Happy Birthday, you h00ker :)Thank you for taking on the job as my second beta and dealing with my stupidly long chapters. I hope you like this. I think there are only two expletives in it. Shocking, I know.Much thanks as always to my Beta and friend, Bri.
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Dropped Locks and Curtain Calls
I stood in front of my locker, spinning the dial nervously as I procrastinated. I took my time guiding the arrow to the numbers, so much so that I lost focus and had to start again. Finally, I managed to get the combination right. I pulled on the base of the lock and slipped it through the bar, flipping my locker open. I looked in the tiny mirror and then away, mortified that my hair could possibly look worse now than it had when I had woken up. I tried to fix it but it just wouldn't comply. I didn't want to look stupid or vain so I shoved the mirror down the door of my locker so I could only see the front of my shirt.
I pushed my glasses up my nose and tried to bury myself in my locker while I pretended to search for something. I dropped my backpack on the floor and bent over it, searching for my phone so I could check what time it was. Eight fifty-five. Two minutes to go and then I couldn't wait any longer because I would be late for first period.
And then she was there, with her friend Angela and the one with the big hair named Jessica who always made some snide comment when she saw me at my locker. I looked down as soon as I saw Bella's long, shiny brown hair so she didn't think I was waiting for her, like I did three times a week. Only three times a week, on different days- and different times of the day- so I wouldn't look like a stalker. Even though technically I think I was one, because I knew the exact route she travelled to every class.
"I'll meet you guys in class." I heard her say as she pulled on her lock and it clicked open.
"But you'll be late," Jessica said in her annoying voice, standing to close to me, flipping her crunchy, gel-infused hair in my face.
"Whatever, Mr. Banner loves me. Just tell him my lock got stuck." She shrugged at Jessica and I peeked up at her from my bag, grabbing the first book I could. I pulled it out before shoving my bag into my locker and rooting around it.
I was definitely going to be late, and Ms. Geoff definitely didn't love me. I would probably have a detention at lunch time. I didn't care. This was totally worth it. Bella was going to be alone with me at my locker.
Angela and Jessica walked off as the warning bell rang and I reluctantly grabbed my binder from the top shelf and made sure I had a pen before I fumbled with my lock. It clattered to the floor, right beside her foot.
She was wearing a pair of shoes that resembled ballet flats and no socks. Her legs were bare, and my mouth went dry as I took in the soft looking skin. My eyes went wide as I realized the rest of my body was starting to react to the sight of Bella's bare legs and I stood frozen to the spot as I looked at my lock beside her foot, wanting to bend down to get it. (not new para) But Bella was wearing a skirt and I knew if I bent down, she would think I was trying to look up it, which I honestly wouldn't. Then she might kick me. And it would probably hurt. A lot.
Bella sank to the floor beside me as I was debating whether I should just pretend I didn't even realize I dropped my lock and walk away. But, I didn't think it would be a good idea to leave my locker open, although I really wanted to. Or disappear, that was a better idea even.
Instead, I just stood there like an idiot and watched her pick up my lock. She took a step closer to me so she was only about six inches away from me. I could smell her. Although this was nothing new. I took a sort of gulping breath and cringed because I could actually hear myself swallow.
"Hi, Edward. You dropped your lock." She gave me a little half smile, dangling my lock from her finger.
Oh God. She was talking to me. She had never spoken to me before. Sometimes she would look at me and give me a tiny smile, probably just because she felt sorry for me, but this time she said actual words.
I stared at her, realizing that I should speak. Knowing I should speak. But I couldn't. It was like stage fright, which I had. I was still frozen, my brain working but my mouth wasn't connected to it.
And then suddenly it was.
"You're really pretty," I blurted out. I could feel my eyes widen, as hers did the same, and I watched her cheeks flush slightly, most likely embarrassed by social awkwardness. Who said things like that? Me apparently.
I felt my face grow hot and I ducked my head, grabbing the lock from her finger and shoving my locker closed, thankful that I didn't fumble and drop it again.
