An asshole. An epic screw-up. A disaster with a dick.
A complete and utter bastard. A hopeless idiot. A fucked up, embarrassing,
teenage boy. A disgrace to men everywhere. I wasn’t quite sure what the correct
term to call myself was. Maybe if I combined them all, I’d get it somewhat
right.
Even if I would somehow be lucky enough to get to
spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to Bella, it wouldn’t be enough.
I had never been so humiliated in my life, but that didn’t mean anything in
comparison to the state I’d left Bella in. That shit was just totally
unacceptable. I hadn’t exactly timed it, but I couldn’t have lasted more than a
few minutes.
Way to make
your first time together memorable, Cullen.
The week following the wedding dragged. The happy
couple had washed off the cake and flown to Paris
Every time I tried to talk to Bella, something came
up. If she wasn’t thermometer shopping – whatever
that meant – with James, she was running out the door to go pick up Rose
and Emmett’s mail or filling in for Leah at the diner. Leah had apparently
asked for time off to go to Seattle Alice
Even if I hadn’t been able to sit Bella down and talk
to her properly, I’d gotten her flowers and apologized so many times that she
was now snapping at me. And then apologizing for snapping, which led to me apologizing
again and her snapping…vicious, vicious circle.
The nights weren’t much better. We’d slept in the same
bed a few nights, never going past kissing and cuddling. Bella would claim to
be tired, and I couldn’t blame her for not wanting a repeat of the last time.
However, that didn’t mean that I wasn’t desperate to show her that it was a
fluke and that I was man enough to satisfy her. Talking to her about it was
futile, though. She was tired. I
thought it was way too early in our relationship for that, but of course I
wasn’t a relationship expert. Or man enough to please my woman, apparently.
If that wasn’t bad enough, then I’d become so paranoid
about the whole thing that I’d gotten it into my head that James knew. The
looks he sent me sometimes were filled with pity. I’d sworn to myself that if
he knew – by spying, being told by Bella, or even if he’d seen it in a goddamn
vision – I was going to drown myself in my kitchen sink. There were just
certain things that I couldn’t bear to live with, because if he did know, it
would only be a matter of time before he started giving me hell about it.
By the time Friday rolled on, I was ready to go back
to Afghanistan
“I hate you!” James hissed at me as he walked by carrying
a tray of shot glasses.
“I know. You’ve been telling me that for three days
now. I got it the first time,” I replied and turned back to the whiskey I was
pouring.
James was not a fan of hunting and had made it clear
about a hundred times that I would burn in hell for killing Bambi. He was also
sure that I was the one who had killed Bambi’s mother. I was surprised he had
seen that movie since it didn’t feature Tom Cruise.
It didn’t help James’ mood that there was a lot of
talk about hunting at the bar in general as deer hunting season was starting. He
fought Bella and me – even Charlie when he was there – for the female customers,
as they weren’t as likely to talk about hunting.
“Bambi murderers burn in hell,” he told me, coming to
stand behind me after I’d served an older guy, who’d told me he was a good
friend of Harry’s. I didn’t know why I needed to know that, but I was thankful
that the guy hadn’t asked for firewater.
“James, honey, stop nagging Edward,” Sue interrupted.
“You know as well as I do that you eat venison when I cook it and invite you
over for dinner. Double standards aren’t pretty.”
I turned to send Sue a smile. I hadn’t seen her come
into the bar, but her calling James on his bullshit was one of my favorite
things.
“Good evening, Sue,” I greeted her. “What can I get
you?”
“Something with a pretty color and an umbrella. I’m
feeling adventurous,” she replied and sat down.
James leaned over the counter in front of her. “Mama
Swan,” he said seriously. “When the brutal, manly men have already killed
Bambi, it would be a waste not to eat the meat.”
Sue patted his head. “You keep telling yourself that,
honey. Just remember that if Edward and Charlie don’t shoot anything tomorrow,
there’ll be no nice venison dinners.”
