My babies go back to school tomorrow and I'm starting a job as a bus monitor. I'm so anxious! Posting will bump to 1 p.m. EST instead of 3.

The sound of the alarm woke him, but Edward pressed the off button and rolled over to wrap himself around Bella. Her body was soft and warm, and he couldn't help nuzzling into the spot along the slope of her shoulder. Her scent enveloped him, bringing him comfort.

"Good morning," she mumbled.

"Morning." They remained tangled together for a few more moments before he spoke again. "Now that you're on break and have straight A's, I get to spoil you."

"What do you have in mind?"

Shifting, he pulled up her nightgown to rub his cock along the succulent flesh of her ass. "Crossing shower sex off the list."

Her peal of laughter had him grinning. "The list that only exists in your head?"

With a chuckle, he flexed his hips so she could feel how hard he grew. "This head, pretty sure."

Struggling to roll in his direction, she let out another laugh. Though he had her pinned, she managed to flail enough to face him. He gazed into her gleaming brown eyes and grinned wider.

"I agree, the sex list exists because of your little head."

With a wiggle of his hips, he said, "Wanna?"

Bella smirked. "We better get a move on before Quinn wakes."

Hurriedly, they ran into the bathroom, Bella stripping her lacy nightgown on the way. Edward turned on the water, catching her as she rushed into the massive shower.

Bella kissed him with zeal, and he groaned at her enthusiasm. Teeth bumped, and breaths exchanged from mouth to mouth. Edward was already worked up, heading in the direction of an explosive orgasm with little encouragement. Slippery hands met wet skin, and he dug his fingers into her ass to hold her in place when she grasped his cock. Water-darkened hair slicked down Bella's back, and he thought he would burst as she kneeled, instantly taking him into her mouth.

"Fuck."

If he came in seconds, it would be agonizingly quick, but he knew he wouldn't last if she continued. Still, he didn't stop her immediately but watched her blow him, torturing himself with the sight of her swallowing around his cock.

"Beautiful, come here so I can fuck you."

Straightening with an almost feral light in her eyes, she crashed her mouth to his once more, biting his lips and pressing her tits against his chest. Edward backed her against the wall, lifting one of her legs and sinking inside her sopping pussy. With a moan, she dropped her head back, and he braced one hand on the wall, leaning in to swipe his tongue over the droplets of water sliding down her throat. There would never come a time when he would have his fill of her body. Smoothly, he slid in and out, coated in her juices and already experiencing a tightening in his balls.

Hands clenching and unclenching on his arms, Bella exhaled labored breaths. "Edward."

Knowing her signs, he moved the hand gripping her ass to rub circles on her swollen clit.

Her hips surged in his direction, bringing their pelvises closer, tighter. "Yes!"

"That's it, baby." Her thundering heartbeat echoed against his ribcage. "Let me give you what you need."

"Need you."

Heart stuttering, he swirled his tongue along the shell of her ear. "You have me."

Bella's breath caught, and he pumped faster, realizing he was so focused on her that he'd forgotten about himself. Hips and fingers, teeth and tongue, he used them all to bring her closer to orgasm while chasing his.

"You're there, I feel it."

"So close."

She was; he knew it from the way her walls tightened on his cock.

"Ohh, Edward."

The way she said his name always did him in. She clamped down on him, and he bit her shoulder, holding her while she cried out and her body quivered.

He hummed, wanting to say the words, but they stuck in his throat. One day, he'd manage to spit it out. In the meantime, he held her close, hoping she felt his thoughts.

"Let's go to dinner tonight." Edward pushed her wet hair aside, propping his chin on her shoulder. "I'll ask Rose to stay. Tyler can make a romantic dinner for her and Emmett."

"If she says yes, where will we go?"

"The dinner club."

"Is it safe to go out right now, even to Voltaire?"

He shrugged. "It's exclusive, and they pay the staff well for their discretion."

"It's a date."

Jasper arrived seconds after Edward and Bella made it downstairs. "Three a.m. Laurent and four of his guards."

Edward nodded. "Let's keep an eye out for Diego."

"Will do."

Edward put it aside for the day, taking the time to enjoy Bella and Quinn. There was something brewing, he felt it in his bones. There were always threats looming on the horizon, but he knew this was different. He almost changed their dinner plans but, as he promised her, the dinner club was exclusive and highly secure.

Bella chose a dress she hadn't worn yet. It was black, strapless and low cut, with a corset-style waist and flowy sheer panels. Edward nearly dropped to his knees when he saw her. At times like that, it flabbergasted him that she had chosen him.

"You look amazing."

Beaming, she blushed. "I love your suit."

He'd chosen a gray three-piece suit with a black tie. "It can't compare to your beauty." He kissed her forehead. "Ready?"

She accepted his outstretched hand. "Yes."

