Disclaimer: I do not own Jane or Kurt or Blindspot. Writing about them is simply the outlet for my obsession.
A/N: Warning: If the previous chapter (or any of the ones before that, actually) didn't kill you with cuteness, this one just might.
He lowered his hands from her face slowly, moving them down to her upper arms, skimming along her wet skin past her elbows until he reached her hands, which were still wrapped around his neck. He managed to disentangle her hands from behind him, taking a step back toward the empty boardwalk and tugging at her hands for her to follow. She let go of one of his hands to pick up the beach bag that they'd left at their feet, putting it over her shoulder, and allowed him to pull her slowly away from the railing along the beach. The rain continued steadily as they walked, but it didn't matter. As a matter of fact, she liked the rain a lot more all of a sudden.
Their pace was slow but steady as they walked down the deserted boardwalk. They'd been between 30th and 31st Streets when they'd started, so they still had about five blocks to go before their turn. Before they'd even reached 30th Street, he'd dropped her hand and put his right arm around her shoulders to pull her closer as they walked, her left arm automatically moving across his lower back. Though he was taller, they were close enough in height that with a little concentration, they could synchronize their steps.
Neither of them were in any rush to get back to the house, and yet at the same time, at least for Jane, thanks to her swirling thoughts, it seemed as though they reached the house in an instant. They didn't have the key, of course, so they hoped that Sarah had left the door unlocked for them. Jane stopped behind Kurt as he stepped up to the door and tried the knob, which opened easily with only the tiniest squeak.
Turning back over his shoulder, he whispered, "Let me see if that bag of towels is still there, and I'll put a few down on the floor so we can drip onto them." She nodded, stepping into the doorway behind him as he walked quickly to the towels, which were still sitting in the bag on the floor where they'd left them earlier. He pulled a few of them out and spread them on the kitchen floor. As soon as he'd done that, she stepped inside and onto one of the towels, immediately feeling cold as the air conditioned air hit her soaking wet skin.
He handed her a towel, which she wrapped around herself. It didn't seem to help very much, however, and she shivered as she tried to keep it moving over her.
Kurt had left his sandals on the towel beside him, squeezed as much of the water out of his bathing suit as he could and removed his soaking wet t-shirt, leaving it sitting on the towel by his sandals for the moment. He was as dry as he was going to get while standing in the kitchen. He looked over at Jane, who was shivering, attempting to dry herself off while her clothing continued to drip. She'd gotten as far as taking off her sandals. After rubbing his towel over his head quickly to get the excess water out of his short hair, he draped the damp towel over his shoulders, leaving it hanging down on either side in the front, and stepped over towards her.
"Let me hold the towel, and you get your wet clothes off," he said quietly, winking at her because he knew exactly how it sounded.
She raised her eyebrows at him, shaking her head with a chuckle. "This is the second time today that you've told me to take my clothes off," she said quietly but evenly, before breaking into a grin. He couldn't help but laugh, because it was the truth, even though both times had been completely innocent. She managed to get her wet t-shirt over her head, despite how heavy it was with water and how much it was clinging to her, then unbuttoned her shorts and let them fall to the towel at her feet, stepping out of them. Now she was standing in her bikini once again, and even though he liked to look at her in it, he took pity on her as she shivered and handed the towel back to her. She wrapped it around herself once more, moving it as quickly as she could over her skin to try once again to dry herself off.
"It's freezing in here," she said, still shivering enough for him to notice.
"Why don't you go take a hot shower?" he suggested. "I'll clean up the floor." He looked back at the water they'd left on the floor when they'd come in. Despite how quickly they'd tried to get onto the towels, there was a small lake near the front door.
She nodded at his suggestion, thinking that it sounded good. "It seems funny to take a shower when I'm already about as wet as I can get," she replied, "but that sounds so good right now." Flashing a smile, she didn't waste another second before she walked back down the hall toward the bedroom. A minute later, when she came back down the hall with her pajamas, she found Kurt just coming out of the bathroom and heard the shower already running.
"Just warming it up for you," he said, and started to move out of her way.
