thank you for reading and thank you Michie-Sunflower for your review! so glad you're still enjoying the story!
a sweet/cute/sexy chapter today. Rated M scene ahead.
enjoy xoxo
disclaimer: I own nothing.
The changing of weight on the mattress around her stirs Rory awake one late summer morning. She opens her eyes slowly while uncurling from her side sleeping position. She smiles as she's greeted with Jess's handsome face, hair a mess and sweat dripping down his olive skin. He leans down to place a careful kiss on her mouth.
"Good morning," he runs a hand through her hair, "there's Starbucks in the kitchen for you. I know you missed it while you were in Croatia, though I'm not sure why. You had plenty of other options."
"How do you know?" she smiles wide like she's caught him, "Did you look it up?"
He chuckles, "Of course I did, Rory. You don't think I look up every place you go?"
"Do you really?"
"Yes."
"Can you elaborate on that?" Rory asks, teasing smile on her face. He playfully rolls his eyes.
"To, you know, check how safe it is," he admits, and it earns him a besotted look. He then adds, "and it fuels my imagination, so I can think about you there while I'm over here waiting for you to come home."
"You old softy," her words are gentle though, not teasing, "I'm sorry, does it bother you how much I've been traveling for work? I mean, it's been a little less frequent than last year, but I know it's still a lot. I can turn more down, or I can switch roles for a while to something more local -"
Jess cuts her off with a kiss, "Don't change a damn thing. You're meant to be doing what you're doing. Of course I miss you, but Rory, I would miss you even if you worked in the room next to me. No way to avoid it."
She bites down her overjoyed grin, "You really are a hopeless romantic."
He huffs, "and you're a coffee snob."
"I am not!" she exclaims in defense, "You're right, I did have plenty of other options. They love their cafes in Croatia, and I enjoyed trying them! But…I don't know. I think Starbucks is like my connection to home. Even though I love my job and traveling, it's nice to have a place to go that reminds me of walking to get coffee with you on a Sunday morning before we go shopping or work in our office or read books all day."
"I get it, I was just joking," Jess takes her hand and kisses it, "it's warm out today, so I got you a cold brew."
"Thank you, and you still promise to never tell my mom I like cold coffee sometimes? She might disown me."
"I will never divulge your dirty secret. Promise."
"You're the best confidant. What time is it?"
"About seven."
She pouts, "In the morning?"
"The sun in my eyes would indicate that yes, I mean morning."
She groans, then takes in his post-workout appearance again. His skin glimmers in the sunlight, and the veins in his arms are sticking out more than usual - evidence of his heavy lifting. She runs a finger down one of them from his elbow to his wrist.
"Does it bother you that I sleep in while you go to the gym?"
"Not at all," a sweet, genuine smile appears on his face as he looks her over, "I love coming back and seeing you all snoozed up like this, all pretty and peaceful. You look like…a pillow princess."
She bursts into laughter, "Jess! Do you know what that means?"
He looks confused, "What do you mean?"
"Pillow princess is a sexual term. Where did you hear it?"
"Uh, my head?"
"Seriously?"
"Yes…I looked at you sleeping on the bed and thought you looked like a princess with all your pillows behind your head and between your legs. You're practically surrounded by them. Thus, pillow princess."
"That is…so adorable. But please only call me that in private, I don't want people thinking I don't reciprocate in bed or that I just lay there!"
"Is that what it means?" he asks in disbelief, "Then no, you are definitely not a pillow princess. You're very generous. Even with your little injury, you rode me like a machine yesterday."
She blushes, "I didn't know it was just a sprained ankle! It could have been something very serious."
"I know, baby," he nods in understanding, "those cobblestone streets had it out for you."
"Don't patronize me," she pouts, "it hurt really bad when I fell! And my ankle got so swollen. I was afraid it broke."
"I'm not patronizing you. I saw the picture, it looked very serious. I'm glad you came home early," he moves hair out of her face, "And I'm grateful that your next work trip is far away enough that you'll make it to the opening."
