Chapter 5:

Pizza had been a good idea. Rachel was always hungry these days and sitting and eating gave them time to calm down. Unfortunately, it had also given them time to overthink and feel awkward about what came next.

Joey tossed the last pizza crust into the empty box. Usually he didn't waste food, but he'd already eaten more than was comfortable in an effort to delay their talk. And he didn't want to be thinking about how he shouldn't have had that last slice when Rachel was trying to talk to him about serious things.

She emerged from the bathroom just then. "Everything good?" he asked. She smiled and made her way to the sofa to sit beside him.

"Everything is great," she said, swinging her legs up to stretch them across his lap. He rested one of his hands on her ankle. "So," she drawled.

"So," Joey agreed. The quiet tension was too much. "I guess I'll start, since I'm the one who said I'm not ready to… you know." Rachel nodded encouragingly. "I uh, I just have a different relationship with sex than most people, you know. Like, sex is for fun."

"Sex is fun," Rachel agreed.

"Yeah but," he sighed, running his other hand through his hair. "I don't want it to feel fun with you." Rachel quirked a brow and Joey scrambled to explain. "Not, not just fun. Of course it will be fun, Rache. But, ugh."

He was frowning at the ceiling when she took pity on him and spoke. "Define sex."

He whipped his head around to look at her. "What?"

"Define sex," she repeated.

"Uh, sex is sex," he said, confused.

"Lots of things can be sex," Rachel explained calmly. "But it depends on who you talk to. Do you mean specifically penis in vagina intercourse? Does oral sex count? What about fingering, because we did that already and that didn't seem to "count"." The air quotes didn't come across as condescending as they might have from someone else.

"Okay," Joey said, starting to get it. "You're asking me to define the boundary."

Rachel nodded. "Exactly, is no sex a hard line for us right now? Is oral sex? If we are both clear and on the same page it will be much easier for us to progress in ways that feel safe." She lifted a leg and poked him with a toe. He turned his head and looked at her, seeing a soft, encouraging smile. "It's me, Joe. You can tell me anything. I want you to feel safe with me."

He melted a little, the hand on her ankle moving in slow sweeps of touch. "Yeah," he agreed. "Okay, I think penis in vagina intercourse is a hard line right now." He felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. "And oral sex is a soft line."

"Okay, good." Rachel rached her hand out, fingers settling into his hair, playing with it in a way she knew he found soothing. "What I am hearing is you are definetly not ready to have sex, but might be willing to entertain oral sex sometime in the near future." Joey nodded hard, ducking his head and feeling uncomfortable. Like he was denying her something. "Well that leaves us lots of options," she went on brightly.

"It does?" He snuck another look her way, struggling to meet her eyes.

"Of course," she said. "There's fingering, which you already played with." For a moment her voice slipped into the lower register of want, and he could tell she was remembering the morning with enjoyment. "Hand jobs," she continued. "Dirty talk. Toys. Mutual masterbation. You watching me touch myself. Me watching you. Dry humping. All sorts of restraint options. G-spot play. Prostate play."

"Prostate what?" Joey's head shot up and he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Do you not want to?" She asked. "Do you want to call that a hard line?"

"Uh…" He didn't know much about it, but he trusted Rachel. "No, but I would like to talk about it a lot before we do it. Don't spring it on me."

Her fingers tangled in his hair and she tugged gently, urging him to come closer. He leaned over, and she kissed his lips. "Of course, honey. Whatever you need."

His cock jumped and he wasn't sure what exactly had been so incredibly sexy about that moment, but he was sure he wanted to find out. "What else is there?" he whispered shyly.

"Oh, we'll get creative," she said with a smile. "Lots of ways to have fun and build our intimacy without jumping right into it." Her grip on his hair loosed and she returned to petting it, though she did tug him down fully, resting his head on her chest. "Nipple play, reading each other smut, roleplay."

"I just want to explore your body," Joey sighed. It was easier, somehow, to give his desires voice when she held him like this. "Find all the places that make you feel good."

"I want that too," she purred. "And to do that for you."

"Okay," he agreed easily.

