CHAPTER 29 - DECEIVED FOR DINNER
BELLA's POV
I stood in front of the floor length mirror in our room looking at myself. Alice had insisted in doing my hair and make up, though I looked nice I did feel a little overdone. I was just finishing up getting ready and turned to the bed to pick up the backless black halter neck dress Alice had laid out for me. Stepping into it and bringing it up over my bare breasts, I suddenly gasped feeling ice cold hands rest down upon my naked shoulders from behind and then gently caress them.
"You look so beautiful tonight.." he whispered huskily into my ear.
"Edward…." I sighed in response and closed my eyes.
He carefully tied the halter neck top together before his breath lowered and I shuddered when I felt his chilling lips trace the skin at my shoulder. Swiftly my thoughts drifted to more unchaste things as I remembered last night and how Edward was beginning to let his true nature come out during our love making. Though he was still fighting his reluctance to let go of complete control…he had progressed some. The night had been long and very fervent. It was definitely more heightened and powerful. I realised after what had taken place in the forest between us, things were not going to go back to the way the had been before and I was secretly revelling in that.
"Are you still tender…" Edward asked gently, referring to his rougher love making and snapping me out of my wicked fantasies.
I blushed.
"I'm fine, I already told you…" I sighed. "You have to trust yourself more….I trust you completely". I had every intention in encouraging him further tonight. Edward had to understand that is was something we were mutually needing and….. enjoying. But he still had some obvious issues regarding the matter.
I turned to look up at him and smiled. He was already dressed for dinner and we matched. His tight black shirt flattered his toned upper body and matching trousers. He look so handsome.
Making our way downstairs together, I could already see that Alice was buzzing around getting the last of the things organised. Esme was already in the dinning room, she had pre ordered the food in for the meal as she was no cook. Tonight was going to be extremely awkward for all of them, they were going to have to pretend to enjoy eating while putting on their best human show for Evan and my father.
Edward and I glanced nervously at each other. I guessed he was thinking more or less the same thing as me.
Jasper called Edward over then and they disappeared into another room leaving me alone. I assumed Jasper needed to prepare him for any potential problems that might arise tonight. I began to wonder if we might actually be capable…all of us, in pulling this off. Carlisle certainly seemed confident enough.
Everyone was extra tense today, even my earlier telephone conversation with Charlie to finalise the details of getting Evan over was a little delicate.
(Flashback)
"Everything is ready this end, what exactly have you told Evan?" I asked Charlie trying to hide the anxiety I was feeling about this whole sneaky situation.
"Well…." Charlie sighed " I told her I was taking her out to dinner…but failed to mention where exactly…." he added sarcastically.
"Good. Look, you will both have to dress smart…the Cullen's seem to be making a bit of an effort about tonight. Well, Alice is….she is kind of going over the top…!" I admitted shamefully.
"Trying to make a good impression is she?" Charlie asked jokingly.
"They are all very curious about Evan, they just want to make the evening nice for her.." I tried to explain.
"I know Bella, and I appreciate that." he said more sincerely.
"She has no idea what's happening?" I asked unsure. I was well aware that Evan was more perceptive than she liked to let on.
"No, she has no idea. She's a bit distracted at the moment." he admitted.
"Huh?" I asked confused.
"She's out with Jacob right now…..Did you know those two were dating? " he suddenly asked, blurting the words out. "Wait…I mean, are about to date….no, that's not right they are….. I don't know…." he was stuttering over the details.
"Em, I knew something was going on Dad." I assured him. I could tell by his tone he was wondering if he'd put his foot in it.
"Did Evan tell you?" he asked quickly.
"No…but I kind of figured it out through Jacobs behaviour at the hospital". Well Edward had… "I knew he liked her.."
"Are you okay about that Bella? I know you two used to be close…" he asked awkwardly.
"We never dated ….we were friends!" I told him adamantly.
"Yeah but Jake had quite the crush on you…" which Charlie had shamefully encouraged because of his resentment of Edward especially after my three day disappearing act during the Italy incident.
