Question: How does a vampire get chocolate stains?

Answer: ...

Sandra (Psy1980)

Chapter 28

Baking Cake

Bella

I was sitting with Peter on a low wall at the edge of the sidewalk, still discussing work, when a shiny Audi pulled up.

I had told Peter that a friend of the kids was picking me up because the VW Golf was broken and since he wasn't in a hurry today, he kept me company while I waited.

Edward got out, walked toward us, and stopped noncommittally in front of us.

"Hello. You must be Edward," Peter greeted Edward in a friendly manner.

He said yes and shook the hand extended to him.

Um ... did Peter hold Edward's hand longer than was appropriate?

"Well, Bells. See you this evening!" after some small talk he said goodbye.

I looked after him indecisively for a moment.

Peter liked men, yes. But so young men? It was almost the seduction of a minor. I smirked. From whose point of view?

I rose from the wall and immediately cursed to myself as my foot buckled and I fell forward awkwardly. As soon as I felt the cold arms around me, someone had turned off the swearing.

"What have you done this time?" Edward asked with a smile, looking deep into my eyes with his golden ones.

"Nothing. It just fell asleep!" I defended myself. No accidents today. But I could already feel the unpleasant tingling in my foot.

"Well, speak softly then. Otherwise, you'll wake it up," Edward whispered seductively with his most charming smile and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I felt a little dizzy.

"Too late," I announced after my heart got going again.

Shopping with Edward! He looked completely out of place.

He pushed the shopping cart and I walked alongside him, grabbing whatever I needed.

He asked a lot of questions. What I would need this or that for? What I would cook? Who would be there this evening? He seemed to find it all incredibly fascinating.

"Have you ever set foot in a supermarket before?" I asked him with a laugh.

"Bella! What do you think?" he accused me disapprovingly. After a moment, however, he added to his answer, "Of course not."

The everyday life of humans was exciting for an eternal living vampire.

I shook my head.

While Edward carried the groceries into the kitchen, I retrieved my mail from the mailbox. I flipped through the pile quickly.

That was obvious. Bills. But they could have come tomorrow.

Then there was a thick, heavy envelope. I looked at the sender.

"Oh!" it slipped out of my mouth, which did not escape Edward's notice.

I held the letter out to him so he could see the sender.

"Berkeley University. Which of them wants to go there?" he asked curiously.

"Leah ... Ben has already been accepted," I said quietly. Berkeley. Of all places. On the other side of the country and not the cheapest college. Leah had very good grades, but would that be enough for a scholarship? I would pay for her, that wasn't a question, but I would then have to reduce my standard of living a lot starting next year, once the children were out of the house. Because Jake's university of choice was currently Princeton University in New Jersey. Not exactly one of the cheapest either. It was not just the tuition. There was also the accommodation, 'allowance' and whatever else they might need, such as food, drink, clothing and the like. But everything would work out somehow; that was exactly what I had been saving for the past seventeen years.

"I'm sure she'll like it."

"You've already gone there?", I now asked curiously, and he told me a little about it while I put away the groceries he held out to me, or set them aside for immediate use, or put them in a bag for the kids. I held onto the refrigerator and grabbed my ankle. It hurt a little. I turned the joint and it seemed better.

Edward noticed immediately, of course, and lifted me back up in his arms to set me down gingerly on the countertop.

"I'm fine. It was just a bit much today," I complained about my ankle.

"Who's the doctor here?" he admonished me with a fake evil gaze.

"You," I whispered, as he took a closer look at my foot again and wrapped the joint with his cool fingers. It felt good. I really couldn't deny that.

"Trust your doctor, then!" he prompted me, gently lifting my chin with one hand so I had to look up at him.

"I do," I admitted. "But I think he's a little overprotective."

"Only because you lie close to his heart!" said Edward in a velvety tone that my heart had to comment on again.

Edward smiled.

Of course, he had noticed ... I was lying close to his heart? No. That could not be!

"Give your foot a break while I'm here and tell me what to do!" he now ordered, handing me another ice pack from the freezer.

I slowly slid forward to the edge behind his back to jump off the kitchen counter. However, I stopped when he stood in front of me again.

What were my chances if I objected? Judging by his serious gaze ... quite lousy.

"It worked very well yesterday, " he reminded me, and I gave in.

He did everything I said.

One could really get used to this.

But I didn't let him do everything on his own.

