Disclaimer: I own lots and lots of leftovers, but no Twilight.
A/N: Hope everyone that celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one. Mine was pretty good. Have lots of leftover turkey that I'll be eating for the next month because my husband saw fit to buy a 20 lb turkey for 5 people. Why? Who knows? He's male. I'm currently sitting at 44,000 words for Nano, so only 6k more to go, and I'm done. Woot! Anyway, thank you to all who read and reviewed last chapter. Miss Chylex28, thank you so much for being you and fixing my errors.
Design For Life
My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter. ~Thomas Helm
EPOV
"Edward?" she purred.
"Yes?"
"I want you," she whispered into my ear, before nibbling on it.
I rolled over, cradling myself between her thighs, and gazed deep into her eyes before crushing my lips against hers. She let out a throaty moan, her hands tugging the strands of my hair. Bracing myself on one hand, I ran the other down her side, giving her hip a gentle squeeze, before running back up and across her chest. Pulling my lips away from hers, I pressed a kiss over her heart before telling her, "I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered before pressing her lips to mine again.
Our tongues dueled together, each seeking dominance. My hand made its way to her breast, cupping it, and giving it a gentle squeeze as I moaned out her name and thrust gently against her.
"My beautiful tattooed angel," I told her, and then she started giggling.
Why was she giggling?
I woke up and found myself pressed up against Bella, my hand on her breast. I was mortified! She must think I was nothing more than a rutting animal. I quickly jerked my hand away, stumbling over my apology. Bella told me it was no big deal, but that didn't ease my embarrassment.
She curled up next to me, and I let myself enjoy the feeling of her body next to mine. Then she went and asked me if I'd had a nice dream. Did she know? She must. When I asked her why, she said, "Oh, no reason. You just seemed quite happy to see me this morning." She then settled her gaze on my groin. Immediately, I covered myself, which set her off into a fit of giggles. I wasn't sure what she found so funny, but I was beyond mortified. After her giggles died down, we talked a bit, then went to eat breakfast.
All too soon, Mark arrived, and we headed over to look at her house. Mom was there and sort of took control of everything. After Mark left, Bella and I went to Port Angeles and had another date. I loved spending time with her and was thrilled that she wanted to be with me. We ended up going to the movies, and I can honestly say that it was an experience. I'd never made out in the back row of a theater before, and I greatly enjoyed the experience. I even got the nerve to run my hand closer to her breast, like I had in my dream. Being with Bella made me a bit more confident in who I was.
Monday was definitely a Monday. I'd forgotten to set the alarm, and Bella and I woke up in a rush. Mom arrived to drive Bella to work, something I was extremely grateful for, as was Bella. I didn't have time to walk to work, so I hopped into my Volvo and headed toward the library.
"Hello, Edward," Mrs. Cope said when I walked in the door.
"Hello, Mrs. Cope."
"How is Bella holding up?"
The joys of life in a small town. I was fairly confident that Mrs. Cope didn't even know Bella, but she obviously knew what had happened.
"She's fine. A bit shaken up."
Mrs. Cope went on to mutter about what a shame it was, and what the world was coming to. Ignoring her, I went about doing my morning tasks. By the time Angela and Jasper arrived, I was done with my work and sitting behind the desk with a book.
"Morning, Eddie!" Jasper called out, as he headed toward the break room to put away his stuff.
"So I hear you and Miss Bella are getting pretty serious."
I shrugged and attempted to keep my face neutral. "We're exclusive."
"Nice," he said, giving me a fist bump.
"Who's exclusive?" Angela asked, sitting down in the empty chair next to me.
"Bella and Edward."
Angela gave me a big smile. "That's wonderful! She seems so nice. I'm so happy for you," she said.
I was happy for me, too. Around lunch time, I sent a text off to Bella, hoping that she wouldn't think I was too sappy. She texted me back a while later, and I spent the rest of my lunch hour with a big smile on my face. By three though, the smile was gone, replaced with a scowl. Our public computers had gone down, and I was now dealing with a small group of irate patrons.
"This is such bull! I have stuff I need to do, and now I can't!" one guy yelled, getting in my face.
I really hated confrontation of any kind, but this guy was getting on my last nerve.
"I'm sorry, sir, but there is nothing I can do at the moment. I've called our IT support, and they are working on fixing the problem as quickly as possible. You can either stick around and wait, or go home and come back later."
Leaning over the counter, he snarled at me. "I don't want to wait. I need to use the computer, NOW!"
