Chapter 21: Unleashing the Modern Manpire
M for hard lemons. Consider yourselves warned. I figure some of you have been waiting long enough for some Bedward. Aren't you glad I'm obliging? And it's a longie. And it's a kinkier Bedward than usual. But usually they aren't kinky, so don't get carried away. They aren't Lis and Jazz. Nor are they Carlisle and Esme. They haven't been together long enough.
I'll remind you of something I told you a long time ago. Ahem. Vampires are very ... um, sanitary. They bathe fastidiously, they don't eliminate, and they don't have germs to share. They also don't damage easily. Please do not assume the same thing applies to other sentient creatures. Humans have stringent health and safety requirements. Take care of your body. You only get one.
No copyright infringement is intended.
Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Summit. Joham, Kaure and Gustavo belong to her. The new Brazilian characters belong to me. I'm just messing with Bedward.
'Great Expectations', by Charles Dickens, belongs to its respective owners.
JadedTigger is getting her wish.
All music belongs to its respective owners. Find it on my playlist, 'I Hunger2', beginning at # 21.
'Vindicated', by Dashboard Confessional
'(Robert and Kristen) Breathe Me', by Sia
'Every Time We Touch', by Cascada
'You Spin Me Round', by Dead or Alive
'Underneath The Waves', by Hale
'When I See You Smile', by Bad English
'I Live My Life For You', by Firehouse
'Dancing', by Elisa
Hope dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption
Winding in and winding out
The shine of it has caught my eye
And roped me in
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing
I am captivated
[Chorus]
I am Vindicated
I am selfish
I am wrong
I am right
I swear I'm right
I swear I knew it all along
And I am flawed
But I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself
So clear
Like the diamond in your ring
Cut to mirror your intention
Oversized and overwhelmed
The shine of which has caught my eye
And rendered me so isolated, so motivated
I am certain now that
[Chorus]
So turn
Up the corners of your lips
Part them and feel my finger tips
Trace the moment, fall forever
Defence is paper thin
Just one touch and I'd be in
Too deep now to ever swim against the current
So let me slip away [3x]
So let me slip against the current
So let me slip away [4x]
[Chorus]
Slight hope
It dangles on a string
Like slow spinning redemption...
Saturday, August 19th, 2005, 10 pm
Edward's pov:
I could see a light burning in the house. Bella must have the sun room lights on, waiting for me.
Tying off the boat, I virtually flew to the house. Bella was sitting in the Poäng chair, reading.
"Honey, I'm home."
"Hello, Beautiful," she said, shutting her book.
Grr. "Hello, Minx. Did you miss me?"
"Yes. Badly. I was starting to wonder if you were coming back, or if I'd have to go look for you." Bella embraced me. I tucked my head down and set my mouth against her collar bone. Heaven.
"Not leaving. Ever. But at least if I needed rescuing you'd have a hope of finding me this time." I brushed my nose over her neck, inhaling the scent that I had missed so much all evening.
"Yeah, well, I'd sooner not mount any rescue missions while toting a huge belly around, okay?"
"Mmm. I may have to go hide somewhere just to watch you try," I murmured, basking in her scent, laying my hand on her stomach.
"Let's not, and say you did."
"Kaure conveys her thanks to you, for letting her family take me away from you all evening." I nuzzled her ear.
"Mmm. It's a good thing Kaure is a sweetie."
"Mmm. You are the best thing I've smelled all evening, lovely one."
"Yeah, well, I regret to inform you that you don't smell so hot Mocha-chino. What do I smell?"
"Sweaty cariocas, stale taxicab, old cigarettes, baby drool, and unwashed dog."
"Baby drool?"
"Kaure's granddaughter. Fer let me hold her."
"Did you like her?"
"Oh, yeah. She was adorable. She tried to rip my hair out, the toughie."
"Sounds ... interesting. Well, I'm sure you will be able to put your wealth of new experiences to use with our baby."
"Yep."
"I was thinking. We should start considering names."
I bent over Bella's tummy and crooned, "Hello kitty. Daddy missed kissing you today."
"Edward! You can't call a girl 'kitty'. And what if it's a boy? You can't nickname the baby 'kitty'. No way."
"Oh, kitty... Mommy's mean to Daddy."
"Edward!" Bella rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm not calling our baby 'lambkin'."
"Squirt?"
"Aw, no way! That's worse than my suggestion, Bella."
"Peanut?"
"Nope."
"Pumpkin?"
I pulled back to wrinkle my nose at her. "Yuck."
"Bunny?"
"No. Baby? Tell Mommy you aren't weak and fluffy," I growled.
"Junior?"
"Next."
"Pooh-bear?" Bella was getting irritated.
"Tigger."
"Tigger?"
"Tigger: Bouncy, and strong... only slightly fluffy."
"Okay."
"Okay? Yippee. Okay, Tigger. Mommy compromised with Daddy. No more argument. All done." I bowed to kiss my baby's home.
"Edward?"
"Ooh, Mommy. Grr-wow. Are you feeling neglected, because I will be glad to give you some attention, too." I gave her the dazzle.
"Edward."
"Yes, love?" I said seductively.
"I hate to tell you this, but you smell awful."
Cue bucket of ice water. Wait. She thought I smelled bad? That was new. Good news.
Sorta.
"Oh. Sorry, Bella. Your nose must be improving. I'll go shower. Want to join me?"
She palmed my cheek affectionately. "I think I need a little snack, love. Then, I will be glad to find out how much you missed me tonight."
"Eat up, minxy chick. 'Cause this is going to be the shortest shower in history."
"Okay." Bella called, heading in the opposite direction from me.
Five minutes later, I was standing behind my wife at the kitchen counter, breathing down her neck as she polished off one of my leftover cinnamon buns.
Bella hunched her shoulders a bit, chuckling at me. "Somebody really missed me this evening," she teased.
"What, you didn't miss me at all?" Disappointment clouded my amorous thoughts.
"I slept. But I missed you dreadfully when I woke up," she smiled. "Even Darcy was no consolation."
"I am jealous of a fictional character," I announced, ditching my towel, and crushing my erection into her back, rubbing myself against her while burying my face in her hair.
"There is no need to be jealous, Mr Cullen. I only have eyes for you."