Surprised by the gesture, she was suddenly flooded with appreciation for him yet again, as she had been so many times that day. Laying her hand on his arm, she whispered, "Thank you." It was for being thoughtful enough to turn the water on for her, of course, but also so much more than that. She swore that it seemed like there hadn't been a second since they'd arrived at the beach that he hadn't been thinking about how to make her happy.
He noticed surprise on her face when he told her that he'd started the shower for her. It wasn't a big deal, he thought. I just turned on the water. And yet from the look on her face, you'd think he'd given her the moon. He couldn't help but smile back at her then. She was soaking wet and freezing and in awe over something so small that it shouldn't even have been worth mentioning… and because of all of that, she was even more beautiful than she'd already been.
She felt herself blush a little bit from the way he was looking at her. It was the look she'd seen on his face so many other times, the one that said that she was the only person in the world he wanted to look at. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently, stopping to lean back and look up for his reaction after only a few seconds. This was, after all, still uncharted territory. Judging from the smile on his face, this was more than just an okay thing to do, and between his smile and his eyes, she found herself mesmerized by him for more than a few seconds.
"Take your shower and warm up," he told her, watching her shiver even though she seemed to have momentarily forgotten that she was cold, and stepping past her out of the bathroom. She nodded at him and traded places, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later, when she stepped back out of the bathroom, she felt infinitely better. Noticing that he'd cleaned up the water from the kitchen floor and straightened their wet things, she walked down the hall to look for him in the bedroom.
He'd been lying on the bed, now wearing a dry t-shirt and his pajama bottoms, when she came in. The door squeaked slightly, which made him look up, and he couldn't help but smile at her. "Feel better?" he asked.
"Yes, much better," she said emphatically. "And the bathroom's all yours, if you wanted to take a shower."
"Nah, I'm okay," he replied. "But I will go brush my teeth." He stood up and walked across the room, not taking his eyes off of her until the very last second, when he finally left the room. As she heard him walk down the hall, she smiled to herself. There was just something about him… he had a way of making her feel like a better version of herself when he was around – maybe because she wasn't used to anyone believing in her as unconditionally as he did.
He loves you, the voice in her head added. She smiled to herself, shaking her head. He'd never said it, of course, it was just something she felt… and she liked the feeling. Still, she knew that she needed to keep herself from getting too carried away. Even though she knew, there was some part of her brain that told her not to assume anything, even that, no matter how sure she was. Things between them had taken so many unexpected turns before, there was simply no way to be sure.
She unwound the towel that she'd wrapped around her hair, shaking it out and then rubbing the now damp cloth over her head one more time. Hanging the towel on the back of the chair, she pulled her brush through her hair then sat on the edge of the bed for a minute before scooting over slightly, so that she was sitting cross-legged toward the middle, on the side where she'd slept the previous night. It was also the side where she'd awoken to find Kurt curled behind her with his arm over her waist, she recalled. Suddenly, as tired as she was, she felt too awkward to lie down. Fidgeting with her hands in her lap, she heard his footsteps coming back down the hall and tried to force herself to calm down.
When he opened the door to the bedroom, he found her sitting on the bed, her legs crossed in front of her, looking slightly anxious. Closing the door quietly behind him and turning the 'lock' switch on the doorknob – which he didn't remember seeing the night before – he walked towards her, slowly, and sat down in front of her, his right leg bent in front of him and his left foot still on the floor. He didn't say anything, simply reached for her hands, and she finally stopped fidgeting and looked up at him.
He turned her hands over so he could rub his thumbs across the ink on the backs. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Smiling awkwardly, she shook her head quickly. "Nothing," she replied, but he knew better. He watched her smile disappear, the worried frown returning as she looked down at their hands.
"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" he asked calmly. She looked up sharply, looking surprised and slightly panicked.
"What? No, of course not," she said, stammering slightly.
He smiled back down at her calmly, adding, "It's okay if you do." But she just shook her head, her hands tightening around his.
"No, I… I mean… I'm not…" Looking frustrated with her inability to make the words make any sense, she took a deep breath and tried again. "With…" she hesitated to even say his name, especially at that moment, in that context – if Kurt was even able to follow what the context was in her broken sentences… "With Oscar, I… I didn't know that… I shouldn't have just… I… And now… I don't want to…"
In her head, it seemed so much less complicated. What had happened with Oscar… well of course this was different, but she'd promised herself that she would learn from her mistakes. And that meant having a better handle on her feelings before she did anything that would change any relationship so completely. Kissing was one thing… but beyond that…? If she slept with him… well, it wasn't something that could be taken back, after all. And if there was one relationship in the world that she did not want to take the chance of losing, it was the one she had with Kurt – wherever it now stood.
