Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Chapter 12
Sooo, a little 'oops' happened, and we kind of maybe a little bit forgot to post Chapter 12 here on the blog. But, here it is now and Chapter 13 won't be far behind! Please forgive us? *pouts*
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“Oh, for God’s sake, go do that in your room!” I cried, as I walked out of my bedroom and caught my baby sister straddling Jasper’s lap. “Better yet, go to YOUR apartment, Jazz.” I whacked him on the back of the head as I walked past, and strode into the kitchen for some breakfast.
“I’m gonna have to burn my couch. I just know it,” I mumbled to myself as I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.
“Hey, Alice!” I yelled. “Could you kindly detach yourself from Jasper’s face for five minutes so I can talk to you please?”
She skidded around the corner a few seconds later, her short hair sticking up in all directions. She hopped up on the counter next to me, swinging her legs and grinning like mad. “‘Sup, bro?” she asked, reaching over to ruffle my hair.
I reached over to the counter and picked up my phone, pulling up the picture of Bella she sent me the night before.
“What the Hell is this?” I asked, holding the phone in front of her face.
Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “A picture of Bella?” she questioned, clearly wondering why I was asking her such a stupid question.
“Yes, Alice, I know that,” I huffed. “What I mean is: what the Hell is she wearing? Who let her out in public like that?”
She snorted at me and snatched the phone out of my hand. “You are not serious right now. She’s a grown woman, Edward.”
“Yes, I am serious and yes I know she’s a grown woman. I just...this is weird, for me. This feeling I have of not wanting anyone else to see her like that. I can’t explain it and I know it’s irrational, but it’s there.”
She set the phone down gently, and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Can I ask you something?”
I nodded and looked up at her. She was uncharacteristically serious in her expression.
“Bella told Rosalie and me that she wasn’t sure whether or not the two of you were in a relationship. She told us that you haven’t technically ‘labeled’ anything. Is that true?”
“What is there to label after only one date?” I asked her, cracking a few eggs open and whisking them in a bowl.
“Exactly,” she stated. “Edward, you can’t pull this jealousy thing yet. She’s not even your girlfriend. And, if she was, you would need to learn to trust her. She can wear whatever she wants to wear. I really hope you won’t bring it up with her, because she got it bad enough from Emmett last night.”
My hand stopped whisking, and I snapped my head up to look at her. “Emmett was there? Why?” My brain immediately started flipping through scenarios in which they would have needed Emmett. Did one of them get hurt? Harassed? What if something happened to Bella?
Alice must have registered the panic on my face, because she chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “He just gave us a ride home. We were a bit drunk. You need to stop worrying so much or you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm.” She hopped down gracefully from the counter and pecked me on the cheek.
“I’ve got to get back to Jazz. Make me some breakfast, will ya?” I scowled, and turned back to the counter to add more eggs to the bowl.
“Oh, and Edward?” she jested. “I’ll make sure to keep Bella’s closet stocked with stilettos, okay?”
I froze and felt my eyes grow wide. “She told you?” I said, spinning back around to face her.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” she snickered. “I always thought you were a boob man. Guess I was wrong. Oh well, now I have an excuse to go shopping!”
She practically skipped out of the kitchen with me glaring at her retreating form. After we ate breakfast, and cleaned up the kitchen, I went to my bedroom to change into my gym clothes. With my busy schedule, working out had become pretty low on my priority list, except for the day I had gone for a run with Bella. Now, with the addition of a few new employees at Masen’s, I didn’t need to be there as often, so I was able to have some free time again. I needed to get some weight training in before my muscles turned to jelly. Not that I had huge, heaving muscles, but I wanted to keep the tone and definition to my body that I worked hard for. I walked to the gym a couple of blocks away from my apartment, and stashed my gym bag in a locker. I walked out and found myself an empty treadmill, hopped on and set a good pace for myself.
As I was running, I started to think about my job and all of the hard work I had put in to make it a reality. When I first had the idea of opening a restaurant, I knew I wanted to eventually get away from being in the kitchen everyday. I wanted to experience what went on behind the scenes. If Masen’s got off of the ground, and was truly successful, I had every intention of opening up another restaurant in a few years. I also wanted a family at some point in the future, and working six or seven days a week just wouldn’t cut it for me. Getting away from being the head chef would allow me that opportunity.
Jasper had been scouting out the nearby culinary institutes before we opened the doors, and found a very talented, recent graduate, who had started working for us recently. Lauren was everything I was looking for in a person to run my kitchen: smart, confident and strong-willed. I had the utmost faith that things would run smoothly under her watch.
I turned the treadmill off and as I was heading over to the free weights, someone stepped in front of me to cut me off. When I looked up and saw who it was, I immediately saw red.
“Jake,” I acknowledged icily, throwing my towel over my shoulder.
“Hey, Edward,” he said back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fancy meeting you here.”
I glared at him. “Cut the crap, Jake. Bella isn’t here, so you don’t have to pretend to be nice to me. What do you want?”
A smug grin appeared on his face and he barked out a laugh. “You know what I want.”
I took a step closer to him and put my face in his, growling out my response through gritted teeth. “You listen to me, scumbag. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You leave Bella the fuck alone. She doesn’t want you.”
He scoffed. “Really? You think you have some kind of control over her? What if she doesn’t know what she wants?”
“Here’s a clue,” I said, my irritation quickly rising. “Wait for her to say the words.”
My whole body was vibrating with anger and as I turned around to walk away, I was suddenly knocked to the ground from behind. I quickly rolled onto my back to see Jake coming at me, his hands balled up into fists. He pulled his right arm back to throw a punch, but I was able to duck out of the way and his fist collided with the tile floor.
He yelled out in pain, but grabbed me with his left hand as I tried to get away. I swung my arm around to try to hit him, but he was faster than me and swung, punching me in the eye as I tried to turn my head away. I felt a burst of pain, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going, and I swung again, finally punching him in the stomach. At that point, two bulky men working with the weights came over and pulled Jake off of me. He was still trying to claw his way free, but then gave up after he realized that it wasn’t going to happen. I hunched over, panting hard, as I braced myself with my hands on my knees. After I caught my breath, I straightened up and took the few steps toward Jacob, who was still being restrained by the two men. His eyes were full of fury and rage, and his breaths were coming out hard and fast.
“Don’t touch her, don’t talk to her, don’t even THINK about her...got it?” I spat through clenched teeth, putting my hand on his over-muscled chest and giving him one last shove.
I turned around, stalking back towards the locker room, when I heard his voice call after me. “You’re going to regret that you fucked with me, Cullen. You wait and see.”
I got to my locker, flinging the door open. It crashed against the lockers beside it, and I grabbed my gym bag, hoisting it over my shoulder. I needed to remove myself from the vicinity of Jacob before I did something rash. I needed to calm myself down. Going back to my apartment would have been an awful idea; at this point, I was liable to beat on Jasper for even looking at my sister, and I wanted to give him a chance to prove himself worthy before I did that.
There was only one thing I knew that would calm me down in that instant. I needed to see Bella. I pulled out my phone as I left the building, and shot her a text message.
Are you home? I need to see you. -E
Her reply was almost instant. She must have been practically sitting on her phone.
I’m home. Come on over. Are you okay?- B
I will be. I’ll be there in 10 minutes. - E
I walked briskly through the streets, not caring that my eye was probably turning 12 different colors, or that my gym clothes were all sweaty. The sooner I got to Bella, the better I would be. I knew she wouldn’t be happy about the fight, and she would most likely freak out over my eye, but right at that moment, I knew she was the only person that could keep me from beating the life out of Jacob Black.
I got to her door and knocked sharply, resting my hand on the frame. I heard her footsteps approaching and as soon as the door opened, Bella was asking questions.
“Edward, is everything...what the hell happened to your face??” She grabbed my arm, and tugged me into her apartment, kicking the door shut with her foot. She sat me down at one of the stools at her kitchen counter and walked over to the freezer, pulling out an ice pack. After she wrapped a towel around it, she nestled herself between my legs and brought it up to my eye. I flinched at the jolt of pain when the cold hit my face, and Bella brought her other hand up, brushing my damp hair back before settling it on my cheek.
“What happened to you?” she asked softly, her eyes full of worry.
I closed my eyes and leaned into her hand, enjoying the feel of her skin on mine, and sighed. “Jacob Black happened.”
Her eyes narrowed and she snapped her jaw shut. “What do you mean Jacob Black happened? HE did this to you?” she almost growled out, her face getting redder by the second.
I nodded regretfully. “I saw him at the gym. I told him to leave you alone and he wasn’t too happy about that. Obviously.”
“Oh, Edward,” she sighed, placing the ice pack on the counter. “I never meant for you to get in the middle of this. I’m so sorry.”
I took her small hands in mine, bringing them up to brush my lips across her knuckles. “It’s okay, Bella. He’s an asshole, and you don’t deserve to be harassed by him. I just can’t stand around and watch it happen. The only thing I’m sorry for is that you still have to deal with him at work.”
“I can handle Jacob. Don’t let him mess up your pretty face again, okay?” She smiled softly and leaned forward to brush her lips against mine.
Pulling back, she eyed my gym clothes and my gym bag sitting on the floor. “Why don’t you use my shower and get cleaned up. We’ll just hang out here and veg today, alright?”
As I slid off the stool and picked up my bag, I gave her another quick kiss. “Care to join me?” I teased, then jumped back quickly as she swung her arm out to smack me.
“Just go shower. You smell,” she snarked. “I’ll make us some lunch while you’re in there.”
After a quick rinse in the shower, I rejoined Bella in the kitchen.
“How’s your eye?” she asked, pulling some lunch meat out of the fridge. “You still like turkey, right?”
“Yes, to the second question,” I said, admiring the view of Bella’s ass in her tiny denim shorts as she continued to dig in the refrigerator. “And my eye looks a lot worse than it feels.”
My body was drawn to hers like a magnet and I walked up behind her, grabbing her hips and causing her to jump. She spun around in my arms and smacked me on my shoulder as she tried not to laugh.
“Damn it, Edward, you scared me!”
“Sorry,” I said with a shrug and a smug smile. “But, you know, seeing you bent over like that, I couldn’t help it. It’s like a moth to a flame.”
She rolled her eyes with a smirk and kissed my jaw. “You’re such a pervert.”
Turning back around to the refrigerator, she took out the rest of the ingredients for our lunch, and slid past me, depositing it all on the counter. Bella grabbed a cutting board and a knife, preparing to slice a tomato, when I sidled up behind her again, wrapping one arm around her waist while the other took the knife from her.
I leaned down, brushing a kiss on her long, slender neck before pressing open-mouth kisses all the way up to her earlobe, sucking it between my teeth. I released it with a soft pop, and pulled her back into my body more firmly, her soft curves conforming to my hardness perfectly.
I hummed in appreciation at her closeness to my body. “I wasn’t much of a pervert until you came back into my life. You bring it out of me, I guess,” I breathed out, placing more soft kisses on the column of her neck.
She shivered and let out a content sigh, trailing her hand up my arm and lacing it into my hair, turning her head slightly to capture my bottom lip in between hers. I groaned out loud and opened my mouth, thrusting my tongue out to meet hers. I spun her around forcefully and backed her into the counter, pressing myself up against her. She moaned when she felt my growing arousal pressing into her hip, and wrapped her leg around my calf, trying like hell to get as close to me as she could get. Our kisses were relentless, demanding, and full of want. While every other kiss we had shared had been soft and reverent, this was needy and fierce.
“Edward,” she panted when I detached my lips from hers and dove down to her collarbone, nipping at her skin and then sweeping my tongue out to sooth the skin. I nudged the strap of her tank top over with my nose, sucking the newly exposed skin of her shoulder. She grasped my head in between her hands again and pulled it back up to claim my lips again, kissing me slower, but deeper than before. We eventually slowed to soft, chaste pecks, and she pulled away, smiling brightly at me.
“Mmmm...you’re fantastically irresistible, Isabella,” I crooned, placing the strap of her shirt back on her shoulder and I let my fingers trail lightly down her arm. She shivered again and broke from my embrace, and turned to start slicing the tomato again.