She smiles, "I know, that is totally the silver lining. You don't know how guilty I felt that I wasn't going to make it. What kind of girlfriend doesn't make the opening of her boyfriend's new book store?!"
"A very, very important one, in high demand at her job," he squeezes her hand, "come on, tiny Tim. Let's have coffee together."
He throws the covers off her and helps her out of bed.
"I'm going to let that comment slip if you promise me there's a delicious New York breakfast bagel waiting for me too."
"Extra cheese and hot sauce. From Frank on the corner," he confirms, and she can smell the everything bagel as they leave the bedroom. She cheers and haphazardly jogs to the kitchen.
"Be careful, Rory, jeez. You're going to turn that sprained ankle into something more serious," Jess chastises as he follows her into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry! It was calling my name, it wants to be in my belly!" she states as she unwraps her breakfast, "where's your food?"
"I had a protein shake after the gym. I'm good," he shrugs, leaning against the counter with his own coffee in hand.
"Gym, buying me breakfast, getting us coffee, and drinking a protein shake - all before seven in the morning?" she asks in shock between bites of food. He shrugs again.
"I was awake."
She places her bagel down and scrutinizes him.
"Jess…are you okay?"
His eyebrow raises, "More than okay. Why?"
"I don't know, you've never been a morning person before. But, ever since moving in together you seem to get up before me almost always when I'm home."
He sips his coffee again, then places it on the counter. He scratches the back of his head before crossing his arms over his chest.
In his silence she asks, "Do you not like me in your space in the morning? Is that why? It's okay if it is, I totally get it! You've lived alone for so long it must be weird sharing an apartment with someone else."
"No, not that at all," he promises, "it's just, now that we're together and we live together…I want to be able to spend the most time with you. Especially with you traveling so often."
She has to place a hand on her chest at the sweetness of his words.
"I catch up on sleep when you're not here. But when you're home…I don't want to waste any of your waking hours doing my own shit without you."
"Oh, Jess," she jumps to hug him tightly.
"Rory! I'm going to get you crutches if you don't start being more careful," he threatens, holding her slightly away from him by her hips, "I know I called your injury little, but I am worried about it."
"I'm sorry, I just love you so much."
The concern on his face morphs into a smile that he's attempting to hide.
"I love you too and would prefer to keep you all in one piece. Stop abusing your ankle."
She rolls her eyes and pulls away from him to go back to her breakfast.
"Okay, Luke."
Instead of laughing or smiling, he turns serious.
"Do you think I'm being overprotective?"
She looks at him quizzically.
He elaborates, "Sometimes your words make me think Luke is the only male figure that outwardly showed care for you in your life, and he's overprotective. Or is it just because me and him are related that he's the example?"
She swallows her bite of food hard, his words catching her by surprise.
"Well, you know what my relationship with my dad is like…" she shrugs.
"I do, you're right," he nods, then asks, "But what about, I don't know…your grandfather?"
"Of course my grandfather cared about me. So much. But I don't know, he wasn't as present in my life as Luke has been."
"Okay," Jess runs a hand through his hair, thinking over her words.
"Both of those are paternal figures though. What about other boyfriends? People that should choose to care about you."
She looks at him in confusion, "Jess, it was just a joke. You know, 'super protective Luke'."
"I know it was a joke," he uncrosses his arms and leans back on the counter to convey some casualness, "but that's sort of my point. You compare me caring about you to someone as overprotective as Luke. Caring about you is not being overprotective."
She tilts her head, thinking through his words.
"Dean was caring."
"Outside of his possessiveness? Meaning he showed he cared about you besides being territorial about his 'claim' to you?"
She gestures with her hand, like he's not making sense, "he literally built me a car."
"And you don't think that was a territorial thing? You riding around in a car that he made you himself so that when someone asks about it you would say 'my boyfriend Dean made it for me'? And didn't he break up with you rather coldly because you weren't ready to say I love you? That doesn't sound very caring to me."
"I'm so confused…what did I say wrong? I feel like we're sort of in an argument."
Jess shakes his head and steps up to her, placing his hands on her arms.
"We are definitely not in an argument. What about Logan? He care about you, worry about your safety, that sort of thing?"
