Save Me From the Dark (6 page)

Bella

Watching AJ walk out of the room, something tugs at my chest. The fact that he still calls me beautiful even after he’s seen my face… Shaking my head, I lay back down in bed pulling the sheets up. It is then that I realize that my pants are no longer on. Sighing, I know now he’s seen more than I ever thought he’d see. Yet, he isn’t running. Why?

Closing my eyes, I start to drift off when my beatings start to play on repeat. My eyes pop open and I sit up in the bed. My eyes keep going to the door. Giving in to the luxury tonight, I climb from the bed. Remembering I am not fully dressed, I walk to what looks to be a closet. I open it and find AJ’s clothes, extra blankets, some towels, wash cloths, etc.  Looking back at the door, I grab one of his shirts. After slipping out of my shirt, I pull his over my head, wincing slightly.

I laugh as I see the length of the shirt. It’s like a damn dress on me. With a well-placed belt and maybe some kind of scarf it could be convincing. I laugh some more. Sighing, I slowly start walking toward the door. My hands are shaking, but for tonight, I want just one good night’s rest.

I peek out the door before walking down the hall. The kitchen is empty, the light above the stove the only light. When I get a little further into the kitchen, I can see AJ lying on the couch, his arm over his eyes. Swallowing hard, I walk further into the sitting area.

“Ace?” I squeak. When there is no response, I clear my throat and say his name a little louder.

His arm flies off his face and he shoots up. “What? What’s wrong?”

He turns and our eyes meet. I’m in complete awe of him. He doesn’t wear a shirt allowing me a moment to gaze upon his finely sculpted body. As my eyes trail lower, I suddenly feel ashamed. Bringing my eyes back up to meet his, I see his eyes roaming my body.

“I…I can’t sleep,” I say self-consciously trying to cover myself.

“You are beautiful,” he breathes. “I never thought one of my shirts could look that good.” He shakes his head, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

I laugh softly. “I can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

I shrug. “You wouldn’t happen to have a copy of your CD here, would you?”

“No, why? You want an autograph?” He asks, confused.

Laughing, “No.” I start to blush. “I usually go to sleep listening to
Save Me Moon
,” blushing brightly.

He stands up and walks towards me. “Come on,” he says as he gently takes my hand in his.

We walk back to the bedroom. He climbs on the bed and pats the spot next to him. On shaking legs, I slowly walk to the other side of the bed and climb in. Lying down, I pull the blankets up around me, protecting myself. He starts to sing. My heart hammers in my chest listening to him sing with no music behind it. When he is singing the chorus, I shift on the bed and cuddle up to his chest. He stops singing as he wraps his arms around me.

“Ace?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you lie?”

“I didn’t. To those close to me, I
am
AJ. Only fans and business associates really call me Ace. You never asked me what I did for a living. Though, I will admit, I might not have told you the full truth right away.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me an honest answer. I just don’t know where this leaves us,” I say sadly.

“I was eight years old when I first walked into the lime light. Before then, I was the scrawny dork that everyone picked on and laughed at. When I got my first big thing, all the kids at school suddenly wanted to be my friend. Ever since then, I’ve learned a very hard lesson. Surface cred is more valuable to most people than values. People would pretend to like me just to get ahead or in a picture or whatever. After a while, I became guarded. I didn’t trust ‘friends’ and even family. With just cause. Gary has been like a father to me and taught me a lot. So yes, I would have withheld the
Ace Jergens
from the scenario in the beginning, but I would have told you later had you asked. The person you got to know is
me
. The person the camera or media don’t care to see.”

For a moment, I sat there quiet, absorbing what he just told me. His chest is surprisingly comfortable for being as muscular as he is. My hand, with a mind of its own, continues to move lightly over it.

“Ace?”

“Please call me AJ.”

“I’m sorry, AJ.”

He pulls back a little, lifts my head up to meet his eyes, “What on Earth do you possibly have to be sorry about?”

“The way I look. You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”

Tenderly, he pushes the hair from my face and places his hand over the bruising. “As much as this pisses me off, and it does piss me off that someone has laid their hands on you, you are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of being around.”

“Stop,” I whisper as I pull away from him.

“Stop what? Telling you the truth?”

Climbing out of the bed, “Stop pretending you care out of pity.”

He is up next to me, making me face him. “I don’t pity you. I definitely wouldn’t fake caring about you if I did. Bella, I feel a lot of things for you, but pity isn’t one of them.”

Sighing, “I’m so tired AJ. So tired,” I say softly.

He moves to the side. “Get back in bed and go to sleep.”

Once I’m lying back down, he looks at me as if he wants to say something. “What?”

“I’m just so happy to have you here,” he whispers.

“I know I’ve taken so much from you already, but would you mind singing me the song again.”

“You’ve taken nothing I’m not giving to you,” he says as he climbs next to me on the bed. “I’ll do anything for you.” He kisses my forehead.

I snuggle on his chest. “Thank you.”

His chest rises on a deep breath. “Anything for you.” He tips my head up to meet his eyes. “Anything,” he breathes.

Our eyes dance with each other’s until his eyes drop to my mouth. A shiver of anticipation runs through me. Unconsciously, I poke my tongue out, licking my lips. His head slowly lowers, his eyes looking back into mine. One night. One night, I’ll forget what is going on around me and enjoy this moment with the guy that has grown to mean so much to me over the months.

