Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all; I just like to play around in her world.
As always, a shout out to the Fab Five (sherriola, Katmom, TwiloverSue, Sammi & NKubie) for their support and help - and beachcomberlc and Ocassye for all their beta and pre-reading power! In addition, Purradox for her expertise and keeping me in line. And to NanStew who has helped me immensely. These women have supported me in ways I can't even explain – specifically - encouraging me to continue when I've doubted my writing skills and ability to tell a story!
It seems I scared/insulted a few readers with last week's chapter. I promise this isn't a BDSM story, nor will it become one, but using the technique of desensitization through bondage is something I did choose when I was convinced to expand the original one-shot. Trust me, I am fully aware that I am totally unqualified to write a true BDSM story - and hence why I have someone with expertise helping me with those aspects of the story. I hate that several readers stated they would never return to the story. *Sad face* - but for those that did, thank you!
And to each reader – Happy Mother's Day! To current moms, grandmoms, future moms, and even those that may never choose to be (or can be) a mom . . . I hope you have the best of days!
~Honor~
Bella reached for Edward before she was entirely awake, only to discover the bed empty beside her. Pushing up, she gazed toward the bathroom, but it was the sounds coming from the kitchen area that gave away his location. Grabbing a hair band from the side table, she threw her hair up in a messy bun. Clad only in the tank top and sleep shorts she'd worn to bed, she grabbed her cane and slowly made her way to find him. Morning was always the hardest, her bones and muscles screaming in discomfort after a night of inactivity.
Shocked at the sound of Edward's soft singing voice, Bella stopped at the doorway leading between her bedroom and living space to enjoy. The man gave most of the pop stars she heard on the radio a run for their money. Bent over her lowered stove, he flipped bacon before turning to the eggs he had sizzling.
Bella took the time to admire him. He wore only pajama bottoms, and it gave her time to ogle the sleek lines of his back while he cooked for them. She smiled when he turned, plates in hand, to catch her watching him.
"Morning, beautiful," he murmured setting down their food on the table before giving her a saucy wink.
Unable to withstand his draw, she walked toward their breakfast. She'd barely sat down before he was back with orange juice and a bowl of fruit.
"Hmmm . . . I could get used to this," Bella murmured. "But I have to say I missed waking up to you."
Edward leaned over to kiss her forehead before moving to take his seat. "I told you that I survive on less sleep, so when I woke up, you shouldn't find it hard to believe I needed to get moving. Staying in bed with you would've only tortured me."
Bella grinned at his silly smile, unwilling to harass him just yet. After a short blessing they turned to the simple food.
"Alice called and wanted us to go out with her, Jasper, Rose, and Emmett tonight. Mom and Dad are keeping the kids overnight, so they want to do a nice dinner and a club afterward. You don't have anything early tomorrow do you?"
"No, I made sure to keep my schedule open since it was your day off," Bella responded as she nibbled on a piece of bacon.
Edward's eyes darkened as he watched her, but he tore his gaze away and cleared his throat. His reaction to her made Bella snicker, and he saw his corresponding smirk.
"I want to dance with you tonight. You think you'll be able to handle it?"
Bella nodded. "I'll take a nap later, and if I use my wheelchair for dinner, I should have the energy to at least attempt it."
"We'll take a nap, and all I want is one slow dance. I'll consider anything after that a bonus." He waggled his eyebrows at her, making Bella laugh.
Slow dance . . . she imagined his arms around her, their bodies aligned. Dissecting her emotions, she recognized a sliver of fear and forced it away.
He called her name softly. "If it's too much, let me know, but I thought after last night, we could at least try."
Bella took a deep breath and nodded. "Are you okay with last night – the way I bound you?"
She expected him to immediately say yes, but that he seemed to consider her question made her feel better.
"I am. I have to admit to being shocked about the fact you didn't tie me down. That was a big step. Was it having my arms tied completely that made it work for you?"
Gnawing at her bottom lip, Bella gave his question as much consideration as he had given hers. "Yeah. I didn't want to keep you tied, because I could see it becoming a crutch, for lack of better words." She stabbed a blueberry on her plate. "I want to be normal." Bella was unable to keep the bitterness out of the words.
