Training the Swan

Chapter Ten—The Thing

I glared at her and the offending item in her hand. "You don't need that thing," I growled.

She cocked an eyebrow, her jaw tense, like mine. "Like hell I don't."

"You don't need that thing," I tried again more firmly.

Bella dropped the pink thing on the bed and stood up fully, her hands on her hips, hair falling around her. Her cheeks and chest were flushed a lovely shade of pink. Fuck, she was beautiful when she was angry.

"Like hell I don't," she repeated again. I closed the distance between us and grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to my body.

I ground my hardened length against her stomach. "I'm all you need." I crushed my lips to hers, feeling her shock, but she moaned at the touch of my tongue and pulled me closer. We tumbled onto the bed, where I rolled her onto her back as gently as possible. Groaning, groping and gasping, all our clothing was gone in mere moments.

"We shouldn't do this," I groaned as Bella's lips sucked on my neck. I threw my head back for a moment as I hovered over her; she felt like perfection under me. Soft, warm and with curves that fit against my own.

"I know," she breathed, nipping at my ear. She wasn't fucking helping by using her mouth on me. I supported myself on my elbows, careful not to put my weight on her.

I skimmed a hand over her ribs slowly, watching a part of me move over her beautiful skin. The bruising was almost completely gone. "Are you okay?" I wanted to make sure I didn't cause her further pain.

One of her hands mirrored mine on the other side of her torso, nodding. "I'm fine."

She scrambled all thought, words and questions slipping from my lips unbidden. "Why, me? Is it only because I'm, convenient?" What the fuck? Where is that coming from?

I tried to pull back, to walk away since I already knew I was in too deep. Just one look of her naked, soft and willing beneath me, and I knew it was fucking futile. I could see she didn't want to talk, her soft body tensing beneath mine. Was she struggling with the mounting tension as I was?

She seemed reluctant to answer, but she did. "You're fucking gorgeous," she said, brushing some hair from my face, her eyes softening toward me for the first times in days. "I don't know what to do with all this," she arched closer as I took a pebbled nipple in my mouth, because I couldn't resist the bit of tempting skin. I felt her words, her sounds vibrate through her. She moaned, arching her back closer to me. "With all this need and want. It's been so fucking long."

Her words were in perfect synch with my own. She felt exactly what I had been feeling, fighting since she walked into my world. There was no denying it any longer.

My hands gripped her hips and then moved to the curves of her ass. I squeezed and tried to stop her undulating hips before I fucking lost it. "I might hurt you," I warned, wrapping my tongue around her neglected nipple.

She knew I had said it because not only did I risk hurting her physically, while she was still healing, but emotionally. We were in a position that it could happen, because she might have to eventually leave.

"We can't continue like this."

No. We couldn't.

With her eyes wide open, gazing into mine, she tentatively reached for me. First, it was only the tips of her fingers, until finally her palm enclosed around me. I groaned and thrust my hips, feeling the stroke of her hand on my erection throughout every nerve in my body.

"I don't want to hurt you, Bella," I gasped, dropping my head beside hers on the bed. I didn't want to break her further; what her husband had done was enough. If things got awkward and strained between us after we crossed the line, it could make things harder for her. For me to do what she had originally came for – training.

But I was so fucking desperate for her, and not only physically.

Bella released my cock and ran her fingers up my back and chest. "Then stop fighting this. I tried to stay away, but I can't anymore. If you stop now, that will hurt me. I want you. Do you want me enough to risk it all, Edward?"

I groaned instead of answering, slipping my tongue in her warm sweet mouth. In one swift move, I thrust inside her. In that moment, I knew then there was no way I'd ever give up that feeling of being surrounded and utterly consumed by her.

We both moaned at the sensation of me inside her. She was so tight, warm and fucking perfect. I continued to kiss her, pulling out slowly but swiftly pushing back inside. Her back arched and she moaned deeply.

Fuck, I loved that sound.

