Slow and steady... with a lttle of this or that mixed in.
Enjoy!
++++
Lois had put on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt that accentuated all of her feminine positives. Damn, Clark thought as he started toward the bathroom. He was glad he was a man.
"Hey?"
He stopped and turned back toward her. "Yeah?"
"Do you have Jimmy and Jack's numbers stored in your cell phone?"
"Yes."
"Do you mind if I call them? I think I need to apologize to them for how I acted the other night."
"Lois, they understood. If they hadn't, they wouldn't have called me or helped me get you out of there."
"Yeah, I know, but I would still like to apologize."
Clark smiled and pointed toward the living room. "It's on the table beside the couch."
She gave him a grateful nod of her head and went to make her calls. Clark closed himself off in the bathroom and a little while later, they were stepping out onto the sidewalk.
"You know, if we had a car, we could drive up the coast. Maybe have a picnic on the beach," Lois said as they walked along.
"Do you like the beach?"
"I love the beach. I also like the mountains. Not so crazy about the outdoors... you know, camping, hiking, stuff like that."
Clark chuckled softly. "I can see that." He held up his hand and waved a cab to the curb. They crawled in and Clark gave the cabbie an address at the bay. They shared breakfast over light conversation, mostly about the places Lois missed. She told him about several of the restaurants she liked eating at, where her favorite grocery store was, and where she used to rent movies. He was content to listen, sprinkling in questions here and there. When they stepped outside again, Clark hailed them another cab. Lois was the one to look at him in surprise when they pulled to a stop outside the city, in front of a car dealership.
"Clark?"
"What?" He glanced at the building. "There's a silver Jeep I've been eyeing for a while. You're right. We need a car."
"We?" she asked him with a quirked brow.
"We," he stressed as he gently guided her toward the sales lot at the end of the building. "I know how you feel about me, sweetie. You're not going anywhere."
She glared at him, but he just waggled his brows back at her, causing her to laugh softly. They stopped next to a Jeep and Lois looked at it carefully. "You have good taste in cars," she told him.
"Yep," he replied as he opened the driver's door and popped the hood.
"What are you looking for?" Lois asked as she stepped up beside him.
He smiled at her as he looked around at the engine. "There *is* more to a car than putting gas in it and driving it."
"I know." She stuck her lip out in a pout. Actually, she didn't know. She'd always done exactly what Clark said- put gas in and drove. Okay, so there probably was all kind of things you had to do to take care of one.
When Clark was satisfied, he closed the hood. Moving back to the door, he sat down behind the wheel.
"Mr. Kent," called the salesman as he approached the vehicle. "Are you ready to buy that thing yet?"
"Yet?" Lois asked him from where she stood beside him in the open door.
"I've looked at it a time or two," Clark told her.
The man stopped a few feet away from them. "I have the paperwork ready to go, Mr. Kent. You can be out of here in less than thirty minutes."
Clark looked over at Lois. "What do you think? Do you like it?"
"What are you asking me for?"
He arched a brow at her. "Do you like it?" He stressed every word.
She sighed and pulled on his arm for him to get out. When he had, she took his place in the driver's seat. She set the rearview mirror, flipped the visor down and looked at herself in the mirror there, then smiled at Clark. "Yeah, I like it."
He grinned back at her before turning to the salesman. "Do the paperwork."
"Yes, sir. Just meet me inside whenever you're ready." He turned and hurried toward the building. He'd been trying to convince Clark to buy the Jeep for a while now.
"Clark, this car is brand new," Lois said as she leaned over to peer at the dash. "There's like less than two miles on it."
"Good." He stuffed his hands into his pockets as she climbed out. "You look good in it."
"Oh, honey, I look good in anything." She patted his chest and started toward the building.
He chuckled and shook his head. So true, he thought as he watched her walk from behind.
So, so true!
****
After signing all of the paperwork, making a call for insurance, and waiting until the Jeep was detailed for delivery, the couple climbed into the new vehicle and drove up the coast. They drifted in and out of a few antique shops in a small, beach town. From there they headed toward a large thrift market Clark knew about. Lois haggled with several vendors over things she wanted, which amused Clark to no end. They grabbed sandwiches from a cafe beside the road and headed down to the beach for a picnic lunch. Luckily they found a park with tables. They inspected the lighthouse at the end of the pier, then took off their shoes to walk in the edge of the water while they talked.
