A/N… Time to check on Bella before we get back to Edward's investigation. I'll let you get to it.

~oOo~

Chapter 14

BELLA

I gazed around Edward's old bedroom, shaking my head a little. It was a typical boy's room – blue walls, dark furniture, and beige carpet. There was a desk in the corner with an older desktop computer. On the shelves above it were all sorts of games for said computer, not to mention regular board games on the highest shelf.

On the other side of the room was a bookcase with a TV and tons of books. The latter were mostly mysteries – some true crime and some fiction. Sherlock Holmes seemed to be the most worn, most loved.

Sid had decided that the desk chair was his new spot, and I wasn't arguing with him. I wasn't sure how long I'd slept. The drive here was a blur, and I barely remember Edward putting me to bed. I'd had no idea that he'd set Sid up with litter, food, and water.

What I did remember with perfect and utter clarity was the kiss we'd shared in my room back at Common Ground. My brow furrowed at the thought as I rubbed a finger across my bottom lip. I tried to recall a better kiss in my life, but I failed miserably.

Edward Masen could fucking kiss. And it matched his personality – a little rough, a touch tentative, and a whole lot of sexy.

I jumped a little when a knock tapped on the bedroom door. "Bella?"

Esme had been amazing since Alice and I had woken up – breakfast, coffee, calm conversation, and easy smiles. I opened the door to see her on the phone, but she handed it to me.

"It's Edward for you, sweetheart."

"Oh, thanks." I put the phone to my ear as Esme closed the door. "Hey, how's it going?"

"I… I just wanted… I saw Charlie, and I wanted to let you know he was awake and looked good." Edward sounded tired and a bit nervous.

Grinning at how I could practically see him tugging at his hair, I said, "Thanks. Carlisle called a bit ago with an update, but I appreciate you letting me know."

"I also need to let you know that we've cut a deal with Jasper. He's willing to testify, and I'm having him moved from county to a facility that will continue with his rehab."

"Seriously?" I asked, not sure I liked where this was going.

"Yes. It was what he wanted. He wanted to protect you and Alice, but he wanted to stay clean, so we worked a deal with the DA."

"But they'll come for him, Edward. He'll… It'll be no better than jail," I countered, thinking my brother had the biggest target of all on his back.

"It'll be fine, Bella. Please trust me. On paper, he's been released, is free to go. Where he's going is not in the paperwork," he explained, and over the phone, I could hear a bunch of noises and voices. "And for now, I'm keeping that quiet."

That brought me up short. This seemed not only out of character for Detective Masen, but it also seemed to come from a personal perspective. Was he doing all of this for me?

"Are you… Is this all… Why are you doing this, Edward?" I sputtered out, starting to pace a little in his room.

He didn't say anything right away, but finally, he started to ramble a little. "Like I told you before… You've become important to me, even through all this fucking bullshit. You said our worlds were slammed together, but…I need you to stay safe – and along with you, your family."

I opened my mouth to say something. What? I had no idea. But he wasn't finished.

"What you have with them is so fucking good, Bella. You hold on to it, because trust me, that goodness can so easily be ripped from your hands. And I am going to do my damnedest to make sure that doesn't happen. Okay?"

The pain and hurt that Edward tried so hard to hide behind a gruff demeanor and a harsh mask cracked just a little, and I couldn't stop the tears from burning my tired eyes.

"Okay. Thank you," I barely said aloud.

"Beautiful, I gotta go. We're about to raid Inferno, because your dad said Laurent was the other attacker, so we're serving the warrants."

There were calls for him in the background, and I panicked just a little. "Edward! Wait!"

"Bella… I've—"

"Just… You need to be careful, too. Promise me," I urged over the line because I needed him to come back. He was doing his absolute fucking best to finish this case, but it would shatter me if he got hurt.

"I promise."

The call ended, and I pulled the phone away, frowning down at it, but I opened the bedroom door, closing it behind me because I didn't want Sid roaming about the house unsupervised. He was a cat, which meant he was basically a cuddly goblin who could wreak all sorts of havoc on furniture and shelves and then curl up on my lap wearing an innocent expression when he was done tearing the place up. I couldn't let him do that here; this house screamed money and nice things.

