First order of business: a big THANK YOU to eternalsailorsolarwind for being my beta for this chapter. You made my first experience with a beta of any kind completely painless! "Lowly fangirl" or not, you still rock!  : )

Ok, here's my dilemma. The following chapter isn't PG-13, but I don't think it's really R, either – it's in that nasty nether-region somewhere in between. So here's the disclaimer:

There's stuff coming up in this chapter that might be a little much for impressionable young readers, and I wouldn't want to be held responsible for the corruption of a minor. Although who am I kidding – I'm sure most of you have read much more graphic stuff that what's in this chapter. So, be warned that there are adult situations ahead, but know that I've tried to keep it as PG-13 as possible.

Chapter 20

Scott's heart started pounding faster as he and Jean quickly retrieved her purse from their table and slipped out of the ballroom. He gripped her hand tightly, as if afraid she'd change her mind if he let go. In the little elevator that carried them to the fourth floor, Scott held Jean close to his side.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

She turned slightly so that she could look at him, and she smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. I want to make love with you."

Scott nearly passed out hearing her say those words. "Jesus, are you trying to kill me?" he muttered as he swayed slightly on his feet.

Jean giggled and pulled him off the elevator as the doors opened. They reached their room and Scott fumbled nervously with the key several times before he inserted it properly into the lock. The door finally opened, and he ushered Jean into the room.

As soon as the door closed, Scott's arms snaked around Jean's waist from behind, pulling her tightly against him. He buried his face where her neck met her shoulder and just held her for a long moment. Jean leaned back against him and closed her eyes, enjoying his embrace. He shifted ever so slightly and placed a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder. She shivered. Scott kissed her again, a little further over, just before the strap of the dress. One of his arms uncurled from her waist, and she felt gentle fingers slide the strap aside just enough for him to be able to kiss the formerly covered spot.

Jean let her head fall backwards, exposing her neck. He couldn't refuse the offering, and kissed his way back across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. Scott trailed kisses up along her jaw, and finally Jean turned to meet his kiss, capturing his lips with her own. She turned in his arms, sliding her hands up his chest until they rested on his shoulders. Their heated kisses quickly grew in passion, and clothes were becoming a serious inconvenience.

Scott felt his suit jacket being pushed off his shoulders, and he released Jean long enough for it to slide down his arms and onto the floor. Seemingly of their own accord, Scott's hands found the tiny buttons on the back of Jean's dress, and slowly started undoing them. He got stuck halfway, and Scott reluctantly released her lips in order to turn her around to concentrate on the buttons. When faced with the expanse of pale skin that was revealed, he couldn't help himself. Lifting her hair and laying it over her shoulder, he placed a kiss at the base of her neck. Jean sighed contentedly. Encouraged, Scott placed another kiss an inch further down, and another inch further down, until he encountered the unopened dress. Grasping the first button and the tiny loop that held it, he popped it open, and then the next, until they were all undone. Instead of the bare skin Scott had been expecting, he was met with more red fabric.

"What's this?" he asked softly, running his finger along the top of the garment.

"I told you, we had to wear corsets under the dresses," she replied, her voice breathy.

Intrigued, Scott reached up and cupped Jean's shoulders, caressing the dress straps with his thumbs. Slowly and ever so carefully, he slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. With a gentle pull, the dress fell to the floor in a red satin puddle.

"Is it uncomfortable?" Scott asked as he spanned her waist with his hands, feeling the corset's hard bones under his fingers, and wondering why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

Jean nodded. "Very."

"Can I take it off?" he asked, still nervous.

"If you don't, I'll have to hurt you," she said with a gentle laugh.

Scott chuckled quietly as he worked the lacing, slowly letting out the tension and allowing Jean to breathe comfortably for the first time in hours. Now the only thing affecting her breathing was the young man behind her. The lace undone, Scott pulled the corset off, and gasped.

"Oh, God…Jean," he whispered, horrified by the angry red welts on her skin. He reached out with trembling fingers and gently traced one of the marks than ran the length of her torso, from below her shoulder blades to just above her hip. "Are they sore?"

"A little tender, but nothing major. I've had much worse after a Danger Room exercise," she told him, trying to reassure him. "That tickles," Jean added and drew away slightly from his touch.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to hurt you," Scott admitted, pulling his hand away and resting it on her shoulder – a nice safe place.

"The only way you'll hurt me is if you stop touching me," she assured him, urging him to continue his exploration.

Scott obeyed, and returned to his exploration of her now naked back. He ran his hands gently across the expanse of her ribcage, his finger tips brushing against the outer swell of her breasts. Jean arched her back at the contact, and felt heat pooling low in her belly. Growing braver, Scott reached around from behind and gently cupped her bare breasts. She leaned heavily against his chest, her hands running up and down his thighs, clenching at him as he tentatively brushed his thumbs over her nipples.

