A/N: I appreciate all of the kind reviews, thank you for showing this story some love! Let's get into the next installment...enjoy!
Lorelai wound the coiled phone cord around her finger as Rory chattered on the other end, going a mile a minute. She leaned against the countertop in Luke's tiny apartment kitchen as he remained focused on chopping vegetables barely a foot away.
"No carrots," Lorelai whispered, covering the mouthpiece of the phone to scold him.
"They're peppers and onions," he pointed his chef's knife at the butcher's block cutting board. She looked at him warily, "How can I be sure?" Luke rolled his eyes and motioned for her to get back to her phone conversation.
Lorelai blew him a kiss and shifted the receiver to her other ear, "So you have everything you need right?"
"Yes mom, I told you that a million times already."
"Well I know you didn't check the inside pocket of your bag…"
She waited a beat while Rory sighed and unzipped her overnight duffle again. She reached her hand in the inside pocket and unearthed two packs of Red-Vines. Looking over her shoulder, she quickly dropped them back inside before Mrs. Kim caught a whiff.
"Mom!"
Lorelai giggled, "A girl's got to have her emergency Red-Vines, especially on Halloween-eve. And believe me kid, after enduring a very long evening church sermon on the wickedness of Halloween, I think you and Lane deserve a treat."
Rory whispered on the other end while the two shot a couple more zingers back and forth, both collapsing in a fit of giggles until Mrs. Kim entered the room.
"I've got to go mom, but I'll see you tomorrow after school."
"Right after school! Like, right, right after."
"Ok! Oh, and remember to be on your best behavior tonight with Luke."
Lorelai smiled devilishly into the phone, "No fair, I'm always on my best behavior!"
That got a groan on the other end of the line, and a smirk from Luke, who was busy taking the homemade tortillas out of the oven and assembling the tacos not so subtly requested by his girlfriend earlier that day.
"I have to ask him something tomorrow after school, and it's really important!"
"Ok, ok, I promise I'll be good. Scout's Honor."
"You were never a girl scout!"
"Well you are!"
"Not the point!"
"Cross your heart?"
"Crossing as we speak. I'll see you tomorrow, kid. Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight mom, I love you!"
Lorelai gently hung up the phone and sniffed the air appraisingly. "Something smells mondo good in here mister."
Silently, he refilled her red wine. She took a healthy sip, smacked her lips together, and tilted her head to the side, watching him move about in a well practiced dance. "Dinner will be ready in a minute," he said in a distracted voice.
She took a few steps towards him and set her wine glass down, hugged her arms around him and murmured, "I meant you, you smell delicious."
She kissed his cheek and ran her hand down the back of his head soothingly, then picked up her wine glass from the counter and spun around happily.
Luke moved out from behind her and set a basket of tortilla chips and an assortment of salsas on the table. He gestured for Lorelai to take a seat and set an array of both soft and hard shell tacos in front of her.
Settling in to his own chair and looked over at her and asked, "Is Rory ok?"
She smiled and nodded, filled him in on the goings on of her 11 year old's day of school.
"So Luke," She drew out the syllables in his name and flashed him a flirty smile.
He finished chewing and eyed her warily, knowing her smile took on an extra flirty life of its own whenever she needed something.
"Yeah?"
"This is our very first all-night-long sleepover," She happily nibbled on a taco for a moment, "You've certainly got the mind-blowing menu down. You got any other tricks up your sleeve tonight? Are we going to play truth or dare and take turns braiding each other's hair?"
He couldn't help the shit-eating grin that tugged on the corners of his mouth, "You let me worry about the entertainment."
XXXXXX
The past week had gone by in a blur. A really good blur.
He hadn't spent more than 8 hours away from her since their first date. Her diner visits became more frequent. She squeezed in a mid-afternoon pick-me-up most days. And more often than not, rushed in after work in a tired heap, flashing a grateful smile Luke's way as he patted Rory on the head and cut her an extra large slice of pie after a particularly long day at school.
