A/N Happy Friday! It's finally here! :) Thank you again to everyone who is following this story. I am amazed every day by the amount of hits, favorites, and alerts I receive. It means a lot to me. Your reviews mean so much too. I read them all and love them. If you haven't left a review with your thoughts on the story, please do so! I'd love to hear what you think; good or bad!
Anyway, here's the chapter! Enjoy and please review!
Chapter 32 – Watched
When she had made the comment about going home to her 'empty house,' she knew it would make Edward want to hurry to get her there and she was right. He didn't drive badly, but he did speed a bit as he drove them to her house and pulled the car into the driveway.
Just like she knew it would be, the police cruiser was missing. Charlie was on the day shift at work today, so he wouldn't be home until at least six; and that was only if they didn't have an emergency he needed to tend to. Plus, he'd probably end up going straight to the Cullen's from work for dinner; he wouldn't want to be late and disappoint Esme.
Once he was parked, Edward practically jumped out and sprinted around to open Bella's door for her. Normally, he would have held a hand out to her to help her out of the car, but today, he simply bent down and lifted her out of the car and carried her bridal style up to the house.
She was laughing the whole time and kept playfully smacking his chest; telling him to put her down and that she was more than capable of walking. He just smiled at her and shook his head, a mischievous grin taking over his facial features.
When they were at the top of the porch stairs, he finally let her down so that she could unlock the door. She saw the surprised look in his eyes when she simply reached for the handle and opened it. "We don't really lock it often. Dad's the police chief and people here know he'll find them if they do anything stupid," she said by way of explanation.
Instead of answering her, he swept her off her feet again and carried her up to her room. In much the same fashion as earlier this afternoon, he kicked the door closed with his foot as he moved her to her bed and sat her down gently.
"We don't exactly have a lot of time baby, but I wanted to show you how much I love you; how much you own every inch of my heart and body." He was right there, hovering over her but not putting any weight on her. His face was less than an inch from hers and she could feel his hot breath weave it's way into her open mouth and run across her face.
She was so turned on by his proximity and by the anticipation of him kissing her that she felt herself saturating her panties almost instantly. She moaned deeply when he brought his lips down to brush hers ever so lightly before pulling back and looking into her eyes.
She could get lost in Edward's eyes forever; literally. They were full of love, devotion, kindness, passion, hunger, and the most prominent right now – lust. He wanted her badly and that was clear.
Not being able to resist, she felt her hands reach up and snake into his hair. Once she had a strong grip on him, she yanked him down so that his lips were pressed to hers and she kissed him as hard has she could. She needed to know that she matched him desire for desire, passion for passion, and love for love. She needed him just as much as he seemed to need her.
It was a passionate kiss, but not a deep one and Bella needed it to be. Without pause, she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and started biting at it and pulling it with her teeth. When she felt him moan, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and fought his for dominance. Neither was the winner of the kiss; instead they shared it – every aspect of it.
They were an equally matched pair. There was no dominant partner his this relationship. When Bella needed him to take charge, he did so willingly and happily. When Edward needed her to take charge, she did the same. It was a perfect relationship, well balanced between both of them and it only continued to grow stronger as the days passed.
Finally, not able to stand the anticipation any longer, Edward helped her strip down and did the same. When they were both there, bared completely to each other, Edward made sweet, passionate love to her.
…..
He would never get tired of feeling Bella around him or seeing the way he was able to make her feel. The look on her face when he was making love to her was one of complete awe. She enjoyed every touch, every kiss, every caress; that much was obvious.
When they were finished with each other, they were both completely spent. Edward knew they needed to quickly shower and get over to his house before people started to wonder where they were or what they were doing, so he hurried Bella along.
Seeing her stand in front of him, completely nude, he realized something. He had his own personal Aphrodite here before him; a goddess of beauty, pleasure, and love. He was in complete wonder of her beauty. Maybe he had love blinders on, but he could not find one flaw on her physically. Even small things, like the fact that her eyes weren't quite symmetrical or that she had a slightly crooked nose, only enhanced that beauty to him. All he saw in front of him was pure perfection.
