I'm fired, yet again, for not thanking my amazing pre-reader for my last chapter. My dearest Ecee helped me write that almost-smut at the end of the chapter that hopefully got you all riled up. ;) I couldn't have done it without her… Thank you, my love! This chapter is again beta-less because I both put off writing it in time for Ecee to beta and then got too impatient to wait for her to be free! I hope you like/love it anyways!

Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are owned by Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story.


Chapter 8: Texts and Threats

::Bella::

I knew it was all a dream.

It just had to be. There was no way I could be back in that store again.

Unless that had been a dream too...

Everything looked just the same as I remembered it—the metal shelves filled with candy and over priced paper towels, the white linoleum floor, the faint smell of lemon disinfectant. The old speakers mounted high on the walls were even playing an old rock song and the air conditioner was on too high, just like before.

I looked around, expecting to see my fellow captives, but there was no one there.

But then I looked to my right to see Edward smiling serenely down at me. I couldn't help but smile back, though I was thoroughly confused.

He was wearing his navy blue EMT uniform and I hoped he would lend me the blue jacket again, and not only because I was cold. I wanted to see his broad shoulders again and that little bit of chest hair that poked up at the top of his shirt. I felt my face turn hot just at the thought of it.

But just as I was about to wrap my arms around myself to subtly hint that I was cold, he turned his head, his pale perfect forehead creasing and his full pink lips turning down into a beautiful frown. I followed his gaze and saw that we weren't alone after all.

Daniel Brown was standing before us, holding his rifle tightly in both of his hands, his mouth twisted into its usual sneer. He was standing next to someone I didn't expect because she hadn't been here last time.

Bridgette stood at his side, her long hair rippling down her back and wearing a tiny white dress. I wondered vaguely why she wasn't freezing but then she spoke, distracting me with her melodic voice that echoed strangely.

"If you can't have him," she said in a seductive voice. "Then no one can."

She turned and smiled sweetly at Daniel who gave a tight smile back.

My eyes grew wide with horror as he raised his rifle and I was so frozen with fear that I couldn't speak. Bridgette grinned and I turned my petrified face to Edward. He looked at me sadly and opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could, I heard Daniel give a sadistic laugh as he pulled the trigger.

With a start, I woke. The floor was so hard and cold that I feared I really had just been in that store again. It was so dark that I couldn't be sure but I was too afraid move my head to check.

I squeezed my eyes shut as my breathing grew shallow and rapid. I moved my hand, intending to curl it beneath me in an attempt to keep warm but something didn't feel right.

I was lying on a rough rug, not a tile floor. I felt around until my fingers encountered the edge of the rug so I could feel the floor beneath it. Hardwood.

I sighed in relief, finally remembering that I was still in the coffee shop.

But was he still here? My heart pounded against my chest as I slowly turned my head, holding my breath. But the space next to me was empty. I couldn't breathe at first but when I managed one small breath, it sounded more like a shudder. I curled my arms underneath me, the rough fibers of the rug tugging at he sleeves of my hoodie. I buried my face in my hands, my whole body shaking as the horror of my dream crashed down on me even harder. I breathed as deeply as I could manage, clutching my face tighter and pressing myself into the hard floor.

"Bella?"

I heard a velvety soft voice in the darkness and turned my head hesitantly.

And there he was.

Edward was standing at the top of the stairs to the seating area, the early morning glow of the rising sun bathing his face in a soft orange light. He looked slightly more rested than the night before but his face was clouded with worry.

When he saw me looking at him, my eyes shining with tears, he hurried over and dropped to his knees. I couldn't do anything more than stare blankly up at him, barely believing my eyes, as he stroked my hair softly.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asked softly, his eyes raking over my face intensely. "I'm sorry; I meant to be back up here before you woke."

He kept stroking my hair and I felt my body relax. He could feel it too and smiled at me, though his forehead kept a crease of worry.

"Where'd you go?" I asked in a shaky voice, still hoping I wasn't dreaming because this was all too good to be true. Did last night really happen?

"Just to use the bathroom," he shrugged.