Taking a deep breath, I tried to hold the anger at bay, but wasn't very successful. "Well, then you'll have to find somewhere else to use it."
"Excuse me?"
Before I could say anything else, Mrs. Cope came out from the back.
"Is there a problem here?" she asked.
"Yes!" the man growled out. "I need to use a computer, but he says that they're down, and I can't."
"Well, I don't see what the problem is. Our computers are down, and we don't know when they'll be up. I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to wait."
Furious, the man stalked off and out the door. Stupid jerk. Thankfully, the rest of my day went by quickly, and I couldn't wait to get home and see my girl. My girl. A goofy smile graced my face, and it got even bigger when I got a text from Bella telling me to come over.
I pulled into my drive and threw the car in park, eager to see Bella. As I climbed out of my car, I noticed Mark's cruiser in her drive. Heading over, I knocked on the bright blue door that now graced her house. A few moments later the door opened, and Bella gestured me in, after giving me a hug and a quick peck on the lips.
"Hi, Edward. Mark just arrived to talk to me," she told me, leading me into her living room.
"Hello, my Bella," I told her, following her in. I saw Mark sitting on an extremely purple couch that now graced Bella's living room. I gave him a smile and said hello.
"Hello, Edward. I just arrived to talk to Bella about what we've learned," he said, as I took a seat next to Bella on the purple monstrosity.
"What have you learned?" Bella asked him.
"We now know for sure that Laurent was the one who broke into your house. However, we have been unable to locate him. His truck was located on the side of the road outside of town. Have you heard from him lately?"
"No."
Mark nodded. "It could be he left town since he's wanted."
"Not without his truck," Bella interjected. "His truck is his baby. He loves it. He wouldn't just leave it behind. Trust me on that."
"Okay. It could be it broke down, and he hiked into Port Angeles. We'll keep an eye out for him, and I want you to do the same. If he contacts you, call me right away."
Bella and I both nodded in agreement. Mark left soon after, and Bella cuddled up next to me on her couch.
"What do you think of my new couch?"
Did she want me to be honest about it? "Uh ... it's comfortable."
She let out a small giggle. "You hate it, don't you?"
"Not really. It's just a bit—uh ... it's you," I said, burying my face in her hair.
She let out a husky laugh. "You're right. It is me. Your mom did a great job picking it out. I absolutely love it. Want to help me break it in?"
"Uh ... what did you have in mind?" I asked, a bit curious as to what breaking in a couch detailed.
She gave me a mischievous grin before pushing me backward until I was prone on the couch. Quickly, she laid herself over me, bringing her lips to mine. Pulling back, she flicked her tongue against my bottom lip, before coaxing my lips to part. Willingly, I granted her access to my mouth and let out a moan when her tongue swept in. She settled in a bit more, straddling me, getting herself comfortable. The feeling of her body rubbing against mine, had me letting out a low growl.
"Hmmm ... I love when you do that," she murmured, breaking away from my lips to press kisses against my neck.
It was as if a beast within me was unleashed. I reached down and gripped her hips, holding onto them while I thrust upward, grinding myself into her. She let out a throaty moan, before licking my neck and giving me a gentle bite. Flipping us over, I attacked her collarbone, licking and nibbling on it. My hand that had been gripping her hip, slowly began to move across her ribs, up toward her breasts. I was terrified, and I knew that she could feel my hand shaking. Her hand reached out and covered mine, bringing it up to her breast.
Touching breasts was a whole new experience for me. I'd never felt them before. Not really. I'd done my best not to stare at them a lot, and the few I had seen, thanks to Emmett and his porn, were overly large and fake looking. But Bella's—Bella's were perfect. At least the one I was fondling was. It fit perfectly into the palm of my hand. I was clueless as to what I was supposed to be doing.
"Show me what to do," I pleaded softly, a bit embarrassed that I had to ask.
I was rewarded with a beautiful smile. Her hand covered mine again, and I watched as she showed me how she liked to be touched. As I gently squeezed and pinched, her eyes fluttered closed, and the most delectable sounds were coming out of her mouth. I don't think I'd ever been more turned on in my life.
I leaned down to place a kiss upon her cloth covered breast, when a knocking on the door interrupted us. Reluctantly, I removed myself from her, and held out a hand to help her up. Her hair was a disaster, and I did my best to smooth it down, but probably only succeeded in making it worse. Batting my hands away, she threw it into a messy ponytail, straightened her clothing, and went to open the door.
Cautiously, she opened the door. There, on the other side, stood Alice and Jasper.
