Disclaimer: Sadly, Twilight is not mine. Nor is Rob Pattinson. I think I'll go cry in a corner now.
A/N: I'm proud to say that I successfully finished my first Nanowrimo. Wrote 50, 038 words and my novel still isn't done. But I've put it on the back burner for now. I'm posting this a bit early since I'll be out of town this weekend, but I'll do my best to reply to your reviews while I'm gone. Just got back from a holiday party and the alcohol has kicked in making me sleepy. So I'm off to bed. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Design For Life
My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist ~ Johnny Depp
BPOV
It had been an interesting day to say the least. I had completely forgotten that Esme was going to be picking me up for work again, and poor Edward just about got the shock of his life when he opened my door and found his mom on the porch. He turned bright red, not even able to answer her when she asked him why he was here so early. I did my best to quell my smirk, but quickly got rid of it, when Esme turned her gaze on me.
I quickly climbed into her car, avoiding her gaze. It wasn't so funny now. She probably thought I was corrupting her sweet baby boy, and there was no way I could deny it. I waited as she climbed behind the wheel. We had just hit the 101, when she started talking.
"How are you holding up, dear?"
"I'm okay. It's a bit scary, but I'm okay."
She nodded, pausing, as if to think about what she was going to say next. I was afraid that she was going to have issues with Edward being at my place, so I spoke up.
"Esme? I hope you aren't upset that Edward was at my place this morning."
She looked startled. "Why would I be? He's a grown man, and he couldn't have found a nicer girl to be with than you."
I let out a breath I hadn't even realized that I'd been holding. Esme let out a laugh.
"Were you that worried about it?'
I shrugged. "A bit. Mainly, I was worried for Edward's sake."
"What you and Edward do, is your own business. All that I ask is that you be safe."
"Of course."
The rest of the ride was spent discussing Esme's plans for redecorating her house. I thanked her when she dropped me off, then strolled into Eclipse.
"Aren't you a little old for your mom to be dropping you off?" Embry, one of Jake and Seth's friends, called out to me as I walked in the door.
I flipped him the bird, then went about getting my station set up.
"That's her boyfriend's mom," Jake corrected, coming out from the back.
Embry hopped up on the counter. "Oh, yeah? Who's the lucky guy?"
"Little Cullen," Jake told him.
Embry's mouth dropped open. "No fucking way! Little Cullen? How the hell did that happen?"
I bristled at his tone. "What do you mean, how did that happen?" I asked as I stalked toward him.
Embry threw his hands up in the air. "Chill, Bella. I didn't mean anything by it. I just never expected you to hook up with a guy like Edward. That Laurent guy that was hanging around La Push the other day seemed more your type."
At the mention of Laurent's name, Jake and Seth whirled around.
"What do you know about Laurent?" Jake asked before I could.
"Nothing much, dude. He was hanging around the rez a few days ago, asking questions about some girl he was supposed to hook up with."
"What girl?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Some blond chick with huge knockers."
Rosalie. Why would he be hooking up with her? And why was he looking for her in La Push? None of it made any sense.
"He didn't tell you her name?"
"Nah. Just that they'd been chatting for a while, and she had said to meet him at First Beach. I don't think she ever showed though."
My mind was whirling. I was almost positive that the person Rosalie had been talking to was Laurent, but what I couldn't figure out, was why. Or how. How in the world did they meet?
After Embry left, I told Jake and Seth my speculation and concern. They both suggested that I call the Chief and let him know.
"Chief Hunter."
"Hiya, Chief. It's Bella."
"Hello, Bella. I'm sorry to say I don't have anything more to tell you. We still haven't found Laurent."
"I might be able to help. I was just talking to Embry Call, and he mentioned that Laurent had been hanging around the rez. He was waiting for some girl that he'd been talking to."
"Does Embry know who the girl was?"
"No," I told him. "But I have an idea. Granted, it's nothing but speculation."
"Who?"
"Rosalie Cullen," I said quietly.
"You mean Rosalie Hale, Emmett's wife?" Mark asked, clearly surprised.
