THERE’S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
BELLA
“L et’s get out of here,” Addi said.
I shot her a look from where I stood behind the bar.
“I was wondering where all the customers had gone.” I finished drying some glasses before setting them on the rack before scrubbing at the spills that had grown sticky.
“You didn’t even notice that I’d locked the place up.” She laughed before jingling the keys in her hand.
“Why are we leaving?”
There were still hours to go before the restaurant typically closed. But as I finally looked around and took stock of the space, I realized that the other employees were already gone, and it was just Addi and me standing in an otherwise empty restaurant.
“Everyone is at your man’s house, and we’re missing out.” She pouted, but all I could focus on was her calling Matthew my man . “It’s not fair.” She actually stomped her foot on the floor.
“So, we’re leaving to go over there?”
“Hell yes, we are!” she shouted before punching a fist in the air. “And we’re bringing food for the masses.” She pointed at the stacks of packed-up meats and sides behind her.
“How many people are over there?” I asked because that looked like enough food to feed a damn army.
“Just the family. But knowing Matthew, I’m sure he has no food at his new place, so now, he’ll have some. You two will need to come up for air and eat at some point.”
She winked, and instead of playing stupid or even responding to that comment, which was too heavy to unload, I simply thanked her.
“Let me help,” I said before I grabbed a few of the containers and headed toward the back door, where our cars were parked. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Not really. I’ll follow you,” she said as she placed some of the containers in the back of her car. She hopped in the driver’s side and waited for me to take the lead.
I put my stack on the passenger floor. “Let’s go, Betty,” I said to my car. I hoped she didn’t realize I was going to replace her soon.
When we pulled up to Matthew’s house, I was grateful that the large privacy gate was open. I drove in and stopped behind Patrick’s truck, noticing the rest of the family’s cars parked in random places. Addi had been right; everyone was here. Exiting my car, I grabbed the trays and waited for Addi to get to the front door with me.
I wrongfully assumed that we’d knock or ring the doorbell, but Addi pushed the door open and held it with her foot. I followed her inside, balancing the food before heading into the kitchen.
“You sure know your way around the place,” Addi whispered.
I shot her a look. “I did show him the house.” I rolled my eyes as we headed into the kitchen and deposited the trays on top of the oversize counter without anyone realizing we were even here.
“Hello!” Addi suddenly shouted.
A chorus of hellos hit us before the sound of running feet echoed in our direction.
“They must have been outside,” I said as I heard the balcony door shut.
The entire O’Grady family appeared in the kitchen with giant smiles on their faces.
“You closed early?” Patrick asked as he swept Addi into a hug and kissed her hard, their dog, Jasper, right on his heel.
“And you brought food?” Matthew asked as he lifted one of the tops off and inhaled, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent.
“You brought a lot of food,” Mr. O’Grady said with a laugh. “But I’m not complaining,” he said as he pretended to wipe the non-existent drool from his lips.
No one in Sugar Mountain would complain about Addison bringing them a meal.
“More food!” Clara said as she ran toward Addi, who bent down to give her a hug.
“Did you already eat?” Addi asked.
Clara shook her head dramatically. “Mama Waffles and I got pizza!”
“That was hours ago,” Matthew said as he stalked straight to me. “Hey, babe.”
He leaned down to kiss me in front of everyone, and I turned my head quickly, his lips hitting my cheek instead of my mouth.
“Hey.” I blushed.
We were still so new. Brand-new really. I wasn’t prepared for the public display of affection.
“Uncle Matthew, did you just try to kiss Bella?” Clara asked behind a laugh.
“You saw that? How embarrassing,” he joked, and she put her little fist up to her mouth as she continued to giggle.
“We all saw that. It was embarrassing,” Thomas added with a smile, his arms wrapped around Brooklyn’s waist as his hands flexed over her stomach. “You two missed the big announcement.”
Brooklyn flinched. “We didn’t mean to tell everyone without you.” She looked genuinely apologetic.
I already knew what was coming from our interaction during the restaurant’s big opening, but Addi apparently did not.
“What announcement?”
“About the Little Goo,” Clara said, and that comment cleared up nothing.
