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After Rose left my side, I curled against the headboard with my journal, where I started writing everything we'd learned in the past day. My eyes drooped, but I fought against the weariness. I wanted to be awake when Edward returned.
My heart squeezed when a bitter afterthought invaded my brain: if he returned. I shoved it away, rolling on my side and trying to breathe through the sudden panic attack.
I'd promised not to interfere, but if he wasn't back before midnight, I had to search for him.
At ten minutes past twelve, I was struggling to get into my leather pants, but all my limbs were shaking. It wasn't even the usual time we finished patrolling, but my nerves were tight.
I heard thumping on the stairs and hurried into the hallway to find Edward limping toward my room. I rushed to his side, and he surprised me by leaning all his weight on me. I dragged him to my bed, where he fell in a heap.
"What happened to you?" I asked, worried. I didn't even know where to start checking him for injuries.
"I'll be fine," he said through gritted teeth. "It's not broken."
"Your leg?" I guessed, moving my attention to his legs, unsure which to check. "Which one?"
He grunted loudly, sitting up and inhaling sharply. "I got everything here." He pulled something small from a pocket. "It's a thumb drive; first, you have to decapitate Spiderman," he explained.
I stared at the Spiderman figurine before I did as told. "I thought you were your own superhero," I joked.
Edward snorted. "Seth promised to buy one of me when I become famous."
"Your friend is hilarious." I went to place the device on my desk when I heard Edward's breathing increase and the sound of shuffling. I spun around to find him detaching every piece of armor that had kept him safe.
"So, what happened?" I insisted, crouching next to him and unlacing his boots.
"You'll laugh."
"Try me. Is the other guy in worse condition?"
"The other guy…is the asphalt, Isabella," he stated as he leaned back to undo the utility belt he kept around his waist.
"The asphalt?" I repeated incredulously. He'd never had accidents before, not that I knew of.
"I went to Seth's apartment to get this. His boyfriend returned home sooner than we expected, and I had to leave through the window. My jump from the fire escape stairs to the dumpster could have been better calculated. My foot slipped then I landed with my shoulder on the edge of the dumpster before I rolled on the ground until I was on the street. Luckily, no car was passing."
"Jesus, Edward."
"I'm sure there's a nasty bruise…or two. Seth better buy all my merch if I become famous to redeem himself. I could hear him laughing as I tried to stop rolling after my fall."
"I'm not sure whether to laugh or check your leg."
"Don't laugh," he pleaded. "And don't check my leg, either. We have work to do."
"But you're hurt," I insisted.
"Tell me what you put down for our plan." He stood, albeit a little unsteady, before he worked on taking off the rest of his suit.
I couldn't help but stare at his chest and arms. They were dotted with old bruises and scars, but I had to admire his bulging muscles.
Edward cleared his throat, making me flush in embarrassment. "My eyes are up here, sweetheart."
"You're an ass," I muttered because I didn't have a better comeback.
"Aww, don't shy away." He came closer, wrapping his arms around me. "I might be injured, but my dick still works."
"Edward," I gasped, swatting his shoulder.
"What happened to our romance?"
"I thought we were busy," I tripped over my words when his hands ran up and down my back. I realized I was in my sports bra, being in the process of getting dressed to search for him.
"You were coming after me," he said softly, almost accusatorily.
"I was worried."
His fingers pulled the side zipper of my pants, making me shudder in anticipation. I had to hold onto his forearm to be able to step out of them before he pushed me to the bed. His strong body covered mine, and I nearly hyperventilated.
My desire for my fellow vigilante had intensified when I'd learned it was Edward, and he wasn't really the playboy he portrayed to the public. Liquid fire replaced my blood when he was so close; t was the type of burning passion I used to dream about.
His hand went under my jaw before his lips crashed onto mine in a savage kiss. I moaned, melting under him.
"Are you wet for me?"
I could only nod in response because my brain had stopped working.
He chuckled, "Cat got your tongue?"
I dragged my nails over his back, reminding him I was supposed to be the cat. When he shuddered under my touch, his eyelids fluttering, it was the best accomplishment of the night.
"Oh, Kitty wants to play?"
He managed to turn our very serious vigilante personas into a sex game, which was hotter than hell. I could still remember how he'd made me feel in his garage the other night.
Edward slid down my body, hooking my thighs over his shoulders before he began eating me as no one had ever done before. I had to hold one hand over my mouth to contain my raising sounds; the other was anchored in his hair. When I came, sooner than I expected, I was sure the whole house heard me scream.
Edward smugly smiled as he positioned himself between my legs. Then he slid inside me, slower, but just as determined and bare as before.
"We should have a chat about condoms," I gasped out.
He rolled his eyes, planting his hands on either side of my head. He leaned closer, a breath away from my mouth. "I'm sterile."
"Oh. Ooooh, fuck." I arched my back, grabbing onto his arms when he positively distracted me. This wasn't the time for such a serious conversation.
"Stop worrying," he added, peppering kisses over my neck. "I haven't been with anyone else in over a year."
