Original Sin

Eddie got up in the early morning to use the bathroom, and when he returned, he just stood at the foot of the bed for a moment and smiled to himself. Sin was lying on her stomach, her arms crossed beneath her head. She had pushed the blanket down to her waist, and her whole back was exposed to Eddie. He took a moment to study the two tattoos that ran down the length of either side of her back.

It was funny. Early in high school, Eddie had been the all-American kid. He was on the baseball team, did well in school, and was generally well liked by everyone. When he had started dating Meredith, his friend since grade school, this just added to his well-roundedness in everyone’s eyes.

It was only in his senior year of high school that Eddie started to realize that he might not want the perfectly normal life everyone expected of him. When his best friend’s girlfriend got pregnant, Eddie was there as a witness for the wedding of two people who were really kids themselves. “It’s not a big deal,” his best friend, Zach, told him. “We were planning on getting married after graduation anyway.”

Having Zach get married and drop out of school to start raising a family was a big shock to Eddie, but Meredith’s announcement to him a couple months later had really been a clincher. “I want you to know this has nothing to do with you, Eddie,” Meredith had told him gently. “You are a great guy. But the thing is, I don’t think I like guys. I like women.”

Meredith’s admission had caused a huge stir in his small-town community, but Eddie had stood by her side through it all. He believed her when she said it had nothing to do with him, and he defended her in the halls when classmates turned to calling her names. That Christmas vacation, sick of the small mindedness of his town, Eddie decided to send in an application to a small university in New York City, along with his expected application to State. He didn’t tell anyone but Meredith, who had smiled when he whispered his secret. “I think that’s a great idea,” she told him. “You’re too big for a small town like this, Eddie. You should get out, before you end up like Zach.”

What Meredith meant was that if Eddie went to State, he would most likely end up back in their small town after graduation, marrying soon, being strapped down to kids and a wife and a mortgage, never experiencing the world. And Meredith thought Eddie had what it took to make it. “You are so special,” she had told him at the airport the day he left for New York. “You go out there and show this town what someone great can really do.”

Looking at Sin’s sleeping form in front of him, Eddie smiled. Somehow, the kid who, ten years ago, was destined to one life by his family and peers, had changed the course of his fate. Aside from having dated a lesbian for two years – a thought that made Eddie chuckle – now this small town hick had this impulsive, beautiful, wild girl lying in his bed. And she was in his bed, when the night before she had been given the offer of waking up in the bed of the lead singer of one of the biggest bands around.

“How did I get here?” Eddie mused to himself.

At the sound of Eddie’s voice, Sin stirred. He watched as she sleepily turned over, blinking a few times and brushing hair from her face. Her upper body was still completely uncovered, and Eddie felt himself rousing seeing her lying there. “It’s early, isn’t it?” Sin asked, her voice tired and slightly whiny. “Why are you standing there staring at me? It’s kind of creepy.”

Laughing, Eddie moved to the side of the bed and sat beside Sin. Reaching over, he touched her face gently. “I was just wondering how I managed to get to this point, to have you here with me, to be so lucky.”

Smiling a little, Sin turned her face into Eddie’s hand and kissed his palm. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” she looked up at him. “But I am pretty much a train wreck. Being with me might be the dumbest move you’ve ever made.”

Lying down beside Sin and pulling the blanket over him, Eddie turned on his side and brought her close. “I don’t think so,” he told her, kissing her forehead softly as she nuzzled against his chest. “I think this is going to be a great adventure.”

Looking up into Eddie’s eyes, Sin didn’t know what to say. These were the sorts of things he said without any irony or embarrassment; this was pure Eddie. “For better or worse… I have to agree it will be, tiger,” she agreed, closing her eyes and bringing her mouth to Eddie’s. How did he do this? How did he make Sin feel so safe with only a few cheesy words, when she had spent her whole life searching for a way to stop hiding from the danger she felt around every corner?

Eddie shifted his body until he was lying above Sin, kissing her gently. It was funny; the first time Eddie had met Sin, she made him uncomfortable. The second time, nervous. But as time went on, her quirks and idiosyncrasies grew on Eddie, until he reached a point where, when he wasn’t around her, life seemed gray and boring. Everything about Sin was vibrant, and this moment was no different.

Sin ran her fingernails softly down Eddie’s back, loving the gentle way he was kissing her. He wasn’t racing for something more like the other men she had been with. Sure, his growing erection pressing against her thigh was a sure indicator that he was turned on being close to her, but Sin knew he would never do anything she didn’t want him to. And right now, he was more than welcome to pursue the desires his body was feeling, since Sin also wanted him.

