Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year! I, unfortunately, do not remember much of mine but can say with absolute certainty that the day I see another glass of Lambrusco or shot of Fireball will be a day too soon.
I've recently received some absolutely delightful reviews from some absolutely delightful readers. Your reviews make me so, so happy and I love to know what you're thinking about the story! I will try to reply to reviews in the near future, but thought you'd rather have a new chapter first.
The gang's about to land in Dublin and some sexy times might come up at the end. Just saying.
Enjoy!
I do not own Twilight or it's characters. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is rated M and intended for readers 18 and over.
CHAPTER 5
When we hear the knock on the door we finally break apart, breathless, swollen-lipped and dizzy with pleasure.
"I could get used to that," I tell him, pressing my breasts against him and moving one hand to rest against his chest just at the low point of his v-neck shirt, where the fine dark hairs are just visible.
He laughs and looks down at me, his verdant eyes darting around my face like he's trying to memorize it, with the crooked smile still on his face. "Yeah," he says, his voice gravelly and low, "me too, Blackbird."
There's another knock on the door, this one a little angrier than the last. I reach out and snap the latch to the unlocked position and practically fling the door open. I'm met with a stick figure of a woman sporting a blonde bob and a string of pearls and grasping the hand of a scowling little boy who's pulling against her grip like he's trying to get away from her. Her mouth twists into a sneer when she sees Edward and I crammed in the tiny room together.
"This isn't exactly an appropriate place for that when –"
"Save it, lady," I tell her and push past her, grabbing Edward's hand and pulling him out behind me. I don't really give a crap if her kid has to pee. There's more than one bathroom and I've been waiting for that kiss for a long time.
"You tell her," Edward teases me after the lady huffs and shoves her kid into the bathroom.
"What? We were busy."
"I know. It's just funny. New York has rubbed off on you a bit."
"No it hasn't. I'm just more assertive than I was when I was younger."
"Whatever you say," he shakes his head at me.
"Go back you your seat," I shove at his shoulder playfully but catch the edge of his t-shirt to pull him back and stand up on my tip toes to peck him on the lips. He grins and raises an eyebrow at me. I shrug. "Now that I can, it's hard to stop."
"Well, if you sneak into my room after everyone's asleep tonight, we could pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted," he glances toward the bathroom.
"Oh, I'm counting on it," I grin up at him, "but I don't think I'll have to sneak. I'm not really planning on keeping this a secret or anything," I motion between us. "Are you?"
"Well, no. I suppose not," he says thoughtfully. "That'll be a nice change of pace."
"No kidding," I say and turn around to go back to my seat.
"God, we were about to come looking for you," Rose says, looking suspiciously at me. "We thought you fell in or something."
"Nope." I plop down in my seat and re-buckle my seat belt. "Just ran into Edward. That's all."
"Is that a euphemism?" Rose smirks.
"No. Jesus, I've more self-control than that," I tell her with mock offense.
"Well, you are considerably more…chipper… than when you left," Alice pipes up.
"Yeah, I am. He said he wanted to talk and so did I. I just didn't want to wait to talk and long story short, he told me that he didn't want to see other people." I pick up my magazine and flip through the glossy pages, but I'm not actually looking at any of them. It's more of a distraction tool, to keep me grounded, because I think if I actually devoted all of my attention to this conversation, the giddiness I'm feeling is going to overtake me.
"So, that's that then?" Rose asks. "Bella and Edward. Edward and Bella. You guys are a thing now? Well, an out-in-the-public, not-secret-anymore thing?"
I nod my head slowly, a huge grin on my face, keeping my eyes on the magazine.
"Well, shit." Alice readjusts herself in her seat. "I've obviously missed my calling. I should have been a therapist."
"Well," I agree, "clearly, your methods are effective."
When the plane finally descends into Dublin International Airport nearly two hours later, I'm absolutely dying to get out of my seat. For one thing, I've never been to Ireland and I'm actually pretty excited. The biggest reason though, is the man ten rows up, ducking so he doesn't hit his head as he stands up out of his chair to reach down his carry-on. Turns out it's not easy to have the kind of conversation Edward and I had in the tiny bathroom and then not be able to talk to each other for a couple of hours even though you're only thirty feet apart.
