Chapter 7
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its original characters. This story is written for F.U.N. and giggles and no copyright infringement is intended.
Special thanks, as always, go to the awesome Keye Cullen for pre reading and the spectacular and funny Rita01TX for editing for me. These are the two girlies who regularly stroke my ego the right way and make me sound much less British than I otherwise would.
A/N Hello again to my lovely readers. I felt bad about not updating last week, so I have double updated this week. (Anyone would think it was almost Christmas. Snort!) This chapter continues date night...will Eddie twig about Bella's pantie fail?
After Carlisle and Esme left, we were alone once again. Edward and I sat at the breakfast bar in his large white kitchen where he served up the spaghetti. As I suspected it would be, it was absolutely delicious.
I excused myself to use the bathroom and, on my way back to the kitchen, I passed the piano in the hall. I ran my index finger lightly along the smooth white keys. Not hard enough to make any sound; I just wanted to feel the silky coolness of the ivory. The sound of a throat clearing behind me made me spin on my heels.
"Amusing yourself?"
Edward was leaning up against the banister with his arms folded across his chest. His legs were crossed at the ankle. One eyebrow was raised in amusement and I could tell he was trying not to smirk.
"I was just looking."
He smiled widely.
"No, you were touching, actually." Busted!"Do you play?"
"Only Chopsticks," I confessed shyly. Then I remembered Alice's words.
"Edward, will you play for me?"
He shrugged and pushed himself away from the staircase. Settling onto the piano bench, he patted the seat for me to sit next to him. He stretched out his fingers before laying them gently on the keys. I glanced from his fingers to his face. He looked serene, composed, as he prepared himself to play.
Edward Cullen playing the piano was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. His fingers moved quickly, flexing and flying across the keys. As the playing became more intense, he leaned into the instrument, his thighs flexing as he worked the pedals. I had no idea what the name of the piece was, or even which composer but, to my untrained ear, it was a magnificent cacophony. After a while, he hit the final long note. I almost clapped, but he suddenly started again, this time a softer melody. The music waxed and waned and it was beautiful. He swayed from side to side as he played it out, occasionally glancing in my direction with a small smile tugging at his lips.
Edward was a surprisingly complex person. On the surface, he was an ass and there were times when he was silly and juvenile, but there were also times when he was controlled and serious; times when he dazzled me, and times when he was loving and gentle. I was definitely being sucked in by him.
The music had finished now and, for a moment, he stilled his fingers on the keys.
"Wow, Edward. That was beautiful."
He turned and kissed me gently on the cheek.
"I'm glad you liked it. I composed it for you."
My eyes widened.
"Well not the first piece. That was Rachmaninoff."
"Edward!"
My hand flew to my mouth. No one had ever done something so special for me before.
"I don't know what to say. Thank you, it was beautiful."
Tears sprang to my eyes. He grinned and swiped his thumb under my eye.
"You're beautiful, Bella."
The tone of his voice was so truthful that my heart suddenly swelled in my chest. I couldn't help it; I threw myself at him, catching him in a hug so big we almost toppled off the stool. He steadied me, chuckling, and I kissed him like he was water in the desert and I couldn't get my fill.
By then, it was getting late. Edward rose and offered his hand.
"I'd better get you back to Charlie."
I nodded and he passed his jacket to me again. I slipped my hand into his as we walked out to his car and he held the door for me once more.
"Edward," I looked across to him, his face illuminated in the darkness by the eerie green glow from the car's console. "Thank you so much for today, and for the music."
"Thank you, too."
He picked up my hand and squeezed it, driving the rest of the way one handed.
We pulled up at the driveway and saw by his parked cruiser that Charlie was home. A warm yellow glow poured from the downstairs windows. Edward walked me to the porch. I shivered, pulling the sweet smelling suede closer to keep out the chill. He stopped on the step and wrapped me in a tight embrace. I ran my hands up his back and into his hair. His hands moved down from my waist to settle on my hips. He kissed me slow and sweet, our lips moving together, tongues meeting and caressing. His hand moved lower, stroking my butt until his hand suddenly froze. He broke from my mouth, glancing down in disbelief at his hand, then back to my face.
