Thursday, May 19, 2011

Anti-D By wonderwoundedhearers

Pen Name: wonderwoundedhearers
Story Title: Anti-D
V Rating: R18+
Word Count: 4,613
Beta: The Chimaeras Mane


Beta: The Chimaera's Mane

Rating: MA/R18+

Word count: 4,613

Summary: Written for the 'Seductively Sexy Contest.' "I'm going to give you a number, Bella," he said. "And I want you to use it." Inspired by The Wombats' 'Anti-D.' AH. O/s. BPOV. Saucy stuff.

Disclaimer: I own nada…zilch…zero…nil…nought…nothing…bugger-all…sweet FA… (You get the idea.) Everything belongs to Stephenie Meyer – I just borrow her best characters and fiddle with their fangs, or lack thereof (:

8

She kicked her sneakers off. "No, we can not change the terms and conditions. You signed, Barry. End of. I'll see you tomorrow at eight."

She ended the call and sighed – even on a Sunday, she was overworked.

She'd gone for her usual early-morning run, smiling at the sun that shone way above her New York penthouse apartment, but as soon as her feet had hit the concrete outside her cell had rung. Loudly.

"Barry fucking Marcovitz," she huffed, before stomping into the kitchen, grabbing the first utensil that came to hand, and opening up her icebox.

She, the woman wearing unused running shorts and spooning up large amounts of strawberry swirl ice-cream, was Bella Swan, agent to the stars, and Barry was her toughest client – though he was by no means the only pain in her ass.

She wondered, for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, why she ever got into the business. Her dad had been a cop, her mom an interior designer, and she was an agent. A big agent, it had to be said, but an agent nonetheless.

She wasn't even sure she could remember how she'd gotten the gig in the first place, let alone her first client, until she remembered Edward.

She sighed around the spoon in her mouth – now, there was an amazing guy.

She had sneaked out of her home in Forks when she was seventeen to drive to Seattle with a friend off the Reservation, just to check out a club in Seattle that the whole of her school had been talking about. While she hadn't moved in the 'popular' circle, she had still wanted to see what the fuss was all about.

Jake had complained all the way there, even up until they took up some high seats at the bar in Total, until they heard it.

It: Edward, and 'the Voice'.

He had sung some soft acoustic numbers, melting every heart in the club, and then he had smiled a dazzling smile and slunk off stage.

Bella had been mesmerised…and Jake had been jealous. Any one who caught Bella's attention was instantly on his shit list, which was probably due to the fact he had an enormous crush on her.

But when they were leaving the club they had literally bumped into Edward and his guitar case, and it had all gone from there.

Bella and Edward had dated for a while, going from friends to more in two seconds flat, and when Bella had hit twenty, while Edward was twenty-two, they moved to New York together.

Bella had temped while Edward had played in the seediest bars…until he had been 'discovered'.

Franco Rossi, the man who had stalked up to Edward and demanded to talk to his agent, was one of the big fish, and Edward hadn't been able to give anyone's name but Bella's.

It had spiralled – Franco Rossi had catapulted Edward Cullen to fame and had flung Bella along with him.

But even as Bella had gotten more confident in her ability to successfully manage and calls had come in from all different types of artists, she had known Edward would leave her.

It had only taken a quick flash of teeth and tit from a groupie and he had left her high and dry, her only compensation the penthouse in which she now lived.

But, for some reason, she wasn't truly bitter about it. It was probably because she had too much damn work to do.

Her cell rang.

She sighed and threw down the spoon, picking up the phone. "Swan."

"Hey, Bella," came a low, deep, drawling voice.

She smiled and relaxed, her shoulders dropping. "Jasper. Thank God. My morning's been completely shit."

Jasper Whitlock, singer and guitarist for Lock Title, one of the hottest bands around, and, incidentally, her best friend as well as her client.

"Barry?" He guessed.

"Barry," she confirmed.

"He's a shit."

"You always tell me that." Bella smiled, spooning up some more ice-cream as she leant on her kitchen counter.

"It's always true," he shot back. "And, let me guess…strawberry swirl?"

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed around the spoon in her mouth.

He snickered. "Must have been bad. Wanna meet up?"

"Just come over," Bella said, looking wistfully down at her running shorts. "I'm not doing anything else today."

8

As soon as she opened the door to Jasper, after changing into a comfortable pair of worn jeans and an old Lock Title band t-shirt, his face was marred with a frown.

He stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and cupped her face, lifting it to the light. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"None," she sighed. "Mary was on the line. Her producer sexually harassed her. I went down to the precinct with her to report it and give her statement. She was a wreck."

"She has her mom," Jasper pointed out.

Bella shrugged. "I got her the job. It was my responsibility. But, aside from that, you know I have a soft spot for her. She's sweet."

Jasper closed his eyes and shook his head, groaning, "Bella…"

"What?"

He let his hands drop from her face. "Yes, she is sweet, and yes, you did the right thing…but when was the last time you got some good sleep?"

"A couple of days ago," she answered honestly.

She could never lie to Jasper.

He clucked and fussed like a mother hen. "Yeah, and I bet those weren't important things that kept you awake, were they? They were probably Barry trying to get out of filming, or Judith pestering you about new contracts."

Bella just nodded.

"This job is sucking the life out of you. You're going to get depressed."

Jasper moved her over to her long, white couch and sat her down, before sitting next to her and dropping an arm around her slender shoulders.

He looked her in the eye. "You need to wind down."

