A/N: Thank you all so much for your enthusiastic response to this story. I really appreciate the great feedback! I had thought that this would be the last chapter, but then I realized that I needed to tie this back into the episode. Oops. I'm easily distracted. So there will be at least one more as I attempt to bring this story full circle. Oh! And I need to get them naked. I like getting them naked. Enjoy!

She Always Gets Her Man

And there was flirting. Well, at least, there was on Lorelai's part. The morning after their date, Luke stuck to what she would term, 'meaningful eye contact' for the most part. There were innuendos. Again, more one-sided, but still, not refuted by the man in the flannel shirt. The words hung out there, heavy with promise. The air was so thick that, like pure maple syrup, it made her mouth water. It almost made her heart ache. It definitely made the butterflies take flight in her stomach. And that was all before lunch. Lorelai was distracted for the rest of the morning, staring into space, wondering what he had really meant when he had said, 'I'll give you all the butter you need' earlier that morning.

She was so distracted that when Sookie sidled up to her behind the front desk and whispered, "Well?" urgently into her ear, Lorelai jumped, pressing her hands to her chest to make sure that her heart didn't leap out.

"God, Sook, don't do that," Lorelai hissed.

"I have to know!" Sookie said excitedly. "I heard there was some heavy duty necking going on in the front yard," she said gleefully as she tugged on Lorelai's arm.

"Shh!"

"Come on, spill! I've been in there slaving over a hot stove all morning. Tell me, were you panting under a hot diner owner last night?" Sookie asked with an exaggerated leer.

"Oh. My. God. You have been waiting all morning to say that, haven't you?" Lorelai said as she rolled her eyes.

"I thought of it while I was falling asleep," Sookie giggled. "I had to roll over and scribble it down on that little pad where I write down the dream ingredients."

"Dream ingredients?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"You know, things I want to try in other things. They usually come to me in my dreams," Sookie explained.

"You dream about ingredients?"

"Yes. Now are you going to tell me or not?" Sookie demanded, unwilling to be distracted.

Lorelai sighed and glanced over each shoulder to be sure that nobody was standing nearby. "Yes. Kind of."

"Oooh!" Sookie as she pressed her clenched fists to her heart. She stopped suddenly and frowned as she asked, "Yes kind of what?"

"What you said, the hot diner owner," Lorelai said impatiently.

"Oh! Oh! You did it? How was it? Was it great? I bet it was great," Sookie said as she pressed both hands to her mouth and danced in a small circle.

"No, we didn't," Lorelai said hurriedly, motioning for Sookie to quiet down. "It was just some kissing, that's as far as it went."

"Really?" Sookie asked, her face falling in disappointment. "But it was on the front lawn, though, right?"

"Yes," Lorelai confirmed with a nod. "And then in his truck," she added.

"But it was hot and heavy kissing?" Sookie asked hopefully.

"Like a ton of scalding bricks," Lorelai assured her.

"This is great!" Sookie crowed as she gripped Lorelai's arms tightly, still dancing in place. She released Lorelai long enough to wrap her arms around her tightly and squeeze hard. "I'm so happy for you, for Luke, for everyone. I'm just so damn happy!"

"Well, I'm happy that you're happy," Lorelai said with a laugh as she tried to disentangle herself from her friend's arms.

"When are you gonna see him again?"

"Uh, I saw him this morning," Lorelai replied.

"No, silly!" Sookie said as she swatted Lorelai's arm a little too enthusiastically. "I mean a date."

Lorelai winced as she rubbed her injured arm. "Um, I don't know. We haven't talked about it."

"You haven't?" Sookie asked, clearly dejected.

"Well, not yet. I mean, I just saw him last night," Lorelai said, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

Sookie nodded quickly and said, "That's right. I just got all excited," she said with a wave of her hand. "He'll call tonight."

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed.

"Okay, well, I have to get back," Sookie said as she jerked her thumb at the kitchen door.

