Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its original characters. No copyright infringement is intended with the posting of this story or its dirty-talking Edward AKA; Masen, and his equally smutty Bella, AKA; B.
A/N: Thanks so much for returning! Now that Two Makes Five is complete I'm ready to dive deep with these characters again and I'm extremely excited about it too! If you're waiting for the TMF outtakes they should start going up on Wednesday evening, and they will be added as extended chapters after the EPI under that story. Much love to my beta, myonlyheroin. Any and all mistakes are my own due to twitchy fingers during that last read-through before hitting the update button.
Interrogations Interrupted
Chapter 12
.(((Edward))).
The drive to the beach hadn't been too awkward, but it also hadn't been exactly comfortable. Bella and I had taken the backseat with her brother Sam, and I'd directed her father from behind his shoulder, telling him where to go so we wouldn't have too hard of a time trying to find a place to park.
Almost three hours in and James was still refusing to utter any actual audible words to me, but I was absolutely fine with that. This was mostly because I currently had enough going on with Charlie's less than subtle interrogation.
Throughout the entire morning and well into the afternoon, nearly every four to seven minutes on the dot, Bella's dad would ask me a new random fact-based question. I'd answer as if I were sitting in on some insane job interview that my life depended on, and then he'd usually nod his head before purposely redirect all of his attention back onto his one and only baby girl.
He very rarely ever included me in any actual reciprocated conversations that would involve the three of us.
It was almost as if he were refusing to hear about Bella and I having an actual life that included each other, where we did real things, and where we'd laid actual groundwork to properly get to know one another before he'd even discovered my existence.
"So, do you speak any Spanish, Edward?" Charlie had just asked me after we'd all sat down at a table to enjoy some ice cream.
"Me? Sí, hablo suficiente español." I quickly returned with a fairly proud smirk before sending an impulsive wink towards Bella who was now sitting beside me grinning ear to ear, "When you grow up here, it kind of sneaks into your vocabulary without you even realizing it. Plus, I took four years of Spanish in high school. I'd say I know enough to get by, while still sounding like a sorry gringo in the process."
Charlie actually smiled over this, then took a bite of his plain vanilla ice-cream to no doubt silently start formulating his next well-calculated inquiry.
"Bells doesn't speak a lick of it, maybe you can teach her some basics. That way we can stop worrying about her getting lost in Little Havana and being initiated into some Latino gang." Sam added with a light laugh after bumping his sister's shoulder with his own.
"I'll have you all know I successfully ordered a Cuban coffee, in Spanish, all on my own just the other morning, and I did not get laughed at!"
"That's only because you work in a coffee shop and probably hear that exact order daily, at least fifty times." James swiftly accused, causing Bella to reach over and give him a playful shove in return.
"What exactly are your plans for when you graduate from UM in the fall? Will you stay in Florida?"
All eyes were back on me again, thanks to Charlie's relentless persistence to keep me under his microscope.
I cleared my throat and went into the usual monologue that included me hopefully getting a job with the local paper here, The Miami Herald, or possibly doing some freelance stuff, and teaching while I worked on my book.
"I didn't know you were writing a book!"
My smile matched Bella's, and I nodded my head, "It's been a work in progress for a few years now. I kind of hung it up for a while, but then my life was hit by the most perfectly random muse. I decided to gut the boring parts and started working on it again here and there, whenever I get the chance."
Her cheeks were already a light shade of pink thanks to the summer sun, but I was almost certain they'd turned another shade or two darker once she'd caught on that she was the perfectly random muse I'd referenced.
"What's is it about?" James questioned, catching me by surprise since he'd already thoroughly established himself as being the quiet one in the group.
"It's a work of fiction... about life, I guess, and what happens when one impulsive, less than sane decision, has the potential to change everything thereafter. I'll be honest, I don't really like to talk about the stuff I write until it's complete. Once it's done, I'll make sure you all get signed copies." I joked with a nervous laugh. Bella was still beaming in my direction. She'd barely touched her ice-cream though. My best guess was that her nerves were preventing her from enjoying it, and that bothered me.
"Bella used to write little stories in a journal she'd keep under her bed until our dad found it and told her writing was for pretentious douchebags who were just bored with their own reality."
I'm sure they expected me to freeze on the spot over James' pretentious wit, but thanks to my father having the same exact views as Bella's, and me hearing all about them for most of my life, I'd barely even flinched.
"Yeah, I've heard that before. Many times, actually. You and my dad would probably get along pretty well, Mr. Swan."
