A/N: First of all, I want to thank everyone who reviewed. You are amazing and it really makes me want to keep writing. That said, there's lemons in this chapter, because where would the fun be without them? Haha. Enjoy. I know I enjoyed writing it. ;)
Disclaimer: I own… a TV and crappy futon, and not much else. So… not mine.
Chp 4: Burn
"I'm burning like a bridge for your body."
-Brand New
Emmett and I spent almost all of our time together over the next few weeks. The only time we spent apart was time he used to catch up with Edward and I used to furiously run through homework and studying so I could be prepared for classes and spend more time with him. Rosalie considered it too much time spent together, but I couldn't make her understand that he was only going to be here for a month! We had to make the most of the time we had.
"Exactly, Bella. He's only going to be here for a month! When I told you to go after him, I meant get some and get out! You're getting attached and he's leaving soon. I don't want to see you get hurt," Rosalie explained after a week of watching Emmett and I orbit around each other.
"I like him, I'm having fun, and I would rather spend the next month with him and watch him leave than go back to spending all my time in the library being miserable," I argued.
"You really think you're going to be able to watch him leave? Just like that? Are you two going to stay together? Are you going to write? Call? Or is it just going to be over?"
Truthfully, Emmett and I hadn't really talked about it. As irresponsible as it was, I think we were just trying to stay happy as long as we possibly could. How did I feel about Emmett leaving? Did I want to try long distance for however long he was away? How would we communicate? Rosalie's questions, although they seemed unnecessarily harsh, forced me to think about the problems that were coming. How did I feel about Emmett leaving? It upset me. Sometime in the last few weeks I had grown attached to the point that the idea of him leaving caused a physical pain in my chest. I don't believe that it's possible to love someone after so short a time, but I knew the more time we spent together, the more I liked him. I was already on my way to loving him and losing that before we really had a chance to explore it would be devastating. Could a relationship so young and new survive months apart with little to no communication? Did I even want to try?
Yes. I knew without a doubt that even if it broke my heart to let him go for months, it would be much more painful to let him leave forever. If Emmett wanted me to, I would wait. But did he want me to? Was this just a fun fling before he left for duty? Could I handle it if that's all it was? I shook my head and resolved to talk to Emmett about it soon. I had made my decision; all I could do now was wait for his. I let my mind wander away from my nutrition homework and it settled on memories from the last three weeks. I smiled as I remembered Edward's face when he found Emmett and I on the floor of his living room. He was never going to let us live that down. He had called me the next morning just to tease me. I had answered the phone, unaware of what was in store for me.
"So, I'm guessing you had a good time last night?" Edward asked as soon as I picked up the phone.
"Jerk. You show me yours; I'll show you mine. How was Jasper?"
"He's good, but obviously we're doing something wrong because it looks like you got farther than I did," he cackled. Yes, cackled.
"Can we please not talk about this?" I begged.
"We can stop after you tell me how far you got with Emmett."
"Edward!"
"Tell me! I'll tell you all about Jasper after!"
"We made out, that's it," I finally huffed into the phone after realizing he wasn't going to stop until he got answers. "Tell me about Jasper." The next half an hour was spent with Edward detailing how nice, sweet, smart, good-looking, and tasty Jasper was. I was a little surprised that they really hadn't gone very far and Edward was quick to explain that Jasper was just raised a gentleman.
"I'm kind of a big guy, ya know? I never thought of myself as the woman in any relationship but Jasper opens doors for me and shit! It's so cute!"
I laughed at his enthusiasm and had to smile. It was good that Edward was finally getting some happiness and it was good that this Jasper kid was treating him right.
"I like him already," I said with a grin.
A week after Emmett got to Bradley it was Halloween. Halloween had always been my favorite holiday because who didn't like a night where you could be anyone you wanted? Halloween was always great for me, but I had a feeling this one was going to blow previous years out of the water. It didn't disappoint. Emmett and I had been spending at least a few hours together every day so it was no surprise that he mentioned the Halloween party Tyler and Edward were throwing and asked me if I wanted to go with him. I told him I would only go with him if we wore matching costumes and after hours of pleading and pouting he finally caved. We ended up agreeing that Emmett would be a pirate and I would be a wench but I made the mistake of letting Emmett choose my costume.
"I can't wear this!" I exclaimed as I exited the guest bathroom of Edward's house. "I look like a streetwalker!" Emmett laughed as his eyes wandered down my outfit. It was made up of a low cut, off-the-shoulder white peasant top, a barely-there mini skirt, fishnets, and knee high boots. It also came with a red and white bandana that I tied around my hair and big, gold hoop earrings.
