Chapter Fourteen

March 2001 (Continued)

"Bella? What are you…? Why are you…? Were you the one that…?"

"Huh?" She asked, sounding confused.

He looked at her and blinked, all of a sudden realizing he had just been fucking some woman in the coat closet. Thank God he'd had the common sense to only slip himself out of his pants, not to drop them to the floor. And his poor dick had shriveled up to a prune at the sound of Tanya's shrill voice. "It isn't what it looks like." He said quickly as he zipped back up. Luckily for him, the girl that he had been…well, the girl he'd been with had decided to beat feet before she got either punched in the face or fired for fornicating on the job.

Bella smirked. "So…you mean to tell me you weren't just boning some no name girl in the closet?"

"Uh…well…she has a name…"

Bella's eyebrow rose. "Is that a fact?"

He nodded.

Her smirk returned. "What was it?"

"Uh…"

She sighed. "Please tell me you and Tanya had broken up before you did this."

He sighed as well. "I think so?" It came out sounding all too much like a question.

She blew out a breath. "Well, do you need a ride?"

"No, I drove…" FUCK! The car! He made a mad dash past Bella and ran at breakneck speed just in time to see Tanya squealing tires that cost three hundred fifty dollars each out onto the road in his car.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Damn it all to bloody fucking hell!"

He heard a soft giggle behind him. "I won't point out the fact that you sounded just like Carlisle then, nor will I point out the fact that you are an incredible jackass to not only fuck a girl in the coat closet moments after you thought you broke up with your fiancée, but also, that you didn't give the valet specific instructions not to let anyone besides yourself drive off with your car."

He glared at her for a moment and she smiled. "So…you need a ride?"

"God. Yeah, I need a damned ride."

She rolled her eyes, seemed to hold in another giggle, and motioned for the valet to bring around her car. Edward glared at the man and he swallowed hard as he dashed around the building to retrieve her BMW convertible. Edward let out a low whistle. "This is very nice, Bella."

She smiled. "One of the perks of being not only a Grammy, CMA, and ACM award winning song writer, but also for being the step-daughter of a big wig on Music Row."

His eyebrow shot up. "You've won all those awards?"

She smiled as she got into the driver's seat. "I'll have to take you to my apartment sometime, show you my award wall. I don't like to brag…but…" She threw him a naughty smile. "No, I like to brag. I deserve it."

He laughed and slid into the passenger seat, momentarily forgetting his woes. "So…" he said, a few moments later.

"So?" She asked.

"What…ah…what were you doing at the restaurant tonight?"

She smiled. "I was having dinner with Phil and my mom. I just got a new sale. Some up and comer named Keith Urban. I think he's going to be big. He's already got the girls in an uproar because he's got a sexy Aussie accent and he's handy with a guitar. He writes a lot of his own songs, but he heard this one of mine and couldn't help himself, he said."

"That's great, Bella." Edward said. "Was…Mike here?"

She wrinkled her nose. "No, he wasn't. I wish he would have been, but his agent said things needed to just…play out."

"Oh. Right. The tape."

She looked over at him. "It was a fake, Edward. I'm not stupid, you know. I know how to be careful so my stuff doesn't get out everywhere. Besides, it would be Mike's rep at stake, not mine. I'm a nobody, so to speak. Very few people notice who writes the songs, only who sing them."

"That's not true." He started.

"Who wrote 'What a Girl Wants' that Christina Aguilera released the beginning of last year?"

Edward blinked and thought a moment. "Uh, I don't know. But then, I don't listen to a lot of the women singers."

She smirked. "Okay, let's try another one. Who wrote 'Bent' by Matchbox Twenty?"

Damn it. She knew he liked their band, had spoken to Rob Thomas on occasion. "I have no idea." He said finally.

She nodded her head, as if satisfied he had proved her point. "I thought so."

"So…who wrote it?"

She snorted. "Rob did, dufus."

"Wow. Did he really?" He asked. He could almost see her rolling her eyes, even though the road had darkened as they headed out of the city.

"Why did you think I was there?" She asked quietly.

"Ooh…I don't know." He said, wishing desperately she wouldn't have picked up on his asking. "I just…heard the rumor about the tape and shit, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She didn't believe him. Her bullshit detector was going off at warp speed. "Did you think Mike and I had broken up?" She asked.

"I…" He cleared his throat. "Uhm…the thought did cross my mind."

"Did it now?"

"Well, the chick at the restaurant might have mentioned some other couple broke up tonight and I just…the tape and shit. Fuck, it doesn't matter. Forget I said anything."

She stopped the car, pulled it to the side of the road and looked at him. She had been feeling these things for him for months. She knew what he was, how he acted, but she knew him. Probably better than anyone else did. And that realization scared her down to her toes. "You aren't happy, are you, Edward?"