"I thought maybe… you were…" I took a deep, shuddering breath, needing to voice my worries so that I could make this whole situation seem more real. "I thought you were gone."

"I'm here as long as you'll have me," he whispered, shaking his head once.

I couldn't help but grin. He beamed back at me, leaving his hand on my back as I sat up slowly. We leaned toward each other, our lips meeting in a chaste kiss. We pulled back quickly, knowing that it'd be too easy to go too far again if we didn't. He pulled the corner of his mouth up into a half-smile and held his hand out to me. I took it immediately and he held it tightly as we walked down the stairs.

I noticed again how he was limping and frowned. We both walked around to the other side of the counter; he sat on the wooden stool with a quiet groan as I started making coffee.

"I thought your leg would have been better by now," I said as I added beans into the grinder.

"Yeah, it should have," he said with a chuckle, running his fingers through his messy hair. "But I haven't really been taking care of it."

I gave him a stern look and he smiled sheepishly at me. I sighed, snapping the coffee filter into place and starting the machine. I turned to Edward, putting my hands firmly on my hips.

"Edward Cullen," I said sharply. "Under no circumstances are you to not take care of yourself—especially if you are injured."

Edward smirked at me and I tried to keep my face angry. He looked down, letting out a low chuckle and raking his fingers through his hair again. I chewed on my bottom lip, embarrassed, sure he was laughing at me. He reached out a long pale hand and hooked his finger through my belt loop. He yanked me forward, snaking his arms around my waist.

I kept my head down until he gently gripped my chin between his thumb and pointer finger. He tipped my face up, using his thumb to pull my lip out from between my teeth. He kept his thumb there, lightly tracing the curve of my mouth.

"Anything for you," he whispered and I felt my face grow warm. "Would you like me to go get it checked out?"

I nodded and he gave me another half-smile.

"Yeah, I should probably check in with the hospital anyways," he sighed, dropping his hand and ruffling up his hair again. "They probably want me to get back to work."

"Oh, right," I said quietly, dropping my gaze again as he stood. I grimaced as I saw him wince and limp again.

He turned to me and I snapped my head up, giving him the best smile I could but I was sure he saw through it. He gave me a sad smile back and started to leave but stopped abruptly, digging in his pockets.

"I almost forgot," he said, pulling out a small, silver cell phone and handing it to me. "I want you to have this."

"Edward, I can't—" I started but he held up his hands.

"Don't worry, it's just a loan," he assured me. "That's my personal cell but no one ever calls me on that unless they can't reach me on my work cell."

"Oh, right," I said again, turning the phone over in my hands and biting my lip again. I heard him sigh before he lifted my chin with his finger again.

"Bella," he said slowly, quirking up an eyebrow.

"This phone," I said quietly, spinning the phone in my hands even faster. "Do other people call it like…"

"Like…?" Edward prompted, trying to lean over and look into my eyes. I let my hair swing forward to hide my red cheeks.

"Like… girls?" I finished lamely, feeling my cheeks grow impossibly hotter.

"Oh, Bella," he sighed, placing both hands on my flaming cheeks and raising my head. His deep green eyes stared fiercely into mine and I felt myself melt slightly. "Even back in my dating days, I didn't give out my number willingly. No one was special enough for that. Okay?"

"'Kay," I answered stupidly, my mind spinning as he leaned in close and pressed his lips softly to mine. I held perfectly still, letting my eyes slide closed.

He lingered for a few long seconds before pulling back and sighing again, a look of pure contentment on his face. He gave my nose a soft peck and leaned his forehead against mine.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he breathed warmly on my face.

I watched him leave, returning his wave when he turned at the door.

Once he was gone, the smile slowly slid from my face. For some reason, I felt more alone than I ever had behind the counter. I wrapped my arms around myself, looking around the blank coffee shop.

I was suddenly aware of the fact that I was still in my clothes from yesterday. I frowned at my wrinkled shirt, sure that someone would notice. I looked at my watch but saw that it was almost time to open. I chewed on my lip, wondering if I should risk running home real quick.

But then I looked out the front doors and saw that guy that had helped out that day that Todd went missing and I remembered that he tended to spend nearly all day hanging out since he had lost his job.

