on him. Rachel reached down, wrapping her hand around Lorelai's and urging her to move again. "It's not a trick question."
"Rachel," Luke said, not wanting to pressure Lorelai.
"Yes," Lorelai cut in, before he could object. She licked her lips and swallowed back her nerves. She spared a look at Luke, whose eyes were clouded with obvious desire, and then to Rachel, who seemed similarly affected.
Rachel nodded toward the organ which was hard and more than ready to be used. "Hop on," she instructed.
Lorelai looked at Luke again, and he nodded his consent. In the end, her arousal won out over her anxiety. She swung a leg over Luke's hips and placed him at her opening. Rachel watched unblinking as Lorelai took him inside of her, inch by inch, aided by the extreme wetness left behind from her first orgasm. He felt incredible, and as she came to settle on him completely, she had an errant thought that no one had ever fit this well. She was filled to the hilt, no more, no less. It was a feeling unlike anything else.
"Jesus, Lorelai," Luke groaned at their connection. He locked eyes with her as she began to move, slowly, lifting and falling at a measured pace, not aiming to finish them off quickly but needing that indescribable friction. Luke's hands went to her hips and helped her move, and his brow furrowed as he tried to keep his own pleasure in check, knowing it was too soon to finish, there was too much more left to do.
Rachel watched for a few moments, touching herself, stroking her wanton core as her lover got a feel for his best friend. She wondered if this would have happened between them if she hadn't come back, how long it would have taken for them to realize what was in front of them. Her heart was at odds with her head, and even she couldn't deny the chemistry and beauty as these two people moved together.
She looked down at Luke, offered a magnanimous smile, and he looked back at her. They seemed to understand each other.
She crawled up to him on her hands and knees and he accepted her kiss, long and slow, before she kissed down to his ear. "One for the road?" she asked. She pulled back for his response, and he offered a smile and a nod, and Rachel swung a leg over his face to bring her aching clit down to his lips. She was facing Lorelai, and the two women watched each other closely as they each fucked Luke Danes, one taking his talented tongue for a well-earned spin, the other learning the true meaning of pleasure as she rode his cock, alternating between vertical and circular motions.
Luke felt consumed by the women as he lapped at Rachel's wet sex. But it was Lorelai, god, Lorelai, and her incredibly tight, wet core that was driving him to the brink. He began to push up with his hips as she came down, increasing their connection, speeding things up. Lorelai's breasts began to bounce with each new connection, and Rachel reached for her own, teasing them as she enjoyed the feeling of Luke bringing her up with his mouth.
Lorelai knew she was getting close. She could feel it swirling in her gut, but she wasn't ready to let go yet. As sexy as this all was, there was something else she wanted to see – had to see – before this was over. She was feeling particularly voyeuristic as she watched Luke eat out his girlfriend, and she wanted to know what would come next for them.
With self-control beyond her usual limits, she lifted herself off of Luke, and Rachel did the same, seeing that Lorelai, who had been a bit of a follower throughout the evening, was looking to take on the dominant role. This was not something she was accustomed to, usually putting herself in that position. She was curious, to say the very least.
Lorelai leaned in and kissed Luke again, tasting Rachel's sex mixed with hers on his lips. It was intoxicating, and he gave her all her could, tangling his hand in her hair as he held her to him. She kissed him deep, and then sweetly as she pulled back, enjoying the subtle play of their lips against one another's.
"What do you want, Lorelai?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. Her eyes flicked between Luke and Rachel.
"I want to know what it looks like when you're together," she told them. Luke's eyes widened at the request, and Rachel offered a knowing smile. This was the Lorelai who wanted what they had. This was the woman who wanted to put herself in Rachel's shoes and make love to this incredible man.
"Okay," she agreed. She leaned down and kissed him before falling onto her back. Luke spared Lorelai another glance before getting in position between Rachel's legs. He pushed in without fanfare, held himself over her on his forearms, and kissed her gently as he began long, deep thrusts.
Lorelai sat back with her knees spread wide and touched herself as Luke's pace began to speed up. His body seemed to consume her, and as they kissed, they seemed completely wound up in each other. They were one, well and truly, and it was as beautiful as it was raw, primal and sexy.
Rachel wound her legs around Luke's body as he began to pound into her, the way he knew she liked. She was someone who needed to be roughed up a bit to come, and their sex usually ended with him all but slamming into her, their bodies coated in sweat as they fucked each other mercilessly. It wasn't until after Rachel that Luke discovered he could enjoy the slow stuff too, the sweet stuff. He'd only ever had it the one way, and the introduction of a whole other way of thinking about sex was tantalizing in its simplicity.