I spun around, not looking at her again, because I was horribly humiliated and practically ran down the hallway away from her. I was so distressed by my social ineptness, I imagined I heard her say thanks, which was not possible.
For the next week, I avoided my locker entirely. I parked my car on the far side of the lot, closest to the theatre doors. I spent my lunch hour holed up in the corner of the library or working with Mr. Banner on the set for the Christmas play that had yet to be cast.
I loved theatre, I just didn't like performing. I could do lights, set design, sound, but ask me to get up on a stage and recite lines--ones I could recite from heart in the privacy of my own bedroom or in my head--and I would draw a blank and then toss my cookies all over my shoes.
It was Thursday afternoon, and I was designing trees for the set out of plywood while listening to my iPod at a level that would make my mother lecture me over premature hearing loss. I was lost in the music when I noticed a familiar shoe appear in my line of vision. I swallowed thickly and looked up, allowing my eyes to travel over the slender curves of her delicate ankle, the gentle line of her calf up to her . . . knobby little knee. She had really cute knees.
She was wearing purple and grey argyle socks that stopped just under her knees, highlighting their bony cuteness. There was about a six inch gap between where the socks ended and her skirt began, and I had a hard time drawing my eyes away from the pale, creamy skin. She had several small scars on her knees and I wanted to run my fingers over them and see if they felt different than the rest of her skin.
Her skirt poofed out around her as her body dropped to the floor beside me and I saw several more inches of leg--thigh to be exact--before I was staring at her chest and an old school Wonder Woman t-shirt. I looked up quickly, my mouth so dry I couldn't even muster up enough saliva to swallow without making a horrid gulping sound, so I let what little there was pool under my tongue.
"Hi," she said, but of course I couldn't hear her because I had my earbubs in.
I yanked them out and stared at her, blinking furiously as I pushed my glasses up nervously and rubbed the back of my neck, darting my eyes away.
"Um, H-h-hi, Bella," I stammered out.
"I haven't seen you at your locker this week," she said softly, and looked down at her skirt, playing with the hem.
"Oh, uh . . . I . . . um," I floundered, trying to come up with a good excuse, but I was drawing a blank because Bella was sitting beside me almost touching my knee with her knee.
"You said I was pretty." She peeked up at me and bit her lip.
Ohgodohgodohgod. Think of disgusting things, Edward, not her lips or her mouth or anything like the sliver of leg that was exposed or her bare arms, or the goosebumps on them that I wanted to press my lips against.
"Sorry," I said quickly and her face fell. She stared down at her lap and fiddled with the mood ring she was wearing. "I don't mean . . . I mean . . . Yes, I said you were pretty. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I don't want to make you uncomfortable," I tried to explain, however incoherently.
"You don't make me uncomfortable." She smiled and peeked up at me again. "I thought maybe you were avoiding me." She chewed on her lip and I shifted, trying to hide the fact that my traitor teenage body was reacting to those lips and the skin and just her presence.
I shoved my glasses up again, darting my eyes nervously around the room, suddenly expecting her brothers to come out of the wings and duct tape me to wall since they were both on the football team--and they had done it to my friend, Ben. "I-I-I thought you would rather not . . ." I mumbled, trailing off as I picked up the paintbrush and swirled it around in the brown paint on the pallet in front of me for something to do.
"Did you want help? I don't have art until next semester and I miss it," Bella said, changing the subject, possibly sensing my discomfort or unease. Whatever the reason, I was thankful.
"Oh, okay." I nodded and handed her a spare paintbrush.
I was amazed at how quickly the tension seemed to dissipate, as we dipped the brushes into the paint and focused on the art. Well, at least I tried to focus, but it was hard not to be distracted by Bella's hands or her legs, or the way she pulled her hair back in a ponytail and exposed the delicate line of her neck.
We worked until the janitorial staff came in and told us we had to be out of the building in fifteen minutes. I cleaned up in a rush, spilling paint on my jeans in the process, feeling like an idiot for not being smoother, like my sort-of-friend Mike. He always seemed to have girls lined up waiting to date him. I had known him since elementary school, but we didn't hang out much anymore since he played sports and I couldn't. He was even hanging out with Bella's brothers, both having migrated to the top of the food chain here within a couple of weeks.