Everything I could do myself without moving from my spot, I did. For example, peeling potatoes, chopping peppers, ...

It was funny to cook with Edward. We joked around, talked a lot, and every now and then he would take care of cooling my ankle himself, when it was possible. The roast was already in the oven and everything else was prepared and just needed to be turned on when the time came.

We were just putting the finishing touches on the cake with a chocolate cream frosting. I kept snacking on the frosting, which Edward kept reprimanding me about. Then he slapped my fingers so that almost all my fingers ended up in the bowl and were full of frosting. He laughed a lot at that and teased me that that was the punishment for my sweet tooth. Without further ado, I stroked him once across the face with the chocolate frosting. His laughter died immediately and he looked really angry at me.

And I stared back no less seriously.

"You shouldn't start something you can't win!" he threatened me, casting a clear gaze to the bowl of frosting.

When I wanted to reach for the frosting again 'in defense', Edward was already holding the bowl triumphantly in his hands.

"You wouldn't dare!" I growled. I wanted to make it sound dangerous, but Edward looked too silly for that with the chocolate on his face.

"You want to find out?" he purred, already having sunk his hand disturbingly far into the bowl.

My eyes widened and I tried to escape. I jumped off the countertop, pushed Edward away, and tried to make my way to safety in the direction of the living room. However, I did not get far. With one arm around my belly, he held me back and the other frosting -covered hand came menacingly close to my face. I squirmed with all my might.

A hopeless struggle.

As a last-ditch effort, I dropped to the floor to escape his grasp.

Equally hopeless.

He followed my movement.

I didn't have a chance.

I found myself lying on top of Edward with plenty of chocolate on my face, with no chance to escape. I passed over the question of whether I wanted that just then.

Our jovial laughter faded away as our faces were inches apart.

I felt his hands resting on my waist. With gentle pressure they held me on his cold body.

Together with his smell and that face. It felt so ... wow ... to me. Despite the frosting, his face was still angelic. And to top it off, that gaze. The soft caramel in his eyes was messing with my head.

Indecisive, I put my fingertips to his cheek and carefully swept over his cold skin.

That was different from stroking over his hand like the day before yesterday. More exciting. More intimate.

I traced his curved eyebrows, his smooth forehead, along the temples to his velvety lips.

Edward closed his eyes and opened his mouth a little. When my fingertips lay right on his lips, he breathed a light kiss on them.

They were cold, but they also seemed gentle and full of feeling.

Immediately he opened his eyes again.

His gaze. Breathtaking. Literally.

Tenderly, he slid his hands to my cheeks and sat up, with me on his lap.

I was spellbound by this gaze, which seemed to be full of longing, from which I could only avert my eyes when I heard a cell phone buzzing.

"Sorry, I have to take this," he said softly, his face looking incredibly vulnerable.

I scrambled off him, leaned against my kitchen counter with my legs pulled close to my body, and gasped for air quietly - with the all-too-pious hope that he wouldn't notice.

Was it possible however? ... Did he still want me? ... But? ... Why? ... He had left! ... In a few years he will leave again! ... Distraction!

"It's about Jake," he explained to me apologetically.

He answered the call, but put it on speaker so I could listen in.

"Emmett?" he answered.

"Well, little bro. What are you doing right now?" asked Emmett in a good mood.

Edward chuckled.

"Baking a cake," he replied.

I smirked.

He was still covered in chocolate frosting.

I certainly didn't look any better, I realized and pulled down a dish cloth.

"Okaaay ...," Emmett drawled, completely taken aback.

I would have liked to see Emmett's face right now.

"So ... You were right. They tried," Emmett then explained, and I looked at Edward questioningly.

Who had tried what? And what did Jake have to do with it?

"Told you so. All day they've just been waiting for the right moment."

"They also found him. He had left his cell phone in the locker room and ran back again. They were right there!"

"You left him alone?" growled Edward angrily now.

"Don't panic Ed. The kid is pretty tough and can take a lot," Emmett tried to placate him and I got scared.

They - that is, several - had caught my son? Why? What had happened? Was Jake all right?

I imagined the worst things that could have happened to Jake.

"He was on the ground with three boys on top of him and he was still threatening them. But he only took a few hits until Rose and I got there. Hard blows, but only a few," Emmett continued to explain.

I was shocked.

Three boys. Against my son.

A lone anxious tear welled up in my eye.

Edward put the phone on the floor and pulled me reassuringly into his arms.

