BPOV
Edward gave my hand a gentle squeeze as we got to his front door and then I was off. Racing towards my brother who stood waiting for me in the foyer, arms outstretched. Within seconds we were hugging one another and apologising over and over for the things we'd said in his office.
Alice joined us once the initial apologies were over and soon it was all three of us hugging in the foyer.
All the drama our little spat had caused seemed ridiculous as we stood there in someone else's home, having all been driven there despite the fact that we all owned our own vehicles, working out our differences.
"This is some place," Jasper whispered to me before he kissed me one more time on the cheek.
"It sure is," I reply as I drag him with me to the kitchen where I could hear the whistle of a kettle being boiled. "Edward won't show it off because he's shy about it, but if you ask he'll give you the tour."
"I'll go," Alice pipes up excitedly.
"If I have to," Jasper adds and I squeeze his hand just a little.
"Promise me you'll try to like him?" I beg in a whisper as we neared the kitchen. "He's a great guy and I really like him. Try to put out of your head what you've read about him and give him a chance, please?"
"I promise," he said quickly and seemingly easily and I hoped that he would.
Both Edward and Seth were behind the kitchen counter when we got there. Seth was unstacking the dishwasher and Edward was stirring a mug of coffee.
"Are we friends again?" he asked as we three each took a seat at the counter.
"Yeah, we're friends," Jasper deadpanned. "There's nothing to inherit so there's no point ditching her," he shrugged, which earned him a slap on the arm from both Alice and I at the same time.
"Funny but my sister says the complete opposite," Edward laughs as he sets a mug of coffee in front of me. "What can I get you?" he asks both Alice and Jasper, who both love their coffee as much as I do.
"White and one for me and the same as Bella's for Alice, thanks," Jasper replies and Edward sets to work right away.
I can tell that he's nervous. He's twitchy and jumpy and his hands aren't as steady as they usually are. He's also hopping from foot to foot now and then as he waits for the kettle to boil again.
"He makes great coffee," I say as a way to break the tension. "But he tells me he can't cook for shit."
"He's not lying," Seth chuckles.
"Disloyal bastard," Edward jokes with a snarl at Seth who shrugs jovially and returns to his task. "And he's showing off right now," he laughs, "he's never emptied a dishwasher in his life."
Seth doesn't refute the claim he just shrugs as he sets the clean plates into their slots in the drawer. "And you've never taken a day off work mid week so I guess you're showing off too," he snipes good naturedly.
"I guess I am," Edward admits, shocking me just a little bit.
I'd thought he was going to be embarrassed, at the very least unhappy with Seth's comment, but he just straight up admitted it and I found that adorable.
I nudge my brother while both guys are busy and nod towards Edward. Jasper raises his eyes at me and I plead with him with mine.
"Um," he starts off, "this place is pretty amazing. Want to show me around?" he asks cautiously and I can let out the breath I've been holding.
Edward looks to me right away, his eyes searching my face. "Did your dad send him to self defence classes too?" he asks me, totally throwing me.
"Nope," I say, popping the p.
"You gonna sucker punch me as soon as my back's turned?" Edward asks Jasper with a chuckle.
"You done anything that deserves me sucker punching you?" Jasper asks, not quite as jovially as I thought he should.
"Not a thing," Edward swears as he sets two mugs of coffee on the counter in front of my family.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about," Jasper grins over the edge of his cup. "And this is pretty good," he says after taking a sip.
"You need me for anything else, boss?" Seth asks as he sets the last glass back into the overhead cupboard.
"Not until that delivery comes, no," Edward replies.
"Then I'll be downstairs," Seth says. "Nice to meet you both," he says to Jasper and Alice who reply in kind. "I'll see you later, Bella," he says to me and I thank him for all the running around he's done for me that day.
"Want to show me your room?" Alice asks as she drains her cup.
I look to Edward who just winks at me and I can't help but grin. He doesn't know I already told Alice where we spent last night.
"Sure," I tell her, "It's down here," I point towards the hall leading away. "You two play nicely," I say to the two boys.
EPOV
"Lead the way," Jasper told me as soon as his sister and Alice disappeared down the hallway.
I didn't want to show him around, I'd much rather just tell him to have at it and look at whatever he liked, but he'd asked.
I took a gulp from my cup and showed him down the opposite hall and into my living room.
"Full HD?" he asks of my television.
"Yeah," I reply awkwardly.
We move beyond the living room and into the library. He looks around and says it was nice and really, what else can you say about a room lined with books?
"There's three guest suites down there," I say, pointing to the hallway where the giggling of the two girls could now be heard coming from.
"What's upstairs?" he asks, looking just as unimpressed about three bedrooms as I felt.
"My office, my bedroom and a couple more empty bedrooms," I shrug.
"Back there?" he asks pointing to the archways on either side of the kitchen.
"Stairs to the ground and lower floors," I tell him.
"It's four floors?" he asks, eyebrows raised.
"Yeah," I mumble as I run a hand through my hair. "The block slopes back from the road. It's deceptive."
"Cool," he says noncommittally. "What's down there then?"
"Games room, bar and all the service rooms on the next floor down and Seth lives right down the bottom," I say with a shrug.
"Why didn't you say?" he laughs. "I don't give a shit about sofas and books, lead the way to the bar."
