Hello everyone,
I love the response to this story. Once again, I am shocked people are digging it so much. Thanks for being here through this new journey.
I would like to thank Monica for her awesome advice. She preread this chapter and helped with the corrections. I am extremely grateful for her help.
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Edward shuffled from foot to foot as the deadbolt clicked. This was absolutely the strangest idea he'd ever had. Sharing a pizza while sitting in the hallway. He had to admit this was definitely a first for him. When that door opened and her crystal clear gaze beamed back at him, he felt like he was on top of the world, and he knew he'd made the right suggestion—especially when she passed him that bright-ass smile.
Bella stumbled to a stop as their gaze collided. A shiver ran down her spine, and she did a shimmy at the unexpected sensation. A soft smile played across her lips, and Edward was helpless but to stare.
The smile she gifted him with made the lunacy of his suggestion all worth it. Holding up the box of hot pie and bag of cokes, he urged her to follow him as he backed away from the door. "I hope you have plates because this sucker is hot."
"Oh yeah, shit," Bella mumbled, her smile tipping crooked as she hurried back inside. "I will be right back."
Bella rushed back into the apartment. She couldn't help the blast of excitement causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Not only was Robert one of the sexiest men she'd ever met, but he was hands down the sweetest.
No one had ever suggested doing anything so special for her. Yeah—so it was just pizza in her hallway. It would never occur to most guys to offer such an ordinary date.
She was grabbing the plastic plates from the shelf when she heard, Edward's whisper, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Hurry up or someone might call the police for me sitting here by myself." Edward stepped away from the door until his back rested against the far wall. He was talking to air as she disappeared from view.
He threw an awkward glance up and down the hall. It was almost eleven-thirty and everything was relatively quiet. Sitting cross-legged, Edward shifted the box next to him before returning his attention to the bag he'd carried with him. Retrieving a can of soda, he popped the tab and took a long drink.
Setting the can aside, he brushed his wet fingers on his jeans. He'd lived the high life so long he'd forgotten how the other half lived. This neighborhood wasn't the ideal setting to be raising children, he decided, taking in chipped paint and old carpet. Before he could inspect the place any further, the door swung open and Bella rejoined him, looking equally nervous.
"I can't believe we're actually having pizza in my hallway." Bella handed him a plate, her gaze sparking with humor as it clashed with his. "I guess there's a first for everything."
Her gaze greedily ate him up. His hair was flattened by the ball cap he wore, yet wisps were curled around the edges. Bella's gut clenched at the thought of seeing him without the cap, wondering if his hair would be long enough for two fistfuls.
Squishing the rampant swirl of lust into a deep dark hole, she traced the bridge of his nose, sweeping across his sharp cheekbones to that chiseled jaw. Suddenly, the need to bit into that flesh to see if it was as firm as it looked consumed her and she jerked her gaze away.
"Believe it or not," Edward chuckled, noticing the flare of her nostrils. He knew that look. A million women across the continent had given him one similar. The difference was, none of them encouraged this wicked heat licking up his spine. Clearing his throat, he lifted his eyebrows as he studied her, feeling the familiar awareness rippling through him. "I've never done anything like this before either."
"Are you sure?" Bella asked skeptically as she slid down the opposite wall, her legs inches away from his. Jokingly, she whirled a finger, indicating their surroundings. Doing her utmost to avoid the warmth spreading at his nearness. Biting her lip, she put some space between their legs before the urge to crawl into his lap grew any strong. She squeezed her thighs together to alleviate the pulse of excitement at the thought. "You seem so at ease with all of this. No guy has ever asked me to have dinner in the hallway before."
"So, I'm the first." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, smirking when she blushed and nodded. A beautiful bright pink bloomed across her skin, and Edward's pulse raced in answer to the amusement that lit her green eyes. "You're cute when you turn red."
"I'm not red." Bella's gaze darted to him in surprise, wanting to fan the heat from her cheeks as he grinned broadly back at her. His compliment only made it worse. Slyly, her lashes dropped a fraction. "You think I'm cute?"
"Beautiful," Edward nodded, mesmerized by her smile. He couldn't look away when another cherry red color tinted her cheeks. Studying her, he memorized her features, his eyes darting to the curve of her lips.
He had this need. This desire. This desire to sample their softness. Perhaps if they had been more familiar with one another, he would have. The feeling became so strong his jaw clenched, he honed in on the sliver of her tongue that made an appearance to wet her lower lip. His abs tightened as a thrill raced across his skin. Goosebumps lifted the hair on his arms, and he barely suppressed a groan.
