I do not own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Gabby and April, thank you for pre-reading, and Fran, thank you for taking your time to edit. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 13
Late Tuesday afternoon, Jasper let me into the apartment and took the bags of groceries from me.
"Come on in and make yourself comfortable. Alice and I will be out of your hair shortly." He led the way to the kitchen then set everything on the counter.
"I brought enough for everyone if you would like to stay for dinner," I offered as I started to get ready to cook.
"What are we having?" Alice looked eager.
"Thank you for the offer, Bella, but another time. We are having dinner with Alice's parents." Jasper pulled her away with him.
I began preparing Chicken Kiev—a dish I remembered Edward liking when Esme made it. I was just putting the chicken in the freezer to cool when Edward texted me that he was on his way home.
He entered the apartment just as I was finishing a salad. He looked tired, hot, and sweaty. I could smell the sunblock, grass, gas, and chlorine from where I stood.
"You beat me here." He glanced around the kitchen with a confused look. "What's all this?"
"I hope you don't mind, but I decided to surprise you with dinner. I know you were going to cook, but I figured after a long day that you deserved to relax." I bit the inside of my cheek and hoped he wouldn't be upset.
"You don't trust my cooking?" he teased lightly.
"It's not that at all. You can do it for me some other time; I was trying to do something nice." I walked over to hug him.
He stopped me gently and held me away from him. "I stink from working outside, and you're all pretty. I'll just get you all dirty."
"I don't care," I insisted.
I stood on my tiptoes, kissed him on the lips, and wrapped my arm around his neck. His lips moved with mine; however, he kept his arms out to the side. He pulled away with a look of regret.
"Do I have time for a quick shower?" he asked.
"Yes, I haven't put the chicken in yet. I figured that you might need to wash up first." I moved back to the oven.
"I'll be fast," he promised and headed down the hall.
I was glad that I made extra since Edward had two helpings. He moaned appreciatively as he ate so I assumed it was good. I was pleased that despite being rusty I could still cook. Against his protests, I cleaned up the kitchen as he was finishing his second plate.
We settled on the couch after deciding to watch The Princess Bride. I was seated so close to Edward, that I was almost in his lap. His arm was wrapped around me, and he played with my hair while my head rested against his chest. The beating of his heart distracted me from the movie.
"I remember our first time watching this. What were we ten?" Edward chuckled. "I still remember Emmett freaking out that it was a 'kissing movie,'" he mocked how Fred Savage's character reacted to kissing in the book.
"If I recall you were just as upset at first. My, how things have changed," I teased.
"True. I've completely changed my mind about kissing. Although it depends on who I'm kissing." He tilted my head up, and his lips descended on mine.
The noise of the television faded into the background as the kiss grew more heated. He pulled me fully onto his lap so I was straddling him. His hand slid up my back until he found the zipper and slowly pulled it down. I shifted so the straps fell off my arms making my dress fall to my waist, leaving me exposed.
"No, bra?" His breath felt ragged against my neck.
"It was one of those built in ones." My voice hitched as he left a trail of kisses along my collarbone.
His lips continued down a path until they brushed my nipple. I jumped in surprise, and he raised his eyes to meet mine.
"Is this okay?" He paused.
"Yes, but what if Jasper and your sister return?" I glanced at the door.
"Jasper will call first—it's our signal," he informed me, not looking worried.
Their signal?
It made my heart sink a slight bit.
Of course, I knew that it was possible he had been with other girls. But he almost made it sound as if it was a regular occurrence … as if this was nothing special.
"Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. The system was put in place after I walked in on him and my sister. Jasper is a good guy and all, but I never want to have visuals of my sister in that position." His nose wrinkled.
"Sorry," I apologized for jumping to conclusions.
"Don't be. The answer I believe you're looking for was one—her name was Maggie, and she was an exchange student from Ireland—a lot about her reminded me of you. It didn't last long since something just felt off. Last I heard, she was engaged to her old boyfriend a month after she returned home," he explained, looking uncomfortable.
"One for me too. He was the son of one of Phil's co-workers. Riley was sweet, and even Renée seemed to like him. We got a bit tipsy at a function we were dragged to, and one thing led to another. Afterward, he started crying and apologizing. Turns out, he was gay and just didn't want to admit it to himself," I confessed.
