Training the Swan
Chapter Forty-Six – The Workout
Edward
When we received the news on Senior's suicide, it was late at night and we were already asleep. I had to wake Bella to tell her, and she remained restless for hours in bed, as I tried to offer her some comfort. However, it seemed something she didn't want.
She wanted vengeance. She wanted revenge. Things she could no longer obtain since the asshole was dead.
She sighed, turning to her side to attempt some more sleep. "I don't want to talk about this." I didn't think she'd be able to sleep, but she managed to for over an hour. However, she woke up from a nightmare that had her reaching for me. Since then she'd been like this.
"You're pissed," I murmured.
"What was your first clue?" Her hand thumped against the bed, as she turned from her side to face the ceiling, moving away from me. She ran a hand over her face and dug into her hair.
"That bastard got off easy by swallowing a bullet. First, he made it seem he was having a heart attack the day Charlie's limo was bombed, to gain sympathy. The man found none amongst his peers, and he didn't deserve any. The second he realized he had no one to turn to for help he killed himself. What a fucking coward." She demonstrated a slicing motion in the air. "No more. I don't want to talk about him anymore. He doesn't deserve a second thought."
There was so much emotion in her voice, it shook, tears forming and falling, wiped away with her hand swiftly and angrily. She needed something else to help expel that level of hate and anger. I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress, tossing the sheets aside. I found that the shorts I had on earlier were on a chair nearby, swiftly slipping into them.
"What are you doing?"
I heard the shift of fabric and knew she was watching me, could feel her eyes on my back and ass. I did my best to ignore the punch of desire that her perusal usually stirred. It wasn't the time for that. She needed an outlet, and though I would have loved to do it between the sheets, there was another way that she'd gain more from.
"Get dressed," I said gruffly, my back still stiff from an incident with Ellie and the tree house from earlier that day. That was another story.
"Why?"
I could tell she hadn't moved, and imagined that she was laying there partially hidden beneath the covers, her beautiful breasts bare and perfect. If I looked at her, we wouldn't leave the bedroom for the rest of the night.
"We're going to work that anger out of you in the gym," I indicated, moving toward the dresser in search for a shirt.
She hummed and whispered, "I could think of better ways to expend my energy." Fuck, how I wished I could join her in bed again.
I beat down the urge to comply, to slip into bed beside her. "No, Bella. Get up." I found a blue shirt and quickly threw it on, maybe if I had more clothes on the less tempted I'd be.
"Is that an order from my trainer?" There was a taunt in her voice, but the anger that simmered through it was far greater.
I turned, expecting to find her ready for a fight. I watched her shift on the bed to her knees, soft skin illuminated beneath the dim moonlight that filtered through the curtains. Naked, too. Fuck. Her arms were across her chest, with a "bitch brow" cocked, and lips tight, nearly hissing with that barely contained anger.
"If that's what it will take to get your damn ass out of bed, then yeah," I said, adding the same taunt in my voice. "That's a fucking order." I'd probably pay dearly for that, but if I accomplished what I set out to do, then it'd be worth it.
Again, I expected her to give me a hard time. She glared for a minute and shrugged, forcing my eyes to wander. Damn, is it hot in here?
"Fine, but if I drop you on your ass, you're kissing mine."
There was the feisty woman I loved. "I'll agree to those terms if you work through a routine for at least forty-five minutes." That and a couple of orgasms should work out all that pent up frustration and anger.
She nodded and moved toward me, but I quickly stepped away to the bathroom. There was no way I'd be able to resist her being so close. Her laughter penetrated the door. She knew exactly how hard it was for me to resist her, especially when she was walking around the room fucking naked.
I adjusted myself, glad that I chose loose basketball shorts, and went to wash my hands and rinse my mouth. I wasn't a complete idiot. I did plan to touch that lovely body of hers sometime soon, and it was best that I was minty fresh.
"Ready," she said through the door. I sighed and went to face her, and would undoubtedly be a torturous hour of watching her move, sweat, and bounce. What the fuck was I thinking?
She was clad in a sports bra that had a zipper-fucking-easy-access front, hugging her breasts perfectly, and a skirt thing that looked more like underwear and barely covered her ass. Why couldn't she have chosen leggings? Then again, those weren't much better, considering they let me know exactly what lay beneath the fabric. She was trying her best to distract me with the outfit. I'd be lucky to last an hour, at least she hadn't asked to spar naked. I'd never survive.
