NINETEEN

Despite his previous declarations of not wanting to worry my father by having me on one of his motorcycles, I found myself smiling as his jean-clad backside slipped in front of me. I slid as close to him as possible and enjoyed his growl when I rubbed myself intimately against him.

"Bella mia," he purred, "if you continue with your behavior, we will most definitely be late, and I somehow doubt your father would be pleased to hear from Emmett as to why."

I giggled and buried my face in the jersey — I was wearing the leather jacket today — and mumbled my apologies to him. Though we both knew that I was not sorry in the slightest, considering my hands held onto his hips this time instead of his waist. "I'll be good, Carlisle. I promise."

He snorted in amusement. "I highly doubt that, mia streghetta."

I gripped his ass and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "I'd be careful, Reverend Cullen—" he hissed and I smirked— "or this bike won't be the only thing mounted this morning. And if we are late, Sir, that will rest solely upon your shoulders."

He groaned as he passed me my helmet. "M'Isabella, if you do not behave yourself, I will haul you off of this bike and spank you!"

As he started the engine, I laughed, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

He growled loudly in warning. "Isabella, if you do not behave yourself, you will force me to make you submit. And all because I cannot cause you genuine harm does not mean that when I am dominating you that I cannot bite you in a place that will hurt like the devil." I suppose he felt my remorse and shame because he was off the bike in a blur and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Cara mia," he murmured as he wrapped himself around me. "I understand - truly I do - that you are frustrated at the present moment. You are acting on instincts. Believe me when I say that you are not the only one who feels this tension. We have gone into heat, m'uzzola, and your menstruation only heightens my desire, which in turn increases your lust as well." He kissed the top of my head. "If I could spare you the stress that this part of mating brings, I would, Isabella. It can be intensely frustrating at times, not that I could have ever imagined it being this powerful. The knowledge I have known for quite some time cannot in anyway compare to the actual force of it, and for that, I am sorry."

"I'm not," I quipped to his surprise, watching his eyebrows practically reach his hairline. "Don't get me wrong, it is annoying wanting to have sex twenty-four-seven and not being able to." I felt a blush begin to spread across my cheeks. "Starting the mating process with you and going into heat has given me a lot more self-confidence." I shrugged. "I'm sure that being a human female, I'll still have my odd moments of doubt on, well, a lot of things. But overall, I like feeling this way. I feel beautiful, desired." I smiled when he murmured 'you are'. "I feel more self-assured. I feel… powerful. I can sense that power that women seem to naturally have, that power that human men like to deny that we have."

I was practically yanked off the bike and into his arms as he bent over me, wrapping my body in a feverishly passionate embrace. When he pulled away, his eyes gleamed down at me like obsidian. "Mia passerotta," he purred, "I will never be foolish enough to deny that you have complete power over me. Will I ever let you control me or dominate me as I do you? Absolutely not. Will I bow to your every wish? As long as it does not put your life in danger, I will give you everything your heart desires."

I smirked. "So does that mean that we c—"

His hand clapped over my mouth and returned my smirk with a smug one of his own. "Nor does it mean that I will submit to wishes that could result in my losing an ear, or something more important, to a twelve-gauge sabot slug. It may not kill me, but that does not mean that it will not hurt like hell."

I blushed at his words, nodding before he re-situated me on the back, and slipped the helmet on. I gripped his waist tightly then burst out into giggles of delight as he sped away at excessive speeds. I felt his body vibrate with his own deep chuckle that more than likely stemmed from amusement at my own giddiness.

We arrived in record time, both laughing and completely relaxed and comfortable with our physical closeness, despite the sexual tension lurking beneath the surface. After taking my helmet, he pulled me off the bike and dragged me into his arms for a firm but playful kiss, his eyes now a dark citrine color as he beamed happily down at me. "T'amo tanto, m'Isabella."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him light peck to the corner of his mouth. "I love you too."

When he grabbed my hand and led me across the field, I suddenly understood why it was that Alice liked to dance around with Jasper so much. The gentle comfort and intense feelings of bliss left me with the most intense cheerful feeling, and to my surprise, I had the urge to twirl. Of course, I squashed the urge like a bug, knowing that I would trip over my own feet. Although, when I thought more about it, my klutziness had seemed to have lessened of late. On a whim, I decided to give into my ridiculous urge, not caring if I planted my face in the dirt or not — I was that giddy!

