We didn't have to put a name to it. This would have created expectations that neither of us wanted to deal with. The discussion in the woods had brought me and Nellie closer, now that I had found out the one thing she had never wanted to tell to anyone, despite her always taking pride in being an open book. Things were more or less the same with her: but there was a new tranquility in our interactions, a calm familiarity that had not been there before. And I would have lied if I said it didn't feel good.
Her secret had not remained a secret for long. In fact, as soon as we got back from the woods, I realized that Alice had already seen what had happened. She had been graceful enough to not spill a secret that wasn't hers to spill. But when Bella asked what had made us disappear like that, Nellie sighed, threw me a knowing look and, much to my surprise, shared her truth with my wife and my siblings. She didn't go into great detail, keeping the story short and mostly free of the highly painful specifics - but now that I could hear her mind once again, the details hit me like a tsunami as she spoke. I knew I would never forget them, even if I tried.
Her confession ended with a shower of hugs - with her permission, of course. I was relieved to feel the tension of Nellie's thoughts give way to an indescribable serendipity as she let the pairs of arms surround her with love. These were all arms that would never abuse her or hurt her, and she knew that. It seemed that for the first time in forever, she was starting to understand what the concept of 'home' truly meant.
Five days before heading to Paris, we put into motion a plan that we hoped could throw Demetri's power off even more - we had to, since our little group would have to be separated for a while. As Bella, Nellie, Carlisle and me would be underground fighting the werewolf, Alice and Jasper would be somewhere up above, far enough away from the battlefield. In order for that to happen, we started traveling in a zigzag motion, only stopping in airports to fuel up the airplane. We went from Castlebar to Halifax, from Halifax to Porto, from Porto to San Juan, from San Juan to Faranah, from Faranah to Santos, from Santos to Cape Town, from Cape Town to Saint Pierre - and finally, from Saint Pierre straight to the Wilkins Aerodrome in Antarctica. The flight to Antarctica didn't come cheaply: I needed special approval to land there, due to the icy conditions. Since I did not have such a thing, Alice and I bribed our way to receive it - I used my money, while Alice used her indisputable charm.
For the entire duration of this zigzag trip, Bella kept her shield down. We actually wanted to be seen this time around, to have Demetri pick up our trace and follow it. If we could falsely lead him to Antarctica like that, before hiding our trace with Bella's shield again as soon as we left the Arctic lands, we could have approximately two days for ourselves without major interruptions - and this was exactly what we needed, considering the fast-approaching night of the werewolf. With the Volturi being far enough away and not traveling by plane, like we did, Bella could even afford the luxury of going shield-free - not that it mattered now, since it had grown to become almost second nature to her. In the worst case scenario, the Volturi would arrive in Paris on their own on the afternoon of October, 13. But if everything went right, we would be already gone from the city by the morning of that day.
We arrived in Paris on the evening of October, 11. Alice's visions gave us hope as we exited the airport to make our way to a car rental shop. Demetri had been pleased with the fact that, for whatever reason, he had been able to track us with no problems for the past few days, unaware of our plan - and still very much oblivious to Bella's power. But now that we were back to having our guard up, he was once again exasperated. Their group was now stuck somewhere in Antarctica, right where we had meant for them to lose our trace, debating where to head to next. Aro was tired of moving around blindly; he wanted certainty, but Demetri could no longer serve them that. And all of them were starving after running for so many days without a break.
As we were checking into a hotel of Alice's choosing, so that we could leave our baggage somewhere, Jasper's mind started to fill up with thoughts that gave away his thirst. He had not hunted in almost two weeks - and with Jazz, that was always risky. Alice did not have the same obsession to keep him over-sated as I had with Bella. Mainly because she trusted his control, but also because no blunder of Jasper had ever put us on the run for months.
My brother tried to keep his poise, but he could not fool me. The fantasies his thirst ignited were getting more powerful with each minute; I knew what I had to do. Alice and I had a special code for situations like these: I would cough once and she would understand the sign. The cough always went unnoticed by the rest of our family - it was just another small thing that helped us keep up the human charade, after all. But Alice knew it was more than that.
When she heard me this time, her mind instantly erased all her other worries, to make room for one loud thought:
"Is it bad?"
I let my gaze wander up and down a few times, to signal a 'yes', as we were waiting for the elevator.
"Do you think he can wait until tomorrow night?"
Jasper was slowly analyzing the veins on the throat of the receptionist, who was thirty feet away from us. That was enough to help me give Alice an accurate answer. I looked left, and then right, mimicking a silent, but definite 'no'.
