A/N - Same as last post.

Card Games – Chapter 13

Lex stood in the hallway and sighed. Any other woman and he would easily have her in the bedroom. He started walking down the hall, quickly picking up the pace. If she reached her room, he wouldn't pry. "Chloe," he said, grabbing her arm. Stopping in place, she felt her heart jump at his touch.

"What…" she couldn't find words to answer him.

"Come with me." Lex took her hand and led her downstairs to a small parlor. She sat down in one of the oversized chairs that were around the small card table. She watched Lex open a closet and pull out a deck of cards. Sitting across from her, he shuffled and looked at her. "Game?"

Shrugging her shoulders, "Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, a little but the time change is messing with my head. Anyway, I'd like some company tonight." Chloe flashbacked to earlier. His old flame, so to speak, was buried and he needed somebody to sit with.

"High card. The girls in the dorm play at night late avoiding studying. You deal all the cards, and we play like war. Every high card gets to ask a question." She stopped and looked at Lex. "Off the record big boy. Anyway, if we tie, we play five cards and the high card gets a dare."

"Chloe."

"Just deal." Lex dealt the cards, and they turned over the first card. 9 of spades to 4 of hearts. "My question. Favorite kind of ice cream?"

"Double Mocha Crunch. That was easy." Chloe smiled at the simple questions.

"Should have guessed." Turning over another two cards, Chloe got a king of hearts to Lex's Queen of Hearts.

"My turn. Boxers or briefs?" Lex bit his lip and waited for her to change the question.

"Fine, boxers." Chloe smiled as she turned over her next card. She giggled at her Ace to his five.

"Cotton or silk?"

Leaning back and exhaling, Lex smirked, "silk." They both turned over another set and Chloe again won the hand.

"Did you ever want your hair back?"

She saw the actual look of thought on his face. "When I was younger yes, but I figured out it made me unique as an individual as I got older."

"Lex, you're pretty unique regardless. Moving on." Lex dealt a King to Chloe's seven and smirked at her.

"Underwear preference? Don't give me that look. I answered twice."

"Ok, I have problem with wedgies and so most of the time the granny panties but occasionally the other." She blushed as Lex nodded in acknowledgement. Both drew up nines and looked at each other. "Fifth one up wins the dare." Lex and Chloe drew out; Lex landed a 6 of clubs and Chloe a Jack. Leaning over the small card table, she grinned and whispered, "I win. Dare. Dare." Chloe looked at Lex and then around the room.

"Within reason."

She sat and pondered different ideas from the lame to the perverted. Closing her eyes, she took up the courage. "Kiss me." She had said it with a completely straight face, almost comparable to Lex's. He looked at her and leaned in, taking one finger to pull her chin in closer to him. Closing her eyes, she felt his lips ever so gently rub against his and then felt his hand glide behind her head. He held the simple lip only kiss for a few more seconds wondering who was holding back.

Releasing her, he sat backing in his seat and looked at her. "There." Lex wanted so much more than that, but he hesitated for her. He hadn't been convinced with Chloe's actions that she wasn't still interested. Chloe, meanwhile, sat back and her lips felt like they were on fire. She wanted another dare, she wanted to go further and show him how she really felt. They both turned over another card as if nothing had occurred. Lex won the round and pondered his question. "What's your greatest fear?"

Chloe looked longingly into his eyes and hoped to read the answer he wanted from them. "That I won't ever be happy and I guess to grow out of my secret possessive phase."

"You mean Clark?"

"That's two questions, you have to win another round." She smirked and turned over another card. She won the next round and again pondered questions that wouldn't be too deep, not yet.

"You miss your father?"

His eyes faced the table as Chloe saw his hands kneading together as if needing comfort for each other. "I can't say no because there's times I do. Not in the family way, at least not yet, but when some business situation gets hard to handle, I kind of wonder what dad would do in the situation. As much as I hated the man, he was shrewd." He looked up at Chloe who just put her hands on top of his and squeezed as if to show her appreciation for his candor. Silently they turn over another two cards and again get a match. Turning over the successive 5 cards, Lex let a smile creep across his face when he won. Knowing that Chloe had gone easy on him, he decided to play hardball. Walking over to the stereo, he turned on some soft jazz and sat back down.

"Lex?" She watched as he adjusted his chair and looked at her.

"A lap dance," he chided. When Chloe glared at him, he corrected, "Clothed…this time." Chloe scooted her chair back and glared at him but couldn't help but smile.

"I should have made mine harder."

Watching Lex get comfortable, he smirked, "You should have." Chloe placed her hands on his on either side of the chair and ran her face down the right side of his body. Her touch ignited feelings he hadn't felt even with Catherine. All his strength controlled his hands to keep from reaching out for her.

"Is this good?" she whispered as she passed his ear. Dragging her hair through his lap, she looked up at him to see his mouth just barely parted in a heavy breath. She eased back up his chest, breathing her warm breath along the center of his chest and continued until she kissed the corner of lips. She felt him try to lift his arms and she pressed them to the armrests with hers. "Men don't touch during lap dances," she whispered as she drug her tongue through his other ear.

Running her hands up and down his arms, she turned around and leaned her upper body back into his chest and ran her hands up and down his arms again. Straddling him, she turned and purred in his ear as she ran her hands up to his neck. Turning her face to his, she pulled him into kiss her again.

Standing up again, she ran her hands along his face and lifted herself over his body to straddle him, just barely touching him in the chair. Sitting up, she whispered, "You like what you see don't you?" Sliding off the chair, she moved back to her seat and sat down.

"Ready?" She looked at Lex completely in a daze as he turned to her. He pulled his chair back in under the table, and Chloe noticed the adjustment he made before turning over his next card. Lex's mind raced with wild ideas of what she would be like without said clothing and closed his eyes. He was supposed to be mourning so why did he want so badly to carry her upstairs and forget the game. The two turned over both Jacks.

Looking at each other, the both took a deep breath. After the last dare, neither knew if they could handle anything more involved their first night together like this. They each dealt the next five cards. Chloe gulped when she saw the Queen in Lex's stack. Turning over her card, she closed her eyes at the seven. Without missing a beat, she stated, "Lay it on me."

Lex reached out across the table and took her hand. "Sleep with me tonight." Chloe took a deep breath and silently nodded. He had won the dare and made his request. All she could do now was oblige. She prayed as they both turned over their last card, please don't let it be a match. Yes, I won.

"Lex, you have to tell the truth." Lex nodded and waited for the question. "How do you feel about me?" She waited for what it seemed endless moments before he answered, but from his facial expression, she was about to get the real answer. He stood up and took her hand in his. They started walking down the hall and Chloe stopped them. "You have to answer the question, Lex." He leaned over and kissed her on the lips.

"Isn't it obvious? You even have to ask?" Pulling her into, he looked down at her and brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm falling in love with you Chloe Sullivan."