I shrieked loudly in sheer delight when I successfully made the pirouette under Carlisle's arm and immediately launched myself at him. I giggled when he lifted me up in his arms, gripping my thighs tightly as I locked my legs around him and claimed his lips in a joyfully passionate kiss. I almost cried with happiness when I heard his voice whisper to me, "It is both amazing and beautiful what little confidence can do, is it not, m'Isabella?"

I blushed at his words and more so at how he let me body slide so intimately down his. I knew Charlie was watching, but at this exact moment I did not care. "Saranghabnida," I murmured, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

When we approached the group, my father had a very strange look on his face. He obviously was not thrilled to see his little girl so intimate with a four-hundred-year-old vampire — I could only surmise that Esme had told Charlie how old Carlisle was — but he took a deep breath and greeted my mate with polite calm that surprised me. I saw Esme mouth from behind my father 'he's adjusting, but you are his baby girl,' and I nodded slightly in response. I had a feeling it would be awhile before Charlie was completely comfortable with the situation and that was okay. I was his only child, his little girl, and I knew that it was hard for him to come to terms with the fact that I was growing up.

When Alice called out that Carlisle and Rosalie were up first, Charlie draped an arm around my shoulder and whispered, "Just how is this supposed to work?"

I almost reminded him that talking quietly would not keep our conversation private, but I knew that it took some time getting used to it before one would actually remember. "Well, first of all, vampire baseball is a heck of a lot different than what you're used to. I can assure you that after this, pro-league baseball will look boring." I pointed across the field to the massive dark-haired giant. "Emmett's the strongest, so he can hit the farthest. However, Rosalie's the fastest one here." I could feel her prideful smirk as she stepped up to the plate. "By the time the ball has made it to wherever it's going to go, she's usually already there waiting for it."

A loud crack filled the air and Rose took off running. Between the sound of the bat connecting with the ball and the speed at which it and Rose disappeared, Charlie cursed. I could not help but chortle at his reaction, particularly when he questioned if it was a home run or not. The similarities in his reactions and mine to this spectacular sight were frightening.

"I'm not sure. Last time, it wasn't," I answered. "The problem last time was that Edward—" a soft snarl erupted from Carlisle, which I chose to answer with a reassuring smile— "was playing. Edward is the fastest of the family and a mind-reader, so he usually knew in what direction they would hit the ball and had the speed to get there first. Without Edward here to beat her speed, Rose will probably make it in."

Sure enough, just as the blond flashed around third, Jasper appeared at the tree-line. I dropped into a squat and watched a blur coming barreling toward me, sliding to a stop nearly a full second before the ball hit Esme's glove. I smiled. "Safe." I could feel Charlie's curiosity before he asked me how I knew. "To be honest, it took me a few rounds last time, before I realized exactly where and what to watch for."

And right now, I watched as my mate stepped up and pouted that his jersey covered the way his jeans hugged that firm ass. Before my brain could tell my mouth to keep itself shut, my lips blurted out, "You need to tuck in that jersey, Doc." When the younger vampires burst out laughing and Charlie chuckled over me 'smooth move, Bells,' I blushed furiously. "Shit."

Before I could blink, the bottom of the shirttails had vanished, and I was staring at the most gorgeous backside. Carlisle turned his head and smirked at me. "See something you like, mia streghetta?"

I whispered under my breath, so my father could not hear me, "Not near enough, Reverend." I heard him growl deeply and watched him shake his head in bemusement. He turned his attention back to the pixie, but I knew that if Charlie were not with us, I would be pinned up against a tree trunk and his teeth would be slipping into my flesh to force me into submission. I realized that this might be good for us for more than one reasons. Yes, my dad got to see us interaction, but it was also helping us strengthen our resolve.

In truth, I did not think it was fair that we should repress our flirty nature, but as Carlisle said, there were times when jumping each other and going at it like wild animals would have been completely inappropriate. Fun, yes. Inappropriate, definitely yes. So being in Charlie's presence was keeping us from doing what we really wanted to which was strip each other naked and go at full force in the dirt. So what better way to learn control than knowing daddy's watching?

I was so lost in my thoughts that it was only a nudge from Charlie that brought me back, alerting me to the fact that my mate had come to rest on second base, and Rosalie was up to bat. She popped it out to right field, but unfortunately, it was not high enough, leaving it well with Emmett's reach. He hurled the ball with all his might to Esme, just about the time the male vampire slid toward us. I kept my expression neutral as I stood, Carlisle rising above me and sweetly purring 'm'uzzola…'

I shot a look at Esme, who was clearly bemused that my mate was trying to sway my decision. I glanced back to the Cullen leader with a brilliant smirk. "Sorry, Doc, you're out."

