Sam had hardly caught a glimpse of Mercedes at school during the next two days. He was pissed off that he had to cancel coming round the next day as he'd promised and was now unexpectedly nervous as she opened her front door to him. All nerves quickly disappeared as he saw the expectant smile on her face and he pushed her up against the door as soon as she closed it behind him, brushing her lips with his own. He pushed to the back of his mind the thought that he had wanted to do that for the last two days.

"Hmmm… I see you've taken my lesson to heart."

She smiled against his lips. "It was a pretty hot lesson. Besides, I need the practice. Marcus apologized for missing his date with me and wants to hook up some other time."

Sam felt the definite stab of jealousy and pressed her further against the door, deepening the kiss aggressively before breaking it off and glaring at her. "So what did you say?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I told him maybe."

She wormed her way out from underneath him and attempted to get away but he reached for her wrist, causing her to spin back to face him. Where the hell was the sad vulnerable girl from Wednesday?

"You know you can drop the act now Cedes. We're not at school now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Since prom. You've been avoiding me at school and you never did explain the other day why you suddenly brought out the whole Blondie thing again."

"I called you Blondie because you were acting like a stupid jock again."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He could feel his voice rising but it was only matching hers.

"We were friends. Nothing more than friends. Then you start staring out any guy who even looks my way. You don't own me. And you don't want me as a girlfriend. So why are you trying to mess with my life? Marcus wants to get to know me and that's fine. I don't need you slamming your locker getting all stroppy about it."

"You noticed?"

"I- Look that's not important. You were behaving just like Puck. I owe Puck nothing and I owe you nothing. But you still think that you can interfere in my life! I called you Blondie because I didn't know you anymore. I've explained this before. Sam is this really sweet guy that I like to hang out with. Blondie is just this guy in a Letterman jacket that happens to be in my English class and in Glee club."

Sam felt a heaviness in his chest. "Is that what you really think of me?"

"You have no idea what I really think of you. You have no idea of how I really feel. You just do your best to mess with my head and maybe I'm just tired of that. Maybe I just want to take my chance and be with somebody popular who wants to be with me. And maybe it won't last. But at least I would have gained some relationship experience. And at least I would get to feel loved. Even if it is only if it is only briefly."

"Is that what you think I am? Just some stupid blond jock who messes with girls?"

"At first I did. Then I didn't. But now I do again. I don't see why it should bother you so much that I might be seeing Marcus. I'm not your play thing!"

Sam didn't understand where all of this was coming from all of a sudden. Was it because he had kissed her? "Is it because I kissed you?"

"Partly…"

His question appeared to have taken the wind out of her sails. "Because you know I kissed you because I wanted to."

"No. You kissed me out of pity, like you danced with me at prom out of pity. And most of the time I would settle for that. But today I'm standing up for myself and saying no! This guy actually had the balls to ask me out. I think he actually deserves a chance."

"So because you can't get your head around the fact that maybe I might like you, you're still going to hook up with the biggest man-whore in the school!" If he wasn't so mad he would have found it funny describing Marcus as such when he knew for a fact that he was worse.

"You – you might like me?" Her voice had gone from near shouting to barely a whisper.

Sam knew that he was fucked. Somehow he had fallen into the whole soppy talking about emotions shit. He hadn't meant to say anything about the possibility of liking her out loud until he had resolved it in his own head first. But now it was out there he couldn't take it back. And what was worse, he really didn't mind too much that it was out there at all! He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. It was starting to get long and was constantly falling into his eyes annoying the hell out of him. He sighed and let go of her wrist.

"Let's just say, I like hanging out with you and I really enjoyed kissing you yesterday. This is all pretty new to me and the thought of a creep like Marcus getting his hands on you while I work through all of this in my head makes me feel pretty sick."

She simply stared at him, clearly taken aback by his little speech. And the rambling fool that he was, Sam felt the need to fill the silence with more words. Unless it was a sexual situation in which he was in control, he struggled. "You confuse me. At school you pull all this scary diva shit, but when you're here you're just this great gorgeous girl who I like spending time with. And then today you just went and brought the diva right in the front door and confused the hell out of me."

