Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.
A/N: One more chapter to go and this season is about to wrap up. Thank you everyone - for faithfully reading, and especially to those of you who took the time to let me know their feelings throughout this journey. I hope you stay tuned for another ride, because season 4 of this story is already on its way :)
WARNING: M for Jess getting explicit (don't say I didn't warn you). Enjoy ;)
Rory let a breath out, looking around the garden where her mother and Paris were arguing about the height of the decorative arch.
'We're really doing this,' Rory exhaled, her face twisted in disbelief.
Jess threw her a sideways look, his eyes twinkling with what looked like pride.
'We're really doing this,' he smirked.
'Alright. Okay.' She nodded slowly. 'And there are veils. '
'There are veils.' Jess confirmed, nonplussed. 'There's always the prospect of eloping in Vegas,' he shrugged taking in Rory's obvious apprehension.
Rory gave him a look. He didn't look like he was necessarily joking. In fact, this wasn't the first time he had suggested this. Maybe he did want to elope in Vegas and get married by an Elvis. It would be over with in a blink. No fuss. No veils.
Rory shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking around again. From her place on the porch steps she could see the whole yard. It was a mess, with chairs and wedding decoration lying around, flowers and veils at different stages of preparation, her mother and Paris all but getting into a slap fight over the position of the arch. Oh well.
'You want this... right?' she asked.
Jess turned to look at her, incredulous.
'I mean,' she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, wetting her lips. 'You've mentioned eloping in Vegas a couple of times already and,' she looked around, not daring to meet his eyes, 'I don't wanna overwhelm you or... blackmail you into marrying me with every citizen of Stars Hollow watching and clapping in excitement.'
Jess studied her, his face calm and unbothered.
'I don't mind,' he shrugged a shoulder, looking back at the yard and the ongoing preparations.
Rays of mid-afternoon September sun fell warm on their skin, the soft glow giving the house outlines a tilt of gold. Lorelai's back yard was buzzing with Star Hollow town folks, friends, some of their colleagues from the hospital also arriving.
Everyone took part in the preparations in their own way. Luke and Emily were supposed to look over Kevin and Allie, with Luke throwing pleading looks towards Lorelai every five minutes. Lorelai, however, was too preoccupied with adjusting the wedding arch, her argument with Paris forgotten once Tristan joined them and the two women suddenly got busy giving him instructions on how to move the thing, fixing it into the ground without snapping it in two. Obviously all they needed was a mediator. Sookie kept bringing more and more trays of finger food while Kirk was doing his best getting the outdoor sound system to work. Taylor was rehearsing his speech before miss Patty who was dozing in one of the lounge chairs.
'Look, if you don't want that,' she gestured around nervously, 'I would totally understand.'
Jess stood silently, seemingly contemplating, before he moved around to stand behind her with a couple of deliberate, unrushed strides.
'Do you know what I want?' he asked, his voice deep. 'You in white as I put my signature under that paper saying you're mine.'
His nose nuzzled her ear and a wave of shivers sped down her spine.
'I have been imagining having you in a wedding dress for a while now,' he continued, his tone going raspy. 'I imagine you walking down that aisle and wearing that dress, and right after we put those rings on each other's fingers, I imagine kissing you so hard, so thorough that people will start to whisper.'
His palms moved up and down to rub her arms and he lifted a hand to move her hair to the side, her exposed skin breaking out in goosebumps as she felt his breath on her neck.
'I imagine you will be surprised at first, but you will be so swept up by my lack of censor, so turned on by the way I'm moving onto you, you won't find it in yourself to protest,' he continued, smirking as she shivered. 'I imagine that instead of protesting, you would moan into my mouth forgetting there are people around.' His voice dropped even lower, 'Then I imagine taking you right there, bunching your wedding dress up, turning you around so that I can take you from behind,' he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. Rory let out an involuntary whimper. Jess slid his palms down to her hips and pressed her back against himself, emphasizing just how much he entertained the fantasy he was picturing. 'Then,' he continued, his voice gruff, 'I imagine turning you around and climbing you over my waist so that I can take you from another angle. And then,' he accompanied his words with turning her around so she was facing him, 'and then another,' he stepped between her legs so she could feel him intimately.
His palms moved up to cup her face, his forehead lowering against hers.
'I imagine I will be so hard I could go for hours,' his breath fanned her face.
'Jess...' Rory let out a helpless whimper, squeezing her eyes shut, not wanting to like his filthy whisper but loving every single word.