I watched him scrub out his cigarette and amble over to the front doors. He leaned forward, cupping his hand over his eyes to peer into the glass. I waved at him from behind the counter and he quickly stepped in.

"Hey, Bella," he said cheerfully, dressed in his usual black with his dark hair falling in his chubby face.

"Hey… Anthony," I said, suddenly remembering his name. "Help yourself to some coffee."

"Thanks," he said, setting a dollar on the table and grabbing one of the coffee mugs off the mug tree at the mixing counter. I quickly grabbed the milk out of the fridge and set it on the counter for him.

While Anthony was busy fixing his cup of coffee, I slipped into the walk in pantry. I looked around the shelves until I found the box of lost-and-found clothes. I dug around until I found a short-sleeved flannel shirt that looked familiar. I pulled it out, recognizing it as my own.

I cocked my head to the side, trying to figure out why it was in here. I turned it over in my hands until I found a large tear on the front of it, on the middle right hand side.

"Oh, right, I ripped it," I frowned but then shrugged and figured it was at least clean and wrinkle-free. I stepped further into the pantry for some privacy and changed shirts. The rip only showed a small sliver of my white skin but it was just enough for me to be a little embarrassed about it.

Holding the rip closed, I stepped back out behind the counter. Anthony had already headed back outside so I let go of my shirt and opened the cash register drawer.

Sometimes, Julie, the owner, liked to shove little odds and ends beneath the cash till. I lifted the tray of money to reveal paper clips, missing buttons, foreign coins and—to my relief—a large safety pin.

After closing the cash register again, I used the safety pin to carefully close up the hole in my shirt, pinning it on the underside so that it didn't show. I then used the mirror behind the counter to run my fingers through my hair a few times, trying to tame the wild waves.

I sat down on the stool, at a loss of what to do. I was sure I should make some more coffee but it was still early. I was about to get out my novel when I heard a quiet buzzing on the shelf hidden below the counter. I reached in and pulled out Edward's cell phone he had left me.

I bit my lip—one of these days, I bet I'll punch a hole right through that lip with my teeth—and my heart started pounding. I know Edward said that no girls had his number but I was still a little nervous. I took a deep breath and flipped it open.

I smiled as I read the small screen where the text displayed the words:

Work Cell

I pressed the Read button and my smile only grew. The text read:

My dear Bella, I can't stop thinking about you. I have to go back into work today but I'll be sure to stop by later. I'll text you when I can come back.

I sighed contently and slowly wrote out a response, telling him I was thinking of him too. I flopped back onto the stool, my thoughts consumed with Edward.


The day passed ridiculously slowly. I was nearly done with my novel by the afternoon and was thinking about digging out my next one once I finished the chapter I was on.

I was so absorbed with my reading that I didn't even hear the doors open. I hastily tried to finish the paragraph I was on when I heard footsteps approaching the counter. Once I had, I set the open book facedown on the counter to keep my page and looked up.

"Hi, what can I—"

My eyes grew wide and my question got stuck in my throat when I saw who was standing before me.

It was Todd.

But he didn't look like himself. His clothes were wrinkled and dirty, his shirt untucked and his hair wasn't even combed to its usual perfection. He walked up to the counter with a swagger, smiling at me—no not smiling, leering.

"H-hey, Todd," I stuttered, fingering the edges of my book. "How's it going?"

"Oh, just peachy!" he said in a falsely cheery voice.

"Its…Its been a while," I said lamely, cringing internally, hoping he wouldn't bring up the last time we had seen each other.

"Yup," he said shortly. His eyes stared at me in an unfocused way and I looked away uncomfortably, needing to do something other than stand awkwardly in front of him. I noticed the tub of dirty dishes next to the trash can was looking full so I walked quickly around the counter to get to it.

Todd followed me slowly, swinging his arms lazily at his side.

"So," he said loudly, making me jump. "What have you been up to, Bella?"

"N-not much," I said meekly, a little afraid of the way he was acting. I lifted the tub of dishes and started to rush back to my safety behind the counter.