"Well you kissed me and confused the hell out of me! You walk round the school ignoring me like nothing has happened between us so I assume I'm still free to do my own thing. Then you cancel me by text despite it being you who wanted to come back the next day."

"Something came up-"

"And all I'm left with is a hickey and a shitload of questions!" She stared at him accusingly.

"I'm sorry I can't answer them all for you yet."

"So am I!"

"So what happens now? I wish we had a time machine and could just jump back five minutes to that magic moment against the door before we had this little disagreement. I'm just not ready to deal with it right now."

"Neither am I." Sam sighed. "How about I just go back outside and come back in and we have a do over?"

She looked up at him confused but he ignored her, turning and heading back out of the front door. He took a deep breath and paused for a couple of seconds before knocking. \there was an impossibly long silence. Then a grin passed his lips as he heard a quick "Who is it?" from behind the door before it was swung open by a stone faced Mercedes. He kicked the door shut with his foot before pressing her back up against it and kissing her again but she didn't resist.

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu" she muttered against his lips. "Why do you keep doing this?"

"Well I don't know about you but I came here to give you the second part of your kissing lesson. But if you don't want it…" He turned and made as if he was about to leave again.

"Wait – there's more to the kissing lesson?" Curiosity at got the better of her. As had his lips.

He nodded. "You passed the basic level yesterday with flying colors so now you've been fast tracked to the advanced class."

"Advanced class huh?"

"Yep." He glanced briefly at his watch before kicking off his shoes. "It starts upstairs in fifteen seconds. And I don't appreciate my students being tardy!"

She shot him a look of confusion before running up ahead of him, screaming that her room was a mess. He stepped back and allowed her to pass so that he could enjoy the view of her ass in her wraparound jersey dress as she flew up the stairs. Once in her room she paused, unsure what to do next. Her room wasn't that bad. He'd seen it much worse. But there were quite a few clothes strewn on the bed including a bra with cups so big he wondered if he could fit his head in one.

She blushed and started grabbing the clothes, shoving them quickly into her huge closet. He lay back on her bed like they were about to watch a movie and patted the space next to him. After eyeing him suspiciously for a couple of seconds she joined him, removing her jewelry at his request.

"I'm not sure about this Sam."

"Don't worry. I don't bite!"

Her hand subconsciously flew up to her collarbone where he had left the hickey and he grinned. "Well, when I say I don't bite a meant that I promise no more hickeys." His hand flew to her waist and pulled her closer. "Now I suggest we start this class with a recap from yesterday. I believe we did French kissing…" Sam knew he was on dangerous ground but Mercedes had the most kissable lips he had ever come across and simply could not keep away. Finally coming up for air he started to loosen the funky purple glitter neck scarf that she had worn to school that day, exposing more of her cleavage as well as the dark mark of the hickey he had left her. He kissed it gently by way of apology as she groaned "… before moving on to different types of kisses. And so now we begin the advanced class..."

She gasped at the feel of his lips on her throat. "N-no biting…"

"Ok. I already told you no biting. Maybe a bit of nibbling but I promise no marking." She noticeably relaxed more into his touch. "For today's lesson we will be working on the placement of kisses and the different reactions and sensations that can be created in different zones. But first I have a question. Are you ticklish?"

Her eyes were closed and he wasn't entirely sure if she had been listening or not but she did nod. "Okay, I'll try not to tickle you too much. But even if I do, remember that tickle can be good, and try not to hit out at me!" Yep. She had definitely stopped listening and he took it as a sign to start which he did by gently nibbling her right earlobe and pulling at it very slightly with his teeth. She turned her head away from him with a sigh to allow him to work his way up from the lobe and around the outer edge before placing small wet kisses behind her ear, right on the bone by her hairline.

By now her hands were roaming his firm chest and back and he pulled her even closer by the waist, his own hands starting to roam up towards her breasts. He had no idea how far she would let him go with this but he was sure as hell going to try, gingerly cupping one in each hand as he brought his kisses along to the front of her throat. She made no move to stop him as his mouth travelled slowly but surely down her breastbone.

He pushed her gently so that she was lying on her back before moving back up to her shoulders in case the movement had startled her. He moved the edge of her dress gently with his finger, kissing underneath it, before moving her bra strap slightly with his teeth and kissing the indentation that had been left behind by it. "Does this feel good?"

