Belle & Jack

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I'm just exhausted."

"Yeah, me too."

She'd sat up from his lap and sat cross-legged on the couch next to him and a moment of quiet developed as she worked to build up the courage to ask the question she desperately wanted to ask but feared to.

"Jack," she said, turning her body around to face him and steeling herself, "can I ask you something?"

"Turning the tables are we?" he said playfully but his smile didn't last when he took in the look on her face. "Sure Belle, of course, anything."

"Would you... would you mind... sleeping with me... I mean, in my bed tonight?" Her read of his reaction was exactly what she thought it was going to be and her mind went back to that moment the night before when he beat a hasty retreat after she'd tried to kiss him. "It's not... not that. I'm not... I just really don't want to be on my own tonight. I'm sorry, I know this is totally fucked up and weird and you've been so kind to me Jack. I promise I'll make sure you get a serious bonus for all these extra services."

She wasn't totally sure whether she'd meant that last part as a joke, although she had tried a smile when she said it but when she saw the shift in Jack's expression, she knew it hadn't been the right thing to say.

"Don't... don't be like that Belle," he said, "that's not why..." he trailed off, his expression pained and Belle instinctively reached out to him.

"I know Jack, I'm sorry. Oh my god, I'm sorry. I was kidding. I know. I'm sorry, just... it's OK, forget I said anything, I'm OK, really."

***Jack***

Jack had a brief instinct that he was being manipulated but he thought better of it. That's not Belle was his conclusion.

"It's fine Belle, honestly. Of course I'll stay with you, whatever you need. You know that."

He rested his hand on top of hers where it lay on his arm and he noticed her shoulders slump slightly and a long, deep breath ease from her lungs in what his mind characterized as a gesture of relief.

"Thank you," she said softly and he felt her give his arm a squeeze. "Well... I guess I'll see you in bed then."

They shared what he knew was an awkward chuckle as he nodded and she made for the door. For several minutes, Jack couldn't bring himself to move from the couch, his mind a jumble of confusion until some instinct told him to get moving. Whatever was going to happen, it was best not to keep a lady waiting.

He moved to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, staring at himself in the mirror as he did so, his thoughts continuing to churn and his movements became almost automatic, moving to his own room to undress. In normal circumstances, a pair of boxers was all Jack would wear to bed but when he found himself standing in his room like that, he convinced himself it wasn't a good idea.

He threw on a t-shirt and found himself staring into a mirror once again, the jumble of thoughts clearing away to leave only the question of whether his resistance could withstand spending the night in her bed. I'm about to sleep in Belle Melville's bed, he thought and even just mentally articulating the fact caused him to shake his head in disbelief.

Whatever you do, he told himself, don't touch her. Support, a shoulder to rest her head, that's it.

"Fuck," he said aloud.

***Belle***

Belle was still awake when Jack came into her room. He'd taken longer than she expected and she'd begun to wonder if he'd gotten cold feet, if he'd changed his mind. So it was almost a surprise when he walked in the door, closing it softly behind him.

She'd positioned herself on the side of the bed closest to the door and left the bed-side lamp on the other side, Jack's side, switched on. In the dim light she could see him clearly enough and chided herself for her automatic disappointment as she realized she'd been hoping he'd be topless, hoping to see him, to see if his body was just like it had been in her fantasy the night before.

Don't push it, she told herself, don't be stupid.

"Hey," she said, the silence feeling odd and he responded in kind, moving calmly around the bed, pulling back the blanket and climbing in. She felt him sigh heavily as he settled himself and for a moment or two she felt a little frozen, almost afraid to move. It had been well over four years since any man other than Brian had shared her bed and in that moment, she wasn't sure what she was meant to do.

She felt Jack shift and she turned her head to face him as he moved on to his side to face her, supporting his head with his hand, his elbow resting just below the pillow.

"Quite a day, huh?" he said.

"Yes is was," she replied, smiling wryly. "I can't believe how tired I am, we didn't even really do anything all day."

