Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. The original plot and storyline of Never Enough, however, belong to me. Please be nice and don't copy or translate without permission. Thank you.
Even though I manage to write around 5,000 words every week for this update, there are no words in my vocabulary or possibly even the entire English language to adequately express my appreciation of my betas. Iadorepugs and Cullen_Crazy01 are amazing in every way and two of the very best friends I could ever ask for. Thank you for your help, especially during the last six weeks. I love you both.
Chapter 23
I was just pulling down the blinds that covered the windows to the left of the entrance when the bell hanging over the door rang, announcing another late-arriving customer. Straightening and pasting a smile on my face despite my weariness, I turned to find Edward standing in the doorway, my favorite crooked grin on his lips. My forced smile became genuine, and I watched as he turned around, securing the lock on the door and flipping the sign to 'CLOSED'.
His face was showing further signs of improvement. The scrape on his cheek was almost healed entirely, as was his split lip. His nose looked much better, the swelling almost completely gone. The bruising under his eyes was starting to change colors and was still going to get worse before it got better, but overall he looked much more like the Edward I knew and loved. Loved. The word made my heart tingle.
"Must have been a busy Friday. I thought you closed at seven?" Edward asked, checking his watch. "According to Mickey, it's actually seven-thirty-five." He stepped to the other side of the doorway and pulled the blinds down over the windows, securing them at the bottom.
"You have a Mickey Mouse watch?" I asked curiously. Edward grinned and held his arm out. On his wrist was a sleek black leather band with a wide silver face and a black and silver silhouette of Mickey Mouse with his hands pointing to the hour and minute.
His smile turned sheepish. "Chelsea picked it out for me when Esme, Carlisle and I took her to Disneyland for her birthday. So why are you closing up so late?"
"I had a rush of customers just before seven, and I just chased the last one from the store. We've had to do that every night this week. I think we're going to have to extend the store hours."
Edward's brow furrowed. "I don't know if I like the idea of you being here so late."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm a big girl, Edward, and the daughter of a police chief. Do you not remember what happened last time you approached me without announcing yourself outside the store after dark?"
Edward absently rubbed his abdomen where my elbow had connected with his stomach that night. "No, I remember. But I can still be concerned, can't I?"
"Yes you can, and it's very sweet. But I can take care of myself."
"Are you here all alone right now?" he asked, looking around the store.
"No, Billi's in the back packing up today's leftovers so that I can run them to the Mission in the morning." One thing Angela and I had agreed on was any extra food which could not be sold, preserved or given to employees would be donated to the Port Angeles Mission. It wasn't often that we had extras, but it felt good to be able to donate when we did.
"Once she's done with that, I just need to reconcile the paperwork and straighten things up for tomorrow, and we can go." I had my bag packed this time and waiting in my car, and I was anxious to show him the new sleepwear I had purchased for the weekend.
"I can help straighten up out here, if you want to get a head start on the paperwork," Edward offered. "I know where the cleaning supplies are, and I can push a broom around."
I felt guilty even considering his offer. He'd worked all day, and he was here for a date, not to work for me. But because of the late customers, I was so far behind on the closing routine that it would take longer than usual to finish up. With his help, we could escape back to his house all that much sooner. "Are you sure you don't mind?" I asked him, biting my bottom lip.
Edward nodded, his eyes flaring as they focused on my mouth. "I don't mind at all. Honestly, I'm rather anxious to get you home," he said, his voice husky as he stepped forward, putting a finger under my chin and lifting my face to his for a heated kiss. He slipped his arms around my waist, hauling me closer to him, his hands dropping lower to grab my ass.
"Home, I like the sound of that," I murmured against his lips, teasing his bottom lip with my tongue as I rose on my tiptoes so that I could press against him. I slid my arms around Edward's waist and my hands into the back pockets of his jeans, cupping and squeezing his ass the way he did mine. His responding groan sent a shiver down my spine.
Edward pulled back, his eyes dark, his breathing rapid. "Go. Do your paperwork," he commanded in a low voice that made my stomach flutter. "The sooner the work is done, the sooner the play can start." He turned me around toward the back room and gave my bottom a playful swat. I jumped, surprised not only at his swat but at the arousal I felt flooding through me. I could feel a blush color my cheeks as I looked over my shoulder at Edward. He smiled and winked.
I walked back to my office in a haze of desire, suddenly very anxious to end my work day. I sat down at my desk, staring through the paperwork stacked there, lost in thought. I didn't even realize I had company until I heard someone clearing their throat loudly. When I looked up, Billi was standing in the doorway with a knowing grin on her face.
