A/N:
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN Turtle Writer, back at it again with the Angry Lion. Let's do this! Meet you guys down below.
HappyMess: In a world full of slackers you are the do'iest do'er of all. I would out together a thousand Leslie miles just to get to you.
*Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns twilight…I'm just a girl with a severe Trader Joe's addiction.
It doesn't matter what they say in the jealous games people play. Our lips are sealed
-The Go Go's
No one bought my lame ass excuse of wanting to stay at Edward's house because he had a guest room on the first floor.
The gang had to wonder how I knew such a thing. Well, except Alice. She thought she had it all figured out. In truth, I had no idea if he even had a guest room on the first floor. Jasper could always tell when I bullshit him. He called me out on it immediately, but I didn't give in. I hated lying to him, but if I told him I wanted to save Emmett's job it would add fuel to his bitter contempt of my boss.
Not that I expected a friendship to ever bloom between Jazz and Edward.
Although, shocking as it might seem, they did have a lot in common. Neither of them took shit from anyone. They held strong opinions on nearly every decision they made, particularly about what I did with my life. Granted, Jasper and I were best friends for fifteen years, so I understood why he acted that way. Edward, as usual, was much more difficult to figure out.
The man had deep, deep trust issues. He genuinely felt as though everyone wanted to do him harm. Most people just wrote him off as an asshole or heartless. He wanted them to feel that way.
It kept them away. No one took the time or had the guts to dig deeper.
Edward and Jasper were fiercely protective of the people they cared for. Did Edward care about me? We were in a newly intimate relationship. I liked to believe he cared about me. I could accept he might never love me, but if he wasn't capable of any emotions at all then it would be far too casual for me to handle. This weekend I planned to find out just how he felt. As though he could hear my thoughts, Edward's gaze landed on mine from beside me in the backseat of the car.
"We're here. Don't move. I'll help you into the house," he ordered.
"I'm fine." I waved him off. "It's just a sprained ankle."
"You have a concussion as well. Don't move." His voice came out more stern this time.
"Yes, sir." I saluted.
My car door opened seconds later. To my surprise, Edward reached in and scooped me up in his arms.
"My hero," I joked, flipping my hair back with dramatics.
Ignoring me, he instead barked out orders to his staff, who I hadn't realized surrounded us, waiting expectantly. They scurried off to do his bidding.
He breezed into the house, carrying me like I weighed nothing at all. "I had Nadia make up the guest quarters across from mine."
"Thank you. I appreciate you letting me stay this weekend." I had the feeling he wasn't used to being thanked. His militantly constructed world revolved around cut throat business transactions.
By the odd expression on his face I guessed right. "It's the most logical arrangement."
"Would you have offered this arrangement to any of your other employees?" Of course I knew the answer, but I just had to ask.
"Absolutely not." He shot me an appalled glare, as if shocked at my audacity.
"So, I'm different?" I pressed.
He stopped walking. "I thought that would be obvious. Have I been unclear?"
I shook my head. "No, not really. It's just that when you use words like 'logical arrangement' it sounds more like a business transaction than a thoughtful gesture."
He stiffened at my words. "I'd hardly call allowing you a place to recuperate a thoughtful gesture. You could have died tonight. I can offer you the best conditions to heal, which, as I said, makes it the most logical arrangement." Edward continued walking up the grand staircase.
Since I stayed at his penthouse in New York, flown on his private jet and worked in his headquarters, his mansion didn't surprise me. I knew he liked open space, plenty of light and simple elegance.
"You do realize I could have recuperated at Alice or Jasper's place just the same as I will here. I don't need a staff of people for a sprained ankle," I laughed lightly. "Most people manage to survive without servants. That's not why I thanked you. I thanked you for caring enough to take me home."
He shrugged, clearly not comfortable with the conversation. "What most people do means nothing to me."
"But you care what I do?" I couldn't resist asking.
He opened the door to my suite, revealing a room that my entire apartment could fit into. Absolutely stunning of course. Edward had the soul of an artist, a tortured artist, but I found those the most brilliant of all. He gently laid me down on the bed, which I sunk into. I let out a long sigh of contentment. The mattress felt good; plush as a cloud in heaven. Edward quickly shut the door, then returned to the foot of the bed where he busied himself elevating my ankle on top of a mound of pillows.
"Do you want me to be honest with you?" He sat down beside me.
"Always. I can't stand liars. I only want the truth." He knew that by now.
Edward raked his fingers through his thick, copper hair. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way." He paused with apprehension. "I do care what you do. It matters to me." The anguish on his face confused me.
