We hit 400 reviews today. I mean...yeah. Wow! I won't ramble on for ages even though I could write a whole book on how much I love all of you wonderful people. I'll settle for saying 'enjoy your bonus chapter and please fasten your seatbelts.'
Chapter Twelve
Bella
Seeing my boys' faces light up with delight as they watch the fireworks...it's unreal.
They've seen them back in England, of course—at the annual airshow, at the New Year display, on Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night...plenty of times.
It's having them here, on the beach where I spent my childhood, celebrating a holiday that has always been a big family occasion they've missed out on thus far, that makes it so special.
It's only as I watch Arlo bounce between my mom and dad with excitement that I catch a glimpse of Edward's face and my heart falls to my feet.
I get to see my children enjoy this wonderful show, but he doesn't.
Reaching out to hold his hand was an impulse, but I'm so glad I did it. The grateful smile and hard squeeze he gave me in return made the moment of nerves before he loosened his hand and took mine worthwhile.
"Did you see that, Mom? That was so cool!" Jaxson crows, leaping on top of me and his brother in his excitement.
"I did see, kiddo," I laugh, pulling him to me and planting a loud kiss on his cheek. Edward slips his hand out of mine, a tiny smile on his lips as he watches the boys jump all over me. For a moment, before the boys recapture my focus, I feel bereft. My hand feels cold. "Did you like it?"
"It was awesome, Momma!"
Arlo and Finley wholeheartedly agree, but it's not just them—around us, everybody is talking about how spectacular the display was.
"Oh, wow," Mom breathes, leaning against Dad's chest. "That was so well done!"
"It really was," Rosalie says, tapping away on her phone. No doubt she was taking photos to post on the social media pages for Swan's Nest.
"Did you like the fireworks, Edward?" Arlo asks, bouncing right onto Edward's lap.
Any worry I might have had about my boy being too much for him evaporates the second Edward grins and tugs Arlo in for a gentle noogie. "It would have been better without your big noggin' bouncing all around the place, blocking my view."
Arlo cackles, squirming and wriggling in Edward's lap until he manages to get himself free. "Hey, no fair! You're bigger than me!"
"That's because he eats all his vegetables," I say seriously, only just able to stop myself smiling.
"Blergh. Vegetables." Arlo shudders theatrically, but he can't contain his cheeky smile for love nor money.
We all remain on the beach for a while longer. Eventually, the long day, all the sugar and excitement, and the late night catch up to the boys—mine and my brother's.
"No," Danny snaps, pulling away from Angela as she tries to wrestle his arms into his zip-up sweater. "I don't wanna go home."
"Daniel Benjamin Swan, so help me...it's late, it's way past your bedtime, and everybody else is going home now, anyway. Look around you. If you don't quit this nonsense, you won't get to go have a sleepover with Nana, Papa, and your cousins."
She's right. All around us, people are starting to pack up their picnics and start the trek up the beach toward The Boardwalk and the parking lot. Still, her being right isn't enough to appease Danny. I wince, sympathetic to Angela's plight as he immediately takes his sweater off when Angela turns to grab her purse.
"We don't have to go, do we, Momma?" Arlo asks, puppy dog eyes in full swing.
"We sure do, kiddo."
Mom has been busy packing everything up, but she pauses to crouch and give Arlo a hug. "Do you want to come home with me? I bet we could talk Papa into letting us use the big bath."
That's the clincher for my boys, the jacuzzi tub in Mom and Dad's bathroom. Danny, however, isn't sold. By the time we've all pulled on jackets to ward off the chill creeping in off the ocean, he's given up the whining and turned to wailing and kicking, the latter of which was a phase of Jaxson's that I really don't miss. For a year or so, whenever he was upset, his feet would fly. To say it was a stressful nightmare for all involved would be a massive understatement. He must have spent an hour or more a day on the damn naughty chair until he finally got past it and my sanity returned.
The walk to Mom and Dad's house from the beach doesn't take long, thirty or so minutes at most, but it's in a different direction than Burger Co. So is Blue, so Rosalie and Everly give out hugs before trotting off toward the bar, arm-in-arm. With Danny still kicking, Angela decides to just head home.
