The Learning Curve: Chapter 30
Edward Cullen's House
I'd been a nervous wreck all day. Edward had continued to do his best to play the perfect boyfriend, from when he waited for me outside my first class to when he met me outside the gym after the last bell and kissed me before whispering that he'd see me at his house.
I didn't know how to behave around him or what I really wanted from him. I did like him. He was obviously attractive, and smart, and funny, and he'd been really good to me so far. I felt like I could trust him. But as soon as I got that far in my thoughts, I remembered how much I didn't know about him and all the things I'd heard girls say. What if I didn't know Edward at all?
When I pulled up in front of his house, though, all thoughts of boyfriends and rumors flew out of my head, and all my anxiety focused on one thing: touching Edward.
I wanted to touch him. That wasn't the problem at all. But I knew my efforts today would pale in comparison to what he'd done to me on Monday, and I really wanted to get it right the first time. I wanted to amaze him, but I didn't think I could.
I made sure my clothing was straight and smoothed down my hair before summoning the nerve to knock. I heard footsteps stumbling down a staircase, and a second later, Edward opened the door. He looked odd, flushed, like he wasn't quite ready for me, even though he'd known I was coming.
"Come in," he said. I peeked into the living room, eyeballing the grand piano there. One day I would be brave enough to ask him to play for me.
"Upstairs?" I asked timidly. Maybe he'd changed his mind about today's lesson.
"Yeah." His voice sounded hoarse. "If you're okay with that," he added. Was he hoping I'd opt out? Did he not want me touching him? It didn't make any sense when compared to his behavior of the past two days. I grumbled internally about boys and their mixed signals.
Back on the magical bed, I looked to Edward for instruction. He sat down gingerly against the headboard.
"Are you still comfortable trying out touching?" he asked. It was the first time he'd seemed shy with me, and it gave me pause.
"Yes," I said. "I'm nervous, though. I'll probably be bad."
His eyes softened. "You won't," he promised. "This isn't something you can really go wrong with. Why don't you come here?"
He held out a hand to me, inviting me closer. I scooted toward him, and he guided me into his lap, reminding me of the day we'd practiced kissing for the first time. He put his arms around me, trapping me against his body.
"I want you to do whatever you want to do - whatever feels natural. I'll tell you what feels really good and if anything doesn't, but I doubt that will be a problem."
"Okay," I said meekly.
Edward smiled gently. "You don't need to be self-conscious," he said.
"Will you kiss me?" I asked. I felt like I could do this, but not if he was watching me.
He threaded his fingers through my hair and pulled me to him in answer. When his lips began to move against mine, my body relaxed, and it was easy to place my hands against his chest. I squeezed his shoulders, so firm and solid under my fingers. I could picture those muscles flexing, his back smooth and fluid...
I moaned into his mouth and dragged my hands down his body to his taut abdomen. My fingers found the edge of his T-shirt and I felt bold enough to slide them underneath.
Still kissing Edward with determination - if he pulled away now, I'd chicken out - I felt my way along his warm skin, brushing along sparse, soft hair and hard muscle.
Edward hummed against my lips, and I took it to mean he liked what I was doing. I pulled away, even though I was enjoying his kisses.
"Can I take your shirt off?" I asked, and my cheeks heated while I awaited his answer.
He nodded and did the job for me. Looking at his finely toned body, I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. I knew Edward was in shape. He was on the basketball team after all, but the team was the worst in our league, so I wasn't expecting this level of fitness. He was...perfect. And that was pretty damned intimidating.
"Do you want to stop?" he asked gently.
I shook my head rapidly, unable to look away from his body.
"Do you want to take a break?" he asked. I could hear a trace of humor in his voice, but I merely shook my head again.
"Do you want me to kiss you some more?"
I thought about that, then nodded in the affirmative. He took my face in his hands, bringing my eyes up to his, and guided me back to his lips.
A/N: Sorry to cut you off here. It seemed the most natural place to do it without making this chapter five times longer than all the others. Next update will arrive after I get home from work tomorrow (so about...26 hours from now).