"No. My now ex-fiancée ran off with my car after finding my dick buried in some broad in a coat closet. So, no, considering how much I spent on that fucking car, finding it with her name scratched into it, or the words 'mother fucking cheating son of a bitch' spray painted on it isn't really appealing to me. So, no, I'm not what one would call 'happy', Bella."

Bella glared at him. "That's not what I meant and you know it." She blew out a breath. "Look, Edward, I feel…things. Things for you. Things I shouldn't, things I wish I didn't. But I do."

Edward blew out a breath as well. "So…what are you going to do about it?"

While Edward and Bella were having their heart-to-heart, Carlisle and Esme were having a wonderful dinner of Beef Burgundy along with steamed vegetables and baby potatoes Esme had prepared. "This is absolutely wonderful, Esme." Carlisle said as he finished his second helping.

She let out a giggle. "Good thing I wasn't that hungry." She teased gently.

He did have the decency to turn pink around the ears, but smiled at her. "Well, it's true. I've not had anything cooked at home in quite some time. And I could taste the care and love that was put into it as well."

Now it was her turn to blush as she looked down at her plate. "Mother didn't want me to learn to cook, said it was beneath a woman of my background. Thank God I did, though. Charles demanded I cook each night, had the house clean at all times…refused to offer me any assistance by way of a chef or maid or cleaning service, even though we had plenty of money."

Carlisle's hand slipped out to grasp hers. "I'm sorry your life was so hard, Esme."

She looked up and smiled softly at him. "I know, Carlisle. And I'm thankful that he never met you, honestly, and vice versa. Edward wanted to kill him any time they were in the room together."

"Did Edward know about the…?"

"No," She said quickly. "He may have assumed, but he never outright knew. And for that, I was grateful. I didn't need my baby brother brought up on murder charges."

Carlisle chuckled slightly.

"Would you care to have dessert and our wine by the fireplace, tonight?" She asked him.

He smiled as he stood and tugged her out of her chair with the hand he still held. "It would be my pleasure."

She bit her lip as he grasped his empty wine glass and the bottle, pulling her into the living room that was lined with candles and a fire to ward off the cool March Tennessee air.

He sat down the bottle and the glass, grabbed the afghan and the pillows from the couch and made them a little nest on the floor. He then assisted her until she was sitting. "What's for dessert?" He asked.

"Macaroons drizzled in chocolate. One of my specialties."

His smile was brilliant as he said, "I'll be right back. Fill up our glasses, will you, love?" He didn't wait for her response as he headed back to the kitchen and grabbed the small platter filled with the delicious treats. How she ever knew coconut was his favorite, he would never know.

He returned to the living area to find her staring into the fire, her shoes now off, her body tucked into itself comfortably in her blue jeans and soft cashmere sweater the color of crème. With the fire and candle light dancing on her skin, she looked like an ethereal being if he'd ever seen it. She was the most beautiful creature he'd ever lain eyes on. He felt a stirring in his gut, and lower as well, but he held back the Neanderthal urge to throw her over his shoulder and march her to her room and fuck her senseless. Instead, he swallowed, hard, and sat down next to her again.

"Thank you," she murmured as he handed her the tray of dessert.

"Thank you," He said as she handed him his now refilled goblet of wine. He took a sip and they both took a macaroon, nerves making themselves known in the silence that filled in between songs of Andrea Bocelli. Carlisle shut his eyes and listened to the beautiful words filling the room.

"Do you speak Italian?" Esme asked as she watched him, his eyes closed, his mouth forming the words.

He shook his head. "No, I don't. But I want to learn."

"Do you want to know what the song is about?"

"Please?" He asked softly.

She listened for a moment more and said, "It is about a lover waiting for another…dreaming of the time they could be together…a lot is lost in translation."

"The song is beautiful, and the woman telling me about it is breathtaking."

She blushed. "Carlisle…"

"Esme…" He said breathlessly.

He hadn't realized they had moved closer together until she pulled away. She looked into the flames again and he took another sip of his wine. She blew out a breath. "You know…I've never been made love to."

"Never?" He asked, curious. He may have never been in love with anyone he'd ever had sex with, but he had made gentle love to women before. Indeed, he was a very caring, considerate lover.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't. Charles is my only…"

He winced. He looked at her, really looked at her, deep into her eyes. "Well…perhaps we should remedy that?"

Her eyes were shining, shimmering with emotions. "Make love to me, Carlisle."

He had sat down his glass and was over to her in an instant. "Esme…are you certain?"

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life."

He kissed her tenderly as his hands traveled, one to her back, one to the back of her neck as he slowly lowered her to the floor. "I do love you, Esme. More than I thought possible." His mouth dipped down to her collarbone and she whimpered.