"Probably a good idea," Lorelai said with a nod. She sighed again as she watched her friend hurry away. She rewound the morning's conversation in her head, playing it back and forth, trying to see if there had been any obvious openings he had missed. When she couldn't come up with one, she smiled and decided that since it was her early day, she would drop by the diner that afternoon so that they could make plans to get together again. Hopefully, they would as soon as possible.

****

The bells jingled as Lorelai breezed through the door and headed straight for the counter. "Hello?" she called into the kitchen.

"Be right there," Luke yelled in response.

"Are you trapped under something heavy?" Lorelai asked, craning her neck to try to see into the kitchen.

"Fixing some… Ah! Dammit!" Luke grunted.

"Are you okay?"

"Shit!" Luke appeared a moment later, his face stormy as he held a towel to his hand. "I'm fine," he growled.

"You're hurt!" Lorelai said, hurrying around the end of the counter to meet him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Where do you think you're goin'?" he asked as he intercepted her.

"You're hurt," she said as if the answer were obvious.

Luke shook his head and said, "It's just a scratch. Damn wrench slipped."

"Damn wrench," Lorelai said sympathetically as she reached for his hands.

"Get back on the other side," Luke muttered as she unwrapped the towel to inspect the damage.

"You're bleeding," she gasped.

"Yes, I have blood. It'll stop in a minute," Luke said brusquely as he covered the nasty looking scrape with the towel again. "Now, go."

"But, Luke," she started to protest as he began to herd her to the public side of the counter.

"My insurance won't cover you back here," he said by way of explanation.

"You need ice."

"I have ice. I'll put ice on it if I need to," he told her gruffly.

"What were you doing back there?" she asked.

"Clogged pipe," Luke answered as he carefully lifted the towel and saw that the bleeding had stopped. He tossed the towel into a bin to be washed and automatically turned to the coffee maker to pour her a to-go cup.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting your coffee. Isn't that why you're here?" he asked.

"Luke, you need to put a bandage on that," she said as she nodded to his hand with a worried frown.

"I will," he said tersely. "Here," he said as he placed the lid on the cup. "How's your day going?"

"Better than yours, I guess," Lorelai replied, rolling her eyes.

"Good," Luke said with a satisfied nod.

"Okay, well, you want me to let you get back to your clog?" she asked uncertainly.

Luke nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I'd better. I need to get it fixed while it's slow in here, otherwise, it'll be a mess at dinner time."

"So, I guess I'll talk to you later?" she asked as she lifted her purse from the counter and opened it.

"Yeah." Luke waved off the dollar she held out and said, "On me. For the cussing."

Lorelai smiled and said, "You didn't even use words worth a quarter."

"I'll try to do better next time," Luke said, returning her smile.

Lorelai leaned in slightly and asked, "Want me to kiss it?"

"My hand? Not so much," he answered in a gravelly voice.

"What would you like me to kiss?" Lorelai asked flirtatiously.

The bells chimed and Babette bustled in calling, "Don't mind me, dolls. Nothin' I haven't seen before," she cackled as she hoisted herself onto a stool.

Luke sighed and asked, "What can I get ya, Babette?"

"I just need two tall cups of iced tea to go," Babette told him. "Patty and me, we're working out the choreography on the maypole. It's hard to get the little buggers all goin' in the right direction, ya know!"

"I'm sure it is," Lorelai said as she flashed Luke a rueful smile.

"Two iced teas," Luke said as he started to turn back to the counter.

"Aren'tcha gonna kiss your girl goodbye?" Babette asked him.

When his panic stricken eyes met hers, Lorelai smiled reassuringly and said, "I'm going to go on home. I'll see you later, Luke," she said, motioning with her thumb and pinkie finger for him to call her.

"See you later," Luke answered with a nod as she reached for the door handle.

****

Lorelai sat on the couch, her book propped against her thighs as her heels dug into the cushion. She had read the same sentence three times, and was now staring blankly at the page counting the seconds until the telephone rang again. She shook her head to clear it, and tried to refocus on the page. She managed to get through a whole paragraph before the ringing began again. Lorelai glared at the phone, having fallen for its siren song eight times already. When the machine picked up, she heard Dean leave yet another message for Rory, and sighed.