Dropping his head down to Sin’s throat, Eddie kissed her and sucked gently at the soft skin. It amazed him that someone that gave off such a tough, hard appearance could be so utterly silky all over. Sliding down a little, Eddie let his lips wander slowly all over Sin’s chest. It was early; they were both still sleepy; there was no reason to rush this.

Letting out a soft moan, Sin relaxed her body and concentrated on how good Eddie’s caresses felt. His hands hand slid down, massing both breasts, while his lips and tongue teased the space between them. One hand slowly slid down then, over her flat stomach, until it reached between her thighs, causing Sin to let out a shuddered sigh.

Eddie could feel that Sin was already growing wet for him as his fingers ran over her. He let his knuckle press over her clit, making her body shiver slightly. Then he quickly sank one finger inside her, taking her by surprise and causing her to call out softly. Using his thumb to rub circles around her clit, Eddie began a gentle movement in and out of her while; at the same time, he took her nipple between his lips and began teasing it.

Below Eddie’s body, Sin was squirming, the feelings of pleasure through her body overwhelming her. But what she really wanted was to have Eddie inside her again. “Come here,” she beckoned as he looked up towards her face.

Without needing to be told twice, Eddie immediately shifted positions so he his face was directly above Sin’s, his hips between her thighs. “Do you know how sexy I think you are?” he asked her, pressing his mouth to hers before she could answer.

When the kiss finally broke, Sin looked into Eddie’s eyes. “It’s strange,” she told him. “I was actually nervous last night that when you finally saw me naked, you’d be turned off. I remember the first night we hung out, you asked me why I got tattoos.”

Feeling guilty, Eddie wanted to assuage Sin’s fears. “I was a bit of an ass,” he told Sin, eliciting a small laugh. “And I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by saying that. I guess I just wasn’t used to girls having tattoos, or at least as many as you have. But I can tell you in all honesty, when I saw you naked last night for the first time, I have never thought that anyone else in the history of the world was possibly ever more beautiful.”

“Dork,” Sin teased.

“Yeah,” Eddie grinned, no remorse. “So you okay being with an uncool, unbranded, midwestern boy like me?”

“You keep fucking like you did last night,” Sin’s eyes were dancing. “And I’ll have no problem.”

Letting out a little growl in response, Eddie dropped his mouth to Sin’s again. Reaching down between them, Eddie led himself to Sin, and with one quick movement, pressed inside her. Sin was so taken by surprise she released a muffled groan into his mouth.

Eddie immediately started moving within Sin, loving how her body reached up to match his thrusts. Her hands were running over his back, and she had moved her mouth down to his neck, biting down a little in a way that made Eddie tremble. The encouragement caused Eddie to begin pressing into Sin faster and harder, and within minutes, they were both covered in sweat.

Sin took Eddie into her body eagerly, more than pleased to find how passionate he could be with her. She felt him slide his arm under her waist, tilting her body slightly in a way that allowed him to press into her deeper. It took a minute for Sin to figure out that the moans she was hearing were coming from her own mouth. She had wrapped her thighs tightly around Eddie’s hips, and each deep penetration was so forceful, her body rocked.

His head buried in her silky hair, Eddie was using all his energy to drive into Sin, and he was loving every minute of it. Her hard nipples were scraping against his chest, her hips were bucking up to meet his, and her teeth were scraping over his shoulder. At this pace, it would have been easy for Eddie to come soon, but he had no intention of doing so until Sin had been fully sated.

Feeling Eddie raise his body slightly, Sin looked into his warm brown eyes, hazy with lust. As his hand reached down to tease her, she bit her lip and scraped her fingernails down his back hard. This only encouraged Eddie to move faster and harder, and within moments, Sin began to feel waves of pleasure passing over her. “Oh, God, yes,” she begged. “Fuck, Eddie, yes.” And with one long wordless cry, Sin came hard, her muscles contracting.

Having brought Sin to the place he intended, Eddie allowed his own body to begin to respond. Sin’s tightened body was perfect as he pushed into her several more times, still feeling her body trembling below his, until his ache overtook him and he released himself inside her with a groan.

Both their bodies were completely spent as Eddie gently rolled off Sin and pulled the blanket up around them. Pulling her close to him again, he kissed the top of her head, feeling better than he had ever remembered feeling.