"Carlisle…"

He smiled as his head traveled down to the bottom of her sweater. He nosed it up to her chest and gently sucked and nipped on the skin of her stomach until she was arching into him. When he had her almost driven crazy, he slipped the sweater from her body to reveal the cami she wore and dear God, she didn't have a bra on underneath. He removed the cami with wide eyes, taking in every inch of skin that was bared. Her breasts were small, swollen just slightly due to the fact she was still nursing Foster, but perfect in every other aspect. "My God, Esme, you are a vision."

He could feel the heat of her blush and he moved so his eyes met hers. "I mean it. You are the most beautiful…I couldn't ask for a more perfect woman than you, Esme. I love you."

"I…I love you too, Carlisle." She said, so softly, had he not been in such close proximity to her, he wouldn't have heard her.

He unfastened the buttons on her blue jeans, cursing the existence of the button fly until she let out a sexy little lust-filled giggle. "How about I take these off, and you work on getting out of some of those clothes, Mr. Cullen?"

Their eyes met again and he bent to kiss her once more before he moved away from her, sliding out of his shirt and shucking off his shoes at breakneck speed. He stopped with just unfastening his own blue jeans, wondering if she wanted the honors, and also, not wanting to overwhelm her.

He moved over her again and kissed her softly. "We don't have to…" He said as he saw a flicker of fear flash into her eyes, berating himself and the asshole she was once married to for making her uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "No, please? I want this. Be with me, Carlisle."

He didn't ask again as he slipped her pants and lace underwear from her body. He then sat up on his knees and slipped his pants part of the way down his legs. He removed the condom he'd brought just in case, feeling like a cad, even though this had technically been her idea. She watched him as he rolled it onto himself. "I…I didn't plan on this, Esme, I want you to know that. But I want…I want you to feel comfortable, to know that I'm protecting you, just in case. I'm not stupid about sex…I…"

She shook her head and propped herself up to touch her finger to his lips. "I know, Carlisle. And I respect you for your thoughtfulness." Her hand trailed down from his mouth over one of his nipples, down, down, down, until she just brushed his sex. "Now…please, Carlisle. Don't make me beg…"

He smiled as she settled herself back down among the pillows, her beautiful caramel hair fanning out around her. He was overcome with emotion as he knelt over her, slipping his pants the rest of the way off. "I…" He could think of nothing to say, so he propped himself up on his elbows and brushed a hand over her face. "Thank you." He whispered as her legs opened wider for him. He felt her heat at his tip and his eyes begged entrance.

She could feel him pressing into her, his arousal tempting her folds and she let out a whimper as her legs wrapped around him. Her hands grasped his neck, pulling his mouth to hers as she arched into him. And then…they were joined.

Both let out cries of ecstasy at the union and he had to fight for control as he eased from her before gently pushing back into her. "You…you're so…wonderful…God…Esme…"

Her fingernails dug into the skin of his scalp as she grasped his golden hair. "Yes! Carlisle! More!"

He did as asked, moving just slightly faster as he rocked into and out of her depths. He could surely live off of her forever if he could just remain here in her arms, connected to her…

He felt her tensing up and saw the look of wonder in her eyes as the orgasm ripped through her body. He bent to nip at her nipples as she continued to spasm around him and he couldn't quite help the growl as he breathed in her scent, the scent of their love mingling together with the candle bouquet that bloomed throughout the room.

They continued to move against each other long into the night, finally falling asleep in one another's arms, their love, and the fire keeping them warm.

PAGE BREAK

The Interview: Part Two:

"And so, no one found out about your love affair, save Jasper?" Barbara Walters asked Carlisle.

Carlisle let out a secret smile as he thought of his lovely wife. "No, they didn't. Not until we divulged it, and our secret marriage."

Jake smiled. "Yeah, well, Ness was pissed off that she wasn't there."

"As was I." Edward put in.

Carlisle shrugged. "We needed time to us. And that didn't include everyone else barging into our relationship."

"But we had a right to know!" Edward growled.

"But it was none of your business." Carlisle shot back.

"Anyway, let's get back to the subject at hand." Jasper said, bringing them back to the present. "Let's not dwell on any of that."

"Yeah, Jasper. Let's get into some more shit about you." Edward growled.

Jasper paled. "I believe we are talking about things in the order in which they happened, correct? So, in that case, we would be going, moving on to the release of our second album." He winced as if remembering a particularly bad day, and not surprisingly, Emmett did as well.

"Were there some issues during the release of the second album?" Barbara asked.

"No, the music was solid, as always." Emmett said.

"It was just our personal lives that were mucked up." Jasper added.

Edward let out a snort. "No kidding. I would say that was the low point of our career, but we all know that isn't true. But some good things did come of that time in our lives." He said wistfully.

"Friendships were formed, relationships bonded, it was a good time, most of the time." Jake said with a smile.

"But for others of us, that time grew darker…" Carlisle said with concerned eyes.

Jasper faked a smile. "Hey, it got worse."

Emmett grimaced. "Yeah, it did."

"Tell us about it, won't you?" Barbara asked.

And then, they were off telling about the next of their adventures…