I have to laugh then too. I'd been being polite when I could really use a drink myself, despite it only being one o'clock in the afternoon. It'd been a hell of a day and had no problem breaking my 'no drinking during the day rule'.
"Name your poison," I tell him when we get down there.
"I'm not driving thanks to Seth so I'll have a beer," he laughs.
"I'll join you because I hardly ever get to drive anywhere these days," I say as I slide his bottle across the bar to him.
"That's gotta suck," he says as he tilts his bottle towards mine in thanks.
"It does!" I all but shout, pleased that someone, finally, saw it the way I did. "A man's supposed to drive. It's part of our genetic makeup. A fast car and an open road. It's what we need to do."
"Amen to that," he says before taking another swig. "When Alice goes off on a Saturday morning for her hair, or a pedicure or whatever it is she does at that salon all bloody day, I take off up the coast road just for something to do."
"Wish I could," I sigh.
"Is that your Beamer in the drive?" he asks, nodding upwards and in the direction of the front of the house.
"Yeah," I admit, "It's sat there for months, neglected."
"Criminal," he hisses.
"Seth takes it out to get serviced and to give it a run now and then but I never can."
"Next time Alice goes to get plucked and polished I'll call you. I'll race you to The Entrance. There's a brilliant pub there that makes a great pie."
I'm stunned. He should hate me for the trouble I've gotten his sister into but here he is inviting me on a jaunt.
"Within the speed limit of course," I laugh.
"That actually makes it more fun," he says matter of factly. "Doesn't matter what car you drive that way. I could drive dad's old beat up truck and you could be in that Beamer and we'd still be on an even playing field."
"So it's more about your driving skills rather than the speed of the machine," I say appreciatively. "I think I'd like that," I tell him.
We're quiet for a bit, sipping from our bottles and it gets awkward again. I decide to bite the bullet.
"I really like your sister and I'm sorry that she's being harassed by the press," I blurt far too fast.
He takes another swig and eyes me carefully. "You hurt her and I'll fucking kill you," he says simply and calmly. "I should've killed Jake but I didn't know what he was about at the time, but I'll make sure I know this time," he adds just as calmly and I believe every word he's said. "That said," he continues as he drains his bottle, "she really likes you too and so far she says you haven't done anything to deserve a beating."
"I won't hurt her," I tell him sincerely.
"Just be sure that you don't. Dad knows how to hide a body," he grins as he begins to pick at the label on his bottle.
"I haven't met him yet and he scares the shit out of me already," I mumble as I get up to get two more bottles.
"He is pretty intimidating," he chuckles. "but he's nothing compared to Alice' dad. I've known him twenty years and he still looks at me like he'd like to skin me."
"How come you're only getting married now?" I ask without thinking.
He doesn't seem offended though, he just shrugs. "The time's right I guess," is his simple answer. "How come you're not married? You got money, your own hair and teeth too by the looks of it," he laughs.
"I'm only thirty-seven," I protest. "And I'm not married because I've never met anyone who made me feel like I wanted to be."
"Not even close?" he asks.
"Not that I know of, no," I shrug.
"Ah, thems the words of a man who doesn't know what love feels like," he laughs.
"I guess so," I shrug. "I thought I was once, in love I mean. I was eight and she was seven."
He laughs heartily then. "You'll know when you're in love, I guarantee it."
"How?" I ask in a way that makes me sound like a pussy.
He squints like he's thinking real hard and then smiles. "An example might help. You a football guy?" he asks and I nod. "Right, so it's Friday night and you've worked sixty hours already that week and you've got two jobs to go over the weekend. It's your one night off, the first chance you've had to kick back. You just want to sit and watch your team and nurse a beer.
"She's there though. Staying over or whatever. And she's worked sixty too but she wants to 'talk'," he says, making the quotes with his fingers. "So you keep one eye on the telly and one ear on whatever it is she's wanting you to talk about and you sit there wishing she'll get bored with the game, and you, and go and find something else to amuse herself with.
"And then she does. She skips off to another room to do whatever it is that's taken her fancy and you're finally alone. Finally relaxing. Finally able to watch Ablett kick a monster goal in peace.
"And within ten minutes you're lonely and wishing she'd come back to talk to you some more. The games lost its appeal, your beer isn't doing the trick and you wonder why in hell you wished she'd bugger off in the first place. That's love," he chuckles.
I muse over his words for a minute and sip the last of my second beer.
"You see Ablett skip out the back of that pack at the ball up and kick that sneaky goal last weekend?" I ask, avoiding the subject of love quite craftily I thought.
"If it wasn't for your bloody mother I'd have been there in person to watch it," he grumbles.
"Ahhh, the charity dinner for the rehab centre," I say sympathetically.
"Good money but I'd much rather have been at the game."
"Working side by side with your woman," I chuckle.
"Yeah," he sighs. "You know its love when you work together, practically live together too and you still want to spend time with her at the end of the week."
"I don't want your sister to work for me, ever," I tell him firmly. "She likes me now because she hasn't seen what an asshole I am at work."
"Eh," he shrugs, "I'm an asshole at work too, Alice deals."
"You think I'm an asshole and you haven't seen me in the office," I throw in, just to see what he'll say in response.
"Eh," he shrugs again, "I was prepared to hate you but any guy who drives a Z4 can't be all bad."
BPOV
"This place is fuck awesome," Alice squeals as we dash down the hallway on our way back to the kitchen.
