Chapter 2
Jacob's life insurance policy combined with the wrongful death lawsuit winnings had left me with enough money to sell the old house and build exactly what I wanted. I thought it would be a good idea for the kids to have a change of scenery, so when I found the land overlooking the river, I jumped on it. My favorite part of the house was the fact that it was open and airy. Even in an area where the sun was rarely out for long periods of time, my house always felt sunny and cheerful to me. Because of the open floor plan, I was able to turn the radio on in the living room and listen to the music throughout most of the house. That's why I didn't hear the knock on the door.
I was in the kitchen checking on dinner when I felt his presence. He was standing in the doorway of the house looking at me with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. I was so taken aback by the fact that he still looked so good after all these years that I almost burned myself on the pan I was turning. "Fuck! You scared me!" I said as I closed the oven. My stomach was doing that silly little flip flop thing that it hadn't done since I was about seventeen years old, but I told myself it was just because he had scared the shit out of me. It was then that I noticed the flowers and wine in his hand. This night could be quite interesting after all.
"I'm sorry. I did knock. I guess you didn't hear me." There was no hint of true apology in his voice at all. I walked over to him slowly and took the flowers and wine from him to take back to the kitchen to put up. I laid them both down on the kitchen counter and turned to welcome him in, but he was standing right behind me with his arms out. Still don't know how he manages to move so quickly and so quietly. I had forgotten how much taller he was than me, and how good he smelled, and how good he looked, and how sexy his voice really was…
Get a grip! Edward is here, and he's waiting for you to hug him. Haven't you been waiting on this for 15 years? Leaning in to him, I sort of patted his arm. He was having none of that, and he wrapped me in a huge bear hug. It was the kind of hug that Emmett used to give me when he was trying to get on my nerves. Only with Edward, I didn't seem to mind feeling trapped. We stood in that embrace for a few minutes until it started becoming awkward. Edward broke the hold and told me that he really liked the place. I busied myself with putting the flowers in a vase and told him that once I was finished I would give him the tour. The ziti still had about 10 minutes before it was finished.
I was extremely proud of my new home and all that it represented for my family. I had bought the land and had it built to suit our needs. My children had been going to see a counselor for quite some time after the death of their father, and one thing the counselor told me was that I needed to separate from them a bit. They needed to know that I could be out of sight and still be there for them if they needed it. In our old house, all of the bedrooms had been right next to each other at the top of the stairs. Every night, both children would end up in the bed with me and I would get absolutely no sleep. I took the therapist's advice and had this house built with my bedroom on the other side of the house from the kids (the only steps led down to the basement, so that wasn't an issue). I found that with some distance in our nightly routine, my children handled separation in general much better. The bedrooms were only separated by the living room, kitchen and dining room, but it made so much difference in our lives that I don't know why we didn't move sooner. I shared all of this with Edward as I was giving the tour, and I noticed that every time I mentioned Jacob or Jacob's death, he would wince. It was something I vowed to think about later.
By the time I finished showing him the living area of the house, dinner was ready. It was a beautiful evening, so we decided to eat on the porch. As I was putting the finishing touches on the salad, Edward opened the bottle of wine and poured us both a glass. And he brings good red wine… could it get any better! We fixed our plates in comfortable silence and sat down at the table. "So Edward, how have you really been doing?" Edward and I had been sending e-mails back and forth for about 10 years. At times, I would get the impression that things were going really well for him, and at times his messages seemed cryptic and scarce. I was always truly interested in what was going on in his life, but I could never get him to share any personal information with me. I always just assumed that it was because he was afraid that I would become some crazy stalker-bitch. I was sure that he could read through what I was saying in my messages and figure out that I wasn't extremely happy. If he did get that picture, though, he never said anything about it.
"I'm doing great now B. I got so tired of moving around all the time and not knowing whether I was coming or going. I've taken a job in Port Angeles as a field supervisor, and I will be doing some traveling to Seattle for trainings. I will be house hunting this week if you know of anything."
My heart was pounding. Did he just say he was moving back? Since leaving for college, Edward had only come back a few times to visit his family. He and Jessica had been all over this country and others. I knew that Edward had been working for the government on an anti-terrorist project, but I had no idea what Jessica had done. I looked her up on the internet once, and I found out that she worked for the Department of the State. Other than that, I just knew she traveled a lot. "I didn't think you wanted to settle down." I said, not sure I wanted to hear his response. It would be much easier on me to just hook up with him randomly if I knew he wasn't going to be around very often.
"Things are always much easier to deal with if you don't take the time to stop and think about them."
Not sure that I wanted this conversation to continue, I got up to get the bottle of wine. I brought it back to the table, and Edward took it from me to refill our glasses. "So what about you, B? I know how hard things have been for you the last year and a half."
"Do you?"
"Well, I know what it's like to lose someone you love."
I really wasn't ready to hear him talk about Jessica, although I did want to know the story of their break up one day, so I told him about Seth and Leah. I told him how proud I have been of both of them for the way they take care of each other and me. I was pretty sure that Edward didn't really like children, so I didn't talk about mine for too long. I knew they would never meet anyway, so I thought it was a good idea to move on to a lighter subject. I asked about Esme's health.
