Training the Swan

Chapter Two – The Assessment

Edward

Seriously, why did God hate me so fucking much? He had Charlie send the one element that would break me down—the woman of my dreams. Yeah, I knew it was a cliché, but fuck, who wouldn't have dreamed about the woman?

There she stood with her hands on her hips, smiling at her daughter, and I all I could think about was how long it would take for me to get her sweating?

The woman before me was petite, slender and absolutely breathtaking. Her hair was dark and long, flowing past the middle of her back. Her face was heart-shaped and with lips many women would pay big bucks for. Then her body, let me just say, my dick was about ready to explode just by looking at her.

The way she was dressed hardly helped matters. She was wearing a tiny black Beatles band tee with tight skinny jeans, and on her small dainty feet were heeled sandals. Her tiny toenails were painted blood red. Fucking Rosalie had a hand in that shit.

Couldn't she have some Charlie in her? It definitely would have helped with that certain male organ that was throbbing and causing major blood flow issues. I was fucking light headed.

Fuck, what the hell was this woman doing to me? Easy, she was fucking making me think dirty thoughts, which were illegal in most states.

Hand cuffs, anyone? Riding crop, why not the flogger? Is there any whipped cream in the fridge?

Hell, it was illegal in the state we were in, according to Charlie Swan's law book.

"If you touch my daughter, and you know what I mean, Cullen, I'll kill you."

I couldn't touch her. Hands off, I constantly had to remind myself. That lasted for about a split second. Unfortunately, my brain and dick reminded me that my hands weren't the only things that wanted to touch her.

I had no idea how long I'd stood there gaping, but it must've been awhile, because Emmett cleared his throat.

"Hello," I said, looking down at the little girl. She smiled at me, and then ran back to her mother and jumped into her arms. I couldn't help but notice Bella wince slightly from the impact of Elizabeth's tiny body. I looked over at Emmett and he looked down solemnly.

The extent of her injuries was far greater than what Charlie had mentioned on the phone. I had a feeling they weren't justskin deep. Before any type of exercise or training could occur, I needed to assess the extent of her injuries.

That meant one thing; I'd have to look at her behind closed doors, with little or no clothing. It wasn't going to be easy on either of us.

Charlie had mentioned on the phone earlier in the week that the little girl had no memory of the last occurrence between Bella and her husband. However, I felt in my gut that there was something more to the "monster" than she was letting on about her father.

"Hello, you must be Edward," Bella said, extending her hand. I smiled and shook her hand. "I'm sorry about Elizabeth."

"It's quite all right," I replied. "And you must be Bella, welcome to my home." I stood aside so that she could come in.

Emmett took out three bags from the back of his jeep. I eyed him curiously and he shrugged his shoulders. Bella looked at what drew my attention, and she blushed. "We left in a hurry, literally with the clothes on our backs, so we don't have much."

I nodded and stepped back further to help Emmett take one of the bags. Elizabeth quickly brushed past me and started squealing and twirling in the foyer. "Is this a castle, Momma?"

I chuckled and put the bags down beside the stairs as Emmett closed the door behind me. Bella's eyes were wide as she looked around at her surroundings. It was at that moment I realized that the most striking feature in Bella's beauty was her eyes.

Brown eyes,

She who has brown eyes,

Is not simple by any means.

She who has brown eyes,

Is not as plain as she may seem.

She who has brown eyes,

Sees the world in a different light.

She who has brown eyes,

Is meant to make flight.

Holy mother of God, I was coming up with fucking poetry because of her. Before long, I'd probably be sitting at my neglected piano and composing. I should blame my mother also, since she read mostly poetry to me as a kid.

Fuck. I knew I'd be dead in a week. I looked at Bella, who was gazing out my living room window with a smile on her face. Her daughter's head was on her shoulder while sucking her thumb. They both looked so serene and ethereal.

Fuck, I gave myself three days. I should call my lawyer and go ahead and draw up the will. Hell, I'd call Forks Cemetery the following morning and plan my own funeral.

Should doves fly out when they laid my body in the hole?

Charlie was going to kill me. What I was feeling for his daughter was exactly why he'd avoided having children. He would never have approved of one of his men courting his little girl.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" I asked, looking for any type of distraction.

Bella turned from the window. The sadness in her eyes was still evident, but a smile played at her lips as she nodded.

"Hey, Edward, I have to get going. Do you mind if I have a word with you?" Emmett asked.

He's still here? I had to remember, anybody associated with Charlie could report back to him. Hopefully, since Emmett thought Bella was nothing more than some random chick Charlie knew, he wouldn't report my hard-on in her presence.

Fucking hell. I reminded my body that there a little girl to consider. I was not an asshole.

"Excuse me, ladies. I'll be right back," I said, giving Elizabeth a wink. She grinned.

"Momma, he called me a lady," she whispered just a bit too loud.

I walked out onto the patio, followed by Emmett, and to his jeep. "Fuck man, she's smoking," Emmett said, waggling his eyebrows.

I growled, "You've already got a girl, asshole."

