Hello, guys! Just a quick note before this chapter starts: the previous chapter ended with Jessica telling Bella about Mike finding an envelope of money. As one of you, amazing people, pointed out just a few hours after publishing the chapter, Alice had originally sent an envelope containing a blank check, not cash. So if you had read the original version, my apologies. I had since went and corrected that error. So thank you a lot, CoppertopJ, for being so extremely observant and alerting me of my dumb-dumb mistake in such a kind and lovely way!
Love you all!
The evening someone knocked on our door had been completely unexpected. I almost didn't make the effort to get up from the floor, too busy admiring Bella move up and down above me, watching as my shaft disappeared inside her body and as her breasts danced with each new motion. But the thoughts of the man knocking on our door were boiling with annoyance, so I decided to not be an ass and answer the door.
We dressed up in a few seconds and I ran my fingers through my hair, in an attempt to make it look less disheveled, before opening the door. The man was none other than our host- I should have guessed sooner, going by the waft of alcohol emanating from his pores. He saluted me lacklusterly, before explaining why he was there. As it turned out, he had received an anonymous complaint that alerted him of excessive noise from our cabin.
I tried searching through his thoughts, but all I managed to find in passing was a note he had received that afternoon. It baffled me. I was convinced that we were alone in the camp, everyone else enjoying the good weather on the mountain. I had heard the humas leaving their houses early in the morning. Still, what was socially acceptable to do in these situations? Deny that such a thing even happened? Admit and apologize? Promise that it wouldn't happen again? All of a sudden, I felt like a teenager caught on the act.
The man made it easy for me by kindly asking us to leave, since we were making his guests uncomfortable. Trying to convince him to let us stay just one more night - given that we were going to leave anyway - proved to be worthless. Without further arguing, we started packing our bags.
"We should have chosen a more secluded place," Bella said.
"It couldn't get more secluded than this."
"I was thinking of the woods actually."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not making you live in the woods, love."
"But we're bothering those around us, it seems," she insisted.
"Well, maybe I'll just gag you next time, to get this problem out of the way."
Her breath caught up when she heard me. There was no use in hiding it: the idea excited me as well, or else I wouldn't have had a massive erection growing in my pants seconds after voicing it. It didn't help that we still had unfinished business to solve, but that had to wait for a while, at least until we were up in the air.
When we were done with our bags, we cleaned up behind us and left. The sky was tinged with purple, announcing the arrival of the night. A plump moon was rising in the distance - there were still a few days before it would be completely full, but we would be gone by then. And then, just as I was taking my phone out of my pocket to call at the Airport and ask if there were any free runways available that night, I saw her.
Nell was standing on the hood of our rented car, a mischievous smile maturing her childish features.
"Long time no see!" she said.
"You're back!"
I felt an unexpected panic wash over me. Why was Bella's voice filled with glee?
"Did you like my little intervention?" Nell asked.
In the annoying absence of my gift, it took me one second too long to understand what she meant.
"If we had truly bothered you so much, you could have simply told us, without making it a whole spectacle," I snarled.
"Oh, that was just for laughs."
Just for laughs? We got evacuated early because the kid wanted laughs?
"Well, it was funny," she pouted.
"I don't see anyone laughing. Now please get off the hood."
She did so, but not before sticking her tongue at me. Mature. I placed the suitcases in the trunk of the car and opened the passenger door for Bella, all of a sudden eager to escape these Siberian lands. But she hesitated and, after a few moments, uttered:
"Why did you really come here, Nell?"
"Well…" - she seemed to ponder for a bit before continuing, as if she wanted to choose her words carefully - "I was wondering if you could please take me with you to the Philippines."
This was a no-brainer.
"Absolutely not," I responded, my hand clenching on the door.
"How do you know we're going there?" Bella demanded to know.
"I… uhm, heard you mentioning it."
"So you spied on us," I accused.
"No, it's not like that, I promise! Okay, maybe just a little, but it wasn't intentional, I happened to be nearby a few nights ago."
I sighed, my patience growing thinner. This whole thing would have been dealt with already if I didn't have my power stolen from me.
"I thought about what you said, dude, okay? About getting away from this place. I thought about it a lot and... maybe it's not the worst idea. You happen to have a plane, so what's the deal if you bring one passenger on board, really?"