"Yeah," he agreed, "although if you look at it another way, we did an awful lot."

He was smiling too then and Belle felt her fear and trepidation fade as she remembered the reason she'd asked him to stay with her in the first place, feeling the innate sense of calm and safety that his presence had seemed to give her since she first met him spread through her entire body.

"I guess so," she said, shifting her body closer to his and turning on to her side, facing away from him. "You're the big spoon."

She heard him laugh and a wide smile spread across her face as she felt his body move again while he switched off the lamp and then turned back to her. She closed her eyes as she felt him press against her, felt the heat of his breath of the back of her head.

"You're the boss," he said. "Goodnight Belle."

His arm moved to drape itself softly over hers, holding her gently, and Belle found that she hummed just a little, completely involuntarily, as she pressed her body back into his until she felt totally enclosed in him, wrapped up in him as if he were a warm blanket on a cold night.

"Night... Jack," she managed, but only just. Fleetingly, she thought about how remarkable it was that after a day like she'd had, she wasn't going to have any problem falling asleep.

***

FIVE

***

***Jack***

She'd barely finished saying his name when Jack felt her breath ease into the rhythm of sleep and marveled a little bit at her. I'd love to be able to sleep like that, he thought.

But then he did. As he settled his head against her, felt her warm body pressed against his, he was asleep in minutes.

As ever, he woke early, just as the late winter dawn was breaking. They'd evidently shifted in the night so that Jack found himself laying flat on his back with Belle's body snuggled up against his right side, her head resting just above his shoulder and her arm wrapped surprisingly tightly around his chest.

There was a moment or two of confusion as his mind adjusted to the unfamiliarity of his surroundings and circumstances and then a wave of happiness as he glanced at Belle's peaceful face.

He knew immediately that he needed to piss but it took him twenty minutes to plan and execute a maneuver to get himself out of bed without waking her up, sliding himself painfully slowly out from under her.

He tried to be equally gentle climbing back into bed when he was done but he felt her stir as he settled himself back onto the mattress.

"Jack..." she whispered, "...what... what time is it?"

"Far too early, go back to sleep."

"Too early...," she groaned as she stretched a little, her eyes opening slowly and as he saw awareness start to dawn in them, she smiled warmly at him.

***Belle***

"I have to pee," she said, "keep the bed warm." She heard Jack laughing as she slid out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She yawned and stretched and smiled. If dawn was just breaking then she'd been asleep for nearly ten hours she figured and she was eager to be back in bed once more so she tried to be as fast as possible in the bathroom. It was only a passing thought at the door that brought her back to the wash basin to brush her teeth. Her mouth didn't feel particularly unpleasant but she did it anyway.

Jack's eyes were closed, as if he were dozing, when she climbed back into bed and she didn't hesitate to snuggle back up against him to warm herself, feeling his arm move around her to pull her against him and she sighed long and slow.

It was only a moment or two before her mind started moving, as is some unconscious force was at work, effectively calling to the front of her thoughts everything that was happening. You just spent the night together, it said, wrapped up in each other. You still are. You've spent practically every waking moment together for five days, it said. Two nights ago you had two incredible orgasms fantasizing about him and now he's really here, in your bed, his arms around you. Who the fuck are you kidding?

When the sequence had ended, she found that she'd raised her head and was looking at him. His eyes were still softly closed but something must have alerted him to her attention because when he opened them, she could see the quizzical look on his face.

"What is it?" he said.

She moved herself slightly, leaning over him, bringing her head level with his, noticing the fear in his eyes. But he didn't move or speak. Her hair fell over her face a little and she desperately wanted to push it back so she could see him clearly but she was afraid her hand would tremble if she did. When Jack reached up to do it for her, moving it gently behind her ear, his eyes searching hers, her decision was made.

She kept her eyes wide open as she leaned slowly down. He didn't stop her. She just grazed his lips with her own, testing the waters.

"Belle," he said softly, whispered really, the tone of warning, of fear clearly evident.

"I just wanted to see what it felt like," she said as she leaned down to kiss him a second time, softly, gently, briefly.