I hadn't even gone two steps when Todd's arm shot out, gripping my shoulder and spinning me around so fast that the tub of dishes crashed to the floor. Glass mugs and plates shattered on the hardwood and scattered around. A piece of glass flew up, cutting the back of my hand.

"Ow! Todd, what—" I started but gasped as both of his hands gripped both my shoulders tightly, forcing me backward until my back hit the wall.

"I saw that big guy coming in here all week," he growled in my face. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and turned my face away from him, but he was so close that it didn't matter. His putrid scent surrounded me.

"What guy?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"The cop that looks like he's on steroids," Todd hissed, pressing me harder against the wall.

"Jacob?" I squeaked, struggling to get out of his grasp, but that only made him grip tighter. My fingers were quickly starting to lose feeling. "He's nobody!"

"Good, good," Todd said in a low voice, trailing his fingers down my arms to grip my wrists. He stepped forward, pressing his body against mine, trapping me. He felt hot and sweaty; I cringed away from him.

"Todd, what are you doing? Get off of me," I tried to say firmly but his body was forcing me so close to the wall that I could barely breathe.

"Just give in, Bella," he whispered, nipping at my ear and making me shudder. He took the shudder as a good thing, though, and smiled. "That's right…"

"No, Todd!" I gasped. He gripped my wrists tighter, suddenly lifting them above my head to pin them to the wall and pressing his body unbelievably closer. I could feel the hardness in his pants pressing painfully against my pelvic bone and I whimpered.

Visions of my past went flashing through my mind—the back of a dirty van, loud rap music blaring out of the cracked speakers, the boom of the bass vibrating my body as another body hovered over mine. I tore myself out of my memories, my nightmares, to try to focus on the here and now.

"Aw, c'mon," Todd said, giving my ear a slobbery lick. He held both my wrists in one hand and ran the other down my ribs, stopping at the rip in my shirt. He hooked his fingers into the hole and yanked, ripping away half of my shirt. I gasped as I felt his fingernails dig into my skin and struggled against his tight grip but he was much too strong for me.

He shoved his hand into the hole he created, his rough hand groping my stomach and side. His reach circled my waist and dipped down into the back of my pants, fingering the waistband of my panties. I shuddered again, my knees wobbling horribly.

All of a sudden, Todd was ripped away from me. I nearly fell flat on my face but caught myself just in time. I looked around wildly to see a large figure wrestling him out of the door. A figure dressed in black that looked horribly familiar—but not really in a good way.

I stayed where I was against the wall, my arms curled in front of me and my whole body shaking as I gasped for air. I closed my eyes, trying to stave off a panic attack that was surely coming on.

"Bella?" said a well-known husky voice just as a large, warm hand touched my cheek.

My eyes flew open and I found myself face-to-face with Jacob, dressed in his police uniform. I had nearly controlled my shaking but now I was shaking for a different reason. Seeing Jacob here made me instantly angry.

"What do you want?" I spat at him and he dropped his hand, looking surprised.

"I came to apologize," he said quietly, his black eyebrows pulling low over his sad, dark eyes.

"I don't accept," I said through gritted teeth.

"If you'd just let me explain," Jacob started to plead but I cut him off.

"No!" I shouted, shoving him as hard as I could, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. "You lied to me! There's no acceptable explanation for that!"

"Aren't you going to at least thank me?" he said, turning the anger around.

"For what?" I demanded.

"For pulling that jackass off of you, of course!" he shouted, his eyes darting down to look at the large patch of skin now showing. I hastily gathered up my shirt, trying to hide my stomach.

"Fine," I said icily in a mocking voice. "Thank you so much. Will you leave now?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes at me, his chest heaving. He took a step forward, his hands balled up into fists and shaking at his side. His eyes were so dark that it was terrifying but I held my ground, my own hands quivering as they held my shirt. I pressed my lips into a hard line, lifting my chin slightly. I flinched as he took another step towards me.

"You don't know," Jacob growled, pointing a thick finger in my face. "You don't know anything about him. If you did, you wouldn't… you wouldn't…"

His voice started quaking so badly he couldn't finish. He clamped his mouth shut, breathing loud and fast through his nose before spinning around so fast that I flinched again. He marched across the room, pausing at the last table in the room.

