12

"Shit, Swan."

At the sound of Alice's voice, Bella pulled herself out of Edward's embrace, her face heating with embarrassment. Alice smirked, her arms folded in front of her while Jasper stood behind her, his eyes wide, but a smile tugging on his lips.

"Leave you alone for two minutes, and you start sucking the face of a guy you can't stand."

Bella's eyes widened as she looked from her best friend to the man who had turned her world upside down and inside out. "Edward."

"Don't," he muttered before walking away, which hurt more than she expected it to.

"Goddamn it, Peanut," Bella snarled, glaring at Alice. "Why the fuck would you say that?"

"Geez, I was joking," she lamented. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Bella scoffed. "Sorry doesn't do shit."

Bella walked past her and Jasper, pulling away when Alice tried to reach for her. She had made a wonderful moment awkward as hell. Bella needed to find Edward, try somehow smooth over the mess. For reasons she didn't quite understand, Bella needed Edward. She spotted him at the bar, but before she could take more than a few steps in his direction, Rose and Tanya blocked her way. Bella watched as Edward disappeared into the crowd, taking a part of her heart with him.

"Bella, right?" Rose asked, smiling. "Your name is Bella, isn't it?"

Instead of the usual volleyball uniform, Rose was wearing a red, strapless top and a denim mini-skirt. Her hair had been left down, reaching the middle of her back in soft, sexy waves.

Bella nodded while looking for Edward.

"We didn't think you'd be here," Tanya added, drawing Bella's attention away from the crowd around them to her.

There was a tall, dark haired man standing behind her, his hands resting on Tanya's shoulders. He towered over her by a good foot, and had the build of a professional football player. He seemed oddly familiar, yet she couldn't seem to place him. Tanya was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and black tank with a red and white volleyball on the front.

"Um, why not?" she asked.

Tanya smiled. "Just don't seem the party type, I guess."

"Hmm," Bella hummed, her eyes shifting to the man behind her again. "Do I know you?"

"I should be hurt that you don't remember me, Swan," he joked, his hands leaving Tanya's shoulders and folding in front of his chest.

"Just how do you know my name?" she asked, taking a step backward.

The man smiled and uttered two words: "Mrs. Cope."

Bella pressed her lips together. Shelly Cope had been her teacher in third grade, the year her mother had reappeared in her life. For five months, Renee Swan played the role of perfect mother, taking her two girls to school, baking cookies, braiding their hair. Then, just before their Mother's Day Tea at school, she up and left them again. Gone in the middle of the night with nothing but a note with three words: Maybe next year. There was never a next year. Bella never saw her mother again. Never wanted to, either.

"Mrs. Cope?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You're going to have to give me more than that."

"Okay," he laughed. "You and Alice Brandon used to chase me around the playground, hit me on the back of the head, and scream that I had cooties before running away again."

Bella's eyes widened as her memories flooded back. "Seth? Seth Clearwater?"

He smiled wider and nodded. "Been a long time, Swan."

"I'd say," she snickered. "You moved that year."

"Dad got transferred to a base back in the states," he explained. "Didn't find out until school let out, moved before I had a chance to say goodbye. Military life."

"He was navy, right?"

Seth nodded.

"Wow," she mused. "So, what are you doing now?"

"Oh, a little of everything," he said, once more placing his hands on Tanya's shoulders. "Mostly trying to keep up with my wife."

"Clearwater," Bella said with a shake of her head. "I didn't even think about that earlier."

"What are the odds of you two knowing each other?" Tanya said, smiling.

"Yeah." Bella bit the inside of her lip as she spotted Edward once again. "Um, I'll talk to you guys later."

She didn't give them a chance to stop her before she started toward him, but once again, he slipped into the crowd. Feeling frustrated, she contemplated leaving and saying to hell with him, but her heart ached at the mere thought of not being in his arms. How pathetic was she? Had two decent kisses really turned her into whiny, moody girl?

Bella stopped at the bar and waited for the bartender to finish serving the handful of people gathered next to her. Just as he turned toward her, Bella felt a body press against her and a pair of hands grip her hips. Unlike when Edward touched her, an uneasy, disgusting feeling crept over her.

"What the . . ." Bella gagged as she looked over her shoulder and found Mike Newton leaning against her. She threw her elbow into his gut, causing him to stumble back a few steps. "Who the fuck do you think you are, you stupid, son-of-a-bitch?"

"I'm the guy buying you a drink," he replied full of cocky arrogance.

"Like hell you are," she scoffed and turned to leave, but when his fingers wrapped around her arm, she stopped. "You really need to stop grabbing me, Newton."

"You really need to stop being a bitch," he snarled. "Or is Mason the only one who gets to fuck you?"

Bella gasped, her hand free hand searching for the first glass she could grasp. Gripping the cold glass in between her fingers, she turned and threw the contents in Newton's face. Newton released her arm as he stumbled backward like he'd just got a face full of acid.

"You stupid bitch," he yelled, drawing attention to them.

"Don't ever touch me again, asshat. In fact, do me a solid and go fuck yourself." Bella dropped the now empty glass back onto the bar and left Newton glaring at her.

She had never been more pissed than she was in that moment. She was done. All she wanted was to go home and wallow in self-pity. However, as she wove her way through the crowd toward the exit, a pair of hands came to rest on her hips. A feeling of contentment filled her as she looked over her shoulder, knowing that this time, Edward would be the one touching her.

"I've been looking for you," she said, turning in his arms so that she faced him.