"You had better say that, Minx," I growled. My arms wrapped around her, tightly. My plan for the night mapped itself out in my head. I wondered if ripping Bella's low rise skinny jeans off and taking her from behind as she dangled off the counter would be well-received. Perhaps she liked the jeans. Oh, well. I could replace them. I wondered if I could give her fifty percent. Only one way to find out. I palmed her through the denim, kneading her glutes while grinding against her.
"Okay, what's wrong?" my mate asked, derailing my attempt to accost her. I retreated, and Bella turned and put her hands on my arms. She rubbed her hands up and down them, soothingly, smiling at me to let me know I wasn't being rejected.
"Nothing," I lied, surprised that she had noticed anything amiss.
"You're covering. You're upset about something. I understand it's not something I did. It's something that happened while you were around Kaure's brood, isn't it?"
"How did you know?" I asked, a tad sheepishly.
"Well, don't take this the wrong way, because I missed you this evening, too. But you're behaving like ... you've been away for a week. You're a little, um, needy? And normally, if we've been apart just a couple of hours, we've been able to find balance and cope. You're in a big rush, and you're pretty tense. That gives me the impression that something upset you. Am I wrong?" Bella blinked at me, a little nervous to expose her reasoning.
I wasn't sure whether to feel shocked or relieved that she had hit the nail on the head. I lowered my eyes shyly for a second, and then exhaled. I lifted Bella onto the counter, stepping into her embrace, resting my forearms on her thighs. My eyes flickered up and met her gaze. "You know me too well."
"Are you trying to shelter me? We agreed, no more secrets." Bella looked a little anxious.
"No. I was going to tell you all about it, just not right away. More like ... I want to escape from some things I learned. I'm sorry. I guess I was using you as a salve. It was inconsiderate. Actually, I was worried you were going to be upset that I was gone so long. I know you don't like being alone."
"I'm okay for a short period of time, love. It's getting easier. I know you aren't going anywhere permanently. I trust you. And it is my pleasure and my honour to relieve your ... upsetting feelings. Don't apologize for that. I just get the feeling that ... what you need from me right now is not something rough. I think you need ... comforting.' My mate ran her hand down my cheek, and I leaned into it gratefully.
"You're one smart cookie, Mrs Cullen."
"So are you going to tell me about it? And then you can show me how much you missed me."
I sighed again. "I barely know where to begin. It has been a real roller coaster ride tonight. 'It was the best of times, and the worst of times'. I wanted you there with me the whole evening. You would have helped me to cope. We'd have shared a private laugh or two. But in your condition, I'm just as glad that you weren't exposed to it all. Especially the cab ride from Hell. I'm glad you didn't have to try and handle it, even though I missed having you beside me."
"Why don't you start at the beginning, and slow down,"Bella suggested. She put her arms around my neck and kissed my forehead. It would be a longer conversation than I had intended. I slid my hands under her backside and carried her out to the sun room. Best to be comfortable.
I set Bella down and moved to light the fireplace while she collected cushions and dumped them on the floor. "I'm going to slip into my robe," she announced.
"Bring mine, would you please?" I called.
"Sure."
Bella returned as I added a bit of headboard to the fire, wrinkling my nose. It did not smell pretty. Perhaps I ought to take the rest of it out to the beach tomorrow and burn it.
Bella laid my robe over my back and I slipped my arms into it, thanking her absent-mindedly, staring into the flames.
"Are you going to talk to me before dawn, Mr Clam?"
I roused myself. "Sorry, Bella. I don't mean to be uncommunicative."
"You've always managed on your own. I get that. But it's okay to share," she suggested, curling her feet under her and patting the cushion next to her.
"I'm glad I can bounce things off of you, Bella. You always make it better."
Bella growled, grinning crookedly. "Start talking, mister, or I'm gonna sing you 'Hey Jude'."
"Oh, not that!" I smirked, rolling my eyes. "Anything but that."
"Brat. Talk."
I sighed again, eyes rolling, and flopped down on the cushions beside her. I lay on my side with my head resting on my hand, pulling pillows in to pad my nest, and Bella mirrored my position, brushing back my hair with a light touch, and rubbing my temples.
"It was hard today. Harder to take than I expected," I admitted, feeling the tension crawl over my skin.
"They're very poor, aren't they?" Bella asked intuitively.
"Yes. It's not like I haven't seen a lot of poverty. I had an upper-middle class childhood, but early life with Carlisle, before he collected us all, was pretty spartan. But I guess I've started to take everything a little for granted, you know? And seeing Kaure and the eight people crammed into a crappy little house with worn out possessions, well, it was humbling. And I'm more than a little mad at Carlisle."
"I am surprised he didn't know. But perhaps Kaure was careful to appear like everything was fine, when he was around. She and Gustavo have decent clothes to clean house in, and it's not like they ever had deep conversations, was it?"
"No, I guess not," I considered.
"He doesn't read minds, Edward. And you know he'd be really upset to know how they've been struggling."
"You're right. I feel better about that. Thanks, sweetheart."
"That's not all of it, though." She smoothed my worry-lines away with her thumbs.
"No." Bella waited for me to continue.
"Part of it was having to be in close proximity to a bunch of over-enthusiastic humans. They're loud, and we've been so quiet all week. Their brains are constantly busy, although I can be grateful that all their spirits are kind and honest. They all remind me of Angela."
"Well, that's good," Bella encouraged.
"Yes. But it didn't occur to me that to get them to their new cottage, I'd have to play 'how many people can we fit in a cab'." The dam, once breached, collapsed and the words spilled out of me.
"It was torture, being shut up with them for miles. They're really touchy-feely. So it was hot and stuffy and I was shut in with the blood smell and the jerky movements and I couldn't help viewing them as prey, even though I really like them all and would never want to hurt anybody. The intensity of the ... desire to attack them was really shocking to me. I thought I was past it."
"How many of them were in the cab?" Bella demanded, rubbing circles on my temples.
"All of them. Counting me and the baby, nine. And I almost lost it when Kaure put the dog in the cab and it sat on my feet. I'm glad you missed the ride, just in case your newborn instincts were to kick in," I admitted.
