Chapter 2
Whet
I was laying on my bed, staring up at the slightly slanted timber ceiling and sighed to myself. Edward will be here soon…I turned to the small old-fashioned alarm clock that sat somewhat crookedly on the small wooden bedside table. Six fifty-three. It was almost depressing, you know, having to wait until seven o'clock for Edward, even though he was my fiancée, because of some silly restrictions Charlie placed 'while I was living under his roof.' I was an adult, legally, so I don't see how I needed any restrictions, because it really seemed more like I was a good friend of his, close, but nothing too personal, not completely like a daughter. And yes, I had tried the 'well, I'll move out and live with Edward' trick, but then I'd just end up feeling guilty, and remembered that I didn't think that I was quite ready to live in a house full of vampires before I had turned into one, no matter how much I had gotten to know about them, or how much Alice seemed like the sister I never had. I heard the bathroom door slam shut, and sat up, listening to Charlie's footsteps carrying themselves towards their respective end of the corridor. I glanced back to the clock, in all its shiny, round glory, and sighed, again. I could have a shower…and it wouldn't take me more than a few minutes, and besides, even if I did take a little long, I knew I could return to a waiting Edward, in all his, ever so reasonably muscular, glory.
So I stood and walked to my clothes cupboard, pulling my light blue dressing gown of a satin like material off the plastic hook that sat tiresomely on the inside of the small door. I exited my room, smiling to myself for a reason that I was not so sure about…whether Edward would be here soon, or whether I wanted him to get here quicker so that he could 'conveniently' be covered in mud (or something like that), and 'conveniently' not see me in the shower to clean his faultless body. Oh, and of course, we'd both be 'conveniently' naked. But unfortunately, Edward was too much of a gentlemen, not that there was anything wrong with that, to ever do such a thing as to look at a women's naked body without her permission. Right, like he needed my permission.
The smile faltered a little when I entered the bathroom, greeted by a mirror that sat above the sink, directly in the line of sight from the doorway. There I was, as I pulled my jade green t-shirt over my head, as I unclasped my white bra. I was nothing special, I was just ordinary. Ordinary, plain – your everyday run of the mill Bella Swan. So what did Edward see in me? Oh right, no, it was how I smelt to him, or rather, how my blood smelt to him. It was like I was some sort of exotic bouquet, picked for Marie Antoinette for her marriage to Prince Louis. No, I was Isabella Marie Swan, and there was certainly nothing exotic about me. Even if I was a flower, I would imagine myself to be an Iris, or some sort of Daisy – plus, I was getting married to Edward Anthony Cullen, not Prince Louis, even though Edward didn't really need a royal title for him to be as sexually enticing as he was. And I was his mistress, queen to be.
I was naked now, pulling my gaze from the mirror and stepping into the shower. I pulled the seventies style plastic sliding door across and turned the water on, and waited for it to warm before stepping my body underneath the cascading water. My body was sodden in a few seconds and my hair soaked quickly. I was warm, I liked the feel of the water's droplets glazing my skin and the ticklish feeling my hair gave my back as it clung to the bare skin. The faux glass enclosing me in this corner of the small bathroom had fogged up, and I bent down to pick the shampoo off the tiled floor. The apple-scented liquid squeezed into my palm and I lathered it into my hair, scrubbing thoroughly after putting the bottle back on the ground. Bubbles formed and I rinsed my hair, scrubbing long enough for the water to run clear. I didn't condition my hair a lot, because it stayed flat most of the time, so I turned the water off and stepped out of the shower and onto the floor matt. I reached for my towel, expecting the pink stretch of material to be hanging on the rack, but it wasn't there. Oh god, I must have left it in my bedroom. I knew exactly where it was, hanging on the inside of the cupboard door. But Edward would be in there, sitting on my bed, as he always did, waiting patiently. And I didn't even have a substitute to dry myself with, so I had to get to my room. Edward wouldn't mind if I made him face the wall while I dried and dressed myself. Like I said, he was a gentleman. So I pulled my pale blue dressing gown from the rack, where my towel was supposed to be and wrapped it around me, tying the bow tight, and the material just skimming the height of my knees. I picked up my clothes from the floor from where I had placed them when I had undressed and shook my hair a little, small water droplets flying everywhere. I peered into the mirror, checking to see if I looked ok for when I greeted Edward, but instead found myself turned towards his stance near the door and sheepishly smiled into his eyes.
'Forgot something?' He asked, looking as equally as shocked as I was, my pink towel in his firm grip. He looked the same as he always did, but he had hunted the day before, so his eyes flashed a golden honey colour, but he had an expression on his face that I was sure he would have made if he could blush. But no – vampires equal no blood, which equals no blush. God damned vampires. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks, one of my most hated human traits, and stepped forward, putting the pile of clothes that were in my hands on the side of the basin.
'Um…' I knew I sounded like an idiot; I always did when I was embarrassed, and now was certainly not to be an exception. I stepped closer to him, reaching towards his extended hand with my towel and grasped it, but he didn't let go when I first held it, and I looked up at him. 'Oh, well, yeah, I guess…' The look he gave me then could have made me collapse, he smiled, like he knew a secret and wanted me to beg him to tell me it. He kissed me on the nose, leaning down a bit, 'Thanks, Edward…' and he let go.