When it's finally my turn to get out of my seat, I practically skip to the front of the plane, dragging my carry-on behind me. The air in the ramp to the terminal is considerably warmer than it was in New York, something I've been looking forward to for this trip. Ireland's climate is a lot like that in Forks and Seattle and I'll take the rain over ice and snow any day.
The boys are waiting for us once we step into the terminal and Jasper smirks at me while Emmett makes a lewd gesture when I grin at them. I guess Edward must have told them.
"You just couldn't resist, could you?" Rose asks Emmett when she sees him teasing. "There are children in here, you know. Their mothers will be horrified when they copy that."
"These kids are from New York. They've seen worse." Emmett says. He's half-joking, but it's probably true.
"We'd better get going. The customs line is going to be huge," Jasper says and takes off with Alice trailing behind him.
Edward heaves his duffle bag off of the ground and onto his shoulder then holds his hand out to me.
"Oh, I can take it myself," I tell him, adjusting the strap of my messenger bag across my body and grabbing the handle of my rolling carry-on.
"I wasn't asking for your bag," he says. "I wanted to hold your hand. Is that okay?"
"Yeah." I grin at him wide enough that I can practically feel my cheeks dimple. "It's always okay."
I put my palm against his and his long fingers nearly reach to my wrist when he entwines them with my own. We walk down the hall after the other four and I look at the various ads on the walls, lagging behind a bit and letting Edward take the lead. The ads are pretty much the same as what we've got at home and I lose interest, shifting my gaze to Edward's wild bronze hair and his tall frame, leading me through the busy terminal. His features are neutral as he looks ahead, but the content is plain on his face. We pass a few women whose gazes pass over him appreciatively and to be honest, I don't even mind. I'm well aware that Edward is easy on the eyes.
When we finally stop in the customs line, Edward squeezes my hand then lets go and digs through his bag for his passport. I watch his every move, the way the muscles in his forearm flex while he holds his heavy bag up and how he bites his bottom lip as he searches. He finally pulls it from his bag, triumphantly waving it in front of him as he grins and grabs my hand again. God, he's so cute. And I think holding Edward's hand is my new favorite thing and I've wasted all this time when I could have been doing it all along. I really should have said something earlier.
#WL#
We split up into couples in the taxi queue outside. I stand on the curb, watching as Edward fits the luggage into the small trunk of the cab, arranging them together like a game of Tetris until the trunk can close. I slide into the back of the car and Edward gets in on the other side while the driver, who is a skinny little old man, hurries around to the driver's side and pulls away from the curb.
"Where're we off to?" the driver asks, glancing back at Edward as he pulls onto the busy road leading away from the airport.
"The Morrison Hotel, please." Edward replies.
"On Ormond Quay, is it?"
"That would be the one."
I pull Edward's hand into my lap and play with his fingers while I sit back and watch the city go by as we make our way downtown. It's already evening here and I can't see much in the darkness, but there are statutes and buildings I recognize from my own research and I ask Edward a few questions about them as we pass. Edward's dad emigrated to the U.S. from England after finishing medical school and his grandparents moved back to Ireland after their son left. He used to come here to visit his grandmother about once every year or so before she passed away when he was a junior in college, so he knows quite a bit about the city.
Even though I know it's a very old city, Dublin is maybe a little shabbier looking than I would have expected, but it gives it a kind of beauty that you can't find just anywhere. In some ways, it's a lot like downtown New York City. You can practically feel the history seeping out of the walls of the old structures, never taller than three or four stories, and anything new or modern sticks out like a sore thumb.
"The Spire is kind of odd," I observe, pointing out the window to the silver, needle-like structure jutting into the sky over the old, brick buildings. "Why did they build it?"
"It was part of a campaign to make O'Connell Street more attractive," Edward tells me, ducking his head to take a look himself. "Not everyone likes it though. Some people think it was too expensive."