Eyeing Edward, I motion to the boys so he knows I'm just going to say my goodnights before we head to the restaurant. With a nod and a smile, he tells me he's going to check on the truck before we go. "I'll meet you back here in a minute."
"All right," I murmur, unable to resist watching his strong back and broad shoulders as he walks away from us after saying a blanket 'goodnight' to everybody. The girly sigh that escapes me is completely unintentional—and thankfully goes unnoticed. "Okay, boys, come give Momma hugs."
"Are you comin' home later?" Finley wonders, all three of them piling in for a group hug.
"In just a little bit, kiddo. I'll come and kiss you all goodnight when I get home, okay?"
"'Kay." Whispering, he adds, "Do you think Nana or Papa will read us a bedtime story?"
Widening my eyes, I catch Dad grinning over Finley's shoulder. "Are you kidding? Papa does the best voices for bedtime stories. He's even better than me. I bet he'll read you one or two stories if you behave and ask him super nicely."
If you aren't asleep before your head hits the pillow, that is. Danny isn't the only tired little boy here. All three of my sons are nursing drooping eyelids and yawning their little heads off. They'll fight it until they drop, which will probably happen approximately five seconds after Mom and Dad have them out of the bath.
After 'I love you's and kisses, the boys head off with Mom and Dad. Benjamin ends up carrying Danny, whose noise has died down to a dull roar. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't out like a light before they even make it home, bless his heart. Not for the first time, I'm reminded of how like his dad he is. Benjamin always had a fiery temper when he was a kid. I remember because I was his year-younger sister who occasionally took the brunt of said temper.
Looking over my shoulder, presumably at Edward by the truck, Mom pulls me into a hug. "If you need a ride home just call me or your dad, okay?"
"I will, Momma, but I'll be fine."
Pulling back, she offers me a smile. "I know. I'm sure Edward will look after you."
I sure hope so.
Biting my lip, I hope the dim lighting makes it hard for Mom to see my flushed cheeks. If she does see the rosy tint, I hope she doesn't think too hard on why saying 'Edward will look after you' might elicit that reaction in me.
"Of course."
"All right. Well, we'll see you in the morning."
"Night, Mom. Thanks for taking the boys."
"You know we love having them." Wistfulness steals over her face. "We're soaking them up as much as we can before you move out."
"Mom…" Groaning, I run a hand through my hair and tug my denim jacket tighter around me. Along with the jacket, the lightweight shorts I pulled on earlier keep me plenty warm, but the heat that spreads through me when a large hand comes to rest at the small of my back turns my blood into lava.
"You ready to go?" Edward's breath whispers over the back of my neck, a shiver rippling down my spine.
"S-sure!" Ignoring the odd look Mom shoots me, I flash Edward a smile and hope to heck that my voice isn't as shrill in reality as it sounded in my head.
"Thanks for letting me join you, Rae."
"Any time, EC, honey." Looking between the two of us, Mom's smile widens. She glances over her shoulder at Dad with the boys, then sighs. "All right, I'll let you kids get on. That restaurant won't put itself to bed."
She, Dad, and the boys wave as they head off with Benjamin, Angela, and Danny in tow. I blow out a long breath, chancing a glance up at Edward only to find that he's already looking at me. His eyes shine in the low glow of the lanterns and the streetlights a few feet away. I've always thought he had the prettiest eyes I've ever seen on a guy. They're a bunch of different shades of green, fluctuating depending on his mood and the lighting. And his eyelashes...damn. I know girls who'd kill for lashes as long and thick as his.
The first time I realized my friendship with Edward might actually be a crush, I was fifteen. Carlie was head over heels for her boyfriend—the man she'd eventually marry, have a child with, and divorce—and spent every last second doodling her future surname on every possible surface. One day, while lost in my daydreams while the most boring algebra teacher in the world droned on at the front of the class, I caught myself absentmindedly doodling 'Mrs. Cullen' across the bottom of my workbook cover.
By the time I was eighteen and leaving for England, every crooked Edward Cullen smile made me blush crimson and giggle like the lovesick fool I'd turned into.
Of course, the little issue of him being Dad's best friend and having a wife and child was a major buzzkill. Still, it didn't stop me dreaming.
He used to smile a lot back then, though. Now...not so much, and when he does, they aren't the same heart-stopping grins he used to wear almost 24/7. They're small and half-hearted. Almost like he finds it hard work.