And the pattern repeated, every ten to fifteen minutes the phone would ring, her heart would leap, but she kept her butt planted firmly on the couch, determined not to move until she heard Luke's voice come through the tiny speaker grill. Messages nine through fourteen managed to stay along the same lines of all of their predecessors. By the time the phone rang for lucky number fifteen, Lorelai cried out in frustration, "Agh!"

"Hey," Rory called as she closed the front door behind her.

"Gah!" Lorelai grunted, ignoring the incessant ringing of the phone.

"Mom!" Rory said as she snatched the phone and pressed the 'talk' button. "Hello?" she answered futilely. She hung up and glared at her mother as she said, "That ringing is not in your head, you know."

Ignoring her daughter's sarcastic tone, Lorelai said simply, "Uh, you've gotta read this Motley Crue book. I swear, you get to the point where Ozzy Osbourne snorts a row of ants and you think, it cannot get any grosser, and then you turn the page and oh, hello, yes it can! It's excellent!" she said, feigning the appropriate level of excitement in her choice of reading material.

Rory rolled her eyes and asked, "Why didn't you answer the phone?"

"Because I firmly believe that once you've experienced something five thousand times, you need to move on," Lorelai replied, trying to keep the trace of bitterness from her voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"I knew who it was," Lorelai said with a shrug.

"Who was it?" Rory asked as she sat down next to her mother.

Lorelai looked up and said, "The same person who's called the machine so many times now that I actually heard it sigh."

"Dean?"

"Dean the determined."

Rory sighed and slumped back on the couch as she said, "Oh, man."

When the phone rang again, Lorelai stared down at her book and said, "Five bucks says I know who that is."

Rory answered the phone and gloated a little when she heard her grandfather's voice on the other end. As they worked out the details of the following day's meeting, Lorelai dug a five dollar bill from her wallet and grudgingly paid off her bet. When she hung up, they chatted a bit about Richard's involvement in Rory's school project.

Lorelai nodded as she returned to her book and said, "Hey, check the machine so I can erase the messages."

Rory's frown deepened as she listened to Dean leave message after message on the machine. "This is crazy. Ten messages?" she asked incredulously.

Lorelai nodded and said, "Plus the four that I took from him personally before I stopped answering the phone."

"Right," Rory said dejectedly as she flopped back down on the couch.

"Honey, you gotta ease up on that love potion you've been giving him or he's gonna start showing up at David Letterman's house soon," Lorelai teased gently.

"Ugh," Rory grunted.

"What's the matter?"

"Fourteen messages," Rory answered pointedly.

Lorelai winced and said, "Yeah, so, it's a little…"

"It's a little too much," Rory finished for her.

"So, what's up? Are you guys fighting or something?"

"What are you talking about?"

Lorelai closed her book and asked, "I mean, did something happen to set off the phone craze?"

Rory shook her head vehemently. "No, everything's been fine, everything's been calm. No more incidents, I don't get it."

Lorelai took a deep breath and began to proceed with caution. "Well, if I had to guess, I would say he's feeling a little insecure about something."

Rory turned to look at her and asked in a bewildered tone, "But why?"

"Rory," Lorelai said calmly.

Rory sat up straighter and said, "But I spend every free moment with him, I call him, I page him."

"I know, you've been good," Lorelai assured her.

"And nothing seems to be enough, nothing seems to make things normal again," Rory said desperately.

"Give it some time," Lorelai advised.

"I just want things to be the way they were," Rory said sadly.

"Oh, honey, relationships are hard. Sometimes you go through a weird patch and things get funky for a little while, but just give it a chance. Ride it out, things will calm down again," Lorelai said calmly.

"I hope so," Rory replied, doubt tingeing her words. "I'm gonna erase the messages," she said as she pushed herself up off of the couch.