He'd serve them dinner, try to slip something healthy on a shared plate for the table, and shoot Lorelai a subtle wink every now and then from behind the counter. And no matter how busy the diner got, always, always, walked the girls home at the end of the evening.
An arm wrapped firmly around Lorelai's waist, they watched Rory run up the porch stairs and shout a goodbye.
"Where's my goodbye, mister?"
He looked over his shoulder instinctively at Babette's yard before planting one on her. Had her coming back for seconds and thirds, before putting physical space between them.
"You are the biggest tease of all time."
He looked her up and down, eyes glazing over at the tight pencil skirt she'd donned with a pair of suede boots. "You should talk."
"Don't wanna talk," She mumbled, pulling him towards her again, "Come in, just for a few minutes."
"You get me in there, then good luck getting me out."
"Good!"
"Lorelai!"
She groaned, softening when he gathered her against his chest and smoothed her hair back from her face.
"I just want to spend the night with my boyfriend."
"I want that too."
"You do?" She eyed him warily.
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Rory's been begging for a sleepover at Lane's right?"
Her eyes regained their original sparkle, "I like how you think."
"I'm cooking you dinner."
He led her up the stairs, hoping the cool October air would tamper down the heat he had going on down below.
"Oooh what's on the menu?"
Looking her up and down, he traced a finger along her jawline, and then down her neck to her exposed collarbone, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.
"Goodnight, Lorelai."
He kissed her one more time, broke away when she slipped him some tongue. Narrowing his eyes at her, "You play dirty."
She smiled, all sweet and unassuming, and cracked the door open, careful not to let too much of the cool Fall air inside the house, "You have no idea, babe."
XXXXXX
That very next day, Rory bounced into the diner as she did most days after school. She settled in at a table by the window and fished her homework folder out of her backpack.
"I won!" She exclaimed as she spotted Luke behind the counter.
"Of course you did," Luke said matter-of-factly. He'd spent the last two afternoons quizzing her in preparation for the big Halloween-themed Spelling Bee at school.
She held up a trophy with a jack-o-lantern figurehead and 1st Prize Winner, Spooky Spelling Bee 1995 engraved on a plaque at the base. She happily shook a matching orange plastic jack-o-lantern filled with candy in her other hand and giggled as he rolled his eyes.
"A little early for that, don't you think?"
Luke dropped off a plate in front of a customer at the counter, and went into the kitchen to quickly plate a grilled cheese and fries.
"No way! Halloween is this weekend!"
He set a plate down on the table in front of her, "Extra crispy, just how you like 'em."
Rory plucked a fry off of the plate and grinned, "Thanks Luke."
He slid a small plate with a side salad over to her, and he was met with an eyebrow raise.
"I doused it with some Ranch dressing, you can barely see the green under there."
He picked the trophy up and gave it an appraising look, "You did good."
She shrugged her shoulders, "Couldn't do it without you." Poking the salad with a fork, she gave him a skeptical look. He sat down in a chair across from her and locked eyes with her, "If you eat the salad, I'll think about throwing a scoop of ice cream on your pie later."
She quickly brought a forkful to her mouth, "Without mom singing the pie song?"
"Chew," He encouraged with a single nod.
She swung her legs gleefully back and forth under the table, quickly finished the salad, and cast the empty plate aside. She picked up half of her grilled cheese and smiled, "Hey, Luke?"
He sensed her change of tone and leaned forward to listen closely, "I'm really happy about you and mom."
A wave of relief washed over him. Lorelai had told him more than once now how giddy Rory was the morning after their first date. She was practically bouncing off the walls, prodding her for details and teasing her mercifully about the smile plastered to her face. But hearing it straight from Rory, how happy she was, how okay she was with this whole thing, it made his heart soar in a way he couldn't quite put into words.
"Thanks Rory," He murmured, smiling shyly at her. He patted the tabletop, and took away her empty plates, "You just signal when you're ready for that pie, okay?"