“We’re pregnant.” Brooklyn beamed, and Addi let out some sort of squeal before she launched toward her future sister-in-law and hugged her.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you. Congratulations!”
Patrick pulled Addi away and held on to her. “Should we tell them our news?”
Addi glanced back at him. “I think we need to.”
Everyone quieted down at once and focused on the couple.
“One of you, speak,” Matthew demanded.
“We’re getting married in two weeks,” Patrick said.
The room erupted into shouts and questions, and everyone was talking over each other.
I had not known this was coming. Addi hadn’t even hinted at it. Or talked about dresses, flowers, or any of the typical things that weddings usually entailed.
“Two weeks?” I broke through the excited chatter.
“Yep. The wedding will be at our house. Simple. Family only,” Patrick added before looking at me. “That includes you, Bella.”
Matthew took a possessive step toward me and grabbed my body. He pulled my back against his chest and held me tight. “Of course it includes Bells. She’s my date.”
I tried to chuckle, but his grip was so tight that my chest barely moved.
“Thank you for including me,” I managed to get out.
“Of course. We love you,” Addi said, and I actually believed her.
This family had a way of making you feel like you belonged with them.
“Can I tell them my news?” Mr. O’Grady pinned his middle son with a look, and Patrick nodded. The announcements refused to stop coming. “I’m marrying them.”
“What?” Thomas asked, his expression a mixture between shock and awe.
“Got ordained yesterday. You’re looking at Sugar Mountain’s newest online minister or whatever it said,” he tried to explain, but was clearly confused. “Doesn’t matter.” He waved a hand in the air. “I can marry people now, and I’m marrying them.”
“I’m going to do that too, Pops.” Clara tugged on his shirt.
“Do what?”
“Marry people. Maybe I’ll marry Uncle Matthew and Bella,” she said before looking right at me. Not at her uncle. At me .
Hell, everyone was now staring at me. I might have passed out from the weight of their looks if Matthew hadn’t been holding on to me so tight.
“What’d you bring us to eat?” Matthew changed the subject.
I finally took a full breath as soon as everyone started focusing on the food instead of us.
Matthew spun me around and tipped my chin up. “Breathe, Bells.”
“I am,” I lied.
“It’s okay. We don’t have to get married anytime soon,” he said before leaning down and taking my mouth with his.
It happened too quickly for me to turn my head or even think before I was lost in that kiss and in him. That was, until everyone started clapping.
I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide there. Possibly forever.
But then Clara walked over and reached out her hand. I glanced around at everyone who was watching us curiously before taking her tiny hand in mine. She led us into another room, and I had no idea what was going on.
“Bella-rina, fo-fina,” she said, and I wondered for a split second if she was talking to me or not. “I’m happy you let Uncle Matthew kiss you.”
“You are?” I fought back a laugh because I was not sure where this conversation was heading.
“Yeah. ’Cause he’s all alone. And now, he’s not.”
“Well, he has you,” I said in response.
She shook her little head, her brown hair swishing. “No. I mean, Daddy has Mama Waffles. Uncle Patrick has Starfish Addi. And now, Uncle Matthew has you. That just leaves Pops, but I don’t think Pops is sad to be alone,” she explained, and I cocked my head to the side as I listened to her wise words. “Do you think Pops is sad?”
“He doesn’t seem like it,” I answered honestly because Mr. O’Grady truly did look happy and satisfied. He was surrounded by three sons who adored him and ran a thriving business together.
“Maybe when you and Uncle Matthew get married, I can marry you. I’ll do the ’dained stuff like Pops did on the computer.”
“Maybe,” I agreed—because what the hell else was I supposed to say?
“Okay,” she said before walking away and leaving me standing in the room by myself.
The family had finally cleared out, and suddenly, this large house felt way too small. Matthew and I were the only two people left, and the anticipation of what would most likely come was almost suffocating. It wasn’t like I could put off sleeping with him forever. I could put it off for much longer if I chose to, but the truth was that I was ready to take this step.
I wanted to have sex, and I wanted to have it with Matthew. I used to worry about him being my first, but now, it felt like it was always supposed to be this way. Like giving myself to him was the only thing that made sense. My body knew that it could trust him. Matthew would never hurt me or use my virginity against me in any way.
