Hello Everybody!
As promised here's one more update before I head out of town :) I'll be back early next week so I will aim to have chapter seven posted by Friday of next week.
Anyone else ready to see Edward try and redeem himself? Let's see how this goes!
BPOV
Working late-night hours at Esme's was catching up with me, making my library shifts drag worse than usual.
It didn't help that I spent my nights tossing and turning, fixated on my argument with Mr. Asshole. I was infuriated that I had allowed him to get under my skin. He was nothing but a pompous jerk- a sexy and powerful, pompous jerk.
I wanted to be over him, but my subconscious had other ideas. On Saturday, the little sleep I got was interrupted by an erotic dream that rivaled my most vivid fantasies. I stood behind the host stand, the only person in the restaurant. Without warning, Edward appeared, stalking toward me. His eyes were possessive and animalistic, daring me to go against his will. His biceps flexed under his dress shirt as he tangled a hand in my hair, fisting the strands around his fingers and pulling hard. He forced my head back, leaning down and crushing his mouth against mine. His tongue took dominance, forcing my lips apart while his hands reached beneath me, grabbing my ass and lifting me onto the countertop. He pushed my skirt to my waist and shoved my panties to the side, then entered me in one strong thrust that left me clinging to him in ecstasy. I woke up sweating and in desperate need of a release.
I beelined to my locker after my library shift on Monday. Between my fatigue and frustration, I couldn't answer another question or stock another book. Unfortunately, heading straight home was out of the question. I'd spent my day off in a daze of confusion and arousal, barely having the mental energy to catch up on laundry and cleaning. I had no choice but to stop for groceries before going home.
I nearly missed my stop on the L after dozing off against a side railing. Scrambling through the doors at the last second, I tripped onto the platform. My hands and knees took the brunt of the impact, and the resulting sting made my eyes water.
"Hey, are you okay?" A young man rushed over and helped me to my feet.
"I'm fine, thanks. Just a little embarrassed." I inspected the hole in my tights and scratches on my knee before waving him off. It was bad enough that I had a witness. I didn't need him doting over me.
"This happens to you a lot, huh?" He chuckled as he walked away.
"What?"
"Oh, uh… I just mean you don't seem real coordinated. I, um- assumed! Yeah, I assumed this happens to you a lot!" I glared at the guy. Who the hell was he to assume I was a clutz?
"Okay. So, if you're all good, I'll just head out then." He scrambled away toward the stairs for Fifty-First Street.
I grumbled to myself, waiting for a few minutes before leaving the platform. Something about the guy didn't sit well. Maybe my frazzled nerves and lack of sleep were catching up to me, or maybe I didn't want my picture to end up on the nightly news.
The grocery store was crowded with the after-work crowd. As I attempted to pull my cereal from a high shelf, a box of Fruit Loops smacked me across the face. I glared at the perpetrator, a woman in a heated argument with her three young children. She was completely unaware that she'd assaulted someone with a box of fruity cereal. I flipped her the bird as she passed and turned to the next aisle. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a familiar figure peeking around the end cap, laughing.
No, no, no, no! My week could not get any worse! I fumbled through my purse seeking out my pepper spray.
"Are you stalking me?" I blurted in a panic. Where the hell was the pepper spray?
"Why would you say that?" The guy from the L station forced a chuckle while his eyes darted in every direction.
"Don't kill me!" I have pepper spray! I finally grabbed the canister and held it up.
"You're pointing that the wrong way." He rolled his eyes. "You're just going to spray yourself."
"Who are you?" I flipped the canister, ready to aim and fire- at him. Not me.
"Me? I'm no one. Just shopping. Just a dude checking things off his grocery list!"
"Your list included… hair dye, mustard, and prenatal vitamins?" I asked, glancing in his basket. "Hold on. You're the guy that was outside my building the other day!"
I wouldn't have thought much of the black Mercedes parked across the street, except the only luxury car I'd ever seen in my neighborhood was Mr. Asshole's. In an act of idiocy, I'd approached the vehicle hoping that he'd come back to apologize. As soon as I got close enough to see the driver, they started the car and sped off.
"Help! I'm being stalked!" I screamed. Train guy grabbed me, knocking the pepper spray from my hand, and pulled me to the store's back corner. An older woman watched apathetically from the meat counter. So much for assistance from upstanding citizens.