James went away, pouting, and I handed Sue her drink. She
tasted it and gave me an approving thumbs up.
I served customers while chatting with her. As I got
to know her and Charlie more and more, it wasn’t surprising that they had
raised kids as amazing as Bella and Jake. Sue was hands down one of the nicest
people I had ever met, and she seemed to draw in everyone with her warmth,
humor, and need to make sure that the people around her were comfortable and
happy. To me, she was the definition of what a mother should be. She was also
pretty much everything my own mom wasn’t.
“Hey, lady. Don’t hit on my man. Yours is out back,”
Bella teased as she came to stand next to me. She smiled up at me and slipped a
finger through the belt loop of my jeans.
Sue laughed. “Well, I better go see my man, then.
Since I can’t have yours and all.”
Bella wrinkled her nose, but then laughed. “That was
awkward. Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut.”
I chuckled and kissed the top of her head. I enjoyed
the way she melted into me briefly. It was fairly innocent, considering we were
working and all, but even the most innocent gestures made the doubts I had go
away for a moment. It wasn’t fair to doubt Bella just because she wasn’t eager
to repeat the most disastrous sex in the history of sex, but being pushed away
repeatedly did that to a man’s ego, apparently. Plus, everything was still so
new between us.
Ugh. And I
am officially turning into a teenage girl.
I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. Not just
because Charlie was picking me up before dawn, but because I had a nightmare
where he found out that I wasn’t doing a very good job of keeping his daughter
satisfied. Instead of shooting deer, he shot me, and I woke up drenched in
sweat just as I was bleeding to death and Charlie was laughing manically at me.
Fucking hell. This needed to stop,
and it needed to stop soon.
I got out of bed, groaning when my leg didn’t agree
with the action. Charlie had told me to dress appropriately. The only problem
was that I didn’t know what appropriately meant when it came to hunting. It
would have to be warm as it was sure to be fucking cold outside. I tried to
remember what people had been wearing in the hunting pictures in Charlie’s
office. Green…definitely green. And brown maybe? Right. I needed to find something in my closet that made me look
like the forest.
Ten minutes later, I was inhaling my coffee in my Army
fatigues. It was the only thing that was even remotely appropriate in my closet
for an early morning deer hunting expedition. I should have gotten some clothes
when I went to get my hunting license. I’d already promised myself that if I
liked hunting, I was getting my own rifle. Clothes would have to be added to
the list.
I was excited when Charlie picked me up. He took one
look at what I was wearing and gave me a satisfied nod. His own pants were
fatigues, too, but his jacket was a dusty green and his hunting cap was brown.
He looked a hell of a lot warmer than I expected to be.
“Morning, son,” he greeted me.
“Morning,” I replied, getting into the old pickup
truck.
The car smelled of coffee, and there were two travel
mugs in a small cardboard box on the seat between us. Coltrane was playing
softly in the background, and I wasn’t surprised to see the music coming from a
build-in cassette player. Charlie was so old-school that he was cool in my
book.
Neither of us felt the need to fill the comfortable
silence with unnecessary words. It had been a long time since I had been up
before dawn, so I enjoyed the opportunity to make my mind wake up fully. Charlie
drank from one of the travel mugs, and he motioned for me to take the other
one. I nodded my thanks and sipped the tar-like brew. I was definitely awake
now.
I had no idea where we were. Charlie turned down a
forest road, and after about ten minutes, he pulled over and parked. We got
out, and Charlie produced two rifles. I chuckled to myself as I remembered how
many times I’d wished I’d had my hands on a weapon since arriving in Forks.
James and the noisy couple from the motel were lucky they weren’t around that
morning.
I hadn’t anticipated how much I would enjoy just being
out in the forest. It was while trudging behind Charlie on the damp forest floor
that I truly realized how right Jake had been about small town life. In Seattle
It started to rain, drizzling miserably down my collar
and soaking my clothes. Once in a while, Charlie would quietly point out tracks
to me, and I quickly realized that he was a very skilled hunter. I paid
attention, but I also took time to enjoy nature. Even if it was very wet
nature.
