Title: Forbidden Attraction

Author: MarieCarro

Genre: Drama/Romance

Rating: NC-17

Summary: To Edward Masen, Bella Swan was nothing more than his daughter's best friend, but that all changed when they both applied for the same weekly writing course. Suddenly, she didn't appear to be the young girl that had played with his daughter since her family moved in next door. What will Edward do when he realizes that he's developing a very forbidden attraction for a woman twenty-five years his junior? AH

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 4, 024

CHAPTER 7

I woke up with a start, drenched in sweat and my sheets twisted around my legs.

It was the same way it had been every night since Bella went back to college. Each night, I dreamed of her; the smile she gave me when she thought I said something funny; the way her eyes changed when she went from entertained to excited; how she had no qualms about showing me what she wanted; her skin underneath my hands; her lips on mine; her quickened breath when she was getting close.

It all played on repeat in my dreams every night, and I always woke up just before the big climax with an erection that was rock solid.

It was bordering on ridiculous at this point, but I didn't know what to do. I still lived my life day to day. I went to the carpentry, I talked to customers, repaired and built furniture, met with Mary and our divorce attorney, spent time with Alice etc.

I was functioning. But it was during the night when I was alone and my subconscious took over that everything I tried to build up again was demolished. I knew what my mind was trying to tell me and that it would be in my best interest if I only listened to it, but if I could just pretend that my life wasn't a complete mess for just one more second, I would take that chance every time.

I looked over at my alarm clock and saw that it was four-thirty in the morning. I usually got up at six, but there was no way that I could fall back asleep now, and so I opted to take a long shower to wash the sweat off my body as well as jerk off since it was the only thing I could do to make my dick go down. I didn't even feel guilty for it anymore because Bella had said it was a turn on that I masturbated to images of her.

The day passed pretty much in the same manner as the previous days had, and the only difference was that at the end of the day, I changed into a suit in my office and headed to Mary's and my attorney's office to go through the final papers before I was officially divorced.

Mary was sitting on the couch in the waiting room when I arrived, and as soon as she saw me, she crossed her arms and quickly looked away. She had yet to get over the feeling of betrayal since I announced that I wanted us to go our separate ways. She always refused to look at me during these meetings, but after today, she had no choice but to move on. I hoped she would.

Only a couple of minutes later, our attorney, Mr. Jackson, opened the door to his office and invited us inside. Mary and I sat down on opposite sides of the table and were given a pen each.

"I have the final agreement here," Mr. Jackson said and cleared his throat. "This marital settlement agreement is hereby entered between Mr. Edward Masen, hereinafter referred to as 'Husband,' and Mrs. Mary Masen hereinafter referred to as 'Wife. The parties were married on May 18th, 1991. Due to irreconcilable differences, Husband and Wife separated on November 21st, 2015, are currently living apart from and have agreed to continue living separate and apart from each other."

Mr. Jackson gave us a copy each and asked us to read through it thoroughly.

I placed the papers in front of me and began reading from where Mr. Jackson had stopped.

Husband and Wife desire to outline their mutual rights and duties arising as a result of the marital relationship. Husband and Wife, therefore, agree to the following.

A list of our rights containing a whole lot of legal crap followed, and while I understood everything that was written down, all the words normally not used in a person's everyday vocabulary made my eyes tired and I had to rub them with the tips of my fingers before reading on.

Husband and Wife have divided the property of the community to their mutual satisfaction as outlined below. Each party hereby waives any and all claim to any property in the possession or control of the other, except as listed below.

We had agreed that Mary was to keep the house we bought together only a week after we were married, and I would remain as the sole owner of the apartment I'd bought. We didn't make it complicated with our companies either. I got full ownership of my carpentry and Mary got the same with her salon.

A list of our loans and debts came after that, but since both of us had taken responsibility for our economy, it was a very short list.

Husband and Wife agree that their community property and debts are minimal and that they have already divided it to their mutual satisfaction.

Spousal support will not be provided, and henceforth, both parties relinquish and waive any right or claim to spousal support from the other from the date of this agreement forth. This waiver specifically applies to any action and law concerning either party, more specifically any action in divorce, dissolution, or separation.

The following children were born of the marriage: Mary Alice Masen born on June 18th, 1995.

