AN: Many thanks to Cared, for reviewing Shifting Gears in this week's RobAttack. We love all the Sportswards featured - if you haven't taken a look yet, run over now it's robattack dot wordpress dot com. Every Friday is Fanfiction Friday!
Merci Bien to jcat5507 and Eternally Edward's Girl for their beta'ing and prereading. French kisses to all of you for reading and reviewing.
Erron - just think of this as the gift that keeps on giving ... only really slowly. Mwah!
~~ SHIFTING GEARS ~~
Chapter 5
Annecy – Semnoz
BPOV
The finish line buzzed with excitement as the Team Eclipse van pulled up to collect the riders and load their bikes. The chaos was unfolding at the top of the mountain, towering over the miniature towns nestled in the valley below. The stunning vista, verdantly green, stretched as far as the eye could see and curved around the lake, shining silver under the high sun. The leg had been a rip roaring success. Edward had forced a staggering lead, passing the finish line, its colorful flags fluttering in the breeze with ease. I'd perched on the edge of my seat for the whole drive, following the race. The commentary buzzing through the team radio, relaying his progress, had my heart climbing up from chest and settling in my throat. Whatever problems Edward had encountered, he'd surpassed them or he'd pushed through the pain.
With that worrying thought in mind, I pushed through the crowds, searching for the green jerseys. I was jostled back and forth, having to use my kit bag like a battering ram to get closer. My height didn't help matters, and even standing on tiptoes, I couldn't spot him. Giving up, I tunnelled my way out of the throng to wait by the side of the road, hoping the crowd would disperse. A strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist, spinning me around. They squeezed the air from my chest with a bubble of laughter. The placement of the hands that spanned across my whole rib cage in an overly friendly manner left me in no doubt as to who it was.
He set me back on my feet, facing him, holding my arms steady until the dizziness passed. I squinted into the sun shining over his head, his dishevelled hair glinting like a brand new penny. "What a fantastic race, Edward. How are you feeling?"
He shifted to block the sun from my eyes, but it only made the view brighter as a huge smile lit up his already glorious face. He ought to come with a warning. "I feel fan-fucking-tastic. My muscle niggled me on the ascent, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday. Your hands have worked magic."
I narrowed my eyes, searching for any hints of sarcasm, but it seemed for once, he was genuine. "You're a well-oiled machine. I'm just the maintenance girl," I joked. "Do you need any treatment now?"
"No, I'm good, but let's meet later for our regular slot. I just wanted to see you." He stumbled over the last words, adding, "To say thanks."
I was heating up far more than the afternoon sun warranted, and I could see the fans and reporters clamouring for his attention. I waved him away, picking up my kit bag and slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll see you later. Your fan club is getting antsy."
"Bye, Bella." He turned to face the adoring crowds with a grin on his face, reminding me of a kid at Christmas. His change in attitude had me lost deep in thought for the whole trip back to camp. Catching my reflection in the rear-view mirror, I realized my feelings were displayed on my face for the world to see. A small smile tilted my lips.
The smile lasted until the early evening, but it plummeted to the ground and twisted into a snarl when I saw Marco fast encroaching on me down the empty corridor to my treatment room.
"Bella," he called out, his tone tinged with irritation. I focused on my destination and picked up my pace, but his footsteps chased behind me, and he tugged on the back of my shirt.
"Get off me, Marco." I spat, spinning out of his grasp, but his fist tightened on the material. The rip of the threads seemed to echo down the hall; the silence that followed was deafening.
It snapped him out of whatever his plans had been, and he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."
Tears pooled in my eyes, as I held the flap of material closed, covering the bare skin of my ribs from his lecherous eyes. "Get away from me." I tried to force strength into my tone, but it wavered, revealing my distress. Relief settled over me at the welcome sound of footsteps and voices nearing us.
Marco sneered at me. "It was an accident. Do you hear me?" His voice, shot through with venom, sent a shiver skipping across my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
I took a few steps backward, never letting him out of my sight, until he turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor. A shaky breath left my mouth followed by a sob. I stopped it with my hand before it could escalate. I ran toward to treatment room, flinging the door open and locking it behind me.
