Stephenie Meyer owns the copyright to Twilight and all its characters
The original characters, plots, and storyline contained within this derivative work are the property of Brits23 and Lazykate
(Translation: if you steal it, we will send Bitey after your ass…and not in a good way)
Just as a reminder—Lazykate writes the girls and Brits23 writes the boys.
Chapter Five
BPOV
The rain was still a torrential downpour when I pulled up into the driveway and turned off the car. I leaned my head back against the headrest and shut my eyes, gripping the steering wheel for a moment longer.
What the hell just happened?
Kissing Carlisle…kissing Carlisle in the rain…his lips soft but wet and determined on mine, his hands moving easily over my skin.
And you liked it!
Hell yes I'd liked it. The man was sexy as hell just to look at, and kissing him in the pouring rain had been like something straight out of a Hollywood romance. I didn't know if it was the genuine friendly chemistry we'd found over lunch or the endorphins from parasailing, but from the moment our eyes had locked in that parking lot there had been no going back.
But let's not forget the fact that he's your client, Bella.
I groaned and banged my head against the headrest. Getting involved with a client was not something I'd ever even imagined myself doing. I worked my ass off to be taken seriously, to establish my good name, and making out with the clients was not part of my business plan.
What had happened between us had been so spontaneous, so right in that moment, though. Part of me couldn't help but wonder…
No, Bella, no no no. You've been single a month, you don't need to jump right back into a relationship again. Especially with a client…even if he is drop-dead sexy and one hell of a kisser…
I growled as my body battled with my brain. There was no doubt that part of me wanted to see more of Dr. Carlisle Cullen…much more. But then there was part of me that kept remembering we had a professional relationship that he was paying me for, that I was someone he should be able to depend on to help make his business successful. I would have to be blind not to have seen the heat that had flared in his eyes, though, when he'd pushed me against my car and let the hot drag of his lips over mine say more than words ever could. I shivered at the memory and shut my eyes for a moment, reliving the feel of his tongue teasing mine, his fingers insistently tight in my hair.
Fuck. Me.
I got out of my new-to-me Toyota and slammed the door, frustration in every step as I stomped up the walkway to the front door, hurrying with my key as the downpour soaked me to the skin again. All the lights were on but my sodden hair was hanging in my eyes, so I stood there blinking before I saw movement in the living room. And then in the next second Jasper was shooting up off the couch, propelled like a rocket, his blond curls a mess, his clothes in disarray, and his glasses crooked across his face.
"Bella! I um…we didn't know…"
His face was tomato-red and I immediately felt sorry for the poor guy. "Hi Jasper."
"Hi Bella!" Alice chirped unconcernedly from the couch, ignoring Jasper's self-conscious shuffling next to her. "Good business meeting?"
"Yeah, it went well."
"You look like a drowned rat." Her gaze was appraising, and I suddenly realized that I was clad in a drenched white t-shirt with my black bra in plain contrast underneath. No wonder Jasper was staring painfully at the ceiling.
"Yeah I…got caught by the weather. I'm just gonna go shower now, continue on with…whatever it was that you were doing." Alice giggled and Jasper turned an impossibly-darker shade of red as I squished down the hall to my room.
I grumbled out an impressive amount of profanity as I ripped my soaking clothes off and then climbed into a hot shower, refusing to let my brain go to places it so desperately wanted to visit as the hot spray stung my skin. This was an itch I would need to get over sooner rather than later…
Or at least until the job is over…
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. He was my client, and that should have been the end of the story. The fact that we'd had enough sparks to set a forest fire and that I was absolutely aching for more of his touch were things I ought to be able to ignore. I was a grown woman, not some horny teenager. Or at least that was what I kept telling myself as I tossed and turned in bed before finally falling into a restless sleep.
***
Carlisle called me the next day, ostensibly to make sure I'd gotten home all right, and I'd been as detached and professional with him as I could be without coming across as a total bitch. I asked him a few more questions that had popped into my brain about his website, and after a brief moment he'd answered them, equally as business-like as I was trying to be.
What was I supposed to say? Hey, thanks for kissing me senseless the other night, but I still expect you to pay me in American dollars for this service? Or how about: I'd love to bang you through your headboard, but that might make it awkward if you take one look at this website and decide you hate it?
Awkward indeed. This was why dating clients was never a good idea.
I threw myself into the building of his site as a distraction, working on it in every spare moment I had away from my other work obligations. At my request he forwarded a brief biography and a photo via e-mail, and I added those to the site, lingering longer than I needed to over both.
I knew from his frequent e-mails that he'd finished his stint at Mercy Hospital, and that now he was working almost around-the-clock to hire nurses and office staff, to arrange a schedule for externs and a reasonable set of office hours for him as well. He e-mailed me at all hours of the day and night, apologizing for his delay in replying to my queries even if it was just a few hours later, answering my questions in great detail and always inviting me to call him if I had any questions.
Reading over the brief mission statement and bio he'd sent me, I couldn't deny that I was impressed. He'd decided to strike out on his own to provide reliable affordable healthcare in a country where such a thing was becoming more of a luxury than a given. He accepted a wide range of insurance plans, but was willing to work with uninsured patients on a sliding-scale basis. Even the Chat With Your Doc feature that he was so passionate about, despite it giving me a major headache over the endless HIPAA regulations I had to wrangle, spoke of his dedication to helping and healing. For absolutely no charge at all and one click of a mouse, his registered patients could check in with him or a member of his staff about minor ailments and questions. There was no doubt in my mind that Carlisle Cullen was genuinely a good guy.
And of course that made me feel guilty. He was probably wondering if I had multiple personality disorder or something, considering how differently I was acting now. I couldn't help it though…keeping him at a safe business-like distance was the only way I'd keep from jumping him again.
Halfway through the week I received a phone call from Renee, cajoling me into coming up to Jacksonville for four days at the end of the next week. It was her birthday and I did genuinely miss her, so I promised to drive up and spend a long weekend there. She changed the subject as I was entering the dates into my Outlook calendar.
"So what else are you up to, sweetie? Met any cute guys?"
"I've been on a couple of dates," I replied carefully. The truth was that aside from my evenings with Edward and then Carlisle, I'd been too busy with work to go out and meet any new men. That had been one nice thing about being in a relationship: the lack of urgency to get out and socialize. Of course that had possibly also led to the demise of my five-year relationship with Jackass, so maybe it wasn't such a nice thing after all.
"Just a couple? Come on hon, you're in Miami! You need to get out and live a little while you're young!"
I huffed and put my feet up on my desk. "I've got a couple of really big projects that are almost done; I'll have more chances to go out then."
"We can definitely go out while you're here, there aren't quite as many hot guys as compared to Miami, but there are a few places…"
"Mom, eww." Scoping out guys with Renee was not on the top of my to-do list. "Don't you think Phil might have a problem with that?"
