10. Phone Call

The sun, hot on my bare skin woke me in the morning. I didn't open my eyes; too happy to change anything, even something small. The only sounds that filled the room were our breathing, and the slow, steady beating of my heart.

I was laying across his wintry chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. It was comfortable, even with the baking sun - Edward's cool skin providing the perfect antidote to the heat.

He knew I was awake, but didn't speak; his fingers moved lightly along the small of my back, tracing patterns on my skin.

I would have been happy to never disturb this moment; to remain in this position forever, but the universe had other ideas for me. My phone vibrated on the chest of drawers, alerting me to an incoming call. I scrambled to my feet, then rushed to grab it, hoping that it wasn't work calling me in.

Home. My parents always knew how to ruin a great moment.

"Hello," I whispered into the phone.

The disembodied voice which responded gave me chills. "Blaire."

My name rolled off his tongue like acid. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stick up, and my body tensed automatically, defensive.

"What do you want, Alex?" I snarled.

Alexander Tanic - the creature who could always awaken the demon. He enjoyed the destruction which ensued, always basking in the blood of the fallen.

"We require your presence at a business meeting today." His voice was calm; smoky, and yet it repulsed me. I couldn't understand how I was ever mesmerized by him.

"I am not responsible for family affairs any longer. Let Layla deal with that."

"They're requesting your presence. We cannot broker this deal without you." I could hear a twinge of annoyance in his voice now. It amused me. Alex could never accept not being the most desired being in a room.

"I'm not coming to London. I'm on call."

"Your fake job can take a backseat for one day," he hissed, now fully irritated. I stifled a laugh, not wanting to unravel his fury.

"Sorry, but I can't. I have to keep up appearances. Goodbye, Alex." Pulling the phone away from my ears, I tapped the screen awake, anxious to hit end call.

"Wait-" he started, before taking a deep breath. "We'll come to you."

Then, I heard nothing - he had ended the call. Typical insolent, arrogant Alexander Tanic; unable to display a morsel of decency. Who did he think he was to summon me like one of his servants? After everything that had occurred?

He had helped my family practically throw me out of my home, claiming that I was a danger to my own people. Insisted to my parents that I would not be able to control my needs unless all ties were severed between me and our community. Now, because my presence is needed for him and everyone else who agreed to this lifestyle for me to line their pockets, I would have to drop everything in this new life I had forged to assist?

"NO!" I gasped, chucking my phone at the wall in anger.

In no time, Edward was behind me; cold hands resting lightly on my shoulders. He had obviously heard the entire conversation - Alex not being aware of my guest had spoken in his normal vocal pitch.

Immediately, my anger washed away and was slowly replaced by the same carnal desire which had consumed me the night prior. I turned into him, brushing my lips against his own, first lightly and then with some urgency. Each kiss had raw intensity - breathing fast, my heart pounding inside my chest. Then before I knew how it happened, we were naked and our bodies were moving softly together. Moving slowly down my body, he planted kisses from my breasts to my stomach, enjoying how I writhed with his every touch. From there on in it was all passion, intense, intoxicating. He was my release; my drug. With our chemistry, with real love, too many of my switches were flicked for a reverse gear to be possible.

When we were done, I laid still, staring at my ceiling. Edward remained next to me, his perfect white body disappearing under clumps of fluffy white snow. He was engrossed in thought, debating whether to pounce on me again, or drag himself out of bed; out of this bliss.

Rolling to my side, I propped my hand under my chin, grinning at him. "I can't believe you bit a pillow."

He flashed me my favourite crooked smile. "With you, I never have to hold anything in; never have to control myself. "

"If I remember correctly, you bit a pillow your first time with Bella."

"To be fair, I was a hundred-year-old virgin." With immense grace, he rose out of bed, pulling on his trousers. "You tell me anybody who could carry that much sexual tension inside for that long and not bite a pillow or two upon release."

"I'm surprised you didn't break her," I mused.

He chuckled blackly as images of him hovering over Bella, using the bed frame to control his thrusts, flooded his mind. The entire night had been a battle between pleasure and protecting her fragile human body.

I scowled at him. "I didn't need to see that." Throwing the sheets off my body and with less grace than he exhibited, I jumped out of bed. Irritated now, I scanned the floor for my clothes. He inched towards me, hands behind his back, amused.

"Jealousy looks beautiful on you," he finally said, handing me his shirt.

"I don't want your clothes, I want mine."

He rolled his eyes, impatient. "It's in the laundry." His hand was still outstretched, the black cloth complimenting his perfectly white skin. "Humour me, Blaire."

I sighed, then pulled the garment over my head, defeated.