I'm chasing after her and we both skid on our socked feet until we're at the kitchen counter.
"Oh shit," Alice barks as I ram into her from behind.
"It didn't hurt," I tease as I straighten up.
"No," Alice hisses, turning and tugging on my arm to get my attention. "Um, hi. I'm Alice," she says.
"Oh shit," I echo as I look up and see an older woman holding two heavy looking grocery bags on the other side of the counter.
She begins to giggle, thankfully. "Hello Alice, I'm Mrs Davis and you must be Isabella," she says as she dumps the bags onto the counter.
"That's her," Alice chirps before sliding onto a stool. "Are you Eddie's mom?" she asks and I cringe.
"Jesus Alice, shut up," I hiss as I take the stool beside her. "And he hates being called Eddie," I added for good measure.
"I'm not his mother," Mrs Davis chuckles as she begins unpacking the bags. "Although you could be forgiven for thinking that I am. I take care of the house and the boys too."
"Oh cool," Alice says as she pulls an apple out of the bowl just down the counter. "Is he a total neat freak?" she asks and I cringe again.
"Oh he is," the older woman laughs. "Drives him crackers if something is out of place."
"Oh goodie, that'll be fun," Alice says evilly and I give her the stink eye on the sly.
"Have you girls had lunch yet?" she asks and both Alice and I say that we haven't. "Good, you go on down to the bar with the boys and I'll call down when it's ready."
"To the bar?" Alice asks with raised eyebrows. "They're down there somewhere knocking one back and we weren't invited?" she says slyly.
"I think they're bonding, dear," Mrs Davis giggled. "They were talking about football when I passed by."
"Urgh, football," Alice clucked. "We'll never get their attention now."
Just as I was about to ask where we could find the bar a loud ringing began. Mrs Davis picked up what looked a little like a phone off the wall of the kitchen.
"Cullen residence," she answered it and I thought it was just a phone. "I see. Someone will be there shortly, thank you." She pressed a button, let it go and the pressed another. "There's a delivery van in the drive, dear," she said then put the handset back.
"Um, where will we find the bar?" I asked nervously when she'd returned to the counter.
"He's not shown you around? How rude," she scoffed, "you go right through this arch and down the stairs and the bar is at the foot of them, dear," she told me, pointing behind herself.
"Thank you," I tell her and grab Alice by the sleeve before she can say anything else to embarrass either herself, me or Edward.
We found the boys sitting around a small pub style table, beers in hand, laughing their heads off.
"Here they are!" Jasper called as we went inside. "Come and have a drink," he begged.
"How many have you had?" Alice asked with an eye roll.
"Christ woman, this is only my second one. I'm not driving and neither is anyone else, so what's the harm?" he shrugged before getting to his feet and offering his stool to Alice.
"Hey," I said to Edward as he held out his arm for me. He pulled me to his side and squeezed my hip. "We met Mrs Davis," I told him.
"She's a domestic goddess," he chuckled. "Did I hear the gate alarm?" he asked as he too slid off his stool and offered it to me before gathering one from another table and pulling it up to my side before dashing around behind the bar.
"A delivery I think," I tell him as he holds up a beer for my inspection. "That'd be nice, thanks," I tell him.
"Alice?" he asks as he holds up the bottle for her.
"May as well," she shrugs and climbs up onto her stool.
He comes back to the table and cracks the lids off the bottles for us girls. "That's my new sofa being delivered," he says proudly.
"You were serious?" I laugh.
"Deadly serious, that other one had to go," he says as he winks.
"Shouldn't you go and help carry it in then?" Alice asks.
"No need, the driver said he'd bring two guys to help," he said, shaking his head. "Is anyone hungry?" he asks.
"Mrs Davis said she'd call us when lunch was ready," I tell him.
"Ed and I are going to race to The Entrance next weekend," Jasper pipes up with. The statement immediately earns him a scowl and a cuff to the back of his head from his fiancé.
I mouth 'Ed' in Edward's direction and he simply smiles and shrugs.
"What?" Jasper asks Alice as he rubs the back of his head. "You know I stick to the speed limit, it's no fun otherwise."
"I know you do," she agrees, "but you were supposed to go with me next weekend to look at flower arrangements for the wedding."
"Ahh," he says sadly. "I forgot about that. Can we do it another time? Ed doesn't get a lot of time off."
Alice wasn't amused but she conceded jovially enough while we were watching on, but I knew that my brother was going to pay a price for his defection.
We all chatted away until Mrs Davis called us for lunch and then the four of us sat at the kitchen counter munching away on the platter of sandwiches she'd made for us. Seth joined us after a little while and he mopped up what was left.
We moved into the living room after eating and while the two boys watched some football game on Edward's big screen Alice and I chatted and plotted about her wedding.
She was sitting on the floor between Jasper's knees and he was rubbing his thumb up and down along her hairline at the base of her neck.
I longed to have the quiet confidence that Jasper and Alice had in their relationship. The way they easily fell into step with one another, or now even as they sat having different conversations they were both comfortable enough to still be touching one another.
I took my chance to try it out for myself after reaching forwards to look at a headpiece Alice was showing me on the screen of her phone. Once I was done and ready to sit back again I scooted slightly sideways until I felt Edward's thigh up against mine.
I was wondering if he'd noticed the contact when he silently answered the question for me.
