DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creations of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. All are human.
Getting Ready (Lemon)
"Would you like to join me in the shower?" Bella asked, grabbing her clothes from her bag in our closet.
"Do you really think that's wise?" I asked, showing her the smile I knew she loved best.
"I suppose not," she sighed, standing up and heading into our bathroom.
I chuckled softly to myself as I took off my shirt, tossing it on the floor next to me. At least I didn't have to wonder if she'd enjoyed our love making so far. It was clearly evident in her beautiful, brown eyes.
I grabbed my shirt, intending to put it in the hamper, when I noticed she had left the door wide open. The last time Bella had left a door open it had not ended well for her. I was shocked she would do it on purpose. Her back was to me as she pulled off her shirt. I wanted to look away, but my feet were glued to the floor. She slowly shimmied out of her jeans. As she reached around her back for her bra strap, my feet remembered how to move.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and gently pulled her against my chest. "Isabella," I whispered as I kissed her neck. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?"
"Maybe a little," she said, leaning further into me. Her smile was clear in her voice. "But you don't think it's wise to join me in here so you should leave." No embarrassment this time! The little vixen was taunting me. It was only fair to return it.
"You're right," I said.
I let her go then spun her around to face me. I grinned wickedly at her before scooping her up and tossing her over my shoulder. She squealed as I brought her out of the bathroom and dropped her onto our bed.
I crawled above her and smiled down at her. "This is much better."
"I don't think so, Tutor-boy," she giggled. Her happiness made me feel happy. "You have too many clothes on."
"You could always fix that," I said, kissing along her neck and shoulder.
"And if I don't want to?" she asked, tugging at my jeans by the belt loops.
"You wouldn't have left the bathroom door wide open," I replied, staring into her eyes.
"You don't know that for sure," she said, smiling coyly at me. "For all you know, I merely forgot to close it again. It's not like you're a mind reader or anything."
"True, but I like to think I've learned a little about reading your eyes and face since I've met you. And since you aren't blushing, it clearly wasn't an accident."
"And what are my eyes telling you?"
"You love me."
"That's certainly true. Anything else?"
"You are enjoying teasing me right now."
"Possibly. What else?"
"It's been far too long since I kissed you and touched you and held you close," I whispered, holding her in my arms. It was certainly true enough for me. I loved her more than I ever thought was possible. "I love you so much, Bella." I kissed her again.
While I kissed her, she ran her little hands across my shoulders and down my chest. My breathing hitched a little when her hands moved down and started unbuttoning my jeans. I let her get them open and down my legs, then I stepped out of them, never breaking our kiss. It was still too soon when I had to let her go to breathe.
"I love you, Edward," she panted, as I kissed across her shoulders.
"I love you, Bella." I smiled against her skin, enjoying the knowledge that I made her feel this way.
I lifted my head to kiss her lips again when Emmett's booming voice carried across the house. We both stopped moving, looking at each other warily.
"You locked the door, right?" she asked with a panicked look in her eyes.
I ran to our door and grabbed the handle, glad to see it had been locked. I thought about the look on her face just now and the one from last night when she had been crying. "Maybe we should just save this for later," I sighed, leaning against the door.
"Yeah, maybe," she said softly.
She climbed off the bed and went into our bathroom, not even glancing toward me. I wondered if I had made a mistake. Maybe she hadn't wanted me to stop.
The shower turned on as I stood against the door, trying to figure out what the right thing to do would be in this situation. I ran my hand through my hair and realized I had no idea. I would have to ask her. I took a deep breath and headed into our bathroom.
Bella was leaning forward, letting the water pound against her back and shoulders. I stepped in behind her and softly kissed the wet skin of her back.
"Edward, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice sounding somewhere between anger and pleasure.
"I'm sorry for earlier," I whispered as I brushed my lips against the nape of her neck. "I wasn't sure what you wanted. I don't want Emmett and you to argue again. If you want us to wait until tonight, we will, but I just wanted to be close to you right now. I love you so much, Bella. I don't want to do anything that will upset you."
She turned and faced me. "Edward, I appreciate the sentiment. It's very sweet of you. But there are only two people in our relationship and Emmett isn't one of them. I may not want him to know we have reached this step in our relationship, but I won't let his presence stop me from experiencing it either."
She put her hands against my chest and smiled up at me. I was blown away once again by how beautiful she looked when she smiled.
"So if you want to love me then love me. But you better decide before Alice comes looking for us. I have a feeling she could pick your lock if she really wanted to."
I crashed my lips to hers, letting the kiss be my answer to her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself closer to me. I lifted her up and wrapped her legs around my waist, balancing her between the wall and my chest. I hoped the tile wall wasn't too cold for her.
The water fell down around us as if we were caught outside in a very warm rainstorm. I moved my lips to her neck, licking up the droplets of water. A soft moan escaped her gorgeous lips.
