Burning Up (Jacob Black)

19. Bath

"Oh, god," his eyes looked mortified, but the corners of his lips curled into a dissonant smile. "Um, let me, like, get you some water or something," his voice faltered. He rose to his feet awkwardly and tugged his underwear back on.

I focused on my breathing as I hoisted myself off the floor. I giggled to myself at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. My giggle crystallized into a silent smile as I stood there, still naked, in the middle of his garage.

Jacob returned, his eyes darting around the ground shyly with a plastic bottle of water in his hand.

"Here's some water, baby. I'm sorry again." He met my eyes for a split second.

I took the water off his hands and chugged a couple of gulps. My smile broke through my expression again as I looked at him, his cheeks still permeated with red.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked, his eyebrows perching his brow bones speculantly. He took a step towards me and took my free hand in his while the other hand wrapped around the wrist of my occupied hand.

"Oh, nothing," my smile cracked into a grin.

"Sure doesn't seem like nothing." He replied. "Come on, let's get cleaned up." He said before I could respond.

He tugged on my wrist, but I held up a finger, one sec. I gulped down half the water bottle, washing away any of the burning sensation in my throat. Then, I quickly reached for my gingham dress and tugged it over me—no bra, no panties.

"Oh, you won't be needing that." One of his eyebrows raised along with the corner of his mouth. "I'll run a bath."

My eyes softened—thinking just a few minutes ahead—before my sarcastic edge returned. "Sorry, I'm not too keen on going outdoors butt-naked." I cocked my head to the side. "It'll just be a minute before you see me naked again. Can't you handle that?" I leaned forward as I whispered the last part.

His eyes narrowed, his expression piqued.

"Well, when you put it like that... I'm not so sure that I can, Bella." He drew closer hastily and used his index and middle fingers to imitate his hand into a walking figure, inching up my torso. My eyes widened in surprise. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Let's go."

Although I told him I was a big girl now and I could walk the ten yards from his garage to his house, he insisted on carrying me so I wouldn't have to go through the relentless burden of putting my shoes on. Pfft.

His lone footsteps echoed off the wooden floor of his house. He finally set me down once we reached the bathroom. The stone floor was chilly on the soles of my feet as I looked in the mirror while he drew the bath. The water rushed turbulently in the background. I noticed my mascara was running slightly. My hand reached toward my face instinctively. I felt the warmth in the apples of my cheeks as I remembered why that was...

Suddenly, I felt the heat of his hand on the small of my back. I leaned away from the counter and saw the two of us in the mirror. A tingly, soft feeling washed over me as I stared at him next to me in the reflection. In the mirror, I saw him gazing upon my face. It felt like I gained the outside perspective, seeing the way he looked at me. Although his eyes were the color of midnight, they were just as alive as the sunshine when they looked at me. I turned back to him, feeling the sunshine in my own gaze when my eyes met his. He let the silence drag for a second or two.

"Bath's ready." He informed me simply, smiling.

I nodded. I peeled off my dress and let it fall to the ground.

"Worth the wait?" I shifted my weight to one leg.

"Every second."

His expression was vastly different at this moment. Before, in the garage, his face was tense with arousal. His lips parted, his eyebrows turned upwards, his eyes fluttering during stuttered whimpers. I blushed as I recalled it. But now, his expression was calm, serene. His breathing was so slow it was like every exhale was a sigh. I realized I loved seeing this peacefulness wash over him, over us. I climbed into the bath.