Beneath the Undertow
Chapter 3
I stopped at the end of the bed, the lone candle flicker lit a path of tender kisses across her pale cheeks, closed eyes, and finally her plump, waiting mouth. "I'm sorry…" Warm fingers on lips silenced my desperate apology.
"Not now…" Gliding hands, feeling and wanting, discovered bare skin underneath each others shirts. We tugged and lifted, parting only enough to remove and stare. She quickly slipped out of her shorts and panties, I reactively palmed my erection. Sitting, wide eyed perfection on our pale green quilt, her long legs teased over the edge. I parted her thighs and stood between. She trailed up and down my cock through heavy denim, biting her lip, taunting and seductive. "Fuck, Bella."
Unbuttoned, unzipped… my wife pushed down and freed me. I stood exposed, beyond the physical. She softly squeezed as I throbbed, her tongue wet the length of her lower lip as she urged me closer. I suddenly felt the warmth of her mouth surround my tip and my favorite beautiful brown eyes gazing through dark lashes was almost my immediate undoing. Clenching my hands, I attempted control as soft, slow licks tortured.
Fingers caressed, then gripped as she took me deeper. The sensations overwhelmed, I tangled into her hair for balance and connection. Cradling gently, I tugged on her silky brown strands while rubbing small circles just behind her ears. I groaned, she hummed… vibrating through my length.
With the delicious swell of heat set in motion, I fought the urge to release. "Baby, I need to be inside you, it's been too long." My hands smoothed forward over her cheeks, as I pulled my hips back. I watched my cock erotically slide from her mouth, her tongue swirled as her eyes fluttered. She playfully smirked an invitation as she leaned back on her elbows.
"I'll never have enough of you." Intimate with only each other, we were forever confident in our passion. Lying open, her pale skin stroked with pink, taut rosy nipples and begging eyes… she wanted. I kneeled between her thighs; rough hands pushed her knees further. The sweet scent of her arousal taunted as I slid up towards her center. Reactively she lifted one leg to my shoulder, as I leaned forward and spread her gently.
Our eyes met as I tasted. Long lashes rested on flushed cheeks, she twisted and pulled me further into her warmth. "Baby… more…" Hips rolled as she withered from the intensity of sucks and twirls. I slid two fingers into her wet heat, pumping a slow, perfect pace. Her legs tightened, she fell back on the cool cotton sheets. "Edward…" She moaned as she tipped. Her trembling hands held my head still as she rode the waves against my tongue.
I peppered her body with soothing, open mouthed kisses, dipping into her navel over her abdomen up to her breasts. Hovering, our lips grazed, sharing a breath. "Baby, you're so fucking beautiful." We stared knowingly. Surrendering to the nightmare of loss and challenges of reality, passing time easily multiplied. Her needy whimpering and undulating hips spurred me on. Working back down, I sucked and nipped one nipple, then the other, her fingers digging and grasping.
As I righted, standing again between her legs, she tugged at her taut peaks, wet from my sweet assault. I gripped my cock at the base, stoking myself once, then again.
"Fuck, Edward. Baby, please…" She twisted towards me in hot frustration.
I placed her smooth leg at my shoulder and lined myself, slowly pushing forward. We gasped together through the moment. Tender kisses at her ankle, I urged her other leg around my hip, bracing me close. Deep breaths steadied my impulse to pound and rush.
"Please, Edward." she mouthed, gripping the bed beneath her. Quickly finding a fevered rhythm, thrusting and swiveling, she arched and met.
"Is that what you want, baby?" I whispered.
She nodded, fisting through her own mussed hair. "Yes… god, yes." Each push, each pull was harder than the last. Our need was deep; there would be time later for tender. My muscles flexed, tense watching her build and rise. Quivering, her mouth parted as she climaxed, then floated. Dark, wide eyes gazing at our connection, while I pumped frantic and erratic, pacing her hips over my pulsing cock.
"Bella…"
Dropping her leg, I caught myself just above her glistening body. My forehead fell to her heaving chest. I smiled, blissfully sated over a racing heartbeat, as her fingers tangled in my damp hair. Trailing my hand along her neck, I gently dusted over her naturally blushed cheek. Then thumbing her swollen lips, she puckered and wrinkled her nose. We kissed slow and mellow, winding and lost in each other.
"Can we talk now?" I propped on an elbow, as she settled back.
"Okay."
"Where were you today?" I asked quietly, running measures of her hair between my knuckles.