"Yeah. Like I said, it's pure speculation, but she loathes me for some reason."
I went on to explain that I'd heard her talking on the phone and how she couldn't stand me. He told me he'd look into it. I felt a bit better now that he knew. A little before eleven, my first appointment of the day walked in. He was a huge, burly man who looked like he'd done some hard time. He was getting a tat on his forearm of a Celtic tattoo that he'd drawn up.
Most of my clients are pretty quiet, but once in a while you got one who just talked and talked, and that was this guy.
"Did you know that tattooing has been used as a way of smuggling secret messages across enemy lines in times of war?"
"Really? I hadn't know that," I told him.
"Yep, and urine was sometimes used to mix the coloring matter of early tattoos," he continued.
"Ugh. That's gross," I told him, shuddering at the thought.
By the time I was done with him, I'd learned more about tattooing than I had ever wanted to know. I had lunch with Leah and Sam and shared my newfound knowledge with them. Not that they really cared.
"So how are things going with you?" Leah asked over burgers.
"Things are going pretty well. Although the whole Laurent bullshit tends to put a damper on things," I told her.
I'd forgotten that she and Sam didn't know all of it, so I quickly explained things.
"Whoa. That is some crazy ass shit! Do you think Rosalie is in cahoots with Laurent?" Sam asked me.
"I don't know. Maybe. She sure seems to hate me."
Leah rolled her eyes. "Please. That bitch hates everyone. I don't know how Emmett puts up with her."
I didn't either. Emmett was such a sweet guy. It just didn't make sense that he'd fall for someone like Rosalie. Maybe she had blackmailed him into marriage or something.
"Alright. Enough about the crazy bitch. I want to know more about you and Edward," Sam said.
I rolled my eyes. I had known that was coming.
"So?" Sam asked.
"So, what?"
"Good lord, woman. I want to know all. Give me details!" she whined.
I let out a laugh. "Details? Details of what exactly?"
"Don't make me hurt you, Swan. Details about you and Mr. Cullen. I want to know how things are going."
"Yeah," Leah interjected. "Have you deflowered him yet?"
I choked on the sip of Coke that I'd just taken. Sam pounded me on the back until my airway cleared.
"Jesus, Leah! It's none of your business," I told her.
She and Sam shared a look. "Obviously not, then. So, what have you done?"
"None of your business. What Edward and I do is private."
"Spill," Sam demanded.
"All you need to know, is that we're happy and taking things as they come."
"Oh, so you've had him cumming, have you?" Leah snickered.
"You're such a teenage boy," I told her, rolling my eyes.
She continued to stare at me with puppy dog eyes until I finally gave in. "Fine! There's been some groping."
Both of their eyes lit up. "Oh, really? Who was groping who?" Sam asked.
I let out a sigh. "We both groped each other. And that's all I'm saying!"
After lunch, I headed back to the shop, where I spent the rest of the afternoon setting up appointments and doing inventory. Esme came and picked me up and took me over to Tony's Body Shop, where my truck had been repaired. As much as I loved Esme, it was nice to have Clementine, my truck, back. She'd been through a lot. Sliding behind the wheel, I let out a little sigh. It was nice to be mobile again and not have to rely on someone else.
An hour later, I pulled into my drive, noticing that Edward wasn't home yet. Climbing out of Clementine, I headed toward my mailbox. Opening it up, I pulled out the usual crap. Bill, junk, junk, bill, letter. I frowned as I stared at the envelope in my hand. I couldn't think of anyone who would write me one. I didn't have any grandparents, I didn't communicate with anyone in prison, and my parents would sooner send me an email than a letter. I was pulled out of my reverie by the sound of Edward's car pulling into his drive.
"What's wrong?" he asked the minute he got out of his car.
"Oh, nothing, really."
He frowned. "Are you sure?"
I held the envelope out for him to see. My name was written in blue ink on the back and there was no return address.
"No idea who it's from?" he asked, concern evident on his face.
