Disclaimer: Really, really not mine, no matter how much I would like them to be.

Author's Note: This was written for MrsWiggleMunch/NicoleMack as a part of the Spring 2005 Lukesmut Ficathon. If I hadn't been so inspired by her scenario, I never would have let JeSouhaite talk me into writing smut. Thanks to both JeS and CineFille for their fabulous beta work.

He's not quite sure how it happened. He's kissing Lorelai. He's kissing Lorelai and she's not running away. In fact, she's right here kissing him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. He thinks maybe he should pinch himself to be sure he isn't dreaming, but that would require stopping and that is simply not an option right now.

They had been sitting there, behind the counter, looking at the words his father had written. Knowing how attached he is to this place and about the connection he had to his father, she said they shouldn't spruce that particular spot. And there it was: she got him. She was sitting in front of him, on the floor behind the counter in the dimly lit diner, looking beautiful, and she understood him. His only thought was that he wanted to kiss her, and somehow his body overcame the hesitation that he usually felt about all things Lorelai. He leaned in and kissed her, softly, briefly.

Luke pulled back, a little shocked at what he had done, waiting for and fearing her reaction.

She must have read the surprise in his face because her response was a soft question. "Luke…did you mean to do that?"

He was mystified by the question, but then nodded slowly.

The corners of her mouth turned up in a tiny smile. "Good," she said softly.

"Good?" His voice was tentative.

She nodded and before she could say anything else his hands were holding her face and he was kissing her again.

Which is how they had gotten here, his hands having slipped down to her waist to pull her closer and her arms wrapped around his neck. His lips on hers, which slowly part to allow him in. She tastes of the beer they had been drinking and more. Time stands still for a moment while they explore each other. His hands press against her back, feeling the warmth of her through her shirt, the one that hugs so tightly to her curves. She arches into his body and he takes the opportunity to trail kisses across her jaw and down her throat. She seems to like that, the attention to her neck and throat. He continues down her neck, pulling aside her shirt to kiss along her shoulder.

He trails back to her mouth and holds her to him, fingers kneading her back, his thumbs brushing her breasts. She is close enough to him that he can feel her nipples react through their shirts, can feel her arching closer.

Emboldened by her reaction, he reaches for the hem of her shirt, loosening it from her jeans, slipping his fingers underneath and spreading them across her belly. This time she gasps and he freezes, wondering if he's gone too far.

"Luke…" she breathes into his lips, "Don't stop."

His hand creeps upward as his other hand dips under the back of her shirt and holds her firmly, his thumb brushing back and forth against her skin. When he reaches to cup her breast and softly caress it, she rewards him with a soft moan. He loves that she is moaning for him and all he can think is that he wants to hear it again. She leans her head back to expose her neck and taking the cue, Luke kisses a meandering path down to the base of her throat while brushing his thumb across the lace of her bra. As his lips approach the top of her shirt, Lorelai pulls back and, crossing her arms in front of her, lifts her shirt over her head. As she lets the fabric drop from her fingers, she looks up to meet his eyes.

Luke grazes his finger slowly along her jaw line and down her throat. She holds his gaze while reaching behind to remove her bra. He stills, momentarily lost in the symbolism of the moment. Of her baring herself to him. It makes this feel less a folly, less something that is happening only in his mind.

"Luke?" she says, her voice soft, questioning, as her bra slips off.

"Lorelai." He can hear the awe in his voice and wonders briefly if he is drooling.

He continues tracing his fingers downward and around her breast, slowly, reverently, teasing her nipple with his thumb, feeling it harden, and she moans softly. He brings his other hand up to repeat the motion with her other breast as she arches toward his hands, and pulls herself into his lap. Her fingers stroke the back of his neck and tangle in his hair, flipping his hat to the floor.

He dips his head to press kisses down her throat, stopping briefly at that spot she seems to like before continuing down to her breasts. He takes one nipple into his mouth and alternately sucks and licks and nips at it, continuing to run his fingers over her other breast. She moans again and begins to tug at his flannel, trying to pull it off his shoulders. He reluctantly lets go of her for a moment to allow the flannel to fall to the floor. Lorelai takes the opportunity to run her hands across his chest and trail her fingernails down his back. She pulls his t-shirt from his jeans and wastes no time pulling it over his head and tossing it away.