Although it was May, the beach was still fairly empty. Up until now, talk had revolved mostly around things they'd done as teenagers, places they'd been, and people they'd known. Lois had done a lot of the talking, but she'd asked dozens of questions when Clark talked about traveling. Afternoon was beginning to wind into early evening, but neither seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere.
Lois shook her head again to get her long hair off her face. "I think I'm going to get a haircut. Something short, easy to take care of."
Oh, God, Clark thought as he looked at her. Don't do that. You'll expose that delicate neck and...
"What?" she asked, noticing the look on his face. He blushed and looked away, a sure sign his thoughts hadn't been exactly platonic. She grinned widely, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "Would you miss my long hair, Clark?" she asked in a girly voice.
"Shut up," he told her and edged her toward the water. She'd teased him relentlessly today.
Laughing softly, she dodged the surf. Clark was so great to hang out with. He'd had to leave her hanging a couple of times today to go be Superman, but he'd hurried back both times. It was so odd hanging out with the Man of Steel. Yet, it felt as natural as breathing. Something else she refused to mull over. Lois didn't understand why she felt so comfortable with Clark; she didn't care. She'd decided earlier in the day that he made her feel good and she wasn't about to analyze it.
"Hey, Clark?"
"Umm?" He was looking down at the sand, trying to find perfect shells.
"I know I'm a mess." That caused him to lift his head toward her. "I know I should probably talk to someone- a professional. But I feel comfortable with you. And well, I thought I could talk to you. You *did* say you'd listen."
Clark grasped her arm to stop them so he could look into her eyes. "You can talk to me all you want to. I can't promise I'll know what to say or how to respond..."
"I'd just like for you to listen. You don't have to say anything."
"I have super hearing," he reminded her as he tugged on his lobe.
"And I might use it sometimes. You know, like I did last night."
"Whatever you're comfortable with."
"You sure it won't be too much for me to dump on you?"
"Tell you what... You dump on me and I'll dump on you." She furrowed her brows in question. "Like I did the other night after that rescue. Sometimes I need to vent."
A smile spread across her face. "Deal," she said and held out her hand to shake on it.
He shifted the bucket they'd brought to the beach with them after depositing their shoes in the car so he could grasp her hand. "Deal."
"I might... get loud sometimes," she told him without releasing his hand.
"I'll stand on the balcony. Or the top of the building." She laughed softly. "Whatever you feel like you need to do," he told her.
"Okay," she replied as she looked into his eyes. He had such great eyes. "Will you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Take your glasses off."
He glanced around them. There was a few people, but not really a crowd.
"Come on. We're a hundred miles from Metropolis. Nobody knows you. Well, except for that crazy man at the flea market." There had been a man at the flea market that recognized Clark and asked Lois if she was Lois Luthor. Clark had to haul her off to keep her from tearing the man's eyes out. She'd been fairly lucky following her expose on Lex in regards to being hounded by the media. Sure, there had been a few bottom feeders hanging around the Planet the next day, but most had left her alone. She wasn't sure why that was, but she was grateful.
"Why do you want me to take off my glasses?" he asked.
"You have great eyes and I'd like to see them."
Those great eyes glossed over and he swallowed hard. Lois really did a number on his system. He continued to hold her gaze as he pulled his frames from his face, folded them up, and stuck them in the pocket of the shirt he was wearing. "Better?"
"Much," she told him, her own eyes glistening in the afternoon sun. She grabbed the bucket from his hand and went back to combing through the shells. Clark wanted to collect enough corkscrew shells to make the twins a necklace. "Found one!" she yelled and bent over to retrieve her prize. "Why didn't we go see them today?"
"Because you wanted to do something fun," Clark reminded her as he picked up another shell.
"Oh, yeah. Will you fly me out later? I'd like to stay with them a day or two."
"Sure," he said as he glanced at her. "I think you need to stay with them a while alone. Well, not really alone since my folks will be there. But alone. You know, without me."
"Clark?" He shut his mouth. "Don't ever say you don't babble."
Chuckling at her, he went back to his search. They had half a bucket full when they made the trek back to the car.
"The only thing I hate about the beach," Lois said as she rubbed her feet together to rid them of the sand.
"Grab your shoes. There's a spigot over there." Clark pointed toward the water supply. They washed off, put their shoes back on, and set out toward Metropolis. There was about an hour of daylight left when they turned the corner onto a street Lois recognized.
"Are we going to Perry's?"
"Nope. I'm taking you to see the house I bought."
"It's on the same street as Perry?"
"Across the cul-de-sac. We're the only two houses at the end of the block."
