18
By the time the modest sedan pulls into the driveway, both girls are sitting on the couch and glaring at me.
Alice is pissed for obvious reasons, and Angela is upset because I took the vacuum away from her after she ran it for thirty minutes straight. The thing was overheating and practically wheezing by the time I pried it from her death grip.
All three of us jump when the doorbell rings, and I straighten my belt and try to calm my heart rate before I open the door.
I gasp. Hopefully not out loud because that would just be embarrassing. She's just as pretty as the pictures Angela's been shoving under my nose in between all of her manic cleaning.
Long chestnut hair hanging loosely down her back, almost reaching her slender hips. A blazer covers her slender frame, and her long legs are encased in a pair of skin-tight pants. The only thing not professional about her outfit is the worn Nikes on her feet. She clears her throat, bringing my attention back to her face, which is absolutely breathtaking. Her big butterscotch-colored eyes light up, and she gives me a rose-tinted smile.
"Mr. Cullen, I presume?"
I nod and clear my throat. "Edward, please. You must be Isabella."
She laughs a tinkling laugh that makes the muscles in my stomach tighten. "Isabella is so formal; feel free to call me Bella. Everyone does. It's nice to meet you." She offers her hand in greeting.
This is certainly not the first time I've come in contact with a vampire. Hell, my parents are both vampires, and I work with a fair share of them. I've never before experienced the zing of electricity that shoots up my arm when our hands meet for the first time.
Her skin is just like all the others—rock hard and ice cold. So why does it feel like my world just tilted off its axis when we touched?
Bella pulls her hand away and rubs it against her pants, probably because mine is a sweaty mess from nerves. I clear my throat again and run my still tingling fingers through my hair.
"Please come in. The girls are excited to meet you."