Wicked Angel

9. Visions of Duct Tape

Walking on Razor's edge, so hard for me to find my way home.
How could it have come to this?
So hard to pick the right from the wrong.

—Saliva

What I really and truly needed was a good kill. One where I would get my hands dirty. It had been too long and I yearned to really put someone's life in my hands. Instead, I was sitting at the edge of the bed, slick with sweat from my romp session with Tanya.

I picked my pants up off the hardwood floor. Tanya lay spread eagle on the bed, her lips swollen from . . . handling me. And I meant both sets of lips. Her chest was still rising rapidly from our feverish fuck. Yeah, I got off, but the whole fucking time I slammed my dick in deeper, all I could think about was my Bella underneath me. Each time Tanya screamed my name, it sounded wrong on her lips; blasphemous.

"What? No round two?" Tanya literally purred from the bed, her fingers slid between her legs. Oh, she knew just what to do to make me hard, but my dick didn't even budge.

"I have things I need to do." And as if on cue, I received a phone call from the funeral home. I had all my calls forwarded since my father was still out of town with Esme. "Good night, Tanya." I didn't wait for her to reply back as I hopped up and down, pulled my pants on, and grabbed my shoes and shirt.

Once outside, I checked my voicemail. It was the hospital calling to tell me they had picked up a body and they wanted me to come examine it. I wondered what they meant by "picked up."

To my surprise, I also had about fifty missed calls. All of them were from Alice and Emmett. Oh great. Instead of checking my voicemail, I just called Alice back. She would probably know why Emmett was calling in the first place.

"Jesus, Edward." Alice's voice was high and shrill. It had been a long time since I had heard her close to panic. "Could you pull your dick out of Tanya for two seconds? We've been trying to get a hold of you for a fucking hour."

"Fuck, Alice. Calm down and tell me what the fuck is going on? I didn't hear my phone." I gritted my teeth to try and swallow down some of my enmity.

"I know the hospital has already called you about a body. Emmett and I will meet you outside. I've already called Jacob, so he might already be outside." She sounded mighty pissed off about it and I was still wondering what the fuck was going on. Didn't she understand that I couldn't read minds or see the damn future? "Please, keep your gun inside your truck."

Oh. Shit.

"Who am I going to want to kill?" Many thoughts flashed through my mind, but for some reason all I really cared about was that Bella was safe, alive, and well. "This isn't about . . ." I trailed off, almost asking if it involved Bella. I didn't want them to know how deep I was in this shit already.

Alice laughed, high-pitched and irritating. "Good fucking god, Edward. This isn't about Bella. It isn't always about her, you know."

"Fuck." I breathed heavily into the phone. "I wasn't even going to mention Bella." Lie.

"You fucking pussy-whipped liar," she seethed. She was right and I hated that she was right. "Put your dick away and get your ass down to the hospital. Now. That is an order."

"Aye-aye," I answered sarcastically. The phone went dead.

I pulled into the hospital parking lot a few minutes later. Alice was sitting on the tailgate of Emmett's truck, her legs kicking and dangling below. Emmett had leaned against the side, his head looking down to the ground, almost as if he was ashamed. I didn't think I had ever seen him look that way before. Jacob was standing sort of between them, his arms crossed against his chest, his face set in angry lines.

I parked and jumped out. Jacob saw me and walked in my direction. Alice and Emmett didn't move. Jacob uncrossed his arms and clapped me on the arm. "Hey, man. How's the Newton situation playing out?"

"Oh, good. I am still formulating a plan," I answered evasively.

He nodded his head, not really listening. Good. "Listen, Edward," Jacob said as he put his arm around my shoulder. "We have ourselves a bit of a problem."

We had reached Emmett's truck and I stared at them. "Will you dipshits quit dancing around the subject and just fucking spit it out! Jesus!"

Alice looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Emmett fucking killed Felix."

I froze for a second, trying to comprehend the words. "You . . . killed Felix?"

Emmett nodded, still not meeting my eyes. "Let me get this straight Emmett, you killed Felix? As in, he is no longer breathing, no soul left, vamoose, gone, rotting in hell?"

"He tried to rape Rosalie outside of the Volturi Nest. I caught them and told Rosalie to go inside . . ."