It was Charlie who spotted a deer first, of course. He
alerted me that he was going to take a shot, and then it rang out, echoing
through the forest and hitting the target perfectly.
“It’s going to be a while before we see any animals
again. The shot scared them off,” Charlie said as we walked over to the dead
deer. “We usually call it a day when someone has taken down an animal, but we
can stick around so you can get a shot in.”
“That’s okay,” I replied. “It didn’t really feel like
the goal today was to fire the rifle. It was great just being out here.”
Charlie chuckled. “I knew you were good people. Some
of the guys I’ve been hunting with for twenty years still don’t get what it
took you one morning to figure out. As nice as it is to bring something home
after a hunt, there’s much more to it than that.”
I helped Charlie carry the deer back to the truck. Now
that we didn’t have to be quiet, he told me about the magic Sue could make with
venison and promised me a dinner invite.
“You’re a good hunting buddy, Edward,” he told me when
we’d reached the truck and loaded the deep. “You know how to shut up and how to
walk quietly. I’ve been teaching Emmett the art of silence for years, but he
still makes too much noise when he walks. Jake…well, my boy couldn’t shut up
for two damn minutes. I’m sure you know.”
I nodded, remembering fondly how many times I’d told
him to be quiet. “He could actually be quiet when he had to, though. Of course,
he also looked like he might burst after five minutes. He had so many words he
needed to get out.”
Charlie sighed with a small smile. “That he did.”
Since Charlie had brought him up, I spent the drive
back to town telling him about some of Jake’s Army escapades. Like the time
he’d TP’ed Colonel Banner’s tent, or when he’d made the ultimate sacrifice by
saving the chocolate bars from his rations for a few weeks to hand out to local
kids.
Charlie laughed and reciprocated with a story about
twelve year old Jake and Emmett, writing the Chocolate Manifesto and reading it aloud in the town square. “Those
boys always took their chocolate seriously, so it really must have been a great
sacrifice for Jake to give it to the kids.”
“Receiving cookies from Bella probably softened the
blow,” I commented with a chuckle.
Charlie shook his head with an affectionate smile. “It
didn’t matter what that boy asked for when he was overseas. Between Bella, Sue,
and Rose, he’d be sure to get it. He’d write his mom asking for Snickers bars,
then Bella, and then Rose. Sometimes he’d ask me, too, but I knew they’d all
sent him some. One time I sent him a carrot instead.”
I laughed. “So that’s where the carrot came from! I
remember him parading it around, but he didn’t want to share why he’d gotten
it. He thought it was funny until some of the guys started calling him Bunny.”
We shared and laughed at stories about Jake the whole
way home. Charlie dropped me off at the diner and told me that anytime I wanted
to go hunting again, I should just let him know.
I was still drenched when I climbed the stairs. It
didn’t matter that I had nothing to show for my first hunting adventure – the
experience had ingrained itself deeply in me. Everything about it had appealed
to me – watching the forest awake to a new day, carrying around a rifle without
having to worry about getting shot at, spending time with a man that I greatly
admired, learning new things, and getting a closer look at the amazing nature
that my new hometown was surrounded by.
I unlocked the door and nearly ran smack into James.
“Holy mother of sweet, little baby Jesus!” he
exclaimed. He gaped wide-eyed at me, and I wondered if I’d gotten blood on my
clothes or something. “Why have you not put on a uniform sooner, soldier pie? Not
that you don’t look lickable in civilian clothes, but denying people the sight
of you in uniform as like denying them air!”
I rolled my eyes and pushed past him. I had a date
with a hot shower and some dry clothes.
“Bella!” he yelled loudly and ran over to pound on her
door.
She came out when I was unlocking my door, and I
paused before going inside.
“Good morning, pretty firecracker,” I greeted her,
unable to stop the smile forming on my lips.
