*BPOV*
"I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time. Try not to spoil it for me, please?" Edward pleaded in his most velvety voice, unleashing the full force of his eyes on me.
I wanted to make a snarky comment, but I was stopped by something in his eyes. Such a cheater!
"I can just stay in the car, ya know. You'll probably have more fun that way," I suggested with zero hope of that actually happening. It's not like my opinion on the subject was going to amount to much at the end of the day.
But of course, he was there, holding the car door open for me with an expectant look on his face.
"Don't be silly. Nothing is more fun without you," he murmured as I sighed and set first one high heel then the other outside of the car, and stood up onto the curb.
He shut the door of the Vanquish behind me and locked the car with the tap of the key fob in his pocket.
Edward laughed quietly under his breath and I looked at him quizzically.
"The sales team doesn't know what to make of us. If I were here alone, they'd send over the most attractive female on the staff. If you were here alone, they'd send over a 'knowledgeable unthreatening' man to help pry open your pocketbook.
"But we're together," he squeezed my hand, "And we drove up in that," he snickered, nodding to his shiny gunmetal gray Aston Martin that looked fast even parked.
Alice had insisted on dressing me up because, apparently, you can't roll up to a Ferrari dealership wearing chucks and skinny jeans.
"I'm pretty sure the shiny black card in my Hello Kitty wallet says differently," I'd retorted.
"Don't be ridiculous, Bella. Nobody charges a Ferrari. You could buy a whole other car with the interest you'd pay," Alice rolled her eyes at me.
"How about you take the Ferrari, and I'll take the Toyota Camry that you can buy with the money Edward saves by paying cash outright," I rolled my eyes.
"Deal!" Alice agreed with a bright smile.
"No wife of mine is driving a Camry," Edward glowered.
And then his liquid gold eyes raked over my new "Edward-blue" pencil dress and nude sky-high Louboutins and bugged out in a very satisfying way as he took in my made-up appearance.
Quickly recovering, he smiled wide with approval, told me I looked "stunningly beautiful," and planted a kiss on my lips that left both of us wanting.
The dress was modest. Sleeveless, but high-necked and almost knee-length but it fit me like a second skin.
Paired with the sky-high heels that made my legs look miles long and the tiny keyhole cutout over my chest, the frock was as sexy as it could be while still leaving nearly everything to the imagination.
And the best part was the heels didn't hurt! My new and improved coordination made it all too easy to walk in them without wobbling like a newborn fawn.
Taking that into consideration, and more so the way Edward was looking at me in this dress, I decided to let Alice dress me up more often.
Alice squealed in excitement "I'm holding you to that!" she promised and threw her arms around me for a hug.
"Now you two go have fun! And stick to your guns, Bella. It's your 'after' vehicle, not Edward's! Just not in yellow, okay? Yellow is my color," she proclaimed.
"Dang," I'd muttered in mock disappointment. "You know how much I love attention-getting colors."
The soft plodding of Italian leather loafers crossing the sales floor to greet us brought me back to the present moment.
"Good morning! You must be Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Welcome to Ferrari of San Francisco! My name is Charles Crosby. I'm the sales manager here, but all my friends call me Chuck," he added congenially, holding out a hand to shake Edward's.
Edward briefly shook the man's hand and I noticed that Chuck didn't so much as flinch at the feel of Edward's icy skin.
Chuck's unwavering smile and expensive-smelling cologne gave me the impression that he'd still be smiling like that even if we had fangs, arrived in the back of a hearse, and dressed like Morticia and Gomez Addams.
He could smell our money just as easily as we could smell the delicious perfume of his blood, thinly veiled by the woodsy scent of Tom Ford.
"How can I be of assistance today?" Chuck asked, clearly sizing Edward up.
"Thank you, Chuck. I'm Edward. This is my wife, Bella, and we're here for her today," he added pointedly, not-so-subtly acknowledging that the man had barely paid me any notice.
Chuck nodded and clapped his hands together once, keeping them clasped together in front of his chest. "Very good!" the middle-aged manager exclaimed as he seemed to look at me for the first time.
He was professional. His cool blue eyes never left my face, but he couldn't as easily control or hide his other bodily reactions to me. His heartbeat quickened and his pupils dilated. Chuck was either frightened of or attracted to me.
