Stripped
Title: Stripped
Pairing: Jack/Kate
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: up though 2x17 “Lockdown” but then goes AU- kinda picks up sometime after Jack & Sawyer’s game, as if the last few scenes never happened.
Disclaimers: In my world, Kate and Jack can do it and Kate wouldn’t have to die afterward as some kind of perverse warning against premarital sex for women. Just saying.
Prompt: for foxy's 40, prompt #7, “Friends”
Dedication: For __inadream's birthday. Sorry it's late, Gabbi! *makes puppy dog face* But here’s that game of strip poker you wanted!
A/N:: This is kind of a companion piece to Make Love, Not War…originally the strip poker was supposed to be in that fic but I wandered elsewhere. Basically it’s similar but different…make sense? Eh…whatever. I also think I wrote a little OOC, but I don’t care. I needed this particular Jate smut today. Hopefully ya’ll won’t mind.
“You can’t be serious.”
Jack stares at Kate like she has just suggested he jump off of a cliff.
She merely shrugs, smiling at him, enjoying the fact that she’s managed to shock him. Shocking him means he’s involved again, listening to what she says and reacting. After days of being basically ignored, shock feels good.
“I’m completely serious. What, you afraid you’ll lose?” Kate teases, shuffling the cards and raising both her eyebrows at him. Jack shakes his head, smiling lightly.
“No, I just think I kind of have a bit of an advantage, Kate. It hardly seems fair.”
“Oh, really?” Kate scoffs. “You’re really that confident you can beat me?”
“No offense, Kate, but this isn’t golf. This is poker.”
“Your point?”
”My point is that there’s a reason I thoroughly beat Sawyer’s ass and it’s not because I was lucky.”
“Says the man who gave me pointers and then hit his ball into the jungle.”
“Kate.”
“It’s just a harmless game of poker, Jack.”
“See, you’re forgetting the operative word there, Kate. Strip poker. You don’t want to play poker, you want to play strip poker.”
“Are you not wearing underwear or something? Afraid I’ll find out?” Kate taunts and Jack actually blushes.
“Kate, come on.”
“What? What’s a game of strip poker between friends?” She smiles, knowing she’s pushing her luck, but knowing this is the only way to get him to play along, to get what she wants. If she forces the assumption that they are friends, they’ll be friends. Sometimes Jack needs decisions made for him and he doesn’t know it.
“Friends, huh?” Jack repeats, laughing a little at the idea. “That’s what we are?”
“Sure we are,” Kate nods, holding the stack of cards up in her hand and tilting them toward him. “You in or not?”
Jack pauses for a moment, deliberating. Kate watches as he weighs his options, not sure which way he’s going to go. Finally he sighs, adjusts his backpack on his shoulders, and looks at her.
“Well we can’t play here.”
“Follow me,” she jumps up from her seat eagerly and jerks her head toward the jungle. “I know just the spot.”
Jack shakes his head as he sets off after her, not really believing he’s actually going to play this game with her, let her pull him in again. But he knows he can’t help it, so he just gives in.
*******
Jack sighs and looks at Kate over the top of his cards, knowing he has the better hand yet again. He’s trying not to read her like the open book she is, but it’s instinctive. He just knows.
So he lies, folding his cards and sliding them across the table toward her.
“Lose it,” she gestures to his shirt with a triumphant smile. Jack pulls his t-shirt over his head and sets it aside with a sheepish smile. “And you were worried I couldn’t beat you.”
“Looks like I underestimated you,” Jack replies gamely with a shrug. Kate hands him the deck.
“You got the deal.”
“Yep.” Jack nods. She watches him as he shuffles the deck, letting her eyes traverse his wide, defined, muscular chest and toned stomach. Her fingers practically itch with the urge to reach out and touch him; she drums her fingers on the rock beneath her instead.
He offers her the deck to cut, jarring her from her moment of appreciation, causing her face to flush with color. He doesn’t seem to have noticed she was otherwise occupied, or if he did, was pretending not to.
He just deals, two cards each and then the first bet before the flop. They’re playing no blinds, with it just being the two of them and nothing really at stake except clothing, so he matches her imaginary bet and then buries the top card, laying out three cards between them.
Again, the better hand off the bat. A royal couple, suited. Things could still change, but something tells him he’s going to have to lie again.
He folds before the turn, not wanting to make it too obvious, get in too deep and then suddenly back out. Better to pretend he got dealt a raw deal right off the bat and didn’t stand a chance.
“Shoes?” He suggests and Kate nods.
“Might as well.”
She reaches over and takes the stack of cards from in front of him and then picks up his folded ones. She eyes them and then looks at the cards laid out between them on the table critically, then shoots a look at Jack. He’s unaware, bent over to untie his boots. When he looks back up he finds her holding his two cards between her fingers, faced toward him, an annoyed look on her face.
“You would’ve won,” Kate states. Jack sighs.
“You’re not supposed to look if I fold, Kate. Only person who has to show is the person who’s been called.”
“You gotta play fair, Jack.”
“I am,” he insists. “I thought you had a better hand than me.”
“Oh that’s it,” Kate shakes her head and stands up, peeling off the loose shirt covering her tank top and tossing it to the ground, then lifting one leg at a time and pulling off her sneakers. They fall to the ground with heavy thuds. “There. No more letting me win, all right?”
“Kate.”
“All right?”
“All right.” Jack agrees. Kate deals the next hand and Jack sighs when he picks up his cards. 2-7 offsuit. Shit hand and little chance the flop can salvage a thing from it. “Fold.” He puts his cards down and Kate groans in exasperation. “No, really.” He flips his cards over to prove he’s not going easy on her and she laughs.
“Okay. Yeah, good move.”
“I wasn’t letting you win.”
“You gotta lose something else then.” She tugs on the top her own pants and Jack laughs, shaking his head. He pulls off his socks instead, shoving them inside his boots. “Way to ruin a girl’s fun.” Kate comments, dealing the next round.
“Sorry.”
“Hey, if I want your pants, I’ll get your pants,” Kate retorts, basically copying what he had said to Sawyer earlier that day and breaking out into a large grin. Jack blushes and ducks his head, chuckling.
“You heard that, huh?” He says, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. Kate nods.
“Way to bust his balls. He needed it.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure he doesn’t look at it that way.”
“It was good though…getting the medicine back. I was surprised you didn’t go for the guns instead.”
Jack sighs heavily and looks down at the ground, like he’s sick of people pointing that out.
“The medicine’s more important.” He takes the stack of cards from in front of her and shuffles through them, setting them up with another round. She takes one look at her cards and makes a face. Jack laughs. “Should we just call the fold right now and save the time?” He asks and Kate giggles.
“I know…” She holds up her cards to him, laughing again. “We’re just having a bad run of hands here, aren’t we?”
“Looks like neither of us are willing to push in with a bad hand…too risky.”
“Or we could just be folding ‘cause we both want to get our clothes off,” Kate replies flirtatiously, setting her cards down and lifting her tank top over her head. Jack’s eyes move downward before he can stop himself, taking in the sight of her newly exposed skin, the flatness of her stomach, the soft swell of her breasts against the fabric of her bra. He looks away quickly, snapping his attention back to her face.
“Could be,” He says quietly, dealing again even though it’s not his turn. He’s a bit shaken, a feeling of arousal coursing through him upon seeing Kate’s half naked body revealed to him. He doesn’t want to feel this way, wants to remain calm, but he can’t stop the desire from building. He makes it through the next hand in a daze, his eyes focused down at the card spread laid in between them, the five cards suddenly the most interesting things he’s ever seen.
Then she’s pulling down her cargo pants, untying them and letting them fall to the ground, revealing a pair of black panties that made Jack wonder if she hadn’t been planning this game all along. He knew she couldn’t have, could never have imagined that he’d choose today to come out of the hatch and join in the random game, so he has to wonder how often he’s been talking to her, walking beside her, when she had underwear like that on and he had been none the wiser. He wonders why she’s wearing them, a simple black slip of fabric that begged to be peeled off in the heat of passion; he wonders how long she’s wanted this.