"Ready?" she asked, batting those sable lashes of hers innocently. The smirk on her lips completely contradicted her innocent eyes. She knew how to push my buttons. Smiling, I shook my head knowing it was something I'd always look forward to with Bella. She'd always keep me on my toes. Without another word, I led the way downstairs. After all this time, she was still damn good at putting up a front when she didn't want to face something.
I left Ellie's baby monitor nearby, and turned on the stereo low enough to hear if she woke up. At the foot of the stairs, Bella watched as I pulled out mats onto the floor and athletic tape. The look of seduction she'd worn since I tried to lure her to the gym was gone.
She looked angry again. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, tight lipped, even her nose flared slightly. Yeah, an angry workout session would help her not carry that burden on her shoulders. For a while at least, long enough that she'd get some rest.
"Come over here," I said in a firm tone. The same one I used when I wouldn't take no for an answer or when we worked out before. The tick of her jaw was the only indication she heard me. Stiff and growing angrier with every step she took, she made her way to me.
"This is stupid," she growled. "It's after midnight."
"Start your stretch routine." I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at her and waiting. She remained immobile. "Need a hand?" That was the wrong thing to say. A gorgeous smile spread on her face as she bent, placing her hands on the mat, and lifting her body up.
"Sure," she said as she supported herself in a handstand, forcing me to spot for her. She had good handle on this routine, but every once and a while she'd almost topple over when she lost focus. I usually stood nearby just in case. I swallowed, watching as she did a series of leg extensions and kicks, only needing to help her once. I kept the contact for only a few seconds, it was all I could endure without giving in.
Then I nearly expired when her legs spread into a split, cursing under my breath. Thankfully, she didn't need any further assistance. If she had I would've had her naked in seconds. She returned to her feet after executing a back flip and continued through her usual stretching regiment for a few more minutes as I did mine.
More relaxed than before, she shook out her hands and made her way toward me. It wasn't until I started to tape her hands that the anger broke through the surface again. For months, it had been a constant rollercoaster ride of emotions for her. With ups and downs, turns, twists, and corkscrews, leaving anyone along the ride just a little breathless. The last week had been the worst. I understood what she felt, that need for vengeance for the hell she'd been through because of that man.
It was something I felt more than once in my life. When Caius walked away after being partially responsible for his son's life and when Felix dared to use Ellie to lure me out.
The second I was done with taping her hands, she started balancing herself on her toes, dancing circles around me. I did my hands as best as I could and tossed the rest of the tape aside. When our eyes met, the anger was still there but there was something else, too. I wasn't sure what, but I had a feeling she didn't think this shit would help. I knew deep down it would.
She rolled her shoulders, psyching me out with what looked like a right hook but swung with her left. "I'm not sure what you're hoping to accomplish here," she said, blocking my knee to her stomach.
I kept my eyes on hers. "You're angry, Bella."
Her lips curled on one end. "I have every right to be angry." I landed a punch to her arm and another to her chest. She shook them off easily, and managed a series of quick jabs to my side. "He didn't deserve to get off so easy."
"And you're angry that it looks like Debra gave him the idea."
"Why would she do that!" she growled and circled around me again. She faked another right, landing a left to my pectoral. "She of all people should've wanted the bastard to suffer for a long while."
This was good and something she needed; to talk about it, to let the anger out. I shook my head.
"Think about it, sweetheart. Debra's been under his tyranny for over thirty years. Do you really think she'd want to go through the media scrutiny, the trial, only to add to her misery? To the sentence, she had already served under him. She wanted it over, this did that for her."
"God, I hate when you make sense," she stated and spun on her heal, landing a roundhouse kick to my thigh. That stung, though from the look on her face she hadn't meant to add that much strength to the kick.
"Fuck," I hissed and upped my ante. For another forty minutes, we continued in the same manner. She ran through the scenarios she had hoped for if that bastard still lived. In her rant, she pictured him tortured daily for the crap he'd done to everyone around him.
She steadily become more agitated by the second, and came to realize that there was much more to this anger than Senior's suicide. I managed to get my arms around her from behind.