"I think you look hot," Emmett said with a leer. "Besides, it'll make all the other men in the room jealous because I'm the one who came with the streetwalker." I socked him in the shoulder as he continued to laugh and he stood up and reached for me. I skipped to the other side of the room and shook my head.
"No! You get no love. Not if I have to wear this ridiculous outfit." He stepped closer and my resolve wavered as I saw his costume. Now, pirates in general were hot. Captain Jack Sparrow? Hot. The Dread Pirate Roberts (a.k.a. Wesley)? Hot. Emmett dressed as a pirate for Halloween? Priceless. And hot. He was wearing pirate boots, tight black jeans and a red sash that tied around his waist to hold the fake sword that hung to his left. He had a matching bandana covering his buzz cut and there was a black eye patch flipped up onto his forehead so he could see, but it was the shirt that really got me. He was wearing a simple white tunic shirt with a black vest over it, but the tunic was ripped down the front to show Emmett's chest almost all the way down to his abs. I stepped up in front of him and frowned.
"What's with the face?" he asked.
"I think you should change."
"What? Why?"
"Wearing your shirt like that is… it's almost an invitation!" Emmett just raised an eyebrow at me, so I continued. "It's going to make all those girls think they can look! And touch! And I'm the only one who's going to be looking or touching!" My rant trailed off as a horrible thought entered my head. I turned my gaze to the floor and mumbled, "I am the only one who's doing that, right?"
"Bella! Of course you're the only one. Gentleman Marine, remember? It doesn't matter how many of them look because I'm only looking at you. However, you have my full permission to pull the hair of anyone who tries to touch. In fact, I encourage it," he answered with a cocky grin. He opened his arms and I stepped into them with a reluctant smile on my face.
"You're such a pervert," I laughed into his chest as my arms wrapped around his waist. I pulled my head back to look up at his face and whispered, "I should have dressed you as a priest."
The party was a hit, but Tyler's parties always were. I couldn't keep my eyes off Emmett the entire night and, apparently, neither could any of the other girls in the room. I felt violence surge through me and I wanted to scratch out the eyes of anyone who looked at him. I almost took his hair pulling comment literally when Jessica Stanley walked up to him. Jessica and I had been friends last year before she became a flirt, for lack of a better word. Emmett was talking to her and they were laughing and I was glaring, when she stepped closer and put her hand on his chest where his shirt gaped open. Two thoughts ran through my mind simultaneously: 'Oh, no you didn't, bitch,' and 'I knew I should have made him change that shirt.' I started to stalk toward them but stopped myself about halfway. What was I doing? Emmett and I had only been 'dating' for a week. He said I was the only one he was with, but did that make us exclusive? It had been so long since I dated that I wasn't really sure how it worked anymore and I didn't want to go over there angry and make a fool of myself if he was interested in dating Jessica. I turned to look at them again and Emmett caught my eye. His eyes moved over me and I could feel his gaze as if it were his hands running down my body. He crooked a finger at me and gave me a wicked grin that made my insides melt. I began to walk towards him but raised an eyebrow and nodded my head toward Jessica. Emmett shook his head and mouthed 'gentleman marine' to me. I smiled and continued my journey across the room. I stopped behind Jessica and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing at her costume. The quote from the movie Mean Girls came to mind suddenly: "Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." Stephanie was dressed in little, tiny shorts, a corset-like top, and cat ears with whiskers painted on her face. She was glaring at me and tapping the toe of her shoe on the floor impatiently.
"Can I help you, Bella? I'm a little busy," she complained.
"You can help me by backing up a few steps," I responded as I moved past her and slid both my arms around Emmett's waist. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently. I turned back to Jessica and gestured toward the bared chest in front of me. "This? Not yours, so please refrain from touching."
"Wow, possessive much? I don't see your name written on him," she argued.
"It's written someplace you'll never see," I said reaching my hand down to pat the crotch of Emmett's pants gently. The look on his face would have made me laugh if I wasn't so busy tearing down my competition. Jessica huffed and walked away with a glare and I finally let my giggles escape.
"Did you see her costume?" I asked, turning back to Emmett. His eyes were dark and so heavy-lidded he almost looked drunk. "Are you okay?" I asked, starting to worry a little bit. I was about to suggest we go sit down when I was suddenly yanked into Emmett's chest and before I could ask what was happening his lips were on mine. The kiss was deep and hot and forceful. There was no teasing and no waiting. I felt Emmett's teeth bite down on my lip and my mouth opened in a gasp, allowing his tongue to tangle with mine. I whimpered in surprise and desire and fisted my hands in his shirt to hold him to me tighter. I could taste the whiskey he had been drinking with Edward and it made my mouth tingle. His mouth left mine to rain searing kisses down the side of my neck. His tongue flicked over the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder before he bit down gently. My eyes flew open and I moaned, feeling my knees getting weak.