Rachel laughed. "I didn't mean right this minute, Joe."

"No?" he asked, amused. "Did you have something else in mind?"

Realistically, they both knew they were pushing the limits of the "we need to talk" excuse for Rachel's absence already, but it was true they both craved relief from the pent up sexual frustration.

"Candles," she said, urging him up. "And water in fancy glasses." Reluctantly, Joey sat up and then slid from the sofa. Luckily he'd only put away the more obvious candles and had left a few scattered about. He lit them and then dimmed the overhead light before getting water in fancy glasses. He only had the ones they'd used the night before, but he figured a quick rinse would be good enough since they were their glasses anyway.

"Okay," he said, handing her her glass. "Now what?"

She lounged in her seat, legs crossed, smiling up at him over the rim of the glass. "Get naked."

Joey's eyes went wide. "What?"

"You heard me," she smiled. "Get naked for me."

"You want a striptease?" He asked, smiling awkwardly. "I mean, I can try but I don't have any music."

"No," Rachel said calmly. "I just want you to… undress. I want to see your body, Joe."

This was new. Joey felt a jumble of emotions - excitement, anxiety, and eagerness - as he sat his own glass down. He wasn't sure what it was about this that he found so thrilling, maybe it was seeing the obvious pleasure in Rachel's eyes, maybe it was the thrill of having her take the lead. Whatever the reason, his cock jumped as his fingers found the hem of his shirt. He pulled it over his head and tossed it to the floor. Rachel smiled, heat radiating as she took in the bared skin.

He felt exposed. Not uncomfortable, really, but like Rachel could see every thought in his head. It made him feel shy, suddenly, and though he didn't try to put his shirt back on, he didn't continue removing clothes either.

"What's wrong, Joe," Rachel asked after a prolonged moment of inactivity. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Even if I ask." He nodded silently, looking everywhere but at her.

Rachel stood, setting her drink down and closing the distance between them. She pressed the palm of her hand to his chest. With her other hand she took his chin between her thumb and forefinger and guided his eyes back to hers. She smiled softly, and some of the tension eased out of Joey's muscles.

"You're beautiful." She slid her hand down his bared chest, fingers following various dips and curves with a featherlight touch. "I bet people don't say that to you enough," she continued, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to the curve of his jaw. "But you're one of the most beautiful people I've ever known." Her lips moved across his jaw to his neck, more barely-there kisses punctuating her words.

"Rache, I…" he didn't know what to say to that. He was an actor. Of course he was good looking, of course people found him attractive. But the way she said it just felt different.

"Yes?" Rachel hummed the word against his collar bone and he shuddered.

This. This was why he wasn't ready to take her to bed. Because if he did, he would lose himself to her completely. And if things fell apart? Well, Joey wasn't sure he would ever recover. In lieu of answering her, Joey wrapped his arms around Rachel and pulled her close, dipping his head to nose into her hair and breathe deep the scent of her. Of soap and gardenia and something soft that was just her.

Part of him wanted to diffuse the tension with a joke or a "how you doin?", but the better part of him just wanted to feel her. Even if it came with anxiety and uncertainty. His hands rested at the small of her back, fingers splaying and rubbing small circles that set her to purring in his arms. Her lower back was hurting more and more as the pregnancy went on, he knew, and so this was a sensation she enjoyed. It was also intimate in a way he couldn't quite explain, even to himself.

They stayed close like that for long minutes until a knock on the door startled them apart.

Rachel moved away, quickly resuming her seat on the sofa, and Joey scrambled to put his shirt back on as he moved to answer the door. He opened it just enough to see out, finding Chandler standing in the hall looking worried.

"Hey man," he said. "Are you okay?" He looked over Joey into the dark, mostly candlelit room. "You need some company?"

Joey smiled. Chandler was a good friend. His best friend. And if he was going to sit with anyone and cry it would certainly be Chandler. "I'm okay," he promised. "And uh… Rachel is still here so…"

That caused Chandler's eyes to widen. "She is? Wow, that's a… a long talk. I figured she'd just gone to the cafe or something."

"Nope," Joey said awkwardly. "We are just… hanging out."

