With thanks to Kristi, MAD and LisaJ for their work on this chapter. Special thanks to mskathy for prereading the first part of this chapter and offering me her opinion. This is going up early because the last update was a week late. Enjoy!

Chapter 51 – Las Vegas Nights

"Excuse me, miss?" a younger blond man said to me. I felt Edward's arms tighten around my waist.

"Yes?"

"Will you be playing?" he asked, indicating the now empty spot where the dark-haired man had been standing before being removed by security.

I hesitated for a second before looking at Edward. He nodded encouragingly at me.

"Yes," I said. "I'll play."

EPOV

Bella slid hesitantly into the spot next to me at the table. She held her $100 chip diffidently. Before she could lay it on the table, I touched her arm. She froze and looked at me quickly.

"Let's break that down, love, unless you want to bet it all on one roll?"

Bella shook her head. The dealer heard me and looked at Bella. She held out her chip. The dealer indicated where she should lay it down and gave her ten $10 chips instead. I glanced at my watch. It was almost eight. The table would switch to a higher limit soon. Bella would be allowed to play at the lower limit since she was already at the table, even when the stakes were raised.

My lucky streak continued as I picked up and threw the dice. Another seven on my first come out roll and then I established nine as the point after that. Bella carefully copied my bets. We won most of the time and I could see her gaining confidence. The air at the table was filled with excitement as people got more boisterous with my good throws.

I finally sevened out trying to make a 10-point. There was groaning at the table, even Bella let out a plaintive little "Oh!" when she saw the seven come up. She was picking up the game fast.

Three people walked away from the table and the spots were quickly filled. I shifted to the left, tugging lightly on Bella arm.

"Your turn, love."

However, before she was offered the dice, the pit boss approached the table and changed the sign indicating the minimum and maximum bets. Bella's eyes widened.

"Do I have to leave?" she asked me.

"No, you were here before the limits changed. You can continue to play."

She glanced at the dealer who nodded to confirm my words.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Me, too, but I'm going to play with the new limits." I pulled out my wallet and pulled out a number of large bills. I had a good feeling about tonight and was ready to play at my usual stakes. Players waited while my cash was exchanged for chips.

Finally, it was time. Bella was hot. She only placed small pass line bets, but won consistently as she made point after point. Since she was betting so conservatively, I was able to pay more attention to the felt and make riskier, more obscure bets.

Once again the atmosphere at the table started to buzz. Players were getting loud and two different cocktail waitresses were parading around offering drinks to everyone.

The stickman pushed the dice to Bella. I placed $1000 on the passline. Bella threw the dice….

"Six is the point," the dealer declared. I glanced at Bella. She was studying the table hard, hands clenched into fists as she waited for the dice to be passed back to her. She was grinning slightly.

"Feeling good, love?"

She turned to me slightly and broke into a big smile, nodding. I took advantage of her distraction to drop another $2500 on the table as an odds bet. I placed another $1000 on a come bet. Bella took up the dice.

"Eight!" I watched as the dealer moved the $1000 I had played on come to the eight on the felt. Bella was slightly flushed, excited by the energy and her winning streak. I took another $2500 and laid it down in the come area.

Looking the dealer right in the eye I told him, "Odds on come."

The dealer reached over and took my odds bet chips, and placed them on my come bet chips, slightly offset. I now had $7000 on the table covering the six and eight points. The conversation level at the table rose as people became aware of the amount of money riding on Bella's next throw. If she sevened out, I'd be down seven grand, but if she made her point….

Luck stayed with us. Players at the table cheered and Bella grinned, not paying attention to me at all, as she continued to throw the dice. Bella threw both an eight and a six on subsequent rolls. The dealers paused to count out my chips, shoving the pile across the table to me. Bella's eyes grew wide.

"Edward…how much did you win?"

"About eight grand, thanks to you."

Bella's eyes sparkled as her mouth dropped open. She jumped up and down a little and threw her arms around me in a tight hug. I wasn't going to lose this opportunity and kissed her soundly as the other gamblers offered good-natured cheers and catcalls.

Bella was the only player betting under the table minimum right now. The other players had the look of serious gamblers.

"Shoot again, miss?" The stickman pushed the dice towards Bella.

"I don't know…."

"It's bad luck to walk away from the table during a streak," the guy next to her said. "Stick around until you seven out."