Judging by the sudden tension in Edward's jaw, I'd say it was the latter.
"Is there a model you're interested in test driving today? Or else I'd be happy to show you around our sales floor and answer any questions you might have?"
I wanted to ask him if he had a Toyota Camry he could show me, but I remembered Edward's plea to not spoil this for him so I bit my tongue.
"Um, tell me about that one," I pointed to the champagne-colored car that was closest to me. It was a little more understated than the rest—the only one that wasn't a loud primary color and the only one on the showroom floor that didn't look like it had been featured in a Fast & the Furious movie.
"The lady has excellent taste. That is the 612 Staglietta. It has a 5.75 liter, V12 engine. 540 horsepower and 434 pounds of torque."
Edward looked impressed, but all I could think about was the small country we could feed with the money it would cost to buy and insure that car. The MSRP was nowhere to be found because if you had to ask, you couldn't afford it.
"Wow…that's a lot of…pounds," I said idiotically.
Edward shot me an amused look while the salt-and-pepper-haired salesman looked increasingly alarmed by my apparent vehicular illiteracy.
I guessed that it wasn't very often that two fabulously wealthy married teenagers walked into his showroom with every intention of buying an Italian sports car (that cost as much as a house) for someone who truthfully couldn't have been the least bit interested.
"Quite!" Chuck agreed. I could tell he was trying hard not to sound patronizing, but I wasn't giving him much to work with.
"I might have to acquire one of these for myself at some point. She'd look beautiful in the garage next to my Vanquish. Just gorgeous in the Grigio Ingrid. So elegant. But I think a v12 is probably more power than Bella really wants," Edward sighed, a touch disappointed.
Chuck seemed relieved that at least one of us spoke "Car & Driver."
"I could not agree with you more, sir," he said with an offensive amount of fervor in his voice.
Now I almost wanted the damn thing because the menfolk thought it was too much car for me!
Edward seemed to sense me bristling at his side. He smiled apologetically and pulled me closer to his side. He bent down and kissed my hair, effectively thawing me out.
"Allow me to show you this beauty over here. The F430 is sleek, sexy, and fast, with a smaller, more sensible v8 engine that still has plenty of power and award-winning performance…"
I sighed. I was bored and my throat was really starting to burn, Chuck's heartbeat thudded louder in my ears, but I knew that was only because I was more and more aware of it the longer I stood inches away from the man.
I cleared my throat and Chuck paused mid-sentence to regard me, as did Edward.
"Er...Do you have a ladies room?" I asked awkwardly.
"Of course. It's just right over there next to the signing room," Chuck smiled and pointed.
"Everything alright?" Edward murmured too quietly for human ears to hear.
I smiled reassuringly. I'm fine. Just need a human moment, I inconspicuously patted the string of pearls that Alice had fastened around my throat. He nodded almost imperceptibly.
My heels clicked loudly on the buffed linoleum floor as I walked away from the silly boys and their ridiculously expensive toys. I could feel the weight of Edward's eyes on me as I sauntered off.
Not in any hurry to return to Chuck's sales pitch, I slowly went through the motions of using the restroom, patting myself on the back for my meticulous display of humanity.
Unfortunately, the restroom in a Ferrari dealership wasn't the type of place that would have wisdom scrawled in permanent ink on the back of the stall door to entertain me whilst I killed time.
I briefly thought about adding some of my own. "For a good time, call Emmett #555-…" That would teach him to ruin one of my first edition Austens with Jell-o, I snorted. He was just lucky that I didn't have a Sharpie marker on me!
After counting to one hundred, I reluctantly stood up and trudged over to the sink to wash my hands. I appraised myself in the mirror.
My skin was hard, pale, and flawless like always. But the blush and bronzer Alice applied made me look a touch less undead. My eyes were nearly entirely golden with only a thin ring of amber around the pupils. I smiled at that.
Soon, in probably just a week or two, there would be no distinguishing feature to differentiate me from the rest of my family. Nothing except the level of control and discipline I exhibited, and that was entirely up to me.
I dried my hands with a paper towel, took one last glance in the mirror, and pushed the door open with my hip. Very human. Very feminine. And much harder to accidentally mangle things with my hip, a tip I picked up from Esme.
