James's story will come in the future chapters. For now, I love reading all your theories. I have to admit, some of them would have made better sense and I'm surprised I haven't thought about it myself. But no, he's not in need of money or a junkie.
It was after nine o'clock in the evening when Bella stepped into her studio. For one, wild moment, she was sure she was seeing her worst nightmare unfold in front of her. Then, she understood it was the reality.
James was indeed sitting on the couch with Edward a foot away from him. Harley was curled at Edward's feet, chewing on one of his plush toys. His head lifted up when Bella slammed the door shut. Edward kept him in place with his crazy voodoo – he didn't even have to talk for Harley to obey him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Bella demanded, marching toward her brother. Her fingers curled inward, trying to remember the correct way to throw a punch without breaking her wrist.
Having many boys as friends had its perks. Funnily enough, it had been Jacob who'd taught her how to throw a punch after she'd fissured her wrist when she'd punched him for kissing her without her permission. But she had been only eighteen back then, trying to figure out how to live her life, and the last thing she had needed was her best friend making a move on her.
James sprang to his feet, smiling. "Izzy, it's so good to see you!"
Bella stopped in front of her brother, glaring up at him. At the moment, the six inches separating them vanished in her anger haze. "You have no right to call me that anymore! Or, be here!" She jabbed a finger into his chest. "You're a piece of shit!"
James's smile turned wryly. "You're allowed to call me every bad name in the book. Would you hear me out, sis?"
"I hate you so much!" Bella cried out, choking up. Then, she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "You complete, idiotic, moronic…"
"Shhh." James rubbed her back, holding her close.
"Did she dump your sorry ass? Is that why you're here?" Bella asked into his shoulder.
"We're thinking about moving back here." James pulled away, keeping a hand on Bella's elbow. "You're an aunt, Izzy."
Bella swayed. "Oh, my God. She reproduced?"
"I see you haven't changed your opinion on Vicky."
"I've never liked her, but when she took you away from here…from me…I despise her, James," Bella spat. "If you decide to bring her back here, let me know so I can be as far away from her as possible."
James gasped. "Is that what you think? You think Vic convinced me to move away?"
"Wasn't it her dream to become a Hollywood actress? She offered you a clean break from what happened," Bella muttered, taking a few steps back. She became aware of Edward watching her warily, and she realized that he and James had talked while waiting for her. And judging by the fact that James wasn't beaten to a pulp, he had good intentions.
"Izzy…" James scrubbed a hand over his face. "I left because I couldn't be here. It was my only way to cope with what had happened. I thought I was doing the right thing…"
"I was fucking seventeen years old! I didn't know shit about how the world worked. I had lost my parents and brother in a matter of days. Did you even think about how all that could have affected me?" Bella shouted. "You, dumbass!"
"You may not believe me, but Vic tried to convince me to stay…for you. I thought that by giving you a place to live and a car, you'd be all set. Of course, it took me months to realize how badly I had screwed up."
"Why didn't you come back when you realized it?" Bella demanded, brushing the back of her hand over her teary eyes. She was a royal mess.
"I was a coward." James swallowed hard. "I checked on you by calling Garrett."
"Gary was in contact with you?" she asked, furiously. "I can't believe it!"
"Don't hold it against him. He'd even stopped taking my calls after a while. He randomly sent me text messages telling me you were okay."
Bella snorted. "I was okay," she repeated in disbelief. Her rage hit the roof. "When was I okay? When I dropped out of high school? When I started working at the bar? When I fucked random guys just to feel alive? When I nearly died in a bike accident? I was not OKAY!" Her voice was raw by the end of her screaming rant.
Edward was by her side in a flash, and she crumbled into his protective embrace. "It would be wise to not say anything else," Edward snapped.
Bella couldn't see James, with her face pressed into Edward's chest, but she knew her brother. Or, she thought she knew him. He had never been one to back down from a fight.
"If you come any closer, I'll break your hands," Edward growled, tightening his hold on Bella. "You can stay here since it's your place, as you so kindly pointed it out earlier. I'm taking Bella home. Harley, come."
A shiver ran down Bella's spine at Edward's most commanding voice. A dark, hidden part of her needed to explore that part of their relationship. Sometimes, she was close to calling Jasper and begging him to allow Edward to have what he needed, because she needed it, too. The relief she'd felt during those few times they had adventured that way, had been everything she needed at the moment.
