A Sé Déag (16)


A/N: Here we are. Tuesday afternoon and I have been begged to post again and I am nothing if willing to give in. Still lots more story to get through. Thank you to everyone who reviews and comments. I appreciate your support and coming back to read my words every week. Thanks to my prereaders and my beta. AGoodWitch, BitterHarpy, Maplestyle, SassyNoles, 2 brown eyes, and Mel C. Onto the chapter.


Waking up the next morning was a new experience. Edward and I had slept in the same bed together before, but we hadn't done anything. Last night we had definitely done something, twice actually, and this was at his house instead of his parents'. I was glad that when I went down to get coffee, I didn't have to worry about running into his mom. I smiled and rolled over, only to find the bed empty. I sat up quickly, looking around for Edward. Two realizations hit me suddenly: there was music playing softly downstairs, and I could smell something heavenly. I pulled on my boyshorts and grabbed a t-shirt from the floor, pulling it over my head and relishing in his smell as I headed downstairs.

I stopped to watch Edward when I saw he was standing at the stove, in a sleeveless top, a new pair of those low-slung sweats, and bare feet. He was flipping bacon and scrambling eggs. I chuckled softly, causing him to turn around. He smiled at me, and then when he took in my outfit, his eyes darkened and that look I had become acquainted with last night overtook his face. Thinking of how he made me feel then, I shivered. He pulled the finished pans of food off the stove and came over to me, pulling my lips to his, and I didn't resist him at all.

He pulled at my thighs and lifted me onto the countertop. I moaned and he slid his hands under his t-shirt I was wearing, palming my tits and kissing down my neck. I fisted his hair in my hands and scratched his scalp, causing him to growl into my neck. I whimpered, and remembering getting rough with him spurred him on, I pulled his head back with the fistful of hair and bit the juncture of his shoulder and neck.

" Mo grá, you better calm down or I will be eating you for breakfast."

"You started it, dathúil . I'm just finishing it."

He smiled at me and snapped his teeth at me, causing me to giggle. I hopped down from the countertop to go stand next to him at the sink as he busied himself plating the food. I looked out the window in the living room ahead of us. "Does every window in this house have a view of the Space Needle? Like seriously, the two bedrooms upstairs have a clear view of it. The ones in the sitting room, here, out on the balcony, upstairs on the balcony." We went and sat at the breakfast bar to eat.

"It's kind of a big part of the Seattle skyline, Bells, and it's not like it's small."

I gasped. I noticed that he didn't say Bella. "You just called me Bells."

"Oh, I did? Sorry," he said, looking sheepish.

I gripped his chin and lifted his head to look at me. I shook my head. "No, it's okay. My dad used to call me Bells."

He gave me a bright smile, the one that made me melt a little inside. "Really?"

"Yeah. He loved my laugh, so he was always coming up with ways to hear it. Said it sounded like the tinkling of bells," I recalled, starting to tear up at the memory. Before I could process or wipe away the tears, Edward had pulled me toward him and enveloped me in his warm arms, the pads of his thumbs brushing the tears away. I didn't cry, not in front of people. Not that I was an overly weepy person, I preferred to keep my emotions close to my chest, but from the beginning with Edward that wasn't the case. He had seen me cry twice and be close to tears the same amount. The only person who could beat that record was Rose, and she only beat him because she grew up with me.

I was staring in Edward's eyes, wanting to stay lost to him and the feelings he evoked in me, but the phone started ringing. Before I answered, I knew it was Rose. My phone belted out it's Britney, bitch and played the beginning notes of "Gimme More."

Edward looked at me with his eyebrows raised, and I laughed before answering the phone. Putting her on speakerphone, I said, "Hey, Ro—"

"What the fuck, Bella? How could you not tell me what the fuck has been going on?"

Oh shit! She sounded mad. My sister swore—she wasn't a saint, but she only pulled out the f-word when she was pissed. "I thought you knew," I said, looking at Edward, panic taking over me. I got up and started to walk around.

"I figured something was going on, but I thought it had to do with your anonymous donor, not mafia shit. Daddy is probably rolling over in his grave."

I was instantly pissed. I knew Rose and how she operated. She was angry, but she was also embarrassed that she had been fooled; blindsided. She also knew that bringing our dad into this would make me defensive. She wanted a fight. Edward saw the look on my face and stood, coming toward me. I held up my hand, stopping him. I started to pace. "Don't start, Rose. I have more ammunition when it comes to our parents, so you may not like where this leads if you don't cut the shit. I get you're angry and confused, but we can be adults or we can go rounds like when we were teenagers."

Rose scoffed and sighed. "I broke up with Emmett," she confessed, her voice breaking.

Edward's head snapped up at that. Shit. She wasn't mad. She was heartbroken. It was time to be her sister, her best friend, and I had to let down those walls, the ones that even Edward had never seen completely dropped. "Why, Ro?"

"You know why. How can you deal with it, sissy? I know you like Edward. How can you look past what he's done?"

I looked at Edward and I found the words immediately. "Because when I look at him I see someone who would protect his family no matter what the cost. I can live with someone who would stop at nothing to keep me safe."

