Chapter 13
a/n
As always, I am most grateful to the many readers who put me on alert or add my story to favorites. Thank you.
Also to cullengirl08 for always taking the time to leave me a review :) thank so very much!
My beta, EMILY93 is all kinds of awesome and I can't thank her enough for her tireless work. Which she does for free, I pay her only in adoration.
Lastly, thank you to SM who owns all this, except the evil things my beta and I do to her characters.
Thank you for reading! (Translations are at the bottom.)
Abby
BPOV
Waking up the morning after our night on the town was as bearable as any morning ever could be with a hangover. I had a slight headache, not so much as to claim I had a jackhammer going off in my head, but there was definitely some construction work going on. To top it all off, my mouth felt disgusting and terribly dry. I made a mental note of knocking back a considerable amount of water throughout the space of today. My body felt achy, most likely from sleeping in an uncomfortable position and being too drunk to notice at the time but I was happy to learn I hadn't injured myself at all last night especially since I recalled my legs being deemed useless for the majority of the night courtesy of a vast intake of champagne and various other liquor laced beverages.
Aside from the minor headache that could easily be remedied with medicine that I was certain the Cullen family stocked for moments such as this, I was feeling okay. I could remember everything from last night. Parts of the night were hazy but if I concentrated hard enough, I could recount them. My memory was fine and for this I was relieved.
I remembered the end of the night in particular and groaned aloud as I had a sudden flashback of my exact words to Edward and they weren't especially tasteful.
A chill ran down my spine. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I accept that what I had with Edward was rare and special. Why did I have to question it? I didn't have time to ponder the answers to these questions for I felt him stir beside me.
"Morning ,Bella. I hope you slept well. How are you feeling?" Edward sounded groggy. I expected as much.
I sat up in bed and pulled the sheet up around my chest. "I'm good, you?" Already, the conversation was turning awkward.
"I'm fine. We need to talk. I'm sorry to be bringing it up first thing but I don't do the drawn out angsty crap. I want to talk about last night," he said, his tone lacking harshness and belligerence. He spoke calmly and very softly. I was taken aback.
"Okay, well I'm just going to freshen up. I'll be right back." I offered him a small smile.
He nodded once and gestured towards the bathroom. I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom, overly conscious that Edward would be watching after me. I splashed water on my face before wearily looking at myself in the mirror. I stared for a few minutes, not caring about the absolute state I looked, and the raccoon eyes I was sporting. I regretted not removing my makeup the night before. Clearly my drunken state had left me without common sense. I had spent all my life cringing at others who sported this 'look,' and yet here I was, black smudges serving as rings around my eyes. Not even the water had done anything to shift the mascara.
My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and my current physical appearance was the last thing on my mind. I was an over thinker. It was killing my relationship. Hell, it was killing me. I needed to stop being such a control freak and just go with it. How could I possibly enjoy myself when I was too busy being scared of the unknowns of life?
With my new found perspective I brushed my teeth, pulled a brush through my knotted hair and used the toilet before marching back up to bed. I didn't join Edward in the bed, instead I stood directly in front of the bed and hoped to God that what I was about to say would, for once in my life, be the right words.
"Edward, I've been thinking. About what I said last night?" I looked up at him, grimacing. "I'm a coward. I'm so busy questioning everything, that I don't spend enough time being happy. What happened with Jessica, that was nothing. I have my own hangups about my body, most women do. I'm tired of that shit. Tired of talking about my body and how fat I feel sometimes. I know I'm not, deep down I know this but it's easier to put myself down than face the hurt of having somebody else do it for me." I sighed.
Edward looked bewildered. I guessed he hadn't expected me to come out of the bathroom rambling.
"Tell me about what you're questioning? I want to understand." He was sitting with his back against the headboard, his hands on his lap. He looked completely relaxed and at ease for such a serious conversation as this and yet there was a hint of something in his eyes that I couldn't quite place.
I strolled to my side of the bed and gently sat down, crossing my legs over each other and making myself comfortable before continuing.