Slowly, I pushed forward into her, being careful to not hurt her in any way. I thought once again about how lucky I was I had decided to go to dinner with everyone to meet this wonderful woman. I started sucking at her neck, enjoying the taste of her skin.
"Don't you dare give me a bruise there," she hissed, nudging my head with hers.
"I promise, I won't," I chuckled against her skin. Did she think I had a death wish? Emmett would absolutely kill me if he saw a hickie on Bella!
Neither of us spoke after that. The only sounds around us were the patter of the water, Bella's shallow breaths, and my own attempts to find air. She fit perfectly into my arms and I was so happy to have her close to me, sharing in this with me. I had never been happier that I had waited for the right person … for her. She was worth every second of it.
As she shivered in my arms, both of us working to calm down from our release, I professed my love to her in soft whispers. I didn't know if she even heard any of it, but I felt the need to tell her. I kissed her neck one last time before setting her down on her feet.
I grabbed her shampoo and washed her hair for her, gently massaging her scalp. Then I washed her body, just like I had done on the first night in the hotel. I made sure to rinse away all the soap.
I kissed her on the forehead. "You had better go find Alice now, love."
"I love you, Edward," she said, giving me a quick hug.
"I love you, Bella."
She smiled at me one more time as she closed the shower door. I shook my head and chuckled to myself. How had I ended up with such an angel? She was so perfect. She was charming, stunning, witty, brave, and so unbelievably loving. Not to mention insanely gorgeous.
I finished up my own shower and then quickly dressed. I chose a pair of jeans and a white button up shirt. I felt it had the best chance of passing Alice's fashion standards. I threw on my favorite pair of sneakers. Comfortable shoes were a necessity for a long night of dancing and keeping Bella on her feet.
I wondered how Alice and Rose would dress her this time. I remembered her last outfit vividly. I chuckled as I shook my head. I needed to get downstairs and those thoughts would only cause trouble. I took the stairs two at a time, anxious to see my Bella again.
The girls hadn't come out of Alice's room yet. Jasper and Emmett were having another Halo competition between themselves. I watched them play for a few minutes before getting bored. I wandered over to my piano. I pressed lightly on a few keys, trying to decide if I had enough time to really play. I hated not getting in at least two complete songs.
I sighed as I sat at the bench. I wanted to play. They would just have to wait on me. I started off with my mother's favorite piece. I closed my eyes and thought about her and my father. My mother was truly a wonderful woman. Hindsight was certainly as clear as everyone claimed. I had been unintentionally cruel to her over the last few years in an attempt to protect her. She only wanted to love me and I had refused her touch time and again. Instead of getting aggravated with me, she had simply waited for me to come around. Bella had opened my eyes and my heart.
My father … I held the utmost respect for him, but I had no desire to be him. I didn't want to see my family as ships passing in the night. I knew he saved lives and I was proud of him, but I had also missed him growing up. I knew if Bella did decide to marry me, I would not go to medical school. I would find something else to do. Maybe I could teach piano somewhere.
I finished my mother's piece and moved on to my newest. This was the final I was keeping from Bella. I was too nervous to let her know about it yet. I didn't know how she would react to it … If she would even like it. I had thought she did when I had first hummed it to her and she had fallen right to sleep. But during her span of nightmares, it had hardly done anything to comfort her. Then again, it had been the only thing to bring her any sort of relief.
This was Bella's song, her lullaby. When I had first met her, I had such a strong desire to hug her and couldn't place why I would feel that way. I didn't know her well enough to hug her physically, so I'd written her a musical hug. I wondered once again what she would think of it if I played it for her. As I opened my eyes, I realized I was about to find out.
Bella was leaning against the doorway, her arms wrapped around her small frame. She was smiling tenderly at me and her eyes held nothing but love and admiration. She slowly walked over to me, opening her arms and showing me her outfit.
"How do I look, Tutor-boy?" she asked, straddling my piano bench.
I smiled my best smile, just for her. "You look irresistible, Bella." I leaned in and kissed her softly.
"What were you just playing?" she asked, taking my hand in hers.
"Do you recognize it?" I questioned, wondering if she had any memory of it at all.
"Parts of it sounded familiar, but I think it must be my imagination. I certainly would have remembered hearing something so beautiful. Is it something of yours?" The sincerity shining in her eyes gave me the courage I needed to tell her about this piece.
"Yes," I replied, smiling at her and running a hand down her soft chestnut hair. "It's the composition I wrote for my final. And you remember parts of it because I often hum it to you while you're sleeping. It sometimes calms you down when you're agitated by your dreams."
"Sometimes?"
I smiled sadly at her. "It didn't do much for you when you were having trouble sleeping."