Edward, of course, was just outside the door, waiting for me.
"Was this too much too soon?" he asked with a guilty expression.
I bit my lip, unsure of how to tell him this was all just too much, period. But the longer I kept silent, the more anxiously twisted Edward's face became.
"Bella, please," Edward implored.
I sighed. "I have been trying really hard to be a good sport about all this, but…"
"But?" he prodded.
"But I don't want a Ferrari," I guiltily bit my lip.
"Oh...well, that's ok. I made appointments at the Audi and Porsche dealerships, too," he cheerfully supplied. I groaned.
"No, Edward. You're not hearing me. I don't want a supercar. It's just...not me."
"Bella, if this is about the money-" he started to say in a stern, disapproving voice but I wouldn't let him finish.
"That's only part of it," I sighed. "Do you remember how I kicked up a fuss about having a big wedding because it's hard for me to be the center of attention?"
"Yes…" he answered, but I could tell by the uncertain tone of his voice that he wasn't sure where I was going with this.
"Well, driving one of those things around would be like wearing a wedding dress everywhere I go," I grimaced. "And I guess I just don't understand why you're being so pushy about this. Before...all you seemed to care about was what made me happy."
Edward's thick eyebrows knit together, looking pained. He opened his mouth to interject, but I held a finger up so he'd let me finish.
"You would've married me in Vegas if it made me happy. Or not at all if I'd taken you up on your offer that day in the meadow to do things my way, no strings attached. But now you're being pushy about a car? Why?"
Edward opened and shut his mouth several times, evidently struggling to find the words he wanted to say to me.
Edward took both of my hands in his own and professed, "All I ever want is to make you happy. And it would seem that I'm going about that all wrong," his forehead creased with anguish. "How can I make that happen now?" he asked, his earnest ocher eyes searching mine.
"Well...I wouldn't mind if you took me to the Ducati dealership we passed on the way here," I hinted with bright, hopeful eyes.
His eyes widened in sudden understanding. "A motorcycle. Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" he snorted and rolled his eyes at his own obtuseness. "Some mind-reader I am!"
"And this time, I won't even complain if you want to get one for yourself, too," I sweetened the deal, hoping to ease some of his disappointment.
Edward's eyes lit up with excitement. "His and hers motorcycles? Really?"
"If you think you can keep up," I teased.
Chuck, seeming to sense his commission slipping away, approached us dangling a keyfob by the laminated tag identifying the car's make and model.
"Who's ready for a test drive?" he asked with put-on enthusiasm.
"Not today, Chuck. Unless you have something to show us that's on two wheels instead of four?"
Chuck's face fell.
Edward nodded, "That's what I thought. Thank you for your time. We really appreciate it. And I might be back for that 612 Scaglietti. My birthday is coming up," he grinned.
"Just what every eighteen-year-old needs," I ribbed. Well, at least I knew what I was getting him, then.
*EPOV*
"I'm really proud of you for how you handled yourself back there," I told Bella as soon as we were inside the Vanquish.
"You felt your control slipping and you excused yourself in the most human way possible. Well done, love," I beamed at her. "Carlisle will be thrilled."
But Bella didn't look as proud of herself as she ought to. Just the opposite. She frowned a little and a faint 'v' appeared between her brows.
"But shouldn't I have better endurance by now? I mean we'd only been talking to that guy for fifteen minutes before his heartbeat became the loudest thing in the room. I could barely focus on what was being said...not that I would have understood any of it anyway," she rolled her eyes.
I shook my head. "You'll have good days and bad. And as you well know, some people will affect you more than others," I said with a hard laugh. "The thirst is also harder to ignore if you're agitated or anxious or caught by surprise," I explained.
Her thoughts weren't open to me, but I could tell she was remembering her recent lapse in Denali when she'd caught the scent of a human in the midst of making love.
She'd been horrified with herself afterward and I'd had to explain to her that her reaction was only natural.
Lost in a moment of passion, it would be difficult for even an experienced vampire to remember themselves with the scent of human blood in the air. It was one of the very valid reasons I'd had for being so terrified to make love to her as a human in the first place.
"Endurance will come with time. It's hardly fair of you to compare yourself to the rest of us when we've had decades of practice, love," I reminded her in a gentle voice.
