When Bella kissed me, I swear the world stopped spinning. Yes, I'm completely aware of how ridiculous that sounds, but there's no other way to describe it. Everything stopped. This wasn't about putting on a show or trying to discourage Tanya. This was strictly about her and me. She was kissing me simply because she wanted to.
Her lips, God, those lips, so warm and luscious. I never wanted to stop tasting them. My hands slipped down to her waist, and I slowly drew her closer against me. She let out a little "mmm" sound against my lips that was equal parts adorable and arousing.
Bella's mouth opened, and she slid her tongue slowly across my bottom lip, the soft liquid heat of it causing my hands to clench where they rested just above her hipbones. Her tongue continued its lazy journey and swept across my top lip as well, leisurely tasting me. I shuddered, holding completely still for her exploration. She changed tactics and started pressing soft little open-mouthed kisses to my mouth, my cheeks, and my chin. I groaned, aching to just grasp her gorgeous face between my hands and kiss her with all the ferociousness building inside of me. But I didn't. I let her have her way, for the moment at least.
Her lips now brushed my ear, and I jerked slightly as I felt the tip of her tongue make contact with my hypersensitive earlobe. Her voice was husky when she spoke.
"Kiss me, Edward. Please."
I gloried in the sexy little moan that slipped from her when I turned my head and caught her mouth with mine. She opened her lips immediately, and I slid my tongue between them, as anxious as she was for that sultry re-connection.
She tasted divine, just as good as I remembered, but this time a little bit salty from the margarita. Fucking brilliant. Her fingers foraged a path upwards to tangle in my hair, and I gasped into her mouth when she gave a hard tug. My cock swelled and strained against the confines of my jeans.
"Oh fuck… Bella…" I groaned brokenly.
She laughed softly, and I thought it completely impossible to be more turned on than I was two seconds ago, but I was wrong. That laugh; it was everything sensual and female and powerful in this whole world, and it literally made me weak in the knees. I was addicted to this woman already, no doubt about it.
My hands grew impatient with simply remaining at her waist while our kisses deepened. They started on a slow, downward journey until I had a handful of firm, rounded cheek in each of them. If there was ever a perfect backside in this entire world, I swear it was the one I was holding. My fingers pressed into the ripe curves, pulling her closer until there was no doubt she could feel the affect she had on my body. In fact, I'm pretty sure she did feel it, because she nestled closer to me and even hitched up one of her legs so she could rub her bare foot up and down my calf. The action opened her to me even more, and I reached lower to close my hand around the back of her knee, pulling her leg just a bit higher and rocking my hips into the sweet cradle of her thighs. I could feel the warmth from her body through the layers of both our clothing and the sensation was doing frantic things to my heartbeat. I delved deeper into her mouth, exploring all of her slick sweetness. She sucked on my tongue softly, and then not so softly, and it took every bit of my control not to hoist her onto the countertop that very second and feel those legs wrap around me. She was driving me absolutely crazy.
Bella slowly gentled our hungry kisses, making them softer, sweeter; still amazing, but not so all-consuming. Finally, she pulled her lips from mine completely and lowered her forehead down to rest on my shoulder. Her fingers, still tangled in my hair, began to gently scratch at my scalp. Both of us were breathing deeply, rapidly.
"Edward…that was…wow," she murmured softly, and I couldn't help the smug smile that crossed my lips. She seemed every bit as affected by our kissing as I was and that made me happy.
"Wow, indeed," I replied. I regretfully removed my hands from her perfect backside and simply rested them at her waist again. Bella's foot dropped back to the ground, and she turned her head so that it was her cheek that now fell upon my shoulder. Her lips grazed the side of my neck in a soft kiss and I couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit against me.
Her tone was wistful when she spoke.
"As much as I'd like to spend the next, oh, nine days doing that, I don't think we have much time before someone comes through that door demanding to know where dessert is."
"You're probably right," I replied with a resigned sigh. My hands lifted to rub up and down the smooth skin of her bare arms. "Emmett's stomach is a force to be reckoned with. I try to never interfere with his feedings."
She giggled at that, and then lifted her face to mine. She looked glorious, all pink cheeks and swollen lips, her dark eyes wide and shining.
"One more?" she requested softly.
Instead of answering her, I dipped my head and moved my lips over hers gently. It was tender, almost chaste. The desperation of the previous minutes was put on the back burner for now, but I still wanted her to know that kissing her was something I adored.
When we parted, she pressed her mouth briefly to mine once more and then stepped back.
"Okay, I know you're a great egg cracker but how are you at whipping cream?"
I had to smile at her serious expression.
"Watch me whip, cake lady," I replied with a wink. She laughed and shook her head before handing me the mixer.
I whipped, while Bella added some powerdered sugar and a little bit of vanilla. Before long we had a whole bowl full of fluffy cream. Bella disengaged the mixing blades from the handle and offered me one.