She sighed, staring at the ceiling. "Bella, answer me. I was worried." She met my eyes, frowning slightly.
"I called your mom this morning."
"Why?" I paused, softly tasting the inside of her wrist.
"I wanted… I needed to take..." she whispered, sitting. "She met me at that consignment shop on Rose Street. You know the one her friend from church owns?"
"Did you take the rest of his things?" I comforted, smoothing down her bare back. She nodded silently, facing away with a light shiver. "Hey, hey…" Pulling her to lay at my chest, I framed her face, forcing a reassuring smile.
"The woman gave me cash for the clothes," her voice trailed, she stared towards the burning flame on the side table. "It was pretty awful."
I pinched her chin for attention. "Why didn't you wake me up to go with you?"
"You were sleeping so hard. It was time. I don't know, I just felt…" She ran fingertips over my eyebrows, down my nose, over my lips. "Your mom offered to take me a while ago."
"How was she?"
"She's good, Edward… really misses you. You know, she was so sweet the whole morning. Just that quiet way... that way she has about her. I needed it… today." She paused, twisting her mouth. "And I took the cash payment to the utility center downtown afterwards." She rolled on her back, covering her eyes. "Power should be back on by Monday morning."
Running a rough, punishing hand over my face, I stood and pulled on my jeans. "Edward… don't be mad. I was…" Bella reached for me.
"No, I'm not mad… I just… I wish he was still here. That's all. I wish everyday… he was still here."
We embraced suddenly; I sat and pulled her into my lap. "I do too…" Forcing my stare, cradling my face, we lingered in the heavy moment. "I really do too. I wish things were different. Everything. But…"
"We'll have another baby one day. You know that, right?" I laid her back, hovering gently.
"I hope so." She breathed, grazing my cheek. "But right now…" I buried into the base of her neck, inhaling her thick, honeyed hair, damp from the heat. "We have to deal… And… I don't know…" Staring, listening, I braced for the rest. "I think nursing school can wait… and don't argue." I smirked, biting playfully at the finger she pointed.
"You're going to school," I said in mock warning. Pulling me tight down towards her, sweet, grateful pecks warmed briefly deeper. "Would you ever move away… from Forks?"
She sighed, narrowing her eyes. "Would you be moving with me?" Tickling fingertips grazed my bare sides.
"Shhh… of course." I smoothed over her swollen lips with mine. "I'm serious, baby. If I found a job somewhere else. Could you leave?"
"You mean… leave him, don't you?" She whispered, I nodded. Grasping the engraved oval around my neck, she smiled.
~BtU~
Moving through the hot haze to the lowest bleacher, I pulled tight, tense muscles across my chest. Gripping and rotating my throwing shoulder to soothe pain and nerves. I slid a sly glance towards my former high school dugout. Unfamiliar experts held court with radar guns and clip boards. Whispers and wide eyes were the only gauge or indication. Bending blistered knuckles once… twice, a welcomed pain radiated as I opened my black equipment bag.
"Edward…" Billy hushed, standing near. "Christ, do you have any idea?" I smirked and shrugged, masking my anticipation.
"Don't play games with me, son. You know what you threw. Holy shit!" He shook his head, grinning. I shoved my glove in, following him from the field. Scanning the parking lot, for Bella's old Honda, I rushed. "You didn't tell her, did you?" Billy joked.
I smiled and rolled my eyes, adjusting the weighted bag strap up and over. His laughter bellowed, increasing suddenly. He generously fisted against my bicep and pointed in front of us. Bella was perched on the gate of my truck bed, swinging her legs. Fatherly palming my jaw, Billy's taunting laughter morphed into serious sigh. "I'm proud of you, Edward." We both looked towards Bella. "I've got a real good feeling about this. You're a helluva young man." A playful slap to my sunburned cheek was his gestured good bye.
"Hey, Billy," I shouted after him. "Whatever happens… you know with it all… Thanks, man… and hey… I'll be here Sunday." He leveled a side salute, nodding.
I paced slower as I reached the angry beauty waiting. Her lean, sun freckled arms were crossed defensively over the top of her cream sundress. Angling her head, she prepared her tirade. "Oh, hello." I immediately sensed the smile beneath. Dropping my bag, I tucked into a short dark t-shirt sleeve, wiping my damp mouth. She spun my sweat soaked baseball cap backwards on my head, leaving me hopeful. "So I was just sitting at my desk in the front office, minding my own business…"
"Uh-huh…" I leaned in, she scoffed back. We played our parts.
