Testing the Waters
Lorelai eased into consciousness with a deep breath in through the nose. The smells were different here than home. There was a faint fruity tang in the air that played against the scent from the lush vegetation surrounding the resort. But there was something else too, something more familiar. She blinked her eyes open and found the source, laying on his side facing her.
Luke's eyes were still closed, his breathing steady. Lorelai smiled at their proximity – they weren't touching, but not more than a foot separated them in the middle of the bed. They had both eased to the inside edges of their pillows overnight. Luke's hand passed the invisible line at the centre of the bed, his fingers playing over the blanket a few inches from hers.
She never got to see Luke like this, so she took advantage of her opportunity, snapping a mental picture that she was sure would stay with her. His long eyelashes played against his lightly tanned skin. His nose, straight and strong, came to a point just above the bow that topped his pink, slightly parted lips. His stubble was longer, darker than it had been the day before. His hair was wild from sleep. Altogether he looked peaceful, if a bit rumpled.
He looked cute. She wouldn't say it out loud, but in the silence of early morning, she let herself think this.
Her eyes returned to his closed lids as his breathing changed. There was a small groan from the back of his throat, and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked to focus, and his gaze landed on hers. She smiled, and he huffed a tired laugh.
"Are you watching me sleep?"
She grinned shyly. "You were very peaceful."
Luke sunk into a tired smile and watched her for a long moment, as she continued to watch him.
There had been moments over the years where they each seemed to say more with their eyes than they would ever verbally make known. They knew this was one of those moments, as something passed between them that was indescribable. It kept them still and let them enjoy this for what it was, without the interruptions of regular life and their prying friends and neighbours.
Luke moved his hand just a hair, and their fingers were touching. Lorelai looked down at the connection, and covered his hand with hers, giving it a squeeze. Her eyes went back to his as her thumb started to play lightly over the back of his fingers. She couldn't know what that did to him, how it felt like she was offering a far more intimate touch.
He swallowed and attempted to find words. He thought about throwing caution to the wind and telling her how he felt, but he couldn't make those words come out, so he did the next best thing to avoid a potentially awkward situation.
"We should get up, get some breakfast." He inwardly cringed at the small creak that came out with his sentence, and cleared his throat ineffectually. Lorelai's thumb stilled and he silently chastised himself for putting an end to it, but he couldn't do this. It was too much. If she expected them to stay on this side of that well tread line between friendship and romance, they had to maintain some boundaries. It occurred to him that maybe she didn't care if they crossed that line. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it entered his mind.
"Okay," Lorelai agreed quietly. "I haven't had coffee since yesterday morning. I'm jonesin'." Her tone was playful, but Luke noticed that her easy smile had tightened. He watched as she pushed herself up and got out of bed, leaving his hand feeling cold from the loss. She walked away, and try as he might, he could not avoid watching her go. Her sleep shorts showed off miles of leg, and her ass swayed with each step she took toward the bathroom. He only blinked when she disappeared into the bathroom, and only considered moving himself when he heard the door click shut.
He took a deep, long, cleansing breath and rolled onto his back. He didn't need to look to know he was sporting wood – wood he had not woken up with. He thanked whatever gods were looking down on him that Lorelai hadn't insisted on him taking the bathroom first.
He shook his head. She touched his hand – that was it. It had only been a few months since he was intimate with Nicole, it's not like he was that hard up. Plus, he and his right hand had a great relationship, the most successful one he'd ever managed to be a part of, so he was feeling particularly annoyed that his body chose this moment to betray him.
He heard the shower start up and knew he had at least a couple minutes to himself. Spotting a trashcan next to the bed and tissues on the nightstand, he decided to do what he could to take care of his little situation before it became a bigger one.
He spared a glance toward the bathroom before reaching beneath the sheet and pushing his shorts down to his knees. Lube wasn't needed, but he licked his hand for the moisture before wrapping it around himself. He groaned quietly and closed his eyes, dropping his head back into the pillow as he began to pump.
Images of Lorelai quickly appeared in his mind's eye – the way she looked at him when he woke up, how he longed to take her into his arms, what he would have done if he'd had the guts. Images of her panting and moaning beneath him, her pink-tipped breasts against his chest, her long legs wrapped around his waist, her heat encompassing him as he took her, right there in the bed they had shared.
