Failures, Firsts, and Frustration

This chapter's been edited, I made a HUGE mistake at the very end, so I hope this clears up any questions you guys have.

Chapter Fourteen

The Latin beat was fast and fiery. Endorphins are truly a fabulous thing. I follow the dancer on the screen, dropping my center of gravity with a wrist flick. I thought I was pretty well-coordinated, but dancing is clearly not my thing. If there's one more stupid 'x' flashing on the screen, I'm going to smash it into a million pieces.

My wrist has still been bothering me, so I resorted to this torture. After unearthing the gift from Owen: that was still in a pile in the closet, and spending a minute staring at the case, I finally popped the Zumba disc into the Wii in the basement and shoved down my pride, which is a very, very difficult thing to do, when you're me. Feeling slightly ridiculous, I got through the hula song; I even suffered through the Celtic Folk, but a Latin bit is not my style. I'm not sure I have a style. I feel like an idiot, as I flip my hand and jerk my hips. I get about half of the points, which is still kind of sad.

"I can't decide if I'm feeling more hopeful or attracted to you at the moment." Someone calls, I spin around, embarrassed. I really must be losing my edge if I didn't hear him descend the stairs. I tilt my head and study him, pretending I'm in control, even though I'm not. I think i lost the ability to stay in control a while ago.

"Hopeful?" I raise an eyebrow, not completely understanding his reaction. Attraction? well he's a teenage boy, it's to be expected that if he sees a girl shaking her butt, he's going to take notice. He smiles softly, not grinning, not smirking: just smiling. Feeling a bit braver than usual, I reach over and brush his hair out of his eyes. His eyes widen with surprise, I don't think he was expecting me to touch him; now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever started physical contact between us.

"I never thought there could be anything that you can't do." He explains, and there's genuine admiration in his tone.

"What are you talking about, I can't con for my life." I remind him, not used to flattery and wanting to change the subject, to something more comfortable, before he steps closer.

"But you fixed that." He points out, and I blush a little, seeing that he won't let me get away that easily, before mumbling.

"I had a little help." I bite my lip to keep the smile off of my face, but I don't think I'm successful. I can't believe I'm smiling . I'm standing in shorts and a tank top, way more revealed than usual. I've worked out for an hour, and feel ridiculously gross, but somehow, that's fading away under his gaze.

"Yeah, but you were the one who fixed it. It's a little uplifting to know that you're not totally unattainable." He can't seem to get the smile off his face either, as he steps a little closer. I glance over my shoulder and glare at the screen.

"I hate this stupid thing, but I will beat it." My eyes narrow, and I reach for the remote. One arm wraps around my middle as he grabs the remote out of my reach and slides it into the belt, so it can measure my movements. He slides his hands down to my hips, asserting gentle pressure.

"Relax, keep your movements fluid, you don't have to be aggressive about it." He murmurs. He gently moves my hips for me, and despite the fact that I feel idiotic, I still lean back against his chest. He starts the song over and guides me through the moves. His hands aren't possessive or forceful on my body. For once, I feel like I have a clue what I'm doing. I glance at the screen, see my score climbing higher and higher, and feel myself relaxing bit by bit with each step. The song finishes and the avatar on the screen does a back flip. Personally, I'm closer to collapsing on the floor, and I suddenly have a whole new appreciation for professional dancers.

"I thought you weren't going to push me." I half pant from exhaustion. A low chuckle vibrates through his chest and he slides his arms so they wrap around my waist, pulling me closer in the process.

"That wasn't pushing you. It was helping" He murmurs, his lips brushing my ear. I can practically feel him grinning as I still. He kisses that spot right below my ear, before moving down my neck. "This is pushing you," He corrects, the words tickling my heated skin. I stretch back, turning my head so I can Jason's face. Slowly, he plants kisses on my neck, moving back up, and brushing over my jaw.

"Jason?" My voice quivers, and I think my knees have turned to jelly.

"Hmmm," His lips don't leave my skin for even a moment as they descend back down to my pulse point, where they rest for a moment as my pulse flies. I'm sure he can tell it and I can feel the smile on my skin.

"Would you consider... kissing me pushing it?" I murmur, closing his my eyes, as he kisses my pulse point again.

"Depends on the kiss," He tries to keep his tone neutral but I can hear the smirk. He knows he has me in the palm of his hand, and I don't really care. Suddenly, the soft pressure of his lips on my skin disappears, and I can feel his breath tickling my face. While my eyes are still closed, he kisses me quickly: just the tiniest kiss, barely even there, before it's gone and he backs away, letting go of me at the same time. My eyes flutter open, and I spin around, catching him backing away. Without thinking about it, I stride forward and weave my fingers through his hair, pulling his head down to mine. I catch his eyes with my gaze, and wait, letting the tension build before stretching and pressing my lips to his.

Jason

I never thought she could beat me at my own game. Her dazzling blue eyes lock on mine and she kisses me, a fearsome passion making up for my hesitation earlier. I try to keep my head, to give her the respect and the boundaries she deserves. But her fingers trace along my jaw line, our tongues touch, and the ability for coherent thought turns into just a memory. No girl has ever done this to me, I've always kept a clear head, but Hannah is anything except just another girl. I wrap my arms around her and rest my hand on her lower back. My fingers encountering bare skin revealed when her tank top crept up as she let me teach her how to dance.

Her lips slowly move with mine, and she doesn't need to be fast or fiery, she just has to kiss like Hannah: purposeful, strong and her own brand of sexy. Her arms loop around my neck as she backs up, tugging me back into the center of the room. In the process, she backs into the arm of a chair, dropping back on the couch. I catch myself as I fall over with her and brace my weight on my hands, not wanting to hurt her, even though it's superficial. She moans quietly against my lips, and slides her hands up into my hair. As she scoots back on the couch, I place my knees on either side of her hips. Yanking her hair out of the elastic and running my fingers through it, I catch her bottom lip between my teeth as I groan. I'm not normally like this, I'm cool and calculating, there's always a part of me that's disengaged; except when Hannah's involved.

In the back corner of my mind, I register that someone calls down the stairs and that Hannah stills. Suddenly, she pulls away and shakes her head at me, fright in her blue eyes.

"Stop. This… this was a mistake," She murmurs, and pushes me off. I gape down at her, so confused. Seconds ago, literally seconds before hand, she was acting like there was no other place she'd want to be, and now… I don't know. I watch as she stands up, adjusts her clothes and attempts to tame her hair, as if her bright red lips don't give away what she's been doing, before scampering up the stairs. "Hey Liam" carries down the stairs and my blood boils. Who else?