Charlie seemed slightly impressed by my swift ability to so easily brush off James' passive aggressive attack.
He'd even smirked a little.
"Do you have a big family?"
Damn, I guess this is the rapid round, Cullen.
He's just going to shoot them out now while trying to back you into a corner.
Tread carefully here. Honesty is the best policy.
I looked over and saw Bella's eyes wide, then felt the overwhelming need to help her find a way to relax again, even though it was me who should have been scared shitless, "Looks like you're finally getting that game of twenty-questions out of me." I softly teased, hoping to make her laugh. I'd at least gotten her to crack a crooked grin. Still a win in my book, so I'd take it. "It's me, and my twin sister with my mom and dad who are still married. Rose, my sister, works in television for one of the local news channels down here, she's hoping to make it into the big leagues someday with one of the mainstream news outlets."
All three of them glanced at each other as if this meant something.
I raised my brow and waited for whatever it was Charlie planned on asking me next since I could already tell it was coming.
"What does your father do?"
And there it is.
Bella's hand was instantly reaching for mine and she gave it a tender squeeze after resting it on her knee from under the table. I offered her a quick smile, letting her know I was still breathing, then cleared my throat and sat up a bit straighter in my chair.
"He was an investment banker before getting into the hedge fund business."
"So... now he's a hedge fund manager, or is he doing something else with his time?"
Charlie didn't miss a thing.
This must be where Bella gets it from.
"Oh, Dad! Look! They're doing caricatures over there. Let's go get ours done to add to our wall in the living room back home!"
Bella had just swept in to rescue me without me even giving her a hint of signal that I'd needed to be rescued. I would, of course, be thanking her for this at a later time, but for now, it was important I continued to act calm and collected.
Charlie turned to look at what his daughter had so enthusiastically pointed towards, and I watched him share a guarded look between both of her brothers. A few seconds later, he stood up from our table, then offered his hand to help Bella up from her own seat while I continued to watch the wheels silently rotate in his head.
"Sure, alright, to add to our collection back home. That will be a nice souvenir. Sam, James, you boys play nice."
I forced my lips into a smile as we watched them walk away, then leaned myself back into my seat to breathe a little easier now that the General was gone.
I should have known better than to think the silence would last.
"Let's just get this out of the way," Sam suddenly spoke up, forcing me to sit up a little straighter again, "Bella is our little sister, and if you ever do anything to hurt her,"
"I wouldn't, I could never." I quickly interrupted him, "I get you guys being protective of her, I have a sister too, but you should know, since the day I met Bella, standing outside of our apartment doors, it's only ever been my intention to take things slow and see where they'd go. I've been completely respectful of her relationship with Jake."
They both looked shocked, and I finally felt slightly accomplished.
"So, you do know about Jake?"
"Yeah, of course. Your sister and I have been totally up front with each other about our situations."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I grimaced, realizing I probably should have left out the casual mention of my own heavy and slightly damaged baggage.
"Oh, yeah? What's your situation, Cullen?" James swiftly questioned with his eyes narrowed in my direction after tossing what was left of his ice-cream into the garbage can beside our table.
"I, um… I still live with my ex."
Bella's brothers were instantly laughing and hitting the top of our table with their hands as if I'd just told the world's most hilarious dirty joke. "Wow, well then… our kid sister must trust you a hell of a lot if its the girl we saw leaving your place last night all dressed up like she was going to some fancy awards show."
I wasn't really sure what to say in response to that. Anytime Tanya left the house, she looked like she was going to some fancy awards show. Aside from that though, it seemed as if they'd gotten it into their heads that their sister and I had already set out into some type of semi-committed relationship, which was not at all the case, but I wasn't sure if that's what Bella wanted them to think, so I just avoided directly answering their question and instead shrugged my shoulders.
"Bella knows I'd never do anything to hurt her."
They smirked at each other and nodded their heads in unison before redirecting their attention back over to where B and her dad were now sitting on top of the seawall for their drawing with the ocean and several palm trees positioned directly behind them.
Once I'd caught Bella's eye, she offered me a quick wink and short wave from her hand where it had been positioned over her lap. I easily returned the wave, then looked back over at James who had cleared his throat to say signal he was anxious to say something else.
"Look… we get it. She had to take off and experience... things on her own. You should know though, she will always find her way back home. That's where she belongs, and it won't take her too long to figure it out. Especially once she gets all of this out of her system."
It was almost sad how very little he apparently knew about his sister, even though he wanted to pretend they actually knew her better than anyone else.