As soon as she understood the urgency behind Jasper's thirst, she urged us to take the stairs. The staircase was mostly unused by humans, most of them preferring the convenience of the elevator. We still kept a human pace for the sake of the security cameras, which only made our trip to the tenth floor agonizingly long. As we climbed up the stairs, Alice was going through several possible scenarios for the near future. Much to her relief, she could see the Volturi going to hunt in the following hours as well, so that gave us an added benefit, beyond the distance.
"It should be safe," she was pondering while we entered the penthouse we had rented.
We stepped into a walnut-panelled foyer, which paved the way to a wide living room with floor-to-ceiling windows. An intricate chandelier hovered over the living room, its light sending a psychedelic array of colours on the dark walls.
"Shit," Nellie whispered, following close behind us. "Isn't this too much for only one night?"
"It's Paris, girl," Alice smiled. "Nothing is too much."
But beyond the smile, she was calculating which was the quickest way to get to the Rambouillet Forest. She gently pulled Jasper to the side, guiding him towards the glass windows, to tell him about the plans for their hunt. Nellie started roaming around the living room, until something caught her attention: a grand wall that served as a built-in library.
Out of habit, I took Bella's hand in mine and followed the scent of clean sheets in the air, until we arrived into what I could only guess was the master bedroom. This room had an entire wing dedicated to it, with its own bathroom and kitchenette. Inside the bedroom, a canopy bed that seemed to have been specifically made for giants reigned on the Eastern wall. Somehow, it didn't distract my attention enough to not observe the vanity dresser on the other side of the room - or the large mirrors facing this most extravagant bed. The windows in this room kept the theme of floor-to-ceiling casements of the penthouse, but they were covered with thick champagne-coloured curtains.
"I'm with Nellie on this," my wife murmured. "This really wasn't needed just for one night."
"As if logic could stop Alice from being reasonable in Paris," I responded, only half-joking.
I let the baggage I had been carrying with my free hand fall to the floor, so I could turn around to wrap my arms around Bella.
"Bringing you to Paris was on my to-do list, but not quite under these circumstances," I told her.
She nodded understandingly.
"I've been here a few times before, in fact," I added. "But I could never understand its charm."
"Well, from what I'm hearing, Alice and Jasper have their own plans for tonight."
"Yes, so?"
"So what's stopping us from discovering if it's worth the praise or not, since we have this night off?"
Her voice sounded hopeful. When I glanced down at her, I could not help but revel in the beauty of her eyes. For the first time since her transformation, they had a shade that was closer to mine than to the colour of blood. The molten burned caramel of her irises - still riddled with small ribbons of red - somehow made her snowy skin look even more appetizing than usual.
All of a sudden, an unwelcome fear creeped in my bones - fear that I might not have much time to get lost in these eyes, if something went wrong tomorrow.
"I hunted two days ago," Bella chipped in my musings, frowning at me. "You know I'm good."
"I know, sweetheart."
"Then what was that look?"
"Nothing worth losing sleep over," I replied with a playful wink, not quite seeing the point of bothering her with even more reasons to worry than we already had. "I'll go see if Nellie has other plans for tonight or if she wants to join us for this tour."
"All right," she sighed, accepting my lackluster excuse. "I'll go shower and find something decent to wear, since we've been up in the air for far too long these days and these clothes show it."
"Nothing could ever look decent on you," my voice came in a purr as I took in her appearance. As crumpled as her clothes looked after five days of flying almost non-stop, she still looked ravishing - after all, her perfect form diverted my attention greatly from the unruly wrinkles of her shirt or the wear and tear of her jeans. But then again, she could wear a hazmat suit and I would still boil with desire, especially after five days without being inside her.
Bella turned around and I smacked her ass before she got the chance to walk away from me, the gesture making her gasp with delight. As I was making my way back to the living room, I saw Alice rushing to the master bedroom. Her thoughts didn't reveal much, only the fact that she wanted to make sure Bella would be dressed appropriately for this walk through the city we had planned.
Back in the living room, Jasper was already busy telling Nellie about the last time our family had been here - which so happened to be in the '90s, when Rosalie and Emmett had decided to have yet another wedding, this time in the predictable city of love. As perfect as their wedding had turned out to be, that memory was laced with too many uncomfortable flashes of Tanya doing her best to convince me to leave the party and check in to a hotel with her; and her 'best' usually involved actions that could only be classified as sexual harassment.
"This one here kept trying to find excuses to leave early," Jazz smirked, pointing his gaze at me. "A family friend was all over him."
"Ugh, that's actually gross, so I get that," Nellie said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Thank you, kid - a reasonable reaction for this story, at long last."
"You know it. And yes, I do want to see the city. I heard you and Bella talking."