"I'm just talking about looking and not touching, silly. For me anyway. For you…"
My phone beeped in my ear. "Okay, fine, just stop talking about it. Listen, I really have to go, I have another call coming in and it might be for work."
"Okay honey, I'll talk to you soon and I can't wait to see you! Love you!"
"Love you too, bye," I replied, before quickly clicking over to the incoming call. "Bella Swan."
"Hi Bella, it's Carlisle Cullen." There was just the tiniest hesitation before he said his last name, as though he weren't sure I'd know exactly which Carlisle was calling. I sat up quickly, setting my feet back on the floor.
"Hi Carlisle, how are you?"
"I'm doing well, just busy as usual. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you…"
"You're not bothering me at all. What can I help you with?" My mind immediately went to all the things I'd like to help him with, and then I felt guilty. It was like an automatic reaction when I thought of him now: dirty thoughts, and then guilt.
"I just had a couple of questions if you have a minute?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay, I'm trying to set up my new work e-mail and I keep getting an error message…" He went on to explain the problem, and luckily I was able to resolve it for him on my end.
"Thanks Bella, I was getting a little panicky considering the business cards are already printed up with that e-mail address on them." He laughed softly.
"Nope, no worries, it was a glitch I should have caught earlier, totally my fault. I'm sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. Second question is actually more of an invitation: do you think you'll be able to attend the grand opening party? I was really hoping you'll to be able to come."
I smiled a little. "Absolutely, I'd love to."
"Great!" He sounded relieved. "You'll be able to meet my staff, of course, and my parents and my son will be there as well. I'd love to brag about your technical skills to all of them."
Huh, a son? I didn't remember that coming up in our long conversation on Friday. I knew he wasn't married, though, so maybe his son lived with his mom? I wasn't exactly sure of Carlisle's age, but I'd put him around thirty-five or thirty-six…which would probably make his son a teenager.
"Well, I don't know how much bragging you should really do, but I'd love to come. When is it, so I can put it in my calendar right now?"
"Next week, the last Friday of this month, at seven o'clock."
I clicked on my Outlook calendar and scrolled down only to be met with a blue vacation bar across the date in question. "Oh shit, I mean, sorry. I'm actually going to be out of town from that Thursday through Sunday. I literally just got off the phone with my mom and she asked me to come spend a long weekend up in Jacksonville for her birthday. I'm really sorry." Internally I cursed again, the idea of having another excuse to see Carlisle had been more tempting than I wanted to admit.
"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that." His voice was definitely disappointed, and then he was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Well, in that case, would you allow me to take you out to dinner? To celebrate the website launch? It's the least I can do to thank you for getting it up and running so quickly."
"You don't have to buy me dinner for that," I replied, even as my brain was screaming at me to accept. "That's what you paid me for."
"I know, but…" There was another silence. "Bella…I…I'm not sure about this, but do I owe you an apology? I hope last Friday didn't make you feel uncomfortable working with me now, but if it did…"
"No!" I blurted out, embarrassed. "No, not at all."
"I'd hoped to see you again, but if you think we just got carried away and made a mistake, I understand. I'll back off if you want me to."
"No, Carlisle, it's not that…" I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut. "I owe you an apology. I really enjoyed myself on Friday and I had a wonderful time with you. I really would like to see you again. It's just that you're technically a client of mine right now, and I felt that I'd really overstepped our professional relationship. I'm sorry if I made you think that I regretted anything we did."
"That wasn't your fault," he disagreed quickly. "I guess I didn't think of it from that point of view, but I can see where that would put you in an awkward situation."
Awkward doesn't even begin to explain this conversation. "I really did have a wonderful time, Carlisle. I just wasn't thinking at the time about our working relationship."
"Neither was I," he chuckled. "But on the bright side, I won't be a client too much longer."
I grinned in spite of myself. "Well, yes you technically will be, since you'll need me to make updates and do any troubleshooting for the site."
"But it's not like it would be an active professional relationship, like it is at the moment, right?" I grinned wider, he sounded like a little boy trying to find any tiny loophole to slip through.
"I guess that's all in how you define active."
"Well, if I ask you out to dinner again and we set the date for after the website launch, would you be able to say yes?"
I couldn't help it, I started laughing. "I would say yes, definitely."
"Good!" He sounded very satisfied with himself. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to hear your laugh again. You've sounded so serious every time I've talked to you since then."
"That's my Business-Bella voice," I teased.
"I like your voice now better." His own tone became a little huskier and I felt a slight quiver in my midsection. "So when can we get the site up and running? I want to know when I can look forward to being a no-longer-active client."
"Umm, I was actually going to ask you the same thing. There are just a couple of things left for me to do, then I can go through the entire model with you, and then we can publish it to the web."
"So today is Wednesday, do you think you could have it done by this Friday?"
"Sure."
"In that case, why don't you bring your laptop over here, to my place, and I'll make us dinner instead. We can go over everything and then have dinner and drinks to celebrate, what do you think?"
Hmm, dinner and drinks at Carlisle's house…definitely a much more intimate setting than a restaurant would be. I should say no, I really should say no. But of course I wouldn't. "That depends, how good of a cook are you?"
"I'll have you know I'm actually an excellent cook," he said in a mock-hurt tone. "I'll even remember to triple-check everything for peanut products. We don't want a repeat of your birthday…well, at least not the life-threatening part."
I felt my face burn as I remembered all the things I'd supposedly said in my Benadryl-induced haze. "You're not going to keep reminding me of that, are you?"
"It depends. Shall we say seven-thirty? I'll e-mail you directions."
"That sounds perfect, actually. Can I bring anything?"
"Just your lovely self." I squirmed in pleasure at his words, the quivering in my midsection becoming more insistent. "Bella…I can't wait to see you again. Talk to you soon?"
"You bet. Bye."
It took a long time after that before I was able to concentrate fully on work again, and when the doorbell rang two hours later, I seized upon the distraction gladly. It was a deliveryman with a gigantic bouquet of roses that immediately filled the living room with their heavy rich scent. At first I assumed they were for Alice from Jasper, although he usually brought her daisies…and the card very clearly said "Bella" on the envelope.
Fingers trembling and a half-smile on my face, I opened the tiny envelope and read the neat script on the card inside: Here's to the dissolution of a beautiful working relationship. –C
***
Thursday dragged by until I headed to Miami Beach to meet Alice after work for drinks. We hadn't spent as much time together lately and I missed our girl talk…or at least I had until she started grilling me about my quasi-date the next night.
"The doctor?" she squeaked indignantly. "And what the hell is a quasi-date, Bella? Either it is one or it isn't."
"It's like my business lunch last week with him. We're going to get some work done and he wanted to show his appreciation for me getting the site done so quickly." I toyed with the stem of my martini glass, not meeting her glare.
"Uh-huh, your business lunch. Which apparently was much more than you told me…which was next to nothing." Alice could pin me to my chair with her scowl when she wanted to.
