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I will tell you that you will not wanna miss the next chapter. Things have definitely started to boil between our couple, and that's all I will say about that for now.
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Bella combed her fingers through Lily's hair; her gaze turned out toward the bright blue sky she spied through the window. They sat in the library of the Cullen mansion on the third floor of the estate. Lily was tracing the drawings Bella had made of the alphabet, or to the best of her abilities, allowing Bella to fantasize.
The musky scent of books clung to the air, and Bella felt the familiar comfort the smell had on her senses. Since she was in grade school, Bella had always looked forward to the escape those many pages afforded her. Even as much as she loved books, and their aroma, as she stood in this beautiful library and stared out the window, books were the furthest thing from her mind.
No, it wasn't books at all; it was Edward fucking Cullen.
Two nights ago, he'd ripped her head off for dining with his family. Not ten minutes later, Bella had stomped from his study and returned with a plate of food demanding he eat.
To her shock and amazement, Edward had stared at her long and hard, and she figured he would cast her right from his office. He hadn't, however, merely glaring a hole through her as he picked up the fork and raised a potato to his mouth. Instead of gloating, Bella lifted her chin and walked a few inches away. Quietly as if not to disturb a lurking wolf, Bella went to the winged chair next to the window.
There she had sat for the duration of Edward's consumption of his meal. To her astonishment, he'd consumed the entire plate. He became so engrossed in the meal before him, his attention dropped to the porcelain and didn't lift again in her direction. Silently, Bella's gaze had roamed the study taking in the lavish decor and coming back to rest on the demon behind the desk.
Bella scoffed as a bird flew by the window, momentarily bringing her back to the present. Immediately, Bella's mind drifted once again. Since making Edward eat, Bella went to his study nightly with two plates of supper. While she ate next to the window, Edward did the same, and a weird understanding slipped between them.
"Isabella," Lily called, lifting the paper for Bella's approval. "All finished. Can we play Barbies now?"
"Don't you wish," Bella laughed? Almost every time Lily completed an assignment, she asked to play Barbies. In compensation for all of her hard work, Bella designated a time for their playtime. "You know we can't play Barbies until two o'clock."
"When the little hand is on the two?" Lily reinforced with a nod as her gaze darted for the clock. She sat there with a perplexed expression. Finally, she turned toward Bella. "How long does it say we have?"
Bella pointed at the clock, counting in fives, "Five-Ten-Fifteen-Twenty minutes."
"That's so long," Lily whined, propping her elbow on her table. "Can't I just color for a little while?"
Bella acted as though she were in deep consideration. Finally, she smiled, saying, "Of course, you can color. You have done such a great job with your letters."
"Yay," Lily cheered, overturning her seat as she leapt from the chair. "Sorry, Princess, I'm just so excited."
"You're fine, Lily. Go get your coloring book, and I will pick up the chair." Bella was bent over when she heard Lily scurry from the room. Sitting the chair back in place, Bella straightened up the paper strewn across the table. She was shuffling the papers into a neat stack when she heard someone come into the library. Thinking it was Lily, she said, "You are back already? I figured …"
Bella's voice faded when she came face to face with Edward. A jolt of awareness shot through her, and as their gaze connected, a spark ignited. Gulping, Bella stubbornly angled her chin, preparing for a fight, not really sure what their argument would be about, but that hadn't stopped them before. Her heart slowly thudded as she awaited the reasons for his presence.
The air around them crackled, and an odd vibe hovered between them. Edward spied the woman that had taken his household by the balls and taken no prisoners. While he was hesitant to say it was for the better, there was definitely a shift in energy lately. Considering nothing had changed other than her presence, he couldn't help but correlate the changes with Isabella.
Sniffing with his normal arrogant air, Edward gestured toward the window. "I find my afternoon is free if you would like to take a walk outside."