“Damn, you’re a good fuck for a farm boy,” Sin laughed breathlessly as her body started to calm down. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“There’s no learning involved,” Eddie told her, his words also broken as his breathing tried to even out. “You try not having sex for a year, and see how eager you are.”

Looking up at him with a smirk, Sin shook her head. “No thanks,” she told him. “I’ll take your word for it. But if I have anything to say about it, you’re not going to have to worry about that ever again.”

-----

A few hours later, Sin woke up again. As she opened her eyes, she smiled to herself. She was still curled up in Eddie’s arms, being held protectively. Was it really just last night that they had finally revealed their feelings for each other? Considering how comfortable Sin felt waking up beside Eddie, she would have guessed they had been together forever.

Reaching up, Sin touched Eddie’s face gently. ‘This feels so right,’ she thought happily as she felt just a tiny bit of stubble forming on his cheek. At her touch, Eddie began wake up, too. Blinking his eyes a few times to adjust to the intrusion of light, he looked down and saw Sin looking up at him from his chest. “Hey,” he smiled at her. “Why are you lying there staring at me? It’s kind of creepy.”

“Shut up,” Sin chuckled. Pressing her head against his chest more, she just looked at him for a moment. “So, no regrets? About last night… and this morning?”

“Are you nuts?” Eddie asked, running his hand tenderly over Sin’s bare back. “God, I have been dreaming about this for months… dreaming about the morning when I could wake up naked with you and be honest about how great I think you are.”

Smiling despite herself, Sin chewed on her bottom lip. “I know I’m usually a wiseass,” she admitted, looking a little nervous to continue. “But I just want to let you know… I’m really happy. You’re such a great guy, and I feel so good about what’s happened between us.”

Tilting his head slightly, Eddie was able to place a soft kiss on Sin’s forehead. “Thank you,” he said with a grin.

“And now don’t expect any more mushy stuff from me,” Sin sat up suddenly, her cheeks tingeing slightly pink. “I’m not one for flowers or teddy bears or any of that shit. I also don’t like talking about my feelings too much, so you’re going to have to deal with that.”

Smirking, Eddie sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Sin,” he said, amusement evident in his voice. “We had sex last night, but this isn’t a one night stand. I’ve known you for months now. It never occurred to me that you would suddenly want a heart-shaped box of chocolates or a hallmark card with a picture of the sunrise over a beach on the front of it. Just because we’re… you know, changing our relationship, doesn’t mean you have to re-teach me everything I know about you.”

Trying to give Eddie a sneer – but failing miserably because a smile kept dancing across her lips – Sin just shook her head. “Well, good,” she said, throwing the covers off of her and standing up next to the bed. “I was just making sure.”

‘Down, boy,’ Eddie told his body as he felt it start reacting to seeing Sin standing before him completely naked. “Well, you can be sure,” he said as he checked to confirm the blanket was fully covering his lower body. “Now, why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll take one next.”

Looking with confusion at Eddie, since that statement had been out of left field, a smirk started crossing over Sin’s expression. “Okay,” she said, walking towards the foot of the bed. Suddenly, though, she grabbed the blanket and pulled it off the bed, leaving Eddie – half hard – exposed to her. “Wow, you really haven’t gotten laid in a while, have you?” Sin teased.

Shrugging, Eddie felt his cheeks heat. “It’s not that,” he said honestly. “I just can’t get past how gorgeous you are.”

Not knowing how to respond when Eddie made these completely honest, sweet and complimentary statements, Sin looked down towards the floor and saw her jeans in a heap. Leaning down, she picked them up, and then reached over to grab her shirt. “Well, I’m going to get in the shower now, perv,” she joked. “You can, um, take care of yourself while I’m in there.”

Eddie watched as Sin walked a few steps across the room, and then turned around. “Or you can join me, and I’ll see what I can do to help.” With that, she turned again and kept moving towards the bathroom.

A big grin on his face, Eddie didn’t have to think twice about that one. Leaping from the bed, he rushed across the room and reached Sin just before she made it into the bathroom. Sliding his arms around her waist, he pulled her back to his chest and inhaled the scent of her hair deeply. “I think I’ll join you,” he murmured into her ear.

Sin shivered as she felt Eddie’s lips press against the sensitive skin on her neck. She could feel his erection pushing into her lower back, and his hands had already slid up to cup her breasts. “Okay, Sparky,” her voice was teasing. “But come on. I think you can make it into the shower.”