"Edward, harder," she gasped after a few minutes, her hands on my ass, trying to pull me to her faster. I started a relentless pace, her hips in tune with mine, taking me in deeper. Her fingers traveled from my hair to my back, touching and nails biting deep, increasing my pleasure. I left her mouth and kissed the length of her neck. Her hands tugged my head up so I would look into her eyes. "My turn."

I was on my back with a simple shift of her hips that took me by surprise."Fuck, Bella," I grunted. She remained lying on my chest for a few moments to catch her breath before her hips started to roll gently. The feel her nipples grazing my chest sent a bolt of lust through my blood.

I groaned deeply, grasping her thighs where they met her hips and helping her move. "Bella," I growled as I lifted myself up, hitting deep within her body.

"Oh God…Edward," she moaned, pulling herself up. Her hands were on mine as she moved above me. I was groaning and grunting at the pace she set, riding me harder than I thought she was capable of. I fucking enjoyed every second of it. I watched as she threw her head back; her mouth parted slightly, a thin sheen of sweat coating her skin. I took one of her hands and led it between her thighs.

We both circled around, barely skimming the wet skin, causing her to whimper. I looked up to find her eyes locked with mine, her lower lip in between her teeth. I wanted that fucking plump pink lip. I pulled up, grunting with the pleasure the new position caused. My embrace shifted and wrapped around Bella, lifting her up enough to sit up more fully. She gasped, her hands tightening around my arms as I helped her move.

My fingers spanned around her hips easily, she was so fucking small. She was closer, her chest within reach. Her lips mere inches away, there for my taking. I slipped my tongue into her awaiting mouth, earning a soft moan as I thrust deeper and harder inside her beautiful body.

I groped her amazing ass, guiding her, helping her get what she needed. Her arms draped over my shoulders as she pulled away to breathe. She threw her head back, crying out my name as she started to clench around me, feeling the tickle of the tips of her hair between my thighs.

"Bella," I growled, licking and nipping along her neck, grunting her name over and over again.

"Edward!" she screamed as her body stilled and then trembled in my arms.

"Fuck," I groaned. My body was desperate for more. She rolled a few more times as she rode out her orgasm before dropping her head on my shoulder. I held onto her, my hands splayed across her back. I shifted beneath her, thrusting several times before it was my turn to quake.

All the while, I felt her lips on me, her encouraging words in my ear, prolonging my orgasm. I gently kissed her neck and shoulder for a few minutes after, still fucking basking, not wanting reality to intrude. But Bella had other ideas.

"Edward," she whispered.

I hummed in answer, still inside her and tasting her sweet skin along her shoulder. I wanted her again and felt myself stir within her.

She pulled back. Her eyes were so full of emotions, ones she never showed for more than a brief second at a time. I pressed my forehead on hers, one of my hands caressing her cheek.

"What now?" she whispered. "Was this just a one-time thing?"

"I guess that all depends on you." I pressed my lips against hers softly. "I'll be whatever you need me to be."

"That's not really fair to either of us."

"I know."

We fell onto our sides, still touching and kissing softly. After some time passed, Bella sighed softly before smiling, rising from bed. "I think we both need to shower." She grabbed t-shirt, throwing it on quickly. She stopped at the door of the adjoined bathroom and looked over her shoulder toward me. I cocked an eyebrow, hoping she'd invite. "We should conserve water, right?"

Jumping out of bed and chasing her inside the bathroom, I couldn't help the thought that all this could be temporary.

~oOo~

The drive to Ellie's school was much more pleasant. We mostly talked of the little girl we were about to pick up. Bella told me about all her mannerisms, some of which I'd already witnessed. Ellie was known to hold a ferocious grudge. I was happy that she'd quickly managed to get over her anger toward me and Charlie.

Once we arrived at the school, Ellie smiled at us and ran up to me, jumping into my arms. The teacher came up to us, smiling. She extended her hand to me and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, you have an extraordinary child."

"Please, call me Marie," Bella said, shaking the teacher's hand.

"Call me Edward," I said softly as I held onto Ellie, who looked nervous. Did something happen? I looked at the sedan parked nearby and the man behind the wheel only turned his head side to side once, which meant nothing out of the ordinary had happened, at least from his perspective.