"Wow!" Lois said as they pulled to a stop in the driveway. "It's beautiful." She tore her eyes away from the structure to look across at Perry's house. He'd done a few renovations since she'd been here last, but it still looked the same.
"Come on. We can't go in because I won't get a key until we close."
"I could pick the lock," she suggested as they went up the steps on the end of the front porch.
"Lois," he warned. "Just peep in the windows, would you?"
She was already glued to the first one. "Dining room?"
"Yeah. The kitchen's off behind it. There's a large den at the back and another room that I'd like to use as an office."
"Living room," Lois commented as she peered through the window on the other side of the front door. "How many bedrooms?"
"Four. And a loft on the third floor."
"Nice," she said as she headed back toward the steps. Around the back, through a gate, the paved drive led to a huge garage. "How many cars do they expect you to have?" The building could hold two and stairs on the side led up to what must be the space he and his parents had mentioned that could be an apartment. "How big is that place?" she pointed.
"Right now it's just one huge room with a bathroom. If we renovate, it could easily be transformed into a small apartment. For that matter, we could use part of the garage, too." He shrugged as he walked toward the back of the house.
"A pool!" Lois said loudly. There was an in-ground pool to the right of the patio.
"You like it?" Clark asked with a smirk on his face.
"How can you afford this place?"
"It was headed into foreclosure. I offered the payoff to the mortgage company and they accepted. I got it for less than half what it's worth."
"Get out of town!"
"I'm working on it," he joked. The new house was in a subdivision just outside the city. If one had to live outside the city, this was the place to be. Away from the hustle and bustle, it was still close enough to make the commute so short that you wouldn't miss the convenience.
"Funny," she told him as she walked closer to the pool area. There was a fence that closed the entire section off from the rest of the backyard. "Maybe there should be an alarm on this gate," she suggested, thinking of the twins' insatiable curiosity.
"And another one in the pool itself. That's the first thing I looked into before I made an offer on this place." He pointed toward an area in the back corner. "I thought maybe I'd build a play area back there. Big jungle gym with some of that spongy flooring to keep them as safe as possible."
"Small enough to put a top on it so that they won't get burned in the heat?" she asked him timidly.
He grinned at her. Even though there were quite a few shade trees in the large lot, the added protection from the sun would be a nice addition. "Yes, Mom," he groaned, a teasing glint in his eyes.
"When do you think they'll want to call me that?" Her smile had faded and she was walking toward the back of the yard.
"Before you know it," Clark said and went after her. "You'll get tired of hearing it."
"I doubt that," she told him as she leaned to sniff a rose. There was a small garden beside the garage.
"They've seen pictures of you. I'm surprised they haven't put the two together yet." It was only a matter of time though. Especially with Perry. She'd inherited her mother's curiosity.
"You showed them pictures?"
"Sure. We've talked about you with them, too. It really is surprising they haven't remembered it yet."
"I guess they will." She pointed toward the garage. "Can I pick the lock on this one?"
"No." He waved her toward him. "Come on. Let's go bowling."
"Bowling? Ah, no." She walked past him, looking up at the windows on the side of the house. "At least you won't have to do a lot of work to the place."
"Yeah. It was just renovated two years ago. The couple that lived here divorced. He lost his cushy CEO position and she moved back out west."
"Did they have kids?"
"Nope. Yuppies from California, came over when he got a job with LexCorp."
"What?" she asked she stopped.
He nodded. "Mayson was the one that told me about this place. Dan found out about it."
"Dan? He's been mentioned before."
"Dan Scardino. Ex-DEA turned private detective. Also Mayson's husband."
"Husband? But I thought you and she..."
"We did. She and Dan were separated at the time. Although, she didn't mention she actually had a husband when we first started dating." He winced as he remembered the night he found out.
"Ouch!"
He shrugged helplessly. "We moved on. She and Dan are actually back together." He motioned with his thumb behind him. "They're buying the house next door."
"No," Lois breathed.
Clark nodded in the affirmative. "Which works well for me. You know..." He made a flying motion with his hand.
"Guess it would." She started toward the car again. "Maybe you should build a balcony outside your bedroom window."
"There's that brilliance again." He'd already thought of that. He pulled the keys out of his pocket. "Want to drive?"
"I can't. Don't have my license. Remember?"
"Sorry. I forgot."
"Will you take me to get them when Mayson gets me all worked out?"
"Sure. Then I'll let you drive me home." He winked at her and they climbed in. "Where to?"