I considered my response for a few seconds, then inevitably decided to just be upfront since there was no point in dragging it out or playing any games here, "Fair enough, but you should know I plan on giving it my all to convince your sister that she does belong here with me at her side. When you know someone is special… you know. I believe your sister is special, and I also believe she feels the same way about me. That should count for something. You don't have to like me, but you should at least respect the fact that she's trying to take control of her life and that I'm someone she wants to have in it."
"You call it taking control, we call it running from responsibility. Good luck with trying to rein her in. Jake certainly won't make it easy for you, or her for that matter, but don't let us stop you from giving it a go. Besides, Bella could use a good wake up call from her fantasy world." James further added, this time with a straight face while he studied mine for any type of a reaction.
For a guy who had barely said seven words to me since we'd met, he'd now gone above and beyond meeting his quota in the last three minutes.
Sam was inching his way closer and closer towards becoming my favorite of Bella's brothers, but I had a feeling James' couldn't have given two shits about being on my good side.
That being said, it also shouldn't have surprised me that James would be the one to champion Jake. He did after all give him a goddamn kidney and save his life. My options here were vastly limited when it came to finding an in that would actually be worth anything long term in his eyes.
We all sat in silence after that, eating what was left of our ice cream and playing on our phones while also watching Bella share small talk with her dad and the elderly sketch artist who was finishing up their picture.
She looked so happy when she got to see the final product. That had easily created a smile on my own face. It really wasn't hard to experience the unconditional love she had for her father, even if their relationship was strained and complicated right now. You could see it in her eyes, how much his approval meant to her.
I needed to remember that.
I also needed to try my best to respect it myself.
James stood up without saying anything to go meet them by the palm tree they were still standing under. This left Sam and me alone at the table to continue our game of awkwardly painful silence until he finally shifted his seat a little closer towards mine and lowered his voice.
"I'm going to give you two tips, Edward, so listen up. Number one, every question my dad ever asks you, he will already have the answer to it."
I glanced over at him and raised my brow, wondering why he'd give me anything at all, least of all information that might help me win their father over.
"Number two, if he catches you in a lie, you're done. He doesn't give strangers a second chance. Second chances are reserved for family, and Bella will get hers when she comes back home."
I leaned myself forward and turned my head, so I'd be facing only him, "Okay, thanks for the heads up, but I already have every intention to be nothing but honest with any of you."
"That's good. Stick with that, and eventually, you might actually have a foot in the race."
"Are you saying I don't have a foot in the race right now?"
There was something about Sam that hinted he was the one I could maybe eventually find myself trusting. He seemed to be less guarded, and more open to the fact that his little sister was out here attempting to live her life the way she wanted to- for her and no one else. Regardless of the simple-minded brainwashing, their father had evidently forced upon all three of them.
"Everyone has a chance. Some just lose that chance a lot faster than others. Treat my sister like gold, and I'd like to believe anything is possible. You've already earned some points with me just by saddling up... even while knowing about Jake. That takes some balls."
I smile and nodded my head, appreciating his honesty.
Our one on one conversation had to end there because Bella was just a couple of feet away from us now with her dad and James following closely behind, but keeping their eyes set on me while seemingly sharing a few mumbled words between one another.
Well, here we go, round six… or was it eight?
I'd lost count.
Ding-ding-ding.
"What's up next? Should we walk the shoreline for some more shells?" Bella questioned the group once she'd taken her place beside me again. There was something different in her eyes though. Something must have been said between them that had bothered her. She was doing a terrible job at keeping it hidden, even though she was trying her damndest.
Charlie turned his head to look towards the water, then shook it side to side without looking back at any of us, "I need to go into a couple of these tourist trap shops to grab some chachkies, but you kids can head on down that way and I'll catch up."
James stood back up with him, "I'll come with you, dad."
I wasn't sure if this should surprise me. I figured James would want to be the one to keep an eye on me with his sister, but I also wasn't going to complain. My hand reached down to grab the bag at my feet with our towels, and I pushed my chair away from the table to offer my other hand out to help Bella from her own seat. She smirked and accepted my gentlemanly gesture, but this time, she also didn't let go of my hand once we were standing side by side.
This was yet another victory, but one I couldn't relish in for too long without losing some points from the judge and jury who needed to matter the most right now.
"I don't mind playing the third wheel," Sam spoke up from behind us once we'd started to walk towards the sand.
"Maybe we can find you a hot Miami model to make a sand castle with." Bella teased her brother, earning herself a flick from his fingers to the side of her arm.
