Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.I also don't own Sleeping with the Enemy. The book belongs to Nancy Price and the movie belongs to Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.
Sleeping with a Monster
Previously…
I rushed into the room to be with her in everyway possible to find her in my bed. She was wearing a red lace bra and matching panties, setting off her creamy skin. Her hair was splayed out across the pillow and her eyes were closed. I reached out to stroke her cheek and she softly mumbled my name before she rolled over onto her side. I sighed in disappointment as I realized she was asleep, most likely an affect from all the alcohol.
"Sleep well, my love," I whispered in her ear. I brought my lips to her cheek and kissed her lightly.
"Love you," she murmured softly as I slid the covers over her. Hiding her tempting body under a blanket did nothing to calm my raging need to have her.
"Time for a cold shower." I chuckled softly to myself.
Chapter 28 - Chicago
Bella's POV
The week following my birthday was interesting to say the least. The morning after Edward and I went to the nightclub, I woke up with a killer hangover. And, if that wasn't bad enough, I found myself in nothing but my red lacy bra and panty set with an amused Edward watching me…
"Sleep well?" He could hardly contain his bright smile as he drew a lazy circle on my upper arm.
"Ouch," I whispered, touching my forehead lightly. "How can you been so chipper in the morning. Don't you even have the tiniest bit of a hangover?" A sudden wave of self-consciousness swept over me as I realized I was covered from the waist down.
It seemed rather silly since Edward had seen me in a bikini. Of course, I knew it was because of the intimate setting of being in bed together that made me feel this way. Even with my pounding headache, my body was hyper-aware of the man next to me. In an attempt to hide the bashfulness that threatened to overtake me, I rolled over on my side, pulled the sheet up to cover me better, and buried my face in his chest.
"Yes, but I already took something for it this morning. I also drank water and took some vitamin B last night before bed." He wrapped both arms around me and pulled me closer.
"No fair," I grumbled at him, seriously annoyed that he could feel so happy in the face of my self-inflicted pain. He brought my hand up and kissed my palm.
"I'm sorry, love. I should have taken better care of you last night. But in my defense, you did pass out in my bed before I could do anything about it." His voice was full of apology and I found myself unable to stay seriously annoyed at him.
"I did?" I gasped, partially from the pain of the hangover and partially from embarrassment. "Ugh. Did I make a fool out of myself?"
"No, love." For a moment, I thought he was going to say something else, but in the end, he didn't. I sighed in relief hoping he was telling me the truth. I didn't want to think about some of the stupid things I might have said or done last night in my inebriated stated.
Edward shifted a little, reaching for something off his nightstand. "Take this. It should help with the pain." I opened my eyes to squint at the two pills if Ibuprofen he was offering me.
"Aw. And I didn't get you anything," I teased lightly as I took the offered meds and popped them in my mouth. Edward laughed before he handed me a glass of water. I took a drink and tossed back my head slightly to swallow the pills.
He kissed my forehead and sighed. "I've got work in a couple hours."
"When will you be home?" I let my eyes roll into the back of my head as Edward ran his fingers through my hair. It felt so good.
"Not until late. I'm pulling a double."
"Wow. They've been working you pretty hard lately," I commented lightly before I handed him the glass.
"Yeah, that's the price I have to pay to go on our little trip," he said as he returned the glass to his nightstand.
"What?" I lifted my head and looked at him, ignoring the throb in my temples.
Edward pushed my hair off my shoulder, causing a shiver to run down my spine as the hair tickled my bare skin. "Bella, we're going to be gone for a week. I had to take on some extra shifts in order to get the time off."
"Oh." My face fell. "Now I feel guilty."
He ran his fingers along my cheekbone. "Why?" His eyes questioned me.
"Because you have to work this crazy schedule because of me." I rested my chin on his chest as I continued to look at his face.
"Hey," he chastised gently. "Don't start blaming yourself. I would still have to do this because of the job interviews. Taking you along has only added a day or two my plan, so you see. I would still be in the same boat. You've turned a trip I wasn't particularly looking forward to into something wonderful."
"But you–" I started to protest.
"No arguments. I don't want to hear it. I just want you to enjoy the trip and our time together." His second chastisement stung a little, but I knew he was right. I should be grateful to Edward for planning this trip and giving me the opportunity to visit Charlie. Instead, I felt uneasy.