I smiled and joined in their conversation, waiting for Alice to finish her makeover. I could hear fumbling coming from the other room and sounds of protest. When Bella said "Why would I need that just for walking through the city?", my sister suddenly started to translate "Ode to the West Wind" from English to Mandarin in her head. Ten minutes later, Alice emerged from the master bedroom wing, holding Bella's hand in hers as if she were her partner at some debutante ball.
When I saw Bella, I had to make an effort to not stare at her with my mouth open, as my first instinct screamed at me to.
Alice had dressed her in a garnet button up gown with a dense Fleur-de-Lis pattern, that made for a mesmerizing contrast with the creamy pallor of her skin. The dress embraced Bella's waist and arms tightly, before flaring up over her hips, thighs and knees, revealing only her calves, that were now covered in sheer black stockings. Further down, Bella's feet disappeared in a pair of black stilettos, the sight taking me right back to the last night I had seen her wearing high heels: the night when I tied her up in chains in the ebony cabin and fucked her senselessly.
Goddamnit. As if I didn't already have plenty of reasons to be hard when she was wearing her regular clothes.
"Thoughts on my masterpiece?" Alice smiled.
Making an effort to no longer stare at Bella's alluring shape, I could now also see that my sister had styled her hair in a low messy ponytail, wisps of hair coming out of it in a way that looked effortlessly dashing.
"Absolutely marvellous," I said, my eyes unable to move away.
"Thanks, now if you'll stop with the staring, I've prepared something for you too," Alice said. "Come with me."
"Alice, I do know how to pick my own clothes," I replied calmly.
"Except I do it so much better, so suck it up."
Before I knew it, she was dragging me to the bedroom, for her second makeover of the day.
Paris at night was a captivating creature. The city had its own pulse, even if it should have been long asleep at the hour we had ventured out to discover it. Architectural elements of various eras were adorning its streets. One moment we were passing by a Gothic Cathedral and the next we were standing near some Art Nouveau café. People from all over the world were taking midnight strolls, just like we were: lovers holding hands, girls heading to their bachelorette parties, guys looking for some cheap pleasure on the streets, exchange students marvelling at everything that Paris had to offer.
I started to not feel so self-conscious about the long dark trench coat that Alice had chosen for me when I realized that it seemed to fit right in with the ageless charm of the city. Besides, it seemed to match perfectly with the cappuccino-coloured coat Bella was wearing. Even Nellie had been a victim of Alice's makeovers, an elegant jacket and a navy blue dress taking the place of her usual casual attire. My sister had gone the extra mile and even curled Nellie's hair, pinning her unruly bangs back with a sophisticated clip. Throughout all this, the kid complained, rolling her eyes every chance she got - but deep down, she didn't despise this pampering ritual all that much. In fact, at some point she even wondered if she would get to do this again.
Seeing that it was way past midnight, the classic tourist hotspots were mostly closed. But that didn't stop us from admiring them from afar, taking them in one by one: the symmetrical beauty of Place Dauphine, the clear glass facets of the Louvre, the graceful Eiffel Tower, the water fountains in the Trocadéro Gardens. We even got to pass by the Saint-Germain-des-Prés church, the Romanesque-style church where Rose and Em had said their vows over ten years ago. I could feel a new appreciation for the city of love, now that I had Bella's hand in mine and Nellie making priceless comments on the side about how everything seemed to be a little overrated.
I found myself getting frustrated with the fact that we could not stay here longer, to enjoy everything properly.
Two hours into our tour, we managed to sneak in for a ride in the Big Wheel on Place de la Concorde, surprised - but thankful - that it was still running despite the late hour. The canopy of Parisian lights looked much better and calmer from above. The air was quiet and crisp up there, easily painting the illusion that for a while, everything could be exactly right in the world. None of us said much in the ferris wheel, simply enjoying the faultless moment and not letting it go.
Back down on the ground, we found a souvenir booth - it seemed that these booths were never sleeping, in fear of losing any potential clients. They had everything: silly mugs, perfumed oil blends, jade eggs, singing dolls, snow globes with the Eiffel Tower, music boxes, fridge magnets, soaps and all sorts of jewelry pieces. The vendor - a woman in her forties, who was wondering if her kid had managed to go to sleep knowing that she was working a night shift - made no effort to acknowledge our presence when we started gazing down at the wide array of souvenirs on the counter.
"I seriously don't know how people buy these," Nellie winced. "They're so tacky."
"They don't necessarily buy them for aesthetic reasons," I explained. "Mostly to have palpable proof of their memories."
"Huh. Okay. So a memory you can touch. Sort of."
As Nellie was studying the abundance of Paris-themed things in front of us, I glanced to my right, to get a glimpse of Bella's reaction.