He turned, just a little, until he was half side on at the edge of the sofa and as he settled back against the arm of it he draped his left arm along the back rest. Within seconds of him shifting his fingers were tugging on the length of my ponytail. He didn't seem to ever stop his end of the conversation he was having with Jasper, so my crack about him needing to work on his subtlety had been taken to heart.
Every now and then he'd tug a little harder and I'd have to work hard not to suck in a breath and make public what even that small contact was doing to me. And then he got a little bolder.
He let go of my hair and settled his hand at the base of my neck, his thumb rubbing soft circles there and making my heart skip a beat.
And still he never faltered in his conversation.
Alice asked me to look at another picture, this one was of a pair of shoes she was considering for us bridesmaids to wear, and when I'd looked and then sat up straight again Edward had shifted again.
He'd brought his knee up onto the seat, half crossed over his other leg, so that when I sat back against the back of the sofa I was almost sitting up against his chest.
The hand he'd been using on my neck slid downwards until he was caressing the small of my back.
He was driving me nuts and I wanted to believe he didn't realise.
EPOV
She was driving me insane!
Every time she leant forwards to look at Alice' phone her jeans gaped a little at the back and I had a good, clear view of the top of her knickers. They were fucking pale pink and lacy!
She'd moved backwards a little and I'd had to move side on to accommodate her and still be able to talk to Jasper past her, but that only made my problems worse. Now her hair, that beautiful, silky, chocolate brown ponytail was within my reach and I couldn't help but touch it.
I wound the end of it around and through my fingers over and over, in a steady rhythm, and struggled to keep my mind on the game playing out on the television and also on Jasper's running commentary as I did it.
Before I knew what I was doing I was tugging on that long tail, pulling it in a cadence that wasn't dissimilar to the way I wanted to pump my hips while I was inside her.
Determined to shake off thoughts like that I put my hand to the base of her neck in an attempt to keep things casual. It didn't work. Her skin was so soft and warm, so smooth too and I couldn't help but rub my thumb against it. I needed the contact with her skin.
She moved forward again and I couldn't fight the desire to look downwards at the lace just one more time but as I raised my eyes Jasper was staring at me pointedly. I was busted and there wasn't a fucking thing I could do or say about it.
I'd had to shift and pull one leg up onto the other to hide my erection and I fought hard not to take a quick look at my watch. Surely Jasper and Alice had somewhere they needed to be I began thinking.
I was enjoying their company but I wanted them to leave so that I could be alone with Isabella. I was glad that they were enjoying themselves, and that they were comfortable in my home as they lounged, but I wanted to molest her now.
Whether Jasper sensed my discomfort or he wanted to be gone before I lost control totally and just took his sister right there on the low coffee table I didn't know and didn't care.
Within minutes of him busting me ogling his sisters ass he was on his feet, pulling Alice to hers and announcing they had dinner plans and needed to leave.
I fought the urge to run to the kitchen and call down to Seth to drive them home. Instead I stuck my game face on and told them it was a shame they had to go.
I excused myself while Isabella said goodbye to our guests and managed to call for Seth without shouting the request for him to hurry through the intercom. To his credit, and my extreme relief, he appeared in under two minutes, the keys to the Mercedes swinging around his fingers.
"All ready?" he asked and Jasper and Alice both agreed that they were. "Remember that the press are still out there so game faces on people," he told them both as he held the front door open for them.
"Thanks for having us," Jasper told me as he shook my hand goodbye. "And for helping us sort out our shit."
"My pleasure, thanks for coming," I tell him sincerely.
"Remember what you promised," he said before joining his fiancé and walking through my front door.
Seth winked at me, or maybe at both of us, as he shut the door behind himself.
"What did you promise?" Isabella asked instantly.
"Do you have supersonic hearing?" I chuckle as I take her hand into mine.
"No, but I'm a woman, we can listen to three conversations at once and still make dinner on time," she grinned.
"Hmmm, resourceful," I murmur as I pull her slowly towards me. "What else can you do?" I ask as she comes flush up against my chest.
"Lots of things," she whispers, her breathing already accelerating.
"Name some," I plead as I lower my lips to the curve of her neck.
"Um," she stammers as her arms go up and around my neck. "I can do stuff," she moans deliciously.
"Stuff," I chuckle against her ear and feel her shiver. "Very eloquent," I tease before suckling the lobe into my mouth.
"Where's Mrs Davis?" she asks, attempting to dislodge me by pulling on my hair.
Little does she know that that won't work. I love it when she does that and instead of making me stop it only makes me suck harder.
"I'm serious," she protests, "I'll die if she sees us like this."
"I sent her home," I breathe into her ear and feel her relax. Unfortunately when she relaxes so does her grip on my hair. "She'll be back later, in time to make us dinner. There's nobody here but us, finally," I groan against the side of her neck. She pulls away then and I worry that it's in fear. It's not because she's smiling as I tilt her chin up, but her eyes seem wary. "What's wrong?" I ask, "I'm going too fast, aren't I?" I sigh as I step away.
"No," she says firmly as she slides her hand into mine at my side. "I just don't want pictures of us doing this in the paper tomorrow," she whispers.
"Come with me," I tell her, turning her slightly and pointing to the door.
"Outside? Are you mad?" she shrieks and tries to pull her hand out of mine.
I take hers again and squeeze it gently. "Do you trust me, Isabella?" I ask seriously.