Slowly I sat up to get a closer look. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Every instinct I have tells me it's a very bad thing." His intense stare drove straight through me.
"I know you're not used to caring about people, but I swear, nothing bad will happen to you." I reached out and placed my hand over his.
He glanced down at our hands and then raised his gaze to mine. "It's not me I'm concerned about."
The warning in his voice came across loud and clear. He felt the need to protect me from himself. Of all the ridiculous things I ever heard. The tormented green eyes staring back at me couldn't see that though.
"Listen, I know you're not a 'nice guy.' I know you won't be writing me sappy love letters or calling me Sugar Poop. All I want is for you to be you and to let me know who that person is. No walls up with us. That's all I ask."
"I don't think you really want that." He watched me carefully.
"Why would you say that?"My fingers twined with his.
"Bella, there's a reason people have walls. If you saw what exists behind mine-" He stopped and contemplated his words. "You wouldn't be here. I wouldn't want you here."
"I don't expect you to tell me all your deep dark secrets right now. We're just getting to know each other. Unless you're hiding a murderer behind your walls I think we're fine. We'll take it slow."
He flinched at the word murderer. Most people would question that. But, as Edward said I wasn't most people. Something told me to trust him.
"Since we're being honest I have a confession to make," I let out a deep breath.
His brow lifted. "Go on."
"The reason I changed my mind and decided to stay here wasn't because you had the most efficient staff." I swallowed hard. "I wanted to persuade you from firing Emmett."
"Persuade me?"
"Look, I know you don't care that Emmett is one of the sweetest guys I've ever met or that he would never intentionally hurt a fly. You see things black and white. I just wanted to try to convince you to give him another chance. He deserves it." I spoke so fast the words strung together without a breath between them.
How could I be dishonest with him when I sat there asking him to bring down his walls? I didn't want to resort to using weapons against him. He trusted no one and I hated that. Without trust you can't have a valuable relationship and without honesty you can't have trust.
"How did you plan to persuade me?" he growled, his demeanor quickly changing. "Did you think you could use my interest in you as a weakness against me?"
"What? No!" I shook my head at the accusation. "I just wanted to try to reason with you, because I knew Emmett wouldn't be able to."
"Unbelievable!" His nostrils flared and his face reddened.
Not a good sign.
"Edward, calm down. It's not a big deal. I don't think you understand-"
"Oh, I understand perfectly." He ripped his hand from mine. "You care about Emmett and don't want him to lose his job, so you figured you would just use your power over me to accomplish your goal." He stood, looming above me.
"You make it sound so shady. I wasn't trying to get you to do anything bad. Firing him would be the wrong thing to do," I shot back at him.
He snorted in disgust, eyes flaming with fire. "You don't 'get' me to do anything. What could have possibly given you the impression that you have any authority at all as to what is the wrong thing for me to do with my employees at my company?"
"I never said I had authority. I don't want authority. Why must you turn everything into a power play?" He drove me crazy. No one made me as angry as him.
"Isn't it? You just told me the only reason you're here is because you want something from me and you planned to manipulate me to get it." He roared, full on lion.
"That's how you're choosing to look at it. You trust no one. I don't know why, but I get that you don't. I'm not going to lie to you, Edward, people sometimes use their friends and family to help them get something they want. I don't think trying to save someone from losing their job is horrendous. Not to mention the fact that I just told you about it so we wouldn't have any deceit between us. I don't want power over you and certainly not over your company. If we can't trust each other then we have a major problem." My finger pointed and waved in his face. He hated that, but I didn't care.
He stormed across the room and swung the door open with a crash so fast I jumped. Edward spun around in the doorway. "You want honesty? Emmett will be fired first thing Monday morning and there is nothing you can say or do to change that."
My head fell back on the pillow as he slammed the door. Whoever said honesty was the best policy never met Edward Cullen.
I woke to a light tapping on the door. "Come in," my sleepy voice rasped.
"Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Swan," the petite, dark haired woman said as she entered the room. "I brought your belongings." She headed for the closet rolling my small suitcase.
"How did you get my clothes?" Still fuzzy from sleep, it took a moment for me to remember my situation.
"A young woman dropped them off a few minutes ago," she replied from the walk in closet doorway.
It had to be Angela. "Is she still here?"
She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She had a flight to catch. She seemed very concerned for you though."
"Oh, thank you. I can put those away." I could never be comfortable having a staff of people cater to me.
"It will take no time at all." She smiled. Her big brown eyes held warmth in them. "You should be resting. I'm sorry I woke you."
I glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. "No, I slept really late actually." I sat up and stretched. "I'm Bella, by the way." I smiled lightly. I hated when people called me Ms. Swan, too stuffy for me.
"Nadia," she replied politely. "Would you prefer lunch in bed or do you want me to assist you downstairs?"
"No, that's okay. I'm good. I don't need you." That came out wrong. "I'm sorry I don't speak 'rich people.'" I laughed at myself. "I'm just a massage therapist with a sprained ankle."
She nodded, smiling. "It's my job to look after you this weekend. How does your ankle feel?"
"Still a little sore, but I'll survive." Hating awkward small talk, I changed the subject. "So, have you worked for Edward long?"
"Yes, quite some time," she answered, placing my suitcase on a shelf beside her. Something in her tone intrigued me.
"That's impressive. He's not an easy man to work for," I noted, wanting to keep the conversation going.
"The Cullen family has been very good to me. I have no complaints." She gave another warm grin and turned to head into the closet.
"Wait," I called out.
She paused and glanced over her shoulder.
"Did you say Cullen family?"
She nodded.
"So you know Edward's father?" Nadia seemed to be in her mid-thirties. I wondered about Edward's age. Why had I never asked him?
"Yes," she replied hesitantly.
"Did you work for him as well?"
"No, Ma'am." Her polite, but firm tone made it clear she had finished with our conversation.
"But you know him?" I couldn't help myself. The questions just spewed out.
She swallowed hard and nodded. "I do. Yes."
I folded my arms. "That's so strange. Edward doesn't seem to have a relationship with him."
Nadia stared at me as she contemplated her answer. "My mother worked for Mr. Cullen Sr. for twenty years." The heaviness of those words didn't go unnoticed. Based on her haunted expression there were skeletons in the closet and she knew all about them.
Before I could open my mouth to respond she disappeared into the closet, taking her secrets with her.
The second I stood on my ankle a slew of profanities left my mouth.
Nadia came running out of the closet. She quickly grabbed the crutches I hadn't noticed beside my bed and handed them to me.
"I don't think you're quite ready to stand on that ankle yet." She pointed out the obvious.
"Thank you." She helped me maneuver the crutches. "The pain went down enough I thought it would be okay." Clearly not the case.
"Have you been putting ice on it?" She asked kindly.
"No, I fell asleep as soon as I got here last night and just woke up."
Her lips turned down with disapproval. "Why don't you lay back down and I'll get you an ice pack. Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat." She carefully guided me back to the bed.
"I'll get something later. You've done so much already." I waved her off.
She frowned down at me. "I'll be right back with the ice. You need to eat. I'll have lunch sent to you. Eat it when you feel hungry." Nadia placed my ankle under a pillow and gave a quick scan of the room, making sure everything was in order before she headed for the door.
"Thank you. I'm sure you have enough going on without having the annoyance of taking care of me." I hated relying on anyone. I much preferred taking the role of caregiver. Being waited on brought me out of my comfort level.
"Actually, your stay here has caused quite a bit of excitement. You might encounter some stealthy starring from the rest of the staff. I hope it won't trouble you at all. I strongly advised against it, but under the circumstances I can't say it won't happen," she admitted with a resigned sigh.
"Under what circumstances?"
"You are the first visitor we've ever had. I assure you even though it came unexpectedly we are prepared and eager to make your stay a pleasant one." Her bright smile confirmed her words.
She meant it. I thought maybe it had been a joke, but then I realized who else would have visited?
"No one else has been here...ever?"
She shook her head. "Mr. Cullen doesn't bring business associates home, so no."
I swiped the stunned look from my face. "I know he prefers solitude most of the time. I just didn't realize he never had company. At least he has you and the rest of the staff here. He's not completely alone."
She cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"You must be like family to him," I said, wishing I could have believed it.
Nadia stared into my eyes a few moments. "It's strongly encouraged the staff refrain from speaking to Mr. Cullen unless spoken to. He values silence. Only a limited number of staff have clearance to be in the same room with him." She paused. "It works out for the best that way," she added as an unpleasant memory crossed her face.
"What? That's insane!" I said louder than I intended based on the way she cringed. Then I realized, it wasn't any different at work. No one spoke to Edward unless absolutely necessary and he permitted very few people near him.
What did he have hidden behind those walls?
By late afternoon I needed to get out of bed.
I couldn't lay there a minute longer. I grabbed my crutches and hobbled out of the room.
I wanted to find Edward; we needed to talk. As much as he got my blood boiling, I didn't like fighting with him. Okay, not entirely true, sometimes I loved it. I just didn't like him feeling betrayed by me.