A low growl rumbled in his chest and he snatched me against his body, his eyes black as night as he claimed my lips in a searing kiss. I slid one arm around his back while the other tangled in his luscious blond hair, and I lost myself to the passion flowing between us. I was ready to raise my leg around his waist and grind myself against him when he pressed his lips to the top of my head and then backed away.

Just when I went to open my mouth, Carlisle beat me to it, but to my horror, he was not speaking to me. "Chief Swan…" I had forgotten about Charlie! "I do apologize if my behavior has caused great discomfort. Despite the seeming appearance of my actions, I do not mean any disrespect to you or Isabella. As I am sure Esme has informed you, things are… stressful… at the present time. However, I can assure you that I hold nothing but the utmost respect for your daughter."

For the first time since I came to Forks, I did not make any prejudgments about my father, as he had been surprising me of late. His face was bright red and he was taking deep breaths, obviously unhappy, but still in control of his irritation. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a long heavy sigh and looked at us. "I hope you realize that I hold nothing against you personally, Carlisle," he said slowly. "Bella is my little girl. In my opinion, no one will ever be good enough for her."

"And I dare say that you would be right, Chief."

I sent a pride-filled glance to my mate, knowing who was actually in charge of this whole situation, but pleased that he would take the diplomatically submissive position before Charlie for my sake. He caught my look and nodded to me in acknowledgment, with the barest hint of a smile.

"I understand that you are in a stressful situation," Charlie continued, looking highly uncomfortable, "so I'm grateful for your restraint."

Carlisle gave my father a sharp nod and me a peck on the cheek before taking the bat.

I smirked mischievously. "Don't strike out."

.

Charlie got a taste of vampires' toughness when, in the third inning, Jasper and Emmett both made a mad dash for Carlisle's center-field hit. The crash resonated so loudly through the air that I actually had to cover my ears the moment they collided. When Jasper hit a grounder straight into left field, a rather intricate tumble from Rosalie showed off the impressive grace of their species. And of course, no game of baseball would be made complete for this family without Emmett climbing at least one tree.

Carlisle and I had behaved ourselves quite well thus far. Of course, now that we had entered what was to be an incredibly long heat, the tension was always lurking there beneath the surface. But we managed to keep our physical closeness to tender kisses and gentle touches, nothing overly sexual. The looks and the quips? Those were the worst, because while our wandering hands and lips were easier to control, our roving eyes kept us gazing lustfully at each other and our mouths kept tormenting each other — him with his witch references and me with the Doc and Reverend nicknames. The naughty little innuendos would not stop no matter how hard we tried.

Bless Charlie's poor beating heart, he handled it much better than I thought he would, occasionally grunting in annoyance or rolling his eyes, but never saying too much. Of course, as with his 'smooth move' comment, he did throw a few smart remarks in here and there at one or both of us, which was very welcome, seeing as this was a sign of acceptance from my father.

It was during the fifth inning that it happened.

Carlisle had just stepped up to bat, and having caught me staring at his ass once again, made a dirty quip about my missing lunch. He then asked if I would like a bite. I, of course, then had to make a reference about what else I could do with my teeth, following that up with a comment about needing an oral exam afterwards. He hissed in response and glanced back at me. "Mia passerotta," he warned, letting me that I was pushing him too close to the edge of his restraint, and that I needed to behave.

But damn me and my damn mouth!

As soon as he raised the bat, I supplied, "Nail it hard!"

When he turned around to glare at me, his eyes were black as he growled, "M'Isabella, if you do not behave..."

I smirked. "You wouldn't do anything with Charlie here."

That got Charlie's attention and only served to annoy Carlisle that I was using an innocent bystander as an excuse to challenge him.

He dropped the bat to the ground and towered over me as Esme moved to Charlie's side. He waited until I stood up to face him to start growling at me. "If we need to leave, cara mia, then say so. But do not force me to bite you in front of your father, because believe me, if you continue, I will."

"What did he say?" I stiffened at the sound of Charlie's voice behind me. "Did he just say that he'd—"

"Charlie," Esme purred, "I assure you that Carlisle isn't going to hurt Bella. I told you that males are very dominant. When a female pushes too far, the male tends to bite her to remind her of who is in control and that he is to be obeyed when it comes to certain matters. Most involve sexual situations or defensive situations, when a female tries to defend a male unnecessarily. In this case, Carlisle's restraint is at its breaking point. They have been teasing each other to the edge of their control. Carlisle has already told her to stop, but she taunted him further by saying he would not make her submit with you here. It is considered improper for a female to directly challenge a male in such a blatant manner. Respect for you is the only reason that Carlisle has not bitten her and forced her to submit. And as harsh as it sounds, I promise you that it is not, not really. In reality, it is a very intense moment of bonding because of the level of emotions that pass between mates when one is being forced to submit."