She groaned and threw her head back. "Come on! I have no time for it! And, even if I did, what the hell would I do? I'm not athletic, or talented, or anything. I'd just sit around and read, or go for a jog, or something."

Jasper nodded along with her until she finished. "Well, you could do all those things to start with…but I'm talking about something a little bit different. I've been thinking about recommending it to you for a while."

She raised a brow. "Recommending what?"

Jasper shifted, turning to face her a little bit more. "You're always so wound up – wound tight – and I think that you need to relinquish all that tension and all that…control."

Bella just stared at him. "Like…sky-diving?"

Jasper rolled his baby-blues and blew a blonde curl out of his eye. "Not exactly my line of thinking. I was going for something a little more down-to-earth, a little more…pleasurable."

"You better not be propositioning me."

The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them. She loved Jasper, but…he was more like a Jacob rather than an Edward. Even if he did have a really nice ass.

Jasper ducked his head and laughed into his chest. It was a couple of minutes before he looked up at her and shook his head.

"No, Bella." He snickered. "I'm happy being single. But, you know, if you're free–"

"Shut up," she cut in, with a playful glare.

Jasper calmed and leaned his head against the back of the couch, looking up at her through a couple of shining, stray curls.

"I'm going to give you a number, Bella," he said. "And I want you to use it."

8

Jasper had left quickly after that, passing Bella a small white card with a cell number printed on it in red and demanding that she should sleep through the day.

It was exactly what she did, and when she woke up the next morning she was grateful for it – she felt refreshed and able to deal with Barry.

And it was as Barry's whining voice ran through her mind that she thought of the card Jasper had given her.

Knowing she had a few minutes before her car arrived to take her to her office, she opened up her small black purse and pulled the unoffending piece of white card out of the inside pocket.

She ran her gaze over the red numbers, wondering why they were that colour…before deciding just to call and see what it was all about. She took up her cell and typed in the number.

A dialling tone sounded, before being immediately picked up. "Name."

Bella paused, open-mouthed, unsure she had heard what she had.

"Name," the male voice came again.

She put her brave 'agent' face on. "Bella–"

The man cut in. "I only need your first name. You were told to call by Jasper?"

"Yes."

"Good. Did he tell you what I do?"

Bella frowned to herself. "No."

"Good. When do you want to make an appointment?"

Appointment?

"Uh…well…" Bella thought over her schedule. "I have time…tonight, from five?"

"Perfect," the man replied, before rattling off an address and letting Bella scrabble for a pen.

Bella listened to the deep hum of his voice closely as she jotted down the address, wondering why it struck something so…deep within her.

"Don't be late," he said. "Tardiness makes my fingers twitch."

He hung up.

"What the fuck?"

8

Bella stood outside of a perfectly ordinary red brick apartment building. The sign bolted beside the main door read 'Finch Towers' and below it was a short panel of buzzers – it seemed that there were not many occupants.

Doing as she had been instructed and trusting Jasper implicitly, Bella made her way up the two large steps to the buzzer panel and pressed the one simply labelled '8'.

She absently wondered why all the other tenants had their names next to their buzzers and Mr Mystery just had a number…but she wasn't left to wonder long.

The main door opened with a faint click, and she took a step inside.

The lobby was lush, contrasting to the low-key image the plain building presented, and it was furnished with elegant drapes over large tinted windows and fine mahogany examples of craftsmanship.

Shaking her head and remembering her appointment, Bella cut across the lobby towards the open doors of the elevator. Stepping inside, she saw the levels had apartment numbers engraved beneath the buttons on the panel.

Mr Mystery's apartment was on the top floor.

She pressed the button and tried to calm her frantically thumping heart as the elevator doors cleanly slid shut before her.

The ride was quick and smooth, and soon enough Bella was stepping out onto a carpeted hall that only had one door – directly in front of her.

Oh, Jasper… What have you gotten me into?

Shoring up all the courage she had amassed over the years in her job, she controlled her expression and stepped forward to knock.

The dark door swung open before she could even let her knuckles brush it, and her jaw threatened to drop as she saw who stood in the frame.

His smile was thin and glittering. "Bella."

Bella's eyes took in his well-fitting grey tank, his loose, soft-looking, blue jeans, and his bare feet. There was something about a good-looking man's bare feet…

Her gaze slid over his obvious muscles, well-defined and showcased by his clothes, and then found his face once more. He was handsome, she supposed, in a way that wasn't classic like Edward but made her knees want to tremble slightly nonetheless.

His dark blonde hair was tied back with a band, but it didn't make her cringe – it reminded her of those old black-and-white movies of muscular men in white lawn shirts with long tangled locks.

He was straight out of a bodice ripping novel, and Bella was just disappointed that she had no bodice for him to rip.

His eyes were a dark grey, practically silver, and they were shining with…something. They made his well-cut face, which was shown to good advantage with his hair tied back.

A short lock of dark gold fell over one silver orb, and his full pale lips pouted to blow the hair away.

Her knees went weak.

The man before her was so beyond Edward she was sure that a few more moments and she wouldn't be able to remember Cullen at all – Edward who?

His hands were large, masculine, with long fingers that created an immediate tingle between her thighs…and they were holding her up by her shoulders.

Her expression must have been inquisitive.

He cocked his head. "You were wobbling."

"You must get that a lot."

The words were out of her mouth and she couldn't reel them back in.

He smirked, but ignored Bella's comment. "Are you ready?"

"For?"

"Jasper's treat."