"There was nothing to tell…"
"Bullshit. You come home all frazzled last Friday, he sent you roses yesterday, and now you're going to his house tomorrow for dinner?"
"How did you know about the roses?" I asked, dodging her inquiry. I'd hidden them in my room before she'd arrived home.
"Are you kidding? The whole house smells like them. I saw them when I went looking for what I thought was an exploded bottle of perfume. Spill it, Swan."
I heaved a sigh. "We went parasailing last Friday after lunch."
She stared at me silently.
"And then we uh, kinda made out in the rain."
I knew it!" she squealed. "You were glowing when you got home. Tell me everything!"
"I don't know how it happened…we had a great time, and it was pouring rain by the time he drove me back to my car. He got out and walked me over to my door and it just kinda…happened." I bit my lip as I felt a blush creeping over my cheeks.
"Details, please! Was he a good kisser?"
"Oh yeah. It was crazy chemistry…like one of those moments where you both know it's going to happen, and you can't break eye contact, and then…wow!"
"So you've been talking to him since then?"
"Well yeah, but just for business."
Alice scrunched up her nose at me. "Business-Bella, practical to the end."
I shrugged and took another sip of my martini. "I didn't want things to get weird and complicated. Now that I'm pretty much done with most of the work, I don't have to worry about that."
"Should I not expect you home tomorrow night, then?" She grinned lasciviously.
"Jesus, Alice, slow down. I'll be home tomorrow, probably late."
"Uh-huh." She didn't look convinced. "Just know I'll be expecting details."
"You always do."
We spent the rest of the evening chatting lazily, catching up on all the little things we'd neglected for the past few days. After dinner I drove home and Alice went over to Jasper's for a while.
The next morning I drove to a nearby park, having seen on the news that it was a great new spot for joggers in the area. Getting back into running again was proving harder than I'd anticipated when the Miami humidity sucked my will to live just by walking around in it. I was wearing a sports bra and tight shorts, my hair tied up into a ponytail, but even so I barely managed twenty minutes of running before I had to stop, wheezing and wishing I could jump into a nearby fountain to cool off.
I moved off to the side so I'd be out of the way of the other joggers and took a few deep breaths, bent over with my hands on my knees. The throbbing in my head had just eased slightly when a pair of feet clad in expensive running shoes stopped right in front of me. I looked up and…
Oh. Fuck.
It was Edward.
He was shirtless, his hair was drenched, and his rock-hard chest was shining with sweat…he looked oh-so-good and oh-so-bad all at once. "Funny," he drawled, an amused grin on his face, "I would have thought you were really good at running in the morning."
I just gaped at him for a minute before my brain spit out a reply. "I guess not."
He shrugged, still grinning. "I suppose that's just when you're sneaking out, huh?" I glared at him but he paid no attention, looking down at a dog I just now noticed stood close by his side. "Taylor, down." The dog immediately lay down in the grass, panting.
"Cute dog."
"She's my baby. You didn't get a chance to meet her before."
I ignored that jab too. "Can I pet her?"
"Sure."
Taylor sat back up as I extended a hand for her to sniff, and then gently patted her head. She had a doggy smile on her face and her tail thumped against the grass as I scratched behind her ears, trying to think of what to say to her sex-god of an owner.
"Fancy running into you here." It was stupid, but anything was better than the silence as he smirked at me.
"Yeah, I've wanted to run here ever since I heard about it on the news."
"Me too." I took a deep breath and then scowled as I saw the amusement dancing in his bright green eyes. "Are you trying to make this more awkward than it already is?"
He ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. "Nah, you're doing a pretty good job of that on your own."
I laughed self-consciously, but his playful demeanor made some of my embarrassment melt away. "How have you been?"
"Good, just busy as always. It sounds like you're seeing more of Jasper than I am these days, huh?"
That was probably the understatement of the year. "Yeah, he and Alice kinda pole-vaulted over the whole 'dating' thing and went straight for 'attached at the hip.' I think he's over at our place more often then he is at home."
"I've never seen Jasper so crazy about a girl before. I'm glad it's working out for them, he needed a relationship with an actual woman." He seemed completely sincere.
"What did he have before?" I asked curiously, hoping he wasn't going to say Jasper had a collection of blow-up dolls or something.
"Not much," he said bluntly. "He was so shy around women, he only went for those who spoke his techno-language or were as shy as he is. I'm still amazed he managed to land a hottie like your friend."
I played with the end of my ponytail and laughed a little, remembering how I'd interrupted something on the couch the previous Friday. Alice and her exuberance were definitely winning out over Jasper's shyness. "They're a case study in opposites attracting, that's for sure."
"Definitely." He ran his hand through his hair again and I couldn't help but notice the smooth ripple of sweat-slick muscles in his torso at the movement. Of course, I'd already had a much more personal exploration of his muscles and what he could do with them, and at the thought my eyes lingered a little longer than they should have. And fuck my luck, he caught me.
"Sizing up the goods again?" I seriously doubted it was possible for a man to look smugger than Edward did at that moment.
"Ugh, why are you such an asshole?" I turned on my heel to walk away from him, face flaming, but he followed as I headed back towards the parking lot.
"Hey, you're the one who snuck out on me; I'm entitled to make you squirm a little."
"I didn't…sneak out. I just didn't see the point of waking you from what looked like a very sound sleep to tell you that I had to go."
"Because there was somewhere that important you had to be on a Saturday morning?" I stopped and turned to look at him then; the smirk had vanished and he appeared genuinely interested in what I was going to say.
"Okay, fine. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye…"
"Or a note," he interrupted.
"…But I figured we'd both got what we wanted, I was awake, I decided to go."
He reached out to touch my bare arm in what I was quickly deducing was a patented Edward Masen seduction move. "I missed you when I woke up. You were fucking amazing, Bella."
"Um, thanks," I replied, glancing nervously at the people walking and jogging by us. "You were…amazing too."
A wide grin flashed across his face. "Hey, it's a standing offer if you're interested."
What, is that like a platinum membership or something? "Oh my God, are you serious?"
"As a heart attack."
I closed my eyes for a moment, the desire to smack that cocky grin off his face battling with the memory of how incredible our night together actually had been. Now that he was standing in front of me, I realized my memories of his appearance hadn't done him justice, and I was sure the same would go for his bedroom prowess. That was probably exactly what he was counting on, though.
"How about a date first, you pompous jerk?"
He blinked, the grin completely fading from his face. "Damn, I forgot what a ball-buster you are."
"Why? Because you're offering up sex like you're doing me a favor and I have the temerity to say I'd like an actual date this time? You've got a lot of nerve, Masen." I turned and began to walk away from him again, but he trotted along after me with Taylor patiently following along.
"Come on, Bella, I'm just playing with you. I had a great time that night even before we went back to my place."
"Gee whiz, thanks Edward." I kept walking.
"Okay, fine, you want to go out on a date? What are you doing tonight?"
"I'm busy." I couldn't have expressed in words how much satisfaction it gave me to say that.
