Fragile Love

by Mack Black

  "I completely understand. I'm very protective of James also. You should ask him how much one day," Bella said, turning to me with a smile.

  "I just don't want to see him get hurt again," Nessa said, sitting back down at the table.

  "Neither do I," Bella replied.

  Dinner continued in silence, with Jace making small talk for the remainder of it.

  Promptly after dinner, he stood, taking all their plates to the sink before returning to the table. "Thanks for dinner. We’ve got to go, though. The girls need to go to bed.”

  "But—" Nessa started.

  "But it's late," he spoke over her.

  She nodded and got up from the table, grabbing Raine up in her arms. "It was nice to see you again Bella." Nessa’s shoulders slumped as she walked to the door.

  "I'm gonna walk them to the elevator. I'll be right back." I stood too, jogging to catch up to them.

  "Okay," Bella said.

  I shut the door behind me, not saying a thing until I pressed the button to call the elevator and turned to Nessa. "What was that back there?"

  "I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

  "Lessa, James is an adult and he makes his own decisions. You don't get to question them. He’s wanted this girl for six years. Six years. Let the man savor it. No way I could have lasted six years waiting for you," Jace said.

  I let out a sigh of relief, happy that someone saw it my way.

  "I'm sorry James. I should have kept my mouth shut," Nessa said.

  "I forgive you, but for the record, this is why I don't tell you about girlfriends." I hugged her as the elevator doors opened.

  After I said goodbye to them and gave each of my nieces a bear hug, I walked back to my apartment. Bella had started washing the dishes, but she turned as I stepped inside. “Just so you know, my dad will be worse, which is why I didn’t have you come for lunch.”

  She chuckled and went back to washing dishes. I crossed to the sink to help her finish and I stood so close our arms touched.

  "Your sister was fine. I'm sure your dad will be too." She turned and met my eyes.

  I dried the last dish and put them all away as she sat on the couch. When I joined her, I laid my hand on her thigh. "I'd say it was a pretty good dinner all in all. The worst is over."

  She stood to put a DVD in. The title screen rolled across the TV, and I laughed. She’d chosen The Fantastic Four and somehow, I knew she had no idea what it even was. However, Bella would make a hot invisible woman. I'd have to try and talk her into getting into some costumes for me.

  Role playing—sex style.

  She sat back down beside me on the couch, her eyes glued to the screen as the movie started. I turned her face to mine, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Good choice."

  A smile spread across her lips, and she quickly gave me a peck before turning back to the screen.

  "A for effort," I whispered, standing to grab some snacks from the kitchen.

  "Hush. It looks interesting," she argued.

  I made some popcorn and moved back to the couch.

  "Look, it's Cole from Charmed!" she said excitedly. "He is super sexy."

  "Umm I don't know what Charmed is."

  She turned to look at me, shock written across her features. "We must rectify that. I'm bringing my box set and you're gonna watch it with me. It's about three sisters who are witches. Cole—this guy—he's a demon," she said pointing at Julian McMahon.

  I just chuckled a little, turning my eyes back to the screen.

  After a few moments she spoke again. "He's kind of mean in this movie."

  I handed her the popcorn and watched as she shoved her mouth full. "Yeah, well you said he was a demon in your show, so he already played a villain, right?" I shoveled some popcorn into my mouth, turning back to look at her.

  "I guess." She laid her head on my lap, eyes focused on the TV.

  I took that time to brush my fingers through her soft, brown curls, completely ignoring the movie. I’d seen it a million times already, and she was much more interesting.

  She glanced up at me after a while, smiling and noticing that I wasn't paying attention to the movie.

  "What?" she asked.

  "I was just admiring your beauty," I answered honestly.

  "Screw the movie," she said, sitting up and straddling my lap.

  Her lips captured mine, as her fingers wove through my hair. My hands rested on her waist, my own fingers digging into her back beneath her t-shirt.

  I traced her skin down until my thumbs rubbed her thighs at the hem of her skirt.

