I breathed in deeply and then sighed, his smell swirling around me- citrus, coffee and spice. I'd never smelt something like it, I couldn't help myself, I reached up and pecked his jaw. I could feel Edward's shudder at the action. His hands lightly dragged up and down my sides- slowly turning me so I could face him. The mood had shifted since the call- it was no longer hot and seductive it was sweet, comfortable and curious.
"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. Heir to a Mafia empire and an incredible asshole to women who makes me feel nervous and confused." I smiled a genuine smile and put my hands over his that were firmly attached on my hips. Thinking over my reply to his veiled request of an second chance I slid my hands from his, over his strong forearms and biceps- securing them behind his neck, pulling on the bronze colored strands.
"Hi, I'm Isabella Swan. Owner of the bakery we're currently standing in, a trained killer and a unbelievable bitch and tease towards men who question my skills or doesn't like my pastries." He returned my smile with a painstakingly beautiful one of his own. "Now, don't get to hasty, I haven't said anything negative about your pastries. In fact I haven't even tried any." He pouted adorably, but pouts doesn't work on me.
"So you're saying that last week when Emmett brought half of my bakery with him home for a family dinner- you had such perfect restraint that you didn't taste even one?" My retort took way to long for me to think up, but Edward had started moving his thumbs in irregular patterns above my hips- it was very distracting.
He looked surprised and then mischievous. "But that was last week, I've forgotten all about it!" Feeling a weird need to impress him I said:
"You do realize that it's only 9 am? At his vigorous nod I shook my head in defeat and took his hand. "You're almost worse than Emmett, come along then."
"Hey! I resent that!"
"Yeah, well that's to bad Green-eyes."
Seating him on a swivel chair I started gathering the things I needed to make a sticky brownie with salty caramel sauce and toasted hazelnuts- it's quick to make and tastes decadent. And since I knew that the rest of the Cullen-family was chocoholics I was placing my bets. I was almost putting my hope on a date in this cake, not that I would ever admit that out loud. I put the cake in the oven, set the timer and went to him. He had been staring at me intently since I started baking.
"I like your shirt." He blurted out when I was standing in the circle of his arms again. "Thank you." I laughed at the awkward statement and the way his ear tips got a red tint when I pointed out this usually suave mans stilted compliment.
"You're only saying that to be sure you get the cake aren't you?" I couldn't resist teasing him.
"Yes. And not because the shirt is ironic and funny. Definitely not because of that. Only to get the cake. Where did you buy the shirt?" He was teasing me! At the end of his sentence he started wiggling his eyebrows and I could see the mirth playing in his eyes.
"Angela."
"Angela?" He looked confused at the one word answer, so I expanded on it.
"My main baker Angela- that does not know the secret assassin-part bought me this shirt because basically my response to any stupid remark iiiiisss..." I finished the explanation by pointing at the word sarcasm on my shirt.
"Aha."
"Yes, aha, problem?"
"No, it's just weird knowing that my family knows yours so well and that yours knows mine so well, but that I know basically nothing about you. Well besides the assassin part, the baking part, the sarcasm part and your obvious joy for beating up my older and much bigger brother part, but that's it."
"I'm warning you, that's essentially it I'm quite boring really." Most of the time I just work, I don't really do much else.
"Pfft. Not possible. 20 questions?" The way he said it in made it obvious that he was talking about the game. And why not? I wanted to know him better and besides we still had 10 minutes for the cake to be done and then another 30 to let it cool down- we had time.
"Sure, but I have to get some more tea and I get to go first." He tightened his hold on my waist as a response to my leaving.
"Deal, but only if you have some coffee around here- I don't properly wake up without my caffeine." His hold loosened.
"If you are this awake without caffeine, how hyper are you with it?" I said as I walked away, and I heard his response "Is that your first question?"
"Nope!" I left the room with the sound of his soft laughter ringing in my ears.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes!"
"No! I'm not!"
"Yes! You are!"
"No, it's impossible."
"You are giving that recipe to me!"
"Do you even know how to bake?"
"Oh, no I don't... You are giving that recipe to my mom!"
"Like Esme doesn't have a awesome brownie recipe already? Besides, she is the one who gave me the original recipe for this one." I felt very smug.
"Liar! She has never done anything like this!"
"Pfft. Yes she has."
We had been fighting over this cake for 10 minutes now, I had it right on the chocoholics part- He loved it and told me so which made me want to jump him, and then not when he wanted to get the recipe. And I was telling the truth, Esme was the one who gave me the original- I had just tweaked it a bit and added the toppings, which was nothing Esme couldn't do as well if she wanted to. And I could have told Edward all of this, but I liked teasing him and he had been getting waaaaay to cute after he first tasted the cake- I had to show him how annoying I usually was. I think it worked.