"I was hoping, if you have time, to speak with you. If you don't mind." Bella looked at me and then at Ellie. She sighed and nodded. "You don't look surprised, Marie," Ms. Gomez said, watching Bella.

Bella only said, "It's to be expected."

Ms. Gomez pointed us to chairs and a table where we all sat down together. "Ellie, as she pointed out is her nickname, wouldn't touch any of the art supplies."

My faux wife sighed. "I was afraid of that. She's um –" Bella looked at me. "Can you take her outside to the playground, Edward?"

I nodded and stood up, walking out of the building with Ellie in my arms. I understood why Bella wanted her daughter out of the room as she spoke with Ms. Gomez. She was going to have to lie and didn't want to do it in front of her.

"Ellie, what would you like to play on?" I asked once I'd settled her down on her feet outside.

"Swings! Will you push me?" Ellie looked at me, biting her lower lip with wide, pleading eyes.

I nodded and she squealed, running to the closest set of swings, hand in the air, wild curls everywhere. She was so fucking adorable. She fell into one and quickly scrambled to sit on it properly. I stood behind her and told her to hold on, pushing gently. She giggled and swung her little legs to go higher.

"Eddie!" She laughed as I pushed just a little harder. With her head tipped farther back, she looked at me upside down. "Can I call you Eddie?"

I loathed the name, usually. From her I didn't mind so much.

She huffed as she swung away, tipping her head back to see me again. "I forgot. I can't call you that at school. Do you like when I call you daddy?"

Yes.

Though I hadn't said it out loud, I did nod. She smiled widely and started to hum some little song as I continued to push her.

"You can call me Eddie if you like," I offered.

"Edward sounds better. It makes you sound like a prince. So I think I'll stick to Edward."

How could I argue with her? "Whatever you want, princess."

"Oh! I know," she said, throwing her head back in a dramatic fashion that had me scrambling to make sure she didn't fall. "How about I call you Eddie whenever I'm in trouble and I need your help?"

"Sounds like a plan," I said, giving her an extra hard push. She squealed happily and from high above she waved at her mother.

Bella walked toward us, a smile on her face as she watched Ellie and me. "Come on, you two. Let's go back to the house."

Ellie smiled up at her once she was back on the ground. "Momma, you look happy again."

Her mother smiled, taking her daughter's hand. "I'm happy to see you."

Ellie looked at me and then at Bella again. "You both look happy now. You had grumpy faces this morning. Like this." She scrunched up her eyes, brow and turned her smile into a frown. She looked as if someone stuck a stinky fish under her nose. "Did you kiss?"

"Ellie." Bella's tone was full of warning. The little girl glared at her mother and then at me.

She threw her hands up in frustration, stomping away. "Grownups!" She continued through the school parking lot, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her face flushed pink with kitten-like anger.

"Will you please stop that?" Bella said, shaking her head and pulling Ellie's door open.

"I want to know what's going on!" She stomped her little foot angrily.

Bella rolled her eyes and picked her daughter up, placing her in her booster seat. "Edward and I did some talking and everything is better." She buckled her in before closing the back passenger door.

Pfft. Talking. Yeah. I snorted internally. We "talked" twice.

I sighed, because in reality, Bella and I needed to have a discussion. We'd crossed so many boundaries since she'd come into my life. Not that I wanted to return to where we'd been before that afternoon. We needed to decide about how we were going to handle the scrutiny that I was sure Charlie would put us under the moment he felt something wasn't right. I also had to find a way to squash down the temptation while in his presence.

I noticed as Bella bent over the back seat that her low-rise fitted jeans gave me a perfect look at the tiny strawberry-like birthmark just under the small of her back. Damn. Fighting temptation was not going to be easy and hiding my feelings from everyone else was going to be even harder.

Ellie pursed her lips slightly as I opened Bella's door, waiting for her climb inside and I closed the door behind her. As I made my way to the driver's side, I could see through the drizzle of the rainy day that mother and daughter were deep in discussion. I smiled and tried to shake off the sudden warm feelings in my chest.

Where the hell is that coming from?