My sister, Alice, who didn't date anyone was swooning over Jasper, much like I seemed to be doing the same with Bella. The difference was that Alice had the personality to get what she wanted, and I . . . did not.
"Oh God! Is it really quarter to six? My dad is going freak out if I'm not home before he is!" Bella exclaimed as she checked her cell phone.
We cleaned up quickly and grabbed our bags from our lockers. "Did you need a ride? I could drive you . . ." I offered as we walked across the parking lot. There weren't very many cars left, and I hadn't even bothered to tell Mr. Banner that I was leaving, although I was pretty sure it wasn't a big deal.
"Oh, it's okay, I have my own car," Bella said, pointing to a rusted out, ancient Chevy on the opposite side of the lot from my car. "Thanks for the offer though, Edward, maybe another time." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "I had fun this afternoon, see you tomorrow." She bounced across the pavement as she waved goodbye and disappeared beneath the veil of hair as she pulled it from the elastic holding it up.
I stood there, watching her as she got into her truck and drove away, waving dumbly at the fading vehicle, my cheek on fire where her lips had been.
The next few weeks followed the same pattern, except now I would wait at my locker most days, still at varying times of the day, but now I would smile at her. If she wasn't with her friends, I would say a quiet 'hi,' shove my glasses nervously up my nose and then head to my class. Bella joined me frequently after school to work on the sets with me.
One day, her brother Emmett came in and asked her for her keys to the Chevy. He gave me the typical jock nod and quirked an eyebrow at his sister as he surveyed our work.
"Where's your car?" Bella asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Rose has it. She had to go shopping with her cousin or something and wanted to borrow it. Are you coming home or can you get your own ride?" he asked her, holding out his hand. I was sure he was talking about Rosalie Hale, my bitchy cousin, and that would mean that Alice was with her. Bella's brother had lent her his car? What was wrong with him?
"I have my own ride . . . my truck," she grumbled and looked at me apologetically.
"I could drive you home, if you wanted to stay," I offered.
"See, perfect. Thanks bro." Emmett snatched the keys out of Bella's hand and was gone before either of us had taken a breath.
"God he can be a jerk. Sorry about that, I don't want to make you go out of your way . . ." Bella chewed on her lip and twisted a lock of hair around her finger.
"No, no, it's fine, I'd love to drive you home," I said quickly.
"Okay, thanks." Bella gave me a shy smile before she went back to painting.
When we were ready to go home, I made sure to open the passenger side door for her and she gave me that shy little smile I had really grown to like before sliding into the seat. I ran around to the driver's side since the temperature had dropped drastically and it was getting cold. Fall seemed to be ghosting in and wrapping its cold fingers around my spine.
I shivered as I got into the car, Bella's warm scent filling the interior, as I turned the ignition and blasted the heat. Bella rubbed her bare knees and I pointed the heat registers at her, feeling nervous again because she was in my car.
I drove to her house in awkward silence and realized after the fact that I didn't ask for directions. But that was okay, because Forks was a small town and everyone knew where everyone else lived. Sort of.
She leaned over and kissed my cheek, right at the corner of my mouth before whispering, "Thanks for the ride, Edward."
She was out of the car before I could respond.
I spent the rest of my evening alone in my room.
~*~
The next day, Bella and I were working on a complicated part of the set, the rest of the crew that Mr. Banner had assembled to help out were packing up and leaving when Jessica and Angela walked in. Angela was nice; I think she had a crush on my friend Ben, who was a big computer geek. Jessica, on the other hand, was a snobby cheerleader and she wasn't very friendly.
"Um, I'll be right back, Bella," I mumbled and stood up, getting tangled in my own feet and tripping as I tried to get off the stage before Jessica could say something nasty to me. I recovered quickly, but heard the snicker and the comment on my inability to walk as I rushed off the stage into the wings. I could hear Jessica berating Bella for hanging out with me, telling her that she was wasting all her spare time with this 'crap.'