But for now, he wanted to make his girlfriend come. He knew it would be the last time for them, so he wanted to make it count.
As Rachel began to reach her peak, she moved her lips to his ear.
"Don't come, okay?" she asked. Luke pulled back and looked at her curiously. She nodded to Lorelai, who was watching them closely, her fingers moving eagerly over her clit. Luke understood what Rachel was getting at, and started recounting baseball stats to keep himself from flying over the edge, the way his body begged to do.
For her part, Rachel came apart with a primal scream and Luke's name on her lips. Lorelai watched unblinking as the other woman's head crashed back into the pillow and her back arched into it, an erotic vision unlike anything else.
Luke continued to fuck her until she was completely through it, a withering puddle beneath him, completely spent, half broken, but fully sated.
He slowed until he was barely pumping, and he kissed her, long and deep, pouring every bit of love, desire, sadness and longing into it that he felt for the woman who he'd always believed was his one true love – until she wasn't anymore.
"Wow," Lorelai said, feeling a little like she should have let herself out a few minutes earlier, but her own arousal wouldn't let her leave. Luke pulled his hardness out of Rachel and looked over at her, meeting her gaze.
"That what you wanted to see?" he asked, the rusty tenor of his voice cut right through her. She nodded slowly, then shook her head. "Lorelai," he said, so softly, and her eyes met his. "Lay back," he urged. She looked at Rachel then, and found the other woman watching her with an impassive expression. She followed his direction, and settled on the pillow next to Rachel.
Lorelai welcomed Luke between her legs as he took position over her. He leaned down on his forearms as he had with Rachel, and she anticipated coming to a hard, fast and somewhat violent conclusion. She was surprised when he kissed her gently and eased inside, taking her at a moderate pace. He kept their bodies close, and their eyes locked as they went.
Rachel watched them, saw it happening before her eyes as Luke made love to Lorelai there in bed next to her. It wasn't like the old days, when they would bring in an unconnected third and fuck each other into oblivion. There were feelings here. Real, undeniable feelings, and she knew they wouldn't be able to deny them after this.
Part of her wanted to look away. It wasn't nice to see the guy she'd loved for over a decade fall for someone else. But in her own twisted way, watching this was a form of closure. She'd be able to leave after this knowing that he would be okay, and so would she. They had their moment in time. It was time for him to embrace his future.
Lorelai felt herself coming apart quickly. It had all been so much, a physical and emotional roller coaster. Luke was loving her so tenderly, and he felt so incredibly right. It was almost tragic, and she fought to hold back tears as she neared her completion.
But it was coming whether she wanted it or not. Those telltale signs were building inside of her, tightening in her abdomen, tingling in her clit and soaking in her core as she began to seize and squeeze him.
Gasping, she called out his name, and he followed. He came inside of her, long and hard, pared with short jerking thrusts as he finished, Lorelai's name on his lips.
Luke held himself over her, the world disappearing around them, and he swiped an errant hair away from her face as she watched him. He leaned down and kissed her again, and she gave it back tenfold, for fear that this would be their last time. God, she wanted so much more.
When Luke pulled himself away, Rachel rolled in and stole a kiss from Lorelai, who gave it back as best she could. Kissing this other woman was an experience that she would take with her, even if she would always be jealous of her for having the man she wanted.
Sated, exhausted, the trio finally eased themselves apart.
"I've got to get home," Lorelai said, reluctantly. A quick glance at the clock showed her it was past 11, and Rory would have been home alone for over an hour. She nodded toward the bathroom. "I'm just gonna clean up quickly."
Luke and Rachel watched her as she eased out of bed and collected her clothes, disappearing into the bathroom.
When they were alone, Luke turned to her. "I should walk her home," Rachel nodded, an understanding smile gracing her beautiful face. "Will uh… will you still be here when I come back?"
"I can wait," she allowed. Luke offered a sad smile.
"I didn't really see this coming," he told her. She chuckled sadly.
"I did."
"You did, didn't you?" he asked, awed by how perceptive she was. She always had known him better than anyone else. Rachel shrugged one shoulder.
"It wasn't fair of me to think you'd still be here waiting for me after five years. Life goes on. I know that."
"I wanted to make this work," he told her. "I'm sorry I couldn't."
She shook her head. "No apologies. We're friends, Luke. We'll always be that. And I am happy for you, believe it or not."
Luke looked over at the closed bathroom door. "I don't know if there's anything to be happy for."
"There is. Have some faith," she said. "Besides, let me tell you from experience, that is not a dick you walk away from, honey," she said, pointing at his still exposed, but thoroughly exhausted member. He huffed a laugh, and even in the dim light of the room, she could see the flush rising on his cheeks.