Before he can return his attention to her, she pulls him back to her mouth, and presses herself into his chest. The feel of her crushed against him is intoxicating and he runs his fingers up and down her spine, marveling in the softness of her skin. She grinds her hips into his and he hears himself moan, feeling his arousal becoming more obvious. She continues her movements, and he realizes that he's starting to lose brain function. Her fingers slide up and down his back, eventually slipping inside the waistband of his pants and working their way around to the front of his jeans. When she starts fiddling with the button, he is pulled back into reality.

"Lorelai, we can't do this," he says breathlessly.

"What? You kissed me."

"I didn't mean that. I meant…we're in the diner."

"Yeah."

"We're about to…you know…in the diner."

"Have sex in the diner? You know what they say, if you're not adult enough to say it…" Her words are playful, teasing.

"Lorelai, this just isn't right."

"Way to kill a girl's ego," she pouts, and he wonders if she is truly hurt, or teasing him again.

"No, I meant here, it's not right to do it here."

"Well then, you better take me somewhere else soon, before my mind talks me out of this."

As soon as he hears the words, he realizes that he's been expecting her to find a reason to stop this, and though it kills him to say it, he does, "If that's where your mind is going, maybe you should let it."

In his words she can hear him backing away. She can hear the indecision in his voice, just like when he had almost asked her out a couple of weeks ago. Knowing he hadn't had a chance the night of the poker game, she had given him the perfect opening a couple of days later. He had started to ask, and then seemed to think better of it. Just like he was doing now, though now the rejection stung more sharply.

"I guess we're not on the same page here. If you didn't want this, you could have stopped at any time." She picks up her shirt and bra and starts fumbling to put them on, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment at the thought that she has misjudged the situation.

Luke reaches for her arm and grasps her wrist gently, "Lorelai, wait. What do you mean,

'If I didn't want this?' What about you? You're the one whose mind is trying to talk you out of it."

"Not because I don't want to."

"Then why?" he looked honestly confused.

"It's just not standard practice for me to get naked with diner owners behind the counter…even if I am attracted to them."

"Attracted…to me?"

His look is almost incredulous, and she answers impatiently, "Yes Luke. You think I'd take my shirt off if I thought you were repulsive?" She watches him swallow nervously and continues more softly, "What did you think this was about?"

"I just thought that maybe the stars were particularly well aligned today." She's not sure how to interpret this. It sounds as if he wants her, wants to be with her, but she's not sure to what end. Though she's had her share of short-lived sexual relationships with attractive men, she knows that what is happening here is about more than sex – at least it is for her.

She finds herself saying, "So you do want this?" gesturing between them. She thinks she could have stated it better, in a way that would have given her a more concrete answer, but words seem to be failing her.

"Yes," he says clearly, "but-" His protest is lost in her kiss as she gives into the hope that for him 'this' means more than a one-time fling. Her hands reach around his neck, and stroke down his back.

"Wait Lorelai. We're still in the diner."

"Yeah, so…what're you going to do about that?"

He eases her out of his lap and gathers up their discarded clothing before standing and pulling her to her feet. With his hand resting gently on her shoulder, he leads her through the curtain and up the stairs to his apartment.

Somewhere near the top of the stairs, in the middle of an impatient kiss, it occurs to Lorelai that she has never been in Luke's apartment. He's managed to keep that part of his life totally private. "So, I finally get to see your bachelor pad. You've been in my house lots of times…fixing things…and stuff," her babbling is tumbling out around his kisses. "I just never realized that…I've never seen where you live."

"Not much to see," he mumbles into her lips, as he pulls her toward the door.

She can't explain why it matters that she's never been here. Maybe it's that she has this picture in her mind of who Luke is, and she doesn't want to find something here that changes that picture. She pulls back for a moment to look at him, to study his expression.

"Lorelai?" he asks, "Are you okay?" He brushes a strand of hair away from her face and tucks it behind her ear. The look he gives her is gentle and caring and she knows that one way or another she trusts him, and for now that is enough. He's looking at her expectantly and she realizes that she hasn't answered him. She nods and gives him a reassuring kiss.