Since Alice was of legal age, that was the only time she was mentioned in the agreement, which was a relief on its own. Had she been under eighteen, the whole debacle of custody and whatnot would have been the recipe for disaster.

It just continued after that. Paragraphs about life insurance, tax matters, how we would notify each other if we moved etc. It felt as if it was never-ending.

Finally, the space where our signatures and the day's date was to be written entered my vision, and I almost sighed in relief when I saw it. I looked up to see that Mary was also finished reading, and then Mr. Jackson gave me the original document where I signed at the bottom.

Edward Masen (Husband) January 14th, 2016

I slid the document over to Mary, and after giving me one last pleading look that I had to avert my eyes from, she placed her own pen on the paper and signed as well.

Mr. Jackson also signed as our attorney and witness, and that was it.

He collected his papers, put them in his briefcase and stood up. "I will have my secretary make both of you copies and send everything to the addresses you have provided." He turned to me and shook my hand and then did the same with Mary. "Good luck in the future. Both of you."

We nodded, and then all of us left the office together. Mary and I shared an awkward elevator ride down in complete silence, but it was outside the building when I headed in the direction of where I had parked my car that Mary stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"For all it's worth, Edward, I hope you'll have a good life."

"I wish you the same," I said sincerely.

She nodded sadly and then continued. "As hard as it might be to believe, I still love you, and I never wanted this. For both our sakes, I think we should avoid meeting again for some time."

I agreed with her because even though it was unknown that I had Bella and a blooming relationship with her, she was someone I could move on with. I didn't think Mary had anyone like that. She said she still loved me, and it must be very hard for her to see our marriage fall apart like this. For her sake, I agreed with everything she said.

I held out my hand to shake Mary's as a gesture for a truce between us. "Take care, Mary." We parted, and I felt how a very heavy weight lifted from my heart. I was officially divorced. I wasn't a married man anymore, and even though that was only one obstacle of many before anything between me and Bella could be accepted, it was an obstacle that no longer stood in our way.

I didn't bother to turn on the radio in my car as I drove home. I just remained in the present and tried to wrap my head around the relief I felt.

My phone began to ring and I put it on speaker so that I could continue driving.

"Yeah?" I answered and focused back on the road.

"Hey Dad," Alice's voice greeted me, and my thoughts immediately went to the possibilities of the kinds of trouble she could be in to give her a reason to call me. Alice rarely called, so there had to be a reason for her doing so now.

"Alice, honey, is something wrong?" I asked and instinctively lifted my foot from the gas in case I needed to turn around.

"I just got off the phone with Mom. She told me it's official now."

I inhaled deeply and tried to find in me how to talk to my daughter about this. If there was something I absolutely hated about it all, it was that Alice was stuck in between. I loved my daughter more than anything in the world, and I didn't want her to feel hurt because of any of it.

"Yes, it is," I replied, hoping that keeping it simple was the best way.

"Are you busy?"

"No, I'm on my way home."

Alice paused and I was just about to ask again if something was wrong when she spoke. "Do you think you could meet me in the park?"

I was taken aback by her request. I knew which park she meant. It was the park I had taken her too numerous times when she was younger after I picked her up from daycare or school. In a way, it was our park, but we hadn't been there for years. Not since Alice started high school.

"Of course," I said when I got over my shock. "I'm only twenty minutes away."

"Okay, see you then."

It was just after we hung up that everything clicked in my head and why I thought Alice was in trouble. She had sounded so sad, and it worried me. It made me want to do a U-turn and push down on the gas because if anyone had harmed my little girl, they'd have to answer to me. I knew it wouldn't be of any benefit for me to get pulled over for reckless driving, though, so instead, I used the next intersection to go back the same way I'd come from.

I saw Alice before I even parked the car. She was sitting on a bench, looking at the swing-set where a couple kids were playing, and her body hunched against the cold wind. Her hair had grown quite a bit since she chopped it off and colored it black, and I was so happy to see that her natural brown was growing back. I suspected she hated the length, though, because she kept shaking strands away that blew into her face.

A smile stretched across my face despite my worry. As I looked at my daughter, I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that I'd had a part in creating her. Out of everything, she was the best thing that had come out of my marriage with Mary.

