Melanie is my rock.
The Pumpkin is my confidence booster.
You all make me smile and laugh and cry.
Who is ready for the morning after?
My body comes awake before my brain does.
I'm aware of the warmth and weight of Bella's arm across my hips.
My muscles are relaxed and boneless against the soft mattress.
I've never been this comfortable in my life.
"Hmmm…"
I slowly blink my eyes open, squinting against the bright morning sun.
I turn my head on the pillow, looking down at the girl snuggled next to me.
Her face is turned up toward me, her lips slightly parted while her eyes are closed tightly.
The soft skin of her cheeks is flushed pink, her hair is mussed from my fingers and I can see a slight rash on her jaw from where my scruff rubbed against her.
She looks well loved.
Her lips move into a sweet pout, her tongue sneaking out and drifting across her lower lip, leaving behind a glossy sheen.
I can't help but moan.
"Bella," I whisper as I roll onto my side, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
She frowns, her forehead pulling down into a V and she looks like Spock for a second.
I somehow manage to resist humming the Star Trek theme song, but my smile is unstoppable.
What I can't resist is pressing my lips lightly against hers.
"Hmmmm…" she moans against my mouth and that's all it takes to get me hard.
I pull my hips back away, not wanting her to think I'm trying to get into her nonexistent pants so early in the morning, but she's not allowing any distance between us.
She slides herself through the soft sheets and presses her entire body against the length of mine.
Her breasts are so warm against my skin and I swear I can feel the heat that is coming from between her thighs as she tosses her leg over my hip.
And it's all I can do not to blow my load already.
Been there…done that…got the jizz-soaked t-shirt.
"Good morning, Edward," she whispers as her lips ghost a trail from my temple to my jaw.
"Hey," I manage to whimper as her hand moves slowly from my shoulder, down my chest and onto my stomach.
"Last night was so…" she sighs and I know exactly how she feels.
Words are so inadequate.
Morning breath be damned, I lean forward and take her mouth.
She doesn't resist, in fact, she opens her lips to my searching tongue, encouraging my morning after exploration.
I need to reaffirm that last night really happened.
Bella pushes gently on my shoulder and I roll over onto my back, loving the way she never lets our lips part.
My hands are restless, moving up and down the creamy expanse of her back and up toward her breasts.
She sits up, her arms hanging by her side, offering herself to my wandering digits.
I don't hesitate as I take the heavy weight of her breasts in my palms.
"You trust me, right?" she breathes and I'm so engrossed in the way her nipples tighten against the rough skin of my fingers, I can only nod.
And then I'm blinded by sensation as she takes me inside her.
My fingers must be painfully tight around her nipples, but that is the only thing that is keeping me from coming.
Her body is so snug around my shaft, like a moist, velvet caress.
I can truly feel her without the layer of latex between us.
"Fuck," I gasp as she moves forward, changing the way her body grips me.
"Look at me, Edward," she whispers and I obey.
She is right there in front of me, her sweet face inches from my own.
"I love you," I grunt, unable to string any other coherent thoughts together.
The brightness of her smile rivals the morning sun.
"I love you too," she says softly as she plants her hands on the mattress next to my shoulders and slowly starts to move.
Her hips move in a smooth circle, before she raises herself up.
I can do nothing but hold onto the sides of her neck as she takes me.
She's in control.
And I love it.
I pull her down so her forehead is pressed to mine, our breath intermingling in the small space between us.
Her body is covered with sweat as she works to bring us pleasure.
"I want to feel you come inside me," she moans, and I can feel the intensity in her movements.
She grinds herself down on me, her body chasing her orgasm.
I'm already there…my release ready to blow the top of my cock off as soon as she comes.
Because I will not come without her.
Her hands grab onto my arms, fingers digging into the flesh as her body starts to tremble.
Her eyes are closed and her lip is trapped between her teeth as she gives into the euphoria.
And only then, do I allow myself to follow.
*()*()*
"Holy shit…you got laid!"
I glare at Jasper as he leans over the rail of my treadmill.
I know he will only get more persistent if I don't come clean but the thought of discussing the single most beautiful moment in my life makes me slightly nauseous.
"Bella and I made love. And that's all I'm going to say about it," I whisper fiercely, leaning in so no one else can overhear our discussion.
"You what?"
Oh shit.
I smack the stop button on the treadmill and slowly get off the belt.
"I didn't know you were back."
Jake looks like shit; his eyes are sunken in and he looks like he might have lost close to twenty pounds while he was gone.
But what scares me the most is the absolute fury in his eyes.
"You slept with Bella?" he growls, taking a step closer to me.
I stand as tall as I can, but I'm still woefully outmatched against him.
"Jake, I think you need to just back off," Jasper says as he gets between us, using his charm to try and disarm the situation.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Bella rush out from her office, taking in the scene before her.
Jake's hands are clenched tightly into fists at his side as he stares at me.
"What do you have? What do you have that I didn't?" he asks, his voice losing some of the anger.
It's obvious that now he's just hurt.
"I don't know, Jake. All I know is that she has my heart," I say, shrugging my shoulder as I slowly push in front of Jasper.
The tension is palpable as I reach forward and put my arm around Jake's massive shoulder.
He releases his anger in small increments until I am supporting most of his weight now that the fury that held him up is gone.
"I just wanted her to want me," he says in a quiet, broken voice.
I feel my own throat get tight as I realize that that was all I ever wanted too.
But unlike Jake…
She wants me.
*()*()*
"I'm so sorry. I didn't check my messages until just before he got here. He called to say he finished de-toxing and had checked himself out," Bella whispers against my chest.
It had been hard talking to Jake, but I wanted him to know that Bella and I belonged together.
"He'll just need some time," I soothe as I wrap my hands in her ponytail, tipping her face up to mine. "None of this was your fault."
She looks at me and I can tell she doesn't believe me.
"Bella, he idolized you. You helped him lose weight and were probably the first girl that ever looked at him and really saw him. Believe me, I know the feeling," I sigh, releasing her hair with a grimace.
I can so vividly remember worrying that the only reason I was so attracted to Bella was that she could see past the numbers on the scale.
"You are the sweetest person I have ever met," she breathes as she reaches for my face.
She cradles my jaw in her hands gently, pushing up on her tiptoes to press her lips to mine.
It's a kiss of gratitude and love.
And as I part my lips and surrender to her, I relish this connection between us…
And vow to always be conscious of how easily it could be broken.
Jebus Edward…ominous much?
Less than a month till the 5k. Feel free to ask any training questions and I will do my best to answer them. I have 9 days till the half-marathon and I am shitting bricks. I know I will finish…I just want to get my time goal too. But what will be…will be.
See ya next week!