“I got this,” I said, hip-checking her out of the way. I threw together some sandwiches for us, and met Bella in the living room. She was sprawled out on the couch, two bottles of water sitting on the coffee table for us. I placed the plates down and picked up her legs, depositing them back into my lap after I sat down. She flipped on the TV, and scrolled through the channels, finally coming across a movie we could both agree on.
“So, how’s the restaurant biz?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Good so far. Things are settling down. Jasper and I hired a new chef to run the kitchen, so I just have to finish training her, and then I can get back to the business side of things.”
Her eyes drifted over to mine. “You aren’t going to cook anymore? I thought you loved it.”
“I do love it, and I’ll probably still man the kitchen one or two nights a week. It would just suck up way too much of my time, and I don’t want to get burned out.”
She nodded in silent agreement, and took a bite of her sandwich. “I can understand that. You were starting to look exhausted after all of those long days. This will be better for you in the long run. Now, I’ll be able to spend more time with you,” she said the last part softly, and her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.
“Hey,” I said, running a hand up her bare, smooth leg. “I want to spend more time with you, too. You don’t need to be embarrassed about that. You can have me whenever you want me.”
“Hmmm...” she mused, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “That’s a dangerous proposition to make to me, Mr. Cullen. I might just not let you leave.”
I smirked and continued running my hand up and down her leg. “I really don’t see how that’s a problem, Bella.”
She grinned at me, and it lit up her entire face. There was nothing more beautiful than her smile to me. Nothing. It reminded me of home and everything that was good about my childhood. And her smile could portray so many different things...excitement, playfulness, joy, or mischief. It was something that I had missed in the time that we were apart.
We finished our lunch, and Bella stood up, taking our dishes back to the kitchen. While she was gone, I turned on my side, stretching out on the length of the couch. Bella bounded back in the room, and stopped when she saw me hogging the couch. She put her hands on her hips and looked down on me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she chuckled.
I reached out and grasped her wrist, tugging her arm towards me. “Waiting for you. Now get down here and snuggle me.” I laughed, yanking harder and pulling her down next to me.
She toppled down onto the couch next to me, and my arm flew out to wrap around her waist so that she didn’t fall onto the floor. She threw her arm across my torso and tangled her feet with mine, pulling herself closer to me so that we were practically nose to nose on the narrow couch. I could feel the softness of her hair laying on my arm underneath her, and the warmness of her body so close to mine. She reached up and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over us.
Bella yawned softly, and I swooped down to peck the tip of her crinkled nose.
“Tired?” I asked her, tracing her full bottom lip with my thumb. She nodded and burrowed further under the blanket, resting her head on my bicep. We laid in silence, just content to be close to each other. After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and I looked down to see her asleep. I kissed the top of her head and laid my head down on the armrest, quickly falling into a deep slumber.
When I awoke some time later, I looked down to see Bella still asleep. Her arm was still draped over me, and my hand had moved while I was sleeping and was now resting on her denim-clad ass. She sighed in her sleep and moved her head so that it was within inches of my lips. I couldn't contain my need to press my lips against hers chastely, kissing her over and over again until her eyes finally popped open. I felt her mouth turn up as she smiled against my lips, and her hand drifted up my arm and cupped the back of my neck, holding my face against hers.
Our mouths found each other again, nipping, and sucking until our lips finally parted and our tongues met, dancing lazily together. My hands began a careful exploration of her body, ghosting lightly over the outside of her thigh, up and down her torso, and over her back. Her skin was soft and silky beneath my fingertips, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to ever be able to stop touching her.
My hand skimmed back down her thigh, hooking behind her knee and hitching it up over my legs. It was as if I couldn’t get close enough to her. I wanted to be completely consumed by her.
I drug my lips down her chin and neck, stopping briefly to suck on her collarbone, and then licked a fiery trail over to the other side of her neck. She was writhing underneath me, her hands clutching desperately to my shirt before slipping underneath the fabric and clawing at my back.
Jesus Christ. The woman was going to kill me.
I was tired of the making out, hands over the clothes nonsense. I needed more. Pressing my hands to the sides of Bella’s face, I pulled back, searching her eyes for any sort of distress or anxiety. I was relieved when all I saw was pure, unadulterated lust written all over her glorious face. I groaned and crushed myself to her again, devouring her lips with my own. Her curious hands drifted south on my back, her fingers drifting ever so slightly beneath my pants. Her lips stopped moving and she pulled back from me slightly, her mouth forming the most delicious little smirk.
“Commando?” she questioned, raising one of her perfect eyebrows. I just shrugged, busying myself again with her delicate collarbones. She grasped the hem of my shirt and inched it upwards over my torso and I broke away so she could wrench the offensive material over my head. I sat back on my heels and she scurried to sit up, pressing her back up against the armrest of the couch. Her hands drifted over my chest and down my abs, her eyes drinking in my exposed upper half.
Fuck this. If she gets a view, so do I.
My hands went to the hem of her tank top and I pulled it over her head, tossing it haphazardly to the floor. My eyes shot to her chest, covered in just a red lacy bra, which currently matched the red on her cheeks. I shifted positions again, sitting back against the opposite armrest, pulling her with me so that she straddled my thighs.
My hand drifted up her back and pulled on the clip that was holding her hair up, letting it fall over her shoulders.
“You’re beautiful,” I rasped out, running the tip of my index finger along the top of the lace that covered what I really wanted to see. My hands went around her tiny torso to her back and I stopped when my fingers encountered the clasp in the middle of her back.
“May I?” I asked, and barely even waited for her approval before un-clasping and removing the garment from her body. I moaned out loud when I saw her completely bare upper half and wasted no time in pulling her to me, crushing my lips against hers again.
My hands made their way up her sides and over her chest, before brushing over her hardened peaks. She hissed and jerked, causing her to grind against my rock-hard erection.
“Oh…Edward,” she groaned, sliding herself again and again across my length. The friction she was creating felt unbelievable, and I dropped my hands to her hips, guiding her movements. Her chest arched into me, and I ducked my head down, taking one of her nipples in my mouth. She mewled loudly and clutched at my shoulders, grinding down harder on me. Each of her downward motions were met by an upward thrust of my own, generating more of the delicious friction that my body so desperately desired. The tension was building rapidly, burning in my abdomen. She was panting in time with me now, and I could tell she was about to careen off the edge with me not far behind her.
"Edward…" she pleaded, lacing her fingers in my hair and tugging her my head back up, capturing my lips with her own. Each of my moans and gasps were being swallowed hungrily by her, and my eyes drifted shut in concentration as I felt myself getting closer and closer to the release I craved.
Bella continued to rock against me, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her hands tugging almost painfully at the hair at the top of my neck.
"Oh, fuck. Yes! Just like that. Shit. I think I'm gonna—"
"Oh, Bella,” I called out her name urgently, as she moaned and gasped loudly. I jerked against her a few more times before I followed her off the cliff, groaning her name as my world exploded behind my eyelids.
Our movements slowed, and I took her face in my hands, kissing her softly and reverently, trying to convey how much she meant to me. That this thing we had wasn’t just for fun. I needed her…all of her. And not just in a carnal, sexual way. We broke apart and she rested her forehead against mine, her eyelids heavy and her cheeks flushed from her exertion.
I desperately wanted to just come out and say everything that my heart was feeling at the moment. I wanted to tell her that I wanted nobody but her, always. I wanted to tell her that I loved her…that I probably always had loved her.
The joy in her face, though, stopped me. I didn’t want that joy to go away, and I was afraid that if I told her everything I was feeling she would run away. I needed to be completely sure of her feelings before I spilled my guts to her.
“God, Edward,” She said, dropping her head to my shoulder and placing a kiss there. “If you can do THAT with clothes on, I don’t even want to THINK about what you can do without them.”
I chuckled softly, running my fingertips softly up and down her back.
“Are you saying you want to get me naked, Miss Swan? Are you just using me as a piece of meat? I’m afraid I don’t just get naked with anyone,” I replied coyly, trying to gauge her reaction.
She lifted her head and stared at me, her eyes drifting over my face. “I didn’t think that I was just anyone,” She whispered, suddenly looking extremely shy.
I pulled her chin up with my finger and placed a swift kiss on her lips. “You aren’t just anyone, Bella. I was kidding. I was hoping that maybe…I don’t know…that we were in a relationship. You know, start calling you my girlfriend or whatever.” I took a frustrated breath. “Damn it, this is like high school all over again. But, you know, if that isn’t what you want-“
She giggled and cut me off with yet another kiss. “Edward, you mean the world to me. You always have. I’m scared, but I’m excited too. Nobody knows me like you do, so you’ve already got an advantage. I want this to work and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to do so.”
My arms snaked around her waist, holding her tightly against me. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
She leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I’m pretty sure I have some idea.”
As she moved to pull away, I tightened my arms around her. “Where are you going?”
“Well, Edward,” she smirked “I’d like to put my shirt back on, if that’s alright.”
I ran one hand up her back, causing her entire body to break out into goose bumps while a deep, red blush spread across her face simultaneously. With her arms wrapped loosely around my neck, I couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of her warm flesh against my chest.
“I don’t know, Bella. I’m quite content just like this. I don’t think I want to let you go.”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable?” she asked, shooting a pointed look down at my pants. I shifted in my seat and cringed when I felt the remnants of our tryst.
Tryst? That makes it sound dirty and wrong. Neither of which describe this scenario.
“Um...yeah.” I lifted her up off my lap and set her back on her feet. We both put our shirts back on and I padded off to the bathroom to clean myself up. When I got back out into the living room, Bella was still sitting on the couch. She was reclined back with her head resting on the back of the couch with her eyes closed, a peaceful look on her face. I stood in the doorway for a second just watching her. If someone had told me ten years ago that I’d wind up falling for my best friend, I would have laughed in their face and told them they were crazy. I tiptoed over to her and leaned over her small body on the couch, putting my face not even 2 inches away from hers. When she felt my hands press on the cushion beside her head, her eyes popped open and she let out a little yelp when she saw how close I was to her.
“Hey, beautiful,” I chuckled, pecking her on the lips. “Were you sleeping?”
“Hey, yourself,” she said quietly. “I was just thinking. What do you think about getting some Chinese take-out and watching some movies? You can stay here tonight if you want.” She barely mumbled the last sentence, her head dropping down with embarrassment.
I lifted her chin with my finger so her eyes lined up with mine. “It’s a little late for you to get all shy and embarrassed on me, isn’t it? I’d love to stay. I kind of need to run home and grab some other clothes though, since this is all I have. How about I run there, and pick up dinner on the way back?”
She nodded and smiled, and I kissed her softly on the forehead before donning my shoes and heading for the door. “I’ll be back before you know it, Bells.”
I hurried home and grabbed some clothes and my other necessary items, grabbed us some carry-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant, and was back at Bella’s within the hour.
“I’m back!” I called out when I walked in the door.
“That was fast,” she yelled from the kitchen. “Christ, Edward, did you buy everything on the menu?” she chuckled, peeking in one of the two take-out bags I placed on the counter.
I shrugged. “I didn’t know what you wanted. Plus, I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”
We grabbed a couple of take-out containers and some chopsticks and headed to the living room, collapsing on the couch.
“So, Alice told me you guys had fun last night.” I said, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.
“Yeah, we did, until my brother came and I word-vomited all over him about me and you. Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy.” She rolled her eyes, and jabbed her chopsticks into one of the containers. “He needs to just let me grow up.”
I reached over, placing my hand on her leg. “He will, Bella. He just needs to see how happy you are with me.”
She laughed out loud. “You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “Well, I certainly try to make you happy. And I’m going to keep trying. That I can promise you.”
She set her food down on the table and crawled across the couch, kneeling next to me and taking my face between her hands.
“You do make me happy, Edward. I didn’t realize how lonely it was here until I found you again. And you’re right, Emmett will see that you make me happy, and he’ll lay off.” Her eyes were shining with sincerity, and she pressed her soft lips to mine, raking her fingers through my hair.
