Amazing feedback on the previous chapter – thank you to everyone who read's, recommends and reviews! You're amazing!
As always MrsK1981 is my awesome pre-reader with the patience of a saint – thank you! And huge thanks to my beta's Marly580 and Mauigirl60: They help make this story.
BPOV
As much as I love my job, I really don't want to get out of bed. My sweatpants and t-shirt were lost hours ago—seconds after walking through the bedroom door and finding Edward ready and waiting for me.
I sigh as I look at the alarm clock again. I've stayed in bed far longer than I should and I need to get up soon, or risk being late. But even the anticipation of hearing Alec's thoughts on my work can't tear me away from Edward's naked embrace. Wrapped up in each other—Edward on his back with my body draped over his—there's nowhere else I'd rather be.
As if reading my thoughts, his arms tighten around me, holding me in place. "You need to get up soon."
I raise my hand, my fingers playing with the small hairs dusting his chest, and nod. "I know. I don't want to—I'm quite content here."
"Me too."
With a moan, I eventually pull out of Edward's arms, my pout most likely matching the one on his lips. I smirk when I hear a quiet moan from behind me, as I walk to the bathroom naked.
As I'm waiting for the water to heat, a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist, causing me to squeal.
"Want some company?" He grinds against my ass, and I whimper as I feel his erection pressing against my back.
"I'm already running late..." my voice comes out in a whisper as my heart catches in my throat. I don't even know why I bother to fight it.
"We'll have to be quick, then." He smirks, taking hold of my hand and stepping into the shower, pulling me with him.
He moves back, allowing me to step under the stream of water and wet my hair. I close my eyes as I let the water fall over my face.
I hear the door to the shower close behind me as Edward joins me under the spray. I lean back against his chest as his arms wrap around me again, his erection prominent against my back. My body molds to his as his hands and lips wander, touching everywhere they can, like he can't get enough of me.
I'm torn in two. My mind is telling me to stay strong and focus on getting to work as soon as possible, whereas my body is already trembling with need for him.
My body's needs win.
I turn in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck, and pull him down toward me. Before his lips crash onto mine, I see the faint sign of a smile on his face, as he realizes I'm giving into him.
Our kisses are slow, tender; our touches are soft and tentative as we worship each other. My body feels alive, a long, constant burn wherever Edward's hands have touched me. We forget about my work, about having to be quick, focusing only on pleasing each other. The only noise about the shower is our moans and whimpers as we approve of each touch and caress.
As my hands find Edward's hard cock between us, his fingers slip into me. Finding me already wet, he groans before turning and pinning me against the tiled wall.
I squeal, shocked at the cool contact of the tiles against my back. My squeal dies in my throat as Edward grabs my thigh, hooking my leg over his hip.
"Ugh…protection…" I manage to rasp as Edward lines his cock up against my entrance.
Edward curses.
"I'm…I'm on the pill."
His eyes snap to mine, lust evident in his eyes. "What are you saying?"
"I-I mean…well, we don't need the condom." I warily watch his face for any form of reaction. "I've always used condoms, so I'm clean." I tighten my hold on him in case he pulls away from me.
"You're serious?" he asks, bewildered.
The look in his eyes is so intense, I can only nod my answer.
"Oh, God, I thought we'd never get rid of those condoms." He chuckles, his head falling against my shoulder. "I'm clean as well, baby…I've always used condoms before." His eyes show nothing but complete honesty. He's never lied to me before. I have no reason to doubt him.
His strong arms lift me slightly and I feel him against my entrance—right where I need him. With a quick thrust that causes us both to moan, he pushes, burying himself inside me.
We still, both of us breathless as we gaze at each other.
"Ugh…God…Bella." His words are muffled as his lips claim mine once again.
My hands roam his body; I can't get enough. The way his back muscles contract with each thrust, each grunt when he hits that spot, or his moans when I tug the hair at the base of his neck.
My whole body shivers in reaction to the sounds he makes. I make him sound like that, me. Nobody else—especially not some stalker ex-girlfriend. There's no one else that can get him to react like this. Just me.
As I try to get a hold on my green-eyed monster, I focus on the feel of his body against mine.
His warm chest against mine, his coarse hair tickles my chest with each movement. My arms wrap tightly around him; I need him as close as possible.
It's never been like this for me; all-consuming. Each time we're together I think it can't get more perfect, but each time is more amazing than the last. I know now that this is it for me.
I can't pinpoint when it happened. I just know I need him in my life.
Edward is my one.