She was sure this was supposed to be something someone ten years younger than her – or more – dealt with, but certainly not someone her age. It made her feel ridiculous, and that was not helping her as she tried to calm down.
Her breathing was coming faster and faster, and by the end she looked like she was having trouble getting enough air while pushing the words out. Amazingly enough, he thought he actually did understand what she was trying to say. After all, he'd had a guess before she'd started talking, which was why he'd asked if she wanted him to sleep on the couch.
"Hey," he said quietly, squeezing her hands and waiting until he had her attention. She took a few more deep breaths, until she was almost breathing normally again, and then finally looked up at him hesitantly. "Nothing has changed," he said simply, smiling at her with the same sincere smile as always.
He noticed that she looked surprised, and he knew he'd hit the nail on the head. Scooting forward slightly, a little closer to her, he lifted her right hand and pressed her palm over his heart, putting his left hand flat over it, then repeated the gesture with both of their other hands. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. It was understood. The gesture spoke for itself.
Smiling and suddenly feeling overcome with a flood of emotions, she looked into his eyes, feeling her anxiety begin to abate. She'd gone too fast with Oscar, and she had come to regret it. As sure as she was that things were one hundred percent different with Kurt, she didn't want to have those kinds of regrets again, and certainly not about him.
He held their hands against his chest for a few minutes, watching her. She'd definitely gotten the message, and he watched the tension go out of her shoulders as she visibly relaxed.
"Okay?" he asked simply. It felt as though they'd had a complete heart to heart, and yet so far he'd uttered all of five words in response to not a single coherent sentence from her… despite this, they appeared to have understood each other perfectly. There was something simply amazing about that, just like there was something amazing about her.
Nodding her head, she was suddenly overcome with a wave of emotion. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Meanwhile, he lowered their hands, then let them go slowly. He stood up and walked toward the door, which confused her for a second, until she realized that he was simply turning off the light. Her eyes never left him as he walked back toward the far side of the bed, pulling back the covers so that he could crawl underneath, and then tugging at them where she was sitting to get her to do the same. "Come on," he said quietly, "it's late." She just nodded, looking down. Without a word, or another look at him, she scooted back toward her pillow and pulled the covers out from under her so she could do just that.
Ever so slowly, she shifted herself so that she was lying down on her back under the covers, staring at the ceiling. She could feel him watching her. After a minute, she turned her head to look at him, and saw him smiling at her with that same smile that she loved so much. Without even realizing it, she smiled back at him, turning onto her side so that she faced him, only about six inches separating them. Almost in slow motion, she watched as he brought his left hand up to her cheek, brushing his thumb back and forth before resting it here, his other fingers grazing her hairline.
Her eyes were locked on his, and with his hand on her cheek, she had to remind herself once again to keep breathing. This simply cannot not be real, he mind kept arguing. And yet… it was.
And this time, before he could talk himself out of it, instead of getting bottlenecked inside him and being unable to bypass his brain, the words just tumbled out. "I love you, Jane." He stared into her eyes for a second, then added in a voice that was barely a whisper, but was all he could manage as he nearly choked on his own emotions, "More than anything."
He'd chosen those last three words carefully, for emphasis, recalling the emotional scene between them when she'd just returned from the CIA black site the previous summer. Back then, their relationship had been so broken it had seemed impossible that they would even be able to be friends. They'd both admitted to either flat out lies, or lies of omission, because both of them had wanted her to be Taylor Shaw – more than anything. For some reason, at least in his head, using those words now just felt like the right way to try to express a feeling that really couldn't be described.
She'd been smiling at him already, but he saw the split second when her smiled faltered, as her breath seemed to catch in her throat. It was as if she couldn't believe that he'd said it or that for some reason she hesitated to believe it. After her reaction to being told that she was beautiful, he figured that was probably to be expected, and he was determined to be sure that she knew just how sincerely he meant it. He had trouble believing that there had ever been a doubt. Of course he loved her. Now, as she stared into his eyes, there was more than just the normal intensity that was always there between them. He saw something else, as well, but couldn't be sure what it was.