Jacob turned halfway and I shrank into the wall. He didn't look at me but with a loud grunting sound, turned over the wooden table he was standing next to, sending chairs and coffee cups crashing to the floor. I covered my head with my arms as one of the chairs went flying across the room; it skidded to a stop barely a foot away.

I braced myself, sure that Jacob was going to upend more tables in his rage but I didn't hear anything else move. I peeked out from under my arms in time to see him striding out the doors and back to his squad car.

I leaned weakly against the wall for a while, still expecting something else to happen. I listened to the squad car as it drove off, tires screeching on the asphalt. When I was sure he had driven completely away, I slid my back down the wall until I was sitting on the hardwood floor. The adrenaline that had fueled my fear and anger had drained quickly, leaving me feeling light-headed. I brought my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and leaning my head against my knees.

I took deep breaths, trying to calm my shaking, but a buzzing in my pocket made me jerk upright. I backed even farther against the wall, my eyes scanning the room, fully expecting to see someone lunging at me until I realized it was only the cell phone in my pocket. I let out a long breath, laughing shakily at myself.

With trembling fingers, I pulled out the small phone. Flipping it open I saw that I actually had three messages; apparently, I had missed the first two during my struggle with Todd.

Just at the thought of my childhood friend hurting me the way he had made my heart start beating faster. I winced as I felt the bruises I knew were already forming on my upper arms. I closed my eyes briefly, willing my pulse to slow so I could read the texts waiting for me.

I pressed the Read button and wasn't too surprised to see that all the messages were from Edward. The first one read:

Hey beautiful, I'm going to be done with work early today. I was thinking we could go out on that date we've been planning. What do you say?

The second one was sent only a few minutes after the first. It said:

Bella, please call me.

The third one was more panicked. It said:

I just got a nasty text from Jacob. What the hell is going on? Are you okay?

As I read Jacob's name, I started shaking even worse than before, my breaths coming in short gasps. I looked around instinctively, still waiting for him to come back or even to see Todd again now that Jacob was gone. I felt my eyes fill with tears at the thought that I needed one monster to keep me safe from another.

But I didn't. I had my real protector back and at my fingertips.

I typed out my response even slower than the one I had made that morning, though that one was four words longer than this one plus the first text I had ever written but my hands were trembling so badly that it took a few tries just to insert the correct letters. Finally, I hit the send button and backed up until my back hit the cupboard behind the register. My answer read No.


::Edward::

I paced the length of the hospital break room, waiting for two things—for Carlisle to bring back the paperwork I needed to file now that I was back at work and the text message or call from Bella.

I knew it was idiotic of me to freak out over not getting a message back from Bella because I knew she didn't have experience with a cell phone, never having owned one before. But she had answered my first text, though very slowly, and even if someone else had written it for her, I knew she was smart enough to at least be able to read the messages. Maybe she just hadn't heard it ring.

My steps faltered, the pain in my leg flaring up again. I lowered myself onto one of the leather couches situated in the break room, fishing in my pocket for the pain killers I had stashed there. I grimaced at the small white pills, wishing I had something stronger, before dry swallowing them.

Though my leg had been in worse shape than I had realized, it wasn't so bad that I needed to take more time off. Carlisle had doubled the stitches in hopes they would hold better and refilled my supply of antibiotics, gauze and surgical tape.

I leaned my head back against the couch, doing my best to calm my nerves about Bella. Whether or not she got back to me, I was going back to the coffee shop after I was done here. I'm sure the worse that could have happened was she didn't want me back after all…

Just as I was finishing that horrendous thought, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I whipped it out so fast I nearly dropped it but when I flipped it open, I let out a growl of frustration when I saw that the text was from Jacob.

I sighed heavily and pushed the Read button anyways. It said:

Good luck with fucking Bella. She's got more shit going on with her than you know. Let's hope she doesn't figure out your shit.

