Save Me From the Dark

by Edward, Réna

  Sadly, him letting me go is the only thing that can happen. My father will not back off easily and I’m not about to have Ace or any of the others get hurt because of me. They are the closest things I have to a true family. Because of that fact, I will not stay here even though I desperately want to stay.

  Nothing, no matter how much I search, will come out of my mouth as a response to that. He’s so open and honest with me. The one thing I wish right now is that I can be the same way with him, but it’s too risky.

  “We need to clean up the mess,” I say to get off the subject that I’m just not ready to delve into.

  Yawning, I pull away from him and head out to clean up the mess from tonight. We work silently next to each other cleaning everything up. Just as I put away the last thing, music starts to play.

  “May I have this dance?” Ace asks as I turn around to look at him.

  “I, uh, I don’t know how to slow dance.”

  “You also said you couldn’t dance earlier and you did amazing.”

  “Only because you are horny as hell and my body was touching you,” I say nervously.

  “Not it at all.” Taking my hand, he leads me away from the coffee table and pulls me into his arms. “Besides, you don’t need to when you’re with the right person,” he whispers.

  Following his lead the best I can, we start to sway to the softly playing music. He lowers his head down, kissing me softly, but passionately. Breaking away, his eyes tell me what he’s thinking and I don’t want to talk about it right now. So, in an effort to stay in this happy place, I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.

  Soon, he buries his face in my neck as we continue to sway to the music. The music fades away and all I hear is the rhythm of our hearts. They almost seem to beat as one. No matter what happens after tonight, I’ll never forget him. I’ll never forget this moment.

  Ace

  Holding her like this fills me with so much happiness, but there’s sadness as well. Knowing that in one short day, I’m going to have to let her go. It kills me. My heart starts to crack at just the thought of being without her.

  In the back of my mind, there’s a small voice saying once I let her go, I’ll never see her again. For now – while she’s with me – , I push all negative thoughts from my mind and focus on the woman before me. There’s no way that I’m letting more negative taint my time with her.

  “Ace?” Her voice sounds shaky.

  Pulling back, I look down at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m really tired and my head is starting to hurt…”

  I couldn’t hide my disappointment. “Oh, okay. Let’s go to bed then.”

  Leading her up the stairs and down the hall to our room, the effort I put into pushing all the negative away broke and it all comes flooding back.

  As we walk into the room, Bella sits on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes. All I can do is watch her. She drops her shoes to the floor and sighs heavily.

  “Ace?”

  “Yes,” my voice cracks as I walk over to her and kneel in front of her.

  She meets my eyes and I can see tears shimmering in their beautiful depths.

  “What’s wrong, beautiful?”

  “I don’t want to leave, but I have to,” she chokes out.

  “I know,” I wrap her in my arms. “I don’t want you to leave either, but we still have another whole day and night together.” Trying desperately to find a good thing to focus on, if only for her, I will.

  “Can you give me another moment to remember before I leave?”

  Cupping her face in my hands, I breathe, “Anything at all for you. We can do anything you want at all. Now, tomorrow, tomorrow night, you name it and I’ll do my best to get it done.”

  She pulls away from me, stands from the bed. Reaching up, she slowly lowers the zipper to her dress and lets it drop around her ankles. Walking over to the bed, she lays down.

  “Will you hold me?”

  My mind over works to forget the image of her standing there in nothing but her bra and panties, but I can’t. It is the sexiest damn sight I’ve ever seen.

  “You don’t even have to ask,” my voice cracks and even I can hear the want in it.

  Pulling my shirt over my head, I throw it in a chair. When my hands reach for my pants, I watch her swallow hard. Unbuttoning them, I lower them down and kick them off with my shoes. Walking to the bed, we never take our eyes off each other.

  Sliding in next to her, I lift my arm up and motion for her to come closer. Once again, she swallows hard, but moves closer to me. She doesn’t see it, but her bravery astounds me.