"With candles," Chandler deadpanned.

"The overhead light was giving her a headache," Joey lied quickly. "Pregnancy thing, I guess."

"Yeah," Chandler drawled, "I guess." For a moment it seemed like he would press the issue, but then he just shrugged. "Well, I'll let Monica know to use the lamps instead. Help her avoid headaches. And uh, we'll talk later?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah, that uh, that sounds good." Chandler turned to go back across the hall and Joey slowly closed the door behind him. Then he locked it.

"I have a headache, hm?" Rachel giggled as he returned.

"Would you rather me tell him you were oreding me to undress for your enjoyment?" Joey smirked. "I mean, the reaction would be pretty priceless."

She laughed, considering it. "No," she said finally. "I am enjoying having you to myself." She patted the sofa beside her and he took a seat. She slipped her arm into the crook of his elbow and lay her head against his shoulder. "I probably should get back soon, though." Joey could hear the reluctance in her voice. She didn't want to leave. He didn't want her to leave either.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Probably."

Rachel picked her head back up, turning to look at him with a wicked smile. "We could make out for a little bit first," she suggested.

Joey grinned, turning his body to face her and leaning over. "That," he whispered. "Sounds like an excellent idea." He pressed forward as Rachel turned and leaned back. She ended up half reclining on the sofa and Joey settled his body over hers, feeling their skin meet once more and wishing the damn clothes weren't in the way.

She leaned forward, capturing his lips with her own, and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down to her more completely. She moaned as his weight settled on her, careful not to crush her or the baby, and her body rose to meet his. Her legs slipped apart and he settled between them, already hard and wanting. She rolled her hips, gasping softly against his lips as she rubbed against his erection.

"Fuck, Rache," he panted against their briefly parted lips. "Not wasting any time, are ya?"

"If I had it my way," Rachel said, breathlessly, "you'd be buried inside me already." His cock twitched and she moaned. "Just like that," she whispered. "I'd feel your cock jumping inside me." As she spoke, her movements became more insistent. The rolling motion of her hips pressing harder, gaining more friction.

He lowered his lips to her neck, kissing and biting as she ground against him. "Who knew you were such a dirty talker." His voice was graveled with desire, but he didn't bother trying to clear his throat. "Fuck, I could cum just listening to you."

"Oh," she hummed. "I look forward to testing that one day." Her lips found his again and she kissed him relentlessly, teeth nipping at lips and tongue, lips slanting over his to deepen it. To pull him even more completely into her.

It was at this point, Joey lost every concept of time. The world narrowed to a pinpoint containing only himself and Rachel and the sensations their bodies created as they ebbed and swelled and crashed together.

Finally, Joey realized if he didn't put a stop to this soon, he was going to cum in his pants like a teenager. And he wasn't sure he was ready for that yet, so he shifted his focus to Rachel instead.

Holding his weight on one hand, Joey slipped the other between them, and under the hem of Rachel's sweatpants. "Is this okay?" he asked, barely able to speak.

"God yes," Rachel threw her head back and arched her hips to meet his hand. "Please touch me." Her hands moved to her hips, pulling sweats and underwear down before guiding his hand between her legs. She pressed his fingertips inside of her and moaned. "More," she gasped. "Please Joe."

"Fuck." He pressed forward, his pointer and middle fingers sliding inside her and feeling the hot slick surround them. He felt her pussy pulsate around them as he moved them slowly.

"More," Rachel insisted. She put her hand over his and rocked her hips panting as she moved. Fucking herself on his fingers. Riding him to her orgasm. And she looked incredible. Joey couldn't pull his eyes from her as she climbed closer to the edge. He crooked his fingers, hooking them around her pelvic bone and applying pressure to her G-spot. "Oh fuck," she whispered. "Oh fuck."

She removed her hand from his, slipping it instead, between his hand and her labia, fingers wiggling until they settled into a steady circular motion.

"Christ Rache," Joey gasped. "Are you… are you touching yourself?"

"Yes," Rachel panted. "Don't stop. I'm close."