We've both been so hurt in the past, and we've grown stronger together because of it. He makes me laugh without even trying, and knows how to cheer me up when I'm down or stressed. But the best thing of all, is the support he's shown me since my stalker came into our lives. Most guys would have fled, not being able to handle the intense pressure.
From the start, Edward has shown he's a perfect gentleman, whose first thoughts have always been about me. Even in the beginning when we had decided to take it slow, we've never been able to deny the pull between us.
As I realize what my heart has been trying to tell me all along, I focus my attention back to the man I hold in my arms.
Now everything is more intense. I can feel his love behind each movement, the thrust of his hips, the way his hands caress my body softly, and the soft kisses his lips place upon my skin.
There's no doubt in my mind about how he feels about me, but he's still scared. I see the way he looks at me—almost as if he's close to telling me. Then as quickly as it appears, it's gone. I'm happy to wait – maybe I'll tell him first and show him there's nothing to be scared of.
Things have definitely changed between us. I don't feel like I have to stay at the apartment; I find that I want to. I like coming home to him after a hard day at work, or to have him crawling into bed at a silly time in the morning, not wanting to wake me, but unable to resist cuddling up to me.
From the beginning, it's been impossible to keep our hands off each other, but even the sex has changed. I literally have to refrain from jumping him. And sometimes when I catch him looking at me with such heat in his eyes, I know the same thoughts are going through his mind. When we do have sex, it's changed—more charged, more intimate.
I have to wonder, does he realize this as well?
Edward's fingers grip tightly against my skin as his thrusts become erratic. His breaths are hot and heavy on my skin as he rests his forehead on my shoulder, and I know he's close to coming.
Before I can even register what's happened, he has pulled out of me, spinning me so my chest is now against the cool tiles of the shower wall. Pulling me away from the wall, his hands run down my spine—sending shivers as they go— and he pushes me softly so I'm bent forward. My hands splay against the tiles, holding me up as Edward's fingers once again find my wet core.
"Is this okay?" His voice, husky with need, echoes in the bathroom.
I can only nod.
Without any warning, Edward pushes into me with one swift thrust, causing us both to groan loudly. There's no pause. He curses as he pulls out, both hands now on my hips, before pushing back in; this time torturously slow.
"Mmmmm..." Groaning in appreciation, I close my eyes, focusing only on the heavenly sensation. My head falls forward, my forehead leaning against the tiles, as I become accustomed to our new position. Each thrust feels deeper than ever before, and without our normal barrier, I can feel everything.
One of Edwards's hands leaves my hips, finding my clit. In contrast to his slow thrusts, his fingers work fast, eager to bring me to release.
"Oh...myGod…" The words fall quickly from my lips as I feel my orgasm approach. The coil in my stomach tightens, and my legs start to feel weak as Edward starts increasing the pace of his thrusts.
"I'm not going to last, baby….I need you to come." His voice is tense as he tries to hold on, making sure I finish first.
"Harder…" I tell him. "Please." I push back against him, groaning loudly as he fills me. I'm so close but I try to hold off, determined to make this pleasure last. My heart is hammering in my chest, desire and lust rushing through my veins as I give myself over to my feelings.
"God, baby, you're killing me." His thrusts increase, the sound of his skin hitting mine echoing all throughout the shower.
It all becomes too much. My emotions overpower me, combined with the intensity of going without a condom – of being able to feel all of him—and a few thrusts later, my whole body trembles and shudders around him. My orgasm hits me in waves, ebbing and flowing, drawing out the intense pleasure.
Being so lost in my own ecstasy, I barely notice Edward coming undone. He stills behind me, before falling forward with his chest to my back. It's not the most comfortable position, but I'm not ready to pull away from him yet.
All too soon, Edward moves, causing me to whimper as he pulls out of me. I turn slowly, my eyes meeting his. I smile smugly when I'm met with a dazed look.
"We're not going back to condoms now." Edward states, with a sly grin.
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Considering our early-morning activities, I still make it to work right on time — and with an extra bounce in my step. As Edward drops me off, he reminds me that he'll be picking me up again after work. The matching grin on his face is the last thing I see before I turn away from him and make my way into the building.
A lot can be said for sex before work.
Even though I'm just on time, the office is already buzzing. The phones are already going crazy, the patter of fingers on keyboards echoes throughout the whole office, and people are out of their seats like yo-yos. I love it.
As much as I love books and could spend hours getting lost in some amazing storylines, I was never happy at the library. It was monotonous, and having to do the same thing every day was starting to get to me. I've never been so glad to get out of a job before.
