Sorry for the day skipped in between here and there. I'm battling a bit with the next chapter...hope to have it out soon. Thing is, with the changes, I have to change most of everything that comes after that. But believe me, its worthwhile...
I'm finishing my drink at the bar and Rosalie is in the crowd going apes. I talk to Pete for a few and when I look back I see Rosalie shoving at a guy that's trying to grope her. The crowd around her doesn't notice as everyone's attention is on the band. He doesn't relent and she's trying to back her way out of the crowd. I don't know his face, maybe one of the new comers.
I am there in an instant, pulling her out from behind but Mr. Tough Guy follows.
"Hey, what's your problem?" he shouts over the music. "We were just getting to know each other."
"Is that so?" I fire back. "From where I was standing it seemed your advances were not appreciated. Now do us both a favor and fuck off."
Rosalie smirks at him and gives him the finger. We turn around to make our way back to the bar when I feel his hand grabbing me from behind on the shoulder. I expect to be panting for breath any second but something amazing happens. The fear doesn't come. The only feeling I have right now is anger for this asshole thinking he can treat women like pieces of meat and touch both of us without our consent.
As he turns me around my right hand balls into a fist and I connect straight with his jaw. I immediately grab my fist with my other hand, damn that hurts! But it also feels so good. I find myself smiling in spite of the pain.
Mr. Tough Guy isn't down however and I think he's about to lunge for me when he's grabbed from behind by Pete's bouncers. They take no mercy as he's shoved outside without questions asked. Hhmmm, seems being friends with the bar owner is a good thing.
"Oh my goodness Bella!" Rosalie shouts, looking mostly sober now. "Are you okay? That was awesome!"
I nod as Pete comes around the bar. "I'm fine. In fact, I haven't felt this good since…I can't remember when!" I look around to see if I've made a spectacle but it seems most people's focus is still on the band and the one or two looking our way doesn't seem interested at all. One guys does give me a thumbs up though which I return with a cheek aching grin.
"You sure you're okay?" Pete asks as he leads me to the bar. He puts some ice on a dish cloth and wraps it around my hand. I flinch but try to put a brave face on.
"I promise I'm fine. Trust me. In fact, I feel so good I think I might just have another drink. Give us each one and some tequilas as well."
Pete shakes his head laughing. "You're the boss!" he shouts as he rounds the bar again.
And then I get quite a bit more drunk than what I already am. By the time we leave Pete's it's a little after three in the morning. I still look better than Rosalie so we vote that I drive. Well, if you can call it drive. It's more like a snail's pace crawl but I figure better safe than sorry. My hand is throbbing but I'm still riding on the crest of my bravery.
We literally fall into the house giggling our asses off. The more we're telling each other to keep quiet the more noise we're making but we can't seem to stop.
We make it to Emmett' room without waking Edward and both of us fall down as is, face down and we're out.
I wake up feeling more like a puddle of sludge than human. Rosalie is not next to me anymore. I check the clock, it's a little after eleven. Crap, why didn't anyone wake me?
I hear laughter from down the passage and I get up. I quickly use Emmett' bathroom for the toilet and I wash my face and try to get my hair under control as I tie it in a loose bun. My eyes are bloodshot and I smile at myself in the mirror thinking about last night. Yeah, I definitely rocked that one, although my hand hurts like hell.
As I walk down the passage Rosalie is laughing loudly. "You should have seen it Edward. She sucker punched him right on the jaw. It was classic!"
I round the corner and catch Edward's eye. He's smiling a proud smile. I relax; I thought he'd be angry with me. I smile sheepishly as he holds his arms open and I walk into them.
"So Rocky Balboa, how are you feeling this morning?" he laughs.
"Pretty good," I mumble into his chest. "Although my hand is killing me."
"Let me see Baby," he says as he softly pushes me away and takes my hand. "I think we'll have to put it in a brace for a couple of days. No need to go to the doctor. Hang on, I've got one, let me go get it."
Rosalie leans over and gives me a hug. "Thanks. For last night. I was totally wasted. You're amazing."
I laugh. "It was nothing, really. You would have done the same for me."
"Yes, you're right. I would have. I'm glad we're friends Bella. Very glad."
"Me too," I say as I hug her again.
Edward comes in and I insist on taking a bath before he puts the brace on. Rosalie says goodbye before I lose myself in hot water and steam for a while.
