THE SILVER LINING
A/N: Reader safakz has dubbed The Silver Lining Edward as "Elderward Silverfox". NGL, I think that's pretty awesome myself.
Things I own: A replica of Cedric Diggory's wand that I received for my birthday. Yes, I totally squeed out loud when I opened it up.
Things I don't: Anything Twilight. That's all Stephenie Meyer's.
Thank you to my beta, Lupin4Tonks, who still wants first dibs on Silverfox and Bella.
CHAPTER 4
Bella and I drive to my house together in the Volvo. She wanted to drive her own car, but after a firm discussion where I explained to her the efficiency of driving together, she allowed me the privilege of chauffeuring her to my home. Granted, it was nothing more than a ruse to have her at my mercy so that I can have my wicked way with her. Preferably for several days on end. I think she saw through my flimsy argument, and it pleases me to no end that she still agreed with me.
When we get to the front door, it suddenly occurs to me that I should probably be nervous. I haven't entertained anyone here for months, and when last I did, it was certainly not someone of the female persuasion. I can't remember if there's any incriminating evidence of my single male life lying around. I must be wearing my emotions on my sleeve, because Bella tugs on my shirt.
"Hey, Silverfox—what's with the look? Should I be frightened? I mean, did you forget to hide the dead body in there or something?"
I break out in a grin, because Bella has this amazing way of turning my nerves into something funny and unimportant.
"Damn, you're on to me. I was hoping I would at least get you through the door before you figured it out," I grin at her. She giggles at my attempt at humor, and it's one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. She laughs with abandon, holding nothing back. And she laughs frequently, which I love. Everything about being with her is just easy. I wonder if this is what they mean by a soul connection. There's absolutely no effort at all, it's just fun, and she's fun, and I love it.
I give her a tour of my home, which is pretty stark compared to her homey cottage. I've always been a fan of Scandinavian architecture, with its clean lines and natural tones. She's quiet as we walk from room to room, and I explain the details of the place. I watch her closely as she takes it in; I can't tell what she's thinking, and that makes me nervous. I'm in uncharted territory, and Bella is such a unique creature that I could never guess what she's going to say next. It puts me on edge, but not necessarily in a bad way. It feels a lot like gambling. I get an excited, nervous feeling in my gut. When she finally speaks, I feel like I can breathe again.
"I expected to see more of your wife evident in the place, but this feels very Edward to me."
"Is being Edward a good thing, or a bad thing?" I ask, a bit unsure.
"Oh, being Edward is the very best kind of thing. I'm just surprised that it's the dominant theme."
"I've always had a thing for architecture, and perhaps imposed my own thoughts too strongly," I say with a little remorse. I never intended to force Jess to accept my vision 100%, and I feel slightly guilty.
Bella nudges my arm to bring me out of my brooding. "Silverfox, please don't worry. It makes me feel infinitely more comfortable here with you being the dominant personality. It's never comfortable to be the next woman in a man's life."
"Is that how you think I see you? As the other woman?" I ask, mystified as to how this could possibly be an issue for her.
"Kind of. I mean, to your kids, I'll always be the other woman," she says, biting her lip. "Oh, god, I just realized how that must sound—like we're a hot item and we're going to be together in the long term. I'm sorry."
It pains my heart to see Bella doubt herself, especially when it comes to the part she's going to play in my life. I put my hands on her cheeks, gently making eye contact with her.
"Bella, after all we've shared in the past 48 hours, please don't question yourself. You're in my life for as long as you want to be. I'm a simple kind of man. When I'm hooked, I'm hooked. I'm exceedingly loyal, probably to an annoying degree. Instead of making me feel upset, you've actually turned me into the happiest man on earth. You have no idea," I seal the deal with a kiss, in case my words weren't convincing enough.
"Where have you been all my life? I could have really used you about 25 years ago."
"Well, you can certainly use me all you want now. To make up for lost time," I waggle my eyebrows at her.
"Horny old bastard," she says with a smile.
"Why yes, I am. You have no idea."
"I'm starting to figure that out. Don't you worry, I'm on to you." Using her fingers in a v shape, she points from her eyes to mine and back again, several times.
We end up standing in my kitchen when Bella's stomach suddenly growls.
"Oh, god, I didn't even think about food," I explain lamely.
"Let's take a peek and see what you've got on hand."