"Funny, Bells. I don't think Emily would approve."
"Emily is Sam's girlfriend. They've literally been together since the third grade." Bella swiftly filled me in as she turned her head to find her dad, "We'll be down this way when you've finished your shopping. Don't get lost. All the palm trees and bikini-clad bodies eventually start to look the same."
Bella didn't even wait for them to reply.
I smiled at her increased need to quickly get us away from them, and I swear I felt her entire body relax beside mine as soon as our feet hit the sand together. I looked over and smiled in her direction, then increased my grasp around her hand to give it a few quick pulses that easily created a truer, more tranquil grin on her face.
"That's the smile I needed to see."
She shook her head with embarrassment, then leaned in closer so our shoulders would be pressed together as we took each step closer and closer towards the roaring salty water where the waves were crashing violently onto the shore.
"My dads actually very much afraid of the ocean. He prefers the predictability of lakes and steady rivers." She snickered after bumping into me with her hip.
"You're dad doesn't seem the type to be afraid of anything." I laughed, then stopped walking to lay our towels in the sand. When I straightened myself back up again, Bella was midway through pulling her t-shirt up over her head, and she'd already removed her tiny jean shorts from her barely tan legs to kick them over next to her shoes.
Instead of a bikini, she'd opted for a simple low cut white one-piece swimsuit with the sides cut out into stacked triangle formations all the way down her perfect curves.
Bella looked over, catching me enjoying the view she'd granted the world, and smirked before placing her hands at her hips with her brow now tauntingly raised, "Like what you see, neighbor boy?"
For a moment, I completely forgot that her brother was still standing nearby.
"I think I need to get you into the water before everyone knows just how much I'm liking what I'm seeing."
She began laughing almost instantly as her feet slowly walked her backward closer towards the water. When I glanced over at Sam, he'd chosen to take a seat on his own towel and had positioned himself on his extended arms with his eyes squinting into the sun.
"You coming in Sam?" I asked after I'd pulled my t-shirt from over my head to toss it beside Bella's.
"I might, but first I'm going to work on my tan and give you guys a few minutes to… decompress."
On the inside, I was doing my best to calmly celebrate the one on one time he'd decided to grant Bella and I in the water. Lord knows I'd been craving this moment, minus having a chaperone, since our first morning sunrise together, but Sam didn't need to know about that.
Once I'd turned myself around, I found Bella standing at the edge of the water with her hands at her hips and an awestruck gaze on her blissful face, taking it all in. I made my way down the sand dune and stepped up to take my position beside her, then bumped her shoulder with mine to snap her out of the deep thought that had seemingly taken control of every part of her.
"What's going on in there?" I questioned, my brow now raised with peaked interest.
"Oh, nothing. I've just been looking forward to our first dip in the Atlantic together."
"Have you now? I guess that's something else we have in common." I smoothly replied back after I'd reached down to take her hand into mine to walk us further into the water so that it would be up to our ankles when the waves would rush by, "Why didn't you tell me you used to write?"
I'd been itching to ask her about that, and also waiting patiently for the first opportunity I'd get to have her fill in the gaps for me.
"They were just silly little short stories, often themed off of a Gossip Girl episode… nothing like what you do."
"And exactly how do you know what I do?" I quipped, just as a larger wave rushed past our knees sending a nervous laugh through her lips and her feet in search of their balance.
"Ah! The water is a lot colder than I thought it would be!"
I wasn't going to let her get out of answering my question, but I was still going to let her enjoy this moment. "It's only chilly at first. It's honestly best to jump right in, head first, without overthinking it or prolonging the inevitable." I was, of course, talking about much more than the temperature of the water, but I knew I didn't need to spell that out for her.
With my last word, I ran forward and dove into the next wave that had come at us, then pushed myself off the sandy bottom to come back up and resurface again. After rubbing the salty water from my eyes, I opened them and scanned the area but saw Bella nowhere. That was when I felt something, no someone, grabbing at my ankles to lift themselves up at my hips.
"You mean, like that?" Bella asked with a smirk, her arms now resting loosely on my shoulders and her hands finding their way to my wet hair at the back of my head. My own fingertips were quick to take their position at her hips in order to keep her in place right there in front of me.
With each and every wave that forced its way past us, she'd nervously release a fresh new laugh from her beautifully parted lips. The sight and sound would do things to me that made me unbelievably thankful to have the lower half of my body submerged under the water.
"You're a natural, Miss. Swan." I laughed and brushed some of her wet hair from her face to gently tuck it behind her ears. "Are you cool with going a little further out? The waves aren't as brutal once we get away from the coastline," I explained.