"Bella! Are you not wearing any..."
I burst out laughing and shook my head slowly, biting my lip. Truth was, after a while, I had forgotten that I had taken them off. He rolled his eyes up to the heavens.
"Shit! When did you…?"
"In the movie theater. They were a little... erm... uncomfortable," I giggled.
"Fuuuck," he groaned.
His eyes went wide.
"So, all the time in the car?"
I nodded. He groaned again.
"And at the piano?"
"Yep."
Then he laughed out loud. I frowned.
"And when you met my Mom?"
"Erm, yeah. I don't feel so comfortable with that one."
I cringed a little, shuffling my feet.
"I'll bet. Shit. I can't believe I didn't realize. You are going to drive me nuts."
"Yeah, well just promise you won't tell anyone."
"Are you kidding?"
My eyes widened in panic, immediately thinking that he meant to tell the whole world.
"I don't want anyone to know my girl is that sexy. Shit, Bella. I don't need any other guys sniffing around you. Some of them are like dogs."
Oh, wow! Edward thinks I'm sexy and he called me his girl!It made me feel all warm and tingly. We shared another small kiss, his hand snaking under my skirt to squeeze my bare ass. I wriggled away from his grip and fished around in my bag for my keys.
"I'll see you in the morning, with or without panties."
I chuckled as I handed his jacket back to him.
"Yeah, definitely with. Goodnight, Edward."
He walked back to the car and waved as he drove away.
I let myself into the house and shouted a quick hello to Charlie as I scampered up the stairs to find some clean underwear, cringing at the thought of a "commando" conversation with my Dad.
As I left the house the next morning, Edward was waiting for me. I smiled to myself, realizing that meant he was probably eager to see me again. I skipped down the path and into the passenger seat.
"Morning, beautiful. Sleep well?"
Edward was beaming as he greeted me. I smiled and leaned across to kiss him on the cheek.
"Morning. Hmm, I did actually. How 'bout you?"
He nodded as he pulled the car from the curb. I peeked across at him as he drove, studying his profile. He truly had a beautiful face. His jaw was strong and well-defined, his nose straight, and his green eyes were framed by long dark lashes and thick, expressive eyebrows. I had known him for so long, but never really looked at him. I smiled, remembering how, up until a week ago, I had avoided any kind of contact with him. But, now I was seeing him in a whole new light and finding that I couldn't get enough of him.
School passed without incident. There were a few raised eyebrows when Edward kissed me in the parking lot and a few more when he held my hand between classes. I got the distinct impression he was marking his territory like some big old dog peeing up against a tree. I bumped into Alice in the canteen at lunchtime.
"Well. You and Edward, huh? I was right."
She gave me an "I told you so" look. I couldn't help but smile at her; she was such an enthusiastic little pixie.
"Yep, Alice. You definitely saw that one before I did."
She gave me a quick hug before waltzing off to find Jasper.
By Wednesday, we were old news. We were still carpooling and, by now, we had talked so much that conversation flowed easily between us. I had to admit it was good…really good. Edward constantly surprised me with his interests and experiences. I had never laughed as much in my life. He still assed it up in front of his friends, but none of it was directed to me and, although I would be happy to say "hasta la vista" to the ass, I kind of understood that he did it to be accepted.
When he dropped me off that night, he ran his ringers through his chaotic mop of hair.
"I've got football again tomorrow night."
He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed I think, and I took pity on him.
"No worries. I'll be there."
He brightened immediately.
"I'll bring a sweatshirt."
He leaned across to kiss me on the cheek. Then he hesitated for a moment.
"What?"
A devious look spread over his features. He was up to something and it made me feel a little uneasy.
"Oh, nothing. I just had an idea."
I looked at him, but he shook his head with a wide smile on his face. Hmm, I wasn't sure I liked mysterious Edward much more than Edward the ass.