"By the way, you can book the flights, but I'll have to leave you for a bit to do some errands."

I raised my eyebrow, confused. "Flight to wear?"

"Weren't you thinking of going to Ireland for a few days?" His voice now wavered, nervous.

"Oh." It had been just a fleeting thought - a plan to escape Alex's evil clutches. Did I actually want to leave Whitby to go on some romantic adventure with Edward? I loved him, but he was still wedded to another.

Hell yes.

"Yes!" The words were almost a squeal; his golden eyes twinkled with delight. "But why can't I come with you to do the errands?"

He lowered his eyes for a moment, shuffling his feet nervously. "I need to get my passport at home and I think it best for you not to be around when I tell my family of our plans."

"Hmm."

"Plus, I thought I could surprise you with a few new outfits considering almost all your clothes are in the laundry." He grinned widely at me, hoping to alleviate the mood.

Satisfied with his efforts, I ran over to my tablet sitting on my desk, tapping the screen awake. "Fine, but you're taking my truck. An insurance policy."

He beamed sweetly at me, before darting out of the room, disappearing, yet again, into a streaky blur.

For hours, I explored the house, searching for anything to busy my mind. Within seconds of Edward leaving, I had us booked on the earliest flight to Ireland I could find, and then paranoia had slowly rolled in. What if his family had convinced him to stay? What if he decided not to go on his own? Was this trip really a good idea?

I was driving myself insane, and the demon was trying to use my vulnerability to take over. So to control myself, I cleaned, moving at a slow human pace. I did laundry, packed, took out the little trash that we had accumulated over the past week, and even organized the garage. Still there was no sign of Edward.

After three hours, I started to give up and began searching for the number of my favourite cab company to drive me to the airport. Five minutes later, he sauntered in, carrying over a dozen bags of clothing.

I frowned at him, annoyed. "Where the fuck have you been?"

He blinked at me, confused. "I told you I had to stop home first. When I picked up my passport, Alice and Bella bombarded me with questions." He sat the bags down on the sectional, and walked over to me. "I went hunting with Emmett and Jasper just in case I run into any problems, and then obviously, I had to spend some time with my daughter."

I felt stupid for being so paranoid, but I couldn't help but feel worried every time he left. "Sometimes, I can't help but feel that you're going to desert me without a second thought."

Closing the distance between us, I nestled my head on his chest. He brushed his cool lips against my forehead and then smiled into my hair. "Right now, I am yours and right now, I intend to stay."

I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing tightly. This was where I loved to be; where every single paranoid thought melted away. In his arms was where I felt happy.

"Now pick out which of these clothes you want to go with. I'll get my stuff out of the guest bedroom and pack the car."

It didn't take long for me to finish packing. After only one glance into the bags, I immediately emptied my suitcase and then filled it with all the new outfits Edward had bought. Before long, we were sitting in the truck, seat belts fastened, pulling onto the road.

As we drew nearer to the airport, I could sense a shift in Edward's mood. Every few seconds he would glance into the rear-view mirror and then push down on the gas pedal a little more. He kept his mind blank, so I couldn't read into his actions which troubled me.

"What's the matter with you?" I finally asked when his hands were gripped so tightly around the steering wheel, that he was slightly denting it.

"We're being followed," he replied through gritted teeth. "Black SUV, three cars back."

I glanced quickly behind us; my stomach twisting into knots as I recognized the vehicle he was describing. "It's Alex."

Shit. Shit. Shit. If Alex found me running away with Edward, who knows how he would react and I did not know if in that moment, I possessed the restraint to deal with the brunt of his fury.

"Drive faster," I breathed - my demon threatening to surface.

Distance was all that mattered. Edward wasn't stopping for anything and he sure as hell wasn't taking his foot of the gas even as the clouds darkened, threatening rain. My eyes stayed glued to the GPS display tracking our position while the world passed in a blur of red and white lights. The hiss of the tyres over the smooth tarmac was barely audible under the pounding bass of my preferred get-away music.

As I leant over to turn it down, I caught a glimpse of the approaching SUV. Edward skillfully manoeuvred into the adjacent lane to evade a newly broken-down car, but timing was against us. Just as we had passed the vehicle, we were hit hard from behind. The truck tumbled over and over into the central barrier before coming to an absolute stop.

Silence; it scared me. Shouldn't Edward be calling out for me? The impact, despite the force, would not have hurt either one of us, just delay our getaway. Quickly freeing myself from my seatbelt, I kicked out the heavy door, struggling to crawl out the cramped space at an inconspicuous speed.

As my hands touched the dark pavement, I was stopped by a pair of Italian leather shoes. I didn't have to look up to know who it belonged to; his scent intoxicated me.

Alex.