Edward reached over taking her hand. "Bella, whatever works for us is normal, because it's about us. I've been upfront about my desires to touch you. We're working toward that, right?"
She nodded emphatically. "Yes!"
"Then stop worrying about it. If I'm uncomfortable with something, I promise to tell you." He squeezed her hand softly. "We have to keep being honest or this isn't going to work. I mean, any relationship should have that, but we really need to keep sharing our thoughts and feelings, or this could all go south quickly. Okay?"
"Yeah." She swallowed and grabbed the cup of coffee he'd fixed for her for a deep swallow.
"So, in the vein of being honest, I want you to know your 'inspection' of me last night was pretty hot. I've never been about being objectified, but if you want to tie me up and trace your fingers across my skin like that in the future, feel free."
Bella burst out in giggles and threw her napkin at his head. As usual, Edward had made what could've been a difficult subject easy to speak about. Crooking her finger at him, she met his lips halfway across the table for a quick kiss.
~Honor~
Turning to look at her backside in the mirror, Bella inspected the short skirt, wondering for not the first time if it was the right choice. It was the third time she'd put it on. Several other outfits lay discarded on her bed. There was definitely more skin showing than she'd allowed in a very long time, not to mention the scar running along the outside of her leg. She'd always thought her legs were one of her best features, but it was hard to feel confident with the destruction her injury and the surgeries had caused.
Edward has already seen them . . . loved on them . . . so what do you care? her inner voice sang.
Grinning, Bella ran her finger down the scar, remembering his lips there, and the way he'd nipped at the raised skin. Short skirt it was.
Throughout the day, while they'd cleaned his apartment and straightened hers, she and Edward had stolen kisses that had grown progressively more passionate and hugs that had allowed Edward's caresses to become bolder. Nap time had found them cuddled together in Bella's bed, where, by her request, she was lulled by his voice and drifted off to sleep. Rejuvenated by their catnap and her shower, she smoothed her straightened hair and checked her makeup one last time, declaring herself ready for an evening with Edward's siblings.
She grinned at the good timing when she heard the door sliding open.
"Bella, you ready?" he called from the living room.
Taking a deep breath, she walked through the archway and had to lean against the wall to keep from falling over. Edward wore a black pair of tailored slacks and matching button down. The stark outfit should've been too much; instead, it was the perfect backdrop to his inhuman beauty. Her heart raced as his eyes devoured her.
Spinning the keys around his finger, Edward let out a shrill whistle. "Damn, baby. You could've warned me," he said of her black skirt and ruby red silk halter blouse.
What she wouldn't have given to be able to wear a pair of high heels to complement the outfit. Unfortunately, ballet flats were the best she could do.
"You are absolutely stunning. I'm going to have a hard time keeping all the men off you."
Rolling her eyes at him, she was thinking what a hard time she was going to have making sure some young thing didn't try to take advantage.
He nudged his head toward her door. "C'mon sexy, let's go. My siblings have already been texting me to find out when we'll arrive."
It wasn't long before Edward was handing over the keys to a valet after retrieving her wheelchair from the trunk.
"Bella!" Alice jumped up from where she sat beside Jasper and bent down to greet Bella with a kiss to her cheek when they entered the plush restaurant.
Rose was more sedate, but she still rose up to greet them with a bright smile. Alice looked amazing in a little black dress, where Rose could've been a model in the all red number she wore. It was a testament to how warm Edward's sister-in-laws were that Bella had never felt for a moment like she was being treated like an outsider.
"It's about time you got here," Emmett teased after giving a nod to the hostess. "I was beginning to believe we might need to come rescue you. Do I need to ask what you were up to?" The giant laughed loudly at Edward's cross expression. "Bella, I'm sorry to say my little brother isn't known for his luck in the love connection." Emmett thumped his chest. "I tried, I really did."
His expression was so woebegone that Bella couldn't help but chuckle as Rose punched the side of his arm. "Shut up, you big dufus. From what I heard from one of Edward's old girlfriends, he could teach you a few things."