"Bella! Hi! I hope you don't mind that we stopped by. We were in the neighborhood and thought maybe the two of you would like to go out for dinner," my sister babbled, inviting herself in.
Jasper shot us an apologetic look, mouthing sorry to me. I shook my head. I was used to Alice's behavior, but Bella was not.
"Sure, please come in. How are you Bella? I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Bella said sarcastically, as she closed the door behind them.
She looked less than pleased to see my sister and Jasper, and at the moment, I felt the same way. Alice danced into the living room letting out a gasp upon seeing the couch.
"Oh, I knew the couch would look fabulous! When Mom described it to me, I knew it would be perfect for you," she said, plopping down on said couch, not seeing the annoyed look on Bella's face.
I was fairly sure that Bella hadn't completely forgiven Alice yet, and Alice was not getting into Bella's good graces by stopping by unannounced.
"Oh, look!" Alice said excitedly, showing off a diamond ring on her left hand.
I'd known that Jasper was going to ask her, but hadn't realized he'd done it already.
"Congrats, Jasper!" I said, clapping him on his shoulder. Bella congratulated them as well.
"I'm so excited. Mom and I have already started planning the wedding. You both have to be in it," Alice rambled. "Anyway, I wanted to take you all out to dinner to celebrate my upcoming wedding. Please!" she begged.
All I really wanted to do was spend more time with my girl, but my sister was giving me that puppy dog look that she knew I was unable to resist. Bella, on the other hand, was a lot tougher than I was.
"Alice, as happy as I am for you, I was hoping for a nice quiet evening here at home. Last week was a bit trying, and—"
"Oh, that's more than fine. We can stay in and order something," Alice interrupted.
Looking over, I noticed that Bella's jaw was clenched.
"Alice? Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked, gesturing for her to follow me into Bella's kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, I turned to her. "Alice, Bella and I were hoping to have a quiet night alone. The past week has been rough on her. She just wants some downtime. Can we do this another night?"
Alice put on the full pout, her lower lip quivering, and her eyes welling up. I refused to fall for it. "No, Alice. Stop acting like a child. Bella and I want to spend a quiet night alone."
"You've had plenty of quiet nights alone," she whined.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I shot her a glare. It was times like this that I realized Alice had some maturing to do. "No, Alice. Bella wants to stay in with just me, and that's what we're going to do."
She scowled at me and actually stomped her foot, like the small child she was acting like. "She's hogging you. I never see you anymore."
Seriously? She was going that route? "Don't even try to pull that. If you're not at work, you're busy shopping or being with Jasper. I see you every Friday when you do story hour, not to mention Sunday brunches. Bella and I are in a new relationship, and we're enjoying our time together. Why can't you be happy for me?"
"I am happy for you. I—"
We were interrupted by Bella and Jasper coming into the kitchen. Bella still looked annoyed, while Jasper looked apologetic.
"Babe. Let's go. We'll get together with Edwella later this week."
"Edwella? Who is that?" I asked, confused.
Jasper grinned at me. "I combined your names. It was either Edwella or Belward."
I just looked at him. Something was wrong with him, I was sure of it. Bella let out a snort.
"Should we call you guys Jalice or perhaps Alisper?"
"Whatever. I'm cool with both," he said, shooting her a grin before tugging Alice toward the door.
"Sorry for interrupting your evening. Continue what you were doing," he said with a wink, shutting the door behind him.
After they left, I sat down on her couch with a sigh. Sometimes Alice wore me out. Bella flopped down next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"You're sister is annoying."
I chuckled a bit at her statement. "Yes, she can be. She tends to be selfish. I think part of it stems from her being the youngest, and the only girl."
"Could be. I hope you didn't want to go out, because honestly, I just want to stay in and curl up with you."
"That's perfectly fine with me. What do you want to do for dinner?" I asked, twirling a strand of her hair.
"Whatever."
"What kind of answer is that? Do you want me to cook something, do you want to cook something, do you want someone else to cook something and deliver it?"
She shrugged. "I don't want to cook, I know that."
"Alright then, let me go see what you have, and I'll cook."
Leaving her on the couch, I headed into her kitchen and opened up her fridge. Staring into it, I saw some deli turkey and sliced cheese. I figured I could make a turkey and swiss melt without burning the place down. I grabbed the butter, turkey, and cheese and set them on the table. I then grabbed the bread, buttered it, and turned the stove on. I had slid the first sandwich onto a plate, when Bella came in.
She walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, pressing a kiss onto my shoulder.
"What'cha making?"
"Grilled turkey and swiss. That okay?"