There was nothing else she could say. "Hell yes."

8

"Trust me," he breathed.

Bella shivered slightly. She had stepped into the dimly lit apartment and promptly been blindfolded – she didn't even know where she was or what her surroundings were like. She only knew of him – his breath, his hands, his warmth…

He took hold of her arms, directing her forwards towards...something.

"Stay still, and don't touch the blindfold," he murmured.

Suddenly, fingers were on her calves.

She suppressed a gasp, but was unable to stop her hands immediately reaching out for him…and then a voice stopped her.

"No."

It was the man, the man she was giving herself to by implicitly trusting Jasper, and he didn't sound amused.

"Hands by your sides."

The strong warmth of his fingers disappeared and she immediately mourned the loss. She slowly lowered her hands and mentally pinned them to her sides.

"Good."

His voice rolled over her like a thick, cloying fog, and his fingers reappeared at her knees. He stroked upwards, sliding his hands up her bare legs towards the hem of her short pencil skirt.

They continued upwards, smoothing over the top of the skirt and sliding to the back. They stopped there, and Bella could feel him lowering the zipper.

A sound very much like a whimper rose in her throat. She wasn't sure if it was out of fear or desire, but he didn't pause at it.

"Trust me. Trust me like you trust Jasper. Trust me like Jasper trusts me."

At that, Bella instinctively relaxed. Though Jasper had given her a highly unusual present, if he said it was okay to enjoy it…then she would.

Each teeth of her zipper being unlocked fired in her ears like a gunshot.

Her heart pounded, her blood heated, and it had only taken this stranger ten minutes.

Suddenly, his thumbs dipped into her waistband and firmly tugged. Her skirt fell around her heels with a soft swish.

She heard a muffled groan from him, and she knew it must have been because she was wearing her 'good' underwear – lacy and pure white.

"Are you a good girl?" He asked huskily, helping her step out of her pooled skirt.

She supposed she was, after only being with a couple of men in her not-too-short life and never having done anything that wild what with her studies and work… So she gave a soft nod.

His hands were on her bare thighs, his fingers crawling up to that place that was burning for his strange touch. His fingertips fluttered over the lace there and continued up until he passed her stomach and chest and reached her shoulders. In a quick move, he divested her of her jacket and silky wrap-around top.

She stood there, in front of a strange man and in a strange place in only underwear and heels, and she realised she'd never felt less like herself in all her life.

And it felt good.

Her cell was gone, along with her clothes, and she only had his touch to rely on. It was magical, the relief that flowed over her.

His hot mouth suddenly pressed against her ear. "I've never had a good girl."

Bella's breathing sped up, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and a question fell from the tip of her tongue. "Why?"

"They don't interest me," he replied, his lips running down her throat.

Confusion struck her. "Then why…"

"Jasper's my very best client – more than that actually. He turned my life upside-down with just one appointment, so much so that I can't even bear to see any other clients."

Bella frowned behind her blindfold. "So…this is a favour for Jasper?"

It didn't matter to Bella the reason why he was touching her and igniting fires beneath her skin, so long as he just continued…but she was still curious. She thought she knew Jasper.

"Not quite," he replied, his hands finally running over her skin and trailing down her stomach. "We share a lot of things, Bella. I make Jasper feel better – less stressed and more his own man… Think of me as the pill he pops when he needs to…wind-down. Think of me as his Anti-D."

One fingertip gently ran around the edge of her panties, and she quivered.

He pressed his mouth to her ear once more. "Usually I get paid cash in return…but instead Jasper offered me something I've never had: a fantasy."

Cogs whirred and things clicked in her mind.

"Me?"

He smiled against her skin. "Clever girl. Do you know how much he thinks of you, Bella? How he had to come to me to get rid of the lust he feels for you, his friend?"

Bella gaped. "Jasper's a–"

"A Jacob?"

How the fuck does he know that?

"I know so many things, Bella. Jasper's been seeing me for a while."

"Y-you said he turned you upside-down?" She stuttered, as his fingers ran over her lace-encased breasts.

"Well, he did…in a manner of speaking. His fantasies of you, Bella…" The man shivered against her. "You will never know how getting to know you so vividly through someone else feels…how you can enjoy someone else's fantasies so much that they become yours…or even how it feels to know we would finally meet today…"

With a snap, her bra disappeared.

Her arms were concrete at her sides, pinned down by surprise and…lust.

With a swift tug and a rip, her panties disappeared as well.

His breath fanned over her face, his sweet smoky scent on her lips. "I'm going to give you a taste of what Jasper and I have done…and afterwards, you can tell me if you want to join us. For good. We need our good girl to play with."

Bella shivered, feeling her nipples immediately crinkle and harden and a small wetness dampen her inner thigh.

"Spread your legs like a good girl."

Bella felt his words strike her hard, and her feet immediately parted.

"Further," he commanded gruffly.

She felt her muscles stretch pleasantly as her feet stopped three or four feet apart.

"Good," he breathed, his voice suddenly sounding from behind her as his hands cupped her breasts. "Good girl…"

She realised she never wanted to be anything else.

Bella could feel something hard against her back, and when he rolled his hips against her ass she realised what it was.

She moaned. "Please."

"Good girls don't beg," he muttered, pinching her nipples and tugging gently.

Bella closed her mouth, shutting off the begging and pleading that wanted to burst forth.

One of his hands disappeared as the other continued to tug at one of her hardened peaks, and she soon found it on her inner thigh.

