As many of you know, Adore, Adore was pulled from FFn over a year ago. I wanted to post the final chapter here on FFn for those of you who don't have me on alert at AO3 and FP. If you haven't read the first 9 chapters or you want a refresher, clicky links to AO3 and FP are on my profile.
Happy new year! Enjoy!
Adore, Adore Part 10
My last night at Spotlight was bittersweet.
I'd given Sam my two week notice the day Edward stopped at the bar, but I offered to stay longer if he needed me. We agreed on three weeks, and he switched me to the night shift while Garret trained someone new.
"I'm going to miss you," Garrett said during our shift change. "Stop by if you're ever in the neighborhood."
I agreed to visit the bar if I ever came back, but inside I knew it was goodbye. There was nothing tying me here. If things didn't work out with Edward and me, there would be no reason to come back. There was nothing here for me. This chapter of my life was over.
At Edward's insistence, I'd sold what little furniture I had. Moving it would have been more of a pain than it was worth, and it was nice to have a little extra cash in my pocket. He claimed to have made a clerical error on my account, stating he forgot to record my 30 day notice. Cullen Properties refunded my last month's rent, and Rosalie turned a blind eye to my squatting in Edward's old apartment for the past few weeks.
As it turned out, she wasn't so bad after all.
Aside from a few items like a change of clothes and bathroom necessities, all of my belongings were packed. The apartment was spotless. It was just a matter of waiting for Edward to come get me.
When there was a knock on my door, I practically jumped out of my skin. I rushed to answer it, excited to see his face after three long weeks. Edward had me in his arms before I could even say hello. He swept me off my feet and spun me around.
"Put me down!" I said with a laugh.
"Never." He placed me on my feet and squeezed me tighter. I couldn't breathe, and I had to tap him on the back before he released me. Framing my face with his hands, he pressed his lips to mine. "God, I missed you."
"How was the drive?" I asked.
"It couldn't go fast enough. How was work?"
"Kind of sad."
Edward pouted and kissed me again. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
I had a fair idea, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by getting too mushy. I inclined my head toward the bedroom. "Why don't you show me."
His serious expression morphed to one of surprise, and then a devilish smirk crossed his face. "Gladly."
My excitement spiked as he all but dragged me to the bedroom. He took his time, touching and kissing every inch of my body. He was tender and attentive, making me feel worshiped, but also like a porcelain doll.
When he flipped me onto my stomach, I thought for sure I'd get a glimpse of the old Edward. I waited for him to pull my hair or dig his fingers into my hips, but he didn't. He remained a total gentleman.
Later that night, Edward and I lay together on the bed, my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around me. His fingers traced a circle on my shoulder, over and over again, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. The sensation was making my eyelids heavy. Listening to the steady beat of his heart wasn't helping, and I drifted somewhere between asleep and fully awake.
Edward's voice, barely louder than a whisper, pulled me out of my haze.
"I never thought I'd have you again, here in this room." He exhaled long and slow. "I never thought I'd have you again, at all, after I left."
"Edward…" I wanted him to stop. We'd been avoiding this topic for weeks. I didn't want to have this conversation yet. Not now, when we were finally together again. When I was warm and in a state of bliss and exhausted from everything that had led up to this day. But I knew what it was like to keep something inside, to force myself to sleep when my mind wouldn't stop dwelling on the past. I didn't want that for him.
"I thought I made the right choice," he continued. "I thought if I asked you to come with me, it would be selfish, and I've been nothing but selfish since we met. I took advantage of you. I won't do it again. I'm sorry."
I processed his words. He did use the situation to his advantage. It caused us both a lot of heartache, but if it meant being where we are now or not having him in my life at all, I would do it all again.
"I don't regret anything," I assured him.
"I'm glad." Edward squeezed me tighter then continued to caress my skin. "I still feel bad. You weren't doing those things because you wanted to."
While it was true that I wouldn't have tried most of the things we did without persuasion, I did enjoy it, and I wanted to do it again. I missed the way we used to be.
It struck me then, the way he'd treated me the last few times we'd been together. He'd been gentle. He barely spoke. He didn't incorporate anything kinky. He'd even shot me down.
I sat up and stared down at him. His eyes were sad as they met mine. His lips turned down at the corners.
"Do you think… is this why…" I struggled to gather my thoughts. Just thinking about those things got me flustered. "Things have been different," I finally spit out.
Edward nodded.
"Why?" I blurted.
At first he seemed surprised by my outburst. "I know we're not into the same things. I won't force you to do anything. I just want you to be happy."
My jaw dropped open. "Where on Earth did you get the idea that I don't want those things?"
"You told me." Edward frowned. "At my parents' house."
Now it was my turn to be confused. "What are you talking about?"