Bella smoothed her thumbs over my brows. It was remarkably relaxing. "You've never been pressed cheek to jowl with that many humans before, love. You had enough trouble touching me when I smelled human. I think you did phenomenally well to maintain control, especially if there was a dog in there, too. Was the dog awful?" she asked sympathetically, moving her magic fingers to my scalp.
"No. Actually, it let me pat it. Later, it sat on my knee. That hasn't happened to me in this lifetime. Back when I was first changed, it really ... upset me that dogs didn't like me. I used to love dogs. So ... since dogs don't smell like attractive prey, I got a puppy."
"You had a dog?" Bella gaped, forgetting to massage me. I moved her hand to the back of my neck. She could impact tight vampire muscles now, thank goodness.
"Not for long. It was very young, and I was able to tame it. But one of the Volturi, Roman, came by to check on me, and he ... killed it. Said I shouldn't try to pass for human. I didn't see it coming, because all he was thinking about was the pack of dogs he used to have when he was human, and how proud he was of them. He was covering his thoughts and I trusted him."
Bella's fingers froze. She stared at me, but I was unable to meet her eyes. She lay back, and pulled my head down so I was lying on her breast. She stroked my hair consolingly.
"He knew how my talent worked. He wasn't sadistic, he just snapped Woof's neck as he petted him, and I, having seen nothing in his thoughts to warn me, was left sitting there holding Woof's body, going to pieces. Roman even patted my head and told me he was sorry. I decided I wouldn't have any more pets. I thought ... my new world wasn't for them. I have wondered, since, whether if I'd had a pet to confide in, I would have rebelled and left Carlisle. When Roman killed my dog, it was just another nail in the coffin I built myself."
"You didn't mention this when you dreamed," Bella stated.
"I realized very quickly that Woof's death wasn't my fault. It was all Roman's," I said gruffly, feeling stupid for getting all emo over a dog that had been dead for eighty years.
Bella tipped up my face and kissed both my eyes. "You've had one shitload of trauma in your life over the past century, Edward."
"I'm hoping to get a shitload of joy out of the next hundred years, okay?" I smiled, voice cracking.
"You'll get more than that, if I have anything to say about it," Bella promised. "So. What kind of dog was he?"
"A Brazilian bulldog," I said, lying my head down again, feeling the heavy weight that was pulling me under start to ebb.
"Woof was a Brazilian bulldog?" Bella frowned in confusion.
"Oh. No. I thought you meant Kaure's dog, Ricardo. He's seven years old, and he has lots of wrinkles. He's white with a cinnamon-coloured patch on his back, and he stinks to high heaven. But he's really soft and cuddly." I peeked at Bella, to see if she was going to make fun of me. She wasn't.
"Woof was a doberman. He was with me about six months, so he was about seven months old when he... I took him to the river every day and he'd swim for sticks. He was really gangly. Hadn't grown into his paws yet. He was quite tolerant of vampires. Carlisle was fond of him."
"And you loved him to bits," Bella stated.
"Well, he was a great dog," I defended myself.
"And loving up the dog today reminded you of him, and how he died."
"Yeah." I wanted to change the subject. I peeked up at my wife. "Bella? I'm hoping you won't be upset with me. I didn't intend to go behind your back and make far reaching decisions for us, but I couldn't help myself. I've kind of ... adopted us into Kaure and Gustavo's family. I should have asked you first, but I'm assuming you won't object. I'm going to provide for them from now on."
As I'd hoped and expected, Bella was pleased. "I was hoping you'd add them to your list, Edward. How many people do you help, just for curiosity's sake?"
"Um, I never thought about it. Let me add them up. There's my half-siblings' descendants, and Laurie's, and Jem's, and my piano teacher's, and a couple of the families from Chicago, and-"
"Holy cow." Bella's eyes were wide.
"See, I never bother counting. Some pass away and some are born. The number rarely increases. It's around a thousand. And then, there are the various charities I support, run and create. They all function with very little input required from me. Jazz helps. He's great at forging my credentials." I peeked at Bella again, nervous of her reaction.
"I always told you, you were good. Do you even know how much money you have?"
"Not really. Enough to run a small country indefinitely, I suppose."
"Are you as rich as the Catholic Church?"
"No, but if you amalgamated all the Cullen wealth, which has spun crazily out of control thanks to Alice's ability to manipulate stocks, we'd probably run a close second," I admitted, wishing I could read my mate's mind and know how she felt about that. "It's impossible to keep track, since almost everything is under aliases and stashed in different places. When you've transformed and are able to remember things, I'll recite all the details to you. I only want to have to do that once, because keeping track of it annoys me. Honestly, all I care about is having a decent roof over our heads and the occasional nice toy. I just don't care that much about money."
"I'm glad. And I'm glad you help all those people. I'm so proud of you," Bella claimed, brushing kisses over my face. I sighed, relieved. I knew she would be supportive. I just knew. I rolled onto my front and Bella slipped off my robe. She straddled me so she could run those warm hands up and down my back. The tension was leaving me, and my headache was fading.
"Edward?"
"Yeah, Minx?"
"I never saw... I mean, I didn't think you were a 'people' person. I thought you couldn't stand most humans, actually. But that's not true. You have quite a few people that you love."
"Well, it's not safe to be involved with a lot of humans. Not for them, and not for me. And being friends from a distance, like writing letters, allows me to have comfortable relationships. Ones where I can't hear the dichotomy between what people are thinking and what they are saying. It helped keep me sane before you came along. It allowed me to be withdrawn from society without being alienated from humanity, see?"
"I wonder that you've had any free time to spend with me. You must be in contact with an absurd number of people." Bella's hair tickled my back. Delicious.
"Not really. Each family has a representative who conveys news to me for them all. If any of the little kids send me a picture, I write them a note, though. And I send a lot of holiday cards."
"I see. So. We have a new surrogate family, who cannot know what we are," she prompted me.
"Well, they can't know right now. I'm not ruling out telling them our dirty little secrets in the future," I said. "They're all very trustworthy."
"Telling Kaure was good practice for talking to Renee and Charlie," my wife said.
"Yes, and seeing how being kept in the dark affects the others will help us decide what to do with your family, too," I stated.
"So we're spending actual time with the Pereiras, Mr Cullen?" Bella enquired. I flipped over, revealing just how much I was enjoying my wife's ministrations. Bella grinned and ignored my dick, playing with my chest hair instead. Tease.
