A/N
Hello and thank you for those lovely reviews!
Though we've been seeing Edward's challenges in the last few chapters, he is indeed still the same sweetly devoted man.
We have a few additional names for Saintward that I love: Pinkcookies's name for him is 'Godsquadward.' She pointed out that his wings are also colored plum for the date.
And FireandIceBoth's name for him, Heartward. Yes, even when he loses his wings from time to time, his heart is still there.
Wondering who the heck Iris and the others are? You can find them under the outtake titled, "Good Enough" in the outtake and teaser section on my profile.
Just a reminder, if you don't have PMs enabled, I can no longer reply to your reviews. You know who you are *narrows eyes.*
Thank you to those wonderful women who do so much for this story: orangeapeal, Sunshine, and robsjenn. These women continually go above and beyond the call of duty. I'm proud to call them my friends.
A special thank you to Songster- for sharing your gift.
Enough talk? Okay, okay, let's get back to their date…
Chapter Twenty-five
Woo
.
.
.
"Open."
I part my lips and Bella feeds me a marinated apple wrapped in Parma prosciutto. Salty, sweet, the food is delicious. I've always wanted to come to Spinasse, but never had an occasion. Bella is an occasion – my occasion.
The servers bring a pasta course, and Bella tries to 'carb up,' as her therapist suggested, on Jerusalem artichoke ravioli.
"I like to watch you eat," Bella says as I finish the last of the prosciutto. "Especially pork. It's on my 'Rules to Loving Edward list.'
"What is?"
"Feed Edward pork," she says, taking a ravioli and raising an eyebrow.
"No, it's not."
Shrugging, she wears a sly smile as she chews and swallows. "It is, I swear. You don't have to believe me."
"What else is on the list?"
"I can't tell you that. Loving someone is like a magic show; I can't reveal all of my secrets," she says wryly, and waves her hands and widens her eyes like she is a magician.
But Bella makes loving me look so simple.
We share plates of rabbit meatballs wrapped in caul fat, and roasted young chicken with shaved Brussels spouts… everything is amazing. We laugh and talk through the various courses and I finally get to ask some burning questions.
"I make you drink blood?" I'm horrified.
"Yep."
"Get out."
"You do… you wanted to know, so I'm telling you. In my bad dreams, you make me drink blood. But I'd rather tell you about the good dreams."
I have to think about this for a minute. It isn't so much that I'm interpreting the dream; I'm more fascinated by Bella's nonchalance. She doesn't look upset or frightened at all.
"How do I do it… am I a vampire or something? Is there a dead person?" Do I hurt you?
"Oh, no. It's usually from a chalice." Bella drinks some wine and shows me the glass. "You've noticed my preference for white… Gosh, I like this wine."
I had panicked when I looked at the wine list. I hadn't had time to research the wines of the Piedmont region, so I went with the most expensive white, a Bruno Giacosa Arneis, and fortunately, it was a success.
"Why do you think I make you drink blood?"
"Well, I've spent a lot of time trying to interpret my dreams… and I think there are two reasons. First, I'm feeling pretty crappy as a Catholic right now. I haven't received communion since before the funeral. I've decided to go to mass on Wednesday night."
"I have hours with Carlisle on Wednesday, but I can go with you on Sunday."
"Truthfully, I think I'd like to go to your church on Sunday. I can go to my church on Wednesday. I'm feeling the need for both right now." Bella looks at me the way she did when she told me had three therapy sessions a week: insecure.
"You aren't going to get an argument from me against going to church," I say raising my palms and, like before, her shoulders relax from my approval. Preacher's wife.
"The second reason for the dream might have something to do with my eating." Bella places her hand over mine and tenderly rubs her thumb over my knuckles. "You see, I'm dating this terrific man who worries about how much I eat. He tries to feed me all the time."
Bella looks at the forkful of chicken in my hand that was headed for her mouth. Shaking her head, she smiles knowingly, and then opens her mouth allowing me to feed her, which I do.
I put down the fork and groan. "He sounds like a pain in the ass."
"Oh, no. He's a rare treasure."
"I swear, Bella, I don't even realize I'm doing it anymore."
As an automatic response, I glance again at the amount of food she has eaten. Bella misses nothing. I drop my head to my hands and Bella laughs.
