Edward

"What the fuck are you talking about, Bell?" I shake my head, trying to find a way in, but my little doll is closed off, looking away, her eyes miles away.

I wonder what I did wrong, what I did to trigger this.

"I'm always the option, never the choice," she says next. Her voice is timid and soft. Too soft, as if all her fire has vanished, like I've dunked an entire bucket of ice water over her. It almost hurts to look at her like this. This isn't the Bell I know, the careless, reckless, wild little thing that makes my heart beat faster. This is the Bell, the hurt and real Bell. And honestly, this version of her makes my heart break.

I wish I could make it better.

"Baby, please," I sign and try to pull her closer, wrap one arm around her waist, prying her chin up with my other hand. "Talk to me…what did I do?"

"Y—," she starts but looks away again, her eyes watery and sad, a plethora of feelings swimming around in them.

"Yes?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, it's just me." She shrugs and tries to pull away again. But I don't let her. I want to get to the bottom of this.

"What is just you? You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart."

She looks at me with wide eyes, fury taking over as she scowls and lets out a bitter chuckle.

"I didn't do anything wrong, heh?" she asks, her defense upping. "I fucking seduced my stepfather. My very married-to-my-mother stepfather. Who does that? What's wrong with me?"

I know I probably shouldn't say anything, because whatever I say might fuel the fire. But I can't let her think this was all her doing. Fuck, I've been dreaming, fantasizing about this for months…and it got even worse now that Bell moved in with us again.

"I let myself be seduced, remember?" I start. "It's a two-way street, Bella…"

Her eyes soften a little before her shoulders start to slump and she buries her face into my neck. Bell's hot breath wafts over my skin, her cheek warm and wet from silent tears.

"You and me…" I try again, placing my hand on her shoulder, soothingly. "I don't think it's just you, sweetheart."

There's no reply so I go with it and spill my secrets. If that makes me a dirty, old man, so be it. At least I'm being honest, and I hope it'll make Bell see that she's not doing anything wrong here.

"It's pure and unadulterated attraction. Chemistry…it's lust at first sight, from the second I laid eyes on you, from the moment you walked in here with your little white suitcase in those tight leggings and that sweatshirt. I just couldn't keep my mind off you, no matter how hard I tried."

Bell huffs a bit, pulling back so she can look at me.

"What about the obvious?" she asks, voice small, blinking away some tears.

I take a deep breath.

"I, ah…" I start, my walls crumbling. "To be completely honest with you, I already contacted a lawyer some time ago…but I was scared to go through with it because quite frankly, I'm thinking your mother would suck me dry completely."

Her face falls, but the new expression gives me hope.

"You did?"

I nod.

"Yeah, I had a meeting with Sally Andrews, I looked her up online and she has a lot of experiences in divorces…but she also told me that it was pretty fucked up that I didn't marry your mom with a prenup. Especially since I wasn't exactly her first husband and she sorta has a reputation…"

"Wow, seriously?" Bell asks me. "Did she really take the other guys' money, just like that?"

"Kinda, yes. I looked into it a bit. They were all small business owners, like me. And she seems to have built her wedding planning empire with the money from the settlements."

"Fucking hell…" She shakes her head, seemingly deep in thoughts. I'm enjoying watching her, watching the fire rise up more and more until her eyes are bright again.

"Then we just have to make her pay for it, don't we?" she asks sweetly.

"What are you talking about?"

"We need to make her want to file for divorce herself. She's always playing the wounded divorcée card. I think it's time she lets her true colors shine."

"She'll never do that," I frown.

"Ah, Edward," Bell sighs dramatically. "I happen to have a few tricks up my sleeve…Dearest mother has a bag full of secrets. And I happen to know she cheated on the rest of the husbands."

Fuck. I had my suspicions, but actually knowing? That makes me feel wrecked, failed, somehow, even though I've been ready to leave this marriage some time ago.

"I mean," she says again. "I'm not sure if she's still seeing her old flame, but I'm willing to find out."

I nod.

"I don't understand how she could cheat on someone like you, though," Bell smiles, shaking her head. "You…you're the full package. You've got looks, a great attitude, the biggest heart…and then there's that other big thing I just discovered," she chuckles.

"I'm glad you think that about me." I bite my lip as I look at Bell. "But you're changing the subject, doll."

Her head whips in my direction, strands of silky hair falling in front of her face. I brush them away, my fingers lingering on her jawline.

"Remember, it takes two to fucking tango, Bell…and I wish the circumstances were different…I wish that I could seduce you the way you deserve it."

She opens her mouth to speak but I shush her quickly.

"I need you to know you deserve more than sneaky, dirty sex." And I mean it, too. I hadn't realized my feelings for her were more than this superficial urge. I don't think I could just fuck her out of my system.

"But we can start there, right?" she blurts out.

I bite back a smile.

"Only if you take that job from me."

"Mhm, already want to spend more time with me, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," I laugh. "And more time with your little lips around my cock," I whisper before kissing her softly.