First of all, a big shout out to my team of pre-readers and beta: NimNimBonjangles, bevey99, and Fran. Thank you so much for all the help with this story.
Secondly, a big 'THANK YOU' to all of you, who take the time to read reviews.
[Edward]
It was fifteen minutes past five o'clock in the evening when I parked behind Bella's car in front of my house. She was in my usual spot, which meant I was in for a scolding from Esme for my tardiness, especially when we had guests.
I slipped into the house, taking my jacket off, before crouching to undo the laces of my boots.
"Oh, look who's home," Esme said loudly, stopping near me.
I glanced up, ready to explain that I'd lost track of time, but the words got stuck in my throat. Bella was beside her, wearing a long red dress with long sleeves covering her slender arms yet baring her shoulders. It pushed out her tits and hugged her waist. The skirt had a slit, showing off her long bare left leg. She was shoeless, her boots now sitting next to mine.
I cleared my throat, slowly getting up, keeping my body angled away from them. I had to escape to my room and get control over my throbbing erection.
"Hello, Edward," Bella whispered her cheeks as red as her dress.
"Hi." My voice sounded rougher than usual. Thankfully, it saved me because Esme thought I'd been crying.
Esme's features softened as she cupped my elbow. "Go and freshen up."
With one last look at Bella, I sprinted up the stairs.
Emmett naked. Rosalie naked. Both of them naked – fucking. Dead kittens. Dead puppies.
I tried everything while I changed into a pair of dress pants. I knew it was all in vain because the next time I spotted Bella, my erection would return with a vengeance.
I shrugged into the only ironed dress shirt I found before heading back downstairs. Carlisle intercepted me at the bottom of the stairs.
"Bring the wine glasses; I forgot them," he said, carrying two bottles of white wine.
Bella wasn't likely to drink since she'd have to drive back home. I didn't bother pointing that out.
When I arrived in the dining room, the only available pre-set seat was across from Bella. Esme sat next to Carlisle at one end of the table, leaving us facing each other at the other end. Until today, I had never thought about taking the other end of the table, but it would bring me even closer to Bella. Sitting next to her was out of the question; I wouldn't be able to control myself. So, I accepted the spot across from her as the best idea.
I slumped in the chair, wanting nothing more than to sink as low as possible, but Esme was already glaring at me for not sitting properly. Etiquette at the table was everything for her when we had guests. It wasn't often, but sometimes I had to attend the dinner parties she hosted for Carlisle's friends at the hospital or even her clients.
For several minutes no one said anything as we piled food on our plates. I tried not to look at Bella, but my eyes were drawn to her bare shoulders. I imagined kissing that soft skin, running my fingers over them.
Her chocolate brown eyes met mine several times before she focused back on her plate.
Carlisle leaned in to whisper something to Esme, which should have been considered impolite, but she didn't seem upset. She looked my way, and I felt my whole face burning.
What the hell was going on?
"We have another surprise for you," Esme said softly, her voice shaking.
I stared at her in shock before briefly meeting Carlisle's unreadable expression before finally looking at Bella's shining eyes.
I couldn't imagine what they had for me, except maybe…somehow…trying to hook me up with Bella.
That would be laughable.
Esme came over, bringing a laminated paper with her. She placed it next to my plate.
The Masen Home – the place every child can call home
My throat closed, and my eyes became wet. I knew exactly what I was looking at.
Esme and Carlisle had tried for years to open an orphanage in the area, but I thought they'd given up that dream when too many doors had been slammed in their faces. And, to name that place after what used to be my family name before they adopted me was something I never expected.
"You did it," I choked out, getting up and throwing my arms around her.
"With a lot of help from the authorities and the mayor, we were able to open the orphanage. Well, the official opening is in a few days," she ventured, rubbing my back.
It had been my idea to do this, but I'd been eleven at the time. I wanted every child in need to be given a chance, as I had.