She nodded and began bouncing herself off the sand below to follow me deeper into the ocean before it eventually started to get more shallow again. "There's a sandbar not much further," I explained, then took her hand to help pull her even further in front of me. Once we'd finally made it past the stronger part of the current, it was smooth sailing and she was smiling again.
There were only a few other people who had made their way out to the sandbar, but for the most part, we were alone now with the shore and her brother about a hundred feet away from us.
"So, I think Sam might actually want to like you." She smugly filled me in after purposely wrapping her legs around my hips to float herself against me. I positioned my hands under her perfected ass to keep her in place and briefly let my smile meet her lips because I couldn't take it anymore.
Having her so close against me like this was ridiculously dangerous. Especially in the daylight hours with her family nearby, and one of her brothers on babysitting duty in the not so far off distance, but I didn't care. If she was comfortable with it, then so was I. We'd made some excellent progress last night, and the last thing I wanted to do was slow any of that down.
"James is already plotting my murder, but it's cool."
"He will come around."
"I'm not too worried." I lied, feeling my smirk give me away. She tossed her head back and laughed, then increased her grasp with her legs around my waist, pressing herself even further against the most sensitive part of my body. "Do you think it would be a bad idea to invite them to come out to a bar with us later tonight?"
"That depends. Who is 'us'?" She softly questioned, looking me directly in the eyes while her fingers continued to play with the wet hair right above my ears.
I had a feeling she was asking about Kate.
"Me, Jasper, my cousin, Mike, Tyler, and maybe my sister. Emmett might join us, depending on which shift he picks up today."
She thought it over for a few seconds while we made our way further onto the sandbar where I knew we'd be able to sit more comfortably in the water together, and I waited patiently for her response.
"Maybe. I'll feel them out later and see what Alice is doing. She's good at keeping James in check."
"Yeah? What's her secret? Maybe I can use it to my advantage."
Bella shrugged in front of me, and I tapped her bottom with my hands, signaling it was safe for her to lower her feet again, now that we'd returned to more shallow water. "I'm not sure what her secret is. When my dads not around, she's just usually able to control him, and his typical moodiness." She pushed herself away from me, and I watched her bob up and down from the ocean floor before taking a seat over the submerged sand with her knees peeking out above the surface of the water. It was only about two feet high now, making this a much more chill experience for the both of us to enjoy. "Wow, I didn't realize how far out we'd gone."
I turned to look and noticed we were a good bit of distance from the shoreline now, but nothing too extreme. I saw Sam looking our way, but he was still alone, so that was good. This meant I could steal some under the water needful grazes, and suggestive touches to Bella's bare skin without anyone else actually taking notice.
"I'm not messing up your plans for the day, am I? Making you tag along for this?" She suddenly asked after floating herself closer towards me again to smile into my squinting eyes under the hot summer sun.
"Nope, I'll clock in a few hours of work before we go out tonight, and hopefully squeeze in a short nap." My hands began to move from under the water to take her back against me, and I slowly guided her body to mount my lap again while the low waves gently rocked us forward and backward like fishing lures over the top of the ocean.
"Maybe I can shake these guys for an hour or two, and join you for that nap once we get back home."
This was an idea that I'd hoped she'd come to all on her own, so I was instantly beaming as if she'd just informed me I'd won the lottery.
"But only if you promise to actually let me sleep!" She added with her brow mockingly raised and her smirk fighting to show itself on her face. There was also something noticeably different in her eyes. An obvious hunger that hadn't been there before we'd gotten into the water.
"Unfortunately, that's a promise I likely wouldn't be able to keep."
Her arms shifted from the tops of my shoulders to travel down the center of my chest where they eventually met the water, and her taunting fingertips stopped at the knot I'd tied off at the middle of my swim trunks. When she moved herself to press her body even further against my hips, creating a ridiculous amount of friction between the two of us, I felt my relaxed state down below come to life with lust filled anticipation. "What are you trying to do to me, Bella?"
She shrugged nonchalantly, and leaned back a little, then continued to travel her fingertips even lower into my lap.
It was now abundantly obvious that I was enjoying her touch very much, and her hand had taken notice of that fact.
"Let's not start something we can't finish," I warned, causing her to throw her head back and laugh up into the sun.
"Who says you won't be able to finish?"
Christ this girl is something.