Bella wanted to forget about her problems. It was definitely the wrong way to address her abandonment issues, but she trusted Edward to make her feel better.
In her car, she sat behind the wheel with her shaky fingers curled around it for a long time.
"Do you want me to drive?" Edward offered, covering one of her hands with his larger, warmer hand.
She shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Call Jasper," she choked out. "You have to call Jasper."
It felt like the air had been punched out of her chest.
Bella had never imagined how a reunion with her brother would go, but it was definitely not this disaster that had happened in her studio.
Edward turned her head, so he could see her eyes. "You want to talk to him about this?"
Bella chewed on her lip. She took another deep breath, swallowing hard. "I need you."
Edward frowned, stopping halfway from scrolling through his phone's agenda. "Do you want to talk to me, or Jasper?" His voice was gentle, as if he was talking to a scared child.
Bella had to make him understand what she wanted, and it scared her. It would be the first time she initiated something like that.
Edward had told her about how she should behave when they played. She tucked her chin in her chest, grateful she wasn't going to see the look in his eyes when he figured out what she wanted.
"I need you, Sir," she said as confidently as possible.
Five heartbeats later, Edward sucked in a breath. Bella didn't hear him releasing the air from his lungs, but she saw his thumbs touching the screen of his phone, then the hand holding the phone was out of view.
"Jasper, how ready am I for a scene?" His voice was firm, hard, yet there was a softness about it. Bella felt her stomach tightening in anticipation. Edward hummed in response to whatever Jasper had told him.
Bella berated herself for jumping out of her skin when Edward touched the back of her neck, rubbing two fingers over the tensed muscles there. "Drive," he commanded. Bella pressed her thighs together, lifting her head to look out the windscreen.
Jasper had given them the green light, and the still wary part of her brain tried to argue with what her body seemed to desire at the moment. It was out of question she'd back out now. She wanted this. She trusted Edward to make her forget about her brother. Also, Bella knew that they'd talk about it when the scene was over. It made her wish reality would never come back. She'd rather be whatever Edward needed her to be, and do everything he wanted her to do, as long as she didn't have to think or make any decision of her own.
When Bella parked in front of the garage at Edward's house, Edward stroked her hair, allowing one of his fingers to curl a strand of hair around it. He tugged at it slowly.
"Wait for me in the bedroom. Do you remember what I expect of you?"
Bella nodded jerkily, breathing heavily.
"Good girl."
They got out of the car. Bella felt her legs shaking, but she reminded herself that this was what she wanted. There was nothing to be scared of, Edward would never hurt her.
"Come, boy." Edward led Harley to the special paddock he'd created at the back of his house. He had had a special team fence the area so Harley could roam freely and enjoy the outside world.
Bella had to take a double look at Harley without his leash, following at Edward's feet. He really had to teach her all his tricks, because having a Husky off leash was the ultimate goal for all Husky owners.
Tanya wasn't in the kitchen, which was a surprise. Bella continued down the hallway, stepping into Edward's bedroom.
She had no idea how long it would take Edward to leave Harley in the backyard, before joining her. So, she hurried to undress, then she knelt at the foot of the bed on the soft cushion. Her nails were longer than she usually kept them, and they dug painfully in her kneecaps, but she was too nervous to let up the grip she had on them.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she panicked, realizing her hair was not caught. She didn't have a scrunchy on her, and she had no idea how to explain it to Edward without upsetting him.
The lock turning in the door alerted her of his presence in the room. She hadn't heard him enter.
The sound of clothes leaving his body made her wetter. The anticipation of what he'd do was palpable in the air.
When his bare feet appeared in her line of view, Bella cleared her throat. "May I speak, Sir?"
"Yes," he said softly. His hand outstretched in front of her, holding a regular red rubber band. "Allow me, or we'll have to chop your hair off if you do it."
I'll always anticipate your needs, his whispered words from their long nights over the past two months, echoed in her mind. Edward had known she had nothing to catch her hair with.
He worked slowly, carefully, on tying the rubber band around her ponytail. The result was a tighter ponytail than she'd do herself, but it didn't hurt.
