Hi. This update feels more like a Saturday night chapter than Monday morning, so here we are... lol mistakes are all mine. Thanks for reading and reviewing ;)

9

After I get Mikey down for bed, I pour a glass of wine, grab Edward's manuscript, and sit on the couch.

I have about a third of it left to go. I could've blown through it after he gave it to me two weeks ago, but part of me wanted to savor it.

I'm dying to know how it ends though. Holden and Lola are close to figuring out what it's going to take to get him back to his old life and travel time again. And even though he's grown close with Lola and has even admitted to falling for her, I worry familiarity will win, and he'll go back to his wife.

I worry he'll break Lola's heart.

Jared texts me before I start reading.

Jared: Gonna be another late one. Sorry.

Bella: I made a plate of food for you. It's in the fridge.

Jared: Thank you.

Bella: No problem.

Jared: I love you.

Bella: lol… who is this and what have you done with my husband?

Jared: Shadduuuuuupp.

He types it the way he used to in the early days of our dating, and it makes me smile.

Bella: No really… selfie or I refuse to believe this is Jared Cameron.

I'm teasing, of course, but seconds later a selfie comes through. He's in his office, tie loosened, brows raised like see? I admire him for a minute. Dark, full hair. Dark, round eyes. His cheeks and jaw are shadowed even though he shaved this morning.

Bella: Ah. So, it is you.

Jared: Lol because thanking you and saying I love you is unheard of.

Bella: Sometimes, yeah.

Jared: I'm sorry.

Bella: Love you, see you later.

I put my phone away and flip through the pages of the manuscript to find where I left off, getting lost once again in this world Edward has created.

A few pages in and things start to heat up with Holden and Lola, and they share a first kiss.

"Fucking finally," I mumble to myself.

I'm expecting that to be it, but the kiss turns to more.

They're frantic.

Push and pull.

Give and take.

There's caressing and groping, and I start to realize that they're going to have sex.

My heart races.

My body grows warm, and I find myself feeling aroused.

It's not an explicit sex scene by any means. It's subtle. Edward handles it well. But there's something about knowing that he wrote this. He wrote this and knew I'd read it. Now I know why his smile was cheeky earlier today at the park when I told him what chapter I was going to be reading tonight. With a smug expression, he specifically asked me to let him know what I thought.

That fucker.

I drink the rest of my wine as I reread the sex scene a second time, just to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Then I go up to my bedroom, shut the door, lie on the bed, and shamelessly take out my vibrator. I don't overthink it. I just give in to what I want.

Sliding my hand into my leggings, I hold the vibrator against my clit and think about the words Edward wrote, wishing he did all of that to me. That he kissed the hollow of my neck. Cupped my ass. Kissed his way down my body.

I think about things he didn't write about then. Think about his head between my legs, licking my pussy.

God.

Now I wish his sex scene was more explicit.

Wish he would've written it all in great detail.

I need to know.

Need to know what he would do to me.

With my eyes closed, I rub my clit, the buzzing sending me over the edge along with the image of Edward on top of me, fucking me. Thrusting into me, over and over, kissing my mouth, my chest.

I can't stop.

I don't stop.

Not until I'm coming and crying out his name.

I lie here for a second, catching my breath and staring up at the ceiling.

I wait for shame to sink in, but it doesn't. Not really. It's definitely nowhere near the way I felt after Jared and I had sex, and I said Edward's name. Maybe that's because this was a solo act. Jared doesn't know. Even though I tell myself that I was only using the material Edward gave me to get off, I know it's a lie.

I wasn't thinking about his characters.

I was thinking about him.

After putting my vibrator away, I take a long, hot shower, then make my way back downstairs. I pick up where I left off, with Holden and Lola in bed after being intimate.

It's a tender moment, and the writing really moves me.

For the briefest of moments, my eyes blur with tears when I read what he says to Lola while she sleeps.

I wish I'd met you first.

XXX

Edward stops by my office unannounced the next day.

Dark jeans.

Light gray T-shirt.

Black Nikes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised to see him. I was worried I wouldn't be able to look him directly in the eyes after what I did in bed last night, but I can.

"Just in the neighborhood," he says vaguely, sitting down, and I wonder if he just wanted to see me.