Silently, he berated himself. He wasn't here for sex. Well, he wasn't here for only sex. Needless to say, if Bella were to tackle him and have her way with him, he wouldn't exactly say no. At least that's what his half stiff dick said. Of course, he couldn't let anything physical happen between them while this little white lie stood between them.
That was enough to shrivel his growing lust beneath his jeans. There was a part of him, a large part that knew this was all going to blow up in his face. He could see it. In just a few short weeks, when he revealed who he was, he anticipated a smack to his face and very angrily spoken words. Once again the urge to confess was so strong he almost just blurted it out. With a great deal of effort, she forced the words into a deep dark hole, choosing to focus on the here and now, instead of the future.
Bella shivered as heat flared in his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to hide his desire for her, she saw his fight. Just to be sure that's what she was seeing, she wet her lips again, the corner of her mouth lifting when he followed the trail her tongue left. Yep--if she wanted him, here and now, she could definitely have him.
Edward saw the look in her eyes. He was more than curious to discover what was running through her head. Judging by the flare of heat, he witnessed they were all totally good thoughts. The way those eyes darted down his length told him everything he needed to know.
He grinned when she shook her head, and she snapped back to the present.
Nudging his leg playfully, Bella gestured to the pizza. "What kind of pizza did you get?"
Edward cleared his throat as the spell between them broke. Still, a smile creased the corners of his mouth. "I opted for just cheese. I should've asked before we hung up, but I figure we couldn't go wrong with it."
Opening the box, Edward glanced between the pizza and Bella. "I don't know. Looks pretty good for just cheese."
Bella agreed with a nod. Considering she hadn't eaten all day, she could practically attack the box the pie was resting in. Rubbing her belly, she wiggled greedy fingers in his direction. "Looks so good."
Edward didn't miss the hunger replacing the heat in her eyes as she looked at the pizza. Concern edged the desire for the woman before him. Obviously, she lived a rough life, worrying more for her siblings than herself. Or so it seemed. He just hoped she wasn't forgetting her own needs in the process.
Without hesitation, he took her plate and put two large slices over the plastic. For a moment he nearly forgot where he was, and what he was supposed to be. The rich man in him wanted to run out and buy everything Bella needed. Things she didn't even know she needed, like decent plates.
He wasted no time handing her the dish with her dinner. Snapping out of his reflection, he pulled a piece from the box and took a large bite. Chewing vigorously, he pointed toward her door. "How was the front with the babysitter? You said she was on the fritz when you left."
"Not my babysitter anymore," Bella mumbled, taking a large bite of her piece.
Edward watched her devour half the slice before coming up for air, his eyebrows lifting, amused by the display of her healthy appetite.
Swallowing, she licked the grease from her lips. "Sorry, I'm making a pig of myself."
Edward smiled, and shook his head, waving off her concern. "No, eat. Don't mind me. It's nice to see a girl eating her food instead of picking at it like a bird. Now, what happened with the babysitter?"
"She put her hands on my brother. I won't have someone manhandling them. They've been through enough." This time Bella took a smaller bite. When she noticed the bag at Rob's side, she didn't even have to ask. He pulled a red can from the bag and popped it open for her. "Thanks, Rob."
Edward's head dipped, his brow creasing when Bella used his fake name. Once again the urge to tell her the truth teased him. Shaking the temptation away, his jaw clenched.
Instead of confessing, he mumbled, "You're more than welcome." When he trusted himself to meet her gaze, he prompted, "So the babysitter was getting rough with the kids?"
"Yeah, so I restrained the desire to … to do a lot worse than kick her out of my apartment. Needless to say, she won't be back."
Edward grimaced, feeling irritation boiling beneath his skin. He hated when people were harsh with children. They were just tiny people with different perspectives and should be treated as such. "What are you going to do about a babysitter?"
"I don't know," Bella replied with a shrug. "I will just have to save my lunch break to pick them up from school. I can take them back to the salon. Hopefully, the girls can help me watch them until I find a replacement."
Once again, Edward was tempted to offer help, yet they didn't know one another well enough. If Bella didn't trust him enough to go inside her apartment—which he respected more than she would ever know—she wouldn't trust him enough to watch the kids.
Working on her second piece of pizza, she tilted her head as she studied him. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-nine," Edward answered, downing another piece. When he noticed Bella staring longingly at the box, he nudged it in her direction. He could finish it off with no problem but instead, he gestured for her to get her fill. "Want any more?" When she shook her head in answer, he closed the lid and pushed it across the floor. "You can give the rest to the kids. How old are you?"
