Notes: Is it OK for a writer to confess that she got all sloppy choked up when she wrote a certain scene? Because I did for one in this chapter; you'll know when you get to it.
I can't thank Midnight Cougar, Paige Edwards, Lizzie Paige and Music Daydreams enough. You're getting an emotional rollercoaster of a chapter, and it's mostly due to these awesome ladies. A good team will push you to be the best, and they do.
Blackbird
Chapter 4
. . . . .
Edward steadied his breathing, traded a glance with Emmett, who nodded at him once, then pounded on the door again.
"Police!" Edward yelled. "Open up!"
Behind the door was a moment of silence and then, the yelling started. When he heard it, Edward kicked open the door, and he and Emmett rushed inside. A tall, black-haired man wearing torn jeans and an unbuttoned shirt was looming threateningly over a small woman who was trying to back away from him.
"—you're gonna pay for this," Black Hair was shouting at her, fists balled.
At the sound of the door crashing against the wall, Black Hair spun and charged them, hitting Edward in the stomach. He let the man's movement carry him backward, then he twisted, shoving his elbow against Black Hair's back. When the man started to lose his balance, Edward shoved him again, driving him to his knees. With Emmett's help, they forced him face down to the floor.
"Get off me!" Black Hair growled.
Emmett shoved the side of his face into the carpet and dragged out his handcuffs, while Edward placed a knee against the man's heaving back. All the while, the woman kept up her ceaseless wailing.
"Hands behind your back!" Edward told him as Black Hair continued to struggle, trying to resist his efforts to capture his wrists.
"Motherfucker!" the man burst out.
"Let him go," the woman wailed.
"Keep your head down," Emmett ordered the man, who was trying to aim a glare up at the woman he'd hit. Her hair was a mess, obviously having been yanked at, and there was blood dripping down her chin.
"I'm not pressing charges," she said shakily, and her expression was one of shock and disbelief.
"We don't need you to press charges," Edward said; Black Hair had ensured his arrest the moment he'd attacked them.
The living room was a mess. The recliner and coffee table were overturned, dirty dishes and empty beer bottles covered the end table, and there was a broken lamp on the floor. Including her injury, it was clearly enough to make an arrest, whether the woman pressed charges or not.
Emmett snapped the cuffs around the man's wrists, then with Edward's assistance, hauled him up. While Emmett walked Black Hair out of the house, Edward turned to address the woman, who was looking after Black Hair with nervousness.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she wailed. "I didn't mean it, I'm sor–"
"Calm down," Edward said.
"But I'm okay," the woman told him and nodded, even though she clearly wasn't; even though the two children holding hands, standing shell-shocked in the corner, weren't okay. Domestic calls were always tough, but when kids were involved, it gutted Edward. That meant they'd have to alert Child Protective Services.
Edward pressed his business card into her hand. When the situation involved children, he shared his personal cell phone number. "You can call me anytime," he said, pointing at his handwritten number below his name. "Meanwhile, please get the help you need, okay?"
The woman wiped at the tears on her face and shook her head. "I just wanted him to stop and he did, so can you please . . . please just go?"
He gave her a double take. "Look at your kids, ma'am. Look. Nothing's okay."
She wrung her hands and did as he asked, then started crying again when she took in their stance and tear-stained faces.
"Get some help," he repeated. "Do it for your children."
As he left the house, Edward's mood was sour. He'd witnessed this type of thing many times, and it usually took a near-death experience for a battered woman to act. In this case, judging from the woman's behavior, she probably wouldn't reach out for help until the man went after one of the children. He'd seen it time and again, and it was a damn shame.
After they got back to West Hollywood and parked the cruiser, Edward was brusque as he opened the car door for Black Hair. What he wouldn't give to go a round with the man–teach him a real lesson in being battered.
"Step out of the car, sir," he said. He halfway hoped the idiot would hit his head on the doorframe.
"You know I'll be out of here in an hour," the man scoffed as he climbed out of the car. "You know that, right?"
"Turn and face the vehicle," Edward said, then he glanced inside the car to make sure nothing had been disturbed or left behind.
He nodded at Emmett. "It's clear, let's go."