I was heading toward the room Alice was staying in, but it was empty. However, I heard laughter downstairs, and I found her in the kitchen with Esme.

Handing the phone back to Esme, I said, "Thank you."

She studied my face. "Everything okay, Bella?"

I nodded but then shrugged, glancing at Alice and then back to Esme. "I don't know… How much do you want to hear about this…this…whole thing?"

She smiled sweetly, guiding me to the stool next to Alice. "I know enough. I know that your father is hurt, that you needed a safe place, and that Edward is trying his best to stop the people trying to hurt you."

Nodding that she had the basics down, I turned to Alice, swallowing thickly. "They're raiding Inferno as we speak," I told her, and her mouth fell open. "They also made a deal with Jasper."

"They…" she whispered. "What deal?"

"Edward and Garrett. They made a deal with the DA and Jasper. He's being released, but—"

"Like now?" she squeaked, starting to get down from the stool.

"Wait, Ali," I said, grabbing her arm gently. "Please let me finish. You can't contact him. He's… He agreed to testify against James, but they're putting him somewhere safe like they did us." I gestured a finger around. "He's going into an outside rehab program. Edward specifically didn't tell me where. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

She nodded vehemently. "So no phone calls. Right?"

"Exactly. We have to stay under the radar, or we risk this house, Edward's family. So turn that phone off."

Her lip trembled, but she nodded. "I did already. I didn't want to be tempted."

"Okay, good." I let out a heavy breath, setting my elbows on the counter to rub my face. "I'm… I think I may end up with ulcers or a nervous breakdown before this is all over," I mumbled behind my hands. "Between my dad, my brother, my building… Now Edward's about to shake the shit out of a true hornet's nest."

A warm arm wrapped around my shoulders. "Edward is quite capable of handling himself," Esme whispered in my ear. "He graduated top of his class." She paused a moment. "C'mere. Let me show you something."

There was a beautiful wall unit in the living room. Aside from the usual flatscreen and expensive vases, there were lots of framed photos, a few books, and a couple of diplomas.

Esme reached for a photo album on a top shelf, pulling it down and cracking it open. She found what she was looking for and held it out for me to take.

"My nephew would never save these things for himself," she said softly. "Seattle requires new cadets to be at least twenty-one at the time of graduation. So Edward took several courses just out of high school to prepare himself for that."

She flipped through page after page of Edward's achievements – gun classes, martial arts classes, and even swimming competitions. The latter looked like the YMCA, but I saw medals and awards and trophies. And despite all those amazing feats, Edward's face was stoic, intense, and angry.

Until his police academy graduation photo.

Edward's face was a little smug – as he should be for his accomplishments. I let out a light laugh at that handsome thing in his full dress blues and another at Edward in uniform by a police cruiser. Uniforms might just be the epitome of sexy on that man.

"He must've wanted to be a cop since forever," I muttered.

Esme grinned. "Well, when he was little, he wanted to be a superhero."

That made me smile her way because that was such a typical little boy's dream. "My brother had the same one. He'd wanted to be Captain America or something."

Flipping a few more pages of that photo album, she landed on a family portrait. Edward had to have been eleven or twelve in it, and he was simply a smaller version of himself now – sharp green eyes, blinding smile, and the hair that didn't quite stay tamed. He was a beautiful little boy. In that picture, Edward was happy.

Standing behind him in that picture were who I assumed were his parents. He definitely got his hair and eyes and smile from his mother. She looked a lot like the woman standing next to me as her hand rested on her son's shoulder. Edward got his height, sharp jawline, and build from his father. Something about the man in the picture made me zero in on body language. While Edward and his mother were touching, smiling, Edward Masen Sr. was blank and almost a full step away from them.

"He didn't want to be a policeman until he read his first Sherlock Holmes. He became obsessed with clues and cases," she told me, closing the album. "By the time he came to live with me, he was pretty certain of what he wanted to do."

She pointed up to a framed picture on the shelf. It was another family photo, only without the Masens. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, and a beautiful blonde girl about the same age as Edward.