Not wanting to startle her, I slowly approached the bench from behind. She turned when she heard my step, and to my despair, I saw that she had been crying. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her lashes were wet even though she had obviously wiped her tears away.

Neither of us said anything as I opened my arms, inviting her for a hug, and when she accepted wholeheartedly, burying her face in my shirt and holding on to me tightly, my heart both warmed and broke at the same time. I still didn't know what was wrong, but I'll be damned if I didn't try to comfort my daughter to the best of my abilities.

When she let go of me, both of us sat down on the bench and I shifted my body toward her. "Alice, tell me why you're so upset."

She sighed and looked down at her hands. "It's just that, hearing Mom tell me you two are officially divorced made me realize that you are never getting back together. I know you have already explained this, and I understand why you had to separate, but I guess, a part of me just always hoped you would make up, and then you'd move back home and everything would be normal again. It sank in today that it will never happen now."

Alice's tears had started up again, and I placed my arm around her, leaned her against my side and kissed her hair. I was relieved that nobody had harmed my little girl, but it was painful to know that my decision was what caused her tears now.

It was difficult to find the words for what I wanted to say, but I did my best anyway. "Alice, your mom and I won't get back together again, but you have to know our love for you won't go away because of that. I won't leave you just because I don't live in the house anymore." I stroked her hair gently, and she looked at me with glistening eyes. "You are my baby girl, and no matter what has happened between me and your mom, that won't change, and whenever you need me, all you have to do is call, and I'll come running. I won't even hesitate."

"It's that I will have to call because you are not home that upsets me," Alice replied, and I suddenly realized how young she sounded. She was going to turn twenty-one this summer, and as far as I knew, she had yet to apply to any college classes, and she had no plans to move away from home. I started to wonder if Mary and I had perhaps spoiled Alice a bit too much, which had caused her to remain a teenager longer than her peers.

My thoughts went to Bella. She was three months younger than my daughter, but she acted much more like an adult. In just a few months, she would have finished her freshman year at college. I couldn't figure out why there was such a huge difference between the two, and why Bella had matured so much faster than my daughter.

It was something I'd have to ask her the next time we met, but at that very moment, I had to act like a father and think about my daughter only. She needed me, but she also had to understand that she couldn't depend on Mary and me for the rest of her life.

"Honey, it's not as if we would have lived in the same house forever anyway. You're an adult now, and soon, you will move out of the house as well to build your own life and start your own family. I doubt you would want me to live in your guest room until I die just so that you don't have to call me." I said it all with a hint of humor in my tone, because I wanted her to see the ridiculousness in the picture I was painting up, and I guess it must have worked when she cracked a smile.

"God, no!" she said. "I love you, Dad, but not that much."

I placed my hand over my heart in mock hurt. "Ouch. You're supposed to be nice to your old man."

Still, with a smile on her face, she leaned against me again. "You're not old, Dad," she replied. "You'll never be old."

I wound my arm around her shoulders and squeezed. I was so thankful that she and I got this moment, and I was in no rush to end it. She wasn't either and we sat on that bench for hours, just talking about whatever we came up with.

Alice and I hadn't had the best relationship for a few years, but it was during that moment that I dared to hope that we perhaps could be close once again someday.

"What are you doing right now?" Bella's voice in my ear was pure music, and her question made me smile and chuckle. It was such an innocent question, but my mind went into the gutter instantly.

Of course, my chuckle made Bella react. "What's so funny?" she asked, and I wished she was next to me instead of in her dorm room. The phone was our main way to talk but I missed seeing her, holding her, and kissing her.

"Just an old man's dirty thoughts, that's all," I told her, but I should have known she would not let it go.

"Oh really? And what exactly was this old man thinking?" she challenged as she emphasized on the word old. I knew she didn't like it when I kept pointing out our age difference, but sometimes I felt as if she wanted to sweep that particular issue under the proverbial rug. Since that wasn't possible, I kept reminding her because it was important that she knew what she was getting into by being with me.

"I was thinking about everything we could be doing if we weren't merely talking on the phone. I'm rather bored with my hand lately."

Bella giggled, and the sound went straight to my crotch. "I've already invited you to come here. I'm sure I could scratch your itch," she replied teasingly.