I love you, Jane. She repeated his words in awe inside her head. He loves me.
See, the voice in her head prodded her gently. You already knew… and you were right.
The other three words, more than anything, took her back for just a second to that day the previous year… She felt a pain in her heart just thinking about it. When they'd been trying to fix things between them, despite the fact that everything felt permanently broken. She knew that his using those words wasn't a mistake or a coincidence. Though they took her back to a difficult time, they also brought with them a swell of emotion that made it that much more real.
Even just the words I love you were powerful coming from him, but when he'd added more than anything, the tug at her heart became a tight squeeze, wonderful and painful all at once.
The pained look on her face was gone in an instant, and he knew that she understood his choice of words. Of course she did. After all, they'd always been able to do the bulk of their communication without words. He moved his thumb across her cheek slowly, watching his words sink in, knowing that he'd momentarily overloaded her senses.
Those three words – or six words, actually – had been scary up until that moment. Saying them gave another person so much power, after all. Loss of control, understandably, considering her past, was something that terrified her… and yet suddenly, as she stared into his eyes, they simply weren't frightening anymore. After all, he was better to her than she was to herself. There was no worry about control, because he'd never tried to control her, despite what she'd thought a time or two in the beginning, only to take care of her. Suddenly, those words made more sense than anything else in the world.
"I love you, too," she whispered in return, surprising both of them, then added in a voice that was almost as choked as his had been, "More than anything."
Without a conscious thought, simply a compulsion to do so, he leaned forward and kissed her, slowly, as if he was purposely trying to savor it. Given the words they'd just uttered to each other and the night they'd already had, she wasn't quite sure where this was going, and while her veins were flooded with elation, she tensed enough for him to notice.
Sensing her sudden hesitation, he leaned back slowly, just enough to kiss her forehead, then leaned his forehead against hers. His left thumb still moved slowly across her cheek, as it had been doing for several minutes. Even through that slight contact with her cheek, he could feel her relax again, and he couldn't help but smile. There was, and had always been, so much emotion buried just below the surface in both of them, things that they somehow understood about the other in a way that seemed to be both impossible and simultaneously instinctual.
Without warning, she yawned. The lateness of the hour and the long, activity filled and emotional day were suddenly hitting her all at once. It was hard to believe it hadn't even quite been twenty-four hours since they'd arrived at the beach house, and the fact that their weekend wasn't even quite half over… well, she didn't feel like she could possibly deserve another day as wonderful as the one that she'd just had.
"I saw that," he whispered. "Time to go to sleep. It's been a long day." She just smiled, sighing heavily, not wanting either of them to move from the spots where they were, but knowing that it was inevitable. He felt the muscles in her cheek shift, and could make out a slight pout on her face in the dark. This expression only served to endear her to him more, if that was even possible.
"Get comfortable," he told her quietly, "and let's get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere… unless you want me to."
"No," she replied quickly, insistently, almost before the words has left his mouth. He couldn't help but grin at her.
"Okay," he said soothingly. "So…" He slowly took his hand off of her cheek, leaned back and looked at her, his eyes once again saying more than words could have. She immediately missed the contact and warmth of his hand, and she smiled back for a few seconds, still not wanting to move. However, she suddenly realized that she knew how she wanted to fall asleep – the same way she'd woken up that morning – which would require turning around.
He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to move, though he wasn't sure exactly how she was going to settle herself. All he knew was that she wasn't going to choose to fall asleep staring at him with space between them. That much seemed like a safe bet at this point.
The small amount of light in the room danced playfully in his eyes as she watched him, knowing that he was still waiting for her to move, but she was momentarily unable to look away from him. She could see how amused he was by her, and she felt herself blush slightly, yet again. "Okay, fine," she replied to the teasing that he hadn't even needed to utter out loud, sighing dramatically and finally turning over onto her right side, facing away from him. As she'd done so, she'd simultaneously moved herself closer to him, so that when she was finally still again, there was very little space between them.
"Comfy?" he asked with a sly smile, leaning his head as close to her shoulder as possible without actually touching her.