"I'm a broken record by now, surely you must think this. To expand on my already expressed concerns that we are moving too fast and don't really know enough of each other-" I trailed off trying to decide whether or not to continue in this vein.
"You're too perfect. You're a gentleman, you haven't pissed me off, not once. It's too good to be true Edward. When are you going to start being yourself?" I accused him.
"You think I'm being a phony?" He sounded incredulous and I immediately regretted what I had said. I hadn't meant to offend or insult him. No, yet again, my words had been the wrong ones.
"Bella I am far from perfect but at least I am being honest. So are you telling me you came all this way thinking that we aren't going to survive? That our relationship is nothing more than a house of cards? You're just wishing for that gust of wind that's going to blow it down. Am I right?" Edward's voice was dripping with sarcasm but his eyes told a different story. They looked lifeless, like my words were breaking him and this broke my heart to witness. I knew instantly that I needed to set things straight and inject some hope back into our relationship.
"I don't wish for any such thing. You are completely wrong. I want this! I want us. I like us together. Always. I've already made up my mind so this conversation is moot." I nodded, making it final.
"How can it be? You won't tell me what's going on in your head. I can't address your concerns if you're not forthcoming with me." His hand was quickly in his hair as he absentmindedly continued to run his fingers through the flyaway tendrils, tugging lightly.
"I've royally fucked this up." I frowned. I was feeling very sad and angry with myself.
"No. Bella, you haven't fucked anything up. We've moved too fast I'll give you that. I have been on my best behavior, too. I want to impress you, and I want to treat you right. But that certainly does not mean that I've been dishonest with you and who I am as a person. You deserve every happiness and I only hope I can give you that. If you'll allow me to."
I smiled kindly at him. "Of course I'll allow it, Edward. I'm sorry about all this." I twiddled my fingers, the suspense of a response was torturous. I was feeling incredibly embarrassed and remained focusing solely on my hands.
"Well I'm sorry for being the equivalent of a Stepford wife. I'll ease up, piss you off a little." He chuckled, before winking at me and I knew our 'almost' argument was forgotten about
By this point I crawled onto his lap and wrapped my arms tightly around him. He was holding me gently, and had his mouth next to my ear before whispering his words to me.
"Let's go to Puerto Rico. Screw Jake, he'll understand." I smiled mischievously at the thought.
~IC~
A few days after the fashion show, which was fabulous, Edward joined me on my return trip to New Orleans. From there we would leave for Puerto Rico. I was beyond excited at the prospect of our trip. I wasn't sure how long we would be staying and I simply didn't care. I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Edward before school started back up again.
The day we arrived back in New Orleans, Jacob was unable to pick us up from the airport so we caught a cab. When the cab pulled up outside of my home Edward paid the driver insisting he take care of the fare as well as hauling our luggage out of the trunk. Whilst I unwillingly watched Edward, wishing he'd let me help him, I happened to bump into one of my neighbors passing by who I hadn't seen in a long time. While I chatted with her on the sidewalk Edward took our bags inside. He surprised me by returning within a few minutes. I had expected him to wait for me inside.
I glanced at him questioningly but he merely smiled and sifted his hands in his pockets. I quickly said my goodbyes to Mrs. Chote who was on her way to the store. As she made her way to her car I turned to Edward. "What's wrong?"
He looked sheepish. "Nothing, Jacob is home."
"Jacob? But he said he wouldn't be able to pick me up." I knitted my brows, completely confused.
I started walking towards the building, Edward following after me. I decided I didn't like even the slightest distance between us and so I reached my hand out behind me and felt within seconds Edward's hands clasping mine. I smiled and pulled him alongside me, his thumb rubbing small circles over my palm.
When we walked through the door I came face to face with Jacob and Paul.
"Oh! Paul, I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had moved to New York?" I must have sounded very confused because Jacob's eyes were wide as saucers. Paul pulled me into an awkward hug without warning, all the while my hand still in Edward's. I hadn't even a chance to react and ask Jacob why the hell he was acting so sketchy.
"Bella, it's been too long. Jacob and I were just catching up." Paul shrugged, smiling.
