InsaneJournal

Not Backing Out
It was a good thing Logan wasn't a very messy person.

Though he honestly had no idea what to expect when Janine called him back to accept his invitation to a date, Logan couldn't have imagined they'd wind up back at his apartment after the typical dinner-and-movie fare. An admittedly trite date for this point in the 21st century, but it apparently worked. The former Watcher cringed as he unlocked the door to his apartment and it swung open, revealing a stack of folded-up papers and three leather-bound tomes on the coffee table.

At this point, Logan couldn't even remember what he was researching. He crossed the threshold after his date, closing the door behind him before heading straight for the coffee table. Trying to arrange the stack of papers neatly, Logan folded up a few of the less cooperative pieces before placing them inside the front cover of the top book, setting the stack aside to the floor.

"Sorry about the mess," he said sheepishly. "Though I guess ... better books than crumpled-up beer cans."

"I forgive you," said Janine, entering the apartment. It was a decidedly more modern building than her own. "After all, you've seen my place." Her tone was playful, and she kept her dark eyes on her date. It had been a while, and when the brunette had been waiting for Logan to pick her up, she worried that her date etiquette was rusty. But the night had gone surprisingly, pleasantly well, and she was pleased to see that the bookstore owner could keep up with her humor and upbeat demeanor, despite his scholarly facade.

She slipped out of her lightweight black jacket, revealing a sleeveless green dress. She was glad she didn't have to dress 'undercover,' like when they had gone into Lincoln Park on the pretense of scouting apartments. Janine enjoyed having color in her wardrobe.

A soft smile edged across her glossed lips. "So, what do we do now?"

Logan gave a sheepish grin, placing his keys on the counter in the kitchen. "I was, uhh, kinda hoping you knew," he admitted. The bookstore owner had been on his share of dates -- hell, it hadn't been that long since his relationship with Izzy ended -- but they had been anything but traditional, and Logan found himself still a little lost with regards to how these sorts of things were supposed to go.

Which was kind of sad, considering he was pushing the big 3-0.

"Well," he offered, opening the door to his fridge and squinting at the rush of cool air, "I guess this is the part where I offer you something to drink?"

Janine contemplated the fridge for a moment, but it wasn't drinks that was on her mind. Why were they both worried about what they should do? Why not do what they wanted to do? She couldn't speak for Logan, but she felt like throwing her own self-imposed caution to the wind. After their experience at Lincoln Park, the brunette had felt closer to him. People rarely saw the vulnerable side of her. It wasn't like she went to great lengths to hide it; she was usually just so bubbly and energetic, that people assumed that was all there was to her. But being in that space had felt suffocating and morbid, which was ironic considering the subject of both her blog and her work.

She sidled slowly up to him, and was glad she had worn her pair of silver strappy heels, as the height difference was now more manageable. "I think I'd rather ..." she began, leaning upward and planting a relatively chaste but lingering kiss on his lips, "... That," she finished.

The kiss caught Logan off-guard, and the surprise nearly caused him to recoil. He held his ground, though, returning the display of affection as he shut the fridge door. It had become obvious to him there was a bit of chemistry between them during their covert operation into Lincoln Park; they had to, he thought, to be as convincing a couple as they were, because Logan knew acting was definitely not a personal strength.

Still, for that chemistry to go from testosterone-driven theory to reality was a little startling.

"Erm," he stuttered with a sideways grin after the kiss broke, "that works too."

He slipped an arm around Janine's waist, pulling her up closer to him and giving her another lingering kiss. "I like the way you think."

She pressed against him without hesitation, her own body molding into his easily. Her right hand made its way up his neck, and fingers slid into his hair as she kissed him back, unabashedly parting his lips with her tongue. Janine could still taste the wine they had at dinner, and the thought almost made her giggle, but she suppressed it. The brunette took care not to tread on his feet with her sharp heels, and she didn't even notice that she had been slowly but steadily backing him up against the gleaming kitchen counter.

Grunting a little as he backed into the counter, Logan kept his arm around Janine's waist, allowing his lips to part. He would've been remiss had his mind not briefly drifted off to his ex, but the former Watcher figured he would deal with those thoughts and feelings later. Logan was never one to just brazenly take action -- he always had to think things through. Examine potential scenarios, contemplate consequences.

Well, for once in his life, Logan wanted to act impulsively. Introspection and consequences could wait.

Breaking the kiss, Logan sucked in a long breath to fill his lungs again. His smile was a little clumsy, his other arm also slipping around Janine's waist. He would've lied had he said he never thought of this happening, but he didn't exactly expect it. He almost asked to be pinched. Almost.