She made a face at him, knowing he was doing it on purpose. "Almost," she replied. "Just one thing missing."
"Oh?" he asked, not moving any closer to her. "And what's that?"
Tilting her head slightly back in his direction so that she could give him a playful scowl, she whispered, "Very funny."
He chuckled, obviously amused with himself, then scooted forward the last inch or so, until her back was pressed against his chest. "Better?" he asked, winding his left arm around her waist and leaning his forehead against the back of her head. His hand found and curled around the back of her hand, and needing him even closer, she pulled her hand up by her heart, tugging his along with it. He felt her sigh against him, inhaling slowly and then exhaling again, just as slowly, before she answered.
"Much," she said simply.
Smiling with absolute contentment, he leaned towards her ear. "That's all that matters to me," he whispered to her. "Good night, Jane," he added.
At that moment, everything she had been through in the past two years, absolutely every second of it – even the very worst, most painful things that she'd endured – it was all worth it, just to be where she was.
"Good night," she whispered, closing her eyes tiredly, and drifting off to sleep within seconds.
He both felt and heard her breathing change within a minute, and knew that she'd fallen asleep. As tired as he was, he felt so happily wired, at that moment he wasn't convinced that he'd ever sleep again. It was as though he was under the influence of some powerful substance, despite the fact that he, of course, hadn't taken anything.
That's love, for you, the voice in his head said.
He moved his thumb back and forth against the skin of Jane's hand, still in disbelief at how the day had gone. And then, just when he was convinced that he would never fall asleep… he did.
He woke up early, despite the fact that they'd gone to bed somewhere around midnight. The room was still dark, and the clock, which he had to lift his head to see because it sat on the bedside table on Jane's side of the bed, said that it was 4:45am. He'd seen this time of morning many times, but he hadn't liked any of them nearly this much. Before laying his head back down on the pillow, he glanced down at a sleeping Jane in front of him. For the thousandth time, he just looked at her, in awe that things had worked out the way they had after so much time. He'd honestly thought that they'd missed their chance long ago.
Sometimes, the timing just isn't right… until it is, he thought. Unable to contain the sleepy smile that had taken over his face as he felt his eyes droop once again, he leaned forward just enough to plant a soft kiss behind her left ear before settling back down behind her, leaning his forehead against her neck. He was asleep again in less than a minute. From his angle, of course, he couldn't see Jane smile in her sleep.
The sounds of morning gradually crept into Jane's conscious mind as she slowly woke up the next morning. As the sleepiness wore off, she became aware of more and more sounds that she wasn't accustomed to hearing in the morning, which only served to remind her that she wasn't at home, but somewhere far, far better. The call of sea gulls in the distance. The quiet clattering of dishes, and the occasional rise and fall of voices. And most of all, the gentle sound of breathing behind her. Kurt's breathing, to be precise. She wanted to pinch herself, to be sure that it wasn't a dream, except that if it was a dream, she had absolutely no desire to wake up.
She wanted to turn and look at him, but wasn't sure if she wanted to wake him up or not. On one hand, she loved his company. On the other hand, the longer he slept, the longer she could get away with lying there beside him, his arm around her… because as far as she was concerned, she wasn't going anywhere unless she had to. Why would she? Where else could be better than where she was at that moment?
Turning her head to look over her shoulder as slowly as she could, it took a painstakingly long time before she'd turned her head far enough to look at him. The side of his forehead rested against the back of her shoulder, which struck her as simply so adorable… just like pretty much everything about him did, of course. She wished that she could just lay there and stare at him, but she was unwilling to turn around and give up the chance to snuggle into him behind her, so she simply turned back around, leaning back against him and pulling his hand, which was still around hers, a little tighter toward her.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," she suddenly heard him whisper from behind her.
Since her back was pressed against his chest and his arm was pulled tightly around her, he felt the movement of her quiet laughter when he surprised her with the fact that she was awake. "What time is it, anyway?" he asked, still in a whisper, as if he was afraid of waking someone up. He could've looked, but it was more fun to use the excuse to get closer to her.
"6:30," she replied quietly, turning her head only part way, though now that she knew he was awake, fighting the competing desires to remain snuggled into him and to look at him. She turned her head enough that she could see him out of the corner of her eye and smiled. He leaned up just enough to kiss her on the cheek, which made her smile widen.
