Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks to my lovely pre-readers Jaxy (Jax713) and Packy (_LittleLovely_) and my rock star beta Mel (mcc101180).
Chapter 12. Last Training.
Last training.
This is it.
One last training and then the final game tomorrow.
Holy shit, this month just flew by!
Seth, Jasper and Emmett are already sitting at our table. I'm not technically late, but I did have a bit of trouble getting up, having gotten back so late last night.
I grab my breakfast and walk to the table, ready to put Jasper and my sister behind me. I don't want to think about it. I don't want to worry about it. None of us should really.
I can see Jasper tense up as I approach the table. I sit and start eating in spite of the three pairs of eyes on me. We sit in silence for a couple seconds, until Emmett drops his spoon in his empty bowl.
"So..." he starts, stretching his arms over his head. "Jasper is boinking Alice."
My eyes fly to his and the unapologetic smile on his face.
Seth is the first one to start laughing, through his nose, choking on his cereal. When I turn to look at him, I can't help but start laughing too... and I mean hand-over-chest, belly laughing. Jasper looks at me like he's about to have an aneurysm, and it just makes me laugh harder.
"Now that that's all settled..." Emmett continues. "We ready for tomorrow?"
Before I can answer, Waylon calls me over from behind.
Great...
I roll my eyes at Emmett and Jasper and get up with a groan.
"Care to explain why you were punching a wall instead of sleeping last night?" Waylon asks, as soon as I am in front of him.
"The wall asked for it," I try jokingly with a shrug. Waylon's fingers rub his forehead in concern, either not getting or not caring for my joke.
"Jesus Christ, Edward. Is this a joke to you? Do you know what's at stake here?"
I eye Waylon carefully, realizing what a mess he is. He looks tired — stressed out. My stomach sinks and I take a deep breath.
"Hey, Coach, I'm sorry. I'm okay. I do know what's at stake. I can guarantee you I'm a hundred percent in that game tomorrow — broken hand and all." I wave my splinted hand at him for emphasis.
Waylon gets his hands on his hips and takes a deep breath himself. I can see the nervousness in his eyes — this is the biggest deal of his career as well.
I stand uncomfortably in front of him, not knowing really what to say. I've never seen Waylon this jittery or insecure before. With a deep breath, he shakes his head, and when he looks back at me, he has composed himself.
"Just head to training," he says with a scowl.
"Yes, sir," I say, happy to have the roles back to normal.
After drills and lunch, we head over to the classroom for strategy planning. Everyone is tense but focused. It's not every day you face the five-time champions in a World Cup final. Once Waylon is finished, instead of sending us back on the field for four on fours, he dismisses us to the hotel.
I am the first, and only one, to object. "What do you mean no training in the afternoon?"
"I need all of you well rested tomorrow morning." Waylon's tone is dismissive as he gathers his things.
"So what are we supposed to do, wait around?" I'll go mad.
"We'll go back to the hotel. We'll have the masseurs around. I just want you to rest and relax and think about the game tomorrow."
As my team heads out to the bus, I stay behind, anxiously pacing in front of Waylon's desk. My injured hand scratches the back of my neck as I wait for him to say something — anything.
He can't possibly be serious.
"Remember the meditation exercises we pract—"
"Coach, please..." I interrupt him because nothing that starts with meditation exercises is going to make me feel better. "I mean no disrespect, but get the fuck out with that shit. None of it works on me. You need to give me something to do or I'll go insane in the hotel all afternoon and night."
"Edward..." Waylon breathes out roughly in exasperation. "Just... find something that relaxes you, and then go do that."
As the words leave his mouth, I can feel the corners of my mouth stretch up in a grin, because I know exactly what can and will help me relax.
On the way to the hotel, I text her.
"Hey, TT, I need to find something to do to relax, and since you won't put out, care to join me for some pile-of-shit castle making?"
"Nice try, Cullen." The fact that she answers right away is very promising.
"I'm serious. You busy? Let's go to piranha beach."
"Prainha..."
"Is that a yes?" I press.
"Would Coach be okay with this?"
"He suggested it." Kinda, sorta, indirectly.
"Well, I'm done with work for the day." I'm not even done reading her text when my lips stretch out in a smirk.
"Pick you up in 30. Wear the green bikini."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
I wait in the car in front of Bella's hotel, anxious to see her. I crave her touch and the calm it brings me. I just need to get my mind off the game for a bit — clear my head, so I can relax.
When she finally comes out, in white denim shorts and a yellow t-shirt, I have to physically restrain myself in the car, so I don't jump out of it.