It took me quite some time, but I managed to make it down the staircase. I sat on my butt and skivvied step by step. By the time I reached the bottom I wanted to kiss the ground.
I hobbled around, with no idea where to go. Knowing my boss I would most likely find him in his office, plotting world domination.
Edward had an army of servants and yet I stood in complete silence. If a pin dropped it would sound like a car horn.
Several long hallways surrounded me. My ankle stopped throbbing, but I didn't have the strength to search the massive house on crutches. Maybe I could use my senses to find him. Injured people had heightened senses. Everyone knew that. Sniffing the air I took a moment to pick up his scent. Damn cleaning products. That's all I could smell. Scanning the area I opened my eyes so wide they nearly popped out. My crazy ass reflection in the mirror by the stairs was all I discovered. I closed my eyes and willed my ears to become bionic. I stood there in silence, until finally it happened.
A noise.
My eyes flew open and zoomed in on hallway number one. Of course, I should have known. It's the loneliest number. I pointed my crutches toward the entrance and hobbled down the hall. So many doors. I started with the first and knocked.
"Edward?" I called out pleasantly.
No response at all.
I made my way down the hall getting more and more frustrated the further I got. Not only did I get no response but the doors were all locked. About halfway I knocked on a door and it swung open. I froze in the hall, peeking in, waiting for something to happen. Peering even further, I saw a desk.
Ah ha! Found you, Lion.
I hobbled into the room, feeling pretty smug. The light had been left on. Cocky little me didn't notice the wastebasket by the desk and my crutch landed in it, sending me into a spastic fight to stay upright. I swung my crutches around sending the trashcan flying. It hit the bookcase knocking everything in its path to the floor. The house definitely wasn't silent now. The loud crashes and slew of profanities I spewed echoed all the way down the hall. I got control of my crutches and took a few deep breaths.
Shit!
Books covered the floor, probably first editions that cost more than my, well, I doubted I had anything worth nearly as much. I hobbled to the chair and plopped into it like a sack of potatoes. Ninjas on crutches are useless. After rolling the chair over to the expensive mess, I cautiously picked up the books and placed them back on the shelf one by one.
Classic literature.
Edward enjoyed reading, which brought a smile to my face. He formed connections to fictional characters. Possibly the only connections he had in his life. It gave me hope.
One book stood out from the rest. The cover appeared worn, unlike all the other mint condition books in the pile. As I lifted the book something fell from it. I snatched it before it reached the floor, dropping the book in my haste. I held a photo of a young boy, probably not more than four years old in my hand. His big, green eyes and messy copper hair left little doubt that it was Edward smiling brightly at the camera.
The joy on his adorable face struck me.
My heart ached knowing something tragic happened to take that smile away. The happy little boy with the sparkling green eyes stood next to a baby carriage. I couldn't see inside it. I knelt down closer to pick up the book, hoping to figure out what relevance it might have. Just as my fingertips touched it the door slammed shut.
"What do you think you're doing?" Edward's low growl had always been his deadliest.
Sitting up I met his fiery gaze. "I came in here looking for you. My crutches knocked the books down. I hope I didn't damage any of them."
His suspicious gaze landed on my lap. The picture laid there like a scarlet letter.
"You were absolutely adorable." I picked the picture up and looked at that sweet boy again.
"Don't." He held up a hand.
"Don't what?" I tore my eyes from the photo.
"Coddle me. I detest it." He sneered as though I spit in his face.
"Edward, that's not coddling. It's stating a fact." He once told me that about my boobs, of all things.
"I'm serious," he said quietly. He couldn't mask the pain in his voice.
I placed the picture on the shelf and pushed myself up, leaning against the side of his beautiful mahogany desk. He stood before me looking more like wounded prey than a ferocious lion. In that moment I didn't want to know the reason why, I just wanted to comfort him. I reached out and grabbed his shirt just above the waistline and drew him to me. To my surprise he didn't fight me. I wrapped my arms around him. His body never felt so tense. He still wouldn't let me in, not even for a simple hug.
"Let me hug you," I whispered in his ear. "It won't make you weak. It will make you stronger."
His lips moved to my ear. "What sappy Hallmark card did you read that in?" he whispered, mocking me.
I'd never heard him whisper before. I always wanted to make him roar, but making him whisper would be my new addiction.
"I'm sorry about earlier," I kept my lips at his ear, speaking softly. "Do you want to know the truth?"
He pulled his head back and met my eyes. "What do you think?"
