Chapter 10:
Flight booked for 8:00pm from the Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio to Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas, Venezuela. Layover for refueling and maintenance and then you will be off to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. After that you'll be headed to SeaTac. Jasper and I will pick you up, I'm dying to see Bella and Jasper is excited to be around her and not want to kill her. I've let the crew know that you are 'fiercely private' and they are not to speak to you unless absolutely necessary. They probably think they have Tom Cruise on the plane or something. See you soon!
I read over Alice's text while Bella packed, a little sad to be leaving. I couldn't be too sad, though. The rest of eternity was starting with Bella by my side, and though these past two months had been heaven on earth, I was excited to be tackling any problems that came our way with her by my side, indestructible now. Admittedly, most of our problems in the past year had all been a direct result of Bella being human and me insisting on bringing her into this world anyways. Aside from the Volturi, who we hopefully wouldn't have to deal with for many years to come, I couldn't quite see any problems coming our way and the peace that gave me was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
We had our things packed quickly, even as far as a couple of vampires were concerned. Most of our clothes had become casualties of our desire for each other. If it weren't for the fact that after the first week of her immortality we finally figured out it was best for us to only get dressed when the delivery crew would be coming, we likely wouldn't even have clothes left to wear to the airport. The last delivery had been made this morning and Bella and I made quick work of the pumas, making love a few more times on the jungle floor before hiking up to our cove and enjoying some time up there as well. We had made the most of our last day here, and were both slowly getting mentally prepared to leave.
Bella emerged from the bedroom in a halter style maxi dress that faded from white at the top to a deep navy ombre at the bottom. Around the ribcage of the dress was a band of crochet that allowed her pale skin to peek through the holes. She wore a pair of brown strappy sandals and had her hair styled in beachy waves and all pulled to one side of her neck to reveal the open back of the dress. How was it possible that seeing her like this turned me on more than when she was naked? I was suddenly lost in thoughts of what her breasts looked like underneath, how it felt to run my hand down the smooth skin of her back, kissing her where her neck met her shoulder...
"If you don't put your tongue back in your mouth and get dressed, we're never going to make it out of here," Bella's musical voice broke me out of my trance and I darted my eyes up from the detailing on her waist to look into her eyes. The smile I found there was contagious and was immediately mimicked on my own face.
"I have half a mind to never let you leave as it is, love."
"It's tempting, but get dressed. Alice will probably come here herself and drag us out by our ears if we don't show up at that airport."
I sighed, knowing she was right and we really shouldn't put this off any longer, and went to get dressed. She had left out a pair of light wash denim jeans, a navy polo, and a pair of brown dockers for me. I smiled a bit, both at the indulgence at having your wife setting clothes out for you and the fact that we would be matching, but not that embarrassing way where couples wear the same shirt.
Once dressed I headed back into the living room, handing her the case of contacts that Alice had shipped here for our return trip and a pair of Prada sunglasses. I had my own coveted Ray Bans tucked in my back pocket for the short time we would be interacting with humans.
"You don't have to wear contacts, too?" She asked, wrinkling her nose at the case in her hand. I had already walked her through how uncomfortable but necessary they would be and how often she would need to change them as a result of the venom in her eyes wearing them away
I shook my head. "My eyes are able to pass as human enough right now. Plus I'll be wearing these," I took the Ray Bans out to show her, "any time it's appropriate and if any outright questions are asked I'll just blame the lighting."
She smiled, "It's always the flourescents, right?" She had been human when I told her that, and those small memories should be fuzzy, if not completely gone. Instead she had been routinely blowing me away with her remaining memories of us. I still had to fill her in on things, but she was doing exceptionally well.
I wrapped one arm around her shoulders, turning her so we could survey the little house that had been our home, our fresh new beginning, for the last time. At least for this trip, anyways. We would definitely be coming back.
"Goodbye, Isle Esme," She said quietly.
"Not goodbye, see you later."
"See you later," she confirmed with a nod, beaming up at me. "Alright, let's get going."