"Mmmmmm," he hummed behind her. "How'd you sleep?" he asked.
"Better than any night I can remember," she replied in barely a whisper. She heard him chuckle slightly behind her.
"Me, too," he replied, kissing the top of the oil derrick tattoo at the base of her neck. "Now go back to sleep," he told her in a whisper. "How often do we get a chance to sleep in?"
"Funny, I'm not usually a sleeping in person," Jane said thoughtfully. "I didn't think you were, either."
"I am today," he replied, leaning into her just a little more.
"Sounds good to me," she replied, closing her eyes again, though she doubted she would fall asleep.
The next thing she knew, she was waking up once again, and the room was brightly lit by sunlight from the window. Kurt had pushed himself up, his head supported by his right hand and his elbow somewhere in his pillow. She looked up to find him just lying there, watching her with a smile on his face, as if he knew something that she didn't.
She blinked her eyes to clear the sleepiness from them and turned slightly onto her back, rotating her hand in his to interlace their fingers. "Good morning," he said softly. She looked up at him to meet his eyes and was surprised by the intensity of emotion that she saw in them. Blushing slightly, she smiled back at him.
"This is the best kind of dream ever," she murmured softly, and he chuckled, nodding, his thumb once again moving against the side of her hand.
"It is," he agreed, still speaking in a whisper, "because it's not a dream."
"Are you sure?" she asked. "Because I don't remember reality ever being this good."
"Well, then I'm accomplishing my goal," he replied contentedly. She chuckled again, shaking her head at him in disbelief and then leaning it towards him, settling again with the side of her head against his chest. Her eyes closed again, a contented smile on her face.
"What do you want to do about breakfast?" he asked.
"No," she said without opening her eyes.
He chuckled at her reply, which didn't even make sense. "That wasn't a yes or no question, you know that right?" he asked her.
She opened her eyes again and tried to hold back a smile, but failed. "I know," she replied. "I just want to stay right here. I'm not hungry." She knew that she was being slightly ridiculous, but she didn't care.
The smile on his face told her that he didn't hate the idea of staying where they were, and that he found her amusing. "We have another full day of fun at the beach," he reminded her. As he spoke, he brought their joined hands to her face so that he could brush his index finger against her cheek. "I think I promised Sawyer last week sometime that the next time we went to the beach, he could bury me in the sand. Obviously, I didn't expect to be at the beach again so soon… And since he didn't do it yesterday, it's probably going to be today, because I don't think he's going to forget that…"
Chuckling at the image of Kurt buried in the sand, she looked at his quizzically. "Why did you promise him that?" she asked.
"Sarah found an old picture, from when we took Sawyer to the beach when he was only… I don't know… four or five? We buried him in the sand, and he loved it. He was laughing his head off. But now he doesn't want to be buried in the sand, he wants to do the burying."
"So you told him he could bury you in the sand," she mused. "That seems fair, I guess."
"Yeah," he laughed, "I don't know how he forgot about it yesterday, but I'm sure Sarah will remind him today. She thinks the whole idea is hilarious."
"Well, if she doesn't, I will," Jane said with a grin, looking a little too excited about the idea for his taste. "I think I might help him out with that project."
"Not you, too," he pretended to groan.
"Why not?" she asked, "It sounds like fun."
He leaned down towards her, and she found that suddenly their noses were practically touching. Her heart beat faster as he said, "Hmmm, maybe I should go back to your idea of just staying here. If everyone's going to gang up on me…"
He held his distance, not getting any closer, and she knew that he was working hard to tease her. She looked past him at the ceiling and made a face as if she was thinking. "Hmmmm," she said, pretending that she was trying to make a decision, "now I can't decide which one I prefer."
"Oh, you need convincing?" he asked as she looked back at him with a playful grin.
"I might," she said softly, so that he wouldn't have even heard her if he hadn't been so close. He leaned down the last fraction of an inch that remained between them, touching her lips with his just barely enough to be considered a kiss, then pulled back up to where he'd been a moment before.
"So?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
"What if I say I'm not convinced yet?" she asked. "What happens then?"
"Are you not convinced yet?" he replied, eyeing her suspiciously, doing his best serious FBI agent face.