Tipping my head up in silent approval, he leans the rest of the way in. Our lips touch in a whisper of a kiss at first, but it is enough of a contact to steal my breath away. Sealing his lips firmly over mine, I feel his tongue run along my lower lip. Pushing my nerves aside, I open my mouth. His tongue glides in against mine. The warmth spreading through me is foreign to me, but so damn addicting. I want more of this warmth. It’s a stark contrast to the cold that normally inhabits me.

The part I can’t seem to figure out is why is he not scaring me? Even as he leans over me pushing me to my back in the process and hovers above me, fear doesn’t present itself. Instead my arms wrap around him, pulling him closer. AJ lowers down, wrapping his arms under my shoulders. The kiss deepens further. He shifts between my legs, effectively covering my whole body. Still I feel no fear, only a sense of yearning I’ve never felt before. My legs wrap around his waist causing him to growl then thrust against me. Feeling his erection pushing into my most intimate area, I break the kiss.

“Too fast,” I pant. “Moving too fast.”

AJ didn’t say anything for a few moments. He rolls off, lying next to me. Still he doesn’t look at me or open his eyes. I dare a glance in his direction and I see his boxers tented. Blushing, I turn my head.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

AJ tips my head in his direction. “Open your eyes, Bella.” After I hesitate for a moment, I open my eyes. “Never apologize for the reaction you evoke from me. I’m not sorry, other than pushing you too much. You need sleep. I’ll let you sleep.”

As he starts to climb from the bed, I grab his hand. “Will you stay with me, please?”

“Of course. It would be an honor to bring you a bit of comfort.”

He lies next to me. I roll to my side and cuddle into his side, my back to him. AJ shifts to his side and wraps me in his arms. Sighing, I’ve never felt this way before. Not like I do being here like this with AJ.

AJ presses several small kisses across my shoulder. “Bella?”

My body reacting on its own, I shift my head allowing him access to my neck, offering him a soft moan as a response.

“Happy Birthday. I hope it is as magical as I intended it to be,” he whispers, his hot breath flowing against my skin as he spoke, creating goose bumps that run up and down my arms.

Turning my head, I look him in the eyes. “More than I ever thought possible. All because of you,” I breathe as I lean up and kiss him.

When our lips touch, the prospects of a quick kiss disappears quickly. For one reason or another, I don’t want it to end either. I need this contact, this feeling. The kiss deepens and his arms tighten around me. My back to his chest, he kisses the life out of me. When I moan, AJ tries to pull away.

“No, not this time. Kiss me, please,” I whisper, raising my hand up and pushing it into his hair as I pull him back to my lips.

He moans, his arms tightening around me again. One of his hands starts to move to my breast, I don’t stop him. The truth of the matter is I want to feel his touch, to lose myself in this feeling he is creating in me. A long moan fills my ears as his hand finds my breast. It takes me several seconds before I realize that the sound came from me. My back arches, pushing my ass into his erection. We both moan loudly.

Ace pushes his hips into me as he moans again. Slowly, he lowers his other hand down my stomach. He bunches the shirt up in his fist a little bit at a time as if giving me time to stop him. I am too far gone in what his hand and mouth are doing to me to even find the strength to stop him. He continues to thrust his hips into me, while I rock my hips back into him. Soon, I feel his hand on the bare skin of my stomach. Moving slowly south, his fingers slip under the elastic band of my panties. Inching slowly into my panties, I feel his fingers grow closer and closer to my aching center.

My body is trembling with an unfamiliar sensation. AJ tweaks my nipple between his fingers and I moan loudly into his mouth. His hand moves down further as he slides his finger through my folds concentrating on my throbbing nub before pushing a finger into me. I broke the kiss, panting.

“Ace,” I pant.

My hips rock into his hand while my hand moves from his hair down between us. Grabbing firmly, I begin to stroke his erection.

“Oh shit,” he moans.

As if I were smacked, this overwhelming sensation took over me like a firework lights the dark skies on the fourth of July. My hand grips his hip as I call out his name, his finger moving faster in me, helping me ride out this intense feeling that doesn’t seem to ever end, not that I want it to. My moans and whimpers fill the room. AJ pants in my ear as he kisses my face and neck and shoulder.

The sensation coming to an end, I sag against him. He holds me tightly, kissing my shoulder repeatedly but making no move to relieve himself. Before I can think twice about what has happened already and what I’m about to do, I roll over, push him to his back and yank down his boxers. A niggling of panic surfaces as I see the size of him, but I push forward.

“Bell-aaaaa,” he stutters as my mouth wraps around him.

Massaging the bottom of his shaft with my tongue, I suck in my cheeks and draw him into my mouth. One hand moves to his ball sack, the other to his shaft. His hands cup my face tenderly as I look up at him. What I see in his eyes shocks me, so much so that I push down further on him forcing him into my throat. Reflexively, I swallow around the head of his cock.

AJ moans loudly, tangles his hands in my hair and roars, “Oh shit, Bella!”

I could feel the heated spurts as he continues to come in my mouth. His hips jerk upwards moving him slightly in and out of my throat. I continue to swallow each burst of come. Pulling him out of my throat, I continue to bob up and down as his climax slowly subsides. After a minute, he starts to jerk and laugh slightly. I pull off him completely. Ace immediately pulls me down to him and kisses me like there’s no tomorrow. We are both breathing heavy when we finally break from the kiss. Curling up against his chest, I sigh happily.