I don't know if I had ever seen Bella so tense. Her whole body was completely rigid and still, her lips pressed together in a hard line, not daring to take a breath. She had one arm wrapped around my back, her hand fisting the side of my shirt, and her other hand was pressed against my abdomen. "Love, be careful now. As much as I adore when you rip my clothes off, it's probably not the best idea in the middle of the airport," I whispered in her ear, attempting to lighten the mood with some humor.
She merely gave one curt nod, eyes wide, and relaxed her grip.
"You're doing so good, sweetheart. Only a few more minutes and we'll be out on the runway with some fresh air." A few passersby noticed how scared she looked, some briefly wondered if I was abusing her which made my stomach churn at the mere thought of, but the natural predatory demeanor that radiated off of us caused most heads to turn the other way and not think twice.
Luckily we bypassed most of the large crowds, heading straight to the private terminal. I kept a tight hold on the treasure in my arms and shot a glare to anyone that got too close. Esme would be appalled at my rudeness, but it was necessary given the circumstances. Every ounce of me hated that this had to be so difficult for her, and more than a couple times I thought about hightailing it back to Isle Esme and riding out her newborn time there with nothing but sex and wild animal deliveries to occupy us. But again, Bella deserved better than that. Though I'm sure I wouldn't catch her complaining if it came down to it.
Once I handed over our identification we were led through a door to the runway where our jet was awaiting us. The crew kept a wide berth from us, not so much as glancing our direction except to take our luggage and load it for us. "Ladies first," I said, holding my hand in the direction of the stairs to the plane. She never let go of my hand as she walked up them and I resisted the urge not to reach out and smack that heart shaped bottom of hers.
Inside, Bella was able to stand straight, though the top of her head still brushed the ceiling, meanwhile I had to crouch to avoid bashing my head. It was large and open inside, just clearly not designed for anyone over Bella's 5'4". I took in the opulence of the space, resisting the urge to sigh at Alice's indulgence. I had ridden in many private jets in my day, and while the extravagance never bothered me, I knew it still made Bella uncomfortable. Alice was eventually going to have to learn how to tone it down a notch, we didn't have to indulge with everything we did.
Four plush cream colored reclining chairs were spread around the area, facing each other. There was a TV against one wall and a couch that ran alongside the back wall. Beside the couch there was a hallway that led to a bathroom and a bedroom. Dark wood details offset the cream color of the upholstery, and the floor was covered with lush carpet. I quickly sat in the chair that was the furthest from the front of the plane and pulled Bella onto my lap, studying her intently as her wide eyes, muddied by the brown contacts, took in her surroundings.
Everything in me absolutely loathed that this was so difficult for her. I didn't want to urge conversation because eventually she would have to take another breath to speak, which would only cause her pain. At the same time, I wanted nothing more than for her to tell me her thoughts, how she was feeling. Most times I could forget about how infuriating it could be to not be able to read her thoughts, simply because Bella shared the majority of them with me, but now when that wasn't possible it was absolutely maddening. I never claimed to be a sane man, but the more of this that went on the more my sanity slipped from my grasp.
We sat in silence for a long time. The engine started, we lifted into the air, all the while I kept my eyes trained on her, my arms wrapped around her and my fingers tracing the patterns of the crocheted lace at her waist. Even though the stress of the situation was on the forefront of my mind, wondering what I could do for her to make this even just a little bit easier, I still couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. I pulled her head down to my shoulder, kissed her forehead, and settled in for a long ride.
In Venezuela we didn't bother to get off the plane while the crew refueled and did their routine maintenance before our trip over the Gulf of Mexico. With no humans on the plane in the interim she must have decided it was safe to try and breathe.
"I'm so sorry this is so difficult," she said quietly from her spot on my shoulder, from which she hadn't moved an inch since the first take off.
I took my hand off her waist for the first time, using it to tilt her chin up so she was looking at me and kissing her. "Don't be silly, love. This is not your fault. You are doing so well, I have never known a single two month old vampire be able to be anywhere near humans, and here you are. It's actually quite amazing."
"It doesn't feel amazing." Her eyes were downcast, looking at my lips instead of my eyes. "I don't want to kill anyone, Edward. I couldn't...I wouldn't be able to live with that." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"You won't, love. I mean it. You're blowing me away with your control right now." I placed another kiss on her lips, bringing my hand to the nape of her neck to pull her deeper into me. I felt her hand slide up my chest before cupping my jaw.