Billi was one of my favorite employees. As the mother of two teenagers who loved to read as much as I did, I had much more in common with her than most of the college students we employed. I always made sure to schedule at least one day per week that the two of us would work together, and that was usually by far the most fun work day of the week for me.
"All right, Bella, I'm leaving." She looked around to see if Edward was anywhere nearby. "Happy Valentine's Day. Have a good weekend with that man of yours. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said, wiggling her eyebrows and giving me an exaggerated wink.
I felt myself blush and then winked back. "That's a pretty short list, isn't it?" I teased her, and we both laughed. "Big plans for the weekend?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I've got quite the hot weekend planned! The kids are with their dad, so I'm going grocery shopping tonight. I don't know about you, but nothing exciting ever happens to me at the grocery store," Billi answered. We laughed together again, and I followed her to the back door and watched as she got into her car, waving as she drove away. Once she was gone, I locked the back door and returned to the office to look through the day's receipts and count the deposit.
I was double checking the numbers and entering them into the computer when I heard Edward's voice sound over the speaker. "Bella, please report to the front counter. Bella to the front counter. Thank you." I giggled as I finished entering the column of numbers and hit save before exiting the office to see what he needed.
"All clean, boss, and ready for your inspection," he said, waiving an arm toward the cafe. I could see that Edward had wiped down all the counters and put away the supplies. The floor was freshly swept as well, and he had even straightened the chairs. He had turned off the main lights, leaving the bookstore bathed in low light of the security lamps.
"Looks great. If the whole architect thing ever falls through for you, feel free to give me a call. I can put in a good word for you with one of the owners here," I teased.
Edward grinned. "I'll keep that in mind. Done with your paperwork?"
"Yes, I just need to file everything away and put the deposit in the safe, and then we can go" I told him.
"Good. Now would you indulge me for a moment? I want to try something," Edward said, taking me by the hand and leading me through the store, back to the darkened children's area.
I followed him, standing in front of the mural which was still one of my favorite features of the store. He smiled at me, looking a little bashful, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "What do you want to try?" I asked him, utterly confused.
"I have regretted the way our first kiss ended, with that silly disagreement. I was such an ass, telling you that I shouldn't have kissed you," Edward said.
"And I was an idiot for running away," I reminded him. "But we've certainly gotten past that, haven't we?"
"Yes, but I'd like a do-over on our first kiss. I'd like to do it the way I had been imagining, without anyone else here, without any interruptions."
"Edward, you've more than made up for that," I told him. "Besides, interrupted or not, that kiss was pretty spectacular."
"Agreed, but humor me anyway, Bella," he said.
As if I could refuse him anything. I nodded wordlessly, feeling my stomach flutter the same way it had when he had kissed me all those months ago.
Edward's cupped my face with both of his hands, sliding his fingertips along my cheekbones and bringing his thumbs to rest against my cheeks. He exerted the gentlest of pressure to tilt my head back, slowing bringing his closed lips to mine. He kissed both corners of my mouth and then took my bottom lip between both of his, nibbling lightly. The very tip of his tongue grazed the outline of my upper lip, and we both sighed in pleasure when I opened my lips, my tongue reaching out to touch his.
Edward slid his hands into my hair, his fingers braiding in the strands as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. The tentativeness of the first kiss re-creation was gone, and his tongue surged forward, stroking mine with purpose. I bit back a groan as our lips moved, needing to be closer to him. I slipped my arms around his waist, tugging on the belt loops of his jeans to pull him to me.
Suddenly I was pressed with my back against the mural, my body flush with Edward's. He reached down to grasp the back of my knee and pulled it up sharply so that I had one leg hitched up over his hip as his mouth ravaged mine and his hands explored my body. I slid my hands beneath his shirt and swallowed his moan when my fingers made contact with the bare flesh of his back. Edward rocked his hips against mine, and I felt the proof of his arousal press against my stomach. I gasped for breath when he finally released my mouth, his lips exploring my jaw and the column of my throat, kissing, nipping and sucking the flesh there. I wanted him so badly, and I didn't want to wait until we got home.
"Bella, tell me to stop. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've fantasized about making love to you in this bookstore," Edward confessed as his fingers freed the buttons on my blouse to expose my collarbones and the tops of my breasts in the pretty ice blue lace bra I had chosen with him in mind this morning.
"Oh God," I gulped as his warm mouth worked its way across my heated flesh, aroused beyond belief that he had fantasized about the same thing I had.
Edward misunderstood my reaction and my words. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, no," I breathed. "Please don't apologize. I've…..I've thought of the same thing."
