Tessa sat at her vanity, her eyes absorbing herself in the candlelight of the room. Down the hall, she could hear the croon of James's violin. As hard as she tried to clear it from her mind, all she could think about was Will. Will, Will, Will. His name ran through her head, leaving a sweet yet bitter taste in the back of her throat. Thinking of him dug up old memories, ones of passionate kisses shared in the attic and fizzing lemonade on a chilly balcony. Tessa's chest flushed; she instinctively gripped the jade pendant that hung around her neck.
At some point during her reverie, Jem had stopped playing his violin. Tessa frowned slightly; the music and the candlelight always made her feel so calm and nice, and she loved to hear Jem play. When he played his violin, it was like a door to his soul opened. He was free in those minutes or hours when he practiced. Nothing could hold him back.
There was a creak behind her as the door opened. Tessa giggled.
"James, what are you doing?"
Jem gave no response. He only shut the door, then locked it, and then continued into the room. His steps were lighter than usual. The corners of Tessa's lips turned up as she heard him approach her.
"You shouldn't be in my bedchambers, you know. It's not-"
And then she saw him in the mirror of her vanity. Not Jem.
Will.
Tessa's breath caught in her throat. She felt her whole body go numb as she twisted to face him. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"What are you doing here? Are you mad! Charlotte- Jem- someone will find you here!" Tessa whispered with such a vigor that her voice tiptoed on the verge of cracking. Will shook his head.
"No one will find me here, Tessie," he whispered, finally approaching her chair. He placed his hands on the back, feeling the material between his fingers. "You know that just as well as I do."
Tessa turned away from Will and looked at herself in her mirror. Damn it, she thought. Her chest and neck were covered in red splotches. Of embarrassment, or arousal? She couldn't tell for sure, but supposed it was a mix of both. She would never admit that.
"I don't. You should leave, Will, before we do-" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Before we do anything I'll- we'll- regret."
Will took a step back, his eyebrows raising in shock.
"What do you think I'm here for, Tessie?" he queried, raising his hands in a surrender. Tessa huffed and clenched her fists.
"Don't treat me like I'm an imbecile, William!" She stood vigorously from her chair. "You come into my bedchambers and lock the door- I know what you're here for! And I know you should leave!"
"Yes, you know I should." Will looked to her flushed chest and cheeks and then raised an eyebrow. "But is that what you want, Tessie?"
Tessa hesitated before nodding vigorously.
"I am promised to James. You, of all people, should respect that bond. You're his parabatai, Will," Tessa said, averting her clouded gray eyes.
"I understand that, Tessie-"
"My name is Theresa," Tessa said, crossing her arms as Will snickered.
"I understand the bond, Theresa. But you didn't answer my question: What is it you want. Knowledge is one thing. I know that I shouldn't goad the vampires, lest they bite me. But I want to, just for that thrill." He closed the space between him and Tessa until their noses were almost touching. "Don't you want that thrill?"
Tessa felt a fire take over her body. He smelled like bar soap and the leather of his gear. She let out a shaky breath.
"This isn't-"
Will shook his head.
"Do you want the thrill, Tessie?" Will asked. Tessa glanced to his lips, then back up to his eyes. She knew she should say 'no' and kick him out and go back to sleep. But here he was, in front of her, so open and inviting. Tessa nodded. Her long fingers gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer than was humanly possible.
"Yes, oh, God. I want- I want all of it!"
Will kissed her hard on the mouth, reveling in the tiny moans that were coming from the back of her throat as he moved his hands around her body. Tessa tilted her head back as he moved his mouth down her neck and onto her décolletage. He sucked and nipped at her collar bones; Tessa knew full well that there would be a bruise there tomorrow, but now, she didn't care. She could feel Will's desire pressing against her through the cloth of his pants and the thin cotton of her night gown.
"You don't know how long I've been longing to touch you, Tessa," he groaned as he laid her back onto her bed. He hiked up her nightgown around her waist.
"I see the way you look at me, William. At my chest. I deny that you're discreet about it," Tessa said as she watched Will undress himself. He removed the tie around his neck before pausing. A devious smirk took over his face. "What are you thinking of, Will?"
He bent over Tessa with the tie in his hands.
"Close your eyes."
Tessa did as instructed, and she allowed him to tie it around her eyes.
In complete darkness, her senses were stimulated any more. Tessa could feel Will's breath on her inner thigh, then between her legs. When he pressed his mouth to her, she wanted to scream. She had never been with Will before, not like this. And never in her life did she think she would have a man who she was not betrothed to between her legs while she was blindfolded. If she were feeling in a funny sort of mood, Tessa might have laughed. But now, she only moaned. She moaned when Will entered his tongue into her. She moaned again when he reached up to toy with her hardened nipples. Finally, Will placed his hand over her mouth and came up from between her legs.
Tessa laid on the bed, motionless, for moments without receiving a touch from Will. Finally, he took a deep breath.
"Oh, if you could see yourself, Tessie," he chuckled. "Your mother would have a fit."
"Don't speak of my mother now, Will. Just-" Tessa took a deep breath in and wrapped her legs around Will's back. "-Keep going."
Will chuckled. His hands wrapped around her waist, and Tessa felt him press against her inner thigh. She sucked in air as he moved closer and closer to entering her between her legs.
"Nervous, Tessie?" Will queried. "I promise it won't hurt, if that's what you're nervous about."
Tessa shook her head. "Not nervous," she whispered between breaths. "Excited."
Will laughed. "Excited, then."
He pressed into her. Tessa was thankful that his hand was by her mouth; she would have woken up the whole Institute if she had screamed the way she wanted to when Will penetrated her.
His moans grew louder as he continued thrusting; it was Tessa, this time, that had to shush him. It did nearly nothing, though. Will's moans continued to grow louder and louder as time went on. Every time Tessa gripped for him, he moaned. He moaned when she moved her head or licked her lips or shifted her hips.
"Good God,Tessa," he grunted, pressing into her faster and harder. "I think- I'm going to-"
He pressed himself into Tessa one last time, and the world exploded. Her back arched. Her fingers clawed at anything to grab onto. She curled my toes and bit her lip and let her body shake and shake and shake, an earthquake of sexual tension and emotions.
Will's hand removed the blindfold from her eyes.
"Good God, Tessie," he whispered, drawing a hand from her chin to her thigh. "You're gorgeous. How did I let you slip away?"