"Edward was the only one for me and Jake knew that…" I told him biting my tongue.
"I know things have been strange between you and Jake. I just wish you two could sort things out and go back to being friends. Was it because of the wedding you fell out?" he asked carefully.
"Edward and Jacob are very different….they never really got on. But I guess the wedding was a large factor." I told him.
Yeah, the fact that they were sworn enemies one being a vampire and one a werewolf was a very large factor indeed. That and the fact that Jacob knew that if I was agreeing to marry Edward I was agreeing to ending my life to become a vampire and ultimately dying. That was the real reason he'd stopped talking to me and I knew that.
"I'm just glad that Jake and Evan are getting on. They are better suited…" I told him. It was true. Deep down I knew that.
"Same age too, guess it was inevitable" Charlie mumbled.
"I'm sure your happy about it…" I said a little sarcastically a dig at Charlie's clear favouritism towards my former best friend.
"Well… he's nice kid. I've always been fond on Jake. I mean, he's been through a lot over the years and he still turned okay after losing his mum and Billy getting injured in the car accident. I've always felt that bit responsible towards him I guess. It's not been easy for his family."
There was quiet pause between us both. And I sympathised more easily towards Charlie's fondness of Jacob. He'd obviously witnessed him go through some hard times when he was younger that I knew little about. And now that Evan and Jake were together they seemed so alike. Much more so than he would have been with me. It was indeed inevitable.
"Did Evan tell you they were dating then?" I asked Charlie curiously.
"Not exactly… I kind of walked in on them." he mumbled.
"What do you mean?"
"Huh…" Charlie huffed dramatically. "Kissing in her bedroom…it was…um, embarrassing." he cringed.
"Oh!" I said surprised. So Jake's definitely trying to progress the relationship more. Evan was clearly becoming more comfortable with the idea of it. How long until he tells her the truth? I wondered.
"Yeah…" Charlie scoffed. " Had to lay down some ground rules! I never had to think about that with you, I don't actually even remember Edward ever being in your room…?" Charlie pondered.
I bit my lip at that comment. He didn't know the half of what was going on in that bedroom when he was asleep.
"Edward never really behaved much like a teenage boy did he?…" Charlie mused. " He kind of always made me feel a bit uncomfortable to be honest. Seemed too old for his age, very serious boy…" Charlie mused.
"And is that a bad thing?" I asked in defence.
"NO! No…Bella. He's a good person, I can see that. From a good family. I know that. I've come to terms with the whole 'you getting married thing.' I mean he's doing the honourable thing isn't he, he wants to marry you before moving away together for college." Charlie seemed to be trying hard to convince himself here more than me.
"Well….I guess I will see you both at 7pm then, as per Alice's request." changing the subject.
"Sure Bella, 7 it is."
(End flashback)
My body jolted suddenly in shock as Alice appeared from nowhere grabbing my arm and shaking it thoroughly.
"Alice!" I chided.
"It's 6.50... Bella! They will be here in 10 minutes!" She announced dramatically.
My stomach churned and I was suddenly nauseous.
EVAN'S POV
We'd been driving around near La Push for the last hour or so, not really heading in any general direction. And I'd been enjoying myself thoroughly. Just hanging out with Jacob was great. He seemed so happy all the time, he was so warm inside and out. The more time we spent together the more I could feel myself opening up to him. He was bringing down the walls that I had built up to defend myself against feeling positive emotions. It was hard though, I was still that bit weary inside. I just prayed that Jake would do nothing to hurt me, not that I thought right now he ever could, but if he did…. I don't know how I would cope. I could feel myself becoming dependant on him. And that was one thing I'd promised myself I would not do. If things went wrong.., if something happened…. I tried to push that thought to the back of my mind. I was being morbid and negative.
Glancing over at Jake I could tell he loved his car, he had a big stupid proud grin on his face as he concentrated on the road in front of him. I grinned in response.
His eye's shifted over to mine for a brief moment before returning to the road.
"What are you smiling at?" he teased.
"Nothing…"I grinned.