"Doing what?"
"I have a date with a guy who has more class than to assume I'd be free to drop everything and go out with him the same evening."
"A date…hey, wait a minute Bella, hold up!"
I kept walking, a small grin of my own tugging at the corners of my mouth. "What, did you really think I'd just sit around waiting for you, Edward? You could have gotten my number and called."
"Jasper is a cockblocking asshole," he grumbled.
Okay, no way was I going to let him blame weeks of silence on Jasper. "You're telling me that you did ask him for my number and he wouldn't give it to you?"
"Well…no."
"Right." I rolled my eyes and picked up the pace a little, but he stayed right at my elbow.
"Well, what are you doing next week? What day would be good for you?"
We'd arrived back at the parking lot and I took my car key out of the little pouch that strapped around my wrist. "I'm going out of town Thursday and I won't be back until Sunday evening."
"How about Tuesday, then? Would you like to go out with me Tuesday?"
I twirled my key ring around my finger, feeling a pang of guilt that I was arranging a date with Edward when I was seeing Carlisle that night. It wasn't as though we were in a relationship or anything like that, though, and technically I'd known Edward longer than Carlisle. Plus there was no way Edward was angling for anything more serious than a date and probably another night of sex.
Little did he know, I had no intention of making it as easy for him the next time around.
"Tuesday works for me," I said finally.
"Great, how about I come pick you up around seven-thirty? I'll get your address from Jasper."
"We could make it a double-date with him and Alice."
Edward cocked his head to the side and turned the full force of his green eyes on me. I'd almost forgotten how intense his stare was when he poured on the charm. "I really think I'd like you all to myself that night, Bella."
God, was this what happened to guys who had women falling into their laps all the time? Did their heads expand so much that they forget how to just be normal?
"Edward?"
"Yes, Bella?"
"Quit trying so hard."
His jaw dropped. "What?"
"You heard me. You asked me out, I said yes, you can stop trying to dazzle me now."
He muttered something under his breath and all I caught of it was the word ball-buster.
***
Despite Carlisle's assurances that I didn't need to bring anything that evening, I stopped by the grocery on the way home from the park and picked out a couple of bottles of wine to bring along. I'd be a complete liar if I said I wasn't looking forward to the evening; Carlisle was a genuinely fun interesting person, and I was looking forward to getting to know him better.
Oh, who are you kidding? You're hoping to get to know his lips better.
Okay, that too.
I puttered around the house after finishing up all my work for the day and then tackled my closet. I needed something cute, not too formal, but professional enough that he could take me seriously as I introduced him to his website for the first time. I finally settled on a simple white cotton sundress that hugged my curves up top and fluttered around my legs below. Paired with a little sweater it was the perfect balance of business casual and dinner-and-drinks chic.
I hopped into the shower and then spent a little more time than normal on my hair and makeup, before Alice came home to give me a once-over and then a thumbs-up.
"You look fabulous! The doctor's not going to know what hit him!"
"Business first, Alice," I reminded her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, get the stick out of your butt and don't forget to have a little fun too."
I sat down on the bed and started transferring the items from my purse to a cute little clutch. "Speaking of having fun...you'll never guess who I ran into this morning when I tried to go for a run."
"Who?"
"Edward Masen!"
Alice's eyebrows shot up. "Are you kidding? Where did you see him? Was it weird?"
"He was running in the park too. And yeah, it was kinda weird at first but then it wasn't such a big deal. He propositioned me again."
"Oh my God, no he did not!"
I laughed. "Yeah, something about a night of passion being an 'open invitation.' I told him I'd rather have an actual date first, so we're going out on Tuesday."
"Ugh, if I didn't love you so much, I'd hate you. Two hot dates in one week, you are one lucky bitch!"
"I think Edward was only trying to save face…I told him I had a date tonight, and that was when he got really interested."
"Really?" Alice had a mischievous look on her face. "I should tell Jasper about your date with the hot doctor tonight and have him 'accidentally' mention a few details to Edward. That'll probably drive him nuts before Tuesday."
I frowned a little. For some reason, the idea of Edward knowing any details about my date with Carlisle rubbed me the wrong way. It certainly was none of his business at this point, and I didn't want to spend Tuesday evening answering his questions or defending myself. "Alice…have you told Jasper anything about Carlisle?"
"No, it's just never come up. Do you not want me to?"
I shook my head slowly. "No, I'd really rather you didn't. My personal life is none of Edward's business and I don't really like the idea of him knowing about any other guys I might be dating. And it kinda puts Jasper in a weird spot too, since Edward's his best friend."
"I didn't think of it that way," Alice replied immediately. "You're right. My lips are sealed. So what else did you guys talk about?"
"Not much…he's got a really cute dog. Oh, and he was sweaty and shirtless and looking damn fine."
Alice cocked her head to the side and lifted her eyebrows playfully. "How weird that you just happened to run into each other like that. Maybe he was stalking you!"
I snorted inelegantly. "I seriously doubt that, he could have hit Jasper up for my phone number anytime."
She hummed in agreement. "So where does Carlisle live?"
"The Upper Eastside, I wrote down his address for you and stuck it on the fridge."
"Well listen, they're calling for thunderstorms tonight, so be careful driving home, okay? The storms here are a lot wilder than they are in Seattle."
"Will do. Now..." I spun around for her. "How do I look?"
"Fuckhawt," Alice said immediately. "You'd better get going in case traffic is bad, you don't want to keep your doctor waiting!"
I scooped up my clutch and then settled my laptop bag over my shoulder, gave Alice a quick hug, and was on my way. As much as I missed my faithful old truck, I had to admit that driving a car with functioning air conditioning was an absolute necessity in Miami. I cranked up the stereo and sang along with a few songs, trying to boost my confidence and squelch the tiny butterflies that were fluttering around in my stomach. My mind kept going back to the kisses we'd shared in the rain, the way his hands had felt against my skin. Carlisle kissed like a man who knew he had the whole night ahead of him.
Traffic wasn't as horrible as I'd anticipated, and I pulled up to Carlisle's house shortly before seven-thirty. It was in one of Miami's older neighborhoods and, by the looks of his house and those around it, one of the wealthier ones too. I parked next to Carlisle's black BMW and took a deep breath.
It's just Carlisle. Relax.
He answered the doorbell almost immediately, and my knees went weak. His blond hair was damp and tousled, he wore a crisp white button-down and tailored khakis, and his face lit up into a smile immediately when he saw me. He was so sexy it was absolutely ridiculous.
"Bella, I'm so glad to see you!" He stepped back and held the door wider for me to enter.
"I'm glad to see you too. I, um, come bearing wine and a website."
He laughed and reached out to take the bag with the wine in it. "I told you that you didn't have to bring anything except for your lovely self, but thank you."
"I wasn't really sure what to bring, so I got a red and a white, and I've really been into South American wines lately…" I babbled. Shut up, Bella, just shut up!