  She broke the kiss, lifting my shirt up and over my head. My head fell back on the couch as her lips assaulted my neck. With every touch of her lips against my skin, tingles shot down my spine.

  Sweet fire spread up and down my skin when her fingernails scraped my chest. I was hard and growing harder by the second, but I didn’t want to scare her.

  "Stay with me tonight." I breathed heavily. "No sex. Just let me hold you."

  "Okay," she whispered.

  I stood, holding her against me as her legs wrapped around my waist. I walked us straight to my bedroom where I laid her on the bed. I crawled in beside her, pressing her body into mine as I kissed her again. My hands roamed up her shirt and her skin was like silk. She broke the kiss and lifted her shirt over her head.

  I looked down at her, admiring the curves of her body and the red lacy bra that clung to her breasts. Her fingertip tilted my chin up, and she claimed my lips again.

  Held tightly against each other, skin against skin, I kissed her until I had to break for air.

  I was left panting, breathless, and unashamed, despite the fact it had went no further than that.

  When I glanced at the clock, I stood from the bed and crossed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I slipped into a fresh pair of boxers and walked back into the bedroom.

  "Here's a toothbrush," I said, handing her a new one. "You can sleep in one of my shirts if you want."

  I climbed into bed, watching as she crossed to my dresser and slipped on a t-shirt. She disappeared for a bit, going about her nightly routine.

  When she returned, her face was clean of any makeup and I gasped. She was even more beautiful beneath the makeup and I wondered why I’d never seen her without it.

  I watched as she slid her skirt down her long legs, letting it pool on the floor. Then she pushed my t-shirt off, standing in only her bra and matching panties.

  She was beautiful. Every curve, every line, every mark on her skin held me captivated. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my hands off her.

  "Bella," I said between clenched teeth. "Leave the shirt on." It pained me to say it, but I didn't want to be tempted to take it further.

  "No." A wolfish grin spread across her lips as she climbed in beside me. Then she turned her back to me, sliding against the curve of my body.

  "I won't be able to keep my hands to myself," I warned.

  "Then don't," she answered.

  I wasn't sure if she’d just given me permission, but I took it as that. My lips landed on her neck, kissing along the vein and marking my territory. She pressed back into me, her tight little butt shifting against my boxers. Against me.

  My fingers traced up her bare stomach, gently rubbing her breasts over her bra. She moaned softly, pressing harder into me.

  "Bella," I said on an exhale. "We have to stop."

  I wanted her, more than I've wanted anything in the world, but I wanted it to be right when it happened. I wanted it to be because we loved each other. Not because we got carried away in a moment of passion.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  I drew her against me, my hands resting across her stomach as I kissed her hair. “Goodnight beautiful.”

  "Goodnight."

  I laid there for a while, very aware of our bodies. Sleep wouldn’t come if I didn’t calm down, so I begged myself to do just that.

  Bella fell into heavier breathing, indicating
she’d fallen asleep. I closed my eyes and stroked the skin on her stomach, my face buried in her hair. She smelled like fresh flowers and honey, or maybe like sweet honeysuckles. Being so close defined the scent even more, even though she’d always smelled the same.

  I watched her sleep for a while, her expressions changing. She must be having a good dream. I wondered what her dream might be about, if it could involve me. Two in the morning snuck up on me before I knew it, so I closed my eyes after kissing her forehead, surrendering to sleep.

  Something wrapped around my legs, and I snapped my eyes open thinking it might be a snake. But it wasn’t. No…it was only Bella.

  She’d pressed her chest to mine and wrapped her legs around me to pin me down. She stared right into my eyes, and I remembered we were both practically naked.

  I smiled, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose.

  "Good morning, little flower." I covered my mouth as I spoke, afraid of killing her with my morning breath.

  She laughed, jerking my hand away and pressing her lips to mine. She smelled of mint, letting me know she’d already brushed her teeth.

