Luke nodded.
"Let's…go over there, to the lobby…" Lorelai gestured to a very public area, "I need to say something."
A tug of war raged within Luke. Part of him wanted to tell her to go to hell, to go back to her precious Richy-Rich boy-man Christopher, even to stay here and live her new life. Another part wanted to take her seriously, and talk. And then there was the part that still, after everything, wanted to hoist her over his shoulder, carry her to the nearest room with a lock, and literally take her. Ravish her. Master her. All those caveman-type of things.
Because in spite of what had happened between them, their broken friendship, their broken romance, their failed engagement, a charge of electricity still passed between them. And if he was honest with himself, it wasn't a bad thing being with Lorelai Gilmore. Even if she could be--or rather, was--a lot of work, she brought life to his life.
The better side of his nature prevailed. Luke yawned, and followed Lorelai to the lobby, even as he remembered his recurring dreams of the previous night before.
-----
Luke had been dreaming more often since he'd been with Lorelai. His favorite dream was based in reality: a reenactment of their first time together. Were he the type of man who contemplated such things, the irony would not be lost on him: Luke Danes, nephew and son of a Revolutionary War re-enactor, was himself a sex re-enactor.
The previous night had been no different. He'd left Lorelai's small hotel suite, partly in anger, partly in sorrow, and mostly with regret, and gone back to the beautiful hotel she'd sought haven at. Haven from him, he noted.
Later, somewhere in his dreams, she said, "I'm so glad you brought me here to Sniffy's, Luke."
He remembered every detail of that night, but the seconds, minutes and hours after he'd asked her if she was scared replayed in his mind over and over again. They were among his most precious memories. Dinner was over, and it was time to go home.
Define home, he remembered thinking. He'd wondered if she was thinking the same thing.
First, he'd just smiled back at her, and she'd arched one beautifully-shaped eyebrow at him, as he held the door open for her as they made their way back to his truck for the trip back to Stars Hollow.
When they got to the truck, Luke leaned into Lorelai, backing her up against the cab door. He felt her breath coming hot and fast, and he suddenly began to feel very warm. And before he knew it, he was nibbling on her earlobe and she gasped.
Oh, it was so good to taste her, he thought. Even in his dreams, he could still savor her. He could not believe that she was allowing him to touch her in this way. And before he could process that thought, the tip of his tongue traced the delicate whorls of her ear. And unbelievably, leaning against his truck, she stretched her neck to give him better access.
"Luke," she moaned, and gripped his arm.
He reached out and pulled Lorelai into him as he thrust up against her with a groan he didn't even try to hide. He knew that his erection would be unmistakable. Time to stop pretending, time to show her his…hand. From her moans, he could pretty much deduce that she felt the same way.
Luke looked down at Lorelai and saw that he was indeed correct. So, he couldn't stop himself from reaching for her again and bringing his lips to hers. Not a gentle kiss, this parking lot kiss: Luke, as if he'd had nothing to eat just that hour before, devoured her mouth, seeking every inch of her mouth with his tongue. And she rewarded him, kissing him back as forcefully as he was kissing her. She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth; he then captured her tongue and sucked on it until neither had any breath left.
Emboldened, especially since some other Sniffy's patron, or even Bud or Maisie could come out and see them, he began rubbing her thigh. "Lorelai," he whispered, thrilled as she uttered something incomprehensible in response, "Look at me. Please."
Why was it so hard for him to breathe?
In his sleep, he gasped, sucking air into his lungs, then quieted.
Lorelai opened her eyes wide, strangely silent, and turned her head to him, as Luke gently tilted her chin so that he could look deeply into her eyes. What he saw transfixed him: eyes shining, full of wonder, hope, and unmistakable lust.
"Come home with me tonight," he requested.
Normally chatty Lorelai did not say a word, just almost imperceptibly nodded her head and then pressed her lips against his.
"Is that a yes?" he queried.