She immediately thinks of him convincing her to jump, to live life to the fullest, which to him meant walking a fine line between life and death at times. She shrugs.
"He…cared about me having fun."
Jess nods, as though he expected that answer.
"What about when you decided to steal a yacht because his father hurt you by trying to ruin your self-esteem? Did he ask if anything was wrong? Why you wanted to do something so out of character?"
She bites her lip in thought.
"Well, he did say 'what the hell is wrong with you'. That's sort of an acknowledgment that I was acting weird."
Jess's eyebrow raises high.
She shrugs, "I don't know, Jess. He cared about me sometimes."
Jess sighs and runs his hands down her arms.
"I'm just trying to say, I care about you, Ror. I hope that you feel that, all the time. Not sometimes. And understand that it's something you deserve. It's not me trying to be like Luke, or any other over protective type."
She eyes him, her shoulders loosen under his hands, "That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you."
"Good. I just want to make sure you know."
She swallows, "I know."
He nods.
"Will you please take care of yourself then? For you and for me?"
She smiles gently and nods.
"As soon as I finish this delicious breakfast my boyfriend brought me, I'm going to elevate and ice my ankle on the couch."
He grins proudly and kisses her head, "Good. Want me to wait to shower with you?"
"You better!"
"You got it. What do you want to do with the rest of the day?"
"Can we go to the shop? Please? I'm dying to see it!"
He frowns and shakes his head, "No, not today."
"Why not?"
He runs a hand through his hair and puffs out a breath, "They're painting."
"Oh, that's so exciting! I want to see."
"You'll see it at the opening."
She pouts, "Why can't I see it now? A little paint fumes won't kill us."
"We have better things to do than watch paint dry."
"Like?"
"Watch movies while you rest your fragile ankle," he gives her a look that leaves no room for argument.
"Fine. I get to pick the movies?"
"As long as I get to pick the take out."
"Okay, but I'm really in the mood for some New York Pizza today. Just want to put that out there."
She gives him a big smile and bats her eyes. He shakes his head, but his perky smirk signals that he is going to acquiesce.
"Fine, pizza it is. But I get to choose the toppings."
"Of course! As long as you don't choose olives, I'm totally fine with that."
He sighs in faux exasperation, "You really don't understand the concept of fairness when it comes to choosing food or entertainment."
"Thank you," she giggles, "I learned it from my mom."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"Sounded like one to me!"
"Delusion is a girl's best friend."
"That and diamonds. And if you're really delusional, you can have all the diamonds you want!"
Jess can't stifle his laugh. He kisses her quickly.
"Fine little Lorelai, no olives."
After two days of doing almost nothing but resting, Rory's ankle feels better, and they decide to go out to dinner. She wears a denim skirt with a figure-fitting tank top and, much to her chagrin, sneakers. Jess argued with her until she threw the heels she wanted to wear back in her closet and traded them for converse, not wanting her to test her foot so soon. She doesn't tell him that even though she puts up a fight, his care for her would make her do just about anything. She's thought about the conversation they had the other day, and realizes that he may have been on to something that she never really considered. She has gone through life assuming the people that care about her are overprotective, because the care has been so lacking from relationships outside of her family. And she acknowledges that Lorelai has not been the best example of appreciating or accepting care, especially from the men she has dated. She loves that her mom is a role model of independence, but she realizes it has creeped into almost every part of her life. So, she lets Jess walk on the outside of the sidewalk closest to the road as they make their way to dinner. Then she lets him order for both of them at the restaurant, not allowing their waiter's wandering eyes to sit for even a second in the general direction of Rory's chest. She lets him hold her close to walk her home on the streets of New York, just in case she's had too much to drink, as he claims that she's a 'fall risk'; this of course earned him a severe eye roll.
They opt to get ice cream on their way home for dessert, and they sit in comfortable silence reading together as they eat it. Once Rory's cone is gone, she lies flat on the couch and puts her legs across Jess's lap. Without taking his eyes off his book, he grabs a pillow and sticks it under her legs, sneakily elevating her ankle. She chuckles to herself and continues to read while Jess soothingly rubs her legs between turning pages in his book. The feeling lulls her, and she feels her eyes droop and decides to close them for just a minute.
