Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, not even Edward. Talk about depressing.
"That's it, deal's off! That...thing...goes back to wherever you got it from first thing in the morning!"
"Be reasonable, Bella," he said calmly, his lip curling up into a slight smile as I slammed the door of the Mercedes much harder than was necessary. We were in his garage, having just returned from the test-drive of my new "before" car - a ludicrous stipulation that Edward had absolutely insisted on as soon as I had become his...fiance.
Ughh.
The word still gave me shudders. I couldn't help it; it was something instilled in me from early childhood, a mutant gene inherited from my mother. I couldn't react to marriage the way normal people did - it gave my stomach knots rather than butterflies, and a headache instead of a headrush. Unfortunately, whenever I found myself staring at Edward's flawlessly handsome face - like now, for example - I seemed to forget why.
He stood on the other side of the car from me, ever the Adonis. His shoulders were relaxed as he leaned casually against the hood of Rosalie's M3, still smiling at my temper tantrum. His elegant disarray of bronze hair framed a set of dancing ocher eyes, and I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that someone as breathtakingly perfect as him wanted me. Me.
Focus Bella, I mentally reprimanded myself. I couldn't let myself be dazzled right now. My eyes narrowed as I braced myself against the alluring power of his gaze, and Edward straightened up infinitesimally, his amusement at what he knew was to come clear in his lovely eyes.
"I am being reasonable Edward. I agreed to try it, didn't I?" He just pressed his lips together as though fighting back laughter, and I felt my irritation spark. I ground my teeth, my fists balling automatically. "But I am not using that car again. Ever." I resisted the urge to add "so there!" and stick my tongue out like a five-year-old, instead just bracing myself for his response. I knew he wouldn't let this go without a fight.
"Why not?" he started, in that velvet-soft, persuasive voice designed to break me within seconds. "I thought you looked very comfortable driving it." His face was full of confused innocence, but I wasn't buying it.
"You know why," I muttered through clenched teeth. "It's embarrassing!"
"It's top of the range," he countered, allowing an ounce of perfectly-acted hurt to leak into his voice, but his eyes were still dancing with amusement.
"Not the car!" I fumed, unable to stop myself from stamping my foot. Edward grinned, but I went on, my frustration building. "Me! It's embarrassing for me - everyone was staring at me!"
And it was true. At Edward's request, we had driven down Main Street with the windows rolled down - apparently he was "too hot", something which had earned him a fierce glare from me - and at the first set of lights, we had seen my old group from school. Angela had simply waved and then turned back to Jessica, who was far to engrossed in the latest gossip to even notice me. But Mike, Eric, and Tyler had all stopped, right there on the sidewalk, and gawped - not at the car, but at me - as my face turned redder and redder, until finally the lights changed and I was able to speed away.
Well, speed had been the plan. In reality, I stalled, and then chugged off at a snail's pace, until Edward kindly reached over and moved the gearstick from 5th into 3rd, casually avoiding eye-contact with me all the while.
I felt my face getting hot again just at the thought of it, and set my jaw. I was adamant: there was no way I would go out in that car ever again.
Edward sighed, and when he spoke again, his musical voice was low and sincere.
"Bella, I assure you that the consuming need for the majority of the male Forks population to stare at you has nothing whatsoever to do with the car." He tapped his temple, and for an instant the amusement on his face was gone, replaced with a flicker of annoyance. He'd told me before he felt like he was jockeying for position in a race to win me, but of course, he was being ridiculous. There was no race - and even if there was, he had already won.
"Oh please," I scoffed. "Such obviously irrational bias won't even begin to sway me on this Edward."
Frustration marred his features for less than a second, but then his expression melted back into calm, and he offered me a serene smile.
"Oh no?" He looked thoughtful as I shook my head, my chin jutting out obstinately. And then in one smooth motion, he pushed his tall frame off of Rosalie's car and took a graceful step towards me, his eyes melting into warm pools of melted gold. "In that case, perhaps I'll have to try a different tactic."
I felt my heart automatically kick up a notch as he moved closer, and the tiny smirk that appeared at the side of his mouth told me he was aware of the effect he was having. Cheater. I inched myself back towards the sleek black paint-job of the Mercedes, trying desperately to cling on to my train of thought.
"Edward..." I stuttered, in what I hoped was a warning tone, but he just continued his advancement, eyes smouldering under his thick lashes.
"Bella," he whispered, his voice practically a caress as he came to a halt in front of me. My heart-rate doubled automatically, and I shut my eyes to avoid his mesmerizing stare.
I felt him shift slightly, and then very, very gently, he pressed his body against mine, so that I was trapped between the car door and his hard marble chest. I kept my eyes squeezed firmly shut, knowing his glorious face would be mere inches away, but I couldn't help it -- my breathing hitched. Instantly, his sweet scent assaulted my nostrils and clouded my mind. What was I arguing with him about?
"Bella," he repeated, softer than a whisper, his cool breath fanning my face.
"It's ridiculous!" I blurted out, already starting to bend to his will. Who was ridiculous again?
"Open your eyes, please." His voice was just as velvety soft as always, and yet there was a command in his tone that I simply couldn't refuse. Slowly, unwillingly, knowing that whatever chance I had at beating him was now gone, I opened my eyes.
His eyes burned with intent, and he locked them with mine as he placed his long, white hands softly on either side of my face.
"Bella, you are the sole reason for my being, the single most important thing in my...existence." He refusal to use the word "life" bugged me, but I didn't have time to interject as he went on. "And so forgive me if I don't think it's even faintly ridiculous to make sure that you're safe for every single second of that existence. The opinions of countless small-minded people in this town don't matter to me, only you do."
He leaned in even closer, and my eyes fluttered shut again, this time in anticipation.
"Every..." He pressed his lips lightly against my eyelid.
"Single..." This time he grazed the tip of my nose, and I stopped breathing, knowing what was coming.
"Piece of you." His lips landed softly at the corner of my mouth, but he drew away immediately, tormenting me. He breathed a single, heartwrenching "please?", and my resolve shattered.
"Alright." And then his mouth was on mine, properly this time, and I let myself get lost in the pleasurable abyss that was kissing Edward. I could feel his triumph against my mouth, making his kisses less guarded, and I couldn't even care that he'd won me round again. This experience was to enjoyable to regret what had gotten us there.
Of course, I forgot to breathe, and my vision was starting to go black when Edward pulled away from me, giving a soft chuckle as he leaned his cool forehead against my own flushed one.
I met his eyes with a half-reproachful look -- one of these days, he was going to have to stop using the obvious power he had over me -- but he simply smiled, not a trace of smugness on his face as he laced his fingers with mine and tugged me gently towards the entrance of his house.
"Thank you," he said conversationally after several steps, as though I had simply opened a door for him. But when I glanced up at him, I saw a deep and sincere relief in his ocher eyes. He was genuinely grateful for my slightly ungracious acquiesce. Always worrying.
I shook my head slightly, but gave him a smile. "You're welcome." He returned it, and we continued to approach the internal door, but I couldn't resist one final dig, and added, "I don't see how that car is going to keep me any safer than the truck though...unless it's missile-proof or something."
I could have sworn I saw his face freeze instantaneously as I giggled at my own joke, but I blinked and he was back to normal, walking again, his easy laughter mixing with my own. Probably just a trick of the light.
"Don't be absurd, Bella," he chastised me teasingly, stilll laughing, as he pulled me inside the Cullen household and shut the door fluidly behind us.
A/N: My first Edward/Bella fic in a while - just a little fluffy one-shot I couldn't get out of my mind :) As always, leave a review and let me know what you think! And thanks :)