Both Angela and Victoria are on the phone when I arrive, so I quietly set up my laptop and wait to be told what the next task is. Since we've just had a major assignment, I'm not expecting the next one to be as big, knowing that another department will have the limelight in the next issue.
Angela comes off the phone as I'm waiting for the computer to start up, "Morning, you're looking awfully cheery today."
I can't help but blush, and she laughs.
"I'm just realizing things are finally starting to go my way. I finally have a job that I enjoy, new friends, and a great boyfriend." Nobody at my job, apart from Alec, knows about my stalker, and I intend to keep it that way. Alec still only knows the bare minimum—that I have issues going on at home. I don't plan on letting my personal life affect my work, so there is no need for them to know.
"Uh-uh. You've had sex."
Is it that obvious?
My silence is all the confirmation she needs. "C'mon, Bella, you were practically floating down the hallway."
I don't even try to hide my smile as I turn back to my computer.
I've finally admitted my feelings for Edward to myself, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Knowing that we're in this together makes me feel stronger. My stalker no longer scares me; I know Edward will be there to protect me if anything happens again. He's already shown it by being there for me when they broke into my apartment.
As we wait for Victoria, I scroll through my emails, answering those that need replies. We've already got an email from Alec asking us to meet him in his office at ten-thirty. I glance at my watch—just over half an hour.
Once Victoria finishes her phone call, Angela briefs us on our new assignment, a review for a new film hitting the theatres next week. It's due for release on Friday, but we get to see it on Wednesday and will be writing the article that day for going to publication on Thursday. It seems awfully quick considering we had a lot more time for the interview with Kate, but Angela assures me it can be done, especially with three of us working on it.
Angela advises us to quickly read up on the movie before our meeting with Alec, and then we can plan the rest of our day. Although Alec's email doesn't give much away about the article, I'm quietly confident about his reaction. I know I produced some of my best writing, and I was fair in my views about Kate and her music.
Just before ten-thirty, the three of us grab our pads and walk toward Alec's office.
EPOV
Wednesdays can be a weird day at the club. Depending how lazy we've been the Monday before, Wednesdays can be busy, and have been the last few weeks. With the weekends being so hectic, we're pretty worthless by Monday night, and we always leave the administrative work until mid-week.
This week is no different.
Riley is waiting by the doors as I pull into the parking lot. He has his own keys, but he always chooses to have a cigarette and wait for us to arrive.
As I approach, I see him suppressing a yawn and I can't help but grin. "Late night?"
"Not exactly, but this is our Monday, so I'm allowed to take a while to wake up." He smirks, standing aside as I open the doors.
As we step into the club, the quiet purr of an engine behind us alerts us to the arrival of Emmett. We wait as he parks, then makes his way toward us, a beaming smile on his face.
"Morning, boys." He steps in behind us as we both mumble our replies.
Once inside, Riley goes toward the bars to get started on the stock, while Emmett and I go to the office to get started on the paperwork. I moan as I glance at the pile waiting on my desk for me. On the top is the schedule, reminding me I need to finish this first and let the staff know their hours. Underneath that is mail from bands, asking if we have any upcoming music nights planned.
Sitting down at the desk, I let out a resigned sigh, knowing the sooner I hit this, the sooner I can be home with Bella.
Bella.
Her name alone can bring the biggest smile to my face. I've never known anyone like her: so strong, carefree, genuinely nice and honest. And for some reason she wants to be with me.
After admitting to myself that I'm ready to feel again—to love again—I have plans to tell Bella how I feel about her.
As headstrong as she may appear, I know Bella believes in true romance and would love nothing more than to be swept off her feet. With all the drama plaguing our relationship, there hasn't been much time for sweeping her off her feet, but I plan to change that. I want to treat her how she should be treated and to tell her I love her.
I haven't thought about how to tell her yet, but I do want to do something special— something she'll remember.
Opposite me, Emmett sits at his desk with the same resigned sigh. "Want me to do the number-crunching?"
This is one reason why we work so well as a partnership; we both bring something to our business relationship. While we both have good heads on our shoulders, we both have our weaknesses, math being mine.
"Yeah, please," I nod. "You know how much I hate doing the math." I grin at him as he sighs and puts the paperwork into some sort of order.
"Fine, but you're gonna have to learn eventually."
"Okay. Will you learn how to do a roster, then?"
"Umm…you know, this agreement we have kind of works for me." He starts playing around with a calculator. "I don't know why, but juggling people's shifts just confuses the hell out of me."
I can't help but laugh as I get to work, turning my thoughts from Bella to the next ten days' worth of business.
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It's a long day.