“Are you nervous?” Matthew asked as I sat on top of the kitchen counter, watching him toss the dirty paper plates into a large trash bag.
“For what?” I asked coyly.
A grin appeared. “You know what for.”
He licked his lips before pulling his bottom lip into his mouth, and my body tingled in response.
“We’re spending the night together for the first time, Bells. It’s a big deal.”
I must have made some sort of face because Matthew stopped what he was doing, his blue eyes growing wide.
“Bells, we don’t have to do anything other than sleep. You know I’m only messing around. I mean, I want to make love to you, of course. But if you’re not ready, I’ll wait. I didn’t mean to pressure you or anything.”
This man was a hundred times sweeter and more sensitive than I’d ever realized he was. He had always been so confident, but underneath that tough exterior was a soft heart.
“I don’t feel pressured. And honestly, I kind of want to get it over with already,” I blurted out.
He pressed his lips together in a tight line as he closed the space between us.
“Really? Get it over with? Is that all I’m good for?”
He spread my legs apart and stepped in between them, his body so much larger than mine. My arms instinctively reached out to wrap around his lower back.
“I don’t even know if you’re good at the sex part yet,” I teased, and he leaned down, his mouth on my neck.
“Oh, I’m very good at the sex part,” he whispered in my ear before he started kissing me softly.
My body instantly reacted. Chills spread down my legs, and my head leaned to the side in response to where his lips pressed against me.
“We’ll only do whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll wait as long as you want,” he informed, letting me know that I was in complete control of our pacing.
I appreciated it, but didn’t need it.
“Thank you,” was all I could think to say.
And even though I was suddenly nervous, I still wanted to do this. I tried to shut off the part of my brain that was overthinking, but it was hard. Matthew had so much experience. I had very little.
“Okay. I’m ready,” I offered like this was no big deal.
“Let’s go then, little pixie.”
He grinned before lifting me off the counter and into his arms. I was tossed over his shoulder, and I could have kicked and created a ruckus, but I flopped onto his back instead and propped my head up with my hands.
He walked us into his bedroom, which I hadn’t even seen yet. There was a bed that was fully made, a dresser, and a TV already mounted on the wall, and that was it. But it was the candles on top of the dresser that got my attention. They were lit, creating a romantic glow, and I knew he’d done that for me.
Matthew maneuvered my body easily as he placed me on top of the comforter, which was a little cold to the touch. I breathed in, noticing the way it smelled freshly washed as Matthew stood at the end of the bed, staring at me.
“You look damn good on my bed.” He licked his lips as his eyes scanned the length of my body.
I swallowed hard. “Okay, listen.” I put up a hand as I scooted toward the headboard and pressed my back against it. “You can’t look at me like that.”
Matthew was on the bed, his knees folded underneath the weight of him, and I wondered if it bothered his injured one.
“Like what?”
“All lustful and like you want to eat me for dinner.”
He smirked before wagging his eyebrows. “Now that you mention it.”
A laugh bubbled out, but it wasn’t an entirely comfortable one. “I want to do this. I do. But when you look at me like that, all full of experience and like you know what’s coming next, it makes me even more nervous. There’s just too much focus on me, I think.”
I wasn’t sure how to explain the way I felt, and I hoped that whatever I had said made some sort of sense to him because it sure as hell didn’t really make sense to me.
“Want me to ravish you with my eyes closed?” he asked, his tone teasing.
“I think that’s just it.” I snapped my fingers. “I don’t necessarily want to be ravished for my first time,” I said, biting my bottom lip. “I just kind of want to do it with nothing extra.”
Assuming that I sounded like some sort of lunatic, I almost told Matthew to just forget it and do whatever he had planned, but he spoke instead. “That makes sense.”
“Does it?” I asked because I sort of felt like a fool.
He nodded. “Yeah. The other stuff is too much. We can save it for another time.”
A small sliver of relief coursed through me as I inhaled a calming breath. “I think I’d like that.”
Matthew pushed off of the bed and stretched his legs. Sitting that way had to have been uncomfortable. I watched him go through some motions.
“Sorry, my knee.”
“I figured.”
Once he was done kicking his leg back and forth, he glanced at me. “I just want it noted for the record.” He put up a finger.