Bella's head tilted as she digested his offer. "Hold on. Are you really thinking of someone other than yourself?" She emphasized the question with a playful smile. This man was far too serious, and Bella needed to lighten the mood surrounding them. "How unlike you."
"I have a few surprises up my sleeve on occasion." Edward's gaze skated down her length. The all too familiar warmth spread through him as he regarded her. Unable to control his wayward stare, his eyes landed on her breasts, watching the material of her shirt as it shifted with each breath she took. When he finally tore his attention away from her perky breasts, his head nodded toward the window. "Did you want to take that walk or not?"
"Oh, I soooo do." Bella couldn't contain her excitement. She didn't even try to downplay her enthusiasm. "Do you know if it's warm? Or will I need a jacket? Shit … I don't have a jack …"
"It's pretty nice out." Edward thought over her statement, and there was a slight cool breeze. "I have a jacket you can use for now. There is still a bit of a nip in the air."
Bella's eyes widened in surprise when Edward mentioned letting her wear one of his. Not only was it out of his character to think of someone's comfort, but having him allow her to wear his clothing. Wow. Bella was floored.
Instead of making a big deal of his generosity, Bella headed for the door before he changed his mind. "Lily went to get her coloring books. Can she come with us?"
Edward's lashes dropped a fraction as he chewed the inside of his cheek. "Are you giving me a choice? Or pretending to?"
Bella danced from foot to foot like some excited teen, her fingers twisting together as her nose wrinkled in response. "I'm sort of pretending, but you already knew that, right?"
From the corner of her eye, Bella noticed Edward's lips twitch as if he were fighting a smile. A thrill darted to her belly, and heat spread throughout her body. Swallowing this wave of … of … yearning? Was she longing for something? Perhaps a deeper connection? What the hell was this sensation stealing the air from her lungs?
She was so not ready to place what she was feeling, but something strange was going on between her and the lord of the manor. Bella couldn't even identify what was going on. So, instead of beating a dead horse, she turned her attention to Lily. "I will just go get her and a jacket. I wouldn't want her to catch a chill."
"Meet me in my study," Edward told her, trying to ignore this zip of electricity snapping between them.
Even if Edward wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was starting to anticipate Bella's assertion into his life. Hell, every evening, he counted down the fucking minutes until she appeared with his supper in hand. To his further admiration, Edward didn't even mind her presence while they quietly ate dinner.
The money Charlie owed him came to mind. The man owed almost half a million to him. Perhaps if it weren't such a large sum … maybe … maybe … There was no sense thinking on the subject. The facts couldn't be changed, and with that thought in mind, Edward pushed the thrill of keeping Bella here for a while longer away.
After retrieving a jacket from his closet, Edward sat on the edge of his desk. His foot beat a steady tempo against the hard oak, and instead of his attention straying to the picture on the corner, his blue eyes landed on the chair Bella sat in when she came in the evening. Last night after she'd finished supper, she sat there curled up reading a book, and every once in a while, Edward had felt her eyes on him. A tingle slipped across his skin, and a predatory thought came to mind.
His lip curled as imagery flicked through his imagination. The muscle in his jaw ticked, and a growl lingered in his throat.
Edward wanted her in that chair. He wanted to spread her legs. He wanted to discover her slick opening with his fingers and tongue. As the image tempted him, Edward's fingers curled around the edge of his desk. He could practically smell her feminine musk, taste the tang of her essence on his tongue, feel the prickle of her ripe berries in his palms.
He adjusted his growing cock, forcibly tearing his eyes from the chair when the sound of Lily's voice penetrated his wicked visualizations. His nostrils burned with anticipation.
One way or another, it was going to happen. Edward couldn't pinpoint when, how, where, or why, but he wasn't letting her out of this house until he'd sampled her sweetness.
Edward folded the jacket he'd retrieved over his arm, letting the material hide the state of his arousal. Just in time, too, he thought as his daughter's head popped around the corner. The bright, toothy smile Lily sported was a kick to the chest. Suddenly, Edward felt like a major asshole for denying the girl as long as he had.