"Sounds delicious. Want some chips with it?"
I nodded. Not much later, we were sitting on the couch, eating our sandwiches and chips, watching some cheesy movie about vampires.
"This movie is awful. They can't act," I grumbled between bites of food.
"It's not that bad. Well, okay. Yes, it is. At least the lead guy is kind of cute."
I almost choked on my chips. "What? Are you serious? That guy?"
She gave me a smile, then leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "He's nowhere as cute as you. Actually, you kind of look a like. You both have that crazy sex hair going on."
"I—wait. What? Sex hair? What the heck is sex hair?"
She let out a throaty laugh. "You know? Sex hair. Hair that looks like you've just been well and truly fucked."
I just stared at her. She thought I had sex hair? Huh. I couldn't tell you why, but that made me feel kind of cool. I returned my attention to the screen and groaned.
"Really? He sparkles? This is lame. What kind of vampire sparkles?"
"Edward! Be quiet," she told me, while laughing.
For some reason, Bella liked this movie. Since I liked her, I tried to sit quietly and not comment. I let out a sigh of relief when the movie ended. It had been truly horrible. Sparkling vampires and werewolves were not my thing.
"See. It wasn't so bad."
I looked at her like she was crazy. "Bella, that was the worst movie ever! I mean, really? The main vampire is completely emo, the main girl can't act to save her life, and the blond vampire guy doesn't have a single line. He just looks constipated."
She swatted at me. "It wasn't that bad."
"Uh huh."
"Nuh uh," she argued, before launching herself at me, digging her fingers into my ribs.
I was extremely ticklish and couldn't help the peals of laughter that erupted.
"St—stop!" I shouted, trying to get away from her. Her fingers were quite strong, and she was relentless in her assault.
"Not until you admit the movie wasn't that bad."
"F—fine! It wasn't that bad!" I cried.
She sat down on me, a smirk on her lips. Leaning up, I planted a kiss on them, wiping that smirk away. I still felt a bit awkward initiating a kiss, but I was slowly growing more confident. The kiss deepened for a moment, before we parted. I knew that it was getting late, and that we should be heading to bed. I frowned, realizing that she would be sleeping in her own bed tonight.
"Hey. What's that frown for?" she asked me, softly.
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing. Tell me."
Like I could refuse her anything. "I was just thinking about how you'll be sleeping in your own bed tonight, and I'll be in mine."
"Well, you could stay over if you wanted," she suggested, nipping my lower lip.
I liked that idea, but didn't want her to think that I was pressuring her for, well, you know. Sex. Being who I was, I told her that.
"Oh, Edward. I know that. You're not the kind of guy who uses a girl for sex. Did you want to go home and pack a bag so you don't have to do the walk of shame?"
What the heck was the walk of shame? Then it dawned on me. Oh. I couldn't imagine my parents would be pleased if they heard from my neighbors that I was walking out of Bella's house, early in the morning, wearing the clothes I wore yesterday. I told her I'd be right back, and ran over to my house. Unlocking the door, I ran upstairs to my room and threw some clothes into an overnight bag. I grabbed my toothbrush, deodorant, and body wash as well. Locking my door, I ran back over to Bella's.
She let me in and told me to make myself comfortable. Mom had bought Bella some new pillows for her bed, and Bella had thrown out the torn and ripped sheets. The sheets adorning her bed now, were soft and black. I set my bag on the end of her bed, looking around. There was a lacy bra sitting on the top of her dresser, and some panties peeking out from a drawer. I drew in a deep breath, sitting down on the edge of her bed. I wasn't sure why I was nervous. She'd slept in my bed, so what was the big deal about sleeping in hers?
"Bathroom's free," she said, coming into the room.
I looked up at the sound of her voice, and my eyes almost rolled out of my head. She was wearing a thin little tank top without a bra and a pair of panties. That was it. I was sure I looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. She acted like it was no big deal as she set the alarm.
"Something wrong?"
I finally found my voice. "No," I squeaked out before fleeing, grabbing my bag and escaping to the bathroom.
I shut the door behind me, resting my back against it. Seeing her in that had resulted in a small problem. Well, I wouldn't say it was small, but—oh, God. I'd just channeled my inner Emmett. I knew that his being my brother was detrimental to my mental health. Sighing, I stripped out of my clothes and put on my pajama bottoms. I almost wished I was at home so I could take care of the issue I was having. I wasn't about to desecrate Bella's bathroom by doing that. I brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, washed my hands, and headed back to her room. She'd turned off the overhead light, leaving a small lamp next to her bed, on. She patted the spot next to her, and I climbed in, turning the light off.
