Title: Bonne Foi
Author: Amethyst Jackson
Category: Drama, Romance
Rating: M
Summary: AU. Edward Masen was changed in 1918 and abandoned by his sire. He feeds on human blood, unaware of any other way…until he stumbles across college freshman Bella Swan for a night that will change everything.
Disclaimer: A writer is like a goddess in her universe…but only one writer is making the money off Twilight, and that's Stephenie Meyer. These are her characters, and I'm just having fun with them.
Chapter Eleven
Bella was quiet as I drove us home after her shift. I wanted to know what she was thinking.
"Something bothering you?" I finally asked, watching her out of the corner of my eye.
Bella had been looking out the window, and her head turned to look at me. "You threatened Josh, didn't you?"
"What?" How could she know about that? I had heard her running water in the restroom while I was talking to him, and I'd listened to their conversation all night. He hadn't told her anything.
"He wouldn't come within two feet of me for the rest of the night," Bella said, her eyes narrowed in my direction. "I would have assumed he'd just decided to back off, except for the fact that every time I got too close to him, he'd move away like he was terrified."
I scowled out at the road in front of me. "He touched you, Bella. I couldn't just let that go."
Bella glared at me. "Well, I can't just let this go, Edward. Yes, he did touch me, but you don't know it wasn't an accident. What if he didn't mean to do anything? And furthermore, I can fight my own battles. If there was a problem, I would deal with it."
"I never said you couldn't fight your own battles," I argued, although she clearly wouldn't if she thought the guy was innocent. "But he has been looking at you…disrespectfully since the day you applied for the job, and I know how males think. There was nothing accidental about what he did."
I pulled to a stop outside my building, and she unbuckled her seatbelt. Instead of getting out, however, she turned in her seat to face me.
"If all males think the same way, then you must do the same things he does. What gives you the right to pass judgment on him?"
"It's different," I growled, furious with her.
"How?" she pressed with an eyebrow arched. "If this is an issue of respect toward women, then I'd say what you did tonight was much worse."
I took a moment to formulate my argument. She wasn't winning this one. "It's different," I finally said calmly, "because we're together. You've given me your body, and with it, your tacit permission for me to think of you in a certain way and touch you in a certain way. He does not have that permission."
Bella's eyes flashed angrily and she nearly flew out of the car, storming up to my building. I followed her and let her inside, amazed at how much grace she obtained in her fury. She hadn't stumbled at all, and didn't have any trouble climbing up to my floor. Once we were inside my apartment, she rounded on me.
"Why can't you just acknowledge the real issue here?" she demanded.
I was growing impatient with this. "What, exactly, is the 'real' issue?"
She advanced on me. Oh, the kitten was angry. I could see her hissing and spitting now. "That you're possessive and jealous and you don't trust me!"
I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Possessive? Certainly. Jealous? No. There's nothing to be jealous of. I'm certainly not threatened by that pathetic excuse for a human being, if that's what you're thinking. And I don't see how this is an issue of trust at all."
"Oh, right," she threw up her hands in exasperation. "You just spent two hours watching me work without even getting coffee because it was fun."
"What, you think I was spying on you?" I said incredulously. Oh, if she wasn't so damned appealing with that flush of anger over her skin, I'd throttle her right now.
"Do you really expect me to believe otherwise? It's very much apparent here that you don't trust me at all, even though I've always trusted you."
I rolled my eyes. "You're being irrational. This is not about trust."
"Don't you brush me off like that! It is! You don't trust me!"
"Bella," I sighed. "I trust you. I would never suspect you of…infidelity. But that does not mean I wish to witness young men ogling you like a juicy piece of meat, all right? And don't tell me you don't have the very same reactions when you see women looking at me; it's not hard to read the look on your face."
Bella crossed her arms and huffed. "I still want to be mad at you."
I couldn't help laughing a little at the way she pouted at me, still trying to be fierce. I closed the distance between us, eager to touch her. This argument had turned me on, when I wasn't contemplating murder.