"Seen anything you like?" I asked her.
She immediately nodded 'no'.
"Nothing to take home to remind you of this night?" I insisted.
"No need to, I'll keep everything right here," Bella replied, pointing to her temple.
"Okay, here's how we'll do this: close your eyes."
She raised one eyebrow incredulously, but closed her eyes nonetheless.
"Good. Now stretch out your hand."
"I feel a little ridiculous," she admitted.
"You're not. Just do as I said, please."
She stretched her arm in front of her, sighing as she did.
"Now, the first thing you'll touch will be the one we'll bring home when this is all over."
Bella huffed, obviously not in the mood for this little game, and grabbed the object that was closest to her fingers - a checkered chiffon scarf. When she opened her eyes, she didn't seem too impressed.
"Great, because one item of clothing was exactly what I needed," she grimaced.
"You're like a grumpy old woman when it comes to gifts, my love - even when they're small."
She shrugged, not quite contradicting me there.
"What the actual fuck, this might be the most ridiculous one yet," Nellie's thoughts caught my attention, and I turned to see what that was about.
"Care to show me?"
She pointed towards a bracelet in a pile of many others. This one in particular seemed to have every colour on the spectrum woven into its design. It was made of small plastic beads and a dozen pendants were attached to it: a small Eiffel Tower, a miniature Louvre, a tiny Arc de Triomphe and several typographies featuring predictable sayings, such as "J'aime Paris" and "France, mon amour".
I couldn't help but smile, as I was watching Nell stepping away from the booth, nodding her head in disbelief. I grabbed the scarf Bella was holding and the ridiculous bracelet and paid for both of them. I was ready to leave, when something caught my eye. A pile of artificially discoloured maps was crammed into a corner, almost falling over the edge. Upon closer inspection, these maps promised to hold the answers to the great unknown of the Parisian catacombs. I felt a little ridiculous when I grabbed my wallet once again to pay for a map like this, but we could use any little thing to help us tomorrow.
A little while later, we were standing somewhere in the middle of the Pont Alexandre III, looking over the undisturbed Seine. An almost full moon shone above, reminding us of how temporary this serenity was. My arms were closed tightly around Bella, who had climbed on the parapet of the bridge, with her back against the river.
"Well, this has been fun," Nellie said. "But I think I'm gonna go find a park, I'm a little thirsty."
"So... animals tonight?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, I like some diversity."
She seemed ready to say 'goodbye', but I stopped her just in time.
"Before you go," I started, detangling from the embrace I had been sharing with Bella, reaching in the pocket of my coat and taking the plastic bracelet out. "Take this. It's for you."
She seemed confused for a moment, before realizing what I had just handled her.
"You did not…"
"A memory you can touch," I smiled, reprising her previous thoughts.
For a few moments, she studied the small object in her hands, silently marveling at its tacky design. I wondered if I would ever get the chance to buy her other small gifts.
"It is absolutely awful, thank you," she grinned.
"My pleasure, kid."
"Take care out there," Bella murmured, as Nellie was waving us 'goodbye', walking away at a human pace.
We found ourselves back in each other's arms soon, as we watched the kid disappear into the night. The bridge was almost empty, save for another couple who was crossing it and a homeless man who had been drunkenly ogling Bella ever since we had arrived.
"You know, despite everything, I am happy right now," she murmured.
"Surprisingly enough, I am too."
Bella smiled, her fingers playing mindlessly in my hair, and I buried my face in the crook of her neck.
"So did you change your mind?" she asked after a while.
"About what?"
"About the charm of this city. You weren't too convinced back at the hotel."
"Silly Bella," I chuckled. "I would find an empty desert interesting if I got to roam its dunes with you."
I felt one of her hands descending from my hair to my back, pressing me a little tighter against her - as tight as the setting allowed us, since she was still up on the parapet.
"So that's a 'yes'?"
"It's a 'definitely'."
She laughed, the sound making her chest vibrate pleasantly against my body. I followed suit, only to hear her gasp when my breath met the skin of her neck.
"Everything all right?" I checked.
"Yes… I'm… just a little sensitive."
"Sensitive how?"
"Well, let's just say I'm easily-aroused after five days without sex."
"Mmmmm, are you?"
My voice was obviously laced with delight. I had been aching a lot in this department as well - and I knew she knew it, if only for the fact that it had become impossible to embrace her without getting impossibly hard by the end of the first day.
Just to see how she would react, I let my tongue graze over the side of her throat, in one long, slowed down movement. In response, her breath caught up and the hand she had kept in my hair tightened into a fist, tugging at my tousled locks. The gesture had me groan in return, and in the spur of the moment my teeth pressed down on her neck. Hard.