She looked like she’d just rolled out of bed, which
was very likely since it wasn’t that late. She was probably still half asleep
because instead of returning my greeting, she just stared at me.
“I know, right?” James said to her, leaning against
her doorframe and fanning himself with one hand. “Your soldier man is fucking
hot, Indian princess. Just imagine those little soldier babies running around
in their fatigues onesies.”
I sighed. “James, do me a favor?”
“Yes, I’ll peel that wet uniform off you,” he replied.
I ignored him. “Wherever you were going when I came
in? Please go there now.”
“Okay,” he said with a sigh before pulling his cell
phone from his pocket. “But I’m getting a picture first!”
Before I could protest, he snapped a picture with his
phone. I rolled my eyes again, but at least I wasn’t naked this time. Then he
sent me an air kiss and scampered out the door. I walked over to Bella, who now
looked a little more awake.
“What does a guy have to do to get a good morning kiss
around here?” I asked.
“Not a damn thing. Good morning kisses are mandatory.
Especially when you’re wearing that,”
she replied and reached up to pull my head down to appropriate Bella Kissing
Level. She kept her distance at first, but firecracker kisses had a tendency to
heat up to the point where we both got lost. Her lips were soft and warm, and
she tasted of toothpaste. She melted against me at the same time that I pressed
her against the doorframe, and she squeaked into my mouth and pulled back.
“Shit, you’re cold! And wet.”
I laughed and let her go. “Being out in the rain will
do that to you.”
“Ugh. Go shower and warm up. You’ll get sick, and I’m
not dressing up as naughty nurse,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
I sighed. “And there goes that fantasy. Shower with
me?”
“Um…I can’t. I have stuff to do,” she replied after
hesitating briefly.
I hooked a finger under her chin and made her look at
me. “This is getting ridiculous. Come over for lunch? I have no idea where to
take you on a date, especially when we never have a night off at the same time.
But bear with me while I figure it out? I’ll dazzle you with my extremely
ordinary cooking skills.”
She bit her lip in an unsuccessful attempt to kill a
smile. “I wish you’d stop being so freaking adorable.”
“Is that a ‘Yes, Edward, I’d love to come over for
lunch’?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is,” she replied with a
smile.
“All right then. See you at lunch,” I told her, picking
up her hand and kissing the inside of her wrist.
I walked back to my own door for a second attempt at
unlocking it. Before going inside, I looked over at Bella who was still
standing in her door. She smiled and waved at me before disappearing inside. I
followed her example, heading straight for the shower. Without Bella’s kisses
to warm me up, I was fucking freezing.
While I warmed up under the hot spray of water, I
thought about what to make for lunch. I could cook, but I hadn’t been kidding
when I said that my cooking skills were ordinary. I knew how to make the stuff
that I liked to eat, but that was it. And I was a simple man who liked simple
things.
Forty-five minutes later when I’d gotten dressed and
eaten a not very appetizing apple, I was still as clueless about what to make.
Looking around the grocery store that I was currently in was not helping much. Everything
was either too complicated or too boring. I had a woman to woo for heaven’s
sake.
I finally ended up deciding on calzones. My parents
had had an Italian housekeeper for a while when I was a kid, and she had cooked
more dinners for the family than my mom ever had. She was also the one who had
taught me how to cook, telling me that food wasn’t just the way to a man’s
heart, but the way to anyone’s heart. I really hoped she was right. She’d
taught me how to make calzones when I was fourteen, and I’d found it highly
embarrassing when Jasper found out that I was learning to cook. Surprisingly,
though, he’d just asked if he could learn, too.
Safely back home without getting ambushed by James
again, the calzones were quickly done. I made a salad to go with them, and if
that didn’t dazzle the firecracker, I had my secret weapon stashed safely away.
Chocolate ice cream and chocolate-covered cherries. Maybe Bella had secretly
had a hand in the Chocolate Manifesto, too, because she really did appreciate
it.