It was weird being in someone else's bed, but I was sure I'd get used to it quickly. The minute I lay down, Bella wrapped herself around me. She threw her leg over mine, her arm around my waist, and pressed her chest against mine. She whispered goodnight and pressed a kiss to my bare chest. Her hand traveled the length of my torso, stopping to rub gently across my pecs, then down to twirl around the dusting of hair near my naval. I was still a bit worked up from earlier, and I knew if she didn't stop, it was only going to get worse. I reached out and grabbed her hand, bringing it to my lips and pressing a kiss to it.
She pouted a bit. "Sorry. Was I bothering you?"
"No. I was enjoying it. A bit too much," I said, knowing that if the lights were on, she would see my blush.
"Oh. Oh! Sorry to make things—hard for you."
I let out a groan. This bold, brash woman was going to be the death of me. She snickered, burying her face against my chest. I cradled her to me, and was startled when I felt her tongue lick my chest. Just as she did it again, her hand traveled south, and she stroked me gently through my pants. I let out a gasp. Immediately, she retracted her hand.
"I'm sorry. I'm moving too fast, aren't I?" she asked quietly.
My brain was all confused. Part of me didn't want her to stop, while the rational side of me was telling me things were moving too quickly.
"I—ugh. Why is this so difficult?" I muttered. Gathering my thoughts, I tried again. "I want nothing more than to let you continue, but you're right. I think it might be a bit fast for me. Although, that being said, I really enjoy your touch and enjoy touching you."
She propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at me. "I love touching you, and feel free to touch me whenever you want, where ever you want."
I gulped.
"But, I am sorry for rushing you. I know that this is all new to you, and I never want to make you uncomfortable."
I reached over and touched her cheek. She was so beautiful and kind. I pulled her into my arms once more and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up confused and disoriented. It took a minute for me to realize where I was. Bella's bed. I was in Bella's bed. I could just picture Emmett's face if he ever found out. He'd give me a fist bump and a way to go, bro. Stretching, I glanced at the clock and noticed I still had a few moments before the alarm went off. Bella was lying on her side, so I cuddled up behind her, holding her tight.
"Morning," she said in a muffled voice.
"Good morning, my Bella."
My morning time with Bella flew by, and before I knew it, I had to leave for work. I had forgotten my mom was picking up Bella until her truck was fixed, so we both got a bit of a shock when I opened Bella's door and found my mom on the porch.
"Well, good morning, my boy."
My face was bright red. I looked like a kid who had got caught doing something wrong.
"Good morning, Mom," I said, trying to sound nonchalant, but probably failing.
"What brings you over to Bella's so early?"
"Oh. Uh—" I had no idea what to say, so I just rubbed the back of my neck. Mom gave me a little smirk.
"Well, go on. You don't want to be late for work," she said, practically shoving me out the door.
Bella closed the door behind her, after setting the alarm and locking it. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips, then climbed into my mom's car, waving goodbye as they left. I stood on her porch, watching them drive away, before I realized that I needed to leave for work. My day was slow and dreary, much like the weather, and I was more than ready for it to be over.
I had just sat down for lunch, when Jasper came into the break room to tell me that my dad was there to see me.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey, Edward. Uh ... is there somewhere we can talk?"
I was a bit perplexed. "Sure. I was having lunch in the break room."
We got to the room, and Dad sat down across the table from me.
"So, what brings you here? Is everything okay?" I asked.
"Yes. Everything's fine as far as I know. Your mother wanted me to talk to you."
A horrible thought crossed my mind. No.
"Your mother told me she saw you leaving Bella's house this morning and wanted me to talk to you about—"
I held up a hand. "Stop. Just please stop, Dad. I don't need this talk again. I know. Be safe. Got it. Good lord, we're not even doing that yet. We're still getting to know one another. Please, please, leave it alone."
"Fair enough, son. I have to say that I'm pleased that you're with Bella. She's a wonderful girl, and we love her."
I loved her too, but wasn't ready to say it out loud yet. I was afraid she didn't feel the same or would think it was too early to be uttering those words. The rest of the day passed as slowly as it had begun, and I was itching to get home to Bella. I pulled into my drive and noticed Bella standing at her mailbox. There was a frown on her pretty face, and I knew instantly that something was wrong.
a/n: And there we have it. As always let me know what you thought. I wouldn't say no to reviews or pumpkin pie. But no turkey. I have plenty.