Lorelai looked at the clock on the DVD player, saw that it was almost seven-thirty and stifled a sigh of frustration. She stared at it for a moment and then said, "I think I'll go by the video store. You wanna watch something?"

Rory shook her head and said, "Nah. I have to get started on my parts of the project before Paris takes it over entirely."

"Don't forget to call Dean," Lorelai said as he daughter walked from the room holding the telephone.

"How could I possibly?" Rory asked as she waved the messages that Lorelai has scribbled on scraps of paper and then disappeared into her room.

Lorelai tossed the book onto the coffee table and shoved her feet into the shoes she had kicked of earlier. "We've got one who won't stop calling, and one who apparently never learned to dial. What kind of idiot doesn't know the international sign for 'call me'?" she muttered. She shrugged into a light jacket and slipped out of the front door, setting off toward the square at a brisk pace.

As she crossed the square, the diner set in her sights, she heard Rory voice groan, 'Fourteen messages' and her footsteps slowed. Lorelai's eyes widened as she realized that maybe she was being a little too pushy with Luke. She paused, hovering near the curb, trying to decide if she should cross the street or not. She peered into the diner, but didn't see Luke. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she moved to the corner, planning to cross near the front of the diner and head straight to the video store that she had no intention of actually visiting when she had left the house. As she stepped up onto the curb, she saw that only two tables were occupied, and pressed her lips together in a firm line. From the looks of things, Luke had plenty of time to call, but had chosen not to. She lifted her chin and hurried past the windows toward the video store just as Luke stepped out of the kitchen with an armload of plates.

Luke saw Lorelai pass by, and turned to watch as she kept going. He delivered the orders he carried and then hovered near the door, watching to see where she had gone. As he waited he pretended to straighten some tables, knowing that she would have to pass by once again, hoping to be able to stop her and lure her into the diner with the promise of coffee and maybe a slice of pie. A few minutes later, she emerged from the video store with a bag of rentals in hand and started to pass the diner at a brisk clip.

The bells jingled as Luke yanked the door open and called, "Hey!" just as she was stepping down off of the curb.

Lorelai turned to look at him and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she struggled to make her tone casual. "Oh, hey."

Luke jerked his head toward the diner and asked, "You wanna come in?"

Lorelai held up the bag and said, "I have movies."

"Just for a minute. I have a piece of cherry pie left," he said as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and hunched his shoulders uncertainly.

Lorelai eyed him carefully as the internal debate raged. "That pie come with coffee?" she asked at last.

Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Not if I can sell you a nice glass of milk."

"No way," she said with a dismissive laugh.

"Coffee it is, then," he conceded with a smile.

Lorelai felt her heart flip over in her chest and she vowed to never tell him what an effective weapon that smile was, knowing that it could and would be used against her. "Okay, I guess I can," she said, hoping that she didn't sound overly anxious.

She followed him into the diner and perched on her usual stool as Luke poured a large mug of coffee and placed it in front of her. She lowered her eyes, pretending not to watch as he moved to the pie plate and deftly lifted the last piece of pie from the tin and plated it. He slid it in front of her with a fork and a napkin, and then leaned in, pressing his palms to the edge of the counter.

"I was gonna try to close early, but I had some stragglers," Luke said as he nodded to the occupied tables.

"Pretty slow," Lorelai commented as she cut off a hunk of pie with the edge of her fork.

"Tuesdays are like that. That's why Caesar is off on Tuesdays," he said with a nod.

"Oh, so it's just you here?" Lorelai asked, looking up at him for the first time.

Luke nodded and said, "Jess helped out with dinner, but he claimed that he had homework and disappeared just after."

"I see," Lorelai said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"I was waiting to call you," he said in a low voice.

"For the cows to come home?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Luke blinked and reared back slightly at the sharp edge in her voice. "Um, no, for a little privacy," he said quietly. "Are you mad at me?" he whispered.

Lorelai shook her head and quickly said, "No, not mad. I was just hoping that we'd do something tonight."