"We, uhh," he started, pointing at the cutlery behind him, "might wanna stay away from the steak knives."

A slight flush reached Janine's cheeks as she pulled back. "Right," she said. "That would kill the mood. Unless you're into that kind of thing," she joked, hoping he could tell that she wasn't serious. She ran her painted fingernails through her short black hair, and took a surreptitious, steadying breath. "Maybe the living room, then? Or the bedroom."

The brunette hooked a thumb into one of his belt loops. Keeping her hands busy always helped her think more clearly, and it seemed appropriate for this situation.

"Nah," he winked. "Blood doesn't exactly turn me on."

Completely ignoring that brief period in which he bedded vampires, even occasionally allowing them to bite him, Logan led Janine to the couch. He was traditionally a bedroom sort of guy, but Logan figured at this point in his life, if he was taking a chance and going out on a limb with this girl, he could at least go all the way to the edge of said limb. Those vampires were a means to an end, an ill-advised coping mechanism after Francis' death. Fortunately, the former Watcher needed no such diversions in the aftermath of his break-up with Izzy, which he guessed was one reason he felt going for it with Janine wasn't a stretch.

Logan sat in the couch, letting his frame sink into the cushion before grabbing Janine's hips and guiding her to sit as well. His lips met hers almost immediately once more, his hands slowly running along her thighs and up her hipse

Angling her body toward his, Janine closed the gap between them as her own hands rested lightly on his shoulders. Her tongue swept over his lower lip, long-lashed eyes closed as she let everything fly out of her head except for what was going on in that moment. The brunette wasn't one to over-think and analyze every little thing, but lately she had been verging on it. She had almost forgotten that everything good she had in her life was because she had followed her instincts, and that was what she was going to do now.

Her fingers trailed down to the top button of his shirt, flicking it away easily before moving down to the next one.

Watching Janine's fingers, Logan let his hands explore the curves of her hips, still hidden underneath the dress. He liked how that shade of green looked on her -- it complemented her hair and her eyes. He could see neither, though, with her lips exploring his, and the former Watcher returned the favor in kind. It did feel slightly awkward, going for the gusto like this, but Logan knew that was just because he wasn't used to doing this. He'd ventured into uncharted ground in a lot of ways with Francis, but Logan was always sort of a traditional, rational person -- the sort to actually plan out and think things through.

There was, however, something to be said for giving in to instinct once in a while.

Rolling over so that Janine's back was against the couch's armrest, Logan deepened the kiss, letting his eyes fall shut and taking in a sharp breath. His hands moved behind Janine and over the small of her back, mostly because they couldn't quite decide where to go next.

When most of the shirt buttons were done away with, Janine slid her palms against his warm skin. Once her hands were placed there, she wasn't sure where they should go next, so they just stayed put, her tongue doing most of the moving instead as it slid around his. An unintentional moan left her throat as her body pressed closer and tighter against his. The brunette pulled her face back slightly, opening her eyes to look at him.

Staring back into Janine's eyes, Logan faced a moment of uncertainty. He knew they were close to the point where there was no backing out, and the momentary trepidation didn't surprise him. Staring into Janine's eyes, Logan shook off the uncertainty and ran his left index finger along her jawline. He felt the finger tremble slightly.

"Last chance to back out," he nervously chuckled, his right arm still wrapped around her waist.

She shook her head resolutely. "I don't want to," she said, and her lips pressed against his neck. "Back out, I mean." Janine kissed up his neck, and took his earlobe into her mouth. She tugged on his body so he rolled more on top of her. Looking at him again, she smiled. "You don't want to back out, do you?" To emphasize her point, she traced a fingertip down his chest, over his abdomen and down to the waistband of his pants.

After gasping, both at the sensation on his ear and the surprise of how easily she pulled at him, Logan chuckled and shook his head. "No backing out here," he said, leaning in to shower kisses on the side of her neck, pausing only to let his lips flutter beside her ear. "Through playing things safe."

At the same time as he spoke, Logan's hands slid underneath Janine's dress, his fingers running over her skin, feeling every contour. It all still seemed surreal, and even as his shirt fell to the floor, the former Watcher had trouble believing this was actually going to happen. No matter how many times Logan had something good happen in his life, he found himself surprised and in mild disbelief. He was still that way about the store, to a degree, and now he felt the same regarding this moment with Janine.

But just because he didn't believe it, that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy it.