"Well, this just kills the mood, huh?" Edward chuckled warily.
"We can fix that." I tugged on his shirt as I tried to lift it over his head; I tossed it on the couch next to us.
"Me being shirtless is going to fix things?" He laughed.
"Well, it does for me." I smiled cheekily. "You can't say you hate your view."
"Touché." He kissed me lightly on the lips.
He lowered is head again and shifted me on his lap so he could resume his attention to my breasts. His mouth sucked the nipple of one, while his hand squeezed the other lightly. My fingers traced his abs before slipping further down and brushing his erection through his shorts. His moans vibrated through my chest, encouraging me to rub harder.
I was surprised when his hand surrounded my wrist and pulled it away. "We can't do this here." He kissed my lips before I could protest. "We should move to my room."
I nodded in agreement, and he stood sweeping me up with him. I let out a giggle as he carried me off. Just as we reached his bedroom door, his phone started to ring.
"Damn, that's Jasper." He huffed in frustration.
He gave me an apologetic look as he stomped across the room and picked his cell.
"They'll be back in five minutes. Apparently, there was nothing he could say to convince Alice to stay away any longer. She claims I see you more than her, and I should share." He scowled as he read the message.
"I'm sorry." I started to untangle myself from him and redress quickly.
"Not your fault, this is all her. She's been begging me since she heard you would be here. Esme tried to help by asking them to dinner with the agreement that we'd have dinner with her and dad on Sunday," he explained as he pulled on his shirt.
"I would love that. Renée will be dead to the world the day after the party; she won't even notice that I'm missing."
"I'll tell her." He smiled; he came towards me and kissed me.
We made some popcorn and once again got comfortable on the couch. No more than ten minutes later, the door banged open, and Alice flew in with Jasper trailing behind her.
"We're back, and we brought some of Mom's brownies so you can't be mad at me. I want time with Bella too." Alice plopped down next to me and held out the plate to Edward.
"I guess I can forgive you." He grabbed a large brownie and took a bite.
"They look great; thank your mom for them." I chose one and started to nibble on it.
"Have you had any luck on that list, Bella?" Jasper asked, taking a seat on a chair.
"All the California numbers weren't him. One guy even accused me of working for the government and threatened to sue if I called again. I didn't think anyone would top the one from Arizona, but he did. The Washington number was no longer in service," I responded glumly.
"I'll see if I can find out more about the guy from Washington. If we still have no luck, maybe we can try to get hold of your birth certificate. If you don't think you can get it from Renée, contact the town hall of the city in which you were born. Usually, they can send you a copy," Jasper suggested.
"I didn't know I could do that. That's a great idea."
We started the movie over for Alice, we didn't mind since we weren't paying attention the first time.
I didn't miss that Edward seemed to hold me tighter whenever Westley said 'as you wish.' Later that night, he followed me to my street on his bike and waited until I texted him from the driveway.
MoU
On Thursday, I went to Heidi's and was relieved to see only her and Edward out by her pool. Edward acknowledged me with a short nod, and I took a seat.
"No, Irina, today," I asked casually.
"She's at the Cater's caterers with her mom, and then they need to go to the florist. She should be busy for the rest of the week," she answered distractedly.
"That's a shame," I mumbled.
The corners of Heidi's mouth twitched slightly, but she didn't stop texting. A part of me was dying to know who she was texting so much. However, I respected her privacy since I wanted the same for myself. Edward passed behind her and waved to catch my attention. He gestured with his head for me to follow him.
"Would it be all right if I got myself something to drink?" I asked her.
"I can ask a servant to bring something out. What would you like?" Heidi glanced up from her phone.
"I don't mind the walk; I can work off the calories from lunch. Can I get you something?" I offered, getting to my feet.
"If you're going, I'll take a water." She shrugged then glanced back at her screen. Something she saw made her smile and blush a bit.
Curious.
I walked in the direction Edward has gone and rounded the corner of the pool house. I was passing by the sauna when I was pulled through the door and pushed against the wall. Edward's lips attacked mine before I could blink. I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the kiss. He lifted me up and my ankles locked behind his back. We were soon hot, sweaty, and panting for breath.
"I've missed you." His forehead leaned against mine.
"I've missed you too," I said.
"Can you sneak away tomorrow night?" he asked.