"Rosalie, my daughter," she pointed out, tapping the picture.

Edward was not the same boy in this picture. This Edward hadn't slept in days. There were dark patches beneath his eyes, and he was thin – almost too thin – and a bit pale. He'd sprouted up since the one with his parents, so he was as tall as Carlisle by the age of fifteen.

And there was nothing on his face. No emotion, no expression, and his hands were tucked into the pockets of his pants, despite the hand Carlisle had on his shoulder.

Esme showed off more of Edward's accomplishments, along with her daughter's. Rose was a teacher for middle school kids. She taught algebra and geometry. A few photos were of what Esme called her "kids." It was Emmett, Edward, Rose, and Tanya. I smiled at that one because they looked like a hell of a lot of trouble.

I could tell there was more to Tanya and Edward than what the picture showed. She made him smile, and considering his circumstances, that was a good thing. The four of them were laughing and joking around a car just outside this very house, but he was holding her hand, and she was leaning into him. They couldn't have been more than sixteen, maybe seventeen.

"Now," Esme said through a sigh, taking me by the shoulders. "Edward's smart and strong, and Garrett is clever. I've liked his partner since the first time I met him. Together, they're very capable."

"I know, I know. I'm a cop's daughter, so I get it. But I worried about him too."

Esme smiled, nodding a little. "I'm sure you did. I hope pot roast is okay for dinner. It's Edward's favorite, not that I have any delusions that he'll make it in time to sit with us, but we may get Rose and Emmett, maybe Tanya too. We'll see."

Laughing, I said, "Pot roast is great. Want help?"

"I'd love some!"

~oOo~

EDWARD

"If you want James Hunt, then you have to make a deal with Laurent Brunelle," Banner told Emmett and another representative of the DA's office, Naomi Porter. "And if we put him in King County Correctional, then he's a sitting duck because Hunt has people inside there."

"Then he'd have to take a plea," Naomi stated, glancing around at Garrett, Banner, and me.

Her eyes lingered on me too long, and I turned my attention to the asshole in the interrogation room because I wasn't interested, no matter how low cut her shirt or how tight her skirt. In fact, I was ready to be done with this day. I'd been up before the sun after only three hours' sleep, and after the raid on Inferno, Brunelle's arrest, and scouring that creepy underground area, I was fucking exhausted and in no mood for niceties.

And she had nothing on Bella.

Brunelle sat there like he didn't have a care in the world, but the sweat on his brow gave him away.

"What plea? We've got him dead to rights on the assault and the B and E at Common Ground, which violated an order of protection. That's a done fucking deal," Garrett argued, pointing to the two-way glass. "The victim ID'd his ass."

They argued a bit more about what information Brunelle could possibly have, and I shook my head, turning to face them. "Let's ask him. Don't promise him shit until we know what he has is worth protecting. He could simply be giving Hunt just enough time to go into hiding."

Emmett's gaze slipped to the window. "He says he didn't kill Black."

"I don't think he did," I stated, shaking my head. "I think Common Ground was supposed to be just a B and E, and Black fucked up. Not only did the alarm alert Charlie, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Black was also stupid enough to lose his weapon and catch a bullet with it, leaving all sorts of evidence behind." I faced the window again. "No, Hunt was pissed off. He was fucking pissed off enough to kill Black and Maria Navarro. Brunelle's telling the truth – he didn't shoot Black. Hunt did."

"You can't prove it, Detective," Naomi stated.

"I don't have to. Ballistics will." I tapped the glass. "We have Brunelle's gun, and soon, we'll have the bullet from Black."

Banner studied the man pouring sweat in the interrogation room. "Go ask him, Masen. Go tell him he doesn't have a lot of options here."

Garrett and I walked into the room. My partner took a seat across from Brunelle, and I leaned against the wall.

"Laurent, tell us why we shouldn't just book your ass and go home," Garrett demanded. "You violated an order of protection, assaulted Charlie Swan, and left him alive to talk about it. Funnily enough, he ain't afraid to testify."

Brunelle waved that away. "That was Black's idea. Fucking idiot. He was told to leave the Swans alone. He didn't. He got what he deserved."