"Where did you …When…How…" I couldn't even think clearly. I even managed to forget Bella was present until she sniffed delicately. I turned to her in time to see her dabbing her eyes with the napkin. "Did you help?" I gasped.
"A little. Not yet, though."
"Bella offered to help with the campaign Jasper and Alice will inaugurate at the high school. Every student will bring toys and clothes they're no longer using. She'll pack them, getting them ready to be shipped to the orphanage," Esme explained.
"We found an abandoned estate midway between Forks and Port Angeles. It's big enough to host the main building and several adjacent structures as well as the playground," Carlisle continued.
"Thank you." I had no idea what else to say. I wasn't even sure I could talk more than a few words without bursting into tears. I kept hugging Esme as tightly as I dared without hurting her. "I love you," I whispered, choking on the words.
"I love you, too, sweetie." She stroked my cheek, returning to her seat.
Carlisle rose when I went to his side to shake his hand, but he surprised me by hugging me. He patted my back, whispering how proud he was of me. I only managed to nod back because I refused to start crying in front of them.
When I returned to the other end of the table, I realized I had to thank Bella too. I stopped next to her chair, touching her bare shoulder.
"Don't get up," I begged, leaning to wrap my arms around her. "Thank you so much."
She rubbed my arm, leaning back a little to meet my eyes. "It was so difficult to keep it a secret."
I chuckled. "I can imagine." I dropped a kiss on her cheek, hoping it was appropriate for the current situation. Her cheek heated under my lips, and her nails dug into my bicep.
Once I was back in my seat, Esme relaxed for the first time today. I hadn't even noticed how tense she'd been before.
As we continued eating, Carlisle asked Bella different questions about what she was teaching her students about biology. Esme tried to direct him away from talking about work by asking Bella about her mom. I doubted it was a better conversation for Bella. I knew she missed her mom. They were very close from what I'd learned and seen.
I tried to steer the conversation elsewhere by giving Carlisle all the details about my classes he'd attempted to get from me since I'd come home. My description of my courses captured Bella's attention, pulling her away from the side-conversation she was having with Esme. I'd only covered Fundamental Disease Process in my first term, but seeing how my stories got both Carlisle and Bella's attention, I felt a lot more confident; even more than I'd felt during the exam we had at the beginning of December.
Esme excused herself, starting to take some of the dishes back to the kitchen. Carlisle jumped to help, telling me to sit and finish eating.
Since I'd talked for the better part of dinner, I hadn't eaten much. Truthfully, I wasn't even hungry, for whatever reason.
"Did you bring your textbooks with you?" Bella asked softly.
"No." I shot her a confused look.
"Yes," she mouthed, licking her lips.
Fuck. My dick hardened, throbbing, constricted by my pants.
I stood so fast; I nearly toppled the table over. She came to my side, and I stuffed my hands in my pockets so I wouldn't touch her. We went to the hallway, stopping in the doorway leading to the kitchen.
"I'm going to show Bella what I was talking about when discussing the pathological changes in the body." I had no idea how I could still produce words when my whole being was acutely aware of Bella's hot body next to mine.
"Of course, honey. We were thinking of taking a little break before dessert," Esme answered, smiling.
"Holler for us," I said, placing a hand on Bella's lower back, guiding her up the stairs.
Her dress left her back bare, too. She wasn't even wearing a bra.
On the second-floor landing, I scooped her up, unable to wait, then carried her to my room.
"Edward," she gasped, clutching at my shoulder.
"Did you plan on killing me when you decided to wear this dress?" I groaned, locking the door of my room.
"No …" She squirmed in my arms.
I turned us around, pressing her back against the door. Her legs lifted, wrapping around my waist by instinct. It brought her body exactly where I needed her.
I ran my hand over the slit in her dress, up her thigh, until my fingers curled around her panties. They felt soft to the touch.
Silk?
Satin?
"Edward, no!" She slipped away from me, making me grunt, resting my forehead against the door. "We're not going to have sex with your parents downstairs," she whispered hotly.