"Oh, so you're the reason Jacob couldn't pick us up at the airport?" I glanced over at Jacob again and gave him a displeased look. What was he up to?
The awkwardness of our unforeseen encounter continued until Edward and I were left alone.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I have no idea," Edward coughed, shaking his head, sounding as perplexed as I did but I was sure Edward had masked laughter with his cough.
~IC~
EPOV
I had just witnessed Jacob kissing another man. Holy shit. I now knew something about Bella's best friend that she didn't even know about, that not many people at all knew about I assumed. When I walked through the door I looked up to see them on the couch. As soon as they heard me gasp they looked up, jumping up off the furniture at an incredible speed.
"Bella doesn't know and I'd like to be the one to tell her," Jacob had said quickly, the words practically falling out of his mouth.
"That's cool, I'm, I mean I won't say anything. Sorry I didn't knock. Bella was under the impression that you wouldn't be here." I shook my head at the hideousness that was this exchange.
"Yeah, that's my fault. I lost track of time. This is Paul by the way."
"Hi, I'm Edward, Bella's boyfriend." I put up my hand and made a waving gesture.
Paul got up and walked over to me. He offered me his hand. "I'm Paul, Jacob's um... other half I guess? It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm only sorry it's under such awkward circumstances."
I shook his hand while trying to accustom myself to our situation. "Nice to meet you too Paul. I'm going to go get Bella. I hope you two tell her sooner rather than later. I don't want to feel that I'm keeping something from her, even though it's not my story to tell."
They both smiled at me as I turned around to leave. The entire debacle had taken place in the space of a few long minutes. I was so shocked that my only reaction was to leave the way I entered immediately and go in search of Bella.
She seemed surprised to see me but didn't say anything or question me. When we went back inside, after us both saying our goodbyes to Jacob and Paul, Bella had automatically picked up on the strange vibes from Jacob and his terribly poor excuse for bluffing. I could see it written plainly across her face. She looked exceptionally muddled and though I shouldn't have, I found the entire situation and Bella's facial expression absolutely priceless and incredibly comical. I tried my best not to react and contain my laughter but I think Bella noticed when I tried to stifle it with a cough.
One thing I knew for sure was that I really hoped that Jacob would tell her, and soon. Before leaving me no other option but to tell Bella myself.
~IC~
A couple of days later Jacob hadn't said anything and Bella hadn't brought up the night either. For my part I was just keeping my mouth shut. We didn't see Jacob again until he decided to make an appearance a few hours before Bella and I were due to head to the airport. I had almost forgotten he was to dog sit Nessie.
Bella decided we should catch a cab to the airport since she felt that she had asked Jacob to make way too many airport runs as of late. I didn't care either way. I actually preferred the former of choosing to take a cab, it saved me feeling added discomfort sitting in a vehicle with Bella and Jacob when there would be a huge secret taunting me the whole time.
Our ride to the airport and the subsequent check-in and passing through security was uneventful and went without any complications. It was really nice to travel with Bella, she was great company as well as entertainment. She always had something witty or silly to say. The only other person I travelled with was Alice and she tended to be rather quiet and studious. She would invariably have her nose in a book leaving me to amuse myself.
"So tell me all about Puerto Rico. I know it's a territory but that's all I know," Bella asked as we sat at our gate, her foot tapping incessantly off the ground. I couldn't discern if her tic was because of nerves or excitement.
"What do you want to know? I can give you the history, interesting facts or just tell you about the places we will be visiting."
"I want to learn all about it so let's start with the history please. I've a thirst for knowledge."
"Okay, but I'm going to be very factual, very professor like. Is that a side of me you're ready for?" I asked jokingly before winking at her.
She playfully smacked my chest. "Oh, Edward stop being such a comedian and school me already." Apparently Bella wasn't ready for me to tease her in such a way. I was mostly hoping for a loaded response of her being a naughty (or good - I can't decide) girl student. Then again, that kind of conversation wasn't typically appropriate to be had in an airport terminal.