"When you came to my room. You asked if we could have sex… like normal people," he mumbled.
"Oh, Edward." I leaned down and kissed him, trying to erase the pain I heard in his voice. "It wasn't that I didn't like it. I just wanted to feel like I was enough for once. I wanted you to want me."
"Of course you're enough." Edward wrapped both arms around me and held me tighter. "I always want you."
I laughed in nervousness and relief. "I thought maybe you didn't want me like that anymore. I've told you so many times that I like what you do to me. How could one comment make you doubt everything we've done?"
"I could ask you the same. I did everything I could think of to show you how much you mean to me. I even told you I wanted more. I'm still not sure you believe me. I suppose that's my own fault. I'm sorry I ever gave you a reason to doubt me."
I silenced him with another kiss. "I don't want to think about all that right now." I resituated myself next to him and placed my hand on his bare chest. His chest was perfect—toned, and not too much hair. Even when he was sweaty and pressed against me, we couldn't be close enough. I took a deep breath. "I like the things you do to me. I don't want you to stop."
I felt him shift beneath me and knew he'd lifted his head to look at me. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. This conversation had already caused my face to turn bright red. I wondered if he could feel my blush on his skin.
"Do you mean that?" he asked.
"Yes. I've missed it."
"So…" He gulped, hesitating. "Everything? Or…"
"I don't want anything to change," I told him. "I like you in control. I like everything you say and do, even when I think I won't."
Edward exhaled shakily. "You would tell me if I did something you didn't like, right?"
"Yes, but that probably won't happen. I like being your slut," I added in a whisper.
"You really shouldn't have said that." Without warning, Edward tossed me onto my back and covered me with his body. "You think you're my slut now? You haven't seen anything yet."
A shiver ran up my spine as his hand slipped between my legs.
"Just wait until we get home. I'm going to torture you in every way imaginable. I promise you'll love every minute of it."
His head disappeared beneath the blankets, and his mouth made a promise of its own.
.
.
I didn't want to get out of bed the next morning. I would have been content lying in his arms all day, but Edward wanted to get an early start on the day. We had a long drive ahead of us, but we stopped at the diner for breakfast so I could say goodbye to Al, Jane, and Tanya. Edward kissed me when we left, thanking me again for agreeing to move with him and promising he would find a way to make up for everything I had sacrificed to be with him.
"I get to have you," I told him. "That's enough for me."
It was late morning when I tossed the book I was reading into the back seat and stretched my arms. Edward looked at me from the driver's seat.
"Do you want to stop?" he asked. "Get out and stretch? Use the bathroom?"
"No, I'll wait until we stop for lunch. The sooner we get there, the better. Unless you want to."
"I'm fine." His eyes shifted to mine. "There's something else I'd like to do though."
"What's that?" I asked, realizing how clueless I was when he smirked at me.
"Touch yourself."
I pushed away my embarrassment and placed my hand where I knew he wanted it. Edward tsked.
"Inside."
I obeyed, unbuttoning my pants and slipping my hand inside the fabric.
"Good girl."
I kept my gaze focused out the windshield, but it didn't take long before I stopped seeing everything outside. I closed my eyes and pretended it was Edward touching me. I imagined his hands and his lips, his hard length and the way his body always had a way of forcing mine to accommodate him.
"Are you wet yet?" Edward asked. He didn't give me time to answer. He pulled my hand away, replacing it with his own. His fingers dug into my skin, teasing and torturing me at the same time. I moaned and gripped the door handle as he pumped them inside of me. "You can do better," he said as he removed his hand.
I continued to pleasure myself. Edward seemed to be watching me more than he was looking at the road. When I got close, and my legs began to twitch, he reached over and unlatched my seatbelt.
"Get over here and suck me off."
Doing as he commanded, I got on my knees and leaned over the center console. He was one step ahead of me, having already opened his fly. I took him into my mouth, and he twisted my hair around his hand and used it to guide my head. His moans of pleasure encouraged me. I didn't mind when he pushed my head down or pulled my hair so hard my eyes watered. I liked it when he used my body for his pleasure. It made me ache for my own release.
"Looks like we have an audience," his rough voice said. I panicked and tried to sit up, but he forced me to stay down, to keep my mouth sliding up and down his cock. "Should we give them a show?"
Edward released my hair and slid his hand down my back, pushing my pants over my behind and leaving me exposed. He gripped my panties and yanked them toward my head. I squirmed as the material chafed my skin, and he rubbed my pussy and ass through the fabric.
"There's no hiding how much you enjoy this."
Shoving my panties out of the way, he played with my clit. At that moment, I didn't care who was watching. I couldn't hold still any longer. I arched my back and pushed against his hand, needing more. I was on the edge, and Edward seemed to know. He stopped what he was doing and dipped a finger inside me. It was all it took for me to come undone.