"Oh. I'm sure that has more to do with my freaky brain than your song. It's very beautiful, Edward."
"It doesn't even compare to the person who inspired it."
"Don't keep me in suspense," she said, wrapping both of her hands around mine. "Who inspired it?"
I chuckled at her. She truly had no idea. I kissed her quickly and said, "You, Silly Bella."
"Don't be absurd, Edward!" she laughed, playfully slapping my chest. "Tell me the truth."
"I am telling you the truth, Bella," I said. I put my hands on her hips and scooted her down the bench so I could hug her. "It's your lullaby."
She stared up at me, her brown eyes wide with disbelief. "You wrote me a song, Edward?"
"Yes. And it earned me an excellent grade if you'll remember."
"Why didn't you ever let me hear it before now?"
I shrugged. "I wasn't sure if you would like it."
"You are so gifted with your music. Why do you doubt yourself so much?"
"Do you remember what I said to you the first night we stayed up talking on the phone?"
She smiled brightly at me. "You said music was the one thing youdesired to be good at. Is that why, Edward? Is it hard for you to know if it's good because of your passion for it?"
I nodded by head. Her observations were always so accurate.
"That's okay!" she said, kissing my palm. "I'll help you to know. That piece was the most beautiful music I've ever heard and I feel very special knowing you wrote it just for me. You can play all of your music for me and I'll tell you how it truly sounds."
"I think you'll be a little biased," I chuckled.
"Maybe slightly, but I would never lie and you know that."
"Yes, I do." I kissed her forehead. "Did you hear the entire piece?"
"No. I came in during the middle. Play it for me now."
"Are you sure?"
"Please, Edward!"
I smiled at her. I set my fingers over the keys and started playing her lullaby again. She moved on the bench so she was sitting next to me and resting against my side. I heard her sigh and it made me smile. I had become very familiar with her sounds. I knew that was a sigh of contentment. She really did like it. As I finished her song, I looked up to see Alice and the others in the doorway.
"Finally!" Alice chirped. "I was wondering when you were going to play that for her!"
"How did you know about it?" I asked. I was certain I had never played it when Alice was paying attention.
"I see everything, Edward," Alice said, winking at me. "You should know that by now."
"Clue the rest of us in," Rose said, poking Alice in the shoulder with one finger.
"Bella," Alice called.
Bella sat up straight and smiled brightly. I could understand where the expression 'ear-to-ear grin' came from. She was radiant in her happiness.
"It's my lullaby. Edward wrote it for me. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Aren't you a little old for lullabies, Squirt?" Emmett said with a chuckle.
Bella poked her tongue at him. "You're just jealous!"
"Yes, because I want some baby song written for me," Emmett shot back.
"I don't think a lullaby is just for a baby," Rose said. "I think it's for anyone who needs comforting."
"Was that your top secret final, Edward?" Jasper asked.
I nodded my head.
"I can see why you got the grade you did. It really does have a comforting feel to it."
"Thank you, Jasper," I replied.
"Stand up there, Squirt," Emmett said, waving his arms at Bella. "Let me see your outfit now so I can get over the shock of it."
"It's not even bad," Bella laughed, as she stood up.
I watched as the shirt rose, showing a sliver of her perfectly flat stomach. I quickly turned my head away, not wanting Emmett to catch me staring at Bella. I was filled with the irrational conviction he would know Bella and I were no longer innocent in that way. I was sure his realization would quickly be followed by his fists.
"Oh, that's not bad at all," Emmett said. "Are we ready to head out?"
"Edward?" Alice asked. She knew how I liked to play more than one piece.
I nodded my head to her.
"Perfect. Each couple will take a car in case anyone gets tired early," Alice said.
Bella and I walked to the coat closet together. I pulled out her jacket and helped her put it on. I threw on my own then took her hand in mine. We were the first out of the house. I opened her door and she climbed in, smiling up at me. I got in the car and smiled as it started, loving the way the engine barely made noise.
"So you like this car?" Bella giggled.
"You knew that already," I chuckled. I backed up and waited for Alice to pull ahead of me.
"You're going to hang onto me and make sure I don't end up in another cast, right?"
"Yes, love. I will hold tightly to you and protect you."
"Good. What's it like in a club?"
"Most are slightly congested with people. There is usually an area with tables and booths for those who prefer to watch or need a break. I believe the one we're going to tonight has sofas."
"Do you think Alice would let me get away with just sitting at first? I'm a little nervous."
"I will make sure of it."
"Thank you, Edward."
"Anything for you, Bella."
EBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEBEB
They're you have it ... Edward wouldn't play the lullaby for Bella b/c he thought she didn't like it since it didn't help much with her nightmares. He's very modest about his music.
There's a new poll up on my profile ... check it out if you have a chance ... Kuddo's to kuroxdoragon for the idea and help!