"As you wish." I cleared my throat before continuing, "Puerto Rico was discovered by Christopher Columbus in November of 1493, it was during his second voyage. At the time, the island was inhabited by Taino Indians. The Spanish were quick to colonize the island and within fifty years the native population had dwindled to near extinction. You see, the Spanish enslaved the natives and committed horrible crimes against them. They also brought foreign diseases to which the natives had no natural immunity. This further killed off their numbers.
"Puerto Rico became one of Spain's most prized colonies. It's strategic location in the Caribbean meant that other powers empires wanted it for themselves. The Dutch and the British tried to capture it but failed. The Spanish had constructed forts near the shore of what is now San Juan. They kept constant watch and defended the island against intruders." I paused, wanting to see if Bella was at all interested in what I was telling her.
"Why are you stopping? We won't be boarding for a while. Go on." She hurried me with hand gestures to continue talking.
I smiled at her, she was indulging me greatly.
"As time went on, Spain began focusing on more prosperous colonies located in North, Central and South America. This meant that Puerto Rico, save for settlements along the coast, was left pretty much underdeveloped and unexplored."
"And during this time weren't other colonies starting to obtain their independence?" Bella asked. I was silently filled with pride. I felt so well matched with Bella and her intellect.
"Exactly, so Spain began to pay attention to Puerto Rico once more. Eventually they had representation in the Spanish parliament and at one point had its own autonomous government but it was short-lived."
"So how did they end up being a territory of the United States?"
"We invaded the island during the Spanish-American War. One of the outcomes of the war was the acquisition Puerto Rico, along with Guam and the Philippines. Interestingly, Spain also relinquished sovereignty over Cuba but did not cede it to the United States."
"Wow, why did I not know any of this?" Bella exclaimed. "I mean, my history classes were clearly not that thorough. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention."
"It's not something that gets taught in depth. I learned about it because I have friends there and I've always been interested in Puerto Rico's status. I have some books with me that I could give for the plane journey if you're so inclined?"
Bella chuckled and snuggled into my side. I put an arm around her and squeezed her tightly to me.
"Oh, Edward, the history lesson is over for now but I do look forward to learning more about Puerto Rico during our trip." She tilted her head back a little and kissed me softly on the lips, the kiss lasting only mere moments to ensure it be a kiss that was suitable for public consumption.
Bella and I lucked out and had an entire row to ourselves. I took the middle seat after insisting that Bella sit by the window so she could enjoy the view when the plane was landing.
"I don't think I've told you this before but I speak Spanish." She said.
"You do? I had no idea. How did you come to learn Spanish?"
"Growing up I had a friend who spoke Spanish, I think her family was from Argentina. Anyway I picked it up when I was still learning to talk and afterwards my parents made sure I had a Spanish tutor."
"So you're fluent?" I asked
"I am," she confirmed with a smile.
"You'll have to show off your skills then." I winked, not necessarily meaning her Spanish oral skills.
During our flight we snacked on pretzels that Bella had packed into her bag. As soon as I had seen her retrieve the pretzels from her bag and proceed to open the packet, I was reminded of the day I discovered Bella's disdain with all plane cuisine on our first ever plane journey together or so I liked to look at it that way. The memories naturally plastered a grin to my face. We had come so far since then.
We both leafed through the duty free magazine as we munched on the salted pretzels.
"Goodness, look at this Edward. An indoor dog restroom. I shudder to think at cleaning that up." Bella wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Well, I'm sure if you lived in a high rise in New York City something like that might come in handy. Or perhaps if you lived in Siberia somewhere. It gets too cold to go out."
She laughed. "I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm glad I don't have a need for something like that. Nessie wouldn't fall for it anyway. A tiny patch of fake grass? Please." She shook her head in disbelief.
I rolled my eyes at her before leaning over and kissing her temple. She was too cute.
During our descent we were treated to a great view of the island. Bella scrambled for her digital camera to snap shots of what could only be described as a breathtaking view. She was leaning directly against the window of the plane so she could capture the best photographs of Puerto Rico from such a height. The pretty blues and greens of the surrounding ocean gave way to land and revealed San Juan, a bustling metropolis with many highways and buildings. The airport itself was located in an area called Isla Verde, which when translated literally meant 'green island'.