"Bella, you should just accept that this," I cupped her through her jeans, "is mine, until you say otherwise. It's responding to my touch right now; you and I both know it. I also know very well that it turns you on when I get possessive."
Bella uncrossed her arms and leaned into me, giving me a challenging look. "Maybe that's true. But that means that this," she cupped my erection, and I grinned at her bravado, "is mine."
I chuckled, stroking her lightly through her jeans. "It's your willing slave, I promise you."
Later that evening, sprawled out naked in bed with a satiated Bella beside me, I remembered the resolution I'd made the day before and reached into the drawer of my beside table for the device.
"Bella, I got something for you," I said, waiting for her to look up before handing her the small phone. I had bought it with a similar one for myself, and had already programmed my number into hers, and vice versa.
She stared, but didn't reach out to take it. I frowned.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"This…Edward, you know I can't afford a cell phone," she finally said, narrowing her eyes at the little gizmo as if it had personally insulted her.
"I know," I said slowly. "That's why I'm paying for it…." It seemed a simple enough concept to me.
"Edward, I can't accept this," she said, shaking her head. "It's too much."
"Why?" I demanded.
She sat up, covering her chest with the sheet. "Because cell phones are expensive, and there's no way I could pay you back anytime soon, and –"
"I don't want you to pay me back," I said, rolling my eyes. "Will you just take it, Bella? It's really more for me than it is for you, anyway. I'd just like to be able to contact you when I want to without having to chase you all over campus. If you never want to use it, that's your prerogative, but I wish you would accept it, for my sake."
Bella sighed and took the thing gingerly from my hand, as though it were covered in slime. "Fine. I'll take it, but I refuse to use it. I don't need you to take care of me."
"Did I ever say you did?" I asked her pointedly. "Like I told you, I just want to be able to contact you, that's all."
"I guess that makes sense," she agreed reluctantly, now looking more closely at the little phone. I smiled to myself; curiosity would get to her, and she would soon be playing with all the little applications that came along with cell phones today.
With that out of the way, it was on to the next order of business. "Bella, when are you leaving for Forks?"
"They're letting me have an early shift on Friday," she explained, "so I'll be able to leave around five, and it won't be so dark while I'm driving."
"How far away is Forks, anyway?" I questioned, curious about how far she planned to go in that rusty old truck.
"About two hours," she sighed. "But I haven't seen Charlie since school started, and I know he gets lonely up there by himself. It's worth the drive to make him happy."
I sighed internally. Bella would be two hours away from me all weekend with her cop father, and I would be bored out of my mind with nothing – and no one – to do.
"Do you want to come over again tomorrow night?" I asked, thinking I could at least get in one more time with her before she left.
She bit her lip. "I want to, but I probably shouldn't. I need to do some research before I go home…I'll probably be spending the night in the library."
Hmmph. That wasn't acceptable, not at all. I wanted that last night with her before I had to abstain for three days.
"I'll miss you," she sighed sadly, nuzzling into my shoulder. I knew some sort of response was expected, but I couldn't say it back and mean it, not the way she would interpret it – so I tilted her chin up and kissed her instead. Her warm lips moved languidly against mine as she pressed her body closer. I savored the way her flesh yielded to mine, and the way she gave herself to me without hesitation. I knew I pleased her, and that gave me a feeling of…satisfaction.
"Edward," she sighed, thick and needy. Swiftly I rolled her onto her back and settled between her legs. She gave a low moan as I slid into her easily. I knew as soon as I entered her velvet heat that I wanted to take my time enjoying this sensation, and her heavy-lidded eyes said she wanted it slow, too. I set a lazy, almost teasing rhythm and rocked us gradually closer to the edge.
It was readily apparent to me that I would have to see Bella Thursday night, and that I would have to be subtle about it. Even I was capable of realizing that a good boyfriend did not follow his girlfriend to the library and harass her for sex after she'd stated her need to study.
