Jesse couldn't believe his ears. At first he didn't move. His hand tightened slightly on her hip but nothing more.
Pearl watched his face with a little amusement. Then she leaned her face towards his.
"Like this-"
She wasn't allowed to finish her teasing statement.
Jesse's arms wrapped around her and closed the distance between their lips in a soft, hot kiss.
His lips brushed hers, lightly at first, testing the fit of her mouth but the softness was too much to resist. With a groan, he took her mouth in a kiss meant to communicate one thing to her.
His desire.
Jesse teeth caught her lower lip and his tongue teased the surface before he released it and covered her mouth with his once more. His tongue remained still until she parted her lips and let him explore her. The moment the wet warmth of her mouth became his territory, Jesse was lost. Pearl moaned and pressed herself closer to him, her tongue ventured into her own dance with his.
Jesse could feel his temperature rising slowly. Her body so close to him was like stoking the flames from burnishing wood. Her hands roamed up his chest to the back of his neck into his hair. One of his hands was in her hair already and the other rested on her upper thigh.
He knew he'd be in an irreversible state soon. Jesse could feel her body temperature rising too and knowing that she was as affected as him actually made it harder to pull away. With a reluctant sound, Jesse ended the kiss.
She opened her eyes before he did. He could feel her hands in his hair still, as if waiting for her to cue her to pull him closer again.
Taking a few deep breaths before opening his eyes, Jesse managed to rein in his excitement.
"I was not expecting that," he admitted huskily.
"I'm a Christian, Jess, not an absolute saint. I like to be kissed, too." She smiled slightly.
Jesse smiled too. "Yes ma'am. I'll make sure I don't leave you hanging for too long."
Pearl leaned forward. "You better…" She kissed him softly.
As soon as he felt himself deepening the kiss, Jesse scooped Pearl up and with half a mind managed to stand up and walk out of her room.
"Where are you taking me?" she laughed breathlessly.
"To safety," he replied truthfully.
She didn't protest.
He placed her on the kitchen counter top and she smiled when he stepped back. Running his hands through his blond hair, he smiled too.
For a while, they simply looked at each other. Pearl looked content and happy to be there with him. Jesse was in a state of mild shock and didn't want to break the spell. Their relationship had graduated but he didn't want to screw it up by doing what was on his mind.
He knew she was watching him so he smiled again.
"How about some food?" he suggested.
When the Thai food was delivered, they ate in the living room on the floor. The portions were so unexpectedly generous, the both of them were stuffed when the meal was through.
After clearing up the leftovers and glasses, putting things back in the kitchen, Jesse followed her back to her room where she flopped on the bed with a groan.
"Can you see my potbelly?" she uttered miserably.
Jesse settled on his back next to her. "You don't have a potbelly."
"I'm sure I do now, after all that!"
He propped himself on his elbows for a second then dropped back onto the bed. "Nope. Your belly is attractively flat." He chuckled. "Well, almost flat. Not potbellied though."
They lay there quietly for a while. Pearl's hand found Jesse's and she took hold of it.
Fingers intertwined, she said, "I'm glad you came over today."
"I'm glad you let me."
"Well, it's an official open invitation."
"Do you mean that Pearl?" he propped himself on one elbow, facing her.
She did the same and nodded at him.
"Okay."
They stayed regarding each other until Pearl remembered something. Her eyes widened slightly and the curiosity was clear on her face.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"When you asked me to invite you over, you wanted to show me something."
"Yes."
"What?"
"I wanted to show you this." He gestured to them. "That I can do this."
Pearl waited.
"A part of me wants you. Entirely," his voice lowered. "So badly."
Her face started going pink. Jesse almost smiled. His tone was husky as he continued. "But as much as I want you, I can wait." Pause. "I can keep that part of me in check. To say I can wait might imply that I still expect it…" He reached out and pushed dark hair off her forehead. "You don't have to give me anything you don't want to. Or can't."
Her eyes widened. "Oh Jess…" She gave him a hopeless laugh. "How long will that work for you?"
"Honey, if we make it to the end of this year, you'll know how serious I am about you. And if we make it that far, you'll have to know I'm not about to let you go. I'll wait until I don't have to wait anymore," he finished softly.
The import of his words brought tears to her eyes.
"You are certainly something else."
"I've been trying to show you for months," he murmured with a smile. He kissed her softly, his free hand caressing her cheek. Ending the kiss, he sighed. "I definitely have a thing for your mouth."
She giggled.
"I have to go now."
Her smile dimmed a bit. "Okay."
"Oh, don't you worry, I'll be back," he teased, sitting up.