I had time to spare, so I dug out my laptop and Googled
where one could bring his pretty firecracker on a date in Port Angeles
I was curious, but at the same time I knew that
whatever was in those emails would be painful to read. Dealing with the fact
that Jake, Crowley
The cursor hovered over one of the emails, and after a
deep breath I opened one of them. It was from a guy named Tom Collins. He’d
been the least sociable guy in the squad, but a dedicated and brave man, who I
had a lot of respect for. The email was written while I was still at the
hospital, just after he’d gotten home. He asked about how I was doing, and I
realized that I’d been a shitty person by not letting them know that I was
okay.
He told me about how the squad had crumbled completely
and that the remaining members had been sent home early to escort the bodies of
Jake, Crowley
I checked my watch. Bella would be arriving soon, and
I needed to finish lunch. But the first chance I got, I would be reading and
replying to those emails. I had been a thoughtless bastard long enough. It was
the last thing I could do for my old squad.
To my own great surprise, the calzones did manage to dazzle Bella. And the
chocolate-covered cherries didn’t hurt, either.
“Do you have any other talents I should know about?”
she asked while we ate. “When my mom finds out that you can cook, she’ll be
fighting my dad for you. Leah tries, but she needs constant supervision in the
kitchen.”
I chuckled. “Tell Sue that if she switches to an
Italian menu, she can come see me. I learned how to cook by our old Italian
housekeeper, and I never really branched out much.”
“So it’s a really good thing that I love Italian food,
isn’t it?” Bella asked, winking.
I smiled broadly at the thought of cooking for her
again. “Yes, that’s a really good thing.”
The conversation flowed effortlessly between us, and I
wondered if I should broach the subject of sex. Because we hadn’t talked about
it, and because I hadn’t gotten a chance to prove otherwise, Bella had it in
her head that there was something wrong with me. It bothered me that she saw
things that way, but I couldn’t blame her. I was just sick of getting shot down
every time I tried to talk to her about it.
“Don’t you think we should talk about last weekend?” I
asked, finally caving.
She looked over my shoulder instead of at my face.
“The wedding?”
I sighed. “Bella, please.”
“Okay! Jeez. I don’t want to talk about it because I
see how it affected you, okay?” she finally said, and the look in her eyes told
me she really had been more worried about me than being left wanting. “I
thought talking it to death was the last thing you needed. And I don’t know how
yet, but I’m sure we can fix it or…I don’t know…make it better?”
The sincerity in her eyes was so touching, and it made
me fall in love with her all over again. But it was also pretty funny how she
refused to believe that the only reason I’d done my not so impressive Teenage
Virgin impression was because the only action I’d gotten in a really long time
was whatever my own hand could provide.
Before I could respond, Bella’s cell phone rang. She
shot me an apologetic look, but I had a feeling she was rather relieved by the
timing of whoever was calling her.
“Hey, Dad,” she said after she’d checked who was
calling. She listened while occasionally throwing in a yes or an of course. Then
she hung up and looked at me.
“There’s some kind of convention in Port Angeles
“Sure,” I replied, suppressing the urge to sigh and
curse Charlie’s timing to hell and back. Whoever said that relationships
weren’t easy was definitely not kidding.
I left the dishes in the sink for later and followed
Bella out of the apartment. She waited for me while I locked my door. “Thanks
for lunch, Edward. It was delicious,” she said.
I smiled at her, and when I’d slipped the keys into my
pocket, I reached out and grabbed her by the waist. My need for her never
wavered – not even when we were busy creating distance between us because of
all kinds of stupid stuff. Pressing my lips against hers, the eager response
that she couldn’t hide or control made me confident that I’d be able to
convince her that what had happened the previous Saturday was a one time thing.
If not with my words, then with my actions. The pretty firecracker had a news
flash coming her way. Soon.
After making out for almost fifteen minutes – and me
calming down in another five – we finally managed to find our way down to the
bar. Charlie was in full swing serving the customers, and Bella and I jumped
right in.