Emmett's mouth dropped and the group burst out in laughter just as the hostess approached them to indicate their table was open. He was still pestering Rose about what she'd heard when the waitress arrived.
"The brothers are extremely competitive. It's going to kill Emmett to think Edward is better at something than him. Particularly sex. If you want to really help torture Emmett make sure you talk about how good Edward is." Alice whispered into Bella's ear discreetly.
Bella stuttered for a moment. "Good?"
"Girlfriend, you may not have sealed the deal yet, but I can tell you've gotten close enough to howl that man's name, so make sure to let Emmett know it. Please, please, please." Alice blinked her doe eyes at Bella enticingly.
When Bella grinned in conspiracy, Alice clapped her hands slightly under the table.
"Rose is going to love you. She needs all the help she can get keeping Emmett in line. I swear the man is like an overgrown eight-year-old sometimes." Her eyes went to her silent husband beside her. "Unlike Jasper, who is too old a soul. I have to work hard to get that man in trouble."
Bella risked a glance to the handsome, quiet man.
Jasper's brilliant blue eyes twinkled when he caught Bella's attention. "Don't believe a word my darling wife tells you, Bella. She drags me into trouble daily."
Something told Bella he loved every minute of his wife's meddling. Her hypothesis was confirmed when Jasper took Alice's hand in his and raised it to his lips for a gentle kiss.
"How is the job going?" Rose asked Bella.
"It's great! Henri and Jude are the best, and I didn't realize how much I like working with the sweets." Bella took a drink of water. "But I have to say, they have more energy than I've ever had. I guess you'd have to be that way to work in the business. I know I sleep like a baby when I get home."
Their conversation came to a halt while the waiter took their orders.
"Ali and I are working on Henri and Jude's website," Rose said as soon as the waiter placed a platter of crusty bread and herbed butter down, leaving them to submit their orders and prepare the salads. "Their old one was fine, but with the changes we've made, I'm certain they'll see a significant increase in their catering requests."
Rose's face lit with pleasure as she described to the group what she and Alice had done. Lots of what she said went over Bella's head, but it was clear that Rose and Alice were extremely knowledgeable about what attracted the eye.
"How did you end up in web design?" Bella asked the women.
Jasper chuckled. "Alice has always liked to create things. She was already running a personal shopping business before she graduated from college." His tone couldn't have been prouder.
"And Rosie got her bachelor's in economics with a focus on the Internet. It was a marriage made in heaven . . ." Emmett grinned mischievously " . . . or hell."
Rosie knocked her elbow into his ribs and sent Emmett a frown. "Alice and I met just out of college."
"How?" Bella asked seeing the funny look Alice and Rose exchanged.
"We were running from bad dates." Alice snickered.
"What?"
Bella's amusement caused Edward to chuckle. He reached over to take her hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "They snuck out of a bar and fought over a cab in their attempt to get away from their dates."
"To commiserate about our awful luck, we went to the nearest coffee shop and spent the night talking. By morning, we not only knew we were going to be best friends, but we had a plan for our business outlined," Alice announced.
"And the rest is history," Rose announced with a dramatic hand gesture.
"Too funny," Bella admitted. "I guess I thought you met through dating Jasper and Emmett."
Jasper laughed softly, and the sound was intensely seductive. Alice's eyes darkened as she smiled at her husband. The love between them was so powerful it almost became a tangible thing. "No, Rosalie met Emmett first when the girls were hired to do the website for the annual fire department calendar."
"My boss insisted on this body being on the calendar cover," Emmett said, waving his hand in front of his massive chest.
He chuckled when Rose flicked water at him. "I was young and naïve back then Bella. Easily taken in by a pretty face and muscles." Rose rolled her eyes. "I ignored him at first, I promise, but the man wore my defenses down. Now look at me. Chained to this beast of a child."
"Hey!" Emmett grumped, but his broad grin belied any hurt feelings.
"And you?" Bella asked Jasper of his and Alice's beginnings.
