A persistent buzzing woke Bella, and reaching her hand blindly for her alarm clock her hand found nothing. Opening one eye enough to see beside her she reached three conclusions at once; one she had drunk way too much the night before and two this was not her bedroom and three the buzzing had stopped. Sitting upright a tiny bit more she blearily peered around the unfamiliar room until her gaze came to rest on the body lying half hidden beneath the tangle of sheets that covered the bed. Bella blinked and then tried to force her foggy brain into gear. The buzzing started again and while still not completely coherent she recognised it as her mobile phone vibrating on the bedside table, picking it up hastily she answered the call. "Hello?" she heard her own gravelly voice and winced slightly; clearing her throat she tried again "Hello?" "Bells is that you?" Bella pulled the phone further away from her ear, swearing as her father's voice floated down the line, way to chipper for her liking. "Dad, how are you?" Bella knew that her father only rung when he really needed to; and for someone who owned and operated a multi-million dollar company Bella wasn't even sure her dad knew how to operate a phone properly. "Im fine angel girl, look I was just checking to see if you're still on for lunch today for Esme's birthday?"
Once again Bella swore silently, of all the things she didn't want to do today, her step-mothers birthday lunch was at the top; she loved her father dearly, and Esme was a nice person, but she had trouble dealing with their loved up antics. When Charlie had married Esme it had been a second marriage for both of them and at their ages they acted like a couple of loved up teenagers, she was pleased that her father had found someone who genuinely loved him but their public displays of affection sometimes got to her. It didn't help that Esme liked having Bella around; she didn't have any daughters, just daughters-in-laws, so they got treated like princesses by Esme and she expected them to behave lady-like all the time and that just wasn't Bella; but her dad wanted her there and she loved her dad so she said "Sure Charlie, I'll be there. Was there anything you needed me to bring?" Bella knew that his answer would be no but she liked asking nonetheless. After another couple of seconds of conversation she hung up from her father and turned her attention to the man beside her and although she couldn't see his face from the angle that she was sitting the view she did have was spectacular.
At twenty-six she was no virgin but she had always been conservative when it had come to sex, well she thought she had been until last night. Finding herself in a strange place with a perfect male specimen lying beside her was a new experience for Bella and she wasn't sure how to handle the situation. She was still contemplating her next move when the man shifted in his sleep and rolled over, giving Bella a full view of not just his face, sucking in a lungful of air she catalogued his body. He had the build of a swimmer, wide shoulders, flat washboard stomach, and slim hips and as her gaze reached his privates she blew out the air she had been holding in. This guy was perfect, except for the fact that Bella knew to whom the body belonged and he was the last person she wanted to be found in this kind of a situation with.
Bella waited for her companions breathing to return to the rhythm that indicated deep sleep before throwing off the sheet and scrambling from the bed. She quietly searched the room for her discarded clothing and one wayward shoe, she knew that if her companion woke up before she was dressed, or more to her liking gone, then she would have to look into those gorgeous hazel eyes and endure the sarcastic comments; that fell, like a waterfall, from the luscious lips of her step-brother; Edward.
Esme had three sons and none of them could be termed ugly by any means. Emmett, at thirty-nine was the oldest and a doctor, he was more of a pretty boy who knew how to get what he wanted by using his ample charm and good looks. Emmett was also happily married with two gorgeous daughters who Bella adored. Next in line was Jasper, who was more of a bookish person. He was a doctor of archaeology and worked at the Australia History Museum, Jaz had recently gotten married to his secretary. A story Bella thought was made even more romantic by the fact that Jaz had been widowed three years earlier, at thirty-three, and had been left to mourn his wife while caring for their newborn son. Kayden was like his daddy, shy and smart.
Now the 'baby' of Esme's family was Edward, at thirty-three he was the re-known playboy, he lived life large, loud and fast. Bella mentally chastised herself; it wasn't that Edward was a no-account loser. Far from it, he had started his own construction business at twenty-two and had built it into one of largest companies in the intervening eleven years but Bella sometimes thought, and with good reason, that the term playboy had been coined expressly for Edward. Bella had milk that lasted longer than some of his relationships. To make matters worse she had felt a deep un-nerving attraction immediately on meeting Edward, from the minute they had met and shook hands, and even eight years later that attraction was still there and last night having proven that he felt the same attraction for her. As Bella searched for her strappy high-heel she heard Edwards' mobile ringing from inside his pants pocket. Abandoning her lost shoe, Bella grabbed her bag and fled.
Edward cursed without opening his eyes. It was Sunday, who the hell would be ringing him on Sunday. His crew knew that Sunday was his day and unless there was a nuclear emergency they weren't to call him. So trying to ignore it he rolled over; that's when he heard the door click shut. Reaching behind him, he hoped to encounter Bella's warm body but his heart told him, as his fingers found cool cotton, that she had been the reason for the door clicking shut. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed he reached for his pants and pulled his still ringing phone from the pocket. Scrubbing a hand over his face he checked the caller ID and seeing his mothers' number he flipped the phone open and wished his mother a happy birthday. "Oh thank you so much Edward you really are so sweet. I received your flowers this morning. They're gorgeous, now you know Charlie has organised a lunch for me today and I know you're busy but I want you to come. Your brother's are coming and so is Isabella." At the mention of Bella's name Edward felt his heart skip a beat, an annoying habit it had formed from the minute he met her; then resumed its beating double time. Talking over his mother he assured her that he'd be there and after hanging up he dialled Bella's number, her answering service picked up, so he left her a message.