"Hmm. I meant to text you this morning. I'm so close to the end of the book," I tell him excitedly. "I seriously love it so much, I think I'll reread it again after I'm done."

His grin is heart-stopping. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

After I reread the sex scene for a third time last night, I continued to read further until Jared got home. I could've finished the book, but Jared wanted to go to bed, so I had to turn off my lamp. I could've gone downstairs, but I was tired anyway and wanted to savor the ending with fresh eyes.

"Actually, I'll only reread if you give Lola and Holden a happy ending," I clarify, mostly joking. "If that doesn't happen, I might cry."

He laughs, looking smug. "A happy ending, huh? Didn't they already have that?"

"Shut up," I say, rolling my eyes, downplaying just how into that part I was. "I'm not talking sex-wise. I'm talking about a happily ever after."

"Yeah, I know," he says softly. "Just teasing."

"Oh, I loved the plot twist, too. I really didn't see that coming." I sound like I'm gushing and maybe I am. But it really is such a lovely story. "Like, honestly. I was shocked when Lola confessed she had known for a while how to get him back home and had kept it a secret from him."

Edward scrubs a hand over his mouth. "Yeah. But it doesn't make her irredeemable, right?"

"No way. She loves him. She wants to keep him; she wants him to stay with her. I understand her reasoning completely," I reassure him. "And she's the one who came clean first. It would've been different if he found out on his own."

"Okay, good. I was worried about people getting pissed at her."

"If anything, Holden's reaction pissed me off."

"You think it was too much?" he asks, looking worried.

"No. But I got defensive of Lola."

"Yeah, but he felt blindsided. He's been trying this whole time to get back home, and she knew for a while and kept it from him."

"She's his home," I say simply, and Edward's face softens a bit. "Doesn't he see that?"

"Maybe," he murmurs. "I'm not trying to spoil anything for you."

"Fair enough. But no, I don't blame her. They fell in love. I think he could've been a little more understanding about her wanting to keep him in the dark," I say honestly. "I'm not telling you this so you'll change anything. I think their reactions were believable and maybe got me a little too riled up for them to be fictional characters. But that's a good thing."

Edward doesn't look away from me, his expression stays serious. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" I echo, laughing a little at his lack of reply.

He's still staring, gaze intense. Blatant interest. Heavy with desire

"Yeah. Sorry," he finally says. "It's just nice to hear someone close to me being interested in my work."

"Well. It's hard not to be interested in them. Thanks for letting me read."

He rubs the back of his neck. "Thanks for reading. It really means a lot."

I'm sure it does mean a lot to him. And it makes me wonder why Gianna doesn't show any interest in his work when writing is something he's so passionate about.

"Can I ask you something? Feel free to not answer if it's overstepping but… does Gianna really not know anything about your book?"

"Yeah, no. She doesn't." He clears his throat. "She's, uh… busy. And she's not a big reader, so."

I shouldn't say anything.

I really shouldn't.

Gianna and I are friends, I guess.

But if I had to choose one of the friendships over the other, of course, it would be Edward's.

"I'm sorry, but that's kind of shitty," I reply, ignoring my better judgment.

"It is what it is," he says neutrally with a shrug. "I'm not going to force her to read if it's going to be torture."

I make a face. "Reading your book is not torture. It's been fucking amazing, and writing is something you're passionate about, so at the very least, she could engage you in a conversation here and there?"

He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, but he doesn't say anything.

I look at the clock.

"Fuck, I have to go. I'm meeting a client at eleven."

In a rush I leave my chair, grabbing my purse and phone. Edward gets up, too, and we stand in front of one another. He stares down at me. The look he gives me slows my moves. Stops my heart.

"I should be honest and tell you that I stopped by today just because I wanted to see you," he confesses.

I smile, playing with my necklace. "I thought that might be the case."

"Yeah?"

"I hoped."

He smiles, too, looking down at the floor.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" I ask quietly, and he glances back up, almost looking surprised. "After I finish the book?"

He nods. "Of course."

My heart pounds. "Like, not here." Not at my work where everyone can see us.

"Where?"

"Anywhere else."

"Okay," he says, stepping closer, eyes bouncing to my mouth. "Just tell me where to meet you, and I will."

He gently squeezes my shoulder once. It's not necessarily romantic or even erotic, but… yeah.

It's all I think about for the rest of the day.