All characters except for Annabelle Causley and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.
This is an AU out of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. This story starts after Eclipse, two weeks before Edward and Bella's wedding.
Chapter Twenty
Annabelle looked up at her window, hands on hips as she tried to figure out what to do. It had been easy to escape her room through the open window, since she simply dropped and landed on her feet. Much like that cat she used to have when she was a little girl.
Unfortunately, it looked like she couldn't return to her room through the window…unless she took a running start. There was no tree near by and the west side of the house was all glass.
Shaking her head, she turned to enter the house through the front door. It's not like they didn't know she had escaped…might as well face the music now.
Opening the front door, her eyebrows arched as she found everyone sitting in the living room, sightlessly watching the late night news. She snickered; she was positive they were waiting for breaking news about an unexplainable homicide.
"You can breathe easy now," Annabelle gave them a smile as they simultaneously turned to look at her, "I'm back. I didn't kill anybody."
"Did you find the person," Emmett cocked his head to the side, "The one that caught your attention?"
"Yes," Annabelle looked down at her bare feet, a small smile on her face, "I found him."
"You smell like a dog, Annabelle," Edward had moved to stand before her, his face showing his displeasure at her thoughtless decision to run off without any consideration as to what could happen.
"Too mean, Edward," Annabelle stared up at him with a look of hurt, her mouth tightening as she walked around him towards the stairs.
"Oh no, Annie," Edward grabbed her arm and dragged her into the living room, sitting her in a chair in the back of the living room where she couldn't escape, "You're going to sit down and tell us what happened. And the dog comment wasn't meant to be an insult. You ran into the werewolves, didn't you?"
Annabelle sat on the chair, crossing one leg over the other, her hands clasped over her knees as that small smile returned to her face, "I ran into a werewolf."
"Who?"
Annabelle cocked her head to the side, staring into Edward's eyes, seeing his anger and…was that jealousy? "Is it really any of your business?"
"It may not be his business but it is mine," Annabelle turned to look at Bella, noticing the faint flush on her cheeks. That girl blushed all the time…very much like she used to when she was human, "Those werewolves are my friends."
"So I was told," Annabelle looked down at her nails, carefully scrutinizing the cuticles and oval edges. Alice had done a wonderful job with the manicure, "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to tell."
"Well, are you at least ready to tell us why you are here," Edward crossed his arms, feeling seriously irritated with Annabelle's cloak and dagger attitude.
"Yes I am," Annabelle cocked her head to the side, keeping her eyes on Edward, "But not until after your honeymoon."
"There's no honeymoon," Edward shifted uncomfortably, "We already told you that."
"Oh no you don't!" Annabelle stood up and marched towards Edward, shoving her finger into his chest, "You are not going to use me as an excuse to get out of having a honeymoon with your bride. You two are going to go off to wherever you planned to go and do your thing. Bella deserves nothing less."
Edward turned to look at Bella, the flush on her face confirming his doubts as to whether Annabelle knew about their deal.
"We weren't planning on heading off anywhere," Edward shifter nervously, "We were going to stay here…in my room."
"We were?" Bella looked just as surprised as everyone else.
"I –" Edward shifted again, snarling at Annabelle for putting him on the spot, "Just in case…something went wrong. I wanted Carlisle near by."
Annabelle bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. This was getting better and better…as long as they stayed away from the new turn her life had taken.
"You are such a pessimist," Alice shook her head, leaning back into Jasper's arms, wearing a black t-shirt with army green cargo shorts, "I already told you, as long as Bella follows Anna's instructions, you two will be fine."
"Look," Edward ran his hands through his hair in agitation, "Just stay out of my sex life!"
"What sex life?"
They all laughed at Annabelle's comment, except for Edward that is. He wasn't finding her very amusing at the moment.
Annabelle shoved him lightly on the shoulder, "Look Eddie. Tomorrow, during the dinner hour, I'll tell everything. I promise. But tonight is about Bella. It's not fair for you to cheat her out of it."
Annabelle walked around him and headed towards the stairs, stopping midway to look over her shoulder at Edward and Bella, an impish smile on her face, "Let me know if you need any help."
Annabelle laughed as Edward gave her the middle finger, glaring at her the same way he used to when they were kids. Shaking her head, she continued up the stairs, heading into her room as her mind started wandering to Jacob.
She slowly stripped her dress off, absentmindedly hanging it in the closet as she walked into her bathroom, turning on the hot water and watching the claw foot tub fill up. She sighed as she slipped into the steaming hot water, enjoying the warmth as it covered her cold body. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes as Jacob's face and body came in focus, his scent still lingering in her mind.