"Emmett wasn't the only reason I came here," I said quietly. "I tried not to show it, because I'm not comfortable with people taking care of me, but when I woke up I was scared and confused, even though I had Jazz. I'll always have Jasper and he will always have me, but it wasn't him I wanted. It was you."
I hadn't fully admitted it to myself, for so many reasons. I knew I had a strong attraction to Edward. We had chemistry from the moment we met, but no matter who I dated, Jazz had always been the one I sought for comfort. Our connection beat out any other hands down. No contest. Every time.
Except this time.
Only I would fall for a man that couldn't even hug me. No matter how many warnings he gave it made no difference. He couldn't push me away. Edward stared at me as though I hadn't spoken. He wanted honesty and that's exactly what he got. I had no regrets, even if he couldn't handle the truth. He would warn me away again. I stared straight back at him ready for whatever he threw my way.
"You made me feel weak last night," he confessed, as though he murdered someone. "I don't form attachments to people, for many reasons, mainly because they repulse me."
"You don't give them a chance," I interrupted softly.
"It's mutual. Trust me. I wouldn't want it any other way." Edward snorted at the thought. "You, Ms. Swan, are different. I knew it from the moment you called me Fat Cat."
I giggled, which I never do, except with him. He tells me mankind repulses him and I giggle. "No one has called you that before?"
"Who would dare?" He scoffed.
"Oh right, I forgot. You're the big, bad, lion." I teased. "People scurry away in fear."
"Except you," he noted calmly with a nod.
"You don't scare me." I leaned in close with a wise ass smirk.
"I should scare you most of all," he warned.
"There it is." I tapped the air with my finger.
He blinked. "There's what?"
"The warning. Took you a little longer than I expected. You're the Big Bad Wolf and I'm Little Red Riding Hood. Except I don't recall the wolf giving her multiple warnings to stay away from him."
"Maybe he felt she had the common sense to figure it out for herself."
"Are you saying I have no common sense?" My eyes widened.
"What big eyes you have," he said menacingly.
"That's my line! You don't even know the story." I shook my head.
"Perhaps you're the wolf in this story. You want to see me better."
"And that makes me a vicious killer?"
"That makes you dangerous."
I reached up and clasped his cheek in my hand. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. I'm not going to huff and puff and blow your walls down. I want you to let me in because you want me there."
"That's not even the same story." He frowned.
"You get the point." I waved my hand in the air.
He leaned in close, his lips grazed over mine. "I do," he whispered.
"I love the way you whisper," I admitted against his soft mouth.
His lips gently brushed against mine, side to side, teasing me. I latched on to the bottom one and gave him a little bite, hard and fast, just the way he liked it. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up on his desk, our lips never parting. His hand came up behind the back of my head and held it in place as his lips did delicious things to my mouth. By the time he let me up for air I had flung my hands over his shoulders and began climbing him like a tree.
"How do you feel?" he asked, hoarsely.
"Like I'm about to lose my mind," I could barely get the words out.
"You're not in pain?" He took a step away from me.
"I am now," I grunted, still having trouble catching my breath.
"How is your ankle?" His fingertips ran down my leg until they reached my ankle. He lifted it slowly as he inspected it.
I sat there in the pea green muumuu the hospital dressed me in. Doesn't get much sexier than that. "It feels much better when you're kissing me."
"Does it?" He smirked devilishly. His dark side peaked through and I welcomed it with open arms.
I nodded as I reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back to me. His lips moved down the side of my neck, sending goosebumps all over my body. Edwards fingers drifted from my hips down to my inner thighs.
"You burst into a man's office dressed like this." He bit down on the delicate skin above my collar bone.
My breath hitched. "Victoria's Secret is for pussies. Sexy women wear muumuus."
He pulled away and shook his head. "Not true. Only you can make a muumuu sexy."
I chuckled. "You little charmer, you. Trying to sweet talk me out of my muumuu?"
Edward's face turned serious. "There's nothing sweet about me, Bella, especially right now."
"You can't scare me away." I kissed his hardened lips softly.
He bit down on my bottom lip and released it. "You sure about that?"
My eyes closed at the feel of his fingers pushing my panties aside. "Your darker side turns me on," I confessed in a breathy voice.
"I can feel that," he whispered in my ear, as though it was a secret.
It was no secret.
I pulled him closer as he skillfully removed my muumuu and tossed it behind him, leaving me in only a bra and panties.
"That first day... in your office…" I sputtered out and stopped when he bit down on my neck. "I thought you were an arrogant asshole."
"I thought you were a spastic nuisance," he retorted as his lips dropped to my breasts. He lowered the bra straps.
The hungry way he feasted on my breasts would probably frighten most people, but I wasn't most people. I pushed out my chest as an offering. Something about his wild side drove me insane.