"I know, love… There is a lot of food here," she says, "it's all incredible, and I'm getting full." I nod, trying to appear careless. I did order a ton of food. "But…" she lowers her voice, "I'm a sucker for popcorn at movies… so I might be saving a little room."
Popcorn over gourmet food? For the third or fourth time today, I fight the urge to propose to her on the spot.
"Edward, can I tell you now about the good dreams?"
"Are they erotic?" I raise my brow, unable to control my hope.
"Sometimes," she says slowly, "but there is one reoccurring dream that is my favorite. Do you want to hear about it," she asks timidly.
"Please."
"I'm walking down a road in a nice neighborhood, some suburb." Bella is wistful as she speaks, and I hang on every word. "There's water, but I'm not sure where it is. In the distance I see a huge house being built—just a wood frame. As I get closer, all of the other workers disappear and it's only you left hammering nails into the wood… You're wearing khaki shorts and work boots, no shirt." She looks at me and smiles, bashfully. "It's a sunny day. Your back has a deep golden tan and you're very sweaty."
"What are you doing in the dream?"
"I sit on the curb across the street and watch you hammer nails," she says with finality and drinks another sip of wine.
That's it? Do we have sex then...? And this is your favorite dream I'm in? I suck.
"Bella, does anything else happen? It's just me hammering nails?"
"There are variations… sometimes you turn to me and smile, one time I brought you water, and last time… you handed me a hammer and nail."
Oh, wow. Realization hits me like the hand of God slapping me upside the head. We're building our home... I want to hear her say it.
"What do you think it means?" I ask. Please say it.
Bella presses her lips between her teeth and shrugs.
I don't want to scare her. It's too soon to talk future, isn't it? We're quiet for a long time, maybe too long.
"Tell me more about the retreat." Bella breaks the silence and I tell her about my inadequacies as a sex counselor.
Isabella Swan is the best audience I've ever had; she laughs at every ridiculous story I tell, so easily amused.
At the end of the meal, I pour Bella the last of the wine and I ask for the second time tonight about her talk at Newtons.
Bella slides closer to me in the banquette and shakes her head as she fingers the hair at my temple. I take a lock of her shiny hair between two fingers and run the length to the end. She smells so good—clean and pure.
"Edward Masen, The Beautiful and Kind, we are on a very romantic date in this very romantic restaurant." Bella's voice is quiet, soft. "The most handsome man I've ever laid eyes on has his hand on my knee," I do, "and for some reason, he wants to talk about bad dreams and difficult conversations." Bella brushes her finger over my lips. "I told you it went fine, love. I can tell you all about it now or later, your choice, but I'd rather have the rest of the world fall away for tonight. Let tonight be about us—just us."
I ease my hand an inch above her knee and make circles on the smooth skin of her thigh. Bella's eyes turn dark chocolate.
I swallow hard and dare myself to dream. "I want to hear about the house."
"The house?" Bella asks, her apprehension evident. Dare to dream with me, Bella.
"We're building our house – our lives together – in that dream." My heart rate picks up and I can see Bella's chest heave with deep breaths. "That's what the dream means, doesn't it, Bella?"
"Yes," she whispers so quietly I can barely hear her.
"Let's talk about our house, our dream house."
As we walk to the movie theatre, Bella and I discuss our dream house. It doesn't surprise me that her desires are modest—a small cottage with a great kitchen, lots of windows and a small patch of land to plant vegetables and flowers.
I can see her now, wearing garden gloves and a hat to protect that delicate, pale skin. From the kitchen window, I watch her wave at me and hold up a successfully grown red tomato. I start the grill and we have dinner on our patio overlooking the water.
"Would you like to live on the water someday?" she asks as we walk hand-in-hand down the street.
"Yes. The suburbs, kitchen, windows, yard, water," I say like I'm reading off a list, because, really, it's already burned into my mind. "How about a guest suite for Charlie and Sue? Forks is a long drive."
"I'd like that very much," Bella says sliding her hand around my waist as we walk.
Tonight marks the first time that Bella and I find the courage to talk seriously about the future. Not in the way we did the first night we met, tangled in a web of lust and grief, but as adults, lovers, partners.
.
.
.
"I'm sorry sir, but Love's Epiphany is sold out," the young ticket clerk tells me.
"Darn it, Edward. I knew you wanted to see that."
"I wanted to see that? I thought you wanted to see that."
"I don't want to see Love's Epiphany… I thought you did."
