Play The Game

Sixteen

"Not bad for our first time together, huh?" Chris asked Bella once they were lying in her bed under the covers. His hand was stroking small circles along her exposed shoulder.

Their breathing had gone back to normal, even after the bath that had left them both out of breath far sooner than either of them would've liked. Between the steam from the hot water and their fast-paced movements, they were so exhausted when they were done that they'd practically crawled back to her bed.

"Not at all." Bella hummed with her hands on his chest, just over his heart. "Next time, I'm on top."

He laughed. "Awfully demanding aren't you, doll."

She didn't lift her head, but he saw her cheekbones rise as she smiled. "Well, it's either that or up against a wall. That's where I thought it was going at the beginning if I'm being honest with you."

"Well, maybe there'll be a touch of both."

Eventually, the soft sounds of Bella's snores filled the room. Chris was tired but his eyes refused to close, his body refusing to sleep and give him the rest he craved.

Bella had rolled over so her back was to him, so he turned with her to keep her close to him. Her breathing had eased and now she looked so peaceful as she slept that Chris couldn't help but admire her. Her cheeks were still flushed from their actions and he couldn't help but smile and trace his fingers along her cheeks.

She was perfect in every single way. And she was already supportive of him more than he'd expected. It was nice and more than welcome. He was going to need someone strong and beautiful like her by his side or else he didn't know how he would be making it through this.

With that thought in mind, Chris closed his eyes and dreamt of his dream career with Bella glowing at his side.

When he woke up the next morning with the sunshine hitting him right in the eyes, he groaned and made to turn over but found there was an obstacle in the way. He cracked his eyes open and nearly jolted back at the sight of a pair of deep brown eyes staring right back at him.

Bella giggled, bringing her hand to cover her mouth at his face. "You're cute when you sleep." She said behind her hand.

A sleepy smile made its way to his face. "Thanks." He replied. "And you look like an angel when you sleep."

She scoffed at that and his eyes widened, so she explained. "I am anything but an angel." Lowering her hand from her mouth, Bella climbed over the side of the bed before Chris could stop her.

"Where are you going?" He was whining but he didn't care. She'd only been out of the bed less than thirty seconds, but he was already missing the warmth of her body. "Come back."

Bella leaned over the bed to kiss his cheek and once again pulled back before he could drag her back into the bed. Damn, she was quick. "I have to brush my teeth. Morning breath is a bitch."

Hearing that, he put a hand over his own. "I didn't bring..." he started but she waved him off.

"We got spares."

His eyebrow shot up and she shrugged.

"My mother always said to have spares of what we can cause you never know if we'll have to take someone in during their time of need."

"Your mother had good ideas."

A sad smile came to her face and he felt guilty about causing it.

Bella had only told him about her parents' passing a few days before. It hadn't come up before until she wanted it to and she wanted him to know because she trusted him with the information that was clearly very private to her. It was something that Bella shared quickly and then moved on, not wanting to dwell on the subject longer than necessary. He had a feeling there was more to that particular story, but he'd just have to wait for her to be ready to tell him the rest.