"Emmett had asked me to join him and his new girlfriend for lunch. Little did I know Rose was bringing her friend. It was all a setup, of course, but Rose wouldn't admit it at the time." Jasper's eyes were so tortured for a moment that Bella was taken aback, but then his smile turned tender. "I saw Alice across the room. Sunlight streamed through the large windows of the café surrounding her in a halo, and I knew then she was my angel and that my life would never be the same again." He leaned over to kiss Alice's forehead. "Nothing since has changed my opinion," he whispered.
A gagging noise broke the spell wrapped around Bella, and she turned to find Emmett fake gagging.
"Sir, are you okay?" a young voice asked. It was the waiter. He looked panicked enough to drop their salads.
"Sorry, his one brain cell misfires often," Rose offered in excuse, causing the harried waiter to quickly put down their salads and run.
Laughing hysterically at Emmett's expression, Bella felt the warmth of Edward's crazy siblings and their wives surrounding her. Stealing a glance at Edward, she found him watching her with a twinkle in his eye and sighed into his hug.
~Honor~
"Hey Em," the bouncer said as he let them slide into the door over the 'Boos' and hisses of people still in line.
"He's one of the guys on Emmett's squad," Edward explained as they made their way through the entranceway to the club.
Bella had to lean in close to hear Edward, because the club was already thumping with dance music. The place was packed, and for a moment, a wave of doubt crashed over her. Skittish at the chance of being touched, she stepped closer to him, and her actions didn't escape his notice.
"Tell me if it's too much, and we'll leave immediately." His breath stirred the fine hairs around her ear, and a desire to kiss him banished the lingering doubts.
"I'm good." Steadying with the cane she was using, Bella allowed Edward to guide her through the maze of people to an area where couples and groups sat around tables. She was not surprised to see a table with a reserved placard; Cullen was boldly printed on the paper. She was surprised when Emmett made sure to sit to her other side.
"You good with me here?" he asked, all signs of the goofy guy image she suspected he intentionally cultivated gone.
She nodded. Instead of feeling caged in between his immense body and Edward's tall, lanky one, she felt protected.
"Good, because I want to tell you all my stories about little Eddie. You need to know what you're getting yourself into." Emmett broke out in loud laughter when Edward growled at him.
Bella was soon to learn the Cullens took clubbing and teasing each other seriously. Edward and Jasper, as the designated drivers, refrained from alcohol after their first beer, but Edward encouraged Bella to at least get a glass of wine. And while the drinks and snacks flowed across the table, Bella heard all kinds of embarrassing stories about the siblings. Her favorites were the ones where Carlisle harassed his sons at every possible opportunity.
"Dad left us hanging, literally," Jasper gasped out through his laughter. "Emmett, Edward, and I tried to sneak around the corner of the campground bathroom, but Jamie was so little he didn't care. He walked buck naked through the park, announcing to everyone as he went that he was 'free-balling.'"
Bella's eyes cut to Emmett at the word, and he shrugged unapologetically. "Kid needed to know the proper term."
Rolling his eyes at his brother, Jasper continued. "Of course, Dad had left Jamie a towel when he took all our clothes."
"And he didn't use it," Bella chortled.
"Nah. He wanted to be just like us." Emmett said, and for a moment, pain darkened all three of the Cullen men's eyes.
It was easy to see what caused it. Emmett and Jasper had wives, families, and the careers they'd always desired. Edward sat next to the woman who rocked his world, working desperately to find his forever.
And Jamie wasn't with them.
"To Jamie. I hope Victoria is allowing him to 'freeball' in heaven," Emmett broke the morose mood with his irreverent toast.
"To Jamie!" the group agreed, clinking their glasses together over the table.
~Honor~
"Alice is a maniac," Bella observed.
Bella and Jasper sat at the table while Edward and Alice danced on the floor, Emmett and Rose beside them. She watched as Alice twisted gracefully to the music, but her eyes were really glued to the man she loved. He was an exceptional dancer, and she couldn't help but notice how many other women watched him as he laughed at his sister-in-law and moved to the music.