"Not too much time, Minx. Not now. This is our honeymoon. But I expect at least some of them will come here with Kaure on Thursday. We're going to have to be so careful to look human. Not forgetting, and stepping out into the sun or anything. I've grown unused to spending time with people other than you. And you're different enough now that we'll have to beware of alarming them."
"How will we explain my eyes?" Bella worried.
"You're albino. You dye your hair."
"I can work with that. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"
I averted my eyes, considering. "I have a secret, but it's not mine to tell. He'd rather I kept it private, but I'm a little concerned about keeping it from you, since something could arise in the future from it that I would have trouble explaining."
"You know I won't let on to whoever it is that I know, Edward. But if it affects our family, I should know."
I nodded, and spilled everything about Raphael: the mistakes he'd made, and that he was committed to starting over. My fears that despite lack of evidence, he could someday slip back into dealing. My anxiety that old enemies would someday locate and come for him. My fears for the Silva Pereiras, the possible future Cristina Whatever Silva Pereira, and for my own family. My remorse for using fear to manipulate Raphael, and my fear that it would negatively affect the relationship.
"Geez, you carry so much around in your head, it's a wonder you can walk. Keep up this worrying, and you'll need another nap before the honeymoon's even over," Bella teased, rolling her eyes.
"Can't help it, and I'll welcome a nap any time you want to give me one."
"You totally trust this guy, Edward? I know that you relate to him. Are you sure your trust isn't misguided or based on wishing?
I considered the possibilities carefully. "I trust him. His thoughts are completely transparent. And it wasn't necessary to threaten him, in retrospect."
"Hindsight is perfect. You can make amends the next time you see him. He'll be so grateful for the fresh start, and you will know, by using your talent, how to best obtain his trust."
"That's easily done, by being kind to his family and delivering on promises," I decided.
"Then it's no big. Feel better?"
"After talking to you? Always. I love you, Minx. Thanks for ... nurturing me."
"Always. I love you, too. And there's something ... I want to do."
"What's that, minxy chick?"
"Remember the wedding night, standing in front of the mirror?"
Oh, yeah. I grinned at her, feeling cheeky. "Even if I could forget things, which I can't, how could I forget that?!"
"You said you were going to seduce me so thoroughly that it would drive me mad," Bella reminded me, blushing the most erotic pink.
"Yyeeesss?" I asked, one eyebrow raised. Things were looking up in the romance department. "Do you want me to do it again?" I asked hopefully.
"No."
Damn.
"I want to do it to you."
Fuck. Me. "Coax me, oh dangerous creature," I flirted.
"Yeah. I'll twist your rubber arm."
I chuckled lightly, rearranged my pillows and leaned back. Bella gave me a light kiss and crawled down to my feet. Her robe was blocking my view. I pulled up the hem, intending to remove the offending garment. Bella pushed my hand away and pulled her skirt back down. Rats.
"Nuh-uh!" she said, waggling her finger. "No touching allowed, or I'll stop."
"Sheesh! But I like touching you. It makes it better," I protested.
"Do as you are told, my Sub."
Oh. Okay! Got the message, finally.
"Yes, Mistress." I squirmed a little with anticipation.
"You will not speak unless spoken to," my mate declared.
"Yes, Mistress," I smiled. It was hard to take Domme Bella seriously.
Bella knelt on all fours over me, reaching down to rub the tops of my feet, and I got a tantalizing glimpse of her pink pussy. I groaned. Not touching was torture, and she'd barely started on me. She applied her mouth to the fronts of my ankles, and traced lazy circles there. It was strangely erotic. I felt a stab to my abdomen and the sizzling started within my cells. I knew it would not be long before the heat exploded between us. "Don't bite me, Minx," I warned.
She got up and sat to one side, ignoring me. I looked at her incredulously. Then, the message soaked in.
"Sorry, Mistress. Sorry. I broke the rule."
Bella swung her leg back over my body. "See you don't forget," she ordered.
"Yes, Mistress."
Over the next twenty minutes, Bella wove a teasing trail of licks, sucks and tickles from my legs to my inner thighs, until I was groaning and having a difficult time not touching her. By the time she approached where I wanted her to be, I was dripping. Her pussy was seductively close to my mouth, but if I touched her, she would stop. I didn't want her to stop. I wanted more. I wanted her mouth on me. I squirmed, trying to situate myself in an encouraging spot. In response, Bella got up and reversed her position. Holy! She. Was. Teasing.
Bella traced a line around the dry veins in my arms and neck with her tongue, breathing her warmth on me. I so wanted to pull her close, and I knew that would put an end to the game. She took my nipple in her mouth, biting it softly, and sucking at it. She pinched and licked and sucked and alternated between them until she had me writhing. Watching me, as I entreated her with my eyes, she got off my abdomen, stood up, and walked away. I groaned. What? I was following the rules.
Bella fetched two large cushions and stacked them. Then, she stuck her hand under my ass and commanded me to lift it. She propped me up using the pillows. Looking at me carefully, she lifted up my legs and rested them on her shoulders. What the heck was she planning?
Bella nuzzled my inner thighs, and got to work nipping and sucking at the skin there. She ran her mouth around my groin, leaving it slippery, and tea cupped my balls until my legs started to quiver. Then, she released them and bent down to stare at me, sternly.
"I know you like this, so there will be no protests from the Victorian," she ordered.
I gulped audibly. Oh. Fuck. Me. It had been a long time since she'd said those words, and I knew, in that moment, exactly what she intended. "Yes, Mistress," I mouthed, unable to produce any sound. Bella eyed me a moment longer, and dived in for the kill.
My head rolled and my arms flailed in the effort not to touch her as her tongue assaulted my ass. I grabbed handfuls of the pillows to keep from touching. I panted and climaxed as her tongue painted wet circles on me. Her tongue was everywhere. She was relentless. I felt a moment's embarrassment. Forget that. The Victorian was definitely not going to get in my way on this. I was a vampire. There was no way I could be unclean. No way I could make her ill. Not even if she-
Oh, ffffuuuck. She was. She did. Her tongue dipped into me. "Oh, God!" I cried out brokenly. Ecstasy. There was no holding back. I shot my load all over my stomach, grabbed my mate's head and clung to her.