"No, no, no… not at all. What did you want to see?"
"Truthfully?"
I say a silent, hopeless prayer for her response.
Bella scrunches her nose, "Face Punch?"
She couldn't be serious, could she?
"Bella, Face Punch is supposed to be the worst film of the year."
"I know," she says, raising her brows.
"It only got half of a star in the paper."
"I know."
"It's horribly violent."
"I know!" she sounds ecstatic.
"Bella, I've been dying to see Face Punch."
"Really?" she squeals.
"Really."
"Yay!" she raises her arms in victory.
Marry me.
During the trailers, Bella and I eat popcorn and she shares her philosophy that bad movies are much more entertaining than mediocre movies. I concur. With the exception of two teen boys sitting down in front, we are the only ones in the theatre.
We sit in the back corner. Bella crosses her legs and leans into me, burying her face into my neck to muffle her laughter. The worse the film's dialogue, the greater the hilarity.
I take the opportunity to hold her tightly and stroke her long, straight hair.
During a particularly violent scene involving a car crash, I gently hold Bella's head to me so she won't watch.
Lifting her lips to my ear, she whispers, "It's okay. This movie is too bad to scare me."
But others might…? I take note.
We aren't far into the movie when I catch her contagious laughter and I suggest we leave.
"Promise we'll rent it when it comes out on DVD?" Her lips brush my ear as she speaks.
"I'll buy you your own copy." Her mouth drops open in surprise like I've offered her the Hope Diamond. I lift her chin and give her a kiss. "I want to get you home."
Bella bites her lip and I get a glimpse of her creamy legs in the flickering light of the movie theatre. Should we stay? Makeout and grope in the dark like teenagers? No, be good, Edward.
Knowing Rose is staying with Alice tonight, Bella and I end our evening at the condo.
When we walk in, Bella eyes the presents on the dining room table.
"For me?" She seems almost afraid to ask.
I stand behind her with my hands around her waist as we look down at the gifts.
"No. They're for Charlie. Would you bring them to him for me?"
She gives me a playful smirk.
"Yes, they are for you, love."
"You already brought me those beautiful flowers, and…" she stops herself, then says, "you didn't have to do this." I can tell she's excited by the way she keeps running her fingers over the paper.
"Do you want to open them?"
She nods vigorously, unable to hold in her enthusiasm.
"Which one should I open first?"
Stepping away from her, I pick up the two gift boxes and first offer the smaller one. "This one."
When she reaches for it, I quickly pull it back. "No, this one."
Again she reaches, and I switch. "Maybe this one." She giggles so easily.
I continue like this until she breaks, rapidly clicking her heels on the floor. "Edward."
"Okay, this one," I yank it back one more time and hand her the larger box.
I hold my breath as she opens it because the first gift is the trickiest. She pulls away the tissue paper and lifts up a pair of cotton pajamas—short pants and a camisole, like the ones she often wears.
"This isn't really a gift," I say anxiously. "This replaces…"
"I know, Edward. I love them; they are even better." Bella saves me from talking about the pajamas I ripped off of her last night.
Bella puts them down and goes for the second, smaller box.
"No, wait, there's more in there."
"There is? I thought this was a big box."
Taking another layer of tissue paper away, Bella finds the panties.
"What's this?" She asks, then claps her hands. Okay, still good.
"Um… I don't know. I got a little lost in the panties section and couldn't decide. It's not that I don't like the ones you wear… I'm not saying that…" Fuck, I'm so nervous. Maybe this is why I haven't given her any gifts. Please don't be insulted.
My voice trails off as Bella lifts pair after pair out of the box. Her excitement crescendos. "I looove them!"
"You do?" Thank you, Lord Jesus, for helping me buy my girlfriend underwear. Sorry.
My excitement quickly matches hers. "You see… these are called boy shorts." I hold up the purple pair. "Purple is in this season." Look, I'm learning.
"Yes, I like boy shorts."
"You do?" Oh, good.
"Is purple cool with you?"
"Yes, baby."
"And look at this pair, it has a little skirt attached." They are red and satiny.
"Very sexy, Edward."
We look at each pair; Bella doesn't disregard or ignore a thing.
She gasps, "Vannina Vesperini?
"Do you know her?"
"Not personally, but I hoped we might meet one day… Thank you, Edward. I love them."
"One more layer."