Lois stared at the house for a moment before looking at him. "Can I live with you?"
His brows jumped up in surprise. "What?"
"Live with you and the twins... in the house," she clarified. "I'd really like to be close to them." She looked back out of the window. "And to you," she whispered.
"Ah, well..."
"That's okay," she said. "I'll just get a place near the Planet. Maybe I could keep your apartment." She pulled her seatbelt on and snapped it.
"Jack and Denny are moving into my place," he said. "Lois, I would love for you to live with us."
"No you wouldn't. You hesitated..."
"I was just surprised you asked. I know Mom mentioned renovating the garage..."
"That'll be good, but I just don't want you going to all of that trouble for me."
"Like having you live with me wouldn't be trouble?" He meant it in a teasing manner, but the flash of Lois' eyes told him it hadn't come off that way. Her head jerked around and she stared out the window.
"Can we just go now?"
"Lois, I didn't mean it that way." He reached out to touch her, but she shrugged his hand off her arm. He felt like kicking himself. They'd had a really good day and he had to go and ruin it. "Listen to me," he started. "I was teasing you. Kinda' like you do me constantly." Nothing. "If you think you'd be comfortable living with me, you're more than welcome. I'd love to have you that close to the twins. Hell, we've been living together for the past few days anyway. And I hope you weren't planning on going anywhere. I just want you to realize what a huge commitment that is."
"I don't have anywhere else to go," she said softly.
"I don't want you to feel like you have to live with us for that reason."
"I want to be with my kids and I want them to be with you." She finally turned around to look at him. "I want them to be with their grandparents..." She stopped and looked at him with wide eyes. "I can't live with you. I'd be edging out your folks."
Clark smiled at her. "Maybe that apartment above the garage would be more suited for them."
"What?"
"Mom and I talked about it yesterday. She thinks it's time I take care of the kids more. And since you're their mother and you're here..." He finished with a shrug and turned the engine of the car over.
Lois sat back and looked out the window again, a far away expression on her face. "Your mom is... unlike anything I've ever thought a mom should be. Mine left long before she died. Her depression over losing Collin, then her strained marriage... Lucy put a smile back on her face for a while, but she was lost by then. I went through six different nannies before Lucy. Four after, before I declared myself old enough to take care of both of us." She sighed as they stopped for the sign at the end of the road. "I was only ten. Then mom died a few years later and I moved out a year after. I've been on my own ever since." Her eyes shifted to the large, warm hand that covered hers. "She told me that she'd always wanted a daughter," Lois whispered, talking about Martha. "And she doesn't even know me."
"You two are going to be good friends," he said softly, slipping his fingers through hers as he maneuvered them into traffic.
"I hope so," she said so softly he had to use his super hearing. "Hey," she said suddenly, perking back up. "Let's call Jimmy and Jack and see if they want to hang out tonight."
"Sure. What do you want to do? Dinner? Dancing?"
"Ah, no. I don't think I want to see another club for a while." That made him chuckle. "Is it too corny to stay in a play a board game or something?"
"Not if you like Trivia. Jack loves that game. We usually try to play at least once a month."
"Call 'em. They'll come for you."
"Come on, Lois, they'd come if you asked, too." She rolled her eyes at him, so he retrieved his hand from hers and pulled out his cell phone. Jimmy answered on the second ring and informed Clark he was a lifesaver. The poor guy had been about to explode from boredom. He'd been on an early date and now he was on his own. He'd called Jack, but didn't get an answer. He agreed to grab chips and beer and be at his place by seven.
Clark had to leave a message for Jack, but the other man called back before they made it into the city. He informed Clark he'd thought of calling to ask them the exact same thing. He'd grab pizza and he and Denny would be on the way. When Clark told Lois they had plans, her whole body seemed to relax. She'd been worried they wouldn't come because of her. Suddenly Clark was looking forward to showing her just how much everyone cared about her.
****
"Wow! That's really good," Lois said of Clark's homemade salsa. He and Lois had stopped off at the store to grab what he needed to make the dip. It was sort of a standing tradition that he'd make salsa when they all got together.
"Don't sound so surprised. You have eaten my cooking."
"Omelets are one thing, but not many people can make good salsa. I should know. I've eaten every variety known to man in the last few months."
Clark made a sour expression. That was the reason he'd picked up supplies to make a different dip as well, so she'd have a choice. "How 'bout this one?" he asked and scooped some of the white mixture up on a cracker to offer it to her. Instead of taking it from him, she leaned forward and accepted it with her mouth. The expression on her face, the feel of lips on his fingers... His mouth went dry and his entire body vibrated. Did she have any idea what she was doing? One look told him that this time she didn't. Or she wasn't trying to fry his brain with her incessant teasing. She was merely tasting the food.