My eyes fluttered as Emmett murmured into my neck. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen. I like it when you get all possessive." I let a husky laugh escape my lips before I attached them to his collarbone. He pulled back from me and tilted my chin up so I could meet his eyes. His eyes, dark and serious and full of desire, burned through me but it was the words he spoke that caused the wetness to pool in between my thighs. "Stay with me tonight."
My only answer was to grab his hand and pull him through the diminishing crowd toward the staircase. We raced up the stairs, eager to be alone with each other and when the guest room door finally slammed shut behind us, I lunged at Emmett. My lips captured his and I allowed my hands to slide down his back and slip into his back pockets. I squeezed the firm muscle beneath my hands, he moaned into my mouth and his hips pressed against mine, seeking friction. I felt one of his hands cup my hip and then other came up to rip the bandana off of my head. As soon as it was gone his hand fisted in my hair and tugged my head away from his.
"That's better. God, I love your hair," he muttered as I moved my lips across his cheek and bit down on the lobe of his ear. I pulled my hands out of his pockets and undid the two buttons that held together his vest, yanking it down. He shook it off his arms and pulled his shirt up over his head before returning his hand to my hair and wrenching my face to his. Emmett's hand ran down the back of my skirt to cup my thigh and pulled it up around his hip. His hips surged forward and I could feel his arousal pressing against my center.
"Bed. Emmett, please!" I moaned as his hips ground against mine again. He ignored me to trail kisses down my throat and what parts of my chest were bared to his gaze. Suddenly he dropped to his knees before me and started kissing down my covered stomach. He let his tongue slip out to trace the line of skin where my shirt didn't meet the top of my skirt and my hands fell to his shoulders to steady myself. His hands grabbed my ankle and pulled it up to place my foot on his thigh. He looked up, locking eyes with me, as he slowly pulled the zipper of my boot down and slid it off my foot. He repeated this with my other foot and then swept his hands from the outside of my calves up over my knees, my thighs until he found the waistband of the fishnets I was wearing. I let out a shuddering breath as he pulled them down my legs and his eyes left mine as he helped me kick them off. His hands retraced the soft skin of my legs, unhindered by fabric and as his hands curled around the backs of my thighs, he groaned and pressed his forehead into my stomach. He let one hand slip farther around my thigh and I cried out as I felt his fingers tease my panty-covered core.
His head left my stomach and he looked up at me and whispered, "Take off your shirt, Bella." I was reluctant to remove my hands from his body but I complied and was rewarded with his warm mouth kissing and nipping at the skin of my stomach. I felt a new surge of wetness seep from between my legs and Emmett must have felt it too because his lips left my tummy and he sat back on his heels. His hands pulled me closer to him and he pressed his face against the crotch of my skirt, inhaling deeply. "You smell so good. I can't wait to taste you."
I whimpered and my hips instinctively pushed closer to his face. "Emmett, please," I begged. His hands left my thighs and reached for the zipper on the back of my skirt. When it was undone, his hands grabbed my skirt and my underwear and dragged them both down my legs. I stepped out of them and reached around to unhook my strapless bra, tossing it onto the chair in the corner. He moaned as his eyes ran down my body and when his hands reached out to pull me closer, I grabbed them with my own. I pulled up on his arms, telling him silently that I wanted him to stand. He stood and kicked off his boots as my hands reached for the waist of his jeans. I felt his warm skin under my hands as I moved my hands to undo his button and I leaned my head against his shoulder, my body shaking too hard to support me on its own.
"Are you okay?" Emmett asked from above me. I nodded and grabbed his zipper, pulling it down slowly, tooth by tooth. I tilted my head up to kiss his collarbone and allowed my lips to travel farther down his chest. "Bella, you're killing me here."
I giggled softly and slid my hands into the waist of his jeans, pushing them down off his hips. My eyes wandered down from his face to his chest to the chiseled muscles of his stomach. The patch of dark hair leading down from his stomach caught my attention and I let my eyes follow the trail. I let out a gasp when I saw the treasure that awaited me. He was bigger than any man I had ever seen before and the thought of having him fill me was creating a tremendous ache inside me. Emmett stepped closer and his whole body pressed against mine. I couldn't hold back the cry as I finally felt us pressed together without the barrier of clothing. He took another step forward, forcing me back until I felt the bed hit the back of my knees. He gave a gentle push and I feel backwards into heaven. I felt cool satin hit my back and I moaned at the sensual feeling.