Bella took my hand in hers and squeezed it hard, forcing me to look at her. As usual, I got lost as soon as I met her gaze. It had been over a month since the accident. During this time, she had only fed on animal blood. Her eyes were still red, but no longer crimson - more like a blood orange with several caramel stripes within its flesh.
Still, they had just the same effect on me as always. And right now, for whatever reason, these blood orange eyes wanted me to not voice the 'no' in my head.
"You need a passport for these kinds of things," I managed to say, looking back at Nell.
"Duh! I have one, I'm not dumb. And I even have some money stolen ages ago from a guy to pay for fuel. I'm more resourceful than you'd think."
I sighed once more.
"Keep your money, kid, we don't need it."
"I don't even have baggage. Please?"
Trying very hard not to rip the passenger door off its hinges out of frustration, I answered:
"Get in the car."
"Ah! I'll owe you one!"
She jumped up once, squealing like a small animal, and hurried into the car, closing the door behind her. I turned around to face my wife. Her lips had blossomed into a smile and I reached out to graze her face with my fingers.
"Tell me now, why are we doing this?"
"She seems really lonely, Edward. Can't you tell?"
"I can't read her thoughts."
"Not everything is solved by reading the thoughts of those around you."
"Oh, I know. You've taught me that lesson better than anyone ever could."
"Then prove you've learned something."
She rose up on her tiptoes to brush her soft mouth against mine before I could reply. I felt the urge to push her against the car and kiss her properly, but I reminded myself that we couldn't do that when we had spectators nearby - especially such young spectators - and I distanced myself from her before I got any further.
"Just wait till we're alone again," I whispered in her ear.
I heard a sound of disgust coming from the car and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes. The flight ahead of us was going to be a long one.
I stared at the screen longer than I should have.
'Keep her close by. I can see your future past the wolf flashes with her there.'
Alice's text had popped out of nowhere. As soon as we landed and I turned my phone back on, the message was there. I had barely had enough time to process it before Nell did the annoying thought-reading thing again:
"Your sister doesn't want me to leave, huh?"
"What did Alice say?" Bella demanded and I showed her the phone. "Oh!"
"Exactly."
The plan we had come up while up in the air was different. As soon as we were going to arrive at the Imelda R. Marcos Airport, Bella and I would remain in Mati, seek the most isolated beach and find a house to rent, while Nell woud head north, to Caraga, and do her own thing from that point on.
"I don't understand," the kid frowned.
"Neither do I," I admitted.
Yet I couldn't deny, deep down, that if Alice could suddenly see past the nothingness that came after the flashes of the werewolf, then... keeping Nell around might have not been the worst idea. But it felt too close to breaking one of the common-sense rules that Carlisle had urged us to follow: do not make friends along the way.
"We don't have to be friends. We just happen to have a common enemy," the girl said.
As we went through the passport control queues, I remained silent, focusing my attention on Bella. She was well-fed, I had made sure of that, but I still felt it was my absolute responsibility to keep her under control, had anything happened.
We managed to get out of the airport incident-free, but not before I stopped at an info-point desk to ask about the most secluded beaches that accepted extremely late check-ins. The woman behind the counter - a young and ever-smiling Filipina in her early twenties, from the looks of it - suggested the beaches close to Tabagakid. She even went the extra-mile and drew a small map. I saw Bella rolling her eyes near me, but I didn't understand why. Was I missing something?
We then headed to the nearest car rental shop and soon enough, we were out on the road, rushing north-west at 120 miles per hour, towards Mayo Bay. The streets were crowded, despite the late hour, and I kept Bella's hand in mine all throughout the drive, awaiting for the slightest sign that she might crack. Much to my relief, she did not.
The road became less populated as we passed the bridge over the Bitanagan River - and even more so when we passed the delta where Mayo River flowed freely into the Philippine Sea. In the back of my mind, I registered the beauty around us, albeit passingly: the air was drenched with the sweet tang that emanated from the coconut trees, while river tamarind shrubs were coating the ground in the most unexpected places. Orchids were in full bloom and I had managed to distinguish at least fifteen different endemic species.
The heat and the high humidity made Bella smell even more delicious. She had taken off the layers she had put on for show when we embarked on our plane in Belaya Gora. All that remained now were a tight cotton camisole and a pair of shapeless blue jeans. I had found myself staring at the way the material of her camisole clung to her skin more times than a gentleman should have. But there was something about the way the thin cotton molded so seamlessly on the infinite cream perfection of her chest, revealing the diaphanous outline of her breasts in a way that demanded worship, that I could not resist.