It didn't take long. With inspiration like that, Luke knew it wouldn't. He had the presence of mind to grab some tissues before he came, making it a quick and easy cleanup. He was nothing, if not a professional.
He disposed of the tissues, glad for the trash can having a cover that wouldn't allow Lorelai to see what was inside, but he dropped a few more unused tissues on top of them just for a little extra cover. Feeling more in control of himself, he pulled his shorts back up and got out of bed.
XXXX
Lorelai closed the bathroom door and leaned back against it, taking a deep breath and attempting to steady her heart. She didn't know what she was thinking, touching him like that. It was a leap beyond their regular comfort level, and she couldn't account for why she had chosen to take it.
Yes, the day before had been nice. Great, even. She and Luke were getting closer, and their inhibitions seemed lower here. She momentarily cursed their decision not to get a cot, but also knew that asking for one now would bring on the questions, which she was not inclined to answer.
She sighed, shook her head, and dove into her morning routine to try and shake off her discomfort and frustration. Discomfort, because she knew she crossed a line. Frustration, because she wanted to do so much more, and she was pretty sure she would have if Luke didn't stop her.
She disrobed quickly and turned on the shower, stepping in and revelling in the warm spray that eased away some of her tension.
She thought about Luke still in bed, the way he looked. She couldn't help but imagine what could have happened between them if they each had a few less inhibitions.
Lorelai leaned against the cool tile and let her hands course over her body, pretending they were his. She tweaked her nipple and a small moan left her throat, while her other hand coursed lower. Her fingers, well practiced after all these years, found their home between her legs. She moved her hips against them as she rubbed and circled around her clit, each touch like oxygen to the fire in her belly.
She imagined Luke touching her, kissing her, licking her. He would go beneath the sheets and bring her to climax orally, and she knew he'd be so damn good at it. She imagined his head between her legs, his large, strong hands holding her open to him as he took her there. She imagined him growling at her scent, making her body hum with need. God, she needed him.
When she reached her peak, she bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Her legs shook beneath her, unsteady as she pulled her hand away. She let the shower run over her fingers, washing away what little evidence there was of her independent adventures. Finally, she returned to the spray, soaked her hair, and grabbed the hotel-provided shampoo. She made an effort to move quickly so Luke wouldn't question the length of her shower. The last thing she wanted him to know was that she was so turned on by his very existence that she couldn't wait to touch herself imagining it was him.
XXXX
No two people had ever been more practiced in the art of seeming unphased by one another, enough so that by the time they were through with breakfast, it seemed like some sense of equilibrium had been restored.
The pair returned to their room just long enough to don their bathing suits before heading out to the pool. Lorelai settled in to read her book, while Luke went for a swim he hoped would clear away the remainder of his distraction, although seeing Lorelai wearing a tiny red bikini was not exactly helping matters.
When he returned to her, he took note of her drink.
"It's 9:30 in the morning," he informed her.
"Time doesn't mean anything when you're on vacation. Besides, this is a mimosa. You're supposed to drink mimosas in the morning," she rationalized. Luke shook his head amusedly as he toweled off and took his seat on the lounger next to her.
"With reasoning like that…" he muttered. He checked out her book. "What are you reading?"
"Chick lit." She turned the book so he could see the cover, which featured a picture of a hulking shirtless man and a dainty woman in a close embrace.
"You're reading girl porn," Luke said, grinning. Lorelai rolled her eyes.
"It's not porn, Lucas. It's erotica. There's a difference."
He huffed a laugh. "How do you figure?"
Lorelai closed her book, setting it in her lap. "Porn is plotless crap. Erotica is about the journey. Yes, they get to the good stuff eventually, but they really make you want it first," she explained.
"So basically, it's boring porn?" Luke suggested, knowingly egging her on.
"It's not porn!" she exclaimed. "Luke, this is the harrowing story of a woman and man finding each other in a hopeless place. It's got drama, romance, suspense. It's the whole package."
"Read some of it to me," Luke challenged her. Lorelai narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
"You've got me curious now. It's a harrowing tale, right?"
Lorelai huffed and opened her book back up, flushing a little at the words on the page. She looked around and saw a few kids splashing nearby in the pool. "I can't, there are kids," she said feebly. Luke chuckled.