I could tell Bella was nervous now that she was aware of the amount of money on the table. To make her feel more comfortable, I stuck to smaller bets. She made two more points before finally sevening out.

There was general groaning around the table at the loss. Bella smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry," she said to no one in particular.

"Ready to go?" I asked, though I knew the answer to that question. Bella nodded and we gathered up our winnings before stepping back.

Bella's eyes grew wide when she took in the large quantity of chips in my hands.

"What are you going to do with all those?"

"Cash them in. C'mon."

It only took a few minutes to cash out our chips. Bella was almost giddy with excitement. She had just over $500 in her hands.

"This is so fun!" she exclaimed.

I chuckled and shook my head.

"This is the exception, not the rule. I've lost more than this here over the years."

"Yeah, but we won tonight," she reminded me, stashing her winnings in her purse.

"That we did. But now's the time to be smart. We should get out of here before we leave it all at another table."

I could see Bella making an effort to dial down her enthusiasm

"You look very warm," I told her, running my finger up her arm and down her bare back.

"I'm all keyed up," she admitted.

"Let's work off some of that energy," I suggested, taking her by the hand and pulling her from the casino.

We met up with Jasper and Alice at the club. Bella's high hadn't worn off at all as she rushed Alice and started telling about her success at the table.

Jasper smiled and sauntered over to me.

"Good night?" he asked, shouting over the music.

"Pretty good," I admitted, raising my voice to be heard over the din.

Jasper looked over at the girls, where Bella was pantomiming the evening's earlier action.

"She had a lucky run at the craps table," I explained.

Jasper nodded.

"Want to find a table?"

He nodded again before calling his wife, "Alice!" Alice hooked her arm through Bella's and the two women fell in step behind us as we cleared a path through the crowded room, looking for somewhere to sit. Having to deal with the mass of bodies made me long for my VIP table at Stroke of Midnight.

We lucked out, grabbing a table just as its occupants stood up to leave. The girls sat together and continued their animated discussion. I leaned down between them.

"What do you want to drink?"

"We'll have two of those!" Alice exclaimed as a server paraded past carrying two huge, colorful drinks. I looked over at Bella, who was nodding enthusiastically.

Turned out that "those" were some kind of oddball concoction consisting of several frozen drinks layered on top of one another. The bartender mentioned pina colada, strawberry daiquiri and margarita among others and he drizzled the whole thing with blue curacao. No one would be drinking too many of those!

Bella and Alice grinned when we set the drinks down in front of them, before sitting back with our own, more sedate tumblers of whiskey. A cocktail waitress approached.

"Can I offer you gentlemen bottle service for your drinks?"

I glanced at Jasper and he shrugged.

"That'd be great, thanks," I told her.

She was back in no time with a bottle of whiskey and four glasses. I glanced over at the girls and both were sucking down their colossal frozen concoctions at an alarming rate.

"Whoa! Slow down there!"

"These are so yummy!" Bella yelled back over the sound of the music. Alice just nodded her agreement, never letting the straw leave her mouth.

"If you're going to drink like that, we're going to need to dance to work some of the alcohol off." I was surprised when Bella and Alice agreed, jumped up and ran off to dance with each other.

"What did you do, man?" Jasper asked, straining his neck to see where the girls had disappeared to.

"I'm…not exactly sure," I replied, just as confused as he was by the turn of events. Jasper laughed, knowing that his wife would be back for him at some point.

I shook my head and refilled my glass before settling back. The traffic in this club was insane. It was easy to pick out the different types populating the place. There were gangs of women enjoying their ladies' night, while groups of guys made me wonder about bachelor parties. There were easily identifiable couples, and business types suited up despite the fact that it was Sunday night. The business part of my mind was trying to calculate the buy-in for a piece of a place like this.

"I'll be right back," Jasper yelled. I nodded as he headed towards the brightly lit sign pointing the way to the restrooms.

My eyes continued to wander the area around us. I was starting to wonder if Bella was ever coming back when a familiar voice said my name.

"Edward?"

My head shot up as I took in the small blonde woman who had approached the table. She was dressed in a black suit with a shimmery silver top underneath.

"Charlotte!" In my haste to rise, I bumped the table pretty hard, sloshing, but not spilling the drinks scattered around the top.

