Chapter 31
Hello everyone,
I am updating this chapter early because my internet connection is acting up.
Anyway, this chapter has been a long time in coming, and it is my pleasure to post it for you. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.
Sadly, this fic is coming to an end and we have 4 more chapters left to go. I love how loyal and excited everyone has been for this fic. Thanks so much for coming back week after week, and continuing Micah.
Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following.
Please Review …
"Edward?" Bella settled into Edward's arms as he carried her toward the bathroom. So, many questions plagued her conscious, as he jostled her weight, easily maneuvering them toward the large garden tub.
Briefly, Bella's attention went to the massive picture window, noting the velvety black night. Considering the Cullen mansion was on a high incline, she could see faint traces of New York City's magnificent skyline, highlighted by the random lit windows. As breathtaking as the view was, Bella couldn't focus on anything other than Edward sitting her on the bench next to the enlarged tub.
When they'd been in the hospital, Bella could've sworn their relationship had taken a turn—really, way before the incident that'd landed her in that bed. All the late-night conversations, early morning greetings, skype sex, his unwavering devotion during her stay in that stupid hospital bed had led her to believe their relationship had progressed to the point of actually coupling. Since being caught in a rather delicate situation by the doctor that afternoon, it seemed as if Edward had distanced himself.
Her throat grew tight as she contemplated his sudden behavior change. Confusion beat an ugly rhythm throughout her mind, causing her to wonder if everything had been in her imagination. Surely, she couldn't have fantasized about the fundamental change in their relationship … so the question was, what changed everything from that moment to this one?
"Huh?" Edward asked, stepping around Bella; he took her long, wavy tresses in hand. Reaching for the brush on the countertop, he pulled the bristles through her thick hair, noting the softness curling around his fingers. The more Edward touched her, the more he wanted to touch her, and with her condition … Well, shit … What kind of lowlife would he be to try and sex up a woman who'd just experienced trauma? He'd have to be an unfeeling brute to take advantage of the situation.
Yet when her head tilted as he ran the brush through her hair, temptation got the better of him, and he set the brush aside, combing his fingers through the silken strands. When her form shook with a shiver, his fingertip grazed the shell of her ear, liking the way she seemed to naturally respond to his touch.
"Did I do something?" Bella wanted to know, her lashes fluttering as sensations coursed through her. Immediately, Edward's hands stilled in her hair, and she felt a slight tug. Bella tipped her head back until she was staring into those hypnotic eyes. Silence passed between them, and she found herself stuttering, "I-I just … well … you seem …"
"Why in the world would you think you've done something?" Edward's heart constricted as he spied the worry in her gaze. Unable to help himself, his fingers traced the line of her jaw, bringing her head back to rest against his abdomen, letting his fingertips feather down her neck.
Bella's lashes fluttered as Edward caressed the side of her neck. Her lips fell apart on a gasp when his touch tickled along her collarbone. Biting her bottom lip, she swallowed the moan resting on her tongue. She needed to know. She needed to know what happened between them to create what felt like distance. Bella willed the desire beginning to hum in her veins to shut the hell up. Shaking the fog obscuring her rationality from her mind, she met his gaze as she whispered, "Since we've come home … Y-you haven't … we haven't … I mean, well, you've kept this distance between us. I just—I just wanted to know why."
The last thing Edward intended was to make Bella think he didn't want her. His only thoughts had been to protect her. After the doctor interrupted their make-out session at the hospital, he'd promised himself to keep space between them, giving her adequate time to heal. He hadn't anticipated her believing she'd done something … shit … once again; he'd fucked up everything.
Dropping her hair, he came around to stand before her, kneeling, Edward wound his fingers through hers. Shaking her hand until she met his gaze, he whispered, "Babe, I … I have been so worried about hurting you … I just naturally made sure to prevent the likelihood by keeping my distance—cause if I touch you … fuck, babe. I won't be able to stop."
All the doubt swirling in her head fled as she stared down into his eyes. A faint smile tipped her lips. "Oh … because I was starting to think I was insane or something …"
"You are not insane, princess, or imagining anything. Your ribs are fucking fractured, Bella. What kind of creep would I be if I was an asshole enough to ignore the situation?" Edward could really wrap his fingers around Tamara's delicate throat and choke the shit out of her at the moment. The woman had singlehandedly divided he and Bella for months with her gossip and pictures. Then once they managed to get past all that, she'd had Riley shove Bella into traffic. "If I ever see the bitch responsible for this … I swear to fuck … I might go to jail."
Bella gasped at his statement. "I absolutely forbid you to go to jail, Edward Cullen. Micah and I need you too much for you to be absent that long."