"I was planning on making Italian for us tonight, so that sounds perfect. You can set up your laptop in the kitchen, if you like." I followed him down the hallway to a gorgeous kitchen that would make a professional chef feel right at home.
"Wow…this is beautiful."
"I renovated the kitchen shortly after I moved in…it was tiny and dark and not very welcoming." He set the bottle of red wine on the marble countertop and then slipped the pinot grigio into a wine cooler set under the kitchen island. "I actually do enjoy cooking, but it's not as much fun when you're only cooking for one."
"I'm jealous…if I had a kitchen like this I'd come up with excuses to cook all the time." I looked around at the expensive appliances, wondering how much the renovation had cost him.
He smiled. "Well then you'll have to come over again and give me a reason to show off for you some more."
"Let me see what I think of your cooking tonight first before I commit to any more dinners," I teased. "If it's good then I'll be a very willing guinea pig. I do all the cooking for us since Alice burns anything she touches, so it's nice to have someone cooking for me."
"It's my pleasure to do it." He patted the marble countertop. "Why don't you set up your laptop here and we can get business out of the way first."
He pulled two barstools over to the island and for the next hour, I walked him through his new website. He listened intently and asked a few questions, but for the most part he simply paid attention as I showed him the different pages and demonstrated how visitors could navigate through it.
"This is perfect, Bella," he said finally. "I absolutely love it; you really captured the exact look and feel that I wanted. It's warm and welcoming but still professional and will inspire confidence in potential patients. You did an amazing job."
"If there's nothing you want changed, I'll publish it as soon as I get home. It'll take a few days before it starts showing up on the big search engines, but I'll send you a weekly stats report so you can see where your traffic is coming from. That'll help a lot if you're doing any targeted advertising."
Carlisle chuckled. "You're an angel. It was fate that landed you in my ER, I'm convinced of it now."
I blushed and closed my laptop, standing up to reach for my bag. "No, it was Alice and her Cake o' Death. Bella verses the peanuts."
"I won't say I'm glad that happened to you, because I'm never happy to see anyone need to come to the hospital." He took a step closer and reached out to gently touch my cheek. "But I'm so happy that I met you."
My heart started pounding as his fingers spread so that he was cupping my face in his hand. "Carlisle…"
"I'm no longer an 'active' client, remember?" he said softly. "And I've been thinking about this since I talked to you on Wednesday."
The only response I could muster was a whimper as he leaned closer and his lips touched mine. It was everything I remembered from Friday, but better, and I automatically put my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, his tongue running along my lower lip before slipping inside to tease my mouth. He tasted and smelled so good, and the sparks crackling between us intensified as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close against his body. I moaned involuntarily as his hand trailed down my throat. "So sweet, Bella, you taste so sweet," he whispered, breaking away for the briefest of moments before recapturing my lips with his.
Arousal flashed through me when his lips left mine and traveled across my cheek to my jaw, then to my earlobe which he captured and nipped gently. Oh God, if I didn't stop this now I'd end up begging him to take me right there on his expensive marble countertop. "Carlisle…" I tried again, trying desperately to force words out through the pleasurable haze that enveloped us both.
"Bella?" he whispered back, his voice warm and soft in my ear.
"I thought you were…making me dinner?"
He pulled back, his beautiful blue eyes studying me intently. "I fully intend to make you dinner, I promise. Am I moving too fast?"
"No, um, I…" I gulped. "That was fine."
A smile flitted across his face. "Just fine?"
I sucked in a deep breath. "Better than fine. Amazing."
"For me too," he said quietly, and then picked up my hand where it rested lightly on his chest. Without breaking eye contact, he gently placed a kiss on each of my knuckles, and I couldn't restrain the shiver that went through me again. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
I bit my lip. "Sure."
He looked thoughtful for a long moment. "Something you said last Friday has been bothering me, and I wanted to ask you about it."
"Okay." My brain wasn't firing on all cylinders at the moment, but I couldn't remember having said anything overly upsetting.
"Before you kissed me that night, you said that you had never been treated with more care or respect in your entire life. And knowing that a woman as beautiful and smart and funny as you felt that way…" He shook his head. "It's been bothering me a lot."
I stiffened slowly, vaguely remembering having said something along those lines, but I hadn't realized how it would sound to him. "I…uh…"
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," he said quickly.
"No…it's okay." I took another deep breath. "It's just…I just got out of a long relationship…it's the reason why I moved here. My boyfriend of five years basically came home and told me that he'd met someone else. We'd been together since I was in college and I guess I'm still kinda getting over being that unwanted."
His jaw tightened. "Did he hurt you?"
"No! I mean, aside from cheating on me and unceremoniously dumping me, but he wasn't abusive or anything."
Carlisle was stroking my knuckles with his thumb, almost an unconscious gesture. "But he didn't treat you with care or respect?"
I flushed. "Not like you did, no. I mean, he wouldn't have picked up on the fact that I wanted to be up in the air for the sunset, and he would have been really pissy about the rain. Just little things…we didn't know each other as well as we should have for being together for five years."
"What about your parents?"
I licked my lips nervously. "They love me, but they're both kinda wrapped up in their own lives. They always have been."
The intensity of his stare was almost overwhelming. "Don't you have anyone who cares about you, who treats you the way you deserve to be treated?"
I choked out a breathy little laugh. "Just Alice, I guess."
"That's not what I meant," he replied quietly, and what he left unsaid began ricocheting through my mind. He wants to be that person, he wants to…
"Bella," he started, and I took a small step back.
"Carlisle…I don't want you to think…I mean, I like you. I really like you a lot. But if you're thinking what I think you're thinking…" I stumbled over my words, "I don't know if I can be that for anyone, not yet."
A sad look flickered across his face. "I understand."
"No, I mean…shit, I'm not saying any of this right. I just think that maybe you want something that I can't give you yet, and it wouldn't be fair for me to pretend I can. I mean, I want to, but just…not yet."
"So, it doesn't mean no, just not yet?"
I grinned weakly at him. "It means I want to be here with you. I want to see more of you. I just can't…make you any promises that I'm incapable of keeping right now."
"I can live with that," he said, and offered me his own small smile before kissing my hand again and then taking a step back. "Would you like a glass of wine while I make us dinner?"
"I would love a glass of wine. I can help you with dinner, though."
"No need," he said, pulling a wine key out of a drawer. "This was my thanks to you, remember? I promise I won't even burn the bread. Just sit and keep me company while I cook."
The last vestiges of awkwardness from our conversation melted away as he prepared dinner and I told him about how an English Lit major ended up building websites for a living, and he told me all about his plans for his new practice. After another glass of wine I'd mellowed considerably, and the mood between us was much more relaxed by the time we sat down at the dining room table. We chatted about my impressions of Miami and Carlisle suggested that I start running in the pre-dawn coolness until I acclimated somewhat to the heat and humidity. We'd both just finished eating when a flicker of lightning and a rumble of thunder caught our attention.