Bella stopped what she was doing, snarling at me, her red eyes flashing fire, the vampire in her dominating.
"No. No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." I surrendered, holding up my hands. "You're so hot, Bella. Please?"
She cocked her head and ran a finger over my anus. "Will you be free, my love? Not leashed. Really free from your inhibitions?"
"Are you certain you're okay with that, Bella?" I knew from hearing countless other couples' thoughts that it made some women insecure. That they worried if their mates were secretly more into being penetrated, than having intercourse. Which was nonsense. Most men liked it. But Bella and I had not had this discussion. The one time she'd done it, we had not talked about it after, and she hadn't repeated the performance. I had assumed she didn't like it.
I would rather have pulled out all my own teeth than discuss it. The Victorian was mortified, but the modern man was salivating. There was no use pretending otherwise.
"I want to pleasure you, Edward. I want to watch you cum for me."
Forget antiquated thinking. My mate loved me. She wouldn't offer if her intentions weren't serious. "Please! More." I begged. Her eyes turned black in response.
So slowly that the movement was hardly discernible, my mate lowered her face to my body. I whimpered. My cock was so hard, it was dripping again, and she hadn't even touched it yet. Dying of anticipation, I waited for her touch.
And then, she was there, liberating me from my bluenose rules. And her tongue was... and her mouth was ... and she...
And I was spinning, lost in time and space. And Bella was moaning, and urging me on. I forgot the rules, abandoned my carefully constructed boundaries, and caressed her temple with the back of my fingers, riding the waves. She moaned into me, excited past her own strictures.
Did I dare go any farther? "I want ... need more," I admitted gruffly. Bella sat up and stuck her fingers in her mouth. I gaped at her, mouth working like a fish, totally caught: hook, line and sinker.
Bella massaged me, and then, ever so carefully, poked the tip of her finger inside me. "Just let go."
"Yes," I confirmed. Just do it."
Bella poked her finger inside me, as she'd done the first time. Then, she removed it and carefully put in two at once. I whimpered and panted and tried not to move.
"You okay?"
I nodded, past speaking. Bella took her fingers and curled them back toward her, hooking my prostate and pulling it slightly toward her. Abandoning all decorum, I screamed gutturally. The heat caused by the pressure of her fingers radiated out all over my body.
Bella swirled her fingers over my prostate, causing all my emotions and physical sensations to churn about and tangle up together. Wildly. Then, she thrust her fingers in and out of me, hooking my gland, and I rode the impending orgasm to ascending plateaus. Pre-cum flowed like venom out of my cock, and I could feel the tidal wave of thick white cum building in me. With each movement, I was transported to a more intense place.
It was a very different orgasm, unlike any I'd experienced. Not better, just different. Electricity licked through me as my innards sizzled. I let go as electric blue euphoria surged through my body, whimpering and crying out in ways utterly foreign to my history. Cum surged out of me, my prostate throbbing and vibrating in response to hitherto untapped possibilities.
Neither of us had even touched my dick. Once.
Bella withdrew her fingers, as I lay limp upon the floor, panting at her, in shock. She pulled the cushions out from under my butt, crawled up me and brushed her lips on and around mine. She regarded me seriously. I looked at her like I'd never met her before.
"I just gave you an anal orgasm," she stated quietly, looking smug.
All I could produce in response to her statement was a whimper.
"Mr Cullen? I think you are undone," she crooned.
I tried to respond again, without success. Maybe I burned out all the brain cells connected to speech...
"Mr Cullen?" my wife bent down again and murmured in my ear, with her lips touching my cheek. "I'm not finished with you yet."
Oh, in the name of all that was holy. What ever happened to my shy little lamb? This new Bella was going to kill me, for sure. Not that I'd ever use that phrase aloud again.
But it was one hell of a good way to go.
My wife was busy rubbing my splooge into my chest hair. Somehow, that reactivated my ability to talk. "Am I allowed to touch you now, Mrs Cullen?"
"Maybe if you ask me nicely," she flirted.
"May I touch you now? Please, Minx?"
"No." She smiled alluringly at me, the brat.
"NO?!" I couldn't believe she said 'no'. Why the hell would she say 'no'? I gawped at her, frowning.
"Not yet. Because tonight, you are going to take. You are always giving. Tonight is about you."
"But-"
"No 'buts'. Just enjoy the ride. Literally."
Then, she was touching me, and I forgot to be annoyed. My abs clenched. Bella noticed and smiled at me, knowing me. Nobody could know me like she did. Kissing me, Bella raised my hands over my head, pushed them together and held them in one of hers. Her hair and her chest grazed my chest, and she ducked down to lick my collarbone and neck. I shivered a little.
"Don't worry, lover. I will not bite you," she whispered to me, peppering my neck with kisses. "I own this. I have control."
I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth surrounding us. The heat undulated in patterns across my skin, caressing me and heightening my sensitivity to touch. "Tonight, I own you," my wife informed me. The needy pull diverted my attention as my balls clenched, aching for her.
Bella undid the tie to her robe, and let it slither off her shoulders. Her cheeks were rosy, the ruby eyes soft, as she ran her tongue wetly around her swollen lips.
I moved urgently, trying to capture her mouth, but she eluded me. "Please, Bella. Please don't deny me. I need my hands on you. I love to touch you."
My mate took my hands, and held them to her breasts, moving them for me. She dropped her hands to my chest, smoothing her hands over me, and leaving hot trails behind. "I want you to be happy, Edward. I want you to have everything good." Bella rubbed herself against my cock, coating it in her slippery jizz. She oozed wetness onto me, which I collected in my hand, and rubbed onto her chest. It remained, glistening, on the surface of her skin, not seeping in. Her skin was becoming like mine. And to my surprise ... I liked that.
My mate kissed me thoroughly. Her kisses became more frenzied. I clutched her to me, feeling the cure to all my troubles in her loving touch, her acceptance. She ground herself against me, sliding along the length of my shaft, until I could hardly take it any more.
