Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea. Oh, wait. I own Jessie.
A/N: See Chapter One for full premise. To sum up, this is an AU (Alternate Universe) in which Jess Mariano never existed. In his place, Jessie Danes, daughter of Liz, has come to live with her Uncle Luke for the summer. I am very pleased that so far people are enjoying this. Reviews are always welcome, no matter how short or long (just in case you're reading and not reviewing…you know who you are). Thank you to all of you have been reviewing. It does mean a lot. A special thanks goes out to Lindsay for letting me bounce all my crazy ideas off of her. This story would not be here without her. Literally. She had to talk me into posting it. And another big thanks goes out to my new friend Sarah for taking the time to read drafts of recent chapters.
Superscribe: Wow. No one has ever had a dream about one of my characters before. I feel like I've officially arrived!
July: Cowboys and Ballerinas
Chapter Seventeen
~~
That night when Luke and Jessie were saying goodbye after the movie, Lorelai held his gaze a little longer than she'd intended. It was almost as if she needed more now that she'd had a sample.
After the girls had interrupted them, Luke and Lorelai had tried to act normal, but it was fairly clear, at least to Rory, that something was going on. "Why is there beer all over the floor?"
"Oh, jeez, I must have tipped it over," Luke explained clumsily.
"Two bottles?" she asked with her eyebrow arched.
He hadn't had an answer to that.
And during the movie Lorelai kept casting sidelong glances his way, studying his profile and taking in his reaction to what was onscreen. He'd closely monitored Jessie's intake of the junk they'd gotten and as a result she was asleep with her head on his knee by ten. Lorelai was at the opposite end of the couch and with Jessie's feet on her lap. Rory sat on the floor, seemingly oblivious to it all.
When the movie was over, Luke gently picked Jessie up and she hung her arms over his shoulders and let her knees hitch around his waist. He took one fist in the other and used his hands to support her weight under her bottom.
"G'night, Luke," Rory yawned before she headed for her room.
"Good night," Luke replied.
"Thanks for coming," Lorelai said huskily as she led him to the door. He held her eyes for a long moment and said meaningfully, "Thanks for having us."
"Anytime," she replied evenly, without breaking eye contact.
Wanting to say more, but unable to articulate his feelings with Jessie in such close proximity, he said as she opened the front door, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes, you will," she told him firmly.
Luke inhaled the fragrant night air as he walked home. Jessie, who was still asleep in his arms, rubbed her tired face against his shoulder and sighed in her sleep. Never in his wildest dreams could he have anticipated that Lorelai would make the first move the way she had. He could still feel the press of her lips and the corners of his mouth drifted upward.
~~
Lorelai watched Luke carry Jessie away and closed the door when she lost sight of them. Her skin felt all tingly and warm as she remembered just how it felt to be on his lap, straddling his legs, pressing her lips to his, feeling his tongue invade her mouth. She'd welcomed the intrusion and made an exploration as well, searching and investigating. With a shiver, she walked to the door of Rory's room, which was ajar and said, "G'night."
"'Night," she heard Rory mumble.
Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, Lorelai walked through the house turning off lights and locking doors before heading upstairs. Ever since he'd left she had felt chilled. Once in bed, she let her mind drift back to all the feelings and sensations of earlier. She never imagined that he'd taste so good or that she'd want him so much. On the other hand, was it good to want him this much? There was no denying that she was definitely lusting after him. Was it more, though? She was ashamed to admit it to herself but until Jessie had come along she'd felt the odd attraction to Luke but nothing on this scale. He was just another hot guy she ran into on a daily basis. She'd never considered a potential future with him because nothing about him screamed future. Now, though, all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him again and the places she wanted to kiss him and the way his mouth and tongue might feel on her body.
Lorelai rolled over in bed and stared at the wall through the dark. Her hand rested lightly on the sheet beside her but she could still feel the rough stubble beneath it. The scent of his skin was still in her nostrils. The texture of his hair was still familiar. Inhaling deeply, Lorelai closed her eyes and imagined the scene again over in her mind. She'd known exactly where his hands were going just as the door had opened and she'd been ready and wanting it, waiting impatiently for his slow, deliberate fingers to reach their destination. She irrationally wished that he had been quicker. Her nipples peaked through the thin cotton of her sleep shirt at the memory.