"Mmm," she moaned. "Much better than the salsa."
Clark couldn't move, couldn't speak. Had he ever been so aroused in his life? And she was just eating a cracker. He shuttered involuntarily to think what she could do if she *tried* to turn him on.
"Clark?"
He blinked several times but it didn't help. Stepping around her quickly, he bolted for the bathroom. He had to take a cold shower.
"Clark, what's wrong?" she asked him, hurrying to grab him by the arm.
Before she knew what was happening, he'd grabbed her and pinned her against the wall, holding her arms above her head, his face close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin. "You're what's wrong," he whispered. And just as quickly as he'd grabbed her, he let her go.
She was left to catch her breath when he closed the bathroom door. It took a minute, but she finally realized what had happened. A giggle bubbled up and spilled out. "Poor baby," she said, knowing he'd hear her. "Can I help it that I'm so... me?"
Inside the bathroom, Clark hung his head and laughed. That was why he was so attracted. She was quirky and a bit conceited, although she had every reason to be. She was brilliant, beautiful, and full of more fire than ten women. A second with her was better than ten minutes flying.
Damn! He was in trouble.
When he finally came out of the bathroom, he had the grace to blush when their eyes met. He'd been a little ashamed of how he'd reacted to her. Yet, at the same time he'd been so excited he was breathless. He'd read about people feeling the way he felt, but thought it merely descriptive prose. He now knew it was very possible to feel an actual rush from an attraction to a woman.
Lois was talking with Jimmy when Clark came out and she flashed him an evil grin. She loved knowing she affected him like that, even if it did scare the hell out of her. Soon enough Jack joined the group, explaining that Denny was spending the night with his friend, Kenny.
"I was hoping to finally meet him," Lois said of Denny's absence.
"He likes it at Kenny's house because Kenny's dad hangs out with them. He's helping Kenny restore an '66 Mustang."
"Sweet," Lois commented.
"It will be when they're done. Fire engine red, black rag top... Lucky kid." Jack leaned over to pull out the board to the game."
"Come on, Jack. You do good by Denny," Jimmy said, clapping his friend's shoulder. They had this conversation all the time so he recognized the expression on Jack's face.
"Yeah, I know. I just wish I could give him more." Jack was only five years older than Denny, but he worked hard to provide for his brother. "Speaking of which, CK, could you loan me some money? Denny's got to have a laptop for school next year and after the bills, I just don't have the extra cash."
Clark looked up from stuffing a chip in his mouth. "Sorry, Jack. No can do." He winced and nearly spit the food in his mouth out when Lois smacked him against the chest. "Ouch!"
"Oh please. That didn't hurt. But what the hell do you mean you can't give him the money?" She was glaring at him like he'd lost his mind.
"I can't give him the money for a laptop because I gave it to Jimmy. He's building Denny's laptop."
Lois had the grace to look ashamed of hitting him. Her eyes shifted to Jimmy.
"CK asked me a few weeks ago about building him one when Denny asked Martha if he could come out to the farm this summer and work to earn the extra money to buy the computer."
"Yeah, and everybody knows Jimmy's the best tech guy in the city," Clark pointed out. He was smiling when he looked at Jack, but the expression on the young man's face sobered him instantly.
"If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. You're one of a kind, CK." Jack held up his hand for a manly shake, which Clark was happy to give. "I'll pay you back."
"Yeah. I want a copy of that boy's graduation certificate."
"Come on, man, I'm serious. I can't let you do that."
"No, but Denny can accept a gift. Better yet, it's an investment. That kid's going to college on a full ride. And I'm investing in his success now."
"You have my permission to bust his chops if his grades slip this year." Jack finished handing out the pieces for the game. "Now, I have to warn you, Lois. I'm the trivia champ."
"Oh yeah," she said, taking up his challenge. "Move over, champ. There's a new girl in town."
"Are we in trouble?" Clark asked Jimmy.
"So much trouble," Jimmy replied as he shook his head.
Two hours later, the small group was laughing, shouting at one another, and having a good time. The salsa and dip was gone, the pizza had been eaten, too many beer bottles were crowding the trash can, and the fun wasn't over yet. Lois and Jack were neck and neck on the game, vowing it wouldn't end until one stumped the other.
