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Chapter Ten: Got It Bad

Edward and Bella shared a look before laughter overtook them both.

"Give me a minute, Em!" Edward shouted, apologising with his eyes to Bella. "That's my brother, Emmett." He retracted his fangs away but revelled in the fact he could still taste Bella on his lips.

"He's your older brother, right?" Edward had told Bella about his family on one of their dates.

"Yeah." He let his forehead rest against hers. "I'm sorry - I didn't know he'd be coming over."

"It's alright," she told him, planting a soft kiss to his lips before she stood from his lap and begin to find her clothes and redress.

Edward did the same and then took her hand as they went to find out where Emmett had gone to.

They found him in the kitchen, sipping a bottle of Crimson Twister.

"Bella, this is my brother Emmett, Emmett this is Bella."

Emmett stood from the chair and the first thing Bella noticed was just how large he was. He wasn't just tall but he was broad too. She doubted if his shoulders would fit through some narrow doorways. He had light brown hair that was short and bright blue eyes. There was a light amount of stubble on his face and he was just as handsome as his brother.

"It's very nice to meet you," Emmett said as he stuck out his large hand and gently took hers. Despite being so large, his grip was surprisingly soft.

"You too," Bella responded.

"Sorry to interrupt," Bella felt her face flame. "But I need your help - as an accountant," he said turning his attention to Edward.

"Of course," Edward said immediately. He pulled out a chair for Bella and got her a bottle of water before sitting down next to her.

"What's the problem?"

"Someone has taken fifty thousand dollars from the business. The only reason I found out was because Jessica noticed something wrong with the books. Can you take a look at them and make sure I'm not missing anymore?"

"Of course," Edward nodded.

"Do you know who took it?" Bella asked wanting to weigh in on the conversation.

"I have my suspicions." Emmett took a sip of his drink. "But, enough about my problems. Edward told me about your grandfather, Bella - I'm so sorry."

"Thanks." She didn't want to say it was alright or it wasn't his fault. That wasn't why he was apologising.

He slid a piece of paper across the table. "This is my number. If you need anything and can't get ahold of Edward, let me know."

She took it with a smile.

"Now, Bella, tell me about yourself," Emmett said, shaking away some of the sadness that had enveloped the room.

"There's not much to tell."

"I doubt that. You're the first woman who's turned Edward's head in a long time. You must be special."

Bella blushed at his words and Edward placed a sweet kiss to her temple.

"She is special," he said in a low voice and the brother's shared a look.

Emmett waited patiently as Edward and Bella said their goodbye's. He heard their hushed whisperings and wondered if his brother knew he was in love. Probably not. Edward was sometimes blind when it came to matters of the heart. What he said was true, Bella had been the only girl in a long time to turn Edward's head and Emmett was glad he had found someone. His last relationship had been a disaster and Bella seemed like she could be good for him.

"So…" Emmett began when Edward came back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Have you told Carlisle?"

"About Bella? Yes."

Emmett's eyes narrowed. "About the way she smells."

Edward stiffened. "I've mentioned it."

"She smells good, Edward. Really good."

"I know." Edward scrubbed his hand over his face. "I can't stay away. She's just so amazing and beautiful and intelligent…"

Emmett gave him a small smile. "As long as you're with her for the right reasons."

"I thought you approved of drinking human blood?"

"I do but I don't want to have to deal with your depressed ass if you kill her." Edward could hear the teasing tone in his voice but he still looked at the ground. He didn't like reminders of the dark days of his past.

"I'm not going to hurt her."

"Good."

"Tell me more about this money that's gone missing," Edward said.

Emmett took another sip of his drink. "Jess noticed it this morning but I wanted to check it over to make sure. I think it's one of the employees that have taken it. I just need to work out which one."

"Time frame?"

"From what I can gather the last three months. We picked up a lot of business so whoever took the money probably thought we wouldn't miss it."

As Emmett explained more about the missing money and filled Edward in on the details, the bronze haired vampire let his mind wander.

And it wandered straight to Bella. The feel of her against him, the way her scent intoxicated him, the way her laugh gave him chills up his spine and the way her smile made everything better.

He was falling and he was falling fast.

A smile graced his face and Emmett shook his head.

"There's no point talking to you when you've got that silly look on your face."

"What silly look?"

"That silly look." Emmett punctuated his point by waving a large finger in front of his face.

If Edward could blush, he would by now.

"You've got it bad, brother," Emmett said.

Edward could have scoffed, like he didn't already know.

Hello everyone. I hope you're all doing well. Sorry for my absence lately. If you follow my Tumblr then you'll know that the last few months have been very difficult. Everything came to a head a few weeks ago when very unexpectedly, we lost one of our dogs. It was such a shock and so heartbreaking that I just needed to step back from everything. I've spent a few days just resting, gaming and being with my family and I feel much better for it. Thank you for your patience.