"And then you killed him? Like, in a fit of rage? Flat out murdered him without calling one of us?" I asked, my voice rising indignantly.

"Um . . . yes."

"Holy fuck, you idiot!" I screamed.

Emmett, the big strong brute, flinched under my words. "I tried to call you but you wouldn't answer. Alice, of course, saw what happened as soon as I decided to end his life."

"Was it worth it?" I asked, my temper flaring.

"Yes," he barely whispered.

I pulled at my hair, sure it was standing on end. "If you get caught and go to jail, WAS IT WORTH IT?" I shouted, completely outraged.

His brown eyes shot up to mine and he looked worried. "I was kind of hoping you could help me out . . . seeing as how you are the coroner."

I closed my eyes, praying for patience. Alice didn't say a word. She knew I wanted to kill Mike just as badly, but she also knew that I was smart enough to not do it in a fit of fucking rage!

Jacob clapped a hand on my shoulder and I opened my eyes. He pulled me a little away from the others. "This, Edward, we need you to take care of."

I rolled out of his grip and turned to Emmett, coming at him fast and slamming both of my fists into the side of his truck on either side of him, probably leaving dents. "Don't you think Rosalie is going to be a little fucking suspicious when Felix winds up dead?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice strained.

"Emmett, you know I love you. You are my brother, but you have really fucked up. I'll do what I can to fix this, but you really did yourself in." I was still inches away from his face. I was livid. I lifted away from him and moved to Alice. "And you, little pixie, I need your help. Get your shit together, pick up the hearse, and meet me inside."

Jacob smiled. "That-a-boy."

"Can it." I shot him a glare and he had the smarts to wince a little under the force of it. He may get the contracts, he may be considered my boss because he pays me money, but he knew better than to cross me. I outsmarted him and he knew it. I was also really good with knives and guns.

Alice and I collected the body from the hospital. I needed her near me so I knew what the others were saying to each other about the incident. Whatever celestial being gave Alice her gift of foresight was either a wicked angel or an idiot. Several of the staff thought that he had been run over by a vehicle on the side of the road. That gave me leverage for my "findings."

Emmett was sitting in the passenger side of the hearse as I hopped inside. He handed Alice the keys to his truck. "I did this; I need to help Edward fix it. Go on home."

A big grin spread across Alice's face as she leaned into the opened window. "Future looks bright, you two. Edward already has a plan up his sleeve. Smarter than he looks." Her breath came out in a big steam cloud around her head.

"Night, Alice," I said testily and began rolling up the window.

She moved her arms quickly, still smiling. "All's well that ends well."

I rolled my eyes and headed to the funeral home. Emmett was quiet for most of the ride until I broke the silence. "Did you run-over Felix?" My voice sliced through the air like a knife plunging through a warm body.

He nodded. "I thought of a story already."

"You should have waited until you dumped the body," I scolded. "Lets hear your story."

"He was run-over by someone" was all he said.

"By you, you mean?" I laughed, though the sound had no humor. "How far from the bar?"

"Less than a mile. I wanted it to look like he took a hike, drunk, and got hit." He looked over at me like a little kid.

"Emmett, man the fuck up."

"It isn't the murder that has me like this, man." Emmett's fingers didn't seem to know what to do, so they just danced around on his legs.

"Then what is it?"

"Felix had his fingers all over Rosalie . . . without her permission. He was trying to unbutton her pants when I caught them. She was crying, Edward. You know me, I don't give a rat-ass about that shit. Well, raping of women is pretty fucked-up, I gotta admit. But, seriously, I am feeling shit I never have before. I never killed anyone in a fit of rage or jealousy. What the fuck?"

What the fuck indeed. I wondered if I had it that bad with Bella.

"Alice says things will be fine. I'll tell the police that he was hit by a car. I'm sure his blood-alcohol will be enough without my help."

Emmett sighed in relief.

"Bring your truck over tomorrow. I'm going to detail the fuck out of it. We don't need any fucking evidence. Seriously, Em, I'm not joking. First thing in the morning I want that truck parked behind my house and you are going to help me clean every last inch with a toothbrush."

He nodded in ascent. "Bright and early."