“I called James first,” I overheard Charlie tell
Bella. “But he said he was in Port
Angeles
Bella laughed. “Oh, come on, Dad. You know how he is.
It’s not a good day for him unless he’s gotten everyone riled up. I’m sure he
was just kidding about whatever he said. And I’m going to be asking him what it
was since you won’t tell me.”
Charlie groaned. “Please don’t. You shouldn’t even
know about stuff like that. Come to think of it, neither should I!”
They continued their playful bickering, and since I
was curious about what the hell James had said to get Charlie so rattled, I
texted him and asked. It took less than a minute before I got a reply back, and
when I read it, I wished that I hadn’t been so curious. James had been looking
at cock rings. I rolled my eyes and wondered why I was even surprised.
It was a busy night. The convention people from Port Angeles
“My feet hurt,” he whined. He was wiping down the
counter while lying on top of it. “I’m too pretty to be in pain.”
There wasn’t a lot left to do, and I’d get it done
quicker if he stopped whining and being in the way. “Go on upstairs. I’ll
finish up here,” I said.
“Really? Awesome! Thanks, pickle dick!” he exclaimed
and jumped down from the counter. He did a little victory dance, apparently
forgetting that his feet hurt, and then sprinted out the door.
I shook my head and finished up out front before heading
out back to see if Bella was ready to leave. However, she was not doing
paperwork like I’d expected. She sat on the edge of the desk wearing only jeans
and a bra. Her top was in her hands, and she was scrubbing it furiously.
She looked up when she heard me. “There’s a baseball
bat behind the door. Go kill James, please?”
I snorted, more than just a little distracted by all
the skin and sexy curves on display. “I don’t need a baseball bat, but mind
telling me why I’m killing him? Might need a good explanation for court, you
know.”
“The lying bastard spilled something on me earlier
when we ran into each other, and he claimed that it didn’t stain. Well, it was
red wine, so obviously it stained!” she grumbled. “If it doesn’t come off, he’s
buying me a new top.”
I shrugged and walked over to her. “I don’t know. I
kind of like you without a top.”
I could tell by her posture that the anger left her
body at my words. I was glad. Sure, it was pretty, but it was just a top – and
she did look spectacular without it on. I stepped in between her legs and took
the cloth out of her hands. At her questioning look, I just smiled and leaned
down to kiss her.
“Do you have any idea how fucking beautiful you are?”
I asked between kisses.
Instead of replying, she moaned and began tugging at
my t-shirt. I chuckled and trailed kisses down her throat, loving the effect I
had on her as I felt her hands faltering in what they were doing.
“Since you won’t listen to me, I’m going to convince
you another way,” I told her as I unfastened her bra. I loved the way her
breasts felt in my hands, and by the sounds she was omitting, Bella liked it,
too. The firecracker was pretty all over.
“Doesn’t matter. Your fingers are enough,” she said,
slightly out of breath. “Ugh. Why are you wearing so many clothes?”
My fingers were enough? I groaned. I’d fucking show
her. I took a step back and pulled off my t-shirt. Tugging Bella up, my lips
worked on her neck while my hands were busy unfastening her jeans. The little
vixen did nothing to help – instead she rubbed me through my jeans, which
shattered my concentration completely. As did her fingers working the button
and the zipper and reaching into my boxers to stroke me. Holy fuck. And fondle my balls. It was like she wanted me to embarrass myself. Goddamn
firecracker and her adventurous hands.
I pushed her jeans and panties down past her hips.
“Sit,” I told her.
She took her hand out of my underwear and saluted me
with a wink. “Aye, aye, Sir!”
She sat down, and I bent down and flicked her nipple
with my tongue. That made her stop with the winking and saluting, and she
moaned instead. Her fingers wove into my hair and kept my face right where she
wanted it. I didn’t mind. I was in nipple heaven.