She cocks her head to one side and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth for a second and then she's nodding and I can breathe again. "I do trust you," she whispers.
"Then come with me, please?"
She nods again and lets me lead her out the door. Once we're by the stairs I tell her to look back towards the street. I wait, as patiently as possible, for her to realise what it is she's seeing.
"They can't see us here," she grins. "The angles all wrong."
"Exactly," I tell her. "They can only see us if we're at the very front of the house, in the garage on the ground floor, that last guest bedroom on this level and if we're in the theatre with the drapes open, which defeats the purpose of having block-out blinds," I chuckle.
She's turning then, looking at the properties to either side but I know she won't find anywhere for anyone to see into any other rooms because I bought this land because of its superior position and built the house so that nobody would ever be able to see down into my home.
"The pool?" she asks as she turns back to me.
"Ahh, besides the very back corner of the backyard where it's at its lowest that's probably the only other place we're vulnerable on the property," I tell her. "So unless you decide to go skinny dipping the only pictures anyone would get of you out there would be you in your bathing suit."
"Not likely," she scoffs. "I didn't hear Mrs Davis leave," she says quietly, still not totally convinced.
"You wouldn't have. You were in the bathroom at the time," I tell her.
"We're alone," she says probably to herself but I hear her just fine.
"We're totally alone," I agree. "Until Seth comes back anyway."
She's pulling on my hand then, attempting to drag me back inside and I can't help but chuckle. Once we're back through the door she kicks it shut and throws herself at me. I catch her about the waist and I've got my tongue in her mouth before another heartbeat passes.
As soon as I begin to lose myself in her lips and tongue she's pulling away again and I can't help the disappointed groan that escapes me as she does.
"You don't have CCTV here do you?" she asks, her eyes hooded and her lips already reddening from my assault on them.
"No CCTV in the house itself. No audio recording devices in the house itself. I'll close every door, every curtain, every blind and we can do it silently with our clothes on if you want but please, please let me have you now," I beg, frustrated as hell.
"Oh god," she groans, reaching up and dragging my mouth back to hers. "That's so fucking sexy," she moans when I let her lips go long enough to catch my breath.
"The begging?" I ask as quickly as I can before I plunge my tongue back into her mouth.
"No. The lengths you'd go to," she rushes before pushing me backwards so I'm hard up against the front door.
"Anything," I hiss as she nips at my throat with her teeth.
"In your office..." she trails off before her lips are on mine again.
"No, in my bed," I protest the instant I can.
"No," she says again as she bites her way down the outside of my ear to my throat. "Before, in your office," she hisses. "You said you wanted to take your time."
"I'm stupid," I rasp out between my gritted teeth as she rakes hers across my chin.
"You wanted to go slow," she hisses and it's not a question.
"I did before," I admit before I grab hold of her shoulders and push, then pull her until it's her back up against my front door. I lick her lips, nibble on the bottom on for a second and then pull away so I can look into her eyes. "If you need to go slow I will," I tell her firmly.
Her reply is fast, "We can go slow the second time."
"You're fucking perfect," I hiss against her lips. "Jump," I insist and she does.
I catch her as her legs go around my waist. I lift her a little so that I can attack her now swollen lips while I walk us to the foot of the stairs. I take one hand off her ass so I can use it to guide us using the handrail but I never take my lips from hers as we go up.
Its slow going, not because she's heavy, she isn't. It's slow because every few steps she bites me and I nearly lose my shit.
Her fingers are digging into my scalp, her heels are locked around my waist and she's right there, right ...there.
I mentally curse that my bedroom is one floor up but as we get to the top of the stairs she moans right in my mouth and I get a second wind.
I get us to the foot of my bed, withdraw my lips long enough to throw her onto it and the instant I'm on top of her I plunge my tongue back into her mouth.
She rolls us, so she's on top of me and I can't fight the compulsion to buck my hips upwards. I'm so hard it's painful as my erection pushes against the seam of her jeans.
There's a loud pop as she releases my lips and then she's sitting atop me and lifting her t-shirt over her head, exposing the matching pale pink bra that I already know is the other half of the set.
"Fuck," I moan as she stretches. "You're fucking perfect," I tell her again as I sit up.
I bury my lips between her still covered breasts and she throws her head back and moans long and low.
Her fingers are in my hair again, my teeth are pulling at the lacy edge of her bra cups and my mind and body are both totally out of control.
She leans backwards, denying my mouth more of her flesh, and pushes me so I'm lying down again. Her fingers make quick work of my cufflinks and I hear them plink, plonk onto my bedside table one after the other. She's back within seconds and undoing the buttons deftly. She spreads the two halves of my button down and then her lips are kissing down my stomach.
"Do you like that?" she asks as she covers one nipple with her lips and suckles gently.
"I love it," I admit as I buck upwards.
She switches and takes my other nipple into her mouth and I can't help but hiss as her fingernails rake across the other.
"Do you like that?" she asks again.
"You're driving me crazy," I confess as her mouth travels lower down my abs.
"You're ticklish," she whispers as she rolls her tongue around my navel.
"Are you?" I ask as I grab her by both wrists and pull her until she's hovering above me, her breasts only just out of reach of my mouth.
"Find out for yourself," she says with a grin and I feel myself rise a little more at the challenge.