I closed the door behind me. Charlie would be home soon, so I buzzed around in the kitchen, peeling potatoes and washing lettuce. I fished some steaks out of the refrigerator and imagined I was hitting Tyler Crowley's van while I tenderized it. Actually, that was a bit mean of me. I did miss the independence that my truck gave me but, if his beast of a vehicle hadn't wrecked my ride, I would never have had to catch a ride with Edward. Then he wouldn't have climbed my tree and we wouldn't have been at the cinema watching some crappy foreign film and having mind bowing "non sex."
I smiled at the thought of how my life had changed in just a few days. Talk about 180 degree turnaround.
The steaks were on the grill when Charlie arrived. It had started to rain and his hair was plastered to his head in almost stiff looking peaks. Drops of water dripped from them onto his face. He shook off his jacket and spread it over the back of one of the wooden kitchen chairs to dry out.
"Hey, Bells. Something smells good."
He reached past me for the blue hand towel swinging from a hook by the sink and rubbed it roughly over his head.
"Hmm! Steak, potatoes and salad, I see."
I pulled out the grill pan to check on the steaks.
"Maybe another 10 minutes."
He nodded thoughtfully as he tugged off his heavy boots, laying them beside the door for the morning.
"Hey, I meant to ask. How was the film?"
Shit! I could already feel myself blushing. Quickly, I turned to check the boiling potatoes. I lifted the lid and a waft of hot steam hit me in the face. Genius!The perfect excuse for why my face was all flushed.
"Um, it was a bit weird. There wasn't much choice, so we ended up seeing a French film with subtitles."
I glanced across at him. Charlie was a fairly simple guy. The thought of watching a film in another language and having to read at the same time would be as foreign to him as the dialogue. He was looking back at me as if I had just told him I had gone on a day trip to Mars.
"Oh. That's...different."
His eyebrows were knitted together like one big mustache on his forehead.
"Hmm, don't know if I would go again."
He snorted in a "that's my girl" kind of way.
"Anyway, how was your day?" I asked in a quick change of subject to get me off the whole "non sex, non panties" aspect of my date.
"Hmm, there was a break in over at old Doc Gerandy's place. He was in and the guy beat him up pretty bad."
My eyes widened. Forks was such a quiet town that anything more than a raccoon raiding a garbage can was big news.
"Wow, but he's such a nice old man."
"Yeah, he's going to be in hospital for a while…4 broken ribs and a busted up hip."
I shivered. Why would anyone do something so awful to such a nice, gentle old guy?
The steaks were ready and I flipped them onto two plates and drained the potatoes. I set them down at the table and brought out the bowl of salad from the refrigerator. Charlie mumbled appreciatively as he wolfed down the meal.
After washing up and clearing the kitchen, I made more small talk with Charlie before trotting up to the comfort of my bedroom. I was actually quite tired. Fully clothed, I flopped on the bed, allowing my eyes to drift closed for a moment. That dreamy, heavy feeling was rolling over me when I was jolted awake by a sharp rap, rap, rap. Startled, I flew upright, my head whipping around to find the source. There he was in the damned tree…AGAIN. Only difference was, this time, he was banging on the window with a length of broken branch.
I shook my head at him, rolling my eyes to the ceiling.
"Let me in!" he was mouthing, flicking his head towards the window.
My body was still half asleep and I reluctantly forced myself into an upright position while I tugged at the window latch.
"Hurry up. It's pouring down," he hissed.
The window finally conceded and I was able to shuffle it open. He pulled himself in through the gap.
"That window needs some fucking oil," he pointed behind him with his thumb. "I'll bring some next time."
"So, you're not going to stop using the tree, then?" I giggled.
He brightened.
"Nah, I like to make an entrance. Besides, that tree is my bitch now."