"She is. Dancing is a perfect match for all her energy." Jasper took a long drink of the water he held. "She even wears me out."
Bella turned to the quiet man beside her. She'd watched Jasper embarrass a lot of men out on the dance floor with his grace. Smiling when their eyes met, Bella relaxed back against the chair. She'd danced with Edward several times, but had to admit she wasn't up to the moves she could usually work. Waiting on a good slow song to attempt a dance with Edward, she'd sicced Alice on him, much to the woman's delight.
"I'm glad you found Edward, Bella." Jasper's words were soft, and she was almost unsure if she'd heard him correctly.
Jasper tipped his head toward the dance floor. "I've worried about him finding the right one. He's far too handsome and nice for his own good, and there have been a few women I was afraid he was going to get trapped by. When I saw the way he responded to you at Jamie's funeral, I knew my days of worrying were over."
Her mouth dropped open in a way she was sure wasn't attractive. At his smirk, so similar to Edward's and Carlisle's, she shook her head. "What if I'd turned out to be just as crazy?"
"Nah! When he held you up so you could deliver your eulogy, I knew. It was an instant connection between the two of you." He grinned, turning back to follow his wife with his eyes. "I just had to talk to Jacob to find out that you weren't attached, and I was good from there."
Bella exhaled harshly in disbelief. "Really?"
"Yup." Jasper's eyes grew solemn when they returned to her. "Let him help you exorcise the demons, and there'll be nothing you can't accomplish together. It's what our mates are for, you know, to accept us at our worst–scars and all."
Stunned speechless at his words, Bella could only guess at what he meant for his own life. However, whatever had scared Jasper in the past was banished the moment his tiny wife fell into his lap and kissed his jaw. "C'mon handsome. I have it on good authority the DJ is about to play a slow song. I'm ready to rub all over you so the women who've been eyeing you know you're all mine."
Bella lost her breath at the smile Jasper gave Alice.
But it was nothing to how she felt when she looked up to find Edward gazing at her with the same look.
"May I have the honor of the next dance?"
Rising slowly, she placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her gently to the floor.
Surprisingly, she heard the note of a guitar start. The distinctly country sound was a sharp contrast to the techno dance music that had been blaring through the club. Bella suspected Alice had had something to do with the choice when Jasper gave a whoop at the country strands and the first words of the song "Die a Happy Man".
"Baby, last night was hands down."
While the dance floor cleared, only a few other couples remaining while the partyers went to find drinks, Edward waited patiently for Bella to make the first move.
Stepping close, she placed her hands against his tight stomach, slowly moving them up across his chest. Stretching, she linked her hands behind his neck, bringing them flush together. While desire darkened his eyes, he made no move to touch her.
"Put your hands on me, Edward."
The smile that broke across his face was of pure joy. He moved slowly, the strands of the music weaving around them as he patiently pulled her closer, both hands curving around her waist, his long fingers wrapping around to touch the top of her ass. Thumbs brushing against her stomach, he rocked softly, leading her in a simple move as he sang the words of the song to her in his velvet voice.
"And I know that I can't ever tell you enough– that all I need in this life is your crazy love."
The song had reached one of the refrains before she settled with his touch, but resting her head against Edward's chest, she soaked in his heartbeat. Content, Bella closed her eyes, but not before Alice sent her a secretive wink from where she was similarly cradled against Jasper, and Rose snuck a thumbs up sign from behind Emmett's back.
"Oh, if all I got is your hand in my hand. Baby, I could die a happy man."
She shivered at the words and the feeling of being watched by more than just the club patrons around them. There was no doubt in Bella's mind there was more at play this night than a good time with friends, family, and an incredible dance with the man she loved.
The pressure that had surrounded her heart from the moment she woke to find Jamie's cold hand in hers disappeared like a puff of smoke, leaving nothing behind but hope.
~Honor~
I had a quick flashback to Bill Murray in the movie What About Bob – baby steps, baby steps, baby steps. If you've never seen the movie, YouTube at least a clip. Still one of my favorite scenes in a comedy.