Bella was giddy in her seat and even though she was trying to keep her composure I could tell she was excited to visit a place she hadn't been to before. She was itching for us to land as she practically bounced up and down in her seat.
Getting through airport security was effortless and though I had expected a sizable queue, it only took us half an hour until we were on route to collect our luggage. We quickly made a stop at the bathroom before making our way to baggage claim.
"I have the worst luck when it comes to bags, mine is usually the last one out," Bella complained.
"Well lucky for you, I've plenty of good luck and maybe it has rubbed off on you."
"I can't believe this. Seriously?" She said, exasperated.
I had been looking down at my phone, responding to a text message from Alice and so I had no idea what Bella was going on about. I looked up to see both of our suitcases coming down the carousel, there were maybe five others ahead of them. I grinned and turned to Bella looking very smug I expected from the scowl I got from Bella. Immediately I knew she wasn't a fan of being proved wrong. Rather than rubbing it in her face, I thought it best I simply go grab our two suitcases.
"See, I told ya," I said as I pocketed my phone and walked over to retrieve our bags.
An hour later we were in our rental. I had decided to go with an SUV since I intended to drive through the mountainous interior of the island. We ended up in a black Ford Explorer, nothing fancy but practical. We headed down the interstate towards Ponce. Most tourists stay in San Juan and surrounding areas, but knowing Bella I knew she would appreciate the break in tradition.
"So, Ponce," Bella stated as she paged through one of the books I had previously offered to her. "Located in the southern part of the island and is the second largest city. I really want to see the Plaza las Delicias." Her Spanish was perfect and the accent on her dangerously sexy. I wondered if I could get her to speak to me in Spanish during our more intimate activities.
"Hey, you over there. What are you thinking about? You look like you're up to no good," she teased. I felt my face redden as I tried to look as innocent as possible. Guilty as charged! I couldn't exactly help that my dirty thoughts had decided to turn into dirty images instead.
I decided it best I come clean. "I was just wondering what it would be like to hear you speak Spanish to me while we are," I coughed to clear my throat "well, you know..."
"Edward!" she exclaimed, playfully swatting my arm before erupting out raucous giggling. "That's kind of kinky. I actually like it." She gave me a suggestive look before going back to her book. Score! Maybe being brutally honest in that department with Bella was something I might need to try often. I certainly benefited from my confession I had made mere moments ago.
By the time we arrived in Ponce it was dark and Bella had dozed off. It seemed Bella had a tendency to fall asleep on me. It was becoming difficult to count the amount of times Bella had been in my presence and fallen asleep. Of course all of our travelling was the primary cause for her constant napping... I hoped. Surely I didn't bore her so much that she'd fall asleep?
"You're not a very good copilot," I said to her as I gently shook her awake. "We're here."
"Oh, please, spare me! You didn't need a copilot, you knew exactly where you were going," she croaked as she stretched her arms over her head. "We're not even really there yet, you're still driving."
"Okay, so we're close. Same difference."
"No, Edward. Big difference. Being there means you are parked in front of our destination, and clearly we aren't," she teased.
I chuckled before mussing her hair with my right hand.
"Hey! Quit it, I already look like shit. Don't go making me look worse." She pulled down the visor and began fussing with her hair. She shot me a faux dirty look and I could tell she was fighting hard not to smile. Bella was always a joker.
"Bella you look lovely, you always do. Even if you have a birds nest on your head."
She stuck out her tongue at me. I immediately reciprocated earning myself a giggle from Bella.
I turned off from the highway and joined one of the local roads. We drove through a few main roads before finding ourselves in the narrower streets of downtown. Some areas looked a little rough but we were soon surrounded by old colonial mansions as well as other examples of Neoclassical architecture.
A lot of the mansions had been converted into businesses offices and restaurants but a select few were still being used as homes. All of them had kept the original facades as the municipality wanted to preserve the historical significance of the buildings.