I sighed in defeat before I said, "I'm sorry." I propped my self up on my elbow, leaned in closer and looked into his face. "Thanks for doing this. I really am looking forward to it." I smiled and his emerald eyes gleamed with excitement. Edward closed the distance between our faces and kissed my softly on the lips…
The static from the overhead speakers jerked me out of my thoughts. "Ladies and Gentleman, this is the captain speaking." The intercom squawked. "Welcome to flight 3547, service to Chicago from Phoenix. Er… Sorry for the delay folks. It looks like there is a particularly nasty lightening storm over Chicago that's been causing delays all day. But we expect to be in the air in the next little while." My answering groan in response to the pilot's announcement garnered a low chuckle from Edward seated beside me in the small commuter plane we were crammed into.
"Impatient, Love?" Edward chuckled beside me as he raised the armrest situated in between us out of the way.
"That was code for 'We don't know when we'll be in the air, so we're going to keep you on this cramped plane because we like to see you squirm," I grumbled. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gently started to work on the knots in my neck. My eyes automatically closed and my head dropped forward as I relaxed and enjoyed his hands kneading my muscles.
"That feels so good." I groaned, as the stress of traveling combined with the past week started to dissipate under his expert touch. Edward moved my hair to the side with the lightest of touches, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
"Cold?" he asked, misinterpreting my reaction to his fingers caressing my skin as he motioned to a flight attendant for a blanket.
"No… Just my body's normal reaction to you." I smirked at him playfully. He placed a few feathery kisses on my neck before he continued his ministrations with his fingers.
As the flight attendant approached us with a blanket, she took one look at me before she gave Edward and appreciative look. She smiled at him as she pushed her long blond hair behind her ear and handed him the blanket. This caused Edwad to break off his massage, but kept his hand on my shoulder.
"Is there anything else I can get you? A pillow maybe?" Her tone made it clear that she meant anything as she flirted with my boyfriend. But, Edward, bless his heart, didn't seem to notice.
He turned to me and said, "Love, would you like a pillow?" Oh, how I loved this man! I thought as a smug little smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.
"I'll just use your shoulder, sweetie." I smiled at the flight attendant. She smiled in return as she narrowed her eyes at me in response to my comment. I heard Edward's low chuckle in my ear as the flight attendant turned on her heel and walked away. I sighed and leaned back into Edward while he wrapped his arms around me.
Within a few moments I felt Edward's body twitch alerting me that he had dozed off. With the extra shifts at the hospital, his exhaustion was event by the dark circles under his eyes. In fact, he worked another double the night before our flight and managed to get home mid-morning. Our flight wasn't until late afternoon, so he was running on only a few hours of sleep.
The steady rhythm of Edward's breathing was soothing and I found myself getting lost in my thoughts again. So much had happened this past week. I felt my lips turn up in a small smile as I thought about Rose. She had invited me out to dinner earlier in the week to discuss Edward and our apparent intimacy problems…
I took a large bite of my mushroom burger when Rose turned to me. "So, have you talked to Edward?" I held up my hand as I tried to chew the food in my mouth before replying. I knew what she wanted, but decided to play innocent for a minute.
"About what?" I asked sweetly. I fought hard to keep the corners of my mouth in line. Rose didn't buy it.
"Bella," she laughed in feigned annoyance. I grinned at her.
"What did he say at the nightclub?" I decided to avoid answering her question with one of my own.
"He wouldn't tell me anything. I started to tease him a little about you to see if he would give anything away. He usually takes my teasing in stride, but instead of joking back with me, he snapped at me. I think I hit a nerve." Her lips twisted into a grimace.
I took a long sip of my iced tea before I asked, "Did he say anything to you about it at all?"
"I think my behavior towards you in the past kept him from opening up to me. I'm sorry Bella." I squashed the urge to smile that Edward was loyal enough to me not to open up to Rose. However, sometimes a girl needs advice.
"Don't worry about it. I know what the problem is." I admitted.
"So he told you?" Rose sounded smug.
"No. Emmett did." I smirked at her.
"My Emmett?" She looked at me in confusion.
"I know if no other." I couldn't help but laugh at the surprised look on her face. "It's because I'm still married." Rose busted out laughing, but stopped as soon as she saw my face.
"Oh! You're serious!" Rose smirked but then muttered, "He's so old-fashioned sometimes."