“Probably,” Eddie growled a little, still holding her close as they stepped into the bathroom. “But I make no guarantees,” he added as he closed the door behind them.

-----

It seemed to Sin that somehow her friends had some weird sixth sense about her sex life. Within a couple hours of her shower with Eddie, she had gotten a call from Ava, followed in minutes by a call from Lianna, and even a call from Tavian.

“Fine!” Sin yelled at Tavian into the cell phone as she entered her apartment. “Yes! I fucked him. Are you happy?” After Ava and Lianna needling her for details, Sin just gave up before Tavian said two words.

“I’m sure whoever you fucked is happy,” Tavian’s amused voice came over the line. “But I was actually calling to see if you could take a few pictures of Madison and me. Madison’s mom asked. It’s got something to do with the engagement.”

“Oh,” Sin’s cheeks were scarlet. “Um, of course.”

“Sin…” Tavian’s voice was teasing. “You don’t think you’re going to get away with that now, do you? Maddy’s going to insist I find out who you had sex with.”

Grumbling to herself for bursting out in admission before Tavian had even asked a question, Sin let out a sigh. “Eddie,” she said softly.

“Really? That’s great. I mean, that’s great, right?” Tavian sounded confused as he spoke, making Sin smile. Unlike Ava and Lianna, Tavian was more like Sin – he didn’t know how to discuss feelings very well. “I mean, you guys were pretty close as it was. Is this going to be, like, an ongoing thing?”

“Are you asking if I’m going to sleep with Eddie again?” Sin joked, knowing she was making Tavian uncomfortable. “Don’t you think that’s a little private?”

“Shut up,” Tavian’s blush was almost evident in his voice. “Wench. I just meant are you guys, like, a couple now?”

Chewing on her lip, Sin closed her eyes and smiled at the memory her mind brought forward. It was from when she and Eddie were showering that morning. After an incredibly satisfying round of sex against the shower stall wall, Eddie had then washed Sin’s body for her. He was slow and gentle and sweet, and he made Sin feel beautiful.

“I think we are,” Sin finally replied to Tavian.

“Good,” Tavian sounded genuinely happy for his friend. “Because you know I think Zip’s cool, but you deserve a guy that’s going to treat you well.”

“You going soft on me, loser?” Sin asked jokingly.

“Fuck you,” Tavian chuckled. “That’ll teach me to treat you like a girl.”

“I never asked you to,” Sin shot back, grinning to herself. “And we both know that, between the two of us, I’ve always been the one with the bigger balls.”

“That must have come as a shock to Eddie,” Tavian laughed.

Shaking her head, Sin was glad that Tavian had called. While she though Ava and Lianna were great, they both wanted so badly to get into things deeply. Sin just wasn’t that kind of person. Tavian understood that. Joseph understood that.

And Eddie understood that.

“Listen, I have some work to do,” Sin started winding down the conversation. “But I’ll give you a call later in the week to set up a time and place to take the pictures for you and Madison, okay?”

“That’s great,” Tavian’s voice was friendly and warm. “Thanks, Sin. And you know, you and I should get a beer or something. I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

“I’m just going to start calling you a sissy boy if you keep on acting on the need to express your deepest feelings to me.”

“Never mind,” Tavian replied wryly. “Forget I said anything. I don’t want to hang out with you anyway. You’re just mean.”

“Said the sissy boy,” Sin pushed.

“To the bitchy girl,” Tavian shot back.

“Right on,” Sin laughed. “I’ll talk to you soon, Tavian.”

Hanging up the phone, Sin took a seat on her couch and looked around the room. Somehow, everything just looked a little nicer today. Sin liked the color of her walls more, the picture framed over her mantle more, the way the sunlight peered into her living room through the window just a little bit more today than she ever had before.

Because of Eddie.

Eddie had already had plans to meet with some students from his school for a project they were working on that afternoon, so Sin had to leave him for a few hours. But he had promised to come by later that night, and to bring takeout so they could have dinner together, curl up on the couch watching movies, and spend the night together again.

When Sin’s phone started ringing again, she rolled her eyes. Who was this going to be? Hadn’t she already spoken to all her friends about Eddie, although their relationship was less than twenty-four hours old? Glancing at the caller ID, Sin’s stomach lurched. It was Zip.

Debating with herself for a moment, Sin finally decided to answer. “Hey,” she greeted Zip.

“Hey,” Zip’s voice was more subdued than usual. “How are you doing?”