"Rory," his low voice gently wakes her sometime later. She opens her eyes to see them still in the same position, but Jess has put his book down. He has one hand still on her leg and the other is playing with her hair.
"I fell asleep."
"You did."
She puts her hand to her face and whispers, "Did I drool?"
A deep laugh escapes him that has the pillow under her legs shaking.
"No. Not today."
"Thank god. Not that I haven't already embarrassed myself enough with that."
"You mean the time I tried to put my head next to yours on your pillow and got the entire side of my face wet with saliva?"
"I would appreciate if you never bring that up again. It was because I took Benadryl before bed, I swear."
He smirks and nods.
"Okay. I suppose I can promise that. Especially on this special day."
She looks at him quizzically, she turns to the clock and sees it's after midnight. She sits up and says unsurely, "happy labor day weekend?"
Jess bursts into real laughter now, turning his head up to the ceiling and shaking.
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Rory," he calms himself and schools his entertained smile, "Happy anniversary."
She gasps, and for some reason looks all around the room for proof that he can't possibly be right.
"You're kidding? Right?'
He shakes his head.
"A year ago today, I brought you to see this apartment because I was so ready to be with you. And then, we started this part of our relationship. I consider that our anniversary. Don't you?"
She sits all the way up and moves to sit in his lap. She wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him.
"Yes! Definitely. My god, how did I forget?!"
He shrugs, "You travel the world, you work a lot. You're a superstar. It's okay."
"It is not okay! But I had it in my calendar I swear," she mumbles and grabs her phone from the crevice of the couch it fell into. She pulls it out and looks at her calendar. She sighs in frustration at herself.
"It's in here but on the wrong day! Oh Jess. I must have entered it while I was in a different time zone or something and it got screwed up? Or maybe I just clicked the wrong month, I do that sometimes with this stupid iPhone calendar!"
She tosses her phone on the rug in their living room. Jess bites back a laugh.
"It's seriously okay, Rory. Let it go, and let's celebrate."
"Okay. How do you want to celebrate? It's after midnight, so you must mean something dirty."
He chuckles and links his hands with hers, pulling her closer to him for a kiss.
"Yes, but later."
"Later?! How late are we staying up?"
"I guess we'll find out."
He kisses her once more, then pats her on the hip and says, "I have something to show you. Come on."
Guilt floods her at not having something for him, but she stands up anyway and holds his hand to help him up. He looks her up and down.
"I adore the mini skirt. But do you want to change? Might be a little chillier out now."
"Um, what? We're going somewhere?"
"Yes. Change or no?"
Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times.
"No. I'll just grab a cardigan," she responds slowly, walking towards the hallway closet and grabbing one. Once she's put it on, Jess holds his hand out to her, and she takes it.
Once again, she follows his lead down the streets of their New York City neighborhood. She wants to ask him so many questions, but she doesn't want to ruin whatever he has planned for her. She holds his arm tightly, trying to think of what she will possibly do to equalize this night. She looks up at him as they walk, adoring the calm and content of his face. The smile that he's trying to underplay. The perfect messiness of his hair, which looks like he's run his hand through it a hundred times today. She takes a deep breath, thinking to herself, this is my life. This is my boyfriend. How lucky am I?
Suddenly, she stumbles against him with a small cry. He stops dead in his tracks and turns to her.
"Rory, are you okay? What happened?" he looks her over for a sign. She bites her lip and admits shamefully, "I was staring at you. And I guess I tripped on the sidewalk."
"Is your foot okay? Your ankle?" he asks, kneeling down to the sidewalk to assess the damage. She winces slightly as he turns her foot.
"I'm fine."
He scoffs, "you are not."
"I am! See," she walks a few steps forward, putting most of her weight on one leg. He sighs and shakes his head.
"The good news is we're almost at our destination," he stands up, "the other good news for you is that I'll carry you home. That's not a problem right?"
She smiles and shakes her head.
"No problem at all for me!"