"I guess it really bothers him that I'm still married. When he first realized who I was, the thing that upset him the most was that I was married. But, later he said it didn't matter that I was." Remembering our fight was not my favorite thing, but it certainly shed some light on Edward's attitude.
"Yeah, but I still don't understand. It's not like you're still with that creep," she muttered.
"He feels like if we have sex he's having an affair with a married woman." I paused for a moment before I continued, "He's right." Rose started to chuckle and I looked up at her in surprise.
"He would feel that way. But, what he doesn't realize he's been having an 'affair' the entire time he's been with you. You two have been having an emotional affair for sometime now. The fact that you haven't had sex is just the final coup de grace." Rose shook her head and started to eat her meal. We ate in comfortable silence for a time.
Rose finally broke the silence. "So what are you going to do?"
"I think he just needs time to figure things out. He's been so wonderful with me, never pushing or pressuring me about my situation. I owe him the same. What else can I do?" Rose considered my words for a moment
"You could get a divorce." I knew the minute those words left her mouth I would have to explain a few things to Rose about James.
"Rose," I sighed, a little exasperated. "You don't know James. There's a reason I disappeared, changed my name, moved to a different state. If it was as simple as getting a divorce, don't you think I would have done that by now?"
"Maybe, but I think you need to ask yourself something. Is Edward worth it?" The look on her face challenged me.
"Of course he is. But, what if this puts Edward in danger too? I can't stand the thought of James hurting Edward." That thought alone scared me more than facing James myself.
"I think Edward can take care of himself." Rose scoffed at my excuse.
"I'll think about it." Rose eyed me as if she didn't believe me so I said, "In fact, I have plans to talk to Jasper tomorrow about my legal options; fair enough?"
"Okay, but I expect a report." Rose pointed at me with mock sternness. "Oh, that reminds me, I know of a few really good divorce lawyers. I'll get you their numbers…
I wondered what Edward would think about my talk with Jasper and my decision. The airplane lurched forward as it started to rumble down the tarmac towards the runway and I felt Edward stir next to me.
"Are we there yet?" Edward's voice was thick with sleep and I snickered at him.
"No, sweetie. We're still in Phoenix, just taxiing down the runway now."
"Wow, I'm no fun." Edward rubbed his face and said, "Didn't mean to fall asleep on you there."
"You can sleep on me anytime you want," I said cheekily. "Get some rest. You've got a busy couple of days ahead, what with interviews and being my tour guide in Chicago." He hugged me and kissed the top of my head. I spread the blanket out over the two of us as the plane picked up speed in order to take-off. That familiar drop as the tires left the tarmac alerted me that we were finally airborne. It took Edward less than two minutes to fall back asleep and I snuggled into his embrace.
When two flight attendants came by offering snacks and drinks, I extricated myself from Edward's arms and leaned him back against the window. I asked for a pillow and placed it under Edward's head knowing it had to be more comfortable that the hard plastic of the plane's interior walls. I covered him with the blanket and turned back to the flight attendant who offered me an array of drinks. I settled on a ginger ale and a small bag of pretzels. Having a couple of hours to myself, I took the opportunity to grade some mid-term projects from my students. Although school was out for the next week due to the fall break, I still had a lot of grading to catch-up on.
Some three hours later, we started our descent into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. I quickly returned my work to my messenger bag and stowed it underneath the seat in front of me. I glanced up the aisle and spied the flirty flight attendant making her way towards us, reminding passengers to put their seat backs and tray tables up. Not wanting her to have the privilege of waking Edward up, I leaned into him and trailed light kisses up his jaw to his ear.
"Wake up sleepyhead." I nibbled his earlobe and Edward's arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He gave me a sleepy smile before his eyelids fluttered opened and revealed those eyes. I loved the way he looked at me when he first woke up and my breath caught in my throat as I returned his smile.
Edward kissed me lightly on the lips before he mumbled, "Where are we?"
"Just making our approach into Chicago now." I pulled back adjusted my seat back bringing it upright and signaled Edward to do the same before our flirty flight attendant used it as an excuse to linger a little longer than necessary. I glanced her way as Edward straightened his seat and I thought I saw a look of irritation flash across her face.
Edward raised the shade on the window and I leaned over him as I looked out at the lights of the city against the dark landscape of the night.
"It's too bad we didn't get in while it was light out so you could see the city from the air." Edward mused beside me.