"Bella," I moaned, but she grinned at me and crawled down to lie beside me. Oh. Heaven help me. She grasped my dick in her small hand, and licked it, watching me. She took me in her mouth, swirling my tip with her tongue. As she exhaled, I felt her throat open and I clenched the cushions, knowing she was about to take me deeply. She gave to me. She sucked my cock, head bobbing, sending me reeling. Then, she sat up, looking at me tenderly, smiling a little, her hair tangled.
My mate was breathtaking.
The light from the fireplace encircled her head like a soft, yellow halo. My pale hands fondled her tits, and I realized that despite the fact that there was a blush on them, her colouring was no longer vastly different from mine.
Bella really was becoming my other half. And there was nothing better than when two halves became one whole.
"Come here," I murmured softly, extending my hands. Bella leaned her right hand on my left forearm. She squatted above me, and I rubbed myself along her labia, finding her swollen and ready. I positioned myself under her, and she engulfed my cock as she pushed down onto me. Sensational. I reached up with my right arm, and she changed her stance, locking her hands around my wrists. So I locked my hands around hers.
I conveyed my love through my eyes and my body as she moved up and down on me, her eyes saturated with passion. She raised herself almost to my tip, and then slammed down to envelope me again. I grunted. That seemed to please her, so she did it again. And again, carrying me off-world.
Loving Bella was better than anything I'd ever done. "I will love you forever. Every single day of forever," I promised.
"Edward," she sighed. "My mate."
"Bella," I answered. "Mine."
Bella climaxed, her eyes boring into me. In them, I saw the silver lights she'd told me about in my own. Beautiful, she conveyed me into a different dimension. We existed outside of time. Jaw clenching, I emptied myself into her, grateful once again, in that moment, that she had not listened to me. That she had insisted on becoming part of my world.
"I'm so glad I found you," I stated, as she collapsed, breath heaving, onto my chest. "I'm so glad you chose me. That you will be with me forever, outside of time. And I'm so glad that that is my baby growing inside you." I kissed the top of her head as her fingers stroked lazily at my arm.
"I'm glad for those things too, Edward."
"I love you, Minx."
"I love you, too, Mocha-chino."
I lay, breathing in tandem with Bella, watching the fire. After a while, I shifted uncomfortably. Our jizz was starting to dry onto our bodies.
"Bella? Want a shower?"
"Mmm. Wish there was a tub," she groaned.
"Well, there's an old one outside, but I don't know what kind of shape it's in," I admitted.
"You're kidding," Bella said, propping herself up on me. "You haven't mentioned it."
"Well, we've been, uh, occupied with other things since we got here. I haven't looked at it. I don't know what kind of shape it's in, and the water might not be very hot. I guess we could carry water out of the house," I mused.
"I'd love a tub, Edward. Can we go and see if it's usable?" Bella blinked.
"Sure, Minx. Up you get."
Taking my mate's hand, I led her through the house and held the mud room exit door open for her. I took her hand again, and we strolled naked, past the gazebo with its basket swing, out into the night. Tucked into the back of the garden was the tub. The forest was encroaching on the yard. I led Bella over. She was blind in the darkness. I brushed leaf matter off the lid, and opened it. Smelled alright. It was full of water and clean. I dipped my hand in, but it wasn't very hot.
"Mmm. I don't know, Bella. The solar panel is supposed to heat it, but it's not very warm. No warmer than the ocean. It needs to be moved into the sunlight more," I lamented.
"You never mentioned it was a hot tub, Mocha-chino," Bella accused.
"Well, I don't think my parents have it hooked up to electricity, Bella. We're not exactly on the grid. I didn't get an impression from Esme that it worked." I reached out for the controls and pushed the button.
The tub roared to life. I flinched, and turned to regard Bella open-mouthed.
"Surprise, surprise," she said softly. "Hey, c'mon. Let's get in." Bella swung one leg over the side.
"Minx, you'll be cold," I protested.
"It's not cold. It's not that hot, but we can turn up the heat for the next time," she encouraged, submerging herself. "Look, the panel says it's ...84 degrees." Bella squinted at the panel.
"Well, if I don't get in with you, you should be alright for a bit," I claimed, sitting on the edge.
"You're getting in, mister. I need my post-coital snog."
There was no arguing with that logic. "Alright. Will you be okay for a minute if I go get some candles, so you can see, and maybe some towels?"
"Sure. Hurry back. I've spent enough time without you today."
"Yes, Mistress," I joshed. "Aargh. You brat!" She splashed me, right down my front, the minx. I flew to the house, collected some towels, and considered where I might find candles. My gaze wandered about the sun room. A brass tin sat behind some shells on a shelf near the fireplace. Yep, candles. Whoa, floating ones. That would be perfect. I grabbed the wand lighter off the mantle and returned to Bella.
My mate had draped her arm outside the tub and was lying against the side with her face resting on the rim. She had rinsed her hair, and it gleamed wetly in the indigo night.
"I'm back." I announced, turning down the jets and sending five spherical white candles floating across the top of the water. "If you'd care to do the honours," I suggested, passing Bella the lighter.
"I dunno, Beautiful. Flammable creatures, and all," she murmured teasingly, lighting a candle and setting it adrift. I swung my leg into the tub, and joined my wife.
"I won't be able to get you to do that for me, for much longer," I mused, pulling Bella onto my lap. She reached out for the candles and lit them. One by one, they floated to the edges of the tub. Very pretty, I decided.
"Suits me, Mocha-chino," she murmured.
"Speaking of my nickname, do I smell ... different to you now?" I wondered, nuzzling her neck affectionately.
"Hmm?"
"Well, you named me for coffee, dark chocolate and chinos," I began.
"Which is how you smell and what you wear," Bella finished.
"So ... do I still smell the same?"
"Let me see." Bella turned on my lap and smelled me thoroughly. "Dark chocolate, coffee, leather, whipped cream, linen, um, sex, a hint of sandalwood soap, uh, what am I forgetting? Allspice, uh, toasted almonds, brown sugar, um... hey! Toffee. I smell English toffee."
"Very good, Bella. You got a couple more." I kissed her cheek.
"How many more ingredients are there?" she asked me, a trifle discombobulated.
"Not telling," I crooned. "You'll have to figure it out for yourself." Bella reached a hand behind herself, to grasp the back of my neck. Her body floated up to the surface of the water, exposing her breasts. I trickled water on her, watching the way it coursed down and raced back into the water of the tub. The candles flickered around us.