A soft knock on the door drags me back to reality.
"Need help washing your hair," he asks as he comes in a closes the door.
"Thanks," I say softly, amazed at how he seems to just know when to help and when to let go.
His fingers work magic on my scalp and he ends up washing the rest of me as well because I feel like putty under his hands.
"So, want to tell me how you feel?" he asks as he wraps me up in a warm fluffy towel.
"I feel…free, I guess. There's no other word for it. When he grabbed my shoulder from behind I thought I was going to be a mess again but something happened, Edward. All that surfaced was anger at this idiot for even thinking he could lay a hand on us and I guess I got carried away a bit. It felt really good not to be scared. I'm still kind of feeding off that energy you know?"
He's smiling from ear to ear, again, a proud smile. "You're getting there Bella. One small step at a time. I'm so proud of you. But please, next time, let Pete handle it, at this rate you'll be punching guys to the ground," he jokes.
I blush. Like a freaking teenager, I blush. "I love it when you do that," he murmurs, stroking his fingers over my cheeks. The simple move ignites a wild fire that sears through my body and before I know it I've pulled his mouth to mine and I'm literally eating him for breakfast.
His hands squeeze my ass deliciously before he hoists me up and deposits me on the basin counter. I immediately open my legs, pulling him closer. I can see him in the mirror behind us as I pull and tug off every piece of clothing he has on in a flash. As he bites down lightly on my neck I moan and I marvel at the sight of his muscle etched body in the reflection, his back, his ass, his legs.
"Enjoying the view?" he asks as his hand squeezes my breast, eliciting another drawn out moan from my mouth.
"You know I do," I manage to breathe out.
His hands fold around my thighs and pull me closer to him. He doesn't waste time and before I know it he's buried inside of me. I grab onto his arms as my head falls onto his shoulder with a sigh. There's just nothing on earth that completes me as much as this. Knowing that Edward accepts me the way that I am and that he loves me so unconditionally, that's a heady feeling on its own.
He lets go of my waist with his one hand and cups my face. I lean into the touch, closing my eyes because the love and the pleasure sometimes get too much, too strong.
"Open them," he coaxes and I obey. "There you are," he whispers as he slowly pulls out of me only to push back even slower. I try to move my ass closer, needing more, needing him all over me.
"I love you Bella. And I'm so very proud of you," he says as he quickens his pace and I know the look on my face must tell him everything he needs to know. How much I love him back and how proud I am of myself.
When I come, it isn't an earth shattering occurrence. More like a gentle wave rolling through my body, reaching into my limbs. I lose myself in the feeling as Edward loses it with me.
With my newfound belief in myself everything seems better. I go through every day without fear, yet still careful because my guts have not made me stupid. Edward notices the difference and I think he's loving the fact that I am not terrified every second of every day.
We have a lovely few weeks before Jasper and Emmett's return. We laze about mostly by ourselves because as usual we just can't get enough of each other. We have dinner with Edward's parents a few times and Pickle, Rosalie and I do loads of shopping together.
We even twist Edward's arm to buy Pickle her first wetsuit and body board and she's one of the crew now that hang out regularly at the beach when the surf is good. We even visit my parents twice and we take Pickle with on one occasion. As I expected, my parents love her.
James and Victoria come over for a weekend and Edward adores her just as much as I do. We spend a lot of that weekend in the water, James trying to coach me on that elusive barrel but still, I just can't seem to get it right. Victoria laughs her ass off at the two of us while Edward has a few close heart attacks every time I get pulled under and I don't surface quick enough. The Saturday night we all get a bit drunk. Edward and Victoria spend most of the evening dancing while I sit tucked under James' arm watching them contently. They do a mean Samba and I file a mental note to ask her to teach me that sometime soon.
Three weeks later, sun is not up yet on the Saturday morning. I hear the bakkie stop in front. Edward is asleep but I leap out of the bed. Not worrying about being bare foot or not, I pull open the front door just as Emmett gets out of the bakkie and grab him in for a hug.
"I love the return greetings we get since you're here," he laughs. "Makes me feel important."
"You are important," I throw back at him.
I run over to Jasper who lifts me from the ground and hugs me tightly. He kisses my cheek and neither of us can let go. We've formed such a strong bond over the last few months. I can't imagine my life without his friendship.
"I've missed you Jazz," I whisper at his ear.