I decided to go with a strategy that had worked for me before – food. Humans needed their fuel to keep running, just like any other creature, and it would seem a thoughtful gesture.
I managed to wait until 9:30 to go to the convenience store. The selection was…perplexing. I had no idea what she would want, and I spent an unreasonable amount of time looking at the array of energy drinks before I decided on fruit and water. Bella had said she didn't drink much caffeine, anyway…I doubted she would be a Red Bull fan.
I found Bella in the same spot she'd been last time, reading from a musty-looking book with her head resting limply on her hand. She looked so tired.
She didn't notice my approach until I sat my purchases before her. Bella jolted upright, focusing first on the banana and then looking up at me.
"Edward." Her voice was soft, and she gave me that look that made me uncomfortable – that mildly worshipful gaze, overly grateful in proportion to what I'd done.
"Thank you," she said next, smiling happily. "You didn't have to do this."
I shrugged and decided to keep it light. "Someone's got to take care of you, clearly."
Bella snorted. "You're one to talk. What do you eat, like one meal a day?"
"I don't work nearly as hard as you do," I pointed out, sitting down next to her rather than across from her. "What is it tonight?"
"Spanish," she grumbled, scowling. "My professor is an idiot – wants three outside sources on a basic literary analysis, which is absurd. I mean, analysis should come from the test, not from borrowing ideas."
I chuckled at her little rant. "Why don't you just drop it? Surely you've tested out of your general education requirement."
She sighed deeply. "My major requires a minor, though, and they recommend foreign language. It is a pretty easy minor to get, all things considered."
"I suppose," I said dubiously. "But if it's making you so unhappy…"
She shrugged, looking away from me and down at her book. "It's just this class…the others will be better. I thought Hispanic Literature would be fun, but…it isn't so much. Maybe I would have been better off if I'd taken French instead."
"Ah, peut-être," I teased. "La littérature française est très bonne. Et français et la langue de romance."
Bella gaped at me. "I didn't know you could speak French."
I chuckled. "Mais oui. Do you like it when I speak French to you?" Of course, I could tell that she did; all the little signs were there: accelerated heartbeat, quickness of breath, flushed cheeks, and the soft scent of her arousal.
She gulped. "It's…very sexy."
"De vrai? Tu veux que je parle français pendant que je te caresse, pendent que nous faisons l'amour?"
"Oh, wow. Okay. I have no idea what you just said, but you'd better stop that or I'll never get any work done tonight."
I laughed. "Or maybe you could take a little break, and I could make sure you're in a very good mood when you get back to work."
"Edward," her face was red. "Not in the library."
"And why not? You admitted it was one of your fantasies. Are you worried about getting caught? Because we're the only ones even on this floor right now; the librarians have all gone home for the night. And I can help you be quiet, if you need."
She bit her lip, and I knew the tides had turned in my favor. "Come on, Bella, I wouldn't even suggest it if I didn't think it would be worth it – for both of us."
"The very back corner," she whispered, blushing like crazy.
I chuckled. "Lead the way."
She ducked out of her chair, looking around wildly for witnesses before she darted down the aisles of shelves. I followed more sedately, knowing there wasn't another soul on this floor. I had to catch her once as she tripped, almost falling into a shelf. I could just see her taking out the entire library with one fall.
The deepest, dustiest corner of the library housed volumes upon volumes of governmental records which looked like they hadn't been touched in years. Bella turned to me nervously, unsure. I grinned and nudged her back into the shelf.
"Ma petite belle," I murmured against her ear, finding the soft skin of her waist with exploring fingers. "Je vais te baiser, et tu vas crier mon nom."
"Baiser…" she gasped, "That means 'kiss,' right?"
I chuckled as my lips worked their way down her neck. "Not in the verb form, sweetheart."
"W-what does it mean in the verb form?" she asked, leaning into my touch. Her fumbling hands found the button of my jeans.
"Use your imagination," I suggested. My fingers hit the edge of her bra, and I wormed my thumbs under the cups to brush across her hardened nipples. She moaned loudly before she caught herself.
