A/N...I know, I know...don't faint! It has taken me a ridiculously long time to update anything. I won't go into a long and boring explanation...I will just let you enjoy (hopefully) the next instalment. There is a small twist however...I was undecided about which direction to take this chapter so I have given you 2 alternatives to choose from...just review and let me know which you prefer...Good Bella or Naughty Bella!
Chapter 2 – Good Bella
Previously...
Slowly I moved to take his hand in mine and began to lead him back to my bedroom, keeping eye contact over my shoulder as we went. He followed me willingly but his expression was guarded. As we reached the bed I turned to face him and carefully untied the belt on his robe.
"Bella –", he started to protest.
"Sshh, Edward!" I placed a finger to his lips, and then gently pushed the robe off his shoulders so that it fell to the floor.
I slipped my t-shirt off and Edward took a sharp intake of breath. Then I climbed into bed and held the covers back, inviting him to join me. He stood for a few moments, clearly torn about what to do.
"I just want to hold you, Edward...it's going to be alright", I said reassuringly. OK, that wasn't strictly true...I wanted much more than that, but the most important thing at the moment was to get him to trust me and show him how much I still loved him.
"You'll get cold", he said quietly.
"I think I'll cope", I chuckled. "Come on...get in."
After a brief hesitation, he lay down beside me and I threw the duvet over him before snuggling into his chest and winding my arms around his torso. The coolness of his body was actually very pleasant...like dangling a foot out of bed on a warm night. But it was the indescribable sensation of his bare skin against mine that occupied my every sense. I felt sure that my heart rate was betraying my exhilaration to Edward, and hoped that it wouldn't alarm him.
"Is this OK?" I asked.
With his head resting on one folded arm, he cautiously placed the other one around me planting the palm of his hand gently against the small of my back. "Yes, this is...OK", he replied softly. I thought I detected a hint of humour in his voice. I nestled in closer to him and inhaled his scent. His body relaxed ever so slightly against mine and I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn't frightened him.
"I missed you, Edward", I murmured. "So very much."
"I missed you too", he admitted and began to rub his thumb in small circles against my back, though his hand didn't move from its original position. I wanted to feel his touch all over me but I didn't want to push him too far just yet. Lying with a naked Edward was already further than I had ever dreamed possible. I would have said that I could die happily now except that I no longer had any intention of dying at all. By fair means or foul I would become immortal so that I never had to be away from him ever again.
"Try to get some sleep now, my love", Edward said softly.
"I don't think I can," I replied. "I am scared that if I do you will be gone when I open my eyes."
"I promise I won't go anywhere," he whispered.
"Will you kiss me goodnight?" I asked tilting my face up to his. He gazed forlornly at me.
"Ah, this is so wrong", he murmured before placing the tenderest of kisses on my forehead. "Goodnight Sweet Bella."
"Goodnight Edward", I sighed and rested my head against his chest.
...
The doorbell rang. It was 7.33am. Who on earth could be calling at this time on a Saturday morning? I glanced to Edward for a clue.
"It's your boyfriend", he sighed. He was dressed and lying on top of the covers again.
"Peter? Oh god! What is he doing here this early?" I jumped out of bed and grabbed the bathrobe. As I dashed out of the bedroom, I paused and popped my head back around the door to look at Edward.
"Don't worry", he smiled reassuringly. I smiled back and ran to the front door as the bell began to ring more urgently. Taking a deep breath and checking that my robe was fastened securely, I opened the door.
"Peter! What brings you here so early?" I asked.
"I thought I had better check you are OK...what with you having a strange man in your apartment all night", he replied sarcastically, his eyes darting about the apartment over my shoulder. "Can I come in?"
"Of course", I smiled sweetly, stepping aside.
"There's a parcel here for you", Peter said as he bent down to pick up the brown paper package from my doorstep. I took it from him and read the label. It simply read 'Bella Swan'. The handwriting was unfamiliar to me.
"So where is your 'friend'?" Peter asked sharply. "Or did he steal your purse and disappear during the night?"
Edward chose that moment to emerge from the bathroom. He glided smoothly into the sitting room, running his hand through his bronze hair as he made eye contact with me. He looked much more like his old self now that he had fed and cleaned up, though I could see that he would have to hunt again soon to completely replenish his body. Nevertheless, to Peter's eyes I could imagine that he looked like a model from the cover of some men's fitness magazine. His mouth gaped unattractively for a moment as he tried to reconcile the man before him with the "drug addict scum" he had left me with last night.
"You must be Peter", Edward said in his most hypnotic voice. I had to stifle a giggle as I realised how befuddled Peter was by him.
"Y..yes", Peter stuttered. The as he regained his composure a little..."Bella has told you about me?"
"Of course. I'm pleased to meet you." Edward was at his most charming. It gave me a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach.
"Likewise", Peter responded unconvincingly. "I'm sorry...I don't know your name."
"I'm Edward Cullen."
Peter nodded then returned his attention to me. "What are you doing today, Bella?"
