Isabella woke up first. She stretched her neck as she opened her eyes and remembered where she was. Her body tensed for a moment before a deep breath relaxed her. She looked up and studied Balthazar's face as he slept. He looked peaceful; she smiled. Balthazar deserved it, being in the spotlight day in and day out, and now, well, he had to worry about her. That wasn't really fair, but she was glad she had him. Isabella tried to slip out from under his arm without waking him, but he startled awake with the same quickness as he had hours earlier.
"Sorry!" She grinned sheepishly. "I needed water…"
Balthazar stared at her and shrugged it off as he smiled and sat them upright. He was just happy she rested. He helped her off of the couch, and she followed him into the kitchen. He poured them each a glass of water, and they stood in silence until Balthazar saw a drop of blood fall from her sweatshirt.
"Shit, Isa, let me heal that again."
Isabella obediently sat on the stool by the island as she felt his thumb press against her scarring chest. She took a deep breath as the magic entered her bloodstream and welcomed its warmth. She knew she needed to continue resting and taking it easy, but she only had one thing on her mind at that moment.
As Balthazar stood up, she reached out with her hand and pulled the back of his neck towards her as she kissed him. This surprised Balthazar, and he had to use a hand to steady his balance on the counter to avoid falling into her and knocking them both over.
"Isabella, I just … Isa I… Isa doesn't this… doesn't this hurt?" Balthazar was struggling to get his words out in between kissing her. He didn't want to stop, either. She nodded and let their lips part for a second.
"What's the matter, can't you be gentle?" Isabella pulled him back in, and she thought he was going to resist, but he gave in to her.
Balthazar couldn't stop himself, and he always welcomed a challenge even though he knew he'd lose it. He lifted her onto the island and positioned himself in between her legs as they continued kissing, his hands firmly gripping the counter's edge as he leaned into her. He could feel her smiling, and he loved being the reason. Balthazar traced his hands along her thighs and up to her lower back as he pulled her to the edge of the counter so she was flush against him. He kept kissing her as Isabella fussed with the buttons on his shirt. She started to lose focus on their kissing and tried to get a better look at the buttons, but Balthazar didn't let her. He moved a hand to her face, grabbed her chin, and forced her lips back up to his.
Isabella was caught off guard in a wonderful way and, instead of fidgeting any longer, pulled the shirt open, button by button, until it hung open on his chest. With her legs wrapped around him, and their skin now touching, she couldn't resist pulling him on top of her. Isabella interlaced her fingers behind the nape of his neck and started lowering herself onto the counter, hoping he would follow suit.
"Where do you think you're going?" He almost growled as he moved his hand from her chin to her neck and held her in place as she tried to lay back and bring him down with her. Isabella sucked in a breath as she looked up to him in a shocked amazement. She wasn't used to not being in control.
He once again returned her lips to his as he moved his other hand under her ass and positioned her in his arm as he swept her off of the island. Balthazar backed her into the wall by the staircase as a painting clattered onto the floor. He brought her up to eye level and pressed his body into hers so she was flush against the wall with her legs now wrapped around his torso rather than his waist. Balthazar kept his hand loosely on her throat as he moved his lips softly from hers to her cheek and started cascading kisses down her jaw to her neck.
Isabella closed her eyes and leaned into every one of them as her breathing slowed. The sudden change from aggressive to gentle caught her off guard but gave her time to catch her breath. She couldn't steady it, though, as he continued to brush his lips against her. She felt him bare his teeth ever so slightly, and his fangs grazed just below her lower jaw as he continued moving down her body, seemingly inch by inch. Balthazar paused as he reached the neckline of her sweatshirt. She felt him smiling as he retraced his path, moving back up towards her lips, and when he finally arrived, he hovered in front of them.
"We're going to have to do something about that." He looked down to the sweatshirt and back to Isabella who stared in an anticipating silence. He smirked as he studied her face, lingering on her lips and then back to her neck. Balthazar slowly backed them away from the wall and kept her right where she was. He glanced to the stairs and then back to her. Isabella's hands were still interlaced behind his neck, and she pulled her face to his and brought their lips together. Balthazar expertly walked them up the stairs and laid her onto the bed as he continued to kiss her.