"You're kidding," she shakes her head, but continues to smile. "What is this, Christmas? I'm going to start calling you Santa."
Wordlessly, Bella pulls out the simple, long, dark blue nightgown that called to me. Her mouth parts as she holds it by the thin straps in her outstretched arms.
She says nothing.
"I know you like blue… since the nightie you bought was light blue, I thought you'd like one that's dark blue." Maybe she doesn't like it. "The material is silky."
"It's silk," she murmurs.
I start to panic and pull at my hair.
"It's so sophisticated," she whispers, still looking at the gown.
"I know. That's why I bought it." Dropping her arms, Bella finally meets my eyes. "In that journal letter to Esme and Carlisle, you said you weren't sophisticated, but you are. You're the most sophisticated woman I've ever met. You're smart and kind. You treat people with class and respect, with grace. If that isn't sophistication, I don't know what is."
Bella lays the nightgown in the box, and quickly turns her head away, covering her mouth.
"Bella," I try to gently turn her shoulders around, but she resists.
"I'm okay, I'm fine, I'm really happy, thank you," her words quickly flow.
You're crying?
"Sit down, Bella." I pull out a dining room chair and guide her to sit.
As I get on my knees, Bella looks up at the ceiling and wipes away tears.
I take out a handkerchief, and dab the tears mixed with makeup under each of her eyes. "It takes so much to make you cry, Bella. Why are you crying?"
"I'm crying because I'm happy. I love my gifts. I'm very lucky."
I tilt my head and search her face, her lip quivers as she tries to suppress her crying. "No, there's something else here."
Bella nods, and the tears fall more quickly. "What is it, Bella?"
"I think… I'm still working on believing I deserve you," she admits in a shaky voice. "I'm almost there, but not quite." She forces a little laugh.
There is a direct line connecting Bella to me; when her heart hurts, my heart hurts.
I stand and offer my hand, she gives me hers and I lead her to one of two large chairs in the living room. I sit down and, without need for provocation, Bella sits on my lap and rests her head in the crook of my neck.
"How about we sit here for a little while," I say, and thank God for my soft voice.
"Thank you."
With one hand, I hold Bella's legs, and I stroke her hair with the other. There is no crying, just holding.
As we sit, I consider the irony of the situation. I bought her presents because: 1) I haven't yet found a sufficient way to express how much I love her; 2) I want Bella to be happy and have everything she's ever wanted; and 3) I want to prove I deserve her. But if I try to tell her how I am the undeserving one, it might spur more tears. So, instead of words and tears, we sit and I hold her.
St. Francis's prayer, really Bella's prayer, comes to mind:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace… where there is doubt, sow faith.
So much, so soon, Bella. I know.
Eventually, Bella lifts her head and looks as though she's transformed back into the happy woman she was earlier tonight. Her large brown eyes look clear again, and hopeful.
"Feeling better?"
"Much. I didn't ruin our date, did I?"
"Nope. I was just thinking that all of our dates should have a stop and hold intermission."
Bella kisses me with her soft, full lips.
I kiss her neck and whisper in her ear, "Take a bath with me."
Bella slowly shakes her head. "Not until I finish opening my presents, Santa."
Bella pulls the ribbon off of the second gift box. When she opens it, she whispers, "Oh, my God. Is this what I think it is?"
"Um, you should have one with a lock on it to keep me out, but the leather ones don't have locks."
Bella opens the leather bound journal and looks at the blank pages.
"It's, um… I like to write on lined paper, and I thought you might, too. You can refill this one with paper when it runs out with more lined or unlined."
"It's so soft."
"It's apparently a special kind of leather, old or vintage or something." She really likes it, I can tell.
Bella closes her eyes and hugs the journal to her chest.
When she opens her eyes, there is a happiness there that obliterates her earlier sorrow. "Sit," she commands, and I oblige, taking her dining room chair.
Bella raises the skirt of her dress so she can sit astride me. Though I hold her lower thighs, I stop myself from going any higher.
"My Edward, these are the most wonderful gifts I have ever received."
"You like your journal?"
Bella smiles and shakes her head. "I love my journal. I couldn't imagine anything more precious." She brushes my bangs away. "Oh… there's my favorite smile."
I reach into my jacket pocket, pull out the small envelope and hand it to her. "This is a little something else."