"The most crucial aspect of being a successful vegetarian is doing exactly what you did today. Recognizing the signs and removing yourself well before you hurt anyone or expose yourself."
Bella nodded, seeming only slightly mollified.
"Jesus, what do they have against left turns in this city?" I muttered to myself as I passed the third no left turn sign in a row. I made an illegal u-turn and pulled my car into a tight spot on the street in front of the bike shop.
I looked over to see Bella practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. Her enthusiasm was contagious. If she couldn't get this excited over luxury cars, I consoled myself with the knowledge that at least I could make her happy this way.
I was reminded of Alice's advice this morning when she told Bella to stick to her guns, that it was Bella's 'after' vehicle and not mine. I hadn't thought anything of it when she'd used the word "vehicle" instead of "car," but now it made sense.
In her excitement, Bella didn't wait for me to open the car door. She walked, a touch too fast, to the front doors of the showroom where she waited impatiently for me to walk at a more human pace.
"Breathe, Bella," I chuckled, charmed by her enthusiasm. She was always so even-keeled, it was a rare and wonderful thing to see her so jazzed about something, especially when it involved receiving what many would consider an extravagant gift. There was hope for her yet, I grinned.
"And don't look so eager or else we won't be able to negotiate a good deal," I laughed.
"Right. I'll just pretend we're back at Ferrari," she said with an overdone scowl.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Impossible woman," I muttered, holding the door open for her to enter first.
"Howdy folks! Welcome to SF Moto. I'm Scott. Anything I can help you with today?"
I opened my mouth to say we were just looking for the moment, but Bella spoke first.
"Is that a Ducati 1098?" she asked, standing next to a glossy white motorcycle that was clearly built for speed rather than comfort.
"Why, yes it is!" the sales associate, an unshaven, tattooed man in his thirties confirmed with an impressed note to his gruff voice.
Fuck me, she's smokin' hot AND she knows her bikes!
I suppressed a growl that was building in my chest. Not because the man was ogling my wife.
Or rather, not only because the man was ogling my wife. But also because I was beginning to realize just how knowledgeable Bella was about motorcycles. And that knowledge could have only come from one place.
I supposed I should've been grateful that she spent those seven blackest of all months tinkering with dirt bikes (when not risking her life or defending it from Victoria), rather than some other activities she and the dog could've gotten up to.
What was that crass saying? The best way to get over someone was to get under someone else?
But I couldn't help but wonder what sort of vehicle she would have chosen for herself if I hadn't made the worst mistake of my too-long life.
"Can you tell me if this is the base model, the mid-class, or the 1098 R?" Bella asked as she slowly walked around the bike, letting her fingers glide over its sleek, aerodynamic curves without actually touching it, for if she had, her stone fingers would've scratched the paint.
"It's the R. It's got a few more horses than the other packages and has a bit more grunt. It weighs thirteen pounds less than the other two, and has half as many spokes on the wheels," Scott listed off the specs as if he were reading them from a motorcycle enthusiast magazine.
"Engine displacement? 1098 cc's, I assume?" Bella asked next.
"You'd be right to assume that because of the name, but the R actually has an extra 100 cc's," Scott informed, and now Bella was the one that looked impressed.
"What about the cooling system?"
"Liquid," Scott answered automatically.
Bella nodded again, considering. "That's nice. My last bike was air-cooled."
"What do you ride?" Scott asked with genuine interest. He crossed his arms against his chest and leaned casually against another motorcycle that was parked just behind him.
"Honda XR 400R," she replied, looking a little embarrassed. "It was just a junky old starter bike that I worked on with my…" she quickly glanced at me self-consciously and amended, "with an old friend that I used to know. I don't have it anymore."
"We all gotta start somewhere," Scott smiled. "Why don't you jump on? I bet you'd look great on it," he gestured to the bike that Bella would be drooling over if she were still human.
Bella looked down at her dress and heels and frowned. "I'm not exactly dressed to ride."
"We sell riding gear, too, if you want to try anything on," he pointed to the far side of the shop that had a few racks of leather jackets, pants, and other riding accessories.
Bella looked at me with a guilty expression. "I could use some new gear...I left the helmet and jacket you bought for me with my bike at Billy's house," she frowned.