Jack catches himself then, reminding himself that Kate doesn’t necessarily want anything. They aren’t doing anything. Not yet. All they’re doing is playing a game. He has no right to assume what her intentions are. He averts his gaze, waiting for her to sit back down, get back to business. He lets out a long breath, straightening the deck and holding it out for her.
She reaches over the rock between them to take it and lets her hand linger too long over his before settling back into her seat. Jack draws that same breath back in, willing himself to remain calm. It’s been so long since he’s been with anyone and he’s wanted her, wanted her so badly and tried to stay away…
When he loses the next hand, it’s because he can’t focus, can’t focus on anything except trying to stay in one piece. He stands up reluctantly, inwardly thanking god that he had managed to at least remain outwardly relaxed, and undoes his belt buckle, loosening his pants. He tries to take them off nonchalantly, like losing this article of clothing doesn’t make him completely vulnerable, and thinks he’s pulling off the façade rather well until he goes to sit back down. Kate gets up from her makeshift seat and stops him, hooking her finger into the waistband of his boxers by his hip and tugging slightly.
“Might as well call a spade a spade, Jack. There’s a reason I didn’t ask anyone else to play, just like there’s a reason you agreed to play in the first place.”
“Kate…” She moves closer to him, knowing she’s being bold but not caring. They’d been dancing around it for so long and she’s so tired of it, so tired of the constant push and pull of their relationship, close one minute and cold and distant the next. It’s just as much her fault as it is his, if not more, so she has no problem with setting aside her pride and making the first move.
“I understand not pushing in with a bad hand, Jack, but why not risk it if it’s a good one? A surefire win?” She has bridged the gap between them now, her hand sliding along his side, moving along his ribs and then back down to his waistline. He tenses.
“And you think this is surefire?” He asks. Kate nods.
“Could be. If we let it be.”
“Kate-“
“But if you want to keep screwing it up, that’s fine. But I’ve done my fair share of that and I’m done with it.” Kate doesn’t know where the words are coming from but they tumble out, out of control, like one honest word had given all the others crazy ideas, let them think they could all rebel and make an escape.
Jack stares at her, not sure what to say. Part of him thinks she’s right, that they’ve been purposely messing things up for themselves out fear of what would happen if they gave in. Part of him thinks that may be the right course of action, to stay away from one another and keep themselves from getting hurt. The other part of him, the part that’s winning out, is the one that wants to grab her and kiss her, finally give in to what is inevitable.
Kate smiles at him, trying to cover her trepidation with bravado.
“What, you want me to play you for it?” She offers. Jack continues staring at her for a moment and then finally chuckles, deciding she must be joking.
“What stakes you want? Are we talking a kiss?” Jack teases back, feeling a bit more comfortable, thinking maybe he’s not going to have to make a decision tonight after all, that they’re safely backtracking into flirtation.
“A kiss?” Kate scoffs. “Come on, Jack. Make it a real bet. Let’s play for your manly virtue.”
“My manly what?” Jack laughs.
“I dunno. Whatever it is that’s keeping you from grabbing me and throwing me down on this rock. Virtue, honor, whatever it is. I want you to give it up.” Her tone is still playful and challenging, coy and teasing, like she had been that day on the beach when she’d asked him to play golf, but Jack sees now that her earlier words had been real. She wasn’t trying to back up, cover her bold move under a blanket of friendly flirtation. What she was saying, she meant.
Jack’s apprehension comes right back then, full force, and he steps back from Kate, nervous.
Kate can see his worry plainly written on his face and she knows she’s lost this round. Frowning, she steps away from him as well, returning to her seat and plopping down with a sigh.
“Deal ‘em then.”
”Kate.”
“We’ll do this the old fashioned way.”
“The old fashioned way.”
“Yep. I’m just going to have to win the clothes right off of you.”
“Ah, yes…I remember hearing about the good ol’ days, people doing this back in the ‘50’s.” Jack replies, shaking his head but sitting back down across from her.
“Mother was left with nothing but her pearls and high heels,” Kate quips in return, picking up the cards and handing them to him. “I win this, those boxers are mine.”
“I better not lose then.”
He doesn’t lose this hand; the next one presents a dilemma, because with them both being down to their underwear, either he loses his and then they have to deal with that, or Kate loses hers and then they have to deal with that. Either way, one of them is gonna be naked or practically naked and Jack doesn’t know if he trusts himself to simply put the clothes back on and walk away.
The decision isn’t his, however, because Kate folds.
When her fingers move to the delicate straps of her bra and begin to slide them off of her shoulders, Jack looks away.
“You don’t have to, Kate. We can just call it a game.”
”Jack, if I’m not worried about you seeing me naked, why should you be?” Kate inquires. “Quit being so repressed.”
“What?” Jack snaps his head toward her without thinking and then blushes, finding her gently pulling the garment from her body and letting it fall to the ground. “I am not…repressed.”
“You so are. You’re a total prude.” She giggles girlishly.
“I am not.” He looks down at the ground anyway.
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
“I looked at you.”
“Look at me now.”
“Are we really going to sit here and argue about whether or not I should check you out?” Jack rubs the back of his head with his hand and glances at her. He seems extremely tense now but Kate only seems amused, as if she’s having fun making him uncomfortable.
“Fine, one more hand. Whoever wins this one, wins it all.” Kate smirks in return and deals quickly. Jack picks up his cards with a frustrated sigh, trying to ignore the perfect pair of breasts that just happen to be across the table from him, trying to forget the sight of Kate’s flat shapely stomach and skin so smooth it’d be a sin not to touch it. Somehow when he’d agreed to this stupid game he’d figured one or both of them would back out or call it quits before it came down to the wire. Now he’s one step away from losing his boxers or his mind and he’s not really sure which thing he’d rather keep.
“Should we even bother the pretense of betting? It’s not like we can’t be all in.” Kate comments and Jack shrugs.
“Just turn ‘em then.” He points to the space between them and Kate lays down all five cards, flop, turn and river at once, bypassing checking or calling or raising and just getting to the point. King of spades, 10 of diamonds, 3 of clubs, 5 of clubs, and an Ace of hearts. She looks at Jack, half expecting him to lay down a Queen and Jack and pull the straight, because that just seemed to be the kind of luck he has in this game.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.” She states, already playing with the thin elastic waistband of her panties, fully prepared to lose.
“Pair of threes,” Jack says quietly, setting them down on the rock face. Kate’s hand leaves her waist, surprised.
“Oh. I have tens.”
“Dimes. Nice,” Jack replies slowly, nodding like he’s trying to come to terms with the fact that in two seconds he’s gonna have to get naked. “So.”
“So…” Kate grins, leaning back on her hands and shooting him a look. “I believe your ass is mine. Time to prove you’re not a prude, Jack.”
“I think Sawyer’s rubbing off on you,” he says. Kate laughs.
“Why, has Sawyer tried to rob your boxers lately?”
”I just meant you’re enjoying my humiliation a bit too much,” Jack retorts, though good-naturedly, and stands up.
“No reason to be embarrassed, Jack,” Kate shakes her head, smiling. “I’m the one who’s been sitting here topless for five minutes and I’m not blushing. So drop your drawers.”
Jack looks at her for minute, his gaze carefully trained on her face.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he mutters before grabbing his waistband and pushing the black cotton fabric of his boxers over his hips. He lets them fall down his legs and steps out of them, standing before Kate completely naked.
Kate takes him in as his body is revealed to her, her breath catching in her throat. He’s startlingly beautiful, muscled in all the right places, lean and toned. His skin is faintly but completely tan and she wonders for a moment how it came to be so, what other opportunities she may have missed when Jack had been out in the sun without his clothes.
She wants to touch every inch, feel that skin warm and soft beneath her fingertips, discover the angles and curves of his body and the roughness of his face and hands. She wants to kiss him and have him kiss her back, want her back.
Jack shifts on his feet, nervous and anxious under the weight of her heavy gaze. She hasn’t said anything, falling completely silent and looking his body over like an artist carefully studying a nude, squinting to see the subtle differences between where shadows stopped and light began.