"I wish I could, but I promised Angela I'd help with the cookout for the kids at the rec." I frowned.
"So when will I see you, Saturday night is the party, and Sunday we're at my parents," he lamented.
"I'll see you on Sunday, silly." I playfully batted his bicep.
"We can't do this in front of my family." He kissed me heatedly.
His hand slid underneath my top so that his fingers could brush my nipple. He released my lips and placed a peck on my neck.
"You're right, we can't do this Sunday." I giggled. "Don't leave any marks. Renée went on a tirade when I came home Tuesday night with a hickey. Something about 'no one buys a cow if the milk is free' or something like that."
I left out that she also saw a smear of chocolate on the corner of my mouth and told me if I wasn't careful I wouldn't fit into the dress that Heidi must have picked out for me.
"I left a hickey? Where?" Edward's eye sparkled mischievously.
I lifted my hair and tilted my head to the side, hoping he could see it in the dim light. His fingers traced the mark that was starting to fade. Without warning, he started to suck on the spot.
"Edward, don't you dare," I squealed pushing him away.
He began to laugh and opened his mouth to say something when the door to the sauna flew open. I jumped down, then stood still. Heidi entered with her back to us, and she wasn't alone. With her was a tall, dark-haired man wearing khaki shorts and a button up shirt—his glass were so fogged up I doubt he could see us. They stumbled to the bench in the back of the room and started tearing at each other's clothes.
Edward pulled me outside, and we collapsed in the grass. We looked at each other and started laughing.
"That was close." Edward grinned.
"I wonder if he's the guy she's always texting." I thought out loud.
"I know him. He graduated last year and now goes to Harvard for graduate school. His name is Demetri, I'm pretty sure that he used to be Heidi's tutor." Edward stood and helped me to my feet.
"So another case of forbidden love." I sighed softly.
"I should get back to work." Edward reluctantly took a step back.
"I can get away from the party early. Renée is always so drunk a few hours in, she never seems to notice that I'm gone. We can meet at the pool house," I suggested.
"We won't get caught?" Edward speculated.
"They never check on me, and neither of them will be up before noon. As long as you don't park your bike out in the open, they'll never see it."
He thought about it and then nodded in agreement. "Promise me you'll keep your dress on. I want to see you all dressed up."
"I thought you didn't like it when I looked like that. If I recall correctly, you said, I wasn't your Bella." I frowned slightly.
"I was being a jerk that day and lashed out. I apologize again for it." He glanced around then kissed my hand.
We agreed on a time, and I hurried to the house to grab some water bottles from the kitchen. I headed back to the pool and placed them down on a table. I wasn't sure if Heidi was going to return, but I wanted to make sure it appeared that I did what I said I was going to do. Edward was waist deep in water vacuuming—his hair was wet, making it obvious that he had taken a dip. Feeling like I needed to cool off myself, I jumped in the deep end. When I surfaced, Edward sent me a playful scowl and shook his head. I sat on the edge, and we made small talk until Heidi reappeared about a half-hour later.
MoU
Jasper and I stood at the edge of the party watching others mill about; partying, drinking and dancing. The house was filled with fake people who didn't even like each other but used one another for social status. I noticed that Heidi wasn't on the arm of the guy from the other day, but another from the club—she looked utterly bored and a bit sad.
In my hand was a half empty glass of wine. Since I had no place for a phone, Jasper was holding onto mine for me. I groaned when I saw Austin heading our way with Irina on his arm. Jasper looked at me with raised eyebrow.
"That's Austin and Irina," I muttered under my breath.
"So that's Ken. This should be interesting." Jasper's lips twitched in amusement.
"Isa, so glad you could make it. Aren't you going to introduce us?" Austin was looking at my chest rather than my face.
"Austin and Irina, this is Jasper Whitlock. Jasper, this is Austin and Irina," I responded dryly.
"Nice to meet you." Jasper held out his hand.
Austin eyed him for a moment before extending his own hand. I noticed he tried to flex his around Jasper's to assert his strength, but Jasper didn't bat an eye as he reversed the tables quickly. Austin winced and pulled his hand away with a slight grimace.
"Take a spin with me on the dance floor, Isa." Ken looked at me with lust.
"No thank you, I'm happy here," I refused.
There was no way I wanted his hands on me. Irina's face was pinched as she eyed me up and down with distaste. Her pink dress stuck to her like a second skin, which barely covered anything.