Obviously, she wouldn't need such things to physically protect her in case of a collision, but the helmet and leather riding gear would be helpful in keeping her skin concealed from the sun so she could ride whenever she wished.
"No worries at all, love. Go pick out whatever you like," I smiled. Scott grinned at this, foreseeing a hefty sale coming his way.
In lieu of a proper fitting room, a corner of the shop had been crudely sectioned off with what appeared to be a shower curtain.
She reappeared a few minutes later wearing painted-on leather pants, a black leather riding jacket worn over an SF Moto tank top, and the same high heels she'd been wearing before.
Bella looked like she could be the cover model for Biker Babes magazine. I groaned out loud at the same time that the sales associate vulgarly appraised her in his head.
Jesus fucking Christ I'd bend her over the counter right now if I thought she'd let me.
I stifled another growl. It wasn't Scott's fault that he had working eyeballs, but it didn't mean I appreciated his filthy thoughts about my wife...even if I shared them.
As Bella sashayed across the sales floor toward the sleek white motorcycle she'd been eyeing, she didn't seem to hear or notice the jaws of every other male in the establishment hitting the floor as she walked by.
Only I could hear the chagrin in their thoughts when Bella only had eyes for me.
"What do you think?" she smiled, twirling around in a quick circle so that I could appreciate every angle and curve.
"The same thing as every other man here, unfortunately," I muttered so lowly that only she could hear. "That you look utterly ravishing. More ravishing than a woman has any right to be," I extolled with an easy smile. Let them gawk. She was mine.
Bella smiled shyly, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. She then sidled up to the sportbike and swung one long leg over the seat and hooked her spike heels over the footpegs.
"That bike was made for you!" Scott crowed.
"I couldn't agree more," I smiled at Bella, trying not to show my irritation that the sales guy was stealing all my lines and delivering them all wrong.
Bella smiled widely. "What about you? Do you see one that you like?" she asked, looking around at the other motorcycles.
A year ago, I had been foolish enough to think that Bella would enjoy riding her dirt bike next to me on the superbike I'd purchased for myself (and later bequeathed to Jasper when she balked at the idea.) I was not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.
"Would you mind if I got the same one, perhaps in a different color?" I asked.
Bella beamed. "Not in the least!"
TWO 1098Rs and a bunch of gear? Scott mentally tabulated what his commission would be. Holy shit, I might actually make rent this month.
Bella gracefully dismounted from the bike and waved me toward it. "Go on. Make sure it fits you," she urged.
I swung a leg over the wide leather seat and leaned forward to put my hands on the handlebars in a riding position. Fortunately, though I was at least half a foot taller than Bella, the placement of the seat and handlebars didn't pose a problem.
A soft growl rumbled out of Bella's chest then as her eyes raked over my body perched on the bike. I turned to look at her and smiled crookedly. Her face was one of pure wanting.
And I thought you couldn't be any sexier if you tried. I was wrong, her autumn-colored eyes blazed.
I growled a little in response, low and seductive so that only she'd hear.
"Looking good, boss!" Scott nodded in my direction.
He could afford to be generous if I could afford not one but two forty-thousand dollar motorcycles. And he knew I could because he also saw what we drove up in.
Then Bella climbed on the back of the bike, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my shoulder.
"This is nice, too," she murmured, planting a kiss on the side of my neck.
"Mmm, very," I agreed, suddenly in a desperate hurry to be done with this transaction so that I could take her home. "Why don't you go pick out a helmet while I sign the papers?" I suggested, craning my neck to look at her.
She kissed me once more, but this time softly on the lips, and then happily hopped off the back of the bike and headed for the helmet wall.
"Oh, and love?" I asked her retreating figure. She halted mid-step and then turned to face me, slightly too fast, with a pleasant expression on her face.
"Did you want to ride it home, or have it delivered and come home with me?"
For the first time today, I wished I'd taken the Volvo. If I'd driven the Volvo, I could've left it parked on the street and ridden home side by side with Bella. But I didn't dare do that with my Aston Martin in a neighborhood like this.
She looked at the bike with such longing that I had to chuckle. "I thought so. I'll follow you home," I smiled, and made a mental note to take her dress home with me.
Bella grinned wickedly. "You can try."
*BPOV*
I couldn't smile as widely as I wanted to with the helmet padding pressed snuggly against the sides of my face.