Pressing my back into the wood, I sucked in air to calm my shaking body, wiping the tears that had escaped down my cheeks. This had gone too far now. I needed to report him, but the niggling voice reminded me, who on earth would believe me, a lowly team member, over the esteemed Marco Volturi? A pair of green eyes flashed through my mind—Edward. I quashed the thought before it could take root—the aftershock of my revelation would be widespread if Edward and his fiery temper were involved. I'd worked so hard to get where I was, and I wouldn't let a creep like Marco steal it out from under me.
I splashed cold water on my face to get rid of the red splotches that covered my deathly-pale skin. Pinching my cheek to bring back color where it was needed, I cursed remembering the ruined t-shirt. Edward would be arriving any minute, so I scrambled through my bag looking for something to replace it. If he spotted it, he would demand to know what was going on, and I wasn't ready to tell him. The only article of clothing I had was a flowery cotton sundress I'd worn around the pool and had stuffed into my handbag. It was creased and smelt faintly of chlorine, but it would have to do. I pulled it over my head, removing my jeans and hiding the evidence of my unfortunate encounter.
Edward barreled through the door moments later. His broad smile hadn't diminished since I'd last seen him. He did a double take when he saw how I was dressed, but I brushed it off, turning to prepare the oil and to hide the tremor in my hands.
The treatment table creaked as he jumped up onto it. I hoped he would be distracted by his phone, but I had no such luck. His eyes were resolutely fixed on me.
"How are you feeling now? Any aches, twinges? Did you do your stretches when you got back? We don't want it to seize up before the big day tomorrow. It's the most important leg."
Edward's eyebrows pulled together, and his smile dialled down but still twisted his lips to the side. "Yes, I was aware of that, you know, being the professional cyclist and all."
"Alright, smartass. Lie back. I want to get started." I patted the black leather, and Edward complied, resting his head on his elbows so he was still watching me.
I turned my back to him, pulling up the silky black material of his shorts and smoothed the oil into his thigh, manipulating his muscles with my hands. Edward didn't say a word, but I felt his eyes burning into the back of my neck. His breathing rhythmically fell in line with the strokes I made over his legs, the whisper of skin against skin.
A jolt shot through my body, as he touched my hip, and I whipped round to face him. My reaction starting him as much as me, and he pulled his hand back. "Sorry, I was just going to say you look pretty today."
"It's okay, you just made me jump." I returned to work his thigh, smoothing back and forth, pressing deeper and harder. I couldn't meet his eyes, they penetrated enough as it was, and I didn't want to be stripped bare.
Edward's fingers wrapped around my wrist, halting my movements. I saw it coming, so I didn't jump, but sparks still scattered across my body. "Bella, what's going on?"
"Nothing apart from your massage, or at least it would be if you'd stop interrupting me." I finally looked at him, and the pitiful barriers I'd put up were smashed down by the concern etched across his face. I could feel the words bubbling up, wanting to spill out. I bit down on my lip hard to stop them, but he reached out and pulled it from between my teeth. Anger swirled in his eyes, as if he already knew.
"It's nothing, just a stupid misunderstanding. I'm going to sort it out." I pulled away from him, reaching for the oil when he jumped up off the table, his shorts still tucked up on the one leg I'd been working on.
"Does this have to do with Marco again, Bella? Because if it is, I'm going to kill him," he seethed, reaching out to me, but he didn't step forward. His arm left hanging in the air, dropped to his side.
"No, Edward. Stop it. It was an accident. I'm goi—"
"What did he do?" His dulcet tones had frozen over, and the menace in his words inched my panic up another level.
I breached the gap, placing my palms flat on his broad chest, hoping the gesture would calm him. "Edward. Leave it. It's for me to sort out. It was nothing. Just drop it."
His hands were clenched by his side, his knuckles straining white. He flexed his fingers out, but they curled straight back into fists. "Did he hurt you?"
"No. He just scared me a little, that's all. I'm fine. Can we please just drop this?"
"No, Bella. I'm not going to drop it. He's harassing you. I want you to tell me right now what he did." His tone left me no choice.
"If I tell you, you can't react, Edward, please. I am going to deal with it." I stepped away from him and turned, resting my hands on the cool edge of the ceramic sink to allow me to focus for a second, until I saw Edward's face in the reflection in the mirror. His fierce expression made my breath hitch, and my body flooded with heat. I almost laughed, it was the typical bad-boy syndrome, and I was falling for it hook, line, and sinker. "Marco has been coming on to me. He's made a few passes, and I turned him down, but he's started to threaten me with Riley's position in the team. Last night was the final straw, and I told him where to go, but it didn't seem to work. He cornered me on my way here, and …" I took a deep breath, meeting Edward's eyes in the mirror, "… he grabbed me and ripped my top. Some people disturbed us, and he walked away. He said it was an accident."