As Luke opens the door to the apartment, Lorelai breaks the kiss and says brightly, "It's Luke's secret hide-a-way. I need to check it out." He tries to protest that there's nothing to see, pulling her toward him for another kiss, but she breaks away again and looks around. The only surprise in his apartment is that he appears to be just as much of a hermit as she has always assumed he was, right down to the single bed. The apartment is small and spare and she can almost hear him saying that he's got everything that he needs, why would he need more space? But she also knows that Luke is here because of the connection to his dad, and to his family. She finds herself drawn to his trophies, curious how they fit into his life.

She hears him come up behind her and feels his hands rest lightly on her shoulders. His thumbs find their way under the curtain of her hair to stroke her neck and she sighs softly. He pulls her hair aside and brings his lips to her earlobe, teasing it before running wet kisses down her throat and across her shoulder. His gentle touches send shivers down her spine. When he brings his hand around to toy with her breast, brushing his fingers in soft circles and rolling the nipple between his finger and thumb, she lets out a moan.

"And here I thought you invited me up here to look at your trophies," she says breathlessly, before turning her head so that he can see her grin.

"I actually had something else in mind." As if to demonstrate, Luke brings his other hand around to her other breast.

"Oh. I see," she murmurs, leaning against him and tipping her head back onto his shoulder, inviting him to bring his lips back to the skin of her neck. Which he does, somehow knowing already exactly where to kiss her, which places are the most sensitive. He continues tracing circles around her breasts and down her abdomen, his touch firm but gentle. He takes his time exploring before reaching for the button of her jeans and loosening it. As he tugs her pants gently over her hips and drops them to the floor, his hands brush down her thighs and she feels a small shiver run through her. His fingers trail back up the inside of her legs and he lets one thumb brush against her panties, giving her a hint of what he's got in mind next. He runs his thumbs around the lace at the top of the silky fabric and gently works it down. This time as he runs his fingers up her leg he grazes them lightly against her. She moans and leans back into him, feeling his arousal against her back and realizing he's still mostly dressed. She turns to face him.

The sudden movement seems to have confused him. "Lorelai?"

"You're still dressed," she whispers as her hands reach for the waist of his jeans. She holds his gaze as she unbuttons them and very deliberately eases them down his hips, letting her hands run down his thighs as they fall to the floor. He toes off his shoes and steps out of his jeans as she tugs off his boxers and as he's kicking them away he pulls her into his body and gives her a long, deep kiss.

Lorelai pulls back and presses kisses across his chest, running her hands down his back to his hips. Luke's arousal is obvious, but she wants to spend more time exploring. She finds a spot below his ear that is particularly sensitive and she can tell by his moans that he likes the circles she is tracing on his chest with her tongue. He pulls her head back up for a deep kiss and reaches for her breast again. Not wanting to be distracted from touching him, she deflects his arm. When he tries again she swats his hand away gently.

"Lorelai," he protests.

"Nope," she says playfully. At his look of exasperation, she explains in a softer voice, "I want to touch you now."

She spends the next several minutes doing just that, tracing her fingers over his chest, back, and hips, and planting kisses across his stubble-covered jaw and down his chest. Her fingers create patterns on his back and circle around his belly. She knows she's teasing him and can tell he's enjoying the torment. She runs her hands down the back of his legs and around to the front, sliding her hands up his thighs and chest to his shoulders to pull him in for a kiss.

"Jesus Lorelai," he lets out a strangled gasp.

"What?"

"I thought you said that you were going to touch me," his voice was tight with need.

"Isn't that what I'm doing?" she asks innocently, scraping her nails gently down his chest, stopping just short of his waist. "Let me know if there's something I'm missing."

Luke takes her taunting as a challenge and doesn't give in, though he groans deeply every time her hands come close to his erection. As she eases him over toward the bed, she allows her hands to brush him slightly as she reaches to stroke his thighs. She sits near the head of the narrow bed and pulls him down to face her, positioning herself between his legs before draping her legs around his hips.

Her fingers trail along his thighs and down his length. She uses her fingernails, her fingers and finally takes hold of him, running her hand up and down, all the while listening to his moans and sighs for clues about how and where to touch him next. When she uses her other hand to tease his balls with her fingernails, he moans, "God Lorelai," and pushes her down on the bed.