He laughs and nods, "Okay, here put your arm around my neck. I'll help you walk the last block."
She does as he says and leans as much of her weight on him as she can. He holds her tightly at the waist, lifting the right side of her body basically off the ground so she doesn't walk on it.
They come up on a familiar section of shops.
"We're going to the shop! I thought you said not until the opening?"
"I did. It's a nice surprise, right?"
She nods repeatedly as he unlocks the entrance to Truncheon II. He opens the door and helps her hobble through. She grins as she looks around the room, the bookshelves are full, and the walls are all painted a subtle but dark shade of gray. There is a painting hanging on the wall of the original Truncheon in Philadelphia, that one of their artists made for them.
"It looks so good Jess! But it doesn't smell like paint. And everything is on the shelves. How did they do all that so fast?" she rambles as he quietly leads her to a back room.
"They painted last week."
She looks at him, "What?"
"Painting has been done for a week. That's not what I was waiting for, sorry for lying. But here's what I was actually waiting for," he says, and he turns the light on in a room that Rory assumed was going to be Jess's office. But as light floods the space, she gasps and covers her mouth with her hand.
On the wall in front of her is a portrait of her grandfather. Underneath on a gold plaque, the words "Books from the library of Richard Gilmore: 1943-2015. Beloved husband, father, and grandfather. "Failing to fetch me at first, keep encouraged. Missing me one place, search another. I stop somewhere waiting for you." — Walt Whitman."
Her chest heaves with emotion as she slowly walks around the room admiring the collection. Jess stands at the room's entrance, surveying the end result as well as Rory's reactions. He moves towards her.
"Your grandmother gifted all of this to us. She said she wanted his books memorialized somewhere that would mean a lot to him and his family. I was…completely shaken. But I knew, or hoped, that it would be something you love."
She can't control her emotions anymore and she begins to sob against her hand. Jess gives her a sympathetic smile but waits for her to come to him. She runs her hands along the moveable glass that covers the shelves, deterring wandering customers from putting their hands on the sacred pieces of her grandfather's life. Finally, she spins on her good ankle and wraps her arms so tightly around Jess he has to gulp in air.
"I don't know what to say. This is…breathtaking."
He tightens his grip on her and kisses her head.
"It's open to you whenever you want to visit it. That's why it's here, Rory. For you and your mom. And Emily too."
She cries harder against his shoulder. It will be three years in November without him, and while she still can't believe he's gone, she imagines having this space to visit will help in some way.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. All I did was manage the setup. It was your grandmother's idea. When the contractors messaged me today to let me know it was all good and done, I thought it would be a nice surprise to show you tonight."
"I love it, Jess. Thank you so much for doing it. You could have used this space for anything, but you used it for this. Thank you."
He holds her face and wipes the tears under her eyes.
"He'll always be waiting here for you, Ror. This room will be locked, but you'll have a key. You can visit whenever you want."
She sniffles and looks at him with her watery blue eyes.
"Why locked?"
"I figured that's what you and your family would want. It's truly only for you, no one else."
Her lips twitch and she shakes her head.
"No. I want it to be open. I want anyone that visits the store to be able to see this. To get even a glimpse at the person my grandfather was. Please."
He stares into her eyes with a questioning look.
"Are you sure? These books are worth…a ton of money, Rory. They had to be appraised before your grandmother gave them to us. I would never forgive myself if something happened to any of them."
She looks around, reading again the message that was chosen for Richard's plaque.
"Who chose that quote?"
"I sent a few options to Emily, and she picked that one."
Her eyes are hot and wet again at his words. She chews on her cheek to try and keep from crying more.
"God, Jess. It's just beautiful. All of this is," she swallows and then turns to look at him again, "please leave it open. Let strangers get to know Richard Gilmore. Please."
He nods repeatedly, and again clears the wetness under her eyes before leaning in to kiss her.
"Okay. We'll leave it open."
She tightens her arms around him, placing her ear against his chest.
"I'm a terrible girlfriend."