"I take it you like the sheets," Emmett said with a grin before turning his lips to my ear as he hovered over me, propped up on one arm. Warm puffs of air hit my sensitive lobe as he whispered, "I bought them for you. Picturing your beautiful body naked against slippery, black sheets got me hard every time. And, God, it's even better than I imagined." His lips met mine once, gently, and he asked, "Can I touch you, Bella?" I nodded and his lips crashed into mine with more force as his fingers traveled down to the inside of my thigh. His hand moved down to tease my entrance with one finger before trailing up to flick against the nerve center, making my hips jerk. A gasp left my mouth as he suddenly pushed two fingers inside my core and pushed his palm flat against me. Every movement of his hand sent sparks shooting down my spine and I could hear whiney, desperate noises leaving my throat before I could stop them.
I felt his lips on the swell of my breast as he kissed and licked his way toward my nipples. His other hand came up to cup my other breast and I arched my back as his thumb ran over one hardened peak and his tongue swirled around the other. I reached my hand out and ran it down the hard lines of his stomach, fingering the trail of dark hair, before moving it down to wrap around his hard length. I moaned again at the feeling of holding him in my hand before I felt his hand leave my chest and grab mine. His hand grasped my wrist and pushed my hand up, pinning it next to my head.
"Leave it there," he whispered forcefully, before returning and kissing his way down the valley of my breasts, down my stomach, stopping when his lips reached where his hand was resting. His tongue slipped out and touched a part of me that made me see stars. It had been so long since someone had touched me like this. I could feel my stomach tightening, signaling the release I so desperately needed but I didn't want it like this.
"Emmett, stop. Please, I need you."
"What do you need?" he asked with that sexy grin.
I was so lost in the feeling that I couldn't even be embarrassed about the needy, breathless tone of my voice as I answered. "I need you…Inside me, please." His eyes met mine and he nodded, shifting over me and settling between my legs. I felt the head of him pressing into me and I pushed my hips up, hoping to entice him to hurry. He stilled my hips with one hand and rested his forehead against mine for a minute, before gently kissing my lips and pushing into me. My eyes fluttered back into my head as the exquisite feeling of being filled ran through me. Emmett pulled back and thrust forward again, over and over, pushing harder with each thrust. I braced my feet on the bed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders to pull him in closer to me. His arm went around my waist, pulling my body up to meet his thrusts, changing the angle and causing him to hit a spot that made my eyes shoot open and tore a scream from my throat. His lips met mine harshly and our tongues battled and our teeth bit and pulled while our bodies pushed each other higher. That familiar tightening started again and I moaned against Emmett's mouth. His hand slipped down between us to pinch at my clit just as he thrust into me and I felt the tension in my stomach explode. I screamed his name and I felt him groan mine into my neck as he buried himself inside of me and we both came apart.
I haven't slept in my bed since. The fist time was fast and hard because we both needed to get it out of our system. The next time, about twenty minutes after the first time (thank God for virile young men), was slow and gentle and Emmett gave me orgasm after orgasm until I was so spent and sore I didn't think I was going to be able to walk the next day. Every time after was just as good as the first. After a week of this I was beginning to feel like Pavlov's dogs with the bell. Every time Emmett's hand would touch mine, every time his lips would touch my forehead, every time he stepped up behind me my hands would shake and my mouth would water. The intense attraction I had had for him since the beginning had not faded. If anything, the chemistry between us had only grown hotter. The best part? It wasn't just his body, or the intense, powerful sex we were having.
Emmett was smart. He was well read and very informed. He watched the news for fun. I would crack a joke about Salvador Dali and he would get it. His views on the meaning of certain works of art had me laughing so hard I almost split my sides in the middle of the gallery he had taken me to. He would debate with me on the best work of authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Emmett always said Love in the Time of Cholera was the best, but I was stubborn in my love for One Hundred Years of Solitude) and I was floored when I realized he had read them in their original Spanish. He was fluent in French as well, which he attributed to excellent high school teachers and having to speak it when on a six month deployment in Africa. My high opinion of him, however, didn't blind me to his faults. He was also vulgar, jealous, possessive, quick-tempered, and he had an unhealthy obsession with my breasts. He thought nothing of reaching over and giving me a quick grope in front of other people, which I always smacked him for though it never seemed to discourage him. He angered easily and cooled down just as fast, but he could hold grudges forever. He told me he was still upset at his friend Matt who stole his girlfriend Lisa when they were 12.