"Tonight?" Luke asked with a confused frown. "I have to close."

"I get that now," she told him.

"I'm sorry I didn't call, but things were busy and I didn't want to try to talk while I was doing stuff. And, even if I could have run upstairs for a few minutes, there aren't exactly walls up there," he explained.

"No, Luke, I'm sorry," Lorelai apologized quickly. "I just, I guess I was just feeling a little funky because you didn't call me fourteen times."

"Call you fourteen times?" Luke asked blankly. "Why would I call you fourteen times?"

Lorelai took a deep breath and then let it out slowly as she shook her head and said more to herself than him, "No, I don't want you to call me fourteen times."

"I'm a little lost," he said as he leaned an elbow on the counter, keeping wary eye on the door and on the patrons at their tables.

"It's stupid," Lorelai mumbled as she toyed with her pie, poking at it with her fork.

"What's stupid?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Well, I was waiting for you to call, which was stupid because I knew that you were working, and I should know that you can't really talk and do all of this at the same time. I remember the near decapitations that phone cord caused a couple of weeks ago," she said with a sheepish smile.

"What's bothering you?" he asked in a low voice.

"Dean called Rory fourteen times from the time that he got out of school until just a little while got when she got home," she told him.

"Am I supposed to do that?" he asked incredulously. "'Cause I have to tell you, I'm not that much of a phone guy, Lorelai," he said as he rubbed his neck.

"No, no. He's just, they're going through that weird patch, remember? And the busier she gets, the clingier he gets," she said with a slight chuckle. "I guess I should have called you fourteen times," she concluded.

Luke's smile was breathtaking as he processed her words. "Did you want to call me fourteen times?" he asked in a low intimate voice.

Lorelai blushed slightly and said, "Yes, but you probably would have yelled at me."

Luke nodded, the wide smile plastered to his face as he said, "Probably, but I probably would have liked it anyway."

"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.

"That doesn't mean you actually have to do it," he said quickly.

"You fix the clog?" she asked, anxious to change the subject.

He reached over and gave her hand a sly squeeze. "I did. I need to…" he said as he nodded to one of the tables. "Don't go anywhere."

Lorelai turned her attention back to her pie as he grabbed the coffee pot and went to check on his tables. He returned a moment later, topped off her mug and slid the pot back onto the burner all in one fluid movement.

Lorelai lifted her hand to her lips to remove some cherry glaze from her knuckle and watched in frank admiration. Luke turned back just in time to see her sucking gently on her knuckle and his eyes widened slightly. "Got it on my hand," Lorelai said as she lowered her hand, grabbing a paper napkin to wipe it off.

"Uh huh," Luke grunted as he saw the people at one of the tables stand and gather their jackets. He moved to the register, watching Lorelai out of the corner of his eye as she took a quick sip of her coffee and then cut off another hunk of pie with her fork. "Couldn't have been pumpkin," he muttered under his breath.

He rang up his customers, thanked them and then scoped the other table, trying to gauge how long it would be before he could lock the door. He turned back to Lorelai and saw her smiling as she raised a fingertip covered with cherry glaze to her lips. "Don't even," he growled.

Lorelai popped her finger into her mouth and sucked the filling off of it, all the while staring at him in wide eyed innocence. "What?" she asked as she wiped her finger daintily on a napkin.

"You're askin' for it," he grumbled as he grabbed a rag and began to wipe down the already clean counter.

"Yes, I am," she answered with a cheeky grin.

"Weren't you just mad at me?" he asked. "That seemed much safer."

"You gave me pie," she said with a shrug.

"That's all it takes?" Luke asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I'm cheap."

"But not easy," he said with an exasperated sigh.

"I might be that too, if you play your cards right," she said as she batted her eyelashes outrageously.

"Lorelai," he said in a warning tone.

"Aw, come on, you were playing along," she cajoled.

Luke stopped wiping the counter and looked over at her as he said, "I'm not playing." He tossed the rag onto the shelf below the counter and wiped his hands on the back of his jeans. "You wanna go see a movie tomorrow night?" he asked.