That night, as I lay in bed, all I could think about was Bella leaning over my body, grinding herself against me in the bathroom, or her delicious tongue licking my bottom lip. My hard-on was there all night, no matter how many times I jerked off. It wasn't the same. I wanted inside her body so bad it wasn't even funny anymore. Then I thought about the fight we had at the funeral. I had no idea what had gotten into her, because it sure as hell wasn't my cock..

I did something I normally would not have done; I tried to put myself in her shoes, to understand her thoughts. If I was Bella, and I kissed another man that wasn't my husband...and I liked it, I would feel bad. Feeling "bad" and lashing out at me like I did something wrong were two different things—unless, she still truly loved Mike. The thought hurt. Or maybe she didn't know how to feel because she knew Mike was cheating on her but not with whom and now she feels like she doesn't have a right to be angry at him because she was doing the same thing. This shit was getting way too complicated. I might lash out if I was her too.

Fuck. I wanted to tell her so badly that it was Lauren. But I knew I couldn't. I mean, really, how was I supposed to know who Mike was seeing behind her back? I had a feeling it would just cause more problems if I admitted to knowing. If she asked . . . I probably would have crumbled. But she didn't and, honestly, why would she ask me of all people?

Regardless, I was still pissed at her. I'd have to become the stalking asshat I was before. Watching her from afar after I had her body so close to mine . . . well, I didn't know how well I would handle that. Maybe it was time to bring in reinforcements. Or maybe it was just time to let her go and kill her already. Then I'd kill Mike . . . just because he pissed me off. Of course, I'd wait until we received our cash. I'm just a motherfucker like that.

Morning rolled around and my phone was buzzing like crazy. I had several missed calls again. I either needed a louder ringtone or a new phone. Emmett was pounding on my door. I knew it was him because he had a specific knock.

"I'm coming, dickwad!" I screamed as I pulled on some ratty jeans and an old white T-shirt.

I flung the door open and Emmett had a cheesy grin on his face. He held a bucket out to me with all kinds of cleaning supplies for his truck. "It's out back." He raised his eyebrows at me. "Sorry, did you just wake up?"

I grumbled something unintelligible and flipped the coffee pot on.

Emmett watched me during my morning routine as if I was an interesting soap opera. When he started chuckling, I turned to glare at him. The caffeine had yet to hit my system. To anyone else besides Emmett, it would have been as obvious as a blinking light over my head that screamed "don't talk to me until I have my coffee." His laughter didn't falter under my death stare. So I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling, concentrating on a spider who had made itself at home before I brought my eyes back to Emmett's.

His smile was broad and his dimples were more indented than normal.

"Okay," I conceded. "I give up. What the hell are you laughing about?"

"You've got it bad. I mean, like really bad." His shoulders shook with laughter as he bent to pick up the bucket of cleaning supplies. He tossed me a box.

"Good, you remembered toothbrushes." We had to be thorough.

"You aren't going to change the subject that easily," Emmett called over his shoulder as he started toward the back door. He swung it open and held it for me like I was his girlfriend.

"I don't know what you mean then. What do I have . . . bad?" I tried to feign innocence but Emmett could stare right through my bullshit.

"You know . . . Bella?"

I cursed under my breath as I walked by, seizing the water hose and hooking it into the side of the house.

"What about Bella?" I asked, trying to keep my voice smooth.

"This isn't going to be a problem, is it?" Emmett had already begun to fill the bucket; the suds gathered at the top and spilled over. He began scrubbing his bumper. "I know you've killed people you've known before without a blink of an eye. But this girl, you don't even know her and you couldn't take your eyes off of her at the funeral or at the bar."

Why did he have to become so observant now? "It's my job, Em. Gaining knowledge on her will help me plan a more skillful attack."

He rose to his full height, dirt and water on his clothes. "And can you . . . kill her?"

I thought about that for a moment and really let it swim around in my brain. The image of me being the last person she saw, me being the one to give her peace from Mike, even if it was only by death. Well, I wanted to give her that. "It isn't 'can' I kill her. The question should be 'do I want to'?"

He dumped his sponge back into the water and spoke to the ground. "Are you saying you don't want to kill her?"

"No, I'm not saying that at all. I'm saying that I do want to." The truth of my words easily resonated in my voice.

Emmett looked up at me and smiled deviously. "You are one twisted fucker, you know that?"

