Virtual Love Pt. 02

"I need to speak with both of you," Icelos said. "As you know, this game will not last. It is at it's most potent at a time such as this, Christmas Eve. Therefore I strongly recommend that you finish the game tonight."

"Finish?" Fern asked, and she could hear Heath echo her. "How does a game like this end, anyway?"

"The bedroom, of course," Icelos responded, smiling. "The connection to a soul mate is not complete without the physical aspect."

"Wait..." Fern frowned. "You mean..."

Icelos nodded. "Sex, yes."

"Don't you think that will be a bit tricky?" Heath asked, echoing Fern's thoughts. "I mean, I'm not going to sit here and masturbate or anything."

Fern's cheeks burned. She couldn't believe that it didn't bother him to say such things. Icelos just smiled at them in that infuriatingly mysterious way he had. We can't do anything, because this is just a game, she thought, frowning. What is this supposed to be? So this would be the end of the game? And then she wouldn't see Heath anymore? How do they expect to make money on this? Fern wondered.

"It is, of course, up to you," Icelos continued. "Simply let me

know and I will transfer you to the bedroom."

"Ah, hell," Heath said, laughing. "Why not? This should prove amusing, if nothing else."

"Thanks," Fern muttered, her cheeks still red. "Fine, whatever. If it's going to end anyway, might as well."

"We will not force you to do anything you do not wish," Icelos told her. "If you are not willing, then don't."

Fern shrugged. "I'm not unwilling, just skeptical. This is too weird..."

She saw Heath nodding in agreement. Apparently the designers of the game had made the characters seem as though they were also playing the game. Probably to make it more realistic, Fern thought, leaning back in her chair. For a panicked second she thought her chair was falling over; it certainly felt that way. Everything went black and she tumbled backward, landing on something soft.

"What the hell!?" Fern yelped, sitting up.

She was in a room very much like the one Icelos appeared in, except it had a huge bed in it. A huge bed on which she was sitting. Fern ran her hands across the fine sheets, which were a dark wine red in color, and was amazed at how real they felt. Maybe I fell asleep while I was reading, she thought. I mean, this absolutely has to be a dream. It can't be real.

"Fern?"

She jumped again and looked to the side. Heath was also sitting on the bed, looking just as dazed as she felt. His eyes were wide in amazement and confusion. His eyes, Fern thought, sighing. They're even more beautiful up close. But this simply could not be real! It felt real and it looked real, but Heath was a character in a game and she couldn't really be with him.

He reached out and touched her cheek gently, as though he didn't believe she was real, either. Fern reached out timidly and touched his cheek, jumping at the feeling of skin beneath her fingertips. Heath jumped too, and then they both started laughing. I don't care if this is just a dream, she thought, leaning closer to him to feel the heat of his body. I'm going to enjoy it anyway.

"It feels strange to touch you," Heath murmured, running his fingers down along her cheek. "But nice, too."

Fern caught his hand and cradled it against her face. "This is pretty crazy, but you're right...it's nice."

"I want to kiss you," Heath said quietly, running the fingertips of his free hand over her lips.

Fern shifted onto her knees and scooted right up against him. His hands cradled the back of her head as he lowered his mouth to hers. It had been such a long time since she'd been kissed, but even so, she didn't think anyone had ever kissed her like this. Heath's mouth was warm and gentle against hers. He really kissed her, rather than shoving his tongue in her mouth like she remembered.

And when he did coax her lips opened, his tongue swept over hers, teasing the inside of her lower lip. Fern held onto him tightly, her hands on his back, holding him against her.

"You're trembling," Heath murmured, his lips hovering against hers. "Are you scared?"

Fern paused to think about it. Was she scared? She was somehow in a room with someone from a game, who she had been speaking with for the last week. Someone she hardly knew, except she felt as though she'd known Heath all her life. And it doesn't matter if this is just a dream, Fern thought. I might as well indulge myself. She shook her

head.

"I'm not scared," Fern told him. "I'm...excited."

A smile curved Heath's mouth. She loved it when he smiled. He

kissed her again and she closed her eyes, sinking against him. Her heart was pounding loudly, and in truth she was a little scared. Fern couldn't help her small squeak as Heath lowered her to the bed. His hands slid beneath her shirt, and she looked around, trying to find the

light switch.