"Oh crap, I forgot that it was supposed to storm tonight. Alice mentioned something about it."
"They were forecasting a severe thunderstorm warning earlier," Carlisle mused. "Let's go see what they're saying now on the local news."
He offered his hand and I took it gladly as he led me into the living room. I curled up on the couch as he turned on the television and flipped it over to a local channel. A severe weather warning was scrolling across the bottom of the screen, reinforced by the claps of thunder that were increasing in frequency outside.
"Maybe I should leave now," I said hesitantly. I'd had half the bottle of wine by that point, but I didn't want to drive through a raging thunderstorm in a city I wasn't entirely familiar with either.
"Why don't you wait and see if it blows through first?" Carlisle suggested. "The storms here are really quite something if you're not used to them."
Before I had a chance to respond, the wind picked up appreciably outside, whooshing around the house with a strength that made me think about hurricanes. "Yeah, you might just be right about that."
There was a louder burst of thunder and a second later, the lights and television both flickered and then faded, leaving us in darkness. Carlisle swore softly. "I was afraid that would happen, the power goes out here almost every single time a big storm rolls through. The entire block is probably out."
"It's no biggie," I assured him, pulling a light woven afghan off the back of the couch and wrapping it around my shoulders. "I'm not afraid of the dark."
"Unfortunately I'm fairly used to this," Carlisle grumbled, pulling a box of long matches off a shelf. "Could you light any white candles you see in here? I'll go light some in the hall and the bathroom. I don't even bother putting them away any more."
I nodded and he handed me the box, then slipped out of the room. I busied myself lighting the twenty or so pale candles scattered around the room; Carlisle hadn't been kidding when he said he was used to the power going out. I'd just finished and blown out the match when he returned.
"Well, this isn't exactly how I'd imagined our night ending," he apologized. "I usually just end up reading medical journals when this happens."
"As thrilling as that sounds," I drawled, "I don't know how much I'd get out of that. What else have you got?"
He smirked at me. "Scrabble?"
"What?"
"I've got either Scrabble or Trivial Pursuit, take your pick."
I laughed. "I'd have to be insane to play Scrabble with a doctor, are you kidding?"
"I think any words I use have to be in the Scrabble dictionary," he pointed out, crossing the room to a heavy wooden armoire. "Trivial Pursuit, then?"
"Bring it on!" The wine had made me recklessly brave, but Trivial Pursuit was one board game I was somewhat good at. I had a knack for remembering random useless trivia, and it had always served me well at the game in the past. Jacob had refused to play with me after I beat him the first few times.
Carlisle pulled the box out of the armoire and carried it over to the coffee table as I cleared a space, pushing the candles and books out of the way. He set it up quickly and handed me the small plastic pie, his fingers brushing over mine as he did so. I shivered a little.
"Are you cold?" he asked, immediately concerned, and I shook my head, slipping to the floor and folding my legs under me. With the couch at my back and the luxuriously-soft throw over my shoulders, I was actually very comfortable. Carlisle handed me the die and moved to sit next to me. "You can go first."
I tossed the small cube onto the game board and we began in earnest. Carlisle was as competitive over the game as I was, and I knew he was surprised at how easily I was able to spout random pop culture trivia and obscure facts. I was even pretty good at the Sports category, thanks to Charlie's favorite pastime. Time slipped by quickly in the candlelit darkness, and soon enough we were tied: I needed a Geography piece to complete my pie, and he needed, ironically enough, Science and Nature.
"God, you are dangerous at this game!" he exclaimed when I correctly answered a question about the Iberian Peninsula and aimed at moving my pie back towards the center.
"If you only knew," I giggled, "You would have insisted on Scrabble. I suck at Scrabble."
"I suppose it wouldn't be fair if I tried to distract you," he muttered, slipping his arm down from where it rested on the couch and tugging gently at my hair.
"It won't work; I have my game face on now." It was probably the wine speaking, but I had success in my sights and a slight sense of euphoria clouding my head.
"I could try though," he suggested, his voice dropping a little. His fingers moved up to run across the back of my neck and I immediately felt goosebumps jump over my skin.
"That's cheating."
"There's nothing in the rules that specifically prohibits distractions," he contradicted, his fingertips now stroking lightly over my scalp, pulling my hair just a little with each pass. I wanted to purr at the sensation but that was just silly, so I settled for a breathy little moan when he tugged at my hair again.
"You look so beautiful in candlelight," he said abruptly, and I looked at him, my eyes wide.
"I wasn't before?"
"Oh, you were…but now you are utterly exquisite." His blue eyes, darkened to navy in the low light, raked over me. "Smart and beautiful is quite the lethal combination, you know."
I sagged back slightly against the couch under the weight of his stare, feeling a slow fire begin to lick through me. "You think I'm beautiful?"
"You are beautiful," he insisted, his hand slipping out of my hair to slide down my neck and rest on my shoulder. "I'm astonished that you still don't realize that."
There were several beats of silence as his eyes locked with mine, before he shifted his body closer to me. "Bella…I want to kiss you again."
"Okay." I couldn't have given him another answer to save my life.
"You can tell me to stop whenever you want."
"Okay."
He inched closer. "I've wanted to do this again…"
"Carlisle?" I breathed against his lips.
"Yes?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
So he did. And this kiss, although it was as perfect as the ones before, had insistence behind it, and that melted my last little wisps of hesitation. His mouth was more forceful now, pushing my willing lips apart so that his tongue could plunge in immediately, and I could only moan softly against him as he shifted slightly over me, taking command of the situation. Another deep hot kiss and then he pulled back, his blue eyes almost black as they burned into mine.
"You'll tell me to stop if you want me to?"
"I want this," I whispered, bringing up my hand to wrap around his neck and pull his face back to mine. And it was true, despite my guilt I'd wanted him badly from the moment he first pressed me up against my car and kissed me in the rain. I only now knew how much.
A raw groan boiled up from his chest and in a heartbeat he had moved over me, his knees on either side of my curled legs so that he was straddling my body, hovering over me as I lolled back against the couch. His hands framed my face and his lips came back down fiercely on mine, a much more demanding move that I immediately responded to. I felt every nerve in my body stand up when his teeth nibbled along my lip, his tongue swiping over it immediately afterwards to soothe the sweet sting there, and I arched against him.
My hands pulled at his shirt until I'd tugged it loose from the waistband of his pants and, too impatient to fiddle with the buttons, I slipped my hands up under it, sliding smoothly against the hot skin there. His breathing hitched and his lips stilled for a second as my fingers trailed up over the lean hard muscle of his abdomen, ran over his ribs, and then up even further. I could feel his heart pounding as my fingertips skated over his chest and the light sprinkling of hair there.