"So it's porn," he surmised. Lorelai reread some of the words, and then looked back at his smug face. She wanted to win, she always wanted to win, but he was slightly right about the current scene she was reading.
It occurred to her then that there were many ways to win an argument with Luke Danes, and one of the most effective was to make him so uncomfortable that he gave up.
She grinned. "Okay, come closer," she said, her voice low. Luke leaned in so there was only a few inches between them.
She read from the book, "Annie had never been so close to someone so strong. His physique made her quiver, with fear, most certainly, but there was something else there too. Something more primal. Something that made her tingle and imagine all the things he could make her feel if only he would touch her the way she wanted him to.
"In her dreams, they had been together a thousand times. His pulsing manhood would fill her in a way she'd never experienced, bringing her to new heights. She would cry out his name into the night, and he would growl in her ear as he came to completion inside of her.
"Those were her dreams, but in the light of day, he remained aloof, afar, untouchable. He was the ultimate fantasy, one she feared would never become her reality."
Lorelai stopped reading and turned to see Luke's reaction. She inwardly claimed victory as she took in his tense expression, his jaw clenching, his eyes locked on the book.
She grinned. "Not technically porn," she said triumphantly, and Luke looked up to meet her gaze. His blue eyes were stormy on this sunny day, and she knew he was feeling the punch from the writing, or perhaps it was her reading that was having this affect on him. Either way, she was satisfied. She felt like he had been successfully keeping her off kilter since their trip began, and she was pleased to know she could still knock him off his game.
Luke schooled his features. "Like I said, boring porn."
Lorelai grinned and reached for her drink. "Think what you want, Luke. I'm on vacation, and romance novels are the literary equivalent of junk food." She punctuated her point with a sip from her mimosa.
Luke swallowed hard, suddenly parched. "You know what, that looks pretty good now that I think about it. I'm gonna get a beer."
Lorelai grinned up at him and tipped her glass toward him. "That's the spirit!"
Luke shook his head and turned to walk toward the bar, muttering to himself as he went.
XXXX
As the day went on, the lines continued to blur. They swam and wrestled in the water, they lounged by the pool for a while, then the beach. He tossed her into the waves and she made ineffectual efforts to knock him over, cursing his balance that kept him upright. They touched. They touched a lot. It was sunscreen applications, a hand on the back or the wrist, wiping sand off a leg, small brushes and more determined grabs and gropes – all PG, of course, and easy to defend if asked – but they were gropes nonetheless.
By the time evening came around, both were less guarded with their looks and affection. The pair had returned to their room to get dressed for dinner. They had chosen to hit up one of the à la carte restaurants on the resort, one with live Latin music.
Lorelai came out of the bathroom after primping. She had donned a blue spaghetti strap dress that hit mid-thigh. It flowed out from the hips and danced around her legs in a way that made her feel like dancing.
She didn't catch Luke checking her out, though he was not particularly subtle. He couldn't decide whether to look at her perfect legs or the expanse of chest exposed by the scandalously low-cut of the top. Either way, he could find nothing to complain about.
"You look nice," he said casually, playing down how affected he was by her. Lorelai smiled and gave him a more obvious appraisal.
"Thanks, so do you. Giving off a real Jeff Probst vibe."
"I don't know who that is."
"Really? Survivor? You're voted off the island?" Luke gave Lorelai a blank stare and she moved on. "Don't worry about it, it's a good comparison. Although I'd go so far as to say you make the blue short sleeved button up, cargo shorts combo look even better."
Luke tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile. "Ah, well, thanks for that."
Lorelai grabbed her handbag and slipped on her strappy sandals. "Ok, you ready to go?"
"All set."
Luke and Lorelai left the room, and he offered her his arm as they walked along a wooden boardwalk to the restaurant. It was comfortable between them, and Lorelai sunk into the feeling. They chatted amiably as they went, about everything and nothing. Lorelai laughed at his jokes, enjoying his lightness, which was so uncharacteristic of the man who was often grumpy and unmoved by her daily humour. Vacation Luke was proving to be a delightful surprise, and Lorelai as happily soaking it all up.