***Jack***

Internally, Jack said something like 'I give up' after she kissed him a third time. Outwardly, he gave expression to this decision by raising his hands slowly to cup Belle's face and draw her back to his lips, giving himself fully over to the experience this time and he felt her body relax against him as their fourth kiss evolved rapidly into something much more passionate, their mouths opening to each other, their tongues meeting.

When he felt her groan into his mouth he knew there was no going back. With a gentleness that he was a little surprised he was capable of, he moved his body, taking her with him so that their positions were reversed, Belle laying on her back underneath him and for a moment he paused just to look at her. Her auburn hair was spread across the pillow and she was looking right back at him, an expression on her face that all men dream about, and a euphoria he'd never experienced crashed over him.

It was only later, on reflection, that he realized that even in that moment, when he understood, finally, for certain, what was happening, that the thought that this was Belle Melville, global superstar and wet dream of men the world over never entered his mind. She was just Belle, the women he'd fallen for. Hard.

And while one part of him threatened to lose control, wanted to roam her body freely, feeling and touching ever inch of her, it was the other part that won out, the part that wanted to savor each moment, each new sensation as his hands carefully, slowly, flowed across her.

***Belle***

Belle found that she was squirming, almost writhing under Jack as their kissing now evolved into full-blown making out. He was running his hand slowly down along her body but it wasn't enough for her. She wanted his hands everywhere, all the time. It was as if her entire body had become one huge erogenous zone and every part of it craved madly for attention.

Her mind was awash with pleasure, euphoria overwhelming her and she actually chuckled into Jack's mouth a little bit when she realized that his kiss, his touch felt exactly as they had in her fantasy. When she could stand his delicacy no more, she took his hand in hers, running along her thigh now, and brought it higher, pressing it into her breast.

She felt Jack pull his lips away from hers and groan, moving his head to kiss her face and down her neck. She turned her head to allow him better access, closing her eyes and smiling. She thought back to just the day before, sitting alone on the beach, feeling like the world was closing in around her and she laughed again. Fuck that, she thought.

She wanted more. She thought her movement, and maybe her strength, took Jack a little by surprise, if the mild grunt he expressed was anything to go by. She pressed her arm into his shoulder and heaved him back, turning him over so he was on his back again while at the same time she lithely clambered onto his lap so she was straddling him.

With her body upright, she smiled down at him and she could see that his eyes were fixed on hers. She tried to remember a time when a man had ever looked at her like that before and an example eluded her. Not even Brian. She could see his excitement certainly but it was more than simple lust or wantonness in his eyes. Much more. His hands had found their way to her hips and were moving now to gently caress her thighs but she couldn't take her eyes off his.

She became aware quite suddenly of the hardness of his cock beneath her and, without having decided to do so, her hips started a slow grinding motion and she felt her pussy throb in anticipation.

***Jack***

Jack's mind felt oddly blank. There were no other thoughts, no practical matters that seemed to arise. He'd never before felt so genuinely mesmerized in his life. He wondered if this is what it felt like to be hypnotized. He couldn't tear his eyes from Belle's as he felt her hips start to move and he tightened the gentle grip of his hands, doing nothing to resist the urge to pull her against him.

He groaned again when she shook her head softly as she reached for the buttons on the front of her pajamas, popping them slowly, one by one before letting the garment fall away behind her. He felt his cock pulse as he took in the sight of her firm round breasts and her lean torso for the first time.

He felt her tug at the bottom of his t-shirt and he sat up a little to help her pull it over his head. He supported himself with his arms behind him as she leaned herself against his upper body and kissed him hard and slow before they eased back down together.

He felt his breath coming faster, heavier when she sat back up, the grinding motion of her hips feeling like it was getting harder. She took both of his hands in hers and brought them up along her body, pressing them into her breasts. For a moment it felt to Jack like he was handling some kind of priceless artefact as he slowly explored her upper body with his hands. He ran his hands across her breasts, allowing his thumbs to graze over her nipples and he saw Belle close her eyes and move her head back slowly and he was glad that her breath seemed to be getting just as heavy as his felt.

