Chapter 283
| - EPOV - |
"I want to show you something," she whispers, pulling our hands down to her waist and fumbling with the bottom button. At first, I feel strangely shy about touching her bare skin, but once I realize what's resting on my fingers, I moan out loud and look down.
The "E."
"You wore this for my appointment?" The thought of her dressing this morning with me in mind gives me a new reason to smile.
"I never stopped wearing it." She blinks back more tears and I swear I'm about to join her.
"Oh God, Bella. I've been such a fool."
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==8 BPOV 8==
"That's all in the past now," I soothe, understanding exactly what he meant by that. "I'm going to make sure you never doubt my feelings again."
He drops the dangle and cups my chin.
"No, sweetheart. I mean, yes, fine, do your best, but it's not your job to quell my insecurities. That's my issue, not your problem. Speaking of which? I am officially letting the lightning bug out of the jar to fly free and light your light and don't you let anyone, especially me, ever tell you not to be yourself ever again. That was my worst damage."
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| - EPOV - |
"I need to tell you one more thing, Edward."
I tense, but remember myself. "Go for it."
"Here it is. I…
am…
starved!"
"That was kind of mean," I complain, though I'm smiling as I do.
She grabs the drawings and takes my hand again, pulling me out the doors of the empty salon and locking up behind us.
"Meaner than testing you with Jake?" she asks tentatively.
"I get it. It's okay."
"You did great, by the way."
"Meh, he's not much by way of competition," I boast. "Unless you like the obvious type."
"Nah, I prefer shadowy myself."
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==8 BPOV 8==
"Anyway, you know what they say about guys who take steroids? Trouble getting it up, keeping it up…" he supplies helpfully.
"Oh, that's a myth. Jake didn't have any trouble at all," I tease, causing Edward to half-tackle me in the vestibule, pinning me against the wall with his hips.
"Is this going to be your new little game now? Try to get a rise out of Edward?"
His cheeks are pink and his eyes are bright and wild. He's hard and it feels so good pressed against me.
"No, baby. No games. No more tests to pass. Just us."
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| - EPOV - |
Little does she know, there hasn't been a rise out of me since the incident; she's raising my spirit from the dead here, necromancy at its finest. It hurts to think my last time was that stupid solo act in the men's room.
Looking directly into the eyes of my captive, whose heavy breathing matches my own, I'm pretty sure we just switched to Plan B.
"Bella, I have a freezer filled with homemade dinners, and I would be more than happy to defrost us something… after."
She smirks. "Pretty sure of yourself there, aren't you, buddy?"
"It's the 'E.'"