I should have known this would happen, that her friends would interfere. Not that I thought I stood a chance with Bella, but still, we were hanging out, and it was nice to pretend that there was something there, even if it made me a tad delusional.
I sat down on one of the speakers and put my head in my hands, feeling dumb for getting so invested in a girl who was so obviously out of my league and was clearly spending time with me because she pitied me.
I berated myself for a few minutes, waiting until there was silence before I even contemplated moving, because the last thing I wanted to see was Jessica's ugly sneer as Bella left with them.
"Edward?" Bella's voice filtered in through the darkness that engulfed me in the wings of the stage and suddenly I felt a tentative hand on my leg. I jumped at the contact.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Bella said softly but didn't remove her hand. She felt her way along the outside of my thigh as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could see her perfectly, even in the dim light. I had been studying her face for the past several weeks as the play had started to take shape around us and we worked on the set in our own private little bubble.
"That's fine, I can clean up. I'm sure you want to go hang out with your friends," I mumbled, bouncing my heel off the front of the speaker, feeling the heat of her hand through the fabric of my jeans. I was so embarrassed knowing she felt so sorry for me that she was compelled to try and . . . I didn't even really know what she was doing with her hand on my leg.
Bella snorted, and it had to be the cutest sound, because it definitely shouldn't have been coming out of her mouth. "I'd hardly call Jessica my friend. I only hang out with her because she's Ang's cousin and Angela is really nice," she said--with her hand still in my leg.
She started tracing little circles around the seam of the outside of my thigh, which was really very distracting.
"Oh," I said, and my voice cracked as I pushed my glasses up nervously.
"Edward, do you like me?" Bella asked shyly, ducking her head so I couldn't see her face, which was kind of obscured by the lack of lighting anyway.
That was a silly question; of course I liked her. Half of the male population at the school was in love with her, but fear of her older brothers seemed to deter anyone from pursuing her, which actually worked in my favour. I guess Emmett and Jasper figured I wasn't much of a threat since I was an A/V-slash-Art nerd. This was certainly true, I definitely wasn't a threat. Even Mike had been talking about asking her out lately, though he knew I liked her.
"Of course I do," I said, and my voice cracked again.
"Can I asked you something else?" Bella asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at my chest, avoiding my eyes.
This couldn't be good. It didn't sound good, nor did her body posture convey a sense of ease. I didn't like this at all. "Sure," I replied anyway.
"Then why haven't you tried to kiss me?" Bella asked, peeking up at me for a second before her eyes dropped to my mouth and her tongue darted out and wet her lower lip.
I stared at her- at her mouth, at her tongue - as she leaned forward slightly. I didn't know what to do. On the one hand, I really wanted to kiss Bella. I thought about it all the time. Constantly. But on the other hand, the only experience I had ever had kissing a girl was when I played spin the bottle with some friends at Lauren Mallory's fourteenth birthday party and ended up having to kiss her. It wasn't very pleasant because her braces cut my lip. I still have the scar.
I'd also gone on a date a couple of years ago with a girl named Maria that my sister tried to set me up with. She kissed me, but it felt like she was trying to eat my face, so I didn't go out with her again. My sister told me she thought I was a prude, or gay. Who even used the word prude anymore?
I leaned forward to meet her, though, because I sure wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Bella didn't have braces, and that had been four years ago. I was pretty sure this would be way better.
Her lips were really soft as they brushed against mine lightly. She pressed her hands down on the tops of my thighs as she leaned forward even more, her hips against my knees, so I parted my legs and she settle between them.
I didn't really think about the fact that that would mean that she could very well feel exactly what was happening in my pants. But as soon as her stomach came in contact with my erection,she let out this little moany sound and her hands shot up to my neck and weaved into my hair.
She pressed her lips against mine again, with more force this time and her soft, warm tongue swept across my lower lip before she sucked on it. I wasn't really sure what the heck I was supposed to do with my hands, so I reached up and put them on her waist. That seemed pretty safe, I thought.
Except as soon as I touched her, she pushed her hips into my groin and I let out a really loud groan. Spurred on by my inability to stay quiet, Bella tilted her head and pulled on my hair gently, forcing my head in the opposite direction as her lips parted and she pushed her tongue past my lips, hitting my teeth.