"Shall we?"
"Sure."
~ oOo ~
"See ya later boss. Bye, Bella!" Jones calls, waving as he heads out the front door of Burger Co. with Lily and TJ.
"Bye, man. Enjoy the rest of your night. Thanks for manning this place."
Jones waves like it was nothing, then we're alone. Swinging my feet, I smile and twist my glass between my hands.
"Can I get you a refill?"
"Please." Grinning, I hand over my glass. "I'm getting a weird kind of deja vu, you know."
Edward snorts, pouring me a refill from the pitcher of spiked lemonade on the bar. It's Mom's recipe—homemade lemonade with vodka-soaked slices of lemon. It's pretty tame, but the slight tang of alcohol adds another delicious note to the drink. "The roles were reversed last time we were here, if I remember rightly."
"That's true." My good mood sours just a little as I remember how our previous night like this went south. A gentle, warm touch under my chin makes me gasp. Lifting my gaze, I find Edward fixing me with an apologetic stare.
"Hey, I'm sorry. For being an ass."
Pursing my lips, I unsuccessfully fight a smile.
"What? What's funny?"
"You were an ass," I admit easily. His brows furrow. "It's okay. I'll forgive you if you get me a slice of that Oreo cheesecake Jones was just raving about."
Edward chuckles and nods, handing over my drink. "That sounds like something I can do. I'll be right back." Nodding at the sound system behind the bar, he tells me to pick something to play while he grabs dessert. While he's in the kitchen, I sync my phone up to the speakers using the password taped to the side, then pull up one of the automatically generated playlists. I figure 'Chilled Acoustic' works just fine for two friends having a drink together.
"Aw, man…" I almost drool when Edward reappears just as I sit back down at the bar, and for once, it's not the man eliciting the drool, it's what's in his hands.
"Oreo cheesecake for the lady, and chocolate fudge cake for me," he says, setting the plates down on the counter before sitting himself on the stool beside me.
"Oh, wow, Edward. They both look amazing!"
The slightly smug smile on his face makes me smile. He's good, and he knows it. It's sexy to see a man be so confident in himself and his talents, not that Edward needs any help being more attractive to me. I should have learned my lesson after last time we were both here like this. Being alone with Edward is not a good idea for me. Everything about him is a draw, from his bicep-hugging tee to the uncharacteristically bashful smile he shoots me now.
Scooping some of the cheesecake onto my spoon and savoring it on my tongue, I feel my cheeks blazing when I accidentally release an embarrassingly loud moan. It's that good.
"Is, uh…" Edward mutters gruffly, raking a hand through his hair. "Is it okay?"
Is he…
When he glances at me, I get a glimpse of the look in his eyes and a frisson of heat ignites in the pit of my stomach.
"It's delicious," I manage to murmur, my eyes glued to his. The cheesecake is delicious, but I can't help but think he'd be even more so.
"Good."
"Are you, um...are you going to eat yours?" I ask a few mouthfuls later, when he's still watching me and hasn't made a move to touch his own dessert. It's difficult not to laugh at the adorable tint of pink that colors the tips of his ears as he nods and pulls his plate toward him too fast, his spoon flying onto the floor.
"I'll get it," I offer, slipping off my stool. A long-forgotten part of myself, a confident, pre-mom version of me, rears her head, a wicked smile curling my mouth up as I turn away from Edward and take my sweet time bending over at the waist to pick up the spoon. A quiet, but still audible, huff of breath is my reward, and when I turn, Edward's tense jaw and blazing gaze is enough to give me the confidence to do something I've dreamed of since I was sixteen years old.
Harnessing every bit of bravery in my body, I set the spoon on the counter and step closer to Edward, holding my breath as my eyes slip shut and I lean in. His lips are softer than expected under my own as I apply a little pressure to test the waters, his beard coarse but unexpectedly pleasurable against my skin as I will him to respond, kissing him gently once, twice, three times.
Please, Edward...
My wish is granted just as disappointment, nerves, and embarrassment get the better of me. Pulling back with an apology on the tip of my tongue, I only get a breath away before Edward's large hands land on my waist to tug me between his legs, his lips finding mine and coaxing them into the most maddening, intoxicating kiss of my life. A groan rumbles from his chest when my hands reach up, one tangling itself in his hair, the other resting on his solid thigh.