"If you don't tell me Evan…I will make you tell me.." he threatened jokingly.
"Really Jacob…and what would you do?" I asked sarcastically in response.
"Oh believe me ….I could think of more than a few things…" he said wickedly. My cheeks burned instinctively in reaction to his words. Why…oh why did he have this affect on me?
"Your obsessed …"I suddenly announced.
He glanced over quickly, a worried look on his face making me laugh out loud.
"With your car…." I explained.
"Oh!" he seemed too relieved.
"What did you think I meant…" I asked curiously, it was my turn to tease him.
He just smiled guiltily to himself…and I think I already knew his answer.
Suddenly Jacob reared the car to the left and turned into a tiny road, well, deserted dirt track seemed more of a better description. It appeared to be hidden from the main road by overgrown foliage and bushes.
He pulled the car over quickly and shut off the engine.
I glanced curiously at our surroundings.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked.
Jake turned and grinned at me mischievously.
"So we can do this …." he said huskily.
He brought his large hands towards me and cradled my head in his burning palms to keep me still before his lips pressed firmly against mine. I gasped in surprise not expecting it and he pulled away briefly. A condemned look on his face, suddenly anxious.
I smiled sympathetically at his response and leaned back towards him, encouraging him to continue. Jake sighed with what I knew was relief before his hot full lips were back on mine, almost hungrily.
I knew from the way his lips were moving over mine that he wanted to deepen the kiss almost immediately and I could not deny him because I wanted that too. Every single time Jacob seemed to touch me, my body would respond instinctively without me even thinking about it. I would melt under his searing touch and I was his do what he pleased with. But right now, I was sure he had no idea of that fact. Or we would be doing much more than kissing, and to date was as far as we'd gone.
My lips parted but instead of Jacob forcing himself into my mouth, this time it was me. I leaned into him aggressively while pushing my tongue past his soft lips and began to greedily search out his tongue before fighting for control over the kiss. I heard Jacob growl in response and my heart suddenly started to accelerate. I don't know where my boldness was coming from but Jacob was clearly enjoying it as his hands drifted into my hair as they always did. Clutching desperate handfuls of red, making me shudder.
My hand was curled around his large bicep, holding on to it tightly. I loved the feel of his hard taught muscle under my grip and I would wonder how he came to be so strong. I released my grip deciding to go with my boldness and let my hand wander to his toned chest, feeling him through his t-shirt, wishing ..he wasn't wearing a t-shirt. He groaned again and I sighed in his mouth. Enjoying myself far too much. Things were becoming very heated very quickly.
(RING…RING…RING..)
The loud shrill of my cell phone suddenly ceased things from going any further. We broke apart and Jake glanced bitterly down at my phone which was sticking out the pocket of my jeans. He didn't seem to pleased at the interruption and I'm sure he wanted to smash it in that precise moment. I caught his eye's and he seemed to break out of his temporary red haze. He smiled awkwardly at me.
"I should see who it is…" I muttered, pulling the phone out my pocket. But I already knew who it was. The only people who had my cell number were Charlie, Bella and Jake.
"Hey Charlie…" I greeted as I flipped the phone open, giving Jacob a knowing look.
He frowned with disappointment and leaned back from me, releasing his hold of me in the process.
"Hey Evan! Look, it's getting late, you should come home we need to get ready for dinner." he sounded a bit anxious.
"Okay, I'm heading home now then….shouldn't be too long." I assured him.
"Okay…good. I'll see you soon. Bye Evan.."
"Bye Charlie…" I replied and ended the call.
Looking back over at Jacob he seemed to be frowning.
"What was that all about?" he asked suspiciously.
"You need to drive me home…" I told him reluctantly.
"Why?…what's the rush!" Jake was definitely not happy with the idea.
"Charlie is taking me out for dinner tonight…he told me earlier today" I explained to Jacob.
"OH!" he said bluntly "That should be nice… " he muttered and then I saw him frown again.
I laughed nervously at his response.
"What's the matter with you?" I asked
But he shrugged, suddenly looking very sorry for himself. "Dunno…." he mumbled.