"Jesus," he swore, his eyes wide and burning with desire when he looked up at me. "Really?"
"Yes, Edward. Since the first time you brought me here."
"Where?" he demanded, his lips returning to my collarbone and moving lower, his tongue teasing the contour of lace where it cupped my breasts.
"My office," I replied breathlessly. I squealed and giggled when he hoisted me up instantly by my waist. I wrapped my legs around his hips when as he carried me through the bookstore toward the back office space.
Edward pushed through the office door and set me down on the edge of the desk, stepping between my knees and leaning down to kiss me. "Like this?" he murmured, his lips blazing a trail from my mouth and across my jaw. His hands were on my hips, grasping me and pulling me forward.
"No," I admitted, unable to look him in the eye and not entirely sure I could verbalize what I had fantasized.
"How, Bella?" His breath was hot on my neck, his tongue laving the spot behind my ear that always drove me crazy.
I groaned in response, too embarrassed to tell him. "Edward, I can't," I denied, shaking my head.
He pressed open-mouthed kisses against the column of my throat before moving back up so that he could whisper in my ear. "Please Bella, won't you tell me?" he begged, his voice silky and hypnotic.
The words tumbled from my mouth before I could stop them. "You behind me, and me bent over the desk," I confessed in a whisper.
"Fuck," Edward's voice was low, almost a growl, and I felt a throbbing deep between my legs at the sound. His fingers tightened convulsively on my hips, which fueled the fantasy even further, as it had been the first touch of his hands there that had inspired it. His mouth came up to cover mine again, his kiss consuming me, making me wild with want.
I reached up and circled my arms around his neck, raising myself toward him even as he slowly bent me back towards the surface of the desk. I giggled when I felt a stack of papers beneath my left shoulder blade, and the bank deposit bag near my right ear.
"Don't move," Edward commanded, his eyes dark, and I felt a shiver of desire run down my spine. I sat back on my elbows, my legs dangling over the edge of the desk, watching him. I tried to stifle my chuckles as he grabbed the papers and neatly stacked them on the file cabinet, followed methodically by the bank deposit, my pen and paper holder, and the telephone. Finally he closed my laptop and carefully set it aside. "What's so funny?" he asked, watching as I rocked with silent laughter.
"In the movies or in books, the couple is always so overwhelmed with desire that they just sweep the stuff from the table or desk so it all goes crashing to the floor," I said, still giggling. "That was rather neat and organized."
"Did you really want me to mess up your paperwork and break your laptop?" Edward asked.
"No, of course not," I teased. "I'm glad you have the presence of mind not to be overwhelmed."
He reached out and captured my hand, pressing it to his thick erection. "I don't know about not feeling overwhelmed. Feel what you do to me, Bella."
My fingers automatically curled to cup him in my hand, my thumb stroking his length and swirling around the tip through the thick denim of his jeans. Edward groaned loudly, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw. I pushed myself up from my elbows and reached for the button on his jeans, but at my movement he opened his eyes, dark with desire. He grasped my wrist and removed my hand from him, then gently pushed me down on my back again.
Edward's hands sought the buttons on my blouse, undoing them with haste and pulling it open, sliding it down my arms and tossing it aside. He cupped my breasts with his warm hands, his fingers teasing my nipples, then leaning down to take the lace covered peaks between his lips, first one and then the other. I let my head fall back as his lips, teeth and tongue teased my nipples, driving me wild. I inhaled sharply in anticipation as he slid his fingers down my abdomen to work the button on my slacks.
"Lift your hips, Bella," he rasped, and when I did so, my slacks disappeared. The wood was cool beneath the matching lace of my boy shorts, and I enjoyed a feminine rush of pride and satisfaction when he moaned at the sight of me sprawled in only my underwear on the desk. He reached out with his index finger and traced a line from my chin down the center of my chest, past my belly button, and stopping just above the lacy underwear that covered me.
"Edward?" I said, my voice husky and low.
"Yes love?" he responded, looking up at me. I felt my stomach contract at the look of wanton desire in his eyes.
"You're wearing too many clothes," I told him.
He smiled wickedly. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" His fingers nimbly unfastened the buttons on his shirt, which he shrugged off and tossed away as he had done to mine. I barely had time to admire the muscled expanse of his chest before his hands moved to his belt. I bit my bottom lip as I watched him work the buckle, then the buttons of his fly. He left his jeans hanging there, low on his hips, as he toed off his shoes and socks, and I was practically panting by the time he dropped his jeans to the floor and stepped out of them, clad in a pair of black boxer briefs that did little to disguise his state of arousal.