"I've missed you too," he whispers back before setting me on the ground.
I'm making coffee for the two weary souls when Edward comes in. The brotherly hugs and the love that goes around almost makes me cry. I leave them to it as Jasper and Emmett fill him in on the trip and I crawl back into bed. I toss and turn a bit but eventually fall asleep listening to their voices down the passage.
"You're so stupid," Jacob says as he grabs my hair and pulls me up out of the bath. "I told you we had to leave in half an hour and you're still in the bath."
"Jacob, I'll be ready, I promise," I cry as he hauls me out of the bathroom and throws me down on the floor in the bedroom. My head catches the side of the bed and pain shoots through my skull.
As I grab my head the kicking starts…and it doesn't stop. I can hear his hate filled laughter fill the air.
"Baby, wake up."
I hear soft spoken words and soft hands on my face. I move away from them. As I knock my head on the wall behind me I realize it was a dream. Still, I grab my head and wait for the kicking to start.
"Please don't," I whisper.
"Bella, please, open your eyes. It's me," I hear Edward's soft voice. I open my eyes and see him sitting in front of me with his hands reached out. Without a second thought I leap forward and feel his arms come around me. The safety of the moment lets me exhale the bad of the dream.
"Sorry," I say quietly. "Just one of those stupid dreams again. I'm fine."
"No, you're not," he argues.
I push him away gently and look him in the eyes. "Yes, I am." And I realize that I am. I don't have to lie this time. I really am fine. I smile.
"I promise Edward. I'm fine." I take his hands in mine and I see the worried frown stays on his face. "After the other night when I punched that guy, I feel different. I explained that to you. This is just more proof of it. Yes, I was caught up in the dream a bit when I woke up, but it's gone now. The lingering fear I used to have is gone."
I move closer, kissing his very kissable lips. "You're such a big part of that Edward. Thank you for giving me back to me."
It's a little after twelve when the guys announce they're heading down for some surfing. I decide to stay at home and give them some time alone. Edward is not happy.
"I don't want you staying here alone," he sulks as I pack them a cooler box. "Why don't you go spend some time with my mom? Rosalie is meeting us at the beach so she won't be home."
I love how he worries about me and I know what he's saying is true. "I think I'll do that," I smile at him. Spending time with Esme is one of my favourite things. "I'll just get dressed and head out. I'll load my gear in case I want to meet you guys down there a bit later."
"I'll wait," he announces.
"Edward, I'll be fine. I've already showered so it'll take me ten minutes to dress and be out of here." I know I should let him wait and I know Jasper and Emmett won't mind but I also don't think ten minutes will make a difference.
"Now go, get out of here," I say as I shove the cooler box into his hand.
The kiss I receive is a raw display of his emotions and I have a hard time eventually pushing him gently away while all I want to do is rip his clothes from his hard body.
We stare at each other for a few seconds while I run my fingers through his hair.
"Please don't take long," he begs.
"I promise," I whisper as I reluctantly let him go. He waits on the other side of the door until he hears it lock and then they're gone.
I only put the door and window sensors on as I'm moving around inside.
I hurry as I promised Edward and I'm about to put my shoes on when the alarm goes off. The blaring sound echoes in my bones and my body starts moving by itself, realizing that I need to get down the passage and to a door as fast as I can. If I stay in this room I don't stand a chance.
As I almost skid around the passage corner I come to an abrupt halt as I almost run into the barrel of a gun. I freeze. I know Jacob can see my fear, hell, I can smell it.
"Disarm the alarm," he says, his voice like a thousand knives piercing my ears.
I shake my head numbly, fear making me not shiver but shake.
He grabs my hair, forcing my head down as he leads me roughly to the alarm pad, the gun against my temple. I'm crying so hard and I hate myself for it…for showing him the terror I'm feeling inside.
"Do it," he shouts as he pushes me toward the pad. I think of putting in the wrong pin but I know my phone will ring then and he'll know. He'll know and he'll know someone is on their way and he'll shoot me. I need to buy some time. With shaky fingers I manage to punch in the pin and the blaring stops. The sudden silence is deafening.
"Good girl," he says as he nears me. My back is against the door and he's in front of me and I have nowhere to run.
His body presses against me and I whimper as he drags the gun down the side of my face, his lips almost touching mine.
"Now, let's have some fun shall we?"