"Relax. I was talking about you tapping that ass, not me." Emmett raised his hands defensively. "But seriously, she's hot. Maybe she can be your Rosalie. Besides, the kid is cute and fucking smart."

"I really don't think she's in the mood to bond, fucker. She just got manhandled by an asshole. I'm sure me tapping her ass is the last thing on her mind."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It took a few weeks to get through to Rosie. Look, I gotta head out to Phoenix. Boss man wants me to do some snooping for him. I'm not sure why this one is so important to him."

I shook my head. Charlie hadn't told him who Bella really was, and it definitely wasn't my place to tell him. Charlie made it clear that her identity had to remain a secret.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no idea. You know Charlie. I just get them, train them and send them on their way."

"Yeah, but this one is different. I know it, and I'm pretty sure you know it, too."

"Look, I have to go," I said, looking back toward the house. "I need to help settle them in, and then make an assessment."

"Assessment?" Emmett grinned. I punched his arm and waved him off, walking back toward the house. "Are you going to do that in the dark or with the lights on?"

I shook my head and slammed the door shut behind me. I made my way into the living room, where Bella and Elizabeth were sitting patiently on my couch.

Bella looked up at me and smiled. I noticed that the bruise just around her left eye was yellowing, but the one along her jaw was still bluish in color in some spots. The fucker of a husband had really done a number on her.

"Let me show you to your rooms so that you two can settle in," I offered. "Then I'll give you a tour of the house when you're ready."

Bella nodded and put Elizabeth on her feet, taking her hand. "Lead the way."

I grabbed the bags easily and led them upstairs to the second floor. "The main living areas like the kitchen, living room and office are all on the main floor. The second floor consists of three bedrooms and a small library. The top floor has only one room and a conservatory."

I stopped on the second floor landing, gesturing toward the first door on the right hand side.

Elizabeth's room was covered in lilac, light blue and pink. "Tinkerbell!" Elizabeth screamed, running into the room and plopping down on the bed. "Thank you! It's so pretty."

"I'm glad you like it, Elizabeth," I said, watching her as she started to jump up and down.

"You can call me Ellie," she said, in between jumps. "That's what everybody calls me."

"Elizabeth Grace, stop jumping," Bella scolded.

"It's all right," I said calmly. "It's her bed now."

Bella cocked an eyebrow and her eyes narrowed. "Could you please show me to my room?" She walked over to one of the bags and placed it on Ellie's bed. "Baby, start putting your stuff away in the dresser."

"'Kay, Momma." She bounced off the bed and started opening drawers in her small purple dresser.

"I'll be the next room, okay?" Bella said, walking back out into the hallway.

I followed her and made to grab the bags, but she beat me to it. "I can handle a couple of bags," she hissed, glaring at me. She winced as she lifted them with her right hand.

"Really? Because it seems like you can't," I countered, following her into the next room.

"Look here, Edward," she stated in a no-nonsense tone. Sort of like Charlie. "I know exactly what you did for my father and I want no part of it. I just want to be able to protect my daughter in case that bastard finds me again. So, cut the nice guy act, because I've seen it before."

"Bella, not all men are like your husband," I said defensively, which was fucking stupid of me, because it would be better if she hated me. "You just happened to meet the wrong one."

She laid her bags on the bed, barely looking around before returning her attention back to me. She brushed past me, locking the door. "Well, look at what the wrong one did to me." She lifted her t-shirt over her head and tossed it at me. The entire right half of her torso was covered in yellowish and black bruises.

Seething, I turned away, unable to look at her. I threw her back her shirt. "I'll do an assessment of your injuries later. I'm going downstairs to make lunch."

"Whatever. Let's get another thing straight. Don't undermine my authority with my daughter. I didn't say anything back there, but don't do that shit again." She turned her back on me, her back riddled with bruises as she struggled to put her t-shirt on.

"Fuck," I whispered, taking a step closer.

Bella whipped her head around but winced before she could say another word. She quickly covered it up by tightening her jaw. "Don't come any closer," she said through clenched teeth.

I ran my hand through my hair. "Look, I understand. But putting on those tiny t-shirts can't be easy. Why don't you go up to my room and grab one of my button-downs?"

She nodded, using the t-shirt to prevent her chest from being exposed. "Thanks, it would help," she said.

Before I left the room, I swore she looked at me curiously and with confusion. I took a peek into Ellie's. She was in the middle of her bed, sucking her little thumb, asleep. I walked further into the room, grabbing one of the throws and covering her up. She turned slightly, opening her eyes just a bit. Her thumb popped out of her mouth.

"Why did the monster hurt Momma?"

I sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes. "I don't know, Ellie." I wasn't sure what compelled me to comfort her. Perhaps, it was the emotions her small features tragically portrayed. She was an innocent that had seen too much.

"I don't want the monster to hurt Momma anymore."

"I don't either, sweetie," I replied

"Momma is sad when the monster hurts her. Always sad."

I wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'll help take the sad away." After the words were already said, I regretted them. What if it was a promise I couldn't keep?