"And Maria Navarro?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

Brunelle laughed, but it was humorless and bitter. "You gonna pin that on me too?"

"No," I stated, pushing off the wall. "But I know you know about it."

He gritted his teeth. "I'm not telling you guys shit until you promise to protect me."

"Protect you from who?" I asked him.

"Not Hunt, though he's a crazy fucking bastard."

Garrett's eyes narrowed when he glanced my way. "Powell," he barely uttered aloud.

"You're smarter than you look," Brunelle taunted, sitting back in his seat and folding his arms. "You think Hunt is smart enough, sane enough to do all this shit?" He shook his head. "Nope. He's a fucking puppet."

"You gotta give us something, Brunelle," I told him, shrugging a shoulder. "Honestly, I don't give two shits about who's comin' after you. One less prick in the world is okay by me. But I've got a list as long as my fucking arm of people who have been stalked, hunted, terrorized, and killed. I've got missing girls, abused girls, and dead girls. Now I've got Black dead. And all you motherfuckers work for the same damn place. That shit isn't coincidence."

Garrett met my gaze. "I say we book him and then let him take his chances inside county. Paul Lahote lasted…what? Couple days? A week? Asshole took a shower and never came out."

I fought my smile and won because Garrett sometimes just got it. "Maybe. And now that Whitlock is out and singing…"

"Shit," Brunelle hissed, setting his elbows on the table and rubbing his face hard.

"Maybe you shouldn't have targeted his family. The addict's loyalty can only go so far, Laurent," Garrett pointed out, shaking his head. "Let's start simple. What happened with Maria Navarro?"

Brunelle grimaced, took a deep breath, and let it out through his nose. "Hunt did her. She and Whitlock stole two kilos of heroin, and even though she was fucking Whitlock, she was seeing Hunt on the side. Because she was trying to set his ass up. That whole keep your enemies closer bullshit."

"For what?" I asked, but then it hit me. "Bree Tanner."

Brunelle's eyebrow shot up. "Yeah. She was a cool girl. Hunt did her wrong. Lost his fucking temper when she didn't want anything to do with him outside of doing her job at Inferno. The problem with that was…Bree was liked by everyone – and she was friends with Whitlock's sister. So when she went missing, that raised a few alarms.

"Maria knew Hunt would kill her for stealing his product, so she kept that shit quiet while she tried to gather info," he finished, shaking his head.

"So what happened that night in the park?" I asked him.

"She was at the studio. She was filming. Hunt found out that his numbers weren't adding up, that he had less product than what he'd had Whitlock and Maria buy. He was pissed off because they'd hidden it well after you busted Whitlock for dealing."

"It took him six months to figure out it was missing?" Garrett queried slowly.

"It took six months with a drop in profit for Powell to realize it was missing."

"Powell funds the drugs. Uses Inferno to move them," I told Garrett, and Brunelle nodded.

"Maria tried to run. Hunt ordered us to catch her, and we did. He beat the piss outta her for info. She gave up where – that fucking coffee shop – when he broke her hand. She gave up the alarm code when he knocked her teeth out. She gave up a copy of a key when he put a knife to her throat."

I sighed, shaking my head. Maria had used Bella and Common Ground, making sure she could get back in if she needed.

"So why stalk Bella Swan?"

He shook his head. "That was Black. He was convinced Bella knew something. And he was pissed off she completely cut him off. Hunt wanted Bella. But he wanted her online and filmed. She's fuck-hot, so he could've made a shit-ton of money off her. When Jake's dumb ass tried to film her on the sly, she lost her shit, throwing his camera into the shower. She might've drowned his ass if he'd have gotten anywhere near her."

Garrett grinned, glancing my way. "I bet she would have."

Smirking, I nodded. "No doubt." I took the chair next to Garrett. "But she didn't know anything."

"Nah, she didn't. When you showed up at The Hub that day, I told them both to leave Whitlock's family alone. Her dad's an ex-cop, and you were now living in the building. Neither fucking listened to me." He shook his head. "I know Maria was trouble, and Jake was a prick. But when I saw Whitlock's other girl pregnant, I was out. I don't mess with that type of shit."