I wanted nothing more than to accept and tell her that I was on my way, but I couldn't. I sighed, and in return, I heard her sigh as well, so she obviously already knew what I was going to say. "I'm afraid the bed in your dorm room won't be sufficient for what I want to do with you, and I doubt your roommate would appreciate it either," I said in an attempt to keep the light feeling of our conversation.

Bella scoffed, obviously annoyed with me now and she wasn't going to allow my avoidance. "My roommate is never here anyway. She's always with her boyfriend, and ever since she tried to hook me up with one of their friends, and I said I'm not available, she wants to know why my boyfriend never visits me." Her tone was irritated, and I couldn't blame her. "What do you suggest I tell her?"

"Have you referred to me as your boyfriend?" I asked because I needed to know if she was actually putting official labels on our relationship.

She sighed again. "No, Edward, I never talk about you with anyone. They just assume since I'm pretty much the only person on campus that isn't participating in their partying and mating rituals."

"Why aren't you?" I asked, knowing why, but also hoping that I was wrong.

"Are you serious? Do you think I'm only playing around with you? I'm keeping away from that stuff for your sake; for the sake of whatever you want to call that this is between us, but it doesn't mean that I don't wish I could join. Everyone told me that college is the most fun I will have in my life, but so far, all I've done is stay in my room, studying!"

I didn't say anything because my guilt was threatening to crush me. This was what I was afraid of from the beginning; that I was keeping Bella from experiencing the joys of being young and reckless. Her unconscious resentment for me had begun, and it was only going to build on until she exploded.

And that was why I said my next words, even though I hated them as soon as they formed in my mind. "I never said that you're exclusively mine. If you want to go out to have fun and explore, I'm not going to stop you."

"What?!" she exclaimed, clearly shocked. "I would never do that! I'm not a cheater."

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and middle finger to keep myself from blurting out what I truly wanted; that I wanted her to be mine only and no one else's ever again, that I wanted us to be official and not hide our relationship any longer. "Bella, you and I are not a couple, so it wouldn't be cheating," I said instead, but the words tasted disgusting.

It was quiet for a long time, and I started to believe that maybe she hung up on me, but then I heard the quiet sob in my ear.

"Fuck you, Edward Masen, and your fucking lies!" Bella finally said. I heard that she was crying and her swearing told me that she was on the edge of just giving up. "I am so fucking tired of you switching on me all the time! Can't you just make a decision and stick with it? Just once?"

She was completely justified in her anger, but I just couldn't accept that she basically wanted to throw her entire life away just to be with me, and that was why I continued to push her. I wasn't expecting her to call me out on it, though. "You knew what you were getting yourself into when we started this thing," I said in a lame attempt to defend myself. "You knew it wouldn't be easy."

"Well, it would be a hell of a lot easier if you could make up your mind."

It was quiet again, and Bella was, again, the one who broke it. "Edward, I'm not pretending as if we don't have millions of problems to overcome before we can be anything serious. I'm young, but I'm not naïve, and I need to know, once and for all, if you want to be with me, because if you keep changing your mind like this, I'm not gonna be able to continue. I don't think you understand how hard you're making this for me."

I was just about to reply, but she wasn't done.

"I want to be with you. I've wanted that since those Thursday evenings we spent together just talking in your car about movies and books. With every conversation, my feelings for you grew, but each time you pulled away, a part of me broke. So far I've been able to glue myself together again, but if you give me any more crap, no amount of sweet talk will pull me back to you."

Hearing her put her feelings into words so eloquently reminded me of the time when things were easier, and I was simply impressed by the intelligence of my daughter's best friend.

"I have spring break in two weeks. I've been invited by a few friends to go to Cancun with them. If you can make a decision before then and tell me what you want, I will either be going with them, or I'm coming home. I'm leaving it up to you, but until you know for sure, I don't think we should talk."

My insides were hurting at the mere thought of giving her up, but I knew she was right. I had issues to work through, and I had to stop stringing her along the way I did. She didn't deserve that, and so I was going to do exactly what she was asking.

"I am so sorry, Bella, for everything I've put you through," I told her, and really meant it.

"Don't apologize," she replied with a thick voice. "Just think about it, and then tell me what you want, because I can't keep playing this game with you. It hurts too much."