“Now, let’s finish our dinner and then watch a movie together, alright?” She kissed me again and scooted back over to her side of the couch, digging in to her dinner again.
After we ate, we curled up on the couch together and watched a couple of Adam Sandler movies on TV until we were both fighting to stay awake.
“Let’s go to bed.” I said, lifting her up into my arms and carrying her into her bedroom. I set her down on her bed and she escaped to the bathroom. While she was gone, I pulled off my shirt and slipped into a pair of sleep pants, crawling under the covers of her bed. I buried my face into her pillows, breathing in her scent. I decided at that moment that I was going to try to get into this bed as much as I could.
“That’s my side,” she giggled, coming over to me and trying to shove me over to the other side of the bed. She only succeeded in rolling me over onto my back, and I grabbed her waist, pulling her down on top of me. I tucked her under the covers with me and pulled her back up against my chest, marveling in the way she conformed to my body perfectly. I brushed her hair off to the side and fluttered kisses up and down the column of her neck.
“Is this side of the bed so bad?” I whispered, squeezing her tighter.
She was silent for a moment, brushing her hands along my forearms. “No...this is perfect,” she sighed.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said, kissing her cheek, and then resting my head back down beside hers, before we both fell into a deep slumber.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Oh, for God’s sake, go do that in your room!” I cried, as I walked out of my bedroom and caught my baby sister straddling Jasper’s lap. “Better yet, go to YOUR apartment, Jazz.” I whacked him on the back of the head as I walked past, and strode into the kitchen for some breakfast.
“I’m gonna have to burn my couch. I just know it,” I mumbled to myself as I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.
“Hey, Alice!” I yelled. “Could you kindly detach yourself from Jasper’s face for five minutes so I can talk to you please?”
She skidded around the corner a few seconds later, her short hair sticking up in all directions. She hopped up on the counter next to me, swinging her legs and grinning like mad. “‘Sup, bro?” she asked, reaching over to ruffle my hair.
I reached over to the counter and picked up my phone, pulling up the picture of Bella she sent me the night before.
“What the Hell is this?” I asked, holding the phone in front of her face.
Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “A picture of Bella?” she questioned, clearly wondering why I was asking her such a stupid question.
“Yes, Alice, I know that,” I huffed. “What I mean is: what the Hell is she wearing? Who let her out in public like that?”
She snorted at me and snatched the phone out of my hand. “You are not serious right now. She’s a grown woman, Edward.”
“Yes, I am serious and yes I know she’s a grown woman. I just...this is weird, for me. This feeling I have of not wanting anyone else to see her like that. I can’t explain it and I know it’s irrational, but it’s there.”
She set the phone down gently, and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Can I ask you something?”
I nodded and looked up at her. She was uncharacteristically serious in her expression.
“Bella told Rosalie and me that she wasn’t sure whether or not the two of you were in a relationship. She told us that you haven’t technically ‘labeled’ anything. Is that true?”
“What is there to label after only one date?” I asked her, cracking a few eggs open and whisking them in a bowl.
“Exactly,” she stated. “Edward, you can’t pull this jealousy thing yet. She’s not even your girlfriend. And, if she was, you would need to learn to trust her. She can wear whatever she wants to wear. I really hope you won’t bring it up with her, because she got it bad enough from Emmett last night.”
My hand stopped whisking, and I snapped my head up to look at her. “Emmett was there? Why?” My brain immediately started flipping through scenarios in which they would have needed Emmett. Did one of them get hurt? Harassed? What if something happened to Bella?
Alice must have registered the panic on my face, because she chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “He just gave us a ride home. We were a bit drunk. You need to stop worrying so much or you’re going to give yourself an aneurysm.” She hopped down gracefully from the counter and pecked me on the cheek.
“I’ve got to get back to Jazz. Make me some breakfast, will ya?” I scowled, and turned back to the counter to add more eggs to the bowl.
“Oh, and Edward?” she jested. “I’ll make sure to keep Bella’s closet stocked with stilettos, okay?”
I froze and felt my eyes grow wide. “She told you?” I said, spinning back around to face her.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” she snickered. “I always thought you were a boob man. Guess I was wrong. Oh well, now I have an excuse to go shopping!”
She practically skipped out of the kitchen with me glaring at her retreating form. After we ate breakfast, and cleaned up the kitchen, I went to my bedroom to change into my gym clothes. With my busy schedule, working out had become pretty low on my priority list, except for the day I had gone for a run with Bella. Now, with the addition of a few new employees at Masen’s, I didn’t need to be there as often, so I was able to have some free time again. I needed to get some weight training in before my muscles turned to jelly. Not that I had huge, heaving muscles, but I wanted to keep the tone and definition to my body that I worked hard for. I walked to the gym a couple of blocks away from my apartment, and stashed my gym bag in a locker. I walked out and found myself an empty treadmill, hopped on and set a good pace for myself.
As I was running, I started to think about my job and all of the hard work I had put in to make it a reality. When I first had the idea of opening a restaurant, I knew I wanted to eventually get away from being in the kitchen everyday. I wanted to experience what went on behind the scenes. If Masen’s got off of the ground, and was truly successful, I had every intention of opening up another restaurant in a few years. I also wanted a family at some point in the future, and working six or seven days a week just wouldn’t cut it for me. Getting away from being the head chef would allow me that opportunity.
Jasper had been scouting out the nearby culinary institutes before we opened the doors, and found a very talented, recent graduate, who had started working for us recently. Lauren was everything I was looking for in a person to run my kitchen: smart, confident and strong-willed. I had the utmost faith that things would run smoothly under her watch.
I turned the treadmill off and as I was heading over to the free weights, someone stepped in front of me to cut me off. When I looked up and saw who it was, I immediately saw red.
“Jake,” I acknowledged icily, throwing my towel over my shoulder.
“Hey, Edward,” he said back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fancy meeting you here.”
I glared at him. “Cut the crap, Jake. Bella isn’t here, so you don’t have to pretend to be nice to me. What do you want?”
A smug grin appeared on his face and he barked out a laugh. “You know what I want.”
I took a step closer to him and put my face in his, growling out my response through gritted teeth. “You listen to me, scumbag. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You leave Bella the fuck alone. She doesn’t want you.”
He scoffed. “Really? You think you have some kind of control over her? What if she doesn’t know what she wants?”
“Here’s a clue,” I said, my irritation quickly rising. “Wait for her to say the words.”
My whole body was vibrating with anger and as I turned around to walk away, I was suddenly knocked to the ground from behind. I quickly rolled onto my back to see Jake coming at me, his hands balled up into fists. He pulled his right arm back to throw a punch, but I was able to duck out of the way and his fist collided with the tile floor.
He yelled out in pain, but grabbed me with his left hand as I tried to get away. I swung my arm around to try to hit him, but he was faster than me and swung, punching me in the eye as I tried to turn my head away. I felt a burst of pain, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me going, and I swung again, finally punching him in the stomach. At that point, two bulky men working with the weights came over and pulled Jake off of me. He was still trying to claw his way free, but then gave up after he realized that it wasn’t going to happen. I hunched over, panting hard, as I braced myself with my hands on my knees. After I caught my breath, I straightened up and took the few steps toward Jacob, who was still being restrained by the two men. His eyes were full of fury and rage, and his breaths were coming out hard and fast.
“Don’t touch her, don’t talk to her, don’t even THINK about her...got it?” I spat through clenched teeth, putting my hand on his over-muscled chest and giving him one last shove.
I turned around, stalking back towards the locker room, when I heard his voice call after me. “You’re going to regret that you fucked with me, Cullen. You wait and see.”
I got to my locker, flinging the door open. It crashed against the lockers beside it, and I grabbed my gym bag, hoisting it over my shoulder. I needed to remove myself from the vicinity of Jacob before I did something rash. I needed to calm myself down. Going back to my apartment would have been an awful idea; at this point, I was liable to beat on Jasper for even looking at my sister, and I wanted to give him a chance to prove himself worthy before I did that.
There was only one thing I knew that would calm me down in that instant. I needed to see Bella. I pulled out my phone as I left the building, and shot her a text message.
Are you home? I need to see you. -E
Her reply was almost instant. She must have been practically sitting on her phone.
I’m home. Come on over. Are you okay?- B
I will be. I’ll be there in 10 minutes. - E
I walked briskly through the streets, not caring that my eye was probably turning 12 different colors, or that my gym clothes were all sweaty. The sooner I got to Bella, the better I would be. I knew she wouldn’t be happy about the fight, and she would most likely freak out over my eye, but right at that moment, I knew she was the only person that could keep me from beating the life out of Jacob Black.
I got to her door and knocked sharply, resting my hand on the frame. I heard her footsteps approaching and as soon as the door opened, Bella was asking questions.
“Edward, is everything...what the hell happened to your face??” She grabbed my arm, and tugged me into her apartment, kicking the door shut with her foot. She sat me down at one of the stools at her kitchen counter and walked over to the freezer, pulling out an ice pack. After she wrapped a towel around it, she nestled herself between my legs and brought it up to my eye. I flinched at the jolt of pain when the cold hit my face, and Bella brought her other hand up, brushing my damp hair back before settling it on my cheek.
“What happened to you?” she asked softly, her eyes full of worry.
I closed my eyes and leaned into her hand, enjoying the feel of her skin on mine, and sighed. “Jacob Black happened.”
Her eyes narrowed and she snapped her jaw shut. “What do you mean Jacob Black happened? HE did this to you?” she almost growled out, her face getting redder by the second.
I nodded regretfully. “I saw him at the gym. I told him to leave you alone and he wasn’t too happy about that. Obviously.”
“Oh, Edward,” she sighed, placing the ice pack on the counter. “I never meant for you to get in the middle of this. I’m so sorry.”
I took her small hands in mine, bringing them up to brush my lips across her knuckles. “It’s okay, Bella. He’s an asshole, and you don’t deserve to be harassed by him. I just can’t stand around and watch it happen. The only thing I’m sorry for is that you still have to deal with him at work.”
“I can handle Jacob. Don’t let him mess up your pretty face again, okay?” She smiled softly and leaned forward to brush her lips against mine.
Pulling back, she eyed my gym clothes and my gym bag sitting on the floor. “Why don’t you use my shower and get cleaned up. We’ll just hang out here and veg today, alright?”
As I slid off the stool and picked up my bag, I gave her another quick kiss. “Care to join me?” I teased, then jumped back quickly as she swung her arm out to smack me.
“Just go shower. You smell,” she snarked. “I’ll make us some lunch while you’re in there.”
After a quick rinse in the shower, I rejoined Bella in the kitchen.
“How’s your eye?” she asked, pulling some lunch meat out of the fridge. “You still like turkey, right?”
“Yes, to the second question,” I said, admiring the view of Bella’s ass in her tiny denim shorts as she continued to dig in the refrigerator. “And my eye looks a lot worse than it feels.”
My body was drawn to hers like a magnet and I walked up behind her, grabbing her hips and causing her to jump. She spun around in my arms and smacked me on my shoulder as she tried not to laugh.
“Damn it, Edward, you scared me!”
“Sorry,” I said with a shrug and a smug smile. “But, you know, seeing you bent over like that, I couldn’t help it. It’s like a moth to a flame.”
She rolled her eyes with a smirk and kissed my jaw. “You’re such a pervert.”
Turning back around to the refrigerator, she took out the rest of the ingredients for our lunch, and slid past me, depositing it all on the counter. Bella grabbed a cutting board and a knife, preparing to slice a tomato, when I sidled up behind her again, wrapping one arm around her waist while the other took the knife from her.
I leaned down, brushing a kiss on her long, slender neck before pressing open-mouth kisses all the way up to her earlobe, sucking it between my teeth. I released it with a soft pop, and pulled her back into my body more firmly, her soft curves conforming to my hardness perfectly.
I hummed in appreciation at her closeness to my body. “I wasn’t much of a pervert until you came back into my life. You bring it out of me, I guess,” I breathed out, placing more soft kisses on the column of her neck.