Tentatively, I opened my mouth and then Bella's tongue touched mine, and I was definitely right;this was way, way better than kissing Lauren had been or that girl Maria who ate my face.
Bella's lips tasted like lip gloss and her mouth tasted like orange Tic Tacs. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me, feeling how soft her body was compared to mine. I was all bone and muscle while she was supple and smooth. I tried to pay attention to all of it, because I wasn't really sure why she was doing this. Did she just want to see what it was like to make out with a nerd?
My glasses were fogging up, so I couldn't really see anything anymore. I decided to close my eyes and just enjoy the feeling of Bella's lips on mine, her tongue in my mouth, her body pressed against mine. Suddenly she was in motion, clambering up onto the black speaker box I was sitting on so she was straddling my lap.
One moment she was between my legs and the next I was between hers. Oh God. I felt it then, as her skirt billowed out around us and settled, it was the heat from between her thighs that was now pressing down on my erection. I felt like I was going to explode any second, and she wasn't even touching me, not in a way that should have made me feel that way. Maybe it was the idea that those parts of our bodies were only separated by her underwear and a pair of jeans and boxers that made me feel that way.
She shifted her hips against me, and I sort of gasped into her mouth. "Oh sorry," she mumbled and then pulled back, her eyes widening in embarrassment. She moved to get off my lap and I clamped my hands down on her hips. It was pretty much an involuntary reaction. Pretty much, but not entirely.
"I liked it," I admitted, and I felt myself blush at the admission.
Bella gave me a little smile. "Really?" she asked, before she shifted her hips against me again.
I think my eyes rolled into the back of my head because as soon as I could focus again, Bella's mouth was back on mine. She wiggled around in my lap, pressing down and circling her hips in this really sexy way.
"You're a really good kisser," she said when she finally pulled her lips from mine. We were both breathless and panting in the silence behind the stage.
"I am?" I asked and sort of smiled, because this was the first time I had ever really kissed a girl and I was pretty excited that I seemed to be doing it right.
"Mm hmm." Bella nodded and gave me a quick succession of pecks all over my mouth and down my chin. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?" she asked, looking a little confused as I shook my head no. "Oh, well you are." She bit her lip and gave me a shy little grin.
I thought it was kind of funny that she was straddling my lap and giving me this innocent smile, but I liked it. You could never really tell with Bella what she was like underneath the facade she wore at school all day, because the girl I often saw walking the halls was not the one I had come to know in this auditorium.
"Thanks, so are you," I said quietly. Bella's smile was earth shatteringly beautiful. I couldn't help but lean in and kiss her again.
~*~
That was how it continued. Bella and I would meet after school and work on the sets for a , when everyone was busyor when tryouts and rehearsals started, we would sneak off to a secluded area and make out. It started off innocently enough, a little kissing--okay, a lot of kissing. Then I got bold and touched her breasts over her shirt. Next I slid under her shirt and finally, under her bra. I loved the way they felt in my hands, warm and soft and really nice. I wanted to kiss them, too, but I wasn't sure if she would want me to, and it wasn't like I could take her shirt off. The thought of getting caught kissing was scary enough, but that . . . I had never been in trouble at school, ever.
One day when we were making out, Bella's hand found its way to the front of my pants and she ran her hand over my erection through my jeans. I groaned into her mouth and suddenly her warm hand was inside my pants. I received my first ever not-self-administered-hand-job behind a set of curtains that were against a wall in the darkest corner of the backstage, while they were rehearsing Act One of the Christmas play. It was the single best moment of my life, at the time.
A few days later, Bella was wearing a skirt and I fingered her up against the same wall with her leg hitched over my hip. I even made her orgasm. It was the most amazing thing to watch; the way her hands shook as she held onto my shoulders and she threw her head back against the painted black wall. Her eyes were closed and her brow furrowed as I moved my fingers inside her, the softness and the heat making me want even more. She had opened her mouth in a silent cry and I kissed her as her muscles spasmed around my fingers. It was so cool.