Her mouth watered as she thought of his scent, his face, his body. The way his hot breath had warmed her neck and how it had felt to have him pressed against her back. She wasn't sure yet what she wanted to do with him but she knew she wanted him. Whether it was his blood or sex, or both, she didn't know. But she knew she would have him and when she did, she would make her decision then.
Bella sat on the edge of the large iron bed, staring out the window. She was feeling very nervous about this whole situation and knew that if he had the chance, Edward would find a way to get out of it. She had to make sure that wouldn't happen.
Wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans, she stood up and walked into the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, she breathed in deeply as she ran a hairbrush through her brown hair, the flush in her cheeks deepening as she tried to convince herself that she was beautiful and sexy and Edward's every dream.
The image of Jacob popped into her head and she couldn't help but feel the guilt as she remembered the hurt she'd seen in his eyes as he congratulated her. Leaning against the wall, she slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees.
She didn't want Jacob back in her life but it looked like that's what was happening. He'd returned to do right by his people but Bella knew better. Jacob was not giving up as easily as she had thought.
She let her head fall back as she tried to stop thinking about Jacob. Tonight was her wedding night and she needed to gather some confidence so she could successfully seduce Edward into going all the way with her. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply as she pictured herself in her wedding dress. Alice had done an amazing job and once she was done, even Bella couldn't help but agree she looked beautiful as she gazed upon the mirror image of herself. Of course, as soon as she saw Alice, Rosalie and Annabelle, along with the Denali females, she wasn't as confident.
The look on Edward's face had given her the confidence to walk down that aisle towards him, hanging on to Charlie's arm to make sure she didn't trip…which wouldn't have been surprising. Breathing deeply, she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. Alice had bought her a white lace teddy for tonight but she felt too self-conscious to actually wear it.
"Bella, love?"
Bella took a deep breath as she reached for the doorknob. She wasn't feeling confident, in all actuality, she was feeling downright nervous and self-conscious. Taking a step back, she took another deep breath as she pulled her t-shirt over her head. Turning the light switch off and slowly opening the bathroom door, she walked out wearing nothing but jeans and a white lace bra.
Debussy was softly spilling from the surround system in the room. There were candles everywhere, giving the room a soft luminous glow. Bella's eyes immediately zeroed in on Edward. He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of their bed, still wearing his Groom t-shirt with faded denim jeans and black socks. He looked up from his hands with a smile on his face and froze when he saw Bella leaning against the doorframe, the candlelight playing against her faintly flushed skin.
Edward sat still as Bella slowly walked towards him, his eyes on her flushed face. He knew she was feeling nervous and self-conscious, hell, he was feeling the same way too. Holding out a hand, he gently gripped her fingers as she climbed up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged in front of him.
Staring into each other's eyes, Edward couldn't help but smile as Bella's face flushed deeper, "What are you thinking?"
Bella bit her bottom lip as she looked away from Edward's eyes, taking another deep breath. Looking back, she couldn't help grinning at Edward, since he seemed momentarily distracted by her breasts. Leaning forward, she softly kissed his lips, gasping as he placed his cold hands on her waist, pulling her with him as he fell back onto the bed.
"You still haven't told me what you are thinking," Edward moved his lips down her throat, stopping where her pulse was as he breathed in her scent.
"I'm trying to convince myself that I am sexy," Bella buried her face in Edward's throat as she slipped her hands under his shirt, her skin warm against his. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, moving his head to look into her face. Kissing her nose, he moved his lips down to her mouth, deepening the kiss as he slid his hand down her back to the waist of her jeans, enjoying the silky smoothness of her skin. Bella pushed his shirt up and over his head, leaving behind a warm trail that made Edward groan in the back of his throat.
"Before we continue," Edward whispered against her shoulder as he reached for the clasp of her bra, "What instructions did Annabelle give you that we need to follow so this works out?"
Bella pushed herself up as she moved her legs to straddle Edward, a smile growing as she saw the obvsious desire in Edward's eyes, "She told me to be confident."
"I can help you with that," Edward splayed his hand over her stomach, enjoying the softness and warmth as he slowly moved it down towards the snap of her jeans, "Anything else?"
Bella blushed deeply as she looked down at Edward's chest, running her finger over the ridges of his musculature. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the idea of telling him.
"Bella," Edward gently grabbed her hand and pulled her down to kiss her lips, "Either you tell me or we're not doing this."
If that weren't incentive enough, what his mouth was doing to her lips would seal the deal, "She said I should be on top."
Edward grinned as he moved his lips over her hot cheek towards her ear, "Alright then," he whispered before gently sucking on her earlobe, "You're on top and you're sexy as hell."
"You really think so," Bella pulled back to look into his light butterscotch eyes. Edward smiled as he kissed the hollow on her throat, "If you don't believe me, I guess I'll have to show you then."