I'd be the first to admit that the idea of having a family was something I'd always wanted, despite how regimented my father had been. However, once I'd entered Charlie's world, it had been put on the back burner. What scared me at the moment was the fact that when I looked at Bella and Ellie, I could see the benefits of having someone to share a life with.

The kind of life my mother and father had lived for so long. They loved each other dearly; I could see it every single day. But my father had been strict, concerned for my future. The more he'd persisted, the more I'd rebelled. I had done it in the worst possible way. By running away and joining an underground crime syndicate, and had never looked back for a few years. And when I had, it was too late. I was in too deep.

I missed my mother terribly, but I could never risk her or my father's lives just to get a glimpse of them. My family probably thought I was dead. I hadn't seen, written, or spoken with them for years.

I couldn't.

Suddenly, I found myself involved, not only with a desirable woman, but with a mother and her daughter. And they were broken. All those things alone wouldn't normally cause warning bells to go off too much. However, when I added the Charlie factor, a fog horn blared in my head.

Ellie, I could handle. I watched the little girl in the rear view mirror, talking animatedly with her mother and knew that I was wrapped around her little finger.

I watched Bella roll her eyes at something Ellie said and thought that she was a different story, because she was very capable of breaking my heart.

I chanced a glance at her as I drove us home and realized that I was way out of my element. I'd never been even remotely close to having an inkling of the feelings I already had for Bella, with anyone else.

I hadn't even attempted anything resembling a relationship. There had been no desire to do so after I joined up with Charlie. Most of the women that had pawed at me over the last several years had either fucked most of Charlie's men or wanted money.

I never had a problem with finding a willing body for one night, many of them deemed physically beautiful in most eyes, not one had compared to the woman beside me.

Bella was genuine, cunning, and beautiful. She also liked to have sex in the shower. God, I was an asshole for letting my mind wander there. I was tied in fucking knots and I knew right then that she had me wrapped around her little finger, too.

I sighed deeply, trying to gain control of my internal ramblings. I looked over at her again, as she whispered over her shoulder to Ellie.

"But Momma," Ellie said with a little whine in her voice. "If you and Edward are married, why can't you kiss each other?" My eyes widened, and I could see Bella shake her head.

"Ellie, we're only pretending to be married," Bella clarified.

Oh shit. She didn't know that the paperwork was legit. The real deal in the eyes of the court, at least.

I cleared my throat, gaining Bella's attention. I kept my eyes on the road, not wanting to see her reaction. "Bella, I assure you that in the state of Washington, you are Mrs. Edward Cullen," I said warily. I was well aware that the information might cause a stir, considering she wasn't even legally separated…right? I hadn't even asked.

"What?" Bella asked. Her eyes were wide and questioning.

"It's just that Charlie uses Mr. Jenks, and his shit is real," I said, shrugging and averting my eyes from her penetrating look. "Not sure how he does it, but it is. It's been filed with the county and everything."

She gasped loudly and I snapped back to look at her. All the color had drained from her face and her eyes were wide in horror. "Mr. Jenks! Charlie uses Jason Jenks?"

How the fuck does she know Jenks first name?

Her reaction was not good. She gaped at me, her eyes wide with fear, waiting for my confirmation.

"Yes, he does," I said quietly.

She put her hand over her mouth and asked for me to pull over. I quickly maneuvered onto the shoulder and watched as she shot out of the car and into the trees, bending at the waist, sick. I saw her pull out something from her pocket, a fucking paper bag.

God damn it! She hadn't said shit about panic attacks.

I cursed loudly and looked over at Ellie. "Momma?" Her eyes glistening were with tears as she watched her mother along the tree line.

"She'll be fine, sweetie," I said softly, trying to reassure her.

Her face quickly turned to face mine and she cocked her little head toward me. "You have a potty mouth," she stated matter-of-factly before returning her attention to her mother. I felt the rush of heat in my face when I realized my error. Bella had already warned me about my language that morning. I surely didn't want to upset her more.

"I'm going to check on her," I said to Ellie. "Stay here."