"I think you should let Bernie wear something other than a suit," she says as she gets in and
Bernard closes the door behind her. "I mean, it's eighty-eight outside... you'd be whining if you had to be wearing a suit."
I don't know if I should laugh or snap back. I don't tell Bernard what to wear — if he's wearing a suit, that's his problem. I decide I don't care. She's been in this car for longer than five seconds, and my lips are not on hers yet. I must fix this at once.
I cup her face with both hands, splint and all, and bring her mouth close to mine, breathing in deeply as our lips touch. "I like you like this," I say between kisses. "In shorts and a t-shirt..."
The three fingers that are not immobilized on my splinted hand, brush some of her hair behind her ear as I smirk at her. "You look... I don't know... free."
"How's your hand?" Her eyes are on me as her hand circles around the splint.
"Itchy."
She sneaks a finger under the splint and starts trying to scratch my palm. Her eyes never leave mine. "How did training go?"
"It went well until Waylon felt he needed to cut it short." I still can't believe he expects us to just wait around until the game.
"Are you guys ready for tomorrow?"
"I am." My eyes follow my fingers as I brush them down her arm.
"What about the rest of the team?" she questions sternly.
"Hey, when is this interview over?" I touch a finger under her chin and smirk at her and her terror-inducing tendencies.
"Sorry..."
"S'okay..." I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. "I just want to clear my head for a while. Do you think we can not talk about the game?"
"Sure..." she says, adjusting herself next to me, pulling my arm over her shoulder. "I ate raw oysters today..." she blurts out, changing the topic abruptly, making me laugh just like I need to. I chuckle into her hair and kiss the top of her head. We talk seafood the rest of the way.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
We arrive to the little paradise that is this beach with the unfortunate name. Just like the other day, there's virtually no one here, except for some surfers. We stand at the cliff for a bit. I breathe in deeply, letting the salty smell invade my lungs.
When I turn around, Bella's already pulling her shirt off, revealing a red bikini top. There are little red strings sticking out of the waist of her white shorts. I think my jaw has come unhinged, and I might have had to blink a couple times.
"That's not a green bikini."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Cullen."
I step closer to her, sliding my fingers into the belt loops of her shorts and pulling her to me, leaning down to her. "Who says I'm disappointed? That looks coronary-inducing, ridiculously good on you."
She stretches up on her tip-toes and smiles at me before giving me a soft kiss. My hands move to palm her ass and bring her even closer.
When she releases my mouth, her eyes are closed. She looks flustered, as if she wants this, maybe even as much as I do. She clears her throat, shaking her head, as she opens her eyes and glances up at me. "Sand castles?"
I shrug with a grin as she pulls my hands off of her.
When the sun starts to set, the sand castles we made have been mostly washed off by the waves. We sit on the sand, staring out into the ocean, Bella resting on her hands and I on my elbows.
"Do you feel better now?" She turns to look at me.
"I don't know..." I sit up, wiping the sand from my arms. "Maybe you lost your touch." I shrug at her teasingly.
"Oh, did I now?" She raises one eyebrow at me.
"Try getting your hands in my hair… that has seemed to work before."
"You're right," she says, smiling deviously as she stands up. My eyes trail the contour of her legs splattered with sand.
She crouches behind me. "Let me know if this works," she whispers in my ear.
Instead of her fingers in my hair, she dumps a glob of wet sand on my head.
She's laughing as she moves away from me and I gape at her.
"You did not just do that." I stare at her in mocked shock.
"I'm sorry. Did I mess up that perfectly disarranged hair of yours?"
"Oh, Tee-Tee... you're in real trouble now." I shake the sand off my head, and she starts running before I get up.
I laugh hard.
As if she could outrun me.
It doesn't take me long to catch her. One arm around her waist, I drag her into the water while she squeals. Once the water is around my waist, I lift her up and throw her in as she screams.
I duck in and swim closer to her, worried that I might have thrown her too far or too hard. But when I come up for air, she's laughing, so I think she's all right. I pull her to me and swim back, until I can reach the sand with my feet again, but the water is still up to just below my shoulders. We are past where the waves break, so despite the current being a bit strong, it's quite calm.
She is still giggling as she wraps her legs around my torso.
"What's so funny?"
"You still got sand in your hair."
"You're a real prankster, Tee-Tee." My hands trail her sides until they reach her bikini bottom, and I wrap my fingers over the strings. "If I just pull on these, will it come off?"
"Don't you dare!" She laughs, her hands over mine in an instant, but when she touches the splint on my hand, she frowns in concern. "Oh no, you got it wet."