She gasped, instinctively resisting any movement for a reason she couldn't name.

"That's it, Bella," he said softly. "You're getting the idea. You'll be pleasured when we want you to be."

We?

Her question was silenced and forgotten by his hand suddenly cupping her, his palm pressing against her engorged clit.

She cried out, fisting her hands at her sides and tipping her head back.

And then his hands suddenly left her, bereft and wanting.

Soft swishes sounded, light thuds echoing in her ears, and she realised he was taking off his clothes. A new wave of warmth washed over her and made a fresh wetness run down her inner thigh.

A finger followed the tiny trail, followed by a pop of the digit being released from a mouth.

He moaned against her ear. "Delicious. I want more."

Bella turned her head slightly, hoping to convey her confusion.

"Don't worry, Bella. I know how to get more."

His hands pressed against her back, urging her down, and she bent at the waist.

"Reach forward," he commanded. "Brace yourself."

Bella blindly reached forward, her fingertips finding a solid surface. She gripped it tightly, unsure of what was going to happen.

She felt him disappear for a moment, before his warmth washed over her once more…and a cool smooth object ran up her thigh.

"Do you know what this is, Bella?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

"It Jasper's favourite to use on 'you'." She could hear his smile. "It's a riding crop."

She couldn't move, could hardly breathe, and she felt her thighs tremble as the leather ran over the curve of her ass.

"You're so beautiful, Bella. I know Jasper thinks so too. But I want to see a little more colour in your creamy skin."

The leather disappeared for a moment, before it lightly spanked the top of her ass.

She gasped. The sting was nonexistent and it just made her twinge deep inside.

"Again?" He asked roughly.

"Again."

Her voice sounded so unlike her own, full of lust and desire.

The crop came down harder on another spot on her ass, sending a lick of heat up her spine. His fingers ran over the spot he struck, before striking another…and another…harder and harder, a sting appearing but not a painful one.

He said nothing, but practically growled every time she thrust her ass back for more.

She gripped whatever was in front of her tighter. She knew if she could see her hands, her knuckles would be white.

Bella felt herself getting wetter, multiple tingles signalling the escape of her juices ran down the inside of her thighs. There was a coil, twisting and twisting deep in her belly, and she knew what was going to happen as the crop landed again and again on her ass and thighs.

But it never did.

She resisted begging him to let her come.

He struck her good and hard, but never hard enough for pleasure to turn her weak and boneless, and when he stopped, he sounded so pleased.

"Well done, Bella. You've done so well. Jasper came within two minutes when I did this to him the first time."

The confession made her shake.

"And there's so much to taste… Would you like a reward, good girl?"

Bella nodded frantically.

She dimly heard the crop drop to the floor, before strong hands gripped her ass and made her curve her back, ultimately giving him more access to her needy pussy.

"Good girl," he breathed hotly against her folds, before his thumbs parted her and his tongue dove in.

Bella cried out, shaking as he licked up the juices painting the insides of her thighs and he nuzzled her clit.

He kissed her there, tongue swirling and fingers pressing, and it made her give him more of what he had wanted in the first place. He moaned against her as she grew wetter, his teeth gently scraping her clit as he parted his mouth further.

And that was it.

She came undone with a scream, nails scratching against the solid surface she had in a death-grip.

He licked her mercilessly, seeking out every drop she could give, until she began trembling from the effort of holding herself up.

He left her with a soft groan. "So delicious."

Bella pressed her sweaty forehead against the cool surface she still held onto. Fingers brushed away her curls from the back of her neck and she felt his bare form seal itself against her back as his arms came around her.

"Do you know how deep I can be within you in this position?" He asked, teeth scraping over her neck.

She shook her head dazedly.

"Deep," he breathed, cupping her breasts and tugging at her sensitive nipples. "Do you know how it feels to be forced into a second orgasm after the first?"

She shook her head again.

"You're about to find out."

With that, she felt his formidable length slide between her folds and across her still-trembling clit.

She gasped. "Oh!"

He moaned against her shoulder. "Bella…"

Bella sucked in a breath as his tip breached her…before he winded her by slamming himself home.

His hands gripped her hips, fingertips digging into her soft skin, as he slowly dragged himself back out again.

The pace was torturous, sending stars flashing in the darkness the blindfold gave Bella. She felt like she was being renewed, her person being rediscovered…and her pussy being fucked into oblivion.

He was huge, rock-hard, and unable to slow down.

His hips slammed against hers, creating sounds that only served to turn her on even more. His movements, though punishing, were calculated, and he reached a place so deep inside of her she was sure that he had ruined her for any other man forever.

He moaned out words between gritted teeth, his hips flying backwards and forwards as his hands crawled around her to her needy, pulsing clit.

And as soon as he touched it, she knew she was a goner.

One slow circling of his fingertip was all it took for her to clamp down on his cock and scream her lungs out as she came forcefully.

He kept pounding as she trembled, letting her orgasm rush through her unhindered and unrelenting, until, with a roar, he slammed deep within her one last time and released his load with twitching muscles.

She panted and stretched her sore fingers that had been gripping too long and too hard, as he slowly came down from his high.

Suddenly, fingers began working her blindfold off.

Both of his hands were stroking her thighs and hips.

She looked up, her vision cleared, to see darkened blue eyes and mussed golden curls.

Jasper's clothes were rumpled, his pleasure obvious from the glazed look in his eye and the slight colour to his cheeks, and he was sat at the end of a wide bed, the footboard of which Bella had in her grip.