"There's more to this, tell me."
Her breath was harsh as tears started to form, her body going limp in my embrace. "I feel guilty!" That was what I was waiting for. I knew there was something more to her anger.
"What? Why?" There was no reason for her to feel guilty toward that asshole.
"Because James was a product of Senior's upbringing," she whispered. "And I wondered how it would've been like if his father wasn't such an asshole."
It hurt to hear that. "That was the nightmare you had."
"I feel guilty for even having that dream, because if James wasn't like that, I never would've met you."
I kissed her shoulder and murmured in her ear. "You have no reason to feel guilty for simply thinking 'what if.'" She nodded and turned to rest her head on my chest, whispering a mournful apology. "You don't have to apologize, baby. I'll give you another 'what if' to consider. If he were not such an asshole, you two would've never met. Remember he had a man try to force himself on you, to get you to come to him. That was something Senior taught him, any means necessary, no matter who you hurt. Think about that."
She sighed, "Ellie wouldn't be here."
"Exactly, so don't torture yourself with what could've been. Think about what could be with me…with us now that you're free."
Her fingers skimmed my chin, my jaw before she looked up at me. "I hurt you."
I kissed the tip of her nose, earning a soft smile. "It hurt to know you dreamed of him and wondered about would've been, but knowing you felt guilty means you worried about how I'd feel about it, because you love me."
"I do," she whispered, pulling my mouth down to hers, "so much, Edward." Our kiss was soft, and perfect, until her foot hooked around mine, making me lose my balance and land on my ass.
Standing over me, her hands on her hips, she smiled. "I did say you'd have to kiss my ass if I get you on yours."
I growled and sat up enough to grab her and pull her down onto me, causing her to squeal, trying to get away. "No!" On all fours, she crawled closer toward the mirrored wall, using it to pull her to her feet. She fucking cackled and managed to escape me again with a quick swirl, bypassing my arm.
I shot up onto my feet, stalking toward her. Her eyes were wide, her skin flushed, a sheen of perspiration covering her chest and arms.
"Time to collect your prize," I said huskily.
Biting her lip, she stepped back against one of the matted support columns I had in the room. "What are you going do to?"
I cocked my head to one side, watching the shiver of anticipation moving through her.
"First, I'm going to remove every stitch of clothing off your delectable body." I closed in, placing one of my hands over her head, the other on her hip. I thumbed the skin over the waistband of her skirt and found pliable, soft, warm skin. Her breath hitched, watching me with desire-filled eyes.
I was happy to see that the anger and guilt I had seen earlier were nearly gone. It would take time before it would go away completely, if at all. She lived a hard life for the past few years, but it was time to move on and look forward to a better future.
A small hand slipped up my abdomen and rested on my chest. Her eyes held some teasing, as did the tone of her voice. "What else are you going to do to me?"
I skimmed her shoulder with my lips, retraced my path with a gentle glide of my tongue, and nibbled on her neck.
"After you're naked, I'm going to kiss you from the top of your pretty head to your cute, little toes, including your amazing ass."
"Oh," she gasped, clutching her hand in my shirt. "Tell me more, please."
Though dirty talking wasn't usually in our list of favorite bedroom activities, I knew from the first time we shared ourselves that it was something she enjoyed. Never one to deny her any desire, I continued the exquisite torture. The anticipation would serve to make it a thoroughly pleasurable experience for us both.
My mouth continued to tease, my hands joining the exploration, cupping her breasts. "After you are left wanting more of my touch, I'm going to give you more of it. I'll lick and nibble on your beautiful breasts, taste your sweet belly button, and put my mouth here," my fingers found their way between her thighs, earning a moan, "long enough for you to scream for me."
Before she could respond further, I knelt before her. I slipped my hands over her bare feet and ankles, and then proceeded to remove her skirt and panties. I kept my touch light, enough for her to feel only the tips of my calloused fingers. She wanted more, that was easy to determine by the buck of her hips and soft mewling sounds made with my every touch.
As she kicked away her panties and skirt with her foot, I grasped her ass with my hands. She sighed as I teased her with my lips from hip to hip, giving her a taste of what was to come.
Rising to my feet, I continued to tease her with my fingertips and bent to unzip her top open with my teeth. Her hands reached for my hair, soft pleas leaving her lips. She undoubtedly felt the burn of my stubble against the sensitive skin of the inside curves of her breasts.
"Edward, please," she gasped as the bra parted, exposing her chest to my gaze. I stomped down the desire to start there, and do the things I already suggested. Instead, I detoured by cradling her face in my hands. When her eyes finally managed to meet mine, I could see the desire there. So fucking clear in her eyes.
"I love you," I growled, giving in to my need to kiss her. She moaned, as I tasted each curve of her mouth, biting gently on her bottom lip. I needed her to give herself to me completely, for her to trust that I would give her everything she needed.
"Let go, Bella," I whispered and added a soft lick at the corner of her mouth. "Let me have you. Show you how much I need and want you." She shuddered at the next glide of my mouth over hers. "Let me love you."
"Yes, love you, too," she sighed and melted in my arms, her hands falling to my sides. I groaned at the soft sound and kissed her again, slanting my lips over hers. My fingers held her close and ran through her beautiful hair. The strands felt like smooth silk, despite the dampness from our workout.
My name left her lips as I did what I promised. I pressed my lips to the center of her forehead, tipping her head down enough to continue across the surface of her skin. Her hands clenched at my sides, her breath coming out in pants and moans.
I continued, brushing open-mouthed kisses over every inch of her, along her jaw, her neck, down to the tips of her breasts. There, I lingered, torturing her with bite of my teeth, her knees nearly buckling beneath her. I held her up by wrapping my arm around her waist, continuing until I knelt at her feet again. She watched as I slid my tongue along the seam between her thigh and hip, cursing when I teased the back of her knee after I asked her to turn around for me.
My hands ran over her slim but strong calves, and continued to fulfill my promise with a gentle rake of my teeth over her ass, and alleviated any pain with a soft kiss.
"Edward," she hissed, her body nearly twisting in my hold.
"Not yet," I murmured. How I managed to keep myself in check, I had no idea. I was fucking hard and desperate to be inside her, to feel her clench around me. I pressed a series of small kisses along her spine, my hands gliding up the sides of her body. She moaned, groaned, and nearly cursed me with every breath.
She was desperate for relief so I turned her to face me once again. I watched the rise and fall of her chest for a moment, and then met her eyes as I lifted one of her gorgeous legs over my shoulder.
Her body quaked, her eyes fluttered closed at the first touch of my lips between her thighs. I stopped. She tugged on my hair, making me laugh and her moan.
"Open your eyes, baby,"
"Please," she hissed and managed to comply after a few breathless curses. She watched as I slid my tongue along her sensitive skin. "Edward."
I did what I said I would do. I kissed her from head to toe, rewarded her with her prize when I kissed her ass as she teased me earlier. Now, if I remembered correctly, I had to make her scream. I nearly smiled at the thought of her reaction of what I was going to do.
She bucked her hips when my fingers filled her, my tongue teasing her, pulling back whenever she was too close to the edge. Shaking and just as desperate, when I pulled away for the third time, she screamed. "Damn you! Let me come."
As I stood up, slipping her leg from my shoulder to my hip and tossing off my shorts, I grinned.
Her eyes bright and slightly glazed, widened. "You did that on purpose."
I wiggled my eyebrows and said, "I did say I'd make you scream."
She growled and grabbed my face, kissing me hard enough to make me groan and roll my hips into hers. She was warm, wet, and ready for me. I lifted her up by her ass, her legs and arms automatically wrapping around me. She supported herself on my shoulders, holding her hips higher than I wanted, tightening her legs so that I couldn't slip inside her.
I growled and pulled away from the column, digging my fingers around her ass. "Give me what I want." She laughed breathlessly as I bit at her chin, trying to line our hips together again. Fuck, she had strong thighs.
She smiled devilishly and shook her head. "I can tease you, too."
I groaned as she gave me a taste of what I wanted with a gentle roll. "Bella!"
She smirked and rolled her hips against me again. "I want you inside me."
"Fuck, then let me!" She denied me again as I pressed her body hard against the column.
"Not yet," she murmured, pressing her sweet body along mine.
"Please," I begged and slipped my tongue inside her mouth. She moaned at my intrusion and loosened her hold, and less than a second after I slammed inside her. She cried out, her fingers in my hair, her breath teasing my ear.
