Chapter 5
Two whole months after he'd brought Esme there, Bella declared that she was cured. To no one's surprise, Dr Cullen had invited himself over for the occasion. Esme was radiant, and more than once, Edward caught Bella and Alice hiding behind corners, spying on the older couple and squealing like little girls. Autumn was on its way, but it was a lovely warm day, perfect picnic weather. They spent a pleasant day together, celebrating Esme's recovery.
There was a lot of laughter, a lot of chatter, and Edward would have expected to be intensely relieved it was all over. Instead, he spent a lot of time that day just wishing he could stay... that she would ask him to stay. By then, he had no doubts about the way he felt. If anything, it overwhelmed him in the best possible way.
But beyond the regular (Alice said it was excessive) amount of heated eye contact and yearning (Alice might have asked them to get a room, but they ignored her, as usual), nothing really happened. He was a little disappointed when it was time to leave and she still didn't say anything. He was more than a little disappointed when she hugged everyone else, but just gave him a little wave.
Still, he had Esme with him, and seeing her practically glowing with good health was enough of a reason to push away any lingering regrets he might have had. He'd been over this in his head so many times already. Bella had been helping Esme, curing her… it hadn't felt right to try to push his own desires into the picture.
Driving back, he resolved that things had changed now… he had her number, and they were definitely friends. That was a great place to start, to become more than friends. He didn't want to depend entirely on his reading of her emotions, but there were many times when she'd seemed interested. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to reach out, right? He wanted to send her flowers… or maybe she'd prefer a few potted plants. He could do that. Besides, he could always go back to join their weekly story sessions. He'd been invited by the other members of the book club, after all.
In the elevator going up to his apartment, he mused that it would really be much better for him to relocate. He could work remotely, and didn't necessarily have to live in the city, after all. A small hamlet nearby would be great.
…
He dreamed again that night, of a moonlit night on a beach. The sounds of the ocean were muted, but he could tell that it wasn't far. Following the sound, he found himself at the edge of the water, and stopped, as if waiting for something. He spent some time just watching the waves rushing in, with a wash of foam.
He wished he wasn't alone, though. It was much too beautiful a sight to watch alone.
She rose out of the spray like a nymph, her long dark hair sleek against her back. His throat dried up at the sight of the water droplets that rolled down her skin. He licked his lips, and she smiled.
The next thing he knew, she was standing right before him. Straddling his lap, she leaned forward, pushing at his chest so that he lay down fully. He could feel the heat of her body, and the tug of their mutual desire. He'd never felt such a need to give in to another person.
Still, she held back, and his dream grew foggy with frustration. He could feel a rising desperation to touch and be touched, but for some reason, she wouldn't breach the last distance.
When he tried to speak, the words wouldn't come, and a familiar sense of dread crept up his spine. This time, though, he knew where the dread came from—his need and desperate fear of losing her. He would have laughed at himself if he could have.
Instead, he focused more fully on her. He met her eyes and saw his own longing mirrored there. The next moment, he found himself awash with the familiar feeling of her thoughts brushing up against him, her emotions winding around him like so many teasing fingers, touching greedily. Suddenly it wasn't a dream anymore. The moment she saw that realization spread over his face, she smiled.
This time he reached up, pulling her closer and kissing her till there was no telling where he ended and she began. His entire being was focused on her; he could neither see, hear, feel, nor think of anything beyond the beautiful woman in his arms. Her tongue softly brushed his lower lip, making his entire body shudder. With a moan, he reciprocated. The feeling of her tongue against his had him trembling.
Bella was in no better state. Her hands moved frantically over his arms, his shoulders, his hair, even as she pressed her body as close to his as possible. She pushed at him until he lay flat on his back, squirming to get closer, pressing her breasts up against his warm, hard chest, nipping at his lip in a bid to get closer, deeper, to completely lose herself in him.
Panting for breath but unwilling to lose contact, Edward skimmed the soft skin of her cheek, then nipped, sucked and licked at her earlobe, laughing huskily at the goosebumps that erupted on her neck when his warm breath hit her skin. He scraped his teeth lightly down the side of her neck, then licked back up the sensitive column, his movements randomly interspersed with soft kisses and appreciative hums and moans.
"This is real, isn't it? I don't know how you do this, but it feels different. Not a dream, Bella. This is really us." His hands had moved from her back, to her waist, up to her breasts. He paused for a moment, his lips hovering over hers, his fingers brushing lightly against her nipples, and watched the pleasure flash over her features. When he did not immediately close the gap, Bella reached up impatiently, grinding against his leg in frustration. Her little growl sent a thrill up his spine.
"We'll talk tomorrow. I need you now." Bella ran her fingers over his jaw, through his stubbly beard, up over his lips, and along the ridge of his nose. "It's hot, you know, that you can feel me through the dream. It feels so much better than just touching myself imagining you."
Edward chuckled, then moaned in pleasure as her fingers made their way to his hair, stroking along his scalp and sending pleasurable sparks shooting straight to his toes. He cradled her head in one hand and wrapped the other around her slender waist, deftly flipping them over. The rest of the night was a haze of pleasure that began and ended with Bella.
…
The next morning, he opened his door to see a blushing Bella on his doorstep.
For a moment they just stood there, memories of the night before playing through their minds. Then she was in his arms, cane forgotten on the floor, as they kissed and kissed and delighted in each newly rediscovered sensation.
Edward still didn't know everything about Bella, and he supposed he would never fully understand the magic that was such an integral part of her. But as long as he could be near her, as long as they shared this bond, and as long as she let him love her… it was the perfect place to be.
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