"Fuck that's hot." He couldn't stop if he tried, he thought. Not with Rachel bucking against him, rubbing her clit. Not with her hot wetness tightening around his fingers and her lips moaning his name. "That's it," he whispered, breathless. He could see her teetering on the edge, waiting, it seemed like. "Cum for me."

Whether it was just good timing or the thing she'd been waiting for, Joey didn't know. But neither did he care. Rachel's entire body shook as she came, trebling in his arms, around his fingers, against the bulge in his pants. She cried out, loud, almost painful screams that he was sure someone would hear, and he leaned low to capture them with his mouth, kissing her until the tremors calmed, and her cries became mewls of relaxation.

Finally, her body relaxed and melted back against the sofa. Joey smiled against her lips, then pulled away enough so that he could look down at her face. Flushed cheeks, and mussed hair, and a smile that he'd kill for, greeting him. God, did he love her. "That was good," she purred.

"Fuck yeah it was," Joey agreed. He kissed her again, using it to distract from the sensation of sliding his fingers out of her in a slow pull. Her body shook again and fuck if it wasn't difficult to keep his pants on now.

He sat back, grabbing Rachels underwear and sweats and pulling them up as she lifted her hips, to settle them back in place. If he didn't get her clothed again immediately, he wasn't going to be able to contain himself.

As a matter of fact, if he kept looking at her at all - flushed and freshly fucked as she was - he wasn't going to be able to do anything. So he gave her a smile and then turned to look at the clock. "Oh fuck," he said, grimicing. "It's late."

Rachel propped herself up on her elbows and hissed when she saw the time. "Oof, yeah. I better go."

"At least they'll probably be asleep now?" Joey suggested. Rachel sat up properly and stood, wobbling a little and catching herself on the arm of the sofa.

"Good thing too," she laughed.

He stood, offering her some help to walk across the apartment to the door. "Just, try not to look too happy," he joked. "Just in case they are still awake."

She swatted him playfully on the shoulder, then pulled him down for a sweet kiss. "Come see me tomorrow?" She asked, hopeful.

"Try to stop me," Joey replied. Another kiss, another smile, and then she was out the door, across the hall, and back into Monica and Chandler's apartment. He stared at the closed door for a breath, before he closed his own.

He spread the palm of his hand against the closed door and leaned against it, dropping his head to rest on his hand. As he did he breathed in the scent of her still coating his fingers and his cock jumped painfully. He knew he ought to go take a cold shower and go to bed but the musky-sweet perfume pulled at him and he stayed there, leaning against the door, breathing deep.

Finally, unable to resist anymore, Joey used his free hand to undo his pants, allowing them to slump to his knees as he reached inside his boxers. He hissed as he wrapped around his cock, pulling it out. Painfully hard, and hot in his hand, Joey didn't bother to build the tension. He had no need of that now. All he had to do was remember. Remember the feel and smell and taste of Rachel.

He fisted his cock relentlessly, grunting as he pumped, driving himself to orgasim with nearly painful alacrity. The scent of Rachel's pussy on his fingers was nice, but he wanted to taste her, and so he shifted his forehead to rest against the door as he popped his fingers into his mouth.

Joey moaned around them, tongue swirling to lick free every speck of her from his fingertips. He was close now, hardly a few minutes into his wank and already fighting back the surge of his cock as it tried to spill. Not yet he thought, holding the picture or Rachel in his mind. Imagining her pussy wrapped around his cock, picturing her earlier bucking and writhing and tasting her on his fingers. Finally, pounding his cock furiously, shuddering as he remembered Rachel cumming around him, Joey let go. He cried out as he came, long ropes of sticky cum splattering on the door as he bucked his hips. His fingers slipped from his lips and formed into a fist, punching the door as his orgasm rocked his entire body. The twitches slowed, cum now leaking down his shaft rather than soaring across the room, and his legs wobbled as he fought to stay standing.

"Fuuuuuck," he moaned. He turned, leaning over to grab the paper towels, and dabbed off his shaft before pulling his boxers and pants back on. He threw them away then leaned forward, bracing himself on the counter as he sunk his hands into his hair.

Behind him, the door opened.