"Ouch!" I cried out as he accepted my offer, biting down hard on my nipple and sucking it into his mouth with force.
Slowly he released it. "You like my dark side?" He observed me carefully as though my answer held a lot of importance.
My head nodded eagerly. My mouth managed to murmur a breathy "Love it."
A sinister smirk appeared on his face. His eyes darkened. My heart raced in my chest uncontrollably at the sight of him. Whatever devious thoughts were running through his mind I wanted them to happen. Right now. Before I could voice that he swooped me up off the desk and whisked me across the room to a dark leather sofa. The cool feel of it against my warm skin sent shivers down my spine.
Edward knelt before me and gave me his most wicked smirk of all.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked, wondering how blunt he would be.
"Defiling you in unspeakable ways until you can't walk." He paused. "After you recuperate."
I glanced down at my ankle. "I can't walk now so we're halfway there."
He shook his head stubbornly. "Bella, you're lucky to be alive. Your body needs to time to heal."
"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen, might I remind you that I'm a well trained massage therapist. I know a little more about the body than you do." I placed my hand on my hip and lowered my eyebrows at him.
"Oh really?" He had the nerve to snort condescendingly. "I find that highly doubtful."
"You don't think I know the human body better than you do?" He actually sounded serious. What started out as playful flirting quickly turned into me wanting to smack the smug smirk right off his face.
"Miss Swan, you're a massage therapist not a doctor. Doctors have patients. Massage therapists have customers." He stood up, making a point of looking down at me, as though I were beneath him.
"Clients, Mr. Cullen. Massage therapists have clients. They come to us for healing. I'm a healer." I glared up at him as I pulled my bra straps up.
He laughed out loud mockingly. "You're hardly a healer. I can think of several times I've needed healing from injuries caused by you. Should I list them?"
I held up a hand. "You have me half naked on your couch, is insulting me really what's on your mind?"
He lowered his gaze to me. "You need time to heal. Trust me, insulting you is not what's on my mind."
"Tell me then. I'd really like to hear it." In a whisper preferably I wanted to add.
He shook his head. What a stubborn man.
"You're not one to have trouble speaking your mind." I scooted closer to the end of the couch.
Edward ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to hurt you."
"How would telling me what's on your mind hurt me?" I looked up innocently.
"Don't play coy, Bella. It's not attractive." He moved in closer. "You want to hear the dirty things I want to do to you, all the filthy thoughts running through my mind? We both know that would lead to more than talking."
"And that would be a bad thing because?" I scrunched my brow in confusion. "I honestly don't see the problem here."
He released a frustrated sigh. "I'm not a gentleman. I can get a bit…rough. I'm generally in full control of myself, but it might be different with you. I brought you here to heal, not to satisfy my carnal needs."
My eyes rolled. "Hello, Mr. Boob Muncher, I'm painfully aware of your vigorous appetite." I leaned in a little closer. "To be honest, I'm dying to see you lose control."
"I know." He took a step back. "You've been testing my limits since the day we met."
I stretched out my legs. "It's not my fault. You make it impossible to resist." A chill shot up my spine. I wrapped my arms around my half naked body. "It's kind of cold in here. Do you think you can control yourself enough to keep me warm?"
He threw me an intense stare before dropping to his knees. "Come here," he ordered as though I were a disobedient dog.
"Why don't you come here?" I curled my finger at him, luring him to me.
"Must you fight me on everything?" His jaw stiffened.
"The couch is more comfortable. I'm being logical. Isn't that what you like, logical decisions?" It was the truth. I actually wasn't trying to push his buttons, that was just an added bonus.
"What on earth possessed me to hire such a wiseass?" He growled out a frustrated sigh.
"My great rack?" I pushed my cleavage together, holding back a laugh.
His eyes darted straight to them before I could tell him I was kidding he lunged forward and scooped me up, settling us both on the couch, me sitting in his lap.
He kissed my lips once. "I've seen better."
My jaw dropped. "You told me they were exquisite."
He shrugged. "Do you believe everything a man tells you?"
"Of course not." I grasped his jaw and pulled his face to meet mine. "I believe everything you tell me. I trust you."
He stared at me with his dark, tormented green eyes. "That's a bad decision."
"Because you're such an awful monster. Is that what you want me to believe?" I released his jaw as we continued staring at one another.
"Trust makes you vulnerable. Little Red Riding Hood trusted the Wolf and look at how that ended for her." He chomped his mouth suddenly, making me flinch.