"So…this was all for you?" She asked breathlessly.

Jasper gave her a wide, shit-eating grin. "Oh, no, Bella. You needed to wind down and hand over control like I said. It was all for you. But your answer is for us."

"My answer…" She trailed off, realisation striking her.

'…and afterwards, you can tell me if you want to join us…'

She turned to see that the man behind her, and still inside her, was smiling. "Oh."

"What do you say?" He asked, his hair now-loose and wickedly mussed.

"What's your name?" She asked in return.

He tipped his head forward, giving her a formidable look as he continued to stroke her thighs. "You'll only find out if you agree to join us, making our fantasies come true and giving you a reason to live besides your work."

Like I could say 'no,' now…

Bella nodded. "Agreed."

"I'm Garrett." He smiled as his hands stroked her shoulders, and Bella couldn't resist flicking her tongue out to taste the back of his hand.

She felt Garrett twitch inside of her.

Jasper's hand suddenly, and firmly, cupped her face and turned her towards him – his blue eyes were navy, and Bella wondered how she had never seen this side of him: the side that was so…un-Jacob.

"Bad girl," he growled.

8

Author's note: Please, let me know what you think! Peace (:

Save a Horse. Ride a Cowboy! By: MissAnnBlack

Pen name: MissAnnBlack
Story Title: Save A Horse. Ride A Cowboy!
V-Rating: VVM18
Word Count: 4729
Pairing: Seth/Bella
First Lemon: No
Beta: RainDropSoup

Thanks to Rain for betaing and my pre-readers CareMarie and Val!!! Y'all are awesome! I love you all!

**THIS STORY IS NOT ELLIGIBLE FOR JUDGE'S CHOICE!!!**


 


She was so nervous. Bella couldn’t believe she was shaking as much as a new foal trying to stand for the first time. Every part of her body was quivering. This is so embarrassing. I hope no one notices.

As she stepped into the house, her eyes began searching. The lights were dimmed. Music could be heard pounding out of the speakers; not too loud, but not so soft you couldn’t hear it over the guests talking. And boy were there a lot of guests here tonight. It seemed like everyone in Forks had come out to help celebrate Seth’s birthday.

Seth. Her shaking got worse as his name crossed her mind. Seth Clearwater, the reason for her nervousness, had never looked twice at her. For years she had pined for him, but he’d never shown any interest in anything but his horses. If only she could get his attention and show him how much she wanted him, loved him, and had for years.

All of a sudden, he appeared from the direction of what she knew to be the kitchen. He looked like a god. Her eyes traveled his body, not for the first time. His brown cowboy hat had seen better days. She remembered when he first got it. It was five years before. Bella and Seth were fresh out of high school at the time.

“What do you think of my new hat?” Seth had asked her as he took it off to show her.

She could still remember reaching out with trembling fingers and running them along the hat. The fibers tickled her as she said, “It's great. Where did you get it?”

“From Andy's. Thought I deserved something for working so hard on those finals.”

Something hit her hard from behind, bringing her back to the here and now. She turned quickly, almost dropping the gift in her hands in the process. The door. She'd never even moved from the door. She moved a bit from the doorway and turned back around. Seth had seen the door literally hitting her in the ass. The blood rushed to the surface and colored her cheeks.

Why did he have to see that? Oh my God! What am I going to do? He's still staring at me! She watched as Seth started walking toward her, his huge smile never wavering.

As he walked, she let her eyes wander again. She watched as his baby blue button-down shirt opened and revealed the white tank top below. It was so thin, she could see his golden tan skin through it. A groan almost escaped her lips at the thought of running her hands along his sun-kissed skin. Would she ever be able to kiss it herself?

His jeans rode low on his hips and he finally stopped in front of her. “BB, it's about time you got here!” He gave her a strong hug.

She reveled in the feel of him in her arms, took in his scent. He always smelled like the outdoors. Hazard of owning a ranch, she guessed.

“I wasn't sure if I should come. You didn't exactly invite me, Seth.” She leaned back, looking at him with a crooked eyebrow.

“What are you talking about? Of course you're invited. We've been best friends all our lives. You're crazy if you think I wouldn't invite you, B!”

She lifted her gift to him, drawing his eyes to it and away from her face. She didn't want him to see the smile crossing her face. Maybe there is hope after all.

“What did you get me?”

“I guess you'll just have to open it and find out.”

He took the box from her. “I would open it now, but then Mom would kill me. So let's put this on the gift table and get you some food. I swear you get tinier every time I see you. What's wrong?”

She bit her lip. “Nothing. I'm just trying a new diet.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “Diet? Now I know there's something wrong. You're as skinny as an underfed mare. You don't need a damn diet, B. You look wonderful.”

Bella couldn't help the blush rising to her cheeks again any more than she could the happiness at the realization that he did notice her, and he thought she looked wonderful.

He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, dropping her gift off on the gift table as they went. As soon as they entered, the aromas hit her. Seth's mom was a wonderful cook. Bella loved sitting in the kitchen with Sue Clearwater as she cooked because it always smelled like Heaven. Unlike when her own mother cooked-when it smelled like burnt fish.

Sue looked up and saw her son and Bella. Why can't those two see how amazing they would be together? They've been in love for years. Why won't they just admit it to each other? Sue put her stirring spoon down and ran to Bella, engulfing her in a hug. “Where have you been? You haven't come by the house in weeks!” She lightly hit Bella on the shoulder.