The powerful sportbike hugged the blind curves of Devil's Slide, a two-lane road carved into the side of a badly eroding cliff along the Pacific coast. It was known for closing every winter when the wet weather caused pieces of the road to break off and slide into the ocean.
Though the visor of my helmet was lowered to conceal my face from the sunlight that broke through the thin clouds, I could smell the salty sea air. Over the roar of my bike, I could also hear the growl of the Vanquish, close behind, whipping around the curves.
Once we got to a straightaway, I opened up the throttle and flew down the road, the needle of the speedometer flying past the 50 mph speed limit, though I was careful not to push her too hard. She still needed to be broken in.
I laughed, loud and long. The jubilant sound was wild and free as my bike cut unopposed through the biting wind like a bullet fired from a gun.
I had to admit, the speed was thrilling. Addictive. Just as when I ran, the faster I went, the faster I wanted to go. I could feel the smug smile burning into my back as Edward followed behind, undoubtedly rehearsing his "I told you so" speech.
A few miles down the road, Edward tapped his horn. That was the signal if there was a speed trap ahead. I coasted back down to 50 just in time to be in range of the radar gun that I could see trained on me about half a mile ahead.
The police officer wouldn't have been able to see my victorious grin hidden beneath my black-tinted visor. Speed limits were for mortals I decided.
As the robust engine vibrated the seat between my legs with the power of 170 horses, I felt my hand inch the accelerator forward. I moaned as the vibrations intensified.
Edward revved his engine behind me. Could he know?
Luckily, once we got past Half Moon Bay, a quaint coastal town heavily populated with family farms and known locally for their yearly pumpkin festival, the remainder of the ride home was a straight shot down the highway for just another twenty miles.
Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Edward swerve over into the empty northbound lane and pull up next to me, pacing me. He revved the engine again.
I angled my head to the side to see what he was doing. The opaque blackness of the passenger window lowered and he stared straight at me, a huge grin spread across his perfect face.
And then the Vanquish growled and zipped ahead of me, darting back into the southbound lane seconds before he collided with an oncoming sedan blaring its horn.
He wanted to play, did he?
My own engine whined as the RPMs climbed nearly into the red zone. I pulled up right on his tail, and when it was safe to do so, pulled up next to him in the oncoming lane. We flew down the road, side by side, at blinding speed.
I whipped back my visor so he could see my smiling face and then punched it. As soon as he was safely behind me, I dropped my shield, letting him hear exactly how the thrill of the race and especially the steady vibration of the soft leather between my legs was affecting me.
The Vanquish fishtailed behind me, momentarily losing speed, and I threw my head back and laughed. He wasn't the only one who could cheat!
We were just minutes away from home now, and the taste of victory was on my tongue, an amuse-bouche to the carnal pleasures that awaited us back at our cottage.
*EPOV*
When I pulled into the drive, Bella was sitting on the front step, her matte black helmet sitting next to her, at her hip.
We never bothered to lock the front door, so I could only assume she was waiting for me strictly for gloating purposes. Her wicked grin seemed to confirm as much.
I stepped out of the car, parked next to the winning steed, still hot and humming as the engine cooled.
"As if you could outrun me," she taunted, her eyes bright with mirth.
A low, lustful growl reverberated in my chest. Less than a second later, Bella sprang at me, jumping into my waiting arms. She wrapped her leather-clad legs around my waist, my hands cupped beneath her thighs supporting most of her weight.
"As if you could fight me off," she whispered huskily, nipping at the shell of my ear. I hissed at the pleasurable pain.
I laughed once, darkly, without humor. "As if I'd ever want to," I rasped, moaning as my lips crashed into hers.
I carried her up the front step and blindly reached for the doorknob as our mouths fought for dominance.
"That was a very naughty stunt you pulled back there. I nearly drove right off the road," I playfully chided as I blazed a trail of kisses up the column of her throat.
"Serves you right for driving like such a maniac," Bella teased in between taking ragged, uneven breaths.
"I'll show you a maniac," I goaded, as I flung her new jacket to the floor, careful to leave it intact as I very much wanted to take it off of her again in the very near future.
I was less gentle with the tank top underneath.