"Minx?" I spoke before I could over-think it and change my mind.
"Yes, love?"
"I was ... uh, a little ... surprised by how you ..."
"How I touched you tonight?"
"Yes."
"You liked it, didn't you? I made you happy," she said insecurely.
"Of course, Bella. It's just that, well, I don't want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. And what you did? Well, I ... I thought it was ... great. But it seems a little out of character for you."
"Nothing I've done with you makes me uncomfortable, Edward."
"It's just that, you, uh, touched me that way ... once before. And ... you haven't done it ... since. I thought ... I thought you didn't like it."
"I thought you were uncomfortable, love. The first time? You kind of looked at me like you didn't know what to make of me for the next couple of days. And Alice teased you. So ... yeah. I figured you'd have asked me, if you wanted me to do it again."
"Uh, no. I wouldn't have asked you." I said softly.
The water tinkled as Bella turned to look at me. "Why not?" she demanded.
"It's ... indelicate," I admitted, knowing I was being stupid as I said it.
"Mocha-chino? You must always let me know what you want. And you must stop me if you don't like something I'm doing. How else am I to learn about you?"
"Okay," I murmured gruffly.
"Anything you want to ask me?" Bella tried to look into my eyes. I avoided hers.
"I can't do it while you're looking at me," I admitted. My mate laughed a little, gently.
"Oh, my blushing Victorian gentleman does show up at times I don't expect," Bella smirked. Then, she turned her back and went back to sitting on my lap. "Ask me," she ordered.
I had a terrible time opening my mouth. "What's it like?" I blurted, finally.
"Touching you? Inside?"
I nodded, nervous of the answer.
"Well ... you're warm. And soft. And your prostate is uh, interesting. Like a walnut made out of flesh, almost. And you know, of course, that you're totally clean and there's nothing unpleasant about it. You taste down there like you taste everywhere else. Vampires .... well, it's just another pleasure centre. It's quite empowering, actually, to be able to affect you so dramatically. And you... made sounds I've never heard before."
I nodded again. "And you're not ... repulsed?"
"Not at all, love."
"And ... it doesn't make you feel ... insecure?" I cringed a little.
Bella turned and faced me again. "No. I know what you're worried about and you don't need to be. I had a talk with Alice about a week ago."
"Oh, boy." I lowered my head. The interfering pixie strikes again.
"And Rose added her two cents, per usual."
I pinched my eyes shut. Would I ever live this down?
"Edward? Did you know Em and Jazz are into into it?"
"Vaguely," I admitted. "I've caught the occasional fantasy here and there, but they were so odd I figured they were only that. Fantasies."
"I think you should consider that they might not just be fantasies, Mocha-chino," Bella advised.
"Shit. Now I need to bleach my brain." I moaned, then chuckled a little incredulously. "And Jazz will be here tomorrow."
"I wonder how that's going to go," Bella murmured, looking at the sky. "Alice will probably drag me off to milk me for details."
"Yeah, I guess Jazz will be quizzing me as well." I hugged my wife, pressing my face against hers. "Are you tired, Bella? It's pretty late."
"Not as tired as I should be," she admitted. "I feel good. Relaxed, and in control. And tonight? A little smug."
"You should be. You're amazing." I smiled into her neck.
"I know, right? I bring vampires to their knees," she teased.
"That you do, Minx."
"Yeah. Now, I've been wondering something."
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Our talent. Do you think we could use it for anything? Other than warming ourselves, I mean?"
"We could try," I suggested.
"Like, now?" my mate wondered.
"Okay, Minx. Had enough of being in here?"
"Yeah. I thought maybe .... maybe we could stay out here and just see if we can produce it without, you know, being ... sexual."
"It would be interesting to know how it works," I admitted, climbing out of the tub as Bella blew out the candles. I dried myself off and wrapped a towel around my waist, then helped Bella out and covered her up.
We stood in the middle of the garden, looking at each other blankly. "How do you suggest we begin?" I asked finally.
"Um. It usually flares between us, right?" she blinked.
"Yeah."
"What if we, uh, put our hands in the middle here, and see if we can bring the heat between them?"
"Okay." I held my hands a few inches above Bella's, and thought about the heat. Ten minutes later, we were still standing there, feeling bored and stupid.
"It's not working," I said, stating the obvious.
"Maybe we need the sex after all," Bella mused.
"What if we try the ... desire, without any ... touching?" I suggested.
"Okay."
We stuck our hands out again. I thought about undressing Bella. About what was under the towel. That produced a reaction, alright. Just not the one we intended.
"Anything?" I asked, disappointed.
"Nope. Tell me, when the heat flares, what are you feeling?" Bella blinked at me.
"Like we're totally emotionally connected. I feel ... turned on. But also, um ... fierce. Like ... protective of you. Like you only belong to me and nobody had better intrude on us."
"Hey. That's how I feel, too. Like we're in our own, emotional bubble."
"Remember the day Charlie tried to shoot me?"
"He didn't really try to shoot you, Edward. He just thought about it."
"Okay, don't get defensive. You remember when we got caught?"
"Who could forget?"
"I felt like we were in our own bubble, insulated from the world. And I didn't hear Charlie."
"So ... you think that was our talent?" Bella smiled, excitement kindling.
"What if it was?"
"Okay, so maybe, we think um... protective thoughts?"
"Okay." I stared down at our hands, with the empty space between them. We waited. Suddenly, there was a tickling sensation on my palms.
"Do you feel it?" I asked, excitedly.
"Yeah. But there's no heat," Bella winced.
"Okay. Privacy, protectiveness, intimate emotional connection ... there but not enough. Add the desire." I thought about making love to Bella, in our own private, insular bubble. Then I thought about protecting our privacy.
The heat kindled between our hands. We could see the tiny ball of it shimmer in the air like the waves that roll off hot pavement in the summer. The heat roiled in circles on the surface of the ball. Bella and I gasped and laughed with delight.
"It's a bubble! Let's try and make it bigger," I said, grinning.
We concentrated on the ball, and intensified our thoughts. It became necessary to draw our hands further apart, as the ball of heat grew to approximately eight inches in diameter. I looked at Bella, and she looked at me, and we laughed again, dancing up and down with excitement.