She shivered and let out a content sigh, trailing her hand up my arm and lacing it into my hair, turning her head slightly to capture my bottom lip in between hers. I groaned out loud and opened my mouth, thrusting my tongue out to meet hers. I spun her around forcefully and backed her into the counter, pressing myself up against her. She moaned when she felt my growing arousal pressing into her hip, and wrapped her leg around my calf, trying like hell to get as close to me as she could get. Our kisses were relentless, demanding, and full of want. While every other kiss we had shared had been soft and reverent, this was needy and fierce.
“Edward,” she panted when I detached my lips from hers and dove down to her collarbone, nipping at her skin and then sweeping my tongue out to sooth the skin. I nudged the strap of her tank top over with my nose, sucking the newly exposed skin of her shoulder. She grasped my head in between her hands again and pulled it back up to claim my lips again, kissing me slower, but deeper than before. We eventually slowed to soft, chaste pecks, and she pulled away, smiling brightly at me.
“Mmmm...you’re fantastically irresistible, Isabella,” I crooned, placing the strap of her shirt back on her shoulder and I let my fingers trail lightly down her arm. She shivered again and broke from my embrace, and turned to start slicing the tomato again.
“I got this,” I said, hip-checking her out of the way. I threw together some sandwiches for us, and met Bella in the living room. She was sprawled out on the couch, two bottles of water sitting on the coffee table for us. I placed the plates down and picked up her legs, depositing them back into my lap after I sat down. She flipped on the TV, and scrolled through the channels, finally coming across a movie we could both agree on.
“So, how’s the restaurant biz?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Good so far. Things are settling down. Jasper and I hired a new chef to run the kitchen, so I just have to finish training her, and then I can get back to the business side of things.”
Her eyes drifted over to mine. “You aren’t going to cook anymore? I thought you loved it.”
“I do love it, and I’ll probably still man the kitchen one or two nights a week. It would just suck up way too much of my time, and I don’t want to get burned out.”
She nodded in silent agreement, and took a bite of her sandwich. “I can understand that. You were starting to look exhausted after all of those long days. This will be better for you in the long run. Now, I’ll be able to spend more time with you,” she said the last part softly, and her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.
“Hey,” I said, running a hand up her bare, smooth leg. “I want to spend more time with you, too. You don’t need to be embarrassed about that. You can have me whenever you want me.”
“Hmmm...” she mused, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “That’s a dangerous proposition to make to me, Mr. Cullen. I might just not let you leave.”
I smirked and continued running my hand up and down her leg. “I really don’t see how that’s a problem, Bella.”
She grinned at me, and it lit up her entire face. There was nothing more beautiful than her smile to me. Nothing. It reminded me of home and everything that was good about my childhood. And her smile could portray so many different things...excitement, playfulness, joy, or mischief. It was something that I had missed in the time that we were apart.
We finished our lunch, and Bella stood up, taking our dishes back to the kitchen. While she was gone, I turned on my side, stretching out on the length of the couch. Bella bounded back in the room, and stopped when she saw me hogging the couch. She put her hands on her hips and looked down on me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she chuckled.
I reached out and grasped her wrist, tugging her arm towards me. “Waiting for you. Now get down here and snuggle me.” I laughed, yanking harder and pulling her down next to me.
She toppled down onto the couch next to me, and my arm flew out to wrap around her waist so that she didn’t fall onto the floor. She threw her arm across my torso and tangled her feet with mine, pulling herself closer to me so that we were practically nose to nose on the narrow couch. I could feel the softness of her hair laying on my arm underneath her, and the warmness of her body so close to mine. She reached up and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over us.
Bella yawned softly, and I swooped down to peck the tip of her crinkled nose.
“Tired?” I asked her, tracing her full bottom lip with my thumb. She nodded and burrowed further under the blanket, resting her head on my bicep. We laid in silence, just content to be close to each other. After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and I looked down to see her asleep. I kissed the top of her head and laid my head down on the armrest, quickly falling into a deep slumber.
When I awoke some time later, I looked down to see Bella still asleep. Her arm was still draped over me, and my hand had moved while I was sleeping and was now resting on her denim-clad ass. She sighed in her sleep and moved her head so that it was within inches of my lips. I couldn't contain my need to press my lips against hers chastely, kissing her over and over again until her eyes finally popped open. I felt her mouth turn up as she smiled against my lips, and her hand drifted up my arm and cupped the back of my neck, holding my face against hers.
Our mouths found each other again, nipping, and sucking until our lips finally parted and our tongues met, dancing lazily together. My hands began a careful exploration of her body, ghosting lightly over the outside of her thigh, up and down her torso, and over her back. Her skin was soft and silky beneath my fingertips, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to ever be able to stop touching her.
My hand skimmed back down her thigh, hooking behind her knee and hitching it up over my legs. It was as if I couldn’t get close enough to her. I wanted to be completely consumed by her.
I drug my lips down her chin and neck, stopping briefly to suck on her collarbone, and then licked a fiery trail over to the other side of her neck. She was writhing underneath me, her hands clutching desperately to my shirt before slipping underneath the fabric and clawing at my back.
Jesus Christ. The woman was going to kill me.
I was tired of the making out, hands over the clothes nonsense. I needed more. Pressing my hands to the sides of Bella’s face, I pulled back, searching her eyes for any sort of distress or anxiety. I was relieved when all I saw was pure, unadulterated lust written all over her glorious face. I groaned and crushed myself to her again, devouring her lips with my own. Her curious hands drifted south on my back, her fingers drifting ever so slightly beneath my pants. Her lips stopped moving and she pulled back from me slightly, her mouth forming the most delicious little smirk.
“Commando?” she questioned, raising one of her perfect eyebrows. I just shrugged, busying myself again with her delicate collarbones. She grasped the hem of my shirt and inched it upwards over my torso and I broke away so she could wrench the offensive material over my head. I sat back on my heels and she scurried to sit up, pressing her back up against the armrest of the couch. Her hands drifted over my chest and down my abs, her eyes drinking in my exposed upper half.
Fuck this. If she gets a view, so do I.
My hands went to the hem of her tank top and I pulled it over her head, tossing it haphazardly to the floor. My eyes shot to her chest, covered in just a red lacy bra, which currently matched the red on her cheeks. I shifted positions again, sitting back against the opposite armrest, pulling her with me so that she straddled my thighs.
My hand drifted up her back and pulled on the clip that was holding her hair up, letting it fall over her shoulders.
“You’re beautiful,” I rasped out, running the tip of my index finger along the top of the lace that covered what I really wanted to see. My hands went around her tiny torso to her back and I stopped when my fingers encountered the clasp in the middle of her back.
“May I?” I asked, and barely even waited for her approval before un-clasping and removing the garment from her body. I moaned out loud when I saw her completely bare upper half and wasted no time in pulling her to me, crushing my lips against hers again.
My hands made their way up her sides and over her chest, before brushing over her hardened peaks. She hissed and jerked, causing her to grind against my rock-hard erection.
“Oh…Edward,” she groaned, sliding herself again and again across my length. The friction she was creating felt unbelievable, and I dropped my hands to her hips, guiding her movements. Her chest arched into me, and I ducked my head down, taking one of her nipples in my mouth. She mewled loudly and clutched at my shoulders, grinding down harder on me. Each of her downward motions were met by an upward thrust of my own, generating more of the delicious friction that my body so desperately desired. The tension was building rapidly, burning in my abdomen. She was panting in time with me now, and I could tell she was about to careen off the edge with me not far behind her.
"Edward…" she pleaded, lacing her fingers in my hair and tugging her my head back up, capturing my lips with her own. Each of my moans and gasps were being swallowed hungrily by her, and my eyes drifted shut in concentration as I felt myself getting closer and closer to the release I craved.
Bella continued to rock against me, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her hands tugging almost painfully at the hair at the top of my neck.
"Oh, fuck. Yes! Just like that. Shit. I think I'm gonna—"
"Oh, Bella,” I called out her name urgently, as she moaned and gasped loudly. I jerked against her a few more times before I followed her off the cliff, groaning her name as my world exploded behind my eyelids.
Our movements slowed, and I took her face in my hands, kissing her softly and reverently, trying to convey how much she meant to me. That this thing we had wasn’t just for fun. I needed her…all of her. And not just in a carnal, sexual way. We broke apart and she rested her forehead against mine, her eyelids heavy and her cheeks flushed from her exertion.
I desperately wanted to just come out and say everything that my heart was feeling at the moment. I wanted to tell her that I wanted nobody but her, always. I wanted to tell her that I loved her…that I probably always had loved her.
The joy in her face, though, stopped me. I didn’t want that joy to go away, and I was afraid that if I told her everything I was feeling she would run away. I needed to be completely sure of her feelings before I spilled my guts to her.
“God, Edward,” She said, dropping her head to my shoulder and placing a kiss there. “If you can do THAT with clothes on, I don’t even want to THINK about what you can do without them.”
I chuckled softly, running my fingertips softly up and down her back.
“Are you saying you want to get me naked, Miss Swan? Are you just using me as a piece of meat? I’m afraid I don’t just get naked with anyone,” I replied coyly, trying to gauge her reaction.
She lifted her head and stared at me, her eyes drifting over my face. “I didn’t think that I was just anyone,” She whispered, suddenly looking extremely shy.
I pulled her chin up with my finger and placed a swift kiss on her lips. “You aren’t just anyone, Bella. I was kidding. I was hoping that maybe…I don’t know…that we were in a relationship. You know, start calling you my girlfriend or whatever.” I took a frustrated breath. “Damn it, this is like high school all over again. But, you know, if that isn’t what you want-“
She giggled and cut me off with yet another kiss. “Edward, you mean the world to me. You always have. I’m scared, but I’m excited too. Nobody knows me like you do, so you’ve already got an advantage. I want this to work and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to do so.”
My arms snaked around her waist, holding her tightly against me. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
She leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “I’m pretty sure I have some idea.”
As she moved to pull away, I tightened my arms around her. “Where are you going?”
“Well, Edward,” she smirked “I’d like to put my shirt back on, if that’s alright.”
I ran one hand up her back, causing her entire body to break out into goose bumps while a deep, red blush spread across her face simultaneously. With her arms wrapped loosely around my neck, I couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of her warm flesh against my chest.
“I don’t know, Bella. I’m quite content just like this. I don’t think I want to let you go.”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable?” she asked, shooting a pointed look down at my pants. I shifted in my seat and cringed when I felt the remnants of our tryst.
Tryst? That makes it sound dirty and wrong. Neither of which describe this scenario.
“Um...yeah.” I lifted her up off my lap and set her back on her feet. We both put our shirts back on and I padded off to the bathroom to clean myself up. When I got back out into the living room, Bella was still sitting on the couch. She was reclined back with her head resting on the back of the couch with her eyes closed, a peaceful look on her face. I stood in the doorway for a second just watching her. If someone had told me ten years ago that I’d wind up falling for my best friend, I would have laughed in their face and told them they were crazy. I tiptoed over to her and leaned over her small body on the couch, putting my face not even 2 inches away from hers. When she felt my hands press on the cushion beside her head, her eyes popped open and she let out a little yelp when she saw how close I was to her.
“Hey, beautiful,” I chuckled, pecking her on the lips. “Were you sleeping?”
“Hey, yourself,” she said quietly. “I was just thinking. What do you think about getting some Chinese take-out and watching some movies? You can stay here tonight if you want.” She barely mumbled the last sentence, her head dropping down with embarrassment.
I lifted her chin with my finger so her eyes lined up with mine. “It’s a little late for you to get all shy and embarrassed on me, isn’t it? I’d love to stay. I kind of need to run home and grab some other clothes though, since this is all I have. How about I run there, and pick up dinner on the way back?”
She nodded and smiled, and I kissed her softly on the forehead before donning my shoes and heading for the door. “I’ll be back before you know it, Bells.”
I hurried home and grabbed some clothes and my other necessary items, grabbed us some carry-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant, and was back at Bella’s within the hour.
“I’m back!” I called out when I walked in the door.