He opens his mouth to speak, to ask her if the game is officially over, to tell her he wants to get dressed, when she stands up, her body movements suddenly twice as graceful and as smooth, and closes the short distance between them. She lays her soft hand on his chest, her palm pressing gently against him, feeling his heart beat increase at the contact.
“Kate-“ Jack starts but Kate silences him with a kiss, all too short but more than enough, more than enough to tell him that kiss wouldn’t be the last. She lets her lips brush over his, flirting with the notion of another, deeper kiss. She moves closer. Jack’s hand involuntarily seems to find her hip, his fingers ghosting over the thin strap of her black underwear that sits on the ridge of her hip. His fingertips slide slightly underneath it, unsure, but desirous.
Kate pulls her face back just a little, getting a better look into his eyes. They’re more expressive and open now in this moment than she has ever remembered them being, everyhing he’s feeling displayed in the deep brown depths. She brushes her hand over his cheek, her thumb playing along the lush fullness of his masculine lips, and smiles gently.
“Even if I’d lost, I still would’ve made you take them off, you prude,” she murmurs, laughter in her voice but not in her words, teasing but not taunting.
“And how would you have managed that?” Jack asks, low and quiet, his lips moving against her touch.
“Oh, I would’ve thought of something…” Kate replies, sliding her hand down his chest and stomach and sliding between his legs, not taking hold but merely letting her hand slip over his cock, to try to stir something up within him before she takes him in her grasp.
Jack exhales sharply, his hand tightening on her waist, and a look of concern passes over his eyes.
“Kate, we do this…we can’t go back.”
“Well that’s fine, Jack…cause I didn’t like where we were…” she whispers. “I want us to be…somewhere else.” She strokes him again, more firmly this time, taking longer.
“We shouldn’t…”
“Jack, for once in your life, do what you want.” Kate pleads and something about her words seems to get through to him. He hesitates a moment and then moves almost imperceptibly closer, but Kate feels it. That tiny step forward is all she needs.
Looking him directly in the eye, showing him she’s not afraid, she leans in and kisses him again, this time like she really means it. Her hand instinctively tightens around him, her touch growing passionate as his mouth opens to her, letting her in. He makes a small noise of release against her lips, a low sensual hum and a light sigh. His strong hands finally move with a sense of purpose, one hand pressing into the small of her back and the other sliding over the curve of her ass, running over the fabric of her underwear and urging her closer to him. She stops the movement of her hand between his legs, opting instead to let her hands roam his body when he presses up against her.
“Jack…” she whispers in between kisses, his simple name sounding different, sounding beautiful, now that it is leaving her lips with the care and love she’s always tried to hide. His mouth meets hers again; each time he draws back and then returns with more intensity, the sense of abandon growing between them.
The jungle seems to fade away, only a faint blur of greens and browns behind them, as Kate allows herself to get lost in the sensations Jack is bringing out from deep within her. The world simply ceases to exist outside of Jack’s arms; his body is as far as she can think and his kiss is all she can feel.
Like the many times she’s talked Jack back from the brink of exhaustion, calmed him down when the stress piling upon him was getting to be too much, she knows now that she has to guide him through this, to let Jack take a break from being in charge all the time.
“Lay down,” she murmurs against his lips, gently urging him backward, trying to get him to sit down on the rock they had just left minutes before. He sits but doesn’t let her press him down, instead pulling her into his lap. She settles across his hips, her knees on either side of his thighs. Her soft breasts press against his hard chest, his body firm where hers is soft, sharp where she is delicate.
“Kate…” he sighs and Kate can feel him, hard, pressing up between her legs, brushing against the dampness there. She sighs in return and climbs off of him, stripping off her last remaining article of clothing. He reaches for her, wanting her back against him, but she pauses, stopping to truly look at him, remember this moment. His desire is so open now, his skin flushed with the warmth of his want, his eyes full of hazy passion. His lips are full, freshly kissed, parted as he struggles to get hold of his breathing.
“You’re beautiful,” Kate says gently, returning to him, climbing back into his lap, heat against heat. Jack smiles crookedly, reaching up and brushing the hair from her face, smoothing it back behind her ear. For a moment Kate thinks he’s going to tease her for the comment, for her saying something usually reserved for men to say to women, but he doesn’t. He kisses her softly and smiles again.
“So are you,” he whispers, his fingers still playing with the curled tendrils of her hair. “You’re so beautiful.” Kate smiles openly, freely, in return, feeling truly happy, giddy even, at his words, at his touch…at everything.
Talking falls easily by the wayside as Kate captures his mouth with hers, her tongue finding his and sliding along it, eager to taste him, draw him deeper. It’s still not enough; with every passing minute all she wants is more, and the second he gives it to her, it only increases her desire. The insatiable urge is only growing stronger, overwhelming her with its power.
She had wanted to take it slow, to tease him, to keep their evening playful, keep the weight of expectations off of their shoulders, but she knows now that she won’t be able to. She can’t keep it from meaning too much, can’t stop it from changing everything inexorably. Jack is right, after this, they can’t go back. And she hadn’t been lying when she said that she would never want to, but she knows Jack, knows that even now, in the throes of passion, there’s still a voice in the back of his head keeping him from fully enjoying every moment of this. The tension she can feel in his shoulders, the knot in his back, tells her so.
Kate pulls back from him and he looks at her, confused, that worry quickly showing in his eyes. She smiles to reassure him, running her hands down the inside of his thighs as she kneels on the ground in front of him. Using one hand, she guides his erection past her lips, taking him in slowly, her tongue slipping gently against his sensitive head. She watches his reaction and her own excitement increases when his eyes darken, his breathing hitches, his hands grip the edge of the rock and his body tightens, all his nerves reacting simultaneously to the sweet feeling of her mouth encircling his hardness.
His cock throbs against her tongue, pulsing hard already, the salty liquid dripping from his tip. Kate takes him as deep as she can, but he’s too big and she’s out of practice. Instead she opts for working him thoroughly, letting her tongue slide along his around his underside and delicately around the head, alternately applying hard suction and firm touches with featherlight teasing licks, working him up and then bringing him back down, each time pushing him closer to the brink.
“Kate…god…please,” he finally murmurs and she can feel his will break underneath her touch, his body ready and willing for anything. She draws her mouth from him and rises, pushing him back flat against the rock. He lets her now, no protest, no attempt to take charge.
Kate takes him in hand again, giving him a firm stroke before positioning herself over him, slowly guiding him into her body. Her eyes close as he pushes in, his hips moving upward as hers slide downward; she sighs in sweet release. He feels like heaven, causing a warmth to spread all over her body and an intense heat to form in the pit of her stomach. Neither of them move for a moment, savoring just the simplicity of the connection, him being inside her.
She only moves a little at first, a subtle roll of her hips, the small movement eliciting a gasp from them both.
“God, Jack…” Kate breathes out, her eyelids fluttering. She wants to open them, to look at him, but her body isn’t cooperating, her other senses to overpowered to handle the sight of this as well. The next time she moves he pushes up slightly to meet her, thrusting deeper. “You feel so good…”
Her hands slide up his chest; his hands find her hips, not so much guiding her motions but feeling them, feeling her hips rock up into his touch. She begins to move on top of him in earnest, riding him fast and hard, wanting to both reach the end and to never finish.
She forces her eyes open and finds him gazing at her intently, his eyes unabashedly taking in every inch of her naked body now, trying to burn it into his memory so he can hold it there forever.
“Kate…” he gasps and she groans.
“Jack…”
“Kate…”
Jack grunts as he sits up, needing to kiss her, to feel her lips on his. His tongue surges into her mouth as his hands clasp either side of her face, desperation evident in his kiss, needing to release some of the pent-up tension threatening to break them both.
“Fuck, Jack…I’ve wanted this…wanted you for so long,” Kate whispers in his ear as he pulls away, his lips sliding down to her neck, one hand slipping down the front of her body, ending between her legs. His fingers work her, a sweet and delicious friction that nearly makes her scream in ecstasy. “Since I saw you…”
“Saw me when?” Jack breathes, a small groan escaping.