"…and Coach Banner stopped by. You know for our afternoon flirt session." We mirrored each other's dramatically raised brows.
"Really… well that must be your favorite time of day." The tease waged on.
"Yes. Then suddenly, these old guys walked in wearing all this obnoxious Mariner's shit." She rolled her eyes; I smirked, pulling her hand to my mouth. "They were going back and forth with Coach Banner about being scouts and on and on about a tryout or something crazy like that." Peppering kisses over her knuckles, I urged her to continue.
"Go on…"
"Coach Banner asked if I'd like to join him while he watched all the hopeful punks show their stuff. Of course I agreed, I mean I've always kinda liked baseball. So we walked hand-in-hand to the field."
"This hand?" I nibbled her thumb, she playfully jerked away.
"And then…" She gestured wildly. "He says, oh isn't that your husband on the mound? On the mound with the speed gun pointed at him. On the mound trying out for the Seattle Mariner's Rookie League… you know, nothing else to do on a Friday afternoon in July."
"Yeah, then what happened?" My hands slid under her ass and scooted her to the edge. She wrapped around my neck, rubbing her nose along mine.
"Then… I saw this tall, sexy guy throwing some fast stuff. I saw... the love of my life being so brave… I saw my husband doing his very best… for us." She whispered softly.
"Baby…" Our lips crashed over, tongues tangling. Bella tensed slightly, palms against my chest.
"Your dad is standing behind you," she breathed at my mouth. I turned quickly, as Bella hopped down, smoothing out her short dress. "Hi, Dr. Cullen." She kissed him on the cheek and disappeared, leaving us surprised, sharing a rare smile.
"I'm hearing 90-91," He said casually, clearing his throat. Resting large, aging hands on the waist of his blue scrubs, his stance relaxed.
"Okay. Good. That's what I was shooting for."
"It's obvious Billy's hitting your slider hard. It looked… incredible." He slid his dark shades down, to avoid. "Well… I need to get back to the hospital. Bella said it was an emergency when she called." He laughed lightly.
I forced my hand towards him, he met it firmly. "Thanks… for being here."
~BtU~
Her ass peeked just beyond the open fridge door. I snuck behind, caressing as she reached for a glass pitcher of lemonade. "Hi, baby…" She melted as I held her tight, back to my front.
"You can't wear this purple bikini to Emmett's birthday party. His friends are just…" I whispered against her smooth neck. Thumbing over her hardening nipples, she pushed back, teasing through my thin, black swim trunks.
"Mmmm… it's the only one I have. And you picked it out." Turning in my arms, she tugged the leather chain around my neck, lower. "Quit making excuses. You need to get out of the house. We need to go have some fun."
I narrowed my eyes and twisted my mouth, releasing the top tie behind her back. "All I need is for you to bend over this counter and…"
"Oh, really?" Biting and sucking at my bottom lip, her fingers traced the trail of hair on my abdomen. "The party doesn't start until two, we could... maybe do something to calm you down…" She offered with a naughty smirk. Groaning, I threw her over my sore muscles and playfully slapped her ass. Just as we rounded the corner the kitchen telephone rang. I froze, she gasped.
"Hello…"
"Lookin' for Edward Cullen." I stifled my laughter to recognize the voice. Bella tickled at the edge of my shorts as she hung down my back.
"This is Edward." I squeezed her thigh to quiet and still.
"Well, well… Mr. Cullen… I've been waitin' to talk to you since you were about sixteen years old, son."
Twisting the cord of the simple wall phone, I listened close, balancing the only thing that truly mattered over my shoulder. She strained to hear, to understand, as my hand trembled over her warm skin. Talk of speed and talent, promises, decisions and places to sign rattled on.
"Thank you. I really appreciate this, sir."
I set Bella carefully on her feet within a breath and leaned back against the old pine cabinets. Staring at her peach painted toes wiggling impatiently, I blew an exhale into clasped hands, absorbing the implication of the call and watching her bounce. "Who was it?" I met her anxious, wide eyes. "Tell me!"
In a sudden rush of adrenaline, I buried my fingers into her loose knot of hair pulling her close. Confusion… excitement... beautiful brown eyes sparkled with realization. She covered her parted mouth with her hands as I nodded silently.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Leaping, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
She squealed, smiling wide, wrinkling her sun kissed nose. "I'm so proud of you." Sloppy celebratory kisses wet my neck, ears, and forehead. "Oh wait, what was that about bending me over…"
I carried her towards our bedroom, laughing… full and so, so humbled. "I love you."
.
A/N
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