Discovery, continued
Here's the other half to chapter three, i.e., the morning after.
There were at least three blankets between them, keeping Carlisle's skin from touching Charlie's with the exception of his arms encircling the other's waist loosely. Carlisle had been alternately reading and watching Charlie sleep since they had ceased in their not very quiet nocturnal activities. Carlisle found that the week and a day he had waited had been quite worth it, while Charlie had discovered that after some time of full-body contact, his senses grew numb to the cold of the doctor's skin, resulting in an enjoyable experience on the whole.
Carlisle was deep into his favourite book, Pride and Prejudice, just at the part where Lizzy Bennet is reading Mr. Darcy's letter explaining the whole situation with George Wickham, as well as that of her sister, Jane, and Charles Bingley, when he felt warm lips slowly inching up his neck. He squirmed a little, resisting the temptation to give in to the sensation now progressing to his jaw line.
"Wait," he mumbled. "I'm just getting to the good part." In the next instant, the book was out of his hands.
"Pride and Prejudice? Really? This is Bella's favourite."
"Mine, too. Can I have it back?" he asked, pouting a little bit.
"Not unless you give me a kiss."
Leaning forward, he pecked Charlie on the lips and reached for the book again. Never mind that he practically had the passage memorised; he really wanted to read it. For some reason, he liked reading Jane Austen after sex. It was like a post-coital cigarette, only not detrimental to one's health, nor containing two hundred carcinogens.
"That's cheating!" Charlie exclaimed. "I mean a real kiss." Carlisle tried to grab the book in a sudden lunge, but only accomplished in landing himself on top of Charlie and bookless yet.
"You want a real kiss?" he asked, teasingly. Charlie nodded beneath him, stashing the book under the pillow behind his head before threading his hands through the other man's hair in an effort to bring him closer. And Carlisle had just leaned down, touching their lips together, gently at first, in contrast to their quick and sharp breaths, when the door opened and someone screamed.
xXxXx
It was odd, Charlie thought, that Bella would scream—she was rarely so expressive. But scream she did before fleeing the room. Carlisle had peeked over his shoulder in time to see Edward with an uncharacteristically startled look before the young vampire had raced down the stairs after his girlfriend who, in all likelihood, was scarred for life.
It was true that it was a pretty… shocking thing she had walked in on, though. He hoped, no matter how much he disliked the Edward kid, that he was helping her to… forget, or at least cope with what she had seen. Carlisle was getting dressed beside him now, wondering why the two had gotten over so early. Until Charlie had looked at the clock and seen that it was already going on a eleven.
"It's a good thing it's Sunday, then," Carlisle said, trying to look on the bright side.
"How am I going to explain this to her?" Charlie asked no one in particular, completely ignoring the bright side.
xXxXx
"Dad! Can't you do that… somewhere else?" Bella demanded, pacing the kitchen. Edward and Carlisle sat at the table, talking in their very fast way so as not to disturb the two humans while remaining in the room in case they were needed.
"Somewhere like where I won't walk in on you, maybe? And how could you hide this from me all these years? From Mom? Does she know? Is that why you're divorced?" Bella looked less like she was about to cry, more like she was about o explode, and Edward was sitting very tensely on his chair just in case.
"Is that why you let me stay over at the Cullens'? I thought it was weird that you were finally letting me out of the house. And to see Edward, no less. All because you wanted to… to sleep with his dad?"
Throughout this tirade, Charlie had been opening and closing his mouth, trying to speak. Now that she was silent, he leapt in before she could go off again.
"Bells, I thought you could use some getting out of the house. That's why I let you out of the house. And it was Carlisle's idea, anyway…" The doctor appeared not to have noticed that he had just been thrown under the bus and went on with the silent talking.
"Oh sure, blame the Cullens. Again. You blame them for everything!"
Edward stood suddenly, his stony face revealing nothing, waiting for Bella. With a sigh, Carlisle leaned his elbows on the table, looking a little relieved.
"That's not true, Bells, and-" and it usually is their fault. Hmm. Probably not what she wanted to hear.
"Just… get a room next time. God," Bella said with a sigh, storming out of the kitchen, vampire in tow.
The two men were silent, Carlisle looking at Charlie, Charlie at the linoleum floor. He could see the faint crack in the tile where he'd dropped a pot while attempting to cook.
"So…" Carlisle began. "Same time next Friday?"
I know I've thanked whoever reviewed while logged in, but I'd like to thank my anonymous reviewer, as well, to whom I can't reply via ordinary channels. Your reviews brighten my inbox, every time.