There was no way Sin was going to tell Zip how (or why) she had been flying high all morning – not that he would want to know. “I’m good,” she said. “How about you? Are you still in the City?”

“Until tomorrow morning,” Zip responded. “I was calling to see if we could have dinner or something tonight. I know that last night was kind of intense, and I want to sort of apologize if I went too far with that kiss and the shit I said. I guess I was just surprised that you were with someone else already.”

“I’m not mad,” Sin replied honestly. “But I already have plans for tonight.”

“With him?” Zip asked. Even though he didn’t know who ‘him’ was, Sin knew he was asking if she had plans with the guy she was seeing now.

“Yeah,” Sin answered.

“Well, how about lunch then?” Zip asked. “It’s only one now.” Hearing hesitancy in the way Sin was breathing, Zip pushed on. “Please, Sin. I get that you’re seeing someone. Even if I was an asshole last night, I’m not there now. I just want to hang out with you. I’ve missed you.”

‘Don’t, don’t, don’t,” Sin told herself. Not that she didn’t trust herself with Zip now; she knew that Eddie was the one she really wanted. But she just felt like spending time with Zip would somehow turn out to be a dumb move. Still, the pleading sound in his usually cocky voice was too much for Sin. “I don’t know why you want to hang out,” Sin joked. “Our meetings have a habit of usually ending with me calling you a dickhead or something and storming off.”

“Unless of course they end with us -” Zip stopped himself before finishing his sentence. “Well, let’s see if we can break old habits. No fighting, no fucking, just hanging out.”

Swallowing hard, Sin finally relented. “Sid’s Diner in one hour.”

“I’ll see you then,” Zip agreed happily.

As Sin hung up the phone, she looked around the room again. Somehow, the things that had seemed so bright and effervescent a few minutes earlier seemed just a bit muted now. It was amazing how one person could make things feel ‘more’, and another could make them feel ‘less’. And it was amazing that these two people were the only two men that Sin had ever really cared for.

-----

Across town, Zip walked into the bathroom and picked up the gel bottle, squeezing some into his hands and running them through his hair. “This has to work,” he told his reflection. “She just needs some time, and to be reminded how good we are together. And I don’t care if she’s dicking around with some other guy in the meantime. There’s no way she met anyone that gets her like I do.”

Walking into the living room, Zip grabbed his jacket and keys. ‘Today is just going to be a reintroduction,’ he told himself as he walked out of the apartment. ‘When I get back to town, then I can really start to show her how I feel.’

-----

SORRY FOR THE HIATUS. FAMILY IS IN TOWN, MAKING FINDING THE TIME TO WRITE MORE DIFFICULT.

ANYWAY, THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE READ AND REVIEWED. I WANTED TO HAVE A COUPLE FLUFFY CHAPTERS, CONSIDERING IT TOOK TEN CHAPTERS TO GET A KISS, BUT NOW THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET COMPLICATED AGAIN – EVEN MORESO THAN BEFORE. JUST A WARNING! NOW A FEW WORDS TO REVIEWERS:

WOLF: I MAY HAVE TO GET A RESTRAINING ORDER. YOUR THREATS OF VIOLENCE ARE STARTING TO SCARE ME! JUST KIDDING. AND I’LL TRY TO UPDATE MORE OFTEN.

FOAMYFAN15010: THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT ABOUT MY LOVE SCENES. AND YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK ME FOR PUTTING YOUR STORY UNDER MY RECOMMENDED READING. I DID IT BECAUSE IT IS REALLY GOOD!

IOTC247: I WRITE FOR THE ROMANCE TOO, NOT THE SEX SCENES. BUT WHETHER IN REAL LIFE OR A STORY, I THINK SEX CAN BE AN AMAZING PART OF A ROMANCE.

CU-KID: I HOPE I DIDN’T GET YOU IN TROUBLE AT WORK!

LADY RAIN: INTERESTING IDEA… HEE.

GIRLFIXER: THE HOT BAD BOYS ARE MY FAVE USUALLY, TOO. MY FIANCE IS LIVING PROOF OF THAT!

DOM: I HATE THAT TOO. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SOMEONE ELSE, YOU SHOULD BE SLEEPING WITH SOMEONE ELSE. PERIOD.

ADAEE: YOUR REVIEW MADE MY DAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANKS ALSO TO ANGEL, SESSHY_LOVER, CARIAD, EBONI, CHICO, AND NISH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REVIEW. IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME!