The Transfer (Revised)
A/N: It's probably a good thing that Edward managed to get Bella down to his bedroom for some alone-time when he did, or that cake would have turned into an annoying, pain in the a**, Two-Layer Chocolate B******, Cockblocking, God****, Motherf***er Cake. Because you know that's where Edward's rambling, cursing thoughts were headed if the chapter went on much longer with no relief in sight. ;)
On the off chance that you'd like to make your own personal Cockblocker Cake, go to: .com/recipefinder/Chocolate-Raspberry- It isn't actually called A Two-Layer Chocolate B****** Cockblocker Cake or Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte, I just liked calling it both of those names. ;)
Stephenie Meyer owns the rights to Twilight. I own the rights to the name "Two-Layer Chocolate B****** Cockblocker (Cockblocking God**** Motherf***er) Cake." I'm not infringing, neither is Steph.
That was a long note. Time to get back to business.
A Very Cullen Weekend Part X
Chapter 46: The Business of Appetites (Revised)
BPOV
Edward was kissing my mouth and then his soft lips were on my neck and moving up along my neck, up to my ear. He was no longer growling. I'll admit, I kind of felt like purring. I turned my head, kissing him, my lips moving along the slight soft scruff that had emerged along his perfect jawbone during the course of the day. He moaned softly as I kissed him just below his ear and then tugged on his earlobe lightly with my teeth. He turned his head and found my lips again, and then he was suddenly looking down at me, his eyes nearly aglow. He was just so beautiful. His nose touched mine and slid up along the length of my nose until I felt his lips kiss the tip. I heard and felt him sigh happily against me.
"This is exactly what I've been needing," he murmured. "This whole afternoon has been rather hectic and difficult at times, but this, right now, makes it all worthwhile."
I hummed happily against him as he nuzzled back into my neck, my fingers winding into his wild, chaotic hair, straightening my fingers and letting the strands of his silky hair pull tightly through my flexed fingers. I heard the sharp intake of breath through his teeth that sounded almost like a hiss and I felt his body shiver slightly against mine.
"Mmm. There's that hair thing you do to me just so well." He looked back down at me, his eyes blazing with an inner heat.
"Everything you do to me you do just so well, Edward," I murmured. Just looking at him, feeling him against me was enough to send my heart thudding within me.
I trailed my hands down to the hem of his thermal shirt, sliding my hands up beneath the back of it, feeling his heated skin against my fingertips. His soft lips were on mine again, his tongue tasting my lip, sucking on it and nipping at it as my hands roamed over the lean muscles of his back, edging his shirt up, needing to feel more of him.
He pulled his arms out of the sleeves one at a time as I held the bunched up fabric. I pulled the shirt up and over his head as he leaned away from me. When his face came back into view again he was smiling a small, sexy smile; his Cupid's bow lips sending an arrow straight to my heart. I shoved the discarded shirt over the edge of the bed and wrapped my arms around his bare torso, my hands and arms trying to feel as much smooth, warm skin as possible. Touching him was truly a tactile aphrodesiac and I was succumbing to its powers.
"I've really tried to be on my best behavior, but you make it really difficult," he murmured to me as he placed small kisses about my jaw and chin and neck. "I'm giving up trying to be good now. I'm just going to do what I want now, and let the chips fall where they may. If any impatient, well-meaning meddlers come banging on my locked bedroom door, I'm going to ignore them. If we miss dinner, I won't really care; my mom will have another birthday next year. I just want to be with you; it's like a craving that I can't ignore. I find you very hard to resist, Bella."
He gazed down at me with his breathtaking crooked smile and heated, bedroom eyes.
"You know, you're not the only one that has struggled to keep your hands where they belong today." I smiled shyly at him, "It's been a frustrating day for me too." I took his face in my hands and pulled his mouth to mine. "You're awfully hard to resist, too, Edward," I told him as I pulled him down to me and tasted those pouty lips once again.
He moved off of me to lie on his side, next to me. He began tugging my shirt upwards, finally pulling it off over my head and arms, as I had done for him. He recklessly flung the shirt backwards over his shoulder and I giggled at his devilish expression. And then I was lying there next to him in just my ivory lace bra and jeans. He looked down at me; at my bra-clad torso.
"My beautiful Bella," he murmured. "This is nearly the way I've been picturing you most of the day." He smiled softly.
"Nearly?" I asked.
He nodded and pulled me toward him and reached around my heated body, working to unclasp my bra. I felt it spring open and he was gently pulling it from my arms until he was able to drop it to the floor behind me.
"This is how I pictured you most of the day."
His smoldering eyes roamed my naked torso and then he was pulling me close to him, wrapping his arms around me and pressing me against him; my soft breasts to his lean chest, as he kissed the top of my head. I think he needed to feel my skin as much as I needed his. I breathed in his clean, Edward scent and I felt the hairs on his chest tickling my breasts. His fingertips ran down the length of my back and up again, making me shiver.
I could feel him moving his legs, struggling for a moment, until I heard first one heavy shoe, and then the other, fall to the floor with a thud. I toed my own shoes off then, kicking them to the floor. He pulled away from me slightly and gazed at me, looking first into my eyes and then he glanced down at my naked torso.
"You're so lovely," his voice whispered. "I couldn't wait to see you like this again."
I blushed at his words, but I had to agree with him, because I had been wanting to see him like this too. I placed my hand on his solid chest, right over his heart and felt the steady pounding of his heartbeat within, matching my own. I trailed my hand over his chest, delighting in the feeling of my fingers moving through the soft, curling hairs there.
He was still lying on his side, next to me, as I lay there facing him. His hand gently cupped my breast, squeezing it and running the pad of his thumb over the sensitive peak. My breath hitched at the powerful sensation. I hadn't realized just how much I had been aching for his touch. His eyes flickered back to mine in the darkening room. He bent over me then, sliding his body down a little, his tongue tasting me, licking at my nipple lightly before taking more of my breast into his mouth and sucking. I inhaled deeply, almost involuntarily, because of the delicious feeling of his mouth, his lips and his tongue on me. I whimpered; the feeling was almost more than I could bear as I felt him tug at me, and I arched into him.
His hand gently pressed against my shoulder, forcing me to lie back. He moved to touch my breast that was nearer him, cupping and kneading it, until he eventually leaned down over me and pressed his lips to my breast as his hand moved across to the other side, mimicking the motions of his mouth. Each lick, kiss, suck or gentle nip of his tongue, lips and teeth; each gentle touch, tug or pinch of his fingertips was driving me closer and closer to the edge. My whole body became only sensation; my breasts linked directly to my core by a tautly stretched piano wire that Edward knew exactly how to play.
I heard myself moan as I began to writhe against him; seeking more from him. He slid back up toward me, kissing me hard on the mouth, thrusting his tongue into my mouth. His erection was pressed firmly up against my thigh as he leaned into me. I felt light fingertips drag slowly down from the base of my neck, between my breasts, to my thigh, kneading the flesh through my jeans as his hand moved between my legs. I felt his long fingers slowly caress the apex of my thighs before moving to the button on my jeans. His eyes met mine again as he unbuttoned my pants and then moved to unzip them.
I reached my hand across my body, seeking the front of his jeans; pressing my hand against his hard length, cupping my hand against his substantial arousal. He groaned a bit as he exhaled a ragged breath, but then his hand gently moved my hand away as he whispered in my ear.
EPOV
"No, love. Don't distract me."
It had been a struggle to say it because as much as I wanted her hands on me, I wanted this for her more. I knew if she started touching me and stroking me, I'd lose myself in that and it would be so hard to stay so focused on her. And I wanted to know what she liked, and how the things I did to her made her feel, so I wanted to watch and listen and feel how her body reacted. If I were wrapped up in my own experience, I would miss out on part of hers.
Her fingers were in my hair again, tightly raking through it, pulling my lips back to hers. Somehow the tug and pull on each hair follicle was tied directly to my groin, making me impossibly hard.
"Oh, Edward…" she breathed, against my mouth as I worked the zipper of her jeans down.
I pulled the fly of her jeans apart a little and flattened my hand against her stomach. I slid my hand down, under the edge of her jeans, over the smooth satin and rough lace of her panty, down to her heat. I felt the warmth and moisture there with my stroking fingertips as I listened to her shallow breaths. She moved, pressing herself against my hand and moaned quietly. I withdrew my hand for a moment, kneeling up to slide her jeans and underwear down over her hips, past her creamy thighs, and shapely calves, pulling them off her long legs. I grasped her ankles, one at a time, pulling off her socks and adding them to the piles of clothing strewn about the floor of my room.
I turned back toward her and was suddenly completely immobile, nearly unable to function at all as I took in her lovely, completely naked form for what was really the very first time. She was absolutely stunning. Pure and simple. I admired the halo of softly curled, rich brown hair spread out over my pillow; her flushed, heart-shaped face with the trusting, waiting gaze of her liquid chocolate eyes as she watched me, the corner of her bottom lip caught between pearly white teeth. I could see the steady beat of her heart in a little flicker of movement at the base of her neck. She was dazzling.
My eyes traveled down to the rise and fall of her soft, full breasts, the rosy peaks taut and waiting. I already knew they were the exact size to fill my hands. And even though I wasn't touching them, I knew exactly how they felt beneath my fingers; I knew the weight of them in my palms. I knew how they felt beneath my tongue and lips and how they tasted.
They were perfect.
She was perfect.
I shifted, finally pulling myself together and able to move, sitting to the side of her, leaning on my elbow, near her upper body. I looked back to her soft stomach, her small navel and beyond, to the neatly manicured little garden of earthly delights that would probably feel like heaven to me when I was lucky enough to be invited in.
I swallowed thickly as I looked back up at her, my hand running lightly up the outside of her thigh, back down to her knee and then once more, up the soft inner side of her thigh. She gasped, clenching her thighs together for just a second, before relaxing under my touch. I did the same on her other leg and this time she just watched me with dark, hooded eyes as I touched her. Her eyes closed when my hand arrived at the apex of her thighs. Her breath hitched and then she sighed softly.
I leaned back down to her then, sliding my arm under her to pull her close, needing to kiss her, wanting to whisper to her what she meant to me and tell her that I loved her as I touched that most secret part of her. I caressed her with my fingertips, lightly stroking her. She was soft and warm and slick. She whimpered as I found that tiny little bud of nerves; stroking and circling.
I pushed my finger gently into her wet warmth, feeling how tight she was. I think I made some involuntary sound or said something that was so incoherent even I had no idea what it was. She moaned and pushed slightly against my hand. I withdrew my finger somewhat and pushed in again, slowly repeating the movement as she began to move beneath my hand.
Her arm was around my back, pulling me to her, her hand insistently moving to the nape of my neck, urging me to bend to her mouth and kiss her as my fingers continued their exploration. I listened to the sound of her panting breaths as I withdrew my finger for just a moment. She cried out at the loss but then I added a second finger, gently pushing back in and feeling her tighten minutely before relaxing and moving beneath me. I heard her low groan and I slowly began pulsing my fingers in and out of her, moving with the same rhythm as her hips. Her breaths became ragged as I felt for that little spot inside, curling my fingers upwards slightly and rubbing that little bud above with my thumb as I stroked.
"Oh," she gasped, "there… Oh, Edward…oh damn!" Her hand was back on the fly of my jeans, pressing against my straining erection, and this time I wasn't going to push her hand away. I was too far gone. The sight of her, the sounds she was making, the movement of her body and the feeling of her slick heat around my fingers, put me right there on the edge, like she was. She was grasping my dick through my jeans, stroking against me. She pulled on my hair with her other hand, bringing my mouth back to hers and kissed me hard as I groaned and pumped my fingers into her a little faster, a little harder. Then she suddenly began tensing up.
"Oh, God… ohmyGod! Oh…Edward…! I felt her clenching inside in waves at the same time that I felt her mouth still against mine. Her body tensed and the movements of her hand against my rock hard dick stilled, but I felt her grip tighten. That tightened grip, and knowing that she was coming right then and there, put me over the edge and into a freefall and I was suddenly tensing and coming as she did, crying out with her as it rolled through us together.
We rode the shockwaves out, coming down slowly and clinging to each other. I wrapped her in my arms, pulling her tightly against me. It was a glorious feeling, the sensation of her climaxing around my fingers at the same moment that I came; knowing that I had given her that, sharing that moment and experiencing it with her.
We lay there together just holding each other, breathing hard, our hearts pounding.
"Sweet Baby Jesus," she panted, lying there in my arms, her own arms wrapped weakly around me. She giggled somewhat breathlessly.
I chuckled.
My sentiments exactly.
Our breathing was still slowing and returning to normal as we continued to just lie there in each other's arms.
"I love you, Bella" I whispered to her, kissing her hair, more fragrant now from the intense heat of her body.
"Mmm, I love you, too, baby."
After a little while she spoke softly again, "Edward?"
"Hmm?" I responded, not bothering to open my eyes as I nuzzled against her.
She paused and I wondered why, but then she spoke softly up to me and I could hear her smile in the sound of her voice. "That…was fucking excellent." She giggled at herself then.
I laughed, completely caught off guard, remembering having said the same thing to her this morning in the shower after I'd come undone.
"Good, that's the way it should be." I squeezed her tightly. "Actually, I believe the standard response is 'You say the nicest things.'" I pulled my head back to look at her, to smile at my girl and absorb the love I saw in her smile.
"I think I'll be able to get through dinner a little more easily now," I told her truthfully.
She snickered. "Oh, tell me about it, Edward. I didn't know how I was going to get through the evening, sitting around with your family if I had to keep looking at you and your bedroom eyes, all soft and sexy and smoldering. Sheesh! Give a girl a break, won't you?" Her eyes had a distinct sparkle to them.
"My eyes smolder?" I asked her incredulously.
She rolled her eyes at me. "You really have no concept of your own appearance do you?"
I shrugged. "Guess not." I grinned at her, running my hand up and down along her arm. "I think 'smolder' must be in the eye of the beholder." She laughed as I hugged her tightly and kissed her temple, glancing over at the clock on the nightstand.
"We've got to start getting ready for dinner shortly, love. It'll be time before we know it."
She looked over at the clock.
"Give me five minutes, just to lie here with you, Edward." She stifled a yawn. "It won't take me long to get dressed. I'm already undressed...thanks to you."
I chuckled. She had a point. I'd saved her all kinds of time.
"Sure love, but only five minutes. Before I change I need to hop in the shower and clean up. Um…thanks to you."
She snorted a quiet laugh, but her eyes were already closed.
I pulled her in close against me and she laid her head down on my shoulder, relaxing into me and I think she maybe even dozed off for a couple minutes. I let the five minutes turn into ten, just enjoying the feeling of my girl lying with me, her soft breaths on my chest, both of us all relaxed and content.
There's nothing like enjoying the afterglow in a leisurely fashion. But there wasn't really enough time. So I decided that was going to be a goal of mine for the future. I leaned down to Bella, kissing her temple and watched as her eyelids fluttered open.
"Mmm. I guess I dozed off. We have to get ready, right?" she asked as she stretched.
"Yeah. I'm going to take a really fast shower. I'll be right back, Love." I got up off the bed, picking up her clothing items that had somehow gotten strewn about my floor. I threw them at her as she giggled and rolled and dodged them.
I grinned at her. "While I shower, you lie there and think about how much I love you, okay?"
She smiled. "I was going to lie here and think about how much I love you."
I laughed. "Oh, well, they're both worth considering."
I smiled as I headed out the door and for the next five minutes all I thought about was how much I wanted her and loved her and wondered if I'd ever feel like I could get enough of her. Because I already wanted more.
BPOV
Holy. Orgasmic. Crow.
I lay there on Edward's bed for a few moments longer, thinking about just how sexy Edward Cullen was, without even knowing it. I thought about just how well he knew how to kiss me, how well he used his lips and tongue and teeth, and now I knew just exactly how very skillful those long fingers were as well.
They had all contributed to how fucking excellent I now felt.
I giggled at the thought of him and his obvious surprise when he heard his own phrase used back at him.
I got up from Edward's bed, gathering my clothes together and putting them in a small pile on the floor near the couch. I hunted in my bag for a change of clothes for Esme's party. I wanted to get dressed quickly, certain that if we were late for the dinner, Edward would probably blame me and then turn and smile at me with that silly crooked grin of his. I think he knows that he can get away with all kinds of crap as long as he grins that lopsided grin. That thought made me smile.
I quickly dressed, deciding to wear a black panty and bra, black skinny jeans and a pearly gray blouse, all of which Alice had brought from my closet. She must have felt this outfit was appropriate, or she wouldn't have packed it. The deep v-neckline of the blouse framed the necklace Edward had given me, and the pearl gray color accentuated the sparkling silver of the medallion.
Edward came back into the room looking slightly flushed from the heat of the shower. His hair was damp and disarrayed. There were still droplets of water across his shoulders and back, and the pièce de résistance was the white towel that he wore wrapped low around his hips.
Oh. Freakin. My.
It was a really good visual to carry around in my mind for quite a while to come, filed in the brain cells labeled, "Edward: Looking Impossibly Hot."
"You can throw your other clothes in my laundry basket, if you want. I'm going to do some laundry tomorrow before we go back to school," he said as he eyed the little pile of clothing on the floor.
I picked the things up and took them to his basket inside his closet. As I turned back around I realized that I had completely missed the towel drop and the pulling on of the boxer briefs.
Damn!
I had missed out on that ass Mrs. Cope had ogled in the grocery store. I was pretty sure I'd have another chance to see that naked at some point. I was pretty sure Mrs. Cope never would.
Life's a bitch, Mrs. Cope!
"We could do the laundry together at midnight tonight. That was kind of fun last weekend," I reminded him with a smile.
He smirked back at me as he came closer and grabbed a pair of black jeans out of his closet. "Well, I really did enjoy fondling your dirty underwear last weekend in the laundry room at school…but…" he moved closer to me and bent to my ear, his voice lowering to that seductive pitch, "I'm kind of hoping we'll find something more fun to do than laundry at midnight tonight."
Oh! Well oh-kay. Duh! I'm such a stupid girl!
I could only shake my head at him because he was most definitely right about that.
He quickly pulled on his jeans and a pale green collared shirt that made his green-blue eyes a startling sea green color. As he stood there buttoning his shirt I began brushing my hair. I pulled it up, trying to decide whether to put it up in a messy bun or ponytail, or to leave it down. He stood next to me, looking in the mirror at us as he rolled the sleeves up on his shirt.
"Up or down?" I asked him, indicating my hair.
He smiled softly at me. "I like both. When your hair is up I notice your lovely neck and throat, when your hair is down it frames your face. You have really pretty hair, Bella, whichever way you wear it. I guess wear it down tonight, you had it up earlier today."
He pointed to his own hair then. "What do you think, love, up or down?" Lopsided grin in attendance.
"How about your usual, a little of each?"
He snorted. "I guess that's about right, huh?"
He disappeared into the bathroom and I heard the sound of the blow dryer for a bit as I fished around in my bag for my black ballet flats.
Edward came back in and sat down on his bed and put on his socks and shoes. He sat back up, raking his fingers through his hair once more, giving it some temporary semblance of order. Keyword: temporary. I knew it wouldn't last.
I leaned toward his mirror, putting a little mascara on my lashes followed by a bit of gloss on my lips. As I looked into the mirror, I realized that he was just sitting there, leaning back on his hands, watching me with a little smile.
"What?" I asked.
He shook his head. "It doesn't take very much at all to make you stunningly beautiful."
I blushed. Was he serious? "I've never been one for using much make-up," I explained, feeling a little embarrassed.
"I like that," he said appreciatively. "When I look at you, I'm just looking at you." He shrugged. As an afterthought he added, "Have you ever noticed how thick Jessica Stanley's make-up is? I think she must apply it with a putty knife."
I burst out laughing. It struck me funny that he had noticed that and thought about it.
"And you've probably seen that close up, I'm guessing? Hasn't Jessica tried to hit on you?"
He looked down, embarrassed. "Oh yeah. Three times. Each time she put just a little more effort into it than the time before." He shook his head. "She can be kind of scary when she's drunk and advancing on your manly goods."
"Do I even want to hear this?" I asked, giggling.
"It's really only embarrassing for Jessica, you know? The first time I just kind of gave her a feeble response and dodged her."
He paused, thinking, then he laughed. "Actually, the second time was pretty funny. There had been a party in our dorm, and a rather drunk Jessica wouldn't leave me alone. I took off to my room and she must have followed me. She was at my door, knocking. I heard her calling my name and I really didn't want to have to deal with it, you know? And then I heard Jasper's voice, outside the door, talking with an inebriated Jessica, and he's telling her how I have the ability to move faster than the human eye can track, and she only thinks she saw me go into my room, but I actually came back out and went somewhere at a superhuman speed.
"I could tell Jasper was stalling, and I realized that he was giving me time to climb up onto the roof. So I'm sitting up on the roof, out of sight, when I hear Jasper open the door and explain to Jessica that too much attention from girls makes me do that. She was so drunk, I don't think she was thinking too clearly; she was entirely gullible. Meanwhile I was sitting up there, listening, trying not to burst out laughing as Jasper patiently explained how I was able to vanish into thin air."
I laughed at the thought of Jasper trying to convince Jessica that Edward was something other than a mere mortal.
"And the third time?" I asked.
"The third time I told her I was exceptionally religious and I was saving myself, and that included kissing." He giggled and I giggled with him.
"Now she knows you lied to her."
"I'll tell her I've just changed religions if she asks. Now I worship Our Lady of the Swan." He smirked at me and waggled his eyebrows. "Besides," he added, "now she has Mike Newton. Hopefully he'll keep her entertained. And for sure, he's not saving himself."
We both stood up, laughing as he put his arm around me and we headed to the door.
"Okay, just act natural," he said with a wink, patting my butt, as we headed up the stairs.
"Perfect timing," Carlisle said as we walked into the kitchen. He looked elegant in a lightweight cream sweater, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and khaki trousers. He had gotten champagne flutes out and was opening a bottle of champagne, which he set next to the bottles of pink champagne and Asti. "Time to get Esme," he announced as he left the room.
Rose was in the kitchen, dressed in dark jeans and a deep red satin blouse. She was cutting up the appetizer into little squares. Emmett, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved black, pin-striped, collared shirt, walked up to Edward, where he stood next to me.
"You look refreshed," he told Edward, grinning.
"Thanks, Emmett, I am. Very refreshed." Edward rolled his eyes at me.
"And Bella?" Emmett turned his dimples on me, "Are you refreshed as well?"
"Yes, Emmett, quite refreshed, thank you."
Emmett laughed. "That's refreshing. It's good to see you both looking so… "refreshed".
"Emmett," Rose said sternly, "Don't make me spank you and send you to your room. You leave them alone." She looked at me shaking her head apologetically. It was the kind of look that told me she knew he was a lost cause. But she still tried.
There was suddenly a lot of noise from the stairway as Alice came skipping down the stairs, in a hot pink dress and little black boots, laughing her silvery little laugh, followed by Jasper, in dark gray jeans and a white shirt, sliding down on the banister.
"Where's the birthday babe?" he asked when he came into the kitchen, Alice leading him by the hand.
"Carlisle just went to get her," Rose answered. "Emmett, baby, make yourself useful and pour out some champagne."
We suddenly heard Carlisle's voice from around the corner. "Ladies and gentlemen, make way for the birthday girl! Just as beautiful now as the day I met her. She doesn't look a day over nineteen!" He ushered a smiling Esme into the kitchen. She was wearing a beautiful deep purple dress that accented her carmel brown hair.
Esme rolled her eyes at Carlisle as we all applauded her entrance.
Alice spoke up as the clapping died down. "Okay, Dad, so you're saying she looks younger than her children? What's up with that? That's just weird, although the sentiment is nice. Happy birthday, Mom!" Alice flitted to her side and gave her a big hug.
Everyone crowded around Esme, wishing her a happy birthday, taking turns hugging her.
"Why thank you, all. I've had just the nicest day. A swim in the morning, breakfast prepared by Emmett and Jasper, a trip to a day spa for a massage, pedicure and manicure. I read a trashy romance novel, went for a walk, did absolutely no work, listened to my baby play the piano, and wondered all afternoon what the delicious smells were that kept wafting out of the kitchen. My kind of day!"
"Well, it's the moment of truth, dear. Champagne glasses, everyone," Carlisle said as he helped Emmett pass them out.
We each took a champagne flute. I chose the Asti, deciding to try something a little sweeter than regular champagne. Edward had suggested it to me knowing that I wasn't really much of a drinker. Rose also took a glass of the Asti. Alice and Esme both opted for pink champagne. I wondered if Alice just liked it for the color and the fact that it matched her dress. Carlisle and the boys all took flutes of the regular champagne.
"To my lovely wife, my best friend and the very loving mother of my wonderful children, a very happy birthday, Dear. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" we all chimed in.
"Okay, Mom, so first thing's first," Emmett spoke up, "Rose and I made the appetizer. It's a Spanish Tortilla; sautéed potatoes and onions with eggs and a little parsley mixed in. It looks kind of like an omelet. We cooked it on the stovetop and then under the broiler for a bit. It can be served hot or cold; we're serving it cold since we made it earlier. And we made extra, because it's also good for breakfast." He smiled proudly as he offered her a piece on a small plate.
"Sounds wonderful," she said, looking at the pieces of tortilla that Emmett handed her on a little plate. She took a bite. And smiled. "Outstanding! So much better than last year's brownies, I'm happy to say."
"Blech! Gag! Yuck! several voices volunteered at once. Even Carlisle had made a disgusted sound.
"Okay, okay, I know." Emmett rolled his eyes. "No extra virgin olive oil in the brownies. It'll never happen again."
"I watched him more closely this year," Rose admitted with a grin.
Everyone laughed as we all took several pieces of the Spanish Tortilla. It was quite good we all decided. A recipe I wanted to make sure I got. I told Emmett and he proceeded to tell me some of the finer points of making a Spanish Tortilla. He was like a proud parent.
Alice and Jasper got their concoction out of the refrigerator, ladling the chilled soup into glasses. Jasper topped each glass off with a little drizzle of olive oil and added a small slice of tomato wedge, and a thin slice of lemon as garnish.
The rest of us seated ourselves at the dining room table. Esme admired the bouquet of flowers that I had bought for her for her birthday, and to thank her for inviting me to their home.
Jasper carried out a tray, filled with glasses, containing the chilled soup. Alice picked up the glasses and handed them to each person as they made their round
"Okay, Mom, so in keeping with the Spanish Tortilla vibe, Jasper and I made Spanish Gazpacho Soup, which is served chilled. It's made with tomatoes, onions, peppers. We used heirloom tomatoes; Jasper made sure we used at least one of every variety they had at the market. Then we added white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper…"
"And smoked paprika, Esme," Jasper interrupted. "I insisted on it. At first Alice was hesitant, but I finally convinced her that it would add a little flair to the Gazpacho."
Esme sampled the chilled soup. "Well, it's just delightful, and I can certainly see what you're saying about the smoked paprika, Jasper." She winked at me and smiled.
We all drank our Gazpacho from the cups, forgoing the use of spoons. I made sure to comment on the smoked paprika, much to Jasper's delight. Carlisle wondered aloud if the Gazpacho wouldn't taste rather good with a splash or two of vodka.
"It's a soup, Dear, not a Bloody Mary," Esme reminded him.
"In that case, more champagne? Ladies? Gentlemen?" Carlisle asked.
Carlisle poured a little more pink champagne for Esme, Rose, and Alice. Jasper switched to pink champagne, saying he just wanted to get in touch with his feminine side, then he blew a kiss across the table to Emmett, who mouthed the word "queer" at him.
Edward poured more Asti into my glass.
"Trying to get her drunk, Edward?" Alice asked, to which he rolled his eyes.
"Trying to sound like Emmett, Alice?" Edward replied.
"Getting Bella drunk might be entertaining," Jasper suggested. "We don't know what she's capable of when she's drunk."
"Yeah, I don't think you'd find it very entertaining," I warned him, "unless you'd like to watch me doze off and snore loudly."
"Oh, Edward, you picked yourself a real live-wire!" Emmett snorted, at which point Edward picked up my glass and poured it into his, smirking at me.
"What?" I asked him indignantly, "You have something against dozing and snoring?"
"I'd imagine being with Edward would make a girl doze off and snore." Emmett snickered.
Edward looked over at Emmett and I'm pretty sure he mouthed, "Bite me," to his brother.
We all finished off our Gazpacho, complimenting Alice and Jasper and swearing by the use of smoked paprika.
Finally it was time for the main course. Carlisle brought in the deep pan, filled with bright golden-yellow rice, topped with grilled shrimp, chunks of lobster and chicken, slices of spicy chorizo sausage, with bits of peppers, onions and green peas, all artfully arranged and garnished with lemon wedges and sprinkles of fresh parsley.
"Oh, Carlisle," Esme practically swooned when she looked at what Carlisle was proudly displaying before her, "that Paella looks fabulous! It's been so long since I've had a good Paella! Oh my dear, you have absolutely outdone yourself this year!"
Carlisle served Esme first, then the rest of us girls. Finally the boys got their servings and we all tucked into our delicious dinner, almost everyone having a second helping, and in Emmett's case, a third. Carlisle had done a tremendous job and we all thanked him for a fantastic main course.
After finishing our meal, we all needed a bit of a break. There was no possible way we could eat Esme's birthday cake yet. So we all filled our glasses one more time with champagne and Asti and sat around the table talking for a bit.
Soon Alice, Emmett and Edward began clearing the dishes from the table and promptly set about rinsing them, loading up the dishwasher, packaging up the leftovers and putting things away. Rose, Jasper and I had been told to stay seated at the table, since we were guests and had helped enough in the creation of the meal and therefore were not required in the clean up.
Esme and Carlisle asked after Rose and Jasper's parents, who also happened to live in another part of Port Angeles. I thought it was funny that they had all lived here in Port Angeles, but it had taken a dormitory at the University of Washington in Seattle for Rose and Jasper to meet Emmett and Alice.
Apparently Rose and Emmett had met their freshman year, living in the same dorm where we were all currently living and they had begun dating shortly afterward. The following year, when Edward and Jasper were both going to attend, Rose and Emmett had felt that the two of them would get along, and had suggested that they become roommates in the same dorm. Edward and Jasper had become close friends and that left Alice to hang out with her twin and his best friend. Eventually Alice and Jasper had also become a couple.
Esme and Carlisle also asked me about my situation and I told them my history. I told them about starting out in Forks, moving away with my mom for most of my childhood and adolescence and coming back to the area for summers and visits during holidays. I explained about my mother remarrying and moving to Florida and how I finally returned to live with my father a few years ago.