"God, Edward!"
She pulled me away from her, glancing down at me with starving eyes. I could tell that a part of her felt scandalized by what I had just done.
"I think we'd better get back to the hotel for this," she told me under her breath.
"I agree. But I'd like to see if you're ready for that first."
"Ready? What do you m-"
She stopped when she felt my hand insinuating on her thigh, close to where the buttons of her dress were placed. I began undoing them, one by one, not rushing, taking in her reactions: her heaving, her suddenly heavy eyelids, her parted lips. I shifted my position, so that my actions would be concealed by my own coat - there were no more bystanders now, but I cared about her modesty nonetheless.
Without too many words, I let my hand slide through the small space made by the three buttons I had undone. My fingers met her skin, right where her stockings ended and where the straps of a garter belt began.
God, thank you, Alice!
I could not take a peek without exposing her, so I kept my curiosity to myself for the moment. My hand wandered further up, along the silky straps, until they reached the waistband of her underwear. I recognized the distinctive feel of lace immediately - so delicate against her exquisite skin - and started tracing the contour of her underwear, down to the apex of her thigh.
"Okay, we need to leave right now," she breathed, her tone demanding. "This is torture."
"We leave when I say we leave, my love."
The firmness in my tone reduced her to being a panting mess once again. She opened her legs, responding to a request I hadn't even voiced out loud. I welcomed her gesture the way I knew she wanted me to: sliding my hand between her legs, discovering her soaked underwear. Rubbing the deliciously wet spot, I felt my erection throbbing in my pants - it was longing to take the place of my fingers.
Bella moaned loudly, no longer caring about where we were. She was hanging on to me with every limb, pleading softly for me to take her. As tempting as her proposal was, my own plans involved more of a delayed gratification approach tonight. Realizing that I could finally take my time loving her - after days of necessary abstinence and weeks of hurried sex - had made me eager to do things properly at long last. She deserved the full-course, not just a rushed dessert.
"Here's what we're going to do, Bella," I began, looking up at her. "We leave this place. We head straight back to the hotel. The moment we enter the apartment, I expect you to be out of this pretty dress of yours. Understood?"
"Completely," her voice was weakened by her needs. "Let's go."
"I might have not been as clear as I should have. Tonight, you don't call the shots, love. I do."
I pushed my fingers under the flimsy lace, to meet her scorching center. This time, we moaned together when I grazed over her clitoris, flicking it lightly. She was more than ready for this. Aching just as much as her, I rammed two fingers inside her body, while my thumb kept moving on her sensitive bundle of nerves in small circles. Her arousal came out of her in a hot cascade, coating my fingers to my knuckles.
At this point, I knew she would not need much to come undone, so I removed my hand from between her legs just as she was starting to quiver, ripping her underwear in the process. I stuffed the lacy remains in the pocket of my coat.
"That stays with me," I explained. "Now help me clean this up."
Bella looked at me, frustration and desire altering her mien. Her eyes darted to see my fingers, now glazed in her excitement, waiting patiently in front of her lips. She leaned down obediently to take them in her mouth, not once breaking eye contact with me. I grew harder still at this beautifully obscene sight, wishing to transport myself to a place where we could be alone for the rest of eternity.
"Good job," I offered, pulling my fingers from her mouth and buttoning her dress back up, careful to keep her covered as I was doing that. "Now let's go. As much as I'd love to fuck you here, on this parapet, I don't have all the supplies on hand. Hm, maybe just one."
"Supplies?"
I ignored her question on purpose, helping her back down on the pavement and kissing her shortly on the forehead, before taking her hand in mine and walking away. We kept an all-too-slow rhythm for the sake of the humans we were passing by. Bella tried to pick up the pace a few times and I had to remind her to keep her enthusiasm in check. At some point during our trip back, something triggered her shield to fall down again, to my extreme delight. Having access to her mind in the extreme state of arousal she was in made for a pleasurable experience - and I figured I could use that to our benefit soon.
Twenty torturous minutes later, we were back at the hotel, dashing past the reception and straight to the elevator. It took all my strength to not rip her clothes off, force a technical difficulty upon the elevator and have my way with her right there. The only thing tempering my desperation was the thought of all the unused climbing ropes in my baggage.
Having remembered my previous request, Bella had already taken her coat off. When we exited the elevator, she started unbuttoning her dress. As soon as we were back inside the apartment, all bets were off. She let her dress and coat fall to the floor, revealing her impeccable lingerie-clad figure. A transparent black bralette covered her breasts, allowing her engorged nipples to poke sensually through the lace. The bralette extended past her breasts, embracing her ribcage with thin black strips, while a matching garter belt graced her hips, holding her stockings up.
