Hello everyone,

I am so happy to have you all back for another chapter of WINGS. We are getting very close to the end of this story and it has been my pleasure to write it for you. Thanks so much for sticking around for numerous delays, and being apart of this journey. It has been incredible.

There will be 3 more chapters and then we say goodbye to Wings, and hello to an entirely new creation. The week after I post the last chapter of Wings, I will be posting a brand new story so I will have more updates about that later.

Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following.

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It had been a week since Bella was informed of James' unexpected death. As hard as she tried, Bella couldn't formulate any other emotion other than pure relief. Once in a while, she had this feeling of shame threatening to swallow her whole over her lack of empathy, but the truth was, freedom is what she truly felt.

Actually, this new desperation had a grip on her, and no matter how much she tried to resist the pull, she found her gaze roaming to the window. An hour ago, Bella heard Edward's bike coming up the street, and this yearning took control. All she wanted was to cross the street and bury herself in her delicious neighbor.

Bella couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd wanted someone so much. Her body hummed with insistent need, and this ache in her core caused her to squirm where she sat on the couch.

Several times, Bella felt Charlie look in her direction, and she had this feeling that he knew exactly what she was thinking. Normally, the idea of her father knowing she was lusting after the man a couple of hundred yards away would be beyond embarrassing. Right now, however, Bella was too far gone to care.

"Why don't you run over and say hi? You can barely hold still." Charlie stated with a sidelong glance in Bella's direction.

"You wouldn't mind? I don't want you thinking I am ditching you with Lucas all the time," Bella murmured, close to leaping out of her skin. The second her father suggested she go, her mind and heart had already left, leaving Bella eager to catch up to it.

"Bella," Charlie started, clearing his throat as he studied his daughter. "When you started seeing James, there was always something off about that kid. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew deep in my gut, he was not right for you. Hell, James wasn't right for anyone. I've gotten to know Edward over the last few weeks and have been digging extensively through his background. He isn't a bad guy. And I want you to know that I'm not going to give you any bull over it."

Just hearing her father approved was a huge relief. Yeah, she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions, but knowing he supported her meant more than anything he could've said. With a hesitant smile, she leaned across the couch and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Dad. I love you very much."

"Go on now," Charlie encouraged, chuckling when Bella spun through the living room like a little tornado. A soft smile played across his lips as she hurriedly dropped a kiss to Lucas's upturned mouth and scurried down the hallway to her room.

Bella spied her reflection in the mirror as she ran the brush through her hair. Taking a deep calming breath, she sought to soothe her rattled nerves as she combed down her flyaways. Bella was just about to turn away from the mirror when a thought occurred to her. Hesitantly she crossed the room and quietly closed the door.

Since acquiring her small fortune, Bella went on a shopping expedition and bought nearly a whole new wardrobe for herself and Luke. Opening her top drawer, she sorted through the different panty sets she'd obtained until she came to a pink floral printed silk bra. With more speed than she would have imagined possessing, Bella quickly changed, slipping the new underwear on.

Was she planning on having sex with Edward tonight? Not exactly. But damn, she was undoubtedly craving the feel of him under her fingertips. At just the mere thought of him, her pulse increased in rhythm, and her breathing became shallow.

Fuck.

Bella wanted to feel the power of his body surrounding hers. She shivered, and a small sound erupted from her throat as the memory of waking in his arms came to mind. Of course, the taste of him still lingered on her lips, and she yearned to devour his salty essence. "Shit."

Snapping the straps of her bra in place, Bella wiggled into the lacy pink thong. Need vibrated through her as the image of his tongue delving inside her panties tickled the edges of her subconscious, and another wave of euphoria slammed into her. Another curse left her lips, and tingles shot to her toes.

Urgently, Bella pulled on a pair of shorts and a new tank top. Feeling rejuvenated, she pulled her hair over one shoulder and shook the remaining jitters away. Bella was about to head out of her bedroom when she remembered the protection she'd bought days ago. While she hadn't known when Bella knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed that line.

She stared at the one lonely square in her hand. Was one condom going to be enough? Bella grunted in response and tore two more from the strand. Finally satisfied, Bella hurried from her room, and with a wave to Charlie and Luke, she darted out the front door.

Bella was halfway across the street when Edward appeared in the doorway of his house. Fire lit his eyes as they clashed with hers, and without hesitation, he pushed the structure open, his nostrils flaring as if he sensed exactly what was on her mind.

"I was just about to…" Edward started, breaking off as Bella pushed him back into the house, the door slamming in place behind her.

Edward grunted as his frame connected with the wall, his fingers fisting in her hair as her lips crashed against his. Greedily, he returned her fiery kiss, nipping hungrily at her offering and Edward's tongue tangling with Bella's. With her fingers sliding up his shirt, he changed their positions as his lips slid down her jaw, nibbling the spot where her pulse pounded. "Damn, I missed you."