"Thanks. They will love it." Bella pressed her lips together, she passed him a fleeting smile. "Twenty-three. How long have you worked at the coffee shop?"
Edward inwardly flinched when she asked about the coffee shop. Shrugging, Edward said, "A little while."
He was very aware his answer was vague. Considering his deception, he didn't want to build on his lies any more than he needed to. "Did you go to school to be a beautician?"
He watched her closely as she elaborated on her stint in beauty school with her friend Rose. She was only an inch away from him now, and if he shifted his leg it would be pressed alongside hers. She appeared to be more at ease with his presence, and in turn, the last of his apprehension faded.
"I thought it was cheaper than a four-year college," Bella shrugged, the urge to reach out and touch him consumed her. Swallowing the desire, she bit her lip and shifted restlessly.
When Edward unexpectedly took hold of her foot and slowly began undoing the zipper on her boot, those very tingles jogged up her leg. "What are you doing?"
"You said at Starbucks your feet hurt," Edward mumbled, staring at the dark brown leather of her boot. Ever since she'd mentioned her feet, he hadn't stopped thinking about her sweet little toes. Without further comment, he slowly pulled the heel down, feeling her foot slip-free. "I thought I would fix that."
Rapture overtook her delicate features when his thumb slid down the arch. "Oh, my. T-that's almost better than …"
She abruptly cut off, her cheeks flaming, and her gaze shooting to his.
"Better than what?" Edward wanted to know, his tone dropping as his fingers tweaked her toes. He shifted until she was sitting with each one of his thighs bracketing her legs, her dainty toes an inch from his crotch.
Holy shit … he thought, he had this impulse to wiggle down until her foot was pressed right where he wanted it. Edward didn't, being good he focused on the heel his thumbs were digging into.
He was playing dirty. He knew what she'd been about to say. The prospect of hearing the words trip off her delicate tongue was more than he could resist. Edward couldn't keep a flirty smile from caressing his mouth as he watched roses bloom across her pale skin.
Shyly, Bella's lashes dropped as her gaze slid over his sharp cheekbones. Awareness crackled in the air around them. "You know …"
"I do," he admitted with a sharp, intent stare. His thumbs worked in rhythmic circles before slipping under her heel to pull her sock off. "I still wanna hear you say it."
He swallowed hard when she suppressed a moan. Edward played hell comprehending anything besides her smooth skin beneath his fingers. His blood heated, and he licked his lips as he stared at her toes.
"You should forget about making coffee and become a masseuse." Pleasure filled him when her breath came in short gasps. Wanting to hear the sound again he focused on a tender spot, a whimper escaped her sweet lips. Edward stared unable to look away.
Grinning broadly as she whispered, "God, that's so good."
She was being evasive. Edward wasn't about to be sidetracked. "Better than what, Bella?"
"You're so bad," she grinned, looking down the hall. There was nothing there, but the man was dangerous. If she continued to meet his gaze, she might do something stupid and crawl up into his lap.
"Sometimes bad is good," he teased, loving her blush. Laying her foot on his lap, he reached for her other one.
Slowly, he undressed her foot, running his thumb over her toes before his gaze flashed to hers. His blood rushed south. A twitch in his balls alerted him to the danger of this territory. Even so, he continued to caress her skin. "I have this wicked obsession with toes. You have very sexy feet. Small and dainty, I could do things to these feet."
Edward had good intentions when he'd started rubbing her feet, hand to God he did. But the best-laid plans had a habit of nosediving on him. Swallowing hard, he released a deep breath and he tried to maintain control. Honing in on her pinky toe, his mouth watered.
The air rushed from Bella's lungs. She'd never been one for weird fetishes, but hearing the gruff sound of his voice, filled with suggestion made her more than curious. "What kinds of things?"
Bella couldn't help but glance at his crotch. Unless that was a ripple in the fabric of his jeans, she was staring right at … Holy shit. She should take her foot from him and go back inside.
She didn't, squirming as her panties flooded. As if to add fuel to the fire, she wiggled her toes.
"Now, who's playing dirty?" Edward grinned with a naughty chuckle, pulling her toe. "For starters, I would love to lick them." He shifted uncomfortably, very aware of the direction of her gaze. His cock leapt, pulsing hard, and he had to shake his head to clear his naughty thoughts. Instantly, his grip tightened as he resumed rubbing. "Are you ever gonna say it?"
