Logan paced the room, its warmth cloying his senses. Taking a cigar from the box on the table, he cracked the balcony door to let in some air, and slipped outside to enjoy a smoke. The winter air was refreshing despite the smells of the city. A memory of snow and the scent of a pine forest slid over him, and he closed his eyes trying to remember more but it was gone just as suddenly, an illusion teasing at his senses.
Why can't I remember more about my life? More about her? He glanced through the glass panes towards the bathroom door, wondering if it was a good or a bad sign that she had been alone with her thoughts for so long. Even though he couldn't remember anything about Jubilee, he had a feeling that she had a tendency to overthink things. The dark smudges beneath her eyes had displayed her anxiety for him just as clearly as her joyful tears when he had first shielded her in the night club. It only reaffirmed that her feelings were deeper than she claimed.
Although, if he thought about it, she hadn't claimed that she didn't have feelings for him…just that he didn't have any for her. Wolverine growled low in his throat out of frustration. It made him want to tear open the delicate cushions of the settee it was so absurd. He needed to understand why she believed it so strongly. He needed the knowledge so he could woo away her protests of the past with the truth of the present. Now that I've tasted her and held her in my arms…I won't let her go.
Puffing at his cigar, he was still considering his options as he heard the door to the bathroom swing open. The light fragrance of the peach-scented soap she had used wafted through the air, but it was her own scent that intoxicated him. He was grateful that he stood with his back to her, clutching the railing tightly to hide how his eyes had slammed shut in reaction to her spicy scent. No fucking way would his body react like that if he had just thought of her as a "friend". Getting himself under control as she shuffled around the room, he took a long draw of his smoke wishing he had ordered something stronger than the juice and tea that had come with breakfast.
When she softly called from inside, "Ready for bed?" Logan couldn't have been more surprised. He turned around and saw that she had already climbed into the gilded bed, and was smoothing the sheet and blanket over her legs. She looked very small and fragile in the large bed, and suddenly he felt more nervous than if he were facing down the men holding Katrina.
After drawing the heavy velvet drapes across the patio door and nearby windows, the bedroom was cloaked in relative darkness compared to the bright winter's day outside. She was turned on her side towards the bathroom, her back to him as he slipped out of the clean change of clothes the hotel had provided for him. Jubilee had quickly destroyed his blood-stained shirt and pants with a carefully-controlled fire so that there wouldn't be any questions. When he was down to his boxers he folded them over a nearby chair and turned of the nearby lamp, sliding under the sheets on his side of the bed.
The sheets were cool, slick silk and he leaned back against the mound of pillows to try and settle himself. Her breathing was slow and even, but she was not yet asleep. The closer proximity to her spicy scent was making him more anxious and his fingers were itching to touch her damp hair. Cursing himself inwardly for lack of control, he was taken back when she slowly turned to face him, her eyes large and serious.
He scowled and turned on his side to face her. "What in the holy hell are you wearing?"
She flashed a grin at his tone. "Don't complain furball. It was either the spare shirt they sent up for you, or the down-to-there negligee they brought up for the "bride"."
"Doesn't really matter what the clothes are, you're what makes em sexy, darlin'." It was true, the pale blue dress shirt hung loosely on her, allowing for a teasing flash of skin at the collar. He eyed her appreciatively, noticing how it parted and rode up her legs as she shifted closer. He didn't even think as his hand slid over the skin of her thigh, smoothing the shirt down to cover her more thoroughly.
Jubilee's breath caught in her throat at the touch, and she was shaken by the look in his eyes. They lay inches apart, facing each other as his hand came to rest on the curve of her hip. She took a breath to say something but he stopped her with a look.
"Don't." His voice was low and gruff. "Don't say it. I know I should be friggin gentleman and keep my hands to myself, but I have to touch you. To know yer real, that you won't just disappear the moment I close my eyes." His fingers curled around her waist and rubbed slowly at her lower back as he made the confession.
"You…Y-ou've never said anything like that to me before." She replied shakily, not fighting his touch. "You've also never looked at me like I was a bottle of really good whiskey."
Her attempt at humor was not lost on him as he chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest in a way that tickled her senses. "I'll just bet you've driven me to drink in the past."
The past. Those words hung in the air, so heavy between them.
"It was never this way between us, in the past." Her voice rang with a quiet sincerity. "We've never kissed before tonight, or been lovers."
He nodded silently, acknowledging her words. "That doesn't mean I never thought about it, or you, in that manner. In the past."
Logan pulled her closer to him, their bodies pressed against each other as he settled her in the crook of his arm. Her head tucked under his chin perfectly, and he relaxed as he felt her breath warm against his neck. Giving in to the sense of relief she felt, Jubilee reached up to smooth his hair back from his face, enjoying the silky texture between her fingertips. She could swear he almost purred at the caress, and she smiled against his skin in amusement.
"I may not remember what happened a month ago, much less a year, but I know you feel like home." He whispered into her hair. "Don't shut me out cause of some sorta skewed sense of honor. I won't push unless you tell me yer ready. Just don't shut me out, darlin'."
"You're just saying that because I'm the only familiar thing or person in this time. You'd feel the same way if it had been Kitty or Gambit… "Or Jean. "…who had shown up to find you…" She was cut off mid sentence by an angry kiss, his lips bruising her own with the force of passion behind it. His hands tightened at her waist and then just as quickly his weight was crushing her into the mattress, as she felt a very insistent display of his arousal against her hip.
"I feel this way because of you! Only you." He growled against her lips, in between devouring kisses. "Do you know that I could smell you? Even before I saw you in that smoky nightclub, I recognized you." He breathed in her scent, burying his face in her hair. "I was afraid for you, furious that you were in danger, and horny as hell, all at once. Even though I didn't know who you were."
There was both urgency and vulnerability in his eyes as he gazed down at her, her body still pinned beneath his. Her good intentions from earlier seemed years away, as she felt her heart pounding against her chest in response. She chose her next words carefully. "I won't shut you out, I'm not, I promise….but I only have so much willpower. If you wanted to, you could make me melt with a glance and we'd be holed up in here like bunnies for the next week."
"Three weeks minimum, darlin'." He grunted with a spark of humor.
"Pay attention and don't tempt me." She gritted out in response as she rocked her hips up against his erection. "This is hard enough as it is."
He rested his forehead against hers as his body went tight with pleasure, his eyes boring into her own. "Message received, loud and clear."
"I want you to remember me before we ever take that next step, Logan. I want to know you understand what the stakes are and where we stand." Her pleading eyes tore at his soul. "You can have me in a heartbeat, but I'm asking you to wait."
Logan was silent as he weighed her words and then quietly said, "And what if my memory never returns?"
"If it hasn't come back by the time we return to Westchester, I won't hold back. No second-guessing or regrets." Her voice softened sadly. "Although you may find there are…others that make you think twice about this." Her thoughts instantly went to Jean, the real love of his life.
A slow, passionate kiss broke her train of thought, as Logan overwhelmed her with his tenderness. "If I have to kiss you every time you say something ruttin ridiculous, this whole plan of yers is gonna backfire big time." He shook his head slowly and brushed his lips across hers over and over in light, airy kisses that took her breath away. "Only you, darlin'. Only you."
Finally pulling back when her skin was flushed with passion and he had kissed the argument out of her, he rolled back onto his side and tucked her under his chin once again. Drawing her long hair through his fingers, he stroked her head until she fell asleep.