  The feel of her head and hand on my bare chest sends an electrical current through me that fuels my heart and makes it race. I knew when I saw her profile online that she was different. Gary deserves a special gift for this. I’ll never be able to repay him for making me post that stupid ad.

  In a shaky whisper, Bella says, “Will you kiss me?”

  “Baby, I love you and I love kissing you, but…”

  She starts to pull away. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, sadly.

  “But,” I say tightening my arms around her. “If I start, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop with you in my bed half naked.”

  She looks down for a moment then back up into my eyes. “I may not want you to,” she breathes.

  My heart stops in my chest. Suddenly the ability to speak evades me and all I can do is stare at her in shock.

  Bravely she asks again. “Will you kiss me?”

  Rational thoughts left my mind as I lower my head to kiss her. It was passionate and hungry, but also tender. That kiss we shared earlier still fresh on my mind.

  A few moments later, I almost choke on my own tongue when her hands make contact with my bare ass.

  She’s making the first move. What’s going on here?

  Reluctantly, I pull away from her. “Whoa, baby, believe me when I say that this is killing me to do. But I need to know what’s going on.”

  She pulls away and pulls the blankets up to her chin. “What do you mean?”

  “Baby, you’ve been skittish since we met and I understand why, but why are you all of a sudden ready to go all the way?”

  A tear slides down to her temple before she looks at me. “Because if I never see you again, I want this to remember. I want this connection with you. This first. This only.”

  “Baby,” I pull her into my arms. “I want to make love to you more than anything, but I don’t want to be something to remember when you leave. When our time comes, I want it to be because you love me as much as I love you and just want to express that love. You have never been a just in case for me, please don’t make me one for you.”

  She sits up suddenly. “You’ve never been a just in case. Nor would this moment have been. I just…”

  “You just wanted to experience it just in case we never see each other again,” I question.

  She nods her head. “Yes, I guess you’re right.”

  “I want to make love to you. More than anything, but if you are doing this with the anticipation of never seeing me again, there is the chance of regret to follow when we do. I never want you to regret a single thing with me. That would kill me.”

  She sniffles as she looks up at me. “I don’t think I’d ever regret anything with you, Ace, but I may wish to have waited. That’s not the same as regretting.”

  Smiling at her, “I know it’s not, but at the same time, I don’t want you to wish you had waited. It’s a moment we’ll only get once. Our first time together. We’ll never have that again. I want it to be perfect and I don’t care how long I have to wait for that.”

  We are quiet for a moment. She curls back into me and I can’t resist running my hand through her hair. No matter what happens when I take her back to school, I’ll cherish these moments and all the moments to come.

  Bella

  Ace continues to talk to me about nothing in particular. He laughs suddenly. Looking up at him, I
am a little confused on what would be funny right now.

  “I’m rambling. I’m trying Bella.”

  Pushing myself up on my elbow, I look down at him. “Trying to what?”

  His eyes almost visibly darken in front mine. My heart speeds up. It becomes very hard to breathe.

  “Ace,” I breathe.

  Cupping my neck, his fingers massage the back of my head. “I’m trying hard to keep my hands to myself,” his voice husky, deep that causes a tingling sensation to start in my stomach. “You are just so damn beautiful. Feeling you lying against me…”

  In a movement – that I’m not even aware I’m doing – I seal my lips over his. His responding growl fills my ears moments before I feel the bed on my back. His body presses me further into the mattress as he shifts between my legs.

  A hum runs through my body, vibrating every inch of my skin. Ace pushes his hips against mine and I can’t stop the moan from falling from my lips. With each thrust he makes, I can feel him hard against me. It is driving me insane.

  Just then, a phone starts ringing, Ace breaks away from me. Looking at me for a moment, he shakes his head, climbs off me, to walk over and answer the phone. My heart drops in my chest.

  I saw it, I know I did. He regrets going that far with me. How could I be that stupid?