Isabella shimmied herself towards the headboard as Balthazar shrugged his shirt off and to the floor. He only took a break from kissing her to help her out of the sweatshirt. Isabella barely winced when she took her left arm out of the sleeve, but he noticed. Concern flooded his face for a second before she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled him back on top of her. Balthazar resumed the avalanche of kisses, and his hands moved with them. He wasn't used to this pace, but he wanted to be somewhat gentle, as requested. And he liked the power she let him have over her. Balthazar liked making Isabella's breath falter with every kiss he placed on her body. He liked how every time he brushed his fangs against her skin she gripped his hair tighter. He loved feeling her body arch against his when he traced his hands along her figure.
When his lips reached her sternum, Balthazar licked her chest and flicked his tongue onto her nipple. He felt her body squirm beneath his as he cupped her breast and continued sucking, his free hand massaging her other. Isabella twisted her fingers deeper into his hair as she let out an involuntary moan. She used her hand to grab at his wrist as he continued to fondle her, and he twisted his hand and grabbed hers, forcing it back onto the bed. He switched his attention to that side and started sucking her left nipple as his free hand continued to massage her other breast. Balthazar felt her hold in his hair loosen as he flitted his tongue on her nipple. He liked how distracted he made her. He reached up, grabbed her hand out of his hair and pinned it to her side above her shoulder, like he had the other one.
Every flick of the tongue resulted in a twitch of her body. He started circling her nipple instead and felt Isabella start to melt underneath him. Balthazar enjoyed his control over her and started making his way back up to her lips. He repositioned himself and hooked one of her legs on top of his thigh as he pressed his body weight into her. He slid both of her hands above her head and used the sweatshirt to tie them together to the headboard. Balthazar kissed the side of her cheek and whispered into her ear.
"Is this okay?"
He felt her nod almost immediately.
"Good."
Balthazar held her face in one hand as he kissed her. He elicited a writhing of her body as he traced his other hand down her side and onto her thigh that was bent above his leg. He traced the same path, back and forth, for a while and relished feeling her heartbeat quicken each time he brushed the lace of her underwear. After a few minutes, as he felt her breath start to steady, Balthazar ripped them off in one swift motion. She sucked in a breath and, once again, he felt her heart race against his chest. He loved it.
Isabella barely noticed the throbbing pain from her wound while Balthazar played with every inch of her body. And when she did notice it, she quickly forgot it when his lips touched another piece of her skin. As he threw her underwear to the side, Isabella panicked. She realized this was the first time she allowed herself to be this vulnerable in bed; normally she took or shared the lead. She tried to wriggle herself out from underneath him and a little bit higher on the bed towards the headboard, but he didn't let her. Balthazar kept his hold firmly on the side of her neck and held her in place. She felt his thumb press into the bottom of her chin.
"Stay."
Isabella froze in place as his other hand continued to graze against her skin. She normally didn't like doing what she was told, but for some reason, she enjoyed following his demands. Isabella realized she liked the look on his face when she complied. She liked pleasing him while he pleased her. She liked how every touch made her breath falter, and more than anything, she loved being the center of his attention.
Balthazar felt Isabella steady her breathing as he slid his thumb away from her chin. He was satisfied she would let him have his way with her. He flipped them so her body was on top of his, and he kept her back pressed tightly against his bare chest. Balthazar slid his arm through her underarm and used that hand to turn her face towards his. He wrapped his right leg around her right thigh and used his left knee to push her left leg open.
Isabella caught her reflection in his eyes. She looked vulnerable, and she was okay with that. She felt the friction of his pants on her bare skin and jolted upwards involuntarily when his cold belt buckle touched her lower back. He used his free hand to press her hips down and was only satisfied when she was flush against his body.