I looked him up and down. He was wearing blue jeans, the bottom inch or so soaking wet, and there were green stains from the tree moss along the shins. He let the small backpack he was carrying over his shoulder drop to the floor with a soft thud. His black, hip-length twill jacket was wringing wet across the shoulders. I helped him shrug out of it and laid it over the small radiator, hoping it would dry a little before he had to leave. Under the jacket, he was wearing a tight fitting blue V neck T -shirt. My eyes lingered there, taking in the golden hair exposed at his throat. He flicked off the baseball cap he had been wearing and scrubbed his fingers through his unruly hair until it was all standing on end like he had been electrocuted. I realized then that I had no idea why he was here.
"Edward, what are you doing here?"
His sheepish eyes met mine.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I've brought you something."
He started unzipping the black backpack and fumbled around in it. I chewed at my lip, baffled by what could be so important that he would risk breaking his neck in a wet, slippery tree for it.
"Here."
He held out a thick wad of dark jersey fabric to me. I frowned as I reached out to take it from him, unfolding it until I could see that it was a sweatshirt…a big sweatshirt; one of Edward's sweatshirts.
"I don't get it."
I was truly confused.
"Turn it around," he smirked.
I flicked the garment over and understood immediately when I saw the name Cullen embroidered across the back in red and white silk.
"Thought it might send a message to Stanley tomorrow. Stop her giving you shit."
"Like I'm your property?"
I raised an eyebrow. A look of doubt flickered across his chiseled face. Clearly it hadn't occurred to him that I might not like to be branded by him.
"Erm, it was just a thought. You don't have to wear it."
I laughed at him then. Truth was, I secretly quite liked the thought of him wanting the world to know I was his, even if it was a bit Neanderthal. Caveman Cullen.
"You want everyone to know I belong to you?"
He shrugged then nodded.
"You're my girl," he said, matter-of-factly. I grinned widely…his girl. I liked it.
Edward sat down on the edge of the bed holding his hands out to me. I took them both in mine, lacing our fingers together, and closed the gap to settle between his spread knees. He hummed contentedly as he pressed his cheek against my abdomen. Then, in one sure motion, he swept his nose across my stomach and up towards my breast.
"Hmm, Bella."
His eyes were half closed and a lazy grin formed on his face.
"You have no idea what you do to me."
I smiled. Whatever I was doing to him was probably no more that he was doing to me. I released one of his hands and wound my fingers into his hair. It was getting long and floppy now and, because of the cap, he hadn't used any gel tonight. I let myself enjoy its softness as it flowed between my fingers. I scratched his scalp gently with my nails and he tilted his head into my hand.
"So good," he mumbled softly.
His free hand was on my hip and he let it drift lower, caressing my thigh in slow, steady circles. He swallowed hard and I watched his Adams apple bob. It brought my attention back to the V at the front of his T -shirt. Sweeping my hand over the back of his head, I traced around to the front of his neck with my index finger. Inhaling deeply through my nose as I bit my bottom lip, my finger flowed along the edge of his shirt, dipping into the V and stroking at the soft, sparse hair I discovered there.
"Oh, fuck this," he grumbled, releasing my hand.
He threw his hands over his head and, without breaking eye contact with me, pulled the shirt forwards over his head, casting it to the floor. Shit! Edward's naked chest is in my bedroom. I felt like a child in a candy store. I knew I shouldn't touch, but it all just looked so good; I wanted it all. He grinned at me, knowing that I had zoned out in awe.
"I believe you were here, Miss Swan."
He placed my hand back on his chest, just over his heart. I flexed my fingers slightly, softly stroking him, and watched as his chest rose and fell beneath my hand. I realized then that my breathing had increased in pace, too. Tentatively, my other hand moved to his flesh and I stilled. Just the feel of
his body beneath my fingers, soft warm skin pulled taught over firm muscle, was almost too much. My eyes roamed his body while the heat was building within me.