I continue asking him questions, taking advantage of my own personal tour guide as the driver weaves through the traffic and eventually pulls up in front of our hotel. I help Edward pull our suitcases from the trunk and a bell-hop holds the door open for me as I wheel them into the lobby. Jasper's just finishing checking in for the group.
"What took you guys so long?" Alice asks from her seat astride the largest of her suitcases, foregoing the empty chairs in the modern looking reception area.
"We took the long way around," Edward tells her as he approaches the group.
Jasper finishes checking in and comes over to dole out room keys.
"There's nothing on the agenda for tonight, so let's just agree to meet down here at eight sharp, tomorrow morning. Alice and I are going out to get something to eat if any of you want to join us."
"Thanks, man, but I think I'll just order in. I'm pretty tired," Edward says as he takes his room key from Jasper. "I didn't sleep well last night."
I wonder for a second if that could have been because of me.
"Do you mind if I stay with you?" I ask him while Alice and Jasper talk to Rose and Emmett about where they want to go.
"Of course not," he smiles at me.
"Hey, Alice, I'm going to stay here and order something with Edward," I tell her and she waves her hand at me.
"Don't worry about it, I figured you would."
I turn and hurry toward the elevator, where Edward is holding the door open for me.
"You forgot your room key!" Jasper calls after me.
"I don't think she'll need it," I hear Alice say as the elevator doors close.
#WL#
Edward unlocks the door to his room and I wheel my suitcases over to the area by the window looking out over the River Liffey. The lights of Temple Bar are glowing in the darkness and there's a light mist in the air that gives a halo around each of them. It's actually a little stuffy in the room and I open the window a couple of inches to let the cool air in while Edward turns on the bedside lamps.
The room is as modern as the lobby was, with clean, square lines accented in neutral colors and a bed covered in all white linens. It's a beautiful room, but I sort of wish we were staying in a place with a little more character – or at least the stereotypical character I thought of when I imagined the way a Dublin hotel would be. Heavy Edwardian headboards, ornate golden picture frames, dark linens and leaded windows. That kind of thing.
"You're awfully quiet over there, Blackbird," Edward says from behind me and I turn to look at him. His shoes are kicked off and he's lying back on the bed with his hands behind his head. He flicks on the TV and starts moving through the channels. "Do you want to get something to eat? We could just order room service."
"Sure," I pick up a thick padded book with a black leather cover from the desk. I'm guessing the menu's got to be somewhere in here. I flip through the glossy pages, through a big section full of suggestions for things to do and places to go before I come to the hotel information section. "They serve breakfast all day here," I announce, looking down at the selection. "How do pancakes sound?"
"Sounds awesome," Edward replies as he leaves the channel on a soccer game and tosses the remote aside.
"Pancakes it is," I say and pick up the phone to put in our order.
Twenty minutes later, Edward and I are sitting on the bed, shoving pancakes into our mouths, watching a close match between Manchester United and Liverpool. Edward occasionally comments, calling one player an idiot, saying how awesome another one is. I like soccer a lot, but not the way Edward does. When we're not filming, it seems like he's either playing with his league or playing FIFA on his PlayStation. He buys the new version every year and takes pride in his ability to completely own Jasper and Emmett, no matter how many times they play. I really like watching the games on TV with him. I've always liked that Edward and I can just be together without having to be actually do much of anything.
I'm totally stuffed and I put my half-finished plate on the bedside table and lie back on the pillows. I watch as a player approaches the goal and Edward tenses in anticipation.
"What? No! He's offiside! Do you see that?" He turns to look at me and gestures at the screen.
"Why don't they call it then?" I ask. I've never really understood the offside thing.
"Because the ref is an idiot," he says, turning back to the TV.
After a couple of minutes, the game goes into half-time and Edward relaxes and lies back next to me. I turn on my side to look at him and I'm reminded of a few nights ago, after my date with Demetri, when Edward and I were doing this very same thing on his bed in his apartment. This time is so much different though. Sure, his favorite team is one point behind and he's not happy about it, but he's relaxed now. The sadness that was there that night isn't there now, and I feel a wave of guilt for having caused any sadness to begin with.
"Edward?" I reach out and take his hand in my own.
"Yeah?"