You would think that we would get tired of making out like teenagers parked in a secluded lovers lane steaming up the windows with nothing but their breath. We had been in this position a million times, even before being married, and it still shook me to my very core with need each and every time. We continued that delicious give and take, push and pull, until the plane took off again. Silently battling our desire for each other, relishing together in the feeling of bodies pressed flush to one another.
"I think you should distract me," Bella breathed against my lips, her sweet breath falling over my skin.
"Mmm, as much as I would love that, I don't think it's smart," as I spoke I tightened my grip in the hair at the base of her neck, pulling her head back and causing her to moan. "You might just break the plane." I traced my lips down the column of her throat, nipping in between kisses. Sharp then soft, driving us both mad.
"You overestimate your power over me."
Even as she said it, she was betraying herself, one of her hands gripping onto the headrest behind me and ripping the leather.
I smirked against her skin. "I don't think I do at all, love." I reached to pull one of the straps of her dress aside, continuing my teasing kisses and bites along the juncture of her neck and her shoulder. Her hips ground down into my growing erection while a growl rose from her chest.
"Edward you have two options here. Stop teasing me like this, or make me forget about how badly I want to rip that pilot's throat out and fuck me."
I certainly would never tire of hearing her utter such filthy words.
I released my grip on her, holding my hands up in surrender and reluctantly, so reluctantly, pulling my lips from her skin. "If you insist," My voice came out breathy, challenging, looking directly in her eyes as if daring her to change my mind.
Her growl turned into a snarl and before I knew it she was the one tugging on my hair. I felt a twinge of pain and briefly thought how screwed I would be if her newborn strength permanently ripped a chunk from my head. However, her lips against my ear and more obscene words quickly chased the thought away.
"Okay, I lied. You have one choice. And if it weren't for the fact that eventually we have to walk off of this plane and I don't want anyone to see what's mine, I would be ripping your clothes off and making that choice for you."
In one fluid motion she stood, keeping her grip in my hair with one hand and hiking up her dress to the hips with the other, then straddled me. Her grip loosened, allowing me to look down to see the dewy shine of her arousal only the inside of her thighs, the fabric of her dress hiding the veritable 'promised land' that I craved to bury myself into.
I clucked my tongue, shaking my head in mock shame, dropping my hand to run my long fingers through the wetness. "Bella, love, are you not wearing any underwear?" I asked, mostly rhetorically. "What did you imagine would be happening on this ride, hm?" I brought my fingers up to her lips, making her taste herself. She didn't even hesitate to wrap her lips around my fingers, all the while her hands making fast work of my belt and zipper.
She sucked on my fingers hungrily, conveying with her tongue on my skin how badly she needed me and all the while keeping her eyes locked with mine. Her hand dug into my pants and her small delicate hands wrapped around me and removed my member. I pulled the straps of her dress down to expose her breasts, then removed my fingers from her mouth to instead trace them around an already pebbled nipple, watching as it puckered more at the touch.
"I was hoping for an entirely different kind of ride," she whispered, her lungs using the last bit of air in them to speak but not daring to take another breath. Our lips crashed together with a force so urgent that the aftershocks shook the plane underneath us. I pressed her closer to myself with a firm grip on her bottom, driving deep into her. We clung to each other like a life raft, bodies arched in sharp curves and mouths slack against each other, neither one of us breathing.
Just thrusting and riding, bodies of stone somehow still giving into each other. Each of us consumed with passion, love, and heat. Fingers digging into flesh, eyes locked, pressure building. Pouring everything we have into one another with not a single thought to the world around us. Coming together and falling apart again and again, 42,000 feet in the air.
By the time we touched down at SeaTac I could be fairly certain that we were both sated enough to at least make it the next however many hours it was going to take to see and visit with the family. Oddly enough, I had spent so much energy protecting Bella's innocence, but since her change this was going to be the longest we had gone without making love.
"Do I look like I've been rode hard and put away wet?" Bella asked, straightening her dress.
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked bemusedly, chuckling under my breath.
"What, never heard that expression?" She raised an eyebrow, grinning.