After the accounting and roster are done, we go through the bars and help with the stock take. Emmett takes some notes on the figures and heads back to finish his work, while I help Riley load up the bars.
Although we won't be open tonight or tomorrow night, we like to have the bars fully stocked when we reopen on Friday, meaning we have less to do before opening.
After that's finished, we let Riley go home before I go back to the office to meet Emmett. Although the necessary work is done, we need to look at our opening nights. We can't deny our jazz night was a total success, but we need to think about whether doing something like that will be a success every week or whether we need to make it once a month. I also want to discuss the prospect of opening on a Wednesday night; maybe not until 2 A.M. but at least for a few hours. Maybe then, if we can get a decent following, we can launch an open-mic night.
We're going through the paperwork when I receive a phone call, the name on my screen bringing a smile to my face as Emmett rolls his eyes at me. "Hey, baby," I say, rolling my eyes in return and turning my back on my brother.
"Hey, can you come and get me?" Her voice is quiet and subdued through the phone.
I glance at my watch; it's only just after four. "Now? Is everything okay?"
"Umm, yeah. We've just finished a bit earlier than I expected. Are you okay to come and get me now?"
I turn back to Emmett. "Are we good to go? I need to pick up Bella now."
His face frowns in confusion. "Yeah, of course. You wanna take this home to look at later?" He gestures to the paperwork we've just been working on.
I nod at him as he collects everything, putting it all together.
"Yeah, of course I can leave now. I should be about half an hour."
"Thanks, I'll wait inside for you. Just let me know when you're here." She sounds so despondent, like something has beaten her.
"'Course, are you sure everything is okay?" She's been so happy with her work and was in such a good mood when I dropped her off earlier. This change in her demeanor is definitely noticeable.
"Yeah, yeah. Umm, I'll just speak to you when you get here, okay? she mumbles, almost dejectedly.
"I'll be there as soon as I can."
We say our goodbyes and hang up. I pack up my stuff, wait for Emmett to do the same, and leave the club.
"Everything okay?" Emmett asks, as we make our way to our cars.
"Yeah, she's just finished earlier than she thought." I pause, wondering if I'm over-exaggerating. "She sounded really down, though."
"I wouldn't worry about it. She's probably just had a shitty day."
Deciding he's right, I say goodbye and get into the car, praying the traffic isn't too bad on the way to Bella's office.
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She's quiet the whole way home. When I pulled up outside her building, she was waiting for me, climbing into the passenger seat before I could get out and open the door for her. I've asked her numerous times what's wrong, only to be told everything is fine.
Yeah, I know that tone well enough to not keep pushing it.
I turn up the radio as we drive home in silence. I know she'll come to me when she wants to talk. For now, it seems she wants to be left with her thoughts.
When we arrive home, we both dump our stuff in the hallway, heading straight for the kitchen, where we find Emmett cooking dinner.
"Rose staying tonight?"
"Nah, she has an early start across town in the morning, so she just went back to hers," Emmett comments, a frown on his face as he looks at Bella, who is standing just at the entrance to the kitchen, her whole posture screaming defeat.
"Umm…okay. I'll just wait here for dinner." She gestures to the living room before leaving the kitchen.
We both watch, speechless, as she departs. Even after a busy or draining day at work, Bella is still lively when she gets home. For her to act so distant is strange for both of us.
"Dude, what happened?"
"I don't know," I murmur, my eyes still on the kitchen door where Bella had previously stood. "How long will dinner be?"
"Not long, I'm just waiting on the pasta to cook."
"I'm just gonna go check…" I trail off as I follow Bella to the living room, leaving Emmett to finish our dinner.
I find her sitting on the sofa, staring at the TV–which is off.
I sit next to her on the sofa, waiting for her to speak. God, if there's ever been a time I want to know what she's thinking, now would be it. She still has that frown on her face and she's chewing her bottom lip – something she normally does when she's deep in thought. Whatever she's thinking about, I would guess that she is definitely overthinking it.
I lean back on the sofa, closing my eyes, waiting for her to make her move.
I don't have to wait long.
"Alec doesn't like the column," she whispers.
I open my eyes and glance at her; she's still staring at the TV.
"He said that what he received wasn't exactly what he expected. While I'm new, I've already proven myself and the column should have been at a higher standard; he was disappointed in me. He went on about bad grammar and said that the writing was all over the place." She sighs and turns to face me. "I put everything into that column, and it still wasn't good enough for them." She slides along the sofa and into my open arms. "I just don't get it. I read over it with Angela this afternoon, and she couldn't see anything wrong with it."