"I really am sorry that I went out with Demetri. I didn't mean to upset you." I purse my lips and squeeze his hand a little tighter. He sighs.
"You didn't upset me, Blackbird. Well, you did, but it wasn't your fault. I should have said something earlier."
"No, it is my fault. I've had feelings for you for awhile and I never said anything even though I promised I would. When you told me you had to think about things, it scared me a little. I thought you might not want to be around me as much, but you're my favorite person, Edward. I want to be around you all the time. I feel bad that you felt bad."
"I'm your favorite person?" Edward asks. I nod. "Phew!" he fake wipes his forehead. "That's a good thing. Because there's nothing you can do to get rid of me now!"
"Don't kid, Edward. It wasn't a joke."
He turns to face me and brings his hand up to push my hair behind my ear then leaves his palm to rest against my cheek.
"I'm not kidding, pretty girl," He leans in until his lips are just millimeters from mine and whispers against my mouth, "you're my favorite person, too."
He presses his lips against mine and we kiss like that for a few minutes, alternating between short little pecks and longer ones where his stubble rubs my chin. When I open my mouth and suck lightly on his lower lip, he plays along and our hands start to wander. I move my fingers through the trail of hair that leads from his flat stomach down into his jeans and he moans into my mouth when my hand brushes against the growing bulge in the front of his pants. His hands are working to unclasp my bra without even bothering to take off my shirt, and when he gets it undone, he moves them around to the front, shoving my bra up and out of the way and wasting no time in letting his fingers pinch and play with my nipples.
His moaning gets louder when I unbutton his jeans and, rather unceremoniously, shove my hand down into his boxer briefs to wrap my fingers around his cock and stroke him all the way from the base to the tip. He releases my mouth with a sort of pop and sits up off the bed, looking around like he's disoriented and has lost something.
"What are you doing?" I ask, getting up to sit on my knees. He's already got his jeans shoved off and his boxers are next.
"I need a condom. Do you have a condom?" He pulls his shirt over his head and he's completely naked, on his knees, practically tearing apart his suitcase. I'd laugh if I wasn't so busy staring at his cock, bobbing in front of him while he searches. The thing commands attention. I should make a replica and sell it at my local adult toy shop. I could probably make a fortune.
"No. I didn't bring any," I tell him. I'm momentarily disappointed before our conversation in the bathroom comes into my head. The one about Edward having not seen anyone all year. "When was the last time you were tested?"
He thinks for a second. "Four months ago."
"And you haven't slept with anyone but me since?"
"No."
"Well, neither have I. And I'm on the shot."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Yes, Edward, I am saying what you think I'm saying. Now get over here, because this conversation is a real boner killer."
He stands up off the floor and stalks toward me, shooting his hand out to grab me around the ankle and pulling me toward him. "Oh, Blackbird. You're such a romantic."
"Yeah, but you like me like that," I laugh and pull my shirt over my head, discarding it on the floor along with my bra. Edward hooks his fingers into my pants and pulls them and my panties down my legs until we're both stark naked.
"Damn right, I do," he says and leans over me for a kiss.
Edward's kisses are urgent, heated, and almost frantic before he begins to move down my body, taking my nipples into his mouth, one by one and sucking until they are as hard as can be. His cock rubs against my inner thigh where he lies between my legs and I can feel the damp trail of pre-cum against my skin where he moves back and forth. His fingers move lower and brush against my pussy, his thumb pressing against my clit while he slips one long digit inside of me, moving it in and out a couple of times before he removes it completely and he's grasping my thighs, pulling them farther apart.
I fist his hair in my hands and tug slightly, trying to get him to look up at me.
"Edward, baby, slow down. Slow down," I tell him and pull on his arm to get him to come up onto the bed. He looks a little surprised, probably because I certainly haven't set any precedence for slow and steady before, but moves up onto the bed, nearly against the headboard, sitting cross-legged.
His green eyes are darkened and he looks at me and holds out his hand.
"Stand up," he tells me in a husky voice, pulling me toward him, closer and closer until his face is level with the apex of my thighs. "Put your hands on the headboard."