"No, I have. I just didn't expect such a question." I pulled her to me, shaking my head. "But no, you look perfect. As always. Glowing, in fact. So bright that it's blinding."
Bella rolled her eyes, but the smile never left.
Whew! That was some of the worst turbulence I've ever been through. Maybe I should check on the passengers. They may be private but I don't want them to be scared.
I chuckled listening to the pilot's thoughts, causing Bella to look at me questioningly. "What's so funny?"
"The pilot. He's thinking of checking on us because of the rough turbulence we hit." Together we laughed and I pulled us away before he could get any closer.
From the plane I could hear the background noise of thousands of bustling thoughts. I already was longing to be back on the island, with only my own thoughts in my head, but nothing was going to bring me down now that everything had finally fallen into place. Two voices stood out amongst all of them. Jasper's thoughts were quiet, almost like a whisper that I knew all too well, mostly focused on keeping his control around all of the pumping hearts in his near vicinity. Alice, on the other hand, was practically screaming in her head.
They're here! Oh my god, they're here! Oh, I hope she likes the outfit I picked. I bet she's just stunning!
I could see the dress and heels that Alice had chosen, as well as the sign she had made and had ready for us to walk through the gates and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"What's that look for?" Bella asked me.
I sighed, grinning. "Just Alice, love. In fact, from here on out it is safe to assume that if you see that look, Alice is responsible."
It wasn't true annoyance, the kind that made you genuinely angry. More like the indulgent amused irritation of a big brother. Truthfully, aside from Bella, Alice was my best friend, and I was quite a bit more excited than I thought I would be to see her, as well as the rest of the family.
As soon as the doors opened, Alice's small frame was immediately in Bella's arms, the sign that read "Mr and Mrs Cullen" on the floor before we could even see it, forcing mine and Bella's hands apart while the two girls clung to each other. Jasper and I nodded at each other and smiled. He never had been one for much physical affection.
Our girls are a little nuts, aren't they?
"Speak for yourself, brother." I responded, laughing. Alice and Bella both shot a playful glare, but Alice was too busy gushing to inquire further.
"Bella, you. Are. Gorgeous!"
Bella looked at the ground, her smile growing shy. "Uh, thanks." She looked up as she pulled away from Jasper, bringing one hand up to wave at him. "Hey, Jasper."
"Oh, come on, Bella." He said, shocking me by pulling her into a hug. "Now that I'm not fighting the urge to kill you, surely you can give your new brother a hug now."
Bella's smile was blinding, the realization that this really was her new family starting to hit her. Things were going to be so much different now. So much more relaxed. Bella and I were both about to learn so much about each other, all while she discovered her new self and these old yet new people in her life. Sure, she knew my family well, and they had always loved her as she had loved them. They never intentionally put on any sort of front around Bella or hid anything about themselves, but they had always been on their best behavior when she was around. Now, just as my reservations with her had fallen away, so would all of theirs. My whole body felt full with the buzz of hope and excitement and new beginnings.
"Alright, Bella. I love the dress, but let's get you in something a little nicer." Alice said, winking and dragging her off to the nearest restroom, much to my wife's protests.
It suits her well, Edward. Really, it's like she was meant to be one of us. Jasper thought, giving me that reserved grin of his.
"She really was. I truly, honestly could not be any happier." I responded.
I can tell, of course. It suits you well, too, you know. Nice to see you not brooding for once.
"I did not brood."
He laughed, a more carefree laugh than I had heard in awhile, likely due to the joyous emotions surrounding him in this moment. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, Caulfield."
"Ugh, don't compare me to that trash."
The Catcher in the Rye is a classic, you only don't like it because Holden is so much like you.
I chuckled and looked in the direction of the restrooms, suddenly uneasy with Bella being away from me. It was completely irrational. Maybe a little insane. Okay, maybe a lot insane. But I had gotten so accustomed to her presence that I was finding it very difficult to be without it.
Rosalie is livid, Edward.
I felt a pang of irritation wash over me, a feeling that did not belong to me and instead was radiating from Jasper. "It doesn't matter." I waved my hand, dismissing the impending issue. "You know as well as I do that she'll get past it. She may even learn to love Bella. At the very least she will tolerate her." I didn't say what I knew to be true, that Bella wouldn't stop until Rosalie did love her. My love was far too caring and kind to ever deal with someone she was so close to disliking her.