He can't contain the chuckle that escapes him at the absurdity of her words. He pushes back to look at her face again.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because! This is so damn thoughtful. And I have nothing for you! I need a do-over. Can we have a second anniversary celebration this week? I will be prepared, I swear."
Jess bites his lip to try and calm the smirk that's growing on his face from her endless babbling.
"Relax, Rory. I don't want anything. And, again, this was pretty much all your grandmother. Even the shop. I didn't do that much, and even if I did, it's because I want to. Not because I expect something in return."
"I'm going to take you out to dinner, okay? The day after the opening. Wherever your heart desires. Please, pick the most expensive place you can think of. Really make me pay! Wouldn't you love a delicious tomahawk steak? Maybe some mashed potatoes made with the rarest truffles you can find in the world? A dessert with actual gold in it? Anything you want!" her tone escalates, and she adamantly grips his arms. He smothers her mouth with his to quiet her, hands gripped tight in her hair and tongue almost down her throat. She eventually relaxes against him, kissing him back with equal passion.
"All I want is for you to let me take you home and make love to you," he pants out as they break apart. Her eyes take in his dark pupils and his mouth, red and wet from their kissing. She gives him a coquettish grin and nods. But as she turns to leave, she's reminded of her annoying injury.
"Oh, but what about my ankle? I won't be able to do much but lay there."
His eyebrow raises in mischief, "Perfect, you can be my pillow princess after all."
...
Rory giggles in delight as Jess carries her bridal style up the stairs to their apartment. He may be strong, and he may exercise often, but the steps have him puffing out breaths.
"I can walk carefully up the stairs if you want to put me down, you know."
He shakes his head and mutters, "Nope, I got you just fine."
"Yes, you sound like you're just fine. Don't tire yourself out before we even make it to the bedroom!"
Jess grunts as they get to their floor, "You would think a building of condos this nice would have managed to add an elevator. No matter what I do at the gym, stairs never get easier."
Rory laughs as he unlocks and pushes in their front door to get inside. He leans back against the door to catch his breath, still holding Rory in his arms. Her arms wrap around his neck, and she smiles at him before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.
"Thank you for the ride, my knight in shining armor."
He smirks and looks down at her, "Ride's not over yet. Just taking a rest."
"Jess, you are huffing and puffing. I can walk myself to the bedroom just fine!"
He shakes his head, "Nope. I'm good. Strap in, this will be more of a gallop."
She squeals as he suddenly runs from the door to their bedroom, dropping her carefully on the mattress. He collapses on his back next to her.
"This has been a great anniversary so far," Rory states, turning on her side to face Jess. He takes his hand and skims it from her shoulder to her hip.
"Only going to get better," he kisses her lips, "I have a theory that there is no bra under that tank top, and I'm pretty excited to find out if I'm right or not."
She gasps as his words make her remember something, "Wait! I do have something for you. I'll be back."
"You got me a bra? How did you know my size?" Jess teases, watching her curiously as she maneuvers herself cautiously to her walk-in closet.
She rolls her eyes but leaves him with a mischievous looking grin as she closes the door to her closet, hiding herself inside. Jess sits up on the bed, pulling off items of his clothes while he patiently waits for whatever Rory is up to. Once he is down to only his black boxer briefs, he lays back with his hands resting behind his head.
"You okay in there?" he calls to Rory after minutes go by of hearing her fumble with something.
"I'm fine! Be right out," she yells back, "just fighting with something in here."
"Do you need a knight in shining armor again?" Jess jokes, but sits up on the bed, ready to help.
Suddenly the closet door swings open and she gives an emphatic, "Nope!"
Jess's face goes from amused to mesmerized, as Rory steps out in beautifully delicate looking lingerie. She grins under his gaze, but the blush blooming across her chest indicates that she feels a little uncertain. He stands up to go to her. She's all baby blue silk and lace, with fine floral details woven into the trim of her bra and cheeky underwear. A garter belt sits around her belly button, and he assumes this is what she was fumbling with as it isn't clasped to the matching thigh high tights she has on. The seductive outfit is completed with a short silky robe, which stops around her hips.