But Emmett wasn't looking at him, he was grinning at something behind Edward. The sound of a long whistle and a sudden commotion of bright lights had Edward turning to see what was going on.
Behind the parking lot gate was a long black limo and a trio of parked cars. Bella. Paparazzi and their cameras. Here. At the police department where he worked. The other cops were going to have a field day with this. Hell, he saw as he looked around and heard their laughter and catcalls, they already were.
"Oh, shit," Black Hair said with a grin.
One of the limo's car doors opened, and Bella emerged in a frilly purple dress and matching sunglasses, and Edward took a hard breath.
"Hey, Boy Scout," she called.
"Isa! Over here, Isa!"
"Isa, just a look, girl! That's all I need!"
What was she doing here? "What's going on?" Edward called.
"Your shift over?" she asked.
Nonplussed, Edward looked back at Black Hair and tightened his hold on the man's shoulder. He suddenly didn't know how to deal with this situation with Bella. Hadn't he made his position clear the last time they'd seen each other?
"Yes, his shift's over," Emmett answered, and Edward gave him a hard look.
"I've got something for you," Bella said archly.
"Hey! Hey, Isa!"
"You look beautiful!"
Edward wasn't interested in being Bella's latest diversion. "We've got paperwork to do," he told Emmett, hoping he'd follow his lead.
Then Emmett gave him a look. "Go get in the car, dumb ass."
"Isa, how long have you guys been seeing each other? Just tell the truth!"
Against his better judgment, and with a heavy sigh, Edward handed Black Hair over to Emmett before heading for the limo amid the cheers of his co-workers. It was a toss-up in his mind about whether he was more angry or disappointed to see Bella, because he didn't want to hurt her. Their non-relationship was over.
"Hey, Mikey," he heard Emmett say behind him. "Make sure these guys get some privacy when they pull out, okay?"
. . .
Bella watched Edward's powerful stride as he walked over and swallowed nervously. He looked angry, especially since he had to wade through the noise and chaos of the paps and their cameras to get to her. His eyes were steady as he stared at her, if a bit cool, and she wanted to cup his face in her hands and kiss him until that look disappeared. The longing to tell him that she was all his now pressed heavily at the bottom of her throat.
When he was inside the limo and facing her across the seat, his cool demeanor caught at her heart. In the black cop's uniform, he was both imposing and crazy-sexy, but it hurt that he was still upset with her.
"Look, I got in because I didn't want to embarrass you," he said as the car began pulling away. "But this Hollywood mess?" He shook his head and sighed. "My job is stressful enough; I don't need this in my personal life. And you can't just show up where I work, Bella."
She took an uneven breath. Had coming to see him been a bad idea? "I broke up with him," she said.
His head tilted. Those eyes of his were still so cool, so remote. "I didn't ask you to."
His response confused her, and her heart gave a pang; he hadn't seemed to care before when she was always followed by the paps. And he'd been upset when she'd told him she was still with Kid, but now that she wasn't, why was he still so cold?
"I didn't need your permission."
"Just your label's?"
Yep, he was definitely still mad. This was going to take some finesse. "I didn't need their permission, either."
"Why me?" he demanded shortly. "I mean, you could have anyone."
Bella gave him a look of surprise, just barely hiding her disappointment. Didn't he know how rare he was? Edward was the one who'd seen the real her when she'd most needed someone to, who continued to see her and care about her. She didn't want just anybody.
"I want you," she said. With every fiber of her being, she wanted him. It had been two long days since she'd seen him, and she'd missed him, missed his eyes, missed his calm strength.
He was silent, staring at her, searching her expression. As a police officer, he'd probably been trained to read faces and body language. Bella hoped some of what she felt showed in her eyes. And it seemed as if it did, because his shoulders gradually relaxed. Though his eyes still held a look of wary hesitancy, at least he wasn't almost glaring at her anymore.
Heart racing in nervous excitement, Bella moved beside him on the seat. "I said I had something for you," she said. "Are you free right now to come with me?"
Indecision colored his expression, and her heart fell. She hadn't once considered that Edward wouldn't want to come with her.
"Please?" she whispered.