There was nothing more humbling than to face one's failures every single day and realize what a prick you'd been. The most staggering part about it was Lily's tenacity, not necessarily unaffected by his treatment of her but not influenced by it either. Despite years of pushing that creature from his mind, she still had the ability to smile and lift her tiny head with pride. Which Edward had to admit was a little more so lately.
The muscle in his jaw ticked as he focused on the woman behind his daughter. With each day Isabella spent with his family, the brighter his daughter shone, really thriving under constant attention. His gaze roamed over Isabella; a flash of warmth that had nothing at all to do with the lust he associated with her flowed in rapid currents through his blood.
Swallowing past the wealth of emotion, Edward offered the jacket to his captive. "This should keep you toasty."
Bella's fingers brushed Edward's as she took the jacket, instantly her blood stirred with awareness, her gaze jumping to his. Apparently, she wasn't the only one feeling the zing of sensation. Her heart stuttered, and her lungs contracted.
"Daddy?" Lily asked, her head angled to look up at her father. "Are you going for a walk with us?"
Edward ripped his eyes from Bella's to look down at Lily's angelic face. Unable to speak, he nodded, clearing the raw emotions from his throat. "I am."
"Can I hold your hand, so I don't get lost?" Lily wanted to know with sincerity in her tone. "Nana says I have to stay close, so the bears don't get me."
"Well, isn't that about the most horrific image imaginable? Perhaps I will have a word with your grandma about her choice of references." Edward followed Bella and Lily down the hallway to the back door. "I don't really think bears would come this close to the house, but I'm sure there are other critters eager to make your acquaintance."
"Like what?" Lily asked curiously, hopping off the step when Edward pushed the door open. "Snakes?"
"Definitely," Edward nodded, his chest constricting as Lily wound her hand through his. Subconsciously, his hold tightened around her tiny fingers as she started down the steps. Edward searched the lawn at the mention of the horrid and often poisonous animals.
Bella breathed a huge deep breath of fresh, clean air as she followed the duo. Smiling to herself as she listened to the conversation in progress. Currently, Edward was listing all the different creatures Lily needed to be aware of as she pulled Edward's jacket tighter around her. She wasn't exactly chilled as much as she found she loved his scent.
"Isabella, you better hold my hand. In case there are snakes." Lily's little form gave a wiggle of distaste, offering her hand to Bella. "My dad will get them. He's meaner than a dirty old snake."
Edward wasn't sure how to feel about Lily's statement. He knew exactly how she meant it, yet his treatment of her hadn't inspired such devotion. For the first time since she was born, Edward smiled at his daughter. "You bet I am meaner than a stupid copperhead."
For an hour, Bella and Edward walked Lily all over the estate, even heading to the stables to pet the horses. Of course, Lily introduced Bella to Sage and excitedly fed the Shetland a cube of sugar. After visiting the stables, Edward led them back to the house and urged them to go inside, saying something about business when his phone rang.
Bella led Lily inside with the promise of a tea party, turning to pass Edward a fleeting stare. When he met her gaze, she mouthed the words thank you before disappearing from view.
~*~
"Where are you going?"
Bella collected Edward's plate from his desk. She was about to turn away when his question stopped her. Silently they regarded one another, that same spark popping between them. "I promised Lily I'd watch a movie with her after dinner. Hopefully, Esme has already bathed her, and she will be ready to lay down."
A sense of loss crashed through Edward when Isabella promptly turned for the door. When had he become so dependent on sharing his evenings with her? As he considered this, his attention darted to the photo of Irene. He had no business desiring the company of his prisoner, yet … yet …
Pouring a shot of bourbon, he downed the liquor in a swallow, determined to dislodge this restlessness consuming him. Yanking the remote from his desk, he turned the TV on. Instead of settling on a program, however, Edward turned on the monitoring system. From room to room, he tracked Isabella's movements as she collected Lily and went to the family room.