"I'm sure I'll get to see plenty of the city while I'm here." I smiled back at him as I straightened back into my seat.
It wasn't too much longer when we felt the jolt of the tires hitting the runway and the deafening sound of the engines, flaps and brakes as they all worked together to slow the plane down. After we arrived at our terminal, we exited the plane and gathered our luggage from the baggage claim. I let out a laugh of disbelief as Edward stopped in front of a limo and dropped our luggage.
"Mr. Masen?" the smartly dressed limo driver said to Edward.
"Yes," Edward replied. He gave me a sly little smile when he spied my shocked face.
"Very good to meet you, sir. My name is Craig. I will be your driver," Craig said before he turned to me. "Mrs. Masen?" I felt my face heat a bit at the mere suggestion of being Edward's wife. I glanced up at Edward to see his face light up with a big smile, his eyes full of amusement. I grinned back and shook my head at him.
I turned to Craig and corrected, "Bella Thomas." Craig opened the door for me to get in the back of the limo. I looked back up at Edward to see that the smile that graced his face was now forced and no longer reached his eyes. I suddenly felt uneasy.
As slid into the vehicle, I heard Craig say, "I'll stow you luggage. Would like to proceed directly to the hotel?"
"Yes. Would you please call ahead and place an order for room service to send a couple of club sandwiches to our room." I didn't realize how hungry I was until Edward mentioned the sandwiches to the driver.
"Bella, does that sound good to you?" I looked up at Edward who had his head tilted down to look at me in the car.
"Sure, sure," I replied, still a little distracted by Edward's sudden change in demeanor. I would have to ask him about it when we were in the privacy of our hotel room. Edward finished up with the driver before sitting down next to me in the limo. He took my hand and kissed it, all evidence of his forced smile gone. The driver stowed our luggage and soon we were on our way.
About a half hour later, we pulled up in front of the Avenue Hotel in the middle of downtown Chicago. It was close to ten o'clock local time and I was definitely more than a little hungry. Edward was chuckling at my stomach's protests as we stepped out into the chilly October air.
We entered the modern looking glass and steel hotel through the revolving door. The hotel lobby was sleek and modern with black leather chairs and couches. Several white leather chairs broke up the monotony of the black. The seating area faced a stainless steel gas fireplace and had two metal and glass top coffee tables.
Edward walked up to one of the stainless steel counters to check in. We got our zebra key cards as the bellhop took us to our room. Room was the wrong word for our accommodations – suite was a better word.
The front room wasn't overly large and was decorated in warm earth tones with a light mottled brown leather couch and a zebra armchair. The dark wood of the accent tables in the room reminded me of coffee. A secretariat with a sage green high-backed leather chair that swiveled graced one of the walls. The room was complete with a flat screen TV and a breathtaking view of the city. I noticed our sandwiches were sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch and I frowned at Edward as he paid the bellhop and shut the door.
He caught my look and in feigned innocence said, "What?"
"Edward Masen." I narrowed my eyes are him before I said, "How much money did you spend for us to stay in a place like?" He gave me his lop-sided grin.
"Don't you know it's impolite to ask how much someone spent on a gift for you?" Edward pulled me into his arms and kissed me and I sighed in blissful defeat. I could argue with him later about how much he was spending. Edward's stomach punctuated its protests with a loud growl, causing Edward to laugh against my lips. He pulled away to look into my amused face.
"I'm starved." He pulled me over to the coffee table in front of the couch. I stopped in front of the window and gazed out over the city awash with the soft glow of light.
"Wow, nice view." I sighed as I took in the scene from the high perch of our room. Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"It sure is." I caught his reflection in the window and realized he wasn't talking about the view outside our window. I looked back and met his gaze as he looked at me and smiled.
I shook my head and said, "You're hopeless."
"I hope so." He gave me a kiss.
We sat down and made quick work of our sandwiches. Edward finished first and leaned back on the couch while I downed the rest of my meal. I laughed internally when I heard his light snoring beside me. I glanced over my shoulder to confirm my suspicions that he was asleep. His head rested on the back of the couch and slightly rolled to one side. His chest was rose and fell with his deep breaths, jerking every so often when his muscles would twitch from exhaustion.
I carefully rose from the couch, not wanting to wake him, and went into the bedroom. As I entered the room, I realized we had a corner suite. The king size bed faced a picture window that looked out over the buildings of the city and Lake Michigan. The room was decorated in the same warm neutral tones as the living room while the bed had white on white stripped linens. There was another flat screen TV in the corner.