"Bella," he gasped, his face dropping so that his cheek was pressed against mine and his mouth was burning against my ear. "I want you, I want you so badly right now. Please either tell me to stop or tell me to make love to you, I need you to tell me what you want…"
I turned my head so that we were face-to-face, my nose bumping against his. The heat coming off his skin was almost overwhelming, and I felt every bit of lust in my body begin to rise to the surface, just under my skin, following the path his fingers traced over me. There was only one answer that I could give him, the only thing I wanted at that moment. "Carlisle…I want you too…please…"
His forehead dropped to my shoulder and for a moment I thought he was going to collect himself and pull away. But his eyes, when he pulled back and met my gaze, were suddenly so intense that I could almost feel the weight of them holding me down. "Tell me that again."
"I want you," I managed, my voice breaking on the word. It was so inadequate, but it was all I could say at the moment…because there were no words for the hot steady burn that was inexorably building deep inside of me. I only knew that I needed this man, and I needed him now.
He stood suddenly, and then reached down to grasp my hands in his, pulling me up against his body. When I was steady on my feet, his lips descended to mine again, his hands sweeping down my back to settle on my hips. I whimpered and reflexively pressed up against him, now feeling his hard arousal straining against the front of his pants, solid against my front. The sensation shot another flare of lust through me, from the tips of my toes all the way up to where my lips were pressed against his. My body instinctively responded to the signals that his was giving off, and I ground up against him before I could stop myself, getting lost in the hard presence of his body over mine, lips that were demanding even as they gave, and his breath which was coming in shorter pants as I moved against him. "Bella…"
"Don't think," I ordered, before swiping at his earlobe with my tongue. His resulting groan made me brave and I ran my fingers through his hair as I spoke again. "I want this too. I want you."
He jerked at my words and then, before I realized what he was doing, bent slightly and hitched me up against him so that my feet were no longer touching the floor. I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist and when he moved, I realized it was what he'd intended all along. My arms tightened around his shoulders and I buried my face in the smooth skin of his neck, kissing him there as he carried me out of the living room and down a dark hallway.
I hadn't realized my eyes were shut until they snapped open when he laid me down on a bed, and I immediately realized he must have taken me to his bedroom. There were a few lit candles there already, but it was much darker than the living room had been. He carefully stretched out over me and I hummed in pleasure at the renewed contact, letting my legs fall apart so that he was truly cradled between my thighs. I could feel the delicious pressure of him pushing up against me even more firmly then, but it still wasn't enough.
I unfastened the first two buttons of his shirt and then gave up, yanking impatiently at it until he reached back to pull it up and over his head, exposing his naked torso to me. It looked as good as it felt, and I couldn't help but run my fingers over him again, learning the smooth hard dips and curves of his abdomen; the muscles that clenched at my touch. When my fingers dropped to the button of his pants he reached down and caught my hand, then brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "Let me…"
He undressed me slowly, placing a kiss over every inch of skin that he exposed, taking his time to lick and nibble at me until I truly began to think that I would climax just from that alone. He was in no hurry as he slid the straps of my dress down off my shoulders to kiss the upper slopes of my breasts, and then gently pulled the garment further down so he could nuzzle at my stomach while I gasped and squirmed under him. I hadn't bothered wearing a bra with the tight bodice of my dress, so after he carefully pulled all the material away and I lay before him in just my panties, he stopped and let his gaze burn over me.
"Oh God, Bella…you are so beautiful, so perfect…"
Then he was kissing over my hipbones before hooking his fingers into the waistband of the lacy little panties, easing them down over my thighs as he continued to kiss the new areas he exposed. I gasped when his lips brushed briefly over me there, pressing a soft kiss against my clit, but not going any further. The panties were down and slipping over my ankles as he kissed his way down the inside of my thigh, over my knee and calf, and then back up the other leg.
"Beautiful," he whispered when he reached my face again, before indulging in another languid kiss. I could feel the fabric of his pants rasping against my skin and I reached impatiently for the button and zipper. This time he let me, and I unfastened everything as quickly as I could. He hissed when my knuckles rubbed over his very prominent erection, and then quickly pulled his pants and boxers the rest of the way down his legs. When he settled back between my legs again, there was nothing between us, just hot skin against skin.
He slowed again, stilling my eager movements under him, letting his lips make their way back down over my sternum before settling between my breasts. He placed several kisses there and then skimmed up over one, and kissed around my nipple before slowly licking it and then pulling it firmly into his mouth. I gasped immediately at the sudden increase in sensation as his teeth grazed lightly over the sensitive flesh, following it with several long slow strokes of his tongue. When he'd worked it into a hard throbbing peak, he let the tip of his tongue trail down and over and then repeated the action on the other side.
I was on fire, I was drowning, I was already exploding into a million pieces. The feelings that Carlisle was teasing out of my body were taking over everything, and I didn't even feel in control of myself anymore. When his fingers ran down to stroke me lightly, I could feel how wet I was in the slip of his skin against mine, how hard I was already throbbing, so desperately in need of his attention. I went rigid and quivered against him as he slipped a finger inside of me and then let his thumb rub against my clit at the same time. When he pulled his finger out of me, his thumb moved down only to push back up when his finger sank in again. He repeated the sweet push and pull until I was gasping and balancing dangerously close on the precipice of orgasm. It was there, clenched tightly inside my lower abdomen, ready to shatter.
Desperate for a distraction, anything to prolong the pleasure that was eating me alive from the inside out, I ran a hand down his chest and stomach, lifting my touch until it was just my fingertips against his skin when I reached his arousal. I feathered down its length as he groaned, already aching and desperate to feel him inside of me. He was so hot and so hard, and everything I needed was right there, and my patience was rapidly evaporating. I wrapped my hand around him, and he immediately flexed his hips forward, pushing into my fist.
I felt myself go even more liquid against him as he began peppering feverish kisses across my face. "Bella, I want you so much," he moaned against me, making me shiver. "I wanted this to be sweet and slow for you, but I can't…"
"I don't want you to wait," I whispered resolutely, reaching down to cup his hips in my hands, trying to angle him firmly back between my legs again.
"Let me get…" He leaned to the side and grabbed a small foil packet from the top of his bedside table, quickly ripping it open. Despite myself, I smiled.
"I'm sure you don't just keep the condoms on top of the table…were you planning on getting lucky tonight?"
"Desperately hoping," he breathed in reply, rolling the latex down his length before settling his weight onto his forearms on either side of me, his lips tangling with mine again. I bent my knees and bit back a choked cry when I felt the very tip of him slide over me. I was so unbelievably aroused that even that slight contact made my lower abdomen clench and the exquisite burn coiled and contracted. It wouldn't take much for me to come, I knew it.
When he settled and began a long slow push, sheathing his length inside of me, the sensations became too much. The thick drag of him as he slowly entered me was the last spark I needed, I couldn't have stopped my reaction for the world, and my hips jerked as a climax ripped through me, almost painful in its intensity. I threw my head back and my mouth fell open as he continued pushing steadily into me through the throbbing of my walls around him; the pleasure stole my breath away.