"I know," he groaned, his eyes darting away before returning. "But I want to go set that woman's house on fucking fire so that you know."
Refusing to give Tamara another thought, she curiously tilted her head. "So, you still want me?"
"Baby, I have never not wanted you. Sometimes I feel like … I feel like … when I look into your eyes … I feel like … like I never want to look away. When I was on the plane coming home, it just didn't move fast enough … I couldn't get to you fast enough."
Bella reached out, petting the hair covering his top lip, trailing along his jaw. "You are so fucking incredible. You might think you are doing me a favor by keeping distance, but …"
She wasn't sure what her next words would've been because Edward pushed up from where he rested on his knees, his lips connecting with hers, stealing her breath. If any uncertainty still lingered in her pretty little head, Edward was intent on kissing it right out.
Ever aware of her injuries, he gently cupped her jaw, tilting her head as his lips played over hers. Each kiss that passed between them instigated another and another until they were making out. His thumb applied pressure on her chin, parting her lips wider for the invasion of his tongue. Delving deeply inside, he flicked the appendage against hers, encouraging her to sample the desire radiating from his being. His tongue circled hers, and he sharply nipped at her lips; becoming greedy and needing more, he sampled the skin along her jaw.
Each little mew and whimper fed the lustful craving for Bella, and he was on the brink of snapping. Edward's body went rock hard, every muscle demanding he claim her. Nibbling her lips, he broke their kiss, his eyes falling closed as his willpower slowly deteriorated. His forehead came down to rest on her chin as he gulped in a breath, willing the raging inferno blazing through his veins to quiet. "Baby, I have t' … I have t' stop before I can't."
Bella's arms wound around Edward's neck, and she kissed the crown of his head as her fingers played along his nape. Every inch of her body was hypersensitive. Her nipples were stiff and achy, desire swirled in her belly, and her lower region pulsed, causing her to squirm against the bench. "Edward, I don't want you to stop. I've been waiting forever … I—I want to be with you … I want to spend all your free time with you—not sleeping in separate rooms … it's been so long."
"Bella, I refuse to do anything that might cause you more pain," he replied fervently. Cupping her cheeks, he feathered his thumbs across her smooth skin. "Look at me, babe." When she kept her eyes downcast, he tried again, "Look at me …"
She understood what he was saying—although it didn't make it suck any less, she reasoned, pulling her gaze away from the pulse-pounding in his neck. "But, Edward, it doesn't …"
She was trying to fucking kill him, Edward surmised, glaring up at her with no real animosity. "Woman, you are going to be the death of me. I promise—I promise as soon as you are better. You won't get any rest … swear."
"Fine," she grumbled. "Guess I should just take my bath and go to bed."
"Hey," he whispered, shaking her fingers to get her attention. "Don't ever doubt how much I want you."
Bella's gaze darted toward his pants, noting the hard press of his cock against his jeans. Knowing she'd had that effect on him made her smile. She would've mentioned it, yet he captured her attention as his fingers delved into hair to tip her back to look at him. "Yeah … He wants you too, more than you'll ever fucking know … but he's not the only one. I want you, and I don't want you ever to doubt that. Ever."
Emotion clogged Bella's throat as Edward climbed to his feet and started the water. She watched through blurred vision as he placed the shower seat in the tub. She brushed the tears aside as he turned back to her. She completely understood his desire to see to her wellbeing—really, she did, yet she wasn't about to give up, as she took in his lean form.
Hungrily, her gaze coasted over the curve of his ass. She just wanted to reach out and touch him. Bella gave into temptation, her hand snaking out to grab a firm butt cheek, cursing the coarse material of his jeans. She laughed as he whipped around to look at her, his jaw clenching and his lashes dropped into a glare.
"Woman, you don't play fair," he started, pulling his ass out of her greedy fingers.
"Come on, Edward," Bella groaned, making a grabbing motion. "Let me touch it."
"Oh, I have something for you to touch." He instantly noticed her nipples pebbling against her shirt, and he licked his lips in response. He was a dick—first-class jackass, he determined, ripping his eyes from her breasts. "Baby, when you feel better."
"Fine, Edward," Bella pouted, turning her face away as disappointment filled her. sticking her tongue out at him, she said, "You are mean."
Edward laughed at her frustration. At least he wasn't the only one worked up with nowhere to go. "I think someone is grumpy, but you are sexy when you're mad."
"I'm not mad, Edward," she explained, her hungry gaze slipping his chest, murmuring, "I'm horny … huge difference."