If we do that, she's going to see that I live on cold cereal, take out, and coffee. Not really a great way to make an impression. I'm fairly sure that the milk in my refrigerator is good, but I can't bet on that. As I'm musing, Bella has already gone to work to investigate my cupboards and refrigerator.
"No wonder you're so skinny. You don't have any food in your house. You can't tell me that you live on cereal."
"I can't?"
She shakes her head with a disapproving look on her face. "We're going to have to do something about that."
"Oh?" I can't imagine what 'doing something about that' entails.
"Yes, but it can wait. First your bed and I need to get intimately acquainted with each other."
"I agree that the acquaintance needs to be made, but first you need to eat. How about ordering some take out?" I already have my hand on a stack of menus before I complete my sentence. I fan them out in front of her. "Choose whatever you like."
"Pizza?"
"I was hoping you'd say that," I smile at her. "You choose the ingredients."
"Wow, you must really like me to let me choose."
"I'm just used to it. We always got Jess' favorite toppings."
Bella scowls at that. "You let her choose every time? But what about what you wanted, Edward? That seems really unfair."
"It was just easier that way. She was incredibly picky, and I'll eat just about anything. When you're a surgeon, you learn to eat whatever you can, whenever you can. You never know when you'll eat next. Then there were the kids, and they were picky too. I just went along to get along."
"That's not how I roll. From now on, if we disagree on pizza toppings, we're going to simply split them in half. That way, we're both happy. What do you want on yours? Anything at all."
I stand there for a minute and my brain freezes up. It's a little overwhelming to suddenly be in charge of selecting pizza toppings.
Bella gently nudges my side. "Hey, trauma surgeon! You've performed complicated surgeries, I'm pretty sure that fancy brain of yours can handle selecting a pizza topping."
I smile at her in response. Once again, her humor pulls me out of the moment and refreshes me.
"I really like mushrooms, and everyone else in the family hates them."
"Mushroom pizza?"
"Yeah. That sounds amazing."
"Then mushroom pizza, it is," she says decidedly. "I love mushrooms, too."
And I just fell in love with you a little bit more, Ms. Swan.
I call in the order, and think about beverages.
"You have that look on your face again. You know, the 'I'm not sure where I hid the dead body' look."
"I don't think I have anything to drink except coffee."
"Oh. Huh. We could ask them to bring some with the delivery."
Just then, I remember that I have several bottles of wine that had been given to us as gifts over the years. Now, I finally have a reason to open one of them. I yank on Bella's arm and bring her to the basement.
"Oh, so you're actually going to show me the dead bodies? That's not really necessary. I'm not anxious to become an accessory to murder, you know," I know she's kidding, because she's giggling as she says it.
I decide to tease her back. I back her up to the basement wall and press my body into hers. While she's pinned in place, I lean over and whisper in her ear. "Accessory to murder? Don't be ridiculous. You're my next victim," I say with a hint of sex in my voice.
I start kissing her neck and nibble on her earlobe, letting her feel how aroused she makes me. "I've never made out in my basement before."
I should know better than to try to one-up Bella. She whispers into my ear, "I'm sure we can find a lot of different surfaces of your house to break in."
Playing with fire. That woman is just plain playing with fire. I can't for the life of me remember why we're even in the basement. All my blood is now being pooled in the lower half of my body, so my brain isn't running on all its cylinders.
"Wine, Edward. We're getting wine," Bella reminds me.
"Fuck the wine," I say with reckless abandon.
"No, you fuck me. We drink the wine," she answers, stroking my hardening cock through my pants.
"Thanks for straightening that out."
"The sooner you get the wine, the sooner we get to bed."
That's all she really needed to say. I take her to the wine rack. "See anything that looks good?"
I hear her gasp out loud. "Edward, how long has this wine been down here?"
I shrug my shoulders in reply. "No clue. Why, does it go bad?"
"This is a bottle of Chateau Giscours, 1967!"
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
"It's worth more than a hundred dollars. It's an incredible vintage. Jake is a connoisseur."
"Well, it's certainly been down here for a long time. I'm so used to putting it down here and forgetting about it."
"Are you okay with drinking it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because it's so expensive!"
"Bella, it's been sitting in my basement for so long, I don't know when I even got it. It's either to be drunk, or forgotten."
"If that's how you feel about it, then, let's definitely drink it."
I grab the bottle in one hand, her hand in the other, and we make our way upstairs.
"I thought we were going to make out in the basement?" Bella asks.