'I would tell you to look at me,' he continued in a low, raspy voice and she opened her eyes finding his pupils dilated - his coffee eyes turning a deep, sensual brown. 'I would tell you to look at your husband while he's fucking your brains out in the middle of your wedding party.'
'Ohmygod,' Rory choked on a breath and Jess covered her mouth with his in a slow, languid kiss, keeping her face between his palms as his tongue worked her mouth.
'Relax,' he murmured in a deep, soft voice as he drew back while she tried to catch her breath. He took both of her hands and put a kiss on each of her wrists before placing them around his neck. His thumb brushed her mouth before he leaned into her to whisper 'Have we established what I want?'
'Married sex?' she suggested in a weak, breathy attempt to be witty, feeling his breath as he chuckled against her ear.
'You,' he said then, his voice solid, his tone grounded as he nuzzled her neck, keeping her head between his palms reverently. 'Since that first day you walked into the ER, all I've wanted is you. In every way that I can possibly have you, I want you.'
Rory's breath caught, overwhelmed with relief, the previous unease in her chest completely dissolving as he brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek, their foreheads touching again.
'Sometimes I sit in our kitchen and look at my hand, thinking how a wedding ring would look on my ring finger,' he admitted quietly, making her look up draw back and look at him in surprise. He took her hand in his and lifted them to inspect, intertwining their fingers. 'And you know what I decide every time I think about it? That the answer is right,' he said, letting a smirk creep up his lips. 'It would look just right.'
Rory let out an exhale, something between a chuckle and a sob and threw both of her arms around his neck, squeezing him into a tight lipped kiss.
'It will,' she said as she drew back, grinning. 'It will look just right. I love you, Jess Mariano. I can't wait to become your wife and see what we're gonna do about that dirty mind of yours.'
She felt him exhale.
'Good. Because forcing you into a loveless marriage would totally suck.'
'I got the speech covered.'
That won him an honest chuckle.
'I'm so gonna blow their mind with my words of love and wisdom,' Tristan insisted.
'Oh, is that so?' Paris arched an eyebrow, sipping from her glass of champagne as her eyes skimmed over the guest party gathered around the tables scattered under the gazebo in the middle of the town square. The gazebo itself was covered in Christmas lights and served as a makeshift dancefloor.
'I'm the epitome of suave, ma'am,' Tristan gave her a wink.
'I thought you were the epitome of Aguilera's Candyman,' Paris deadpanned.
He shrugged.
'Well, that too.'
There was a pause, but this time it was charged with his insisting look.
'Do you trust me?' Tristan asked at last, his eyes set on hers intently, his voice quiet.
Paris huffed.
'Please.'
Tristan kept looking at her, his crystal blue eyes intent as he waited for an answer.
'Oh,' Paris sobered, licking a lip. 'You're really asking.'
She looked around at the guests, mainly Stars Hollowers, as well as a couple of colleagues from the hospital, pooling around the tables. People talking and clinking glasses of champagne, the air buzzing with joyful anticipation.
'Okay whatever,' she shrugged, 'You've always been the people charmer anyway.'
She turned to eye him, his silence unexpected when he could be easily pegged for the loud and cheering type, especially after he had just sneaked the best man speech from her.
'What's wrong?' she asked in a clipped no-nonsense voice. 'Did you suddenly realize I'm too generous for you to walk the same ground as?'
His whole expression brightened, the smile reaching his eyes and exploding. His face was so outstandingly handsome at this moment. Each time it felt like a revelation, how much happiness he could exude. The beauty of his laughter had nothing to do with his physical features, it was the light from within him that shone through.
Paris opened her mouth and then closed it. What... She had no idea what was going on.
'Is there a hidden camera somewhere? Your face is doing this weird happy thing,' she motioned around her face, 'It's scary.'
'You do trust me,' Tristan uttered, his smile widening even more if possible.
Jesus. Paris wanted to slap his self-content off. She really wanted to roll her eyes and nail him with one of her trademark deadpans. But she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she felt the corners of her own mouth tug up.
Tristan Dugray was one of the good guys. Maybe one of the best. And his innate goodness somehow outshone everything else.
He looked so happy. Like he had finally crossed some invisible line, gotten somewhere he'd been unconsciously trying to get and now he was standing in the middle of a treasure island.
Paris felt a tug in her chest. She felt pride. Because she had brought that happiness out. And it had to be illegal for someone like Tristan Dugray to not be at their full shine.
'Come on, Mr Clown Is Us, we have to get you somewhere to rehearse because you need to rock that speech.'
TBC