I didn't even bother to point out Esme and Carlisle weren't my parents.
I spun around, facing her flushed face. It matched her dress. "Tell me you don't want me. I won't do anything," I said, walking closer.
She backed away, bumping into the edge of my bed. Gasping, she fell back into it. She looked at me through her dark lashes, catching her red bottom lip between her teeth.
"Say it," I insisted, hovering above her.
One of her hands reached up to grab my shirt, pulling me down. "I'm going to Hell."
"I promise to make the ride pleasant," I whispered against her neck.
"Shit. We can't."
I leaned back to meet her eyes. "You have five seconds to push me away because, after that, my self-control will be gone."
Her answer came in the form of her fingers unbuttoning my shirt and her hips rising off the bed, rubbing against my clothed erection.
We didn't have much time. Knowing Esme, the break between meals could last several minutes or up to thirty. I didn't want to push our luck and have her call us down.
"Turn around," I told Bella as I reached for my nightstand. One condom waited for me there. I was supposed to take it with me later when I'd visit her. "Take your panties off before I rip them," I added as I undid my pants, pulling my aching hard dick out of my boxer briefs.
Bella shimmied out of her red panties, hitching the skirt of her dress around her waist, bracing herself on her hands, and knelt on my bed. That mental picture alone was enough to have me nut. I gripped the base of my erection and put it between her spread legs, slowly pushing inside her.
She was always so wet for me. It was unreal. Sometimes, this was the only visible proof of how much she wanted me. It was hard for me to believe this amazing woman wanted me as much as I wanted her and that she loved me. Bella had put her own freedom at risk for me last year – that should have been proof enough.
She gasped loudly, her fingers curling around my comforter. I hadn't bothered making the bed this morning, so it was a mess. And now, she was a beautiful mess on top of it.
I held onto her hips tightly as I started pumping into her quickly. One of her hands went between her legs, and I could feel her nails grazing my dick with every other push and pull while she rubbed her clit. Keeping a strong grip on her hip with my left hand, I moved my right hand into her hair, messing up her bun.
Bella made a loud sound, which made us both freeze before I pressed her face into my pillow while I plowed into her. Her muffled cries and her walls clamping around my dick were everything it took me to explode.
I allowed myself only a moment to catch my breath before I pulled out.
"Fuck," I groaned, stumbling to my adjoined bathroom.
Bella joined me, which never happened. She stopped in front of the mirror, moaning loudly. I caught her reflection in the mirror and cringed at how her mascara and lipstick were all over her face.
"Bring my purse, please."
I zipped up my pants, then worked on buttoning my shirt. "Where did you leave it?"
"On the couch." She reached for a bunch of toilet paper, wetting it with some tap water, before working on cleaning her smeared lipstick. "Today, Edward." Her eyes narrowed.
"I'm sorry…but I'm not really," I said softly, kissing her bare shoulder, something I'd wanted to do ever since I'd seen her in this dress.
"And you better come up with a stellar lie for Esme about why I need to redo my make-up."
That felt like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped on my head. On the way downstairs, I knew exactly what I'd tell them if I got caught sneaking Bella's purse. The kitchen door was firmly shut, which was unusual, but I played it to my advantage to snatch Bella's purse and sprint back to my room.
I leaned against the wall while Bella managed to clean her face and reapplied her mascara and lipstick. She threw the balled-up wad of red and black toilet paper at me.
"Stop staring. It's unnerving."
I chuckled. "Remember, you wanted to come up here. I was coerced into this by a vixen."
She rolled her eyes, returning her make-up kit to her purse. "I only wanted a few minutes alone with you, maybe some kisses."
"You can't say my choice of fun wasn't better," I argued, grinning.
"You better be the one to do the laundry and not let Esme see my face transferred into your pillowcase."
I laughed, following her back into my room. I could see the mess on my pillow, but that wasn't where my eyes lingered since Bella was bent by my bed, fishing her panties off the floor. As she stepped into them, she managed to flash me a perfect view of her delicious pussy.