"You two do know that Clark could answer nearly all of the questions in that stack?" Jimmy asked them as they bickered back and forth.
Clark was shaking his head at Jimmy, trying not to be seen.
"What does he mean?" Lois wanted to know.
"Nothing," Clark answered and emptied his beer.
"CK wouldn't use his vision to cheat," Jack pointed out.
"Oh, I know," Jimmy said. "But he doesn't need to read the cards."
"Jimmy, why don't you ask Lois the next question?" Clark bit out between clenched teeth, kicking the other man under the table.
"Ow!" Jimmy just wasn't getting it. "I just thought as long as we've been playing this, Jack would have figured it out by now."
"Figured what out?"
"Come on, Jack..."
"Jimmy..." Clark tried again. "Do you want to stop having game night? That's what's going to happen if you keep talking."
Jimmy looked back over at Clark and shrugged. "Just thought they'd want to know."
Lois had watched the exchange, then her eyes settled on Clark. "You know all of the answers, don't you?"
"No!" Clark said quickly, too quickly.
"Bullsh... OW! That really hurt, Superman," Jimmy said when Clark kicked him again.
"Do you know?" Jack asked him. "I mean, it's okay if you do because you still play. And that's really cool. You're Superman and you're sitting here playing Trivia with us."
"Now that's impressive," Lois said softly as she chose another card from the stack. She didn't miss the glance Clark gave her. "Okay, Jack, show me what you got." She shot him another question and he rattled off the answer. He shot her one, and they continued that way for twenty minutes. They'd chosen to sit in the living room to play and when she came back from a potty break, she sat down on the floor between Clark's legs. Clark and Jimmy had been eliminated some time ago, so they were merely serving as referees at this point. Both she and Jack were competitive as hell.
Clark only hesitated a second when she sat down between his legs. His hand touched her shoulder now and then, his body touching hers when he'd lean forward for whatever reason, all of which they seemed completely comfortable with. When Jack finally stumped Lois, Clark reached out to rub her shoulders with both of his hands.
"Poor baby," he repeated what she'd said about him earlier.
"Yeah, yeah," she said.
"Who's the man?" Jack asked after he'd quit celebrating so excessively.
"Okay. You're pretty decent," Lois relented.
"Decent? Decent? I wiped the floor with you."
"After..." She glanced at the clock. "Three hours!"
"Yeah, yeah," he tossed back at her. They laughed and started to gather up the game to put it away.
Lois leaned back more fully into Clark, her arms hanging over his knees. She laid her head back so she could look at him upside down. "So, can you really answer all of the questions?"
"Probably," he admitted.
"Does being Superman make you some kind of genius?"
"No. It does cause my brain to work a bit faster than normal. I can read like a million words a minute."
"He can type that fast, too," Jimmy put in. "I've replaced six keyboards on his computer already this year."
They all laughed aloud. "I try not to get in such a hurry," Clark informed them.
"So, CK, when are we moving houses?" Jack asked after a moment.
"Hopefully by the middle of next month. I'd really like to be in the house before Father's Day so we can have a barbeque."
"Yes, sir," Jimmy spoke up. "Me and Jack have already decided we'll be more than happy to keep the pool used for you."
"You can clean it, too," Clark said as he leaned forward to prop his elbows on Lois' shoulders, allowing his hands to drape in front of her.
"Why would we clean the pool when you can do it in like two seconds?" Jack asked him.
"Yeah, Clark, why would they?" Lois wanted to know, looking back at him again.
"Keep your two cents to yourself, would you? I'll make you keep the grass cut."
"No problem. I'm sure I can find the number for a good crew."
Jack and Jimmy both laughed. "As long as you don't ask her to cook," Jimmy threw in.
"You know what, Jimmy. I used to like you," Lois told him, causing him to laugh again.
"So, are you coming back to work soon?" Jimmy asked her after a moment.
"I don't know. I might get to know my twins for a while first."
"They're the best," Jack let her know. "Perry can bat those big, brown eyes and I'm totally whipped."
"I remember neither of you knew what to do with her that first day," Clark said.
"Well, no," Jack replied. "She was small and squirmy..."
"And poopy," Jimmy added, causing another round of laughter. "She was great though. But Collin... that kid is a tiny Clark. His heart's way too big."
"This guy has a big heart?" Lois asked, a teasing glint back in her eyes.
Clark pulled a hand around and cupped her chin so that he could tilt her head back. "Watch it, Lane. I can set your pants on fire with a glance."
