Chapter 32 — Right this Second
I never loved you any more than I do, right this second. And I'll never love you any less than I do, right this second.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
Bella's POV
One minute I was on Edward's lap with him attacking my neck, and the next, I was in Brody's arms. Confusion swept through me, and the intense desire I felt earlier was coursing through me again. I wanted to scream, but the look of repulsion on Edward's face froze my voice, and I wasn't sure what it meant. The only thing I did know was that I had to get further away from Edward.
What possessed me to stand so close and challenge him, knowing what would happen? What in the world is wrong with me? I questioned myself.
I was drawn from the thoughts by Finlay's command to Brody. "Get her out of here."
The argument scared the living daylights out of me … No, Edward scared me. His behavior was off. He was the one to suggest we join the others, and then … Oh, God! Who cursed us?
Edward caught my eyes before saying, "Go." The last thing I saw was his gaze falling to the floor.
Brody turned on his heel, rushing me out of the main chamber. My heart ached the further we climbed, and Brody didn't stop until we were two floors up—a dozen or so chambers between Edward and me.
I was in tears when Brody set me on my feet; I wanted to be with Edward. Sighing, I asked, "How long do we have to stay here?"
Brody scratched the back of his head. "At least eight hours."
I moved to the far wall and slid down it, putting my head in my hands. "Why would anyone do this to me?" No answer was given, not that I was expecting one.
About an hour into my isolation from Edward, Brody broke the silence. "My lady, do you think the spirits would have hexed you and Master Cullen?"
My head snapped up, trying to take him in, but I couldn't see him—I saw only Edward. He's not here, he's not here, I chanted to myself as I closed my eyes. "I think they're testing Edward and me." My heart clenched. I needed Edward, but I had to stick it out.
~~ L.C. ~~
Seven and a half hours later, Brody led me back down to the main living chamber. Edward was nowhere in sight, nor was Finlay, but the banging of pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen.
When I took a step in that direction, Adam stepped into my path. "Not a good idea, my lady. Master Cullen wishes to cook you dinner."
Relief surged through me. He made it through. I had felt him reaching out to me about two hours into our forced separation, but I blocked his thoughts, and I had agonized over it ever since.
"Please let me by, Adam," I requested.
"Sorry, my lady. Master Cullen has given strict orders to keep you out of the kitchen."
I sighed and called out in my mind, "Edward?"
"Be right out, love."
"It's not necessary. Continue with what you're doing. I'm back."
I swear I could hear his smile when he responded with, "I know."
Suppressing the urge to shove Adam out of my way so I could give Edward a piece of my mind, he and I joined the rest of the men. They were discussing the scientific inaccuracies found in the movie Superman.
"It's impossible. Without being incredibly dense, there is no possible way he could deflect bullets," Brody said. "If he was, he would dent the floor just standing in place."
"True, lad, but the impossible always happens in comics and movies."
Shaking my head, I said, "But aliens can be constructed differently than humans. So, they can be dense and lightweight at the same time."
None of them responded, but all turned to look at me. Finally, Adam found his voice. "She does have a point."
A hand came to rest on my shoulder. "But there is really no evidence to support Superman being an alien. He's humanoid," Edward said, joining the debate.
"Oh, come on," I said. "His outward appearance is not in question. There have been many alien races that appear to be humanoid, but when they are cut …" I held up a hand.
Brody scratched his head. "But as far as I know, the man of steel has never bled."
"Which supports my case," I remarked. "How do we know he's not an alien? His blood could be green for all we know. And for that matter, science would say witches and magic are not real, but we know differently."
Everyone started laughing.
"Verra true," Adam said.
"My love, dinner is ready," Edward whispered as the guys went on debating another superhero.
Finlay's eyes followed as Edward led me out of the cavern, through another, finally stopping when we were four chambers away. It was lit by candles, and there was a small pool off to one side. But what drew my attention was the pile of cushy furs and a checkered blanket spread out in the center. I turned to Edward, raising an eyebrow.
He smiled. "I've been waiting to take you on a picnic for a while now," he said in explanation. "Since we can't venture outside the cave system, this will have to do. And we wouldn't have been able to have candles."
A shiver coursed through when Edward's right arm snaked around me. "Is it safe?" I asked, and then berated myself. "Of course, it's safe. We're in magical caves, and the spell that affected the both of us has worn off."
Edward snickered, kissing the shell of my ear. "I heard that, love. And I've worked out a signal with the guys in case we need them." Aloud, he continued in a low voice, "I thought we could enjoy the water a bit before eating."
Edward's POV
A blush crept up Bella's face, possibly at the thought of skinny dipping with me, and I had to fight to keep myself calm. The spell had made me appreciate what we had, and I wasn't about to rush her.
Bella took a deep breath and released it slowly. "You only live once, right?" she said, kicking off her shoes as her hands moved to the bottom of her shirt.
Before I could even blink or think to stop her, her creamy stomach was revealed. I swallowed hard when she dropped the garment to the cave floor. If blue hadn't have already been my favorite color, it would have been then. The way the dark blue and gray lace brassiere cupped her breasts had me envious—which was silly. When her hands started moving toward the front of her jeans, I captured them with mine.
"Not yet," I whispered, releasing her hands to remove my own shirt, dropping it atop hers at the same time I removed my shoes.
Bella drew in a sharp breath, reaching out a hand and running it over my taut stomach. Holy cow! I thought as my abdominal muscles clenched. "That feels amazing, love," I said encouragingly.