She nodded her agreement. "How about this?" He trailed kisses along the inside of her arm, putting extra attention on the inside of her elbow. She giggled. "That tickled!" Okay… not the response he had been hoping for. He knew it was an erogenous zone but maybe not on Mercedes. He worked his way back up to the shoulder, retracing his path before heading back down, this time around the curve of the exposed section of her breast which was now greater due to the fact that she was lying on her back.

He felt her take a ragged deep breath and her hands went into his hair. Now was the time to take her chance. His hands had been on her breasts for the past five minutes without complaint and now he moved to tug at the tie on her waist, his long deft fingers making short work of the bow there. This time when he kissed at the top of her breast, the dress gave a little, revealing the black lace of her bra. He cupped the whole breast in his hand, lifting it higher, revealing more flesh from under the lace which he set upon with his mouth while palming the other. Her back started to arch very slightly under his hands.

He moved his lips back up to hers then over to her ear. "Cedes you have the most beautiful breasts I've ever seen. Can I?" She bit her lip as if contemplating the answer and he took that as a yes, opening the top of the dress just wide enough to expose her bra fully. If the answer was going to be a 'no' she would have given it a long time ago.

"Oh my god they're perfect" he muttered as he placed kisses over the top of her bra, marking the outline of her dark areola through the lace and watching as the nipple got firmer without him even touching it. He nuzzled his face in the cleavage between her breasts before moving across and repeating the action with the other. The small moans coming from her mouth let him know she didn't mind. Which was good because he was currently thanking his lucky stars that her bra had a front clasp and he didn't even bother to ask for permission before opening the front hooks and clamping a nipple firmly in his mouth. The fact that her response was a moan and her hands and nails were now scraping his scalp gave him all the reassurance he needed to continue. He flicked at the nipple with his tongue making her squeal before gently nibbling and sucking once again. Then he moved up to the fleshier parts of her breasts, taking larger amounts into his mouth, kissing, sucking and releasing with a loud smack of his lips. Within minutes she was squirming against him and making the kind of noises that made him worry about how this was going to finish. He lifted each breast and trailed kisses on the soft underneath curves.

Then he slid his hands further underneath her dress to her soft belly and this time she did stop him.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm- I'm fat! You don't need to see that!"

He lifted his eyes to hers. "What have I already told you about calling yourself that?"

Mercedes avoided his eyes. "It's easy for you to say looking the way you do-"

She gasped as he totally opened the dress leaving her fully exposed in nothing but her lace thong. He circled his tongue around her belly button before saying "There's nothing here that isn't perfect to me."

She tried to close the dress but he pinned her arms to her sides. "Seriously Cedes. You're soft and womanly and you should never feel bad about the way you look. Guys dig chicks with curves!"

"But I have stretch marks and-"

"Hush woman!" He bent down towards her hip, tracing the outline of one of her stretch marks with his tongue before tracing soft kisses along the length of it before repeating with another one just below the top line of her thong. Then he returned to her belly, trailing ticklish kisses in a line across her waist and circling her belly button with his tongue once again. The sound of her giggles literally did warm his heart. He looked down at her spread open beneath him. Yes she was different to the other girls he had been with. But somehow she was more. She was woman. The Kryptonite to man. The bearer of future generations. The bringer of life.

He brought his face back up to hers and kissed her softly before whispering in her ear "You are beautiful. You are perfect. And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise just send them to me and I will take them out for you!"

Finally she met his eyes. She must have seen the lust there because her voice became panicked "Sam I'm not ready to-"

He kissed her reassuringly. "I know. We're just doing kisses. The advanced class. Remember?"

She was going to hit back with a reply about the kind of kisses she had been expecting but he shut her down with another to her lips. Then he smiled down at her. "Stop distracting me. We need to get back to the syllabus!" With that he moved back down her body, between her legs until he reached her ankle. He planted a kiss on the bone on the inside of her ankle before continuing to trail up the inside of her leg from there.

"It tickles Sam!"