“The first time. Since the first time,” Kate replies breathlessly, sighing hopelessly. “And…god…that night by the fire…”
“That first night…?”
“You were talking…and you smiled and then…it was this, Jack, I wanted this…”
“I wanted this too…” Jack kisses her again and rolls their bodies, landing on top of her. Just like that he’s back in control, no longer needing Kate to guide him, to reassure him that this is right. He knows it’s right. Everything about it is right.
He thrusts into her, wrapping her legs around his back, their lips meeting again and again between gasps and groans, her body warm and soft underneath his.
“Oh…oh…shit…oh god, fuck…Jack…Jack…Ja-“ Kate’s last word is interrupted by her scream, a long cry of passion that echoes around them both as she comes, her body tightening around him, trying to pull him along with her. He tumbles over, pounding forcefully into her as he explodes, pumping four times hard, emptying entirely into her.
And then suddenly they’re falling, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and grunts from them both. They are both startled for a second and then simultaneously they both start laughing, Kate burying her face in his chest.
“You okay?” Jack asks her, chuckling as he runs a hand through her hair. She looks up at him, grinning stupidly.
“I’m fine - you broke my fall,” she states, giggling. “Are you all right?”
“Just fine, apart from the rock that I think is embedded in my back now…” Jack smiles.
“That mean I have to get off of you then?” Kate asks. “Cause I really don’t want to…”
“No need to move,” Jack assures her, smiling wider. His hands tangle in her hair again and she laughs, dipping her head and kissing him, finally free to admit that she has fallen in more ways than one.
*******
“Where have you guys been?” Charlie inquires, hurrying alongside them to catch up as Jack and Kate arrive back at camp, well after dark. “Nobody knew where you were.”
“We were hiking,” Kate replies matter-of-factly and Jack shoots her a surprised look. She shrugs.
“Hiking? Perhaps you thought a nice stroll through the jungle surrounded by polar bears and mysterious crazy kidnappers would be a nice evening out, then, did you?”
”Um…yeah,” Jack replies, not knowing what else to say, not caring that he’s supposed to have a better answer to that perfectly valid point.
”Well next time tell somebody, yeah? We were all worried.” Charlie warns and Jack nods, understanding; Kate laughs.
“Okay, Mom.”
“Funny. That’s the thanks I get for caring?”
“Sorry.” Kate says. “I promise, from now on, no random hikes without letting someone know.”
“Good.”
“We’ll see you later, Charlie,” Jack says, not pointedly, but clearly enough to be definitive. He and Kate stop in front of her tent and they both turn to look at Charlie, like they’re waiting for him to leave.
“Oh. Yeah, see you later then.” Charlie gives them both a strange look and then takes two steps back before turning to go, glancing back over his shoulder at the pair before disappearing from sight.
“Could you be a little more obvious?” Kate asks him and Jack chuckles.
“We were hiking ?” Jack reminds her. “Nice one.”
“Okay, so we’re not very suave.”
“No. No, we’re not.”
“Definitely not,” Kate agrees, moving closer to him, her hand brushing over his forearm.
“Hey, Freckles.” Sawyer’s voice cuts through the air sharply, sounding vaguely annoyed. Jack and Kate both turn to look at him as he approached, looking none too amused. “You got those cards?”
“Cards?”
”Yeah, the cards. The ones I loaned you this afternoon?” Kate looks at him blankly, the cards the furthest thing from her mind. “What, your memory going?”
“Hang on. Cards…” Kate pats her front pockets and then her back ones, not remembering where she put them. “They’re here somewhere.”
“I think when Hurley said he wanted to play, he meant today, doll face.”
Kate rolls her eyes, pulls off her backpack and sets it on the ground, but then remembers where they are. “Jack, I put them in your back pocket.” Not thinking she just reaches around his body and fishes them from his pocket. Sawyer arches an eyebrow as Kate basically gropes Jack’s ass.
“Sorry - I forgot they were there.” Jack says; he had gone to reach for them but she had already been a step ahead of him.
“Me too,” she replies and holds them out to Sawyer. “I think I might’ve lost one. A six I think.”
“How the hell’d you lose cards?” Sawyer asks, exasperated, ripping the box from her grasp.
“Card as in one, Sawyer. And I don’t know. It just wasn’t there when I went to pick them up.”
“Pick them up?” Sawyer
“I…I dropped them. Sorry man,” Jack says, sounding vaguely apologetic. “I’ll see if I can find anymore cards in the hatch for you.”
Jack’s offer to make nice strikes Sawyer as even more odd than the 52 card pick up that apparently went on, more odd than the strange looks Jack and Kate have been exchanging all throughout the conversation. He eyes Jack warily, then looks between them, suspicious.
“What, so you two are buddy buddy again? Best o’ friends?”
“Friends…yeah, we’re friends,” Kate nods, glancing at Jack, who chuckles lightly. “Right?”
“Right. Definitely. Friends.” He nods.
“Well ain’t that just dandy,” Sawyer grunts. “Where’d the hell you to go all day, anyway?”
“We were just…out.” Jack replies awkwardly.
Kate shoots Jack a look and murmurs something that sounds like and you complained about hiking? to him, but Sawyer’s not sure.
“Out…out where?”
“Out kicking Jack’s ass in Texas Hold ‘Em,” Kate supplies, laughing lightly.
“You won, huh? I’m not surprised,” Sawyer gives Jack an unamused look that Kate catches.
“Oh, no, I won fair and square. He tried to go easy, but I didn’t let him.”
“So what’d you lose, Doc?” Sawyer asks, smirking.
“Nothing I wasn’t willing to part with,” Jack states, echoing a taunt Sawyer had given him a few weeks ago when Kate had prompted him to return his gun. Sawyer shoots him a glare and then refocuses his gaze on Kate.
“Well good for you, Freckles. Hell knows Doc needs to be knocked down a peg or two.”
Jack just smiles in response to Sawyer’s dig, shoving his hands in his pockets like he’s simply waiting for Sawyer to be done, for him to leave.
“Yeah, think I knocked him flat on his back, Sawyer, no worries,” Kate retorts. She and Jack both fall silent and Kate looks at Sawyer expectantly. After a moment, she asks, “Was there something else you wanted besides the cards?”
“Uh…no, not really.” Sawyer is put off by her abruptness. “Why, you got some place to be or somethin’?”
“No…” Kate replies, too innocently. Sawyer gives her an annoyed look and provides Jack with one as well. Jack sighs, seeing that Sawyer’s not about to leave. His interest is piqued; a curious Sawyer is a persistent Sawyer.
“I should get to the hatch,” Jack turns to her, his voice dropping low. “Maybe you could come down later? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“About the hatch?”
“Kind of.”
“Okay.” She nods slowly.
“Okay. I’ll see you later then.” He and Kate exchange a heavy look and then Jack glances at Sawyer, starting to walk away. Kate looks at Sawyer as well, like she’s deciding something, and then turns toward Jack.
“Jack, wait a sec.” She steps after him, grabbing his hand gently and pulling him back toward her. She kisses him softly and quickly, the point not being the intensity of the kiss but the fact she had the nerve to do it at all. Jack smiles at her, surprised, when she pulls away. “See you later.”
“Yeah. See you.” Jack squeezes her hand and then lets it go, heading down the path toward the hatch. Kate turns back to Sawyer, feeling a bit unsteady on her feet and hesitant to look at him.
“Friends, huh.” Is all Sawyer says, his jaw set tightly. Kate nods, her eyes meeting his.
“Yeah. Friends,” Kate replies quietly and walks into her tent, leaving Sawyer alone outside.
“Sawyer, you coming or what?” Hurley’s voice calls out from a ways down the beach by the fire, impatient.
“Yeah, hold your horses, I’m comin’.” He calls back, irked. He kicks the sand and heads down toward the group waiting to play cards, cursing under his breath. “Fucking Jackass. Beat me twice in one day.”