Keeping eye contact, so not to scare her, I moved my shaking hands to the button of her jeans and unfastened them and then lowered the zipper. The jeans slid down her legs, bunching at her feet.
Without any additional encouragement from me, Bella assisted me in the same way. I had yet to take her in, and I wanted to.
Bella backed away two steps, surprising me. Her eyes moved down, and I felt naked even though I still had on my boxers and ankle socks. Once her eyes reconnected with mine, she wet her lips. A groan left me as my eyes wandered down. Bella's skin shone in the soft candlelight. "You're gorgeous, Isabella," I said through our link.
Again, her cheeks heated. "You're not half bad yourself, Edward."
As she turned away from me, her hands snaked up her back to the clasp, releasing it. After dropping her brassiere, her hands moved to the waistband of her panties. I felt my throat go dry as she shimmied them down her legs, stepping out of them. All she had left on were her socks. She started to turn back, and I closed my eyes. This was not a good idea, I thought to myself, careful not to transmit the reflection to Bella.
A splash had me opening my eyes. Bella was gone; there was only one place she could be. My gaze turned to the pool, and she resurfaced with her back to me. All further hesitation fled my mind, and my remaining clothing was shed.
I made very little noise as I dove into the water, coming up behind Bella. My arms went around her waist as I nuzzled her neck. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"
She "hmmm'd" in response.
Grinning, I nipped her ear. "Let me tell you again, Bella," I whispered, caressing her arms. "Before I met you, I didn't know how dull my life was, and now I can't imagine my life without you in it."
Gradually, I guided her to where she could stand but still be covered from the chest down. Keeping my groin back, I coaxed Bella into facing me. With my hands on either side of her face, I leaned in and kissed her gently. "I love you," I whispered, kissing her again. I trailed my fingertips down both sides of her face, her neck, and arms, barely touching her. Despite the warm water, she shivered.
Love shone in Bella's eyes as I entwined our fingers.
"You're beautiful," I said, pressing my lips to hers.
Freeing one of her hands, she ghosted her fingers up my stomach, chest, and finally over my shoulders, where they came to a rest at the back of my neck. It was my turn to shiver. Yet again, she surprised me, trailing her tongue over my lower lip. Growling low in my throat, I opened to her questing tongue, caressing it with mine.
Bella stepped closer to me, pressing her chest against mine. My arms circled her, drawing her even closer and then up into my arms. Walking out of the water and over to the furs, I laid her down before I settled on my side next to her.
While caressing her from inner knee to mid-thigh, I brushed my lips along her collarbone, progressing slowly down and listening to the moans I was eliciting from Bella the whole time. They were driving me crazy but spurned me on at the same time. I ran my tongue over her right nipple. She gasped and arched her back. Moving to the other nipple, I did it again, and it resulted in the same reaction— I was pretty sure she liked that.
My hand went higher, still caressing, teasing, and Bella's moans were getting louder, more drawn out. I knew she wasn't quite warmed up. I was more than ready, though, but I wasn't about to go any faster.
When I finally cupped her womanhood, she was writhing in pleasure, and I could feel the heat pouring from her. Still, I kept on teasing her, massaging her. My lips never left her skin, and I saw the moment her hands clenched into fists. Slipping my middle finger through her folds, I started pushing into her. When she cried out, I lifted my head, looking into her startled eyes. I didn't "shh" her, nor did I press my finger any further, I allowed her a moment to adjust. "I love you, Isabella," I whispered.
Once her face relaxed, I pushed the rest of my finger into her as I continued telling her how much I loved her and how beautiful she was. By the time I had three fingers in her, she was moaning once more. Picking up a little speed, I brought her closer and closer to the edge. Her eyes had closed at some point, but they flew up as her back arched and she screamed out in ecstasy, coating my hand in her juices. After bringing her down slowly from her orgasm, I wiped my hand on a towel and ripped open a condom—I had placed near the furs when Finlay and I set up the chamber—rolling it down my length.
Bella was still panting when I covered her body with mine. Kissing her, I slowly entered her, pausing often for her to acclimate. It was one thing for my fingers to be in her and another for my manhood. "Love, this might hurt," I whispered, thrusting the final inch forward.
Bella gasped, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. I kissed both sides of her face, softly apologizing for the momentary pain. All too soon, I was lost in the heady sensations of making love to the one woman who completely captured my heart.
We were both slick with sweat and panting heavily by the time I rolled off Bella. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep, but there were still a couple of things I had to do for her. Getting up onto my knees, I pulled the cloth from the bucket next to the furs, wringing it out. I bathed between her legs, causing her to gasp. Smiling down at her briefly, I turned and returned the cloth to the bucket. Next, I picked up an open bottle of Advil, shaking two pills into my hand. "Here, love, take these. They will help ease the pain," I requested gently, dropping the small, reddish-discs into her palm before picking up a glass of cran-apple juice.
Greedily, Bella gulped the juice, washing the pills down. "More," she said hoarsely, holding out the glass.
I held back my chuckle, summoning the bottle to me. Two glasses later, Bella yawned.
"Let's take a nap, love," I suggested, knowing dinner would keep until we woke. I got no protest as I drew the blanket over us. Bella snuggled close to me, resting her head on my chest. With a smile on my face, I closed my eyes, letting sleep claim me.
A/N: Thoughts?