Her brows raise, then she narrows her eyes suspiciously. "What did you do?"
Bella opens the envelope.
"It's a little gift card," I say.
She looks confused.
"A lot of those panties have matching bras, but I didn't know your size, so you can buy some as part of the gift."
"Edward, this isn't a gift card, this is a store credit card." She raises a brow.
I shrug. "I know. Really, Bella, buy anything you want. Please treat yourself."
She shakes her head and holds my face in her hands. "Edward, you are crazy. I love you." She kisses me on my eyes, my nose, and, finally, my lips.
"Okay, your turn," she says sliding off of my lap.
"What do you mean?"
Bella goes to her purse and groans as she shakes her head. "I sort of… got you… oh, this is embarrassing."
"What?"
"I can't even call this a present," she says handing me an expensive looking envelope.
"Lap, please," I say, inspecting it, and Bella comes over to sit on my lap. The envelope is sealed, with "Wax?"
She shrugs and tilts her head back and forth. "Yes, wax. I tried to make it special."
I break the seal and pull out two pages of heavy stationery that appear aged, and folded in thirds. Expecting to see The Declaration of Independence, I unfold the paper, glance at it, and close it back up again.
"Bella…"
"It's nothing. But I did transcribe them directly from the journal, no editing. You read the Carlisle and Esme letter. I wrote to you that night, too. I was pretty tired at the time, but I thought you should see what I wrote. The other is… well, you'll see."
I sigh and look up at her. She shouldn't have.
"What? Stop… don't tell me this is a great gift," she grumbles.
"Bella, the one thing I want more than anything else in this entire world, money can't buy."
Bella looks at me with doe eyes.
"I want you, Bella. This right here is a part of you."
"You have me, Edward. You had me the moment you pretended to be a priest so you could undress me." Bella leans her head to mine, and gives me a chaste kiss.
"I can't watch you read. I'll see you in the tub." Bella slides off my lap, gathers her gifts, and walks upstairs. I'm pretty sure she sways her hips a little more than usual because I'm watching.
She didn't edit. I prepare myself to read about my food rage and any other mistakes I made that night.
October 10
Dear Edward Masen, The Beautiful and Kind,
Tonight you took me dancing. Thank you.
I now know what it means to have someone lead. The way you held me in your strong arms, how you danced me around my apartment, made me a better dancer.
You make me feel so sexy. I can still see you sitting on the couch asking me to dance for you. You undressed me with those beautiful green eyes and made me feel wanted, desired. That's new for me. That story about your school dances made me giggle. You make me laugh a lot. That's new for me, too. It's been a long time.
I get lost in your eyes sometimes, especially when you have that look. Was I blushing? I'm blushing now as I think about it.
Your patience with my body, and me as a person, astounds me—but I don't want to write about that right now.
I'm going to fall back asleep with the thought of you holding my body against yours as we talked and laughed and danced.
I love you,
I love you,
I love you,
me
I read the second page:
Rules for Loving Edward (A Compilation):
1-Feed Edward pork products—especially bacon. He loves it so much, he smiles while he chews.
2-Compliment him to bring out his shy, crooked smile. My favorite.
3-Play with his hair—it helps him fall asleep.
4-Let him carry you to bed—it makes him so happy.
5-Cook from scratch—he needs to know he's worth it.
6-Whisper I love you to him when he is asleep—he'll smile even though he is sleeping.
.
.
The bathroom is filled with candles, and Bella is chin deep in bubbles, but I know it's no longer a method to mask our shyness.
"Hi beautiful. I love my present," I say, placing down a cup of tea on the vanity, and beginning to undress.
"I wanted you to know that there is joy and hope in that journal, too."
"I'm glad, because you bring me joy and hope everyday, Isabella."
Bella's lips twitch into a smile.
"You have your hair up."
"I thought you might like to sleep with the straight-hair version of me tonight."
"I'll take any version of you I can get."
I try to give her 'that look' she wrote about, whatever that look might be, as I unbutton my shirt. Though I hope it isn't obvious, I flex my back muscles when I bend over to pull off my undershirt.
Bella moves to the center of the bathtub and looks at me as she plays with the bubbles, gathering them up into her arms and blowing down the peak of foam.
Knowing Bella is watching makes undressing a game. How many times in our lives do we mindlessly dress and undress? But with my beautiful, nude Bella in front of me, I become conscious of each action. My movements are slow and deliberate. I pull my belt more gradually through the belt loops, and brush my thumb down the center of my bare chest and abdomen. I lick my lips before I reach for my fly.