***Belle***

There would be plenty of time for this later, Belle thought, and leaned her body down again to kiss him. For the first time in her life she felt an irrepressible eagerness to have a cock inside her. It's not that Belle didn't enjoy sex, she absolutely did, and Brian had been a capable lover, but she'd never had this feeling before. The feeling that she had to have him right now. Like something bad would happen if she didn't.

She moved her body slowly along his, running her hands along his bare torso, planting small kisses as she went and adjusted herself so she could pull the waistband of his boxers with her as she moved down the bed. Jack raised his hips to help her and she couldn't resist an excited giggle as his cock sprang free. She took the opportunity to rid herself of her pajamas too and the simple realization that they were naked together for the first time only caused her raging lust to surge even more.

She crawled back up his body, taking his cock almost absent-mindedly in her hand as she did so until she was straddling him again and as she started to grind on him again. The feeling of her own wetness on his skin was electrifying.

"Belle... I don't have... what about..." he said, almost gasped. She knew what he was talking about, couldn't believe she'd gotten this far without thinking about it herself but then she hadn't had sex that involved a condom in years. She knew what she as going to do wasn't a good idea but she didn't really think she could stop herself.

"It's OK... we won't get pregnant. And I'm safe, I promise. I had myself tested after I heard about Brian's... extra-curricular stuff." She regretted having to mention Brian but she wanted to make sure there was no reason Jack might stop what was about to happen. "Are you...?"

"Yes... I... yes but..." She could see the look of concern, or maybe it was pain on this face.

"Good enough for me. I'm sorry Jack, but if I don't get you inside me in the next ten seconds I think I might actually explode."

She felt his body ripple under her as he laughed but she just couldn't wait any longer. She sat up just enough, gripping him in her hand again to guide him home. She closed her eyes as she felt his head press against her and pushed her hips back against him slowly, easing him into her and the deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in hissed out of her as she sank herself slowly down onto his length until she was pressed against him fully once more.

She hadn't had the opportunity, such was her haste, to make any kind of close inspection of his cock but she knew instantly that it felt very different to what she was used to and the sensation of fullness she had was not something she had experienced before. It might well have been the newness of that sensation that made it feel so good but whatever it was she really didn't care. They'd gone from that first, tentative kiss to fully impaled in a little over five minutes and yet she'd never felt as turned on before, never been so wet, so ready. She could feel her orgasm rising already.

***Jack***

Jack closed his eyes hard in a desperate attempt to stop himself from cumming immediately and he instantly regretted the fact that he hadn't masturbated in at least five days. While he desperately wanted this to be perfect, perfect for Belle, he knew to a certainty that it wasn't going to last very long. Or at least he wasn't.

His grip on her hips was automatic and he pulled and then pushed with her as, desperately slowly, she started to move herself on him again.

He gritted his teeth in concentration as the boiling hot cauldron of her pussy tried to squeeze the life from his cock. Although he wouldn't have described himself as prolific, he'd been with enough women to know that the copious pool of wetness around his crotch, the incredible slickness of Belle's movement on him, was unusual. It surprised him that the sound of it seemed to produce a surge of desire in him and he felt adrenaline coursing through him. He heard Belle whimper as he pushed his hips back up against her and he didn't resist the urge to slide one hand up along her body, grasping her firm breast gently.

***Belle***

Belle was lost in bliss. Conscious thought or movement seemed completely beyond her although she had enough awareness to know what her body was doing, entirely by itself. Her arms reached out to grasp at Jack's as he held her body and she was able to understand the instinctive movement. She needed more purchase, something to brace herself against so she could ride him harder, could obey her body's unstoppable urge to deepen the connection between them.

She was so wet that, when she rolled her hips to grind her clit against him as she slid forward on his cock, she prayed that her instincts would prevent her from moving too far, the threat of him slipping out because of the flood of lubrication a constant concern.