"It's okay. It's plastic." I shrug, my fingers still twirling the little strings, pulling slightly.
"Edward, let go of my suit," she warns ineffectively, with a smile still plastered on her face.
"No!" I chuckle into her neck.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Her hand runs over my stomach, and as her fingers catch the laces on the front of my swim trunks, she raises one eyebrow at me.
My lips stretch in a grin. "Really? That's how you're planning to win this argument? Please be my guest."
"You are impossible!" She swats a hand at my shoulder, laughing.
"How can you expect me to behave when you're wearing this?" My fingers clench, pulling the fabric of her suit. "You know how little it would take to have you naked right now?"
"You think you don't look good in your trunks? But you don't see me trying to pull them off of you!"
"Actually, your hands were just—"
"Shut up..." She interrupts me, her lips colliding with mine and her hands flying to my neck. She pushes herself up on my shoulders as her tongue slips in my mouth. My hands run over her back, desperate to feel more of her.
When she slides slowly down my torso, her legs still wrapped around me, I groan into her lips as she presses herself against my hardness.
"Jesus, Bella..." I trail kisses over her collarbone as my hand runs over her ribcage to her breast.
I search her eyes, for any sign that she's going to stop me, but when I find none, my hand pushes away the fabric of her bikini top, releasing her breast into my hand. My splinted hand stays useless on her back, holding her to me, as I wish I could do more with it.
My good hand palms her breast, and I circle Bella's already hardened nipple with my fingers. The little moan that escapes her lips stirs everything inside of me, and I grind against her again.
The waves sway us back and forth as my hands roam Bella's body, impatient to get more of her than I ever dreamed of. I even get the best out of the three fingers that are not immobilized on my right hand. I wish I could get rid of the stupid splint already.
When my hand reaches between her legs, she clenches her thighs together and whimpers.
"Edward..."
My hand freezes over the fabric of her suit. "Please, don't ask me to stop." I moan into her neck.
"I won't... I... I want to touch you too."
"Fuck... Bella..."
My hand dips into her bikini bottom as her hand runs down my torso. I let my fingers explore the warmth of her entrance, rejoicing in silk, as I move them up and down.
Bella writhes under my touch as her own hands release me from my shorts. When her fingers circle around me, I suck in a deep breath. We move in unison, my fingers curling and circling and flicking as her hands stroke me. I gradually increase my pace, trying to bring her to release, but when she speeds up as well, it becomes obvious to me that if we both keep the same pace, I'll be gone way before her.
"Slow down, baby, please," I plead, my teeth grazing her earlobe.
"I can't... I can't focus." She drops her head on my shoulder, breathing hard, and continues to stroke me.
I sink one finger inside of her, trying to focus on that instead of on what she's doing to me. She stifles her moans in my neck, nibbling on my skin, almost making me completely lose it.
With two fingers inside of her, I can finally feel her coming undone.
"Oh God… Edward."
There's no turning back for me. "Bella… please…" I beg into her neck.
When I feel her walls clenching on my fingers, I finally let myself go, spilling into the water. Bella cries my name into my shoulder, making me shudder in pleasure.
I breathe hard into her neck for a while, before I duck and drop my head back, breathing out into the water.
Her fingers pull at my neck as I surface.
"Holy shit! That was—" I can't finish because her lips are over mine. "Yeah…" I breathe out in relief when she releases my mouth. I hold her close to me again, and she smiles in bliss, pushing my hair off of my forehead.
"Stay with me tonight," I blurt out.
"Edward..." She looks far into my eyes, her hands still brushing my hair.
"Please?"
"I don't know." Her hands stay at my neck but she looks down.
"I promise I'll behave. I didn't get much sleep last night, and I'm in need of some good rest for tomorrow. I'm already much calmer, thanks to you, but if you stay with me, I'll sleep so much better. Just sleep, I promise."
"Just sleep?" She peeks up at me, one eyebrow raised in disbelief.
"Yes, for now… but when this is over, Bella, I plan to possess every inch of you. I will make you mine, completely mine."
She blushes, smiles, and kisses me one more time. I look around and notice it has gotten considerably darker and we should get going. We both arrange ourselves back into our suits before we come out of the water and, hand in hand, make our way back to the car.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
After picking up some stuff at Bella's hotel, we end up in my suite. I have showered and changed into shorts and a white tee, and sit on the bed, rubbing my neck as I wait for her. When she comes in the room, she's wearing tiny cotton shorts and a tank top. And she's very obviously not wearing a bra.
"Is that… are you planning to sleep in those?"