She turned around and took a step back, facing him in nothing more than her panties. Scott couldn't remember ever seeing anything as beautiful as Jean was at that moment.  She looked away and started to cross her arms across her chest, self-conscious under his scrutiny, but he reached out to stop her.

"Please don't," he begged. "You're just so…there are no words, Jean."

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, almost bashfully. Jean uncrossed her arms, and Scott pulled her into an embrace, crushing her to his chest. The sensation of the crisp cool cotton of Scott's dress shirt again her bare skin made Jean gasp in pleasure.

"You're overdressed," Jean murmured against his chest. "And I'm going to get make-up all over your shirt," she added with a giggle as she pulled back and saw the smudges already appearing.

"Believe me, I couldn't care less about the make-up," he reassured her with a grin as he reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt. Jean helped, tugging the shirt tails out of his pants and starting on the buttons from the bottom. He kicked off his shoes, and Jean undid his pants. She lowered the zipper with an impish grin, and used her telekinesis to pull his pants down so that they were pooled on the floor with her dress.

"That comes in handy," he teased, tapping her temple lightly before leaning in to reclaim her lips. They both gasped as bare skin touched bare skin. Scott urged Jean backwards, taking baby steps until her legs met the edge of the bed. Unbalanced, they tumbled onto the bed with a surprised shriek. Jean found herself being crushed beneath Scott, and burst out laughing at their gracelessness. Scott found himself joining in the laughter, shaking his head slowly.

"Well, I guess that's one way of getting into bed," he said, giving her a sheepish grin.

With one last laugh, Jean kissed him. He responded eagerly, kissing her deeply. Their hands roamed each others bodies, over skin and underwear. Jean cupped Scott through the soft cotton of his boxer-briefs, and his kiss turned almost desperate. He clutched her hip convulsively, then slowly drew his hand forward and down until his palm rested between her thighs. She started at the unfamiliar touch and fought back a cry of pleasure when he moved his hand over the crotch of her panties, stroking her through the thin fabric. He could feel her trembling.

"Are you scared?" he asked in a low voice.

"A little," Jean admitted shyly. "Are you?"

Scott regarded her for a moment before smiling. "Terrified, actually," he told her with a chuckle.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to figure out how to make this less scary," she replied, and resumed kissing him.

This time there were no interruptions, no second thoughts, no next times. Passion increased, underwear was shed, and bodies were shyly explored. Never breaking their kiss, Jean gasped into Scott's open mouth as he brought her to release with loving strokes of his fingers.

Their joining was awkward at first, and Jean sucked in a sharp breath at the initial discomfort.

"You ok?" Scott whispered through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to move.

"Just give me a second," she pleaded in a tight voice. Scott kissed her, hoping it would help her relax. After a long minute, she shifted her hips experimentally, and Scott groaned.

"Ok," she whispered and reclaiming his lips.

It took them some time to find their rhythm, but they finally synchronized. Scott tried to go slowly, tried to take Jean over the peak with him, but couldn't wait. He gasped Jean's name then collapsed onto her, breathing heavily. She stoked his back soothingly, murmuring words of love while he recovered.

"I love you so much," Scott said softly, kissing her. "I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I'm sorry. You didn't…." he began, brow furrowed as he searched her face.

"No," she admitted, knowing what he meant. "Most women can't like that. I did before though, and it was wonderful."

A pleased smile flashed briefly across his face, but then the frown returned. "I know you did, but still. Do you want me to….?"

"You're very sweet," she smiled warmly and kissed him. "But I'm fine, Scott, I promise. I don't need anything else." 

"You're sure?" he asked, still obviously troubled.

"There's no need to beat yourself up over this," Jean told him, peppering his face with kisses. "It's not a big deal. In fact, it's perfectly normal."

"It just doesn't seem right, though," he protested.

"It's fine, Scott. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, because I did," she reassured him with a smile. She cupped his face and traced his cheekbone with her thumb. "I love you."

Jean could tell by the stubborn set of Scott's jaw that he would not be content to accept what he would perceive as defeat, and she feared he might eventually kill them both trying to prove her wrong. She fought back a grin at the thought.

They cleaned themselves up, then climbed back into bed still unclothed. Jean curled up with her head resting on Scott's shoulder, her arm across his chest. He hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

"No regrets?" he asked.

She snuggled against him and hummed. "No regrets. Not a bad Valentine's Day after all, huh?" she replied with a giggle.

Scott laughed. "No complaints at all."

~~

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