"You wanted to ask me something?" A finger under her chin tilted her head up, so their eyes met.
"You were a step ahead, Sir."
A wide smile spread on his face. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Teamwork, Isabella."
She nodded, returning his smile.
"This session is about your pleasure." His thumb stroked over her bottom lip. "Get up."
Bella complied, grateful for his hand on her elbow when her too fast action caused her whiplash. Not letting up his grip on her elbow, Edward walked her to his chest of drawers. He moved to stand behind her, his warm breath washing over her neck, making goosebumps appear on her skin.
"I want you to choose one object that will bring you pleasure tonight. Only one. Choose wisely, Isabella."
"Me?" She stopped herself in time, when she was about to turn and look at him. "What if I choose wrong? Uh, Sir?"
Edward kissed her bare shoulder. "You can't choose wrong. I promise to redirect you in case you somehow pick something that might not be suitable."
Bella pulled open the first drawer. Her hand went to one of the blindfolds, stroking the silky material.
"I trust you to be more creative and daring. Try something new," he encouraged her, trailing his fingertips up over her ribs.
She closed the first drawer a little too harshly, before moving on to the second one. Before she could open it, she decided it was time to face her fear of the whips. Edward had told her multiple times they weren't meant to always bring pain.
Bella bent to open the third drawer, aware she might be overstepping some line by rubbing her butt over his boxer-clad erection. Edward gasped, which encouraged her to push back ever so lightly.
"You're a tease, baby girl."
Liquid lava pooled into her lower belly at his words. Bella did her best to focus on the contents of the drawer she'd opened.
Unlike the previous times when Edward had taken all of his collection out, showing her how each of the whips looked and felt on her palm, she wasn't as terrified. Edward had done that to show her the feeling and experience it on her own skin when Bella had been telling him, she couldn't imagine ever accepting being hit like that.
After a short debate with herself, Bella picked a long riding crop. The leather material around the handle felt foreign in her hand.
"Are you sure?" Edward's asked against her shoulder, his lips barley leaving her skin as he spoke.
"Yes, Sir," she answered in a small, quivering voice. It was what she wanted, but the nerves of not knowing what he'd do to her with her item of choice fueled her anxiety.
Bella turned into his arms, keeping her eyes down, as she handed him the riding crop.
Edward tsked under his breath, making her freeze. She had done something wrong, of course. Edward trailed his fingers over the outer side of her arms, as he slowly reached her hands. He turned her palms up, arranging the riding crop on her extended hands, like an offering.
"This is how you present me with the object you pick," he explained softly. His fingers lingered on her wrists, and it took Bella a moment to understand what he was doing. Edward was checking her pulse, which was racing. "Relax. Do you remember your colors?"
"Yes, Sir." Some confidence had returned to her voice.
"Tell me," he prompted her, taking the riding crop in his right hand.
Bella forgot to breathe at the sight in front of her. She could only see Edward's sculptured abdomen, his tented black boxer briefs, and the crop held loosely in his hand. He'd never looked more Dom in her eyes, and she had yet to see the look on his face. Part of her wanted to be unaware of the probably stern look in Edward's eyes. It also helped her gather her thoughts.
"Green, Yellow, and Red."
Bella saw the crop move in a swishing motion, and the next second, she felt its lick and the sting it left on her left thigh. She jumped, startled, restraining her instinct to rub the aching skin. It also took all her willpower not to look up at him.
"Sir," Edward demanded. "You will always finish your sentences by addressing me properly."
Shit. Bella cringed inwardly at her slip. Did he expect her to act flawlessly? She'd mess up, and he'd most likely forget about the pleasure by turning her ass red.
Alice had promised Bella that even though punishments hurt, because that was what they were intended to do, they were gratifying and liberating. Bella hoped she'd never understand what Alice had meant by that.
At the moment, Bella bit through her lip so she wouldn't say what she wanted to say the most, which was Yellow. She wanted to talk to Edward, and remind him that she couldn't be the perfect submissive girl he was used to. She'd never be, no matter how much he tried.
As if reading her mind, Edward tilted her head up with a finger under her chin. His eyes were the color of the sea during a storm. "Color?"
"Green, Sir," Bella replied, evening her breathing.
Ready for playtime? Bella's green. What about you?
