Oh, Baby! #Wattys2020

Chapter Twenty One

Bella wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache, a heavy arm wrapped around her waist and a hard chest as a pillow. She almost groans loudly at the aching in her body, but stops herself when she looks up to see Hale's peaceful face. His face is turned slightly away from her, his breathing even. He sleeps with his mouth slightly open, but no sound leaves it and Bella is silently relieved by the fact that he doesn't snore. Even when he's been drinking.

Not to mention he's attractive, godly, really in the warm morning light streaming through the open curtains. Her eyes trace his sharp features, trailing down the defined lines of his face. Then her eyes land on the hickeys on his neck, leading down over his collarbone and onto his chest. Her cheeks heat up when she realizes she must have put them there.

"If you keep squirming I'm going to get hard," Hale groans, using his free arm to rub his eyes. Bella's face heats up more, but instead of getting off of him she slings her leg over his waist to straddle him.

Hale's eyes nearly pop out of his head when he feels her weight shift on top of him. When he opens his eyes, she looks as good in this position as he thought she would. She presses her hands onto his chest, gladly realizing she was fully clothed, meaning nothing happened between them. At least nothing more than a heavy make out session.

The memories begin flooding back to both of them as they brains wake up more. Bella remembers patches of the night before, which included a lot of shots with Viv, group shots whenever someone said 'dude' and an interesting truth or dare. Hale remembered a little more, including being asked a truth about his feelings for Bella. He remembers his answer being, 'Something close to love', but Bella was too far gone to remember that.

When she didn't react, Hale drank more and somehow they ended up making out and sleeping in the same bed. Despite Dom's family rule of no boys and girls in the same room. What rebels they are.

"You're absolutely... stunning." Hale breathes, wrapping his arms around her waist as he sits up, shifting her into his lap. She drapes her arms over his shoulder, fluttering in her stomach.

Bella doesn't say anything, instead she focuses on him for a moment longer. Being this close to him she can see the blue undertones in his eyes. And the specks of freckles dotting his slightly crooked nose. Bella reaches out and brushes a curl out of his eyes with her fingertips and Hale's eyes flutter closed.

"We should get ready, we have a big day today." Bella sighs, pulling away from him before she does something she'll regret.

Hale sighs too, lifting her up with ease as he shifts from under her. "Hopefully everything goes as planned."

"It's going to be great." Bella assures. "Just wish I weren't so hungover."

"Shouldn't have drank so much, lightweight." Hale teases, standing up and stretching. Bella can't help but admire his toned body. He smirks when he catches her. She adverts her gaze, cheeks heating up. "Like what you see?"

"No, ew." She stands up and stretches too, wincing at the pain in her head. Hale chuckles.

"That's not what you were saying last night." He didn't even remember what she said last night, he just wanted to see a reaction from her.

Her cheeks turn red, "I don't know what you think you heard, but I'm sure I was saying the opposite of what you think."

He quirks a brow, "If you're so repulsed by me why does it look like a sucker fish got a hold of me?" He gestures to the trail of hickeys on his neck that he just noticed. He twitches at the memory of her mouth on his neck.

"You must have went swimming." Bella shrugs, smiling innocently as she straightens out her hair, headed for the door.

Hale shakes his head smiling.