Before I had even finished reading the text, I could feel my whole body shaking with anger. My eyes glazed over, my vision clouding with red. I gripped my phone so tightly I could hear the plastic case crackling with the strain.

Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger, breathing so hard that I could feel my head getting dizzier by the second.

"Edward?"

I felt a large hand on my shoulder but I didn't open my eyes. When I didn't respond, Emmett gave my shoulder a small shake.

"Edward," he said again, louder than before. "What's going on, man?"

"Fucking Jacob," I growled under my breath and I felt Emmett tug the phone out of my hand.

"Shit," he swore quietly, shoving the phone back into my palm and then saying forcefully, "Don't answer him. What did Bella say?"

"She hasn't answered yet," I said in a low voice, pinching my nose tighter.

"Try again," Emmett insisted, pushing my hand holding the phone closer to me.

I sighed again and opened my eyes. Hands still shaking, I typed out another message to Bella, trying my best not to sound too panicky.

I just got a nasty text from Jacob. What the hell is going on? Are you okay?

I held my breath as I waited for an answer, not taking my eyes off the small screen. Emmett was even quiet for once, for which I was grateful. I could practically hear all the violent solutions on how to handle Jacob going through his mind and though I'm sure I would have agreed with every one of them, getting rid of Jacob just wasn't an option right now.

After what felt like a lifetime, my phone finally buzzed and I pushed the Read button even before it had finished.

If I had hoped Bella's answer would have made me fell any better, I was dead wrong. I frowned at the screen and the two tiny letters that formed one word—No.

"What'd she say?" Emmett said impatiently.

"No," I whispered in a strangled voice, my body suddenly frozen as all the worst case scenarios ran through my head. "She's not okay."

"What?" Emmett demanded, ripping the phone out of my hands again. He frowned at her answer. "Well, shit, let's leave!"

The sound of Emmett snapping my phone shut brought me out of my daze and I leapt off the couch, not even caring anymore about the damn paperwork I was waiting for. I'd call Carlisle later.

Emmett and I had ridden to work together in his monstrous jeep. It usually annoyed the shit out of me when he asked to drive to work because it usually meant stopping at a million different places either before or after work but now I was glad. I don't think I'd be able to drive in the state I was in now.

Emmett managed to beat every light in town, making it to the coffee shop in mere minutes. Just as we were about to pull up, I saw a couple of the metal chairs that sat outside turned over and though this shouldn't have been cause for panic, I had a bad feeling about it. Before the jeep had even come to a complete stop, I was throwing myself out of the car and toward the glass doors of the shop.

I paused just inside the doors at the sight of the table and chairs scattered across the floor, mingled with bits of glass. I couldn't see Bella anywhere. I felt my heart clench, terror taking over my whole body. I took an unsteady step forward.

"Bella?' I called quietly, having trouble getting enough volume out through my fear of what kind of state I would find her in.

The whole place was utterly silent. I shuffled forward another step, taking a deep breath to call out louder.

"Bella!" I called with more feeling, straining my ears for the tiniest sound to alert me that she was there.

"Edward?"

I heard the tiny voice calling to me from the back of the room and it felt as though my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I suddenly found my feet and sprinted forward, leaping over the mess covering the floor, ignoring the pain that shot through my leg. I slipped a little on one of the larger bits of glass that I now recognized as a piece of a coffee mug and after I shoved a toppled chair out of the way I found her.

Huddled in a ball behind the register counter was my Bella. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her knees that she had pulled up to her chest, her body rocking slightly. I could see a mark on her pale forehead where she had been pressing her face into her knees but she had her head raised now, her chocolate brown eyes wide, her cheeks streaked with tears.

I knelt carefully in front of her and her panicked eyes followed my every movement. I crawled forward slowly, doing my best not to alarm her.

"Bella," I said softly, extending a hand out to her. "Are you hurt?"

The movement of her head was so small that I almost didn't see. First, she shook her head no but then she changed her mind and nodded. I crept forward another few inches, my eyes roaming every exposed bit of skin for a sign of injury. When I couldn't find anything obvious, I frowned.

"Bella, what—" I started but stopped the instant her hands moved.