Based on the tone of his voice, she fully expects him to enter her right then and there, but he leans down and whispers in a low voice, "Now I'm going to touch you." His words make her shiver in anticipation. He proceeds to investigate every inch of her body, trailing fingers along her legs and kissing all the way to the tips of her fingers. He traces every curve with his gentle fingers and the tickle of his unshaven chin. She can see him watching her tenderly and she knows that he is listening for every moan.

Lorelai is almost numb with pleasure. She marvels that he knows exactly where she wants to be touched next. How is it possible that he can read her so well, so soon?

"Oh God Luke," she moans softly, "How do you do that?"

He stops, surprised by the question, "What?"

"How do you…I mean…we just…downstairs. First kiss and now…this is our…" she was about to say 'first time,' but stopped, not ready for that conversation yet. "I mean…it hasn't been that long," she added feebly. She knows that she isn't making sense and it's clear that he doesn't understand her. "How do you know already?"

"Know what?"

"Know me?" her voice was soft, tentative.

His eyes widen a bit as he slowly picks up her train of thought and then he gives her a small smile. "I'm just paying attention."

She wants to tell him that no one else has ever paid attention that closely, but the words get stuck in her throat. And then it becomes impossible even to think as he goes back to lavishing his attention on her.

A few moments later, when his lips have made it back up to her earlobe, she hears him whisper, "You know, you've been paying attention too." She smiles and pulls his lips to hers, glad that he's noticed.

Luke is above her, leaning down to place soft kisses all over her face. Lorelai feels her legs opening and hips bucking upward toward him. Leaning on one arm, he brushes his fingers up and down her thighs, teasing her, finally trailing back to her center, circling, dipping and sliding his fingers around and into her. The feeling is exquisite, and as much as she wants to let herself fall into the sensation, what she really wants is to feel him inside her. Pulling him to her, she whispers a plea.

"Luke. Please. Please." Never in a million years would he have dreamed that she would plead for him.

"Do I need to…?"

"I'm covered…and healthy."

"Uh…me too, healthy I mean." And it's a good thing, because it's been so long, I wouldn't trust any condom I found around here.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He hesitates. He can read the desire in her face, but a part of him cannot reconcile that with the playful avoidance he is more used to from her. Reaching up to brush the hair off her forehead he asks, "Just promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise me you won't regret this in the morning."

Her expression softens into a sad smile and she reaches up to cup his cheek with her palm. Her voice cracks, "Oh Luke, how could I regret this?"

He can think of a million reasons, but at the moment it's becoming harder and harder to resist her.

Luke kisses her tenderly, then pulls back and allows her to guide him to her. She lets out a small gasp as he enters and with each thrust she contracts around him. Though he doesn't like to admit it, he's imagined this moment, has fantasized about it. But when confronted by the true softness of her skin, the sweet scent of her hair, the sound of her moaning beneath him and the blue of her eyes as she holds his gaze, he knows that fantasy is just that and reality is much, much sweeter.

Her soft moans become whimpers and cries and the combination of his own pleasure and her response drives him nearly to the brink. His thrusts become faster and she meets each one, until her cries end in a long moan and he feels her tremble. Feeling her release allows him to let go of the tight reign he is holding on himself and he is overwhelmed by the sheer reality of the moment.

He collapses onto her, leaning on one arm so that he can kiss her softly on her eyelids, nose, and lips. She runs her hands slowly up and down his back and he relishes in the skin-to-skin contact. It takes him a few moments to realize that Lorelai is silent and another moment for him to register how unusual that is.

Hey Danes. Congratulations. You stunned Lorelai Gilmore speechless. He looks down and gives her one more lingering kiss before pulling slowly out of her and rolling over, and…almost out of the bed. Lorelai shifts over to allow him room to lay back then tucks her head into his shoulder as he wraps his arm around her. He begins twirling strands of her hair around his fingers and she runs her fingers over his chest, tracing lazy circles.

"Lorelai?" He can't believe that he's the one who breaks the silence.

"Mmmm?"

"You're quiet," he says, stating the obvious.

"Just revel for a moment in the fact that you finally found a way to shut me up."

He smiles at that and decides to do just that, revel, that is. But now that he's broken the silence it only lasts for the briefest of moments.