Edward gently placed his hands on my hips. While he looked deep into my eyes, he slid his flattened palms upwards, moving over my waist and higher. He pushed my shirt up as he glided over my ribs and I quivered at the feel of his hands on my bare skin. Sliding the material still further up my body, he paused at the side of my lace covered breasts. My shirt was now pushed as high as it would go without removing it. I closed my eyes and rolled my head back. My hands roamed over his chest, around his shoulders, and along his firm biceps. I could feel myself becoming more and more aroused.
"So beautiful," he murmured, looking at my breasts.
His hands moved inwards until he was cupping them in his hands, brushing his thumbs across my lace covered nipples. They reacted to his touch and I whimpered.
"Oh, Edward."
"Bella," he answered, his breathing ragged.
He used one of his fingers to pull down the cup of my bra and leaned in to take me in his mouth. He laved his tongue over the puckered skin and I felt the resulting tingle deep down between my legs.
Needing to be closer, I pressed against him, straddling his hips on the bed. He pushed up against me and the buttons of his fly rubbed against me right where I needed him. Even through my jeans, they gave me the friction I had been craving. I needed to remember, when I was more coherent, to write a thank you letter to Levis.
Edward held me tight against his chest as he reclined back against the bed. I smashed my lips into his and we kissed frantically, our tongues caressing back and forth as we ground our hips against each other.
Then it happened…footsteps on the stairs and the distinct sound of Charlie coughing. We froze. My eyes were wide with panic at the thought of him opening my bedroom door and finding us like this. As much as Edward had saved my life, I was still Charlie's little girl and I knew he could make it back to the kitchen for his gun quicker than Edward could get down that blessed tree.
"Fuuuck," Edward whispered, gently pushing me to the side while he fumbled around pulling his T -shirt back on. "Bella! Come on," he hissed, seeing that I looked like a rabbit frozen by headlights.
It spurred me into action. I tugged my top back down and quickly clicked the radio on hoping that, if Charlie had heard anything, he would think it was the music. There was no time to fiddle with the window so, in a flash of brilliance, I motioned for Edward to get in my closet. He sniggered but squeezed himself in anyway. I was just getting into position, relaxing on the bed with a book, when I spied his jacket and cap on the radiator. I sprang across the room and flung them under the bed just as Charlie knocked at the door.
"Hey, Dad," I called out, hoping I sounded less flustered and more innocent than I felt.
The door swung open and Charlie scanned the room.
"Hey, Bells. I'm making coffee. You want some?"
"Um, yeah. Sounds good, Dad."
It didn't really, but anything to get him downstairs so I could get Edward out of the closet; no pun intended.
Charlie was just closing the door when his beady police eye spotted something and he stepped back into the room. I held my breath as he reached over to the chair and picked up Edward's sweatshirt. He read the name on it and looked at me.
"Cullen...as in Edward Cullen?"
I nodded, dreading what might come next. He nodded slowly, a serious look on his face.
"He loaned it me so I wouldn't be cold when I have to watch football practice," I half lied, unable to look him in the eye.
"Hmm." He didn't sound convinced. "Just keep the pepper spray handy, okay?"
"Okay, Dad."
I rolled my eyes and he shuffled out the door. I listened for his footsteps on the stairs before flinging the closet door open.
Edward was red and flustered when I pulled him out from between the hangers.
"I think I'd better get out of here before Inspector Clouseau gets back."
He was smirking, so I mock punched him on the arm.
"Hey, that's my Dad you're talking about!"
He grinned even wider as he slapped on his cap. He retrieved his jacket and backpack before pulling at the window catch. He slipped out, wobbling a little until he found his footing.
"See you tomorrow, Babe," he whispered loudly before feeling his way back along the branch.
I blew him a kiss and, as I watched him run to the car, I felt myself start to relax. Tomorrow was another day; the day I would be wearing his sweatshirt. Me! I was his girl. Edward "take me to the edge and push me over, I composed this for you, sneak me in your closet" Cullen.
I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face with a scouring pad.
A/N. Oh, no! Charlie the cockblocker! More football practice to come, but first, I think Imight treat you to a little Eddie perspective...
See ya soon.
Love Claire xx