  Climbing from the bed, I grab my clothes and slip them on. While he is still in a heated conversation with whoever’s on the phone, I leave the room. It isn’t until I get downstairs that I realize leaving him is not an option. Not one that I could do willingly. Even if I can’t admit it out loud, he’s my heart.

  Turning around, I head over to the piano. Strumming my fingers over the keys, I start to play a melody that has been stuck in my head since the moment I first kissed Ace.

  When I saw you, I couldn’t move

  When I saw you, I had everything to prove

  I’m not worth loving or caring for

  But I only seem to want you more

  The moment our eyes met

  Was the moment my heart lost the bet.

  From the moment, you kissed me

  I was lost, my heart no longer free.

  From the second you touched my heart

  My soul waits to fall apart.

  Jumping when I feel Ace’s hands on my shoulders, he sits down next to me. I stop playing and drop my hands into my lap, not being able to bring myself to look at him.

  “Can you continue to play that? I want to do something.”

  Reluctantly, I start to play again. Playing this piano in front of someone like Ace has my hands shaking. It is taking everything out of me not to mess up, but when his soothing voice starts to fill my ears, the nerves fade away. All that’s left is this loved up loon swooning at his feet.

  My heart was empty, broken and hid away

  I never wanted to find love or trust again

  Then I find you and I was changed that day

  My heart was whole and my soul began to mend

  When I saw you, the butterflies flew

  My heart skipped a beat the day I saw you.

  When I saw you, my world was bright

  For the first time, I saw the day and not just the night.

  Tears fall in streams down my cheeks. “How…” I choke on my words.

  “The day I saw your ad, something inside me clicked. I don’t know what it was, but I do know that since I started talking to you… Since I met you in person, I’ve never been so happy. One day I’ll prove that to you. I’ll make you see who I see. More importantly, I’ll make you believe everything I’m saying now.”

  Turning around, I look him in his beautiful blues. Even when I was yelling at him, he was always so kind to me. A slow smile spreads across his face. Why can’t I just get over it all and be able to give this man what he desperately wanted earlier? Hell, what I’m realizing that I desperately want too.

  My eyes widen at the realization of what I just thought. Ace leans forward and kisses me softly.

  “Let’s go to bed. We’ve got to get up early,” the sad smile returns.

  Nodding my head, I stand from the piano. After taking my hand, Ace leads us upstairs and into the room. Grabbing one of his shirts, I walk into the bathroom and change into it. When I walk back out, he’s already lying in bed watching me as I walk over to him. My cheeks heat slightly as I hurry under the covers.

  Just as he starts to talk, his phone rings again. Looking at him, I see frustration in his eyes.

  “It’s okay. You can answer your phone,” I smile sadly at him.

  Truth is, I want him to stay next to me for every last hour we have left together. My heart is already breaking. In effort to keep him from seeing the heartbreak on my face, I roll over. Closing my eyes, I wait for him to leave to answer his phone that is still ringing incessantly.

  That moment never comes. Instead, he shifts slightly, the ringing stops, and then wraps me in his arms. Turning around, I look at him confused.

  “Nothing is more important than holding you,” he whispers.

  Rolling over, I curl into him. Ace’s hold tightens around me and I feel his deep shuttered breath. Neither of us say anything for a moment. My thoughts swirled around in my head. No matter how hard it may be for me to vocalize, I’m head over heels in love with this man. Soon goodbye will come. After I walk into that school on Monday, that’s it. My body shakes with my quiet sobs that I desperately try to hold back.

  “It’s not goodbye, Bella. This is just the start of our forever. I’m calling you and seeing you whenever I can. This isn’t goodbye. I won’t let it be,” he whispers into my hair as his hold tightens on me.

  My voice no longer allowing me to talk, a loud sob fills the room. He’s right next to me and because I know what the future holds, I’m missing him already. Ace says nothing else just holds me while I cry. Eventually, exhaustion takes over me.