I didn't tell anyone though, because Bella and I weren't openly dating or anything. I wasn't even sure she wanted to date me, or if this was just fun for her or what. I didn't ask, even though I was falling in love with her, or at least I thought it was. She was really all I could think about.
She would talk to me in the halls now, her fingers would brush across the back of mine and she would smile shyly. I would return the smile, but there was never anything more. She never asked me to sit with her at lunch. She never sought me out or asked me to come over after school instead of spending time in the auditorium, working on the sets. But then, I didn't go looking for her either, and I never invited her to my house.
~*~
On opening night of the play, Bella wore a black dress. We helped behind the scenes while the cast put on make up and costumes, and then I headed up to the sound booth to check on Ben. He seemed to be okay, so Bella took my hand and dragged me past all the of cast who were getting ready, and into the recesses of backstage. She opened one of prop rooms and pulled me inside, kissing me hard as she pressed me up against the wall.
"Edward, am I your girlfriend?" she asked, and her voice sounded a little desperate in the darkness.
"I-I-I . . ." I stammered, not knowing if she wanted to be my girlfriend, if this was a trick question or not.
It was pitch black inside and I couldn't see a thing. I searched for a light switch, but there didn't seem to be one in arms reach. Suddenly I felt warm fingers on my stomach and then they were hooked in the waistband of my dress pants, popping the button and pulling down the zipper. Her fingers wrapped around me as she kissed me fiercely.
And then her mouth was gone and it wasn't her hands that were wrapped around me anymore, it was her lips. I groaned as the heat of her mouth surrounded the head of my erection and she moved down the shaft, taking me inside the wet warmth.
"Oh my God, Bella," I sort of groan-sighed because this was definitely the best feeling in the world, ever.
I tried to hold off as long as possible, but Bella was moaning around me, and the vibrations hummed along my body. The sensation was more than I could take, plus I couldn't stop thinking about Bella asking me if she was my girlfriend and that was a huge turn on in and of itself.
"I'm . . . I'm, oh shit . . . " I cursed, surprising myself with my inappropriate language as I tried to warn her that I was about to come before it was too late. But it already was too late.
Bella's hand and mouth stilled on me and the tension in my body unravelled as I came. I felt her throat contract and I think she may have gagged because she let go of me quickly and coughed before she recovered herself.
"That's the first time I've ever heard you swear." She giggled in the darkness and held onto my hips while she pulled herself up.
"That's the first time anyone has ever done that to me," I replied, as though this somehow justified the expletive.
"That's the first time I've ever done that to anyone," Bella said as she fidgeted with the buttons on my shirt. I wished I could see her face.
I hadn't told Bella that she was pretty much my first everything and I hadn't asked about her past, because frankly I didn't really care to know.
"I want you to be my girlfriend, if you want to be," I said and kissed her softly on the lips.
"That's good, because I want you to be my boyfriend," she whispered and opened the door to the prop room and pulled me out. I could hear the lines of Act Two coming from the stage.
~*~
The play had been over for three days and Bella and I had started hanging out at her house after school. That was until I told her that my father was a doctor and my mother was involved in charity organizations all the time, so no one was ever home. That was when we started hanging out at my house in my bedroom, completely unsupervised.
It was about a week before Christmas, and the first time Bella had told me that she couldn't hang out with me after school. I was really disappointed, but she said she needed to go shopping for Christmas presents and she was going with Angela and Jessica. While Jessica was civil with me, I still didn't like her so I opted not to go--though Bella never asked me if I wanted to, to be truthful.
It was about seven when she called to ask if it was okay if she came over. Her father was under the impression that she was with Angela for the next few hours; my dad was pulling a double and my mother would be out late. Not that I would have said no if either of them had been home. They had met Bella on more than one occasion and they really liked her.
She looked a little nervous when she came in and dragged me up to my room.
"I got something for you for Christmas," she said in between kisses as she pushed me to the edge of the bed and I sat down.
"Oh really? Is it a surprise?" I asked, trying to figure out where she was going with this, because wherever it was, I liked it so far.