"Is he okay?" Edward anxiously asked.

"Sure. Just a few minutes later, he had his girlfriend in his arm again, as if nothing had happened."

"I'm assuming you made sure they didn't get that idea again!"

"No ... Jake did that himself! As I said - quite tough the kid! ... But that doesn't mean Michael won't try it again himself. With Jake, or maybe with Becky right away. He still thinks she owes him something," Emmett pointed out.

"Jake will make sure he doesn't get too close to Becky, and can fight back just fine against Mike alone. We already saw that on Monday," Edward lifted my face to make this clear to me, which I also understood.

I nodded. Gently, he wiped away the lone little tear that I hadn't been able to stop.

"Thanks for your help, Em," Edward wanted to say farewell.

"Thank you!" I also whispered.

I had just gotten it out of my mouth. I was agitated by this information that my son had apparently been beaten up by three boys.

"Mmm ...? Who was that?" Emmett asked, confused.

"Jake's mother," Edward explained calmly.

"So that's where you hang out all the time? ... Must be a very special woman!" Emmett considered.

Edward gently stroked my cheek and looked lovingly into my eyes.

"Oh yes ... She is!" Edward confirmed.

"Well, then ... Ma'am, we're taking care of your boy ... see you later Eddie!" promised Emmett, hanging up, and I had no doubt that he would stick to it.

"Thank you!" I whispered honestly and let myself fall into Edward's arms.

"I won't let anything happen to your children," Edward pulled me tighter into his arms and stroked over my head reassuringly.

It felt so good to feel his firm cold arms around me. Just like earlier. But now I was just grateful to him that he had saved my son from worse.

What was the worst that could have happened? Yes, Jake was a wolf and so he healed quickly. However, there were limits to this supernatural power, whereby the rapid healing could also not really be explained. Also, he could have phased, which those other boys might not have survived. Then Jake would be a murderer. Or he could have simply been exposed ...

I forced myself to stop thinking about everything that could have happened. Edward, and ultimately Emmett, had prevented it.

"You almost gave yourself away," Edward whispered after a while, during which I had completely regained my composure.

"I know," I whispered. My voice had been trembling with fear and more of an unintelligible murmur. Emmett certainly hadn't recognized me. "Since when is it okay to call you Eddie?" I asked now. He used to get upset when people called him that. He and Emmett had even wrestled once after Emmett addressed him that way.

"One may not!" growled Edward menacingly. "I'll get him back for it!"

I loosened myself a little from his arms to be able to look at his indignant face. I immediately laughed vociferously. Countering his offended expression, Edward still had the chocolate stuck to his face. He tried to remove it a little with one hand, but this only caused him to spread it around yet more and my laughter grew louder.

"Where did we leave off earlier?" he threatened.

After a rather silly attempt to escape again, Edward pulled me back to him with ease. Sideways onto his lap. I didn't have enough strength to keep his hand away from my face and the frosting spread over my skin.

I bit his fingers when they were close enough.

"You BITE me?" he accused me playfully.

"Are only vampires allowed to do that?" I defended myself meekly and before I knew it, Edward was half on top of me, pushing me gently to the floor.

Well, gentle for a vampire, perhaps. It didn't hurt, but I had absolutely no way to free myself.

With one hand he held my wrists above my head, while his legs left mine no real free space. He tickled me with his free hand. I tried to avoid his fingers and squirmed under him. I could hardly breathe from laughing until he finally had mercy on me.

This time it was he who carefully touched my face and traced the contours. His cool fingertips tingled on my skin.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation, and tilted my head slightly in his direction to breathe in more of his divine scent. The tingling sensation slid sensitively down my neck, along my collarbone. Cold but gentle lips laid against my throat as he released my wrists. My heart faltered and almost seemed to burn. His arms wrapped around me and I felt his weight on me.

It felt fantastic.

One of my hands got lost in his hair. His lips left my excited skin. He looked into my eyes, deep and hazy ...

"Hey, Mom," Leah suddenly called from the front door.

I had to blink a few times to remember I was in my kitchen. His golden eyes immediately caught my gaze apologetically.

"Didn't you hear her coming?" I asked quietly, but accusingly. What was my daughter supposed to think of me when she saw us lying in the middle of the kitchen? And anyway - what should I think of it myself?

"Sorry ... no. I was distracted," he explained in a whisper and quickly helped me up from the floor.

Thank you for reading!