There was a flash of light, and the sound of flame filling a vacuum. Shit! "Bella, we're on fire!" I screamed, pulling us both, post haste, to the hot tub and submerging our hands.
We panted into each others' faces, eyes black with fright. "OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod" I said over and over. Bella whimpered, unable to break eye contact with me.
"You okay?" I panted at vampire speed, continuing to hold our hands under water.
"I dunno. You?" My mate replied.
"I dunno. I'm afraid to look," I revealed.
"Me too. It ... doesn't hurt," Bella said.
"No, it doesn't," I confirmed.
"Burning. It's the one thing that will ... damage you. Us."
Slowly, I raised our locked hands out of the water, dreading what we might find. All of three seconds had elapsed since I plunged our hands into the water.
They were unharmed. "How can this be?" I wondered, gawping at my trembling mate.
"Perhaps it's an illusion?" she suggested.
"I don't think so. We felt the heat." I turned Bella's fingers over in my hands, inspecting them carefully. There wasn't a spot on them.
"Our hands were on fire," I insisted. "I saw the flames lick between our fingers."
"It's a weapon," Bella said, her voice hollow. "We could hurt people with it."
"Only if we misuse it. It's a benefit to us. Something we use to make our life together more pleasant," I said, determined to not be terrified of the talent that had made us so happy until this moment.
"Perhaps we're meant to internalize it," Bella mused.
"It's a defence mechanism," I decided. "As long as we don't use it offensively, everything will be fine."
"You think?"
"Yeah." I kissed Bella's fingers. Thank God she was alright.
"You don't think it will get out of control, and we actually will spontaneously combust?"
"I don't think we can be hurt by it. It didn't burn us. But I bet it would hurt others, Bella."
"There's only one way to find out what it does," Bella said through thin lips.
"We have to practise using it. Get control over it and refine it,"
"If we ever run into another wicked vampire that wants to hurt us, we will have to know how to use it, Edward."
"Are you warm enough?" I fretted.
Bella gave me a look that asked me what kind of drugs I might be taking. "Mocha-chino? We make fire. I don't think staying warm is ever going to be a problem for us again."
"Well, that will be nice. Want to run down by the water and test it again?"
"Yeah. Sounds ... cool. But let's stand with our feet in the water in case we're wrong."
"Okay."
"jasper's going to be interested in this," Bella mused.
"Jasper is going to do back flips," I confirmed, taking Bella's hand so we could run down to the cove.
"Hard to believe they'll be here tomorrow," my mate said.
"Yes. Jasper probably will have a really loopy day, what with me being all stress free and your red eyes."
"Sounds like fun."
We ran to shore, dropping our towels and standing in the surf. The moon was obscured by clouds. Bella held out her hands, and I placed mine a few inches over them. With a minimum of effort, the near-invisible roiling ball of heat was born between us.
"Bigger," I commanded. We held our hands further apart. The ball of heat grew until it was again approximately eight inches in diameter. We were careful of our hands this time, eyes locked on the ball. It erupted into orange and red flame, rolling between our hands, strange and powerful. Its light played off our countenances like a strange, glowing jack-o'lantern.
I took my hand and stuck it experimentally into the ball. The flames licked up my arm to the elbow, but there was no pain. I tried to push the ball away, but my hand went straight through it.
"I bet we could throw it, if we used our hands on the outside to manoeuvre it," Bella said.
"Okay, on three, bring your hands back between us, overhand. And we'll see if we can catapult it forward," I instructed.
I brought my hands back between our bodies, as Bella mirrored my movements. We carried the ball backward inside a barrier of air.
"On three: one, two, three..." We hurled our arms forward, and the ball flew through the air, fifty yards out into the ocean. It detonated, with a noise like a cherry bomb, just before it touched the water, radiating a fiery ring out over its surface. A large wave rushed toward us, the ocean disrupted by the explosion. A flock of bats came screeching over our heads, their flight path disrupted. Bella and I pelted up onto the beach, avoiding the incoming wave by inches.
Bella and I stood side by side, frozen in shock. "In the name of all that's holy," I whispered. "What we have here, it's ... extremely dangerous."
"Why would God allow us to have such a weapon? Why would He create it?" Bella fretted, upset.
"I suppose it's like a knife or a gun, Bella. A gun can be a tool to catch your dinner, or it can be a weapon to use for evil gain. Maybe God knew we would use it for warmth, and love, and not to kill. Maybe He knew we could be trusted with it." I ran a hand through my hair as the last flashing embers of fire bomb fizzled into the sea. I hoped Flipper wasn't anywhere nearby.
"I hope we never have to use it, Edward," Bella stated firmly.
"So do I, love. So do I."
"Edward?" Bella blinked at me.
"Yes, my love?"
"I still want to use it. To love you, I mean. It's made our lives so much better. Is that wrong?" Bella bit her lip, her eyes creasing. I smoothed away the stress lines.
"I believe we've been given this talent as a gift. As long as we don't use it to injure, I don't see what could be wrong with using it. I think we were intended to have it, don't you?"
"If we weren't intended to have it, we wouldn't have it," Bella murmured.
"I love our talent, Bella. The non-aggressive part of it," I stated.
"So do I, Mocha-chino. So do I."
"So we agree to use it wisely?" I asked.
"It takes both of us to make it. That will keep us honest. Yes, we agree to use it only for unselfish reasons. Only to help ourselves and others." Bella shivered.
"Come on, sweetheart. I think it's time to get some rest. It's going to be a big day, and we have trophies to wrap."
"I almost forgot that. We're going to discombooberate Jazz, aren't we?"
"I certainly hope so, after the stunt they pulled. Hope they had fun cleaning up our bathroom. Hah! At least I'll get to see that now."
"I want every gory detail, Mocha-chino."
"Okay Minx." I held out my elbow, and Bella took it. We started up the beach, stopping only to pick up the towels.
"Mocha-chino?"
"Yes, Minx?"
"I'm not tired."
"Well, you slept all day today. But you won't be able to do that tomorrow. You need to get to bed soon," I advised.
"Perhaps we could make use of our talent, husband."
Grr. "Sounds like a plan, love. Let's go inside."