I flip us, quickly, and she's pinned beneath me. I stare down at her ripe lips and the erratic rise and fall of her chest as she pants. "You're so beautiful," I tell her reverently before kissing her more gently.
With her wrists still in my hands I push her arms higher on the bed effectively making her my captive as I kiss down her throat, between her breasts and down to her belly button.
I nibble and lick, suck and tease until her hips are bucking upwards wildly.
She's so responsive and verbal. She moans and groans, whimpers and hisses and I find that I love that about her.
BPOV
He's fucking stunning. He called me beautiful, which made my heart skip a beat, but he was stunning. Under the staid business shirt he'd been hiding abs you could bounce a coin off and a sprinkling of coppery hair on his chest that made me want to drool.
His nipples had puckered hard in my mouth and he'd bucked and moaned as I touched him.
I loved that he was verbal. I loved that he was honest and I loved that he was comfortable enough that he could tell me what he liked.
I fought not to giggle as he tongued my navel but he relented quickly and let me go. I combed my fingers through his hair as he slid his hands behind me to release the clasp on my bra.
Thankfully I'd put a matching set on that morning.
I felt the straps give way and then his hands were under the cups, his thumbs rubbing just under the wires, his eyes on mine intently.
"Tell me this is okay," he croaked, his eyes boring into mine.
"Please," I groan hoarsely, my turn to beg.
With my permission given he didn't balk. He hooked his thumbs under the wires and pulled the bra free of my chest. He sucked in a breath hard and then he pulled each strap off my arms before throwing it to the floor by the side of the bed.
"Jesus Christ," he swore as he lowered his mouth to me.
I echoed his words as he took first one nipple then the other into his mouth in turns. His beautiful hands cupped me gently as he suckled. I squirmed beneath him, loving the attention but desperate for more, something more to rid me of the ache between my legs.
I pulled his shirt off over his head, waited as he let go of me with each hand in turn so I could take it down off his arms and then we were both bare from the waist up.
He lavished my breasts relentlessly until I was crying out with each gentle nip of his teeth.
He slid one hand down my waist until it was beneath me and then he cupped my ass with it and pulled me upwards into his erection. His lips never missed a beat as he sucked and licked at my breast and soon we were bucking against one another in a perfect rendition of what was to come.
It was only our pants between us. He ground his hips into me, the thickness of him hitting me right where I needed it to and I couldn't help but whimper as he sped his pace. A climax was within my reach but somehow still just out of my grasp.
The tugging at my breast, his relentless squeezing and releasing of his fingers under my ass and the grinding of his hardness against me had me standing on the edge and unable to jump.
"More," I begged, tugging on his hair. "I need you," I told him harshly as I pulled hard and made him look me in the eye.
"You need me," he groaned, half a question and half a statement. "God I need you, Isabella," he growled before kissing me again.
I wanted to protest. I wanted him to give me more immediately. I needed the release. I needed his release. I wanted to feel more of him and I wanted him to give that to me now!
But this kiss was different. It was furious and possessive and he was breathing so much more heavily as he brought his hand up between us and cupped me over my jeans.
I cried into his mouth and he sucked it down hungrily as the heel of his hand pushed hard up against my clit. It was too much and not enough all at once. I clawed at the flesh of his back and begged him to make me come.
He grinned down at me then. Teeth gleaming and his eyes hooded but fierce. "When I'm inside you," he said severely and that one statement nearly tipped me over right there.
We were a seething, writing mass of arms and legs then. Each of us desperate to unclothe the other as quickly as possible. He undid my jeans while I pulled the belt free of his slacks. I wriggled to get mine off my hips while he sat back on his heels to free himself of his, at least to his knees.
He backed off the edge of the bed to stand, kicked off his shoes and socks before losing his pants while I wriggled and grunted trying to pull mine from my feet. I heard the snap of elastic and halted immediately to watch his erection spring free of his boxer briefs.
He eyed my knickers appreciatively, licked his lips just once, and then shoved my hands away from them so he could slip them down my legs himself.
"Fuck me," he growled as I was bared for his eyes. "If I didn't need you so fucking badly I'd lick and suck on you until you passed out," he hissed as he crawled back up my body. "But I'm so fucking desperate for you I'd never last through it."
"Yesss," I managed to get out past lips that ached to taste him too. "Later," I tell him and hope he understands what I mean. There'd be time enough later to take our time tasting.
"Later," he agrees as he reaches past me towards his bedside table. I hear it open and then the unmistakable crinkle of foil.
I thank my lucky stars that he's thought of protection because I hadn't and I watch, trembling with need, as he rolls the condom down his length. He fists himself just once and I close my eyes at the thought of the size of him filling me.
His lips are at my ear then and he's calmer, gentler as he whispers to me softly. "I want you so badly but I can stop, say the word and I'll stop."
"I want you," I say firmly. "Don't stop."
EPOV
She was so beautiful and I wanted her. I'd have been crushed had she said to stop, but I would've stopped. So when she said she wanted me too I crushed my lips to hers and covered her body with mine.
She parted her legs and I took that to mean she was ready for me.
I wished I had the self control to touch her first. To explore her gently first and take my time to make her wet and wanting, but I didn't.
As it was I was going to embarrass myself stamina wise.
It had been years for me and although I had no idea how long it had been for her I hoped I'd still be able to help her to climax seeing as I'd demanded she wait until I was inside her.
I needn't have worried as it turned out.