Rose let out a choked sob. "I made a mistake, didn't I? I didn't know what to do, Bellsy. He came at me with the fact that he's part of the Irish mafia and that he was a soldier, which really confused me, but he explained everything. I was raised by a cop; how could I understand that?"

"If you're not comfortable with it, Ro, then that's how you feel. I can't tell you if you made a mistake or not."

"I don't want to do this over the phone. Can you come home, please?"

Edward nodded and started to clear the dishes and mess from breakfast. I jogged up the stairs so that I could get dressed. "Yeah, sissy. I'll be there soon. Edward has to give me a ride over there."

"Okay, but you're coming in alone, right?"

"Yes, Rose. I'll see you in a few minutes." I pulled my bra on then grabbed the sweats that Edward had worn last night, smiling to myself that aside from my underwear, I was completely dressed in his clothes.

Edward walked in the room and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him. I smiled at him as I wound my arms around his neck. He grabbed my chin and guided my lips to his. I responded immediately and slid my hands down his back, settling at his hips, pushing mine to his. He pressed me against the wall before groaning and drawing back. "I'm gonna have a really hard time letting you out of my sight, agra, but I know your sister needs you. I have a feeling I'm going to need to go find Emmett."

I cupped Edward's cheek. "He's probably so upset right now. I know they really care about each other."

"Do you think she'll change her mind?"

"I don't know. She's struggling with the same things I did at the beginning. Our dad was a cop, and he was the most amazing man that we knew. It's hard to throw all that aside."

He smiled at me. "But you did?"

"Leap of faith, Edward. Your mom is a big reason that I took it. She reminded me of my mom: tenacious, sassy, and kind. I was actually thinking of taking Rose to see her. She may be able to help Rose with this more than I can."

"Why?"

"Because I have no relationship experience. I was serious when I told you I've never had a relationship that lasted more than a few weeks. I don't know exactly how she's feeling, but I'm starting to understand."

That cocky smile of his slid back in place. "Oh, a pheata, are you starting to fall in love with me?"

I smiled and playfully smacked his chest. "I don't know. It might take a couple more repeat performances of last night to really convince me." I pushed my body into his and scratched my nails along his arms. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get his attention.

He grabbed the back of my neck, fisting his hand in my hair, and pulled me to him. "Anytime you want me to, I will fuck you until you can't walk the next day. You may have to beg for it, but I'm sure I can get you to do that."

"You are always so cocky and full of yourself, Edward Cullen."

Edward pushed me into the wall again and leaned into my ear. "I heard the moans you were making last night. That was my name you were screaming. It was me you were begging to make you come. I have every reason to be cocky." His voice was husky and deep; were it not for my sister sitting at home heartbroken, I would have thrown Edward on the bed and straddled him right now. But my sister was waiting for me. I shivered from the feel of Edward's breath in my ear and the deep groan rumbling from his chest. He pulled back and smiled at me again.

"We need to go; Rose is waiting," I reminded him.

He nodded. "I'm gonna put actual clothes on. Give me a few minutes."

"Sure, I'm gonna go wait downstairs. I can't see all that naked flesh and not want to throw you down on this bed, so I'll opt out of the free peep show." I smiled at him and he laughed.

When Edward had gotten changed, we headed downstairs to the garage and got into the Aston Martin. On the drive there, Emmett called Edward and he sounded kinda rough. My heart went out to him and my sister because I knew they were both upset. Anyone could see from the way they looked at each other that they cared about each other immensely. It was just the topic of what Emmett did that was causing a problem. I pulled out my phone to text Esme and ask her if she would be willing to help me. She said that she was home and would be happy to talk to Rose. Edward talked to Emmett a little longer and made plans to meet him somewhere.

Once they were off the phone, I turned to Edward. "Your mom is home and we're going to go over there. That is, of course, once I can convince Rose to go."

"That's good. If I can't be around to watch over you, then you being at my parents' house is the best place to be."

"Are you really that concerned about something happening to me? I mean, I made it this far."

Edward sighed and looked at me like he was trying to decide if he should say something. I gestured for him to tell me. "Something about the way Caius looked at you and spoke to you last night got to me, Bella. It unsettled me."

"Are you sure it's not 'cause he's a creep and you are just protective of me?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay. Once Rose and I are done talking, I will call you. You can either come over and stay, or we can go back to your or your parents' house. I have no idea if you are overreacting, but I trust you. If you are concerned, then I'm concerned."

"I expected you to fight me on that more."

"Edward, I like spending time with you like this. I don't want to be around you 24/7 with no one else around, but I also know that this is your world. I'm out of my depth here, so I have no idea what I'm dealing with. I trust you when it comes to that, so I will defer to you."

Edward smiled at me and grabbed my hand, holding it and bringing it to rest between us. It was such a simple gesture, but feeling his warm hand wrapped in mine made my heart clench and a smile break out on my face. We stayed relatively silent for the rest of the ride. I watched the scenery out my window, and Edward had to keep his eyes on the road. I was content to just be here, with our hands linked and taking in the silence. I knew it wouldn't last long because Rose was pissed.