If her brother wasn't forty yards away likely watching us and taking notes, I'd without question be encouraging her to continue with her less than casual massage to my erect cock, which was still well secured within my swimsuit, but the fact of the matter was… I turned to look back towards where Sam had been sitting and instantly reached down into the water to settle her exploration as soon as I'd noticed her brother was no longer alone.
"You're... um, father is watching us, Bella," I mumbled after carefully situating us so my back would be turned towards him, just in case he had excellent vision and a ridiculous talent to lip read.
After releasing me from her hand, she leaned back onto her extended arms, then glanced over my shoulder and let out a loud huff.
"That really wasn't very nice, neighbor girl." I impulsively grumbled, carefully moving after her like a shark in the water. All I could think about was it being three days into the future when we'd no longer have any silent lurkers tracking our every move while also taking mental notes to later dissect.
"I'll let you punish me later if you promise to make it worth my while."
I shook my head in slight disbelief over the realization that she was actually showing me a little bit of the real B right here and now during the daylight hours… in public nonetheless… with her dad and older brothers in the distance.
"I want to kiss you so fucking bad right now."
"Oh, yeah? What's stopping you? Have you forgotten that I'm twenty-one years old now? My dad has seen me kiss a boy before, Edward. It won't send him into an early grave."
I cocked my brow, considering her less than subtle dare, then moved in even closer to snake my arm around her hip to draw her back in up against me in the water. Without hesitation, I brought my lips down to hers, and she moaned against my mouth when I refused to let her go until I'd gotten enough from her.
This was no three-second pop kiss.
No, this was a minute and a half of, 'I can't wait to have you alone again because I have very deliberate plans to do very naughty things to you, in an extremely kinky kind of way', kiss, and by the look on her face, she had felt that and also wanted it too.
"You okay, B?" I questioned with a grin when she still didn't open her eyes or say anything a few seconds later.
"I'm not sure… is my dad still watching, or is he swimming this way to kill you? Because I'm quite certain he's never seen me get kissed by a boy like that before."
I splashed her with some water, then swam past her legs and stole a quick pinch to her bottom before coming up again for air.
After clearing my eyes, I found her again and offered her a suggestive wink just before she tossed a large bundle of seaweed directly at my face.
"Was it that bad?"
"No. It was that good. So good that all I can think about now is that nap we talked about."
I laughed out loud and shook my head, just as I noticed Sam waving his arms in the air trying to get our attention. "Your brother, who likes me, is beckoning our return, and your dad and brother who hate me are no longer with him," I informed her, not exactly sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Huh, guess they've had enough fun in the sun."
There was something about her change in her behavior that seemed a little off. I couldn't tell if this was just her throwing her gloves down to further push herself to live the life she wanted to live… or if this was her trying to purposefully push her dad to his breaking point all of the sudden.
I decided to not question her about it, but that it would probably be a good idea to take it down a notch when we were all together again, just to see what might happen and how she would handle things.
Bella began swimming back up towards her brother, and I followed closely behind her while also over thinking the last several minutes of our shared one-on-one time as if I were some teenager trying to figure out my next move to win over the girl of my dreams in some lame rom-com.
Sam did not look pleased.
"Did you really have to dry hump your new boyfriend in front of dad?" Her brother fiercely questioned as soon as we were close enough for him to verbally attack his sister.
Bella shrugged her shoulders in innocence, and slowly bent down to pick up two towels, then tossed one over to me before she began to dry herself off. "We were literally in the water, Sam. There was nothing at all dry about what we were just doing."
My mouth nearly dropped to the sand, and I had to casually turn myself around to prevent her brother from actually seeing the raging smile that had taken control of my entire face.
"Okay, smart ass, just know, you sent yourself back about five paces with that random act of, 'Look what I can do, daddy!'."
Bella shook out her wet hair from behind her shoulders then wrapped a towel around her waist before meeting her brother's eyes with a blank stare, "Where did they go?"
"They went to the bathroom, but they're ready to take you home. He's got something he needs to go do for Billy."
She stopped moving, and this time, she narrowed her eyes when she looked back over at him, "Oh, so you guys didn't come down here just to see me. This is a work-related trip. Duly noted."
"Not exactly. It's still all about you. Always will be, no matter how far you try to run and hide from it." Sam replied with a smirk, earning himself an even more furrowed look from his sister.
I watched them continue to stand there staring each other down in the sand, but Bella wasn't budging, and I wasn't sure what to say or do next. Eventually, Sam let out a frustrated sigh and stepped closer towards his sister to give her a light brotherly shove from his hands.
"Come on, Jelly Bean. Don't make this any harder than it already is on him. Less than three days and we will be out of your hair, and you can continue on with this little early-life-crisis of yours."