I felt the bite of her heels at the small of my back and ass, her hands moving over my arms, shoulders, and hair. Her nails pinched and bit into my skin with every thrust, her hips meeting mine hard and fast.
"You feel so good, sweetheart," I whispered her ear. "I can feel how close you are." Unable to form words, she moaned and gasped. "Want to feel you tighten around me." She quivered in my arms as she did just that. "That's it, baby," I moaned, hitting her deeper and faster.
"Edward," she breathed and at the bite of her teeth in my shoulder, I released another guttural groan and let go.
Covered in sweat and panting, I lowered our bodies to the ground before my knees gave out. I held her close, sliding my hands over her still quivering body.
As our breath returned to normal, she smiled up at me. "Thank you."
I grinned, even though she was thanking me for more than an amazing orgasm, I still teased her. "My pleasure."
She rolled her eyes. For several minutes, we laid there, only touching and whispering quietly to each other.
"Now that it's finally over, I think its time to meet your parents." I nearly choked on my next breath at her words. "I'm safe. Charlie is 'dead' so you don't have to do anything more for him or the organization. It's time for you to go home."
I watched as her eyes softened, likely worried because I remained unresponsive. Choked up, I replied almost a full minute later, "I want that. My mother would love you and Ellie. But, it's been so long, Bella. I don't know how they will respond when they see me."
"I know."
"If it works out, do you think we can get married there? In Chicago?"
She smiled and touched my cheek. "I think that would be perfect."
"Charlie and your family still won't be able to come out of hiding," I murmured, brushing aside a damp curl from her forehead. "It'll have to be months from now."
"I don't want to wait that long. Our fake anniversary is coming up. I'd like to get married for real on that day. Mom and Alice will understand that I want this, us as a family, married and happy now, instead of later. Charlie, I think will, too. And if they can't be there, at least your family will be."
I nodded and pressed my lips to hers for a brief kiss. "If we go to them, we have to tell them the lie."
"That I'm your wife and Ellie is your daughter."
"Are you okay with that?"
She didn't even have to think about it. "Yes. If it means that they are safe and so are we, then yes. We don't know if there are any more Dwyers left to retaliate. It's better to be safe than sorry, that's why we faked our deaths. And Ellie is yours in every way that counts, and so am I."
I had to kiss her for saying that, pulling away to ask when she wanted to go. "As soon as you can arrange it," she said. "You'll have to go alone at first, so you don't shock them when we all show up."
I shook my head. "No, I want you there that first time. I'll call Jake to watch Ellie when we first go to see them. Test the waters. He can join us. Be my best man."
She smiled and laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd want him to be your best man." I laughed and held her close.
"How about next week? Then we'd have a week before our wedding there."
"Yes. I'll have to go find a dress."
I kissed her again and after cleaning up, made our way back to our bedroom. Soon, she fell asleep, no longer restless, as I held her. I knew the future would be better with her always by my side.
~oOo~
The phone rang as I served Ellie breakfast the following morning. Bella and I decided we'd tell her about our trip and upcoming wedding, since my girls had to go shopping for their dresses later that day. She took the news rather well, and seemed very excited to meet my parents.
"Hello," Bella answered. As she carried on a conversation with Jake, I helped Ellie cut her mother's much-better-than-mine pancakes that I cooked. I was getting better now that Bella was home.
I heard the rise of Bella's voice before she hung up. She looked at me then Ellie. Our daughter froze and bit her bottom lip as if she knew she was in trouble.
"That was Jake," she said, still staring at Ellie. "He just remembered something he forgot to mention when your dad and I came home."
Ellie's eyes widened and she swallowed.
"Who's this other aunt you were talking about?"
What the fuck?
"It's not Alice. You know you can't call her."
When she said nothing, I persisted. If someone else outside of the Pack and family knew about who she really was, I needed to know.
"Who was it, Ellie?" I asked. "You know you can't call Aunt Alice until we know that everyone believes they're really gone."
She nodded, dropping her gaze to her plate. Instead of answering, she looked up at me. "So when are we going to meet my new grandma and grandpa?"
"Ellie?" Bella said, joining us at the table. "Answer the question."
Ellie answered with another question, "When are we going to see your new sister, Daddy?"