"You should stay away from the dessert table, you look frumpy in that dress—I would lay off the brownies if I were you." Irina stuck her nose in the air.
Jasper frowned and beat me to the punch. "At least, her dress is in her size, and doesn't look as if it belongs to a Barbie doll."
Irina's mouth dropped open in shock, and her eyes widened. It was the first time I've ever seen her speechless. She kicked Austin's shin, and he winced.
"You can't speak to a lady like that. I think you owe someone an apology," he demanded.
"You're right. I'll send a letter to Mattel. If you'd excuse us, we're going to go have a big piece of cake." Jasper led us around the confused pair.
I waited until we were a few feet away before I burst out laughing. "I think that was the best comeback I've ever heard."
"She deserved it. If she doesn't like hearing it, then she shouldn't be saying it." Jasper snickered.
His phone beeped, and he discreetly looked at it. "Twenty minutes away."
"Good, let's get the cake and get out of here." I headed for the table and served us both a large slice.
On our way out we ran into Renée.
"Leaving already?" Her eyes were glazed over, and she was holding a large tropical drink.
"I have an early morning conference call with my father that I can't miss. I wanted to make sure Bella got home safely first," Jasper answered.
"You're such a sweet boy. Why are you with my daughter, you could do so much better." She patted his cheek with her hand.
"I like your daughter very much." Jasper smiled and kissed my hand for show.
"Hmmm. Very well, off you go." She dismissed with her hand.
"Oh, Mom, what's the code for your safe so I can put back your necklace," I asked.
I'm not sure if I would call it luck or not, but earlier, without thinking, I was wearing the necklace Edward gave me. She took one look at it and called it tacky. She insisted that I should wear one of hers instead so I wouldn't embarrass her.
She rattled off the code and wandered off to where Clarie was holding court.
"Do you think she gave you the right one; she looks about half gone," Jasper commented as he handed over my phone.
"We'll find out." I typed the code into my notes section.
MoU
Jasper let me off at the house. He wanted to stay around until Edward got here, but I insisted that I would be fine.
I made my way across the dark yard slowly because damp grass and heels didn't mesh. I paused to take them off when I got an eerie feeling that I was being watched. I glanced around but didn't see anything.
"Edward?" I called but only received silence in return.
I continued my way to where the pool area was lit. I had the foresight to turn on the lights before leaving this evening, knowing that Phil and Renée wouldn't notice. I waited by the pool when I saw a figure walking down the hill towards me.
At first, I thought it was Edward, but I realized quickly it wasn't him by the long hair. A vaguely familiar man with olive skin stepped out into the light. I backed away quickly and felt a bubble of panic raise into my chest.
Where was Edward?
"This is private property, you need to leave before I call the police." I clutched my phone.
"Hello, Isabella, don't you remember me?" He cackled.
"No. I'm sorry, I don't. Please leave. I won't ask again." I raised my hand with my phone.
He smacked it out of the way with lightning speed, and it fell into the pool—sinking quickly. He took another step towards me, and I threw my shoes in his face; the heel of one him hitting him in the eye.
"Bitch!" he screamed.
"Bella!" I heard Edward shouting in the distance—he was running down the hill at top speed.
I used the moment of distraction to run, but the intruder turned back and rushed me. I headed for the pool house praying I could make it in time—there was a phone in there, and I could call for help.
However, he was faster and stronger. He grabbed me twisting my arm back; his other hand wrapped around my neck.
"Let her go." Edward lunged for the stranger, tackling him and tumbling both of them into the shadows. In the process, I was shoved away violently, falling backward into the pool; my head slamming into the diving board.
The cold water was a sharp contrast to a hot summer night. I had no time to take a breath before I went under, my chest constricting and burning within seconds.
The back of my head throbbed painfully, and I was unable to think clearly or get my limbs to move. The fabric of my dress became heavy and dragged me down deeper to the bottom of the pool—the rough cement scraped my skin as I abruptly came in contact with it.
I wondered if they would notice that I wasn't going to make it.
A/N:
A lot has happened in this chapter, and we have reached the prologue. Will Edward notice she fell in and is drowning in time?
The next chapter is in his POV, so strap on your life jackets.
Thank you for all your love and reviews you have given this chapter.