I nodded. "Yes, but I wasn't the idiot who killed a man, ran over him, and then dump the body before I could be there to help." I sat at the same table we were sitting at while playing the "Death By . . ." game.

"Aren't you going to help me?" Em complained.

"I'll tell you if you miss a spot." I smiled and pointed at the grille. "Is that blood?"

He turned quickly to look.

I started chuckling. Yup. The caffeine had entered the veins of hit man, Edward Cullen.

"Not, funny, Cullen." But it was.

*********

The week dragged on endlessly. Between working on cases for the Coroner's office and working shifts at the funeral home, I was fucking beat, literally to the point that if I saw another dead body this week, it would be too soon. That was saying a lot coming from me, who loved a fresh corpse, but enough was enough, for this week at least. Thank fucking god Alice was having a party tonight. I needed to blow off some steam, aside from fucking, and drinking had always soothed and calmed me.

Unfortunately, I hadn't run into Bella this week. I had gone to the library a few times, hoping she would be there searching for a good read, but she was nowhere to be found. Still wondering what the fuck was up her ass last week, I couldn't help but to miss her. I was officially a glutton for punishment, but I would rather have Bella scream at me a thousand times over if it meant that she was standing in front of me in the flesh. I missed her beautiful face, her fucking gorgeous body, and her eyes. I tried to imagine the sound of her melodic voice, but it wouldn't come to me. I was afraid she was going to avoid me forever.

I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face, willing the longing thoughts of Bella to just fucking go away. I needed to keep my head in the game and my eyes on the prize, but I couldn't help but wonder what the real prize was: Bella or the money doing this job would pay out. Making my way to the front door, I straightened up and put my game face on, knowing that Alice would be able to tell what, or shall I say who, I was thinking about. So I recounted my week and all of the autopsies I had to perform, picturing the many organs I'd performed tests on, still seeing the blood dripping from my latex covered hands. There, that will appease the fucking pixie.

The party was in full swing, people strewn about tipping back their drinks, laughing, and gyrating against one another to the beat of the song blaring from the speakers. I recognized a few people to be regulars from The Volturi's Nest. Thankfully, most of those people were on the "up and up." I wasn't in the mood for any out of the ordinary shady dealings tonight. As I rounded the corner, en route to the kitchen, a petite hand holding a glass shot out in front of me, blocking my entrance into the next room.

"Scotch, double malt. Just the way my Edward likes it."

"Thanks, Alice," I nodded in appreciation, not even spooked by her sudden appearance. Alice always knew where I was and what I was craving. I grabbed hold of the glass and took a nice full swig from it, relishing in the smooth, burning feeling I instantly got as soon as the brown liquid slid down my throat.

"And she's in the kitchen with Jasper," Alice said, a huge grin splayed on her face.

My heart rate sped up upon hearing her words. Alice had to have been talking about the only "she" I would ever bother to care about. I tried to keep my thoughts even, like I didn't give a shit.

"Who's with Jasper?" I asked, deciding to go with playing the confused person.

"Don't do the whole furrowed brow look, Edward. It's so not you, and don't you play dumb with me. You know who I'm referring to." She moved out of the way so I had a clear view of the sexiest motherfucking ass I had ever laid eyes on. Bella was a vision, fucking sex personified leaning her little hip against the cabinets, her hand holding a bottle of beer. I loved how she was so feminine but wasn't ashamed to drink like a sailor. Fucking turn-on. Her hair was slicked back in a pony tail, and she was wearing that hot black leather jacket again. Jesus, I wanted to wind my hand around that silken ponytail and haul her into any vacant bedroom I could find to fuck her until she couldn't walk anymore. My dick even nodded in agreement, twitching like some bratty kid tugging on his mom's shirt in the hopes of getting her attention. Yes, I know. I want her, too. Christ, now I was talking to my dick. What the fuck was Bella doing to me?

Just when I was about to walk toward her, recollections of our fight last week flashed before my eyes. I was still a little pissed with her, but now I was wondering if I was angry because she made me feel hurt, an emotion I wasn't used to feeling. No one ever hurt me; I did the hurting. I would cause the pain and even got off on it. This feeling was different, though. I actually ached from not being able to talk to Bella. The feeling intensified throughout my body at the mere thought of never touching her again. Her words were loud and clear at the funeral, "We could never be." It was the saddest statement I had ever heard. Out of respect for Bella, I had to try to stay away from her.