Edward gulped down a breath at her mumbled statement. His gut clenched so tight, and he desperately pushed her words aside. "Can you get undressed? Or will you need help?" Edward already knew the answer to his questions, and it was a waste of breath asking. As his hazel gaze collided with her chocolate eyes, he instantly noticed the wicked gleam lighting them. "Don't even look at me like that, Bella. I'm serious … there will be no dirty while you are injured."
Bella's lashes dropped a fraction, and her chin lifted with a stubborn tilt. Clearing her throat, she said, "I think I will need help … can't exactly lift my arms over my head unless you want me to hurt my ribs …"
"Evil," he muttered, stepping up to help her, his teeth clenching as he lifted her shirt. Creamy smooth, flawless skin came into view, and his blood pounded in response. As gingerly as he could manage, he maneuvered her arms through the sleeves. A suppressed growl vibrated his chest as he pulled the material over her head, leaving her utterly bare from the waist down. Hungrily, he studied the tips of her breasts, the buds looking like ripe raspberries. He had the overwhelming urge to sample the delicate morsels. His cock pulsed, and his tongue tingled, yet somehow he managed to focus on the bandage wrapped around her midsection.
Yes. Remember, she is injured. Look at the bandages and not all that pliant flesh. Biting his tongue, he turned away and twisted the knobs, shutting the water off before he forgot and flooded the damn house. Let's face it; he wasn't of the soundest of minds at the current moment. He was one step away from fucking his hand.
Bella noted the war he was going through. A part of her felt kind of bad about teasing him, yet if she had to suffer, then why shouldn't he? Squirming on the bench, she grinned up at him with more delight than she should have. "Babe … my pj's … when I lift, can you pull them off?"
Okay, now she was teasing him on purpose, he decided. His neurons crackled to life, burning through his soul. There was no way to take her pants down without coming face to face with her delicious pussy. Edward's toes curled at the realization. In a fraction of a second, he'd be nose to clit with the most intoxicating female he'd ever met. Holy hell, he inwardly groaned as tension gripped his muscles.
Finally, after a brief pause and determined to fortify himself against this raging need crashing like a tidal wave through him, he moved forward. His nostrils flared as he reached for Bella's bottoms, as one pink tip of her breast brushed against his chin.
Bella's mouth went dry as her nipple grazed the prickle of hair dotting his skin. His tongue and teeth were right there … all she had to do was lift her hip, and his lips would be right there. Her heart pounded in her ears as she braced her weight with her hands and raised her hips. Just as she'd envisioned, her nipple grazed the corner of his mouth, and a hiss of warm breath coasted over the sensitive nub. She felt his thumbs slide along her hips as Edward slipped her pajama pants over her ass. Tingles shimmied across her skin as his lips parted, and her breath stalled in her lungs. "Would you kiss it?"
Would he kiss it?
Would he kiss it?
Fuck him; he'd make love to it. All he had to do is lean forward and close his mouth, and she'd be resting on the tip of his tongue. Hell, if he merely licked his lips right now … shit. "Babe … damn it. We can't … we …"
"Please?" Even though his gaze was locked on her nipple, doing his utmost to resist, she popped her bottom lip out as her plush pants coasted over her buttocks, leaving her bare. As the bottoms glided over her trim hips, she stayed elevated, feeling the temptation thicken to staggering degrees. "Just one kiss, and I'll leave you alone."
His eyes flashed to her briefly before returning to the morsel hovering close to his lips. He was so focused on her breasts; he hadn't realized quite yet her lower half was visible until her feminine scent wafted to his nostrils. Again, his gaze danced between hers and the fruit she teased him with, and the corner of his mouth rose with a knowing smirk, saying, "No, you won't … one kiss will become two until … I'm out of fucking control."
There was no way he'd continue if he thought there was the slightest chance of him hurting her. Bella had come to know him pretty well in that regard over the last couple of weeks. As her elbows trembled with the effort to hold her waist, her bare bottom came to rest on the bench, stealing his chance. When he would've put space between them, however, her fingers delved into his hair, stopping him from withdrawing. Biting her lips, she whispered, "Just one … maybe two … if there is any pain at all, I'll tell you."
Edward balanced between madness and sanity, and he was slowly losing his grasp on the latter. She'd promised … said she'd tell him if he hurt her in any way. Even while he knew better, he felt his control slipping, and he tipped forward on his knees, his lips skimming the delicate bud. Automatically, with absolutely no command from his brain, he kissed the rosy tip, letting his tongue flicker across the puckered flesh.
As he figured, one taste became two … and two resulted in his mouth clamping down on the bud.
Please Review … I am thinking about a second part of this story that will have nothing to do with the current plot. Please let me know if you would be interested and continuing the journey with Bella, Edward, and Micah.