"I promised Edward I would take him back to Forks this morning", I lied. "Can I catch up with you later?"
"Oh, leaving so soon, Edward?" Peter said unpleasantly, as his self-assurance began to return. "What a shame. Yes, I'll see you later darling. Call me when you get back." He stepped forward and kissed me passionately. After a few moments, I gently pushed him away. He didn't usually kiss me like that...it was obviously for Edward's benefit, and it was embarrassing. And I wasn't sure what Edward would do if he detected my discomfiture.
"Bye then, Peter", I smiled.
"Bye Sweetheart...Goodbye Edward." I opened the door and he left, but not before planting one more kiss on my lips. I shut the door behind him and leaned my forehead against it for a moment while I took a cleansing breath.
"He seems...nice", Edward said quietly.
I slowly turned to face him. "Really?" I asked dubiously.
"Well...he was suspicious, and jealous, and possessive...all of which seem like perfectly acceptable emotions considering the circumstances. He likes you a lot."
My heart sank. I didn't want him to approve of Peter...I wanted him to tell me that he wasn't good enough for me. I wanted Edward to fight for me!
"So you think I should sleep with him then?" I asked provocatively.
"I didn't say that, Bella."
"What are you saying then?"
"I said he was nice...not that he was right for you."
"And who is right for me, Edward?"
"Someone who you love, Bella. You don't love Peter. And I don't think he truly loves you either."
"So it should be someone I love unreservedly?" I repeated his words back to him. He nodded. "And someone who loves me more than life itself?"
"Yes, Bella."
"That's the way I love you, Edward. Is that the way you love me?"
"You already know the answer to that question, my love", he smiled.
"I want to hear you say it, Edward", I pressed.
"OK...I love you more than life itself, Bella."
My heart beat a staccato rhythm. Edward was approaching me slowly, his eyes fixed on mine.
"So that would make you right for me?" I clarified.
He stopped six inches away from me and gently tucked a strand of stray hair behind my ear. His sweet breath made it difficult for me to concentrate.
"No, I am not right for you Bella. I am very wrong for you. But I am weak, my love. I need you to send me away before something dreadful happens to you." His words were contradicted by the tender kisses he proceeded to place on my temples and down my cheeks to my jaw line. I was finding it hard to breathe, let alone think. My response was automatic, coming from my soul and bypassing any conscious reasoning.
"The most dreadful thing that could happen to me now would be you leaving. I won't let you do that again, Edward...I will follow you to the ends of the earth or die trying." I turned my face to capture his lips with mine.
Chapter 2 – Naughty Bella
Previously...
Slowly I moved to take his hand in mine and began to lead him back to my bedroom, keeping eye contact over my shoulder as we went. He followed me willingly but his expression was guarded. As we reached the bed I turned to face him and carefully untied the belt on his robe.
"Bella –", he started to protest.
"Sshh, Edward!" I placed a finger to his lips, and then gently pushed the robe off his shoulders so that it fell to the floor.
I rested my hands against his chest for a moment as I looked into his eyes, communicating my desire to him. Then slowly, ever so slowly, I began to move them down his body, stopping briefly at his nipples before running them over the undulating muscles of his stomach. Edward didn't make a sound as I examined his body. His eyes remained fixed on mine, until finally I could resist the temptation no longer and lowered my gaze to look at the perfect form before me. My God...he was magnificent! My breathing became ragged as I drank in his beauty with my eyes. My hands slid over his hips and around to squeeze his tight behind. I stepped back until I could feel the mattress against the back of my legs, and then climbed backwards onto the bed so that I was kneeling in front of him. Making eye contact once again, I pulled off my t-shirt revealing my bare breasts and observed his reaction. His eyes darkened and widened simultaneously as a quiet growl rumbled in his throat. I pulled him towards the bed and he resisted, his eyes taking on a plaintive look.
"I want you Edward", I breathed. "We belong together."
I pulled him towards me again and slowly he lay down next to where I kneeled. I smiled with satisfaction and straddled his divine body. Leaning forward I kissed him passionately on the lips, running my tongue against their cool smoothness and along the groove where they pressed together. Gradually they parted and his tongue came out to tentatively meet mine. Our lips remained joined in rediscovery for a few moments and then I began to lick, kiss and nibble my way along Edward's jaw, neck and throat, relishing every moan that escaped him in response. I continued my assault down his chest and ribcage, pausing to delight in the curves of his taut abdominal muscles. I toyed with the sexy line of hair which ran from his navel downwards, curling it around the tip of my tongue and pulling on it with my teeth.
"Bella..." Edward moaned. I smiled and lifted my face to see his. His expression was a mixture of desire and alarm. I kissed his lips again as I removed my knickers and resumed my position above him. Just as in my dream, I lowered my wetness against his erection and rubbed against it, stunned by the power of the sensations that movement produced. Clearly, it was having a similar effect on Edward, judging by the look on his face. When I thought I could take no more, I adjusted my position so that I could take him inside me. As I slowly enveloped his length, Edward gripped my hips and cried out in ecstasy. I thought I would faint from the intensity of the vibrations in my loins, which travelled up my spine and consumed my whole being.