END
Pairing: Jack/Kate
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: up though 2x17 “Lockdown” but then goes AU- kinda picks up sometime after Jack & Sawyer’s game, as if the last few scenes never happened.
Disclaimers: In my world, Kate and Jack can do it and Kate wouldn’t have to die afterward as some kind of perverse warning against premarital sex for women. Just saying.
Prompt: for foxy's 40, prompt #7, “Friends”
Dedication: For __inadream's birthday. Sorry it's late, Gabbi! *makes puppy dog face* But here’s that game of strip poker you wanted!
A/N:: This is kind of a companion piece to Make Love, Not War…originally the strip poker was supposed to be in that fic but I wandered elsewhere. Basically it’s similar but different…make sense? Eh…whatever. I also think I wrote a little OOC, but I don’t care. I needed this particular Jate smut today. Hopefully ya’ll won’t mind.
“You can’t be serious.”
Jack stares at Kate like she has just suggested he jump off of a cliff.
She merely shrugs, smiling at him, enjoying the fact that she’s managed to shock him. Shocking him means he’s involved again, listening to what she says and reacting. After days of being basically ignored, shock feels good.
“I’m completely serious. What, you afraid you’ll lose?” Kate teases, shuffling the cards and raising both her eyebrows at him. Jack shakes his head, smiling lightly.
“No, I just think I kind of have a bit of an advantage, Kate. It hardly seems fair.”
“Oh, really?” Kate scoffs. “You’re really that confident you can beat me?”
“No offense, Kate, but this isn’t golf. This is poker.”
“Your point?”
”My point is that there’s a reason I thoroughly beat Sawyer’s ass and it’s not because I was lucky.”
“Says the man who gave me pointers and then hit his ball into the jungle.”
“Kate.”
“It’s just a harmless game of poker, Jack.”
“See, you’re forgetting the operative word there, Kate. Strip poker. You don’t want to play poker, you want to play strip poker.”
“Are you not wearing underwear or something? Afraid I’ll find out?” Kate taunts and Jack actually blushes.
“Kate, come on.”
“What? What’s a game of strip poker between friends?” She smiles, knowing she’s pushing her luck, but knowing this is the only way to get him to play along, to get what she wants. If she forces the assumption that they are friends, they’ll be friends. Sometimes Jack needs decisions made for him and he doesn’t know it.
“Friends, huh?” Jack repeats, laughing a little at the idea. “That’s what we are?”
“Sure we are,” Kate nods, holding the stack of cards up in her hand and tilting them toward him. “You in or not?”
Jack pauses for a moment, deliberating. Kate watches as he weighs his options, not sure which way he’s going to go. Finally he sighs, adjusts his backpack on his shoulders, and looks at her.
“Well we can’t play here.”
“Follow me,” she jumps up from her seat eagerly and jerks her head toward the jungle. “I know just the spot.”
Jack shakes his head as he sets off after her, not really believing he’s actually going to play this game with her, let her pull him in again. But he knows he can’t help it, so he just gives in.
*******
Jack sighs and looks at Kate over the top of his cards, knowing he has the better hand yet again. He’s trying not to read her like the open book she is, but it’s instinctive. He just knows.
So he lies, folding his cards and sliding them across the table toward her.
“Lose it,” she gestures to his shirt with a triumphant smile. Jack pulls his t-shirt over his head and sets it aside with a sheepish smile. “And you were worried I couldn’t beat you.”
“Looks like I underestimated you,” Jack replies gamely with a shrug. Kate hands him the deck.
“You got the deal.”
“Yep.” Jack nods. She watches him as he shuffles the deck, letting her eyes traverse his wide, defined, muscular chest and toned stomach. Her fingers practically itch with the urge to reach out and touch him; she drums her fingers on the rock beneath her instead.
He offers her the deck to cut, jarring her from her moment of appreciation, causing her face to flush with color. He doesn’t seem to have noticed she was otherwise occupied, or if he did, was pretending not to.
He just deals, two cards each and then the first bet before the flop. They’re playing no blinds, with it just being the two of them and nothing really at stake except clothing, so he matches her imaginary bet and then buries the top card, laying out three cards between them.
Again, the better hand off the bat. A royal couple, suited. Things could still change, but something tells him he’s going to have to lie again.
He folds before the turn, not wanting to make it too obvious, get in too deep and then suddenly back out. Better to pretend he got dealt a raw deal right off the bat and didn’t stand a chance.
“Shoes?” He suggests and Kate nods.
“Might as well.”
She reaches over and takes the stack of cards from in front of him and then picks up his folded ones. She eyes them and then looks at the cards laid out between them on the table critically, then shoots a look at Jack. He’s unaware, bent over to untie his boots. When he looks back up he finds her holding his two cards between her fingers, faced toward him, an annoyed look on her face.
“You would’ve won,” Kate states. Jack sighs.
“You’re not supposed to look if I fold, Kate. Only person who has to show is the person who’s been called.”
“You gotta play fair, Jack.”
“I am,” he insists. “I thought you had a better hand than me.”
“Oh that’s it,” Kate shakes her head and stands up, peeling off the loose shirt covering her tank top and tossing it to the ground, then lifting one leg at a time and pulling off her sneakers. They fall to the ground with heavy thuds. “There. No more letting me win, all right?”
“Kate.”
“All right?”
“All right.” Jack agrees. Kate deals the next hand and Jack sighs when he picks up his cards. 2-7 offsuit. Shit hand and little chance the flop can salvage a thing from it. “Fold.” He puts his cards down and Kate groans in exasperation. “No, really.” He flips his cards over to prove he’s not going easy on her and she laughs.
“Okay. Yeah, good move.”
“I wasn’t letting you win.”
“You gotta lose something else then.” She tugs on the top her own pants and Jack laughs, shaking his head. He pulls off his socks instead, shoving them inside his boots. “Way to ruin a girl’s fun.” Kate comments, dealing the next round.
“Sorry.”
“Hey, if I want your pants, I’ll get your pants,” Kate retorts, basically copying what he had said to Sawyer earlier that day and breaking out into a large grin. Jack blushes and ducks his head, chuckling.
“You heard that, huh?” He says, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. Kate nods.
“Way to bust his balls. He needed it.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sure he doesn’t look at it that way.”
“It was good though…getting the medicine back. I was surprised you didn’t go for the guns instead.”
Jack sighs heavily and looks down at the ground, like he’s sick of people pointing that out.
“The medicine’s more important.” He takes the stack of cards from in front of her and shuffles through them, setting them up with another round. She takes one look at her cards and makes a face. Jack laughs. “Should we just call the fold right now and save the time?” He asks and Kate giggles.
“I know…” She holds up her cards to him, laughing again. “We’re just having a bad run of hands here, aren’t we?”
“Looks like neither of us are willing to push in with a bad hand…too risky.”
“Or we could just be folding ‘cause we both want to get our clothes off,” Kate replies flirtatiously, setting her cards down and lifting her tank top over her head. Jack’s eyes move downward before he can stop himself, taking in the sight of her newly exposed skin, the flatness of her stomach, the soft swell of her breasts against the fabric of her bra. He looks away quickly, snapping his attention back to her face.
“Could be,” He says quietly, dealing again even though it’s not his turn. He’s a bit shaken, a feeling of arousal coursing through him upon seeing Kate’s half naked body revealed to him. He doesn’t want to feel this way, wants to remain calm, but he can’t stop the desire from building. He makes it through the next hand in a daze, his eyes focused down at the card spread laid in between them, the five cards suddenly the most interesting things he’s ever seen.
Then she’s pulling down her cargo pants, untying them and letting them fall to the ground, revealing a pair of black panties that made Jack wonder if she hadn’t been planning this game all along. He knew she couldn’t have, could never have imagined that he’d choose today to come out of the hatch and join in the random game, so he has to wonder how often he’s been talking to her, walking beside her, when she had underwear like that on and he had been none the wiser. He wonders why she’s wearing them, a simple black slip of fabric that begged to be peeled off in the heat of passion; he wonders how long she’s wanted this.