Her warmth engulfed me as I slid very slowly, and very carefully, into her wetness. And god she was wet. The condom was lubricated but I slid home so easily I knew that a lot of it was her.
"Oh Christ," I muttered against her temple as her walls clamped on me. "Oh Isabella," I crooned as she lifted her hips and urged me to move.
I went as slowly as I could but she whined and whimpered, clawed at me and begged me to make her come and I couldn't help but pound into her with a ferocious abandon then.
She wrapped her legs around my back, pulled my mouth to hers and suckled my tongue as we moved.
I threaded my fingers into her hair and held her tightly, my eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to stifle the orgasm I knew was going to swamp me too quickly.
The pace was erratic at best; our desperation intense, and when she withdrew her tongue from my mouth and screamed through her release I let myself fall with her.
She whispered my name over and over and over as she spasmed around me. I cradled her head in my hands and whispered hers as I spilled inside her. We rocked more gently as we rode, crested and followed the waves of pleasure to their end.
I kissed her softly. She relaxed her legs. She hummed into my mouth as I let my weight collapse onto her chest. I held her to me and promised to make her happy. She stroked my back and promised me the same.
Withdrawing from within her made her hiss. "Did I hurt you?" I asked, running my fingers over her chin to bring her eyes to mine.
"No," she smiled. "I just miss you already."
"Oh, my beautiful girl," I crooned against her temple.
I kissed her softly then reluctantly rolled to my side and removed the condom carefully. I retrieved its packet from the floor beside the bed and went into my bathroom to clean up. I heard the toilet flush and the water come on in what I now considered her bathroom on the other side of the room.
I pulled the comforter and top sheet back on the bed, climbed in and closed my eyes to replay what we'd just done while I waited for her to come back to me.
I hadn't lied. She was perfect. Her body was sublime but it was her intensity and passion that I found so magnificent.
She slid into the bed beside me silently and crawled across until she was lying half against my chest, her arm slung across me at my hip.
"That was amazing," she whispered before kissing my bicep.
I lowered my arm until I was holding her and then kissed the top of her head. "It was," I agreed. "Short but amazing."
"I like that it was short," she whispers.
"Can't say I've ever heard that before," I chuckle.
"It's true," she insists. "No better compliment than a man who can't control himself for wanting you as badly as you want him."
"I wanted you so, so badly," I say. "Give me a minute and I'll want you just as badly again."
"How long until Seth comes back?" she asks, craning her neck to see the clock beside the bed. "It's five already."
"If he knows what's good for him he'll be another hour at least," I chuckle as I pull her up so she's lying on my chest fully.
"Maybe we should put a bell around his neck," she giggles as she scratches my stubble with her nails.
"I'll hang a sock on the front door," I chuckle, pushing the loose strands of hair back off her face.
"What would you do with another hour?" she asks cheekily.
I buck my hips and watch her face as my returning erection nudges against her. "I have a few ideas," I smirk.
"Again?" she asks, eyebrows raised.
"Again," I confirm before I pull her mouth to mine.
BPOV
I felt self conscious as I dressed. We'd heard Seth come back, and Mrs Davis come in not long after him, and knew that we couldn't hide out upstairs forever. We'd have to face them at some point.
I sat beside Edward on the end of his bed, both of us pulling our socks back on.
"Will they say anything, do you think?" I ask quietly.
"I have no idea," he sighs before running a hand through his hair.
"Are you nervous?" I ask, knowing he was because the hair thing was a dead giveaway.
He slips on his shoes, waits for me to do the same, and then turns to face me. He pulls my hand to his lips and kisses it softly. "I'm not nervous. I'm not ashamed. I'm not embarrassed and I'm not sorry," he grins.
"Are you worried then? About what they'll think?" I ask, knowing he was fidgeting and rubbing his hair for a reason.
"I don't care what they think," he says in a rush. "No, that's not true; I do care what they think. Seth's like a brother and Mrs Davis is like having a mom on hand, so their opinions matter, but I'm not worried about what they'll think because you're wonderful."
"Then what's wrong?" I ask, pulling his hand down from his head.
"I don't know what to do," he says quietly.
"About what?" I ask, not knowing what he meant.
"I don't know what to do now," he says quietly.
"It's pretty simple," I say jovially, wanting to lighten his burden because there really didn't need to be one, not as far as I felt anyway, not now that I knew what he was feeling about what we'd just done. "We'll go downstairs and have a meal. You don't need to do anything in particular. You just be yourself and I will too."
"I felt so cocky this afternoon, telling Seth to stay away from here longer," he sighs. "But now..."
"Now you're wondering if he's judging you for your choices," I finish.
"Maybe."
"You don't have women here, do you?" I ask. I didn't really need to know the answer because I thought I knew that he wasn't into meaningless sex or casual one night stands, but it would be nice to have it confirmed.
"I never have," he says.
"Never?" I ask, incredulous. "You've never had a woman in this bed?"
"Never," he confirms.
"But you've lived here eight years."
"I've had sex," he says a little defensively, "just not here."
"Did you just have sex?" I ask, a plan on how to break him from his funk forming in my head.
He looks at me a long moment and then a gentle smile forms on his lips before he kisses me softly. "No, Isabella, I didn't just have sex. What we just did wasn't sex."