"Get ready, baby. Here it comes."
I braced myself as he filled my mouth, and I was careful not to spill any on his clothing. When he pulled his hand away, I was overcome with embarrassment. Knowing I couldn't sit with my head on his lap for the remaining drive, I sat up and took a sheepish look out the window.
There was no other car.
"You okay?" Edward asked.
I nodded and wiped my mouth on my sleeve. I couldn't bring myself to ask if we really had an audience. The concept of being watched was a turn on, and I'd rather not know for sure.
.
.
I was surprised when Edward turned into the driveway of a small house. He smiled when he saw the shock on my face.
"Welcome home," he said.
I stared at the front door. It had been years since I'd lived in a house. "You said you had an apartment."
"I never specified," he said. "You assumed. I didn't correct you."
"How can you afford this?"
"It's not as much as you think. I'm making more now, and the relocation allowance helped. It's a rent-to-own too. If you like it…" Edward shrugged.
I looked at the house again. "You live here?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to live here?"
"I certainly hope so."
I laughed. "I want to go inside!"
Edward helped haul my bags inside before giving me the grand tour. I loved the house. While it was small, it was still larger than either of our apartments had been. It was older, and a few things needed to be fixed, but Edward assured me he was quite handy when it came to that stuff. It served as a reminder of how little I knew about him.
"How are we going to make this work?" I asked as we stood in the living room. There was a mismatched couch set and one lone end table. A small television hung on the wall, the only one I recalled seeing in the house.
"What do you mean?" His expression, which had been so happy only seconds ago, became worried.
"I know your body, but I know nothing about you."
"Every relationship has to start somewhere. What I do know is that I want to discover everything about you. I can't think of a better way to do that than being as close to you as possible." Edward pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head. "Do you want to be here?"
"Of course I do," I answered without hesitation.
"Good." He grinned. "Because I want to wake up next to you every morning and see your face before I fall asleep each night, and everything in between."
I couldn't help but smile in return. "Good."
"Let's clean up," he said. "It's not too late, and I have a promise to keep."
.
.
The sun had long since set by the time I unpacked and got ready for bed. My heart pounded as I waited for Edward to join me. When the shower turned off, I pulled the blankets tight around my shoulders. It was hard to fight off the chill in this big bed all alone, especially wearing only thongs, at Edward's request. I hoped it wouldn't take long for him to warm me up.
I smiled when his silhouette appeared in the bedroom door though I doubted he could see it in the dark.
"Are you still awake?"
"Yes." I flipped down the covers on the opposite side of the bed. Edward slid in next to me. His body was damp, and I shivered as he pressed against my side.
"Cold?" he asked, pulling the covers to my waist before I had a chance to answer.
"What are you doing?" I shrieked and reached for the blanket. Edward pinned my arms to my sides and drew my nipple into his mouth. The warmth of his tongue was an odd contrast to the cool tingle from what I presumed was his toothpaste. I wound my fingers through his hair and sighed.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No."
His hands and mouth traveled my body. Each moment that passed relaxed me, warmed me. I kicked the blanket away from us and stretched my arms over my head.
Edward kissed his way up my body and ran his hands over my hair. At first he was gentle, so I was unprepared for the sudden sharp tug at my scalp. He shifted off of me, and I discovered rather quickly that he didn't intend to let go as he slid from the bed, forcing me to crawl after him to quell the pain. When I reached the edge, Edward released his grip on my hair. Taking me by the shoulders, he flipped me onto my back and dragged me so my head hung off the edge of the bed.
He didn't need to tell me what to do as he stepped closer. I opened my mouth and darted my tongue across the tip of his cock.
"Do you want this, baby?"
Edward slid inside, pausing when he tapped the back of my throat. I concentrated on my breathing so I wouldn't gag, but breathing became difficult when he placed his hand on my neck. Even though he didn't squeeze hard enough to cut off my air, it didn't take long for my head to feel fuzzy. I squirmed. He let go and pumped in and out of my mouth in long, slow motions.
"Touch yourself, just like earlier."
I did as he demanded, careful not to bring myself too close to finishing. It'd been a long time since we were together like this, and I wanted the pleasure to last as long as possible.
Edward brought both hands to my neck and held me as he continued. The angle made it easy for him to slide deeper. I relaxed my throat, trying to take more of him in.
"Take off your panties."
The position I was in made it difficult to comply. I did my best to strip them off while timing my breaths with his thrusts. Edward didn't falter. I could only assume he enjoyed watching me struggle.
He ripped the tiny scrap of material from my hands before I could toss them on the floor. This time, when he pushed into my throat, he didn't pull out. I gagged once before I could force my throat to relax. Edward pushed deeper.