"What lie did you tell them?" she asked as we stepped out of my room.
"Nothing. They were in the kitchen." I shrugged.
She took my hand, squeezing my fingers, stopping me at the top of the stairs. "If they ask anything, we talked about the orphanage, and I cried."
I pulled her closer by the hand still clutched in mine, kissing the corner of her mouth. "We have to talk about that."
"Tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Tomorrow."
Cheesecake waited for us at the table when we entered the dining room. I ran a hand through my hair, hoping we didn't look like we'd just fucked. Bella had undone her hair after I'd ruined her fancy knot.
"So, when's the grand opening?" I asked, taking my seat. "Of the orphanage…" I added when both Carlisle and Esme stared at me curiously.
Esme glanced at Bella, who was busy staring at the piece of cheesecake on her plate.
"We were just discussing this," I explained. "I'd like to be there."
"Of course, you'll be there. The inauguration will be on the twenty-seventh of December, and we're hoping to have it running by Easter."
"Inauguration? Doesn't that mean that you're going to open it?" I asked, chewing on the desert.
"Not exactly. The inauguration is how people will learn about it. We hope in a few months' time to have it completely furnished with everything a child might need," Esme explained.
"And I hope to have everything ready by Easter. This collection at school might take a couple of months, and then we have to pack," Bella said.
"I see. Well, you better tell me when it opens for good," I mumbled.
"Of course, honey. I already found responsible people to run the home and care for the children."
"That's great." I was starting to understand how much more complex it was to open an orphanage than I'd imagined. It wasn't only the building you needed; it was the staff, the furniture, the toys, the clothes, the interactive games.
I wondered who'd sponsored them because I doubted even Carlisle had the money to invest in such a project alone.
The rest of the meal was centered on Bella complimenting Esme's cheesecake, which I agreed with since it was my favorite dessert. Esme rarely baked it, saying it was only for special occasions. There had been a time I'd tried to convince her every day was a special occasion, but it hadn't worked.
I noticed how Bella accepted Carlisle's offer to top her wine glass. I wasn't going to point out she had to drive back home. She was an adult, and if my memory didn't fail me, it wouldn't be the first time she'd driven after a few glasses. Her dad was probably glaring daggers at her from Heaven.
I was on my second helping of cheesecake, trying to pay attention to Esme telling Bella the recipe. She must really like Bella because Esme seldom shared her recipes with anyone.
A small foot touched my calf, moving up and down. I choked on my piece of dessert, thumping hard on my chest. That was one thing I'd never expected from Bella. Her face didn't betray a thing as her toes touched my skin under the pant leg.
"Everything okay, kiddo?" Carlisle asked, concerned.
I nodded, draining my glass of water. "Wrong pipe," I lied.
Esme shook her head, eyeing me, amused. "He always managed to choke on food when he likes it."
I narrowed my eyes at her, not believing the way she'd decided to embarrass me in front of Bella.
Bella…who started laughing. Her eyes caught mine, a devilish smirk on her red lips. "I haven't choked on something in a while, but I can clearly remember how unpleasant that is."
I stared at her in disbelief. The wine had turned her brazen, maybe too brazen. Carlisle shot her a puzzled look.
I cleared my throat, still feeling like the piece of cheesecake was lodged in my windpipe. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
Thankfully, Bella kept her feet to herself after this.
Long after the table had been cleared, we'd moved to the living room to drink coffee and continue talking. Bella and I were on opposite sides of the couch. I was in a deep conversation with Carlisle about one of his patients while Esme and Bella discussed her plants. Esme even offered to give Bella some cuttings if she wanted any specific flower.
A big part of me was exhilarated that they liked Bella, but I knew they'd shift one-eighty when they found out the truth about our relationship.
To my surprise, Carlisle brought a present out from under the tree. I hadn't noticed it there after we'd opened our presents earlier this morning.