When we were younger, Esme had been trying desperately to have a baby of her own. Edward and Emmett had been adopted by them when they were infants, but Carlisle and Esme always wanted more children around. She had been in an accident, which is how she met Carlisle, that apparently caused her to have significant difficulty carrying a baby to full term. She had miscarried several times while he and I were together, and I knew that it was causing her to have other health issues as well.
"Mom's doing great. She has been doing a lot of charity work and volunteering, and she and Dad are able to travel a lot now that he's semi-retired."
We talked some more about his family and finished dinner. There was a chill in the air which made me shiver, so I started to go inside to get a sweater. As I walked past Edward's chair, he reached out and grabbed around my waist pulling me into his lap. "I'll keep you warm."
The goose bumps that I had now had nothing to do with being cold. As I sat across his lap with my little dress on in 55 degree temperatures, I suddenly felt like my skin was on fire. How does he manage to do this to me so quickly? I had been with other men, and none of them ever made me feel this way. EVER. I decided to just enjoy the moment and put my head down on his shoulder. It felt so good to be held by him that I could have gone to sleep had my body not been reacting to EVERYTHING about him. "You still smell the same," he said as he brushed his nose against the top of my head.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"It's a very good thing. I haven't been able to smell strawberry shampoo for the last fifteen years without missing you."
I turned my head to look at him, and he had a look of pure agony on his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"I just wish I could explain to you how much I have truly missed you," he said as he kissed my forehead, then my eyes, my nose, and finally my mouth. The kiss started slowly with small pecks on each corner. He kissed the center of my mouth and took my bottom lip into his mouth. I opened my mouth slightly to let his tongue dart in briefly. With that, a small moan escaped him, and I opened my mouth deeper. I moved my hands up to his face and into his hair. I had forgotten how good it felt to run my fingers through that sexy mane. I had completely forgotten that I was cold, as my entire body was now hot with desire. It felt as if we had never stopped being together. I still knew exactly what spots would drive him crazy. I slowly kissed my way around his jaw to his ear. As I nibbled on his earlobe, his hand found my breast. I could feel the heat through the fabric of the dress and bra that I was wearing. I arched my back willing my dress to come off so there was nothing between his hands and my body. As if he read my mind, he began unzipping the dress from the back. I slid my arms out of the straps and helped him free myself from the dress. I had decided on the baby blue lacy strapless bra that gave me some really nice cleavage.
"You are so fucking beautiful."
As Edward started to unclasp my bra, the phone rang. Shit! I jumped up explaining that it was probably Seth, and that I needed to answer it. As I ran into the kitchen to answer the phone, I was pulling my straps back up on my dress. Edward walked into the house from the porch just as I was getting the phone that I left on the kitchen counter.
Seth and I spoke for a few minutes about how things were going with Grandpa Billy and Aunt Becca in Seattle. He told me that he had ridden on a bus through the town and that they had been to visit their cousins in a weird-looking house. As we were talking, Edward came up behind me and zipped my dress Is that it? Bummer! I felt a trail of warmth where his fingers had touched my skin. He then kissed my shoulder and poured us both another glass of wine. He found another bottle to open out of the bar if we decided we wanted more. I sat at a bar stool and settled in. Seth had always been a talker, and I had learned that the more I tried to make him stop talking, the more he was going to talk. I let him finish telling me all about his cousins and how much fun they had, and then I told him that I missed him and couldn't wait to see him. He didn't have school on Monday because it was a teacher work day, so they wouldn't be home until late Monday afternoon. Leah got on the phone and began to ramble about the same things that Seth had just told me. She told me that her doll, Lily, got to play with new friends today and that she even took a bath. "Bye Bye Mommy, I luz you!" She said as she handed the phone over to Billy. I noticed that Edward was looking at pictures in the living room intently as Billy got on the phone.
"Hey Bells, we just wanted to check in. I'm sure you have a friend over, so I won't keep you long." How the hell did Billy know that I had someone over. Does he know it's a man? Does he know about Edward? I wonder what Jake told him…
"Thank you Billy. I appreciate you taking the kids, and I appreciate you calling. Please call me again tomorrow so that I can say good night."
I was a little sad as we hung up, so I just held the phone for a minute or two. The kids are having fun. Be glad that they are finally able to go somewhere without being terrified to leave your side. I didn't see Edward anymore, so I looked out on the back porch. He wasn't there, so I started wandering around the house wondering where he had gone. I found him staring at a family picture in the hallway outside of the kids' bedrooms. It was two pictures side by side: One of Jake and the kids, and one with me and the kids. It was very unusual to find a picture of all four of us together. I wondered if Edward had noticed that.
"I try to keep pictures of them with their daddy so they don't ever forget how much he loved them."
"They are beautiful kids. It's amazing to me how much Leah looks like you."