"You wanted out too," I surmised.

"Fuck yeah. I was done." He sat forward. "You have no idea how deep this goes."

"You mean…how far up it goes," I muttered, narrowing my eyes. "You're gonna give me more, Brunelle. I've got Whitlock willing to testify about Hunt's drug dealing. I've got Charlie Swan willing to testify against you. You're gonna sign a statement about Maria Navarro, and you're gonna tell me where the hell Bree Tanner's body is. After that, I'll take all this shit to the DA to see where we'll put you, because you're going away."

Brunelle studied my face, nodding once. "That park. The one at the end of the tunnel under Inferno. She's in there."

"Where exactly?" Garrett asked him.

"There's a corner in the far back. A group of trees behind a fountain."

Garrett and I started to stand, but Brunelle stopped us. "Hunt will go after Whitlock's family, especially now that they're witnesses. The old man, the sister, and the pregnant girlfriend – they're all on his list. Whitlock won't survive much longer."

"Well, he's free and clean. Time served and all that," Garrett told him wryly.

Brunelle grinned. "Then maybe Hunt won't survive much longer. I don't blame him. It's all fair until you drag the innocent into this bullshit."

My eyebrows shot up, but I nodded, getting up to tap on the door. Once Garrett and I were in the hallway, Banner patted my shoulder but looked to Emmett and Naomi.

"Okay, we'll get you a warrant for James Hunt, and if you can get him to flip on Randall Powell, then we're about to crack this city wide open," Naomi stated fearfully.

"Not today. Hunt's in the wind, but he'll pop up eventually," Banner stated, pointing to Garrett and me. "Out. Go. You're dead on your feet. Both of you. And keep Whitlock's family hidden. Swan is still in Virginia Mason under guard, but the girls? No one gets to them."

I huffed a bitter laugh. "They'll be crawling over my dead body if they do."

~oOo~

Emmett and I pulled into my aunt and uncle's driveway about an hour and a half later. We'd taken a rather long, winding way to Stillwater. I'd followed him, keeping a watch for anyone tailing us. It was about eleven at night when I shut my truck off.

We walked into the house to the sound of female laughter. Sitting all together in the living room were Aunt Esme, Bella, Alice, Rose, and Tanya.

"Fuck, that's terrifying," I muttered, shaking my head at Emmett's guffawing laugh.

"What'cha worried about? Bella finding out you're a sourpuss? She's aware, I promise," Emmett said, pushing me into the room.

"There they are!" Aunt Esme sang, getting up to hug us both. "Both of you sit. I'll get you a plate."

"Yes, ma'am," we both said, but my eyes locked on to deep, warm brown.

I could see the question all over her face, and I needed to let her – and Alice – know about Black and Hunt.

I kissed Aunt Esme's cheek, whispering, "I need to see Bella and Alice for a moment."

"C'mon, Edward," Emmett stated. "Everyone here knows everything, so let's just…talk."

Bella and Alice got up to sit across from us, and Tanya ruffled my hair on her way to a chair.

"You look exhausted, bestie," she pointed out worriedly.

"Yeah, well, I'm going on about three hours of sleep, and today was…"

"A fucking shit-show," Emmett finished for me.

Aunt Esme tsked at his language, but she set a large plate down in front of us both.

"Edward, is… My dad? Jasper?" Bella asked softly.

I shook my head. "Both are fine. Both are where they need to be. However, you need to know Jacob Black was killed today."

"By you?" Alice asked sarcastically.

A grin escaped me before I could stop it, but I said, "No, by James Hunt."

Emmett and I spent the next few minutes telling them what had happened at Inferno between huge bites of pot roast and potatoes. The reality was that Emmett and I shouldn't discuss this shit with our family, but that ship sailed when we made my aunt and uncle's home a safe house. Now everyone was involved, and they needed to know stuff for their safety.

Emmett took a drink of his water and glanced at me. "At least you can close your case on Maria Navarro and your cold case."

"I will. When I have James Hunt in handcuffs," I said with a sneer before taking another bite of dinner.