She didn't miss the looks she got from other women as they walked. Luke didn't realize it – he never would – but he was officially the 'hot guy on the resort'. Women watched him strip off his shirt at the pool, they watched him swim with long, powerful strokes, they watched the way he picked Lorelai up like she weighed nothing and tossed her five feet through the air before she landed with a splash. Put simply, Luke was fresh meat, and if not for Lorelai on his arm, it would be open season.
She grinned to herself as she caught another dirty look in her direction. Luke was completely unaware, oblivious to the attention he garnered, but Lorelai wasn't interested in telling him just yet, lest she burst the bubble. The last thing she wanted was for him to suddenly clam up. His openness was a big part of his sexiness, and she wanted to encourage it for as long as possible.
XXXX
At the restaurant, drinks flowed freely as they chowed down, enjoying what conversation they could against the backdrop of loud live music. Lorelai felt a little tipsy, but was well in control of her faculties as they lived for the easiness of the night.
The band launched into an upbeat song and diners, finished with their meals, headed out to the dancefloor near the stage. Lorelai perked up.
"Come dance with me!" she exclaimed, grabbing Luke by the wrist.
"I don't dance," he said firmly, his butt staying planted in its seat. Lorelai shot him a glare.
"Don't or won't?"
"Take your pick," he answered quickly.
She frowned and settled back into her seat. "You're stubborn."
"It works well for me," he said breezily. He grabbed his bottle of beer, covered in dew and sweating from the heat, and brought it to his lips. Lorelai narrowed her eyes.
"I'll get you out there before the night's over. Mark my words."
"Good luck with that."
"You know making it a challenge will just make me work harder," Lorelai told him. Luke chuckled and shook his head.
"You're wasting your time."
"Uh huh. We'll see," she said, ignoring his protests altogether. Luke watched as she took a long sip from her piña colada and turned her attention back to the band.
The pair listened quietly for a few more songs until the performers finished their first set, heading offstage for a break. As recorded music came over the speakers at a lower volume, Lorelai turned back to Luke and regarded him for a moment.
"What?" he asked.
"Do you ever think about moving on?" she asked, out of the blue. His brow furrowed.
"Moving on? You mean from Nicole?" she nodded. "Not much to move on from."
"So you're ready to date again?"
He groaned. "Dating's the worst."
"I know, you've said," she said, referring to their conversation on their first movie night. That night, Luke had insisted he could tell from his gut instinct whether he'd be comfortable with a woman. Lorelai didn't bother pointing out that it didn't seem to work out for him so well with Nicole.
He went on, "Look, I'm not hanging on, if that's what you're getting at. If something happens it happens, but I doubt I'll be trolling the bars for dates anytime soon. Or ever."
Lorelai chuckled at the mental image. "I can't picture you picking someone up."
"Thanks," Luke said, distaste evident.
"No, I just mean, I can't see you slipping a woman a pickup line," she clarified.
"If you ever catch me using a line, run, because I've been body snatched."
"I believe it. Kind of limits your options though," she pointed out.
"How do you mean?"
"Well, if you never put yourself out there, it's kind of hard to find someone."
"It's not that I won't put myself out there, but there has to be a reason to do it. I don't want to ask some random woman out. Last time I did that it was Nicole, and look how that turned out."
Emboldened, Lorelai asked, "So what do you want then?"
"I don't know. Maybe something I can't have," Luke stopped to gather his thoughts. "I just remember knowing Rachel so well before we started dating, it made it easy. Everything with Nicole was like a guessing game, trying to figure out who I was supposed to be with her, what version of me she wanted. I could just be myself with Rachel."
Lorelai felt a pang of jealousy at the reminder of Luke's first true love, the woman he couldn't seem to quit.
"Do you miss her?" she asked. Luke shook his head.
"Nah. Not anymore. I did before, but the last time she came back I think we both got the closure we needed to put that to rest for good."
"Well, that's good I guess."
"You guess?" he asked.
"It's just sad to put such finality on something that was special to you," she told him, although she was inwardly relieved to know he was through with her for good.
"Is that how you feel about Rory's dad?"
Surprised by the turnabout, Lorelai stopped to think before answering as honestly as she could. "I don't know. Maybe. But he's married now with a kid, so I think that ship has sailed."
"What if he wasn't?"