"I'm not…" I breathed out, groaning loudly at what he was doing to me. I couldn't remember the last time a man had made me lose my mind in bed. Not that I'd slept with more than two before Edward, but they hadn't achieved this level of making me forget my own name.
Edward coming undone was a sight I didn't have the pleasure of seeing the last time we'd fucked. His back arched, his head thrown back, showing his Adam's apple prominently, his lips parted, his eyes half-closed locked on my face. It was my undoing to have this glorious sight in front of me all over again.
He rolled on his side, wincing slightly, which reminded me he was injured. I curled into him, tracing the planes of his stomach with the tips of my fingers. I could feel and hear his heart thumping wildly in his chest.
"I discovered I can't have children when an old acquaintance tried to tie me to her by shoving a pregnancy test under my nose. Thankfully, I knew the right people, and after several tests, it was glaringly obvious the baby she was carrying wasn't mine."
"Shit. That sucks."
Edward moved one of his hands to comb his fingers through my tangled and sweaty hair. "I never cared about this aspect, and I never made it public knowledge. But…I'll understand if it's something that's a deal breaker for you."
I propped myself on his chest to stare into his anxious green eyes. "You think I care?"
"Most women do," he whispered, running a hand over my spine.
"I don't care. I can't even see myself that way…a mother…to be responsible for someone else's life. Besides, we have other important things on our plate before we can afford to think of the future."
A small smile spread on his face. "That's true."
While I went to take a shower, he offered to piece together everything we had. When I returned, I found him propped with his arms on the edge of my desk, glaring at my laptop screen.
I noticed two large, purple bruises on his right thigh and his scrapped kneecap.
I stopped at his side, keeping my bathrobe tied tightly. He'd added a few more things to my list, and the last row was full of question marks.
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"Beats me. I'm trying to figure out his last move because all these breadcrumbs have to lead to something big."
"He's become the mayor; what else can he want?"
Edward turned to frown at me, and I felt small and stupid. "More power, Isabella. Becoming the mayor was just one of his well-placed moves in the grander scheme of things. I'm afraid to find out who's the king he wants to checkmate," he murmured, returning his attention to the laptop. "And he has the police on his side and all the doctors because they're not stupid to do anything when one of their own demands them not to do."
"But there are good cops and good doctors out there," I insisted.
"They're too few; they're too scared to stand up for what they believe in." Edward ran a hand through his hair. "Seth is the best hacker I know. His boyfriend is a cop who doesn't believe in the wrongdoing of the police, but he goes with it because he values his job, his life…"
"That's insane."
"That's what our city will become with people like my uncle and Volturi at the lead." He sighed loudly, scrubbing his hands over his face.
It reminded me that I hadn't seen him sleep in the past forty-eight hours. "I think we need to sleep," I suggested, taking one of his hands.
"I don't sleep," Edward muttered. "But you go ahead," he added, waving to the bed.
"What do you mean you don't sleep?" I asked incredulously.
"I sometimes nap to recharge. I haven't slept for longer than forty-five minutes at a time in years. And the longest had been three hours, and it happened when I took some pain meds after a night out gone wrong."
"You can't be serious."
Edward met my eyes, and I could see their determination. "How can I sleep when these scumbags plan on destroying my city? How can I sleep when something terrible happens every other minute in this city?"
"But it's not your job to…kill yourself over it!"
Edward placed his hands on my shoulders, leaning so close, our breaths mingled. "My father was the city's attorney. I always admired how he saved the city from corruption. I'm carrying his legacy…but in a more effective way."
"There will always be corruption, Edward." I took his face in my hands, my heart breaking for him. "Even after we deal with your uncle and Volturi and their friends, there are others out there…then what? A new Carlisle Cullen will appear from the shadows, greedy for power. A new Aaron Volturi will put the police in a bad light and make people not trust them. It's a never-ending circle."
"If you've already lost your faith in our mission, I don't understand why you're trying so hard," he scoffed, turning his back to me.
"Just like you…I'm doing it for my father. But I know my limits. I know I can't win such a big fight."
"You have me. You're not alone against this. We have each other." He pointed to my laptop. "We're so close to finding out what they're after…don't back down, please."
I grabbed his hand. "Let's sleep for a while; you need to rest," I pleaded with him.
"You're impossible. Fine, thirty minutes. Happy?"
I planned on keeping him asleep for longer, but the smallest amount would do for now. I was seriously worried about him and the lack of sleep.
I hadn't slept next to many people before, but Edward lay perfectly still on his back, his arms linked across his chest. I curled next to him, and he shifted away.
"Don't touch me, please." He checked his wristwatch, clicked a button, then closed his eyes.
I stared, amazed at how his breathing evened as he fell asleep as if on command. I didn't dare check if he was indeed sleeping because it was apparent.
I faced away from him, closing my eyes and trying to stop thinking about what had happened in the past few days. I was exhausted but couldn't immediately sleep.
I had just succumbed when I felt Edward rolling out of bed; the sound of him typing on my laptop lulled me to sleep.
We seriously needed a conversation about getting him more rest.
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