"Mmhmm," she murmured, forcibly dragging her eyes away from his lips. She would answer him. She would answer him right after she managed to get the picture of her toes in that sexy ass mouth from her head. "Fine. Sex. It feels better than sex."
"It's been that unsatisfying?" Suddenly, Edward couldn't help but wonder who Bella had been with that left her so unfulfilled that a foot rub was better.
Promise lit his eyes, the muscle in his jaw working as he studied her. "We're going to have to fix that."
Bella felt her cheeks flare once again, yet this was for an entirely different reason. Her limbs felt leaden, and sparks darted up to her legs. A cloud of desire left her dazed, as she wet her lips as if she could taste him from here.
She was dangerously close to throwing all reservations aside. Her voice trembled. "Oh really?"
Edward gave a nonchalant shrug without a doubt in his mind. "Eventually. When the time is right."
"You think we will make it that far?" She wanted now to be the right time. She congratulated herself for the wisdom of keeping things in the hallway of her building. If she'd allowed him into her apartment, she would've climbed him like a tree.
Edward's head dipped in confirmation. "Probably … if you agree to let me take you out."
"When?" She crossed her arms over her breasts to hide her excitement at the prospect of seeing him again. Her nipples were little crystals beneath her tank. She couldn't help but think of his hot perfect mouth latching onto the tips.
Edward grinned as she fidgeted, his fingers sliding over her toes. "When are you available?"
Currently, Bella was having trouble processing any thoughts at all. She had desire humming in her blood, Robert rubbing her toes, making her so relaxed, her lashes drooped. "I'm not really sure at the moment. I'd have to see if I can find a babysitter. What days do you have off from the coffee shop?"
The mention of the coffee shop had Edward's fingers stalling. If he was going to tell her the truth this would be a prime opportunity.
It was too soon. It was too soon to know what he'd come out here to find out. It was too soon to know if she was different.
Of course, he felt like she was deep down in his bones. But how did he really know? They knew very little about each other.
Nope. It was too soon. Too soon to tell her the truth. Too soon to know if she was different. Too soon to know if this exhilaration he was feeling was real and not some fleeting lust.
Yep, it was all too soon.
"I work tomorrow and Wednesday. You can always stop in and keep me company." Edward offered as he gently removed her foot from his lap. "You can even bring the kids. I'll make sure there is a muffin ready for them."
Bella stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Who are you? How the hell are you still single? You are single, right? You don't have a baby mama lurking in the shadows ready to claw my eyes out, right?"
"No. No baby mamas, or girlfriends, or even prospects. Well, maybe until now." His gaze never wavered as he willed her to understand. When she smiled shyly with a brief shake of her head, he slowly stood. If he didn't leave now, he doubted he'd have the willpower to. "Are you going to stop in and see me?"
Bella gathered the plates and trash before climbing to her feet. He stood so close she could smell his cologne. The scent was so compelling, she longed to bury her nose in his chest and just … just breathe him in. Feel the strength in his arms for just a second. Just one second. She needed to feel their power encircling her, holding her, for just a moment. Clearing the need from her throat, her voice was husky to her own ears as said, "I will definitely have the kids tomorrow, and I think I might be able to wrangle them in long enough to stop by."
"Hang on a minute. I want to put this stuff inside." Bella stated, taking the pizza box and dishes inside. Setting them on the stand she took a deep calming breath before returning to the hallway.
Edward waited patiently for Bella to reappear, shifting with indecision. He'd like nothing better than to kiss her goodnight, take her taste with him long into the night. Something told him it was too soon for that, yet the temptation had his blood pressure rising.
When Bella stepped back into the hall, he lazily leaned against the wall, silently regarding her. She stopped a foot away, mimicking his stance. He had this feeling she didn't want the night to end any more than he did. "I don't want to, but I should go."
"Yeah," she mumbled with an equal amount of disappointment. Leaning against the wall for support, she stared up into his eyes, resisting the urge to capture his lips. "I have to get up early to get the kids off to school."
Edward reached forward and lifted a strand of her hair. "It really is beautiful." He leaned in and smelled it, wrapping it around his finger to draw her closer. Edward swam in her eyes, and the space between them seemed to dissipate.
"Rob, thanks so much for tonight. No one has ever done anything like this for me," Bella said, letting the first thing, besides how much she wanted to kiss this guy, leave her lips.
As Bella mentioned his fake name, Edward blinked rapidly, coming out of the trance holding him spellbound. Instead of kissing her, he pulled Bella against him for a quick hug. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he stepped back. "I will see you tomorrow."
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