  I rolled over, jumping out of bed before she could pull me back and raced to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and returned to my room, bouncing on the bed beside her.

  "Where were we?" I asked. "Oh right."

  I yanked the sheet off her, grasping her by the waist and pulling her on top of me where I claimed her lips. My hands cupped her firm butt, pressing her into me.

  She sat up, running her hands up my stomach and chest. "You're going to be late for work," she said, making no move to get off me.

  "It will be worth it," I said, pulling her down to kiss her again.

  "It will, but I've got to get going too. Come on James. Let's get ready." She stood from the bed and I admired her again before she slipped into the same clothes as yesterday.

  "No wait," I said. "You left a dress here after our date. It's in the hall closet. I forgot I put it there when Tucker stopped by."

  I stood from my bed, heading for the closet to get her clothes. I hurried back, handing them to her.

  She yanked the dress over her head and handed me back the panties. "Keep these for next time."

  I slipped them into my underwear drawer against the back corner and got dressed. When we were both ready, I grabbed us both a bagel. We walked hand in hand to work, stopping just outside the door.

  I leaned down and kissed her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "See you later for date night?”

  "Wouldn't miss it," she replied. "Have a good day at work."

  I had a feeling my day would be perfect since I’d be thinking about her all day long. And as I walked into the building, a wide smile spread across my face. Women swarmed me on my way to my desk, flirting incessantly, and I ignored them all.

  "What's got you all smiley today?" Elise asked immediately.

  "Just happy you decided I wasn't worth it. Life couldn't be better." That might have been too mean, but she kind of deserved it.

  "Well okay then."

  "Have a nice day Elise," I said, turning back to my work.

  Bella sat waiting on the bench outside as I walked out of work. Without a bit of hesitation, I walked up to her, grasped her hand, and yanked her up. “I could get used to this,” I said, smiling as I dipped down to kiss her.

  "Good," she whispered against my lips.

  Just as we pushed apart, Elise walked out of the building. Her eyes widened as they landed on us and she ducked as she headed in the opposite direction. I let out a chuckle, turning my attention back to my Bella.

  My Bella. I like the sound of that.

  Her brows drew together, but I only shook my head in response. No need to tell her I’d seen Elise, or to ever bring Elise up in a conversation again.

  "So, about that second date," I said, tucking my hands behind my back.

  "Yeah? What’s the plan?"

  If I told her, it would only ruin it. Instead I deflected. "What are you gonna wear? If I were you, I'd wear something comfortable."

  The sound of her laughter filled my ears. "I guess we should stop by my house then."

  "It's a plan."

  I took her hand, lacing my fingers with hers and heading in the direction of her house. When we got there, I followed her inside and took a seat on the couch while she went to her room to change. It’d been a while since I’d been in her house, but not much had changed.

  She still had the soft blue walls that would make my sister proud, the same tan couches encased in a velvety material, and the same abstract paintings hung on her wall.

  The only difference was her movie collection. She’d acquired about fifty more DVDs since I’d last been here.

  I hopped up and went to the shelf. My fingers ran over the cases as I read the titles and a smile lifted the corners of my lips.

  Superman, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Batman, Batman Begins, CatWoman, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, Man of Steel, Ironman, Hellboy, and even Blade.

  All the movies had one thing in common. They were movies I’d love, so she must’ve gotten them for that reason, which meant more than any present she could ever think to give me.

  I had to admit though, I almost laughed when I saw CatWoman. That was one of the few movies in my favorite genre I hadn't seen.

  Maybe I'll watch it with her.

  She came back into the living room, her cheeks turning a rosy pink as she noticed what I stared at.

  "I see you found my secret stash of James movies. I haven't seen them all, but the ones I did see were actually pretty good." She looked down at the ground.

  I crossed the room to her and lifted her chin. "I love it."

  "You do?"

  "I do." I caught her lips in a gentle kiss before stepping back and admiring her outfit.