"Nope," I told him as the sky opened up and snow began to fall. I scowled at the sky, then gestured for Edward to follow me inside. I unlocked the door and turned the alarm off as we stepped inside. I tossed my keys into a fugly pottery bowl that Renee had made, then set the bills and junk on the table. Holding the envelope with the tips of my fingers, I followed Edward into my living room.
"Should we call Mark?" Edward asked, clearly concerned about what the letter might hold.
"Let's open it first. I'd hate to call him out here for nothing."
The look on Edward's face told me he didn't agree with me, but he let it go. Using the tip of a pen and just my fingernails, I carefully opened the envelope. A letter fell onto the top of the coffee table. I carefully unfolded it using the pen, and the paper opened up. Penned in blue ink was a letter.
Babe,
I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say other than that. I wanted to apologize for my behavior the last time I was here. I never meant to hurt you. Being in New York changed me. Made me a different person. One I never wanted to become. After I left New York, I thought I could repair the damage that I had done to our relationship, but it's obvious that you've moved on. I only hope that you can forgive me for the pain I have caused you. I'll always love you.
Laurent
"Laurent didn't write this," I informed Edward.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded. "First off, Laurent would never apologize. He always believes he's right. Second of all, he never writes letters. He would've sooner sent me a text than write this."
Edward got up, went into my kitchen, and came back with a ziplock bag. He had me put the letter in it before sealing it. Someone had watched a few episodes of CSI.
"We should show this to Mark."
We walked out to Clementine and climbed in, and I drove us over to the station. We caught Mark right as he was leaving.
"What's up, kids?"
I handed Mark the letter, explaining that it was in my mailbox, and my belief that Laurent hadn't written it.
"Are you sure, Bella?"
"Pretty sure. Like I told Edward, Laurent never apologizes or writes letters. It sort of looks like his handwriting, but I couldn't say for sure."
Mark took the letter from me, and told us he'd keep us informed if he learned anything new. We left the station, and I asked Edward what he wanted to do for dinner.
"I don't know. We could pick up some subs from the little sandwich shop around the corner," he suggested.
Fifteen minutes later, we were settled on my couch, eating our subs and watching Willy Wonka.
"When I was seven, I wanted to be an oompa lumpa," he told me, a faint blush on his cheeks.
I tried to hold back the laughter that threatened to erupt. "Really? An oompa lumpa? Why not Willy Wonka?"
"I was short and have this reddish hair. It made more sense to be an oompa lumpa."
My boy was weird, there was no denying that, but at least he was cute. Done with dinner, we stay cuddled on the couch until a little after eleven. Standing up, he stretched his arms over his head, causing his shirt to ride up a bit and give me a glimpse of his lean torso. Leaning in, I planted a kiss near his belly button, before nipping his hip. Reaching down, he hauled me up and pressed his lips to mine. I was a bit startled by the fierceness of his kiss, but quickly reciprocated. His tongue stroked mine, before plunging into the depths of my mouth. I let out a moan as he devoured me. The man had some serious kissing skills. When our breathing was labored, our lungs, begging for air, we finally parted. He nipped on my bottom lip as he pulled away, causing another moan to escape me.
"Wow. What brought that on?" I asked in between gulps of air.
He gave me a sheepish smile. "No idea, but I quite enjoyed it."
"Oh, yeah. Me, too," I told him, wrapping him up in a hug.
Immediately, his arms wrapped around me, and he buried his face in my hair. I was pretty sure he was huffing me. Reluctantly, we pulled apart, and I walked him to the door. I didn't want him to leave.
"You could stay if you wanted to," I told him as he opened the front door.
He turned toward me and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Believe me I want to, but—"
I placed a hand on his cheek, bringing his gaze back to my mine. "But what?"
His cheeks were flushed a dull red. "It was a bit embarrassing to be seen coming out of your house by my mom."
"Your mom is fine with whatever you do. Trust me. You're twenty-three, Edward. You can do what you want. If you want to stay, then stay. If you want some downtime to yourself and want to go home, you won't hurt my feelings. I promise."