The pleasure was a given as well. He had never felt a greater pleasure than what Bella made him feel. She knew exactly where to touch and what to do to give him the most incredible, mind-blowing orgasms possible. His skin burned at the simplest, slightest tough. It was like her skin held a charge that only he reacted to, but it was the most pleasurable feeling in the world.
As for the love she held for him and brought into his life; he didn't even know such love was possible. When she looked at him, she had so much love in her gaze that it would always leave him breathless. He knew beyond a doubt that she would do anything in this world for him she could; she loved him that much and it was reciprocated. Edward would jump in front of a bullet to save her if he had to, for life without Bella would be no life at all.
Once they had quickly showered and were dressed, he led them downstairs and out to his car. As he was helping Bella into the car, he got the feeling they were being watched. His eyes swept their surroundings, but it would have been almost impossible to see anyone if they didn't want to be seen. Bella lived at the end of a street, surrounded on three sides with thick, dark forest and there were too many hiding places to even count.
He shook off the feeling he had and went around the car to get in. Once he was seated and buckled in, he reached for Bella's hand and interlaced their fingers. Backing out of the driveway, he glanced around one last time before heading home.
…..
Edward was acting a little strange when they left to go to his house. When Bella asked him about it, he tried to play it off like whatever it was wasn't a big deal, but she knew better. She could tell that it was bothering him a great deal and so it began to bother her too. For the first time in their relationship, the silence that surrounded them in the car was awkward and it disturbed her.
"Edward, please talk to me! I can tell something is bothering you and I need to know what it is. Things feel off right now because you won't talk to me and I don't like it. Please?" She looked over at him, her lower lip jutting out from her mouth, and batted her eyelashes. She was trying to be humorous to lighten the mood, but she really did need to know what was going on.
He looked over at her and couldn't keep a boyish grin from taking over his face. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist her puppy-dog face; no one ever could. She just waited, never breaking eye contact, until he was ready to tell her about what was bothering him.
Finally, he released her hand and pinched the bridge of his nose; a sure sign that he was stressed out about something. He sighed deeply and then turned to look at her. "I don't want to scare you because it was probably nothing, but when we were leaving your house, I felt like we were being watched." He must have seen the terror in her eyes because he was quick to try to reassure her. "Bella, I looked around but I didn't see anyone. I was probably just imagining things and being silly."
She could tell he was just trying to appease her but she was suddenly very nervous. After what had happened today, first with Lauren and then with James, she was scared. What if it was one of them trying to retaliate for today? Sure, Edward hadn't actually done anything to either of them and neither had she, but it still worried the hell out of her.
He must have sensed her concern because he turned on his right blinker and pulled to the side of the road. Once he was at a full stop, he turned to look directly at her but she couldn't meet his gaze. "Bella, there's nothing to worry about. Like I said, I was probably just imagining things. Hell, it could have been a wolf or a mountain lion or some other wild animal. That would explain the feeling of eyes watching me, too." He slowly reached up to her chin and tilted her face up to him, gently coercing her to look at him. When she finally looked into his eyes, she saw what she always saw: love, devotion, and care. This time was a little different, though. This time, she also saw concern.
She was the one to inhale deeply and let out a big sigh this time. "Okay Edward. You're probably right and were just imagining things. It still worries me though after everything that happened today but I'll get over it." She smiled up at him and he caressed her cheek. "There's just one more thing," she stopped there until she was sure she had his attention.
"Babe, when I ask you if something is wrong, please tell me what it is. I shouldn't have to beg you. I really hate the fact that you tried to hide this from me. If something is concerning you even in the slightest, then it should involve me too. I love you Edward and I want to share everything with you; even your concerns and your sorrows." She continued to look at him but couldn't keep the sadness out of her eyes.
She didn't want him to see her hurt, but he did need to know how she felt about the situation. Good, strong relationships were built on trust and kept that way through communication. She knew that they were both young, but she wanted this relationship to stand the test of time. She loved Edward with every fiber of her being.
He was her first love and she had no doubt he would be her last. Even if something were to happen and their relationship didn't work, she knew she would still love only him. He was her soul mate in every sense of the word, like their souls had twined in heaven and found each other again here on earth.