My present for Bella was still upstairs in my suitcase. It would stay there until I'd get some alone time with her, where we weren't going to be interrupted.
"You shouldn't have!" Bella gasped, blushing furiously. She pulled a scented candle from the gift bag, and by the look on her face, she liked it very much. The next item she picked from the bag was a planner book. The cover looked to be made of soft leather. "Now, I feel so bad for not putting more effort into your present."
"Nonsense, darling. We're very happy you like yours." Esme beamed, rubbing Bella's arm reassuringly.
I was curious what Bella had gotten them. She must have given it to them when she'd arrived, while I wasn't here.
Bella's eyes found mine. "I saved yours for when you'd get home, but you disappeared to your room so fast," she teased. Like, she had no idea what she'd done to me wearing this dress.
I waited while she dug into her purse, coming out with a rectangular box nicely wrapped in paper with little snowmen on it. I accepted the present, clearing my throat.
I tore at the wrapping paper, finding a nice black box. I took the lid off and stared in shock at the two pens embedded in the box. Carlisle and Esme would think it was a thoughtful gift for a college student, but I knew exactly why she'd bought these for me – guilt.
"Thank you, Bella." I hugged her tightly. "But you know, no one does much actual writing by hand anymore."
She shrugged, slowly pulling away from me, returning to her end of the couch. "You never know when you might need to write something down. It's horrible not to have a pen at hand."
I tried to fight off the smile threatening to spill on my face. "Terrible, indeed."
Then Esme whisked Bella to the greenhouse; Carlisle's blue eyes frosted as they pierced through my soul.
"What?" I tried not to squirm in my seat. I felt like he knew my deepest and darkest secrets.
"You know I never stopped you from doing anything, except if it endangered you. So, this is just a warning," he said quietly.
If I didn't suddenly feel sick, I'd have answered as sarcastically as possible.
I had no idea what had given him the idea that I was interested in Bella because we'd done our best to be on our best behavior. The trip upstairs had been a big mistake, as much as it pained me to admit it.
Had Esme figured it out, too?
Was she currently grilling Bella about it?
I pressed a hand to my stomach, hoping I wasn't actually going to be sick.
"Edward, I was your age once. Do not pursue your attraction for your former teacher."
So he had no clue we were dating.
Good.
His words did nothing to lessen my roiling stomach.
"Noted," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.
"Neither of you are ready for the drama to follow when the town finds out."
It was like he knew the truth.
I just nodded, hugging my stomach.
We spent the next minutes in silence until Esme's voice flitted into the hallway. She was telling Bella that I'd bring the cutting in the next few days.
Any other time…if it were anyone else…I'd have said I wasn't her minion. But I couldn't deny Esme anything. Besides, that visit meant spending some quality time with Bella.
"Thank you so much for having me," Bella said softly.
I spotted her hugging Esme in the hallway. I was acutely aware of Carlisle's eyes on me.
I trained my focus on the TV but did not see what show was playing.
"It was our pleasure, honey," Esme answered.
Carlisle joined them in the hallway, thanking Bella again for all the help with the orphanage.
I had so many things to talk to her about but sneaking out would be difficult.
"Edward, Bella is leaving," Esme called to me.
I glanced over, deciding to play my usual card when their guests left their parties. "Goodbye, Miss Swan!" I even smiled, which I rarely did to their usual guests. Before I could look for too long at Bella's betrayed eyes, I returned my attention to the TV.
It was playing a rerun of a Christmas movie, which reminded me I had to endure whatever movie Carlisle planned on watching.
There would be no way in hell I'd be able to go to Bella's tonight.
"Bye, Edward!" Her voice shook slightly, but I didn't look her way. It was what Carlisle wanted to see.
He and Esme would flip their lids when they found out. I had no idea how we were going to tell them. It was going to be even more difficult now that Bella had befriended them.
How the hell had this happened …
I'm so curious what you think about what happened in this chapter.
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