Lorelai's smile blossomed. "You askin' me out?"

"Am I going to have to explain that every time?"

"Well, I know how you like to be really, really clear about things," she teased. "Sure, I'm up for a movie tomorrow," she said with a grin.

"Not here, we'll go, you know, to Hartford or something," Luke thought aloud as he watched the diners at the last table dawdle over their meal.

"Sounds good," Lorelai agreed. "Tell me, with this be a movie that we actually want to watch, or will we just be going to a dark theater to make out?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Luke turned to look at her and asked, "Have you got a one track mind?"

"Pretty much," Lorelai answered quickly.

"I'm beginning to feel a little cheap myself," he joked as he moved to go clear the table that had been vacated earlier.

Lorelai giggled and turned to watch him as he worked, admiring the way his muscles moved under the layers of cotton as he gathered plates, cutlery and cups into his hands. She knew that he knew that she was watching by the slight hint of swagger in his walk as he carried the dishes into the kitchen, and knew that it was enough to make him uncomfortable by the way he growled, "Cut it out," when he reappeared. Lorelai watched with frank admiration as he finished cleaning the table, spoke briefly to the two remaining customers, and tore their ticket from his order pad, sliding onto the table before he walked toward the counter again.

Lorelai turned back to face the counter and rested her chin on her palm as she said, "You're very graceful for a guy."

"What?" Luke asked with a snort.

"You are. Must be the jock thing," Lorelai concluded.

"Jocks are graceful?" Luke laughed as he moved behind the counter, shutting off appliances and prepping the counter for the morning rush.

"There's a certain amount of grace that comes with athletic ability," Lorelai said primly.

"How would you know what my athletic abilities are?"

"I've heard about Butch Danes, track superstar," she teased.

"I wish you hadn't," Luke retorted. "Be right back," he said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

The couple at the table stood and made their way to the counter to pay. "Luke?" Lorelai called to him.

"Just a second," he called back.

Lorelai looked over and saw that the man place the bill and a twenty on the counter as he shrugged into his jacket. She smiled and stood up as she said, "I can get that for you." She walked behind the counter and stood at the cash register, mentally calculating their change as she jammed the buttons to make the ancient register open.

When it did, Luke heard the chime and called, "I said I'd be right there."

"I've got it," Lorelai called back as she handed the customer his change. She smiled warmly and said, "Thanks. Have a good night."

"You too," the man answered as he left a few bills on the counter and then ushered his wife to the door.

"Gertie," Luke growled, stepping out of the kitchen just as the bells above the door rang. "I thought you retired."

Lorelai shrugged. "I like to keep a hand in, just to keep the skills up, you know." She picked up the tip the customer had left and turned to him with an impish grin as she asked, "What's my cut of this for ringing them up?"

"Your cut?" Luke scoffed.

"I'd take a kiss," she offered enticingly.

Luke leaned forward, pressed a quick peck to her lips and snatched the dollar bills from her fingers all in the same move. "Thanks for taking care of that," he said as he stuffed the money into his jeans pocket and moved to the door. He flipped the sign over, locked the door, and turned back to find her pouting.

"I should at least get a dollar. That was a lame kiss," she complained. Luke simply smiled and grabbed her wrist as he passed by, pulling her along behind him as he made his way to the back of the diner. "Where are we going? Isn't Jess home?" Lorelai asked as she stumbled after him.

"Yep," Luke answered as he led her into the store room and closed the door behind them.

"Wow, luring me into Luke's den of iniquity," Lorelai said with a smirk.

Luke released her wrist as he turned and plunged both hands into her hair, pressing her back against the door with his body as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her hard and hot. Lorelai gripped his biceps, hanging onto him as he pulled back slightly. "Much better," she whispered as she looked into his eyes.

