1 》Reason To Live - Promise Of Love《

18 | 'old pattern'

"Dean", Sam whispered carefully, knowing how easily his brother was startled out of sleep, "Dean, wake up."

Grumbling, the older one opened his eyes and got his bearings. There was no danger, so he wearily let himself sink back into the pillow. Reluctantly, he let go of Josie and rubbed his face with his hands.

"What's wrong?", mumbled Josie, "Do we have to go already?"

She rolled onto her back and immediately felt the comforting warmth of Dean's body behind her again. Playfully, he put an arm around her torso and held her close to him before she could get up.

"So for all I care, we can stay in bed and...", he breathed seductively, but Josie just rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to go get breakfast and coffee, you guys go ahead.... just behave", Sam spoke, putting on his shoes.

"Tell him that!", whined Josie, trying to free herself from Dean's tight grip.

"Dean behave yourself", Sam corrected himself playfully serious.

"Don't forget I'm the older one of us here!", snapped Dean back, casually easing off, but to his amazement she stayed put.

After their last conversation, he knew she didn't like being held tight, he wouldn't make that mistake again. But he couldn't resist to snuggle with her a little longer. After hearing the familiar roar of the Chevy, Josie decided to get up as well.

"You're falling back into old patterns", she noted as she tied her dark curls.

"What do you mean?", he echoed, tilting his head.

"Your macho attitude", she enlightened him, "You know sometimes you're really adorable, but then you come back with these lines. I think if you hadn't tried to hit on me so cheaply all the time from the beginning, then..."

"Then what?", he probed, his curiosity now piqued, "Then we would have had a one night stand, and then what?"

"And that we probably would have never seen each other again, just like we never saw all these chicks again that you hooked up with. I would have been just one of them", came dryly from Josie and Dean's eyebrows lifted surprise, "But then I wouldn't be able to count you as my friends."

"So it was a good thing after all", he teased her.

"Seriously, it's entertaining from time to time, but please take it down a notch, okay? It's really inappropriate sometimes, you manage to ruin a moment with something like this, always when I think I've finally gotten through to you", she admitted honestly, and looked pleadingly into his eyes, "I didn't invent the ghost thing for nothing back then."

Guiltily he met her gaze and nodded wordlessly, he had no idea it bothered her so much, but he would hold back on the crude sayings again in the future. In thanks, she pressed a fleeting kiss on his cheek and disappeared into the bathroom. Actually, the hunter hadn't said anything wrong, but Josie didn't want to admit to herself that she secretly enjoyed being desired by him. For her, the solution was for him to keep it to himself, so she wouldn't run the risk of giving in to the offer.

Dean, meanwhile, thought about how to approach Josie. He was aware that she was still hung up on her ex, but if he could get her to break away from the deceased, then nothing would stand in their way. And she definitely wouldn't be one of the women he hooked up with and dropped afterwards, she was special.

"You look so dreamy, what are you thinking about?", she asked, standing in the doorway rubbing her wet hair dry.

Caught off guard, Dean's head went up in Josie's direction.

"About nothing", he lied, unable to think of an offhand excuse.

With Sam he would have thought of something stupid, but not with Josie, after all he didn't want to look foolish.

"It's okay, keep your secrets, I don't really want to know", she grinned and went to the window, "Where is Sam anyway? Maybe someone hit the car"

"If Baby has so much as a scratch on her, I'll kill him", Dean growled, hastily coming to the window and looking outside worried.

"Who are you more worried about right now? Sam or Baby?", she teased, soothingly putting her hands to his chest.

"It's always going to be Sam", he admitted seriously, "This isn't the first time I've completely restored the car, as much as I love my baby, but it's just a car and Sam is my brother. I can't just replace him with parts from the junkyard, any more than I could replace my parents."

Speechlessly, and somehow also impressed, she looked up at Dean. This was the version of him she liked best and he should know that.

"If you only knew how much this version of you has me wrapped around your finger right now", she murmured mischievously, running her hands over his torso.

She had to admit to herself that she liked it and caught herself hoping Sam would be out for longer. Josie wasn't the only one struggling with herself. Dean not only stifled a lewd comment, he was already leaning toward her tender lips.

The black Impala in the corner of his eye was a lifesaver. He quickly planted a kiss on her forehead and she awkwardly withdrew her hands before Sam entered the room and stopped, wondering.

"Am I interrupting something?", he inquired skeptically, shifting his gaze between the two of them.

"You? No. Never" Dean replied ironically, reaching for the coffee mugs.

After all, he didn't have to rub the younger man's nose in the fact that he generally felt Sam was between him and Josie.

After breakfast, the trio drove straight on towards home.

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