Jack catches himself then, reminding himself that Kate doesn’t necessarily want anything. They aren’t doing anything. Not yet. All they’re doing is playing a game. He has no right to assume what her intentions are. He averts his gaze, waiting for her to sit back down, get back to business. He lets out a long breath, straightening the deck and holding it out for her.
She reaches over the rock between them to take it and lets her hand linger too long over his before settling back into her seat. Jack draws that same breath back in, willing himself to remain calm. It’s been so long since he’s been with anyone and he’s wanted her, wanted her so badly and tried to stay away…
When he loses the next hand, it’s because he can’t focus, can’t focus on anything except trying to stay in one piece. He stands up reluctantly, inwardly thanking god that he had managed to at least remain outwardly relaxed, and undoes his belt buckle, loosening his pants. He tries to take them off nonchalantly, like losing this article of clothing doesn’t make him completely vulnerable, and thinks he’s pulling off the façade rather well until he goes to sit back down. Kate gets up from her makeshift seat and stops him, hooking her finger into the waistband of his boxers by his hip and tugging slightly.
“Might as well call a spade a spade, Jack. There’s a reason I didn’t ask anyone else to play, just like there’s a reason you agreed to play in the first place.”
“Kate…” She moves closer to him, knowing she’s being bold but not caring. They’d been dancing around it for so long and she’s so tired of it, so tired of the constant push and pull of their relationship, close one minute and cold and distant the next. It’s just as much her fault as it is his, if not more, so she has no problem with setting aside her pride and making the first move.
“I understand not pushing in with a bad hand, Jack, but why not risk it if it’s a good one? A surefire win?” She has bridged the gap between them now, her hand sliding along his side, moving along his ribs and then back down to his waistline. He tenses.
“And you think this is surefire?” He asks. Kate nods.
“Could be. If we let it be.”
“Kate-“
“But if you want to keep screwing it up, that’s fine. But I’ve done my fair share of that and I’m done with it.” Kate doesn’t know where the words are coming from but they tumble out, out of control, like one honest word had given all the others crazy ideas, let them think they could all rebel and make an escape.
Jack stares at her, not sure what to say. Part of him thinks she’s right, that they’ve been purposely messing things up for themselves out fear of what would happen if they gave in. Part of him thinks that may be the right course of action, to stay away from one another and keep themselves from getting hurt. The other part of him, the part that’s winning out, is the one that wants to grab her and kiss her, finally give in to what is inevitable.
Kate smiles at him, trying to cover her trepidation with bravado.
“What, you want me to play you for it?” She offers. Jack continues staring at her for a moment and then finally chuckles, deciding she must be joking.
“What stakes you want? Are we talking a kiss?” Jack teases back, feeling a bit more comfortable, thinking maybe he’s not going to have to make a decision tonight after all, that they’re safely backtracking into flirtation.
“A kiss?” Kate scoffs. “Come on, Jack. Make it a real bet. Let’s play for your manly virtue.”
“My manly what?” Jack laughs.
“I dunno. Whatever it is that’s keeping you from grabbing me and throwing me down on this rock. Virtue, honor, whatever it is. I want you to give it up.” Her tone is still playful and challenging, coy and teasing, like she had been that day on the beach when she’d asked him to play golf, but Jack sees now that her earlier words had been real. She wasn’t trying to back up, cover her bold move under a blanket of friendly flirtation. What she was saying, she meant.
Jack’s apprehension comes right back then, full force, and he steps back from Kate, nervous.
Kate can see his worry plainly written on his face and she knows she’s lost this round. Frowning, she steps away from him as well, returning to her seat and plopping down with a sigh.
“Deal ‘em then.”
”Kate.”
“We’ll do this the old fashioned way.”
“The old fashioned way.”
“Yep. I’m just going to have to win the clothes right off of you.”
“Ah, yes…I remember hearing about the good ol’ days, people doing this back in the ‘50’s.” Jack replies, shaking his head but sitting back down across from her.
“Mother was left with nothing but her pearls and high heels,” Kate quips in return, picking up the cards and handing them to him. “I win this, those boxers are mine.”
“I better not lose then.”
He doesn’t lose this hand; the next one presents a dilemma, because with them both being down to their underwear, either he loses his and then they have to deal with that, or Kate loses hers and then they have to deal with that. Either way, one of them is gonna be naked or practically naked and Jack doesn’t know if he trusts himself to simply put the clothes back on and walk away.
The decision isn’t his, however, because Kate folds.
When her fingers move to the delicate straps of her bra and begin to slide them off of her shoulders, Jack looks away.
“You don’t have to, Kate. We can just call it a game.”
”Jack, if I’m not worried about you seeing me naked, why should you be?” Kate inquires. “Quit being so repressed.”
“What?” Jack snaps his head toward her without thinking and then blushes, finding her gently pulling the garment from her body and letting it fall to the ground. “I am not…repressed.”
“You so are. You’re a total prude.” She giggles girlishly.
“I am not.” He looks down at the ground anyway.
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
“I looked at you.”
“Look at me now.”
“Are we really going to sit here and argue about whether or not I should check you out?” Jack rubs the back of his head with his hand and glances at her. He seems extremely tense now but Kate only seems amused, as if she’s having fun making him uncomfortable.
“Fine, one more hand. Whoever wins this one, wins it all.” Kate smirks in return and deals quickly. Jack picks up his cards with a frustrated sigh, trying to ignore the perfect pair of breasts that just happen to be across the table from him, trying to forget the sight of Kate’s flat shapely stomach and skin so smooth it’d be a sin not to touch it. Somehow when he’d agreed to this stupid game he’d figured one or both of them would back out or call it quits before it came down to the wire. Now he’s one step away from losing his boxers or his mind and he’s not really sure which thing he’d rather keep.
“Should we even bother the pretense of betting? It’s not like we can’t be all in.” Kate comments and Jack shrugs.
“Just turn ‘em then.” He points to the space between them and Kate lays down all five cards, flop, turn and river at once, bypassing checking or calling or raising and just getting to the point. King of spades, 10 of diamonds, 3 of clubs, 5 of clubs, and an Ace of hearts. She looks at Jack, half expecting him to lay down a Queen and Jack and pull the straight, because that just seemed to be the kind of luck he has in this game.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.” She states, already playing with the thin elastic waistband of her panties, fully prepared to lose.
“Pair of threes,” Jack says quietly, setting them down on the rock face. Kate’s hand leaves her waist, surprised.
“Oh. I have tens.”
“Dimes. Nice,” Jack replies slowly, nodding like he’s trying to come to terms with the fact that in two seconds he’s gonna have to get naked. “So.”
“So…” Kate grins, leaning back on her hands and shooting him a look. “I believe your ass is mine. Time to prove you’re not a prude, Jack.”
“I think Sawyer’s rubbing off on you,” he says. Kate laughs.
“Why, has Sawyer tried to rob your boxers lately?”
”I just meant you’re enjoying my humiliation a bit too much,” Jack retorts, though good-naturedly, and stands up.
“No reason to be embarrassed, Jack,” Kate shakes her head, smiling. “I’m the one who’s been sitting here topless for five minutes and I’m not blushing. So drop your drawers.”
Jack looks at her for minute, his gaze carefully trained on her face.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he mutters before grabbing his waistband and pushing the black cotton fabric of his boxers over his hips. He lets them fall down his legs and steps out of them, standing before Kate completely naked.
Kate takes him in as his body is revealed to her, her breath catching in her throat. He’s startlingly beautiful, muscled in all the right places, lean and toned. His skin is faintly but completely tan and she wonders for a moment how it came to be so, what other opportunities she may have missed when Jack had been out in the sun without his clothes.
She wants to touch every inch, feel that skin warm and soft beneath her fingertips, discover the angles and curves of his body and the roughness of his face and hands. She wants to kiss him and have him kiss her back, want her back.
Jack shifts on his feet, nervous and anxious under the weight of her heavy gaze. She hasn’t said anything, falling completely silent and looking his body over like an artist carefully studying a nude, squinting to see the subtle differences between where shadows stopped and light began.