“That was fast,” she yelled from the kitchen. “Christ, Edward, did you buy everything on the menu?” she chuckled, peeking in one of the two take-out bags I placed on the counter.
I shrugged. “I didn’t know what you wanted. Plus, I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”
We grabbed a couple of take-out containers and some chopsticks and headed to the living room, collapsing on the couch.
“So, Alice told me you guys had fun last night.” I said, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.
“Yeah, we did, until my brother came and I word-vomited all over him about me and you. Needless to say, he wasn’t very happy.” She rolled her eyes, and jabbed her chopsticks into one of the containers. “He needs to just let me grow up.”
I reached over, placing my hand on her leg. “He will, Bella. He just needs to see how happy you are with me.”
She laughed out loud. “You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “Well, I certainly try to make you happy. And I’m going to keep trying. That I can promise you.”
She set her food down on the table and crawled across the couch, kneeling next to me and taking my face between her hands.
“You do make me happy, Edward. I didn’t realize how lonely it was here until I found you again. And you’re right, Emmett will see that you make me happy, and he’ll lay off.” Her eyes were shining with sincerity, and she pressed her soft lips to mine, raking her fingers through my hair.
“Now, let’s finish our dinner and then watch a movie together, alright?” She kissed me again and scooted back over to her side of the couch, digging in to her dinner again.
After we ate, we curled up on the couch together and watched a couple of Adam Sandler movies on TV until we were both fighting to stay awake.
“Let’s go to bed.” I said, lifting her up into my arms and carrying her into her bedroom. I set her down on her bed and she escaped to the bathroom. While she was gone, I pulled off my shirt and slipped into a pair of sleep pants, crawling under the covers of her bed. I buried my face into her pillows, breathing in her scent. I decided at that moment that I was going to try to get into this bed as much as I could.
“That’s my side,” she giggled, coming over to me and trying to shove me over to the other side of the bed. She only succeeded in rolling me over onto my back, and I grabbed her waist, pulling her down on top of me. I tucked her under the covers with me and pulled her back up against my chest, marveling in the way she conformed to my body perfectly. I brushed her hair off to the side and fluttered kisses up and down the column of her neck.
“Is this side of the bed so bad?” I whispered, squeezing her tighter.
She was silent for a moment, brushing her hands along my forearms. “No...this is perfect,” she sighed.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said, kissing her cheek, and then resting my head back down beside hers, before we both fell into a deep slumber.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 (BPOV)
I was standing in Starbucks on Thursday morning, waiting for my Caramel Macchiato, when I heard a small, chipper voice call my name behind me.
"Bella? Bella Swan?" the voice said. I knew who it was without even turning around. I closed my eyes for a moment, preparing myself for the onslaught of perkiness that I was about to receive. I whipped my head around to see the 5 foot nothing frame of Alice Cullen standing not 3 feet away from me.
"Alice!" I squealed, stretching my arms out to engulf her tiny body in a hug. She hugged me back just as fiercely, her tinkling laugh ringing out through the coffee shop.
She pulled back from me, keeping her hands on my shoulders. Her bright blue eyes were shining with excitement, framed by long eyelashes. Her long dark hair that I remembered was chopped off into a sleek cropped cut that barely reached past her chin. She was clad in a short casual summer dress and heels, which brought her up to almost my height. She looked phenomenal.
"You look great, Bella! New York has done wonders for your fashion sense," she complimented, her eyes raking up and down my dress. "You were always such a tomboy. I guess that's what happens when you spend every waking moment with a boy. And of course, by 'boy', I obviously mean my brother. He tells me you and him have reconnected again. That's really great!"
I almost snorted out loud and told her that we'd 'reconnected' more than she thought, but I kept that to myself. I didn't know if Edward had said anything, or wanted to say anything to her at that point. I didn't really even know exactly what we were. Boyfriend and girlfriend? We only went out on one date...was that enough to start labeling our relationship?
I beamed at her, and reached over to grab my coffee that the barista had set down on the counter. "Yeah, it's been great. It was pure coincidence that we even ran into each other in the first place."
"Mmmm-hmmmm. I bet it's been great." she said, knowingly.
Damn it. I think she's on to me. She HAS always been intuitive.
"Can you stick around for a minute while I get my coffee?" she asked, nodding her head towards the counter. I nodded and she almost skipped over to the counter, dazzling the poor teenage boy on the other side as she ordered. When she was finished, she came back over to me, pulling out her cell phone out of her bag.
"Let's exchange numbers and get together soon, okay? I need a girls' night," she said, handing me her phone to put my number in. I typed my cell number in and called my phone, checking to make sure her number showed up.
"Got it. I've got to get to work, but let's do something soon. Are you free tomorrow night?" I asked her, taking a sip of my coffee.
She nodded vigorously, bouncing on her toes with excitement. "Oh, it will be so much fun! We'll do dinner and drinks. I've got to tell you ALL about my new man!"
It took everything I had not to burst into laughter at her statement, but I remained calm and collected.
"Is it okay if I ask my sister-in-law to come? She doesn't get out much with the girls. Emmett clings to her like she's the last drop of water in the desert."
"Oh! Sure! The more the merrier! Alright, I have to run. I'll call you and we'll discuss details." She enveloped me in a huge hug again, kissed me on the cheek, and then she was gone and out the door before I could even mutter a good-bye.
"See ya later," I said to nobody but myself.
That girl needs some Ritalin. Thank god Edward is not that enthusiastic about everything. I'd have to start slipping sedatives in his drinks.
As I started my walk to work, I pulled my phone out to send Edward a quick text.
It's a small world after all. Just ran into your sister. Was she always that energetic? - B
Alice? Yeah...I think she came out of the womb tap dancing, and it's gotten worse ever since. - E
I giggled, and raised my head to make sure I wasn't about to walk into an unsuspecting person or inanimate object before replying to him.
My head is spinning and I only talked to her for 5 minutes. We're going out tomorrow night. - B
You aren't spending your Friday night with me? *pouts* - E
Quit pouting. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Besides, she wants to tell me all about her new man! LOL. - B
I turned to walk through the doors to my building, when he replied.
They've been so annoying. He won't leave my apartment and they have pet names for each other already. I may need to move in with you. - E
Make them go to Jasper's apartment. Going to work now. TTYL. -B
I miss you. Come play with me soon. -E
I barked out a laugh as I got into the elevator, making the people around me shoot me death glares.
Holy hell. Lighten up people.
I muffled my snickers behind my hand as I exited, shouting a "Hey Ang!" into Angela's office as I walked by.
"Hey, Bells, wait!" she shouted, causing me screech to a halt.
"Yes, dear?" I said, turning around to face her. I was still grinning like a fool from my conversation with Edward, and she eyed me suspiciously. She walked over to me casually and circled around me, examining me from head to toe.
"You look like Bella, you sound like Bella...but you sure aren't acting like Bella. You're...happy," she said, laying a hand on my shoulder. She peered at me over her thick black framed glasses, and I couldn't help but to grin wider back at her.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me into her office, kicking the door shut with her foot.
I laughed as she stood in front of me, hands on her hips and tapping her Louboutin-clad foot impatiently. "Spill."
"Spill what? Why I'm happy? I'm always happy. Am I not allowed to be extra happy sometimes? It's been a good week."
"Uh-huh," she said speculatively. "Does your extra happiness have anything whatsoever to do with a handsome chef with glorious sex hair?"
She stared me down, and I wanted to just sit down and spill everything, because I had yet to do so with anyone, but the other part of me just wanted to keep it to myself for the time being. I'm sure Alice and Rosalie would drag it out of me on our girl's night, anyways. Might as well keep it sacred for now.
"Damn it Ang, stop using your journalist voodoo on me. I'm not spilling anything. Yes, it does have to do with him. Now let me go work." I stomped my foot in frustration and then laughed out loud when I realized I was throwing a tantrum.
I turned to walk out of her office, but she stopped me. "Wait- did you get my e-mail about doing a column about the summer movies in the park? I know people like those, and I think we should get the schedule out soon."
"Got it under control. Ta ta!" I said, sauntering out of her office and over to mine. I plopped down in my chair and turned on my computer, going through my morning routine of checking e-mails and phone calls. Angela popped her head in every now and then to pester me some more, but I stood firm and ignored her desperate pleas for information. I worked straight through my lunch, just pausing to inhale a granola bar around noon, and dove back into my work so I could leave the office at a decent hour.
That night, I made myself dinner, and was sitting around watching bad reality TV, when my phone trilled. I checked the caller ID and saw Alice's name.
Brace yourself, Bella.
"Hey Alice," I said, turning the volume down on the TV.
"Bella! How are you? How was work?" The words spilled out of her mouth almost faster than I could comprehend.
"It was work. Same old, same old. So, did you find somewhere that you wanted to go tomorrow night?" I asked, hoping that if I got straight to the point, she wouldn't talk my ear off for an hour.
"Oh, yes! The Cibar Lounge over on Irving Place. Do you know it?"
"I know exactly where that is. Rosalie and I will meet you there at 8:00. Is that okay?"
"Perfect! I'm so excited to see you again! I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Bye!"
"Bye" I mumbled, but she was already gone. Jesus. How do Edward and Jasper ever get a word in with her?
Even though Edward and I were best friends, and Alice was his sister, she and I never really hung out much as kids. I was always with Edward, and she was always playing with dolls or putting on make-up. Don't get me wrong, Alice had always been very sweet, and loyal to a fault, but I'd never really spent much time with her. After just two short conversations with her, my mind was left spinning. Tomorrow should be interesting, I thought. Wait till Rosalie meets her. I snickered at the thought. Rosalie could go two ways with her. One- she will dive in and talk just as animatedly, or two- she won't want anything to do with her.
At 7:00 the following evening, there was a sharp knock at my door, and then Rosalie came sauntering in, looking like the she-devil of the west, clad in a skin tight red dress.
"Emmett let you out like that?" I asked, shocked at her appearance. My brother was fiercely overprotective and practically growled and ripped off the appendages of any man that even glanced at Rose.
She scoffed at me. "What do you mean, he let me out like this? I can do whatever the hell I want to do."
"Oo-kay," I said. She was definitely on a warpath. Someone must have pissed her off at work.
"Why aren't you dressed?" she asked, gesturing toward my fluffy robe and velcro rollers in my hair.
I rolled my eyes. "It's only 7. I've got time. Come in here while I finish getting ready," I said, motioning for her to follow me into my bedroom. She gracefully folded herself into the chair in the corner of my room, and crossed her legs.
"So, we haven't talked much lately. How are things?" she asked, glancing at her blood red fingernails. Her expression grew a little sad, and I immediately felt remorse for not speaking to her much lately.
I shrugged my shoulders noncommittally. "I've been busy at work mostly, hung out with Edward a few times, made-out on my couch last weekend, worked out a bit, been trying to develop some sort of Jacob repellent. You know, the usual."
Her perfect features twisted into a grimace. "Ugh. That creep still bothering- Wait! What did you say about making-out? Who was it!" she screeched, jumping to her feet.
I hung my head, and I felt my face getting hot. I knew my traitorous blush was going to give me away.
She screeched again, and I flung my hands up to cover my ears. "It was Edward, wasn't it!" She bounded over to stand right in front of me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Look at me, Bella. WAS. IT. EDWARD?" she punctuated every word with a slight shake.
I lifted my head and nodded slightly, bracing myself for what was to come. I was sure she was going to start dancing around me singing 'I told you so, I told you so' like a 5-year-old, but instead she reached out and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh, Bella! That's great! So, are you two an item now? Or is this strictly a friends-with-benefits deal?" she asked, pulling away from me slightly, a megawatt grin plastered across her face.
I pulled her into my bathroom and motioned for her to sit down on the closed toilet lid so that I could talk to her while getting ready. I started pulling the velcro rollers out of my hair, letting it fall down my back in loose, soft curls.
"I don't know, Rose. We went out on a date last weekend, just out to dinner. Then we came back here and ended up sucking face like a couple of teenagers. We haven't exactly 'labeled' our relationship yet."