"What?" Heath asked, pausing with his hands on her stomach.

"The...the lights are on," Fern stammered. "Turn them off..."

The lights blinked out, but candles flared to life all around them. Okay, so not cool, Fern thought, when he heart had started up again. I think that took a year or two off my lifespan. It was like a very freaky version of the Clapper. Even Heath looked a little startled, although he was laughing.

"You can still see me," Fern whimpered.

"I want to see you," Heath told her.

"But..." Fern protested weakly.

Heath pressed a finger to her lips. "No...I want to see..."

"Fine," Fern said, drawing herself up into a sitting position. "But fair's fair, you know."

Heath grinned. He drew his shirt off and tossed it aside, then looked at her. Fern took a moment to study him; thin, slightly muscular through the arms and shoulders, but pretty average for the most part. That made her feel just a tiny bit less self-conscious. She was no longer overweight, although she'd never be called skinny. Fern knew she'd always look at herself and think she was fat. Her breasts were average too, not really small but not huge, either. At least she had been blessed with a narrow waist and the hips to give her an hourglass figure.

They took turns removing clothing, although Fern had more to remove than he did. Heath helped her removed her bra...and pulled her hands away from her chest when she tried to cover herself up. And she made him remove his boxers before she could get up the nerve to remove her panties. By the time she was naked, Fern was also shaking with nerves and uncertainty.

"Feel this," Heath said, pulling her hand to his chest and resting it over his heart.

Fern smiled. "It's racing just as fast as mine. I feel like a lovestruck teenager."

"Sweetheart," Heath murmured, leaning close. "You are a

teenager."

Fern giggled, but the sound was quickly muffled beneath his mouth. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed up against him, marveling at the feeling of his skin against hers. His hands rested on her back, seeming to radiate heat. Heath kissed her, long and slow, until she was out of breath and feeling light-headed. His mouth traveled down over her neck as she tilted her head back, catching her breath.

"Tell me something, love," Heath murmured against her shoulder.

"What to you want to know?" Fern asked.

His fingers slid up to tangle in her hair. "Was that the only relationship you had? The only experiences you've known?"

"Pretty much," Fern answered, avoiding his gaze. "Maybe I should be scared, because of that, but I'm not..."

"One night isn't enough," Heath sighed. "Not for everything I want to show you."

Fern shivered as his fingers ran down over her shoulder and traced along the underside of her breast. She sighed, closing her eyes, enjoying the way he traced little patterns and whorls on her skin. Heath's touch was gentle and explorative, searching for places where she was sensitive. When he found them, he used fingers and mouth to tease the spot.

"Now this is one I've not encountered before," Heath teased, licking the spot at the crook of her arm.

Fern squeaked. "Don't...don't tease me..."

"Say that and I'll tease you all the more," Heath warned, grinning.

Fern laughed. She pinched him, and he yelped loudly. Growling, Heath tackled her, bearing her down to the bed. They rolled, and she ended up on top of him. He smiled up at her, then stretched out beneath her.

"What do you want to do?" Heath asked, grinning. "I can see

mischief in your eyes..."

"I...I'm curious," Fern responded, blushing. "I never really...well..."

Heath just watched her patiently. She slid off him, resting against his side, and studied him, chewing on her lower lip. Fern had never really done much in the way of touching. Her fingers trembled as she reached out, brushing her fingertips lightly over his belly. She couldn't bring herself to look further down than his hip bones, but she knew that he was hard.

"Don't be afraid," Heath murmured, catching hold of her wrist. "Touch me..."

Fern yelped softly as he drew her hand down and wrapped her fingers around him. Oh my, she thought, her eyes going wide. Heath's soft laughter made her cheeks burn. She could feel his pulse beneath her hand, such a curious feeling. His gaze was intense, but she didn't let that stop her from satisfying her curiosity. Timidly, having trouble even looking at him, Fern brought her other hand up to touch him as well.

Heath laughed even harder. "God, you're adorable!"

"Shut up!" Fern shot back, pouting. "I've never done this before."

She shifted onto her knees and leaned forward further. Fern could feel his skin jump as she ran her fingertip over it. She glanced up at him, into intense, heavy-lidded eyes. "How does it feel?"

"Like I don't want you to stop," Heath answered, grinning crookedly.

