Fragile Love

by Mack Black

  Her hands went to my hair and she jerked me towards her, deepening the kiss. My hips thrusted forward, pushing her harder against the wall.

  I broke free from the kiss, diving to her neck as a soft moan left her lips. Her head tilted backwards, her eyes closed and fluttering.

  I stopped myself, stepping back and watching as she panted for a few moments before opening her eyes to look at me. It didn’t feel natural to have her stare at me like this, it almost felt surreal in a way, like I was dreaming. I really hoped I wasn’t dreaming.

  I slipped the t-shirt over my head and opened another drawer. Pulling out a pair of shorts, I slipped them on and walked towards the door.

  "When you're ready, I'll be in the living room," I said.

  What the hell has gotten into me? I sound like a fuck boy.

  Except a fuck boy would have screwed her against that wall, not stepped away before he took it too far too soon.

  I headed straight for the kitchen, pulling a bag from the pantry and opening the fridge. I had about six of her favorite wine coolers, and three of my favorite beer. I packed them away and shut the fridge. Crossing to the cabinet, I grabbed a bag of chips and shoved it into the bag.

  When I turned to put the bag by the door, Bella was waiting.

  I winked at her and walked out ahead of her, locking the door behind me when she stepped out. "Ready?" I asked.

  She nodded and followed me to the elevator without a single word.

  The moment the doors closed, I dropped the bag and pushed her into the wall. My lips found hers, and hers were eager as she returned the kiss with as much intensity as I gave out.

  The elevator dinged, and I stepped back, grabbing my bag just as the doors opened. Bella turned and fixed her hair using the shiny wall as a mirror. After she finished, I took her by the hand and lead her to my truck. Helping her in, I clicked the buckle around her, hoping I didn’t come off as too controlling.

  She didn't seem to mind, because all she did was smile at me.

  I drove to the other lake in town, backing my truck up close to the shore. She looked at me with raised brows, but I offered no explanation. I got out, looked around in my tool box, and pulled out two fishing poles, some rubber bait, and a blanket.

  She got out of the truck, her neck stretched out as she tried to get a peek at what I was doing. "James Winters, I didn't know you fished."

  I stuck out my tongue, setting everything down except the blanket and pulling the hatch to spread the blanket out. I tossed the bag beside the blanket, then laid the poles out before picking her up by the waist and sitting her in the bed of the truck. “I used to fish with my dad all the time, before Charlotte. I guess she changed a lot of things.” A frown lined my lips.

  Bella reached out and grasped both of my hands, pulling me closer to her and planting a kiss on my lips. "Let's not talk about her. How long has it been since you fished?"

  "I've fished a few times without my dad, but recently. That's why the poles were in my truck," I said, hoisting myself up to sit beside her.

  I pulled out a wine cooler, handing it to her and watching as she popped the cap. Then I grabbed my beer and took a swig.

  "Well I've never fished before, so you’ll have to show me the ropes." She laughed, and the sound cleared away every bit of tension that had filled the space.

  "I was hoping you would say that."

  I set my beer on the ground, fixed the poles up, and handed one to her. My hands covered hers as I kneeled behind her. "So, you're going to take the pole like this and put your thumb here on this button." I moved her thumb onto the button and positioned her hand around the handle.

  "Then you’re going to draw it back like this, pressing down on the button before flinging it forward to cast the line out."

  Her first cast was perfect, the line landing in the water several feet in front of us. "Sounds easy enough." Her breathing was a little labored, maybe because my hot breath fanned her neck.

  I smiled, planting a kiss on the hollow point and returned to sit beside her. "When you feel a little tug, you've got a fish. You just jerk back and start reeling it in with that little spinner. " I cast my own line out, taking another sip of my beer.

  "Okay."

  "It's kind of boring actually. It's mostly just sitting and waiting. That's why I brought drinks and snacks." I held up my beer, clinking it against hers.