By the time he'd gone back to the kitchen and glanced over his shoulder at her, she was nose-deep in a book, munching on those beloved fries with her spare hand.
Lorelai had flown through the front door a couple of hours later, bells jingling in her wake. A bright pink duffle slung over one shoulder, and an oversized tote bag on her other, she showered Rory with praise on her well-deserved prize, and dug through Rory's candy bucket to pilfer some treats.
"They're uh–palate cleansers!" She called out to Luke after he shot her a glare.
XXXXXX
Arms linked, Lorelai walked Rory over to Lane's house for her sleepover. It was an unseasonably warm that Thursday night. Rory had changed at the diner before they left, a cardigan with tiny mother-of-pearl buttons down the front hid her sparkly t-shirt, and she had swapped out her sneakers for a pair of leather ballet flats.
They reached the front door and knocked. While they waited for Mrs. Kim to come to the door, Lorelai gave her daughter another once over, plucking the soft cashmere shoulder of her sweater, "So you're single handedly bringing the Jackie-O look back?"
Rory gave her mother a knowing look, folding her arms across her chest. She mumbled out a response and then turned towards the door, for once in her life wishing Mrs. Kim would hurry to the door.
Lorelai grumbled under her breath and matched Rory's crossed-arm stance.
Two very large shopping bags from Neiman Marcus had arrived on their doorstep a couple of evenings before. A card with neatly-typed print was tucked inside, Rory, Sending over a few items to freshen up your autumn ensembles. All my love, Grandma
Rory had dug through the giant silver bags with their mountains of crisp white tissue paper in true Lorelai fashion. However her reactions to the gifts were wholly different than that of her mother. At Rory's age, Lorelai huffed and puffed, and sometimes outright refused to wear the closet-full of preppy clothes her mother had instructed the maid to color coordinate.
Rory held up each of the jewel-toned sweaters to her chest like precious gems and ran a single finger down the side of a stiff black leather Mary-Jane shoe with precaution. She looked up at her mother, wide-eyed, and Lorelai instantly softened. Holding back her commentary, she gave her daughter an encouraging nod.
"Lane said I should wear something Jesus would approve of."
Lorelai raised an eyebrow, "Then that is definitely one Jesus-approved outfit kid," she smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear, "I think you look great. Very Church-y."
"Church-y?"
"Well what does someone wear really, to a Church service dedicated to the horrors of Halloween. Heh–horrors."
Before Rory got another word in edgewise, the door swung open. Mrs. Kim averted her eyes when she spotted Lorelai's mini-skirt-and-stockings combination. Turning towards Rory, she gave the girl a quick and approving once-over and nodded in greeting, "Lane is upstairs, you may come inside. We are leaving for church in fifteen minutes."
XXXXXX
"She hates me," Lorelai whined in greeting, letting Luke fold her into his arms once she crossed the threshold into his apartment later that evening.
"Who?" He said, her head tucked underneath his chin.
"Mrs. Kim," She murmured against his chest. She pulled back and looked up at him, suddenly distracted by his masculine woody scent, mixed with a hit of Irish Spring soap he bought in bulk, "Did you shower?"
Luke shoved his hands in his front pockets, "I smelled like meat."
She ran an affectionate hand through his the ends of his still-dampened hair, "Aww, you got all pretty for me!"
"Did not," he scoffed.
Lorelai slipped off her heels and simply smiled as he turned back around and continued to tend to their dinner. She hopped up on the countertop and swung her legs happily as they bantered back and forth and caught each other up on their days.
It was all so comfortable.
She watched him stir and season as they chatted. Took in his bare feet, plain t-shirt, and worn pair of jeans that fit him just right. "So, Luke…"
He looked at her sideways, brought a wooden spoon up to his lips and waited patiently as he saw the wheels turn in her head.
"Do you own a tux?"
Not necessarily the question he expected her to lob at him. He raised an eyebrow in silent question.