Before long, I realized that Edward was standing behind my chair, his hands resting on the chair back, ready to begin the dessert preparations.
"You ready to put the finishing touches on our masterpiece?" he asked me, stroking a finger against my shoulder.
"Oh, yes!" I said, scooting my chair back and standing up to join him in the kitchen as Emmett and Alice sat back down. I had the distinct feeling that we were the topic of conversation while we were busy in the kitchen.
Edward got the whipped cream, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves out of the refrigerator while I started a pot of coffee. We carefully moved the cake onto a pedestal cake stand. The ganache topping had smoothed out and hardened. I carefully made slight knife dents in the top, so the cake could be cut into eight even slices and we could see each separate slice distinctly.
While Edward washed and dried the raspberries and mint leaves, I squirted a little bit of whipped cream onto each section. We carefully put four raspberries on each cloud of whipped cream, and added two mint leaves for decoration on each slice.
Edward poured cups of coffee for everyone seated at the table while I stuck one candle into each slice. Esme had cautioned us earlier that we'd burn the house down if we actually put the right number of candles on the cake. Carlisle had shushed her, saying that age was an attitude, not a number, but then he added that feeling nineteen was still awfully "hot and dangerous." Edward had made eye contact with me and had a slightly grossed-out expression on his face. But I thought Esme and Carlisle were just so cute to each other.
We set dessert plates and forks, along with sugar and cream on the table. Edward lit the candles and set the cake in front of Esme as we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. We sang a little more gently than we had earlier in the day and at the end Esme hesitated for a moment before she finally blew out the candles.
"I didn't quite know what to wish for," she explained. "I feel like I have everything now." Her eyes looked up at all of us, but it seemed like they lingered a little longer on Edward.
"The cake looks divine, Bella," she said, smiling at me.
"Bella? Just Bella? " Edward's voice asked Esme. "Hellooo, aren't you forgetting someone? Your own child, maybe? Bella had help, you know."
"The cake looks divine, Bella and Edward," Esme laughed. "Although I'm sure it was mostly Bella that prepared this cake. You were her assistant, weren't you, Edward? I'm sure it wasn't the other way around."
I came to Edward's rescue. "Edward actually helped a lot. I had the recipe, but he helped pick this one out and we divided the work pretty equally."
"So what kind of a cake is this fabulous thing?" Esme asked.
Edward spoke up. "It's a Two-Layer Chocolate Bast…" Suddenly his eyes widened and he looked at me in confusion. "Wait, what's it really called, Bella?" he asked.
"It's a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Torte." I wondered what Edward's confusion was all about.
Edward kind of smirked to himself, shaking his head and looking away. I wondered if the cake had done him in. He had had problems with the cake throughout the day, even growling to me that the cake was "bad". Oh well, guys can be weird about kitchens and cooking.
Edward announced that he would "carve" the cake, so I passed the plates. The first slice should have gone to Esme, and I'm sure that was what Edward was intending, but when the cake didn't cooperate and the first slice came out somewhat crookedly and crumbly, Edward announced that that particular slice was Emmett's.
"Hey it's all good. It's going to taste the same, no matter how the slice looks," Emmett said, good naturedly.
Everyone dug into the cake and moaned and groaned about how decadent and delicious it was.
"Oh, Bella," Emmett exclaimed, after he had downed a huge forkful of cake, "this is just the best thing in the world! Uh…after Rose, that is, after Rose, of course."
"Good save, Emmett," Edward said between bites.
"Jasper," Alice turned to him with sad eyes, "I think I've fallen in love with this cake. I'm sorry, Sweetie. I think it's over between us."
"Would you and the cake consider a threesome?" he asked her, to which we all burst out laughing.
"Hopefully the cake likes poetry readings," Edward whispered in my ear as I nearly choked.
The cake was delicious and everyone was impressed and somehow managed to consume the entire thing. Total consumption of the cake was partially due to Emmett's willingness to eat the last bite or two of anyone's cake if they couldn't manage it on their own. Esme wanted the recipe once I told her how easy it was to make and Edward and I were congratulated on our efforts.
At times, baking this cake today truly had been quite the effort, but that was mostly due to the very persistent, very skilled, very dextrous Kisslicknibblelips Cullen and his Problem Pants. I just didn't bother to tell the family that. It had actually worked out in my favor in the long run and I wasn't complaining.
A/N: Okay. Give me the business. Review if you would, please. I love hearing from you just as much as you love getting an update.
Unless you don't love getting an update, in which case I love getting reviews from you MORE than you love getting updates.
So just please review.