"It won't for long!" Once he reached the back of her knee he focused on the area for longer and she bent her legs, again complaining of being tickled. She kept wanting to close her legs and he had to initially fight to keep them open, but as he moved further up the inside of her thigh the complaints of ticklishness suddenly stopped and were replaced with sighs. He made his way up her leg slowly, holding the outside of her thighs to keep her still while he worked the delicate skin with kisses and licks and nips. By the time he reached near the top he could smell her arousal and see the telltale sheen on her panties.

He debated asking for her consent before deciding to just go for it. In one smooth move he pushed her legs open wide, shoved her thong to the side with his finger, opened the lips to her pussy and used his tongue to make one swift long lick along the length of her, looping her clit as he reached it.

She screamed and damn near kicked him in the head. He raised his head and grinned up at her.

"You better get control of your legs little lady or you'll miss out on the best kisses of all!"

Her response was to push his head back down onto her and he obliged with a repeat of the sweeping lick. Again she quivered and he placed one thigh over each shoulder and prayed that she wouldn't crush his head like a shelled nut in a nutcracker when she came.

He started by planting kisses on her clit. Then he circled it with his tongue, watching it grow and become more pronounced. Finally he flicked over it repeatedly with his tongue in the same way that he had with her nipples, and even though her thighs were partially covering his ears he still clearly heard the string of expletives that flowed from her mouth in response to it. Sam chuckled with his mouth still pressed against her, the vibrations sending her to an even higher state of pleasure. Then he moved down to the opening of her vagina, circling it with his tongue before cheekily making little dips inside with the tip. She was positively quivering underneath him, her back arching and her hips bucking. He used the opportunity to briefly cop a feel of her ass. It felt great and he was disappointed that he would have to wait for another occasion before he would be able to worship it in the way in which he felt it deserved.

Using his lips and tongue he continue to make shapes on an around her most sensitive areas, being extremely gentle when nibbling and slightly less gentle when sucking before resuming the darting of his tongue into her hole. As her cries grew louder he felt her whole body tense and stiffen and he worked his tongue even faster, pushing it in as far as it would go and making sure his mouth was in the right place when she finally gave her gift. To preempt things he quickly licked his thumb before using it to flick her clit a couple of times.

It was the final push she needed to send her crashing into her orgasm, her body arched and rigid, the sounds coming from her mouth loud and of no recognizable language.

He grinned up at her. "Cedes you're amazing." His voice was croaky.

But his own need had yet to be filled and he quickly ran to the bathroom on legs that he was convinced were going to buckle at any moment.

Yanking out his straining leaking cock it took just three strokes of his hand to make him come into a tissue. By the end, the sounds she had been making had had him scared that he would come in his jeans. He quickly washed his hands and stared at his face in the mirror. Again he had the telltale red swollen lips, which on him was a massive beacon for what he'd just been up to.

Catching sight of the bathroom clock he began to panic. Oh shit! He needed to get home ASAP! And without the car he was going to have to run all the way.

Back in her room Mercedes had sufficiently recovered to put on her clothes and looked like she was ready to talk.

"I'm so sorry Cedes but I really have to go." He looked at her apologetically and saw the anger rising in her eyes at his words. She could see that something had changed in him. The patience he had just been showing was all gone and he couldn't get out fast enough. He knew that she wanted an explanation for what had just happened but he wasn't going to be able to stick around to give it.

He looked under the bed and all over the floor for his shoes before remembering that they were downstairs near the front door.

She was still sat on the bed, her eyes following his every move. "What the fuck just happened Sam?"

At the doorway he paused. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to be like this!" He knew that this was the worst possible moment for him to be walking out on her.

He couldn't bear to see angry tears in her eyes and he turned and fled the room. Taking the stairs three at a time he quickly slipped on his sneakers. He had already opened the front door when he heard her from the top of the stairs.

"You're a coward Blondie! You use cheap tricks to get girls, which makes you even worse than Marcus. I can't believe I trusted you!"

Tears burned the back of Sam's eyes and he couldn't look back up at her. She had him all wrong but he couldn't explain it to her.

As he shut the door behind him and broke into a jog his heart felt heavier than lead. This was not how today was supposed to go. He had hurt Mercedes' feelings and he felt terrible. But there were things that were out of his control. Sure he'd fucked and left loads of girls in his time without any trace of guilt or remorse, but this time he cared what she thought of him. This time he cared how he had made her feel.

This time he cared. Period.