"Holy…" he mutters to himself as he walks in a circle around her, he takes an extra moment to admire the slope of her cheeks under the pretty lace, "you're fucking sensational, Rory."
She bites her lip, the side of her mouth lifts high on her face.
"I couldn't figure out the belt and stockings. The nice woman in Italy that I bought all this from showed me, but that was months ago, and I forgot."
Jess's eyes widen, he grips her hips, "Months? This has been under our roof for months? Wow, what did I do to deserve the chance to finally see it?"
"Well, it's been under our roof for one month only - it came home with me in August. Remember I had a long layover in Italy in June? This is what I did with that time. Shopped!"
"Time, and money, well spent," Jess mumbles as his eyes drink her in.
She grins happily, "And it's not about deserving it. It's more that I didn't feel confident enough to wear it…but I'm glad I waited because it's a pleasant surprise for our anniversary, right?"
"Fucking yes Rory," he replies earnestly, he brings his hands to her face and holds them there as he kisses her hard, "this is a phenomenal surprise. I don't even know where to start, I am so excited to take all of these pieces off of your beautiful body."
"So, you like it?"
"Like it?" Jess laughs incredulously, "I'm wild about it. I love the color, the feel, the way the curves of your hips and your ass look in it. I love the stockings, all of it is just…"
He stops his praise, to lift her up once more, "Let me just show you."
"Try not to rip anything! This was a little expensive."
Rory pleads, but the untamable smile on her face is proof that she's excited about whatever is in store for her.
He drops her on the bed once again, but this time he stays kneeling at its edge.
"I'll be careful," he promises, placing his hands on her thighs then slowly gliding them up and down the pretty blue mesh of her stockings, "these are lovely, but I'm going to take them off."
He warns her, but she just bites her lip and nods. He places his fingers ever so gently under the elastic band and pulls it down her left leg. He takes her now bare foot in his hand and grins at the pink polish on her toes.
"Adorable," he kisses the top of her foot, "I love this foot," his mouth moves to her ankle and kisses up her leg, "I love this ankle. I love this leg. I love this knee. I love this thigh."
He stops there with a rough kiss, biting gently at her flesh. She breaks out in goosebumps all over.
She asks, her voice low and full of desire, "what are you doing?"
He places his fingers under the stocking of her right leg, and replies easily, "making love to you."
Her heart thumps and her big blue eyes watch him pull the dainty fabric down her leg.
"No one has ever said that to me before, but I always imagined it would involve actual sex."
She teases, but Jess looks up and sees the marvel in her eyes. He smirks.
"It will, don't worry. Just relax," his fingers ghost over her injured ankle, "let me take care of you. Let me show you how much I love you."
He watches her melt before his eyes and nod. She relaxes back on the bed, laying down flat. He looks over her as her gently rubs her foot, admiring the peaks of her hips and her chest, and the valley at her waist and between her legs. Her arms lay flat on the bed, but he sees her gripping the blanket in anticipation.
"Hey," he whispers, and she tilts her head down to look at him. Her beauty, her trust in him, the look on her face - it all strikes him momentarily silent. Her eyebrow raises.
"Put a pillow under your head and watch, princess."
She sucks in a breath at his demand, but quickly does as he says. Sitting slightly up, she rests her hands on her stomach. He pulls them off and pins them to the mattress.
"Don't cover anything up. I need to see every of inch of you."
Rory tugs at the blankets and squeezes her thighs together, his words sending an electric surge through her. Satisfied with her compliance, he moves back down her leg and repeats the same ritual as before.
"I love this foot," he kisses near her toes, "I love this ankle extra because I know it needs extra love right now," he places multiple kisses there, and then continues his journey up her leg, "I love this leg. I love this knee. I love this thigh."
He moves himself to sit between her bent legs on the bed. His fingers graze the lacy lines of her underwear, and he leans down and plants a kiss against the silk of it.
He leaves his mouth there and mumbles against her, "you know how I feel about this, but I'm going to come back to it."
He kisses there again, and then moves up her body. Her legs squeeze against his hips, twitchy with excitement.