Just trying to prepare you, hombre.
"Don't use your cowboy lingo on me," I raised my eyebrow, laughing under my breath.
Jasper's mental voice was much more Texan than his physical one, a deep twang that had hung on since his humanity. It had lessened somewhat over the years, whereas his audible voice only revealed the signs of his raising when he was extremely angry, or speaking to Alice. He always had a slight drawl when he looked at her, all of his walls crashing down around him. It was nice to finally know what it felt like to be so helpless to another person.
Alice came out first and I fought my first instinct to panic and wonder what had happened to Bella. I resisted running into the bathroom to save her from whatever strange danger she had gotten herself into. Now that we were back in 'the real world' I was anxious that the danger that always seemed to find her was going to come looking again, and I was on the edge when a wave of my own happiness was thrown back over me, my brother silently reminding me how irrational I was being.
"Hold onto your britches, gentleman. I present to you, the new and improved Mrs. Isabella Cullen," Alice held her arms out like she was showing off a new car while Bella walked gracefully out of the bathroom with a soft clicking of her heels.
If I had been human my breath would have caught in my throat. My heart rate would have spiked. Instead, my mouth fell open and I simply, unashamedly, stared at my wife. I felt this deep, rooted need in the pit of my stomach to take her, damned be whoever was around to see. My arousal was immediate the second I laid eyes on her, and I could not, would not, bring myself to look away.
She was wearing a deep burgundy, very form fitting, velvet dress. There wasn't much fabric to it, and in fact it resembled more of a slip than a dress. Every inch of it clung to every inch of her. Thin straps lead to a scooped neck that was just low enough to show the swell of the tops of her breasts. I could see vividly the curve from the apex of her breasts to the soft underside of them, her flat stomach dipping slightly around the muscles of her abdomen, her slim waist out to the swell of her hips and down to her thighs. Perfect proportions, perfect skin, perfect everything.
The dress stopped a few inches above her knees, but a slit on one side came up a few more inches, stopping at the exact point that the shorts she used to wear to bed before we were wed would have. The only bit of her that the fabric didn't cling to was her tantalizing center, and though part of me was glad that it wasn't on display for everyone, an entirely different part of me longed to get that dress off of her right the fuck now.
I saw a flash of myself doing just that in Alice's mind while Jasper let out a low whistle of appreciation, though his thoughts remained entirely decent. This was followed by Alice's exasperated sigh in response to her vision. "Oh, come on, like you haven't had enough," She glared at me, not entirely seriously.
"Not even close," I responded, never taking my eyes off of Bella who was smiling sheepishly. It was then that I could take in the rest of her. Her hair had been pulled up into a messy sort of bun that was still elegant, tendrils falling down her neck and the side of her face, and Alice had done her makeup with some dark smokey eyeshadow and a lip color that was just exactly two shades darker than her new natural color. Red, but also still pink. On her feet were a pair of black shoes, Louboutin judging by the red soles.
"Was this necessary, Alice?" Bella asked.
"Entirely. I have been dying to get you in something besides denim and flannel."
"It is a little mean, Alice." Jasper laughed, nodding in my direction while I adjusted my erection.
"Please, it's not my fault if he can't control himself." She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest while I locked eyes with Bella, willing her to hear all the raunchy things running through my mind. Then again, if she could her resolve was nowhere near as strong as mine and there would no longer be any control present. "Alright, come on. Esme might have a cow if I don't get you two home soon."
Her and Jasper set off and I walked up to Bella, allowing one heated kiss. "You're completely mouthwatering, love. I can't wait to get you out of that dress. In the meantime though, I'm going to need you make sure you walk in front of me unless you want the whole airport to see what's yours, as you mentioned earlier."
Bella's eyes flickered down to the bulge in my pants, then back up to meet my imploring gaze. "Well, we can't have that now can we?" She asked with a smirk.
She took my hand and led me out of the airport, swaying her hips in a way that I wasn't entirely positive that she intended, but also put a serious strain on my already thin self control.