It seemed strange to be standing here listening to all of this.
I could see a hundred different thoughts running through Bella's head, but when they finally settled, it was me she took a step towards.
"This isn't just some young and dumb phase, Sam. Yes, I left on an impulse, but now that I'm here, I've realized this was the absolute best decision I could have ever made for myself. I'm not some kid anymore. I'm quite literally an adult now, and it's time you, James, and dad start treating me like one."
Sam looked beside himself.
I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to be the person Bella could count on. He wanted to be the family she could turn to and not worry about being judged by, but he was torn, and it was obvious. I actually found myself feeling a little bad for the guy because I knew what it was like to have to deal with a stubborn sibling.
I cleared my throat to interject, and then took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling, "Look, I'm going to take off. Jasper's place isn't far from here. I'll call you later to lock down a time for tonight. Go spend some time with your family. Sam's right. It's two days."
Now it was my turn to receive some daggers from Bella's eyes. "It's fine, beautiful. Go ease your dad's worries and show him how good you've been doing here. Take them around town. Show them what Publix is like, and buy them a Cuban coffee." I insisted with a more relaxed smirk after reaching my hand out to gently graze the side of her face. "I promise to make it up to you later," I whispered beside her ear, just low enough so only she'd be able to hear.
That part made her smile again, and with her smile, I felt able to breathe without it feeling forced.
As much as I didn't want to be away from her, this was the right thing to do, even if she didn't want to admit it yet.
"At least let us drop you off?" She insisted after crossing her arms in front of her chest while her toes sunk mine into the sand.
"It's really only a couple of blocks away. I'm good. Promise. Go show them you know your own way home." I teased, "I'll come to kidnap you later."
She let out a sigh and reached out to take me against her damp body, "Fine, be that way."
She's addicted, Cullen.
You've done well.
"Oh, I'd like to be all kinds of ways with you," I whispered into her ear again, then shocked her further by applying a bit of pressure from my teeth to the tip of her lobe. Her knees buckled almost instantly, but I was ready for it and caught her with my arms. "There I go, making you weak in the knees again."
She giggled and lightly smacked my bare chest with her hand before looking back up into my eyes, "Until tonight then... No later than ten, promise me!"
"No later than ten, and I'll also promise you a reason to bring your sunglasses."
Bella smirked, obviously liking our plans for the future, then stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my cheek and two more softly to my lips. "I'll text you every hour on the hour to make sure they haven't tied you up and put you on a plane." When she nodded her head with a pout taking over her smile, I took that as my cue to give her one more heavy kiss from my lips, then dropped my hands to her hips to gently push her away. "Go before your dad finalizes any more plans for my funeral." I lowly ordered with my brow playfully raised.
Sam didn't waste any time taking his sister by the arm to start pulling her towards the sidewalk, "See you around, Edward."
My eyes refused to leave Bella's while he led her away and she didn't break our locked stare once until their feet had reached the cement flooring where Charlie and James were standing by waiting for them. I offered one last wave from my hand, then pulled my t-shirt on and shook my head several times, wishing that hadn't been a choice I'd had to make.
I began walking up the hot sand, going in the opposite direction Bella and her family had gone in, while slowly replaying all of the suggestive needful looks she'd sent my way ever since this morning when she'd woken up in my arms.
She needed to prove to her family that she was doing okay down here, and she needed to do that by showing them she was doing it for herself, and not for the potential rebound playboy living next door… even though I knew I was destined to be much more than a simple rebound while living in her world. They didn't need to know that yet. All they needed to know was that she was surviving. Me, muddying the water with my presence, would only be a distraction from that fact.
When I made it to Jasper's, I hesitated for a minute before knocking on the door. My car was parked in the spot outside of his door, but he'd been a good buddy and left it unlocked with the keys in the glove box so I'd be able to simply take off back to my place.
I was just about to sit my ass down on the bench outside of his door when it swung open and a smiling Alice appeared. "Jasper's in the shower, I was waiting to see how long you'd stand out here having a conversation with yourself, but now you're just looking sad. Get in here and tell me all about it. Those Swan boys can really make you feel like you're a bug under a magnifying glass."
Truthfully, they hadn't been too bad. A part of me got it. They were only worried about Bella. Who wouldn't worry when their only daughter up and randomly moves to an entirely different state with nothing but one single suitcase and no formal goodbye?
"I'm fine. I just hope she is. They needed their space right now, I could see that after spending some time with them. My presence was just further complicating things."