I was broken free from my thoughts when I noticed Alice pointing in my direction, that fucking smirk on her face again. I guessed I was rubbing off on her a bit. She was glued to Jasper's side, their hands entwined. He gave her a gentle kiss on her temple, as Alice closed her eyes and smiled. Oh yes, my little pixie was smitten. It was refreshing to see her so happy, almost normal. Jasper looked my way, tipping his beer in my direction, giving me a silent "cheers." I raised my glass to him and smiled. That's when Bella turned around and captured my eyes with her own. She gave me a slight smile and an even slighter wave, like she didn't really want to acknowledge me. That thought made my heart heavy. I didn't even bother to smile, opting to suck down my drink instead. She would get the hint that I was still annoyed with her behavior. Hey, she wanted to deny her feelings and avoid me, then so could I . . . I think. I turned and breezed my way into the TV room, spotting Emmett and Rosalie on the couch. She was perched on his lap sideways smiling at him, while he was gently rubbing in a circular motion on her back, leaning in for a kiss. What the fuck? I was happy for my friends finding love and all, but I couldn't help feel a twinge of jealousy that I wasn't situated with Bella like Emmett and Rosalie were on the couch. I fucking wanted to be able to show my affection freely and kiss her, touch her, but I couldn't.

I shook my head at myself, taking another swig of my drink. Thankfully, Alice had the sense to give me a tall glass. I had to just fucking get over it already, otherwise I might as well get fitted for my leotard and tutu so I could prance around like a fucking pansy. I hated feeling so whiny. I had killed many whiny people because they were so fucking annoying, and now, ironically, I was becoming one.

I plopped down next to Emmett and Rosalie, the impact of my body caused them to jump slightly and stop kissing. Good. If I couldn't kiss Bella, then I was going to make it hard for them too.

"Edward," Rosalie regarded, wrapping her arms around Emmett's neck possessively. Emmett responded by grabbing her waist tighter.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just chillin' here with my girl." Emmett tickled Rosalie on her side, making her squeal. It was high-pitched an extremely irritating. Visions of duct tape wrapped around her mouth to keep it shut and her tied to a chair with thick ropes danced around in my head. I smiled at the thought.

"Your girl, huh? Interesting development," I responded.

"Well, how could I not be with him after what happened to me last week? He was so brave and heroic. If Emmett wasn't there, god knows what would have happened to me." Rosalie shuttered.

"It's okay, baby. That asshole can't touch you anymore. No one will ever do that to you again," Emmett soothed. I shot him a death glare, willing him to shut the fuck up so he wouldn't spill anything about what had happened to Felix.

Thankfully, Alice and Jasper walked in, followed by Bella and Jake, who were talking amicably with one another, his hand at the small of her back so he could lead her to a seat. What. The. Fuck? Anger flared through my veins, causing my blood to boil and my stomach to twist and turn into one big knot. Questions flooded my mind as I watched the two of them reconvene their conversation as soon as they sat down on the floor facing each other. When did they meet? Does he realize who he's talking to? Why the fuck does Bella seem so interested in what my dipshit friend has to say. And isn't he fucking Leah now? Before I could make a fool of myself and do something I knew I would regret later, Alice piped in and got my attention.

"So, Edward, where's Tanya tonight? I invited her and she told me she might come with you." Alice. She was up to no good. She wanted to get a reaction out of Bella and make me look good at the same time. She knew I was dangerously close to breaking up that cozy conversation up. Sure enough, upon hearing Alice's question, Bella perked up and stole a side glance my way. Oh, hit a nerve, did I, Miss Bella? Hmm . . . this could get interesting.

I took another gulp of my drink, preparing my answer. I had to make it good. "She told me the other day when we hung out that she couldn't make it. She sends her regrets," I lied, rather smoothly I must say. I had to withhold my chuckle as Bella became less animated in her movements, her smile falling just a bit. "We should get together real soon. Like double sometime with you and Jasper."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Work out the details with Tanya and let me know." Alice winked and leaned in to plant a kiss on Jasper who was engaged in a debate with Emmett over which pro-football teams were the best. As Jake got up to leave the room, Bella actually acknowledged my existence by glaring at me, even as she wrapped her lips around that beer bottle to take a long sip. Hot.

