A/N: If you liked Hide & Seek, this is pretty much the same deal. Except...better. Suliet, PWP, fluffy smut. Thanks for taking a peek, I'll try to finish my in-progress fics now. :)

Summary: It gets lonely in Dharmaville. James and Juliet need each other very badly. James finally decides to do something about it, and his timing could not be better.

Rated M for sexual situations and salty language. hooray!

Good Timing

James couldn't sleep. Keeping up appearances with Horace and the rest of the Initiative, teaching Jin enough English to get by when he was on his own, making sure none of them let anything slip - all of that was in addition to his job as security detail for these scientific hippie weirdos. There were more false alarms with the pylons each day than there were actual threats on the island. Some days that was all he did; drive back and forth between the stations to report exactly what kind of animal had wandered through their invisible fence.

"Small price to pay for all this freedom…" he muttered. At least he had a bed to crawl into every night. Except the bed was where he had time to think about the worst part of all of this. His full time job was keeping their cover intact; he considered himself an expert in that arena, and he had three protégés under his wing, needing his protection just like the Initiative needed protection from the rest of the island. Since he actually had something to care about, something to occupy him and keep his couldn't-give-less-of-a-shit attitude in check, he had no time for romance. No time for sex.

It would be too much work. There would be consequences. He couldn't have complications. These were the excuses of an aging Casanova who'd decided to settle into a life of driving old buses through mud all day just so he could stop running. The truth was that he was saving himself for an unattainable reward, and the unending wait was killing him.

James couldn't sleep. He was horny as hell and, against his better judgment, he was going to do something about it.

Juliet couldn't sleep either. James knew this because he lived next door to her, and their living room windows looked in on one another. She left her curtains open on that side of the house. He'd spied her in there late one night, with the light still on at midnight, curled up on the couch with an old, beat up book. He'd teased her about it the next day, and she hadn't closed the curtains since. He didn't even have a curtain on the corresponding window in his house. They liked to keep an eye on each other. It was comforting to know they were there. If the lights were off, they each knew the other was asleep. If the lights were on, they would know they weren't alone with their insomnia.

Juliet was used to spending time alone in a house like this. The lack of romance was a dull ache in the deepest part of her, but she knew it was safer to avoid human connections in a place like this. When she felt the urge, she went to bed and took care of herself. It was safer, quicker, easier and neater. It passed the time. All that extra time she had. Safe...and alone.

Juliet couldn't sleep. The book in her hands was a lurid romance novel and James' timing was not just going to be good, it was going to be fucking perfect.

James was drunk with his need to be inside her. It made him act without thinking. He was too tired, too desperate for something other than his own right hand. He usually allowed himself a filthy fantasy, something to get the job done quick, but that wasn't going to be enough. She'd been on his mind all damn day, burning his thoughts like a fever. Her coveralls hid her curves during the day but he still knew they were under there, waiting for hands to touch and squeeze them. Her face, her control over the many subtle facial expressions he'd learned to read…he wanted to watch her lose all control until her pretty features twisted in ultimate pleasure and she had to shout something dirty to make her unending series of orgasms stop. He'd reached his breaking point and he knew that the worst thing that could happen was for her to turn him down and make things awkward for a little while.

Juliet was engrossed in the book she was reading. The plot was ridiculous, but the important parts were effective. It really helped to imagine James as the male lead. She bit her lip, and she kept curling her toes subconsciously. "Wow…" she'd mutter. Her heart rate was up and she was a few moments away from taking this surprising little gem with her into the bedroom. It was no wonder the pages were worn; the Initiative's library got all of their books heavily used, and this was a heavily usable book.

The sudden, loud knock on her front door nearly gave her a heart attack. Juliet put a hand to her chest and laughed as she felt color bloom in her cheeks. She hoped this late night visit was nothing important and she'd be able to get back to the book quickly. She was tired from fixing trucks all day and if the mood left her she'd probably fall asleep before she could get the job done. She got a little dizzy standing up, and she realized belatedly, as the door was opening, that when she'd glanced out her window and looked into James' house, the light had been on but she did not spot him anywhere in his living room.