"I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it. This is your first time taking on such a big column; Alec's going to be extra particular about it. That's all. There is nothing wrong with your writing." I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into my embrace.
"Yeah, I suppose. I maybe got a bit overexcited. Anyway, Angela trusts me, so I have to re-write it tonight and then send it her. She'll read it over and then send it to Alec." She leans her head on my shoulder, another disheartened sigh falling from her lips.
I hate seeing her like this. She was so excited when she left this morning, eager for some feedback on her first assignment, only to be brushed aside.
I kiss her softly on her forehead. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. You said Angela liked the column; maybe you just caught Alec on a bad day."
I feel her nod against my shoulder. "Yeah, maybe. Ugh! It's just so frustrating!"
We fall silent again; I'm not sure what I can even say to make her feel better. There's only so many times I can agree with her and call her boss names, without sounding patronizing.
She throws one leg over me. "Thanks."
"Thanks? For what?"
"For being here and listening to me rant about Alec. It's helped. I'm not nearly as pissed as I was earlier." She cuddles in closer to me.
Go figure. It sounds like I was doing the right things all along.
Content with my girl in my arms, I rest back onto the sofa and close my eyes, my thoughts turning to how I can plan a special night to tell Bella how I feel about her.
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After dinner, Bella and I clear the plates and she sets up her desk on the kitchen table. Since he's cooked, Emmett's clear from doing the dishes and sets up in the living room with his Xbox for the night.
I take the chance to plan my night with Bella. I want to do something special and show her much she means to me.
I've almost slipped up so many times, blurting it out at the most random times. Sometimes I catch her watching me and I know she's figured out how I feel for her, but has let me move at my own pace. For such a long time, the subject of Lauren hung over our heads. We're both aware of the number that she pulled on me, and I needed time to realize that falling in love again doesn't necessarily mean it has to end in heartbreak.
I pull out my laptop, but once the power has booted up and I have the internet open, I realize I have absolutely no idea what to do. Since we've had the issue of her stalker we haven't been on that many dates, and I'm still totally clueless.
After twenty minutes of staring at the search page, I decide to ask Emmett for advice. He and Rose seem pretty strong, and he's already told me he's told Rose that he loves her, so he has to be able to help.
I'm not shocked to find Emmett in the exact same position I left him in earlier.
"Em, I need to ask you something."
"What?" He doesn't even look away from the TV screen.
"You know how we had that conversation the other night?" I mumble.
He pauses his game and turns to look at me. "That conversation? Want to be a bit more vague there, Ed?"
"You know, when we got back from work. About Bella and Rose and being in love." I'm being particularly vague, knowing Emmett is enjoying seeing me squirm.
"Mmmm…no, I don't recall such a conversation taking place. I think you might need to remind me." He grins at me, putting the controller down and focusing all his attention on me.
"Goddamnit, Emmett!" I hiss. "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
He chuckles. "I know, but it's fun to see you standing there squirming like that. So, what about it?" The smile has gone from his face, and I know I have his attention now.
"Umm…"
"I'm guessing you've realized that you love her."
"Yeah, I think I knew it a while ago, but I was too scared to admit it to myself. The last few days have made me realize I do. And I want to do something special for her and tell her." I let out a deep breath, a huge weight being lifted from my shoulders.
"Sounds good. So, what's the problem?" He looks confused. "You're not worried she doesn't feel the same, are you? Because it's clear to everyone you both do."
I smile at the thought of Bella loving me.
"I'm not, but thanks for saying it anyway. I just don't know what to plan. How did you tell Rosalie?" Maybe his way can give me some inspiration.
"We'd just had sex."
Or maybe not.
"You're kidding." I should have known better than to ask Emmett.
"What? She loved it—said it was more real, or something."
"Okay, well that's not how I plan on telling Bella. I want to wow her."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, 'why'? I plan on telling the girl I love that I am in love with her. That should be special. Especially after all the shit we've been through."
"Right, don't take this the wrong way, but do you really think Bella is the sort of girl who cares how you tell her?" He pauses to gauge my reaction before continuing. "The girls you've been with were all about your status and liked to be seen in places. They enjoyed you splurging on them, and lived for the presents you got them."
"Yeah, you're right." How didn't I see this before? Bella won't care where I take her or how much I spend on her. We just need to have a night together. I'll spend the night focusing all my attention on Bella, showing her how much I love her. I don't need material things to do that.
I grin at my brother, who picks up his controller and turns back to his game. "You know Bella doesn't care about that shit. She's with you for you."
Well, who knew Emmett could be so deep? And actually make sense?
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I hope you enjoyed. I Would love to know your thoughts. X