I repeated his words. “For the record.”
“That I wanted tonight to be romantic. And I wanted to do all sorts of naughty things to you.” He winked. “But I need you to know that I think you’re the most beautiful woman on the planet, Bells.”
My eyes filled with moisture, but I blinked rapidly to stop them from spilling over. “Thank you,” I tried to say, but it came out in a strained whisper.
“You want to do this, right?” he asked as I lowered my body from its sitting position to be lying down instead.
“I want to do this.”
His breath hitched as he reached for my shoes and pulled them off. I heard them thump as they hit the floor. His fingertips grazed down the length of my leg as he removed my pants next. I tugged my own shirt off and threw it somewhere, figuring that I’d find it later before realizing that I was lying on Matthew O’Grady’s bed in nothing but my bra and panties.
“So beautiful,” he said as he kissed my stomach, and my entire body clenched in response.
He stood back up and started taking his clothes off. Slowly. He was giving me a show, and I was mesmerized, watching it. Matthew had always been hot, but seeing him like this was another level of sexy. My throat felt thick as he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head, revealing his still-toned stomach and abs. The sound of a zipper had my focus immediately moving toward his jeans. He dropped them and stood there in a pair of black boxer briefs that did a number on his thighs. Even though he wasn’t in the NHL anymore, this man was still built like an athlete.
Reaching for the waistband of his briefs, he warned, “I’m taking these off now.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, my eyes completely transfixed on what I was about to see.
And just like that, all of his clothes had been discarded. I tried to stop my mouth from falling open, but failed. I had no idea if all penises looked like that one, but the thing was huge. Or at least it seemed huge. What the hell did I know about the subject?
“Bells?” Matthew said my name, drawing my attention from the beast between his legs.
“Mmhmm?”
“You, okay?” There was amusement in his tone.
“I guess? Do they all look like that?” I asked.
He barked out a laugh. “Don’t really go around looking at other guys’ dicks, babe.”
“Oh, right. Okay.” I tried to sound calm, but I was freaking out a little. “Condom?” I asked.
His expression actually looked like he’d forgotten.
“Do you not normally use them?” I was very nervous to hear his answer.
“Every time. Always. It just slipped my mind with you.” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it.
His response made me feel much better. While he was fiddling around inside the top drawer of his dresser, I took the liberty of removing the last of my clothes. And now, I was completely naked. Matthew spun around, the condom in his hand when he noticed what I’d done.
“I’m trying to keep my thoughts to myself so I don’t make things too heavy for you, Bells, but my God. I’ve been dreaming about this body for months.”
“Well, I’ve been dreaming about you for years, so I win.”
He looked like a man on a mission as he stalked over to the bed and got on top of it. Moving himself next to me, he lay on his back, his penis all sticking up and demanding to be seen.
“You can touch it,” he said.
I reached my hand out to put my fingertips on the length and squeezed.
Matthew sucked in a loud breath.
“Did that hurt?”
“No. It feels good.”
“Oh,” I said, marveling at how stiff it felt in my grasp. “It’s so hard.”
“It likes you.” He shot me a grin.
I heard the sound of the condom wrapper tearing. I watched him with intent, soaking up the things he did to memory. Pulling it out, he placed it at the top of his dick and rolled it on.
“I’m going to touch you first, Bells,” he warned.
I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. But then his fingers were between my legs, and he was pushing them inside. He pulled them in and out of my body, and I liked the way it felt.
My breaths were starting to grow shallow as Matthew pulled out his fingers and rolled on top of me, his body hovering over mine. This was exactly how I wanted to do it for my first time. Missionary. Some people called it the world’s most boring position, but it looked like the best place to start to me.
“Tell me if I hurt you or if it hurts.” Matthew sounded like he was in some kind of pain of his own. “Promise you’ll tell me.”
“I promise,” I said as he inched closer.
“I’m going to go slow, but I don’t know, Bells. I feel like this is going to take all of my self-control.”
“I want to tell you to do whatever you want, but I definitely need you to go slow.”
“Are you scared?”
“Just that it’s going to hurt. Everyone says it hurts.”