"You're gonna have to stop this, Lorelai," he said raggedly, and then kissed her again, parting her lips with his. His tongue sought hers, and he drew it gently into his mouth. When they broke, gasping for air, he pressed his lips to her forehead, trailing soft kisses along her brow. "You can't come in here and do this to me," he murmured as his hands glided over her sides, coming to rest in the curve of her waist.

"Do what?" she asked softly as she closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his lips.

"Come in here and tease me," he answered. "Geez, how does someone make eating French toast look sexy?" he groaned, referring to her breakfast shenanigans as he feathered kisses over her eyelids. "And the thing with the link sausage was not even funny," he insisted as he made his way down her cheek to her jaw. He ducked his head and drew the soft skin of her neck into his mouth, causing her to moan softly. "I can't work," he murmured as he made his way up to her ear. He caught the lobe between his teeth and bit it teasingly before sucking it gently into his mouth. His breath was warm, rushing over the shell of her ear and sending a shiver down her spine as he said, "I already want you. You don't have to seduce me with pie."

"No?" she asked breathlessly.

"No," he replied.

His mouth found hers again, and Lorelai's hands slid over his shoulders to his neck, her fingers seeking the soft curls under the bill of his cap as their tongues clashed. She knocked the hat from his head, running her other hand through his soft hair and holding him there, drinking him in. Luke's fingers slipped under the hem of her shirt, dancing in small circles over her stomach, mimicking the rhythm of his tongue. Lorelai moaned again as she felt the heat of his palm press against her, his fingers curling around her waist, pressing into her flesh with barely contained ardor. He shifted slightly, pressing into her hip as he positioned one leg between hers. His hand slid up, gently caressing her ribs and grazing the side of her breast before slipping to her back and gripping her shoulder in an attempt to restrain himself.

Lorelai pressed her head back against the door, gasping for air. "You want me to beg?" she asked breathlessly.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head slightly as he moved back to her neck, unable to get enough of her. "No," he murmured against the pulse that jumped in her throat as he is and closed over her breast.

Lorelai sighed, a mixture of relief and desire rushing through her body. "I need you to touch me," she whispered. "How did I survive this long with having you touch me?" she wondered aloud as he ran his thumb over the beaded tip of her nipple, using the lace of her bra to tease her.

Her words drove him. Luke grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up, tugging her away from the door a bit as he yanked it over her head and let it fall carelessly to the floor. He looked down, his eyes resting momentarily on her parted lips, red and swollen with his kisses, before he allowed them to travel down the graceful column of her throat. They took in each and every freckle that dusted her pale skin and finally came to rest at her breasts. He saw her suck in a breath and hold it as his fingertips traced the pale pink lace that edged her bra. "This is crazy," he whispered to himself as he traced her soft curves, his callused fingertips raising goosebumps on her skin. "You're making me crazy," he said as he slowly raised his gaze to meet hers.

"Ditto," Lorelai answered in a husky voice, lost in the dark blue depths of his eyes.

"I want to do better than this," he murmured, unable to resist cupping her gently in his hand. He kissed her tenderly, his lips lingering on hers as he pulled back.

"I think you're doing pretty damn good."

"This isn't how it's supposed to be," he told her, lowering his eyes to watch as he teased the tip of her breast with his thumb. Lorelai watched as he closed his eyes for a moment and then said in a raspy voice, "Tell me to stop, Lorelai."

"No," she whispered.

Luke laughed; the sound of it laden with regret. "You should. This is not how it should be. Not this time. Not when we make love the first time," he said as he opened his eyes and stared at her intently. "Look at us, Lorelai. I'm covered in fourteen hours worth of grease and food, and you're pinned up against a door. This isn't how I want it to be. I don't want you looking at a year's supply of Sweet 'n Low packets, I want you looking at me," he said in low soft voice. All the while his hands played over her soft skin, his fingers teasing her, testing her, driving her wild. "You're gonna have to stop this," he told her hoarsely. "Otherwise, this is how it's gonna be."

"I don't wanna stop," she whispered.