I grabbed my new blue Victoria Secret boxer pajama set and my toiletry bag before stepping into the bathroom to get ready for bed. The bathroom was luxurious with a granite countertop, a marble floor and thick fluffy white towels. I made it through my nightly beauty routine in record time, knowing that Edward would rest better once he was in bed instead of sitting up on a couch. I quickly turned down the bed before I went to get Edward.
I gently shook his shoulder. "Sweetie, why don't you go to bed?" When he didn't stir, I shook his shoulder again. "Edward?" I reached out to touch his face when I suddenly felt myself falling into his lap. I let out a surprised yelp and heard Edward's musical laughter in my ear. I found myself lying across his lap securely wrapped in his arms.
"Edward!" I lightly smacked his shoulder, laughing as I grinned at his mischievous smile.
"Mm. Ready for bed already?" He teased me as he nuzzled my neck.
"Yes, mister snoring on the couch," I quipped back. "I think you are too." I inhaled his delicious scent and cuddled closer to him.
"You're right. Let's get some rest so we can play tomorrow." Edward stood up lifting me in his arms bridal style as if I weighed nothing at all. He carried me into the bedroom, took one look at the fluffy bed and launched me into it. My squeal ripped through the room before I landed with a soft thud in the middle of the bed. Edward snorted at my reaction and I threw a pillow at his retreating backside. He sidestepped my attack before he grabbed his tee shirt and shorts to get ready for bed.
I snuggled into the expensive sheets and soft pillows as I waited for Edward to come out of the bathroom. It didn't take long for me to relax and feel the lethargy of sleep seep into my body. I smiled at Edward as he came out of the bathroom. He turned off the lights and crawled into bed next to me, pulling me into his arms before we fell asleep.
***********
Edward's interviews weren't until Monday, so after renting a car, he spent the weekend showing me his hometown. He took me to the Art Institute of Chicago, Navy Pier, the Botanical Gardens and, much to Alice's delight, I'm sure, shopping on the Magnificent Mile. However, when Edward took me to the Museum of Surgical Science, I put my foot down and we left early; that place was a little creepy. Edward whined a little about having to leave saying it was one of his favorite places to visit when he was a kid.
I was surprised when Edward took me to a cemetery. It took me a moment to realize why we were there, but then it dawned on me – he was visiting his parents' grave. We as we entered the cemetery, we drove past row upon row of headstones. Finally, we stopped at the end of one of the rows and he cut the engine. He glanced my way before he got out of the car, came around to my side and opened the door.
He held out his hand, but I didn't move to get out. "Bella?" He looked at me curiously.
I smiled up at him before I asked, "Would you like a moment alone with your parents first?"
"I'll admit, it's been a few years since I've been able to get back here for a visit, but I've made my peace with the death of my parents." Edward pulled me out of the car as he continued to say, "I'd love to introduce you to them, but if it's too painful for you, I'll understand."
"I'd love to meet your parents." My heart swelled at the thought of Edward sharing this part of his life with me. I had a feeling the visit to his parents' gravesite would be completely different from the one we would make later in the week.
Edward held my hand as he led me across the slightly uneven ground of the cemetery. We approached a large gray granite headstone with the name Masen carved across the back. There they were – Edward Anthony Masen, Sr. and Elizabeth Anne Masen. It was a little disconcerting to see the name Edward shared with his father carved in a headstone. Edward knelt down in front of their grave and gentle pulled me down to join him. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me close as he kissed the top of my head.
"Bella, my parents, Edward and Elizabeth Masen." Edward paused before he continued. "Mom, Dad, this is Bella – the woman I love." I looked up at him to find him gazing at me with a look of complete adoration. It was a simple statement offered to his parent's final resting place, but my heart swelled with love for him. He pulled me close and I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest.
"I wish my parents could have met you. They would have loved you," he whispered in my ear. I lifted my head and he caught my lips in a passionate kiss. It might have seemed a little weird to be making out with Edward in front of his parents grave, but in that tender sweet moment it didn't feel strange.
A/N: I would have had this up sooner, but in my defense… I've been sick with the flu for about a week – miserable stuff. I hope that I'm mostly over it now.
Thank-you to everyone for reviewing and reading my story! - SavageWoman