I had to force these thoughts to the back of my head when I remembered I was being heard. Concentrating on the world around me with Bella so exposed near me was difficult, but I tried my best.
"So," I began, in an attempt to distract myself. "We'll be renting a house for the time being, to have a place to stay during the day, if there are any humans nearby."
"I know."
"We can get you something close, if you'd like."
"Thank you, but I'd rather not. I like the forest just fine."
"You're aware that you could be seen in the forest, if you're not careful enough, right?"
"Please, I'm a pro at this. Some of us haven't lived in big fancy houses all their lives."
I decided to ignore her remark and blame it on her never having known the warmth of a home. Bella rolled her eyes and bit her lip, haf-hiding a smile.
When the cluster of houses of Tabagakid grew rarer, I stopped, parking the car under the cover of a palm tree. From that point on, it was clear that there was no other way to get to the secluded beaches the woman at the airport told us about without hiking - or, in our case, running.
Nell followed us, just to see where she could find us if needed - and to do the inevitable: discuss whatever battle plan we had if the werewolf could somehow track us this far away - and judging by everything that Carlisle had told me, it could. Luckily, we still had three days until the next full moon.
Right where the woods ended and a stretch of white sand began, a small cabin awaited. A sign written in Filipino read 'Available 24/7'. Although I could hear the snoring coming from inside, I knocked. Nell disappeared from our side before the man who was sleeping woke up, but I could hear her chuckling not far away.
The door opened and a man whose thoughts I could not read, thanks to Nell's proximity, showed up. His skin was tan and his body well-built for a human - a testament of his hours spent swimming in the sun, most probably.
He smiled a smile too wide upon seeing my wife. A small part of me understood the reaction: seeing the goddess-like creature that Bella was had to be overwhelming. I myself couldn't get used to her beauty, despite seeing her all day, every day. The bigger part of me felt the need to punch the smirk off the man's face.
His name was Guillermo and he spoke in broken English. I made it easier for him by switching to Filipino. It didn't take us long to strike a deal: he had many houses up for renting along the shore. The one that was most secluded was a few miles from there. He told me that for a small additional fee, he could rent us an ATV as well, to get there easier. We did not need the ATV, but it would have raised a few red flags if I admitted that out loud, so I accepted and paid up.
Half an hour later, we were parking the ATV in front of a sumptuous villa, in front of which Nell was already waiting.
"Took you long enough," she observed.
"Oh, shut up."
I took the bags in my hands and walked up to the porch, placing them there.
"Wow," Bella exclaimed, her eyes scouring the villa as she walked carefully on the sand.
"Do you like it?"
"It definitely reminds me of Isle Esme."
She looked at me and all of a sudden, her eyes filled up with warm invitations.
How I wanted to have this moment alone with her and respond to those invitations!
How I wanted to not have a parade of threats following us around!
And how I had to resign myself to the fact that I could not afford the luxury of just being happy with her, with nothing else to distract us.
"Uhm, so… the werewolf," Nell interrupted my mental anguish. "What do we do about it, if - or when - it shows up?"
"I hope you brought that lighter with you, because we might need it again," I said.
"Should we scare it away like the last time?" Bella asked.
I had thought about what was the best route to take when it came to taking down the beast countless times. I knew the logistics of how to kill it, of course, the question was whether I could do it on my own or not.
The encounter had taught me a few lessons about the beast's capabilities. First of all, it was strong, most likely just as strong as I was. Furthermore, it was fast - impossibly so. It had never outrun me, but it had always been inches away from doing so. Luckily, I had the advantage of being able to think clearly, whereas the werewolf did not, thanks to the curse of losing any glimmer of human conscience in its transformed state.
We could scare it away, of course. That was a viable option. But it would just come back, again and again, if it was anything like the werewolf that had followed Carlisle's friend, Abe. It was bad enough trying to remain under the radar to avoid the Volturi - having a Child of the Moon on our backs as well wouldn't have helped our situation.
The monster needed to die.
"You're willing to put your ass on the line with that thing just like that?" the girl's tone was tinged with what I could guess was genuine disbelief.
"I don't have much of a choice. Otherwise it will only come back. And I am definitely not going to rely on the Volturi's help with this - not given the circumstances."
