When they got to the building, she'd sent him up to his place to change. "You can't sleep in jeans, Jake, just not comfortable."
She'd had a point. He usually slept shirtless but with everything with Cassie, he thought he best wear a tee-shirt. He grabbed a pair of pajama pants out of the drawer and then rooted around for his softest tee-shirt. He knew Cassie liked the navy one in particular, had remarked on how soft it was on their last date. Or whatever snuggling on the couch half watching a movie was called these days.
His Cassie was a cuddler and god did he love it. He never realized just how much he craved affection until he met her. And for some with as little experience as she claimed to have, she sure knew exactly how to kiss him. Knew everything he liked just like he seemed to know exactly what she liked.
He looked up at the ceiling, the way they did when they were talking to the Library.
"Of course we do." He shook his head. "Well whoever put this spell on us? Thank you. I mean it, thank you."
He spotted his tee-shirt hanging over the armchair in the corner and grinned. "And thank you for that too."
He thought about it for a minute and decided he'd take a quick shower. He probably would have before he and Cassie had gone out, but she'd pretty much dragged him straight to her apartment from the Annex. She'd filled the basket in no time from all the food she always had on hand and they were back out in a flash. Sometimes he did wonder if she indeed was actually magic.
Several minutes later, he was standing in front of her apartment, one floor down, directly under his. Baird lived three doors down from him and Jones lived on the top floor. They had no idea where Jenkins lived.
He knocked gently, when the door opened, the apology for taking so long died from his lips as he looked at Cassandra. She was wearing a short pair of boxer shorts covered in hearts and little tank top with a Teddy Bear on it. She probably had intended him to laugh and find it adorable. But Jake, who had had sex on his mind all afternoon and was suddenly confronted by his girlfriend showing more skin than he'd previously seen on her, had a completely different reaction. He just kept staring, his face flushed, his pupils dilating. Cassandra, very concerned, pulled him into her apartment and shut the door behind him.
"Jake? Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm good, yeah, real good."
Cassandra stared at him confused, then her eyes slipped down and then back up to his face, eyes widening. Without context, she'd been confused, now she knew what was going on. Just because they hadn't had intercourse didn't mean that they hadn't been physical to some extent. And Jake was a healthy adult male. He'd reacted to her before, usually while she was on his lap, his lips doing delicious things to hers, his hands on her back anchoring both of them to reality. But he'd never, not without them touching ... .She flushed herself, suddenly overcome with a new sensation. She suddenly felt very empowered and sexy. A bit like the Apple but in a completely nice way.
"I didn't know you were into Teddy Bears," She managed, sighing at herself that her attempt to sound seductive came out squeaky.
"Huh?" Jake shook his head. Finally looking at the Teddy Bear on tank top and then chuckling. "Oh darlin' I was lookin' at what you didn't have on."
She looked down at herself, finally realizing what he meant. "I guess I always do cover my legs huh?"
He nodded. "Which helps me keep my mind off them tiny tiny skirts you have a habit of wearin'." He took a deep breath, trying to calm his body back down. "I'm sorry, I probably, wow, the discussion earlier, my brain is going places."
"Do you want me to put something else on?"
"No! I mean I'm gonna be fine. Just give me a minute. I'm sorry."
"Don't," She said raising a finger, "That was nice, I felt well like I was under a magic spell but in a fun good way."
That got him to focus on her, tilting his head looking a little puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Well there was being Prince Charming, I felt empowered by being the center of attention. Then later when that apple, well okay it made me evil, but I do remember feeling very sexy. Empowered. And right now, you're making me feel like I have power over you. Is that bad?"
He twisted his mouth in thought. "No. Not in this way. Allure. It's empowering. You probably thought I'd find that outfit cute."
"Yes." She nodded. "But not necessarily arousing, because I mean it's got teddy bears."
"Right," Now that they'd turned this into an intellectual discussion his awkwardness faded. "And I do, now. But despite your tendency toward short skirts, you still manage to cover most of your skin. Except for that one time. Which has believe me, fed plenty of my um . . . . Well, back to this. But even then, you still had tights on. So there was that allure for me, wondering what your bare legs looked like."