"Honestly? It's hard to say. I always thought the problem with me and Chris was timing, but after our last false start, I realized there was more to it. I mean, he didn't just leave me for Sherry, he left Rory for Gigi. He hasn't been around. They've barely talked since she was born. I don't know if I can look past that." She felt frustration roiling as she considered her ex's lack of interest in their shared daughter. Luke nodded, and she knew he felt the same.
"Good, you shouldn't. I always thought he was a putz anyway," he said firmly.
Lorelai chuckled. "I bet you did. You thought they were all putzes."
"What can I say? I'm a good judge of character."
Grinning, she said, "And yet here you are, vacationing with Lorelai Gilmore."
Luke tipped his drink toward her. "Exactly."
She smiled, looked down into her own drink, before returning to him. "You know, I think next time I date, his relationship with Rory is going to be one of the deciding factors."
"So he needs to be someone you already have a relationship with then," Luke surmised. Lorelai shrugged and caught his eye before looking back down into her glass. "And you thought I was limiting my options."
Lorelai laughed quietly. "I just think I'm trying to really look at my options. Maybe for the first time."
Luke pretended not to hear the connotation, though he knew full well what she was referring to. Not quite ready to take the leap, he chose to deflect. "Well, I'm sure you and Kirk will be very happy together."
"Too late, Kirk's all loved up with Lulu."
He grimaced. "Ugh, please don't use the words 'Kirk' and 'loved up' in the same sentence again."
"Sorry," she said, laughing.
"Yeah you seem real broken up about it." The pair shared a grin and sipped their drinks as the band returned to the stage. Soon live music filled the space again, effectively drowning out conversation, but both felt they had said enough for one night.
After their first few songs, the lead singer spoke a few lines in Spanish, which Lorelai couldn't begin to understand. She turned to Luke.
"Hey, Mr. Surprisingly Bilingual, what did he say?"
Luke chuckled lightly. "He invited all of the lovers up to dance."
"Aww, that's nice," Lorelai smiled, taking a sip of her drink. She didn't catch the lingering look Luke was giving her.
"Hey," he caught her attention. "You wanna dance?"
Her eyebrows shot up. "I thought you said you didn't dance?"
"Well, I'm a compulsive liar," he joked. She broke out into a wide grin.
"Yeah, okay. Let's dance."
Lorelai let Luke take her hand and lead her toward the floor where other couples were spinning in circles, close holds all around. The song was slow, but it had a Latin flair that made it sexy and sensual. Lorelai felt the rhythm as she was pulled into Luke's arms. Their hips moved back and forth as Luke held one of her hands in his, the other at the small of her back, bringing her body close. Lorelai played with the hair at the nape of his neck as her face went to the side of his, his stubble teasing her soft skin.
Luke could feel her cheek against his, warmed by alcohol and the heat of the southern locale. Her whole body was warm, and he felt it at every point of connection. His hand on her lower back itched to move lower, just inches from the tantalizing swell of her backside. Her breasts were against his chest, and her breath played over his neck. All in all, he was having to do some major work to keep from having a physical reaction to their closeness, to the sensual nature of their dance.
He was almost relieved, but entirely disappointed, when the slow song came to an end and the band moved into an up-tempo piece. Lorelai was slow to pull back, but met him with a victorious grin.
"Told you I'd get you out for a dance." Luke chuckled, dropped his eyes, and consciously disengaged as he forced his hands to leave her body.
"Yeah, well… don't expect a repeat performance," he said, his voice a little gruff.
She shook her head. "You can't fool me. You're inner Swayze is just trying to break free. Let him out, man!" she joked to dispel the heat between them. It didn't work, entirely, but she figured she did enough. Lorelai didn't know what the rest of the trip would have in store for them, but it was only day two and she was having trouble keeping her hands to herself. They could only get so close to the line without flinging themselves over it, and if they were going to do that, they had to be sure it was right.
Lorelai was pretty sure it was right.
They returned to their table for a few more drinks and a few more songs, before retiring to their room for the night. When they climbed into bed, Luke settled on his back, comfortably on his side, and Lorelai on hers. When they woke the next morning, the space had all but disappeared. Luke's hand was on her waist, her head on his pillow, their bodies in contact as if they had been dancing again in their dreams.
A/N – Thank you again to everyone who is taking the time to read and review. This is a fun one to write, and I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Day two down. Hope you liked it. Let me know!
