Thanks so much to Sherry and Paige for being so wonderful!

A little fluff before the storm…

BPOV:

Edward's typical cool demeanor falters for a moment, before his face returns to its unexpressive state. At that uncontrolled moment, I see an emotion brewing in his eyes that I don't want to recognize. Whoever that woman was, meant something to my husband. Jealousy burns in my heart like fire and I can't help but allow it to simmer to the surface.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" I question, my soft voice filled with spite.

Edward raises a brow at me in question, before leaning back in his seat and appraising me from his spot across the table. "What would you like to hear?"

I'm taken aback by his question, and quickly ask, "What do you mean?"

Edward snorts and runs a hand lazily through his graying hair. "What do I mean? I mean, there's obviously something you're looking to hear. Are you asking me about that woman?"

He's mocking me. My anger brims to the surface and I suddenly don't care how young and bratty I appear. I hate the thought of him with anyone else. Of course, I understand he's had others… he was probably having sex with girls before I was even born. However, the thought still feels like a knife slicing through my heart. I've never been in love with anyone other than my husband, and I'm not used to the anger and jealousy it inspires. Perhaps I'm not mature enough to handle my emotions toward him, but they're far too difficult to suppress.

"Yes, I'm asking about her. Why on earth was she staring at us like that?"

"She's the wife of one of my associates," he says simply.

Unable to help myself in my inebriated state, I ask, "Have you two… ?"

"I'm not having this discussion with my wife."

I open my mouth to speak again, but Edward quickly stops me.

"We're going home. You've had your fun for tonight. You're going to take a bath and then right to bed. No more questions. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, father," I mumble sarcastically as he waves over our waitress.

Edward pays and ushers us out of the restaurant. As we make our way home, I'm uncharacteristically quiet as I contemplate the look that woman gave me. At first, I thought she was a woman from Edward's past, and perhaps she is… or perhaps she's something far worse. There was something sinister about the look in her eyes. Even from far away, I could see it. She looked like she knew me, although that would be impossible, because I don't remember ever seeing her face before. My thoughts drift from the mysterious woman to my even more mysterious husband, who I'm finding more and more about with each passing day. I'm married to a man in the mafia… While I should be horrified, I only feel conflicted with this information. My husband is part of something I always considered folklore. He's a criminal and yet I love him just the same.

After what I've seen, after what we've been through together, one would think my love for him would falter. However, it remains just as strong and passionate as ever. My thoughts continue to drift as I sit in silence. I reminisce about my first meeting with Edward, our first conversation, and our first 'date', until they finally stop at his proposal of marriage. He wanted to marry me because he wanted to protect me… but protect me from what? Now that my buzz is wearing off, I can begin to connect the pieces together in my slightly foggy mind. He never told me what, or who exactly was after me, but apparently it was horrible enough to cause him to marry me. There's something not right here. I can't believe I've been so naive all this time. I knew he was trouble, but I had no notion of how dangerous he truly is.

"We're here," Edward announces as soon as he's parked the car in our driveway.

I give him a weak smile, feeling utterly exhausted as I slide out of the car and head up the walkway to our home. With a few long strides, Edward is at my side, and takes my hand in his, giving me a reassuring squeeze as he unlocks our front door.

"Let's get you into a nice bath," he tells me as he pulls me toward the staircase.

I'm too tired to object. I follow him up the stairs and into our bathroom, yawning as I watch him fill the tub with warm water. I pull away from his grasp and try to quickly undress, wanting to just bathe and get into our nice warm bed. I want to close my eyes and stop the never-ending string of questions running through my mind. I fumble with the zipper on my dress and sigh, feeling claustrophobic and the beautiful but snug dress all of a sudden.

Edward gently moves my hair out of the way before slowly unzipping my dress. It's incredible how gentle his touches are, treating me like I'm so extremely fragile. Especially considering how violent he can be toward others. As soon as my dress is unzipped, I shake my body to cause the garment to fall to my feet, before quickly slipping out of my undergarments. I feel Edward press a soft kiss to my shoulder, and I close my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the sweet sensation.

"Want to bathe with me?" I can't help myself and I'm introspective enough to know that at my age, I still think sex can be the answer to my problems.

"I have to make a few calls," he tells me and I feel him take a step back.