"I thought it was you," she replied. "You must be here for your birthday. Happy birthday, Edward." She strained up on her toes to kiss my cheek. It felt odd being friendly with her, though we had shared many innocent greetings like this in the years she dated Jasper.

"Um yeah, we're here celebrating."

"Thirty this year, right?"

"Yep."

"When did we get so old?" she asked, forced humor in her tone. I looked her over quickly. Her silver blonde hair was more yellow than I remembered it, giving her a sallow complexion. She looked…tired.

"So what brings you to Vegas? I asked.

"Business, mostly." She was about to continue when we were interrupted by the girls returning to the table. I watched Bella's eyes narrow and wondered if she remembered Jasper's former fiancé.

"Charlotte, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. Do you remember Bella? You met last year at the hospital charity gala."

"Of course! Bella, it's very nice to see you again." She extended her hand, which Bella briefly shook.

"Charlotte."

Charlotte turned to Alice. "You look so familiar…" she mused. "Didn't you used to work for Edward?"

"I still do," Alice informed her, referring to her work as my stylist.

"Charlotte, Alice is…."

"…my wife," Jasper interrupted, returning to the table after his trip to the bathroom. He slid his hands around Alice's waist, hugging her from behind. She melted against him, looking up over her shoulder as he smiled down on her.

Charlotte's smile froze on her face, but she recovered quickly.

"Wow. That's…that's great Jasper. I wasn't expecting that. Congratulations…congratulations to you both. Wow, married. I'm very happy for you."

It was obvious that Jasper's announcement caught Charlotte by surprise, but she was being gracious about it.

"Well, I need to get going," Charlotte continued. "I just wanted to stop over and say 'happy birthday' to you, Edward. It was nice seeing everyone again."

"You, too," Jasper replied quietly. The rest of us nodded.

"Okay, then. Well, take care." Charlotte offered a small wave and melted back into the crowd around us.

Bella and I stood frozen, staring at our friends, where they stood on the other side of the table. We watched as Alice extracted herself from Jasper's embrace and proceeded to climb on the chair she had been sitting on earlier. Even with the additional height, she only topped Jasper by a few inches.

She took his head in both her hands and drew his face up to hers.

"You are an amazing, amazing man, Jasper Whitlock, and I. Love. You."

"I love you, too, Alice Brandon-Whitlock," Jasper said quietly. He kissed Alice fiercely, and I had to look away, overwhelmed by the intensity of their embrace. My gaze fell on Bella, who was staring at the two of them with tears shining in her eyes.

"C'mon," I said quietly in her ear, "let's give them a minute." Bella nodded and let me lead her away from the table. We moved a fair distance away before stopping together. Bella was sniffling.

"Hey…," I said, a little nervous about her emotional state.

"It's just…I'm so happy for them. They both deserve the best. I'm so glad they found each other."

I was, too, but worried that I'd have to turn in my man card if I admitted that. Instead, I reached over the bar and snagged a paper napkin and offered it to Bella to dab her eyes.

"Thanks," she said, making use it.

"Let's dance," I suggested. Bella nodded and we moved to the dance floor, weaving our way around the throngs of people.

Bella and I danced to the pulsating music. I took liberties with the amount of skin she had showing. She called me on it with a sexy arch of her brow. We were jostled by the crowd, alternately pushed together and pulled apart. The music was playing so loudly it was hard to understand the lyrics.

Suddenly, the tenor of the music changed. It went from pulsating to sultry. The crowd around us got even denser. Bella and I came together. I brought my arms around her to keep her from being pulled away. She ran her arms around my neck and held onto me, too.

I became very aware of the way her body felt touching mine. We were swaying and moving together and a loud voice in my brain was telling me that it was okay this time, to do what I wanted. Bella and I were on the same page, we'd talked, we'd agreed to this. I was just a moment from lowering my head to hers when, suddenly, her lips were on mine.

God, how did I survive the months without this? Bella's lips were warm and soft. She moved her mouth over mine and I reveled in the sensation of velvet against my lips. The kiss, was lingering, like she was tasting me. There was nothing hurried or desperate about it. I let her lead, enjoying our connection.

I felt the tip of her warm, wet tongue at the corner of my mouth. Finally, driven beyond reason by the feel of her, I opened my mouth and captured hers in a serious kiss. Bella responded, opening herself to me and letting me explore the recesses of her mouth. We weren't even trying to dance anymore. We stood together kissing until Bella finally dropped her head back. Her lips were moving but I couldn't hear her over the music.