Fern liked it when he looked at her like that. Although she was

nervous, she lowered her head, running her tongue across him. He drew in a soft, sharp breath and she saw, from the corner of her eye, his fingers curl around the blankets. She was still for a long moment, then she pushed away, curling up and pressing her face into her hands.

"I can't!" Fern cried, her voice muffled. "It's too embarrassing!"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Heath murmured, sitting up and reaching for her.

"I...yes there is!" Fern shot back.

"Maybe that isn't as much of a problem as you're making it out to be," Heath said quietly, pulling her up against him.

Fern shivered at the touch of his lips against the curve of her

ear. "What...what is that supposed to mean?"

One arm curled around her, keeping her firmly pressed against him. Fern leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling uncertain. Heath slid his free hand along her leg, up to her thigh, then suddenly pushed her legs open. She squeaked as his fingers slid up against her, making her moan.

"As I thought," Heath whispered, a finger slipping inside her. "So wet..."

"Don't!" Fern whimpered, pressing her hands to her face.

But she didn't really want him to stop. The way he moved his finger in and out of her, slowly, pushing deep and then pulling almost all the way out, it drove her crazy. Fern let her hands drop, grabbing hold of the blankets and griping tight. She tilted her head so Heath's mouth could find hers. Even focusing on kissing him was difficult, with the distraction of his finger moving inside her.

Fern whimpered when his hand moved away. She turned to face him as he lay back on the bed, beckoning for her. On hands and knees she moved to his side, yelping when an arm reached around the grab hold of her thigh. Heath pulled her leg over him, so that she was face towards the end of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Fern demanded. Now this, this was embarrassing!

"Tell you what," Heath murmured, drawing her hips back. "I'll give you three guesses. Think about it for a bit."

She gasped as he pulled her hips down, forcing her thighs apart. Fern trembled as she was pulled firmly against his mouth. His tongue lapped and explored, sliding up inside of her. His lips tugged and teased, finding her clit and suckling. Heath's hold on her was too strong for her to break away, even if she'd wanted to.

Fern lowered her head and him into her mouth. He was hard and hot, such a foreign feeling against her tongue. It was difficult, and not simply because she hadn't done it before. Heath's mouth was horribly distracting, causing her to stuttered in the rhythm of moving her mouth up and down along him. Fern's fingernails bit into the fabric of the blankets beneath her and her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles were turning white. She wasn't sure how she was managing to keep her mouth on him at all.

And then she just couldn't. Fern threw her head back, moaning loudly at another deep thrust of his tongue into her. She pressed her hips down on his mouth, her moans growing into cries. The tenseness in her belly increased until it had reached its peak, and she shuddered, dropping her head to press her face against his hip as she came. Fern tried to keep herself braced with arms that trembled, but she sank slowly down on top of him.

"See, even the embarrassing things aren't so bad," Heath teased, after he had pushed her hips up.

Fern groaned. "But they're still embarrassing!"

She tumbled as he slid out from underneath her, but didn't get very far. Heath pulled her up into his arms. The intenseness of his gaze made her cheeks burn, but she didn't look away. Fern sighed as his fingertips brushed her cheek. Her emotions were in turmoil. He made her feel so many things she wasn't used to; not just the tenderness, the loving feeling of his gentle kisses, but also fierce desire.

"I can't wait any longer," Fern murmured. "I...I want this...more than anything..."

His mouth pressed against hers. She was trembling slightly as he lowered her back onto the bed. Heath's strong fingers closed around her wrists, pinning her hands against the pillow beneath her head. His knees nudged her thighs apart gently. Fern shivered as she felt him press against her. It had been so long...

In one long, easy stroke he was deep inside her. She moaned softly against his mouth, her body closing around him. Teeth nibbled at her lower lip, teasing, as he began to move inside her. Each slow, calculated thrust made her moan and bring her hips up to meet his. Heath's hands moved away from her wrists, bracing against the bed instead, and Fern reached up, burying her fingers in his hair.

His mouth traveled wetly over her chin and down along her neck. Teeth scraped her skin, over her collarbone and against the curve of her breast. Fern shivered as his mouth traveled over her breasts, his tongue snaking out to tease stiffened nipples. She ran her hands down over his back, her nails digging into his skin as a particularly deep stroke sent lightning jagging up her nerves.

