A/N: Right so this is a little on the short side, but I just wanted to get back into the swing of things after my little break away. Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts and stuff, I'm very grateful and hope you read, review and enjoy this :)
"This is actually my uncle's place but he's off visiting Paris, so you'll be pleased to know we can rehearse in peace." Rachel's not quite sure why she imagined they wouldn't be alone, but to hear his voice confirm it sends tremors through her body. When she doesn't reply, Jesse turns to face her, closing the front door behind her. "Come on," he tugs her into a dimly lit kitchen where there's a small selection of food put out on the table. It's possibly the most thoughtful (and genuine) thing he's done for her (apart from answering that question all those nights ago) and she feels a smile creep onto her face before she even knows it's there. "You know, if you looked any happier, I might actually mistake you for someone who likes me."
Rachel runs the rim of her glass across her bottom lip tentatively, as if the words she's about to say hold a certain danger. "I do like you Jesse."
"But?" He knows there's a but; there's always a 'but' with him. A wry smile takes over the bottom half of Rachel's face as she lowers the glass to the table. This is the most honest conversation they've had in a while and Jesse determined to know where on earth he stands with this indomitable beauty. When she doesn't answer, he tilts his head and tries to figure out how the hell the tables turned. Suddenly Rachel's holding all the cards and if this is a game that she's playing, he definitely needs to re-learn the rules.
"If I've learnt anything this year, it's that I talk far too much and probably at a speed that's decipherable only by people with super sonic hearing and or Rachel Berry translators." Jesse smiles as she proves her point exactly. "So there's no but, Jesse. I'm probably far too honest for my own good and my already fragile heart is likely to be shattered again but now I've told you."
And just as Jesse thinks he's got this game, this limbo sorted, he goes in to place the softest kiss on her lips but Rachel pulls away before their lips even meet.
"I said I liked you Jesse, not that I wanted this –" Her protests fall on deaf ears because Jesse wants to kiss her and kiss her Jesse will do. His hand is clammy and uncomfortable on the back of her neck but she quickly ignores it as his thumb and forefinger apply just a precious amount of pressure at the base of her hairline and she forgets that she doesn't want this (just for a second. Or two.)
His other hand slips around her waist and their bodies join in the middle, fabric rubbing against fabric. She makes no effort to stop the kiss but nor does she make a move to open her lips: letting in his tongue would symbolise letting him back in her life for good and she's trying so hard to find some sort of inner restraint.
Neither one remembers when it became so hot, but as Jesse finally gives up and lets her lips fall from his and places his forehead against hers, breathing heavily onto her face, Rachel swears she's about to overheat. His breath wisps against her skin and makes a few strands of hair dance gently by the side of her face. He sounds pained and out of breath but it's not a feeling that Jesse dislikes. He feels alive and aroused and he's reluctant to move his hand from the back of Rachel's neck. Rachel's eyes are closed as her heart travels up to her throat and she can't seem to swallow it back down.
"You're going to kill me," he breathes, his eyes fluttering shut too. She doesn't really know what he means but if they're talking about death, she's pretty sure she'll get there first if the way he's making her feel is anything to go by. He releases her neck and her waist and instead searches for her hand, threading his fingers in-between hers. He pulls at her gently and leads her up the stairs into the darkness above.
His mouth is hot and needy and a little bit aggressive as it attacks her lips in a style than can only be described as insistent. He's more than aware that she's not going to come running back intohis arms or be his long distance girlfriend who watches his every show, but if he's got these two weeks to spend with her, he's going to make sure they more than count. Without breaking the kiss he guides the two of them to the double bed in the spare room and Rachel quickly feels the soft cushioning of the mattress beneath her. She falls too readily into his touch as he envelopes her in his intoxicating embrace and this time, there are no barriers, no inner restraint. His tongue wages war with hers and it's a fight to the death. His body is a little heavy as his climbs onto of her but her head relaxes further into the pillow as she tries to crane her face away from his, because he's staring at her in a way that no one's ever done before and she can't quite put her finger on what he's thinking. The feeling of the two of them together is nicely familiar but it's something new simultaneously. She's been here before but this time, she knows what to expect and more importantly, she knows what she's doing.
So when her hands cautiously undo his belt buckle, he stops the deepening kiss and steadies her hands. "Rachel," he exhales heavily, trying to catch his breath before he asks her if she's sure, tells her they don't have to do this.
"Jesse," she replies, her voice firm and assertive. She knows what she wants and right now, even though she knows she shouldn't, she wants him. All of him. She looks up at him and just for a second her ministrations stop completely and his eyes lock onto the deepness in hers. He waits one beat, two, and then releases his tightening grip on her hands, lowering his mouth to her neck to drop warm, wet kisses on every patch of skin available. She might not be forever, but tonight he's going to mark her as his (without any regard for how it'll look in her costumes for the play. But then again, he's Jesse St. James, and consequences are nothing but an afterthought.)
She's hot and overdressed and ridiculously delirious (or so she tells herself because here she is again, in a bed with Jesse St. James, doing anything but sleeping.) And when morning comes she knows she'll regret it but right now, Rachel's very much of the philosophy to never regret anything.