"You know Luke, you've got an awfully small bed."

"Yes, and your point?"

"You almost fell off."

"We seem to fit pretty well now."

"Yeah we do." Another moment passes. "You know, you were right."

"About what?"

"This is better than behind the counter in the diner. I know that you're obsessive about cleaning and all and that there are health codes and stuff, so it's not like…but well, it would have been a little uncomfortable. This is-"

He cuts her off with a kiss, then pulls back and grins, "Wow, that's a great trick."

She gives him a playful jab before he pulls her close and starts playing with her hair again.

"Nice," Lorelai says, seemingly out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"Nice. That's what I was going to say. This is nice."

"It is, isn't it?" It has been a long time since he's had anyone in this bed, or any bed for that matter. He wants to say something to her about what he's feeling, about how it's never been like this with anyone, but he's at a loss for words. All he knows is that he doesn't want this night to end, because tomorrow they'll have to figure out what it means. For now, it's enough that she's here. "Can you stay?"

"Yeah," she says lazily, and he doesn't know whether it is inertia or logic talking.

"What about…?"

"She's with Apricot."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I can stay."

Lorelai wakes up while it is still dark, the only light that of the moon. He is still sleeping but she can't resist running her fingers down his face, along his jaw, and brushing her thumb along his lips. His eyes open and she sees a flash of surprise and then a slow smile.

"Good morning," he says with a whisper, as if not wanting to disturb the night.

"Why did you look at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you were surprised to see me."

"I didn't…"

"You didn't think I'd still be here…you thought I'd sneak away while you were asleep," she says, feeling a pang of hurt.

"Lorelai…"

"Luke. I told you. No regrets." She places her palm on his cheek and kisses him lightly on the lips as if to reinforce her words.

She can tell that he is touched, that though he won't admit it, he was worried she would want to run from what had happened between them.

He runs his fingertips down her cheek and says softly, "Me neither." He turns then to glance at his clock. "Except that I have to get up to open the diner."

"Already?" She doesn't want this night to end. Right now it is possible to just be together, without figuring out the consequences of this amazing night. "That number is too small to be a waking hour."

"For you maybe, but if I don't start the coffee soon…"

"I get it," she says with a sigh, "I should go home anyway."

"You don't have to," he says gently.

"I really should."

"Okay then. I'll walk you."

She smiles at his thoughtfulness and starts to protest, but she knows she'll give in to anything that will prolong this moment.

As they leave his apartment, Luke leads Lorelai down the stairs and out through the diner with a gentle touch on the small of her back. He drops his hand as they leave the diner and she misses the touch. They walk to her house in silence, though her mind is a mess of emotions. Halfway home, she can't resist reaching out for his arm, needing a physical connection. He smiles and she slips her hand down to hold his. She knows that there is about to be one of 'those moments,' and though she can sense with almost certainty that he wants this thing between them to be 'something,' she isn't sure how to talk about it. As they reach her steps, the words spill out, "Well…I'll see you later for coffee…and breakfast…in just a couple of hours, which is weird, because you're here now and I'm not used to…and it's practically the middle of the night."

Luke interrupts her ramble by brushing his thumb across her cheek, oh so gently and leans in to give her a soft kiss, "Can I take you to dinner tonight?" She is surprised at how tentative his voice sounds.

It's exactly the kind of confirmation that they both needed and it surprises her so much that she can't quite bring herself to admit what is going on here. She needs a joke to help get used to the look in Luke's eye. It's a new look and, it's not that she's afraid of it, but she is just a little, "Isn't dinner supposed to be how you get me in bed? You kinda already accomplished that."

He can see through her evasion, her hesitation, "You know, Lorelai, this wasn't just about sex for me."

"I know." She had known. She just wasn't sure they were going to admit it to one another yet.

"You know?"

"Yeah. You may be a man of few words, Mr. Danes, but your actions speak very clearly." He blushes at that and looks at his feet. He's not meeting her eyes. Maybe he wasn't ready for that much of an admission. She takes his hand and leans in to whisper, "It wasn't just sex for me either."

"Good," he smiles, his confidence returning, "So…about that dinner?"

"It's about time you got around to asking me out."

End