  "Hmm. I think it will be great fun. You and me alone at the lake with beer.” She shrugged. “What more could I ask for?"

  The more one-on-one time I spent with her, the more I realized she was the perfect girl, but it also made me fear screwing things up that much more.

  What I wanted, no needed, to say, I couldn’t, so I pressed my lips together and nodded, then went back to sipping on my beer.

  We sat in silence for the remainder of our first beer and half of the second before Bella broke the silence.

  "About last night…" she said, facing me.

  "You've got something on your line," I said, thankful a fish had chosen that moment to bite. I didn't want to discuss last night. I already knew what she’d say: it had been too soon, and she shouldn’t have stayed over.

  She gave the line a quick jerk before reeling in her catch. It was just a small fish, and it was illegal to keep them that small, so I plucked it off the hook and threw it back, fixing her up with some new bait and helping her cast it out again.

  "Well that was kind of ironic." She shook her head.

  "Yeah."

  Her eyes fell to the ground. "About last night…it was great and if I drink all six of these, I probably need to stay over again,” she said, the words rushing out of her as she glanced back at the lake.

  "Oh," I said. I hadn’t been expecting that at all. "Oh. Sure. That would definitely be okay."

  She sipped the rest of her wine cooler down and grabbed a third.

  "So, to fish properly, do you have to be quiet?" she asked, and the way she spoke told me she already had a little buzz.

  I couldn’t understand how those things even gave her a buzz, but to each their own. Since I still had half of my second beer, I might save my third for when we got home. If I drank it now, I wouldn’t be able to drive.

  "No. Not at all." I said. "Why?"

  "Well, we haven’t said much, so I just figured it must be like hunting or something.” She hiccupped, covering her mouth as her cheeks burned red.

  "I just wasn't really sure what to say, that's all." I reached up and wrenched her hands away, smiling at her. "That was actually kind of cute, no need to be embarrassed."

  When night fell, we’d only caught about three fish between the two of us. None of them were large enough to keep, so I didn't have anything to take home with me. I reached into my toolbox, handing her a headlight before wrapping my own light around my head.

  She watched as I turned it on and pointed the beam at her.

  "Have you been drinking tonight ma’am?" I asked in a deep voice.

  Giggles erupted from her as she laid back on the truck and fidgeted with her own light.

  "Why officer, I have been drinking. Does that mean you’ll punish me?" Her voice was low and seductive, and it made me shiver all over.

  I laid down beside her, kicking the poles off the truck where they were propped up and waiting for fish to latch on, then I tugged her into my arms. "I can think of several punishments for you, little flower."

  She stared up at me through her lashes, and I couldn't help but to kiss her. "Does one of them include truth or dare? I could really go for a game of truth or dare right now." She drew away from me to sit up and chug another half of her wine cooler.

  "That could be arranged," I murmured, sitting up and reeling the poles in so the fish wouldn't grab my bait and take off with my poles.

  "Truth or dare James?" she asked, pointing the half empty bottle at me.

  I looked at her for a long moment, trying to figure out what she was playing at before finally giving up and smiling. "Dare."
>
  She rubbed her hands together, shooting a cruel smile my way. "I dare you to give me your best pole dance against that tree." She pointed to the tree to the right of us and I hopped down off the truck and walked over to it.

  "Gimme some music or something," I called out to her.

  She smiled even bigger, flipping through her phone before settling on a song about single ladies.

  I laughed, staring at her like she was mad.

  "Seriously?"

  "Seriously."

  It was a very upbeat song, and it kept chanting the same words over and over. Something about putting a ring on it. I stretched out my muscles, looping a leg around the tree. I hadn't ever pole danced before, nor had I ever seen anyone do it, so I winged it.

  I planted both palms flat on the tree, my grip firm as I grinded my hips towards it. Her laughter rang out even over the music, and for a minute I wondered if she might pee her pants. With a final swing around the tree, I leaned down and took a bow.

  "That was spectacular," she said between giggles.

