JESSIE: "Who needs dinner when you're shakin' THAT right at me?" he growled and took a bite out of my neck and cupped my breasts in his hands, kneading them through the fabric of the shirt. "Oh god.." I breathed and then struggled out of his grip. "YOU DO!" I admonished, laughing. "You should have heard your stomach growling when I got up Tay...come on baby, don't make me burn it." I reached for the oven mitts and opened the oven, slowly taking my concoction out and setting it on the stovetop burners. "Damn Jess..that smells good.." he grinned and kissed my cheek, then turned to get plates out of the cupboard. "Thank you baby, but save the compliments till after you actually eat it. I improvised..." I laughed and took the salad I threw together out of the frigde, and dished some into bowls, then set them on the table. "I'll be right back, Jess." Taylor said and then set the plates on the counter next to me. He reappeared with a t-shirt on and his hair brushed. I had finished setting dinner on the table, turned off the oven and poured two huge glasses of ice water, setting them in front of our plates. "Sit down now, Jess.." he grinned, held out my chair then gave my backside a squeeze as I sat. I squealed in surprise, then grinned at him. "Well alrighty then.." I giggled under my breath, as he sat down across from me at the small table. I crossed my legs and ran my foot up the inside of his calf to his thigh, as he went to take a bite of his dinner. He stopped and looked at me questioningly.

"What?" I asked, feigning complete innocence and batted my eyelashes convincingly. "Eat it, Tay. I'm not trying to poison you.." I smiled, "just trying to keep your strength up." I put my foot against the bulge in his pants and rubbed lightly, then dropped my foot to the floor. He grinned back at me, but again I feigned complete innocence. "What?" I asked, then took a bite of my dinner, which I had to admit was one of my better inventions. I hoped I'd remember exactly what I did so I could repeat it another time. He took a bite of his food, finally, and then gushed over my skill in the kitchen. "You improvised? Are you serious, Jess?" he asked after taking a drink of water to cool his mouth. I smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy with his praise. "My grandmother taught me to cook, Tay. She could make ANYTHING taste good. Which was a bonus since half the time I never knew what exactly we were eating. She had a few friends whose husbands were hunters.." I laughed, "We always got a freezer full at the end of hunting season, since the wives didn't have enough room in theirs." "Really? She was a good teacher, too, obviously." he said and then we talked a little more about our childhoods. He talked alot about the food in the different countries he had lived in when he was young, and the people, which I found completely fascinating, and I wound up talking alot about growing up in a single-parent home and the things that Gram and I used to do together. I did manage to completely avoid the subject of my mother and step-father, thankfully. I wasn't ready to have that discussion with myself, yet, let alone Tay. We finished our meal and he helped me clean up, then poured us some more coffee and led me into the front room. He set the cups down, stoked the fire a bit and sat down on the couch, gesturing for me to sit with him. I gladly flopped down next to him and snuggled into the arm he raised to put around my shoulders. We talked for a long time in front of the fire, and I wound up on my back with my head in his lap, and a cotton throw blanket over my feet.

TAYLOR: I sat with Jess' head in my lap, stroking her hair back for a long time as we talked. I learned alot about her grandmother that night and I had hoped that she'd talk a little about her mother and step-father, but she was so used to changing the subject when it came up that she did it without even thinking about it. And she was good at it too. No wonder it had taken Jake so long to find out for sure that she was the sister he had been looking for most of his life, it was like pulling teeth. She leaned up and kissed me, sweetly, letting me get up to poke at the fire and put more wood on it. When I went to sit back down, she moved to sitting and gestured for me to lay with my head in her lap for a while. I could have stayed like that forever, with my eyes closed and her warm, soft hands caressing my forehead and her fingers combing gently through my hair. "That feels good, Jess. I love it when you do that.." I said softly, losing myself in her touch. "Mmmm.." she nurmured in response, then kissed my forehead. "I love you, Tay." she said softly and resumed combing her fingers through my hair. "Jess...I love you, too. So much. Thank you." I told her, realizing she had probably talked more to me about any of her family life growing up, tonight, than she had even to her own brother. "For what?" she grinned, confused. "For sharing what seems to be so painful for you to even think about sometimes." I said, matter-of-factly. "You mean Gram?" she asked, still confused. I nodded. "After all the things you've told me, I realize you must miss her more than you let on, baby." I reached up and touched her cheek, then turned on my side to hold her, as tears welled up in her eyes. "Dammit, Jessie. I'm sorry.." I hugged her close.

"No. No, Tay. Don't be. You're right...I do miss her. More than I let myself think about, really. I wish she could have been there to watch me marry the man of my dreams.." she smiled. "I wish she could be here to see her great-grandchild born, I wish she and Jake could have known each other..there are so many things that would have made her so happy, Tay. She worked so hard, when I was little she should be able to enjoy all this. She should be here.." she said, her voice thickening with emotion. "Oh baby. I know.." I held her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "And she would LOVE you.." she grinned up at me, wiping her eyes. "She'd have a blast spending time with your family, Tay. We did alot together, but mostly we worked. She deserved way more than my mother gave her.." she said the last angrily. I hugged her close again. "Are you kidding, Jess?" I asked her. "She got the best end of the deal. She had you.." I told her, softly. Her arms tightened around me and she took a deep, breath, then sniffed and wiped her eyes, resting her forehead on my chest. "I love you, Tay.." she said softly as I lifted her chin to make her look at me. "I love YOU, Jess..." I told her forcefully. I wiped her cheeks with the pads of my thumbs and kissed her lips, which tasted slightly salty from her tears, and cupped the back of her head in my hand. Her hands roamed over my back and into my hair as our kiss became passionate and demanding. I took a fistful of her hair and tugged her head gently back so I could taste her skin, on her neck, shoulders down her collarbone and to the other side of her neck, up behind her ear. "I need you Jess.." I whispered, letting my lips graze her ear. "I need you.." I whispered again, letting  the fingers on my free hand slowly undo the buttons on the shirt she was wearing. "Mmmm..." she murmured in response, turning her head to let her lips graze my cheek while I was still sucking at her neck and shoulders.

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