I started putting my makeup on, and waited for her to give her opinion. I knew it was coming. She wouldn't be Rose if she didn't tell me what she thought. She was quiet for a few moments longer.
"Hmmmm...so was he a good kisser? He looks like he would be. I mean, if I wasn't married to your brother, and you didn't have a thing for him I'd-"
"DO NOT finish that sentence!" I said, flinging my eyeshadow brush at her. "But to answer your question...OH MY GOD yes."
She screeched again, and I almost poked my eye out with my mascara wand. "Must you screech?" I whined, wiping off the glob of mascara that ended up on my cheek.
"Sorry. I'm just happy for you. It's been such a long time for you."
"Gee, thanks Rose. I hadn't realized my sex life was lacking," I droned. Finishing up my make-up, I walked into my room to get dressed.
I walked straight over to my dresser, already knowing what I was looking for. As I pulled the leather mini skirt out of the drawer, Rose's eyes widened slightly as she looked at me.
"What is that? You better consider yourself lucky that Edward won't be seeing you tonight. He'd flip his shit for sure if he knew you were going out in public wearing that."
"And?" I asked, pulling the skirt on under my robe. "Look, I just want to have fun tonight with you and Alice; who may or may not drive you crazy but not really in a bad way. She's just really hyperactive. Anyway, tonight is not about men. I'd just like to get a little bit sloshed and have a good time."
"Amen," she said, throwing her hands up in the air and exiting my bedroom so that I could finish getting dressed. I pulled a white corset style shirt out and pulled it over my head, making sure that my boobs were tucked in securely, but still showed the tiny bit of cleavage that I did have. I pulled on some stilettos and checked myself once more in the mirror, before heading back out to my living room.
Rose wolf whistled when she saw me enter, and I spun for her, brushing my hair back over my shoulder. "Damn Bella. We're going to have to beat the men off of you with a stick."
I giggled, snatching my purse off of the counter. "Let's go, bitch. There's hearts to break and alcohol that needs to be consumed."
We arrived at the Cibar lounge 20 minutes later, and weaved our way through the massive crowd that was taking up residence in the doorway. I craned my neck once we got inside to see if I saw Alice anywhere, and saw her dark hair sitting at a table in the far corner. Grabbing Rosalie's hand, I wound my way back through the tables, making sure not to crash into any waiters along the way.
Alice saw us when we got close and jumped out of her seat, waving furiously with a huge grin on her face. She pulled me into a hug, her tiny arms almost choking me to death, and then pulled back to survey my outfit.
"Slutting it up tonight, are we Bella?" she asked, a mischievous grin playing across her dainty features. "My brother would have an absolute cow if he saw you in this. He'd probably rant and rave about you wearing next to nothing in public, and then go all caveman on you, dragging you back to his den of sin."
Rosalie laughed uproariously behind me, and I remembered that I hadn't introduced the two yet. I disentangled myself from Alice, and stepped back, motioning to Rosalie.
"Alice, this is my sister-in-law, Rosalie. Rose, this is Alice."
The two women eyed each other speculatively, both of them sharing the same, calculating look on their face. I was suddenly nervous that Rose was going to pull out her bitch card, and say something that would offend or hurt Alice, because god knows she has done it before. But before I could start having a panic attack, Rose spoke.
"Gucci. Nice," she said, motioning to Alice's dress. Alice's face split into another huge grin, and she reached up to pull Rose into a hug too.
"I'm so glad that we're getting to do this! I have a feeling we're going to be great friends!" Alice exclaimed, pulling out her chair to sit back on.
Rose shot me a 'what is she on?' look, but I waved her off, and we sat down across from her at the small table. The tables were a beautiful dark wood color, with a vase of dark pink flowers sitting on top. Clear, crystal votive holders gleamed with small white tea lights in the center. I picked up my menu, scanning the martini list.
Suddenly, Alice let out a high-pitched squeal, causing me to drop my menu and cover my ears.
"What on God's good, green Earth was that for?" Rosalie asked. "I'm pretty sure my ears are bleeding."
Alice looked back and forth between Rosalie and myself, obviously confused by our reactions, as we stared at her. "What? They have a chocolate martini."
The waiter came by and took our drink and appetizer orders, and as soon as he left our table, Alice pounced.
"So Bel-la, Edward has been extremely happy these past few days. I take it that it's all your doing?" she asked, inquisitively. I rolled my eyes at her.
"Don't you two have anything better to do than question mine and Edward's relationship?"
"Relationship?" Rosalie interrupted. "I thought you didn't know if it was a relationship or not."
"I-I don't," I stammered. "I honestly don't know what he wants from me. I mean, I think I do, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions."
Alice eyed me dubiously from across the table. "Are you kidding, Bella? You really don't know? I swear, you two are about as dense as they come. Edward has been looking at you with goo-goo eyes since you were knee high to a grasshopper. He didn't realize it. You didn't realize it. It took all of my willpower not to just knock your heads together. Christ, our mom's have been picking out china patterns for you two since you were 10 years old."
I took a long sip of my drink that the waiter had just set down in front of me. I needed alcohol in me, quick, before these two started in on the sex talk. I knew it was coming. I was never one to be forthcoming about my sexual conquests. Rosalie, on the other hand, would tell me in detail about every single time her and Emmett had ever had sex. I put a stop to that quick. I did not want to hear about my brother's favorite positions or what he did with his tongue. Gross.
I hoped that I was saved from talking about my sex life, or lack of, since Edward was Alice's brother. I had a feeling, though, that she wouldn't care. I needed to distract her before I was spilling my guts about what I wanted to do to him.
"So Alice," I started, "Tell us about this new man of yours." Her eyes lit up, and I knew I was off the hook. Jackpot.
She immediately dove in and started gushing about Jasper. Her arms were flailing and her eyes were so huge with excitement that I thought they were going to pop out of their sockets.
"Oh, he's perfect! The first time I saw him I just knew that we were supposed to be together!"
With her hands clasped under her chin, she did that exaggerated-swoony-content-sigh-thing and Rosalie had to stifle a chuckle.
"Edward seems to be handling it quite well," I noted, swirling my finger around the rim of my martini glass. "He was always so protective of you - I'm surprised he hasn't chopped Jasper's balls off yet."
She grinned at me mischievously. "I assure you that his balls are still fully intact, and they will be forever if I have anything to do with it."
"Oh, eww, Alice. That was an unnecessary over-share," I groaned, scrunching up my face in disgust.
"Balls aside, are you settling in okay? Have you found a job yet?" Rose asked Alice, picking at the appetizers on our table.
"Yeah, staying with Edward has been great, besides the fact that he gets all irritated when Jasper and I make-out on his couch. I haven't found a job yet...I'm looking for a stylist job somewhere."
"Well that's convenient," I said, taking a sip of my drink. "Rose, aren't you guys looking for somebody at Vogue?" Alice snapped her head over to Rosalie, leaning her tiny body over the table towards her.
"Oh. My. God. You work at Vogue! THE Vogue! You work for the magazine that has become my Holy Bible!" Alice started bouncing up and down in her chair like a hyper Chihuahua.
"Down girl," Rose chided, pushing Alice back down in her seat. "Yes, we do have a few openings right now for stylists. Come to my office on Monday and I'll get you a meeting with the director. Just please don't squeal or bounce like that...my reputation is at stake." Rose said, but then smiled in Alice's direction to let her know that she was kidding around.
We then dove into our appetizers and downed our drinks, quickly ordering another round as soon as the last drop was gone. We talked and laughed, falling into quick companionship with one another. It felt good to go out and have a girl's night and it had been too long since I was able to do so. We consumed drink after drink, getting more and more tipsy with every empty glass.
"I've gotta go to the ladies room!" I said, probably a little too loud for just the three of us, but at that point, I really didn't care.
I got up and sashayed away from the table, wiggling my hips in Alice and Rose's direction as they hooted and hollered. When I returned, I heard a click and saw Alice with her phone in her hands.
"Alice! What are you doing?" I yelled as I tried to snatch the phone out of her hands. She yanked the phone out of my reach and punched a few buttons, before setting it down on the table.
"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch, Bella. I was just showing Edward what he's missing." She cackled evilly, and Rosalie high-fived her across the table.
I dropped my head into my arms and groaned. "He's going to flip when he sees that, you know. I'm going to tell him it was all your idea to dress like this."
"You need to learn from us, Bella. It's all about the chase. You need to give him little glimpses like this, so that next time he sees you, he just wants to rip off your clothes and mount you." Rose said, sipping on her martini.
"Mmmm-hmmm." Alice added. "Trust me, Bella. My brother is a boob man. He will die when he sees you in that corset. You can thank me later." She winked at me, and went back to bobbing her head along with the music.
No he's not. He likes shoes. I giggled softly to myself, remembering the look on his face when he asked me to keep my stilettos on.
"Whoa! Wait! Edward has a SHOE fetish?" Alice broke out into hysterical laughter, clutching her stomach.
Crap. Did I say that out loud?
"Ummm...yeah. He may have asked me to keep them on when we were fooling around last weekend."
She looked across the table, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement. She ducked her head under the table, most likely to look at the shoes I had on at that moment.
"Holy shit, girl. Hike your foot up here," she commanded, whipping out her phone again.
"No, Alice. I don't think so. You've already embarrassed me enough for the night." Just as I finished my sentence, my phone buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out, and saw I had a text from Edward.
Would Alice and Rosalie completely hate you if you left right now? - E.
I could feel the butterflies flitting about in my stomach at his words. It wasn't even anything dirty or vulgar, but knowing he wanted me at that moment was somehow very fulfilling.
They might. We're having a blast getting tipsy. Miss you though. - B.
Where are you? -E
Nope. Not telling. Nice try though. Let me call you tomorrow. -B.
Okay gorgeous. I want to see you tomorrow. -E.
I smiled down wistfully at my phone, and then felt Rosalie grab it out of my hands. "No boys!" She commanded, turning it off, and tucking it down into her cleavage.
"If you want it back, you have to get it yourself," she teased, shaking her chest in my direction.
"Oh yeah?" I challenged, then quickly reached across the table, aiming for her boobs. However, I was quickly deflected.
"Not a chance!" Rosalie yelled as she grabbed my wrist. Alice just sat and laughed as she consumed what might have been her umpteenth drink of the night. For such a tiny girl, she sure could hold her liquor.
"Fine," I said in defeat, slumping down in my chair and pouting like a child. "Then YOU call Emmett and tell him to come pick us up or I'm finding a pay phone and I'm calling Edward." The words tumbled out of my mouth in a slur and Rose's face scrunched up in confusion.
"What the Hell did you just say? Bella, I don't speak Drunkenese, please try again."
Alice let out a cackling laugh as I rolled my eyes and huffed. "Just call Emmett will you?"
I looked over at Alice, as she was still laughing her ass off. Her face was turning red and she was having trouble catching her breath. I noticed the people around us staring and looked back at Rose.
"Although, we might get kicked out before Emmett gets here if she doesn't shut up." I chuckled.
Suddenly Alice jumped up out of her seat. "Bella! I need some air. Come with?"
I flinched, startled by her sudden actions. "Uhh, sure. Okay," I said, standing up and following her outside.
Before we were even out on the sidewalk, she was pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her bag.
I felt my eyes widen as I watched her light one up. "Alice, you smoke? Since when?"
She took a long drag before letting the smoke billow out. "College. The stress, you know? Please don't tell Edward. He'd kill me if he found out. Nobody knows but you. I really don't smoke that often but sometimes the craving kicks in and I just NEED one."
I nodded my head in understanding, but stumbled because my head was in a fog from drinking and the movement made me dizzy. Just as I was about to face-plant into the cement and flash my goodies to the people walking along Irving Place, a huge pair of arms caught me around my waist.
"Hey, get the fuck off of me, you big..." I stopped when I noticed who it was.
"Emmett!" I shouted. "Heyyyyy Emmett! How's my favorite brother?"
He shook his head and let me go once he was sure I was able to stand up straight. Well, as straight as possible.
