Next to her, she could hear Luke still sleeping, his breathing steady and calm. Thank goodness he was finally getting some rest. This weekend had been painful and strange. She herself had felt somewhat uncomfortable spending the night under the same roof as her daughter and Logan, but then again, Rory was over twenty-one and an adult woman. Luke probably was out of his mind, she chuckled.
Yes, the weekend had certainly been bizarre. Take the necklace, for example. Logan must have used some pretty persuasive logic on Luke to get him to sneak away to a jewelry store. She giggled to herself; she simply could not imagine Luke and Logan shopping together for bling. There had to be more to that story. Sometime later, she'd have to compare notes with Rory.
But this morning, she was feeling pretty damn good. For one, she'd been able to unburden herself to Luke. Fingering the necklace, she'd let him know that she needed to hear him say that he loved her every now and then, and that she was afraid he didn't want to marry her. After sharing a heartfelt kiss, they spent a few moments exchanging sweet nothings, sitting on the bed together and watching the fire.
She had been waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop all weekend...ever since they'd started the drive to the Vineyard and she'd noticed that his attitude wasn't improving. But last night, just the way he was holding her hand in bed, and the sincere depth of his emotion as he once again re-stated his love for her, made her heart skip a beat and the tears well in her eyes. Only he could have this effect on her, she admitted to herself. This man invoked a huge emotional response in her that on many levels was far more intense than the high she got from a new pair of Manolos.
With her employees and with Paul Anka, with her friends and the townspeople, she knew what to do; she just trusted her instincts at all times. With Rory and Luke, she added her heart to the mix. Or rather, it used to be that way with Luke. Now, she was just trying to do the right thing. The big Right Thing. Easier said than done, she wryly considered. Instinctively, she knew that this whole situation had to be about Luke and April, and not about he own needs. But it hurt so damn much, especially since the one thing she could always count on, her Luke, she was no longer sure about.
Ever since April, her instincts had been at war with her heart. There was nothing she could do about the situation. April was now part of Luke's life. That woman--April's mother--had committed an unforgivable wrong and hurt Luke. And now there were thousands of ways she could hurt him as a result of this situation. It was a no-win situation, it seemed, but she loved him enough to take the pain upon herself for now.
Lorelai sighed and with Luke still sleeping, allowed herself to reminisce about the night before.
-----
After their little talk, Luke planted a soft kiss on her cheek and went over to the fireplace to take care of it for the night. Lorelai watched him, and when he turned back to the bed, Luke suddenly seemed to notice her attire. A few weeks earlier, she and Luke had spent an amazing night during which he'd learned to appreciate the finer points of lingerie. When she packed for this weekend, she included a couple of items she'd bought in anticipation of a honeymoon. Now that the wedding was postponed, she might as well wear them, she thought.
But the first night had been cold and Luke was in a mood. Tonight though, she decided the hell with it. And maybe it might help Luke's mood as well. She'd wear the skimpy emerald green nightie, and if she got cold, she'd simply cuddle up even closer to Luke.
But right now, Luke was standing next to her, staring. She felt his eyes all over her, and her body reacted, a warm flush traveling from her head to her toes. She looked up at him.
I should tell him that I love him too, she thought.
Holding his gaze with hers, she followed through with "Luke, you know that I love you too…"
"Yeah," he responded, coming to her side and sitting next to her. Taking her hand, he pressed it to his lips and began kissing his way up her arm. "You look beautiful tonight…"
"Just tonight?" Lorelai quipped in return.
Luke smiled back at her. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you. I thought I was lucky before, but you've been so great, giving me time and space with April…"
"I love you, Luke," Lorelai stated, "and that's what people who love do…"
Although Luke found it difficult to say, he knew how lucky he was. Until tonight, it hadn't even occurred to him that she had any doubts about his wanting to marry her. Of all the men in the world, she'd asked him to be with her. She'd chosen him to be the one to hold her, to remove her clothing, to explore her body, to kiss her, to show her how beautiful she was by stroking every part of her body…to make love to her. And she wanted only him, and no one else. Ever. Most incredibly of all, she'd told him that she wanted his children.
Kids would be good. He'd just never dreamed it would be this way, by a hair pulled.
Tonight she'd told him how she felt. Tonight, he would show her how he felt.
As if reading minds, they slowly joined again in a kiss. This time though, Luke leaned his body into hers and kissed her with an intensity he hoped would show her just how much he loved her. He pressed his body even closer against hers, pushing her against the headboard. Was she whispering his name? He couldn't be sure, because suddenly the obnoxious noise of the waves outside their window was overwhelmed by the pounding of the blood in his ears.
Slowly, they broke their kiss and Luke once again whispered to her that she was beautiful. He reached up to cradle her face in one hand, and with the other, gently traced the line of her jaw, not breaking eye contact. His lips spontaneously decided that they needed to kiss a wet trail down the column of her neck and along the curve of her collarbone.
And then suddenly, he stopped.
"You worried about the kids?" she murmured.
"Yeah," Luke answered. "You sure the walls are soundproof?"
She turned to face him, cheeks flushed, lips rosy, eyes shining with desire. "They're on the other side of the house, for God sake…"
That was all the assurance he needed. With his beautiful Lorelai still somehow wanting to love him, he had only one purpose. Slowly, he gently placed one hand at the base of her neck, and with the other, trailed across her chest to cup one breast through the emerald silkiness she was wearing. She rewarded him with a ragged breath as his fingers circled, finding her nipple already hard. Gently, he pinched, causing her to breathily sigh his name.
"Yes?" he responded.
She could only whimper.
Slowly, his other hand trailed the length of her nightie, quickly reaching her thigh.
Somehow, the next thing he knew, she was on top of him, straddling his waist, her hips moving above him. With one swift movement, he pushed her nightie up around her waist.
TBC…