"It is." She nodded as she ran her fingers up and down my arms.
"When do I get to see it?" I asked, kissing her neck because she liked, and so did I.
I had become more and more comfortable with touching Bella--all over--once we started making out in more private places, like my bedroom. I was far less concerned that we would end up getting caught and I could focus more on the sounds she made and the feel of her skin. I really liked touching her a lot. In fact, I would do it all the time if I could, and it wouldn't result in a suspension when we were at school. It was a good thing that we didn't have classes together because Bella had already pulled me into the janitor's closet once to make out in the past week. I didn't think I had the restraint necessary to watch her in a class for a hour and not be able to hold her hand or touch her leg.
"You can see it right now," she said and pulled away from me.
"But I thought it was supposed to be a surprise," I replied, confused.
She pulled her shirt over her head and I stared, because for as much as we made out, and for all the things we had done to each other, she had never had her shirt off in front of me before. The bra she was wearing was pale blue and it was covered in . . . little cartoon reindeer? They looked like they had been drawn by a three-year-old. I didn't have much time to really focus as I pushed my glasses back up my nose because Bella's pants followed her shirt and she was standing in front of me in her bra and panties.
"Holy crap," I breathed, almost wheezing. For a moment I was concerned I had developed asthma.
"Surprise," Bella said, somewhat meekly. I watched her cheeks colour red and she looked down at the floor. It wasn't until that moment that I recognized I was gawking and that the surprise was her bra and matching panties.
"Turn around," I croaked out, and circled my finger, just in case what I had just said was not intelligible.
She peeked up at me, biting her lip as she turned around. Oh God. Half her ass was hanging out the bottom of those underwear. Who designed these things? "You're so pretty," I sighed as she did a little pirouette and then threw herself at me.
I caught her and kissed her frantically, my hands roaming over her skin. Her fingers found there way under my shirt and she yanked it over my head before pushing me down on the bed and working my pants off. It was skin against skin for the most part and as cute as the bra and underwear set were, I really wanted to be skin to skin everywhere.
I fumbled with her bra until she pushed my hands away and undid the clasp for me. I pulled the fabric away from her skin and watched it pebble while the dark pink of her nipple puckered as I ran my thumb over it. I sat up underneath her, pressing my lips to the swell as I looked up at her, hoping this would be okay, because I had been thinking about doing it for quite a while now. Her lips parted as she watched me, and I made my way slowly over the swell of her breast to her nipple, kissing it softly before circling it with my tongue. Bella moaned. Really loudly.
I shifted my hips against her, holy hell, it was way more intense without my jeans or a pair of pants in the way.
I pulled Bella down on top of me and then rolled us over, surprised at my grace for once. I was really glad I hadn't elbowed her in the face or anything. I kissed my way over her chest as she ran her hands down my back and over my sides until they were resting low on my hips. I realized, once my attention was no longer focused on her naked breasts beneath my lips, that she was trying to push my boxers down over my hips. I paused what I was doing and shoved them down for her, my erection springing free and grazing her stomach as it bounced.
"Take them off," she murmured as she ran her fingers through my hair. I looked up at her, wondering if this meant what I thought it meant.
"Are you sure?" I asked, the question loaded because it was more than just about me taking my boxers off.
Bella nodded and I shoved them down my legs as Bella did the same with her own. I hovered above her, glad I had been lifting some of the heavier set pieces in front of Bella to show off a bit. I'd only managed to strain something once. Bella took my erection in her hand and pumped up and down a couple of times, not that I needed her to do that. I was pretty worked up just from the look and feel of her naked body under mine.
I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to last too long. At least that was what I had heard and from the feel of it, it was probably true. I kissed my way over her stomach, and down to the trimmed patch of curls that guided my way to the heat that came from between her thighs. I had never done this before--obviously--but I was willing to try. How hard could it be? I would lick and suck and then hopefully she would have an orgasm so I wouldn't feel so bad about it when I came about two seconds after I was inside her.