"Wrong. She never trusted him. He was pretending to be someone he wasn't," I argued.
"You don't think people do that?" He looked at me with concern. "You really are naïve."
"Edward, please. I'm not a little girl. I'm aware people do that. Are you being someone else with me?" I watched him ponder my question.
"Yes." His hands gripped my hips a little tighter. "I'm not myself when I'm with you."
"And you think that's a bad thing?" I teased with a light smile. "Knowing a part of you that you don't show other people makes me feel special. It's not the same thing as pretending to be someone you're not."
"If that's what you choose to believe." He shrugged.
"Do you trust me?"
I watched as his eyes darted to the side before resting on mine.
"No."
My brow rose. "Just no?"
"Would you rather I lie?" He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear, an intimate gesture. The man was the king of mixed signals.
"Don't ever lie to me. Why don't you trust me?" All I wanted was to understand him. He made it so difficult.
"I don't trust anyone," he said calmly, merely stating a fact.
"I know that, but I thought I was different. You just admitted that I'm different."
"I'm highly attracted to you." He paused cautiously. "Being around you doesn't repulse me. I sometimes prefer your company to being alone."
"Woah, slow down with the sweet talk." I fanned myself. "Okay, fine. Don't trust me. Just know that I trust you."
"We'll have to work on that." He frowned. "You lack self-control."
"What?" My voice rose a few octaves. "I most certainly do not."
He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "What if I told you I wanted to lick your body until you begged me to stop, and then I'd turn you over?"
"Just licking? No biting?" I questioned.
"Definitely biting. You're my favorite meal," he replied casually.
"Will there be marks?" I asked with concern.
"All over your body. You would be sore for days."His wicked smirk appeared.
I fell across his lap with my arms above my head. "Mangia!"
Edroar looked down at me, a predatory gleam in his eyes. My heart raced as I waited for him to pounce. I closed my eyes wanting to be taken off guard. The thrill of it would be such a rush, I waited with anticipation for what felt like an hour before I slowly opened my eyes.
He watched me intently. "No self-control. You're like a lamb to slaughter."
I lifted up off his lap in a flash. "My God! You are such a control freak. Do you ever lighten up?"
"Rarely." He pushed up off the couch and stood above me. "Definitely not tonight."
His finely constructed, militant persona was set firmly in place. His walls were up sky high, smug that he remained in full control. Oh what I would give to shake him up. To make him lose control, even for a just a few moments. Spontaneity. Edroar didn't know the meaning of the word.
But I did.
Reaching out I pulled the waist of his pants toward me in a swift yank. He swayed slightly. My gaze darted up to his and a naughty smile spread across my lips. With speedy fingers I unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. I pulled them down in a powerful display. His body stiffened, everywhere.
Call me crazy, but just seeing his penis felt like a huge victory, and I don't use the word huge lightly. There's nothing little about the Lion's hidden cub. Not that size mattered to me. It's always been more about the connection. I don't know if it made me an awful person or not, but all I could think about was making him lose control.
My fingers wrapped around his fully aroused cock.
He grunted before clearing his throat. "What are you doing?" His voice was strained, but stern.
"Baaaaah!" I did my best lamb impression before engulfing him in my mouth.
"Fuck!" He groaned.
Though I had a pretty good idea, getting a feel for what he liked would take a some experimentation.
I teased him a little by sucking on the head and then dropping down full hilt. Edward let out a low growl when he realized I didn't have a gag reflex. My fingers moved to explore his most precious jewels. He liked things rough. You didn't have to know him well to figure that out. I nibbled lightly on the outer rim of the head, giving his balls a firm squeeze and then a hard massage.
His breathing became heavier, but he still had his fortress up. I wanted him to let go and feel pleasure. Feel joy. Just feel. My mouth sucked him in and released him over and over before I pulled my head back with a loud pop as my lips left him.
"You are delicious!" I smiled up at him with dripping wet lips. "Maybe you're right though. I should have more self-control." I frowned and let out a heavy sigh as I began to pull his boxers and pants up.
"Don't," the word left his lips in a pained whisper.
"Don't?" I paused, holding his pants midway up his legs.
Edward's gaze dropped down to mine. "Don't stop." His eyes begged.
"Okay, if you insist." I let his pants drop back to the floor.
Don't ask me why because I couldn't give you a reason other than instinct and insanity, but I leaned in deep between his legs and bit down on his inner thigh as hard as I could. I wanted to mark him. Maybe I did need some self-control? I'd have to deal with my crazy later because my little vampire move smashed his walls down faster than Miley Cyrus in a wife beater. Edward's hands reached down and gripped the back of my head firmly. His fingers wound their way into my hair.
