We all love DaddyC, don't we? LOL He was such a sweetheart.

Let's see what happens the next morning, shall we?

I own nothing, and Fran rocks!

-LWTC-

Chapter 14

"Wake up," Rose demanded in a loud and authoritative voice.

"Mmph," Bella grumbled, confused. "Whus goin' on?"

"It's four thirty on Black Friday morning. Time for the Cullen women to get their asses up and dressed," Rose pulled the blankets back, exposing Bella to the chilly morning air. "We have a full day of shopping to do, and the sales start early. You have fifteen minutes to shit, shave, shower and shine."

"Isn't that an Army saying," Bella groused.

"Black Friday shopping is a battlefield, Bella."

"Yeah?" Bella opened one eye, and glared at the blonde warlord barking orders. "Well, I don't recall enlisting."

Bella sat up on the bed and yawned. She continued to give Rose the stink-eye as she rubbed her face, and stretched out her back.

"Dad signed your draft papers last night when he openly called you his daughter," Rose's eyes glinted, and an evil grin spread itself across her pretty face. "You've been officially enlisted as a member of the family. So … sister of mine … get your ass up and get dressed."

Rose tossed a pair of stretch jeans and a cozy looking blue sweater onto the bed beside Bella. In her mind, the argument was over. Bella would never win this one. Admitting defeat, Bella grabbed the clothes, and trudged off to the bathroom, where she stood under the hot, pulsating spray of the shower, and allowed herself to think about the night before.

She remembered Edward picking her up, and carrying her up the stairs. She had tried to protest, but she was so fatigued she struggled just to shift in his arms and grunt feebly. After that, there were hazy memories of clinging to his soft shirt, and trying to burrow into his scent. She had apparently spoken her thoughts aloud, because he responded. He called her Princess, and kissed her on the forehead and touched her face. Dear, sweet Lord in Heaven … please let me have been dreaming. How will I face him? Bella was mortified at the thought of having told him that she needed him, and not to leave her. Ah, but he called you Princess and told you he needs to you … and that he's never letting you go!

Bella shook her head at her own internal struggle. On the one hand, she really wanted to believe that it was real, and not just a dream. If it were, then that meant that his overtures of the evening before had been romantic in nature, and not just friendly affection; the thought was sheer joy. If it was a dream, then her mind was reaching for straws … anything it could grasp to make sense of his attentions.

When she had dressed, and pulled her still wet hair back into a high ponytail, Bella met the girls in the kitchen. They were munching on leftovers for breakfast, and she giggled at the sight of Rose with a plate of pie and stuffing with cranberry sauce drizzled over it all. Rolling her eyes, she poured a cup of coffee from the carafe, grabbed a leftover roll, and heated it in the microwave. She ate quietly, listening to the other three women talking about what they wanted to purchase, and strategizing which stores to go to in what order. They were indeed militant.

"So, Bella," Esme said. "What kind of things do you need to look at? Have you made a list of gifts you would like to buy?"

"Uh," Bella shrugged, cringing at her intelligent sounding reply. "I have only given thought to a couple of gifts."

"And I've no doubt as to whom those would be for," Rose voiced suggestively.

Bella blushed crimson and drank deeply from her oversized coffee mug, using the size of it to hide her face. Esme shook her head as she chuckled softly, reprimanding Rose for her chiding with a simple look. Alice, on the other hand was loudly guffawing, and holding her sides as she pointed at Bella.

"Look at that blush," she managed to croak out in between barks of laughter. "She's positively pink!"

The four of them froze when they heard a rustling from the living room, where Edward was still sleeping, sprawled across the large sofa. They stayed silent for a few moments until they were certain that he was still asleep.

"You ladies finished with breakfast?"

"Yes, Esme," Bella grinned, "I'm all done, and ready."

"Good. Let's go."

They gingerly made their way across the living room towards the hall closet to put on their coats and mittens. As Bella passed by the sofa, she could not resist taking a peek at the sleeping form of her Prince. Without realizing it, Bella froze, drinking in the sight before her. The room was barely lit with only the ambient light streaming in from the windows, and the glow that spilled over from the kitchen where the hood lamp was left on as a nightlight, as was the habit in the home. Edward was lying on his back with his right arm bent, hanging off the seat of the couch; his fingertips brushing against the floor. His left arm was stretched upwards, and hooked behind his head, which was somewhat turned towards the back of the sofa. His left leg was bent slightly, with his knee resting against the back of the couch, and his heel was nestled into the groove between the sofa back and the armrest, while his right leg was splayed to the side with his foot resting firmly upon the floor.