"I decided there are lots of better surfaces to christen before the basement. We can save that for last. It's kind of nasty down there."
"You're all charm, Silverfox. Go for the easy kill, huh?"
"Damn, you found me out," I smile at her.
"That smile of yours…" she starts.
"What about my smile?"
The doorbell interrupts us. I slide my wallet from my back pocket as I walk toward the front door, tucking the wine bottle under my arm. What I see in front of me when the door opens is decidedly not a pizza.
"Daddy? Why do you have a bottle of wine? And what happened to your hair?"
"Alice, uh, hello. What are you doing here? Why didn't you call first?" My voice sounds tight.
"Because you know as well as I do that you never answer your phone! Anyhow, I made a peach crisp for you and I wanted to drop it off while it was still warm. Who's that?" she asks, pointing toward Bella.
I turn around and pull Bella toward me.
"This is Bella Swan. Bella, meet my daughter, Alice Whitlock."
Bella holds out her hand for Alice, who takes it readily. "Hello, Bella. Are you responsible for my dad's hair situation?"
"Alice, be respect—"
While I'm in the middle of admonishing my daughter's candor, Bella is giggling and nodding robustly at her. Alice always has a way of charming people. Before I know it, Alice and Bella are hugging one another and chattering away. I've become extraneous for the moment.
We walk into the kitchen where Alice sets down her dish. She peppers Bella with questions, and I feel like I'm watching a tennis match with all the back and forth motion my head is doing.
Once again, my doorbell rings, and I leave the girls alone while I go to collect our pizza. When I return to the kitchen with the pizza box in my hand, Bella and Alice are whispering and giggling. I can't imagine what they've been talking about.
"Well, I'll get out of your way now," Alice overemphasizes, backing her way out of the kitchen toward the front door. Bella follows, giving Alice another big hug. Alice looks pointedly at me, smiling. "You done good, Daddy. You really done good." With a wink, she pops out through the door.
Huh. I guess our secret is now officially out. I already knew that I've done well, but it feels good to have my choice ratified by my daughter.
"Step one of meet the family is complete," I state definitively.
"That seems to have gone fairly well," she says tentatively.
"More than well, Bella. You just got Alice's stamp of approval, and that means a great deal."
"I'm glad and relieved. I was beginning to worry about our children."
"As much as I want their approval, they don't get to decide with whom I spend my time. I want to make that perfectly clear to you," I grin at her again, just to get her going.
"Oh, you think you're sly don't you, Silverfox? Pulling out that grin deliberately to make me forget what just transpired."
I smile even wider. Might as well turn on the juice. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Ms. Swan."
She shakes her finger at me. "I'm on to your tricks," she tells me.
I walk into the kitchen, planning to get plates for our dinner.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting some plates and silverware."
"It's just pizza. You don't need any of that stuff. A few napkins ought to do it."
"Really?"
She giggles at me. "Yes, really. I hate to break it to you, but you can do whatever the hell you want now. You're a grown up, and you're in charge of your own life."
I realize that I have no idea if we have a wine opener or not. I start sorting through our kitchen drawers.
"If you're looking for a good weapon, you should really look in the knife rack."
I laugh at her once again. She's probably the funniest person I've ever met, and I love her sense of humor.
"Oh, don't tempt me. I know exactly where all the good weapons reside. It's the wine openers I'm not so sure about."
Bella pushes me aside impatiently and plucks a wine opener from the drawer. "This is what you were looking for."
"Huh. Would you look at that?"
"I have an amazing ability to find lost items."
"I was kind of lost when you found me."
"Oh, you knew the way. I just turned the light on."
"You certainly flip my switches. So, how does one open a bottle of wine?"
She rolls her eyes at me. "You really don't know?"
"Trust me, I don't easily admit it when I don't know. Asking for directions is not one of my strong suits. We're trained to be allergic to that sort of thing during surgical residency."
She deftly removes the metal from the top of the bottle then works the corkscrew. She shimmies the cork out carefully and it gives out a satisfying pop!
"Wine glasses?"
"Oh, shit. I don't think we own any."
"That's okay. Dixie cups work just as well."
"We will not be using Dixie cups," I say with conviction. I might not have nice wine glasses, but I certainly have something better than paper cups.
"Okay, no Dixie cups. Got it." She raises her hands in self-defense.