He gave me a sweet smile. "I really do want to stay, but I'm also afraid of things moving too fast. Being with you scares me sometimes. There are moments when I feel as though I have no control over my body, and it takes everything in me, not to attack you."
I flashed him a grin. My man had just admitted that he wanted to attack me. "Feel free to have your wicked way with me anytime you want."
"Bella," he groaned.
I let out a laugh. "It's okay, Edward. Really, it is. I have to keep myself from ravishing you as well. Just remember that I'll never do anything you don't want to do. If you feel things are going too fast, we can slow down. Or, if you feel we're moving too slow, we can speed things up. Just let me know."
He nodded before pulling me into his arms and placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "Thanks, Bella."
"So, are you staying or going?" I asked, leaning up to kiss him softly.
He gave me that panty-melting smile. "Staying."
"Excellent. Did you want to run home and grab some clothes so you don't have to do the walk of shame?" I joked.
I giggled as the blush swept over his cheeks. "Yes," he said so low I almost didn't hear him.
"Why don't you keep some clothes here?"
His head snapped up. "Uh—what?"
"I'm moving too fast again, aren't I?"
"Nnno. You just took me by surprise."
I studied him carefully, and he didn't seem upset by my suggestion. Just flustered. "It would make sense. That way whenever you stayed the night, you wouldn't have to run home first."
He nodded. "Good idea. I'll be right back," he promised before heading over to his house.
Ten minutes later, he was back with a duffel bag. While he was gone, I had made some room in my dresser for him, so he'd have somewhere to put his stuff. Once in my room, I showed him where he could put his clothes. I got a tingly feeling in my stomach when I saw him put his boxers next to my panties. I shook it off, not quite ready to delve too deeply on it. We took turns brushing our teeth and using the bathroom before climbing into my bed together.
"This feels right," he said softly, as he wrapped me up in his arms.
"It does," I agreed, enjoying the feeling of his arms around me, and his chest pressed into my back.
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder, mumbled something, and was fast asleep before I could ask him what he'd said. Looking over my shoulder at him, I knew without a doubt, that I was so in love with him, it hurt.
"I love you, Edward Cullen," I whispered before closing my eyes.
The rest of the week passed quickly and without incident. On Saturday, Mark stopped by to inform me of what he had learned.
"Hi, Bella. How are you doing?" he asked as I let him in.
"I'm fine. How about you?"
"Doing alright. I wanted to stop by and let you know what we've learned," he said, sitting down on my couch.
I sat down next to him and waited for the news. I wasn't sure if it would be good or bad, but either way, I wanted to know.
"Well, you know that we had found Laurent's truck, right?"
I nodded.
"He still hasn't come forward to claim it. It could be that he knows we're looking for him, and that's one reason why he isn't coming forward," Mark began.
"Did you want me to try calling him?" I asked. "He would most likely answer if he saw it was me calling."
Mark nodded. "We've thought about that. It's a possibility, but I hate to put you in that position. Using you as bait."
"Honestly, Mark, I'm fine with it. I would rather know where he is and not have to worry about him popping up out of nowhere."
"Okay. We'll set up a trace on your phone and see what we learn, if anything. Now, about the letter you received. It has Laurent's fingerprints all over, as well as yours, and there were some smudged prints that we weren't able to identify. It seems as though Laurent wrote the letter and placed it in your mailbox. That means that he's still in the area."
I shook my head. I was still positive that he hadn't written it. "I'm telling you, he didn't write that letter, fingerprints or not. If he did write it, it was not by his own free will. Maybe someone made him write it."
"Like who?"
"I don't know. Rosalie maybe?"
Mark gave a small sigh. "Bella. We haven't found anything that links Rosalie to Laurent. We've talked to a few people, and it seems that while Ms. Hale might be jealous of you, she doesn't seem to have anything to do with Laurent. But, we will keep an eye out, and I want you to call me if anything strange happens."