  "Mmm hmm." I hopped back up on the truck beside her. "Truth or dare, little flower?"

  "Dare," she said, finishing off the rest of her wine cooler.

  "I dare you to get up and sing as loud as you can to whatever song I pick," I said, grinning ear to ear. I’d never heard her sing before, but I had a feeling she couldn’t, which would make us even after her little pole dancing dare.

  "Give me music." She jumped to her feet, switching her head light on.

  My playlist was extensive, and I shuffled through trying to find something I thought she might know. I settled on a country song by a new, up and coming artist who looked like he should be singing anything but country. The genre of music had never been my thing, but I liked the guy’s voice.

  She nodded, and her eyes lit up, telling me she knew the song. Then, she held the empty bottle she’d been drinking to her lips, belting out the lyrics.

  My mouth fell open. She sounded good. Really good. Why had she pursued a career as a freelance photographer when she had a voice like that?

  The song went on, and she hit every single note, releasing a satisfactory smile when it ended. My mouth still hung open as she dropped the bottle, like a microphone, and it clattered against the truck bed.

  "What?” Bella shrugged. “You didn't think I could sing?" She chuckled. "I happen to be a die-hard member of the Kane train."

  "I'll admit I didn’t think you could," I said, joining in with her laughter. "What the hell is a Kane train?"

  "It's what his fan girls refer to as his fandom." She gave me a pointed stare. "Truth or dare."

  "Truth." The thought of another dare scared me.

  "Why do you like me so much?" she asked.

  I almost wanted to take it back and choose dare. Instead, I stared at her for several moments, trying to figure out how to put it into words. Words that wouldn't make me sound like a jerk.

  "Well, for one, you're the most beautiful girl to ever walk the planet," I said, drawing out the words while my mind worked in overdrive searching for the next thing to say.

  "Not." She grinned. "I'd say the Victoria Secret models are much prettier."

  "Bella you outshine them all. You should be a Victoria Secret model now that I think about it. Those girls would be so jealous of you. Hell, I'd be jealous. Prancing around in underwear. On second thought, don't be a model."

  She cackled, clutching her stomach while I sat there, staring at her like an idiot. "What else?" she asked, popping the top on a fifth wine cooler.

  "I like how attuned to me you are. You always know the right thing to say, how I'm feeling, what's going on in my head."

  "I wish I did. Sometimes I wonder what the hell is going on in your head," she said.

  "Ninety percent of the time you know exactly what I’m thinking. That's more than even my sister, who has spent many, many years with me." The words were true. Bella knew me better than Nessa, which said a lot because Nessa knew a lot about me.

  "Okay anything else?" she asked.

  "I don't know how to put it into words. All I know is when I'm with you, I feel like I'm home."

  Like you're my home. My life.

  "That's really sweet."

  "Truth or dare?" I asked.

  "Truth."

  I thought for several moments, trying to ask the best possible question. Finally, I landed on, "If I hadn't of stopped earlier, would you have let me go all the way with you against that wall?"

  "I'm not sure, but I was entertaining the thought before you stopped."

  So, she thought about sex with me. Interesting.

  "Truth or dare?" she said after a few moments of silence.

  "Would you think I was a sissy if I said truth again?" I asked. I was nervous to pick dare. Next, she might have me humping the truck or something.

  "Not at all. Are you a virgin James?"

  I was pretty sure she knew the answer already, and she was definitely getting at something.

  "Bella, you already know the answer to that question. I've never had a real girlfriend so it's pretty self-explanatory." I could feel my cheeks heating up, embarrassed she’d asked me that.

  "I didn't know if you and Elise had…" she cut off, her cheeks flaming red.

  "We didn't," I fired. "Can we move on? Truth or dare?"

  "Dare."

  "I dare you to strip down and jump in the lake," I said, suddenly wanting to do the same myself.

  "I will if you will."

  "You first."