We carry our dinner into the dining room and proceed to use the pizza box as our plate. The cheese is very stringy, so I use my fingers to manage it properly. It takes me a moment to notice that Bella isn't eating anymore. Her cheeks are flushed and she's staring at me.
I swallow my bite of pizza. "What?"
She grabs my hand and starts turning it around, looking at it from all angles. I'm kind of worried by this behavior.
"Uh, Bella?"
She doesn't really reply, she just makes a small "hmm" sound then proceeds to scrutinize each finger. She almost looks like one of the monkeys at the zoo, inspecting me for critters. I'm completely taken by surprise when she takes my middle finger and slides it into her mouth.
Note to self: I need to make Bella fascinated by my hands as often as possible.
I've seen movies where people sucked on fingers, or toes, and I've heard about it, but it never did anything for me.
Correction—it never did anything for me until Bella did it for me.
I watch in stunned silence as she sucks my finger slowly into her mouth. She lets it back out again, then does this amazing thing with her tongue where she spirals it around my finger as if its my cock. In fact, my eyes are seeing my cock, not my finger. And my cock is definitely paying attention to what she's doing.
I toss my slice aside and grab Bella, pulling her into a straddle of my lap. Before I even know what I'm doing, our mouths are mashed together, and my hands are on her ass, grinding her into my crotch. Far too soon, however, she pulls her mouth away, and I make a disappointed "hsss" sound. I mean, what the hell?
While I'm still missing my kiss and grind, I take slight notice of the fact that she's moving her body downward, to the floor. The half of my body that is presently using all the blood flow is now face to face with Bella. On her knees, she looks up at me while making quick work of my zipper.
Oh, sweet jesus, she's doing what I think she's going to do—my cock is no longer in my pants. It's in her hand, then in her mouth, before I even have time to breathe. I don't have to imagine my finger as my cock, because now my cock is really my cock and… I better just stop while I'm ahead. I can't do anything besides watch and feel and enjoy. While it feels incredible, to see it and feel it simultaneously only increases the ecstasy.
I fucking love blowjobs.
Love.
Blowjobs.
The only thing I can mentally process is blowjobs.
Unable to help myself, I curl my hands into her hair, keeping it out of her face while I'm hanging on for dear life.
Did I mention I love blowjobs? Remember to give me some slack. All the blood in my body is now in my huge erection. I didn't think I could get this hard anymore, but clearly, I've still got it going on. I certainly hope the novelty of sex with Bella never wears off.
Before I even know what's happening, my orgasm bursts onto the scene. I'm usually ready to wait longer for that to occur, but Bella really knows what she's doing. I don't even have time to offer to pull myself out, but I'm amazed to see her swallow it down. No complaining, no screaming, no gagging. She just swallows.
How did I not know this woman earlier in my life?
Once I'm finished, she gently lets me go with a smile on her face.
"I've never once in my life experienced a spontaneous blowjob, and I've certainly never had anyone swallow. Who are you and where have you been all my life?"
She giggles with amusement. "Wow, so the way to your heart is a nice blowie, huh?"
"I guess it is. Who knew?" I answer wryly. "But then there was that thing, you with my finger. What was that?"
"Edward Silverfox, that was completely, 100% all your fault. You should feel ashamed the way you wave those beauties around like they're just an ordinary pair of hands."
"You mean they aren't?"
She takes my hand from me again, placing it carefully into her palm. With a tone of reverence, she says, "These are hands that were born to do surgery." I let out a sort of snort. "Ah-ah, say what you will, but I'm an artist, I know these things," she waves her other hand for emphasis.
"I have to object here," I explain. "I've known hundreds of different surgeons, and they all use their hands in the exact same way."
"I find that very hard to believe."
"What? We do the same things with our hands."
"These hands, Edward… just look at your long, thin fingers. They're strong, but nimble, too. They can reach places that a surgeon with bear paws cannot. These are beautiful, useful hands."
I just laugh at her. She's ridiculous, but if she thinks I have amazing hands, I'm willing to let her keep believing it.
"These hands have had enough admiration for one night. Now they want to do the admiring."
In a gesture that would otherwise shock and concern me, I push the pizza box and wine glasses aside, not even worrying about the ensuing mess or broken glass. I have one thing on my mind, and it's reciprocity. This amazing, hot, caring woman who has just focused solely on my pleasure is going to get the same in return. While I may not have extensive sexual experience, and I'm a pretty conservative guy in my daily habits, I'm quickly learning that I'll do damn near anything for Bella Swan. I lift her ass onto the table and gently lay her down. Grabbing her hips, I scoot her rear to the very edge of the table. I decide I've had enough of her body being clothed, and I want her to be gloriously naked in front of me. It's time to revisit my favorite neighborhood.