I eyed him suspiciously. He was lying.
"What?" I asked, more forcefully this time
"Just your dad is taking you out to dinner…." he sighed dramatically, I shook my head in confusion before he continued. "And I'm not…." he muttered with disappointment.
"You want to take me out to dinner?" I realised suddenly.
"Well …take you out at least…" he scoffed.
"A proper date you mean…" encouraging him.
"Yeah, I'd like to….I mean. I really want to Evan."
I smiled shyly and tried not to laugh at our awkwardness. The fact that Jake was jealous Charlie was taking me out to dinner before he had, it was quite funny.
"Yeah I'd really like that too Jake". I smiled back. "I've never been on a proper date before.." I added.
"Then I will need to make it extra special …won't I ?" he grinned, sounding more like himself again.
He leaned in quickly and pulled me towards him abruptly, to kiss me hard. I could feel myself melting again, losing myself in his kiss when I suddenly realised I was getting carried away again.
I pushed him back to stop him.
"We've got to get back remember…" I reminded.
He shrugged at me with disappointment.
"Yeah…I know" he admitted reluctantly.
After Jacob dropped me off and I arrived back at the house, I was surprised to see Charlie standing at the foot of the stairs already dressed in a smart shirt and trousers.
"You didn't tell me we were going somewhere fancy Charlie…" I frowned. "You didn't need to do that.!" I felt suddenly guilty for making him wait.
"No, its no problem. It's just nice to make and effort now and again isn't it…?" he laughed nervously.
Why was Charlie acting so strangely?
"Yeah, it is …" I replied, confused by his behaviour. "I will run upstairs and find something appropriate, I wont be long" I promised him.
I changed into a dark green knee length dress. It was the only thing I could think of to put on. My mom had bought it for me and I'd never worn it before. I quickly brushed my hair, there was no time to do anything with that. Then finally I put on some lip gloss and a little mascara.
When I made my way back down the stairs Charlie had an unreadable expression on his features.
"Is this okay?" I asked him, referring to my dress.
But he smiled back at me proudly.
"You look so lovely Evan…you really do." he seemed to gush.
Suddenly embarrassed I jumped past him grabbing my coat by the front door.
"Just a dress…"I mumbled, not used to compliments.
In the car Charlie was very quiet…even tense. I kept glancing over at him awkwardly, trying to figure out what he was thinking. I didn't understand his behaviour. Why was he taking this dinner so seriously. Was he just trying to make and effort for me? I berated myself. I should appreciate him more I realised.
I decided to pay less attention to Charlie and stared out the window. It was then that I noticed I had no idea where we were as we drove along unfamiliar roads.
"Where are we headed?" I asked curiously, concentrating outside, all I could see were trees.
"Somewhere different…" he mumbled.
I screwed my face up at him…but he didn't look back at me. Why was he acting so odd? I sighed, not understanding.
We passed a road sign and I suddenly realised we were driving in the opposite direction to Forks…..
"Charlie….Where is this place?" I asked suspiciously.
I didn't have any recollection of hearing about or seeing a restaurant out this way.
But Charlie didn't answer.
I spotted a road ahead, tucked behind the tree's and Charlie turned into it. It was long and winding and completely surrounded by thick woods.
"This is out in the middle of nowhere…" I commented.
"I know…." Charlie admitted quietly.
Soon I spotted a large house in the distance and I frowned immediately.
"That's a house up there! Charlie, you must have taken the wrong turn off! That's someone's home, that's not a restaurant." I informed him.
"I never told you I was taking you to a restaurant Evan…." he mumbled awkwardly.
My mouth was suddenly painfully dry, I gulped down hard as if I'd just swallowed a large stone. I could feel my chest pounding hard.
"Who's house is that?…." I asked ominously, biting my lip.
"It's the Cullen's……"
And my breath caught sharply in the back of my throat.
Authors Note:
The awkward dinner is coming next. I will update ASAP for you. Keep reviewing and thanks to all those who have so far.
Pixie