And thanks to the decision I had made on the bridge, no underwear was there to catch her wetness - which was exactly why her thighs were now glistening and the rim of her stockings stained.
"God, Bella, you're out-of-this-world gorgeous…"
Without another word, I pushed her against the wall, hearing it crack, and attacked her mouth with mine.
"We're here now. Please, please, I need you so much…"
Our hands were all over each other: as I was squeezing her ass in my palms, she was busy tearing my coat and my shirt to pieces. When she got to my pants, I grabbed her wrists and stopped her.
"Easy," I warned softly, over her lips. "We can only ruin so many clothes in one night."
"I really, honestly don't care. Just let me feel how hard you are."
I disengaged from our kiss, to get a good look at her.
"You will soon, I promise. Now, I would like you to go to the bedroom, Bella. Kneel down on the floor and wait for me there. Keep your shoes on."
Her eyes widened upon hearing my instructions, while her mind started running in a million directions. She started to understand where this was going - and she was enjoying every bit of it. She parted from me with difficulty, turning away to head to the bedroom. I watched the tantalizing movement of her buttocks and I couldn't help myself from grabbing my erection and squeezing it tightly through my jeans, to get a crumb of relief - it didn't work, my own action making me crave more immediately.
I took off my own shoes in a hurry, using my free hand to take my phone out of my pocket and text Alice, asking her to not come back at least until morning, unless something important comes up - and to find a reasonable way to get the message across to Nellie as well.
With that worry out of the way, I grabbed the checkered scarf I had just bought for Bella and followed the sweet trail of lavender through the halls and to the bedroom. And there she was: on her knees, near the bed, waiting patiently.
"God, you look amazing. Please, do absolutely anything you want with me."
I smiled, happy that her mind let out way more than she normally would. There was no censoring of her desire when I had a front row seat to her brain.
I stepped in front of her, holding the scarf in one hand.
"So, I take it you like what you're looking at, beautiful?"
"Adore," she corrected me.
"Good. Take one last look, because you won't be able to see for much longer."
She raised her eyes at me, comprehending the meaning of my words as soon as she saw the scarf in my hand. I leaned over her, letting the chiffon graze her clavicle before placing it over her eyes and tying it up behind her head.
"You know, I'm feeling a little greedy tonight," I murmured as soon as I was done with the scarf.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean, love, is that as much as I want to experiment with at least a dozen of ways to make you come…" - I started unbuckling my belt as I spoke - "I really, really want you to make me come first."
"Oh, God, yes! Just tell me what to do."
I placed the belt on the nightstand, convinced that it would prove to be useful later on. Bella stretched out her arms in front, searching until they found what they wanted. She quickly unzipped my pants and grabbed my member in her hands. I suppressed a groan when I felt her hand move up and down my length - a difficult thing to do, since it felt so unbearably good and her thoughts were blazing me with their ardour.
"Not like this, my love," I offered gently, removing her hand. "I want you to take me in your mouth."
"You know I was getting there."
"I know. I want you to get there now."
My command set her mind aflame with need. I had always known how much she loved being subjugated in the bedroom, but I realized I had only known the surface level of her desire. This yearning went so deep for her, dominating her every synapse, taking over every cell in her body. Her mind showed me that she didn't just like to let go of her control; she needed it - and she knew that if she did that, I would take the reins for her and she would be safe.
After so many weeks of being in control of keeping everyone safe, it was no wonder Bella needed to let go of all responsibilities.
I watched in awe as her lips parted and she took the head of my shaft in her mouth, gliding along my length slowly, languorously. This almost felt as good as being inside her. The warm pressure surrounding me felt transcendental, making me forget the world around me. Hastily, my hand locked in her ponytail, pulling down on it, and forcing myself out of her mouth.
"Tell me how much you love this, Bella," I growled, my tip still brushing against her lips.
"It's all I want right now," she gasped, but her words stopped soon when I pushed my penis back in.
"Yes, take it all the way in, my love. Let me fill you up."
"Yes, please, any way you want it!"
God, how I loved her enthusiasm! It translated extraordinarily in the way her mouth and tongue worked together to please me. I kept my hand in her hair, guiding her every once in a while - not that she truly needed guidance, since by now she knew exactly which buttons needed pressing to push me over the edge.
She sucked and licked and lapped, allowing her nails to dig deeper and deeper in the flesh of my hips as she did. Every once in a while, she would raise her head a little, only to remember that she could no longer meet my gaze, now that her vision was obstructed by the scarf.