Alice let out an exasperated sigh and linked her arm through mine to walk us towards the small love seat in the corner of Jasper's sitting area. She gave me a shove to sit down before taking the spot beside me, then reached out to give my hand a tender squeeze over my knee, "Tell me everything."
I leaned myself back against the cushions behind me and kicked my feet up onto the coffee table Jasper and I had built together in shop class our senior year of high school. "Everything seemed to be going okay, typical fifty question type of interrogation, but I was honest and ready for it. Bella knows all about my dad now, so when that got brought up, she changed the subject pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure Charlie already knows all about it though."
"Yeah, Jasper filled me in on the way back."
"Did he now? What exactly did he fill you in on?"
Because he sure as hell better come out of that bathroom ready to have a fist thrown at his face if he also told you about my current line of employment.
"Just that your dad and uncle did something shitty with a lot of old peoples money, so now they're going to be spending some time in prison to pay their debt back to society. Why what else is there that needs to be filled in?"
I felt my body relax again and pulled my phone out from my back pocket after it began to vibrate from beneath me. Bella had made it back to her apartment. She was changing, and then they were going to head back out to one of the nearby malls before getting dinner tonight. I wasn't invited, but she said her dad had already made comments that he needed to get to bed early this evening after having not slept well last night… likely because he'd been up worrying about her.
Her brothers, however, had expressed an interest in coming out with us.
"Looks like Sam and James will be joining us at the bar."
Alice attempted to suffocate her laugh behind her hands, but failed miserably, then offered my shoulder a quick squeeze from her hand, "I know how to handle James when Charlie isn't around to glare at him. Don't stress. We will have fun, it will be my own personal mission. They'll see you're not an enemy and they'll relax... Or they will be annoyed as hell and miserable all night, because deep down they'll know they should let Bella live her life, but that their daddy won't let it happen, making it their problem to have to deal with."
"Just so long as Jake doesn't show up, I'll be fine. I can handle them."
"About that…"
My eyes went wide and my jaw clenched.
"He'll be heading down in a little less than two weeks for a couple of days. She doesn't know yet. He called me about an hour ago when she wasn't responding to his texts. He wanted to make sure we'd be around."
"Super."
Alice laughed lightly and bumped me with her shoulder, "That gives you at least a week and a half to make her forget all about him before he gets here to give her any unwanted reminders of his existence."
"Technically, less than that since her family is here until Wednesday," I mumbled after sending Bella a text back letting her know I'd be at my place shortly to get some work done, but that when she was ready to be kidnapped, to let me know. "I need to get going. I've got to put some hours in since we'll be out all night,"
Jasper had just come out of his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his head and a smug expression on his face.
"Get some hours in, or get a break in from all of your pent-up frustrations?"
I glared at my best friend and sent him my middle finger before loudly telling him to shut the hell up. Alice seemed to be processing what he'd said, and also trying to figure out if it meant something more based on my impulsive reaction.
Not smart, Cullen.
My best friend let out a nervous laugh, then tossed his towel towards the corner of the room where his pile of laundry had accumulated into a small mountain, "Okay, so what time should we plan on getting over to the bar later?"
My legs lifted me up from the sofa, and I began making my way back over towards the door, "Ten still sounds good. I'll let Riley and Rose know. Please do me a favor and DON'T invite Kate. She would not leave me alone last night, even after I'd tried to set her straight."
"Yeah, Bella noticed." Alice snickered while following me towards the door.
"Eh… she might already know about it, so you should probably come prepared. She heard me talking with Emmett about meeting up later before we left the dock this morning."
I grumbled a few profane words under my breath, and shook my head, realizing this was the type of luck I seemed to be luring in today. "Let's head out at nine thirty then, and tell her we won't get there until eleven."
Jasper and Alice both laughed at my lackluster plan but agreed to pass the word along to those who mattered.
Right now I was in desperate need of some sleep. The beach and a case of blue balls tended to have that effect on me. First, though, I needed to get some calls in on my laptop, or Aro would have my ass.
A/N: So mostly fluff here, but more progress... much to Charlie's annoyance I'm sure.
The next chapter is almost complete, and it will include more brotherly bonding, as well as some heavy citrus for E and B.
I'm hoping to update again within a week, *wink*, but until then I'd love to hear your thoughts now that we've gotten to know the Swan boys a little better.
**Reviews make me smile!**
*As thanks for sharing your words with me, I'll share an outtake with you from Bella's POV on her way home from the beach after leaving Edward behind.*