I thanked Mark and walked him out, waving goodbye as he climbed back into his cruiser and left. I still thought that Rosalie had a hand in what was going on, but sadly, I didn't have any proof. Closing the door, I headed back into my living room and threw myself down on the couch. There was something off about Rosalie, and I didn't trust her. Maybe Charlie could dig up some dirt on her.
"Bells!" Charlie's voice boomed over the phone. "How are you?"
I told him I was good and updated him on everything that had happened since I'd last talked to him.
"You really think this Rosalie woman is helping him out?"
"I believe she has something to do with all of this, but again, it's just pure speculation on my part," I explained.
"How well do you know her?" Charlie asked me.
"She's my boyfriend's sister-in-law."
"Boyfriend? What boyfriend? Who is this guy? Does your mother know about this?" he fired off at me.
I rolled my eyes. Charlie could be so overprotective at times. "Yes, boyfriend. His name is Edward Cullen, and yes, Mom knows about him. I'm surprised she didn't tell you all about him."
"Hmph. Perhaps I'd better run a background check on him as well."
"What? No, Charlie! I forbid you to. Edward's a great guy. You leave him alone," I demanded.
"Fine, but if he hurts you, I'll hunt him down and shoot him."
I gave Charlie what little bit of information I had on Rosalie, then we said our goodbyes and hung up. I had just about fallen asleep on the couch, when my doorbell rang. Grumbling, I got to my feet and headed toward the front door. Glancing out the window, I saw Edward on my porch. I wrenched the door open and threw myself into his arms.
Automatically, his arms came around me, hugging me close. I inhaled his wonderful spicy scent and felt myself relax.
"Miss me?" he joked.
"Always," I told him, speaking the truth.
Later, as we laid on the couch listening to music, I told him about my day and what Mark had told me. He was considerably upset to think that Rosalie might have something to do with everything, and wondered if perhaps he should tell Emmett.
"I don't know, Edward. I like Emmett, and I don't want to see him hurt. Let's wait until we have some concrete evidence, first. I'd hate to ruin his marriage just because his wife is a heinous bitch."
He agreed, and we continued to cuddle on the couch to the sound of The Eagles in the background. We'd actually managed to find a common ground in music, and classic rock was it. We didn't often just lay around listening to music, but it was nice when we did. What better way to relax, than to lie on top of Edward on the couch, with music playing in the background?
His hands were running up and down my back, once in a while sliding under my shirt to touch my bare skin. Every time he did, goosebumps erupted on my skin, and I got tingles throughout my body. It was amazing what the man could do to me with just a simple touch. I sat up a bit, so that I could place a kiss onto his delectable lips before sweeping my tongue across them. His lips parted, allowing me entry, and I deepened the kiss. Our tongues dueled gently with each other as we both let out low moans. I could feel his reaction to us, and found myself rubbing up against him. He broke from the kiss, throwing his head back, and letting out a strangled groan.
"You're going to kill me," he said in a husky voice, as his hands found purchase on my hips, gripping them, and holding me to him as he brought his lips back to mine.
I continued to rock against him gently, enjoying the feeling of our bodies being so close together. One of his hands slid under the front of my shirt up toward my bra covered breast, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. It was my turn to moan. As we kissed, he continued his gentle assault on my breast, pinching the nipple lightly, setting me on fire. He was growing bolder, and I was taking great delight in that fact. I was about ready to start ripping his clothes off, when his phone rang, upsetting the mood. He removed his hand from my shirt, reaching over to grab his phone off the coffee table.
"Hello?" he said in raspy voice that made me tingle.
I laid my head on his chest, listening to the rumbling in his chest when he spoke.
"Let me ask Bella, and I'll get back to you. Uh huh. Yeah. Goodnight, Emmett," he said before ending the call.
"What's up?"
"Emmett wants to know if we can come over to his house for dinner sometime next week."
"Oh? Oh! I forgot to tell you! Jake and Seth are sending me to the Seattle Tattoo Expo next week. I'll be running a booth there, showcasing our designs and artwork."
"When, next week?"
"Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Do you want to come with me?" I asked, praying he'd say yes.