We soon reached the Hotel Melia at the heart of downtown. It faced the plaza that Bella was so interested in seeing. I had picked it out for its location, unaware at the time that Bella would be so interested in the view our room would have. Fortunately the hotel entrance was off a side street so Bella wouldn't have a clue as to our prime location until she saw the view from our plaza facing room.
I checked in while Bella examined the hotel lobby and grabbed a couple of brochures from a display of local attractions. Our room was on the third floor but we decided to forgo the rickety and I predicted temperamental elevator and took the stairs instead. The stairs were wide and spacious and were a main part of the building. They were meant to be seen and used, not like the stairwells at some buildings that are off to the side behind suspicious looking doors. I easily carried our luggage up the stairs, refusing that Bella help me in any way shape or form bar allowing me her hand to hold. She gave tacit compliance, smiling up at me as I had held my hand out for her. I always felt it a gentleman's duty to help out a female in any circumstance, and on this occasion it meant freeing Bella of the bother or struggle of lugging her suitcase up flights of stairs.
When we reached our room I slowly unlocked the door and allowed Bella to open it and walk through first. She immediately recognized the view, making me grin like the Cheshire Cat from her wonderful and most anticipated reaction.
"Oh my! This is Plaza las Delicias. Wow, it's so pretty," she crooned as she made her way to the floor to ceiling windows that faced the plaza. She quickly found the locking mechanism and before I knew it she had opened the sliding glass doors and had stepped out onto the balcony. The hustle and bustle of the square was lively.
I sat down our bags before joining Bella out on the balcony.
"I'm glad you like it. How fortunate that you seem to love the places I bring you to," I whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder, I imagined it being the effect of my warm breath against her exposed skin. I wrapped my arms around her waist, effectively trapping her between myself and the railing as I held her close to me, gradually feeling Bella press herself harder into me, resting her back against my chest.
She manoeuvred herself to face me. "Not to sound corny, the locations are always great and all, but the real draw is the company." She returned to leaning back against me as we both took in, not just our surroundings, but each other.
~IC~
Later that evening we dined at Archipiélago, a restaurant located within walking distance of the hotel. It was situated atop one of the surrounding buildings and offered magnificent views of the city from its rooftop terrace.
It was almost eleven when we finally made it back to our hotel room.
"I'm all for making the most of our vacation here but I veto any idea to get up before 9am tomorrow," Bella protested. I had to laugh, I hadn't even mentioned the next day.
"Certainly we are able to accommodate your demands Your Royal Highness." I mockingly bowed before her trying very hard to keep a straight face.
"My boyfriend is a comedian," she retorted before disappearing into the bathroom, shaking her head and her hips as she went.
I hadn't had much occasion to hear Bella refer to me as her boyfriend and I found that I rather liked it. I changed into pyjama bottoms and a white undershirt before grabbing my toiletry bag out of my suitcase. As I finished putting away my dirty clothes Bella emerged from the bathroom wearing a sheer royal blue nightie that left little and yet plenty to the imagination. It complimented both her eye color, hair color and deliciously alabaster skin tone spectacularly. I believed I liked this particular blue on Bella very much. The nightie clung to all the right places, accentuating her ample chest and moulding to her minuscule waist before falling slightly at the hips, showcasing her glorious and womanly curves. I was practically salivating.
"Wow, you look amazing," I exclaimed in earnest.
"You're breeding flies, close your mouth Edward," Bella giggled, seemingly pleased that her 'outfit,' should you even think to call it that, had me responding in such a way. She should thank her lucky stars that I wore pyjama pants three sizes too big for me, primarily for comfort, but tonight they served as camouflage for a much bigger problem brewing southerly. I shifted on my feet, feeling a mixture of amusement and mortification at my growing erection. I prayed Bella couldn't distinguish it and that she wasn't simply playing me for a fool, or rather that, saving me from sheer embarrassment.
"Go get ready for bed." She hurried me off to the bathroom before turning away from me and heading in the opposite direction.
I had zero blood flow to the head, well at least to the head on my 's commands were well received. Had it not been for her I would have stayed frozen ogling her.