"I can see my cock," he said in a strained voice. Two fingers traced the sides of my throat.
I couldn't breathe. Though I knew Edward would never cause me harm, it didn't make lack of oxygen any less unsettling. My back arched off the bed, and I tried to squirm out of his grip.
When he pulled away, I gasped for air. I'd barely taken my second breath when something was being shoved into my mouth. It didn't take long to figure out what it was. The lace was surprisingly rough against my tongue.
"Don't move."
Edward stepped away and rummaged through the nightstand. When he returned, he took a fistful of my hair and lifted my head. A familiar silver camera dangled over my face.
"I have a collection that's in serious need of new material. What do you say?"
I'd forgotten about the pictures he'd taken the first time we were together. Somehow, I wasn't as apprehensive this time around. I nodded to let him know I was on board.
Edward watched me on the small screen. "You look so good with your panties stuffed in your mouth. The only downside is it isn't me." His eyes narrowed. "Hmm…"
He hooked a finger into my mouth and pushed the material into my cheek. With his other hand, he guided the head of his cock between my lips. Once again I found myself concentrating on breathing.
"That's much better."
The camera beeped, but the shutter never sounded. Edward stroked his thumb across my cheek. The gesture was tender, a complete contradiction to his words.
"I know you like this. I can see how wet you are from here." He tapped his fingers against my cheek, hitting the tip of his cock where it pushed against my skin. He stroked me a few more times and patted my cheek again, increasing the pressure. "Why aren't you touching yourself?"
I took the hint and brought my hand between my legs. Edward's hand came down on my cheek, harder this time. Deliberate. My moan was muffled by my panties and his cock. In the position I was in, I couldn't see what was coming next. The anticipation was killing me. Edward caressed my cheek again, and then he slapped me. The sound was much more shocking than the sting that followed. Part of me was surprised, but I also knew Edward was anything but predictable when it came to the bedroom.
He smacked me again before removing everything from my mouth. I swallowed a few times, trying to get the moisture back to my tongue. When I looked up, I noticed the camera still pointing at me. My face reddened when I realized he'd recorded the entire thing.
"You okay?" Edward asked.
"Yes."
He turned off the camera and placed it on the nightstand before cupping my face and bending down to kiss me. "Get on your knees," he whispered.
I did as Edward asked, and he climbed on the bed behind me. His palms skimmed across my back, relaxing me, so I was unprepared for his initial thrust. He drove into me so hard that I fell face-first onto the bed. I braced my hands beneath me, but before I could push myself up, his hand was on my cheek, pressing my face into the pillow. He hooked a finger into my mouth as held me down.
The force of his thrusts was just what I needed. My body thrashed beneath him as the orgasm rocked my body. Edward grabbed my hips to support me as he rode out his own.
We collapsed in a sweaty heap on the bed, our labored breaths in perfect harmony. Edward kissed my shoulder before guiding me onto my back.
"I missed that," I panted.
"So did I." A lazy smile stretched across his face. "You liked it?"
"Yes." I took a deep breath. "Is that wrong?"
Edward frowned at me playfully. "I thought we were past that."
"I know. We are. It's just hard to admit sometimes."
"You only have to admit it to me." Edward nudged my nose with his. "I adore you, Bella."
His lips were on mine before I had a chance to respond. As he held me tighter, I realized there was nothing I wouldn't try if he asked me to. And there was nothing he wouldn't do for me. We made each other happy, both in and out of the bedroom.
I loved Edward, and for the first time in my life, everything was perfect.
The End
Wow… I can't believe this story is over. In January it will be 4 years since it first posted, and that's a long ass time.
First off, I'd like to say thanks to Sandy at SFFR. Without you twisting my arm to write something smutty, this never would have happened, and it definitely wouldn't have been continued.
To Monika and PTB, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to write an EPOV of this for the 2012 Back to School Fundraiser. Sometimes I feel like writing fanfic is just this silly little thing I do. It was a nice feeling to write dirty smut, knowing it would benefit innocent school children.
Libbeh, KB, Joo, and Hobo (this time in reverse alphabetical order): Thank you for your constant support and feedback. Not just for this story, but for all the things. I can't imagine my life had you all not weaseled your way into it.
To all the readers, you guys are awesome. When I started Adore, my goal was to write the dirtiest one-shot I possibly could, and you welcomed me with open arms. Even when I expanded it and threw in one of those pesky plots. The feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive, and for that I feel very fortunate. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this journey.
I've got some new things up my sleeve, so don't go too far! I'll be posting them on FFn for sure, and probably AO3. If you are reading on FictionPad, please make sure you follow me on one of the others sites, or subscribe to my blog. I'm also on Twitter. Clicky links on my profile.