'Ahh, Bella…' He gripped me around my thinly covered waist and pulled me closer to him. I rested my chin on his shoulder, trying to hide my profuse blushing from him. He kissed my wet hair, and pulled the towel from my grip that was hugging onto his waist. Edward covered most of my hair with the towel and rubbed the towelling material through it, in an attempt to dry it. I kept my face hidden, for I knew, if I didn't, he would ask me why I was, teasingly, and I would have to explain that I thought he had seen me naked, and that I didn't even have so much as my underwear underneath this sheath of a dressing gown. He patted my back with the slowly dampening towel, trying to dry the wet material of the dressing gown, but instead discovered that I wasn't wearing a bra. 'Bella...' he sighed, his hand tracing the wet area of my back, and where the straps of my bra were supposed to be. I pulled my head away slowly and kissed his cheek, then grabbed my towel from his hand. He looked confused when I broke free from all of him and created at least a foot of space between our bodies.
'Edward, thank you for bringing my towel for me,' he smiled, but I thought I saw his eyes flash over my chest. No. Edward was too much of a gentleman, I had to remind myself, and that it was probably just my imagination trying to make my fantasies come to life. 'But I am afraid that you will have to go wait in here,' I paused, trying to sound competent, 'while I get changed into some pyjamas in my room.' I picked up my clothes from next to the sink and slipped past him and out of the door, he didn't say anything and, surprise, surprise, did what I had asked him to. I quickly opened my wardrobe and pulled on a pair of baby blue cotton underwear and quickly covered them with a pair of dark blue pyjama shorts. I pulled on a new white bra and then enclosed it in a baggy purple sports brand top, then stuffed my clothes from today into the hamper that resided near the door and hung up my almost drenched blue dressing gown back where it lived on the cupboard door. I shook my head again, trying to free it from the water, but it was to no avail and walked back to the bathroom to find Edward waiting where I had left him.
He smiled, he could sense that I was going to blush again, but I hoped he didn't know why. I wanted to make our wedding night the first time he saw me naked, the first time I would see him naked, not just an 'oh, I walked in on my fiancée getting out of the shower and fully gawked at her, even though she didn't know I was there for the whole time' occasion. 'Bella-hh' he added a sigh into my name and pulled me close to him, kissing my forehead, then my nose and then my jaw. I was sort of upset when he deliberately missed my lips, but I just let him roam. I hugged him tightly, and then he spoke, his hands running through my hair. 'Bella, you don't need to be afraid to let me see you…' he paused, but he sounded almost, embarrassed? 'Exposed,' he finally said after a moment. 'For you and I, my beautiful Bella,' he lifted my chin so he could gaze into my eyes, 'are to be husband and wife.' He pulled me closer, so that not a millimetre of space was left between our chests and kissed me softly on the lips, brushing his against mine, increasing the depth. 'But do not worry, love,' he broke the kiss to let me breathe, 'I did not see you just then…' and he brushed my cheek with his thumb and kissed me once more. He picked me up, much like a groom carrying a bride to their bed, and carried me to my room, closing the door, and laying me down softly on my bed, only breaking the kiss when I rested my head on the pillow.
He sat next to me, caressing my neck with his hands and I pulled the blanket over my legs and up to my waist, sitting up next to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, initiating the next kiss, eagerly, but Edward seemed content and enthusiastically participated, slipping one hand under the blanket to rub my leg, being careful not to tread his fingers any higher than half way up my thigh, and rubbed my back with his other. I knotted my fingers in his hair, pulling him almost on top of me, but I was leaning against the wooden headboard of my bed, so he adjusted him self to be next to me, leaning over. He broke the kiss, again to let me breathe and whispered to my ear, 'Bella, I love you…' he kissed my neck, going to my collarbone. 'And I always will…' he pulled his arm from under the blanket and brushed my lips with his fingers.
'And you, Edward Cullen,' I said through his fingers as he sat up straighter, pulling me with him ever so slightly. 'I will always love you,' I breathed into the hollow of his neck, and he retreated his touch at my last word, making me lie down, making sure my pillow was comfortable. He walked around to the other side of my bed and propped himself up next to me as I lay down, his head now against the headboard, but not leaning over me, just laying next to me, and I snuggled up to hid side, wrapping one arm around his stomach as he stroked my hair with his hand.
'Good night, Edward,' I said into his t-shirt, trying to muffle a yawn. I liked the feel of his cool skin on mine, making it burn with desire, so I slightly swung my leg to entwine with his, and felt him respond. He made my leg comfortable, but I think he liked the warmth on his skin, and rubbed my back a little with the hand he was previously stroking my hair with.
I heard him sigh, but I heard the smile in his un-needed breath as he began caressing the arm that was wrapped around his waist. 'Good night, Bella, love,' he whispered and I breathed into his shirt again, heating the material momentarily. I smiled, and I suspected he was too, but I was in a too comfortable a position to look up, it would ruin the moment. With one last sigh, I closed my eyes, trying not to think about the next three weeks that I would have to endure of this blissful foreplay every night before our wedding.
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