Of course I blushed when he said that, so I turned away. I walked over to the couch and sat down. When Edward sat down next to me, I wanted to pick up where we had left off. My body was still aching for him to touch me, so I reached across him for the glass of wine on the side table. In order to get it, I had to pretty much crawl across his lap and put my tits in his face. This got me the desired effect as Edward's lips came crashing down on mine as soon as I sat back in my seat. I put my wine down, and my hands were immediately in his hair and exploring his face, neck and shoulders. I kissed his neck and started unbuttoning the collar of his shirt. After about three buttons, I gave up and pulled his shirt up over his head. He was still so fucking beautiful. There was a small scar right under his chest. I asked him what happened, and he told me that he would have to save that story for another time. I leaned down and licked his scar, which made him moan again. I loved that sound and was determined to make him moan a lot tonight.
Edward pushed me back so I was laying on the couch with him on top of me. His tongue explored my mouth and neck. I slid my leg between his legs and began rubbing up against him causing another small moan. I could feel his erection against my leg, and it made me feel bold and powerful. I pushed his head down into my chest and arched my back. Edward turned me so that he could again unzip my dress and free me. This time, he was able to get the bra off without any distractions, and he began pinching my nipple. I arched my back again and bit his neck to show him how much he was turning me on. The dress was really getting in the way, and I wanted it to come off, but I no longer had the capacity to speak. I remembered what he could do with those hands and those fingers, and it's all I could think about.
His voice was thick with desire when he said, "I feel like a teenager again, making out on your dad's couch."
Finding my voice, I replied, "The biggest difference is that I can promise you no one will walk in on us, and I'm now allowed to have boys in my bedroom."
That was all the invitation Edward needed. Before I could blink, he was off the couch and pulling me with him into the bedroom. He walked behind me kissing my neck and shoulders the entire way and making sure that my dress was completely undone by the time I got close to the bed. I pushed Edward down onto the bed and stepped out of my dress as I walked in between his legs. He stared at me with sheer need, which I fucking loved. He held onto my waist and began kissing my stomach. I bent over a bit tangling my hands in his hair and thrusting my hips. His tongue dipped into the top of my adorable blue panties, and I gasped. He looked up at me with a small and began pulling me towards him. I put one knee on each side of his hips and began crawling up the bed, forcing him to lay down. I kissed Edward's head and worked my way down to his chest, spending a considerable amount of time with his mouth and incredible tongue. I took my time with each nipple causing multiple groans and continued my way down to his stomach. My hands slid down and undid the button on Edward's pants, but I was struggling with them a bit, so Edward just reached down and ripped the button off.
I had almost forgotten how big Edward was. I traced my finger up and down the length of him as I licked the tip big moan! I worked my fingers back to the top and took the length of him in my mouth. He tasted so fucking good that it almost did me in. I reached down to gently massage him, and he was thrusting into my mouth.
"Oh God, I'm gonna fucking cum!"
I began moving a little deeper hoping that he was enjoying this as much as I was, but he pulled on my head as if to pull me off. I looked at him questioningly, and he said that there was plenty of time for that, but he wanted to be inside me. Understanding that and being a little thankful, I crawled back up to him and kissed him again. He flipped me over onto my back and started trailing kisses up and down my body, leaving his warmth everywhere he touched. As he was licking my nipples, I moaned and arched my back. His hands went to where I had wanted them all evening.
"You're so wet! I need to feel you."
He slowly pulled my panties off trailing kisses everywhere he touched. I was on fucking fire. He kissed me from my ankles back up to where I needed him the most. Spreading my legs gently, he began kissing my inner thighs. It was my turn to moan.
"You like that?"
"Oh God yes!"
"How about this?"
Everything went blurry as he flicked his tongue out to torture my clit. I started thrusting my hips and I have no idea what words or sounds were coming out of my mouth. He slid one finger in me and I thought I would explode. With the next finger, I knew that I was close to losing it. The warmth of his breath when he said, "Fuck Bella, you taste so damn good," caused me to go off the edge. I could feel my toes curl and my body tighten around his fingers. My muscles were quivering, and I couldn't feel anything other than my incredibly powerful orgasm.
Edward was kissing his way back up my body and giving me a chance to recover. He kept his fingers in place letting me thrust against them as I came down. I kissed him hungrily tasting myself and getting incredibly turned on again. "Edward, please," I said quietly.
Edward pushed himself up on his hands and fit himself between my legs. He began rubbing himself slowly against my clit until I felt like I was going to go insane. I wrapped my legs around him pulling him into me. He moved slowly at first, which was pure torture. I took his nipple in my mouth and began biting it gently. He began groaning more loudly and more frequently as my hands, which were kneading his ass, started pushing him harder and faster. He lifted my right leg over his shoulder and began gently pinching my clit between his finger and thumb. I'm pretty sure that I screamed as I came again. I could feel Edward pulsing against my quivering body as he came too.
"Fuck, Bella!"
I just smiled at him. Oh my God! That was un-fucking believable! We have tonight and most of the day tomorrow to get this out of our system.
"I'm assuming that your staying here tonight, seeing as it's one in the morning and you drank several glasses of wine."
"I don't think I could move if I wanted to. Besides, I want to spend as much time with you as you will let me."
Uh oh…