He smiled at me, a little self-consciously it seemed under my frank appraisal. He raised his hand to his hair, running it through the strands as he often did when he was nervous. "Edward?" I repeated.
"Yes love?" he echoed his earlier statement.
"Come here, please," I said, holding out one hand to him.
He stepped forward quickly, bracing his arms on either side of my torso as he leaned over to press a heated but surprisingly tender kiss to my lips. I reached up and wound my fingers into his hair, lifting my body while pulling him closer, suddenly desperate to have his skin on mine.
Edward's lips left mine, tracing a path across my jaw to my ear. He took the lobe between his lips and sucked before tracing the contour with his tongue. "I've had such fantasies about this, having you on this desk, spread out and waiting for me, Bella. I can't wait to taste you."
The moan that forced its way from my throat at his words was embarrassingly loud, and I could feel his grin against my skin as he slowly kissed his way down my neck. He nipped at my collarbone and then lifted one hand to slide first one then the other strap of my bra down my shoulders. Using his index finger and thumb, he flipped open the front closure of my bra and peeled the cups away, his mouth on my naked flesh before I realized it had been uncovered.
Edward's fingers teased and plucked the opposite nipple in time with his tongue strokes. I could do nothing but writhe and arch my back, pressing my aroused flesh against him. I sought friction to appease the ache between my legs but had no leverage with my position on the desk and my legs hanging over the edge. I raised my knees, sliding my feet and calves up and wrapping my legs around his hips, bringing my entire body toward his.
Edward's lips left my breasts and moved down my stomach, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to the skin there. He slid his hands down my thighs to grasp my knees, gently pulling so that I released him from my legs' grip. He slid his hands back up to my hips, grasping the sides of my lace panties and tugging. I lifted my hips again, and he slid the whisper of lace down and away.
Edward knelt down between my legs, his hands sliding sensuously from my feet up to my knees. He raised my legs, looping them over his shoulders as he kissed his way up my inner thighs, sliding his hands beneath my ass to cup, squeeze and tilt it. He pressed his lips to my center as his nose nuzzled my clit and I cried out, my fingers scrambling for purchase on the smooth wood surface of the desk.
His hot breath left me panting and yearning for more. "Please," I half groaned, half hissed. Edward's tongue slowly swept through my folds, ending just below the hypersensitive bundle of nerves before working his way back down. His nose brushed against my clit once again, the gentle contact maddening. I had to fight to stop myself from burying my fingers in his hair and his face between my legs.
I was nearly incoherent with desire as he continued to lazily lick my sensitive flesh. I gasped when he slowly slid one long finger into me, then a second. Edward's mouth moved up, the very tip of his tongue flicking my clit, and I felt my entire body spasm in response. As his tongue continued to work its magic and his fingers stroked inside me, I rose to my elbows to watch. I was utterly transfixed by the sight of him between my legs, his shock of reddish brown hair against my thighs a beautiful sight.
He looked up to find me watching and growled, and the vibrations nearly set off my orgasm. "You like to watch me down here?" Edward asked. I nodded, panting. "Not nearly as much as I like to do it," he responded, sucking my clit between his lips and teasing it with his teeth as his fingers twisted and stroked forward. My thighs tightened involuntarily around his head as I raised my hips, trying to move in time with his thrusts. He draped his free arm across my hips, holding me down to the desktop as his mouth moved against me. When Edward started humming as his tongue stroked, I felt my body begin to spasm and tighten. He felt it as well, his fingers and tongue all the more insistent as my orgasm crashed over me.
I cried out, almost screaming his name as my back arched, pressing my head back against the desk. I slapped my palms against the desktop with a loud smack, my entire body a quivering mess under his mouth and hands. His tongue continued to stroke me even as the waves of my orgasm subsided, and I shivered under his unrelenting assault, my body almost too sensitive to his touch.
Edward recognized my cry of distress and lifted his head, pressing one last gentle kiss between my legs before leisurely moving up, his mouth leaving soft, wet kisses along my abdomen and torso. He teased both my nipples with his tongue, and I was surprised at how readily they responded, and shocked at the heavy insistent throb returning between my legs at his action. I was still panting in exhaustion from the orgasm he had just wrung from me. How could I possibly want him again already?
Edward leaned forward and kissed my cheek, inhaling in surprise when I turned my head to take his lips with my own. I could taste myself on his tongue, the musky, slightly tangy flavor mixing with his own unique taste in a pleasant way. I clutched my fingers in his hair, holding him to me as the kiss became wild and unrestrained, and I groaned when I felt his arousal against my hip.