"And so now you know."
"Yeah and that power you felt was pretty normal. I'm sure you felt this way with your previous boyfriends, you probably just don't remember. And at some point, I'm sure I wield that power over you too. That's just the way attraction works. It's a good kind of power as long as you use it the right way."
"Which is why for you sex is nothing without love?"
He smiled gently. "Exactly." He bit his lip, "Attraction is physical, it's normal. I've felt attraction for people that I don't even remotely like."
"Like Lamia for example."
"Sure."
"It's a chemical reaction," Cassandra noted. She'd also noted that Jake was so much more comfortable speaking to her about this now then he had been earlier. Of course, he had no trouble speaking when it was theory and intellectual. This was Librarian Jake speaking to her. The Jake Stone, the whole man who only showed himself to her, had much more difficulty. She circled him, enjoying the look in his eyes, the man within appreciating her even as the man with out was still lecturing. "Chemistry. And sex, well it is just biology. And simple acts of biology would be distasteful to someone like you. Someone who craves the beauty and meaning of life."
He grinned at her, excited. "Exactly! To me, sex is an expression of love. Beauty and meaning to a biological act."
"So was there true beauty and meaning with the women you were only half of yourself with?" Cassie slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh God Jake, I didn't mean to ask that. This was meant to be in theory and I got carried away."
Jake took her hand and led her over to her sofa. "I thought there was at the time. Which is another reason why I'm trying to go slow here Cassandra. You're the only one besides my mamma who has ever seen me. The real me. All of me. And to give that all to you, completely . . ." And now her private Jake was back, stumbling over his emotions.
"Is frightening." She nodded.
"Terrifying. I'm falling oh so very hard for you."
She nodded, tears springing to her eyes. "I am too."
She pulled him into her arms. "I'm sorry, I was so excited that I was getting you to talk about this, that I went too far."
"It's alright. Like I said I have to be in love or at least think I am. And with you, there's no foolin' myself, with you, it's love or nothin'. Do you understand now? "
"I do. And now I know we need to go slow. I'm scared too. I'm afraid to let you down again. You're giving me this gift and Jake, I don't know if I can handle it. What if I hurt you?"
"Didn't she say we'd hurt each other? That the road would be tough but we'd get through."
She nodded and then yawned. "I am so tired and emotional."
His expression changed to worry, "Is a headache coming on?"
"I think I can head it off if we go lie down."
"Alright," He gently detangled them and helped her to her feet. "I think we both need sleep."
Her bedroom was, well, it was as if Cassandra had exploded in a room. Quirky, comfortable, very feminine. The bed was piled high with pillows and after he looked at them, she tossed a few onto the floor.
"Plenty of room now."
Even though she'd promised him cuddling before, he found himself lying apart from her, she was as far as she could get away from him.
"Cassandra . . . ."
"I should have put on more clothes. Too much skin . . .Skin, hide,leather,cows, milk, milkshake. Mmm chocolate milkshake. . ."
"Cassie . . . focus."
She turned toward him in the dim light of her bedroom. "Chocolate milkshake. I'm drinking a chocolate milkshake and thinking about you and then you're there and you hold me. And I feel . .. comfort. Comfort."
He nodded, grabbing one of her hands, "Touch isn't just sexual. You know that. Healing, soothing, comforting. We both want the comfort right now, so please come over here. Pretend it's my couch."
She snuggled up to him and he ran a gentle soothing hand over her forehead until she dozed off. He was so tired, but he made a mental note to talk to Cassie when they woke up. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea for her to use memories of them to get her out of a spell. He groaned softly. The part of him that loved her was well, flattered and pleased by it. That tiny bit that was being stubborn was muttering something about Baird and Jones and keeping things separate.
Everything he did always came back to bite him in the ass.
Go to sleep, his mind urged him. You're tired and not thinking straight.
He pulled Cassie tighter, breathing in her scent, let her warm softness wash over him. And then he let himself go.