I dropped my lips to her exposed neck and kissed her lightly along the column of her throat. Instantly, her arms tightened around me and I groaned. I moved to her exposed shoulder and continued to kiss her, enjoying the rash of goose bumps that ran down her arm.

The music's tempo increased again and Bella and I were jostled more and more frequently. She let go of my neck and ran her hand down my arm, grasping my hand.

"We should go back."

I nodded dumbly, and let her lead me off the floor. I walked behind her, mesmerized while watching the graceful line running down the center of her bare back undulate with every step she took. Jasper and Alice were sitting together at our table. I pulled out a chair for Bella and sat down next to her.

Alice had ordered Bella a fresh drink, but the four of us were rather subdued. It wasn't fear, anger or sadness keeping us quiet, but a truly obscene level of sexual tension. I couldn't figure out why Jasper and Alice were even still here. I had an almost overwhelming desire to get Bella alone. What would happen when we were behind closed doors? I did not know, but I was ready to find out.

We were mostly silent, not exerting the energy needed to shout over the loud music. Jasper and I finished our whiskey and he signaled the server for our check. The girls had slid closer to one another and were talking in each others' ears. I couldn't hear them over the pounding beat, but they seemed to be having a serious conversation. About Charlotte? About us?

After paying the outrageously jacked up bill, we stood and helped our girls to their feet. We made our way into the lobby. I had my arm around Bella's waist, while Jasper was draped over Alice. We headed for the elevators. My mind was full of the feel and taste of Bella. She wanted to take it slow, but that kiss….

Suddenly, I felt my Blackberry vibrate in my pocket. I frowned. Who would be calling me at almost eleven o'clock on a Sunday night? I stuck my hand in my jacket to fish out my phone when Jasper's phone started ringing. Then, oddly enough, Bella was digging in her purse for her phone, too.

"It's First…." I told them as a cold feeling gripped me.

"Angela's calling me…." Bella commented.

"Why is my assistant…?" Jasper wondered.

The three of us each answered our calls, while Alice's eyes darted from face to face, wondering what could be going on.

"First?"

"Edward, you need to come home."

BPOV

Four hours after I received the call from Angela all seven of us were sitting in Henderson Executive Airport waiting for our hastily chartered plane to bring us back to Chicago. Emmett, Jasper and Edward were deep in conversation. Emmett was on the phone, while Edward's fingers were flying over the keys on his laptop. We had another hour before departure. I sat with Alice and Rose while EJ slept sprawled across his mother.

I thought over the last few frantic hours that started with the trio of phone calls.

"Angela?"

"Bella, thank God I reached you. Is Edward there? We've got problems."

Angela went on to explain how another VP had called her after getting wind of some plot for a hostile takeover of CE.

I freely admitted to Angela that while I heard the term before, I wasn't sure what it entailed, other than it was bad.

"I think it started a few months ago, when J.J. was still active on the board." I shuddered thinking of the lecherous man. The fact that it was confirmed that he'd had an undiagnosed stroke at some point only eased my discomfort a small amount. It seemed that J.J. had quietly initiated a proxy fight to wrest control of CE from Edward.

"What's a proxy fight?"

Angela explained that unlike a hostile takeover from an outside company, which would likely fail at CE because of their strong financial standing, during a proxy fight a group of disgruntled shareholders seek a change in ownership, so they try to convince other shareholders to band together.

"Proxy fights," she continued, "sidestep a lot of the regulations regarding hostile takeovers, since no one is buying stock, just trying to change the minds of the shareholders we already have."

Angela arranged the charter jet, while First talked to Edward. Turned out that Emmett was getting a call from his assistant about the same time Jasper took one from his.

Edward sat in our room making calls and sending email while I packed up my things and his. I changed into more comfortable traveling clothes, and laid out a few things for Edward to change into. He was so distracted by the turn of events that he stripped down to his underwear right in front of me. I gathered up his dress clothes and packed them away before ringing for a bell hop.

I was staring out of the large glass walls of Henderson, too tired to think, too keyed up to rest. Alice had dozed off on the chair next to me while Rose was pacing, EJ now asleep on her shoulder. Suddenly, Edward was beside me.