  It was a little slutty, which made me like it more. Her breasts were on full display, as were her long, tan legs. Her deep-purple crop top brought out her eyes and made her tan look even darker. Her jean shorts were so short the bottom of her ass peeked out. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands to myself.

  If any other girl wore that outfit, I’d have thought she was trying too hard. Not with Bella, though. It only just made a million questions pop into my head, all of them ending with how I’d ever make it through this night without having her.

  "You look…" I started, not able to think of a way to end the sentence without making me sound like a chauvinist pig.

  "I look what?" She grinned, making me think she enjoyed making me so uncomfortable. Of course, I’d done things in the past to make her uncomfortable too, so maybe that made us even.

  "Good?" The word came out as a question, and almost came out as a choke since I’d been holding my breath.

  She frowned. "You don't sound so sure about that." Her eyes fell to the floor, uncertainty fueling the movement. For a second, I thought she might turn and run.

  I grabbed her wrist, so she’d stay put, then I tugged her closer. My arms went around her waist and I kissed her hair right before I swatted her behind. “You look like you might not want me to be able to resist you tonight.” I couldn’t believe I’d just said that out loud.

  Maybe I'm getting the hang of this.

  "Hmm." She tapped her chin in thought. "Would that be a bad thing?"

  "No," I shot out, making sure she knew how sure I was of that.

  "I don't see a problem then."

  "Well then. Shall we go?"

  She wrenched away from me, walking to her bedroom door and grabbing something just inside. A million more questions flooded my mind when I saw her carrying a bag towards me, filled to the brim with clothes.

  So, she is staying the night again? Does that mean what I think it means?

  She gave me a grin, offering no response to the question that must be spelled out on my face—something she was incredibly good at. If I asked why she had a bag, it would only end with me saying something stupid, and i
n turn that would lead to an argument, which would most certainly lead to us missing our date tonight. So, I kept my mouth shut because I had big plans tonight.

  We left her house and headed for my apartment, so I could gather what we needed and change my own clothes. Work clothes were too constricting, so I had to get out of them.

  When we arrived, I slipped inside. Bella followed and beelined straight to my room. My eyebrows rose. What did she need from my room? Curiosity got the best of me, so I trailed after her. It only led to more questions as I watched her shoving some of my clothes aside and pushing her own into the empty space she’d created.

  After I took a deep breath, I realized how unsteady my legs were, so I reached out and grabbed the door. She looked up, her eyes landing on me.

  "Oh I…umm…thought I would leave these here—you know, in case I stay the night again or something." She blushed crimson, her eyes wide with a look I couldn't quite decipher.

  "Okay," I said in a whisper.

  We stared at each other for a few moments, neither of us saying anything. After a minute, I found my voice again. "Well I'm gonna get changed and then we can go." I stepped beside her, grabbing a t-shirt from the still-open drawer she stood in front of.

  She laughed, reaching out and touching the shirt. "How did that get back in the dresser? I didn't even notice it," she asked.

  "I put it in there this morning. You didn't wear it long enough to warrant a wash." Besides, it smelled like her.

  I started to unbutton my shirt, challenging her with my eyes. Her eyes never left me as she chewed on her bottom lip.

  That's the tell for girls isn't it? It means they are turned on?

  I let it drop slowly down my arms, flexing my muscles to put on a little show. When she didn't stop staring, I unbuckled my belt.

  I figured she would leave, but instead her eyes swept up and down my body. I flexed my stomach and she let out a small whimper.

  With newfound bravery and confidence, I unzipped my pants and let them fall to the floor. She didn't move, so I stepped forward until her body pressed against mine, pushing her against my bedroom wall.

  As my hands came up to cup her face, her breath hitched, but I only drug her lip from between her teeth, staring at it. Then, I leaned down and kissed her while my thumbs stroked her cheeks. Without warning, I sucked her bottom lip between mine, biting down just enough. Another whimper escaped her, causing me to forget all about my slow assault. I kissed her harder.