"It makes sense, I guess… it's just that it seems pretty much unkillable."
"Nothing is unkillable."
"Edward," Bella looked up at me with a worried mien. "Nell's right though. You've never dealt with anything like this before. You only know the theoretical basis, right?"
"Yes, but I did kill other powerful beings before, as you might remember."
The faces of James and Victoria flashed through my mind. They were always angry and vengeful in my memories, forever frozen in the state they were in right before their deaths.
"What if we trap it?" Bella pondered out loud, chasing away the ghosts of the past.
"There's no use - it is too strong, just like our kind," I explained.
"Okay, then we'll need a distraction."
"There will be no need for your heroics this time, my love," my tone was smooth, but loaded with a fierce warning.
"I know, I was thinking more of those fireballs Nell threw at it the last time."
"It might just run away if I throw one too many of those."
"Then you can just throw a few, to catch its attention, while Edward and I take care of it," Bella suggested.
I laughed - a bitter laugh, metallic and lacking any trace of amusement.
"You will not take care of anything, Bella. I will."
"Then were all those trainings for nothing?" she counterattacked.
"Of course not. We've done those so that you can learn to protect yourself if it ever comes to that, not to launch a full-on attack."
"Only because you were so adamant about not doing the second part."
We frowned at each other until she gave up and looked away.
"So what?" Nell intervened. "I distract the stupid mutt just enough so that you can kill it? Is this it?"
"Yes. And if something doesn't work right, we'll chase it away using fire."
"I can work with that."
For a while, silence ruled over us. The only sounds remaining were those of the waves embracing the shore and of the cicadas singing eerie odes in the forest behind the villa. Bella had been right: this place was reminiscent of Isle Esme. The sand was just as white in the moonlight, the murmur of noises just as peaceful. My mind took me back to the night we had arrived there, right after our wedding.
I could almost taste the glee in the salty air when we got off the boat a little after midnight. Bella had been awake for over twenty hours by that point. The morning of our wedding, Alice had given her an enthusiastic wake-up call, before dragging her to our house in Forks to doll her up - as if she needed my sister's artifices. She made me wait miles and miles away, so that I could not catch any glimpse of my gorgeous bride in her thoughts.
The wedding had passed in a beautifully slow rhythm, leaving me time to cherish every moment and capture each second in my heart for the rest of eternity: seeing Bella for the first time in her exquisite 'Anne of Green Gables' inspired gown, saying our vows, hearing Bella say 'yes', kissing her when the pastor told me I may do so, dancing with her to Perry Como's 'Killing Me Softly With Her Song', the crowd around us disappearing as I held her in my arms and moved our bodies on the dance floor, eating cake for the sake of tradition, listening to the speeches our loved ones made, dancing with my sisters and my mother to celebrate a moment that we never thought would come, taking Bella's garter's off her thigh with my teeth, getting to hear Mike's mental rage when I threw the lacey garment right in his face.
After such a day, I had expected Bella to fall asleep at some point during our flights to Rio. But she didn't - she remained wide awake, constantly trying to guess where I was taking her. When we stepped off the boat, the sand was still exuding the heat collected during the day. Yet Bella's body felt ten times warmer as she stepped towards the house. The anticipation of our first night together was so palpable that I could almost distinguish its shape, like a third entity accompanying us. The only thing that stopped me from taking her clothes off right there and then and loving her on the scorching sand was Bella's request to give her a few human minutes for herself - a small price to pay for the rapture that followed.
The memory ended abruptly when Nell cleared her throat and said:
"So I guess I'll see you in a few days, right?"
"Yes."
As I began to search my pockets for the key to the house, Bella grabbed Nell's shoulder. The girl's reaction took both of us by surprise: she flinched visibly, almost as if the touch hurt. Bella retreated her hand immediately and started a long string of apologies.
"No, no, it's fine, I promise," Nell mumbled. "It's just… I hate being touched. It's just how I am. But it's no big deal. What is it that you wanted to say?"
Bella's emotions were all over the place and evident in her furrowed brows. She seemed to ponder whether to insist or go back to whatever she had wanted to say in the first place.
"I just… I had a favour to ask of you, actually. If it's not too much."
"That depends."
I felt clueless for the shortest second, before understanding.