I don't let it go. I don't want to. "Make your calls and then come join me." I'm surprised that I've ordered him to do something, but at the same time I want what I want. After that unsettling encounter with that woman, I just want to take what's mine.

"Isabella…" He always uses my full name when he's being stern with me.

"I want to feel you," I say, turning around to look him in the eye.

His eyes trail down my naked body, taking in every curve, before rising to meet mine once more. I don't wait for a response, I slip into the tub and allow the water to relax my tense muscles. Closing my eyes, I quiet my mind and relish in the fact that my husband is still in the bathroom with his gaze on me. Although I can't see it, I can feel it, as he contemplates whether to join me or not.

"I'll be quick," he says, before I hear him walk away.

I sigh, feeling slightly disappointed that he didn't join me straightaway. I wash my body, trying not to focus on anything too heavy. My husband will tell me everything. Whether he wants to or not. I don't care about his reasoning for withholding the truth. There's two of us now, and I deserve to know what's happening in his life. I refuse to sit around our home like a simpleton of a housewife. I want to be his equal. I rest my head against the tub and sigh, putting my bar of soap down before submerging my body in the water completely. My mind is quiet as I move my head side to side, feeling my hair drift back in forth as it floats atop the warm water. I trail my fingers up and down my naked body, imagining it was my husband's fingers instead. One hand drifts between my legs, my fingers drifting over my soft, wet curls, before traveling to my entrance. I've always been so bashful when it came to masturbation, but that doesn't mean I haven't indulged before. When I still lived with my mother, I would lay awake at night in my bed and think of Edward, when he was still the mysterious man who kept coming in and out of my life. I would touch myself while imagining what it would be like to be with him.

I barely hear Edward's return as I play with my clitoris, with my mind filled with dirty thoughts about him. I can feel him close, but I don't dare open my eyes. I hear the sound of a zipper, before I hear several things drop to the bathroom floor. I smile, continuing to touch myself as he watches me. Another piece of clothing drops to the floor, before I feel his hands on me. He pulls me into a sitting position so he can slide into the tub behind me. I open my eyes and smile at him, enjoying the passion that dances in his gaze.

I don't say anything and neither does he. I'm not in the mood for talking. I just want to feel him. I bring my lips to his and kiss him with all the passion I can muster, turning in his lap so my entrance is lined up with his cock. He's always the dominant one during sex, but not tonight, I want him to know that he's mine, completely. I lower myself on his erection, enjoying the way his body tenses at the sensation of our joining. I kiss him again, before I begin bouncing in his lap, enjoying the sounds of our wet, naked bodies smacking together. I don't last long, after a few minutes of riding him I come so hard my vision turns white. Edward grips my hips tighter and meets me with each thrust, growing rougher by the second. I throw my head back as I feel another orgasm approaching, and smile as we come together.

I rest my head against his shoulder and take a deep breath, enjoying how relaxed my body now feels. His breath dances across the cold, wet skin of my shoulder, as we sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. As the water grows cold I know we'll have to get out and go to bed soon, I decide to voice the question that is on my mind.

"Why didn't you tell me about your work?"

Edward's silent for a long time. "I knew you would look at me differently," he finally says. He sighs and wraps his arms around me. "You're so young, Bella. Your head doesn't need to be filled with that sort of stuff."

"What sort of stuff?"

"The stuff I've seen… it's stuff that will never leave your mind."

Does he not remember our honeymoon. I've seen so much already that I'm unable to forget. "I can handle it."

"I'm not sure you can. Bella, you should be happy you've been so sheltered. I can't help it. I just want to protect you from everything evil in this world. When I first saw you, I saw this beautiful, innocent girl with such optimism in her eyes," he says dreamily. "That's something I've rarely seen."

"Is that why you married me? Because you thought I was a young dreamer?"

He cups my face with his hands. "I married you because you consumed my every thought. I did it against my better judgment, but I just couldn't help it. I didn't lie about needing to protect you, but it wasn't just that. I wanted something good in my life. I wanted someone who still believed this world was a good place."

A/N: I'm so glad so many of you are loving my new story, Scream Queen. However, I do intend on finishing this story before I get too deep into that one. I have this story all plotted out and I should have it finished by October! Yay! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and for sticking with me on this one!

Since I'm going to start posting this story all the time, I'm going to have teasers in my Facebook group! So keep your eyes peeled!