Bella makes me feel sexy, too.
As I take off my pants, a smile creeps up in the corner of her mouth, and Bella slices through the cloud of bubbles with both arms, parting them. Straightening her back, Bella bares her breasts above the water line. Pink nipples.
"I'm glad you're not shy anymore," she says blinking up at me, "I love looking at you."
"Funny you say that, Isabella, I was just thinking the same thing about you."
I finish undressing and bring the cup of tea to the small table beside the tub before climbing in behind her and easing down into the hot, fragrant water.
"Mmmmm," Bella hums as she leans her back on my chest and I tangle my legs with hers.
Taking my time, I run my nose along the side of her face and kiss her temple. "Here, I brought you something to help you sleep." I hand her the tea. "Be careful, though, drinking this in the tub might be dangerous. It is very potent."
Bella takes a sip. "It is? What kind is it?"
"I was introduced to it a few years ago. I bought it in Chinatown at a medicine shop. The pharmacist blends the tea himself for me."
Bella takes another sip.
"Whoa, Isabella… not too fast. This stuff will knock you out in a few minutes." I offer my hand and Bella gives me the cup to place back down. "I had a bout of insomnia and this stuff took care of it. Any time I have trouble sleeping, I go back there and he mixes me a new batch. But you need to be careful drinking in the tub; I'm afraid you'll fall asleep right here."
"Thank you, Edward, for everything—the date, the gifts, the tea… your time. There is no one else in the world I'd rather spend time with."
I take the natural sea sponge GQ told me to buy and begin to wash Bella's arms and shoulders.
As I move down to her chest and Bella's head lolls on my shoulder, I think about what she wrote in her journal, taking a bath together feels more intimate than making love.
I add more body wash so that the sponge glides easily over her breasts.
"Isabella, can I make a strange suggestion?"
"You know you can say anything to me, Edward."
"I know we're lying here nude and all, but… would it be strange if we didn't make love tonight?"
"Mmm… let me think about this." I turn my head to see she is wearing a big smile; she's teasing me. "Will you still cuddle and kiss me and hold me tonight?"
"Of course."
Leaning to the side, she turns her head to me so we can easily meet eyes. "Then we will be making love, Edward. I told you our first night together: We can make love without having sex." Bella reaches up to the nape of my neck and brings my head down to a sweet, soft kiss.
"We didn't do too well with restraint that night, Bella."
She narrows her eyes, and nods. "I have faith we can handle it now, don't you?"
"Yes I do, Bella." I hope… No, I can.
Her smile is so reassuring as she rests her head back on my chest, that I realize she doesn't need an explanation. I want to keep things simple, be kind—woo her and earn her love, her trust. I want to spend time considering how to make love to her in the way she deserves.
I continue to wash her as I think about making "Bella soup" with the sponge later on.
"Isabella, I'd very much like to take you dancing this weekend… someplace other than your living room."
Bella turns to face me, her chocolate eyes, surprised. "Oh, Edward, I'd love to go dancing with you."
"Good. It's a date."
"It's a date," she repeats and bites her lip, looking bashful and so very happy. "Your turn." Bella moves to the other end of the bathtub and gestures, encouraging me to lean against her chest.
Bella uses the showerhead to wet my hair then fills her palm with shampoo and begins to massage it into my scalp.
"You know what this weekend is, don't you, Edward?"
It takes me only a second before it hits me. "Halloween?" I nearly squeal in a very non-macho voice.
Bella told me weeks ago she would dress like a schoolteacher and spank me with a ruler.
"Yes, it is, and I keep my promises."
The vigorous massage with her fingertips feels so good.
"I'm going to get spanked with a ruler?" I sound so uncool, but I don't care.
"Spankings come to naughty boys… did you do something naughty today…? A naughty secret?"
Naughty? Naughty? What did I do that was naughty? I think I've been good today.
"Um… I don't think so… but I will if you want me to."
"Maybe it wasn't naughty… maybe it was nice, very nice."
I'm still lost.
"Nothing comes to mind?" Bella asks.
"Um… "
"My car drives beautifully." Uh-oh. "Shiny new tires… purrs like a kitten… your mechanic said it was there most of the day, but he wouldn't divulge the final cost."