"Your theory about me being a shield got me thinking," my wife said, ignoring me. "And I've had some discussions with one of my sisters. She suggested that if I really were a shield, there might be a chance for me to extend that power to those around me. She'd met someone that could do something similar long ago, back in the '30s."
"Oh… okay?"
"And I wanted to test this theory, to see if it holds up. But I needed someone else besides Edward to do this..."
"Oh!"
I noticed Bella becoming unusually fidgety as she spoke. She had become so composed ever since her change, that it almost took me by surprise. If her silent mind didn't betray her nervousness, her small gestures surely did.
"I just need an hour or so of your time, Nellie. Just to try it. Please?"
The girl sighed deeply.
"And what is it that I'm supposed to do?"
"I think staying close by to see if I can extend this defense mechanism to Edward, so that you can no longer steal his gift, would be enough."
It was my turn to sigh now. Carlisle's words came back to me instantly: do not make friends. We were surely balancing on the very edge of some uncrossable line with this.
"Well..." Nell murmured, surprisingly ignoring my thoughts. "I guess I don't have anything better to do right now anyway, so I don't see why not."
Bella smiled and it was hard not to return her smile - albeit halfheartedly - when she glanced up at me.
"Come on, let's go inside to unpack first," I said, grabbing her by the waist and leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
I caught another glimpse of the perfect slope of her breasts when I looked down at her. I wished she would have had another layer covering her. My hands closed into fists as I tried to banish the sensual image to the back of my mind, before it lured me too deep into the realm of fantasies.
I unlocked the wide front door and opened it, allowing Bella, then Nell, to walk inside, and following right after them. We were welcomed by a canopy of indoor plants: yuccas and dragon trees and orchids, intertwining with one another and forming a green baldaquin. Beyond it, I could see an ample common space, consisting of a living room and a kitchen that were separated by wide glass doors. However, that was not what truly caught my attention - but rather the grand piano on the side, with a shiny black case bracing its internal construction. It had been so long since I had played the piano, that I hadn't even realized how much I actually missed it.
Looking around further, I could already imagine Esme being pleased with the neoclassical design elements that dominated the interior. Traditional elegance was the defining feature of the furniture pieces, while contemporary sophistication seemed to rule over the placing of every detail: from the geometrical flower vases to the ebony shelves on the walls. In the very back of the ground floor, another two transparent glass doors led to a bathroom. The tub inside was placed right by a wall made entirely out of windows, facing the woods behind the house directly. A few feet away from the bathroom, a spiral staircase led to the other floor - and I could smell a faint perfume of detergent and fabric softener coming from upstairs.
"Holy shit, this looks expensive as fuck!" Nell exclaimed.
"Watch your mouth, kid," I suggested politely.
"Thanks, but no thanks - you don't get to tell me what to do."
"This is beautiful," Bella interrupted our argument.
I smiled and let our luggage down.
"Why don't you get started with your little experiment, love? I'll be right back with you as soon as I put these clothes into the washing machine. After all, we don't know when we will have access to one again."
"Okay, but hurry, please! I might need you in close proximity for it to work - that is... if it works."
I leaned down to kiss her. Her lips yielded to mine and opened out of habit, allowing her flavour to roll on my tongue. I made the mistake of getting deeper with my kiss and that was all it took: a flash-memory of her riding me plummeted through my thoughts before I could do anything about it.
No, no, no! Not while I could be heard.
I pulled away instantly, the craving for more burning in the pit of my stomach. I could tell the same fire burned inside Bella as well, judging by her suddenly-dilated pupils. I grabbed the luggage from the floor and stalked out of there, almost flying over the stairs, until I found the laundry room upstairs. It was imbued with the chemical scents of cleaning products.
One by one, I took all of our clothes out and put them into the washing machine. I dosed the detergent and the fabric softener, chose the spin cycle and pressed the 'go' button. The machine began to rumble and I remained unmoved for several moments, watching it rotate. The laughter coming from downstairs woke me up and I went back immediately.
The long sofa was occupied. Bella and Nell were facing each other - Bella with her eyes closed and her index fingers pressed to her temples, the slightest smile curling her lips, and Nell playing mindlessly with her hair, smiling just the same. I didn't want to disrupt whatever it was that my wife was trying to do at that moment, so I sat down beside her without making a sound.
"You look like a Jedi or something," Nell commented after a few minutes.
"This doesn't help," Bella complained.
"Have you even seen any 'Star Wars'?" I asked.