All the air rushes from the room, the atmosphere electric, his scent flooding my senses; citrus and sandalwood and something inherently Edward I can't put a name to.
Stretching up on my tiptoes to reach him isn't easy though, and I guess leaning down to me isn't comfortable for him either. I gasp as he uses his grip on me to lift me into the air. I squeak and grab his shoulders to steady myself as my feet find purchase on the stool footrest, putting us face to face.
His dark jade eyes capture mine, and I can't take it. I need to taste him again, so I do. When his tongue slips against my lower lip, begging for entry, I can't refuse him. I won't ever refuse him. As our tongues sweep against each other for the first time, I feel my grip on reality floating away from me.
This can't be real.
"Bella…"
Except it is. He groans my name under his breath as I twist my fingers into the soft hair at his nape, the others gripping the fabric of his tee. His muscles are firm under my hand and against my chest, his obvious strength as much of a turn on as his drugging kisses and the almost primal sounds he's making. With his firm thighs bracing my legs, his hands begin to roam. One slides down to cup my ass; the other skates up my spine to cup the back of my neck. Electricity hums between us, heat pooling in my belly as he uses the hand on my ass to pull me closer still.
The music is drowned out by breathy moans, whispered pleas, and the squeak of the stool protesting our combined weight.
With just flimsy cotton and his board shorts between us, there's nothing to stop me from feeling the hard length of him against me. Melting, I grip his hair and shoulder tighter, pressing against him in all the places that feel good. His hold on me helps, his movements just as desperate.
We're a writhing mess of lips, hands, and heat. It's so much more than I ever imagined.
So much more, so much better, just so much. It's overwhelming but I can't stop—won't stop.
His kisses set me on fire, his touch raising goosebumps all over my body.
"Edward, I need…"
"What, Bella? What do you need? Tell me." Leaving my lips, he presses hot, wet kisses over my jaw, to my ear, down my neck. Sucking lightly on my collarbone, he promises to give it, whatever I want, to me.
"You…" I finally pant, holding his mouth to me with my fingers woven between the strands of his copper hair. "Please, please, I need you."
For a brief, heart-stopping moment, I think he's ending it. He lifts me away from him, my legs wobbling as my feet hit the floor. Before I can say a word, he's lifting me again—over his shoulder, this time.
"Edward!" I yelp, clinging onto him as surprised giggles spill free.
Lightly swatting my butt, he strides across the room toward the door that leads upstairs. I've never been up there, but I know there's some kind of apartment. It's where Kelly lives, though, so I'm confused when he goes straight through and marches up the stairs with me still slung over his shoulder like I weigh nothing.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
When we get to the top of the stairs, I realize there's two doors. We go into the one on the right. Edward doesn't bother pausing to switch on any lights, he just moves through the dark room like he knows it well. I assume he does, seeing as he obviously owns it, but my eyes don't adjust in time to figure out what this room is before I'm being tossed down onto a—thankfully soft—bed.
"Oh…" The low glow of the moon streaming through the windows beside the bed helps me get my bearings as my eyes adjust. We're in some kind of studio apartment. I just about make out a tiny kitchen behind Edward before he recaptures my attention by stripping his shirt off without any hesitation.
To be fair, if I looked half as good as he does with his shirt off, I'd be pretty happy to strip off, too.
He's broad, muscular, and his chest is dusted with fine, dark hair. I've always liked a bit of body hair on my guys. Without any kind of preamble, his cargo shorts are unbuttoned and dropped to the floor. In just his briefs, standing proud at the foot of the bed with the moonlight illuminating the dips and ridges of his defined torso, he's more handsome now than he's ever been before.
My lips tingle; one of my hands unconsciously lifts to touch them. His eyes follow the movement and his mouth curls up into a small grin. "You're overdressed, Bella," he murmurs, the want in his voice my undoing.
As I sit up and reach for the hem of my tee, thankful that I ditched my jacket when we got to Burger Co. earlier, I hesitate. I've had three kids; my body isn't what it used to be. I have stretch marks and a less toned stomach than I'd like.