“I'm sorry, Mrs. C. I haven't had time to even think lately. I've been trying to find a good job.”

“Child, you know better than to call me Mrs. C. I thought you learned a long time ago to call me Sue.” She wagged her finger in front of Bella's face. She loved this little, albeit skinny as hell, girl like she was her own, and she'd be damned if any child of hers was going to call her 'Mrs. C'.

“Sorry, Sue.” Rightfully so, Bella looked as if she were a child who'd been chastised.

“I'll forgive you once you come by the house.” Sue turned and went back to stirring what was in her pot.

Bella looked around the room and noticed how full it was. She grabbed a strand of her strawberry blond hair and began wrapping it around her finger.

Seth noticed Bella's actions and a confused look came over his face. He turned to his mom and raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged her shoulders understanding him completely. He placed a hand on Bella's back and rubbed it trying to comfort whatever nerves were plaguing her.

“Hey, Mom. Bella needs some food. She's looking a bit skinny. Think she could get a plate?” He needed to take B's mind off what was bothering her. If this didn't work, he didn’t know what to do.

Bella took the full plate from Sue and started picking at the food. How am I going to get through tonight? She had gone away to attend college in an attempt to get over Seth. The problem was she had graduated, come back, and the feelings were still there. He was still there.

She felt his hand still drawing circles on her back. He had always been sweet, but she couldn't remember a time when he was so touchy-feely. He had never touched her as much as he had that night.

With half the food on her plate gone, she set it down on the counter. If she ate anymore, she feared everyone would see the food again. Her fingers went back to her hair and started playing with it again.

Bella turned her head toward Seth quickly. “Can I have a beer? I need a beer.”

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea. He knew from experience that drinking when you're upset always turns into getting drunk. But he'd never seen Bella drunk. “Are you sure, B? I mean, you seem like you could use a talk more than you could use a beer.”

She adamantly shook her head. “No. Talking is the last thing I want to do right now.” Having known Seth for as long as she had, she knew exactly what would get her what she wanted. She stuck out her bottom lip and made what he called her 'puppy dog' look. “Pwease?”

Five beers, two shots of tequila and an hour later, Bella was well on her way to being extremely drunk. She didn't care. At the moment, the way things were going, she didn't care if she woke up in the morning. What did it matter? Seth wasn't going to be there when she woke up. He still wouldn't know she even cared about him. Why? WHY? Because he didn't care. Because he didn't even care enough to open his eyes to see she was there, had always been there, would always be there.

The man in question had left her to drink her miseries away halfway through her second drink. He was currently searching for her. Feeling horrible for leaving her in the first place to help his mom with something, he walked into the living room. Apparently, it had been turned into a dance studio.

Seth stopped in his tracks just inside the doorway. Bella was standing on top of the coffee table dancing to Jason Aldean's “She's Country”. He loved this song. It always made him think of Bella. She was country. Maybe not from the south, maybe she didn't have a southern drawl. But she was country. She loved her family, and would do absolutely anything for them. She was fiercely loyal.

He had seen her break a horse with her own two hands. B knew how to party. She loved her Dodge Ram, and had told him many times since she got it at 16 that it was her baby; she couldn't understand how people could drive little cars. She knew how to throw a punch if she needed, and she had needed plenty while they were going through school.

Bella wouldn't be caught dead, she'd told him, in some of the clothes that 'city-folk' drive. Much more comfortable was she in a pair of jeans, button up shirt, and her boots. Even now, she was wearing her pink and purple button up shirt with short shorts and her boots. God, how he wished he could put his hands on that tight ass. There was one problem, though. She didn't think of him that way. To her, he was just a brother; he would never be anything else.

She knew he was watching; she could feel him when he walked in the room. As the next song came on, she recognized it as “Laughed Until We Cried”. A slow song. She wished Seth would dance with her. But as she looked at him, she knew that wasn't going to happen as she saw him, beer in hand, with pretty little Jessica Stanley. She was pressing up against him as they danced together.

She stared at Seth and Jessica. She couldn't believe he could do that to her. Tears crept into Bella's eyes as her hand joined with Paul's. Shock crossed his face for a split second before he started dancing with her. He was another dear friend of hers. They had hooked up back in high school, but they both knew they were better off as friends.

The tears wouldn't be held back and slowly made their way down her cheeks. She sniffled and took a drink as her hips swayed in rhythm with the music.

Paul leaned back and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “Hey, what's wrong?”

Bella tipped her chin toward Seth. “I was going to tell him tonight how I felt. Thought it was about time. But apparently, yet again, he just doesn't care. He'd rather have that tramp. Why am I not good enough, Paul? What's wrong with me? Why am I always the one pining for someone I can't have?”

Paul took her face in his hands and looked straight into her eyes. “Hey, you are good enough. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Do you hear me? Don't you ever talk about yourself like that again. Seth is a fucking idiot if he doesn't see what's right in front of him.”

She sniffled again and nodded her head. “All right. I'm sorry. I just don't understand. I even tried to get away and go to fucking college to get past this. I guess I just can't get past him. So, I'll be 30 with no husband, living by myself, probably a house full of cats and shit.” Just the thought made the tears start rolling again. “I'm gonna go. I don't want to ruin Seth's party because of my stupid shit.”

Paul watched her walk out the door, wiping her eyes and looking at the floor. How stupid is Seth to pass her up? She's obviously in love with him. Why can't he see that? The fact that he's so blind has been hurting her for years. I'm sick of this shit. With that thought fueling his anger, he walked up to Seth and dragged him outside.