"No, 'cause they're for dorks. I'd rather watch 'The Silence of the Lambs' on repeat than suffer through one of those."
I laughed. Emmett would've had some strong opinions on this. I, on the other hand, liked 'The Silence of the Lambs' just fine.
"That is a good choice," I admitted.
"Guys!" Bella complained, opening her eyes. "I'm losing my focus here."
"I apologize," I said and took her hand in mine for a quick kiss. "I'll let you focus. Did you feel anything in particular?"
"I'm not sure if I did or if it was just my imagination. But when I close my eyes and concentrate hard enough, it is like I can feel points of warmth where each one of you is staying."
"Do it again then," I encouraged her. "See if you can feel that once more."
And she did. I waited in silence, all of my attention focused on hearing Nell's thoughts. But her mind remained closed, not a hint of an opening. Bella's body began to tense up when an hour passed without results.
"It is absolutely fine, it doesn't have to work instantly," I tried to uplift her spirits.
"Or it does and I'm just playing pretend like an idiot."
"You are anything but an idiot, my love."
She let loose a disappointed sigh.
"I don't know, maybe it's not supposed to extend."
"You said you felt points of warmth, right?"
"I did."
"Maybe concentrate more on those and less on extending your mental protection per se. See what happens."
"Hmmm."
"And relax a bit, it is not a race."
She tried once again. And when it didn't work, again. And again. This went on for a while. Caught between encouraging Bella to go on and trying to sense any weaknesses in Nell's mental barrier, I barely noticed another hour had passed - until Nell pointed it out.
"I'm sorry I kept you so long here," Bella murmured, when she realized how much time had passed. "You can go whenever, I promise."
"It's fine. It was getting boring, but I can stay longer. If you could give me a book or something, it would be amazing."
"Any preferences?" I asked.
"Anything that is not 'Catcher in the Rye' goes."
I rolled my eyes at the young-like pretentiousness. Nevertheless, I went to look through the books I had brought from Forks. I felt inclined to grab the first title and go, yet I found myself stupidly wondering: what would a sassy teenager enjoy? I skipped past the obvious 'Lord of the Flies' and 'A Wrinkle in Time' and found my answer when the spine of one of Bella's favourites, 'Little Women', peeked at me.
I returned to the living room with the book in my hand, noticing that none of them had moved an inch. Nell raised her eyebrows when I handed the book to her.
"A respectable choice," she said. "Thank you."
"Of course, you're welcome."
And with that, the experimenting resumed. Bella's tries stretched all the way into the morning, until the seagulls woke up and began cawing outside. By the time the sun was up in the sky, there had been an improvement - big enough to bring a transparent ray of hope, yet somehow small enough to make Bella feel unworthy. When she concentrated intensely, I could hear a low buzz emanating from Nell. The static sound was clear in my mind, but it never turned into more - as if I was close to the area where I could catch a radio wave, but not close enough to hear it properly.
"I guess that's it for today," Bella concluded.
"You've done amazing so far, love."
"I've felt your thoughts getting foggy a few times," Nell added, her eyes fixated on me.
This was good - especially since none of us particularly had any idea about how shielding was supposed to work.
"Thank you for helping with this, Nell," Bella muttered.
"Yeah, yeah, we're cool."
Nell raised up from the sofa, leaving Bella's copy of 'Little Women' behind, since she had finished it.
"Nellie, is it too much to ask you to do this again tonight?"
The girl hesitated.
"Hm, I guess I could come again."
Bella's eyes lightened up in an instant. It was clear that this meant so much for her. I could understand why: she had felt like a freak for so long due to her unreadable thoughts, that having some sort of an explanation for it must have brought a level of content to the table.
"I'll have to find some way to repay you."
"Well, you did bring me here, so I'd say this evens it out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going hunting in the woods, to power up a little."
"Be careful - there might not be many people around these places, but it is daytime and it is better to be safe than sorry," I advised her and, in return, she rolled her eyes at me.
"Live a little, old man!"
She left before I finished my comeback - but I knew she had heard it.
As soon as we were alone, Bella removed the distance between us and crawled into my lap, her thighs pressing against each side of my waist.
"God, if this is what it's like to have kids, I am most certainly happy that we can't have any," I mumbled.
My wife laughed.
"I think it can be worse. You're forgetting about the diaper-changing phase that parents go through, Edward. Or the one in which they're so preoccupied with the baby, that they barely get to have sex."