  Ace

  Slowly, the shudders leave her body. Bella’s breathing turns deep and steady. She’s fallen asleep. Kissing the top of her head softly, I pray that we both survive this. I’m not sure who I was trying to convince more earlier, me or her.

  There’s that nagging voice in the back of my head telling me that what my heart wants may not be in the cards at all. The only thing I want, desperately need, is some time with her that is not tainted by her past or mine. Was it really too much to ask for?

  “I love you, Bella. I’ll save you if it’s the last thing I do, I will.”

  Waking to the soft, sweet, sounds of Bella’s breathing, I turn and smile at her. Her hair is tossed across the pillow and my shoulder.

  “My God, you are beautiful.”

  Reaching over, I brush a strand of hair from her face. Her brow creases and a frown forms on her face. Her bottom lip begins to tremor and I see a tear fall from her eye.

  “Please, don’t hurt him. I’ll do anything, just please, leave him alone.” There’s a small pause and a sob escapes. “Please leave Ace. You being hurt to try to save me… I can’t handle it. Just leave.”

  She seems to be fighting me in her dream. Part of me wants to laugh because she’d have to fight me if she ever asked me to turn away while she was being hurt. There’s no way in hell that I’d ever let that happen.

  She starts to cringe and wince in pain. It’s all I can handle. Quickly, I cup her face in my hands and lean down kissing her. There’s a moment of stiffness before she starts kissing me back. Bella wraps her arms around my neck and brushes her fingers into my hair lightly sending a shiver down my spine. Damn, do I ever need this woman.

  “Now, that’s a way to wake up,” she smiles at me once we broke the kiss.

  “Mmmm I have to agree,” I wink. “You ready for some breakfast?”

  “Yes,” she grins, the nightmare seemingly a distant memory. “You know you’ve spoiled me.”

  “Then I’ve done my job,” I say as I climb from the bed. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.”

  Throwing on a pair of sweats, I toss a pair
at Bella, but she’s already pulled on her robe. We head down stairs and make breakfast together. She didn’t want what she already had. So, we got a variety of breakfast foods from the fridge and pantry. Some we had to cook and others we didn’t.

  It was cute watching her eat a bite of each item on the table. After she sampled everything, she looks at me with her hand on her stomach.

  “I like the donuts and the cream cheese Danishes, but I’m not a fan of those things,” she scrunches her nose up as she points to the English muffins.

  “They are a little dry, but it’s what you put on them that makes them good. Here let me show you my favorite way of eating English muffins.”

  Cutting into my Eggs Benedict, I give her a bite off my fork. She looks at it oddly before opening her mouth and slowly taking the bite from my fork. Shifting slightly, I watch her chew her food. How pathetic am I, getting turned on by her eating?

  “Mmmm,” she moans.

  She opens her mouth to say more, but I cover her mouth in a hungry kiss. Grabbing her by the waist, I lift her hurriedly over to my lap. My hands spear a path into her hair as I hold her mouth firmly to mine.

  Bella moans into my mouth and grips my shoulders firmly, kissing me back with the same amount of fervor. Lowering one hand, I move her robe aside and rub the spot I desperately want to plunge my dick into. My finger works in and out of her, she whimpers as she rides my hand.

  Thinking at this point is a distant memory, completely impossible. All I can think about is having her right here right now. Lifting her up with me as I stand, my finger remains inside her and my mouth never leaves hers. Moving quickly to the couch, I lay her down and lay on top of her. Pushing my finger in and out with the thrusts of my hips, I am so focused on the feel of her breasts on my bare chest that I didn’t notice that she had pushed my pants down and had my dick in her hand. It isn’t until I feel the electric touch of her grip that I realize how lost I truly am with her.

  We continue kissing; her whimpers and my grunts of pleasure are the only things filling the room. Breaking away from her mouth, I lower my head to her breast and taste it for the first time. My breathing stalls as she runs her thumb over my sensitive head.