"I'd be a lot better, Bella, if my little sister weren't traipsing around outside looking like...that." His eyes ran over all of the vast amounts of skin I was exposing, glaring at me disapprovingly. I took a step closer to him, jabbing my index finger into the middle of his broad chest.
"Now you listen to me, big brother," I started, rage coloring my voice, "I. am. a. grown. up," I said, poking him in the sternum with every word I spat from my lips.
"Yeah, she's perfectly capable of handling herself, Em," Rosalie added, sauntering out of the restaurant. She placed one of her perfectly manicured hands on his arm, and leaned up, kissing him on the cheek.
"Besides," I said, taking my bag and shrug from Rosalie. "Edward would fully appreciate what I'm wearing. I guarantee it."
I cringed as soon as the words left my mouth. Stupid, drunk Bella. I should know never to speak when I've had a few drinks. I have absolutely no filter.
Emmett's head whipped around towards me. I glanced at Alice, whose eyes were darting between my short form and Emmett's towering one. Rosalie just looked bored, staring at her fingernails and tapping her foot on the pavement impatiently. I swallowed hard and looked back at my fiercely overprotective brother, who could have been shooting flames out of his eyeballs with his stare.
"What did you say?" he asked, his voice gruff. He was trying to intimidate me.
I closed my eyes for a second, getting my bearings, before I opened them and glared right back at him.
"Jesus Christ on a cracker, Em. Yes, Edward and I are dating. Sort of. I'm 26 years old. He treats me well, and we've been friends since we were in diapers. It's not like I picked up some random bum on the street."
"Sort of? What the fuck does that mean?" he seethed. "Is this just some kind of friends with benefits thing? Because if it is, I will tear that son of a bitch limb from limb."
"You will do nothing of the sort!" I shouted. "Even if it was, so what? So what, Emmett. I'm a goddamn adult and I'll do as I goddamn please."
His eyes softened a bit after my outburst and he reached out to touch my arm. "I just don't want you to get hurt." he said, much quieter than his previous tone. His eyes drifted down to the sidewalk, and Rose sidled up to him, clutching his arm.
"Emmett," I started, trying to get his attention again. "I'm not going to get hurt. And even if I did, who cares? That's life, right?" I cringed a little at my words. Would I be hurt if Edward and I didn't work out? Maybe I was trying to convince myself right along with him. Edward wouldn't hurt me, though. Would he?
I suddenly didn't feel as drunk as I did 10 minutes prior. I stared at the cracks in the sidewalk like they would give me all of life's answers. Emmett sighed loudly and wrapped one of his hulking arms around my shoulders.
"Let's get you home, sis," he said, kissing me on the top of the head. He wrapped his other arm around Rosalie, and Alice looped her arm through my free one. She leaned in towards me, resting her head on my shoulder as we walked.
"Whatever you're worrying about, Bella, you're wrong," she whispered, squeezing my arm.
I sighed and squeezed back. "I hope you're right, Alice."
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Chapter 10
Chapter 10 (EPOV)
I walked into Masen's on Monday morning, whistling and grinning like the Cheshire cat. It had been that way since I left Bella's apartment on Saturday night. Jasper looked up at me from whatever he was reading and cocked an eyebrow, clearly confused by my demeanor.
"Get laid?" he asked dryly, running a hand through his blonde, shaggy hair.
"No, fucker," I said, punching him in the arm as I walked past him towards my office. I sat down in my leather office chair just as Jasper came through the door after me.
He plopped down in the chair across from me and leaned forward on my desk. "Come on, dude. What gives? I haven't seen you this happy since you shagged that Russian model. What was her name? Irina? She was hot. It's too bad she moved back to Russia because I would have-"
"Please, don't finish that sentence," I said, holding up my hands to stop him. "Irina was...a fling; nothing serious. And I've been plenty happy ever since Bella showed up."
"No, you've been slowly transforming into a girl ever since Bella showed up. All the mushy talk about her is almost too much to handle. I'm concerned about your masculinity, and I'm dangerously close to revoking your Man-Card. The way you showed up here this morning, all smiling and shit, that's the face of a man who recently got laid - or something close to it. Throw me a bone here."
"We just - had a good time on Saturday night, that's all. And I'm taking her out next weekend. Nobody got laid, trust me," I said, sheepishly glancing down at my lap and back up to Jasper's amused face.
"Well...good for you, I guess. Have you heard from your sister?" he asked, drumming his fingers on my desk.
I nodded, shuffling the papers on my desk. "Yeah, I talked to her last night actually. She's excited to get out of Washington and come to New York where she can 'really spread her wings'." I looked up at Jasper, who was trying to hold in a laugh. "Shut up. Her words, not mine. Anyway, she flies in on Sunday and will be staying with me for a while until she can get on her feet."
He smirked at me. "Oooo....won't having the little sister around cramp your style? You're not going to have any game with Alice hanging around."
"Don't worry about my game, Jazz. Might I suggest that you work on yours? It seems your constant parade of women has been lacking lately."
"Fuck off, dude," he said, giving me the one finger salute, and stormed out of my office. I chuckled quietly to myself and went back to reviewing the mountains of paperwork on my desk. He was definitely right about one thing, though. I WAS happy. After Bella had agreed to go out on a date with me, I became a giggly, 13-year-old boy that had just found his dad's Playboy stash. I was excited and intrigued to see where our blossoming relationship could go. We'd been great together as friends, and based on the kiss we shared, I had no doubt that we'd be great together as lovers, but Bella still seemed a little bit skittish about the idea of going from one to the other. It was my mission to make her 100 percent Team Edward.
I worked in my office for a few more hours, going over accounts and ordering supplies, and then spent a few more hours in the kitchen, doing prep work for the dinner service that night. Exhausted and starving by the time 3:00 rolled around, I decided to head out for some food.
As I walked through the dining room, I passed by Jasper who was furiously typing away on his BlackBerry. "I know you're talking to my sister right now, Whitlock. Just remember, I will be keeping a close eye on you when she moves out here."
His head shot up and he looked at me with wide eyes. "How did you...?"
"I just know," I said as I kept walking towards the front door. "I always know."
By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted. The restaurant had seen its busiest week since it had opened and that made me completely ecstatic. However, it also meant that I hadn't spoken to Bella at all that week. She had sent me several text messages, to which I replied as often as I could telling her I would call her, but by the time I made it home at nights, I would crash. As I walked into my apartment on Friday night, my cell phone chimed again with another message.
I think you're avoiding me, Mr. Cullen. -B
I laughed and hit the button on my phone to call her, pressing the phone against my ear. It rang twice before she picked up.
"Oh, look who finally decided to acknowledge my existence," she said semi-seriously before letting out an infectious laugh. I flopped down on my couch and smiled, happy that she wasn't angry at me.
"I'm so sorry, Bells. Masen's was ridiculously busy this week, and by the time I would get home so I could call you back, I would crash. Luckily, I've got tomorrow off, but Alice is moving here on Sunday, so I've gotta get my apartment ready for her."
"Edward, you do know your sister, right? I wouldn't do anything to your apartment, because you know the second she gets there, she's going to rearrange whatever you did. I would just leave it alone and let her deal with it."
I shifted and stretched out across the couch, propping a pillow behind my head. "You're right. I have no doubt that she will move all of my stuff to make room for hers. There will be hell to pay if she takes over my closet, though. I may need to start storing stuff at your place."
She snorted into the phone. "Yeah, right, okay. Keep dreaming there, big guy."
Suddenly, I heard water running in the background. "Do I hear water? What are you doing?"
"I'm getting ready to take a bath if you must know." Just by the sound of her voice, I could tell she was probably blushing.
I, however, had to clench my jaw to keep from groaning at the images that were suddenly assaulting my brain. Bella naked...in the tub...with her long legs sticking out of the water...GAH Edward, stop it!
"So...uh..." I started, my voice sounding strained and hoarse. "When can I take you out? Tomorrow?"
"Oh, um...yeah," she paused and then cleared her throat. "Tomorrow's, uh...tomorrow's good."
I smiled a little to myself because it sounded like she was having as hard of a time as I was. It took every ounce of willpower that I had not to go to her apartment and bust the door down. Because that wouldn't be weird AT ALL. I shook my head at my perverted subconscious.
"Can I pick you up at 7?" I asked her, my voice returning to its normal, smooth state. She quickly agreed, and we said good-bye to each other. I set my phone down on the coffee table and groaned out loud. The next 24 hours were going to drag, I was sure of it. I got up and did a little bit of research on places to take Bella, and then quickly fell into a deep slumber, completely exhausted from the week.
The following afternoon, I was on the phone with Alice, searching through my closet for clothes to wear.
"So, what time does your flight come in tomorrow?" I asked her, pulling a blue button down out and throwing it on the bed behind me.
"Edward!" she huffed. "I've told you three times before. I even e-mailed you my itinerary! But since you obviously weren't paying attention, my flight lands at JFK at 2:45."
"Okay, okay. I heard you. Sorry...I've been a bit distracted lately," I replied, throwing a pair of black pants on the bed with the shirt.
"Mmhmm. Jasper's told me all about it," she giggled.
That bastard.
"What?? That fucker! What has he been telling you? He's probably made me out to be some kind of pansy-ass girly-man, hasn't he?" After a second or two, what she actually said finally caught up to me. "Wait, what? You talk to Jasper? I mean, I know you talk to Jasper, but...frequently??"
She was quiet for a moment before continuing, her voice small and quiet. "Are you gonna be mad at me if I say yes?"
I sighed and sank down onto my bed. "No, not really. I just can't help but worry about you. Jasper's dating past is, well, less than savory. He's already been warned that if he screws up, he's in for a world of pain."
I heard her chuckle quietly on the other end of the phone. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that you're so worried about me, Edward, but I already know everything. Jasper told me about his past, but he also told me that he wants to be better. He wants to change for me. I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing. Plus, you work with him and see him all of the time. You're his best friend. You'll know if he's doing something wrong...but I honestly think that he's changed."
"You really like him, huh, Ali? Well...aside from the fact that he's a little funny looking, he's been a great friend to me, so I trust you both."
I could almost 'hear' her grin through the phone. "Yes, Edward...I really do like him. Well, I'll let you go get ready for your date," she teased.
"See you tomorrow. Love you," I replied, ending the call and throwing my cell phone down on the bed. I got up and jumped in the shower, the hot water doing wonders for my aching joints from my busy week. I took my time getting ready, shaving the couple days of growth off of my face and trying to tame my hair as much as possible. By 6:45, I was walking out of my apartment and down to my car, and by 7:00 I was standing in front of her door, knocking lightly on it.
I heard the sharp clatter of her heels clicking across the floor and the door swung open. Upon laying eyes on her, my brain and my stomach both plummeted straight to the floor. She was beyond beautiful, clad in a pair of form fitting dark jeans and a black top that showed off her creamy shoulders. Glancing down at her feet, I noted her stilettos that sent shockwaves straight to my groin. In a daze, I reached out blindly for her, grasping her hips and pulling her towards me. I placed a soft kiss on the side of her face and inhaled her perfume. All traces of stress from my busy week were instantly gone in that moment.
"You look beautiful," I whispered, squeezing her hip gently.
A blush spread from her neck up to her face and she nudged me with her shoulder. "You don't look so bad yourself." I smiled brightly and she looped her arm through mine, shutting the door behind us.
"So, where are we going?" she asked, as we walked down the hall towards the elevator.
"Well, I just heard of a new fondue restaurant opening, and thought we could try it out. Is that okay with you?" I asked, giving her a sideways glance as we entered the elevator.
She nodded and smiled. "Sounds good."
I led her to my car with my hand on the small of her back, opening the passenger door and ushering her inside. The car ride to the restaurant was mostly quiet, the only sounds being that of the city surrounding us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella staring out the window, a smile playing at her lips as she shook her head slightly.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked, reaching over the center console to take her hand in mine.
She chuckled. "I was just thinking about what it's going to be like to tell Rosalie she was right all along. She's never going to let me live it down."
"Right about what?"