Bella caressed rocked hard abs and pecs, yanking impatiently at Edward's shirt. Kissing his lips hard, she broke away, murmuring, "I missed you too, baby. Please, Edward, take your clothes off before I explode."

"You got it," he growled, licking her ear before ripping the shirt over his head. The material hadn't even fluttered to land on the floor, and Edward was already coming back to pin her to the wall as his mouth locked on her erratic pulse. Finding the hem of her tank, Edward desperately sought soft skin, moaning low in his throat when she dipped out of her shirt. His breath came out in a whoosh of air when she stood there clad in only her pink floral bra and shorts.

Instantly, Edward's hungry stare locked on the swell of her breasts and sent a silent thanks for whoever invented the underwire. Mesmerized, Edward licked dry lips, his broad hand sliding over Bella's belly, lightly tracing her ribcage as he continued to the journey to the valley between her breasts. Swallowing tightly, he tore his gaze from her tits lifting his eyes until fire collided with fire.

Trailing kisses down the slope of her neck, he shivered as her fingernails bit into his shoulders. Edward hooked his thumbs in the cups holding her perky flesh, and pulled the bra out of his way. With a moan on his lips, his hungry mouth latched on to her pebbled tip, drawing hard on the protruding bud. As he suckled her breast, Edward slid his hands down to grab her ass, pulling her tighter against his wanton body.

Licking her nipple, Edward turned his attention to her other breast, lavishing it with the same dedication. A grin tipped his lips as her fingers curled in his hair, anchoring him to the flesh he feasted on. Hurriedly, he unhooked her bra as his mouth returned to Bella's.

Edward was certain he was about to combust. Every second, every minute he resisted the yearning for Bella, lava poured into his veins with a vengeance. As he nipped at her lips, he whispered, "Is your pussy wet? Of course, it is. I can smell you, and it's driving me fucking nuts. I wanna put my tongue it, so fucking bad."

Bella's lashes dropped a fraction as desire crawled through every cell of her being. Biting her lip, she trailed her fingers down his abdomen to the waistband of his pants. "Who's stopping you?"

A low rumble filled the entryway as Edward worked the snap on her shorts. When the denim went lax and slid down her hips, Edward traced the thong, his gaze devouring the sight of her standing before him. "You are so fucking beautiful. Ever since you moved across the street, there hasn't been a moment that I haven't thought of you. I can hardly believe you are standing before me. So, fucking amazing."

Bella had been combating these feelings for Edward Cullen for months, and he was finally hers. Before her shorts slid to the floor, Bella let her fingers skate over Edward's abs suggestively, tracing the waistband. "Babe, I-I brought something. I was thinking maybe …" Bella's cheeks heated, and when the words stuck in her throat, she bit her lip and dug into her back pocket as she continued, "I thought we could use these."

Edward's eyes widened as they fell on the condoms in her hand. He became a live wire, his skin crackling with delicious energy as every cell went rock hard. Silver eyes flashed to her green gaze, and a shiver coursed through him as hunger darkened her orbs.

Suddenly, this wasn't just about getting her naked, or feeling her heat, or tasting the tantalizing musk she offered. This whole encounter took on a whole new meaning becoming far more significant than anything he'd anticipated when he spied her running across the street.

When his heart pattered with an extra leap in the pulse, Edward took in the sight of her before him. Her hair hung over her shoulders, Bella's beautifully puckered pink tips peeking from beneath her dark tresses. Her tanned skin glowed with hypersensitivity, and every time he brushed his thumb across the underside of her breast as he was doing now, her skin fluttered with desire.

The emotion welled in his chest until he thought it might burst open, leaving him raw and bleeding. "Bella, I think …" Edward broke off suddenly petrified about baring his soul to this incredible woman before him. While he wanted to shout his love from the rooftops and let the whole world know how much he wanted Bella Swan in his life, Edward had never found himself in this position before.

Edward wasn't the only one feeling this crazy wealth of growing intimacy. Bella was a frazzle of erratic emotions. Part of her wanted to latch onto this incredible man, and another part was scared shitless. Then, of course, there was the way he was looking at her now. And the problem was, she couldn't exactly pinpoint what the shadows in his eyes actually implied.

Edward looked like she felt. He looked to be right on the brink of running for his life or jumping her where she stood. Licking dry lips, Bella blew a calming breath, and her arms crossed her chest, covering her breasts, suddenly feeling a tad humiliated and a lot embarrassed. "Babe, is everything … I mean, do you want to? We don't have to. I just thought …"

The longer Edward stood there staring at her as if she'd grown a second head, her confidence slowly melted. So, here she stood, half-naked and holding a hand full of condoms. When he still didn't speak, her gaze faltered, and Bella started to push away from the wall. "Maybe I should …" It was right on the tip of her tongue to say she was going home when his hand came up and curled around her waist.