He opens his mouth to speak, to ask her if the game is officially over, to tell her he wants to get dressed, when she stands up, her body movements suddenly twice as graceful and as smooth, and closes the short distance between them. She lays her soft hand on his chest, her palm pressing gently against him, feeling his heart beat increase at the contact.
“Kate-“ Jack starts but Kate silences him with a kiss, all too short but more than enough, more than enough to tell him that kiss wouldn’t be the last. She lets her lips brush over his, flirting with the notion of another, deeper kiss. She moves closer. Jack’s hand involuntarily seems to find her hip, his fingers ghosting over the thin strap of her black underwear that sits on the ridge of her hip. His fingertips slide slightly underneath it, unsure, but desirous.
Kate pulls her face back just a little, getting a better look into his eyes. They’re more expressive and open now in this moment than she has ever remembered them being, everyhing he’s feeling displayed in the deep brown depths. She brushes her hand over his cheek, her thumb playing along the lush fullness of his masculine lips, and smiles gently.
“Even if I’d lost, I still would’ve made you take them off, you prude,” she murmurs, laughter in her voice but not in her words, teasing but not taunting.
“And how would you have managed that?” Jack asks, low and quiet, his lips moving against her touch.
“Oh, I would’ve thought of something…” Kate replies, sliding her hand down his chest and stomach and sliding between his legs, not taking hold but merely letting her hand slip over his cock, to try to stir something up within him before she takes him in her grasp.
Jack exhales sharply, his hand tightening on her waist, and a look of concern passes over his eyes.
“Kate, we do this…we can’t go back.”
“Well that’s fine, Jack…cause I didn’t like where we were…” she whispers. “I want us to be…somewhere else.” She strokes him again, more firmly this time, taking longer.
“We shouldn’t…”
“Jack, for once in your life, do what you want.” Kate pleads and something about her words seems to get through to him. He hesitates a moment and then moves almost imperceptibly closer, but Kate feels it. That tiny step forward is all she needs.
Looking him directly in the eye, showing him she’s not afraid, she leans in and kisses him again, this time like she really means it. Her hand instinctively tightens around him, her touch growing passionate as his mouth opens to her, letting her in. He makes a small noise of release against her lips, a low sensual hum and a light sigh. His strong hands finally move with a sense of purpose, one hand pressing into the small of her back and the other sliding over the curve of her ass, running over the fabric of her underwear and urging her closer to him. She stops the movement of her hand between his legs, opting instead to let her hands roam his body when he presses up against her.
“Jack…” she whispers in between kisses, his simple name sounding different, sounding beautiful, now that it is leaving her lips with the care and love she’s always tried to hide. His mouth meets hers again; each time he draws back and then returns with more intensity, the sense of abandon growing between them.
The jungle seems to fade away, only a faint blur of greens and browns behind them, as Kate allows herself to get lost in the sensations Jack is bringing out from deep within her. The world simply ceases to exist outside of Jack’s arms; his body is as far as she can think and his kiss is all she can feel.
Like the many times she’s talked Jack back from the brink of exhaustion, calmed him down when the stress piling upon him was getting to be too much, she knows now that she has to guide him through this, to let Jack take a break from being in charge all the time.
“Lay down,” she murmurs against his lips, gently urging him backward, trying to get him to sit down on the rock they had just left minutes before. He sits but doesn’t let her press him down, instead pulling her into his lap. She settles across his hips, her knees on either side of his thighs. Her soft breasts press against his hard chest, his body firm where hers is soft, sharp where she is delicate.
“Kate…” he sighs and Kate can feel him, hard, pressing up between her legs, brushing against the dampness there. She sighs in return and climbs off of him, stripping off her last remaining article of clothing. He reaches for her, wanting her back against him, but she pauses, stopping to truly look at him, remember this moment. His desire is so open now, his skin flushed with the warmth of his want, his eyes full of hazy passion. His lips are full, freshly kissed, parted as he struggles to get hold of his breathing.
“You’re beautiful,” Kate says gently, returning to him, climbing back into his lap, heat against heat. Jack smiles crookedly, reaching up and brushing the hair from her face, smoothing it back behind her ear. For a moment Kate thinks he’s going to tease her for the comment, for her saying something usually reserved for men to say to women, but he doesn’t. He kisses her softly and smiles again.
“So are you,” he whispers, his fingers still playing with the curled tendrils of her hair. “You’re so beautiful.” Kate smiles openly, freely, in return, feeling truly happy, giddy even, at his words, at his touch…at everything.
Talking falls easily by the wayside as Kate captures his mouth with hers, her tongue finding his and sliding along it, eager to taste him, draw him deeper. It’s still not enough; with every passing minute all she wants is more, and the second he gives it to her, it only increases her desire. The insatiable urge is only growing stronger, overwhelming her with its power.
She had wanted to take it slow, to tease him, to keep their evening playful, keep the weight of expectations off of their shoulders, but she knows now that she won’t be able to. She can’t keep it from meaning too much, can’t stop it from changing everything inexorably. Jack is right, after this, they can’t go back. And she hadn’t been lying when she said that she would never want to, but she knows Jack, knows that even now, in the throes of passion, there’s still a voice in the back of his head keeping him from fully enjoying every moment of this. The tension she can feel in his shoulders, the knot in his back, tells her so.
Kate pulls back from him and he looks at her, confused, that worry quickly showing in his eyes. She smiles to reassure him, running her hands down the inside of his thighs as she kneels on the ground in front of him. Using one hand, she guides his erection past her lips, taking him in slowly, her tongue slipping gently against his sensitive head. She watches his reaction and her own excitement increases when his eyes darken, his breathing hitches, his hands grip the edge of the rock and his body tightens, all his nerves reacting simultaneously to the sweet feeling of her mouth encircling his hardness.
His cock throbs against her tongue, pulsing hard already, the salty liquid dripping from his tip. Kate takes him as deep as she can, but he’s too big and she’s out of practice. Instead she opts for working him thoroughly, letting her tongue slide along his around his underside and delicately around the head, alternately applying hard suction and firm touches with featherlight teasing licks, working him up and then bringing him back down, each time pushing him closer to the brink.
“Kate…god…please,” he finally murmurs and she can feel his will break underneath her touch, his body ready and willing for anything. She draws her mouth from him and rises, pushing him back flat against the rock. He lets her now, no protest, no attempt to take charge.
Kate takes him in hand again, giving him a firm stroke before positioning herself over him, slowly guiding him into her body. Her eyes close as he pushes in, his hips moving upward as hers slide downward; she sighs in sweet release. He feels like heaven, causing a warmth to spread all over her body and an intense heat to form in the pit of her stomach. Neither of them move for a moment, savoring just the simplicity of the connection, him being inside her.
She only moves a little at first, a subtle roll of her hips, the small movement eliciting a gasp from them both.
“God, Jack…” Kate breathes out, her eyelids fluttering. She wants to open them, to look at him, but her body isn’t cooperating, her other senses to overpowered to handle the sight of this as well. The next time she moves he pushes up slightly to meet her, thrusting deeper. “You feel so good…”
Her hands slide up his chest; his hands find her hips, not so much guiding her motions but feeling them, feeling her hips rock up into his touch. She begins to move on top of him in earnest, riding him fast and hard, wanting to both reach the end and to never finish.
She forces her eyes open and finds him gazing at her intently, his eyes unabashedly taking in every inch of her naked body now, trying to burn it into his memory so he can hold it there forever.
“Kate…” he gasps and she groans.
“Jack…”
“Kate…”
Jack grunts as he sits up, needing to kiss her, to feel her lips on his. His tongue surges into her mouth as his hands clasp either side of her face, desperation evident in his kiss, needing to release some of the pent-up tension threatening to break them both.
“Fuck, Jack…I’ve wanted this…wanted you for so long,” Kate whispers in his ear as he pulls away, his lips sliding down to her neck, one hand slipping down the front of her body, ending between her legs. His fingers work her, a sweet and delicious friction that nearly makes her scream in ecstasy. “Since I saw you…”
“Saw me when?” Jack breathes, a small groan escaping.