"Promises, promises," she told him, that flash behind her eyes.
He grinned at her, but didn't comment, just released her chin. "Has she always been impossible?" he asked Jimmy.
"Oh yeah," he exaggerated. "Poor Ralph's ego is probably still stinging from the last cut down she delivered."
Lois covered her face with her hands. "Oh, damn! I forgot about that."
Jimmy reached over to pop Jack on the arm. "The entire newsroom stopped. Hell, I even think the phones stopped ringing."
"What did she do?" Jack asked, taking a drink of his beer.
"Well, you know Ralph thinks he's all that anyway. So, he asks Lois daily to go out with him. Drops a few innuendos, some of which are rather raunchy. This one day he swaggers over to Lois' desk, calls her 'beautiful', which she hated, then proceeds to tell her how he'd make her throw rocks at all other men. She stares at him for a moment, then sweeps everything she can off her desk." He demonstrates with a wave of his hand. "Grabs Ralph and hauls him over on top of her as she falls up on the desk and starts to tell him, very loudly, to get busy." Jack's eyes widened in shock. "She's yelling and moaning like they're already going at it, saying how good he was..." Jimmy stopped so he could laugh. "Poor guy never knew what hit him. After a few minutes, she pushes him backwards and declares she needs a cigarette." He slapped his knee a few times in his laughter. "The bastard was so... excited, he had a wet spot."
"Which you pointed out to everyone," Lois let them know.
"Hey, I just thought I'd help you out a little." They all laughed, Jack trying to picture Ralph after embarrassing himself like that.
"I can see you doing that," Clark pointed out.
"Yeah, so don't mess with me," she warned him with a pointed finger.
He held up his hands in surrender. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"Oh, now that would be rich," Jack said. "Clark being mowed down by some dame."
"Hey! I'm not some dame."
"No, no. I know. I was trying to picture something like that. Any woman telling Clark no..."
Lois glanced up at Clark. "What? You think women always say yes to him?"
Both of the other men replied, "Yes!"
"Not all the time," Clark said to defend himself.
"Name one time she said no," Jimmy challenged him.
"Me and Lana broke up. And so did me and Mayson."
"Oh right. Who did the breaking up?" Jack wanted to know.
"Well..." Clark stopped and smiled. "Okay. But with Lana it was mutual. We just had separate dreams."
"Uh huh. And to this day she'd jump back on you like white on rice," Jack said as he stood up to take his trash to the kitchen.
When Clark didn't say anything, Lois looked around at him. "I got that vibe, too," she told him.
"Yeah, so? Lana and I have known each other since we were kids. You tend to be comfortable with people you know so well."
"So explain us." Lois looked at him with a very serious expression.
"I'm a man, you're a woman," Clark told her with a waggle of his brows.
"Smartass," she mumbled as she settled back again.
"Man, CK, you like playing with fire," Jimmy said as he stood up, too. "Don't say I didn't warn you when you have a... nice dream in the middle of the day." He shook his head like he couldn't believe Clark's audacity as he put the chair he was sitting in back under the table.
"You guys don't have to go," Lois told them.
"Unfortunately I do," Jimmy replied. "I'm opening up shop for Perry tomorrow. He and Alice are going to see Richard."
"Where is he?" Lois asked.
"Rehab... again. Maybe this time it'll stick. He nearly died from the last overdose."
"I wish he'd get straight. I went to see Lucy and it was hard seeing her like that, knowing all of the recreational drugs she abused helped put her in that state."
"I think Richard's going to make it this time," Jimmy said. At least for Perry's sake he hoped he did.
"How 'bout Jerry? Where's he?"
"On the west coast, doing pretty well. Doesn't come home nearly enough, but he's out of trouble and working."
"Good." Lois smiled as she remembered Perry's sons. Both had strayed far from the lessons they were taught growing up. But Perry had loved them and never gave up on either one.
"All right," Jack said when he came back from a trip to the bathroom. "It was fun. Don't get up," he told Clark when he noticed the other man was about to stand. He clapped his hand instead. "Lois, keep this guy straight."
"How do you do that with a joker that can fly away from you?"
"True," Jack said as he bounded up the stairs. "Come on, Jimbo. You're driving me home."
Jimmy finished putting his dishes in the sink and headed for the stairs. "Later, guys. We had a blast."
When they were gone, Lois sighed and laid her head over on Clark's leg. "Comfortable?" he asked her.
"Very," she answered and closed her eyes.
"Still want to fly out to stay with the twins?"