Balthazar started what she thought was another cascade of kisses on her cheekbone, but as his lips touched just beneath her jaw, he sunk his fangs into her throat. He heard her curse under her breath as he brought his hand up to her chest. He toyed with her nipples as he drank from her, enjoying every sound she made. Balthazar slowly slid his hand from her chest down her stomach, and he felt her heart race. He took one more sip from her before licking the wound closed. He wanted to watch her. He wanted to feel her breath on his face as he played with her.
His fingers slipped inside her with ease. Balthazar watched her close her eyes and try to steady her breathing, but she couldn't. He kept a nice rhythm and turned her face to fully face his as he started to kiss her. Isabella kissed him back, but hers were more pecks here and there. She tried to focus and give him what he wanted, but she couldn't. Balthazar continued kissing her and enjoyed how distracted she was. He liked the sporadic effort from her, but he wanted to make her stop trying altogether. He slid his fingers out of her and started rubbing her clit.
Isabella stopped trying to return his kisses. She swallowed when she struggled to find her breath as she squirmed in his grapple. She pulled the sweatshirt taut as she again tried to wriggle towards the top of the mattress. She felt him grab her horn to keep her in place this time. Isabella arched her back away from his chest as she started to lose control of herself. She forgot to breathe, only able to focus on his fingers.
Balthazar kept kissing her as she held her breath. He moved back to her cheekbone and down her jaw. Her body writhed, simultaneously on top of and beneath him, as he continued fingering her through the orgasm. He reveled in every involuntary spasm of her body. She whimpered and cursed when she started breathing again, still trying to escape his touch and steady herself. He pushed her opposite leg further open with his knee. He saw her try to form words and fail. He only stopped when her body finished writhing and instead went limp from exhaustion.
Isabella tried to catch her breath as she studied Balthazar's face, hovering above hers. Disoriented, she blinked up at him, and he smirked back at her. She could barely form a thought, let alone words.
"Open your mouth."
Isabella stared up at him in confusion until she realized what he wanted. She felt his hand creeping up her torso, through the center of her chest, and up her neck. When he got to her chin, she opened her mouth, and he slid his fingers inside.
Balthazar watched attentively as she closed her lips. He felt her tongue circle around his fingers as he pushed them further in. She did what he wanted; her tongue followed them as he motioned them in and out, never fully removing them from her mouth. She held his gaze as she slid her tongue in between two fingers. Balthazar stopped moving them and let her do the work instead. He noticed his own heart racing, something he hadn't felt in quite some time. He felt her tongue move from finger to finger, encircling each separately and licking them clean. She nestled her head deeper against his collarbone and then brought it back up to keep the in and out motion going herself, all while continuing to hold his gaze.
Isabella could tell Balthazar was distracted as she all but swallowed his fingers. Maybe it was her turn to make him moan. She cast Freedom of Movement, and as soon as she was released from the sweatshirt, she grabbed his wrist, pulled his fingers out of her mouth, and tried to flip herself on top of him.
Balthazar let her pin him down for a second before he continued the roll and landed on top of her. He straddled her and secured both of her wrists in his hands as he pushed them into the mattress above her head.
"Isa, we're supposed to be gentle, remember?"
She felt him smirking as he whispered against her ear. She nodded. They both knew she could escape his grip, but she stayed still. He was about to start kissing her when they heard a knock downstairs at the door.
Balthazar immediately released her wrists but lingered on top of her for a few seconds longer than he should have. He pushed himself upright and extended his hands towards Isabella. She took them, and he helped her up off the bed. Balthazar held her face in both hands, kissed her forehead, and cast another Lesser Restoration. A warmth moved through her and momentarily stopped the throbbing in her chest. He took one last look at her before grabbing a shirt off of the floor and hastily buttoning it as he walked towards the stairs to see who was at the door, but not before washing his hands in the bathroom.
Isabella was frozen in place after being brought to a standing position. She was naked in Balthazar di Marte's bedroom. She was naked and disoriented. Still. She tried regaining her composure with a few deep breathing exercises as she scanned the room for her bag. She found it strewn on the floor next to Balthazar's bloodied shirt from the night before. Isabella grabbed it and rifled through the Bag of Holding until she found her extra set of clothes for emergencies. This might be one.