I made no effort to hold off my orgasm when I felt it building in my core. Instead, I let the current spread through my body slowly, until it engulfed every possible tissue, carrying me past the point of no return. I almost didn't realize that the roar rippling through the air was my own until I felt the venom gush out of me and right into Bella's throat. She swallowed immediately, pursing her lips to form a tighter vacuum and wringing more venom out of my body in the process. She accepted everything, gulping down every last drop of my climax and pushing me into an all-consuming frenzy, that devoured every last bit of reason within me.
As I was recovering, still moving slowly between her lips, Bella's train of thought was more or less the same as mine: she wanted more. And she deserved more, so much more than what I had given her so far.
"This was absolutely divine," I sighed, taking a step back and looking at her. She was still on her knees, her chin pointed up in my direction, even if she could not see me.
"If we keep this up, I might come without you doing anything to me."
This possibility sounded particularly enticing.
"That's an intriguing idea, but no. I'd like you to climb onto the bed, spread your beautiful legs wide and wait for me. Keep the shoes and the scarf on."
"Yes, Edward."
She was already imagining all the ways in which I could - and I would - take her. Compliantly, she climbed on the large bed, lying on her back and getting in the position I had asked her to. She looked impossibly inviting, with her black lingerie seizing her body, her wetness painting her slit and her thighs, her heels topping off the already decadent sight. I did not move my eyes away from her as I went to the corner of the room, where my baggage was sitting.
Opening it, I already knew what I needed, for I had been studying Alice's gift plenty of times since I had received it - four sets of thick single dynamic rope, so that the chances of Bella accidentally breaking free would be minimal. I unwrapped them carefully, before going back to the bed where my wife was waiting.
"Goddamn, Isabella… if only you could understand how mouth-watering you look right now."
I undid the first set, the rope falling with a silent thud on the bedding.
"Tell me what you're doing now, please," she whispered.
"Right now," - I started wrapping the chord around her thigh, as tightly as possible, going down her leg with a spiral pattern - "I am tying you up really good, so that I can fuck you without any impediments. Open your legs wider, I want to see how wet you are when I'm doing this."
She whimpered delightfully, parting her thighs even more, revealing herself to me. I found myself unable to resist the sight - before I knew it, my hand was moving fervently against her swollen folds. She arched her back and cried out, pushing her hips upwards, so that she could meet my hand fully.
"Keep doing that!"
"Mmmmm, you're so ready for me," I uttered appreciatively and retreated my hand a few seconds too early, much to her dismay. "That's enough for now. You'll get more as soon as I finish my job."
"Please, just fuck me already! I'm begging you!"
"Patience," was all I said, my voice poised even if her words had set my entire being on fire.
I quickly licked her juices from my fingers, before proceeding with my task. I rolled the rope around Bella's ankle a few times, then continued to wrap the rest of it around the bedpost, making several knots along the way. It was tough to rein in my own zeal when every part of me was acutely aware of the fact that after so much waiting, we finally had time to live out this most salacious fantasy.
Bella waited impatiently for me to finish, her mind encouraging me to hurry. By the end, she was laying on the bed spread eagle, her arms and legs tied up to the bed - the most alluring view in the entire Universe. There was just one last thing I wanted to do.
Grabbing the belt from the nightstand, I stretched it with care, allowing Bella to recognize the object going by sounds alone.
"Do you know what this is, love?"
"It's… uhm, your belt."
"Good. And do you know what we do with belts?"
A flash image of me whipping her ass with it went through her head, igniting me with its intensity.
"I love where you're going with this and I'll make sure to keep it in mind, but I'd like you to try again."
"Well…" she muttered softly. "I know what you did last time."
"Do you? Refresh my memory."
Her chest was moving up and down with frenzy, as she was trying - and failing - to gain back some control over her breaths.
"You put it in my mouth... so that no one could hear me when you were fucking me."
"That's right, my love."
I leaned down to kiss her, then returned to my task. Watching her reactions closely, I slipped the strap of the belt under her head and pulled it over her face.
"What I would like, Bella, is for you to keep talking with your mind. Do you think you can do that?"
She nodded, her thoughts doing the answering for her.
"Perfect. Now you know how the rest of this works: open your mouth."
She did, taking the metallic buckle in her mouth and making a conscious effort to not bite down on it. I draped the leather strap around, closing it tightly. When I was finished with this, I pulled back to look at her. She was too beautiful for words, still unlawfully ingenuous even when she was tied up and ready to be taken. My hands caressed her face, her neck, her breasts, savouring the way that these light touches made her lose control of herself.
"Love," I murmured. "You might be my prisoner now, but I feel generous. So starting this moment, every wish of yours is my command."
It didn't take her long at all to accept this new game, her inner voice summoning her lust in one simple string of words: "I want your mouth on me. Make me come like that."