"Stop! You're gonna get me in trouble!" Stalker man slapped a hand over my mouth, muffling my next scream. "Bella, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm supposed to be watching out for you, and you're not making it very easy."
"What the hell are you talking about? How do you know my name?" My questions came out muffled. He removed his hand slowly, ready to react if I started up again.
"Dang it! The Boss didn't tell me what to do if you started asking questions."
"Who the hell is 'The Boss?' Am I being kidnapped? Who are you?" I yanked my arm from his grasp and desperately searched for an escape path.
"I'm Seth." He grinned and held out his hand.
"Seriously?" I glared at him.
"Right. Look, I'm not kidnapping you. I work for someone you know. I was asked to keep an eye on you to make sure you stay safe."
"What? Oh my God. You're insane, aren't you?" I was dealing with a psychopath.
"Just- can you give me a sec? I've got to call Ed- I mean my boss."
Hold on. Ed? As in Ed-ward?
"Oh, for the love of God!" My fear morphed into frustration as Seth dropped my arm and stepped back to make the call.
"Hey! Boss! No, no, everything's alright. She's fine, but she kinda figured out what's going on."
Irritated, I grabbed the phone out of Seth's hand.
"You had one fucking job! What the fuck do you mean she 'figured it out?' How the fuck did you screw this up?" Edward's anger was barely constrained.
"Edward, why the hell do you have someone following me?"
"Shit." I waited as he scrambled to respond. "Bella, I can explain."
"Okay, then explain. Quickly, because I'm about to file a restraining order on you and your friend Seth."
"Good luck with that." He scoffed, then sighed. "Bella, I don't like the idea of you living in a place that doesn't meet my standards for security."
"Edward, you do realize you have no say over where I live."
"Not yet."
"Goodbye, Edward."
"No! Bella, wait-"
I disconnected the call and handed the phone back to Seth. It immediately began ringing.
"You can answer that- or not. I don't care. If he wants to talk to me, tell him he will have to do it face to face." So I can slap him- or kiss him. No! Damnit, Bella. Slap him, definitely slap him.
I shoved past Seth and stomped out the door. My cart full of groceries sat long forgotten in the cereal aisle.
oOo
My dinner was a can of vegetable soup that I found shoved in the back of my cupboard. Not exactly filling, but at least it was hot. My radiator was on the brink again and would only kick on for five-minute increments. I couldn't get the temperature in the apartment above sixty-three degrees.
The water was running, but the pressure was back to a trickle. Bundled in sweats, two pairs of fuzzy socks, and a couple of sweatshirts, I had my head stuck in a mixing bowl with rapidly cooling soapy water. A knock sounded at my door as I finished getting the shampoo rinsed out of my hair. I grabbed a towel and ran over to look through the peephole.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, unlocking the deadbolts. Giving my best bitch face, I swung the door open.
"I'm sorry."
"Yes, that seems to be a trend."
"I had Seth pick up your groceries." Edward held up two bags stuffed to the brim. He'd picked up my groceries plus some. I should have told him to go away and shut the door in his face. However, I needed those groceries, and I had no desire to take a trip back to the store the next day.
"You can put them on the counter," I sighed in resignation and closed the door behind him. His victorious grin made me scowl.
"What exactly were you doing?" He gestured to the soapy mixing bowl on the counter, then to my hair, which was dripping all over the place.
"I was washing my hair."
"Your water is still messed up, isn't it?" He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. I don't understand it, but if it makes you happy, okay."
"Yes, Edward, washing my hair in a mixing bowl on my kitchen counter makes me happy." I rolled my eyes.
"I meant the apartment. Bella, I've spent the last week trying to understand your point of view. You're different from every other woman I know. If my mother, or God forbid Alice, were told they had to live in a one-bedroom apartment south of Grant Park, they'd throw a fit. Add to that shitty water pressure and- hold on. Why is it so cold in here?"
"Um, my radiator is having issues again."
"Jesus!" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. It's fine. We can figure this out. Will you please, at least, let me ask Seth to go buy a space heater?"
"Actually, that would be kind of great." How had I not thought of that already?
"I'm going to talk to one of my contacts at city hall and see what can be done about the water. You must know that this is insane." He waved his hand over the bowl of water.
"I'll admit, it's not my favorite part of the day."