He wore a pair of navy blue and white, plaid, flannel sleep pants, low on his hips, and a grey wife-beater tank which had crept half-way up to his chest as he shifted in his sleep. Bella stood transfixed at the sight before her. His angular jaw, and high, prominent cheekbones were more pronounced by the deeply shadowed darkness of the barely lit room. His soft lips were parted as his breath quietly fell through them. Dropping her eyes down his form, she saw the taught planes of his abdomen, and images of summertime, and Labor Day weekend filled her mind. Her eyes disobeyed her internal command to look away as they fell to the dark patterns of hair on his stomach that formed a line, drawing her eyes further south, where a blanket was barely strewn across his hips.

Her mind was embroiled in a battle somewhere between lust and adoration. He was beautiful. She took a step to get closer to him, when she noticed his lips twitch. Her eyes grew wide when she realized that at some point in her perusal, he had opened his eyes, and was watching her.

"As much I like being ogled," Edward's sleep-roughened voice caressed Bella like a soft hand, "by you, I don't think the girls approve of the delay." Edward reached up and tugged at Bella's ponytail, which hung loosely over her shoulder. She blushed profusely at being caught in the act, and turned quickly, meaning to rush to the closet to don her coat as well.

Bella had failed to notice the blanket that was pooled at her feet, tangling them as she took a step. As she began to fall, Edward was able to reach out, and pull her backward, so that she fell against himself and the sofa instead of forward … headlong to the floor. A breathy squeak escaped Bella as he closed his arms around her, and held her against his chest, burying his nose into the hair against her neck. They lay there a moment, arms tangle across her abdomen and chest, breathing heavily, as the trio of women by the door broke out into laughter at Bella's expense.

"You okay?" Edward asked, his voice muffled against her neck.

Bella's eyes rolled back in her head as she felt his lips move against her throat. Coherency was lost to her for a moment as she could only feel—the warmth of his torso against her back, and the heat of his breath against her sensitive skin. She had fleeting images of waking to this feeling flying through her brain, and she couldn't even respond.

Taking in a deep breath—meant to clear her head—she found herself overcome by his scent again, and scrambled to get to her feet. She desperately needed to get space between them, knowing she would never recover her composure while lying in his arms.

"Sorry," she managed to mumble as she propelled herself across the room, and into her awaiting coat, held open by Esme. The ladies were still grinning like loons as Bella shifted uncomfortably.

Rose opened the door, letting in a gust of bitter-cold wind and snow; further clearing Bella's head of her Edward-induce haze. They began to file out, and as Bella stepped over the threshold, she heard Edward's voice call out…

"Have a good time, Princess."

-LWTC-

Well, what do we think of the sleep-rumpled smexiness that IS
Chocolateward? Will his last sentence convince her she wasn't
dreaming? LOL

Leave some love, please!

*huggles*

A few stories I am thoroughly enjoying right now …

Duplicity by Sunshine 1220
Summary:
Du-plic-i-ty: noun 1. contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action 2. the quality or state of being double or twofold. Synonyms: deceitfulness, deception, double-dealing, underhandedness, dishonesty, fraud, trickery, subterfuge, treachery... The worst thing about betrayal is it never comes from your enemies.

It's Time: Bella's Story by Honeymoon Edward
Summary:
Unbeknownst to her, Isabella Swan's fate was sealed when she was 13 years old. Six years have passed and Edward Cullen has determined that it's time to make himself known.

The Swans by the pond by miraline
(This one is very angsty and comes with warnings)
Summary:
A disturbing discovery in a dumpster behind the local high school turns the whole town upside down. Lives are changed forever. How could someone do such a terrible thing and not have a better explanation for it? or any explanation for it? It seems unthinkable. It is, for a long, long time. It isn't until years later that the carefully constructed web of lies begins to unravel. AH