I close my eyes briefly, pinching my nose, trying to collect myself enough not to assault her. When I look up, she's looking down at herself and then covers her chest with her arms.
"It's not my fault you keep this room at fifty-five!"
I laugh hard — I keep the room at sixty-three. My chuckles die down as I ogle her. My mind assaults me with all the ways I could be having her right now.
I look down again, running a hand through my damp hair. This might be harder than I thought.
She steps closer tentatively, and I groan as my hand reaches for her hip.
"I told you this was a bad idea." With concern in her tone, she reaches for my face.
I take a couple deep breaths, still not looking at her, my fingers tracing the soft fabric of her shorts.
"Would it help if I throw something on top?"
Maybe…
I get up from the bed and head for the dresser, getting out the first shirt I can find. She puts it on quickly, but it doesn't help. Being too big for her, the shirt completely covers what she was wearing before, and now it looks like she could be naked underneath.
"Shit…" I exhale through a groan. "That's hot too."
She laughs at me, with her hands on her hips.
"Just get in the bed," I order in irritation.
As soon as she's in, I cover her with as much fabric as I can manage, before I lie flat on top of the covers next to her with a huff.
"If I'm not helping, maybe I should just—"
"I'm okay." I sigh before turning to look at her. She's covered up to her neck in the thick duvet which makes me smile. "I'm not a teenager, you know? I can control my urges."
"It looked like you were struggling there for a second."
"I'm all right now." I reach for her face with my hand and push some of her hair behind her ear.
She mimics my position, and her arm rests over mine, with her hand over my ear. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
I close my eyes as she starts running her fingers in my hair. "A little bit."
In all honesty, I am scared shitless about tomorrow, but there's nothing else I can do at this point but relax. I let out a sigh of relief and focus on Bella's patterns on my hair, slowly drifting off.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
I open my eyes and look at the clock — five in the morning. The alarm won't go off for another hour. I pull Bella close to me and bury my face in her hair, kissing her neck before I get up.
My body is already buzzing with energy, and I feel like I could run a marathon. Which is why, when Bella wakes up, I'm doing crunches in the living room.
"Morning," she says from the bedroom door, still wearing my t-shirt.
"Hey…" I sit up on the floor, panting, and smile at her.
I run a towel down my face and bare chest as I get up and walk closer to her.
"Sorry, I'm all sweaty," I say, giving her a soft kiss on the top of her head.
"It's okay," she says, reaching on her tip toes, grabbing my neck, and kissing my lips. "Your alarm went off. You need to get ready."
"Yes, ma'am."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
I still have a couple of minutes before I need to head downstairs to meet the team. Bella will be heading to the stadium afterward, with Bernard. I sit on the couch in the living room of my suite, waiting to say good bye to her.
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket with a text from my sister. "Good luck. You're gonna need it." Quoting Hans Solo, nonetheless.
I'm chuckling at the screen when Bella comes out of the bathroom. She's wearing a denim skirt, and my jersey, with a knot on the back that makes it tight right under her waist.
"That's a skirt," I say, swallowing hard.
She walks closer to me and steps in between my legs. "You state the obvious a lot."
"Are you trying to kill me, woman?" My fingers slip in the belt hoops of her skirt as I pull her to me, my thumbs tracing the line of skin exposed around her midsection. I wet my lips in anticipation, dreaming of what it would be like to kiss the skin over her hipbone.
"Where's your mind?" Bella brings me back to reality.
I close my eyes and exhale harshly in aggravation.
"On the game," I answer reluctantly.
"And your eyes?"
"On the prize." I open my eyes and look up at her, a smirk on my face. "But my hands…" My left hand reaches for her ass, but it doesn't get far before she swats it away.
"Are you ready?" She pulls at my hands and I comply, getting up from the couch.
"I am." I wrap a hand around her neck and bring her mouth to mine, kissing her softly before letting her go. I step away from her unwillingly, taking a deep breath.
I am so ready. I'm ready for everything.
"Go do what you do best."
"I'm good at lots of things, Bella." I touch a finger under her chin. "I'll prove that to you after the game."
She blushes and shakes her head at me. I walk to the door, smirking at her, flipping my hat backwards.
"I'll see you after the game," I say with my hand on the knob, before I step out into the hallway.
T-minus five hours for the final game against Brazil.
A/N: Remember when I said this story was originally a one shot that completely got out of control and got turned into a 13 chapter mini fic? Well, that means next chapter is the last chapter. But it kind of grew out of proportion too, so I have split it into two which I will post Tuesday and Thursday next week.
Thanks for sticking out with the story so far!
Ronnie :)