It was difficult not to try to persuade him as he considered her request in silence, and Bella had the thought that this moment was a turning point. Either Edward would agree and they could try to have a relationship, or he'd say no . . . and this time, she would have to let him go.
Edward's face gradually altered from wariness to acceptance. "All right," he said with a heavy sigh. "I'll come."
But Bella saw the warning in his eyes; he'd come, but she understood that it was a last chance. While she might have blindly assumed he'd participate now, she hadn't been wrong before about Edward's decisiveness. He was no one's fool, and he was the type of man who was used to being in charge.
In appreciation of that, she nodded back at him, then took a breath and pulled the blindfold out from behind her back. When Edward saw what it was, he flinched and tried to grab it from her.
"Trust me," she pleaded, and held it out of his grasp. Would he play along with what she wanted?
Deliberately, she leaned against his hard chest, everything inside her going wild at his nearness. He tensed briefly, both at the feel of her breasts against his chest, and stiffened again when she secured the blindfold over his eyes. Once it was snug in place, she pressed her lips softly against his jaw, then his lips. It was a quick kiss of appreciation for his trust. As she sat back, she noticed his hands were balled into fists.
Edward liked to be in control, she thought. While he might be letting her have her way, it was under duress.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and he nodded once.
"One more thing. This is a surprise, and I don't want you to hear," she whispered against the shell of his ear, and couldn't resist kissing it before dropping the headset over his ears. She took out the small MP3 player, hooked it up to the headset, then switched on her Spicy Hot playlist. It was seductive and loud, and would cover up all outside sound. Then, she tucked the player into his breast pocket with a pat of her hand.
Noticing his hands were still balled into fists, she picked one up and threaded her fingers through his. Attempting to calm him even more, she ran the ball of her thumb across his palm. He had such beautiful hands. And that jawline, oh my God; carved as if it came straight from the Gods. Mesmerized, she watched the muscle there jump as he clenched his teeth.
Bella glutted herself on his beauty, wondering if he could tell how closely she was studying him, craving him. There was a gentle dip at the bottom of his lower lip, making it seem as if he was pouting. She fanned her fingers against his jaw and pressed a kiss against his mouth, slower this time; it was a you're gorgeous and a thank you type of kiss. As she pulled back, his lips curved into a small smile, and she sighed in relief.
His chest was wide and tapered down to a trim waist that his equipment belt couldn't hide. Well-muscled arms flexed, the veins standing out. Thick thighs invited her caress, but she did so sparingly; he was already a volcano ready to erupt.
Was that tension in his body more from pure unease, or sexual in nature?
Once they arrived at the airstrip where the jet she'd rented was located, she tugged on Edward's arm so he'd climb out of the car. Even blindfolded and deaf, he was smooth as butter when he moved. But of course he would be, with those muscles of his. Edward took his job as a protector seriously, and his powerful body reflected it.
He was still stoically silent as they made their way up the short staircase to the white and cream decorated cabin, and Bella thought for sure he'd be able to guess what was going on. Then again, he'd never boarded a plane, so perhaps he really didn't have an idea. It wasn't until she urged him to sit again that he spoke. Well, yelled.
"Can I take this stuff off yet?"
Bella held a finger against his lips, then motioned to Lena, the co-pilot, that they were ready to depart. Once Lena was behind the cockpit door and the plane was moving, Bella straddled Edward's thighs. His hands came up to rest on her hips. Or really, to clasp her in a vice-like grip, because he was still unsure about what was happening.
It wasn't until they were roaring down the taxiway that Bella removed the headset and the blind. Edward blinked at her, then swiveled his head, immediately cognizant of what was happening.
"Stop the plane!" he yelled.
He tried to get up, bucking his hips, and gave Bella an I'm dead serious look of angry censure. She cupped his face and kissed him deeply, lingeringly, but after a moment, he began to resist and pull away. As his body arched under hers and she fell hard against him, she could tell he was hot and erect.
"Stop the plane," he yelled again as they began their ascent. Those hot green eyes of his were killing her. "Bella, I'm not kidding! Stop the plane!"
"Edward," she said, and it was a command. "Edward."