Not one word was spoken between us as she continued to bore her baby browns into mine. I wasn't going to give in. She was the one who rebuffed me and I had my pride. Sure, I continued to have strong feelings for her, but I also wasn't about to make an ass of myself . . . again. Still annoyed that she hadn't even said a peep to me, I scoffed, took a sip of my scotch, and shot up from the couch. I glared right back at Bella and then turned my attention to the others. "Anyone want a refill? I'm going into the kitchen." I made eye contact with everyone except for Bella, tabulating the drink orders in my head.

"I'll have another Sam Adams Berry Wheat, please," I heard the voice of my personal angel sing as my back was turned. I was already leaving for the kitchen. I didn't bother looking back.

"Holy shit, dude. That Isabella Newton is one fine fucking piece of ass," Jake accosted me as soon as I entered the room. "Man, why didn't you tell me she was smokin' hot? I would have gone out of my way to bump into her on the street or something. Hell, I would have offered to take the surveillance on this job," Jake droned on like some dog in heat. I was growing very angry at him even speaking Bella's name, so much that I was beginning to sweat.

"Yeah, she's pretty cute for a brunette," I lied casually, reaching in the fridge for a couple of beers for Alice and Jasper. I purposely didn't get one for Bella.

"Pretty cute? Edward, you're crazy! I've been talking with her and she's even kinda cool. Smart even. It's a shame she's going to have to be killed. It's almost a sin to kill someone that fine," Jake whispered. My pulse was beating rapidly. I wanted so badly to ring Jake's neck just to get him to shut the fuck up. Yes, just a little asphyxiation to quiet him down so he would pass out for a while.

"Ya know, I think I'm going to try and tap that ass before she bites it. Newton's an idiot, man. If Isabella was my wife, I wouldn't want her dead. Hell, I would keep her as my sex slave, chained up in the basement or some shit, never letting her go. But, to each his own, and that lovely lady in the other room is worth a shit ton of money that I cannot wait to get my hands on." Jake waggled his eyebrows like some stupid evil villain. I would usually laugh at the statement Jake just made, but when he was talking about my Bella like that, all bets were off.

"Jake, shut the fuck up, man!" I spat angrily . . . too angrily in fact. "You sound like some misguided horny teenager. Bella's a strong woman. I doubt she would bother cheating on her husband with you." Fuck! I slipped up. I called her Bella. I showed too much emotion for my liking and I'm sure for Jake's. Hopefully the dumbass didn't catch it.

"Bella, is it?" Jake smirked. Shit, he wasn't as stupid as I thought. "You call her by a cute little nickname, do you? Well, I knew that you broke your cardinal rule by making contact and speaking to her. A contact at the Volturi's Nest told me that she looked quite cozy talking to you at the bar last weekend."

"Yeah, what of it? She's friends with Jasper and Rosalie who now seem to be dating Em and Alice, so what the fuck was I supposed to do?" I sneered, getting closer in Jake's face. He was getting on my last fucking nerve and I didn't care if he was technically my boss or not. The four of us knew who really ran the show . . . me.

"Calm down, Edward . . . now." Jake commanded. I backed off a little, letting him finish what he was going to say. "You had better not be interested in this girl, Eddie, or so help me. My contacts have told me that she was drunk last week and hanging on you a little too much. Don't you fucking work that Edward Cullen charm on Isabella. That bitch is off limits!"

"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you, Jake. Yes, Isabella was drunk last weekend and no, there is nothing go on between us. But, since she's tight with my friends' significant others, I'm going to have to hang out with her from time to time. I realize it's highly unorthodox for me to hang out with the person I'm going to off, but this is no ordinary case Jake, and you fucking know it. So, I suggest you back the fuck off me and let me do my job. I've never let you three down before and I'm not about to start now." I hoped that would placate the mother fucker.

"Fine, I'll trust you, Cullen. But you better fucking remember to keep your eyes on the prize. Eyes on the prize my man," he ordered, pointing at me as he was exiting the kitchen. "I have to go. Leah's waiting for me. Thanks for that, by the way. Best fucking lay ever. I don't know why you are so willing to give that up." Jake smiled his classic teeth-whitening smile and left. Thank fucking god. Yes, I'll keep my eyes on the prize alright, except it wasn't Bella's money I wanted. I wanted her . . . badly.