Strong arms locked around her back, dragging her up. Fern braced her hands on his shoulders, shrieking softly as he tumbled back onto the bed. Heath's hands moved down to her hips.

"It's all right, Fern," he soothed. "Don't be afraid."

She sat up shakily, uncertain. His hips pushed up into hers, surprising her, making her moan softly. Fern braced her knees beneath her, her thighs closing on his hips, and pushed herself up. He thrust upward as she let herself fall back down. Heath's hands slid up along her sides, up to her breasts. His thumbs feathered over her nipples as he cupped her breasts against his palms.

This was work. Sweat dripped down along her spine and glowed on her arms and legs. It dampened her hair. It also glistened on Heath's skin, as well. Fern tilted her head back, bringing a hand up to her mouth and biting down on her knuckles. She could feel that tenseness building in her stomach again. Arms closed around her, dragging her down against him. Beneath her own cries she could hear the groan he stifled against her neck as he came inside her.

Fern lay still on his chest, panting heavily. Little aftershocks still ran through her. She snuggled close to him, despite the heat of her skin and the sweat on both of them. Heath hand his fingers through her hair, although he moved not a bit beneath her. She felt teeth nip her neck softly and she laughed.

"I could exhaust myself on you," Heath murmured.

"I am exhausted," Fern told him.

Heath chuckled. "Good. That means I was successful."

Fern laughed. She lifted her head briefly, gazing down at him for a long moment, then pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth and laid her head back down. His fingers still tangled in her hair, and his other hand rested on her back. Even if this is just a dream, she thought, sighing blissfully, it's the best dream I've ever had. I don't really

want to wake up...

*****

Heath woke alone and very much disgruntled. That was such a wonderful dream, he thought, as he sat up. I didn't want to leave it. He couldn't think of Fern as plain anymore; she was the loveliest creature on earth to him. Could this really be it? He pulled on some jeans and walked over to the computer, which was still on. Heath tried to load up Virtual Love, but it didn't come up. Even when he tried taking the disk out and putting it back in, he wasn't successful.

So I guess this is it, then, he thought, standing up from the chair. It was still way too early to go to his parents' house, but he wasn't in the mood to stay inside. I'll go for a drive, Heath decided. He got dressed quickly, pulled on his winter coat, and stepped outside. It was a cold morning, but that was really just refreshing. He seriously needed to cool down after a dream like that.

The apartment door next to his opened and a young woman stepped out, bundled heavily in coat, scarves, gloves, and heavy fleece-lined boots. Heath glanced at her briefly, and was about to walk away when something made him do a doubletake. Even without the sun, copper highlights glinted faintly in her hair. He turned fully, drinking in the sight of her.

"Fern?" Heath asked, afraid of the answer.

She started, and turned to look at him. A very familiar pair of brown eyes widened in shock. She brought her hands up to her mouth, which was hanging open. Her legs looked shaky, as if they might give out, so Heath grabbed hold of her, dragging her close. Fern brought trembling hands up to touch his face. She didn't seemed satisfied with that, though; she pulled her gloves off, cradled her face in his hands, and pulled his mouth down to hers.

"You're real," Fern gasped, when she finally let him go.

"I am," Heath agreed. "And so are you. But...you live here?"

Fern nodded. "For the last year. I...I never noticed you here. I

suppose I'm always lost in my own world."

"I didn't notice you either," Heath admitted. "And I've lived here three years. God, I'm such an idiot..."

"No," Fern said, smiling. "I don't think you are. I think you're wonderful."

Heath grinned. He tightened his hold on her and lowered his mouth down to hers again. It was as soft and wonderful as he remembered. It wasn't a dream, he realized. We really... How they had done it, he couldn't fathom. How they had met through a game...it just wasn't possible. But here she was. Heath pressed her up against the wall of the building, unable to stop himself from kissing her.

"I...I have to...go to my parents'..." Fern gasped.

"Now?" Heath asked, his voice muffled against her neck.

"No, no," Fern replied, moaning softly. "Not now...not...I have time...ohh..."

He couldn't stop himself. She smelled so good and her skin was so soft. Heath pulled her coat open and slid his hands up against her breasts. She was wearing a dress, a short dress. He might have thought she was crazy for not wearing nylons, if he wasn't so glad she wasn't. Heath pulled her skirt up, bunching it up around her hips.