"C'mon, we can board now," he said gently.

I looked into his drawn face and felt my heart constrict. The sweet, young guy who had spooned with me last night had disappeared and in his place was a haggard, worried man. I rose silently and took his offered hand. We boarded the small jet, followed by everyone else. Under different circumstances I would have admired the tasteful and comfortably appointed interior of the jet, but now I was just tired and worried.

The flight crew ran through safety procedures efficiently and we were off, climbing into the night sky while the city lights twinkled below us. I looked over at Edward. He was staring at the floor, his face blank. I wanted to comfort him, and reached out to gently touch his arm. When he turned to face me his eyes softened. I ran my hand up his arm. He reached for me suddenly, pulling me into him. His arms came around my body and tightened. He buried his face in my neck and held me.

We settled back in this awkward embrace as the cabin lights dimmed. I could hear everyone settling into their seats and allowed myself to be pulled towards sleep by my tired brain and the warm body of the man wrapped around me.

Four hours later, the flight attendant walked through the silent cabin and gently woke everyone. We had taken off at 4 AM Vegas time and were arriving in Chicago around 10:30 local time. Edward and I hadn't moved much in our sleep. Even now, as he rubbed sleep from his eyes, his free arm remained around my waist.

"Are…." My voice was raspy from the lack of use and sleep. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Are you going home?"

"No. There should be a couple of cars here for us. Emmett, Jasper and I will go right to the office. You and Alice can share a ride. Another car will bring Rose and EJ home."

"Shouldn't I come to the office with you?"

"Do you want to? You're exhausted."

He was speaking the truth, but he couldn't have been any less tired than I was.

"If you think I could help…."

"Of course you'd be a help. If you want to come, I'd very much appreciate it."

"I should change…." I commented, looking down at my denim capris and fitted t-shirt. He had a whole business wardrobe to choose from right in his office.

"Okay, why don't you go home, get changed and come in as soon as you can. The car will stay with you."

"Okay."

Now that we were back on the ground the guys sprang back into action. All three had their phones out while we walked through the airport and claimed our luggage. I was relieved to see Demitri leading a group of drivers towards us.

"Mr. Cullen, , Mr. Whitlock." He greeted each man in turn. They nodded as they continued placing calls.

"Demetri," I smiled at the large man, deciding to help all I could while the men worked, "where are we parked?"

Demetri smiled at me, "Ms. Swan," he said, tipping his head. He indicated that we should follow him. The group of us moved forward. I herded Edward, Emmett and Jasper towards one of the waiting vehicles.

"Get them to CE," I told Demetri, "we'll handle the luggage."

With quick kisses, all three men got into the car and were away.

"Bella?" Alice grabbed my attention. "Let me help." She suggested getting Rose and an increasingly cranky EJ into their car and home.

"Thanks, Alice… Bella," Rose said. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help right now." The usually pleasant EJ was being loud and obstinate. We loaded them into the smaller car and packed their luggage with the help of the drivers. Then they were off.

The drivers helped us load the remaining luggage into the last car.

"We'll drop you off first," Alice suggested as we pulled out of the airport. "That way you can get ready. The car can bring me right to Jasper's and return for you so you can get to the office. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Don't worry, Alice, I appreciate what you're doing here."

"Why don't you leave Edward's luggage with me? Riley and I will get everything cleaned and back to him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's the least I can do." She looked at me with an understanding smile. "So you and Edward looked cozy."

I sighed. I know she wanted to acknowledge what was happening between us, but I just couldn't talk about it right now.

"Yeah…. Thanks. Hopefully, this takeover plan will fall apart and we can spend some time together."

"It will all work out. Jasper, Edward and Emmett are great guys-smart and good at what they do. They'll be fine."

I nodded as we pulled up outside my apartment. The driver accompanied me upstairs, carrying my luggage.

"I'll be back shortly, Ms. Swan."

"Thank you."

Inside the apartment were many signs of Angela's hasty departure. I didn't have time to clean now, though, so I left the scattered messes. I jumped into the shower and dressed quickly, in simple, but professional clothes that would probably see some long hours. The driver returned and brought me to CE in record time.

I could tell, as soon as I stepped into the hallways that there was a buzzing energy in the building; an undercurrent that seemed on the verge of breaking into chaos at any moment. I decided right then that I'd do all I could to restore the usual calm that permeated the building.