Unclenching her fingers, Bella tugged at her shirt sleeve, raising it high enough to expose her upper arm where I could see angry red marks disfiguring her porcelain skin. Shifting closer, I could see the marks already starting to purple. My eyes grew wider as she turned to show me her other arm where the marks were identical. I was about to ask who did this to her when she let her legs drop to the floor, revealing her midsection. I gasped as her slender fingers pulled at the hole in her shirt surrounding three long scratches that were bleeding freely, as was the back of her left hand.

At the sight of the blood, I sprang into action. I ran to the sink, grabbed a clean towel and wet it under the tap. I heard Emmett come into the shop and rounded on him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Bandages and antibiotics, now!" I shouted at him. He retreated with a nod.

I fell to my knees in front of Bella and pulled her hands away from her stomach, gently placing them in her lap. As I began cleaning her cuts, Emmett came to my side, dropping a handful of supplies on the floor.

"Shit, Bella, what happened in here?" he asked bluntly, looking around the room. I raised my eyes to Bella's but she was looking down at her hands as they twisted uncomfortably.

"It-it… H-he came…and then…then…"

Bella stuttered to a stop, her breathing accelerating. I stopped what I was doing and placed a hand gently on her cheek, rubbing it soothingly with my thumb. Slowly, she calmed down and after gulping loudly, she closed her eyes and tried again.

"T-Todd came in," she whispered as Emmett took over bandaging her hand. "He is…was an old friend of mine. He was angry and wanted to know who Jacob was. He pushed me against the wall. When I t-t-told him he was nobody, he… he…"

She trailed off again, tears sliding silently down her face and pooling in my palm that still held her. She opened her eyes again, looking at me sadly.

"What did he do, Bella?" I asked in a forced calm voice. She didn't answer at first but cast her eyes down to her torn shirt. I growled under my breath.

"H-he tried to… t-t-touch me," she stuttered in a whisper so quiet I almost didn't hear her.

Emmett and I froze, staring wide-eyed at Bella. I was too afraid to voice my next question but it needed to be done.

"And… did he?" I asked slowly. I breathed a sigh of relief when she shook her head fiercely.

"No. Jacob came in and got him off of me," she said, sounding both angry and scared. "But when I didn't accept his apology for what happened before, he got mad and…"

Her eyes roamed over the disaster of a room and I didn't need her to finish. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my hand and took the supplies from Emmett. I cleaned the cuts on her stomach, gently covering them with antibiotic ointment. I arranged a few bandages over the scrapes, smoothing the thin fabric with my fingertips carefully; I felt a small twinge of arousal at the sight of her exposed bellybutton. I started to trace a path with my fingers towards the small hole but stopped abruptly when I heard Emmett clear his throat loudly.

"I'll just be waiting outside," he said with a chuckle. He clapped me on the shoulder and left.

I tore my eyes away from the beautiful sight of Bella's bare skin to look at her face. She had her eyes down again but lifted them as though she could feel my gaze on her. I gave her one of my lopsided grins and she returned it with a small, watery smile.

"Looks like I just can't leave you out of my sight," I said softly and she blushed. I touched her warm, red cheek with my fingertips, caressing her soft skin.

"But what can we do about that?" she whispered, looking up at my shyly from under her long lashes.

"Well, we can't stay at my place, obviously," I said thoughtfully as she shifted uncomfortably. "But what about yours?"

Bella's eyes grew wide and she shook her head frantically. My heart and hand fell, my brows pulling low over my eyes. I tried to play it off, shrugging one shoulder and giving her another half a grin.

"No big deal," I said, brushing her nose with the back of my finger.

"No, no it's not that!" she said quickly, grabbing my hand with both of hers. "Of course I want to stay with you tonight, it's just that…"

She paused and started gnawing on her lower lip. I waited patiently for her to finish, though I couldn't help but hold my breath as I let her work up the courage to answer. I was still a little afraid of what she might say.

"I live with my aunt and I don't think she'd… approve—" Bella wrinkled her nose at the word and continued, "—of guests. At least, I don't think she would… in this case."