Ellie nodded and watched from inside the car as I knelt beside Bella, always keeping one eye on the car. "Are you all right?" I noticed a sheen of sweat across her forehead as she nodded. "Does this happen often?"

"No," she said hoarsely. "The other night, I woke up from one." The night I heard her crying; I should've gone to her.

"Come on," I whispered after another minute, helping her to her feet. Before facing Ellie, she composed herself, her face devoid of any emotion. The mask was firmly in place over her facial features.

"Get us back to the house, please," she said quietly, looking out the window as I pulled onto the highway a couple of minutes later.

"Momma, are you feeling better?" Ellie asked.

Bella sighed, her face softening before turning back to look at her daughter in the backseat. "I'm feeling much better. Um, lunch just made Mommy's stomach sour."

Ellie giggled. "Did Edward cook it?"

"Hey, little one, your momma cooked it, not me," I clarified in mock anger.

She giggled further, holding her tummy. "Momma made bad chicken again."

Bella rolled her eyes toward Ellie, a smile in place that didn't reach her eyes. Obviously, something I had said earlier was upsetting her. The fact that it likely had to do with Jenks made me fucking nervous.

We made it to the house a few minutes later. Ellie went straight up to her room to change into something else and to use the bathroom. Bella lingered in the kitchen with me. She removed something from the freezer and went about preparing a snack for all of us.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her neck and shoulder, grateful when she hadn't pulled away from me. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"Ellie and I are going to have to leave – tonight." she said, her voice quivering slightly. I tensed and my arms immediately fell away from her as I stepped back. What the fuck? She couldn't leave. Not only because it wouldn't be safe with that damn asshole husband of hers but because…

Hell! I had no clue myself what was happening between us at that point. The thing was I wanted a chance to explore the possibilities, however short our time together might be.

"Why?" I asked, even though I knew the answer would likely cut me through and through.

I barely got to know you.

Bella turned to face me, averting her eyes. She placed her hands on my chest, sighing softly. "Mr. Jenks is the best in the business when it comes to forgery, documentation, and other illegal activities. In some of the information I gathered on my husband, his name had come up several times. James has used Jenks, too."

I tensed further, realizing the implications of what she'd said could mean. Complete fucking disaster. The fucker Jenks had to have current pictures of Bella to create her false identity and since he usually had an ear to the underground it was only a matter of time before James would use him to find her. Jenks didn't have far to look since he had created her fucking new identity.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath and turned away from her. I ran my hands through my hair and cursed a string of expletives. I removed my cell phone from my pocket. Bella looked at me and gave me a hand gesture, letting me know I could continue. She knew I had to call Charlie.

I quickly dialed his direct line and he picked up after the first ring. No doubt he was worried about his family once he saw it was me calling him.

"Charlie, Bella says James uses JJ," I said as calmly as I could.

There was nothing but silence on the line for a couple of minutes. I fucking swore I could hear the inner working of the man's brilliant mind coming up with alternative solutions.

"I'll put someone on it. Jenks knows better than to mess with me, Cullen. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. In fact, this little bit of information may help us. With a little persuasion, we can have him talking to us about James and maybe sending him on wild goose chases."

I looked at Bella and smiled, causing her to exhale loudly in relief. I winked at her, letting her know that her father was on it. She only rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips told me she secretly loved my attention.

Charlie and I decided have a discussion about some options over the course of the next few days while he gathered more intelligence.

We both decided that it would be best to keep a close eye on James, no matter what. We had to stay one step ahead of him. Charlie was going to send two of his best men to Arizona. If anyone could find the dirt on James and his family, it would be Demetri. He was an excellent hacker and was good with numbers. He was invaluable asset to the organization.

Unfortunately, Charlie decided to send The Pack to babysit Ellie while at school and both his girls at the house, until we were absolutely sure that Jenks wouldn't sing for James, too. Though he had used a couple of outside contracts for Ellie's protection before, he decided Sam's men would be best to handle the situation.

The Pack was a group of strong, able-bodied men that Charlie used on occasion to watch politicians or some of his men that were being accused of defection. They were sentinels, watchers, but they were also protectors. Though I never had been able to prove it, I thought if the need arose, they would kill for him, too. They would do anything for Charlie.