"Well, that would have never been an issue for us. I wouldn't have let one day pass without loving every inch of you."
She laughed again.
"No, but really, I like Nell. She seems like a good kid. And she helped me today so much just by agreeing to stay here."
"She is… all right," I agreed. "But she'd probably be more agreeable if she didn't have her annoying stealing gift."
"It doesn't affect me," her smile was smug.
I grabbed her waist tightly and pulled her body closer to mine. She was doing that camisole a huge favour just by wearing it.
"Then please, my love, keep her out of my head," I murmured.
"I'm trying, believe me."
"I know. And you have no idea how amazing you are."
Her bottom lip quivered, turning her smile into a pout.
"I don't know about 'amazing'. I feel oddly drained right now, mentally speaking."
I traced her lovely pout with my finger.
"You've strained yourself a lot last night, Bella."
"And I plan on repeating that."
No surprise there.
"I know, but now you need to relax a little. Why don't you close your eyes?"
Her eyebrows danced up at my suggestion, but she didn't question it. She let her eyelids fall over her irises.
Carefully - almost as delicately as if she were human - I traced the rest of her face with my fingers. I caressed her flimsy lids, her adorable nose, her alabaster cheeks, her narrow chin, feeling the rest of her body loosening up as I went on. Her lips opened when I arrived at them again, but I didn't push it. Instead, I trailed off to her neck.
"Edward..."
"Yes, beautiful?"
Her breath came out rushed.
"Is it wrong that this turns me on like mad?"
I laughed, clamping my hand around her neck.
"Everything turns you on," I teased her.
A bold thing of me to say, since I wasn't any better at controlling my desire than she was. Only I - and disturbingly, Nell - knew how many times I had had to push back the thoughts of tearing Bella's camisole open in the past twenty-four hours.
"I can't help it," she uttered, opening her eyes. "Your very presence is driving me crazy."
A growl of lust grew in my chest and, grabbing her neck tighter with my hand, I pulled her face down for a kiss. Our mouths opened and this time, I had no reason to keep it light. I attacked her tongue with mine and her moan echoed in the back of my throat. My free hand found her ass and squeezed hard.
Bella grabbed my shirt and one second later, it was no longer there. I couldn't care less about her ripping it to bits. At that moment, it was impossible to find the strength to undress each other patiently. The remains of our clothes fell to the ground between two blinks. Next thing I knew, Bella was lowering herself down my shaft.
I groaned like a man possessed upon feeling her hot interior gripping me tightly - the all too powerful feeling of homecoming hit me. She began to move slowly, maddeningly so. I grabbed her breasts in my hands, feeling the electrical current in my body demanding more friction.
"Faster," I commanded.
"Make me," she managed, out of breath.
My mouth fell open at her delightful audacity. My hips pushed upward, trying to drive her to pick her pace up. She saw my eagerness and started rocking back and forth, slower even. As insane as she made me feel with her sensual movements, I surrendered to her wishes.
"Oh, you want slow, sweetheart?" I whispered. "We'll do slow."
The perfect mounds of her chest danced right in front of me, demanding attention, so I reached out and took one perfect nipple in my mouth, forming a vacuum around it. Bella cried out and locked her fingers in my hair.
"Yes, Edward, I could come just from that..."
I sucked harder, pleased. I broke away for a moment, to look up at her and ask:
"Care to test that theory out?"
She seemed puzzled.
"What theory?"
I laughed softly, convinced that she was messing with me. When her confusion didn't disappear from her face, I responded:
"About you coming just by having me suck on your nipples?"
She then stopped her movement altogether, but didn't break our connection.
"But I didn't say anything," Bella muttered. "I thought about it, but..."
It wouldn't have been the first time one of us had guessed exactly what the other wanted. It had happened in the past for so many times - even before we got to spend our first night together, when we were still 'training' for our honeymoon in her room. By that point, there were no secrets as to what each one of us liked and needed from the other.
Still, none of this mattered, because I had heard her say the words. As clear as a bell. And I was sure as hell it was physically impossible for me to hallucinate.
Then, while I was looking in her eyes, searching for a reasonable explanation, it hit me.
"Bella," I said, trying to remain collected - as if such a thing was possible, when one of the most monumental moments in my life had just happened. "I think I just heard your thoughts."
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