My mechanic? What?
I wipe the suds from my forehead and turn to her, wearing I'm sure a look of shock. "How did you…"
"I told you, I'm a good investigator." She shakes her head and smiles proudly. "Clearly, there was work done… and I know you wouldn't take it to a mechanic you've never met before—you operate on trust and relationships. I just had to narrow the area, hunt down the right Volvo mechanic and voilà… You really shouldn't spoil me. My next boyfriend is going to have a hard act to follow."
"Hey, not funny."
"Sorry, baby... Tilt your head back," Bella says as she shields my eyes and uses the showerhead to rinse my suds. Okay, she's being very gentle, she said baby, she mustn't be that mad.
"Are you angry?"
"Yes, I'm livid, can't you tell?" Bella says, peppering my neck and shoulders with kisses between each word. "I don't know why you always ask that, love, I never get angry with you."
No, she doesn't. Good point.
"But, you my dear man, now have a choice to make… you have three options: One, you let me repay you for the repairs, I have my own money." No. "Two, you let me give you a gift—one gift—without any complaints." Hospital socks, playlists, journal entries, I love Bella's gifts.
"Or three, you have to live with this woman, Edweerrrd…"Bella screeches my name in the most nasal, whiny, grating voice I've ever heard. "Edweerrd, I can't believe you fixed my car, Edweerrd."
"Who is that?" I ask, praying she goes away.
Bella starts to laugh and wraps her arms and legs tightly around me. "Do you like her? Rose, Alice, and I decided that if The Real Housewives ever comes to Seattle, we're going to audition. I'm too boring just as myself, so I came up with that lady."
I turn my head to see her grimace as she says it again, "Edweerrd…"
"Okay, okay… stop. Please make her go away."
As we laugh, I turn completely around and pull slippery Bella onto my lap.
"Big tub," she says softly, glowing with a silly smile.
"First, you are anything but boring, Isabella Swan. Second, yours are the best gifts I've ever received, so I'll take option two… and third, I am madly in love with you."
Sliding my arms more tightly around her, I feel her breasts press against my chest—nipples—and I drag my nose up her neck and reach those full lips, brushing them with my own. I'm so hard… Slow down, Edward.
"Bella, you're pretty irresistible… do you think we'll really last the night?"
"I think we can."
"I'm going to have you in this tub someday." My voice is deep and certain.
"I know," she says simply, kisses my forehead, and slides off of my thighs. She settles back between my legs, against my chest. Within minutes, Bella is yawning and I've mentally listed all of the National Baseball League annual homerun record holders, starting with Ralph Kiner in 1950.
Bella reaches for the tea.
"Not too much, just another sip or two and you'll be out." Bella drinks a bit more and offers me the cup. I take a sip and place it back down.
Bella closes her eyes and I wrap my arms across her breasts.
"Edward… the tea… is it a placebo to help me sleep?" Bella wears a sleepy grin.
"That depends, is it working?"
"Mm-hmmm."
"Then it doesn't matter."
"Mmm. I love Celestial Season's Sleepytime tea."
I drop my head and Bella giggles. I tried to mask it with at least a half dozen other herbal teas. The sad truth is that I keep giving Bella beverages with teddy bears on the package.
"I'm glad, Bella."
And for just a second, she begins to purr.
.
.
.
As Bella climbs into bed wearing her new, cotton pajamas, I sit on the end, pull an arm's length of dental floss out, and I tie one end to my big toe.
"Edward, what are you doing?"
"You'll see," I say as I make a slipknot on the other end of the floss.
Bella gasps, "You read that part in that book, didn't you?" Bella looks surprised and a little scared.
"What part in what book?"
"One of the books we ordered has a big section on bondage and I read about tying toes together."
"Get out." In all my reading, I never heard about toe tying.
"No, really. Do you want me to go get it…? Wait, I think I left it at my place."
"We're better off. I don't think I could read about bondage and keep my hands off of you tonight."
"You like the idea of bondage?" She asks with first a wary, but then slightly devilish look.
I shrug. "I don't know… maybe. I sort of thought the blindfold thing could be fun sometime in the future," I say then quickly add, "but only if you really did like it, if you want to."
"Like I said, I did like it more than I thought I would, and yes, I'd like to try it again in the future." Bella scoots closer and says, earnestly, "Edward, I might have avoided topics with you, but I have never lied to you."