I slowly made my way to the bathroom in a stupor. When I made my way back into the bedroom I found Bella snuggled up in bed, her soft breathing indicating she was already asleep. I cursed silently, feeling more than a little put out that I wouldn't be peeling the nightie off of Bella but I was plenty happy just to sleep beside her. My problem below the belt would just have to be ignored.
I pulled my sleep shirt off over my head and tugged my pyjama bottoms down, opting to sleep only in my boxers. I was mostly wearing the pyjama bottoms and shirt for fear of scaring Bella off in case I appeared 'too keen,' but seen as she was already asleep I didn't think there would be any problem sleeping in my boxers. I gently got in under the covers, careful not to jostle the bed too much and wake Bella. Just as I was congratulating myself on having accomplished my mission successfully I felt her stir.
"Edward?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"Yes, sweetheart," I answered carefully wondering if perhaps she would be annoyed that I had woken her. "I'm sorry if I woke you." I cringed.
"You didn't, I was waiting for you."
"You were?" I was confused. "You were asleep you know?"
She sighed before turning over onto her side to face me. Her hand immediately rose up to caress my face.
"Edward, I didn't choose to wear this nightie out of comfort. I put it on for you, baby. So you can take it off and have your wicked way with me." She winked, her playful mood back in full swing.
Sleep completely forgotten about. I quickly beckoned Bella over to me, lifting her to sit on top of my lower body. She straddled my hips and lightly gyrated against me, causing me to groan and dig my nails into the flesh at her hips. Bella waggled her eyebrows before leaning down and lightly brushing her soft, plump lips over my top lip as she moved to suck my bottom lip in her mouth. She was driving me crazy. I was having none of that. I wanted a hard, heated kiss and so I rolled us over, hovering above Bella as I ravaged her with my mouth.
Needless to say, I didn't waste any time fulfilling Bella's and my desires.
The next morning we woke up earlier than I had assumed we might. For all her warnings about an early start Bella was the first one up. I got out of bed just as she was stepping out of the shower. I wolf whistled, letting my presence be known.
She laughed lightly, before offering me a twirl in one of the hotel's complimentary white fluffy towels. Afterwards she walked up to me and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "They have continental breakfast up on the roof. Get ready so we can eat together." She smacked my ass, causing me to jump and stare at her in disbelief.
"What was that in aid of, missy?" I grinned.
"That, my dear boyfriend, is revenge." She nodded.
Revenge? What had I done to earn a spank from Bella? Not that I was complaining, not at all, in fact I quite liked it. Her kinky side was beginning to blossom and I noticed she found herself getting more comfortable being around me with every new day. But I still didn't understand Bella's reasoning in the slightest. I knitted my brows, trying to think back and came up short.
"Revenge? How do you mean?" I tilted my head, absolutely puzzled.
"For spanking me when we were visiting your family!"
"Oh," I chuckled, an evil grin automatically plastered across my face. "I rather enjoyed that. Didn't you?"
"No," she smirked, "now go take a shower, Edward! I'm starving and need sustenance. You don't want your girlfriend to keel over. Do you?"
"Of course not, beautiful. I'll get a shower in a sec. Say, why are you up so early? I am almost positive I remember someone warning me of no early mornings." I laughed, stalking towards her, my hands prepared to tickle her.
"My dad called and I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards." She shrugged.
"Oh, is everything okay?" I asked, instantly worried and feeling like an absolute tool for laughing and playing around with Bella moments ago. Perhaps there was an ominous reason for the early phone call?
"No, he just forgets that some of us like to sleep. Plus with the time difference, he gets it wrong sometimes or maybe he just doesn't care. He always teases me that I sleep too much. I think he gets a kick out of waking me up."
"Well I'm glad he called, this means we can take advantage of the early hour. It's only a little after eight. I'm off to obey my orders and grab a quick shower so we can go to breakfast. Think about where you want to go today, sweetheart."
I kissed her on her forehead before ducking into the bathroom.
A couple of hours later we found ourselves walking around the Plaza las Delicias. The fountain was Bella's favorite spot while the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was mine. We spent some time walking around, hand in hand, taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere.