I told him about my younger brother who was my best friend and who I talked to, one way or another, almost every day. I told him about visiting family in Ireland every summer and how I had always wanted a dog, but couldn't have one because my father was allergic. I told him about my parents, my home, my life before I met him, my hopes, my dreams, my fears. I told him everything about me and he did the same. He told me how his parents escaped from the fighting and hatred in Bulgaria and the surrounding states and came over here to give their children a chance at a better life. He told me this was the reason they couldn't accept his military career; they couldn't understand why he would go to a life of fighting when they had worked so hard to make sure he wouldn't have to. He told me stories about growing up with Edward and stories about ex-girlfriends that made me crazy with jealousy. We learned everything we could about each other and every moment spent together was filled with laughter and stories and mind-blowing kisses, but we both knew it couldn't last.
Time passed. Emmett was leaving in less than a week. We had yet to talk about what we were going to do and I was afraid to bring it up. The more neither of us brought it up, the more I was afraid that I was the only one invested. Emmett didn't seem worried about the lack of time we had left, which in turn made me worry more. I kept my fears to myself because who could I talk to? Edward was Emmett's brother; he couldn't be objective because he loved us both so much. I could have asked Rosalie, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach her saying 'I told you so,' so I pretended everything was okay. Even if this was a month-long fling for Emmett, I was determined to at least try to show him that I felt more.
Edward and the boys were taking Emmett out for a 'man day,' whatever that was, and Emmett was not too pleased about it. He mumbled something about the last five years of his life being 'man days' and how he could use a few more 'woman days' before they carted him off. As much as I loved spending time with Emmett, his absence gave me the time I needed to find the going away present I wanted to give him. I spent most of the day online looking up military codes of conduct, and in the end I decided to go talk to a local jeweler about what I wanted. He informed me that what I wanted was fairly common and that it could be worn on dog tags without violating any of the strictly enforced military dress codes. I looked down at the small, silver disc in my hand and smiled. It was the medal of St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers. St. Michael would protect Emmett while he was away and I wanted that for him, even if we weren't going to stay together.
"Would you like to engrave the back? I can have it done in three hours," asked the jeweler gently. I looked up at him in surprise before a small smile spread across my face.
"Why, yes I would. Can you fit this?" I asked and scrawled a message across the back of the paper in front of me.
"It will be a bit tight, but I believe it will fit," he answered with a sweet smile.
Emmett was supposed to be back around seven, which gave me an hour to get ready. I had picked up the medallion and showed it to Rosalie. She didn't quite understand.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's St. Michael." I responded.
"Okay, but why?" Like most American teenagers, Rosalie went to church on Christmas and Easter and probably had never read The Bible, so the fact that she didn't understand the point of the medal didn't surprise me.
"St. Michael is the patron saint of soldiers. Emmett can wear it on his dog tags and he will be protected while he's overseas, or wherever he's going."
"What does it say on the back?" Rosalie asked, trying to grab the small oval from my hands.
"Nothing you need to know about," I answered and put the medal back in its box just as Rosalie made another grab for it.
"Will he understand the whole 'patron saint' thing?"
"I hope so. Edward told me their family is really religious. His exact words were 'old world Bulgarian and extremely devout Catholics.' Even if his parents don't approve of his choices, his mother probably still prays to St. Michael. He should recognize it."
"I know their parents are really religious, but is Emmett? Because Edward doesn't even go to church unless he's at home; and he only goes then to appease his parents."
"He believes. He goes to church when he's on base, but it's hard when he's on deployment. He's slightly more religious than Edward and I think that's part of the reason Edward has avoided telling him for so long. The church frowns upon homosexuality and I think he's afraid Emmett's religious beliefs will make him turn away without even trying to accept it."
"Do you think that will happen?"
"Emmett isn't that religious. He is religious but he's still a part of this generation. He believes in birth control, he obviously believes in premarital sex. I don't think his religious beliefs will be the cause of the problem."
"But you think there will be a problem?" Rosalie asked.
I hesitated before answering. "I haven't brought it up because I was afraid I would be too obvious about it and I wanted to give Edward the chance to tell Emmett himself but from what I've seen… Emmett loves Edward. He's genuinely happy that he gets to spend time with him and you can tell that being distant for so long hurt him. I think it will take Emmett some time to get used to the idea, but I don't think he would ever do anything that would harm the relationship they just reestablished. So, do I think Edward needs to worry about Emmett never talking to him again? No."
"Is Edward going to tell him before he leaves?"
"I would hope so. He said he was planning to but he's been so busy with Jasper and I've been with Emmett so we haven't actually talked about it in a while," I answered just as my phone rang. "That's Emmett. I have to go. Wish me luck!"
A/N 2: Please review! Even if you didn't like it. Especially if there's grammatical errors, because I'm posting this unbeta'd. Thanks.