When I turned the corner into the bedroom and felt the footboard of our king-sized bed at my thighs, I unclasped her legs from behind my back and launched myself onto the bed, twisting in mid-air so that I landed on my back with Bella perched on top of my hips.
Then she started tearing at my clothes with a lust burning in her eyes and an urgency in her movements that made me glad to be free of my oppressive slacks.
We seemed to be of the same mind that this was no time for foreplay. After all, wasn't that what the last half hour just was?
What an exhilarating experience it was to witness Bella expertly riding her new, ahem, toy, hugging the curves of the road the way I presently hugged hers.
When I watched her ride, laughing, flying, free as a bird, I had to admit that even if this new pastime of hers was an irksome reminder of a time (and a person) that I rather wished we could both forget, seeing how happy it made her...and how it seemed to make her confidence soar... It was a sight I wouldn't have missed seeing for all the world.
And then when I saw Bella practically gyrating atop her seat, I knew it wasn't just the speed that would be exhilarating to her, the little minx!
It was a race to the finish then just as much as it was now, wrapped around each other in the haven of our bed.
When her slick, tight heat engulfed me completely with immortal speed, a loud, guttural groan tore from my chest.
From this position, I could sit back and fully appreciate Bella's wild, unfettered passion as she rode me with abandon.
My hands glided from her waist, up the soft, flat planes of her stomach to her perfect breasts that bounced irresistibly just inches from my face. My thumbs brushed over her tightened nipples, and I hummed with approval as she wantonly pressed her breasts more fully into my hands. I loved how responsive she was to my touch.
When had I ever done anything to deserve this goddess or the pleasure she gave me?
My hands descended down her body to where we were joined. I only had but to press my thumb against her glistening bundle of nerves for Bella to sink down on me one last time before she shrieked and writhed in the ecstasy of her orgasm.
Her wet warmth constricting around me was enough to send me hurtling over the edge grunting and bellowing with each crashing wave of pleasure that coursed through my body.
Bella sagged into the circle of my arms, spent. For the next several minutes, we just held each other, breathing raggedly, as we came down from the high.
"Ha! I won. Again," she teased exuberantly from where she laid, her cheek pressed against my dormant heart. I shivered as her fingers swirled abstract patterns in the narrow strip of hair beneath my navel.
"No, love, I think I tied it up, that time. But I'd happily grant you a rematch," I grinned crookedly.
*BPOV*
Some immeasurable amount of time later, Edward finally pried himself out from under me and made an effort to redress.
I pouted, insatiable as ever. Edward brushed his thumb over my jutted-out lower lip.
He chuckled, "I'll be right back my little sex kitten, I just need to put my car away. It's about to rain and I was in too much of a hurry to roll up the window," he grinned.
I smiled back unrepentantly. "Fine, but hurry back."
I laid back in the pillows feeling pleasantly boneless when Edward reappeared even faster than I expected.
"This was left on the porch for you," Edward handed me a wrapped gift box.
"For me? Who from?" I quizzically furrowed my brow in receipt of the gift.
"Beats me," he shrugged.
I tore open the festive gift wrap and ripped the top of the white paper box off.
A note in Emmett's handwriting sat atop something folded in white tissue paper. It read:
A little pixie told me you were getting a new motorcycle. Badass, little sis! Thought you could use some badass new gear to go with it.
Love,
Em
A little warily, I unwrapped the tissue paper to find a neatly folded black hoodie in my size. I collapsed back onto the bed in fits of laughter after I read the words screen printed on the back:
"If you can read this, the bitch fell off."
*A/N* This chapter fought me from the start. I couldn't find a good way to end it, so it kept going on and on. As a result, you get this 6k monster of a chapter!
I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I sure would love to hear what you think! Your feedback really helps drive the story forward and motivates me to get updates out sooner rather than later. Thanks again to those of you who take the time to review every time! 💓
As a quick note, I will be re-editing She's My Blackberry Pie in the coming weeks. Not making any huge changes, just going over it again for grammar and clarity. (And maybe I'll finally get around to writing the Newborn Army chapter I pussed out of writing the first time around! Lol)
So if you get story alerts for chapters being re-posted, that's what's going on! But not to worry, you'll have a new installment of Blood & Edward soon! (But the best way to fire up my muses is to drop me a line!) Til next time, lovelies! 💋
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