Once his furiously angry eyes locked firmly on hers, she kissed him again, dropping her hands to his zipper. His fingers dug into her hips. When she had the zipper down, she reached in and took hold of his cock, and he exhaled harshly into her mouth. She gave him a couple of strokes, then pulled a condom package out of her bra. Tearing it open with her teeth, she made quick work rolling it onto him. From there, it was easy enough to move her underwear aside and sink slowly down, taking him in. He was big, but she was wet, so very wet. Who'd have thought having someone at her mercy would be such a huge turn-on?
"I wanna be your first," she gasped. "Your first time in the air."
"Oh. Oh, shit," he breathed as she began rocking over him. He felt so good.
"I think I love you," he continued in a distracted way as his head leaned back. "Wait, no," he said, and they laughed.
Bella continued moving on him, feeling his grip at her hips tighten again almost painfully. His body was a tense bow while she rocked on him, sliding him in and out. She used the movement as a sweet, deliberate distraction. She was breaking his virgin-air-cherry but good.
"Look," she said a moment later, directing his gaze out the side window, to the few scattered clouds above the water. The Santa Monica Pier with its Ferris wheel was in the far distance. Their flight was smooth as glass. If it wasn't for the gentle hum of the engine, she knew Edward wouldn't have been able to tell they were flying.
She watched his eyes blink and widen. "Shit," he breathed again. "I'm going to get you for this after we're back on the ground."
"Promise?" she asked throatily as she bit his jaw.
"You can count on it," he answered and gave her a hard thrust as his hands pulled her downward.
He began punishing her with powerful, quick thrusts, no longer letting her control the movement. Bella had to hold onto his shoulders for dear life. He was pounding into her, the top of his thighs slapping against the back of hers.
His cheeks were flushed, green eyes still stormy. "I can tell you're close," he growled. "I'm not sure if I should let you."
"Please," she said, and the word came out in a gasped staccato.
"Beg me," he gritted, shifting one of his hands to the front where she needed his touch most. She could hear how wet she was. He was rapidly driving her to the edge of insanity.
"Anything, please," she gasped again. "Please, Edward, let me come."
He moved them down from the white leather sofa to the carpeted floor, letting her go long enough to lose his bulky gear belt, and to tear her tiny panties apart. Then he plunged inside her again, holding her body up at an angle that allowed him to hit a fiery spot deep inside her. In response, she felt goosebumps rise all along her skin. Moving back from her, he licked his thumb, then brought it to her clit, and she cried out in ecstasy. Never having had a vaginal orgasm from penetration, Bella wasn't sure what was happening at first; the tide of feeling that began to rise had her burning up and tensing all over, and her hands scrabbled against the plane's floor.
"So beautiful."
She heard him rasp those words, and the slick, shivery feeling at her throbbing clit clashed headlong into a blissful tidal wave, and she felt her body bow nearly in half. She was almost sobbing from the sensations a moment later when Edward groaned and stiffened above her, then collapsed against her.
"I never, I never had," she heard herself whispering, "I never had one of those." Her body was high and brimming over in a state of bliss she'd never known before.
Edward kissed her cheek, then her lips softly. "You're dating a man now," he told her, and with a loud sob, she grabbed him close in a hug.
. . .
Her knees were still weak when they returned to the airstrip, and Bella descended the staircase with a stumble. Behind her, Edward caught her and spun her around once before setting her back on the ground. Then, he slammed a palm onto her ass cheek and she yelped.
"That's for manipulating me," he whispered to her as they made their way over to the waiting limo. "But I admit, it was fun as hell."
Bella rubbed her smarting cheek. Her dress fabric was thin, and her panties were in shreds in her purse. That smack stung.
"Your fear of flying is gone now, huh?"
He slanted a playful glare down at her. "I doubt it, but if nothing else, I'll have a great memory to help fight it. That said, I won't tolerate you ignoring my wishes again. What you did back there? Ignoring me when I said to stop? Some would consider that rape, Bella. Do you understand?"
The word rape reverberated in her skull.
Horrified, Bella's heart started slamming in her chest. She gasped and staggered back from him, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.
What? What had she . . . what had she . . .
His face, his face.