“The first time. Since the first time,” Kate replies breathlessly, sighing hopelessly. “And…god…that night by the fire…”
“That first night…?”
“You were talking…and you smiled and then…it was this, Jack, I wanted this…”
“I wanted this too…” Jack kisses her again and rolls their bodies, landing on top of her. Just like that he’s back in control, no longer needing Kate to guide him, to reassure him that this is right. He knows it’s right. Everything about it is right.
He thrusts into her, wrapping her legs around his back, their lips meeting again and again between gasps and groans, her body warm and soft underneath his.
“Oh…oh…shit…oh god, fuck…Jack…Jack…Ja-“ Kate’s last word is interrupted by her scream, a long cry of passion that echoes around them both as she comes, her body tightening around him, trying to pull him along with her. He tumbles over, pounding forcefully into her as he explodes, pumping four times hard, emptying entirely into her.
And then suddenly they’re falling, hitting the ground with a heavy thud and grunts from them both. They are both startled for a second and then simultaneously they both start laughing, Kate burying her face in his chest.
“You okay?” Jack asks her, chuckling as he runs a hand through her hair. She looks up at him, grinning stupidly.
“I’m fine - you broke my fall,” she states, giggling. “Are you all right?”
“Just fine, apart from the rock that I think is embedded in my back now…” Jack smiles.
“That mean I have to get off of you then?” Kate asks. “Cause I really don’t want to…”
“No need to move,” Jack assures her, smiling wider. His hands tangle in her hair again and she laughs, dipping her head and kissing him, finally free to admit that she has fallen in more ways than one.
*******
“Where have you guys been?” Charlie inquires, hurrying alongside them to catch up as Jack and Kate arrive back at camp, well after dark. “Nobody knew where you were.”
“We were hiking,” Kate replies matter-of-factly and Jack shoots her a surprised look. She shrugs.
“Hiking? Perhaps you thought a nice stroll through the jungle surrounded by polar bears and mysterious crazy kidnappers would be a nice evening out, then, did you?”
”Um…yeah,” Jack replies, not knowing what else to say, not caring that he’s supposed to have a better answer to that perfectly valid point.
”Well next time tell somebody, yeah? We were all worried.” Charlie warns and Jack nods, understanding; Kate laughs.
“Okay, Mom.”
“Funny. That’s the thanks I get for caring?”
“Sorry.” Kate says. “I promise, from now on, no random hikes without letting someone know.”
“Good.”
“We’ll see you later, Charlie,” Jack says, not pointedly, but clearly enough to be definitive. He and Kate stop in front of her tent and they both turn to look at Charlie, like they’re waiting for him to leave.
“Oh. Yeah, see you later then.” Charlie gives them both a strange look and then takes two steps back before turning to go, glancing back over his shoulder at the pair before disappearing from sight.
“Could you be a little more obvious?” Kate asks him and Jack chuckles.
“We were hiking ?” Jack reminds her. “Nice one.”
“Okay, so we’re not very suave.”
“No. No, we’re not.”
“Definitely not,” Kate agrees, moving closer to him, her hand brushing over his forearm.
“Hey, Freckles.” Sawyer’s voice cuts through the air sharply, sounding vaguely annoyed. Jack and Kate both turn to look at him as he approached, looking none too amused. “You got those cards?”
“Cards?”
”Yeah, the cards. The ones I loaned you this afternoon?” Kate looks at him blankly, the cards the furthest thing from her mind. “What, your memory going?”
“Hang on. Cards…” Kate pats her front pockets and then her back ones, not remembering where she put them. “They’re here somewhere.”
“I think when Hurley said he wanted to play, he meant today, doll face.”
Kate rolls her eyes, pulls off her backpack and sets it on the ground, but then remembers where they are. “Jack, I put them in your back pocket.” Not thinking she just reaches around his body and fishes them from his pocket. Sawyer arches an eyebrow as Kate basically gropes Jack’s ass.
“Sorry - I forgot they were there.” Jack says; he had gone to reach for them but she had already been a step ahead of him.
“Me too,” she replies and holds them out to Sawyer. “I think I might’ve lost one. A six I think.”
“How the hell’d you lose cards?” Sawyer asks, exasperated, ripping the box from her grasp.
“Card as in one, Sawyer. And I don’t know. It just wasn’t there when I went to pick them up.”
“Pick them up?” Sawyer
“I…I dropped them. Sorry man,” Jack says, sounding vaguely apologetic. “I’ll see if I can find anymore cards in the hatch for you.”
Jack’s offer to make nice strikes Sawyer as even more odd than the 52 card pick up that apparently went on, more odd than the strange looks Jack and Kate have been exchanging all throughout the conversation. He eyes Jack warily, then looks between them, suspicious.
“What, so you two are buddy buddy again? Best o’ friends?”
“Friends…yeah, we’re friends,” Kate nods, glancing at Jack, who chuckles lightly. “Right?”
“Right. Definitely. Friends.” He nods.
“Well ain’t that just dandy,” Sawyer grunts. “Where’d the hell you to go all day, anyway?”
“We were just…out.” Jack replies awkwardly.
Kate shoots Jack a look and murmurs something that sounds like and you complained about hiking? to him, but Sawyer’s not sure.
“Out…out where?”
“Out kicking Jack’s ass in Texas Hold ‘Em,” Kate supplies, laughing lightly.
“You won, huh? I’m not surprised,” Sawyer gives Jack an unamused look that Kate catches.
“Oh, no, I won fair and square. He tried to go easy, but I didn’t let him.”
“So what’d you lose, Doc?” Sawyer asks, smirking.
“Nothing I wasn’t willing to part with,” Jack states, echoing a taunt Sawyer had given him a few weeks ago when Kate had prompted him to return his gun. Sawyer shoots him a glare and then refocuses his gaze on Kate.
“Well good for you, Freckles. Hell knows Doc needs to be knocked down a peg or two.”
Jack just smiles in response to Sawyer’s dig, shoving his hands in his pockets like he’s simply waiting for Sawyer to be done, for him to leave.
“Yeah, think I knocked him flat on his back, Sawyer, no worries,” Kate retorts. She and Jack both fall silent and Kate looks at Sawyer expectantly. After a moment, she asks, “Was there something else you wanted besides the cards?”
“Uh…no, not really.” Sawyer is put off by her abruptness. “Why, you got some place to be or somethin’?”
“No…” Kate replies, too innocently. Sawyer gives her an annoyed look and provides Jack with one as well. Jack sighs, seeing that Sawyer’s not about to leave. His interest is piqued; a curious Sawyer is a persistent Sawyer.
“I should get to the hatch,” Jack turns to her, his voice dropping low. “Maybe you could come down later? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“About the hatch?”
“Kind of.”
“Okay.” She nods slowly.
“Okay. I’ll see you later then.” He and Kate exchange a heavy look and then Jack glances at Sawyer, starting to walk away. Kate looks at Sawyer as well, like she’s deciding something, and then turns toward Jack.
“Jack, wait a sec.” She steps after him, grabbing his hand gently and pulling him back toward her. She kisses him softly and quickly, the point not being the intensity of the kiss but the fact she had the nerve to do it at all. Jack smiles at her, surprised, when she pulls away. “See you later.”
“Yeah. See you.” Jack squeezes her hand and then lets it go, heading down the path toward the hatch. Kate turns back to Sawyer, feeling a bit unsteady on her feet and hesitant to look at him.
“Friends, huh.” Is all Sawyer says, his jaw set tightly. Kate nods, her eyes meeting his.
“Yeah. Friends,” Kate replies quietly and walks into her tent, leaving Sawyer alone outside.
“Sawyer, you coming or what?” Hurley’s voice calls out from a ways down the beach by the fire, impatient.
“Yeah, hold your horses, I’m comin’.” He calls back, irked. He kicks the sand and heads down toward the group waiting to play cards, cursing under his breath. “Fucking Jackass. Beat me twice in one day.”
END