Luke nodded and swallowed hard as he lowered his eyes. "Okay," he breathed, and pressed his lips to hers again, pouring all of his need into his kiss as his hand closed over her breast possessively. Lorelai moaned into his mouth, arching into him, pressing into his hand.

Luke found the clasp of her bra with his other hand and deftly unhooked it. When Lorelai felt the silky fabric give way, she tore her mouth from his and gasped, "Oh!"

Luke immediately lowered his head kissing his way from the tip of her shoulder to her collarbone, and then licking and nipping his way to the hollow of her throat. He dipped his tongue into the shallow valley in a blatantly suggestive manner, and then lifted his eyes to look up at her boldly as he bent down. He captured the dusky tip of her breast between his lips and drew her into his mouth, sucking gently as he cupped her breast, his fingers stroking the soft skin lightly.

"Luke," Lorelai gasped as she cradled his head, her fingers slipping through his fine hair and tangling in the curls at the back.

He released her and nuzzled her breast, breathing in the scent of her as the rush of his breath over her damp skin made her groan. "You're so beautiful," he said reverently.

"We have to stop," she whispered.

"I know."

"I don't want to stop," she said softly.

"I know."

"I want…" she trailed off. Lorelai groaned in frustration as he placed a soft kiss to her pouting nipple and then stood straight, pulling her against him and holding her tightly.

"I know. Me too," he whispered into her hair.

"Rory has a meeting after school tomorrow. Should take a couple of hours," she said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Will you come over?"

"Yes."

Lorelai smiled and rubbed her forehead against his shoulder. "You are easy."

Luke ran both hands gently over her hair, toying with the ends and twisting them around his fingers. "You have no idea how easy I can be when it comes to you," he answered with a laugh.

"Admitting your weaknesses, nice," she teased.

"I think I already did that," he said dryly.

"You think that makes you weak?" she asked, her tone turning serious.

Luke shook his head and reared back slightly to look at her. "Not right at this moment, I don't."

Lorelai reached up, smoothing her fingertips over his brow and letting them trail along his cheek. She smiled at the feel of his rough stubble and knew that she would see the battle scars on her chin and cheeks with she got home. "I think that saying what you said, and just putting it all out there, proves how strong you are," she said quietly.

"Or that I've given up on holding onto any scrap of pride," he answered, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. He ran his hand over her bare back and then said gruffly, "We should get you, uh, you know." Reluctantly, he let go of her and bent to scoop her shirt and bra from the floor. He shook them out and then offered them to her, letting them dangle from his fingers.

Lorelai smiled as he shyly turned away to allow her to dress. She hurriedly fastened her bra and shrugged the straps onto her shoulders before turning her shirt right side out. "Okay, since I know how you like to be clear about stuff," she said as she pulled the shirt over her head and tugged the hem down around her hips. She placed her hand on his arm to signal him that it was okay to look at her. "Let me put this out there," she said as his eyes met hers. "Tomorrow, we will be all alone in the house. Now, in my house we have a couch as well as beds. All sorts of nice cushy surfaces available. And, since we will be all alone, we will have full and exclusive access to them," she said slowly. When Luke smirked, Lorelai flashed a saucy smile. "I think you should probably tell me now if I can expect to see any action. That way, I won't be disappointed. If not, I'll break out the Chinese Checkers game and you can try to beat me, but I have to tell you, I'm pretty damn good."

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it. He shook his head as he pulled her flush against him and then kissed her firmly. "Well, since I have no idea how to play Chinese Checkers, I would say that there will be action, and you won't be disappointed," he said in a deep throaty voice.

"Promise?"

"I'd offer to swear on a bible, but I have a healthy fear of lightning strikes."

"Walk me home?" she asked as she plucked at the collar of his flannel.

"Planned on it."

"You planning anything else in there?" she asked as she looked up at him coyly.

"Lots of things."

Lorelai cocked her head and studied him carefully. "Care to share them with the class?"

Luke shook his head as he gently nudged her aside and opened the store room door. He took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as he said, "Only on a need to know basis," and led her back out into the diner.