“I’m not going to lie. It probably will hurt a little. But tell me if it hurts a lot, okay?”
“Okay.”
And with my okay, Matthew was moving inside of my body, a little at a time. The burning sensation was what I felt first, followed by some pain. He moved in and then out, and each time, it felt like it got easier and more slippery. By the time he was fully inside of me, the pain had subsided to a tolerable level, and it actually felt good.
“Are you okay?” He stopped moving, his breath hot on my face.
“Yes. Keep going,” I said as I pulled at his back, my nails digging into his flesh.
Instead of making some smart-ass remark, he stayed quiet and leaned down to kiss me. Our bodies moved together. We breathed in sync and kept kissing the entire time. Matthew made me feel safe.
“I’m real close. I’m sorry,” he apologized as soon as he broke our kiss.
I had no idea what he was sorry for. Before I could ask him, his body violently shook as his face tensed up. His shoulders tightened, and he started thrusting hard inside of me.
With one last rough push, my head hit the headboard, and an, “Ow,” escaped my lips before I could stop it.
“Shit, Bells. I’m sorry. I lost control at the end. Is your head okay?” His hand was now on the top of my head, holding it in place.
“I’m fine. I didn’t expect to get that,” I said as he pulled himself from me slowly and rolled over.
“I gotta get this cleaned up. I’ll be right back.” He shuffled off the bed, and he held his penis in his hand before he disappeared into the bathroom. “Are you sore?” he shouted.
I looked down and noticed a bit of blood on top of his comforter.
“I think I’m bleeding,” I said, and Matthew was by my side before I could say another word. “I’m sorry. Is it ruined?”
“Doesn’t matter, babe. Are you okay? Do you want some Advil?”
This attentive side of Matthew was so damn sweet. I found myself loving every second of it.
“Advil might be good.”
When he left the room, I went into the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I realized in that moment how sore I actually was. It had hurt initially, but that pain disappeared pretty quickly and was replaced with other emotions. Now that I’d come down from the high of it all, the discomfort was settling in.
There was a soft knock on the bathroom door.
“You can come in.”
“I have your Advil and some water,” Matthew said as he stepped inside, wearing only his boxer-briefs.
I tossed the two pills he’d handed me into my mouth and finished off the entire glass of water as well. “Thanks.”
He reached for my hand and held it as he led me back to the bed. I searched in the discarded pile of clothes for my panties and slipped them on, wanting some sort of covering on my body like he had.
The comforter was gone, and another blanket was in its place. Matthew pulled back the covers, and I slipped inside. We lay side by side, facing each other as I waited for the Advil to kick in.
“So, that was sex, huh?” I asked, running my fingers along the barely there scruff on his face.
That thing that I’d been holding on to for so many years was finally over. I never had to think about the fact that I was still a virgin ever again. Because I wasn’t one anymore.
“It was,” he said before moving his lips to where my hand was and kissing my palm. “Wait. Did you not like it?”
I grinned as I stared right at him. “I don’t really have anything to compare it to,” I teased before adding, “I just heard so many horror stories about how bad first times could be. How anticlimactic. And how guys were two-pump chumps before it was all over.”
“I did not two-pump-chump you,” he said defensively.
My laughter filled the space between us. “You did not.”
His large arm reached for my body, and he pulled me onto his chest, holding me tight. I was hit with so many thoughts and feelings in that moment.
“I can feel your brain working, babe,” Matthew spoke the words against my head, his breath warm. “What are you thinking about?”
“So many things,” I admitted.
“Tell me.”
I sucked in a deep, long breath. “I’m happy it’s over. I’m relieved it was with you. And I’m sad for everyone who didn’t wait this long to have sex for the first time.”
“Really? Why are you sad?” His tone was filled with questioning.
I lifted my head from his chest and propped my head on my arms to look at him. “Because everyone says how bad their first time was. And of course it was. They were all doing it with guys who didn’t know how to do it right yet. Having sex for the first time with you, at this age, just seemed different. I think my first time had to be better than everyone else’s.”
He seemed to like that answer because a cocky grin spread across his face.
“Wait until we get to the second time. And the third,” he said.
I wanted to tell him that I was ready now, but decided to sleep on it instead.
Once was enough for tonight.