"I love this stomach," he smooths his hand over it, rough fingers scratching against velvety skin, then leans down to press his lips right below her belly button. The scruff on his face tickles and causes her to wriggle under him. He looks up at her with an apologetic smile.
She smiles back, "I love your stomach too. It's much harder than mine. Fun to touch."
He laughs, finding her confession adorable.
"Thank you. I'm glad yours isn't hard, I like to rest my head here sometimes," he winks at her, patting her where her belly meets her pelvis. She feels hot all over as he inches more up her body, tracing and kissing each of her breasts.
"I love these. So much," his voice drips with desire, and she can tell that he's getting impatient with his own game. He can't help himself and pulls one of the cups down, and it puts a catlike smile on her face.
"I love this. So pretty and pink," he murmurs as he traces her nipple with his tongue.
She groans, "Jess. You're teasing me."
He takes a soft bite before pulling away completely, and she shivers as the air hits her now wet skin.
"Sorry, almost there," he apologizes, then situates himself until his face is hovering above hers. He inhales, and smiles tenderly down at her, before starting the same ritual on her face, "I love these eyes," he kisses her on each eyelid, "I love this adorable nose, these cheeks. I love your chin. I love this ear, and this one."
Rory squirms beneath him, enjoying his sweet words and actions, but desperately needing more. Just as she starts to whine his name, he captures her lips, ever so gently at first. Then, he adjusts his mouth to give her a consuming kiss. She hums into him, grinding her hips up into his erection. She pushes to feel more of it against her throbbing center, but a pang of pain causes her to whimper and drop her hips down. Jess pulls away immediately.
"I'm okay, just pushed on my foot a little too hard. I'm fine," she promises, trying to pull him back to her.
"Baby…be careful. I told you to relax and let me take care of you."
She groans, "I know, but I feel like I'm on fire. I need more."
He smiles and inches back down her, pushing her right leg down so it rests safely on the bed. His body sits between her thighs, his hands grasp the silky elastic at her hips.
"I love these panties. So soft and pretty, just like you."
She glows under his compliments, body practically shaking with desire.
"Please Jess."
He pulls them down her legs, momentarily stepping away to take them off. She whimpers in his absence, but he's back between her legs quickly, his own desire begging him to move faster. He leans down, mouth grazing her skin.
"I love these hips. They fit so perfectly in my hands, you know," he exemplifies this for her, gripping them hard.
"I know," she mumbles her response.
"And they frame a most beloved part of your body," he murmurs against her skin, moving his mouth down with a trail of kisses to her center.
"I love this," he kisses the lips between her legs, drags his tongue down the middle, "it's beautiful, and delicious. Warm and inviting."
He punctuates each word with a kiss or a swipe of his tongue, earning soft cries from Rory.
"And so responsive, like it was made for me," he mumbles, mouth cupped over her. She moans deeply.
"It's all yours. Please, Jess," she begs, hips lifting off the bed. He pushes back down on her hips, but he doesn't make her wait longer as he sinks his face into her more. The movements of his lips are tender and enticingly gentle. He is showing her his love, and his care for her with every sweet lick and every hot, slow kiss. His soft attentiveness has her heart racing, hums of pleasure flow from her. He presses gentle fingers inside her, slowly petting as his tongue laps her into oblivion. His name rings out from her lips in a pleasurable melody all around him. He can't wait to be inside the woman he loves any longer, and so her grabs her by her trembling hips and slips inside; slow but deep. She looks up at him with love in her eyes, her chest rising as she catches her breath. He's deep inside, though not moving, just enjoying the feeling of her all around him. She lifts her hands to hold his face.
"Come closer so I can kiss you."
He obliges with a sweet smile, leaning down until his arms frame her face. Her hands hold his cheeks, fingers dancing in his hair. She kisses him with every ounce of passion in her body, trying to convey her amount of love for him. He hums appreciatively against her lips. Then rhythmically makes love to her through the night until they're both spent. They fall asleep late, to the point where Jess has been awake for twenty hours straight. But he got to spend almost every minute living Rory's life with her, and that makes it worth it to him. Because he knows it won't be long until she's on the road again, and these memories will have to sustain him.