He was the one that had cut the red tape when the government had tried to prevent further home and business development on their reservation. They owed their livelihoods to him. The fact that the men of The Pack were muscle bound, tattooed, and also drove hot muscle cars and motorcycles, was not lost on me. Bella was bound to notice.

When did I become so fucking insecure?

I looked Bella over as she glided around my dark cherry cabinets and granite counter tops, slicing fresh fruit as she hummed to her own music. She looked like she belonged in my kitchen, graceful but purposeful in her movements. All I wanted to do was lift her onto the counter and sample every inch of her body.

She was so fucking beautiful and I was sure The Pack would notice Bella, too. Fucking hell, I hated the thought of them eye-balling her much like I had since she arrived. I'd never been the jealous type.

I ended the call with Charlie and walked over to her. Leaning against the counter, I watched her as she tried to ignore me. After another minute, she turned to face me and kissed me once on the lips before returning her attention to the task at hand. That was more like it.

"So, what did Charlie say?" she asked in a whisper, careful not to allow Ellie to overhear.

"He said he'd take care of it," I said simply. I was positive that she wouldn't want to know the logistics of what "taking care of it" could mean.

"Hmm… My guess is that he's going to use Jenks to get more information on James's illegal activities. Maybe even feed him false information," she said thoughtfully, turning around with three bowls of sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries drizzled with simple syrup. "It could work and it all depends who Jenks is more afraid of. Charlie or whoever the senator is connected to, if he becomes involved."

I took two of the bowls from her and placed them at the snack bar of my kitchen island. She followed, taking a seat beside me. I turned to face her and pulled her body toward me, keeping an ear tuned for any sign of Ellie. "You know, you are too smart and too damn nosy for your own good. Let us take care of it, don't worry about 'the what' or 'the how.'"

Bella pursed her lips into a fine line, which considering how full her mouth was, should've told me how angry she was with my dismissal. Her eyes narrowed, but she quickly detached from me and called over my shoulder for Ellie.

"We should eat, so that we can go for a swim while Ellie paints," Bella said, looking at me. Her eyes lingered on my lips for a moment before reaching my eyes. I raised an eyebrow, causing her turn away for a moment.

I licked the corner of my mouth, noticing her eyes turn toward me to follow the movement of my tongue. I chuckled, and that earned me a shoulder and elbow bump. It was good to know that she was as affected by me as I was of her.

She pouted and then scowled at me. I heard the soft sounds of little feet coming from the hall, but she appeared a little too soon. My guess was that the pint sized princess had been trying to listen in on the conversation. I hoped she hadn't been there long.

"Mmm, strawberries," she said, smiling before digging in. I ruffled her hair, to which she grinned widely. It still had that baby fine softness to the curls. She looked a lot like her mother, and from the pictures I'd seen of her father, she didn't get much from him. Bella laughed softly when Ellie rose to her knees on the chair to mess with my hair. I playfully growled at the child before I turned to offer a grin at Bella, but I noticed she was wincing.

She held her right hand in her left, massaging the palm and the area between her thumb and forefinger. It was the first time I noticed the extent of the damage that James had inflicted on her hand.

From the first joint of her thumb was a light mauve scar that ran down her thumb and around until it came to an end between her ring and middle fingers. She looked at me and shook her head lightly, still caressing the area. She stretched out her fingers and I noticed several of them had small dots throughout them. Were those for pins? I shuddered slightly, which gained Ellie's attention.

I heard her spoon clatter on the countertop, and she hopped off her chair and took Bella's hand. Her mother watched with glistening eyes the whole time as Ellie kissed each one of her fingers, her palm, and each of her knuckles.

"Does my magic kisses help, Momma?" Ellie whispered, looking up at Bella, who nodded.

"They always do." Bella smiled and caressed Ellie's cheek. The little girl nodded and kissed Bella's palm again before placing it in my hand. When Bella started to laugh and shake her head, I realized what the child was up to, as well.

Batting her long lashes, Ellie innocently asked, "What?"