As soon as Jake fled, I was back in a flash to the TV room, handing out drinks to everyone . . . well, almost everyone. I purposely left Bella out because she needed to know that I was serious in respecting her wishes. It pained me, but I had to teach her a little lesson. Her face seemed to light up the second I walked back into the room. Of course, she was trying to downplay it, but it still made my heart swell. That euphoric feeling quickly faded when I saw Bella's face drop when I didn't hand her a beer. I had started up a conversation with someone else to keep from glancing her way.

"Bella, didn't you want a beer, too?" Jasper asked her.

"Nah, I guess I'm good," Bella responded. How I wish she didn't want me to stay away from her. The mere fact that she just covered for me when she was clearly disappointed just reaffirmed what I already knew . . . she wanted me, too. She refused to look at me, an hour later, even when I was blatantly staring at her from across the room. Fucking frustrating and I'd had enough.

I looked at Emmett sucking face with Rosalie, who was straddling him on the couch. Did those two even fucking move the entire night? "I'm outta here. I'm tired and I'm bored," I told Alice. I'm sure she knew the real reason why I was going. I couldn't stand being in close proximity to Bella and pretending that I didn't know her. I had to bail. I left the room abruptly and got sidetracked by stupid fucking people wanting to talk with me.

I finally reached the front door when someone grabbed my arm.

"Edward, wait!"

I sighed in frustration, "What do you want, pixie?"

"Uh, I forgot to give you something. Come upstairs with me to my office."

"This can't wait until tomorrow?"

"No, it can't. Come on!" Alice pulled me up the stairs and down the hall to her office. She opened the door and beckoned me to go in first.

"Okay, wait here. I'll be right back," she sang, an all too familiar evil smile playing on her lips. She started to close the door before I could protest.

"Alice! What the . . . " I heard movement, turned around, and came face to face with someone who I thought I would never be face to face with again.

"Hey," her small voice squeaked.

"Uh . . . hello," I said a little too formally. I don't know why I felt so uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"I won't keep you long. I had to get you alone so I could talk to you, so I had Alice help me out."

"Okay."

"Um, I . . . uh . . . I'm sorry," she whispered, looking nervous and fidgeting with her hands. "I didn't mean to be so harsh with you. The last thing I wanted to do was to push you away," she said sadly.

"Then why? Why the fuck did you do that, Bella?" I was finally able to breathe again once my name fell from tongue. I wanted to take her in my arms and shield her from the world, but I couldn't. I had to hear her out.

"I was just so angry and hurt. Years of my life have been wasted on loving Mike, trying to build a life with him. I know he's been cheating on me, but for the life of me, I can't think who it could be. I'm convinced it must be someone down at Leah's salon, because when I went there a couple of weeks ago, all those skanky girls were pointing and whispering at me. I'm not one to be paranoid, Edward, but I can tell when I'm being spoken about. Then last Friday night, I went to see Mike at the supermarket and do some grocery shopping, but his co-workers kept on saying he was upstairs in his office doing paperwork."

"Seriously?" I asked incredulously, taking a seat by Alice's desk. Bella slowly paced around the room.

"I know, right? I mean what kind of paperwork do you have when you work in the produce department and you aren't even upper management?" Bella scoffed. "Everyone thinks I am this huge idiot, especially his little lackeys that work with him. Then I noticed some of the women at the funeral home last week staring at Mike."

"So, do you know who it is yet? Have you figured it out?" I hedged, trying so hard not to blurt it out like some overzealous school kid that raised his hand to shout that he knows the answer.

She sighed, "No, I haven't a clue, but I can tell you one thing: the moment I find out, you can bet your ass that I will give that bitch the beat down of her life! No one makes me look like a fucking fool . . . no one! Shit, I don't even think I like Mike anymore," she chuckled. She was so damn gorgeous that I had to smirk at her. I loved the many facets of Bella. She was sweet and caring, but dark and fiery, and I fucking loved when she cursed. My dick was now like steel, pushing against my zipper.