Luke pulled himself out of bed to dress, and Rachel did the same. When Lorelai came back out, both were nearly done.
"So, uh… I guess I'll get going," she said, awkwardly, not sure how to act now that the deed was done.
"Luke's gonna walk you home," Rachel offered for him.
"Oh, no, you don't have to," she argued.
"It's late. Let me take you. I'll feel better seeing you get home safely, making sure you actually lock your door," he pushed. She offered a small smile.
"Ok," she allowed. She looked past him. "Rachel… I don't really know what to say. What are the appropriate parting words for, 'thanks for dinner and all the sex?'" Lorelai joked. Rachel laughed, that beautiful, melodic laugh that drew Lorelai in from the moment she heard it.
"Oddly enough, that's exactly what you say. And thank you for coming over. And for all the sex." Lorelai laughed and crossed the room, wrapping the other woman up in a warm hug. When she pulled back, Rachel stole another kiss, which felt remarkably normal to Lorelai after doing it a few dozen times.
"We're gonna have to stop doing that or things will get a little weird when I see you in the diner," she joked lightly. Rachel just smiled, not letting her in on the fact that this was goodbye.
"Have a good night, Lorelai."
"You too." Lorelai gave Rachel's hand a squeeze before she let Luke lead her out of the apartment.
The pair made it to the street in mostly comfortable silence as they started the trek toward Lorelai's house.
"Rachel's leaving," Luke said after a few moments. Lorelai stopped short and turned to him, eyes wide.
"What?"
"Yeah, it's just… not working out."
"I don't get it," she said quickly. "What I just saw up there…"
"What you saw was two people who've known each other for a really long time, who wanted to make the last time special," Luke explained. He started walking again, and Lorelai followed along blindly.
"It seemed like more."
"Do you want to know what it seemed like to her?" he asked. He eyed Lorelai and she shrugged her shoulder. "Tonight Rachel realized that people don't just stand still. You were right, she's been watching you and me since she got back, and tonight she saw what she was looking for."
"Which was…" Lorelai prompted. Luke took a deep breath and let it out.
"She saw a guy who wants someone else," he said, as boldly as he could. Lorelai stopped short again, in the middle of the road. "Okay, can we at least make it to the sidewalk before we do this again?" he asked, taking her by the elbow and leading her off the street.
"Luke, I wasn't… I didn't…" she stammered.
"Lorelai, I'm not saying you have to want me back. I just thought you should know. That's why she's leaving, that's what I want."
"When?" she asked. Luke's brow furrowed. "When did you start feeling this way?"
"I don't know. A long time ago," he said, honestly. "I can't really remember not feeling this way."
Lorelai let out a breath and they started walking again, nearing her house.
"I thought you loved her," she said quietly.
"Rachel is someone I will always have love for," he said quietly, contemplatively. "But she's not it for me, and we both know that." He and Lorelai started up her walk, coming to stand on her front porch in silence. "Look, if you don't want this, I won't push it. I just thought you should know."
"What if I do want it?" Lorelai asked, anxiety and excitement battling for dominance in her gut. Luke offered a smile.
"Then I think I'd like to take you out on a date," he said, simply. He offered a shrug and a little laugh. "Maybe we did things out of order, but that's what I want, Lorelai."
She smiled, then it bubbled over into a laugh.
"This has been, without a doubt, the strangest night of my life," she admitted quietly. Luke nodded.
"There have been a lot of strange nights with Rachel, but this is one for the books," he agreed. He caught her eye with a soft gaze. "You don't have to answer me right now. Take the night, think on it."
"I don't have to think," she said, quickly. He quirked a brow, and she forged on. "Luke tonight I felt something that I don't think I ever have. And yes, it was a little unorthodox, but it was real. I know it was."
He nodded. "I felt it too."
"Good," she smiled. "Then I think you should kiss me goodnight, and we can make our plans later, once the other women is officially out of the picture."
Luke reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, the same one Rachel had tucked which started this whole thing. She sunk into his hand which rested gently on her face, and peered up at him, waiting for him to make the move.
When he kissed her, it was slow, gentle, and all too brief – rated G for general audiences, a stark departure from their night of debauchery.
He pulled back and met her smile with one of his own.
"Goodnight, Lorelai." His voice was a mere whisper, and it made her feel things she had no business feeling after a marathon of amazing sex.
"Goodnight." She went for the door, shot him a grin over her shoulder, and closed it behind her.
Luke waited for the sound of the lock sliding shut before heading home to see Rachel off.
A/N – This story was requested by some folks over on Archive of Our Own after a threesome fantasy was alluded to in Eight Saturdays. I didn't intend to write this right away, but it just happened. Hope you enjoyed the show ;)