They took the limo. Much like the last time they went to dinner, he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. While Bella spoke of her recently ended college semester, Edward rubbed his thumb back and forth across her knee.

When they arrived, the maître d' showed them to a cozy spot near the back. Covering the tables were squat glass vases filled with fresh lilies and white candles which cast a soft glow. The waiter brought a basket of bread and left after taking their drink orders.

Bella picked up a breadstick and took a bite off the end.

The corner of Edward's mouth tilted up. "Hey, I was going to take that one."

"Want it back?" After smirking, she held her mouth open to show him the small piece of bread resting on her tongue.

"No way in hell. I know what's been in your mouth."

Bella snorted into a laugh, trying to keep the sound low in the quiet of the restaurant. She swallowed some water to regain her composure. "It's your fault for being so tempting."

Edward reached for her hand, about to say something about their lovemaking. Without warning, the front doors burst open and people screamed, ducking and hiding as men in black riot gear stormed into the restaurant. Edward jumped up, but Bella pulled him back down until their heads were level with the table as gunshots competed with the din of crashing china and silverware. Patrons screamed again and hid under tables; Edward noticed those who drew weapons were immediately shot.

Bella clung to him as the thugs arrayed themselves around the restaurant. A man in his mid-thirties swaggered through the door, wearing a black suit with a black shirt and red tie. Though they'd never met, Edward knew it was Diego with no introduction necessary.

"Edward Cullen." He came to a stop a few feet from their table, took a cigar from his jacket pocket, and lit it.

Pulse thick and heavy in his throat, Edward rose to his full height; Bella stood at the same time. He tried to push her into her seat, but she refused. Instead, they faced their enemy side by side.

"Diego Molina."

"I know it was you," Diego said in response.

Edward felt Bella's left hand slip into his as she slanted against his side. "Me?"

"It's blatant that it was you. I don't know why you thought you'd get away with it." Diego studied the red-hot tip of his cigar as though it held the answers.

Bella's right hand rested flat on Edward's lower back. Her body shook, and he knew he would kill Diego for that alone. "What are you accusing me of, exactly?"

"Killing Laurent." Diego shrugged, finally meeting Edward's gaze. "Blowing up his house."

"He tried to kill me and my wife. We all know wives are untouchable. He dishonored your Family name."

Diego narrowed his eyes. "If you'd married Gianna, this would never have been a problem."

"So only Gianna is untouchable?"

Diego laughed at Bella's statement, causing her to cower closer to Edward's side. Edward could feel how rapid her breathing had become.

"Mrs. Cullen. Bella."

Edward nearly growled. "Leave her out of this, Diego."

Diego took the lit cigar from his mouth, reaching out and picking up the end of Edward's tie to press the embers against the silk. The scent of burning fabric filled their nostrils, and Edward's jaw clenched with the urge to attack.

Dropping the cigar on the floor and pulling a gun from his waistband, Diego held it loosely at his side as he addressed Edward. "Anything you'd like to say before I kill you?"

Before anyone could say anything, a gunshot pierced the silence. Edward barely had time to register the hole in Diego's head or the blood pouring from it before he grabbed Bella's hand and dragged her toward the kitchen in a hard run.

Multiple rounds lodged in the surrounding walls as the men opened fire, destroying booths and taking chunks out of the plaster. Bella only screamed once, but Edward couldn't risk stopping to see if she was okay. He pulled his cell from his jacket pocket as they passed through the swinging doors, the acrid scent of burning food assaulting their senses.

"I need a car in the alley behind the club right this motherfucking second!" he shouted.

Ignoring the haze of smoke, they managed to push past employees scrambling to hide or run. When they reached the back door, they continued running, even though Bella kept stumbling in her heels. There wasn't time to stop and take them off, so Edward did his best to keep her from falling. The cacophony of rounds exploding, people screaming, and sirens wailing barely penetrated the fog between his ears. The blast of the gun had been so close that he felt as if it rendered him permanently hard of hearing.

He dearly hoped his men were faster than Diego's. Expecting to see the car waiting just past the end of the wall, he forced his legs that much faster, his grip on Bella never loosening.

And when they reached the end of the alleyway, they were met by a car.

"Stop! Hands up!" The officer in front of them held his weapon aimed in their direction. "Seattle Police! Stop right there."

"Please help!" Bella shrieked. "They're shooting people in the restaurant!"

Sobs broke loose, and she buried her face in Edward's chest, locking him in a stranglehold. In return, he held her as tight as he could. Trembling so violently she was on the verge of falling apart at the seams, Bella sucked in air so fast she came close to hyperventilating.

The officer lowered his weapon and ushered them over to his car. "Stay here and don't move." He kept an eye on them as he used the radio on his shoulder to call for assistance. Many others exited the back of the building and converged in the alley around them.