He turned around and his fist flew into Seth's face before Seth knew what was going on.

“What the fuck was that about?” Seth asked, wiping blood from his nose.

“How could you? Are you fucking stupid or that cold-hearted?”

“What are you talking about? How much have you had to drink, bro?”

The fact that Seth was still being stupid, especially to Paul, earned him another punch in the face.” You're pissing me off. Stop hitting me before I start hitting back. You know I can take your ass!”

“She loves you and you stand there feeling up that slut in front of her. Didn't you think she'd see? That it would hurt more than anything?”

“Who are you talking about? You know what? I don't care. I have a party to get back to.”

Paul grabbed Seth by the shirt collar and got up in his face. “Fine. Go back to your party, but you might find, if you care, that one person is missing.” Paul pushed him back and walked away. He wasn't going to stick around anymore and watch one of his best friends make a fool of himself.

Seth turned and walked back toward the house. What got into Paul? What was he talking about? Who loved him? Who would it hurt if he hooked up with Jessica for some birthday sex? He shrugged his shoulders, not knowing the answer to any of the questions plaguing him.

As he walked in the house, his eyes scanned. Paul had said something about someone missing. Who was missing? Everyone had come that he wanted to see. He mentally went through the guest list and there was one person missing. Bella. Where had B run off to?

He searched every room, even outside, but he couldn't find her. He ran out to check the barn, where she loved to hide out sometimes, but she wasn't there either. He stepped back in the kitchen through the back door. Walking up to his mom, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I gotta run for a few minutes. B's gone. I gotta find her.”

A smile crossed his mother's face. She was careful not to let him see it, but she knew, somehow she knew, this was it. Bella and her son were finally going to have a long needed talk.

It wasn't hard to find her. She had gone to her parent's house, where she was staying until she could get a place of her own. Her car was like a beacon to him in the driveway.

He found the house locked, which left one place for her to be - the barn. He walked around the house and the closer he got to her hiding place, the angrier he got.

Walking in, he saw her mucking out stalls to make the horses comfortable for the night. He leaned on the barn door and crossed his feet at the ankles. “It's rude to leave your best friend's birthday party without saying goodbye.”

She didn't jump, at least not that anyone could see. Her heart did, though. “It's also rude to leave your own birthday party. Why are you here, Seth? I have things to get done.”

“Why'd you leave?”

“Because I had to get this done. Satisfied? Now go back to your party.”

“No, I'm not, because I know you're lying to me. Why did you really leave, B?”

She threw the shovel in the wheelbarrow. “You know what? I don't care if you believe me or not. Lightening needed to have his stall cleaned. So, I had to come home and do it. If you have a problem with that, you can clean them if you want. I don't care. Now get the fuck out of my barn.”

He took a step toward her – toward the woman of his dreams - and then another. Bella was seeing red by the time he was standing right in front of her. “You missed the door. It's the other direction.” She pointed toward the exit that would take him far away from her.

“I wasn't aiming for the door. I want the truth, B, and I want it now. Why'd you leave? Last time I saw you, you were having a great time dancing on the coffee table.”

“I was, but then I wasn't. So I left. Now you can.” She turned around to pick up the shovel again to finish cleaning. The hand that took hold of her arm stopped her. She glared at it. Her eyes traveled up the arm and into the eyes of the man it belonged to. “You may want to remove that hand before I break it.”

“I'm not scared of you. You know I'm not. So why don’t you just come out with the truth, save us both some time.”

Her fist connected with his face before she even had the chance to think about what she was doing. “Because I love you, you ass. How do you think it felt for me to watch her all over you? Oh, and you were really pushing her away. Don't you think I dream about doing exactly that to you on a daily basis? You know what? You stay. I'll leave. I'm not doing this anymore.”

She headed out of the barn and toward the house. She had no clue why she just told him everything. How could she have been so stupid? Now he was just going to reject her. What else could he do? Their friendship was definitely over. She couldn’t exactly expect him to be able to even look at her after what she just told him.

It took him a moment to let what she'd said sink in, and as soon as it clicked, he was off the ground and running to catch up with her. She hadn't gotten far. He grabbed her arm and turned her around swiftly. “Are you serious? Did you mean what you said back there?”

“What do you care?”

“Just answer me, B.” He lightly shook her arm.

With a confused look on her face, she answered him truthfully. “Yes.”

That was all she was able to say before his lips crashed down on hers.

She couldn't believe what was happening. This had only ever happened in her dreams. That was it. She wasn't awake right now. She was living in a very vivid dream.

Thinking she was living in a dream world didn't stop her from responding to Seth's touch. Her hands went to fist in his sandy colored hair. Her lips moved over his as if they were made for his alone. She couldn't be held responsible for the moan that escaped her lips.

Bella had dreamed of being with Seth many times over the years, but this time seemed so much more real. Could it be that he really wanted her? That was impossible. She had just passed out while cleaning the stalls. Wouldn’t be the first time.

How could it be that one woman would make Seth feel so many things at once? He was upset that it had taken them this long to get to this point. He was happy they finally had gotten to this point. One more day having to keep his hands off her may very well have killed him. And he was having to hold himself back from taking her right there on the lawn.

Seth leaned back a fraction of an inch. “I love you, Bella. I've dreamed of having my hands on you since I figured out girls didn't have cooties.”

She enveloped his face in her hands. “Then don't keep them off me, cowboy.”