Glancing at the clock, she quickly decided that as long as she was up, he should be, too. And it wasn't really that late, after all.
~~
Luke lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He still couldn't believe he'd been kissing Lorelai just a short time ago. Jessie hadn't woken up until he'd carefully put her into bed, something he knew he'd be paying for tomorrow in back pain. The kid wasn't light, after all. A five-minute walk carrying the dead weight of an eight year old wasn't a jaunt in the park. Once she was safely tucked in, though, he'd called downstairs to make sure they were okay and then gotten ready for bed himself.
Now that he was actually stretched out on his back in a pair of plaid flannel pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt, he found that he was entirely awake and completely focused on the incident on Lorelai's couch. How embarrassing to make a grab for a throw pillow because you'd been making out with your best friend. Ruefully, Luke cringed, but rationally, he knew that neither girl had caught wind of what had happened. Or at least, neither had mentioned it.
Shifting into a more comfortable position, Luke took a deep breath and blew it out in an attempt to clear his head.
The pierce of a ringing telephone jolted him back to reality and as he scooped it up he made note of the time. It was fairly late. "Hello," he answered gruffly.
"Hey," came her breathless reply. "How you doing?"
"Hi," he replied, surprised but pleased to hear her voice. "I'm good and you?" Luke lifted his free arm and tucked the hand behind his head.
"Good. I was just thinking about you so I thought I'd call," Lorelai explained.
Luke's stomach dropped a little. "I've been thinking about you, too," he confessed in a low voice.
"Yeah? Like what?" she demanded playfully.
"Like tonight," he said honestly, "on the couch."
"Me too. That's a damn good couch. I was thinking about replacing it but now I think I'll keep it forever."
Luke chuckled and replied, "It is a good couch."
"We had been calling him Ralph, but Good Couch has a better ring to it."
"Thanks."
After a pause, Lorelai gave a frustrated sigh and said, "So what are we going to do about this?"
Jesus, that was quick, Luke thought. It had taken longer than he'd anticipated, but it was still damn quick for her to be heading for the hills. "About what?" he asked in a voice that was quickly hardening.
"Us," she said quickly. "I mean, I know I had fun and I'm fairly certain you had fun, so…." she trailed off wishing he'd jump in and say something nice. She suddenly felt very vulnerable.
"I had fun," he assured her softly.
"Good," Lorelai said a little unsure of herself. Damn, she hated that. She was never unsure of herself when it came to men.
"You'll be in tomorrow?" It was his turn to sound unsure.
"Yeah," she answered shyly.
"Good."
Lorelai smiled slowly into the receiver, her uncertainty vanishing. "See you then," she told him.
"I'll be there," he replied.
They hung up and Luke settled back into his pillow with the most idiotic smile on his face.
~~
He was still awake and smiling when Jessie climbed into bed with him. Settling herself under the covers, she saw in the moonlight the curve of his smile and she said, "Uncle Luke?"
"Hmmm?"
"If you and Lorelai get married will Rory and I be sisters?"
Turning to look her in the eyes, Luke answered honestly, "The possibility of Lorelai and I getting married is very slim, but if it did happen I think you'd be considered step-cousins."
Jessie thought about this explanation for a moment before saying, "Rory says that you and Lorelai were kissing when we got there."
With wide eyes, Luke exclaimed, "She says what?"
"We saw you on the couch when we first came in," she told him.
"Oh," he replied, deflated. He could deny anything except evidence. "Why didn't you say anything then?"
"Rory said we shouldn't 'ruin the mood.'"
"The 'mood'? Is that why you guys left us to get junk food and ice cream?"
"Yup. And it worked, right?"
Groaning, Luke covered his face with his hands, "You set us up," he accused.
"No, we helped," Jessie stressed.
"You're killing me."
"But it worked," she protested.
He couldn't argue with her there. "Okay," he admitted, "it worked. But don't ever do that again."
"All right," she promised. "G'night," she said before kissing him on the cheek and turning over to go to sleep.
Luke simply shook his head in the dark and realized anew that he'd been had.