She didn't have to ask me twice. I leaned down to plant a wet kiss on her neck, descending slowly over her clavicle, over her breasts, over her navel, and finally - thank God! - over my happy place between her legs. No words could capture the raw ecstasy of pressing my lips on her folds; I simply continued my wet kisses there, making sure my tongue was playing with her clitoris. The delectable scent enveloping me from everywhere made me intolerably hard.
"Keep going, keep going, don't stop, I'm right there…"
I listened to her mental commands, licking and lapping in the exact rhythm that seemed to drive her insane. It didn't take long at all for her to explode. I felt the abundance of nectar gushing out of her before I noticed the way the muscles in her body started to strain and unclench. Her liquid orgasm slithered down my throat and I didn't stop working her with my tongue until she came once again, her screams muffled by the belt. There was not much in the way of her thoughts other than supreme bliss, so I figured I might as well continue my mission of devouring her and feeling her come apart on my tongue.
I kept this up for a long hour, completely lost in my sensations and her reactions. By the end of that hour, the sheets underneath us were completely soaked. However, we felt nowhere nearly done. Bella's desire had skyrocketed after so many orgasms, her mind loudly begging me to fill her up now. I had no desire, nor control, to draw our mutual pleasure out any longer, so I left the Heaven between her thighs with one last kiss and came on top of her.
"You're insatiable, aren't you?" I groaned.
"You make me so. I never even knew feeling this way was possible."
"Me neither," I admitted, stroking her clitoris lightly with the tip of my shaft, coating myself in her arousal.
She was once again struggling to not bite down the belt - she had been doing that a lot in the past hour.
"I'll let you bite when you come," I told her. "As hard as you want. You can break it, I don't give a damn."
She nodded immediately, her muscles tightening when she felt me slip inside her body. I moaned helplessly, feeling her tight walls sheathing me, covering me, pulling me deeper. My ego rejoiced with pride upon hearing her mental gratification regarding how full I made her feel, and I pushed with more resolve, until there was no more room to go further.
"Yes, this is it! Don't back down now, please, I want it hard."
I groaned loudly, starting to move exactly how she had asked me to. Her palms had tightened into fists when she felt me push harder, faster, rougher, taking my unrestrained passion and accepting it, letting it possess every inch of her body, raising her excitement higher and higher and higher. Her thoughts were no longer coherent:
"God… fuck… there… Edward, oh, my… don't stop..."
"Give in to me, love, I've got you…" I encouraged her between desperate grunts.
She knew what this meant: her teeth bit down the metallic buckle, breaking it in half in the heat of the moment. I felt her muscles vibrating all over me as I kept thrusting, ramming myself with full speed in her.
"Come with me. Now," I managed.
She spat out the remains of the belt and that was the end for both of us. Screams filled the air - mine, Bella's... it didn't even matter now, because we might as well have been the very same creature as the fiercest fire burst through our core and consumed us whole. My desire flowed in streams into her body, spilling over on her thighs, on my testicles, on the crumpled sheets under us. We were trembling and I needed to see her eyes more than ever. I pushed the scarf up, on her forehead, to meet her gaze. I slowed down as the last waves of our mutual orgasm were rocking us, unable to understand more, to see more, to know more than one simple fact:
"You are my entire life," I sighed, leaning down to press my lips on hers - softly, a perfect contrast to our aggressive lovemaking and mind-bending shared climax.
"I can't live without you, Edward," she suspired, not moving away from our kiss.
For a while, we simply moved our lips together lazily, not quite doing anything else. When Bella moved her hips, making me aware of how deep I was inside her still, my hunger came back doubled, without a warning.
"Again?" she whispered.
"You bet."
And we made love once again. And again. And once more. At some point, I untied her - only to tie her up again, so that she could face the mirror in front of the bed and see how absurdly beautiful she looked in these moments.
Caught in this string of inexhaustible lust, I barely registered the fact that outside, the city had begun to wake up, slowly leaving the night behind. All I could hear, see, smell, taste was Bella - she had taken over my senses, my conscience, my veins, my pores, becoming one and the same with my being. I didn't know how or when, but I had completely lost my perception of where our bodies ended and our souls began.
But as the pale morning light was making its way through the champagne curtains, reality slowly came back to us. And there was one thing that seemed more certain than any other: I had never dreaded a morning more than the one that was looming over us.
Sooo, anyone else needs a cold shower?
As much fun as Edward and Bella had in the hotel room, we all know what's coming next: the night of the werewolf. So buckle up for that!
If you've got any thoughts on this chapter or the story in general, I'd love to read them and, of course, respond to them :).
Stay safe and happy out there, guys!