I start by taking the bottom of her shirt and rip it up the middle. It earns me a screech of delight from her, and that's all the encouragement I need. Fortunately she's also wearing some stretchy yoga pants, and those just peel right off. I take a moment to look at her beautiful body splayed out in front of me, and it's like I'm a blind man who's just seen the light. Her curves, her soft skin, her lovely shape, it's all there for me to worship. Starting just below her navel, I run my hand lightly up and down her abdomen, just marveling at her female softness. I carefully slip one hand behind her neck to support it then use the other to unsnap her bra. Let me tell you, learning to tie a knot with one hand makes you an instant expert at things like bra removal. Slipping her bra off, I set her back down and run palms over her breasts. I lean over and take a nipple into my mouth, sucking it gently. I started off wild, wanting to get her naked at once, but I've eased into a gentle reverence. I will never get tired of seeing her body naked in front of me.
I love her breasts, I truly do, so I give them plenty of time and attention. I want her to feel my affection in every lick of my tongue. I smile with her nipple in my mouth, thinking back to when I was younger. Everything was about speed back then. I never took the time to really savor Jessica's body, and it's something I regret. I wonder if perhaps I had spent more time discovering her body and less time driving it home, would Jess have been more receptive to sex in general? I recognize that it's a moot point, but I do feel bad that I never took the time to find out.
"It's such a thrill to learn a new body. I never imagined I'd get the chance to do that."
"Yeah, well, this is an old body, so the novelty will wear off soon enough."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," I shake my head her and get back to proving my point wordlessly.
I kiss my way down Bella's torso, licking a circle around her navel then blowing gently on the skin's surface. I love to watch her skin react to me. I follow with delicate touches of my fingertips, and the surface rises up into goose bumps in response to me. It's so satisfying to watch. It's almost as if our skin is having an intimate conversation, with my fingers asking the questions and her skin pebbling back a reply.
I carefully part her legs, running my fingers from her knees to her pussy. I spread her lips open, but I know she's bound to be a bit dry, so my fingers don't go exploring. Instead, I create my own wetness, via my mouth. Using my tongue, I explore every square inch of her, avoiding the place where she wants me to be the most until the very end. She starts to wiggle her hips back and forth, as if to remind me that I've forgotten something. When I finally reach her clit, she lets out an audible sigh. I work my tongue over her, experimenting with swirls and licks. I look up at her face and find her completely in the moment, lost in ecstasy. I don't think she's ever looked more beautiful. I finally suck her clit into my mouth, putting as much suction into it as I can, and she tugs on my hair while her hips buck underneath me. She's stunning.
It isn't until I'm watching Bella unravel that I understand the true meaning of what the difference between her and Jessica is—passion. Bella feels everything with passion. Jessica was restrained. This difference, it's astonishing, but also so natural. To be buttoned up when you're being intimate seems false somehow. It's okay to get lost in the moment, and Bella has taught me how to do this. I will forever be grateful to her for teaching me this important lesson.
When she comes back to me, it is with a contented smile. "You ready to go to bed?"
"Mmm. I'm so relaxed."
I gather up the clothes that are scattered around the room and then reach for her hand. Quietly, we walk upstairs. In my bedroom, I pull back the sheets for her, and we slip under the covers, naked and content. She snuggles her head on my chest, our legs tangling together, and we drift off to sleep.
~xXx~
When I awaken the next morning, my naked Bella is still snuggled into my body. When I try to imagine something better than this, I come up empty handed. My life is contented bliss for the moment.
Well, it's contented bliss until I hear Bella's phone start to make a loud ding noise. "What is that?"
Bella picks up her arm sleepily, patting the side table next to her blindly in search of her phone. Snuggling back into my chest, she starts to read her text messages. I'm startled when she abruptly sits up.
"Leah and Seth have figured out that I'm seeing someone."
The tone of her voice clearly indicates that this is not the happiest news she's ever received.
END NOTE: Bella and Edward still have their bucket list to work out. I haven't forgotten, I promise. That's what Chapter 5 is for. *cue the evil kimpycackle*