"Hey." My eyes lift to Edward's face as he kneels on the bed before crawling up to rest on his haunches over my shins. The sight of him, crawling toward me, makes my head swim. His hand reaches out, his thumb resting under my chin. "So beautiful." If the look in his eyes hadn't been enough to convince me, the conviction in his words would have.
He believes that I'm beautiful. Whether I do or not, he believes it. It gives me the confidence to smile shakily and lift the tee up and over my head, tossing it over the side of the bed. His eyes drift down, his jaw tensing as he takes me in. For the first time in years, I feel truly desired. His heated gaze drinks me in like a parched man wandering the desert.
"Christ, Bella. Look at you." Gently, he urges me to lay back. Curious and at his mercy, I let him guide me onto my back, watching as he bites his lip and blows out a breath before shooting me a wicked smirk and scooting back so he can lower his face to my stomach. My eyes are glued to him. I'm utterly incapable of looking away.
As he trails hot kisses from hip to hip, as he nibbles me at the curve of my waist, as he runs the tip of his nose up the center of my torso before coming to a stop between my breasts...
My breath comes faster, my need for him only heightening.
You're sin, you know that?
That's what he told me a few days ago, but he was wrong. So wrong.
He's sin. Pure, primal, panty-destroying sin.
When Edward drops an open-mouthed, lingering kiss on the swell of one breast, I realize not all of the noises I can hear are coming from him. A moan rushes from my lips, his greedy hands growing bolder. One holds me steady at my hip, anchoring me to the bed, to this moment. The other glides up, hesitating for barely a second, before cupping my breast. When I groan, arching into his touch, he chuckles and tugs the cup of my swimsuit top down, his lips taking its place.
Oh, God.
It's never been this good. Never, ever, and he's barely done anything.
"That's a damn shame," Edward mumbles against my skin, making me realize that I spoke out loud. After pulling the opposite side of my top down to expose my other breast and give it the same attention, he glances up at me with fiery jade eyes. "Can I take your shorts off, Bella?"
"Yes," I all but pant, my entire body a livewire connected to the energy his body is generating. My chest heaves with a shaky breath as he kneels back and takes his time sliding my shorts down my legs, his thumbs rubbing circles on my skin as he goes. When they're finally off, thrown somewhere behind him, he takes a moment to drink me in.
With just our underwear between us, there's no hiding the bulge in his briefs. Swallowing hard, I take a moment just to drink him in. He drops down over me with a groan that turns me to mush, then steals another bone-melting kiss and makes sure I can feel every delicious inch of him right where I want it. My hands can't decide where to rest—his shoulders, his back, his ass. They finally settle on his back when his dick rubs against my clit just right and sends pleasure shooting through me, my nails raking over his shoulder blades to elicit a guttural moan that has the ache in my core becoming impossible to ignore.
"Edward, enough." He freezes, his hot breath fanning over my face. "I mean, enough teasing. Please, tell me you want this—"
"I want you," he interrupts, leaning up on one bended elbow. His grimace confuses me, though. "I don't have any protection."
Nerves flutter through my veins even as desire rages within me. "I get the shot, and I got tested after I separated from the boys' dad…"
Edward's brows furrow, but I can see the want, the hope. I can't deny that the idea of having Edward without any barriers is a heady one.
"If you tell me you're clean, I'll believe you. I trust you, Edward," I tell him, cupping his beard-covered jaw.
"Fuck. I'm good, Bella."
Shifting a little, I get us lined up and arch upward. It breaks him. His restraint shatters. The snap is a mumbled curse, my surrender a gasp as he gives a lazy thrust before lifting himself up.
Before I know it, my bikini bottoms and his briefs are off, gone. On the floor with the rest of our forgotten clothes. I barely have a chance to catch my breath before Edward is back, his chest to mine, his hard dick right there. I'd be embarrassed by how turned on I am if I couldn't see the way his jaw ticks as he slides himself through my wetness before pausing with just the tip of his erection pressing against my entrance.
"Tell me if I hurt you. I'm...you already feel too good."
Enough talking.
With one shift of my hips, Edward is buried deep within me. He releases an animalistic growl and buries his face in my neck as he rocks jerkily into me, his hands gripping my waist as he holds himself up above me. "Christ, Bella." His gravelly voice spurs me on.