-StB-
She finds it hard to sleep because her mind is racing and she knows she should be heading home by now because there's no way her dads would believe in an all night rehearsal. On a school night.
But Jesse's fallen asleep on her bare stomach, his body in between her legs and she feels uncomfortably exposed and bare, even if he's not awake to notice. His hot breath tickles her stomach every time he breathes out and though she tries to sleep, every time she closes her eyes she keeps reliving the past few hours and that's not helping her sleep either. She checks the time anxiously and soon decides there's nothing for it.
She slips herself away from underneath Jesse's body, trying incredibly hard not to wake him from his peaceful slumber. She wraps her shirt around her body and searches for the rest of her clothing: walking down the streets in her underwear would be an even worse idea than sleeping with Jesse (twice.) She contemplates ringing Quinn to come and pick her up but after the ear bashing from earlier (plus the fact that Rachel's more than certain Puck's there) she gives it a miss.
"Who ever this is, it's half past ten at night and there had better be a good reason for this." The person on the other end of the phone hisses down the line to Rachel, who laughs a little awkwardly as she shuts the front door of the house.
"Listen, I can assure you I wouldn't be calling if I wasn't totally desperate and I'll pay you back, I promise." Rachel speaks so fast it's almost just a blur.
"Rachel, go home." Kurt's not impressed she's interrupted his beauty sleep. His looks take work and she's going to regret jeopardising them.
"I would if I could." She's nearly down to pleading and Kurt's almost willing to do anything just to get her to stop. She hears Kurt sigh and then his monotonic voice speaks the words she needs to hear.
"Fine, I'll come and get you."
Kurt comes some minutes later and Rachel readily climbs in the car without chancing a look back at the house. Kurt raises an (immaculately styled) eyebrow at her appearance: her shirt buttons aren't quite matched up and her hair's tousled in a way that could only have been achieved by someone else's hands.
"I don't usually approve of your fashion disasters as it is, but this is worse than usual. What on earth happened to you?" Rachel falls a little silent as they drive and Kurt's eyebrow manages to rise even higher. He can see her mind ticking over as she tries to manifest a feasible response and the fact that Rachel Berry's speechless tells Kurt she has something to hide.
"We had rehearsals. They got a little, well, frantic." She swallows heavily and keeps her eyes on the road in front of her, never willing her house to appear more.
"And who was at this rehearsal?"
"All the cast, you don't know them."
"Rachel, if you could lie as well as you could sing I'm sure MI5 would be knocking on your door. But you can't. Not even close." Kurt rolls his eyes because he's pretty sure he knows what's been going on. Rachel feigns laughter and quickly exclaims that this is her house and climbs out of the car at a speed that Kurt swears he's never seen a human move.
When she gets inside, she runs straight up the stairs and shuts the door if her bedroom. She lets her back rest against the wooden door as her chest heaves with excitement, confusion and breathlessness. Sleeping with Jesse once could have been passed off as an artistic discovery; an educational necessity. But twice? That makes it something else entirely. She climbs into her bed and is finally able to sleep, and when her father's come and check her half an hour later, switching off her lamp and kissing her gently on her head, it's clear they have no idea what their little girl has been up to.
-StB-
When Rachel walks into glee club the next day, she's positively glowing and Kurt looks at her with a clear air of disgust. No one should be that animated on a school day.
"Do you mind turning your wattage down, Berry? Some of us are sleep deprived." Kurt's massaging his temples as Rachel apologies quietly for last night, not wanting to give anything away. She tries to keep her distance from Quinn – someone else who could give her away – but Quinn's adamant that they're going to talk.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Berry. I know what you did last night."
"And I know what you did too, Quinn." Rachel's desperate to keep her and Jesse under wraps because honestly, she doesn't know what there is to say. She's not telling him her deepest, darkest secrets (but why would she, when he is her deepest, darkest secret.) Quinn folds her arms and the smallest smirk climbs onto her lips.
"Do you want me to say 'I won't tell if you won't'?" Quinn watches as Rachel pauses to think and it's clear that that is pretty much all Rachel wants. Quinn sighs and adjusts the bracelets on her wrists. "Fine, I'll keep your goddamned secret. Just be careful, Rachel. Make sure it's Jesse you're in love with, not just love itself."
"I never said anything about being in love with him," Rachel quickly protests. She may have slept with him (twice) but she's sure she's not in love with him.
Quinn shrugs and saunters over to sit with Puck. "You didn't have to."
"Mr Schue? Can I be excused from rehearsal today? I'm feeling a little nauseous." Mr Schue eyes Rachel for a second before agreeing. Rachel wouldn't miss rehearsals for anything, so her accepts her word and lets her go. Quinn raises a sceptical eyebrow and Mercedes shakes her head.
"Mr Schue?"
"Yes, Brittany?"
"Is Rachel pregnant?" Santana elbows Brittany in the ribs as Mr Schue widens his eyes and glances at the door Rachel's just ran out of.
"It's probably just a stomach bug, Brittany. Now, your mash ups, anyone got anything to show me? Any progress at all?" Will makes a mental note to investigate Brittany's question later, and even though he thinks it's unlikely, the way the other girls acted suggest to him that they're certainly hiding something.