With the garments out of the way, I ghosted my fingers
up her thighs. They parted for me, and I slipped a finger inside her at the
same time as I sucked hard on her nipple. She cried out and nearly yanked two
handfuls of my hair out. Chuckling against her skin, I reached up with my other
hand and coerced her fingers out of my hair. I then kissed her lips while she
hooked her feet around my legs, keeping me against her. Like I was planning on going anywhere.
“Need you,” she said, biting down on my lower lip.
“I thought you said that my fingers were enough,” I
teased, adding a second finger into her.
“Oooohh…no…well…shit, that feels good…I meant…oh hell,
you know what I meant,” she said in between several throaty moans.
I chuckled and produced a condom from my pocket. I was
a regular boy scout when it came to being prepared. Pushing down my jeans and
boxers past my hips, I tore open the wrapper with my teeth and rolled the
condom on while Bella watched. Not only did I know what she meant, but I was
also more than ready to give her what she wanted. What I wanted. What we
needed. Sliding into her was as heavenly as the first time, and I’d cut off my
own dick before disappointing her like that again. So we needed something that
didn’t end in disappointment.
We were on the right track. Being inside of Bella felt
like the opposite of disappointment. I captured her lips, moving my tongue in a
very uncoordinated manner compared to my hips. Her hands were all over,
touching every part of me that she could reach, and our moans rang out
together. We were literally fucking loud, and it was a good thing that there
was no one else left at the bar.
I upped my pace a little, groaning loudly when I
looked down and saw myself moving in and out of her. Soon I could feel her tightening
around me, and if both my hands hadn’t been occupied with touching Bella, I
would have done a fist pump. I could even see the surprise on her face just
before she came hard, chanting fuck and
digging her nails into my back.
I slowed down to let her catch her breath, leaning
down to kiss her shoulder. She skin was salty and damp, and for just a moment
the teenage boy came back inside of me, marking his girl with a hickey. When I
pulled back and looked at her, her eyes were wide.
“Shit, shit, shit…” she panted. Pushing some papers
and stuff aside so it tumbled to the floor, she leaned back on her arms and
drew her legs up further. “You’re gonna kill me.”
Since her actions said one thing and her words
another, I decided to trust her actions. I slammed roughly into her, biting
back a groan to answer her. “No, baby. I’m just giving you…fuck…what I owe
you.”
I wasn’t sure if we were making love of fucking –
maybe it was somewhere in between – but it was fucking amazing to let go and
feel nothing but Bella. I could feel her nearing her second orgasm, and I
pulled her up so she was flush against my chest. Her arms circled my torso and
she tilted her face up. I didn’t lean down to kiss her. Instead I kept my gaze
locked with hers as we tumbled over the edge more or less together. Noisily.
My mind went completely blank for a moment. I wasn’t
sure if I was even breathing. Then slowly, everything came back. The feel of
Bella pressed against me. The smell of Bella. The sound of Bella still panting.
The taste of Bella on my tongue from our kisses. The sight of Bella as I opened
my eyes and found myself staring into her shiny, dark hair. A world full of
Bella.
“Holy fuck,” she breathed. Her face was buried in the
crook of my neck, and I could feel her breath coming in puffs against my skin. “Consider
me convinced. Damn, soldier. If I’d known what you were really packing, I’d
gone for round two immediately last week.”
I burst out laughing. Best executed mission ever.
Bella laughed, too, and I was pretty sure that life couldn’t get anymore
perfect. At least until the office door swung open. I turned around just to see
a flash.
“Paparazziiiiiii!” James sung as there was another
flash.
I was torn between wanting to go get the baseball bat
and kill him – twice – and wanting to shield Bella from the nutcase with the
camera.
“Get the fuck out!” I yelled.
The moron giggled. “I’m going, I’m going. I forgot my
phone down here, and I heard weird noises, so I had to investigate. Now that I
have proof, I hereby declare the investigation complete. Carry on with the baby
making!”
“I know a place where we can bury his body,” Bella
muttered into my shoulder.
“You’re on,” I replied. “After your next orgasm.”
