Clare bit her lip to keep her smile from growing too big. She looked up past her bangs and saw that Eli was smiling back.
"What?" Eli asked, grinning playfully. Clare's lip-biting was no longer working. She couldn't resist the almost-dimples that appeared by Eli's mouth when he smiled like that.
"It's nothing," she replied, trying not to giggle. Eli gave her a challenging look.
"Are you laughing at me?" he asked, tilting his chin up playfully. "Because I swear, one crack about my eyeliner..."
Clare giggled and grabbed Eli's hands. She looked down at them, admiring how well they fit in hers. She pushed the ring on his thumb around a little before speaking.
"No, it's not that. It's just..." she paused, and smiled again when Eli scooted closer to her on the bed. "I'm glad we're finally together. I don't know if I could've survived waiting for something to happen any longer."
She looked up and saw the crooked smile on Eli's face, the one she was beginning to see more and more as the two of them grew closer. She loved how she could never quite tell what he was going to say.
"Me neither," he agreed, and soon enough his hands were on her waist, pulling her closer. Clare didn't have to wait and see what would happen; she could tell right away what she was supposed to do. Her hands traveled up to Eli's neck and she leaned into the kiss.
Kiss number three, Clare thought as Eli's lips caressed hers. Unlike the first time, this wasn't for a school project, and unlike the second time, she knew it was coming. At least we're actually alone this time. Sitting on my bed, not standing against a bookcase in a crowded school library, or being awkwardly videotaped by Adam on a picnic table. She tried not to think about how much she liked that this time, he slipped her some tongue.
A pang of guilt attacked Clare for a moment, and she felt the cross around her neck resting on her chest. She was on her bed kissing—no, making out with a boy who still may have feelings for his dead ex-girlfriend. Her mom had no idea Clare and Eli were together, and Clare had told her they were in her room to study. On top of that, she was enjoying the passion of the kiss and the pressure of his hands on her hips way too much, and she had to remind herself of the purity ring hugging one of the fingers slowly making its way into Eli's dyed hair.
Eli leaned his head in closer, pushing his tongue in farther, and Clare's guilt was overcome by desire. She suddenly wanted more, but didn't lose sight of her limits. She pulled out of the kiss.
"Clare, what're you..." Eli murmured, but trailed off when Clare lightly kissed his jaw. He loosened his grip on her hips. Clare's lips moved from his jaw to under his chin, planting a trail of soft kisses until she found the middle of his neck. She cautiously poked the tip of her tongue through his lips, tasting his skin, and the barely audible sound escaping from his mouth told her it was okay to continue.
There was a voice in Clare's head telling her she might be going a little too far, but she ignored it. A little sexual desire was okay, and it's not like anyone was taking any clothes off, or touching anything they weren't supposed to. No, it was just a teeny step up from a kiss, and she kept that in mind as she started to suck on the skin, trying not to absolutely love the little moan she heard coming from her boyfriend.
Pleasure was starting to get the best of her. Her hands drifted up further into Eli's hair and she grabbed it, steadying herself as she sucked harder on his neck. She could feel his grip on her tightening, and she scooted forward. Her mouth opened a little more, and she let her teeth graze Eli's neck. Her mouth slowly drifted lower, trying to find a more tender spot.
"Whoa, Clare," Eli breathed, letting go of her hips. Clare pulled back, her face flushing bright pink when she noticed the surprised look on his face.
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized frantically, pushing her curly hair back behind her ear. How could she have gotten so caught up in the moment? She should've learned to control herself by now, especially after the whole situation with Declan last year. She was still trying to forget that stupid game of Seven Minutes In Heaven with Wesley.
Once again, though, Eli surprised her. A smile crept at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes softened.
"No, no, keep going," he said quietly, placing his hands back on her waist. "I like it."
Clare wasn't sure what he meant by "keep going," but she figured that meant he didn't care if she went further. Her hands found their place in his hair once more, and her lips met a soft patch of skin between his neck and clavicle. She started sucking on him again, and this time, she let her teeth sink in a little.
Eli moaned again, but this time it wasn't as quiet. He squeezed her hips.
"More," he whispered, and as dirty as the word made her feel, she didn't want to stop. She pushed her teeth in more, and he pulled her hips in closer. Her nibbling started to turn into biting, and she would've felt bad for hurting him if it weren't for the shakiness of his breathing. He must have been enjoying it.
Clare was so wrapped up in the heat of the moment that she barely heard Eli whisper "harder," but she did as she was told. She continued biting at Eli's neck, listening to his breathing fall out of its steady pace, feeling his pulse accelerate in his wrists against her hips. Eventually, pleasure overtook her, and she instinctively bit down as hard as she could, earning a gasp from Eli. She snapped back to reality as something warm touched her tongue.
Clare pulled back immediately as she identified the salty taste. She looked at Eli's dumbfounded face, equally awestruck, before her eyes met where her mouth had once been. Blood was slowly seeping out of a cut in the skin, and she identified it as the area where one of her canine teeth had been.
"Oh my goodness, oh my gosh, Eli, I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!" Clare began frantically apologizing once more, looking at the blood on Eli's neck with wide eyes, wondering why in the world she would do that. How could she have been so stupid?
"What're you apologizing for?" She looked back up to Eli's face and found that he was grinning. She knew she still looked bewildered, and he seemed to find that amusing.
"What? Eli, I just... I just bit your neck! And I drew blood! What else would I be apologizing for?" To Clare's surprise, Eli laughed. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Clare, I think you've forgotten that I drive a hearse," he said, raising an eyebrow. He took one of Clare's hands and held it between his on his lap. "I don't have a problem with your vampire fetish. Trust me."
Clare gaped at him for another moment before returning his playful grin. She should've known better.
"I do not have a fetish, Eli. Don't be disgusting." Eli laughed. Clare punched him in the arm.
"Oh, okay, sure. You don't have a fetish," Eli rolled his eyes, still grinning like he was telling the funniest joke ever. "I'm sure you attacked my neck because you like my personality?"
"Nah, that can't be it," Clare replied, smiling and shaking her head. "You have a horrible personality."
"Ouch!" Eli feigned a hurt expression. "That's cold, even for a girl with a vampire fetish!"
"You know what, Eli? You are such a—"
Eli cut her off with a kiss, and as Clare's hands found their way back up to his hair, she found herself too happy to care that Eli wouldn't let her have the last word.
But she would so get him back next time.