The breezes were always hot, even at night. There was no reason for Juliet's nipples to harden except at the sight of James standing on her doorstep. After a good half hour of fantasizing about an idealized version of him, the real thing measured up very well. He was leaning close, pressed up against the door jamb like he was ready to come in already.

He couldn't stop his hungry eyes from devouring all he could see of her body. She was back-lit in the half open entrance to her house, but there was enough ambient light from the courtyard to make the front of her body visible. Tank top and cotton shorts. There were the curves he dreamt of during the hot days.

"Did you need something?" Juliet asked even though she didn't trust her own voice to work. She could smell his soap, he'd obviously showered after work just like she had.

Do I need something? Jesus fuck, your tits are gonna split that top open before I have a chance to rip it off you and am I really seeing this? Are her nipples hard? She looks like she's been tied up and teased, I might just get what I need after all-

"I saw your light on." he said in a gruff voice. His mind wouldn't stop buzzing.

"Trouble sleeping -?"

"Every day I try to imagine what you look like when you come. I think it's reached the point where I gotta know first hand. If that's alright with you."

His words pushed into her like a first thrust. Mind: fucked. Body to follow.

I could pull you out of that house and fuck you on the courtyard lawn if you say yes right now, I had no idea what your reaction would be before I came over here but I can tell that turned you on just hearing me say it -

After the brief, initial moment of shock and disbelief, the words were processed, and Juliet's lust-addled brain translated his request into a more intense feeling: the inescapable and absolute need to fuck James Ford.

Come in here and rip my panties off, make me come and then you'll see exactly what it looks like-

"I can show you." Juliet heard herself saying, from some part of her brain that still held control of motor functions and speech.

It was easy to get him inside. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled. She barely got the door closed, he pushed her over to the couch so fast. They tumbled onto it together, a tangle of limbs and a storm of kisses, Juliet already sighing like he was inside of her.

She struggled to peel her clothes off, with his hands pawing at every inch of her. Only her shorts and underwear came off, useless and tossed aside. She stared down at his crotch as he fumbled with his jeans, barely breathing. Her mouth hung open at the sight of him, freed from the confines of his pants, ready to impale her.

"You ready?" James asked, showing the smallest amount of decency in the most urgent of moments. To Juliet, whose most recent experiences had fallen quite short of romantic, it seemed downright chivalrous.

"Yes," she said, with an emphatic nod. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not. It couldn't have been more than twenty seconds since she'd pulled him into the house, but it was all she'd been thinking about - all either of them had been daydreaming about - for what felt like ages. James only hesitated for a moment. If he saw any doubt in her expression, he didn't let it bother him. He shoved himself inside of her, filling her to the point of stretching, and she liked it. She loved it. It made her shout, sucking in shallow breaths that trembled on the way out.

"Sweet fuckin' jesus…" he mumbled. Warm, his body told him. She was so warm. And soft.

fuckfuckfuck, his brain said to his body, and with barely a conscious thought, his body obeyed.

Wet, he realized, feeling an ease of movement even with the tightness. She'd been very ready. She'd been needing some as badly as he'd been needing it. Realization of how fucking hot this encounter was turning out to be went through him when he saw her reach down between their bodies.

She couldn't remember ever having it like this. Pure sex, his cock driving into her like a piston. She'd been fucked before, but not in a way that made her feel like orgasm was so attainable, so fast. The urge to touch herself was as primal as the one that told James to thrust his hips. Her fingertips intensified everything they were doing. She began to cry out in her own rhythm, and her hips levitated as her back arched.

Finally, James saw it. Complete abandon, no control of her features. They were in the moments before all her tension was going to be released, and she looked like she couldn't believe it was about to happen, so hard, and so quickly. He took part in her glimpse of heaven. He watched her face scrunch up, her body shudder. Pure sex, no thinking, just an experience between the two of them. He wasn't far behind her. Not that he would have been able to stop and let her catch up if she hadn't finished first. Her loud moans continued to fill his ears, and she clawed at his lower back.