"Would it be too much trouble for you to take me first thing in the morning? It's already past ten in Kansas."
Clark glanced over at the clock. "Yeah. Guess everyone's in bed." His eyes fell back on the woman lying against him. Her position was pure torture now that they were alone. Of course, it hadn't been exactly easy when the guys were there. His hand went up and he smoothed the side of her face. She'd closed her eyes, content to stay where she was.
"That feels good," she told him.
"Are you really going to cut your hair?"
"Do you want me to?"
Clark ran his hand through her long locks, trying to imagine what it would look like in her natural color. "I don't know. I kinda' like it."
"Do you like the red?"
"Ah, well, I'd rather see the natural color."
She opened her eyes to look at him. She'd turned just enough to see his face. "I thought you were partial to blondes." Both Lana and Mayson were blondes.
"I'm partial to Lois Lane," he admitted softly. His hand cupped her cheek, his body once again humming with suppressed desire.
"Would you go out with me?" she asked him as they stared at one another.
"I thought we did that today." His thumb rubbed the skin under her eye, his skin tingling from the warmth radiating off her.
"I mean a real date, like where I take out my best perfume, the one I bought after seeing 'Love Affair'- the good one, not the remake- and put a dab behind my knee, even though I have no idea why? That kind of date?"
His thumb stopped moving and he stared at her. "Are you ready for that?"
"I didn't mean tonight or even tomorrow. I just wanted to know if you'd go... when I'm ready."
"Yes, I'll go."
She shifted and stared across the room. "What if I'm not ready for... a year?"
"Then I'll have a while to let the anticipation build."
"I'm serious, Clark."
"I am, too." He reached down to pull her hair back with both hands, smoothing it out to fashion a ponytail.
"Will my living with you upset anyone?"
"What?" he asked, pausing to hold her hair up.
"Some woman won't be upset because you're shacking up with your babies' mama," she said with an exaggeration on the last part.
He chuckled and started playing with her hair again. "I'm not seeing anyone," he told her. "You should know that by now."
"Why not?" She leaned her head backwards again. "You're gorgeous, rich, single, gorgeous, successful, funny. Did I say gorgeous?" When he grinned, she laughed, resting her head back completely. She missed the expression on his face. "Why aren't you dating?"
He shrugged, unable to say anything because the position of her head reminded him just how close they were.
She looked at him when he didn't say anything. "Sheez, Clark, maybe you do need a girlfriend."
"You know what? All of that teasing is going to get you in trouble one day."
"Yeah, yeah," she said as she drew away from him and stood up. "I think I'm gonna head to bed."
"Okay," he said, swallowing his disappointment because she'd gotten up. As torturous as it was having her lying on him, he would much rather have her near him than in the other room. Spending the day with her had shown him a glimpse of how good things could be... with her around. He'd already decided to call Mayson the next day to find out if she could push the closing on his house through a bit quicker. He stood up when she stepped through the doorway into the bedroom. With a sigh, he zipped around the apartment cleaning up from their game night. Seconds later he was digging his blankets out of the window seat. He turned from spreading the last blanket on the couch to see Lois standing behind him.
"I had a good time today," she told him.
"Me, too."
"The car's great. And the house."
When she wouldn't look at him, he stepped around the coffee table. "What?" he asked her.
Her eyes slowly met his. "Could I have a hug?"
He smiled and immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Want to talk?"
"No. I just wanted a hug." Her arms had slipped under his open shirt. Thank God he was wearing his muscle tee, Lois thought. Of course, she wouldn't have asked otherwise. She'd just had an overwhelming desire to feel him hold her, for him to reassure her that she was still okay. "Why do you wear these tight shirts?"
"I don't know," he said through a laugh. "I had to buy some shirts when I was in a little village in South America once and these were all they had. Every man there, it seemed, wore them. Probably has something to do with the heat." He shrugged as best he could while holding her. "Guess I got used to them."
"I know I like 'em," she mumbled against his chest.
He squeezed a bit tighter, then withdrew so he could look at her. "Better?"
"I think I can make it through the night now," she assured him, offering him one last smile before she headed to bed.
Clark chuckled and went to use the bathroom before he went to bed. When he came out, Lois was sound asleep. Some of the incredible pressure she was feeling must have been released today. She was learning to find that balance she needed, to heal. A final glance and he went to settle on the couch. That lady had gotten under his skin, and he was loathe to do anything about it. He wanted her near... all the time.
He closed his eyes with a smile on his face, looking forward to another day with Lois Lane.