"I've been looking for you, too," he replied.

Bella slipped her hands up around his neck so that her fingers were tangled in the base of his hair. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then come with me."

—BD&BH—

Edward didn't question Bella as she led him away from the party and back to her jeep. He didn't say anything as she drove, though she felt him watching her, always watching her. Half an hour later, she parked her jeep and motioned for Edward to follow her. She led him down a small, narrow path. Stopping, she tilted her head to the right and smiled.

"Welcome to my hideaway."

Edward inhaled a deep breath as he stumbled forward and looked around. The small cove was hidden from the public. Only a few locals knew it even existed. Even though it was dark, the water almost seemed to glow. The sand was soft and almost untouched.

"What is this place?" he asked, looking back at her.

"It's called Ka hanu o ka'ānela. It means Angel's Breath in Hawaiian."

"It's . . ." Edward trailed off as he kicked off his shoes and walked closer to the water. He stopped and looked back at her. "It's incredible."

Tears filled Bella's eyes. "After I started showing symptoms, I came here. Like somehow this little piece of paradise could take everything away, make me healthy again."

Edward brought his hand up to her face, brushing the tears away before pushing her hair behind her ear. "You're very own fountain of health."

"I could stand here and tell you that what Peanut said was a lie, but we both know that's not the truth. I hated you, Edward. Hated everything about who you are. You were just another player, and I didn't have time for men like you in my life."

"I wish I could tell you that I'm not the cocky son-of-a-bitch you thought I was, but I am. I have to be in this game. I came to the island with one purpose and one purpose only: to win. I told myself I wasn't going to be distracted by women, I was going to focus. You have me second guessing everything, Bella."

"Don't," she said, turning and facing him. "Don't second guess anything. You want to win? So win. Kick everyone's ass."

"I don't care about winning anymore. I just don't want to walk away from you."

Bella placed her hands on his chest, leaning toward him. "I don't want you to walk away, either. But I won't — no I can't — ask you to give me more than the next couple of weeks."

"And if that's not enough? If I want more?"

Bella shook her head. "You won't."

"I already do."

"Yeah?" she asked, sucking the inside of her lip between her teeth.

"Yes," Edward all but growled.

"Then take me to bed. Make love to me. Let now be enough."

Edward pressed his lips against hers before sweeping her off her feet. He carried her back up to the jeep, setting her in the passenger seat. He ran back to get their shoes before climbing behind the wheel.

Forty-five minutes later, Edward pulled up at the bungalow. He was opening her door before she even had a chance to remove her seatbelt. Keeping his arm wrapped around her, he led her up to the door, waiting for her to unlock the door before following her inside. Bella bit the inside of her lip as she turned to face him, her hand stretched out to his. She could feel him trembling, or maybe it was her that was shaking. It didn't matter. Bella led him down the small hallway to her bedroom, kicking the door shut with her foot.

Edward closed the distance between them, grasping her face between his hands before kissing her with passion and need. Bella slid her hands up his chest, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling it open, sending buttons flying. Edward laughed as he leaned away and shrugged the now torn clothing off, letting it fall to the floor.

"You're turn," he said, cocking an eyebrow.

Bella's cheeks warmed as she reached to her left and slowly lowered the zipper. The dress fell off her, pooling at her feet. She stepped out of it, kicking it to the side. "I'm waiting."

Edward smirked as he reached for his belt buckle. He pulled it through the loops of his pants before tossing it onto the floor. He undid the button on his pants, but then stopped. "You're turn."

Bella exhaled a deep breath as she reached behind her, unclasping the blue strapless bra she'd put on. Edward's lips parted, his tongue running across his bottom lip as the bra slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

"Jesus fuck," he murmured.

"Keep going," she said, gesturing to his pants.

Edward smirked as he lowered the zipper and shimmied the pants over his hips and down his legs.

"Wow," Bella whispered. Edward wasn't a small man, not at all.

"Come on, Swan. I showed you mine," he chuckled, kicking his pants off and placing his hands on his hips.

Bella shifted her eyes up to his as she hooked her thumbs inside the sides of her panties and slowly lowered them to her feet. Edward's eyes drifted down her body, stopping at her pussy. He inhaled a ragged breath and before Bella knew it, he had her wrapped in his arms.

He laid her on the bed, his lips moving with furious passion against hers. Their bodies were pressed against each other. Edward's hand moved to her leg, pulling it and over his hip. The feeling of him pressed against her was almost too much.

"You're fucking beautiful, Bella," he murmured against her skin. "Do you feel how much I want you?"

"Yes," she whimpered. "You can have me. Please, just have me."

"I will."

Edward shifted on the bed and reached for his pants. He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket, slipping a condom out. He tossed his wallet back on the floor and leaned back on his knees, his hand stroking his cock. "Are you sure? Because this changes everything."

Bella sat up and grabbed the foil package from him. She ripped it open, tossing it on the floor before sliding the condom down his incredible length. "I just want to feel normal for one night. Just one night. We'll deal with tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

Pushing her back onto the bed, Edward hovered over her, his lips finding hers as he pressed himself inside her. Bella cried out against his lips, but Edward moved slowly, gently. He used every inch of his body to make her feel good, to make her feel normal. Even if it was just for one night. They came together with silent orgasms, their bodies covered in sweat, their breath coming out in heavy pants.

Edward ridded himself of the condom before climbing into bed behind her, his arms wrapping around her. As they drifted to sleep, Bella wondered what kind of life they could have had if she hadn't been dying.

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