After getting our chosen caffeine, I led Edward to the small staff room where Angela and Alice and I ate our breakfast. It's located close enough to the ovens so that we can hear the timer going off, but not so close that we get cooked. We were sitting at a small square table, across from each other. Our legs touching. I liked the contact, it made him feel real. We had diverted so much from the questions that we were only slightly more than halfway thru at this point. And we had been at it for 3 hours.
"I think I would have remembered." Feeling exasperated at his stubbornness I said:
"I'll make you a deal. I won't give you the recipe" I could see him starting to protest and held up a hand, stopping him. "but every time you want it you call and I'll make it. Sound good?" His wolfish smile answered the question for him. He started leaning across the table and causing me, unthinkingly, to do the same. With mere centimeters between us he said:
"I like that deal, you will be seeing me a lot." Seeing his triumphant smile made me a bit giggly, I liked that deal as well.
"Oh no, what have I done?" I said insincerely, softly inching closer to him. His hands running thru my hair- bringing me closer. His nose caressing along mine, so close. So right. His lips brushed against mine once, twice, so soft before the pressure disappeared. I couldn't help my growl. "Stop teasing" I told a smirking Edward before pushing my hands into his hair and pouncing on him, ending up straddled over his lap, triumphant when I saw his eyes darken and felt a grumble emerging from his chest. His hands flew to my hips pulling me into him, attacking my mouth with his. Hard pressure, soft lips moving against each other in supple damp kisses. It was the best feeling I have ever had. I wanted to disappear into him, never move, never be left with out him ever again. In that moment he was everything I needed and I suspected I would feel the same when we stopped. My thought process stopped short when his hands moved under my shirt caressing my lower back, making it feel like my nerve endings would explode from pleasure. I wanted more. I opened my lips for him, egging him on, teasing a moan from both of us. He responded in kind, deepening the kiss. I felt like one big nerve, hot, pounding and never ending. I do not know how long we sat there, touching, kissing, taunting. Giving and taking from each other when I heard the faint chiming of a bell.
"Bella! Hello?"
We separated quickly staring each other down, panting heavily. His pupils were dilated, his chest heaving, his lips glistening. I never wanted to leave our embrace and from the look of him- neither did he.
"Bella, dear are you here?" A familiar worried voice said. Sighing Edward buried his face in my neck mumbling "I never thought I would ever say this, but I sincerely detest my mother." Laughing quietly I dragged his head up and saw the genuine emotion in his eyes. Saying "No you don't." and leaving a quick peck on his lips I left his (very comfortable) lap, released my by now messy braid and pulled my hair up into a unruly bun instead. I turned around when I heard a low "There she is." and raised one eyebrow in question. Getting only a head shake in answer I mouthed "Are you coming or not?" In a gesture pointing towards his lap he said "I'll follow later." making my cheeks heat up in both pride and embarrassment. I went through the door with laughing green eyes following me.
"Esme! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, there you are Bella, I was just wondering if you had any plans tonight and if my buffoon of a son has upset you to much?" I smiled at her jumbled sentence.
"Are those two questions correlated?"
"Well, we are having a family dinner tonight and Charlie's invited, but if you are to upset by my son then you might not want to be there?" I think it was the first time I had ever seen Esme hesitant. When I didn't answer immediately she continued:
"Because I ran into Edward this morning and told him to apologize to you and to start acting like a gentleman and invite you to the dinner tonight, but I haven't heard from him yet, So I thought that he might have ignored my instructions and took a drive instead."
"Esme!" I said to stop her rambling. "I'm fine, and I would have come tonight even if he didn't apologize."
"So he's been here?" A now very happy Esme asked.
"Yes, He is in fact still here." I heard from a disgruntled voice coming from behind me. "And just forgot to follow his instructions." I glanced over my shoulder at his annoyed face and winked at him, lifting his expression somewhat.
"Edward! You apologized!" A chiming Esme said.
"Yes, and I was going to even without your 'advise'."
"And yes Esme, I would be delighted to come tonight."
At my words Esme flew around my counter and hugged me almost to death and then gave the same treatment to Edward. She then basically ran out of the shop saying:
"I have to go and get some groceries then! I'll see you tonight Bella! Bye!"
"I think she forgot about me, that's so unfair." I turned around to face my pouting man, raising up on my toes and pecking him on the lips.
"Naaaw, I think she just got excited." He released my hair from it's loose bun and then put his arms around my hips and then once again, buried his face in my hair saying:
"But she reminded me of something. I think I have to leave. And I desperately hate the idea."
"Mmm, me too but I did come here today having to work, before you distracted me that is." After a muffled "Ha" Edward raised himself upright again.
"I should leave." Kiss. "I don't want to." Kiss.
"I don't want you to." I kissed him back. "But I have to work." Kiss. "And so do you." Kiss.
After one last deep kiss and a sigh, Edward actually left after getting my phone number and with a promise of calling later and seeing me tonight.
As I watched him go I thought I was in deep and the worst part of it was that I was thoroughly loving it.
Liking it.
Thoroughly liking it.