He felt himself smile in spite of his situation Bella had always bought the best or worse out in him. He knew it was because he was insanely attracted to her and had wanted to sleep with her from the minute he had set eyes on her. She had been cuddled up to her boyfriend Jacob when they had been introduced but the minute their hands had touched and he saw the flicker of desire in her deep sea green eyes he had known that at one stage they would end up together, but after knowing each other for almost four and a half years he had all but given up hope because Bella and Jacob had gotten engaged. As they had booked everything for the wedding, Bella had gone to surprise Jacob with a picnic lunch, she had walked into his office to see him having sex with the lady who delivered his lunch; Bella had called the wedding off and kicked Jacob to the curb. Edward knew she was hurt but Bella put on this brave front and carried on like nothing had happened, until last night anyway. Bending down to pick up his discarded boxers he spotted a shiny black stiletto hiding under the bedside table. He pulled it free and dangled it from his finger, he grinned as he remembered the night before. He had been extremely stressed out because it had been raining continually for two weeks and his crews were getting restless and really behind on their jobs, so feeling the need to blow off steam he had gone into town to a brand new club he had heard of; he had been ordering a drink when he had spotted Bella at the end of the bar with her back to him. He walked around the bar and sat watching her; she had been talking to her best friend Angela with a look of grief on her beautiful face, tears had welled in those fathomless eyes and Edward felt his protective instincts kick in. He had walked close enough to hear her conversation but with his back to them and with all the people in the club and the fact she was concentrating on her inner pain, she hadn't seen him and he was close enough to eavesdrop. "I can't believe he married her, today of all days. How inconsiderate can a person get?" Bella rummaged through her purse for a tissue to dab her eyes with, when Angela; patting her shoulder said "I know sweetie but he's a guy and as long as they're getting what they want it doesn't matter about anything else. He probably forgot that today was supposed to be your wedding day, plus look at the bright side, it rained today. That's Gods way of saying that he's making a mistake." Angela hugged Bella tightly pulling her further away from Edward who wanted to find Jacob and kill him for hurting her.
He had never been Jacob's biggest fan and when Bella had called off the wedding he had let her know what kind of a dick her ex had been but he never thought that Jacob had a cruel streak. It had been then that Edward had decided to make Bella's night great but forgettable so the pain wouldn't be so bad. So that was what he did, he walked away from them and back around the bar to come at them from the front. "Hello lovely ladies, can I buy you a drink?" Angela had smiled welcomely but Bella had shaken her head before he had finished his sentence "No, thanks anyway. We're not interested." But Edward hadn't taken no for an answer and before long they were all chatting and laughing like never before. At about three am Angela decided to call it quits and go home, Edward had expected Bella to leave with her but Bella had surprised him and remained.
About an hour later Bella had collapsed in the seat beside him and declared herself ready for bed, his mind had leapt at the possibilities that statement held but had offered to drive her home instead, or to their parents' home since it was closer, she had nixed that idea before it had even been completely voiced "I don't want to go there, I already feel like a failure in the relationship department, I don't need to be exposed to their loved up antics but I don't want to go home either because home is quiet and it'll just allow me time to think. I'm just gonna get a room nearby." Bella snuggled closer as she spoke and Edward mutter something unintelligible, she leant over and kissed him fully on the mouth, saying "Ed will you stay with me?" she wrapped her arms around him and he knew that she could've asked anything of him and he would have done it and smiled the entire time. They had left the club and checked into some seedy pay-by-the-hour motel with a green neon flashing sign out the front. They had made it most of the way to the room without touching but in the elevator Edward noticed a bit of string in her hair, he had reached out to remove it and the rest as they say is history.
As Bella left the motel, sans a shoe, she was determined she wasn't going to think about Edward. She was thankful for the way he had treated her the night before and if the truth be told Bella had never experienced anything in the vicinity of what had happened with Edward. He was definitely in a league of his own, he was gentle and caring and he knew how to please a woman. Unwittingly Bella flashed back to the moment Edward had touched her; it had been the first time all night.
He had stepped closer in the small confines of the dingy elevator, reached his hand out to her hair and pulled a bit of string from its curly mass. She had looked into his eyes and had felt her mouth go dry at the look of raw lust in his gaze. She licked her lips and watched with growing anticipation as his pupils dilated and his breathing had hitched in his chest. She felt his big hand cradle her head as he lowered his mouth to hers. That first touch was electric, every nerve ending in her body tingled and sang; never before had a single kiss turned her on as that one did. Bella felt Edward increase the pressure on her lips and she opened for him, duelling with his tongue. She stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his neck, and ground her hips against him in blatant invitation. Vaguely, as if from a distance, Bella heard the ding of the doors opening and without relinquishing her hold on Edward they manoeuvred their way out of the elevator and along the corridor, mindless of the fact that it was a public place, to their room. Once inside she was stunned as Edward pushed her up against the closed door and lifting her legs he stepped between them and proceeded to make love to her.