  I watched as she removed her purple top, flinging it at my face with a laugh. Next came the jean shorts, which she also threw at my face. She had on a matching black lacy lingerie set that had me drooling at the sight.

  She walked over to the water, dipping her toes in before she dove in.

  I couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough. Soon, only my boxers remained, and I jumped in after her. She splashed water at my face, sniggering as she swam away. Thankfully my mouth was closed, and I didn't drink the nasty lake water.

  I swam after her, catching up to her with no issues. Pulling her arms behind her back, I held them there, so she couldn’t splash me again.

  "Truth or dare," she said, her breath hitching as I pressed my body against her.

  "Dare."

  A soft breeze blew, and her skin broke out in goosebumps. I couldn’t tell if they came from what I was doing to her, or from the cold, but I hauled her closer to give her some warmth.

  "I dare you to give me your boxers," she said, so low I didn’t know if I heard her right, but chills still shot up my spine.

  If I gave her my boxers, I’d be completely naked when I had to get out. Did she want that?

  I knew if I thought too hard about it, I wouldn't do it. So instead, I yanked them off, handing them to her over the water. I even wrung the water out of them for her.

  She threw them towards the shore as hard as she could, and they landed with a splat on the back of my truck.

  "Nice aim," I said, smirking. "Truth or dare?"

  Her legs wrapped around my waist and her arms around my neck. "I'm done with truth or dare. Can we just make out now?"

  Hell yes.

  My hands cupped her butt, holding her against me as I claimed her lips. The silk material of her panties slid across my stomach as she wriggled in my arms to deepen the kiss. I stepped towards the shore, not caring that I was completely naked. There weren’t any people around anyways.

  I laid her on the back of my truck, pushing her hair from her face and hovering over her almost naked body. She drew my mouth back down to hers.

  Our skin stuck together like glue, ensuring we were as close as possible. She had to feel me poking her, because I was hard as a rock and very turned on. So much I was afraid I might get off on just kissing her.

  If the way she was rubbing against me was any indication, she might get off as well.

  Like a true gentleman, I stopped.

  "You've had a good bit to
drink. I don't want to take advantage of you," I whispered, using all my strength to hold back.

  My body was like a live wire, carrying an electrical current through it. If anyone touched me, they’d get shocked. My muscles were stiff and rigid from holding myself back.

  I sat up, grabbing my shorts and pulling them on. I didn't bother with the shirt. Bella was still laying on the bed of the truck, watching me. Her black matching undergarments were slick and stuck to her like a second skin.

  She sat up, pouting a little before popping the top on her last wine cooler. "You always ruin my fun James."

  "I don't want you to regret anything. You're the one who said it needed to happen when we were both ready. How can I know if you’re ready when your half-drunk?" It came out more hostile than I meant, but I didn't take it back.

  "I didn't say you were wrong. I just said that you ruined my fun." She giggled. "In fact, you're probably the only gentleman I know. I don't know a single guy, besides you, who would’ve stopped me."

  I processed her words for a minute, truly thinking them over before I spoke. "Is that a bad thing?"

  "Nope."

  I hopped off the truck, gathering her clothes and handing them to her. "We should get back. It's almost midnight," I said, packing everything away. If I looked at her with so little clothing on for another minute, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back.

  She said nothing as she got dressed, only jumped up on the tailgate to finish her last wine cooler. When she’d emptied the bottle, she tossed it in the bed of the truck, jumped down, and climbed into the front seat.

  I put everything up, closing the tail gate and hoisted myself in. Bella scooted closer to me and rested her hand on my thigh. I pulled out of the long path that lead to the lake, weaving back onto the road.

  I stopped at a twenty-four-hour gas station to grab another six pack of wine coolers and a pack of beer.

  When we arrived at the apartment, we were both mostly dry. I went straight to the bathroom in my room, changing into clean gym shorts, while Bella ducked into the hall bathroom and changed into an outfit she’d tucked into the dresser earlier.