I dropped one hand down to the desktop and the other to his shoulder, gently pushing both of us up at the same time. I moved toward the edge of the desk, my lips never leaving his until I moved to stand, my legs a little wobbly beneath me. Edward caught me in his arms, holding me loosely. He slid his hands from my waist up to my shoulders and then back down again, his fingers grasping my hips and reminding me why we were in my office...naked.
I turned in the circle of his arms, leaning back so that my shoulders were against his chest. I laid my head against his shoulder and then purposefully took a small step backward so that my bottom pressed against him.
This time Edward was the one who groaned, his hips rocking against mine as his hands slid up my torso, cupping my breasts. He took both of my pebbled nipples between his fingers, his caresses and light pinches making me gasp. I slowly leaned forward and placed my palms on the desk, then turned and looked at Edward over my shoulder. The look of lust in his eyes made my knees weak all over again.
"I think you're still a little overdressed, don't you Edward?" I said, the low, husky timbre of my voice sounding foreign to me.
Edward looked down and seemed surprised to find that he was still wearing his boxer briefs. I watched shamelessly as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband and pulled them down, his erection standing thick and proud and making my mouth...and other parts...water in anticipation. He reached for the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a condom, his eyes back on me.
I heard the quiet sound of the tearing of the condom wrapper moments before I felt his erection nudge my bottom. His hands caressed my ass slowly and then dropped lower to my thighs, urging my legs apart as I leaned forward, now low on my elbows on the desk, the crease of my hips on the edge of the desk. His fingers teased the slick and swollen flesh between my legs before he placed himself at my entrance. I heard him take a ragged breath and then I was the one gasping as he entered me.
I looked over my shoulder at Edward again, and it was my fantasy come to life. His eyes were closed, his head thrown back with a look of intense concentration on his face. His long fingers grasped my hips as he slowly began moving within me, and I moaned at the sensations.
Edward's eyes opened at the sound, and he swore under his breath when he saw me watching him. "Oh my God, Bella. This is just….you feel so…." his words ended in a long groan as he pushed forward again. I draped my torso across the desk, and the change in angle made us both gasp.
His movements were slow, measured, and absolutely torturous. "Please, Edward," I cried.
"Please what, love?" he asked, his voice strained.
"F...f…faster," I said. "Harder."
Edward's answering groan was punctuated by a sharp jerk of his hips that buried his length deeper within me than ever before. "Is this okay? Fuck, I'm not going to last very long," he grunted.
"Me either," I admitted breathlessly, feeling my arousal climb with the rhythm of his hips against my bottom. "Oh God, just like that!"
The office was filled with our noises. My gasps and incoherent cries as my climax built, my legs shaking with the effort of trying to stand. Edward's groans and pants as he buried himself deeper and deeper within me until finally his balls were slapping against my clit, the sensation mind-blowing. The sounds of our bodies meeting, flesh against flesh, wet and luscious.
Edward's hands roamed my sides and back, his touch gentle in counterpoint to the thrust of his hips. His fingers caressed my neck and gently tugged on my hair before sliding back down to my waist. He held one hand there while the other sought the bundle of nerves that had become the focus of my universe. With a pinch of my clit between his thumb and forefinger, my climax broke over me in waves that had me almost sobbing.
Edward stiffened and pressed deep within me, and I could feel his pulsing release even as my body continued to flutter around his. The stream of consciousness that spilled from his lips was laced with grunts, gasps, repetition of my name, and a fair amount of profanity. Who knew that my perfect gentleman had such a dirty mouth, and that I would so love to hear him lose control like this? It thrilled me and I felt utterly wanton, knowing that I had this kind of effect on him.
His hands caressed my back again, fingertips tracing my spine and making me tremble. "Are you okay, love?" Edward asked hoarsely.
"So much better than okay," I said, looking back at him again with a smile. His eyes were soft and warm, his return smile weary but dazzling. We both groaned when he pulled back, our bodies separating. His hands were gentle as he helped me up, and he immediately took me in his arms.
"That was absolutely….I mean my God I…..I have no words," Edward murmured. "But I did miss this," he said, leaning down to capture my lips in a sweet kiss that melted my heart.
We stood that way for an immeasurable amount of time until I shivered in reaction to the cooling air and my slowing heart rate. Edward squeezed me one last time. "Come on, my pretty girl. Let's get you home. If you want I'll show you my desk there too."
I just smiled as I handed him his boxers. "If you're lucky I'll let you."
Well, that's not a half bad way to start the weekend... :)
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