The entire time Esme spoke, Carlisle stared down at me, his eyes slowly returning to a gold shade. I felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, not only for pushing my mate so far but for behaving the way I did in front of Charlie when he was not exactly ready to see the extent of our relationship.

"I'm not quite sure I understand."

Esme drew in a deep breath. "Well, if Carlisle were to bite her now, all of the innuendoes would decrease dramatically, if not stop all together. By biting her, Carlisle is reasserting his dominance. If he bit her, immediately after he would give her a command, which she would follow for a certain period of time, before her hormones and instincts kick in again. That's why it takes a couple of years for mating to be complete, because the female has to learn over time that the males are dominant and in control. It doesn't happen after the first bite. To vampires and their mates, biting is no harsher than a tap on the wrist to reprimand a child trying to stick its hand in the fire. It lets the child know it shouldn't be doing that, but it takes several times for it to really sinking."

"It doesn't hurt?"

It took me a moment to realize that he was addressing me, and I pulled myself away from my mate's intense gaze to look at Charlie. I shook my head. "Not really. There's a sting when his teeth break the skin, but after that it's actually rather pleasant."

I felt Carlisle's arms wrap around my waist, his lips nuzzling my neck as he continued to growl at me. The sound was softer now, so I knew that he was no longer angry. But he was still very frustrated, and considering how high our emotions and hormones were running, he still had the need to bite me so as to make completely certain that his dominance was felt entirely.

I nibbled on my lower lip as I thought. "Dad, there are some things about being in his family that are difficult to understand as a human. I've known the Cullens were vampires for a year now and I don't know everything. But I do know that the relationship between mates is far different from any human relationship. Everything is more intense. All the feelings are almost overwhelming and sometimes they can take control of you, like I let happen now. Carlisle's instinct is to bite me, to make me behave as it were. I know it probably sounds like a cruel punishment to you, but I promise it's not." I gazed at Esme for a second then back to Charlie. "If I'm going to be honest, I'm still rather…tense…and so is Carlisle." I turned my head to study my mate and smiled before looking around to Charlie. "In a family full of vampires, privacy isn't always an option; so in front of everyone else, Carlisle would have already bitten me. For us, it's not awkward, but I know that this is very new to you. So, if it would make you feel better to actually see it, to know that I'm not being hurt and to understand the sort of instincts that will occur within you, we could…"

Charlie seemed to catch my meaning instantly and he took a deep breath and held it for a moment, his eyes darting back and forward between me, my mate, and Esme. Finally, he exhaled, his brown gaze resting on me. "It really doesn't hurt you?"

I chortled softly. "No, Dad, it really doesn't." The growl had finally become a purr as Carlisle nuzzled the back of my ear before catching the lobe between his teeth. I smirked. "For someone who wanted me to behave, you're sure doing a bang-up job of not behaving yourself."

He murmured something so low that I couldn't quite understand, but Emmett was laughing from across the field, so it must have been something dirty.

When I stepped out of his embrace, the unhappy growl returned as I pointed him to the bat on the ground. "You're up, Doctor Cullen." I chuckled when I heard Rose mumble behind us 'no kidding', and moved to stand behind my mate and Esme. As aroused as I was, I could not help but stare at his backside again. Really, that perfectly sculpted ass had to be some kind of illegal on all seven continents.

And Carlisle felt my stare acutely, mumbling, "Mia streghetta…"

With the same dulcet tones, I shot back, "Reverend…"

His heavy sigh made me smirk, but I never got to make any comments as Alice threw the ball. And I suppose sexual tension was good for vampires, because the ball went soaring high and far over the trees. Carlisle had made it around the bases and back to home a good forty seconds before Jasper came blurring out of the trees.

The sixth inning was not a problem as my mate was out in left field, but by the seventh inning, I knew there was going to be trouble. His eyes were almost black, and I knew that he could smell my arousal as he made his way straight toward me. Leaning over me, he whispered in my ear. "We need to leave, cara mia. Now."

.

TBC

In the words of Bob Ross:

If I paint something, I don't want to have to explain what it is.