"Jesus Christ," he groaned, finally fully surrounded by me as the last pulses of my body gripped him tight. "Bella, I'm not going to last very long if you keep that up."
"Your…fault…" I gasped.
"I'll gladly take credit for that," he murmured, before withdrawing almost all the way in a long slow pull, then seating himself back again in an equally unhurried push. My back came up off the bed as I arched under him, hot tingles already bubbling back up again. He repeated the action several more times, and then captured my lips, sliding his tongue in and out of my mouth to the same rhythm that his body set. I was moaning almost non-stop now.
"So sweet," he muttered into my mouth, before increasing the speed of his hips, his pelvic bone rubbing firmly against my clit with each push. I stiffened against him and dug my fingernails into his shoulders as he dipped down without ceasing his thrusts, taking a nipple in his mouth and tugging on it gently with his teeth. When I began writhing too hard for him to keep up, he placed hot open-mouthed kisses over my skin, working back up over my chest, to my neck, to my face.
He pressed his forehead against mine. "I can feel how close you are again, Bella, and I want to watch you come this time. Keep your eyes open and look at me while you come."
It took only a few more firm strokes as his fingers and lips also moved over my body, and I was exploding around him again, pleasure so deep and intense it was almost like hot gorgeous pain knifing through me. He kept moving as long as he could, his eyes locked on mine, before his face contorted and he let out a strangled moan. He thrust harder and faster, and then jerked, his expression collapsing into one of sheer bliss as he came, gasping my name. A weak little cry was the only response I was capable of giving.
He held still for a moment, panting against me, and then pressed another passionate kiss against my lips. "Stay put," he ordered softly, before slowly pulling out of me; I immediately groaned at the loss of him. He disappeared for a moment, then returned, pulling me into his arms as he lay down beside me again.
"Bella…I have never seen anything as beautiful as you coming apart around me. Thank you."
I murmured something wordless back to him.
"Will you stay the night with me? Please? I want to make love to you again...I need to have you again."
"I'll stay the night," I whispered. My brain and body were still pleasantly buzzing from the powerful orgasm I'd experienced, but the thought of doing it all over again with Carlisle was more than enough incentive to stay.
He pulled me deeper into his warm embrace and I sighed, tired but perfectly content in the comfort of his arms.
***
We made love twice more that night before we both succumbed to complete exhaustion. I fell asleep as he gently stroked his fingers through my hair, running his hands down over the skin on my back.
When I woke up again, I blinked groggily before automatically looking in the direction of the bedside table. The digital alarm clock there was flashing 12:00, and memories of the previous evening began trickling through my mind. My swollen lips curved up a little and I turned my head to see Carlisle asleep next to me, one arm thrown up over his head, his beautiful face in profile.
My muscles ached with a very agreeable burn as I carefully inched out of the bed and then stretched. I had no idea what time it was, but dawn was just beginning to streak the sky outside, and there was a very insistent bird singing in the tree next to the window. I automatically began looking around for my dress when suddenly a rush of déjà vu hit me, so strong that I was actually dizzy for a moment, and sat back down carefully on the edge of the bed.
I'd been in this situation before. Gathering my clothes, trying not to wake a man who'd just given me a night of unimaginable pleasure, trying to sneak out before he could roll over and ask me to stay.
Or ask me to go.
I didn't want to be the girl who had this routine down pat.
Tears stung in my eyes as realization roared over me. I didn't regret a single thing I'd done with Carlisle, or with Edward weeks ago. I did regret that I was sneaking out as though I did have something to be ashamed of, as though I were running away before it caught up with me.
I took a deep breath, surprised at the sudden onslaught of emotions rocking me. The thoughts running through my head were ones I hadn't even consciously realized were there, but now was not the time or place for deep self-analysis. I could either get dressed and leave, or I could curl back up in bed against the warmth of Carlisle's body. Or, I suppose I could probably go into the kitchen and try to figure out how to work his fancy coffee maker.
I chanced a brief glance back over my shoulder, only to jump and let out a little squeak of surprise when I saw that Carlisle's bright blue eyes were open and fixed on me. "I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"I'm a doctor, I'm used to being a very light sleeper," he murmured in reply. "Where are you going so early?"
"I don't know," I replied softly.
"Hmm." He shifted, turning onto his side to face me. "It looks like you were trying to sneak out on me."
"Uhh…"
He rubbed a hand over his face and then raked it back through his hair. "You can do whatever you're most comfortable with, Bella, but I truly hope you'll get back into bed with me. I'm not quite ready to let you go yet."
I exhaled a breath I hadn't even realized was stuck in my chest, and felt some of the tension melt out of my body. There was no reason to run away, nothing to keep at a safe distance. Carlisle offered me a sleepy smile. "Please?"
Don't think anymore, Bella. Just do what feels right. I lifted the sheet and slid back into bed. Carlisle's warm hard arms immediately wrapped around my waist and he snuggled me back against his body before kissing the top of my head. "Good morning, beautiful."
*
*
A/N:
Kate: So Brits, what did you think of Dr. McYummy in this chap?
*Brits convulses on the floor, drooling and twitching in a Dr. Fuck-me-now induced seizure*
Kate: OH SHIT, NO TWIN, NO, DON'T GO INTO THE LIGHT!!! IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?!? PAGING DR. MCYUMMY FOR PEEN-TO-MOUTH RESUSCITATION!!!
*Brits murmurs incoherently* peen....mouth...yummy...
*Kate lovingly slaps Brits around until she blinks rapidly K-Stew style and comes to* You okay there bb?
Brits: God DAYUM, twin! That was so fuckhawt you nearly made me go catatonic! Can you just....go over there a minute? I need to talk to our readers.
Kate: Sure thing, I'll just be over here reassuring Playboyward that his time is cumming, err, coming
Brits: You do that. *motions to readers* Come closer guys. Ok, for realz, I probably shouldn't fangirl on my co-author but holy fucking fuck, was that not the hottest shit EVER? So I'm thinking, since Kate busted her ass...and her loins...we should review the shit out of this chap, yeah? She totes deserves it after the workout she gave herself...I MEAN, gave Bella. Yeah. So leave a crapton of reviews and I'll start working on Playboyward's chap...cuz you know he has something to say. Cool? K....Kate, you can come back now, you lemon hoor!
*Kate wanders back with Playboyward in tow* Hey, this sexy beast here misses you, Brits...and I'm sure he's not the only one! I know I'm ready willing and able...TO READ.
*Brits grabs playboyward by the collar* Come on, big boy...you have some mighty big shoes to fill!
Kate: So although we (and when I say we, I include Dr. McYummy and Playboyward) love and adore every single review you leave us, we also love it when you visit us over at the Twilighted thread! You'd be amazed at some of the stuff that gets posted over there...just sayin'! www(DOT)twilighted(DOT)?f=44&t=8305&st=0&sk=t&sd=a
Until next time, lovelies!