I gave a small chuckle, glad that her hesitation wasn't because of me.

"Doesn't she know you have a boyfriend?" I asked and then cringed, worried that I had used the wrong term for what we were. Bella noticed too.

"Boyfriend, huh?" she said in a playful voice, raising an eyebrow. "But we haven't even gone out on a real date."

I couldn't help but grin hugely at her, feeling as though I was floating on a cloud when she didn't reject the idea.

"Maybe we should change that," I answered coyly, leaning in closer. I heard her give a small gasp as I got close enough to brush my lips against hers.

"Maybe we should," she whispered against my lips.

I smiled and then pressed my mouth softly to hers, running my hand up her arm. I stopped abruptly when she sucked in a sharp breath, pulling back slightly.

"Careful," she murmured, sucking her lower lip in between her teeth.

"Sorry, I forgot."

I pulled back a little farther and kept trailing my fingertips up her smooth arm, barely touching at all. When I got to her sleeve, I pulled carefully, lifting it high enough to see the painful marks. I frowned and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on every red and purple line covering her soft skin. I glanced sideways at her; her eyes were closed, her lip still between her teeth, and I took this as a good sign. I repeated my gesture on her other arm and her stomach, using my fingers to tease at her bellybutton. A ripple of pleasure shuddered through her body, her breath coming out unevenly between her lips as they parted slightly.

I ran my nose up the buttons down the middle of her shirt, leaving soft kisses at the skin showing at her collarbone. She tilted her head back, exposing her long neck to me. I let out a quiet moan of longing, touching my fingers at the space where her neck met her shoulder before planting an open-mouth kiss there.

"Are you sure there's no way I can spend the night with you?" I breathed against her skin, bringing my lips up to her ear where I kissed her lobe gently. I smiled in triumph as she gave a small shudder.

"I could think of something," she said shakily.

"Sounds good to me," I chuckled, making a trail of kisses across her cheek until I reached her mouth. I brushed my lips across hers and then sucked lightly on the bottom one. She gave a delicious moan and I felt a twitch in my pants. At the rate I was going now, we were going to end up doing something as fucking stupid as… well, fucking, right here in the coffee shop during business hours.

I pulled back reluctantly, sighing as she opened her eyes.

"Why don't we clean up here and then I'll take you out," I said softly, caressing her cheek again.

Bella gave a small nod, looking just as unwilling as I was to stop what we were doing. I helped her to her feet and placed her on the stool behind the counter. When she tried to stand up again, I gave her a stern looked, pointing my finger at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. I slipped out of my blue work jacket and slung it around her shoulders, tucking it securely under her chin. She smiled happily.

I beckoned Emmett back in and the two of us got the shop back in order over the course of an hour. When no one came in the whole time, Bella agreed that it was safe to lock up for the night.

I insisted on driving Bella back to her house so she could clean up, which meant driving her decrepit car as Emmett followed. Bella tried to stifle her giggles as I tried to maneuver her car through the streets, shooting fake dirty looks in her direction as I complained about all the things wrong with it, but this only made her laugh harder. I was so happy to see her smiling and laughing again.

When we got to her house, she asked me not to walk her to the door. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to get her to explain why but when she simply chewed her lip nervously, I let it go.

"Will you explain everything to me later please?" I asked, cupping her chin with my hand. After thinking it over for a moment, she nodded.

I kissed her cheek once and leaned back again, not wanting to escalate things again, no matter how much I wanted to. But the time would come, I was sure of that.

She got out of the car slowly, leaving my jacket on the seat. She leaned in the open window and I tried my hardest not to stare down her shirt as it fluttered open a little.

"I'll text you when I'm ready," she told me before blowing a kiss and sauntering up the steps to her house.

And I'm not going to lie—I watched that perfectly round ass and those swinging hips the whole way up to the door.


I think I've tortured you readers enough with this almost-smut so be ready for something good in the next chapter! Promise…

And I just thought I should mention that every time I get a new reader, I squeal like a little girl, hopping around the room, freaking out my dog, while I text my pre-reader. You guys make me effing giddy!

And don't forgot… Reviews make E/B just as happy.