There he sat for almost two hours watching his captive and his daughter enjoy a movie. Reflecting over the afternoon he'd spent with the duo, Edward felt this longing building and building. Isabella laid on the couch with Lily lying beside her. Fleetingly, his attention roamed around the study and growing wearier of these four walls by the minute.
He was determined to rid himself of these unexpected emotions regarding the scene before him. It'd been too long since a warm body rested against his chest. Desperation clawed his belly, and with each new gut-wrenching spear, he took another sip of bourbon, hoping to smother this burning need.
He stared into his empty glass, tinkering with the rim, when a movement on the screen caught his attention. Annoyance grew as Edward watched Emmett slip into the room. His irritation blossomed like a rose as he tracked Emmett's progress. Instead of his brother heading to a chair or the fucking loveseat, the dick sat on the floor directly in front of the sofa.
Indignation welled as Emmett's arm came to rest next to Bella and his daughter. Edward's fucking skin crawled, and the urge to plant a fist to Emmett's cocky mouth gripped him. Neither figure on the couch moved, which led Edward to believe they'd drifted off while enjoying the movie.
The longer he studied the images on the screen, the angrier he became. The hint of jealousy he started to feel only fueled the rage starting to bloom, and with each passing minute, Edward's skin heated until he was sure to implode.
Unable to withstand it another second, he leapt from his chair and tore out of his office. As soon as he stepped into the family room, he pinned Emmett with a frothy stare. "Get out."
"Fuck off," Emmett told him without hesitation. "I'm watching a damn movie."
"The hell you are." Edward spied the sleeping figures on the sofa and battled the mixture of anger and protectiveness. He wasn't sure which emotion would triumph, but he was putting his finger on fury at the moment. "Go, or I will put you out."
Not wanting to disturb Isabella or Lily, Emmett climbed to his feet to face his brother. Lowering his voice to keep from waking them, he whispered, "What the fuck is going on with you? What does it matter?"
Edward's jaw clenched, not trusting himself to answer that. Honestly, he didn't know what the fuck was going on with him. "Emmett, for once, just do what I said."
Emmett was tempted to tell Edward to go to hell. The only thing stopping him was Lily. "Fucking self-centered prick."
Edward could careless as Emmett purposely bumped into him as he slammed out of the room. He heard muted curses, yet his attention went to the figures before him.
Lily's slight form was curled around the woman next to her, her little nose turned toward Isabella's breasts, and her mouth hanging open. A wisp of blonde hair moved in time to Lily's breath, and the ebb of anger eased.
Quietly, Edward approached the sofa, and as gingerly as he could manage without waking her, he lifted Lily up to his chest. His lashes fluttered when her face burrowed into his neck, and unnaturally for him, his face lowered, breathing in her sweet scent.
Slowly, he made his way through the house to Lily's bedroom. As he was laying her on the bed, her small arms encircled his neck, and she whispered, "I love you, Daddy."
Edward's heart constricted, and his eyes began to sting. Fighting the urge to release the tears brimming his eyes, he pressed a kiss to her cheek as he tucked the blanket around her. Lily's lashes fluttered against her cheek as she settled into the mattress. Combing her hair away from her temple, he murmured, "I love you, too, Lily."
Edward wasn't sure how long he stood there staring down at his daughter, but when she turned in the bed, he finally stepped away. With a lump lodged in his throat, Edward ran a hand through his hair as he headed back to the sofa where Bella remained asleep.
Her skin was milky in complexion, and the tiny scratches she'd received from the Missouri trees had long since healed. He withheld a smile as her lips twitched in slumber. Licking lips gone dry, Edward finally reached forward to land on her shoulder. "Hey."
Bella came awake the second Edward touched her. Blinking rapidly, her sleep-riddled mind deciphered what was happening. Instead of jumping awake, she lazily stared up into Edward's handsome face. His dark blues seemed just as intense. "Huh?"