"I'm going to put this stuff away. Why don't you go finish rinsing out your hair?" He nodded toward my bathroom as he pulled orange juice from my bag.
I stalled for a moment, musing over how out of place he was in my dingy little kitchen. He belonged in a cologne ad with his expensive suit and Adonis beauty. Not a one-bedroom in the south side of Chicago.
I showered as quickly as the trickling water would allow, then redressed in yoga pants and a fitted henley. I blow-dried my hair and put on a tinted lip balm. I hadn't decided whether or not to forgive Edward, but it made sense to look somewhat appealing in case I did.
"Just get two, that way, she can have one in each room. Get an extra lock for the bedroom door as well, thanks." Edward hung up the phone as I entered the living room. "That was Seth. I sent him to Target."
"Are you changing my locks?"
"Before you get mad, can I show you something?" I followed him to the door. "Close the door and lock it, then step away."
He walked into the hall, waited while I locked the door, and took a few steps back. I watched, shocked, as one by one, each lock twisted, and the door swung open.
"How…what?"
"These locks are probably original to the building. Anyone with any experience in breaking and entering would be able to get through them immediately. I asked Seth to pick up newer models that have more safeguards."
"How did you know how to do that?" Conversations I'd had weeks before rushed into my mind. "Do- do you have a lot of experience with breaking and entering?"
"Only when it's necessary," He mumbled, turning away. "I had Seth pick up takeout before he went to the store. I wasn't sure if you had dinner."
He gestured to a spread laid out on my coffee table. To-go containers of Chicken Parmesan, fettuccine, and salad sat in front of two place settings- plastic cups filled with wine rounded out the meal.
"I don't have wine glasses."
"I noticed."
"You didn't have to do this, Edward."
"I wanted to."
I bit my lip and nodded my approval. "This looks amazing, thank you." His lips ticked up in a satisfied smirk as we settled on the floor in front of the table.
Edward took off his jacket, reaching over to lay it across the arm of the couch. He adjusted his shirt behind his back, rolled his cuffs, and loosened his tie.
"Do you ever dress casually?" I asked in between bites of salad.
"Not on workdays. I need to be prepared to meet with anyone at a moment's notice. My work can be… unexpected."
"Sounds dangerous." I fished for information. If I was going to jump into a relationship, I needed to know exactly who the man was.
"What about you, Bella? I found out recently that you have a day job at the library."
"Did Seth tell you that?"
"Does it matter?" I shot him a glare. He sighed, "No, it was Jasper. I asked him to run a background check on you."
"What did you think you were going to find? My life is hardly exciting," I scoffed.
"In my business, I have to be extraordinarily careful. I needed to know there were no skeletons in your closet that would pose a complication for me."
"I don't understand how my life would pose a complication for you."
"Bella, do you think I am a man who regularly sets up picnics on the floor of women's apartments?" He raised a brow as I took a moment to assess the situation. Him sitting on the old carpet of my apartment, his tie hanging loose after a day at work. No, I didn't think this was a position he put himself in very often.
"Oh."
"If I haven't made myself clear, let me do so right now. I am drawn to you. I can not explain it, nor do I understand it, but you are always on my mind. I feel very protective over you. That is why I've had Seth watching from a distance. I can not stomach the idea of something bad happening to you."
"What are you saying?" I took a long sip of my wine, my hand shaking with nerves as I held the cup.
"I'm saying that I want you to forgive me for last week. I'm saying that I want to take you out on a real date."
I studied him, looking for any evidence of a lie. He watched me warily, for once completely vulnerable.
"I believe you."
"Is that something you could do? Forgive me?" He moved closer, his expression guarded.
"I think so," I whispered. My pulse raced as the implications of our conversation settled over me. His large frame hovered only inches away. Close enough to make out the greens and golds swirling in his irises. I yearned to reach out and touch him, to let him touch me. "You want a date? Just a date?"
"I'm not going to lie, Bella. I want you, but I can be a gentleman."
"I don't know if I can be a lady," I muttered. His eyes caught mine as he sucked in a breath.
"You can't say things like that to me." He warned. "My control is hanging by a thread. You have no idea how much of a temptation you are."
"I think I do." We inched closer until I could feel his breath against my cheek.
"Tell me to stop," he demanded. I knew I should listen, but how could I when everything I fantasized about sat accessible to me.
"I want you too, Edward."