When I reached Edward's office I wasn't surprised to find a half dozen people milling around in reception. Angela sat at her desk, as professional as always, but with a harried look in her eye. She greeted me enthusiastically.

"I'm so glad you're here. There's a plan in place already, if you can believe it," she told me quietly. I believed it. The Cullens were in a business a long time. There was no way they didn't have a contingency plan for something like this. "I have so much to do," Angela continued. "Can you keep the usual tasks of the day under control while I help organize the emergency shareholder meeting?"

"Absolutely. I'm here, Angela. Anything you need…."

"Thanks. HR is sending up two more assistants. Please keep them on task. Actually, it might be better if I work from your old desk in Edward's office. That will free up my desk for the others. Is that a problem?"

"Of course not."

"Why don't you let Edward know you're here? We'll get moving as soon as you come back out."

I walked into Edward's office. Emmett and another man who I didn't know were in the office, deep in conversation. I stood a short distance from them, as they conversed unaware of my presence. I took a moment to study the men. While the man I didn't know appeared fresh, Emmett and Edward were both still in their travel clothes. Emmett needed a shave and Edward's hair was in more than its usual disarray.

The men concluded their conversation and the stranger left the office, nodding to me in passing.

"Bella," Edward said my name with a mixture of greeting and relief.

I put on a smile and faced Edward and Emmett.

"I'm glad you're here," Edward said, softly.

"Of course." My eyes flitted between the two of them before coming to rest of Edward. "When's the last time you ate?"

"Uh, dinner? Last night. I'm not sure."

"I'm going to have food sent up so that you can eat when you have a minute. Emmett, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Nah, I'm heading back to my office. Leah will take care of me."

"Okay."

Emmett rose to his feet and headed out of the office. Edward's head dropped into his hands, while he rested his elbows on his desk. Another stab of sympathy went through me. I walked closer. When I was next to him, I squatted down. I touched his shoulder.

"Edward."

"This is so fucked up, Bella. I just…. J.J. hasn't been to work since Christmas. I can't believe this plot of his managed to keep legs this long."

"What are you going to do?"

"First will be here in a little while. He shouldn't come in, but I can't stop him. He and I will talk. There's actually a contingency plan in place for a situation like this. It's an old plan, though, set up for dealing with this kind of thing back in the 80s. It will take some time to tweak it to conform with more recent regulations."

I nodded.

"Let me know if I can do anything."

"Just having you here is helping." I smiled and took a chance, kissing him lightly. He smiled at me.

"You need to eat. And, you'd feel better if you showered. Angela is going to come in here to work with you on the emergency shareholder meeting. I'll be in the outer office."

"Thank you. I'm sorry we had to cut our trip short."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry that this is ruining your birthday."

There was a knock at the door. I stood quickly, as Edward told the visitor to come in. It was Angela, piled down with binders and paper. I hurried to her side and helped her bring everything to the desk.

"Bella, the other two assistants are here."

"Okay, I'm on it."

Before I left I turned to check on Edward. He was back to work already, staring down at a print out on his desk.

"He didn't get much sleep," I told Angela. "Keep an eye on him."

Angela glanced over at her boss and nodded. I smiled at her and left quickly. Reception had mostly cleared out. I looked at the two women sitting on the couch. They both looked at me with concerned expressions.

"Hello," I greeted them, extending my hand and stepping forward, "I'm Bella."

The two women introduced themselves and I set them right to work, ordering food and a fresh coffee service as well setting them up with the daily tasks I usually completed. Once they were all settled I sat down and got to work. It was going to be a hard few days.

Thank you for reading.

So, Fandoms Fight the Floods. Yeah. I contributed a one shot to this cause and hope you'll consider making a donation to read the compilation being mailed out. Info on donating is available at fandomsfightthefloods. blogspot. com. Here's a tiny teaser of the story I wrote, "Need You Now."

"Edwaarrddd…."

Like a man possessed, I pulled away from her. She cried out. I stood swiftly, toed off my boots, pushed my jeans and boxers down in one swift movement and fell back to my knees, winding my arm around her waist and pulling her against me hard.

She was panting, the movements of her hips grinding her warm center against my rampant cock; the rough denim bringing me both pleasure and pain.

"Fuck, Bella…."