"For Saturday!"
Luke turned the burner off and transferred the taco meat and fixings to a platter, "What's on Saturday?"
She slid down the countertop and landed on her feet, following the heavenly scent of dinner to the round table that Luke had thoughtfully set with two candlesticks.
"Uhh, only the most important holiday in October."
"Rory's birthday is in October."
She rolled her eyes, "A birthday is not a holiday, it's a whole category in and of itself."
"I'm not dressing up for Halloween."
"I swear you don't have to do anything but show up in a tux. I'll handle everything else."
He shook his head resolutely.
"Just for a few hours! We'll take a lap around the square and trick or treat with Rory."
"No way, not happening."
"But you like the great outdoors!"
" A walk around the town square dodging the loony citizens of this town dressed up as inane characters or psycho clowns is not the great outdoors, no matter how short a skirt you wear to try and convince me otherwise."
She leaned forward on her elbows and shot him a bawdy–if not slightly awkward wink. I look really good in my outfit."
He averted his eyes, "I have to work that night anyways."
"So you don't want to be the Gomez to my Morticia? How will little Wednesday and I find our way through the Hollow that night without our escort?"
He held up a forkful of boysenberry pie from across the table, the steam floating off the crust enticingly. He'd made sure to balance a perfect amount of vanilla ice cream on top.
She pretended to pout, but couldn't quite manage to push her lower lip out all the way. Her favorite dessert. God he was good.
XXXXXX
After her call with Rory, and the delicious dinner he had prepared for the two of them, they sat cuddled together on his well-worn brown leather couch. The lights were turned off, and a movie Lorelai had selected from his extremely limited collection was playing softly on the television.
It started innocent enough.
Her back to his front. His arm wrapped around her waist. She played with his fingers, tracing the tiny scars and work-roughened spots.
"I like this," She whispered, surprising even herself with that candid statement.
There was just something about the cover of darkness, she surmised. Like how it was that night he found her by the lake, the night he told her he wanted her. Wanted her. She wanted him too. Badly. That night, and so many others.
He nuzzled her neck, placing a lingering kiss there, whispered her name in the cover of that darkness. The tone of his voice revealing just how much he liked this too.
And then suddenly, all at once, it wasn't so innocent anymore.
Her clothes were the first to be shed. Her top was unbuttoned and thrown aside while they were still horizontal on the couch. Her bra, short skirt, and stockings soon followed, scattered in a trail leading to his full-sized bed.
He laid her down on top of his soft sheets that smelled just like him. She grabbed those sheets with two closed fists as he nipped and kissed her giggled and teased each other, whispered words of want and need into the darkness of that room illuminated by the silvery moon.
Her wine-flavored tongue teased his own. His hands skimmed her body, touching every inch of her smooth perfumed skin as he could. Her whispers of unintelligible moans spurred him on as he hit upon her most sensitive spots, acquainting himself for the first time with all of her.
Her chest rose and fell, her lips swollen and cherry-stained from his kisses. She looked up at him through dazed eyes. He had pulled his lips away from hers, standing up to his full height.
"You're so damn beautiful," He murmured.
She smiled serenely, looking like a siren from the depths of his dreams. She was bare, save for the blissful look on her face. "You're wearing too many clothes," She whispered. He shed the rest of his clothing with smirk, and met her on the center of his bed with a searing kiss, effectively shutting off the teasing portion of her brain.
He showered her whole body with attention that night, worshipping her over and over again, leaving not a freckle untouched. She begged and clawed at him, chanting his name like a prayer. Her voice went hoarse as he determinedly brought her over the edge so many times she lost count.
"Luke," She panted, running a hand through his hair. He rested his chin on her thigh and smiled, wide and smug. She couldn't even fault him for the smugness. The man deserved that level smugness.
She pulled him up to her, kissing him, needing him. Had him on his back, completely under her spell before he knew what hit him.
A siren, a goddamn siren.