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

Bella paused her movements and thought for a moment. "I've been thinking of going and talking to my dad about getting a divorce. I have some investments that I don't want to lose completely." She started to walk toward me. "I think I am going to have my dad open an account in his name but deposit a chunk of my money in it. That way, I won't have to share with Mike," she said softly, gliding closer to me. "You know, Edward, I really don't like to share." Bella smiled and inched her way to me. She stood in front of me and I instantly opened my legs, pulling her by the waist of her jeans so she could stand between them. I didn't care if she pushed me away. I wanted her close and I was willing to take the risk.

Bella then fisted her hand in my hair, tilting my head to meet her eyes. They were smoldering and I was lost in them. "I especially don't wish to share you. Who is Tanya?"

What? That came out of nowhere.

"A friend. No one you should concern yourself with."

She bent down a little, refusing to let go of my hair. "Do you plan on going out with her again, Edward?"

"Do you plan on staying in a loveless, lifeless marriage to a total dickwad, Bella?"

She was now inches away from my face, her breathing in synch with mine. I wanted to claim her but I waited, wanting her to make the first move. "No, Edward, I don't," she breathed and brushed her lips so softly against my own that I wasn't sure she really did it. Bella shocked the ever loving shit out of me when she straddled my lap, taking off her jacket in the process. She was wearing a cock tease of a white t-shirt and a lace bra. I wanted to fucking rip it off of her.

"I'm done with trying to push you away. I don't know how far we can go, Edward, but I can't deny my feelings for you any longer."

I smiled, showing her all the cards in my hand. I was done. She could have me in any capacity she damn well pleased.

"We're going to have to sneak around, Bella. Are you ready to do that? Can you do that?" I asked, twisting her soft pony tail around my hand and pulling her flush against me.

"Yes . . . I think so. As long as I don't have to share you, Edward. I want you all to myself. I can't promise that I will fully cheat on Mike. But it was killing me not seeing you, touching you, talking to you. She closed her eyes and ghosted her fingers down my chest to the waist of my jeans.

"Bella?" I whispered.

"Yes?"

"Will you fucking kiss me already?"

She chuckled sweetly. "With pleasure," she purred, snaking her arms around my neck. She was taking this slowly, purposely torturing me. I moaned the moment her plump lips met mine. I licked her lower lip before sucking it in my mouth and biting down. Bella arched her back in response, her breasts rubbing against my chest. I took a gamble and lightly traced my fingers along the swells of her breasts.

"Mmm . . . Edward. Touch me. I want to feel you," Bella said seductively, removing her shirt. My eyes bugged out of my head in fucking shock that Bella would be even bolder than she already was tonight.

I cupped her, grazing my thumbs over her hardened nipples. Bella felt so damn good in my hands; she fit perfectly.

There was a loud knock on the door. We ignored it as our tongues tangoed together. Any second I was going to take her, lay her flat on the ground and just have at it. Hadn't she sent me on enough roller coaster rides not to give me this one gratification?

Someone banged on the door again. We broke our kiss.

"Go. Away," I said angrily to the wooden door.

"Edward, it's Tanya."

I took in a deep breath and let it out. I looked back down at Bella. Her face had contorted into pain for a brief second before she rearranged her features to something unreadable. It was absolutely frustrating. "Can't it wait?" I grumbled.

"No, Edward." Tanya's voice grew bitter. That was surprising. "You are the coroner of Forks and the surrounding areas. There has been a bad accident. You have been requested to go to the scene."

I put my forehead against Bella's and kissed her lips lightly as I pressed my throbbing cock into her. She moaned in my mouth and I kissed her cheek, down her neck to her ear. "We'll continue this"—my hand moved up and down her body—"later."

She smiled and raised herself up, starting to get dressed. It really was a shame.

"One more thing," I said, "Jacob is dangerous. Stay away from him. Trust me, okay Bella?" She nodded, not even arguing. Liquid courage to the rescue. I gave her one last kiss before I turned toward the door, more buoyant than normal, and left.

I just really hoped that she wouldn't regret her actions again and ignore me.

Sometimes what we believe as coincidence is really just getting ourselves caught in an angel booby trap.—Grey Livingston

A/N: We knew our fans could do it, get us over that initial 1,000 review bump! We know that we haven't been updating as much as usual, but that is because we are all very busy. But, if you have noticed, the last chapter and this one have been almost twice as long as our normal chapters.

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