"I'd love to. I'll let Mrs. Cope that I need those days off, but it shouldn't be a problem. I think Emmett wants us to come over on Tuesday or Wednesday," he said, distracting me with his roaming hands, which had started moving over my back.
"Will the she-devil be there?" I asked, pressing a kiss to his chin.
"Most likely. Hopefully, she'll be on her best behavior."
"Are we the only ones going?" I inquired, not really wanting to be alone with just Rosalie and Emmett. Chances were, she'd say something to piss me off, and I'd have to punch her in the face.
"Let me call Emmett back."
He talked to Emmett for a few minutes before hanging up and bringing his hand back to my hip.
"Alice and Jasper will be there," he said with a slightly disgruntled look on his face.
Propping myself up on his chest, I looked into his eyes. "Well, it'll make for an interesting night, I'd say."
"Great. Like our lives aren't interesting enough?" he grumbled.
I felt the same, but I liked Emmett and didn't want to hurt his feelings. We laid like that for a while longer before getting up and getting ready for bed. With as much as Edward hung out here, it was tempting to ask him to move in with me, but I figured that would be pushing things a bit. For now, I was content to have as much time with him as I could get.
After changing into my tank top, and Edward into his pj pants, we climbed into bed. I knew at some point he'd go back to sleeping in his own bed, and that made me sad. I liked seeing him in bed. He looked good in it. All those lean muscles, that sexy happy trail, his piercing green eyes. All of him was just too delicious.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly.
"You, and how fuckhot you look in my bed," I told him.
"Fuckhot?" he stuttered.
"Oh, yeah," I sighed lustfully as I straddled him and ran my hands over his chest.
His hands gripped my hips, and he thrust up against me gently. His eyes were searching my face, making sure I was okay with it. Who wouldn't be?
"You're so fucking sexy. I wasn't lying when I told you it takes a lot for me not to have my way with you. You're so damn tempting, Eward."
"Like you're not?" he growled out, thrusting with a bit more force.
I threw my head back and let out a low moan. My hands began to slide down his torso, and my fingers played gently with the hair below his navel. His growl was becoming more pronounced. Fuck me, if that wasn't fucking hot. His hands had let go of my hips, and he tugged on my top, pulling it off of me. I wasn't the least bit ashamed of my body. I knew I looked good, and judging from the look on Edward's face, he thought so too. His hand swept up my body 'til he cupped a breast in each hand. His fingers toyed and pinched, pulling moans and gasps from me. I rocked harder against him, needing to find release. He must have felt the same, because his thrusts became harder and faster. His fingers squeezing and tugging me, until we both let out long groans of pleasure, and I fell forward onto him, exhausted.
"Holy shit!" he said in between gasps of air.
My pleasure addled brain barely registered that Edward had sworn.
"Did you just say shit?" I asked, my heart pounding against his, as I lay on his chest.
"I think so. But now I ... uh ... have a mess that needs to be cleaned up," he said shyly.
I tried to hold back the giggle that threatened to erupt, but failed. He frowned at me, clearly not finding his situation funny at all. I leaned up and gave him a kiss on the lips.
"Go get cleaned up. I'll go after you," I said.
Gingerly, he crawled out of my bed, walked over to the dresser, grabbed some clean boxers, and headed into my bathroom. I rolled over onto my back and relived the past few minutes. Holy shit, indeed. That had been fucking hot, and we hadn't even really done anything. If it was that explosive without us really touching, I couldn't wait to see what it would be like when I finally got him naked. A few minutes later, he crawled back into bed, donning a pair of black boxers.
I headed to the bathroom, cleaned up, and found my gorgeous boy fast asleep. Guess I'd worn him out, I thought with a snicker. Climbing into bed, I snuggled up next to him and drifted off quickly.
a/n: So, what did you think? Did you like it? Did you love it? Are you jealous of Bella? Cause I know I am. I'd love to have me an Edward Cullen to molest and corrupt. As always, leave me a review and maybe some holiday cheer.