True to his word and mine, Edward dropped me off in my driveway, and as much as he wanted to, he didn't see me to the door. When I walked in my duplex, it took me a minute to find Rose. She was in the kitchen, just staring off into space, dunking her tea bag up and down in her cup mindlessly. I gently stopped her hand and took the tea bag from her, threw it away, grabbed the mug with one hand, and gently led her by the elbow with the other to the living room. When I had her sitting in one of the armchairs, I handed her the mug back and just waited for her to speak. I sat near her on the couch, knowing I needed to be close.

"Sissy, you gotta start talking to me."

She seemed to snap out of it when I called her sissy because she blinked rapidly and turned to look at me. She surprised me by bursting into tears, and I pulled her close to me. "I miss him, Bellsy, but I can't trust him. He kept all this shit from me. It feels like it was all a lie, like I don't even know who he is."

I sighed and nodded. While I could side with her and agree, because yes, I knew the Cullens were mafia, I didn't know how deep or what was really going on. However, I had told Edward not to tell me, and I knew why Emmett had to keep my sister in the dark before. "Ro, I completely understand where you're coming from, but don't you think that Emmett had a good reason to wait and tell you until now? He technically couldn't tell you until Mr. Cullen said he could. It's kinda a serious thing. The fact he told you means that you are very important to him."

Rose studied me, and she looked like she was really seeing me. "You had sex with Edward."

"What?"

"You're falling in love with him, and you two had sex. You have the whole glowy look. I miss that feeling."

"Okay, get out of the chair and go get dressed. We're going somewhere," I said as I hauled her out of the armchair. She put her mug down and let me lift her from the chair, leading her by the shoulder to her room.

She turned to me, her look one of suspicion and curiosity. "Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you because you are biased and won't go, but, Ro, I have no relationship or mafia experience, so I'm taking you to talk to someone who can be objective and understanding."

"You're taking me to see Esme aren't you?"

My sister may have been a blonde from birth, but she was so much more than the stereotypical blonde bombshell with no brains. She had brains and beauty. I didn't answer her, but she nodded her head, and I went to go get dressed myself because I was still in Edward's sweats and t-shirt. I kept the t-shirt on and pulled on jeans and my Converse shoes. Those I mostly wore to see if they would get a reaction out of Rose. When I met her back in the living room, she was wearing jeans, a white t-shirt, a black cardigan, and tan boots with fur on the inside. She looked at my shoes and tsked, giving me an eyeroll.

I grabbed Rose's keys, my phone, and purse, pushing Rose out the front door. We headed to her car because mine was being a pain in the ass. We both opened our doors, and I noticed that there was a black SUV idling a few houses down. It was a lot like the one that Emmett and Edward drove around town, but it wasn't that same one. I knew that one on sight by now. Rose turned and followed where I was looking. She gasped, got in the car and told me firmly to drive. I got in and as I pulled out of the driveway, she told me to gun it once I was on the road.

"What's going on, Ro?"

"That SUV was here this morning when Emmett dropped me off."

Sure enough, once we passed it, they started to follow us. Shit! "It's not even noon yet and already I'm gonna have to drive like it's grand theft auto. This would be so much easier in my car." Rose's car was an automatic, but I still gunned the engine and took the corner off our road going about 55. I maneuvered in between cars here and there, trying to lose these assholes. I didn't know if leading them straight to Esme was the best idea, so I connected my phone to the bluetooth. "Call Edward," I shouted. The sound of a phone ringing poured out of the speakers. When I heard Edward's voice, I tried not to just start screaming for his help.

"We left the house to go see your mom and there was a black SUV idling a few houses down. Rose told me that the same SUV was there when Emmett dropped her off this morning. They are now following us. I tried to lose them, but I haven't yet." I sped in front of a cop and flashed my lights and laid on the horn. They flicked their lights on, and I pulled over to the side of the road, with the cop doing so as well. "Okay, I made a cop pull us over."

"They were at your house?"

"Yes."

"If they aren't following you anymore, go to my mom's house, but don't go back home. Emmett and I are gonna go grab bags of clothes for you and Rose, but you won't be going back home for a bit. I know Emmett and Rose aren't together anymore, so if she isn't comfortable staying with him, she can stay with you and me."

"Hold on, Edward, the cop is coming to my window." I rolled my window down and told the cop the story that someone had been following me for a few blocks and that I felt very unsafe so that was why I had done what I did. The woman was very nice and offered to give me an escort to where I was going. I took her offer and told her the address. I didn't see the SUV anywhere and the cop followed me all the way to Esme's house with no sighting of the SUV. "I made it here, Edward, with no tail."

"Very smart, a phaeta. Learn that trick from your dad?"

"Yes, I did," I said, smiling. I looked over at Rose and she was smiling too, shaking her head.

"Okay, mo grá. Call me when you are done talking to my ma."

"Okay." I looked over at Rose. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah." We both got out of the car and headed up the steps to the front door. "I hope she can help because I really don't want to listen to you and Edward have sex."

I laughed and knocked on the door, with the same hope, but only because I wanted to see my sister and Emmett both happy.


A/N: So, how are we feeling? Leave a review and let me know your thoughts, concerns, questions. Thank you so much and see you in about a week. Later lovelies!