I nod. No she hasn't… well… "What about when you say you're fine?"
Bella grabs a pillow from behind her and hits me over the head. "Don't start."
Leaning over, she gives me a quick kiss. "Goodnight, Edward."
I wait for Bella to lie down before pulling her leg to me, "Oh, no you don't."
She squeals and tries to pull away. "What are you doing? Wait, what is the floss for?"
Holding her obviously-ticklish leg, I show her the slipknot. "Weeks ago, when I found you awake downstairs, I threatened to tie a string around your toe so I would wake when you woke. Since I'm the world's soundest sleeper…"
"It has served me well," she smiles, smugly.
"Don't get smart," I tease, "I'm now forced to tie our toes together."
I try to get the string over her toe and she squirms and laughs as I playfully wrestle her and hold her leg firmly.
"No, no… not the toe," she gets out between laughs.
"Promise me you'll wake me up."
"Nooo…" She reaches for the nightstand where her teddy bear looks on. "Pedi, save me," she laughs, as I pull her back down to me.
We continue to struggle, until there are tears of laughter.
"Wait, wait," she says, out of breath, so I give her a second. "I'm probably going to wake up at least once, Edward. Please don't make me wake you; I'll fall back to sleep."
I sigh. "You have ten minutes to fall back asleep. If you can't fall back to sleep in ten minutes, wake me."
"No… ten minutes is barely enough time to go to pee. Forty-five minutes."
"No. You bargained to give me a gift, now I'm bargaining to wake up… fifteen minutes."
"Forty minutes."
"Twenty… and that is my final offer."
"Thirty?" she asks sweetly.
"Twenty," I say, unyieldingly.
"Twenty-five."
"Twenty." I hold up the dental floss again.
"Okay, twenty. You win." Bella smiles and shakes her head, "You win at having to be woken up." She sighs, amused, and whispers, "masochist," under her breath.
"I heard that."
After I take off the dental floss, I put a pillow between our hips and pull Bella to me.
"The Rock of Gibraltar?" she asks.
"I'm touched you remembered. It worked so well last time."
"Don't forget, Edward, I seduced you."
"That's right, you did, you vixen." I wipe Bella's long hair away from her face and kiss her temple. "You're going to suffer. You aren't getting any of this," I say with a sweeping gesture to my body, "until Halloween."
Bella looks up with a stunned face. "Are we going a full week?"
"Good question… should we try?"
She scrunches up her face in thought, then shrugs. "Yes. Why not? Let's try."
"Alright, one week. Now go to sleep."
I pull her back against my chest and blow in her ear.
"You know, it's not your fault, Edward. Your heavy sleeping, I mean, it's not your fault. I've been praying for you to stay asleep."
"Well, I'm going to pray for light sleep to counteract your prayers for heavy sleep. So there," I say in a childish tone.
"And you're not worried that God might like me a little more and therefore will listen to my prayers over your prayers?" The bed vibrates with Bella's giggles—she is in the silliest mood. It takes all of my strength to keep the pillow between us.
"I'm going to need a lot of special private time this week."
"What's special private time?"
"That's when I think of you and touch my hot, hard, cock."
"Edward!"
"I stroke it until I can't take it anymore and I come all over."
"Stop it. You and your bad boy dirty talk." She pushes back on the pillow with her backside as she laughs.
"Are you wet?"
"Yes," she says, mocking annoyance.
"Good. Now go to sleep."
"Evil."
"Spank-worthy?"
"You bet 'ya."
After a few long seconds, Bella says, "Edward, I'm wearing new panties."
"You are? Which ones?" Images of Bella dancing around in her new panties fill my mind.
"Not telling."
Evil.
"You might get spanked, too."
"Oh, good."
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.
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A/N:
So, they are going to try a week without sexy time. Let's see if they can last.
Bella didn't give Edward a hard time about those gifts at all. Like usual, his fear was a product of his insecurity. Personally, I always had a hard time with Bella in New Moon throwing a fit about the party and presents-then again, maybe she was right. That was some life changing paper cut.
A picture of Bella's date dress is on my profile. I saw it in a shop window in Italy and knew she would want it.
I'm quite focused on writing the Alice x Jasper outtake, so the next update will likely be longer than a week away. I promise to do what I can to make it worth the wait.
Much love,
Liz x