"Don't," Edward started, uncertainty twisting his handsome face. "Don't go. And … and don't do that."

"Do what?" Bella wanted to know, her throat tight as her chest seized with fear.

"Think what you are thinking," Edward chuckled nervously, taking the hand holding the condoms in his. "I want to use these. Hell, I want to use all of them, and probably tonight. I'm pretty sure there aren't enough here to satisfy the craving I have for you. But Bella …"

Here it went. He was about to bare his soul for better or for worse. Edward wasn't confident where this would go, but he would be damned if he slept with Bella and let her believe this was purely physical. The truth was, he wanted her past tonight. Hell, he wanted her far beyond tomorrow morning when he awoke in her arms, and he was on the verge of telling her exactly where he wanted her in his life. Permanently.

Clearing his throat, Edward fought through the vulnerability claiming every nerve ending. No matter what happened, he needed to tell her exactly what he felt. Right here, right now, before their relationship went any further. "Bella, I went ten long years believing I would never find someone who would accept the disaster of a past that I have. I spent eight of those years thinking I would never see the outside of that cell. Meeting you has become one of life's unexpected miracles … one of those things that are so precious and rare."

Edward's hand came up to cup her cheek as he tilted her chin up until she met his gaze. His thumb skimmed her bottom lip, and Edward nervously chewed the inside of his cheek as she shivered under his touch. Finally, he continued, "When you moved in across the street, I was scared and intrigued on so many levels. I didn't think there would ever be a chance, but I couldn't stay away. So, if we sleep together tonight … it is way more than just sex for me, Bella. I would want this to be the beginning of something I think could be fucking magical. And I want you past tonight. I-I … Fuck, this is hard."

Edward broke off with a chuckle. Shaking his head, he swallowed the quiver of nerves. "Fuck, Bella, I love you. You are warm, sweet, and probably the most perfect person I have ever known. That's it, babe … I love you."

Bella's breath stalled at his admission. Of all the things she could've imagined being on his mind, this had not been it. Relief flooded her, and as her eyes welled with tears, a bright smile pulled at her lips. "Edward, I know our relationship just started, and I was so scared that I was feeling all of these crazy feelings on my own. I never imagined meeting someone when I moved here. I just wanted to start a new life, and then this sexy ass guy came out onto his porch and made a complete liar out of me."

Cupping his rough cheeks, she let her thumb caress the line of his perfect jaw. "I am floored, and I know it is so, so soon … but I-I can't deny what I feel for you. Hell," she gulped as a tear slid down her cheek. "I-I love you too."

Edward felt moisture gather in his eyes. His head dropped until his forehead rested against hers. "You are so fucking beautiful … I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve someone like you in my life. Whatever I did, I couldn't ask for a better person, friend, lover if I crafted her myself. You have far surpassed anything I would have even thought to ask for. Shit, you're perfect."

Bella sniffed back the overpowering urge to cry. Edward talked about perfection, but she was the one who'd discovered her dreams. On tiptoes, she pressed her lips against his, joining the dance as his parted and his tongue swept across her bottom lip. This kiss was different from the ones they'd previously shared. While the same passion dictated their coupling, this kiss was gentle, filled with tenderness that went far beyond pure hunger.

With his tongue tangling with hers, Bella's arms encircled his neck, her fingers diving into his hair as he pulled her to him. Edward's arms wrapped around her waist, crushing her breasts against his chest, and his entire being shook with sensation as his fingers knotted in her hair.

Edward's mouth broke away from hers and skated down her jaw to the slope of her neck. Crushing her in a hug, he held her to him, his nose resting against the pulse in her throat. For a long moment, he merely embraced her, his eyes drifting closed as he absorbed her warmth.

Bella stroked his back, relishing his scent and the strength Edward offered. In a million years, she couldn't have ever imagined finding someone like the man before her.

The flame burning in Edward's body never diminished as he held her, and desire breathed new life within him until he couldn't resist her any longer. Smelling the sweet scent of cucumber melon she wore, he slowly kissed his way back up her neck. Nipping her earlobe, he groaned as his body throbbed with need. Nibbling her jaw, he pulled back to drop a kiss to her lips. "Baby, come let me show you how perfect I think you are."

Edward stared into her eyes as he led her from the entryway to his room. Once inside, he closed the door and turned back to find her standing in nothing but the lacing thong she'd worn beneath her shorts. A fire roared in his veins as Edward came to stand before her as a tingle jogged up to his spine. Hungrily, his gaze ate up every inch exposed to him, reaching for her; his mouth dropped to hers as he whispered, "I love you, Bella Swan."

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