In response, she nodded more vehemently this time, sending another thrill through him. Had he really rendered her speechless? Luke acquiesced to her kiss, as he nipped at her bottom lip and made her gasp. Mouths open, he immediately took advantage and slid his tongue into hers as he again deepened the kiss. Luke's hand came around to the back of her head as things spiraled out of control, turning her from side to side as he explored her mouth.
Abruptly, Luke broke the kiss; Lorelai stared up at him in confusion, panting for a breath. Luke had never seen her look so wild; he could easily wake up from his dream now and die happy. Instead, his index finger's tip came up to her mouth and he traced her lips, now denuded of all lipstick. And then, something amazing happened. Lorelai took that finger, and guided it below her waist.
In his dreams, Luke couldn't ever quite remember what exactly she had worn during their date. Pants? Skirt? It didn't matter as she allowed him to dip his finger inside her…in Sniffy's parking lot. Wet, wet, wet was all he could think of, all he could remember.
"Let's get out of here, cowboy," he heard her huskily suggest, as she abruptly turned and opened the truck door.
The drive "home"--defaulting to the diner by unspoken decision--was nothing less than an infusion of adrenaline into his body. He was now certain that he'd found his mate. He noticed that mercifully, she was ensconced up against her side of the truck cab. Initially frustrated, he realized that he was grateful that at a time when all sense of reason had fled, his brain, she at least had the sense to make sure they'd get home in one piece. He wanted this woman, and didn't know if he could wait until they got home--before he had her. And she had him.
God, what if she changed her mind during the drive home? What if it gave her time to think, to discover a shred of common sense? Time to think of all the reasons why they shouldn't do this, why small-town diner owner and city heiress should not be together. Time for her to build up all those walls keeping him away from her all those years…to retreat into her familiar pattern of dating men at arm's length, of dancing around him between cups of coffee and burgers.
"Stop."
Lorelai's voice was resolute and firm, and Luke awaited the inevitable. He pulled the truck over, and Lorelai suggested that he park behind a strip mall, away from the street. She rolled the window down, and the cooling night air drew her closer to him, for warmth. The night air against her flushed skin made her gasp.
And suddenly, her mouth was on his, seeking, and she threw her arms around his. His hands were already under her blouse.
"Luke?"
"Uh huh?"
"Luke!" she gasped.
He pulled back. "What?"
"Seat. Back."
He nodded and adjusted the seat as far back as it would go. And then she pulled him down onto her.
"Lorelai?"
Her hands were suddenly everywhere.
"You know."
He was right; he knew what she wanted.
He touched her between her legs, and as she squirmed, she began unbuttoning her blouse.
He looked down at her then, her bra beckoning him, and thanked her foresight in wearing a bra with a front clasp. He briefly considered doing something fancy: unclasping it with his mouth, but was afraid he'd be too clumsy and would do something inane like choke on the clasp. Safety was always an important consideration.
In a heartbeat, her bra came undone. Lorelai felt the cool night air on her breasts and shivered at the sensation--and at the way Luke was hungrily eyeing her. He leaned down slowly, hovering just above her left nipple. The tip of his tongue snaked out involuntarily, and he flicked it. To his eternal pleasure, Lorelai gasped, and he repeated his motion, finally closing his lips over her breast. Was there any greater satisfaction than hearing such a magnificent woman make little whimpering, pleading noises, because of him? It was better than the last ten minutes of the Super Bowl.
He then moved on to the other nipple, the one to the right. She was so beautiful, and he told her. He was so lucky, and he told her, or so he thought.
And then he stopped.
Because this was Lorelai. And as much as he wanted her so badly, more than life itself, the cramped cab of his truck, lurking behind shuttered businesses in the dark, was not where he wanted their first time to be. He'd waited eight years. Eight years. He could wait fifteen more minutes.
And sometimes the dream ended there, and some nights he relived the rest of that magical night. A night of firsts for him and his apartment.
-----
"I'm sorry about all this, Luke. Luke? Luke!" Lorelai tried to get his attention. "You OK? You were never one to daydream," she chuckled nervously.
TBC...