Practice
By ebalways
Prompts: drunk, pulse
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"I'm not drunk!" I giggled as Edward tossed me over his stone shoulder. "Put me down!"
Emmett was roaring with laughter, and I felt the sudden urge to flip him the bird. I would have, too, if Carlisle hadn't been standing next to him.
"I'm sorry, Edward," the good doctor said. "I was upstairs working and I had no idea what Emmett was doing!"
Emmett was shouting that it was just a couple of glasses, but my ears felt as though they were stuffed with cotton. Edward deposited me in the seat of the Volvo and slammed the door. Through my blurred vision, I could see him pointing at Emmett, his mouth moving so quickly I had no hope of reading his lips.
Next thing I knew, we were flying down the highway at Edward's usual breakneck speed. I forced my heavy eyes to open and focus on his angel's face. His profile was as stunning as ever: the chiseled jaw and cheekbones, the shapely lips and the pale, icy skin. Without thinking, I reached over and touched his face, running my index finger across his jaw and then his lips.
Edward's mouth dropped open in surprise, and he grabbed my hand with his left, inhaling deeply.
"Ah, Bella," he finally spoke. "Even with the scent of the alcohol, you are still mouthwatering."
I didn't answer – I just threaded my fingers through his hair, wondering how far I could push him tonight. I leaned across the bulky console of the Volvo, emboldened by the alcohol. My pulse felt as though it was going to hammer out of my chest from nerves, but I ignored it. Hopefully he would too.
I finally reached my destination and planted a soft kiss on the cold skin just underneath Edward's ear, and his hands clenched the steering wheel. I followed the line of his jaw, and then his cheekbone, leaving small kisses everywhere my lips could touch. Edward's mouth was drawn in a straight line, his breathing heavy. I couldn't believe he hadn't stopped me yet.
"Edward," I murmured in his ear. "I love you." He hissed in pleasure, and my lips moved to his neck, determined to keep going as long as he allowed it. My trembling right hand ventured over his thin, gray t-shirt, tracing the lines of his stomach muscles through the fabric.
Edward's whole body was trembling now, and I idly wondered how much of it was bloodlust from the pounding of my heart and how much was his need for me. I hoped it was the latter.
"Remind me again," I whispered. "Why are we waiting until our wedding night?"
Suddenly the car turned sharply, fishtailing around and heading back out of town. My left hand still in his hair, I leaned back and studied Edward's face; his eyes were wide, his nostrils flared … but he was breathing hard. I could hear the roar of the engine, and I didn't want to think about how fast we were going. He turned onto an old, lonely road, the darkness whipping by … and then we stopped.
Edward had pulled over onto the shoulder, still gripping the steering wheel much too tightly. Common sense told me that I should cower into the seat and hope he wasn't too angry with my little game, but curiosity and the alcohol kept me right where I was.
"Bella," Edward's velvet voice cut through the silence. His cold hands finally dislodged from the steering wheel, and quicker than I could comprehend, he grabbed a hold of me and pulled my body over the console onto his lap so that I was straddling him. His golden eyes were smoldering, and I felt a twinge in my stomach that had nothing to do with fear. "You shouldn't be such a tease, love."
"What if I wasn't teasing?"
The corners of his mouth twitched. "Then I would say the wine is talking for you."
"Maybe it is," I huffed, caught in his iron embrace. "Maybe it's giving me the courage to tell you how much I want you even if I know that I have to wait. That doesn't mean we can't … get some practice in."
Edward raised his eyebrow. "Practice?"