His hands were immediately on her hips lifting her up. “You'd better hold on tight. This is gonna be wilder than any eight second ride.”

Bella giggled and wrapped her legs around him as tight as she could. Her smile was wider than ever before as he walked them into the barn.

As Seth laid Bella down on the hay, he couldn't help thinking to himself. Damn, my dream's about to come true. His nervousness skyrocketed. Would she still like him after this? Would they both still be the same when the sun rose?

She could see the nerves plaguing him. “Hey, cowboy? You all right?”

He knelt down by her feet, not taking his eyes off her. “I'm great,” he whispered as he slowly took off her boots. He set them beside the hay she laid on. Next, her shorts were slowly taken off and thrown.

He ran his hands back up her legs, slowly. As he watched her, he moved a hand to her center and rubbed it.

Her eyes rolled back into her head and a guttural sound of sheer pleasure escaped her. Sensations flooded her body. The song “Good Vibrations” popped into her mind. She felt her panties being pushed to the side as he kissed and sucked on her inner thigh. Then, she could have sworn she could see fireworks behind her lids as she felt his fingers enter her body.

Her fingers grabbed at the hay as Seth found a rhythm with his fingers. His mouth sucked at the button of her center, quickly lapping up any honey that might find its way out of her.


She felt the orgasm rising inside of her. Riding it to the peak, Bella clenched her fists in Seth's hair and pulled. She screamed as her body shook with the climax.

Once her ecstasy was over, Seth sat back on his heels again and slowly took her panties from her body. Once he'd thrown them toward where he'd thrown her shorts, he started crawling up her body like a cougar stalking its prey.

She couldn't help but smile. Bella grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him down to her. Their lips crashed together in the hottest kiss she had ever experienced. She started unbuttoning his shirt and tore it from his shoulders. Her fingers found their way between the heated bodies to his pants. Unfastening the button, she looked him in the eye. “I've waited too long. I need you inside me. Now!”

He pushed his pants off him just enough to be able to enter her, and when he did, it wasn't with the sweetness he had imagined or the care Bella deserved. He forced himself inside her with an urgency only she could bring out of him.

They both screamed out in pleasure. They had waited far too long to feel each other the way they were just then.

Seth took her breasts through her shirt into his hand, massaging them, pulling at the nipple, and sending her further toward ecstasy once again.

It didn't take long before they both were letting themselves go. Once they both finished with their release, he collapsed on top of her, completely spent. Breathing heavily, he leaned up on his elbows and looked into her eyes. “I love you so much, B. Sorry this wasn't how I planned it.”

She was confused for a second as something clicked in her mind. “This wasn't a dream then?”

He chuckled. “No, it wasn't a dream.”

She fell asleep thinking how wonderful it was for dreams to really come true.

Her eyes flickered open, feeling feather light touches all over her skin. She stretched her sore muscles feeling a lot like a cat who had lapped up too much warm milk the night before. Looking down, she saw Seth was leaving kisses all over her body.

He felt her shift under him and looked up at her. “Good morning, Beautiful!”

She groaned with a smile on her face. “What time is it?”

“Just shy of dawn. I wanted to show you something special. Get up. We need to go.” He pulled her up and bent down to help her up her panties back on.

She giggled when she realized what was going on. Why hadn't she told him long ago she loved him? All she had done was deprive herself and him of happiness.

When he was finished dressing her, they saddled a horse and were on their way, riding together on her favorite horse, Chavez.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination. She looked around and saw they were in a very beautiful meadow. Purple, pink, blue, and yellow flowers surrounded the new lovers.

Bella turned in the saddle to look at Seth. “Where are we?” she whispered. A place like this seemed to require the quiet so as not to disturb the beauty.

“A place I love to sit and watch the sun rise. I've always wanted to bring you here to see it. I've always wanted to do something here. Will you let me?”

Once she had nodded her consent, he turned her so she was facing him and managed to get her pants and panties off her. Then, he managed the same for himself.

Her eyes went wide when she realized his intent. “You want to have sex on the horse?”

“Why not?”

She couldn't think of a single reason why they shouldn't. It just seemed so wrong.

He lifted her up and brought her so their chests were pressed together. Then, he lowered her slowly onto the head of his shaft.

Her arms flung around him as she groaned. “Oh my God! That's the spot, Baby!”

He bounced her up and down on him. How had he lived so long without her wrapped around him? He latched his mouth onto the sensitive spot of her neck and sucked as if his life depended on it.

She screamed his name as she ground her hips against his in a rhythm that matched his. “Oh my God. Oh my God! I love you, Seth.”

“I love you too, baby. You're perfect. Do you know that? Absolutely perfect!”

She felt as though she was going to break in half. The pressure of her impending orgasm was building inside her like an explosive volcano. She felt him hardening more inside her and knew he was as close to climax as she was.

“I'm gonna cum, baby. Are you ready? I want you to cum with me this time, darlin'!” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes! God, Yes!”

They jumped off the cliff together. She vowed then and there that was how it was going to be forever, if she had any say in matters. They would forever do everything together.

As they climbed back toward reality, she couldn't help the chuckle that rose in her throat.

He gave her a funny look. “Was it that bad?”

“Hell, no. I just had a funny thought pop in my head.” When she saw him tilt his head to the side in question, she told him, “I thought you were supposed to save the horse by riding the cowboy. Not ride the cowboy while sitting on the horse!”

He laughed deep and loud. This was why he loved her. This was why he would love her forever.