Chapter 7

"Have you ever smoked pot, Edward?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, confused by how we ended up at this question since we'd just been yelling back and forth at each other. Part of me had to wonder if this whole thing was even worth it. But as I looked her up and down—the creamy color of her pale skin, the swell of her breasts—I knew it was worth it. Or at least my cock was sure it was.

—

I'd smoked pot in college. There had been a point where I was more free, not so closed off from everyone, even enjoying my life while I was in school. As long as I kept my grades up and caused no trouble, I was allowed out from underneath the thumb of my father and the indifference of my mother. There was no one to question who I was with or where I was going, and I'd loved every second of it. That was, until I'd had my heart shattered.

In recent years, I tried to not let myself think of her. I'd buried her in the back of my mind and any time she tried to resurface, I did my best to shove her back down.

I'd fallen in love with Rachel from the moment I laid eyes on her in our sophomore year of college. The first time I'd seen her was in a literature class that we both attended. She was tall with a light olive complexion and rich, dark chocolate eyes. Her black hair fell in long, silky waves down her back. As beautiful as she'd been on the outside, she was even more beautiful on the inside, not to mention absolutely brilliant.

She believed in so many of the things I was sure Bella did as well. She wanted equal rights for women and to be able to do with her body as she saw fit. She also hated seeing so many men sent off to fight a war no one wanted to be part of. She never held her tongue or shied away from telling me when she thought I was wrong, and those were the things I loved about her.

The year we graduated, she tore my heart out when she decided to join the Peace Corps. It was something she was meant to do, and I couldn't tell her no. Even if I had, she would have gone anyway. She told me it would be better if we weren't together, that it wasn't fair to hold either of us back. We'd never actually said the words, but I loved her. I thought she loved me, but it turned out I was wrong.

When she left, I jumped head first into the plans my father had for me. My parents never would have accepted our relationship, anyway, so I hardened my heart and became the man I am today.

After only being in Bella's company a handful of times, she was dragging these feelings to the surface.

It infuriated me and confused me at the same time.

—

"Edward?" Bella's voice broke me from my thoughts.

"It's been a long time since I smoked anything other than cigarettes."

"You up for it?"

I let out a heavy sigh, running my fingers through my hair. "I thought you'd have kicked me out by now."

"Yeah, me too. Look, you up for it or not?" She rifled through one of her drawers, pulling out a cloth bag.

"At the party the other night, you did that thing with that guy…"

Confusion was written on her face. "I did what with who?"

"He took a drag and then you—"

"Oh! That." She smirked. "Yeah. They call that shotgunning."

"If we're going to smoke, I want to do it that way."

She rolled her eyes, pushing out a hard breath."You know, I thought you'd freak out over me even asking you."

"Why?"

She gestured at me. "You're, um, how do I put this nicely? You seem like a square, Edward. Do you ever have fun?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "A square? Really? I'm sorry I have a full-time job making money and not just sitting on my ass all day getting high. You know, like the guys you're used to. I don't have time for fun unless you count sex."

"I do."

"Huh?"

"Count sex as fun."

I sat down on her bed, gripping her waist and pulling her toward me. "I had to pay a lot of money for those reservations we're not using. Are we gonna smoke or what?"

"Yeah." Her voice was breathless as she opened the bag, pulling an already rolled joint from it. She reached over to her nightstand, picking up a lighter. She straddled my lap as she lit it, inhaling deeply and holding the smoke in for a moment. She ran her fingers through my hair and leaned down, her lips almost touching mine as she exhaled slowly. I breathed in, almost immediately feeling as though my head was swirling, but maybe that was because all my blood was now in my cock.

"Fuck, do it again," I groaned, my fingers digging into her hips.

"Just one more time," she whispered as she took another drag. This time, she dug her fingers deeper into my hair, gripping tightly, and her lips met mine. I moaned as the smoke entered my lungs, and she pulled away.

"Shit, that's good." I lay back on her bed while she remained straddling my lap. Being naked with her was the only thing that could have felt better.

"Why me, Edward? There are hundreds, thousands, of housewives in this city who'd give you what you want; a quick fuck. Why me?"

"I don't know," I lied to her right through my teeth. I knew exactly why. But I couldn't tell her that just by being in her presence, just by hearing her speak, woke up a part of me I'd worked so hard to lock away. "There's so much on my shoulders. You're a good distraction."

"What do you mean?" She ran her fingers through my hair again, and it felt nice. Soothing.

"You've heard of Masen Oil, haven't you?"

"Of course I have, everyone has." Her eyes went wide as she realized what I was saying. "Holy shit, are you telling me your dad is Edward Masen, Sr.? Why are you working for Cullen?"

"My father wanted me to be ready, to know he was handing his company over to the right hands. I'll take Carlisle Cullen's CEO position in a few months, spend a few years proving myself, and then I'll step in for my father."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow." I rolled my eyes. "All this talk of responsibility is killing my high, Bella."

I felt my dick twitch as she giggled. "Sorry, let's go to the living room and listen to some music. I just got the new Rolling Stones record."

"Far out."

She giggled again, and if she didn't stop, I was going to come in my pants.

"That'd be really messy for you."

"Huh. Did I say that out loud?"

This time she snorted, but even that was cute. "God, you're really blitzed."

She was right; I was. But I couldn't even begin to regret it.

—

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