There was a brief pause before she spoke again. "About you."
We pulled up to the restaurant, and I handed my car off to the valet, taking Bella's hand as she climbed out. She intertwined her small fingers with mine, and we walked inside together.
A tall blonde with fake boobs greeted us when we walked in. I could tell that Bella didn't like the way she was shamelessly undressing me with her eyes because she maneuvered me behind her and shot death glares in her direction. I gave her my name, and she escorted us to our table, shaking her hips a little too much for Bella's liking. I swore I heard her growl as we made our way through the maze of tables. We sat down, and I smirked at her as she looked over the wine list.
"What?" she asked, snapping her eyes up to mine.
"You're so cute when you're jealous," I said, trying not to laugh at her scowl that was etched across her face.
"I am not jealous," she scoffed. "I just think it was incredibly rude of her to look at you like that when it was obvious you were here with a date. It's as if she didn't know, or even care, that I was standing right there."
Our waiter approached our table, and Bella turned her attention to him, her scowl melting off of her face. I was appreciative to him for interrupting our conversation. I did not want our first date to be all about jealousy. I ordered a bottle of Merlot and our appetizer, and turned back to Bella, who was fiddling with her napkin in her lap.
"So" I started. "What were you talking about in the car when you said that Rosalie was right about me?"
Her bottom lip seemed to automatically make its way between her teeth before she spoke. "She just, I don't know...I guess she somehow knew right off the bat how you felt about me. I didn't believe her, though. I figured with us being so close as friends, that it would just be weird if it were anything more than that."
"Well, is it?" I asked, leaning forward.
Her eyes met mine and she leaned forward as well. "Is it what?"
I reached across the table and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Is it weird? Being with me as more than just friends?"
"Not yet," she said, just barely above a whisper.
"Mmmm..." I said, moving just a little closer to her. "So it isn't weird when I do this?" I pressed my lips lightly to hers just as I heard someone clear their throat next to us.
Our waiter was next to us, looking mildly displeased, with our wine and appetizer in his hands. He set our wine down, and set the cheese fondue down on the burner in the middle of our table along with a plate full of bread and apple slices. After pouring us each a glass of wine, he took our dinner orders and scampered off again. I frowned at his retreating form, and Bella laughed.
"What?" I asked, picking up one of the long utensils and stabbing a piece of bread.
She giggled louder, putting her hand over her mouth. "You got cockblocked by the waiter. The look on your face was too funny."
I nearly choked on my bread as the word cockblocked left her mouth. Bella using any variation of the word 'cock' created very vivid images in my head. Images that were probably way too inappropriate for me to be having about her, especially during dinner in a very public place.
"Edward? Edward!"
Bella snapping her fingers in front of my face yanked me out of my lust-filled haze.
"Are you okay?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "For a second there you looked like you were about to leap across the table and attack me."
Oh, Bella, if you only knew.
I shook my head and cleared my throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. I, uh...just...I'm fine. Yep."
"Okaaayy," she dragged out and slowly reached for her wine glass to take a sip, all the while keeping her eyes fixed on me. As she pulled the glass away from her lips, she smiled.
"What's that for?" I asked, spearing a slice of apple.
Her smile grew bigger. "You're really weird."
I shrugged. "I know. All part of my charm." Her answering smile lit up her face, and I wanted nothing more than to see that look on her face all of the time.
Our entrees arrived, and we ate between talking and laughing together. Being in her company had always been easy and care-free, and I never felt like I had to 'pretend' with her. I could be my true and honest self and never have to worry about what she thought. Some women that I had dated in the past made me nervous. Sometimes I felt like they were analyzing me during the entire date...whether I had a good enough job, enough money, or whether or not I'd be good in bed. Not Bella.
I sat and watched her as she observed the goings on around us. She sat forward with her elbow propped up on the table and her chin resting in her hand as the fingers of her other hand mindlessly traced the rim of her wine glass. The dim lighting of the dining room made her soft features even more beautiful.
She let out a content sigh, and I nudged her knee with mine.
"Hmmm?" she hummed, nudging my knee back.
"You ready to go?"
She sat up straighter, taking the last sip of her wine, and pushing her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, I'm ready."
I took care of the bill and stood up, offering her my hand. Instead, she slipped her arm around my waist and snuggled into my side. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her into my body, and smiled down at her. We navigated ourselves out of the restaurant and out into the slightly chilly night air. When we got out to the sidewalk, I grabbed onto her arm and swung her around in front of me, wrapping my arms around her waist. Even with her heels, she only came up to my chin. She looked up at me, running one of her hands up my arm, and settled it around my neck.
I bent my head down slightly, brushing my lips across her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, until finally she grew impatient and captured my bottom lip between hers. I groaned softly and pressed my lips firmly to hers, snaking my tongue into her mouth. Her hand gripped the hair on the back of my head as she returned the kiss with more fervor. I tugged on her hips until they were right up against mine, my growing erection pressing firmly into her stomach. Too soon, I broke away, both of us gasping for breath. I didn't want to get too carried away on the sidewalk. People and cars were passing us by, but it seemed as if both of us forgot about the world around us, too consumed in each other to care.
Bella kept her body pressed close to mine as we waited for the valet to bring my car back around. She slipped her hands into my back pockets and placed a kiss on my neck. My arms instinctively pulled her closer, and I hummed in appreciation.
"I could get used to this," I said quietly, kissing the top of her head.
"Used to what?" she laughed. "Going out on dates? Out to eat? Really, Edward, it's not like we've never done this before."
"Not that," I chuckled, tilting her head back to look at her. "This," I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. "Kissing you. All the time."
She pulled back from me a bit and scrunched up her nose, her eyes full of mischief and happiness. "Have you always been such a sweet talker?"
"Naturally," I said, reaching for her hands just as the car pulled up. "It's all part of the Cullen DNA."
She laughed as I opened her door, and she slid into the leather seat gracefully. I got in, and revved the engine, speeding away from the restaurant, and back to Bella's apartment.
We parked in front of her building and I shut the car off, turning to Bella just as she was reaching for the door handle.
"Stay," I commanded, jumping out of the car and running around to the other side. I opened her door, and offered her my hand, helping her out of the car.
"Well, well, Mr. Cullen. Chivalry is certainly not dead, I see. Although, I bet this won't last. I give it 6 months before I'm opening my own car door." She smirked at me, tucking her purse under her arm.
Inside, I was beaming. Bella alluded to the fact that she potentially saw us dating 6 months down the road. In reality, 6 months was not that far away, but I was just happy that she saw us going past the first date.
"So, do you want to come up for a little bit?" she asked quietly, looking somewhat unsure of herself. I mentally did a happy dance, and nodded, hopefully not coming off as too eager. I didn't want her to think I was only coming up to make-out with her, even though the horny 16-year-old inside of me was hoping and praying for it. Okay, so the horny 26-year-old was praying for it too.
Don't judge me. It's been a long time.
She grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the lobby towards the elevator. While I trailed behind her, I watched as her ass swayed back and forth in her jeans. Something in me also thought perhaps she was doing it on purpose. Actually, if I were to be completely honest, that something was in my pants.
We stepped into the elevator, and I leaned up against the wall, pulling her up against me. Her back was up against my chest, and I leaned down to inhale the scent of her hair, before moving it off of her neck. Bending down slightly, I fluttered soft kisses up and down the side of her neck and behind her earlobe. Placing my lips over her ear, I whispered the only thought I had in my mind at that moment.
"You're beautiful."
The doors opened, and we walked out with me still attached to her, my arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
"Edward, I can't walk with you hanging on me like a monkey." She glanced back at me over her shoulder, and I grinned at her, placing a loud, resounding kiss on her cheek. She unlocked her door and we stumbled into the dark apartment. The city lights were streaming through the windows, illuminating the room just enough that we could see where we were going. Bella reached over to flip the light switch, but I grabbed her hand instead.
"Leave them off," I said, turning her around in my arms to face me.
She looked up at me quizzically. "Why?"
I took her face between my hands as I leaned in, just barely brushing my lips across hers before capturing her mouth completely. What started out as a slow, sweet kiss grew increasingly intense with each passing moment. I cupped the back of her head with one hand as the other slid down her back to rest on her backside. Her tiny hands fisted handfuls of my hair, which only made me pull her closer, if that were even possible. When I finally couldn't breathe anymore, I reluctantly pulled away from her.
"Oh," she breathed out and I couldn't help but smile.
"Come," I said quietly, taking her hand and leading her towards the couch. Since it was dark, I adjusted myself in my pants, wincing from the intensity. My erection was straining against my zipper and was practically screaming at me to be let out.
Dude, I know. I'm sorry. Later, I promise.
I sat down and pulled Bella into my lap so that she was straddling me. Her hair fell over her shoulders and the lights from the city illuminated her face just enough so that I could see the deep, red flush that I had come to love so much. When I saw her reach to take off her shoes, my hand flew out to stop her.
"No!" I said much louder than I had intended. "I mean, uh...well, I'd really kind of like it if you kept them on."
Her face twisted into a knowing smirk and she ran her fingers through my hair. "Well, well, well, Mr. Cullen, do we have a little bit of a shoe fetish?"
"Mmmmm...maybe...I don't think it's the shoes alone though. I think it's you in the shoes that drives me crazy." She drug her lips up my neck and took my earlobe between her teeth.
"You should see my closet then. There's more where these came from. I've got shelves upon shelves of high heels specifically made to torture you."
"Evil," I groaned out, winding my fingers into her hair and tugging her lips back to mine. Our mouths parted again, and our tongues collided. My hands drifted down her back and settled on her hips. She gasped when I pulled her down firmly against my lap, and broke away from my lips only to reconnect her mouth with my neck, my jaw, anything she could get her lips on.
"God, Bella," I breathed, shifting my hips restlessly, and pressed up against her. Her breathing turned into panting, and she looked at me with hooded eyes filled with desire and want. I dove down, nipping at her shoulders and collarbone as she gripped her fingers in my hair once again, tugging with so much force that it almost hurt. But I didn't care. I wanted her to keep going. I wanted everything from her.
Her head fell backwards as my name fell from her lips in a quiet moan. One of my hands trailed up and down her side, brushing the side of her breast with every pass. She made no protest to my action, so I moved it around to her front, gently cupping her in my hand. She arched into my hand, and I tightened my grip slightly, softly massaging her through the fabric of her shirt. My other hand stayed firmly planted on her hips, pressing her down into my groin again. The movement made both of our breaths hitch in our throat, and our mouths collided again. Each kiss was drawn out, and our tongues circled and fought for dominance. After a minute or two, Bella cupped my jaw and pulled my face away from hers.
"Edward, wait," she panted, as my lips attached themselves to her throat again. "Oh god, that feels good," she moaned, before yanking on my hair to raise my eyes to hers. "Edward, we have to slow down a bit. Doesn't this seem fast?"
Fuck.
I wanted to slap myself for pushing her too far. Part of me was ashamed for making out with her on the couch like a bunch of teenagers, but the other part of me was patting myself on the back for making her breathe as hard as she was.
I scrubbed my hands over my face. "God, Bella. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to push. I guess I just got carried away." Her hand shot out to cover my mouth.
"Oh no you don't. There were two people participating here. I'm just as much to blame as you. Don't get all emo on me now, Cullen. I mean it."
Her eyes were filled with concern. "You okay?" She leaned forward to drop a quick kiss on my lips.
I smiled at her dazedly. "I'm better than okay," I admitted, stroking my thumb lightly over her cheekbone. "But in order to calm myself down, you've got to move. I can't properly decompress with you straddling me."
Smirking, Bella climbed off my lap. She started to stand, but I lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" She let out a little yelp as I pulled her down onto the couch next to me, snuggling her against my side.
"Just because I can't have you in my lap doesn't mean I don't want you as close as you can get."
She turned her head towards me and giggled, kissing me lightly on the nose.
"So, is this weird yet?" I asked, stroking her hair and pulling her head to rest on my shoulder.
"No. Not at all," she replied, and sighed contentedly, melting further into my side.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
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