"I didn't say that," she replied just as seriously, but with a glint in her eye, "I just want to know what happens if I'm not."
"I guess I have to try again," he said, his smile finally breaking through.
"Good luck," she whispered, staring into his eyes, "I'm pretty stubborn."
"You don't say," he replied, not taking his eyes off of her for a second. "I am, too."
Ten minutes later, they were once again staring at each other almost nose to nose, now slightly out of breath. "So?" he asked.
"I'm still helping Sawyer bury you in the sand," she whispered. "But that was a really good attempt at convincing me otherwise."
"Mmmmm," he agreed, nodding his head. "I guess maybe I can deal with that."
Her mouth widened into a smile once again. She looked so happy, so beautiful, that he simply couldn't help but lean down and kiss her again. When he leaned back a minute later, she looked at him in surprise.
"What was that one for?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied, grinning. "Who says I need a reason?"
"Certainly not me," she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
He leaned his forehead against hers, gently, then rubbed his nose against her nose for good measure, holding still for a minute, then whispered, "Now for the Pete's sake, woman, can we go have breakfast?"
She burst out laughing, having been caught completely off guard by his quick and comical transition. Once her laughter had died down, she brought her head up the inch or so necessary to kiss him back. "Of course," she replied, holding her face only millimeters from his. "How could I say no when you ask so… nicely?"
He let his lips graze hers one more time before he sat back, reluctantly. Even though he was the one so set on breakfast, it was hard to tear himself away from her. Finally letting go of her hand, which he'd been holding for some time, he sat up and climbed out of bed, yawning and stretching as he walked slowly around to the other side, where Jane had yet to even sit up.
"What, you need more convincing?" he asked.
"Maybe I do," she said thoughtfully.
"Not until you get up," he said, a devilish smile on his face as he crossed him arms in front of him.
A look of pretend exasperation swept across her face, and she sighed heavily, pushing herself up and pulling the covers off of her faster than he expected. She stood up in front of him, much closer than what most people would consider a comfortable distance, her eyes trained on his.
He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "May I help you with something?" he asked her.
Looking at him nonchalantly, she replied, "Maybe… I think you wanted to convince me of something…"
"Did I?" he asked leaning closer to her but stopping just as close as he had when they'd been lying down, with their noses almost, but not quite, touching.
"I can't remember," she mused, looking around as if she was trying to remember. "Oh, well…" she started to lean back ever so slightly, which was when he leaned forward and kissed her again, just a little harder than before, putting his arms around her lower back.
"You don't really seem too set on breakfast for someone who claims to want breakfast so badly," she told him when they broke apart for air. He chuckled and shook his head at her. She was too much, but in the best possible way.
"So, are we going to eat, or what?" she asked him, trying not to laugh at the surprised look on his face.
"If that's what you want," he replied sweetly, pretending that it hadn't been him trying to convince her that they should have breakfast for at least the past half hour. He dropped his hands from her back, slowly, just the way he always did when forced to release her, but took one of her hands in his as they walked to the bedroom door.
At the door, he paused with one hand on the doorknob, turned around and looked at her intently. "One for the road," he said, raising him eyebrows playfully and leaning close to her. She smiled and shook her head at him, chuckling slightly.
"Hold still," he laughed, using her shaking her head as an excuse to bring his free hand up to her cheek, pretending that he needed it to keep her face still. He leaned down then and kissed her again, slowly, and then once more on her forehead before standing upright again. She grinned at him, leaning into his hand.
"What?" he asked with a smile.
"Nothing," she replied. "I just… really like the beach."
He chuckled at her, moving his thumb across her cheek once more. "I think I do, too," he replied, "Now, stop distracting me. It's time for breakfast." Unlocking the door, he dropped his hand from her cheek and opened the door slowly, as ready as he could be for Sarah's knowing looks. He didn't mind though, not really, because she had a lot to do with this new high he was on. If that brought with it a little teasing, then so be it.
A/N: Some of you had made your specific hopes for the second night at the beach house known, and I'm sorry if you are disappointed… but let's be realistic. This version of Jane and Kurt took 9 chapters to kiss. In case you haven't yet noticed, the emotional connection they have is far more important to me than the physical one. I hope you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless.