Edward looked horrified at the fact that he had hurt her by hiding his feelings. He turned completely in his seat and placed a hand on either side of her face, looking her directly in the eye. "I'm so sorry, Bella. You're right; I shouldn't have tried to hide this from you. I just felt so silly about it. I didn't want you to think I was paranoid or overprotective or something inane like that. I love you more than I can express in words, Bella. My life would cease to hold meaning without you in it. Forgive me?" he asked unsure of himself.
Instead of answering him right away, she closed the distance between their lips. Without waiting for him to allow her entrance into his mouth, she pushed her way inside with her tongue, kissing him as hard and as deep as she could. She wanted to show him that there was nothing to forgive and she did just that.
When she felt his hands start to slide down her face and shoulders and then hesitate on either side her breasts, she had to smile against his lips. She slid her own hands down his arms and guided him to touch her breasts fully. When he made contact with her he moaned into her mouth. He gently ran his thumbs over the most sensitive spots, which immediately responded by springing to life causing Bella to moan this time.
Just when things were starting to get hotter between them, a car drove by, pulling them out of their moment. She saw Edward glance on the clock on the dashboard and heard him curse under his breath. "Love, as much as I want to make love to you right here, right now, we can't. My mom and dad are going to be home within twenty or thirty minutes. If they get to the house and we're not there, they're definitely going to be asking questions that neither of us will want to answer." He was blushing profusely and she found it absolute adorable.
Bella pulled back and crossed her arms across her chest pouting. "Fine. Let's go," she said, trying to sound like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It worked because Edward laughed.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven for earlier?" he asked. She could tell he hated that he had upset her and wouldn't rest until he made things right. She grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.
"There's nothing really to forgive," she told him, bringing their hands up to her lips and kissing the back of his. "Now let's go so we don't have to answer those questions you were talking about earlier," she said as she smiled at him.
A few seconds later, they had merged back onto the road and were almost to Edwards house. When he pulled up, he sighed and told her his parents weren't home yet but pointed out Jasper's car and said that Alice was probably going to be pissed. He smiled his crooked smile at her then and told her it was completely worth it, making her blush like crazy.
….
Edward felt like a total jackass for upsetting Bella. She had been so serious when she told him that she wanted to share everything with him, even his concerns and his sorrows. He promised himself right then and there that he would do everything in his power never to hurt her again. He knew it was probably an impossible feat, but he would try anyway.
After he asked her forgiveness, she surprised the hell out of him. Instead of answering him, she kissed him. It wasn't like their normal kisses; Bella controlled this one. Where normally she would seek permission to deepen then kiss, this time she shoved her way in, taking complete control of him and the situation.
Without a conscious thought, he hands starting moving from her cheeks down until he was lightly touching the sides of her breasts. He paused there, not wanting things to get too out of control, but felt Bella trace down each arm until her hands guided his to fully caress her beautiful breasts. He felt himself moan and allowed his thumbs to circle her nipples, which instantly perked up at his touch.
He felt more than heard Bella moan into his mouth as he rubbed her nipples. Screw not letting things get too out of control, he thought to himself. His hands were just sliding down undo her pants when a car drove by, abruptly ending their moment.
He glanced at the clock on the dash and saw that it was almost five and cursed under his breath. "Love, as much as I want to make love to you right here, right now, we can't. My mom and dad are going to be home within twenty or thirty minutes. If they get to the house and we're not there, they're definitely going to be asking questions that neither of us will want to answer." He knew he was blushing but he hoped it would help knock his point home.
When Bella started pretending to throw a tantrum he knew he was forgiven, but he had to ask anyway. "Does this mean I'm forgiven for earlier?" He still felt awful for upsetting Bella but firmed up his promise to himself that he would make it right with her and not hurt her again if he could help it.
When she grabbed his hand and twined their fingers before telling him there was nothing to forgive he couldn't have been happier.
He drove the rest of the way to his house while holding Bella's hand. When they pulled up he was relieved to see that both his parents' cars were still absent. He saw Jazz's car though and knew he and Alice would be home. He warned Bella that she'd probably be pissed as they walked in the house together.