His gaze turned predatory, catching me and pinning me down. Under his control, my breath hitched, and my heart pounded. Fingertips ghosted up my thigh to my waist, where he held me with a firm grip. His other palm rested against my cheek, guiding me toward him.
"So beautiful," he murmured, brushing the skin of my bottom lip with his thumb. My eyes slipped closed as he pressed his soft lips feather-light against my own. I leaned in, searching for more.
Edward didn't need coaxing. The hand on my cheek reached back and tangled in my hair as his tongue dominated mine. Soon, my center ached with a need for friction. It had been over a year since I'd been with a man, and even then, I'd never felt the shock of electricity that ran through me as I kissed Edward.
He became erratic as his want intensified. We both needed a connection further than kissing could provide. Pushing his shoulders back, I broke our kiss and threw my leg over his to straddle his lap.
"Oh, fuck me!" His guttural moan spurred me on. I gripped his hair while rocking my hips as he bucked against me and took possession of my mouth once again.
I jumped back, heart pounding, at the sound of banging against my door.
"Fuck! Bella, stay here." Edward's command left no place for argument.
He jumped up, quickly adjusting himself, and went for the door. I gasped as he reached behind his back, grabbing a gun from his waistband.
It felt like ice water poured over me. The articles, the rumors, they were all true. Edward Cullen was not a businessman. Edward Cullen was a made man.
"It's Seth." He said after looking through the peephole. He turned back to me and froze. His hand still gripping the weapon behind his back. "Oh fuck."
"Hey Boss, can I come in? This stuff is getting heavy!" The door muffled Seth's voice.
"Bella…" Edward begged.
"Get the stuff and tell him to go. I have questions."
"I don't know if I can answer them," he said, opening the door.
"I got two space heaters and four locks." Seth grinned at me before turning to Edward and backing up in response to the stony glare he received. "Okay, I'll just put these over here… and you guys have a good night! Boss, call me if you need me. I'll be arou-." Edward closed the door, cutting Seth off.
"Bella-"
"Wait. I need a second to process." He sat down and waited while I reviewed everything I knew. "A few weeks ago, I got a call from my father."
"The police chief."
"Yes, the police chief. He was researching your mother's restaurant and came across some information he found concerning." Edward ran his hand through his hair and took a generous sip of wine. "He said your family has links to organized crime."
"Bella, I can't tell you the things you want to know." The intensity in his eyes begged me to understand. To allow him the ability to give non-answers.
"Riley told me a story about your uncle, Luigi. How he was mixed up with notorious mobsters then completely disappeared one day."
"Another family killed him. His body was dumped in Lake Michigan."
I shivered at Edward's blunt explanation. He was so matter of fact, as if people were murdered and thrown into the depths of the lake every day. Maybe in Edward's world they were.
"Edward, are you in the mafia?"
"You can't ask me that."
"I just did."
"Christ, Bella!" He groaned. "Let's do it this way. How about I tell you what I can, and you make your own assumptions?"
I nodded my agreement.
"I am involved in the kind of business that requires the utmost discretion. I have the connections to get anything you want from anywhere in the world. At times, I help the government obtain foreign technology our military needs. These things are extraordinarily difficult to move across borders, but I can make that happen undetected."
"What type of items?" I pictured blocks of cocaine and heroin stored inside antique vases.
"I can't get into that, Bella," He said. I bit my lip in concern. "I can tell you this. My family refuses to deal with trafficking girls or drugs."
"Gangsters with morals," I scoffed. He smirked. "Edward…"
"Please, Bella. Don't push me away." He leaned forward, placing his hand around my neck and his forehead against mine.
"I just need some time to think, okay?"
"I'll give you tonight." He kissed my temple, stood, and slipped his jacket over his shoulders. "I'm going to have one of my guys change your locks tomorrow. Seth will make sure you get to work okay in the morning."
"Am I in danger now?"
"No. You are the most protected you have ever been." He sent me a forced smile as he flipped the deadbolts and opened the door. "Lock these behind me. Sweet dreams, Bella."
The door clicked closed, and my head fell back to the seat of the couch.
My thoughts were everywhere, but one thing I knew for sure, there was no way in hell I could let Edward Cullen walk out of my life.
A/N:
Well, that's a step in the right direction!
Thank you so much for following along with Stronger Than Blood! I'll be back next week!