She nodded and her long lashes fluttered closed again. Her thumb quickly found its way back into her mouth and a finger started playing with a curl of her hair.

I walked back into the hallway and I stood there, debating whether or not to tell Bella that her daughter knew a lot more than she thought.

I didn't want to upset her and told myself if there more references to of the "monster," I would tell Bella. I went back downstairs and checked the perimeter of my home with the security equipment I had in my office. Everything looked good and I decided to get started on lunch. I walked into my kitchen where Bella was already going through my fridge.

I leaned against the doorway and watched her for a few moments. I noticed that she was wearing one of my favorite shirts; a dark green fitted button down with black stitching. It reached mid-thigh, with the rest of her legs exposed. I was able to make out a pair of gray cutoff sweats underneath. They were still obscenely short for that body of hers.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll make sure to give you a shiner to match mine."

I chuckled. "You can try, but you'll fail."

"Ah, but that's why I'm here." Bella closed the fridge, her arms full of condiments for sandwiches. "Can you grab some bread?"

I nodded and walked over to the breadbox in the pantry, pulling out some wheat and white. We worked together to make some sandwiches. I sat on a stool at the kitchen island snack area, while she jumped right up on the counter.

I tried to dispel the urge to grab her and take her right then and there. I was having some major difficulty with my groin. It was twitching, trying to break free of its prison. Stop being an asshole.

"Ellie will be asleep for a couple of hours. Charlie said that you have a gym. Can you show me?" Bella asked before taking a bite of her sandwich. I nodded.

We cleaned up after lunch and Bella made a beeline upstairs to check on her daughter. Once she'd returned, I led her to the basement door in the hallway near the kitchen. I turned on the lights, allowing it to illuminate the large gym.

"This is where we'll spend most of the day."

Bella nodded, taking in her surroundings. Her hand glided over the free weights near the wall of mirrors. She walked over to the treadmill and leaned in to look at all the buttons, shaking her head in confusion.

"We'll need to make a place for Ellie to play."

"We'll go into town and buy her some toys."

"You don't have to do that, Edward."

"I have no problem with it. Charlie's paying."

Bella looked at me, seemingly ready to snap at me again. But she snapped her jaw shut before she said, "Yeah, it's the least he can do."

I sighed and scratched the back of my neck, unsure of how to address what I needed to do next. Thankfully, she saved me the trouble. "So, are you going to do that assessment you were talking about earlier?"

I looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah, I need to since you refuse to see a doctor. It will help me come up with a schedule."

Bella nodded minutely and walked over to stand in front of me. She slowly removed each of the buttons of my shirt. I tried to breathe normally, but I was failing miserably.

The shirt fell from her shoulders and I noticed that her eyes were closed. She quickly stepped out of her shorts and tossed them aside. My breathing hitched as I looked over her body, clad only in her undergarments.

"So?"

I took my time, since she couldn't see me, and allowed my eyes to roam over her body. The right side of her torso was bruised, as was the left, but not as badly. Her breasts had a few scratches, from what I could see, but they seemed to be healing. My eyes trailed down the softness of her belly to the curves of her hips. There were thin, long dark bruises on either side of them and along her thighs. I walked around her, noticing the same marks along her back and sides.

"Bella, did he…" I trailed off, horrified.

"No," she whispered. "I managed to take a lamp to his head before he could and we escaped."

I nodded, aware that she was watching me in the mirrors. "I need you tell me where the most pain is. Tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable at any time."

I pressed my hand on the small of her back and asked her to bend down. She barely managed a little before wincing. I had her stand back up and pressed my hand to the middle of her back asking her to bend from there. The movement didn't seem to make her uncomfortable.

I tried to ignore the painful throbbing in my pants, but it was getting harder and harder with each touch of her soft skin. I was a Grade A asshole for being aroused while she was clearly uncomfortable about her battered body. What woman wouldn't be? The seething anger I felt after seeing them for the first time in her bedroom returned full force, reminding why she was there. And that was to learn to protect herself and Ellie. Not for me to ogle and seduce.

I took one of her arms, noticing a bruise on her shoulder. I lifted it up and noticed no physical distress from Bella. I rotated it. She winced slightly before I allowed it to rest along her side. I stood in front of her, trying to avoid looking at her chest as I slid my hands from her arms to her ribs. I noticed Bella's breath hitched.

My eyes snapped back up to hers. "Do you want me to stop?"

Bella pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and shook her head. I continued and pressed lightly on her ribs. She didn't seem to be in pain, but when I applied just a little more pressure, she bit her lip harder and hissed.

"Sorry," I whispered before testing her left side.

My eyes ascended from her belly button to the bruised sides of her body to her breasts. Her dusty rose nipples hardened visibly through the fabric of her bra, and her chest was rising and falling quickly.

My breathing was labored, and I whispered, "Bella."

"Charlie's going to kill me," she mumbled.

"Why?" I asked, looking back up into her eyes. What I saw there was a little surprising.

Bella grabbed the back of my neck and brought my head down to hers. "Because of this."