James shouted, unable to recall a time he had not been in control of his own body. He'd lost control the second Juliet pulled him into her living room. She called out, surprised, when she felt him come inside of her. Then there was a moaning sigh - lingering pleasure, and great relief as he slowed. His own breath was ragged as he lowered his body onto hers. He had to rest his head. It sunk down onto the cushion beside her face. Juliet gasped when his hips thrust one last time, sudden and forceful, giving her the rest of all that he had. He grunted, control slowly returning. She felt hers come back as well, while she stared at the ceiling and caught her breath.

They laid together quietly, for longer than it had taken them both to climax. Neither was sure what to say to the other, and it felt nice to be wrapped in all four of her limbs, to be covered by his body. James waited until the pounding of his heart calmed back to a normal pace. He was afraid to speak until he felt back to normal. Juliet glanced at him, afraid to move and ruin the moment. They were definitely having a moment.

"I needed that."

The depth of his voice so close to her ear gave her a mental shiver. This was way better than the book.

"Thank you." he said. He lifted himself up, and he wasn't inside her anymore. The lack of extra body heat was a relief, the nights being so warm. But she felt empty, and he seemed suddenly unsure of himself. He reached for her shorts, which were somewhere on the floor.

"Didn't sound too bad for you either." he joked, since she hadn't said anything yet. Juliet smiled softly. He placed the little bundle of clothes he'd found on the floor between her legs, covering her in a strangely polite way. She reached for them, and their hands brushed. James looked into her eyes and found her gazing back at him.

Leave it to us to have a completely backwards relationship. Settle down first, have wild sex second, experience a romantic locking of the eyes third…

Juliet's gaze flicked down to his mouth. With her free hand she reached up to cradle his face, and she lifted her head slowly to press her lips against his. He kissed back, lowering his head and pressing her back into the couch cushion. Their hands left Juliet's shorts - James' hips held them in place - and they touched each other gently while they made out. After a few minutes, James rested his forehead against hers. Then he lifted his head so he could look at her. It was hard to believe after all this time and dancing around each other that they'd actually done it. His plan, or lack thereof, had worked.

"I needed that too." Juliet confessed. She watched a soft smile spread across James' face. He seemed…entranced.

"Which part?" he asked. He'd fucked her pretty hard, he figured she would have appreciated a little romance - a proper kiss, at the very least - beforehand.

Juliet's smile widened. "I needed the first part."

James grinned, and damned if she didn't go all fuzzy inside at the sight of his dimples. Her hand stroked the side of his face. "This is nice too." she said. She saw the entranced look return, a softness and a warmth in the eyes. She tilted her head and kissed him, long and slow.

James stroked her thigh, caressing her from knee to naked waist. When the kiss ended he looked down where he was touching. She really had a great body. Those damned Dharma Initiative coveralls…at least he'd been able to see some cleavage when she was still an Other. Mmm, cleavage. he thought, eyes traveling to the nearest supply. He buried his face between her breasts, which were still covered by the tank top and softer than his pillow. Juliet smiled and hugged his neck, happy to feed his hunger.

"My leg is falling asleep," she murmured reluctantly. With a grunt, James shifted his body toward the back of the couch and let her rearrange herself. She took the opportunity to disentangle her underwear from her shorts and slip them back on. Meanwhile, James propped himself on his side and looked over at the coffee table, curious to see what she'd been reading before he knocked on her door. When he saw the title and author, his eyebrows rose. She rolled her eyes preemptively, and yet her smile was one of slight embarrassment.

"Ohhh," he said, greatly amused, as he turned to see her reaction. "So that's why you were so eager to let me in."

Juliet shook her head. He was just too happy to have the upper hand.

"You really did need this as much as I did…" he said teasingly.

"Are you going to make fun of me all night," she asked. "Or are you going to take me to bed?"

James' teasing smile faltered. In a distant corner of his mind he heard the crack of a whip. The weirdest part was that he welcomed it. For a while now he'd been on his knees, begging a higher power for this. For Juliet to open up to him.

Juliet could see him struggling with something. She knew him too well. It melted her when he was being honest with his eyes.

"Will you stay?" she asked, a little softer this time. James seemed to relax, and he reached up to brush a loose strand of hair from her face.

"You as lonely as I am, Blondie?"

She smiled. It was a sight for James that would soon become the very definition of love.

"Not anymore." she said.