Alice let me drive us home. She knew how badly I missed being behind the wheel, and also how badly I needed the distraction. Her and Bella sat in the back, Alice doing the majority of the talking about all of her future plans for us. Taking Bella shopping, double dates once Bella was strong enough to be around humans without our guards up, dragging her to fashion week rather than me. I instantly loathed the thought of Bella being away from me. Perhaps I could crash that little party. The second I thought about it, Alice saw a vision of me doing so in the future and reprimanded me.
"Don't you dare! She's allowed some time away from you, you know."
I saw in the rear view mirror Bella's puzzled expression and she leaned up to look at Jasper. "They always like this? Having conversations that no one understands?"
He grinned at her. "Constantly. Thought you'd be used to it by now."
"Well, I never found it quite this irritating." She huffed, throwing herself back in her seat.
Jasper looked at me questioningly, raising one eyebrow. Trouble in paradise already?
I shook my head, passing it off as a look of indignation rather than a response to his question. I was quite positive he could sense the warring newborn emotions in her and would understand that it wasn't truly like her to be so easily irked, simply a side effect of the change. One that I had actually grown to enjoy. It was sort of fun to see her get worked up over such small things, knowing the emotion would cause nothing but increased heat between us.
Shortly after that we pulled into the driveway of our home to greet three of the four remaining members of the family. It was comforting to return to the familiarity of home and to be surrounded by the scents of my family. It made me wonder what Bella was thinking about the aromas that she was just now noticing, things that only the heightened senses of a vampire could notice.
Alice smelled like fruit, watermelon and strawberries and sweetness. Jasper was all leather, bourbon, and campfire smoke. Carlisle smelled crisp, fresh laundry and rainy days. Esme smelled like home, cinnamon and warmth. Emmett was all woods, patchouli and musk and adventure. And finally, Rosalie, who smelled of icy spearmint and expensive vanilla, a perfect contrast of her frigid exterior that held so much fierce loyalty once you got inside her walls.
As soon as we exited the vehicle Emmett was across the yard and pulling Bella into a bone crushing hug that lifted her off of her feet as he spun her around, and also gave me a delightful view of her perfect ass. "Little sister! You finally got over getting dicked down by my brother and came home!"
Bella gasped as he set her back on her feet and smacked him in the chest. She meant to be playful but he recoiled from the blow, clutching his hand over where she hit him and laughing. "Careful, little girl! Don't start a fight you can't finish."
"Oh, I can finish it. You're forgetting who is currently the strongest in the family," Bella spat, equally teasing and a little angry.
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Emmett rolled his eyes and I saw various plans playing out in his head. A slew of competitions to prove that he was still the strongest. I couldn't hide my smirk at the knowledge that this big lug was about to get absolutely pummeled by my tiny, petite, gorgeous wife.
Emmett looked up at me. "And you," He said, suddenly very serious. He placed his hand on my shoulder and leaned in, speaking in a stage whisper. "Edward, I've always been worried about you being alone. I thought surely there had to be lots of pretty women that could warm your bed at night. Why didn't you tell me that there just wasn't anyone out there that you found prettier than yourself?" His laugh was booming while I shot him daggers. "I mean, come on man, you got so turned on by yourself on the big screen that you killed your wife!"
The whole family was laughing, though Bella was hiding her head in her hands in embarrassment while she did so.
"I'm not the one that needs mirrors in the room to get off, Em," I responded, clapping him on the back. It was true. Emmett and Rose loved nothing more than watching themselves during their marital relations.
"Not my fault we look good, man." Emmett said, holding his arms out. The man never had an ounce of shame and I kind of loved that about him.
"Whatever, where is the Ice Queen?" I jested, noticing I couldn't hear her thoughts.
Emmett brought one hand up to rub the back of his neck. "She, uh, went to blow off some steam. Said she needed a run. She's pissed that I stayed here. Hell, she's mad we came back at all but I told her that you're family and so is Bella, so we had to come welcome you home." I don't like putting my foot down with her, Edward, but between you and me she's being a little silly about this. It's not like we didn't know this was going to happen.
I nodded in understanding, keeping the thoughts that he shared with me between us, just as I heard the unmistakable roar of the mind of Rosalie Hale.
You know what they say about the devil, speak and she shall appear.
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XX,
Dani