"Let's walk around the cathedral, I want to get up close and personal with the Parque de Bombas. Did you know it's the most recognized building on the entire island? What with it's distinguished black and red paint job and all."
"I don't think I knew that, but now that you mention it, it's not surprising. I'll save you the waiting in line and tell you what I know of the building. Is that all right?" I raised my eyebrows expectantly.
"Of course it's all right! Now tell me what you know about this Park of Pumps."
"Park of Pumps? Oh, right yes well it's named after the mobile hand-pumped fire fighting units that were once housed in the building. For many years it was actually used as a fire station, in fact it was the first fire station in Puerto Rico. It was originally built for the 1882 Exhibition Trade Fair but was soon repurposed. As you can see, it is now a museum with quite the wait to get inside." I motioned towards the mass of people queuing up to get inside the small structure.
"Wow, you could be a tour guide, Edward. You're really good at this, of course for all I know it could have been a bunch of crap but I bought it all." She laughed heartily as I poked her side and gave her a threatening glare. This only served to make her laugh harder.
"How do you suppose I should charge you for my tour guide services? Perhaps you can treat me to some ice cream? Kings Cream is the best ice cream in town and just happens to be across the street."
"How convenient! Come on I have a feeling you'll be a cheap date." She grabbed my hand as she started walking towards the little ice cream parlor that was located literally just footsteps away from the entrance to our hotel. I gave myself a mental pat on the back. The hotel location was perfection, affording us the luxury of being located at the center of everything we could ever need as well as being close to many of the local attractions.
Of course we would need to drive around some but it was nice to start off the day with a leisurely stroll around the square.
"Hmm, I think I am going to go with the coconut, what about you?" Bella asked as she perused the menu of flavors.
"I'm partial to their passion fruit, it's sublime."
"I'll have to try some of that," she declared, right before walking up to the counter to place our order.
"Buenos dias, como les puedo servir?" The lady behind the counter asked Bella.
"Buenos dias. Dame una barquilla de coco y...un momento por favor." She turned to me, "Edward did you want your ice cream in a cone or in a little cup?"
"Cone, always." I smiled.
"Y un cono de parcha por favor."
The lady scooped our ice cream and handed Bella the cones. I held onto both of them as Bella paid.
"Muchas gracias, que pase buen dia," the lady called after us when she noticed Bella had left a generous tip in her jar.
"Igualmente, gracias," Bella answered with a smile.
We walked out into the street, the heat making out treats begin to melt. I couldn't help but stare at Bella, whose previous display of her mastery of the Spanish language had me drooling. I found intelligence sexy, especially on Bella. If that wasn't enough to turn me into a pool of goo, watching her indulge in her ice-cream was a terribly erotic sight for me.
"Mmmm, this ice cream is so good!" Oh, fuck. And the noises she was making, too! "This is by far the best coconut ice cream I have ever had in my entire life. I could eat buckets of it," she confessed as she savored her ice cream. She was absolutely right, the ice cream was delicious, at least mine was. I didn't much care for coconut so I politely declined when she offered me a taste. I was now craving the taste of something all together very different than that of ice-cream.
She held me to my previous offer and took a big lick of mine. She gave it her seal of approval as well, I just hazily nodded along. Seriously, what was she trying to do to me? Did she even realise what she was doing? How she was affecting me?
Once we had finished our cones we decided to head back to the hotel and plan out the rest of our day. I knew what was first on my plan when we got to our room.
As we walked back I thought about how I wanted Bella all the time, not just momentarily. I was starting to think about forever and I wondered if she felt the same way. I hoped she might.
End notes:
*Buenos dias, como les puedo servir?
Good morning, how may I serve you?
*Buenos dias. Dame una barquilla de coco y...un momento por favor
Good morning, I'll take coconut in a cone...one moment please
*Y un cono de parcha por favor.
And passion fruit in a cone please.
*Muchas gracias, que pase buen dia
Thank you very much, have a nice day
*Igualmente, gracias.
You too, thanks.