She followed him off the bed, waited for him to put on his shoes and then gave him a big hug. Jesse hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
At the door, "Thank you for trusting me in your private space."
She smiled, the moonlight illuminating her face. "Thank you for honouring it as such."
"Always."
One quick kiss and Jesse was gone.
The two of them spent much more time at Pearl's house after that. Time on the bed was for the most part totally platonic. The few times it got heated, they either left the house completely or left the bedroom for a less suggestive part of the house.
Pearl found herself deferring to Jesse more often as they got deeper into the relationship. She didn't mind him making decisions for the both of them. It wasn't as though she never chose anything, but his choices always seemed to work.
And she discovered that she enjoyed pampering him. He would send her flowers from his current home town and she would treat him to home cooked meals and sports massages after his athletic pursuits. She even found time to bake on the weekends. The great thing was that when she was tired, he would cook for her, keeping his promise from their time together in Brazil.
Sam even praised his brother for unlocking the repressed home maker in Pearl. Jesse said he was happy to give her a reason to perfect her skills, much to Dana's amusement. Mandy and Caila said it was definitely because of him because no other male had gotten this far since college. She never baked for them unless it was the Christmas holidays. Pearl let them rib her. She didn't mind. It was her way of appreciating Jesse and all his attention. They could say whatever they wanted to.
Jesse was at Pearl's place a few weeks before Labour Day. They'd just come back from a lunch on the beach with a few of Pearl's workmates.
Getty was really pleased that the two of them had 'finally made up their minds'. She told Jesse he couldn't be dating a finer woman. He readily agreed. Ally and Beth had both wondered if that meant he'd be at more camps. Pearl laughed and shook her head.
"Guys, he's still a doctor- with a life! He's not going to drop everything to follow me across the country."
"Though the prospect does hold some merit," he'd murmured.
Back in Pearl's bedroom, they were lying on her bed on their backs, eyes closed, enjoying the artificial breeze produced by the fan.
It had been hot outside and they both just wanted some time to recuperate.
After a few minutes of absolute silence, Jesse spoke up.
"Do you want me to come to more camps with you?"
Pause. "Do you have the time?" Her head turned to face him. He was looking at her.
"My interview schedule is winding down, as you know. And I have until about mid-November to make a decision. I have a little time."
"Then I'd love to have you with me," she said happily. "The coming period is a little busy and I wouldn't get to see you much. I don't think Monty will have a problem, since you're actually useful on camp."
"Awesome." Pause. "I'll be going to Bolivia in two weeks for a few days, but apart from that… I'm all yours."
"Bolivia? To see Pablo?" she asked, sitting up. "That sounds like-"
Jesse's phone started ringing. Pearl shut her mouth and gestured for him to answer it. As he did that, she rolled off the bed and headed out to the kitchen. The last thing she heard was, "Hey, Sam, what's up?"
Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard, Pearl set about getting some peach and raspberry iced tea ready for the both of them. Before she could pour the second one, Jesse came up behind her.
He kissed her neck, just below her ear and murmured, "You better make it four glasses."
"Why?" she asked, slowly setting the pitcher down on the counter. His kiss made her weak and sent frissons of pleasure through her. She didn't want to break anything.
Jesse trailed kisses all across her bare shoulder before responding. "Sam and Dana are on their way over."
"Okay." Pearl turned around and took Jesse's face in her hands. "Suddenly the drinks can wait." Bringing him closer to her, she kissed him softly.
After the second gentle kiss, Jesse couldn't care less that they were expecting company. He picked Pearl up and placed her beside the glasses on the edge of the kitchen surface. His arms travelled around her waist, holding her firmly against his body. Pearl's hands still on his face, moved slowly. One travelled until her fingers were tangled in his thick blond hair, the other slid down to his chest.
Her mouth was so soft and pliant; Jesse knew he would never get tired of tasting her on his lips. The way she touched him told him that she wanted everything he was giving. Her breath on his neck as he returned his attentions to her shoulder. The feel of her thighs against his… it all spelled out pleasure.
Alarm bells only went off when one of her legs wrapped around him.
The way she did it seemed like instinct but Jesse's were fully formed and he knew that he couldn't let her go any further down that road.
His teeth bit down ever so slightly on her bare skin, shocking her a little and causing her to go still. He heard the way her breath caught in her throat and he smiled against her skin before kissing away the sting, swirling his tongue over the spot once. Then he trailed kisses back to her mouth, a hand holding her thigh still, willing her not to move. She complied, content with more direct kisses.
They were interrupted by the doorbell.