To Edward's shock, the backup arrived with handcuffs and snapped them over his wrists.

"What are you doing?" Bella yelled. "We're victims! They shot at us!"

"Edward Cullen is the farthest thing from a victim," the officer responded, securing the cuffs and reciting the Miranda.

Though her hands shook, Bella pushed her hair out of her face. Her neck and dress were covered in blood, and Edward had no idea whose. "It was me. I did it!"

Edward couldn't believe his ears. "Shut up, Bella!"

The arresting officer paused with his hand on Edward's back. "Did what?"

Bella flung her arms out. "Whatever you're arresting him for, it was me. Take me, not him."

"Ma'am, please—"

"I shot Diego Molina in the forehead."

Edward's vision washed red. "Fuck, Bella, I said shut up!"

"You can come too, then."

The sight of his wife in handcuffs was too much for him to bear. The dread bubbling in his gut since the men entered the front doors of what was supposed to be a private, secure, and extremely exclusive dinner club finally plummeted to his toes. In response, bile rose in his throat and constricted his lungs.

"Let her go!" he choked.

The other officer shook his head. "I can't do that until we've had a chance to figure out what's going on here. We'll need to review the crime scene and talk to her about her confession."

Edward struggled in his cuffs, earning a shove against the side of the patrol car. "Fucking let her go!" He devolved into Gaelic, shouting a string of profanities so filthy a sailor would have blushed if he'd understood them.

"Edward, please, I'll be fine. Settle down so they don't charge you with resisting arrest."

But the tears rolling down her cheeks broke him. Floundering through tears of his own, he pleaded and begged to no avail. "We have a baby at home. Please, let her go home to our son. Please, she's innocent!"

"Edward, dammit, listen to me!"

The sharpness of her voice pierced the panic in his brain, and he settled down.

"I'm fine. It was self defense. They'll never release you if you keep resisting."

Edward knew he had to clear his head. He had to get to the station and call their attorney. He had to make sure he got word to Jasper and Emmett. "Don't say another word, Bella, do you hear me?"

She nodded as they loaded her into the back of the car. If he thought he could get away with it, he'd bash the cops' heads in. Seattle PD had a hard-on for him and had for years. They would use Bella against him without remorse. Hopefully, she would keep her mouth shut until he could send Jenks to get her out of there. No fucking way was she going down for this fuckup.

There hadn't been time to process the fact that Bella pulled his gun from the holster attached to the back of his belt and shot Diego. It was self defense since Diego was holding a gun and his men had killed bystanders the moment they stormed the restaurant. But Edward feared they'd find a way to pin her with a charge unless she flipped on her husband.

Sickness swirled in his belly on the ride to the precinct. Hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella, he craned his neck as the officer pulled him from the vehicle.

"Always the rich sons-a-bitches with the hottest wives," the officer commented. "Doesn't matter if you're a twat waffle, as long as you got cash."

"Watch what the fuck you say about my wife."

Instead of shutting up, he shoved Edward in the back to prod him toward the doors. "Long time since you been here. Can't recall exactly who it was you killed then."

Edward didn't rise to the bait.

"Few years, I s'pose."

As they entered, he saw her. Her mascara had smudged under her eyes, lipstick smeared below her lips, and her dress had a tear showing more skin than he thought anyone in that place deserved to see.

"One of you get her a sweatshirt or something. Her dress is ripped."

The cop smirked. "Maybe if you get on your knees and beg me."

Edward's gaze heated, and the tenor of his voice dropped an octave. "Listen here, fuckhead. You are required to treat us with respect and dignity, and she's as innocent as the day is long. Get her something to wear, or my attorney will personally stick his shoe up your ass when he arrives."

"It's funny that you think you can threaten me into getting what you want."

"Do. It. Now," he spit through clenched teeth.

Rolling his eyes, the officer called over to the cop dealing with Bella. "Hey, Varner! Find her a shirt."

Varner nodded before he and Bella disappeared down a hallway.

"Happy now, asshole?"

Once again, Edward remained silent. He hoped they would do it, but he'd follow through on his threat if they didn't. It wouldn't be the first time they'd been sanctioned for the way they treated him.

An anvil pounded at the back of his skull as he was left to sit in an interrogation room alone. They hadn't given him the chance to call his attorney yet, and he knew they didn't technically have to if they weren't questioning him. He could sit there for hours before someone felt benevolent enough to do their job.

Meanwhile, he brought Bella's face into his mind's eye. Their pleasant night out had turned into a disaster, precisely as he'd once feared would happen. The deeper Bella descended into his life, the worse off she was. His claws were embedded in her too deep for her to realize he would ruin her, but he didn't know if the terror he felt was aimed at her discovering it and leaving, or staying regardless of how bad it became.

The line about I know what's been in your mouth came from my husband and a French fry I stole from him. ;)