I do as he says and he lifts one of my legs to rest over his shoulder. He begins kissing along the insides of my thighs and I hold my breath in anticipation of his lips touching me where I want him most. I don't have to wait long and his hand that isn't holding my thigh securely to his shoulder comes up to part the lips of my pussy, giving his tongue access to my clit. I squeal when I feel the tip brush against me and then move down to just barely press into my opening before moving back up again. He repeats this a few times before he wraps his lips around my clit and sucks lightly and he only does it twice more before my lungs are heaving and my leg is trembling and then – he stops.
"What? Why'd you stop?" I look down at him, confused and maybe a little crazed.
"I want to look at you. I want to kiss you. Come here."
He moves my leg from his shoulder until I am standing astride his hips, his legs still folded cross-legged.
"Sit on my lap," he directs me, holding his hand up for me to grab.
I take his hand in my own but then let go and put both of my hands on his shoulders, bracing myself while I begin to lower down. He looks up at me, watching as I slowly bend my knees to squat over him, then finally taking his cock into his hand to hold himself steady when I'm low enough to take him into my body. I suck in a breath as the head pushes into me and moves deep as I sink down onto him until my bottom is cradled in his folded legs and we're face to face.
"Put your legs around me," he whispers as he wraps his arms around my torso and pulls me against him.
I move my right leg around his back and then the other before resting my arms on his shoulders, one draped down his back and the other around the back of his head and woven into his hair. I pull his face to mine and kiss him, stopping only to suck in deep breaths when I rock forward the slightest bit and feel his cock twitch deep inside of me.
We begin to move, slowly, back and forth, in more of a rocking motion than thrusting. I never release his lips from my own, except to take a breath when it's absolutely necessary, but then I'm right back again, moaning and gasping into his mouth as the tension deep in my belly builds. My arms cling to him and my breasts, damp with sweat, slide against his chest with each motion.
I don't know how long we've been here like this, it feels like I can't think clearly, but it could have been minutes or it could have been hours for all I was concerned. I could stay like this forever, surrounded by Edward, smelling his smell, breathing in his breath, cradled in his lap and holding his body within my own. But nothing this good can last too long and Edward's fingers move into the tight space between our bellies and down to the place where we're joined.
"I need you to come, Blackbird," he says, his voice low and rough. "I can't last much longer."
He rubs against me in tight circles, they way he knows will tip me over the edge. When my muscles begin to flutter around him and I release a scream into his mouth, he joins me with a low moan, releasing into me and holding us still and so tightly together I can feel the quick beat of his heart beneath by breast.
We're both breathing heavily, like we just ran a marathon, even though we really weren't even moving all that quickly. I raise up on my knees, his softening cock slipping from my body and I hover over his lap for a few seconds while he kisses me again, more softly now, until I feel a trickle of liquid making its way down the inside of my thigh.
"Oh. Oh, God!" I say, pressing my hand between my legs and making a disgusted face as I scurry to the bathroom.
When I return, Edward's cheeks are colored with a little blush, and he looks at me sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I guess the condoms are good for more than just disease and baby protection, huh?"
"Don't be sorry. I'm not. I didn't mean to react like that. I guess I just wasn't expecting it. I've never had sex without a condom before." I pulled on my panties and crawled under the covers next to Edward. "We'll just have to invest in some bed-side Kleenex."
We lie there in silence for a while, a hand joined between us. Edward yawned and shifted onto his side, his eyes examining my face.
"I'm really happy, Blackbird."
"Me too."
"I think we could be happy together for a really long time. Maybe our entire lives."
I thought back to the last few hours of my life. How the feeling of despair and urgency overtook me when I thought he was going to cut things off and the sense of euphoria I felt when I realized what he wanted was what I wanted too. How simple things like kissing him and holding his hand made me feel like I'd won some kind of huge lottery and would never have to worry about anything for the rest of my life. How the sex we'd just had was really something more than sex, and for the first time in my life, I might have understood why people said they were making love, even though that term grossed me out.
"Yeah," I smile at him. "I think you could be right."
I don't know why, but I was a bit nervous about this chapter, particularly this lemon. I hope it was up to snuff.
LA