"Wanna lick?" she asked innocently, swiping her tongue along her own blade.
"More than you can imagine," I replied, not taking my eyes off her lips. "In fact…"
I leaned over, and caught a stray dot of cream from the corner of her mouth with my tongue.
"Mmm, delicious," I declared.
Bella opened her mouth to reply, but just then the door swung inward and Emmett stepped through.
"Okay, things are gonna get ugly out there if the blonde doesn't get some dessert. She's mean when she's hungry; why didn't you warn me, Bella? And what are we having anyway?"
"Sex on a Stick," I piped up with a smile.
His reaction was the same mine had been. His eyes bugged out.
"Sex on a whaaaa?"
"Close your mouth Emmett, and go tell Grumpy that it'll be done in a minute." Bella laughed. "And I would tell you that her bark is worse than her bite, but that would be a lie."
Emmett opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, but then he snapped it shut and walked back out into the living room. A few seconds later we heard Rose's petulant whine.
"I am not grumpy, I am hungry!"
Bella and I both laughed, and then I helped her slide the warm brownies onto the skewers. My mind was still reeling from the kisses that we had shared, but I did my best to act nonchalant. She looked completely at ease in her kitchen, and I wasn't about to do or say anything to cause any sort of awkwardness. It was bad enough that I had followed her in here in the first place and basically teased her until she admitted she wanted me to kiss her. Those moments in the living room before the bloody timer went off, had been intense. The way she had looked at me. . . When she jumped up, I couldn't have stopped myself from following her any more than I could've stopped myself from breathing. The need to just taste her again had been so strong.
Finally, we had a tray of brownie kabobs and a bowl of whipped cream at the ready. Bella carried the cream, and I manned the tray as we stepped through the swinging door.
"Dessert is served!" Bella called out, effectively disengaging Jasper and Alice's mouths from each other and earning a "Hallelujah!" from Rosalie.
Emmett was like a little kid in a candy shop when he got a look at what Bella had made. His eyes were like saucers.
"Bella, I know we just met, but would you marry me? Please?"
Bella laughed, and then threw a quick smile at me before answering.
"I'm sorry, Emmett. I hate to break your heart, but I think Edward and I have a date with Elvis in Las Vegas."
"Bummer. Oh well, will you still make me dessert? It would be the neighborly thing to do."
"Yes, I'll still make you dessert. And on that note, dig in everyone!"
So we did. And I'll admit, the moment I tasted Bella's brownies, I was in warm, fudgy, chocolate-and-cream heaven.
"Holy fuck, these are good!" Emmett exclaimed. "Seriously, best thing ever. I think we need to make this a weekly custom. Brownies at Bella's."
"If we did, I'd no longer be able to fit through the kitchen doorway," Bella laughed. "The downfall of being a pastry chef is all the added calories from taste testing," she said, while licking whipped cream off her fingers. My eyes followed the path of her tongue and I immediately felt myself hardening inside my jeans once more. Her eyes caught mine, and I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what she was doing when she gave her fingers one last leisurely lick, holding my gaze all the while. I nearly choked on my brownie. Oh, that tongue. My mind was quick to conjure up images of it licking other parts of my anatomy. I bit back a groan. I was hard as steel from just looking at her; what on earth would happen if she actually ever-
"Bella, do you have to work tomorrow?"
Alice's question interrupted my musings, and for that, I was grateful. I was beginning to feel like a total pervert from my near constant state of hardness while in Bella's company. A distraction was definitely welcome.
"Yes, but not until ten. Irina is opening in the morning."
I was actually quite curious about Bella's work, having only caught the details when she was talking to Tanya earlier.
"So, what does your job entail, exactly?" I asked her as I slid another brownie off the skewer and popped it in my mouth. Bella turned her attention to me and smiled.
"Well, let's see. My specialty is wedding cakes. I design them and decorate them. I have two girls at the shop that help me with the actual baking and stuff, though. It's almost wedding season, since June is a very popular month to get married and we've been really busy, but that will taper off a bit in a couple of weeks. When I'm not working on a cake, I'm always working on new designs. I help out with the day to day stuff, too, when I'm not busy with a cake. I also try out different recipes for the bakery. These brownies being one of them, like I told you. My boss, Irina, is the coolest person ever."
"Irina is such a hoot, I love her," Rosalie added. "She's an awesome hippie She's got this vacation cabin up in the mountains, and she throws some great parties there. "
Bella laughed, seemingly in agreement with Rosalie's description.
"Totally. Irina's parties are awesome. She's very into karma and 'the signs,'" – here, Bella used air quotes- "and yoga and all of that. She smokes pot every day, loves red wine, and is seriously one of the smartest businesswomen you'll ever meet. She's made the bakery a huge success."
"It must be if it was featured in The Times," I said. I loved hearing Bella talk about her job; her whole face lit up.
"Actually, it wasn't the whole bakery that was featured, just Bella," Alice chimed in as she fed some whipped cream to Jasper from her finger. Okay, those two were getting ridiculous.