"I didn't think so either," I whisper between us. "So this isn't casual for us. This isn't a seedy, dirty little thing that we need to be ashamed of or hide from anyone. Is it?"
"Definitely not," he says firmly. "This might seem fast to others but not to me. It's perfect. You're perfect. You're what I need, what I want."
"I feel the same," I admit, kissing him just as softly as he'd kissed me. "So we'll go downstairs and have a nice meal and then we'll go and test out the new sofa you had delivered."
"It's red," he whispers against my lips. "Like the one at your apartment."
"You don't have poodle pyjamas do you?" I giggle.
"Not a chance," he laughs as he stands, pulling me to my feet with him. "And you won't be needing your woolly sheep ones either."
"You're so beautiful when you smile," I say without thinking.
"You're beautiful always," he says, not skipping a beat. "Come on, I'm starving."
"I'm not surprised," I giggle.
EPOV
She'd diffused my anxiety expertly. I wanted to thank her but that meant admitting I'd been anxious in the first place and I didn't want to do that. My ego wouldn't let me.
Plus I was still feeling high from making love to her and didn't want that feeling to go away.
We wandered downstairs hand in hand and met both Seth and Mrs Davis in the kitchen.
"Jasper and Alice get home alright?" I asked while pulling up a stool to the counter.
"No issues," Seth told me, "But the traffic was just awful coming back," he chuckled.
"As predicted," I answer, unable to keep the serious look on my face for long.
"It was awful for me too," Mrs Davis says as she pulls a deliciously smelling tray from the oven. "I got stuck behind a woman doing twenty in a sixty zone," she griped, totally unaware that she'd inadvertently given me several very pleasurable hours by her absence.
"That smells amazing," Isabella chips in after cuffing me on the arm as a warning not to laugh.
"Do you like paella, dear?"
"I've never had it but it looks and smells delicious."
"It's one of Edward's favourites," Mrs Davis says proudly.
"You'll have to teach me then," Isabella says.
Mrs Davis looks to me and then back to Isabella and then back to me. "You like to cook?" she asks and Isabella nods quickly. "Have you ever burnt a kitchen down?" she asks.
I snort and get a pair of stainless steel tongs pointed at me along with an evil eyebrow raise from my housekeeper for my efforts.
"I've never even come close to burning a kitchen down," Isabella laughs.
"Then I'd like to teach you how to make this," Mrs Davis laughs. "The table's all set. You two should go on in and I'll bring this in shortly," she tells us.
Again with the dining room table I think as I take Isabella's hand and lead her out of the kitchen. I expected to see four places but there were only two. There were also candles, crystal glasses and the good silverware on the table.
The small bowl filled with the heads of white roses that looked exactly the same variety as the ones that lined the driveway was also a surprise.
I ushered Isabella to her seat and then sat adjacent to her.
Seth was the first to come in. He set a metal trivet on the table and a bottle of white by my side. "I'm going to lock up and head out to see my sister for a bit. You need anything from me before I go?" he asks.
I want to laugh but I can't. Instead I tell him I don't need anything and tell him thank you for dropping Jasper and Alice home earlier. He wishes us a good night and then he leaves. But not before winking at me as he goes through the door.
Mrs Davis brings in the paella dish and sets it on the trivet and rushes out again saying she'll bring in the bread and salad in a moment.
I pour us out a glass of wine each and try hard to keep my amusement to myself. Isabella is turning the paella pan round and round, pointing out all the different elements of the dish excitedly.
"You like seafood then?" I ask.
"I love it. My dad loves to go fishing so I was always looking for ways to serve it differently. He'd love this," she says appreciatively.
"You and your brother talk about your dad a lot, but you don't talk about your mother," I say carefully, noting the scowl that crosses her face before she has time to smooth it out again.
"My mother left us when I was five," she says matter of factly. "None of us ever heard from her again and I like it like that."
From her tone, the directness of the statement and the lack of tears in her eyes I believe her. I'm also smart enough to know that that was an end to that line of questioning.
Mrs Davis comes back in and sets a bowl of salad and a basket of warm bread sticks on the table and then asks if we'll need anything else.
"I think we're all set," I tell her. "Thank you for this, it looks lovely."
"You're most welcome," she says with her usual soft smile. "I've just put your sweets in the oven. The timer will let you know when it's ready. I know its short notice but would you mind if I leave now? I promised I'd be home in time to watch the football."
"Of course I don't mind. You go, we'll be fine. Enjoy the game," I tell her, again trying to stifle my amusement.
"Thank you so much for this," Isabella says sweetly.
"You're most welcome dear. I hope you enjoy it. I'll see you tomorrow Edward, Bella," she says primly before leaving the room.
"Help yourself," I tell Isabella, nodding to the serving spoons lying beside the paella pan.
"I'm so hungry," she says as she scoops rice and prawns and mussels onto her plate.
"Me too," I agree with a smug grin.
"That smile suits you," she says cheekily before biting into one of the bread sticks.
"That blush suits you," I counter as I pile salad onto my plate.
She munches away on the seafood for a bit and then sets her fork on the edge of her plate. "Does Seth have a sister?" she asks out of the blue and I choke a little on a piece of tomato.
"Yes, he does," I laugh once I've dislodged it. "Her name's Leah and she's married to a chiropractor. They live in Germany," I laugh. "And before you ask, Mrs Davis lives alone and hates football."
A/N: Thanks for reading.
Please review.