"Kiss me," I beg, panting the words into his hair. He's so big, and it's been a while. The sting of feeling so full flips a switch in me. I'm desperate. I can't get close enough, clawing at him, breathing him in, begging him for more, harder, faster.
Lifting his head, Edward's lips crash against mine in a messy kiss full of need and passion. It's pure fire and the dissolution of any leftover restraint. He's everywhere; over, around, and within me.
Every thrust pushes a gasp from my lips until I'm breathless and shoving his chest to get him to roll over. The darkening of his eyes tells me he's not opposed, so I straddle his hips and flip my hair back over my shoulder as I give him a few slow passes of my hand around his dick before slowly sliding down until he's all in.
We both groan, our hands free to roam wherever they please in this position.
The energy in the room is electric, my orgasm barrelling toward me faster than ever before. I need a release, but I don't want to stop. Furrowing his brows, he uses one hand to help keep my faltering rhythm steady. The other drifts down over my belly to my clit.
"Oh, shit, Edward."
It's the perfect torture. I'm chasing that high even as I pray for this to never end.
"I'm close, Bella," he grits out, redoubling his efforts when I tip my head back and grind my hips over his, the position allowing him to hit all the spots that make me cry out.
It only takes a few more moments of his touch and an unexpected, deliciously hard buck of his hips to set me off.
Falling forward, I let him catch me as I fall over the edge I'd been clinging to. I lose all sense of where I am for an endless moment, then I register the deep moan and the sound of my name ghosting over Edward's lips as he reaches his release. Gathering my wits just enough to swivel my hips, I breathe an airy laugh when he grips my waist and rumbles a curse.
"Too good. Fuck, Bella."
Twisting to move off him, I find myself smiling against Edward's chest when he gives me a squeeze. "Where do you think you're goin'?"
I might quickly become addicted to the gravelly, post-orgasm timbre of his voice.
"I don't want to squish you…" I whisper, not wanting to destroy the perfect atmosphere with my voice.
Edward scoffs, pressing a kiss to the top of my head before releasing a big, content sigh. "You weigh a buck-fifty soaking wet. If you're comfy, stay right there."
Squirming, I flush and sigh at the raised-eyebrow look he shoots me. "I need to clean up…"
Whoever said romance was dead, huh?
Blowing out a laugh through his nose, Edward lightly swats my ass before closing his eyes and smiling. "The bathroom is directly opposite the bed. I'll wait right here. Don't be too long…" His eyes snap open, unexpected vulnerability shining through. "Please."
"I'll be right back." I don't hesitate, leaning down to press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose before hopping off the bed and walking quickly to the door opposite the foot of the bed.
When I step back into the room after washing up, I can't help but pause in the doorway. Edward is right where I left him, bathed in moonlight and looking for all the world like something an artist would dream up.
"Are you just gonna stand there and stare all night?" he wonders aloud, an almost delirious giggle bubbling free as I bite my lip in a fruitless attempt to stifle my crazy-person smile.
"I don't know...the view is pretty great from here."
"I happen to agree, short stuff." He pauses, a soft chuckle warming the darkness. "Get your sweet ass over here, Bella."
*using a candy stick as a fake cigarette* So that happened. I'm never confident about writing anything of the lemony variety, but yeah. These two were burning up my keyboard and I know you guys were as ready for this as they were.
Next chapter: Wednesday or Thursday. I'm thinking of switching to a Wednesday and Sunday schedule so the gaps between chapters are more even.
If you haven't already, come join the TFMU Twific Meetup group on Facebook! A big group of us are meeting in Austin, Texas, in June 2020 and I'd love to see you there if you can make it! A little bunch of us are travelling over from the UK, and I think for at least a few of us, it'll be our first time. Everybody is welcome whether you're a reader, writer, beta, banner maker...we want to see you all!
As always, huge thanks to my wonderful team of ladies who call me on my bull and point out when I'm being too liberal with my 'it's fiction' excuse. annaharding, LizziePaige, ThatSoAlex, Anakinsmom, and LadyLoonie, I love you all dearly.
And I love each and every one of you who reads, reviews, and recommends this little tale of mine. Come friend me on Facebook - Ciara Shayee Hill - to chit chat with me and see the visuals I create to go with each chapter.