"If you can't keep quiet," I teased, "maybe you should find a way to muffle it."
Bella glared, and her hand slipped past my boxers to close around my shaft. Tightly. She'd probably meant to punish me with her harsh grip, but her paltry strength couldn't hurt me. It just felt incredibly…pleasurable.
"Who can't keep quiet now?" she said cockily, pursing her pink lips at me. Drawn to them, I kissed her forcefully as I worked open the fastenings on her jeans.
"Oh, Bella," I finally smirked, pulling away, "I'm not the one who's worried about getting caught."
Her eyes flashed and she gave me another rough squeeze. I groaned. I could feel her pulse around my cock. I pushed down her jeans and panties in one movement.
"Edward!" she gasped at the sudden exposure.
"Shh," I stepped closer, slightly between her legs, near enough that our chests brushed with every breath. "No one's around to see you but me."
I didn't give her more time to think before I slid my hand between her legs to stroke her wet folds. Her arousal fell slick and heavy on my fingers as her whimpers trembled in the air.
She moaned my name in that way that gave me thrills, low and pleading. I lifted her by the backs of her thighs, cradled between her bent knees, and adjusted her to just the right angle before I thrust inside.
Bella moaned aloud again before she took my advice and muffled her sounds against my shoulder. I took her in quick, short thrusts; the time for teasing was over. I was drowning in fire. Her heat seemed to intensify every time; she was an inferno, a living flame. Was this burning the lake of fire I was destined for in my damnation? If this was hell, I had no interest in heaven.
"Edward," she panted, turning her face in toward my neck, "Oh, God, when does it stop?"
"When does what stop?" I gasped back, almost too enveloped in the pleasure to concentrate on her words. My mental capacity seemed to fly out the window when I was inside of her.
"The wanting…I can't stop wanting you…so badly…" Her lips quivered against my neck.
"Don't try," I heard myself saying. The need was building, swelling, seeping into my bones. I had to feel her release…that was the only way to set it free.
"Bella," I grunted, "I need you to come for me."
"Oh!" Her lips crashed to mine, silencing the scream that vibrated through her mouth, just as her inner walls clamped down around me.
My long, shuddering release came with a deep groan. And then, it was quiet, peaceful…the calm after a storm. All that was left was the steady thump of Bella's heart…vibrant, humming life in my arms.
I wanted to keep her there, held against me, but I knew I couldn't. We were in a library, after all. So reluctantly, I pulled away and set her back on her unsteady feet.
She didn't look at me until we had both rearranged our clothing, and then it was a shy glance from underneath her eyelashes. A rosy blush sat high on her cheeks; how could she blush after that?
"That was…intense," she said, smiling a little.
I chuckled. "'Intense' is a bit of an understatement, I think."
She shook her head, laughing a little as well. "Remind me never to let you speak French to me when I'm trying to work on Spanish again. I won't be able to think clearly now."
"I suppose I'll just have to help you then," I said with a mock-sigh. Her eyes darted to mine quickly.
"Don't tell me you speak Spanish, too."
"Claro que sí," I said, unable to control the impish grin that spread across my lips.
She rolled her eyes and started walking back to the table. "Claro, sure. Why wouldn't you be trilingual on top of everything else? You're inhuman, I swear."
I chuckled a little as I followed her.
READ ME: Hi. I want you all to know that I am trying to update every Tuesday. That may not always happen. I have a busier life than I'd like. So don't freak out if I don't update for two weeks, okay? No, I haven't abandoned the story. Chillax, guys.
Oh, and for the good one-fifth of reviewers asking when the Cullens are showing up, I can say that there will be one Cullen in the next chapter. Just one. And you'll have to wait and see which one.
For some in-between reading, check out the new story I'm currently co-writing with Jacyevans called A Madman's Mercy. The third chapter will be up within a day or two.
And if, by chance, you want to discuss this story with other readers (and me), check out the thread at Twilighted (dot) net forums. It's in the AU section. Not too hard to find.