I kissed my way along the ridge of her pubic bone, loving that the triangle of curls gave way to smooth lips and soft skin as I kissed between her thighs gently. Her moans were enough to spur me on, and let me know I was doing something right and I licked and sucked in time with the movement of her hips and the sounds that echoed through the room.
Bella's moans got louder and she pulled on my hair, my glasses were fogging up, but I really didn't want to stop at all. I pushed two fingers into her at the same time as I pressed my tongue firmly against her swollen skin. Bella's back arched and she moaned out my name before she relaxed into the bed, her muscles contracting around my fingers as she panted and her fingers massaged my scalp where she had been fisting my hair.
I kissed my way back up her stomach, my hard-on so intense I thought I might explode as I settled myself between her legs. "Holy fuck," I moaned into her neck because it was really, really hot between her legs and I couldn't even begin to explain the way it felt to be this close to her.
Bella giggled and then moaned as I slid back and forth along the soft curls low, low down on her pubic bone. "That's the second time I've heard you swear." She kissed my cheek and shifted her hips, and my erection moved lower down between the soft wetness. We moaned in unison.
"I don't know, Bella. What if it hurts for you . . ." I trailed off, trying not to focus on how stupid I was for saying that, because why in the world would I try and convince Bella that having sex was a bad idea?
"It's supposed to hurt the first time, and I think you might be really kinda big," she said quietly against my mouth.
"I might be kinda . . . wait, you've never . . . ?" I asked tentatively as she moved her hips and I slid even further along the wet and hot and ohmygod.
She shook her head and I let out a little sigh of relief. "Me neither." I smiled at her.
"Really?" she asked and bit her lip, "But you're so good at everything . . ." she trailed off.
"Really? " I asked, shifting against the slick wetness between her thighs, distracting both of us. Suddenly I was panicked, because I wasn't prepared. "I don't have a condom," I blurted out, wide eyed and disappointed . . . that was until Bella spoke.
"I went on the pill last month," Bella said and I felt her hand between our bodies as she slid my erection down and then there was heat and pressure and tight as I slipped slowly inside. I waited for her to tell me it was okay to keep going, stilling as I felt her chest heave under me and her fingers dug into the skin of my arms.
"Oh my God, Edward," she breathed against my lips and I pushed in a little further, anticipating discomfort for her and watching for signs. I had to admit, this was even better than being given head. She inhaled sharply and I stilled, rubbing her cheek with the pads of my fingers and kissing her softly until she relaxed.
"Is this okay? Are you okay?" I asked, not wanting to continue with this unless it was okay. Even though it felt really good for me, if it didn't feel good for Bella, I would definitely stop.
She took one more deep breath before she ran her hands down my back and pressed down. I sank into her, all the way, until my hips met the warmth of her thighs. She moaned into my neck as she buried her face there.
"Bella? Are you alright?" I asked, wanting to move really, really badly, but then again, the sooner I moved, the sooner it would be over.
"Yes." She nodded quickly and then she shifted against me. Even that minute movement caused me to groan. I pondered briefly if I would have lasted longer if I had a condom, but it felt so good, I was kind of glad I didn't need it.
I pulled out of her slowly, moving out of the hot and the tight and the wet before I slid back in and we both whimpered against each other's mouths. My arms were kind of shaking already, and I wished I had decided to take the weight training course this year instead of World Religions.
"It feels really good," I said before I kissed her softly, trying to distract myself because I didn't want to come two thrusts in. That would be really bad.
"For me, too," Bella sighed.
I pulled out again, not as far this time, and pushed back into her and the sound that came out of her forced me to think about things that were not sexy at all. I thought about third world hunger, about crying babies, about roadkill--it helped a lot.
I found a gentle rhythm and Bella moaned in time with my movements. "Oh my God, Edward that's . . . oh . . . right there," she said breathlessly, shifting her hips against me.
That was it for me though, Bella's words, her moans, the feel of her body, that was all I could take as the fired burned across my skin.
"Oh God, I love you," she breathed and those words were my undoing. I buried my face in her neck, moving my lips to her ear as the heat spiked in my veins and I burst into flames of white light.
"I love you, too."
~~--ℓ--~~