"Bella...Bella...Bella...", Edward moaned over and over. "I love you, Bella."
His words sent me over the edge and I screamed as I experienced my first orgasm. Edward came almost immediately, pulling me towards him and thrusting his tongue deep into my mouth as I felt his seed pumping into me.
"I love you Edward", I gasped.
"You are mine, Bella. Forever."
And then he kissed me, tenderly and with true longing, cupping my face in his soft, cool hands. His gaze remained fixed on mine and I could read the devotion in his eyes as clearly as if I were reading words from a page. After a couple of paragraphs, he rolled me onto my back and poised himself above me. The hunger was palpable...both his and mine. He wanted me as surely as I wanted him. He looked at me as though asking for permission. I dug my nails into his butt cheeks (as well as you can dig your nails into granite) and pulled him towards his goal. Needing no further encouragement, he slowly drove his sex inside me. My back arched in sheer rapture and I screamed his name. He continued to thrust in and out, in and out, gripping the headboard until it was reduced to splinters and sawdust. This time we climaxed together, riding the waves of ecstasy as one.
"Oh my god, Edward", I gasped breathlessly. My body felt limp and hypersensitive to every move I made. I wondered idly whether this was the way every woman felt when she had sex for the first time. Then I smiled to myself as I decided that sleeping with a vampire couldn't possibly compare to sleeping with a mere man.
"What are you thinking, Bella?" Edward asked as he ran his cool fingertips across my overheated skin. I blushed and he smiled.
"I was just thinking how lucky I am", I replied.
"I'm the lucky one...because you still love me after everything I have done."
"Let's just agree that we are both lucky. OK?" I suggested. "Now, where were we?"
And we made love again.
The doorbell rang. It was 7.33am. Who on earth could be calling at this time? I glanced to Edward's face for a clue.
"It's your boyfriend", he growled.
"Oh, crap. What does he want?" I asked rhetorically, as I jumped out of bed and grabbed the discarded bathrobe from the floor. I wrapped it around me lazily and headed for the door, stopping to look back at Edward as he reclined against my pillows.
"Stay put!" I ordered. He just looked at back at me without replying.
The doorbell rang again more urgently, accompanied by some loud banging. I sighed. I was walking on air and I really didn't need Peter killing my buzz. When I opened the door, he was leaning against the frame aggressively, one hand on either side of the opening.
"You took your time", he complained.
"And good morning to you too, Peter", I sang. He wasn't amused. "I was in bed, Peter. It's 7.30 on a Saturday morning!"
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"He's...still sleeping", I giggled involuntarily.
"Are you drunk, Bella?" Peter asked in surprise.
"Not in the way you mean, no", I laughed. I'm just drunk on Edward Cullen.
"Oh my god, you're stoned then", he concluded. "That scumbag gave you drugs!"
"You are way off the mark, Peter", I replied, trying desperately to be more serious. I was going to have to come clean. "Look, I need to tell you –"
"Where is he sleeping?" Peter asked looking over my shoulder at the unoccupied sofa.
"Peter, I haven't been completely honest with you." He was glaring at me furiously.
"About what?"
"When I told you that Edward was an old friend, what I actually meant was an old boyfriend."
"Is this your way of telling me that he is in your bed, Bella? That you slept with him last night?" He was angry...angrier than I had ever seen him.
"I'm sorry Peter. I didn't expect to ever see him again."
"How could you do this to me Bella? I have waited so patiently all these months for you to be 'ready' and then this guy shows up and you just let him screw you on the spot!" he spat. I cringed back from his venom as he leaned menacingly towards me. "Look at you", he said in disgust as he pulled on the collar of my loosely tied robe, exposing my left breast. "You're nothing but a prick tease!"
Suddenly Edward appeared from nowhere, pinning Peter to the door frame by his throat. Peter looked petrified, understandably, as he stared at the impossibly strong and very naked man who was crushing his windpipe. I tried to pull him off but it was like trying to move a mountain.
"You will never come here or anywhere near Bella ever again", Edward snarled at him. "Do you understand?"
Peter nodded as best he could and Edward released his grip, allowing my now ex-boyfriend to crumple to the floor in a gasping heap. His eyes sought mine in fear and confusion.
"I'm sorry, Peter." It was all I could think to say. "But I think it would be best if you go now."
Peter looked sorrowfully at me for a brief moment. He then pulled himself back to his feet and stumbled away, almost tripping over a parcel which someone had left outside my apartment. I felt bad about the way I had treated him. But I soon forgot this as Edward's silken voice spoke just behind me.
"Are you alright, Bella?"
I kicked the door shut and turned to face my angel. "Never better, Edward", I replied. "I am so glad you came back for me." He scooped me up in his arms and carried me back to the bedroom.
So what do you think? Good Bella or Naughty Bella? Drop me a review and I will go with the majority vote!