Chapter 4

Carlisle dropped off Michael and Alexandra at Masen's house to keep Leah company as he left for work around eleven. She didn't formally request the company, but had apparently hinted to Masen that she, at times, got nervous at night when her mind began to wander. After become so accustomed to someone having their constant eye on Cassandra throughout the night, it was hard to adjust when Masen was suddenly absent from that equation when he was asked to work the night shift. Alexandra and Michael had openly volunteered to fill that void when they could.

The house was relatively quiet when he got back and Carlisle hoped that Esme had returned from her hunt with Rosalie. He knew she wasn't actually mad at him, as he'd double checked with Edward once to be sure he was reading her correctly. Right away, he recognized that his wife had, indeed, returned home and he opened the front door, eagerly waiting for their flirtatious battle for power to continue.

Rosalie was the first person he spotted, who gave him a quick, devious smile as he passed her by, one that he returned as he made limited eye contact with her. Neither of them said anything, but he heard her giggle quietly to herself.

Carlisle marched up the stairs, taking them two at a time before he found Esme sitting behind his desk in his office typing up something on the computer. She didn't look up from the screen, but simply said his name to acknowledge his presence, "Carlisle."

He leaned one arm on the door and looked at her without saying a word until she finally switched her gaze upward to meet his. His half smile and waiting expression made her grin again and she shut the laptop, giving off a slight 'click' that seemed louder than it actually was in the silence.

"Mad at me?" he asked her.

"No," she said plainly, making her way around the desk toward where he stood by the open door.

Carlisle gave her a look, "You made the terms to the bet."

Esme let her shoulder brush against his chest as she walked past him, "And you bet against me."

He followed her into their room where a pile of laundry sat half folded, and half still in the basket yet to be touched. A few of his shirts were already on hangers in the middle of the bed so he took it upon himself to put the back in the closet.

Esme watched him with a smile and he slowly made his way back to her with a shy, sorry look on his face, "You don't have to hunt for me anymore."

"A bet's a bet, Carlisle," she told him, folding a t-shirt and placing it onto an unfinished, ever growing pile.

"Well, I'm going back on my end of the bet then," he told her.

Esme squinted her eyes slightly and continued folding clothes, now purposely with her back to him. She sighed extra loudly and he immediately found a way to fit himself between her and the bed.

"I need to get this laundry done." She stood with her hands on her hips and a sassy look that wasn't complete because of the wide smile she was unable to contain.

Carlisle tried to give her the most innocent eyes he could manage and placed his hands on the highest part of her torso, then drifted his hands down her sides until they landed on either side of her waist. "I'll do it."

Esme smiled and decided to stick with the mood she'd been trying to play off since she had lost the bet. She ran her hands along his chest before pushing him down onto the bed, "I think you should always bet on my side."

He let out a laugh and let his mouth hang half open for a second before he nodded, "That's fair."

She smiled and placed a knee on either side of his hips, enjoying the game the two of them had continued to play, "And as for the hunting..."

Carlisle placed his hands above his head, "Consider this my surrender."

They stared at each other for a moment. Carlisle couldn't keep a smile from his face as he stared up at his wife, knowing that his eyes had probably darkened completely over the course of her actions toward him.

Esme bent down and placed her lips just far enough away from his that it made him want her more, "So, does this mean I win?" she asked.

Carlisle spoke with more emphasis than necessary so his breath would trickle into her mouth, "You win."

She kissed him once firmly before giving in to the tension they had created earlier, finding his tongue with her own as she took the lead in their much anticipated physical exchange. Esme stopped for a moment and Carlisle looked a combination of desperate and exhausted at her momentary pause.

"We should close the windows," she told him, noticing his stare went first to the open door that lead to their room, "And the door."

Carlisle laughed and watched Esme whip around the room before he could even bring himself to move and with a mistakenly loud slam of the door, she was back in her original position on top of him.

"Wow," he said.

Esme brought her lips back to his fiercely and felt his primal instincts take over as he flipped them so he was on top of her and returned the intensity of her kisses, doing away with the top portion of her clothing immediately.

"Sorry," he said, noticing he ripped her shirt in the process. Esme didn't respond, kissing him again and tore at his clothes even more aggressively than he had hers.

Each of them began to outmatch the other for the more dominant position, never parting their lips from one another's, until Carlisle gave in and let Esme do what he sensed she had intended to do since far earlier in the evening. He let out an appreciative groan as she kept him pinned down with her hands on his now bare chest. He placed his hands over hers for a moment before sliding them down toward her outer thighs where he secured them for awhile.

The thought of Esme's original, lighthearted threat that had started their flirty antics popped into Carlisle's mind, thinking of her lips so teasingly close to his as she gripped onto his hair lightly. He propped himself up on one of his forearms, placing the other hand behind Esme's back before he guided her toward him.

When her lips hit his again, he felt her passion level rise even higher, now totally agreeing with the statement Edward had made earlier in the night about being in rare form. It had been awhile since Carlisle had seen Esme this aggressive and he was now completely thankful for whoever had started the bet about the football game. Her body language and take charge behaviors allowed him to reciprocate the animal instinct that was typically overcome by both of their human willpowers.

Esme kept her sighs quiet, though inside she wanted to let everything out to give her husband the justice he deserved for an incredible, non-stop hour that only ended because they heard Jasper enter the house with Nicole upon taking her out to draw a sketch of the moon from the highest point on the Quileute territory.

Carlisle found more trouble in stopping at first, still decorating Esme's neck and shoulders with mouth that he knew she enjoyed from her reactions.

"Nicole's back," Esme whispered to him, which ultimately aided in pulling him out of the trance she put him in awhile ago.

He sighed heavily and slid beneath the blankets, pulling Esme so she laid partially on top of him.

Both of them let out another simultaneous sigh before Carlisle kissed her forehead, "Was that the gift you were going to give me Christmas night that you forgot about?"

Esme snickered, "I can't believe I forgot." She looked up at him and smiled as his eyes were now closed and one hand rested behind his head, "Do I still win?"

He nodded, "You always win."

She gave a shrug and a smile, leaving Carlisle grinning.

"Want to stay up here for awhile?" she asked him.

He nodded and shifted them so he could cuddle up against her.

"Goodnight," he joked.

Esme smiled and laughed once, "Goodnight."