"Are you hungry, Bella?" His deep voice sounded different, in a way I couldn't decipher.
"Famished," I replied, a bolt of adrenaline shot through me.
My eyes raised up to his, expecting to find his wicked smirk or a devilish gleam in his eyes, but I found neither. His generally hardened jaw had loosened. His usually stern, tormented eyes were hooded and clear. It took me a moment to recognize it. His walls were down. The only other time I had seen it was when he slept. He certainly wasn't sleeping now.
He let me in.
Jesus Christ did he let me in, with a furor. The man was pushing his cock deep down my throat with an absolute lack of abandon. He lost all self-control. I welcomed it with open arms, well open mouth if you wanted to get technical about it. I suppose I could have tried the traditional let's talk out your emotions approach, but where would be the fun in that?
The grunts and growls coming from him fed my insatiable appetite to help him feel, to truly feel a connection with another person. I can't lie, the fact that I was that person made my heart leap.
Being a singer I knew the voice was a powerful instrument.
For example, if you hum while giving oral sex the vibration heightens the pleasure for the recipient. At least that's what I heard, to be honest I never actually tried it, until now.
I put on quite a show. Humming your heart out with a penis hitting the back of your throat isn't as easy as one might think, but I nailed it. Edward thoroughly enjoyed my performance. He growled a slew of profanities ending them with a thunderous roar. His warm cum shot down my throat so fast I barely tasted it.
"Are you okay?" He released my head and dropped down to his knees in one fell swoop. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face and his breathing was labored. He definitely felt.
"Actually, I'm quite upset." I folded my arms.
"Did I hurt you?" His eyes grew concerned.
"Hurt me?" I rolled my eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Who gets hurt during a blow job?"
He raked his fingers through his hair making it a sweaty mess that somehow managed to look sexy as hell. "You have a concussion for Christ's sake. I shouldn't have been so rough." His eyes roamed all over me as though he didn't believe I was okay.
"But you couldn't control it." I didn't try to contain my smile. "Do you have any idea how much that means to me?"
He scratched his forehead in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I wanted you to let me in and really feel pleasure," I explained with excitement. "That couldn't happen unless you lost control. You made me work for it. That's for damn sure." I wiped my brow.
He plopped down on the couch beside me and kicked his pants off from the bottoms of his legs. "Is that why you're upset? Because I didn't make destroying my self-control easy for you?"
"What?" I laughed. "No, I knew that would be hard as hell. I'm upset I didn't get to finish my song."
He had to think a few seconds before it clicked. "If it makes you feel any better you can finish it for me later. What song was that? It had quite a gripping melody."
"Our Lips are Sealed by the Go Go's," I hummed a little for him. "It just felt right."
He nodded with a small smirk on his lips. "Definitely the wolf," he muttered.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down closer. "Me? That's crazy talk. I don't bite."
"Liar." He moved in even closer.
"I nibble. You love it." I kissed him lightly and nipped at his lips before releasing them.
Monday morning the Lion would be back in full force. I had no control over that. To be honest, I didn't want control over that. But one thing was for sure, thanks to me Edward had a whole new appreciation for music.
That's what healers do.
A/N:
Next up…Emmett's fate. Will Edward reconsider his decision? Bella said she wasn't going to huff and puff and blow his walls down, yet she may have done just that. Did she play fair?
Huge love to: Edroar readers. Duh! Who else? All of the love goes to you guys every time for being the most kick ass readers anyone ever had. You are no joke and I appreciate it more than I can ever say. I know this fic isn't for wussies, since I'm so God forsaken slow at writing it. I promise to get the next chapter to you as fast as I can. Every review and every PM you guys gift me with I treasure. You have no idea how much it means to me. I'm so bummed that I can't reply to the reviews the way I used to. Please forgive me.
Fun Fact: My dear friend DH78 is the inspiration for Nadia in this chapter. What secrets is she hiding in that big ole closet?
Need an addiction? Kdrama folks! Trust me. Just trust me. Google this: My Love From Another Star. You can watch it on a website called Viki. Do Min Joon is waiting for you! Come find me on twitter or facebook and we can fan girl together.
Want more? FFN won't allow the link for my blog on my profile page anymore. But if you're interested in checking it out you can find the link on my twitter tropicalsorbet. So HA, take that FFN! I put videos and pictures on the blog. The pic I just posted is pretty damn inappropriate, in a creepy ass, sexy way. If you're into that sort of thing, which of course I'm totally not.
That's all for now folks. Let me know what you think…it makes me lose all self control.