"They did a whole feature on Bella, two full pages," Alice continued. "I have it at home if you'd like to see it."
"Honestly Alice, no one wants to see it," Bella cut in, her cheeks a spectacular shade of red. She was apparently embarrassed by Alice drawing attention to her accomplishments. Her eyes were focused on her lap where her fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her tank top. I nudged her gently to get her attention, and when she raised her face to mine, I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Don't be embarrassed. It's a wonderful thing to have someone recognize your hard work. I would like to see it sometime."
She held my gaze for a couple of seconds, seemingly trying to read what she saw in my eyes. Finally she grinned and nodded.
"Sometime."
The six of us continued to indulge in Bella's brownies and the conversation flowed easily from one topic to the next. I found out Alice was an event planner and Rosalie a very sought after photographer. The girls had known each other since they were children, much the same way us guys grew up together. I could tell that their friendship was very strong just by the way they interacted with each other. I was having a great time getting to know Bella and her friends and the time passed quickly. I was shocked when I happened to glance at my watch and realized it was after one thirty already. I knew I had to leave soon, and that thought was not a welcome one. This night had been amazing, in more ways than one, and I didn't want it to end. But all good things…
Bella stood to carry the empty dishes into the kitchen, and I jumped up to help her. We put everything in the sink, and she waved off my offer to help clean up.
"Don't worry about it, Edward. I'm gonna leave them until morning."
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm positive," she replied with a smile. I loved her smile.
"Okay. I actually need to get going. My parents are expecting me early for breakfast, and I told my mum I'd take my dad to the airport. He has to go to a conference in Miami."
Her eyes flickered with an emotion that I'd really like to think was disappointment. She licked her lips and nodded.
"Okay, well let me walk you out then."
I caught her arm as she went to move past me, and she lifted her gaze to mine in question. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Please let her say yes.
"Bella, I'd really love to see you again. I've had a great time tonight and I wish I didn't have to go. But since I do, I was wondering if you're free for dinner tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" she echoed.
"Yes." Oh please, oh please, oh please.
"Um. Well, I usually don't have a set schedule on Sundays; it really just depends on what needs to be done. But I'm sure I could finish everything up there by... five o'clock? If that's okay? If it's not-"
"That's fine," I interrupted her, simply elated that she was saying yes. "If you're done with work at five, then would six thirty be a good time to pick you up for dinner?"
"Yes, I think that would be fine."
"Okay."
We stood there, just smiling at each other in silence until a loud burst of laughter from the living room carried into the kitchen.
"I'll walk you to the elevator?"
I nodded, and we made our way out to where the others were. Bella told everyone she'd be back in a minute, and I waved my good-bye to them all as she opened the door.
"I'm glad you had a good time tonight, Edward," she said once we were in the quietness of the hallway.
"Me, too," I answered softly. "And thank you again for the amazing dessert."
"I'm glad you liked that, too," she grinned.
We arrived at the bank of elevators, and I was hesitant to press the down button, knowing that when I did, it would signal that my time with Bella was coming to an end. And I didn't want it to. I reached for her hand and used it to tug her closer. She came willingly, stepping into the circle of my arms and looking up at me.
"In case you didn't notice, I had a really good time tonight, too," she said, giving me a wink. God, she was so sweet like this. I liked flirty Bella.
"I hope you'll be saying the same thing to me tomorrow night," I replied, only half joking.
"Hmmm, I guess we'll have to see about that."
"Indeed we will."
A sudden thought occurred to me, and I pulled my phone from my pocket.
"Will you put your number in?"
"Of course."
Bella typed in her number then pressed the 'send' button and held it to her ear. After a second, she hung up.
"Now I have yours, too," she explained. I smiled in approval and put the phone back in my pocket before finally reaching over and pressing the down button. Even knowing I'd see her in roughly seventeen hours wasn't enough to hold back my disappointment at the thought of leaving her. Apparently I was like a drug addict when it came to Bella. She was my own personal brand of heroin.
The elevator dinged in the quiet hallway as we just continued to gaze at each other.
"Your ride's here," she informed me softly.
"So it is. I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and Edward?"
"Yes?"
Instead of saying anything, she reached up and pressed her lips to mine. Surprise overtook me for a second before I hugged her tighter and kissed her back. Her lips were so warm and soft, and I groaned, knowing this couldn't go any further right now, but continuing to torture myself anyway. It was only when the elevator doors started sliding shut again that I shot out my hand to stop them before lifting my mouth from Bella's. I pressed one more kiss to her slightly swollen lips before stepping into the elevator. My last image of Bella before the doors closed was of her watching me with heavy eyes, her fingertips pressed against her lips, cheeks flushed. She was absolutely gorgeous.
It looked like a cold shower was in the cards for me tonight if I wanted to get any sleep. Well, either that or a good wank. With the way I was feeling right now, it would most likely be the latter.