"You fell asleep. Should go get in bed," Edward suggested, yet a yearning roared through him. Trying to ignore the temptation she presented. "I already put Lily in bed. You should go upstairs."
Bella yawned as she sat up. "Are you going to bed?"
"Uh-huh," Edward didn't trust himself saying anything more. If he did, he would no doubt voice the desire burning in his gut. Fuck a bed; he wanted to press Isabella against the damn wall and consume every inch of her delicate flesh. He wanted to nip and suck until his cock exploded. Clearing the husk from his throat, he murmured, "Come on, I will walk you up."
Bella felt his presence behind her the entire way up the stairs. The hair on her nape rose when the heat from his roaming gaze traced her spine to land on her ass. Very aware of his attention on her hips, there was an added swing to her movements as she paced closer to her room.
Tension and chemistry snapped between them, and Edward didn't need to touch her to feel the pull of want. A haze clouded his brain as he sought to deny this powerful craving. With a gulp, he followed the swing of her hips, smothering a low rumble when he noticed the extra pep in her step.
Did she know the effect she was having on him? Her father swore she was innocent, yet her movements spoke otherwise. Was she purposely trying to draw his attention? Had she detected this wicked connection? How the fuck could she not?
Her file said she was in her early twenties. How was it possible for a woman built like her to remain a virgin? She might have her father fooled, but Edward didn't believe it. Of course, her body could instinctively be picking up on the vibes he was giving. Was he giving off signals?
Even as these questions plagued him, Edward moved in closer until only inches separated them. A barbaric urge slammed into Edward, and he watched as his hand settled on her hip.
They came to a standstill at the threshold of her bedroom. With just a light pressure of his fingertips, he brought her figure back to rest against his front. Lilac teased his nostrils, the allure of the sweet scent more than he could bear, his head dropping until his nose skimmed the top of her head, breathing deeply.
Bella was frozen. Fear, excitement, anticipation, and wonder captivated her. She wanted to lean back into his strength, yet at the same time, she wanted to escape and decipher what this meant. A large part of her wanted to bury her nose into the solid wall of his chest and relive the warmth she'd discovered burrowed in his jacket. Her breathing turned erratic, and the pulse beating in her neck threatened to pound out of her skin.
Instinctively, Bella knew if she spoke, whatever trance holding them transfixed would be broken. She didn't want to break it. This magical, curious feeling was addictive.
Bella wasn't the only one caught in a tangled web. Edward had never felt anything more compelling than the silken strings binding him now. When he didn't think the rampant fire could become more captivating, Bella surprised him, resting her weight fully into his chest.
Holy fuck, this was too much. It was too much too fast, and as quickly as the desire engulfed him, shame hit hard. How could he even think he hadn't shared a bond, chemistry … whatever the fuck it was? He'd been married. He had a child from that marriage. As quickly as he'd grabbed her, Edward snatched his hand back away from the inferno.
Bella nearly fell over backwards when Edward's weight promptly disappeared. Rocking back on her heels, she watched him beat a hasty path to his room. While she instinctively wanted to follow, she, for once, didn't give in to the impulse.
With the spell broken, Bella laid atop her covers, staring at the ceiling. Her lashes had just started to droop when a noise caused her eyelids to snap open. Upon first impression, it sounded like a wounded cat.
Bella's brow furrowed as she listened intently. The Cullens didn't have a cat. The low moan sounded again, growing fainter. It sounded as if it were coming from the hallway. Slowly, Bella eased up from the bed, intent on investigating.
A chill swept down Bella's arms when the cry came again. Stepping from her room, she deciphered what direction it came from and started down the hall. Along the way, she spotted nothing that would cause a noise like that. The further she went, the closer she drew to the door Edward had gone through an hour earlier. Another moan rent the air, and too curious for her own good, Bella pushed at the door sitting ajar.
Bella couldn't fucking move. She couldn't even blink as her gaze connected with shadowed indigo eyes.
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