Edward exploded, his curses turned the air blue, and I threw my hands up in fright covering my face. "Edward. Please."
"That fucking prick. I'm going to rip his dick off. I'll ruin him." He was pacing the room like a caged lion. I could almost taste his anger as it swirled in the air.
As he was about to rip the door open to leave, I threw myself in his path, holding my hands up, and yelled, "Stop it, now!"
My voice snapped him out of his red mist, and time stood still as he towered over me, his chest heaved with his deep breaths, masking my own. Then, everything shifted.
Edward crashed his lips against mine, silencing the whimper I made. His hands grasped my face, and his tongue begged for entry. I didn't hesitate opening my mouth to him. His anger and my frustration merged and morphed into a heady lust that took my legs out from under me. I curled my fingers into the front of his t-shirt, pressing as close to him as I could. His soapy scent and sweet taste invaded my senses, and I wanted more.
Clearly feeling the same Edward, grasped the back of my legs, hoisting me up onto his hips. The thin cotton of my sundress felt like it would burn to ashes under his touch. Bottles tumbled over and fell to the floor as Edward lifted me onto the sink, with the hollow sounds of plastic hitting stone as they bounced away. The cool ceramic edge pressed into the back of my thighs as Edwards hands, hot as molten lava, trailed up my bare legs. He devoured me, nipping and sucking; his tongue flicked a blazing a trail down my jaw and the column of my neck.
"Bella." He mumbled my name into my skin over and over as heat swirled through my body, settling between my thighs, where his own hard arousal, his shorts providing no barrier, pressed against me. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to do this to you. Jesus, since the moment you put your hands on me. Fuck." His voice rasped against me, sending me spiralling further and further into a fantasy.
I found my way under his shirt, I dragged my nails into his taut skin, wanting to mark him, to bring him closer. He responded with a shuddering groan, placing his hand on my collarbone.
He pulled back and looked at me. My lips throbbed. I was a panting, wanton mess perched on the sink with my legs wrapped around his lean hips. What was I doing? I was searching for the words to end it when his fingers danced down my chest, finding my nipples straining against the fabric of my dress. He rolled them in his fingers, and all thoughts melted from my mind, replaced by brightly coloured sparks of pleasure.
"You are fucking incredible." His head dipped to my collarbone, languorously running his tongue across it, leaving a trail that scorched me to the bone. His teeth found my nipple through the material, and he sucked it into his mouth, moisture soaking through to my skin. I arched my back pushing against his lips and his other hand left my thigh, cupping my breast and wasting no time in pulling the material down. The rosy peak, bereft of his warm mouth, pebbled in the cool air. My groans became guttural as his mouth swapped to the bare skin, pinching it in his teeth and sucking it until it popped from his mouth, while his hand twisted the other, taking me to the edge of a shattering mess.
I wrapped my fingers in his hair, tangling and twisting, until I felt his own moan reverberating against my swollen skin. I pushed myself against him further, tensing my legs to press his hard arousal against my throbbing core. The action caught the silver tap with my elbow and ice cold water spurted out and up the small of my back. "Shit." I was breathless, but Edward pulled me up from sink, smacking his hand on the tap to cut off the flow of water.
The interruption shocked me back to my senses, I was half naked and dripping wet. No matter how much I wanted him, this had to stop.
It seemed to have had the same effect of Edward, who gently pulled the top of my dress back up, but not before he brushed his thumbs across my nipples, the after effects shuddering down to my toes.
"Edward," The word came out a whisper. "We need to stop."
He adjusted himself in his shorts, an action that did nothing to hide the size of what he was packing, making my mouth run dry. "For now. But we will be revisiting this." He gestured between us. "And I haven't forgotten what you told me, but I will give you a chance to deal with it your way first. Then, I will be getting involved."
I opened my mouth to respond, but gave up. A part of me was elated he was willing to stand up for me, and I knew getting rid of Marco wasn't going to be easy.
Edward pressed his lips against mine, and with one last flick of his tongue, ensuring I was well and truly addicted to him, he left me wondering what the fuck had just happened.