She remembered his face on the plane when he'd realized what was happening, and she'd forced him to kiss her, and—
Oh, God, no.
Edward's hard expression relaxed at her distress. Then, he took a step toward her, lifting a hand to take one of hers in his. "You're young and filthy rich, I get it. And you're used to getting your way. But, when I said stop that first time, you should have known something was wrong. You ignored my fear."
An ugly sound came from her throat. Unable to speak, her hand closed spasmodically around his.
Oh. She had, she had. She'd assumed he'd been okay because he'd gotten hard. But it was obvious now by the expression on his face that she'd been wrong. So wrong.
"I'm . . . so sorry, Edward." Her chest was heaving involuntarily with harsh sobs. To her dismay, even though she pressed her palms against her chest, they wouldn't seem to stop.
After a moment, he brought her against him in a comforting hug, and the painful shudders began to slow.
"Just think a little before you act, Bella," he said. "Have a little common sense and be courteous of me. I live in the real world, and I have responsibilities I can't just walk away from. Today was an exception. Don't do it again. All right?"
She nodded her head against his chest, and squeezed his middle. He was warm and solid, something she needed very badly at that moment. Bella was so used to feeling like a victim herself that she'd never considered she could be a perpetrator. Mired in shame, it was a long few moments before she could speak again.
"I won't, Edward," she said, and while her voice was hoarse with emotion, it was also strong with certainty.
Then, she raised her tear-stained face to look up at him. "Are you okay? I mean, really okay?"
"I am now," he admitted while he swiped his thumbs along her cheeks. "I doubt you'll be so careless of my feelings in the future."
She kept her gaze on his as she shook her head. Never. "Can I kiss you? I can't reach you."
So he bent to kiss her lightly, which helped alleviate the pain in her chest. Right now, she felt emotionally strung out. It was mortifying to think that she'd been so thoughtless with him, especially since she liked him so much. And especially, since he'd done nothing but care for her ever since they'd met.
Stop crying. You can cry later.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked softly once they were inside the limo, and on their way back to Edward's truck at the police department.
In answer, he pulled her against his side and kissed her temple, and Bella felt precious. As if she truly meant something to him, in spite of how she'd acted. But, then she had the thought that since he'd called her on her behavior, he seemed precious to her.
"I can't. I have to get home, feed my dog." He bent down to her ear. "But you can stay with me if you want," he whispered.
"I want," she answered immediately with a huge smile. They traded another kiss, this one deep, wet, and searching. She loved his kisses; he was thorough, making her feel good and truly kissed.
"Will you be my date for the iHeart show?" Bella asked once they came up for air.
He gave her a sleepy grin and bedroom eyes, and her heart turned over at the gentle look on his face. "I'm just your little bitch now, is that it?"
Bella slapped his chest weakly. "I'm performing and I want you to be there."
His wide smile communicated his agreement, and maybe his delight at having been asked. Because she'd only ever seen Edward being on and at attention, or being reserved, Bella loved seeing how utterly relaxed he was now. His behavior was almost like night and day.
"How was the job today?"
He gave her a look of amusement. "The job?"
"Isn't that what you call it?" Wasn't this how she was supposed to ask how his day went?
"The job was fine," he answered with a small smile.
"You said it was stressful," she pressed. She wanted to know absolutely everything, everything about him. All the details. All the moments of his life. What made him tick, besides politics and a love of quotes and dogs? How and why did he make the decision that he wanted to make the world a better place?
"It's just sometimes we deal with the worst in people, you know?" he asked. "It makes it hard to trust in the good."
Was that why he always seemed to be on high alert? "Do you think it's changed you?" she wondered. She hated to think his job would make him stressed. Or, to put him in danger, she thought as her heart thudded with fear. Weren't cop's jobs dangerous?
He shrugged and closed his eyes, clearly relaxed and not in the mood to talk about anything serious right now.
"Is that why you don't have a girlfriend?" she asked. It was unusual that Edward didn't have one. He was good-looking, intelligent, and driven. Plus, girls went wild for guys in a uniform. Why the heck was he alone?
His eyes opened and he smiled, and his answer made her insides burst into sunlight.
"I thought I did."
. . .