I glanced around as the girls seemed to pick back up on their chatter. My cousin, Rose, must've liked Alice and Bella, because she was happily telling them stories about the family and Emmett and high school. But as they talked, I was still missing something.

"Where's Sid?" I asked.

Bella grinned, pointing toward the stairs. "In your room so he can't break shit when he gets a case of the midnight zoomies."

I tsked, shaking my head. "He shouldn't be confined to one room."

Bella snorted but got up from the table. "You asked for it, Edward."

"Who's Sid?" Rose asked, and I waved a hand toward the stairs when Bella came back down with him in her arms.

However, his yellow eyes locked on to me, and he wriggled to get down. Immediately, he was standing beside my chair with his paws planted on my leg. I ran a hand over his head and then gave it a scratch. Being on the floor wasn't good enough, so he hopped up to my lap, bumping my chin with his cold nose and pushing his purrs into my skin.

The whole table was quiet except for Bella, who was chuckling.

"What? He's cool," I defended, going back to my dinner as Sid curled up on my thighs.

"He reminds me of Sam," Aunt Esme whispered.

I nodded but stayed quiet. He reminded me of my mother's cat too. Not particularly in looks, because Sam was a Siamese with deep-brown points and sky-blue eyes. But their personalities were similar – chill and friendly, smart and cuddly.

And he liked me. Sam had liked me too.

"He doesn't beg for food, though. Sam ate off my damn plate," I stated, grinning at Bella's laugh. "No bowl of cereal was eaten alone."

"Well, he's going back into your room when I go to bed, Edward. I'm not risking that entire bookcase over there. He's cute now, but if he knocks a glass of water off the table or steals money, then I don't want to hear it."

"How much money?" Emmett asked, and I grinned his way. "I mean, felony or misdemeanor? And where would he put it? No pockets!"

"Petty theft," Bella answered instantly, making the whole table laugh. "He stole a twenty that I'd had in my pocket and left on my nightstand. I didn't find it until I dropped something weeks later and found it wadded up under my bed."

Smirking, I finished my plate, and Aunt Esme picked it up along with Emmett's. She kissed the tops of our heads.

"I'm heading to bed. You kids don't stay up too late."

"Aw, Mom! But it's Friday night," Emmett countered like he did when we were kids.

"And what?" she shot back on her way down the hall.

"I gotta go. I'm supposed have brunch with Liam in the morning," Tanya said, getting up from the table.

"I'm assuming he's still maintaining non-asshole status," I said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"As a matter of fact, he is, bestie," she sang, ruffling my hair again. "Catch you guys later. Alice, Bella, it was really good to meet you."

"You, too," the girls said at the same time.

"C'mon, Em. We're going too," Rose told him, getting up from the table.

Emmett gazed my way. "Carlisle's on an overnight shift?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be here until he gets home in the morning."

"Okay. If you need me to stay here, just let me know."

"Got it."

Once it was just Alice, Bella, and me, Alice piped up. "How bad was it?"

I sighed, raking a hand through my hair. "Bad enough that Laurent Brunelle turned on James. He gave up a lot of information in order for us to keep him protected."

"Is there really a hidden door in James's office?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, and down those stairs was just…disturbing. It seems legit porn isn't good enough," I told her, grimacing at her shudder.

I ran a hand over Sid, and his wide yawn made me yawn. Bella chuckled, reaching for him.

"C'mon, let me take him so you can get some rest," she offered sweetly.

I shook my head, scooping him up. "Nah, I got him."

We all headed upstairs, and Alice told us goodnight at Rose's room. I followed Bella to my old room. She turned to take Sid from me, and she set him gently down on the bed, where he proceeded to take a bath.

"You look so tired," she said softly, walking to me.

"Did my family bombard you with stories about me?" I asked at the same time, grinning at her light laugh.

"No, but Aunt Esme totally bragged about you. Showed me pictures and everything," she admitted, wearing a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess – swim competitions and police academy graduation."

"Yes," Bella said through a giggle. "All of that. Along with a few of you as a kid."

"My parents?" I asked softly, and when she nodded, I reached for her face, cupping it gently. She was so beautiful, and it seemed everyone saw it, but the only one she paid attention to was me. "Did they tell you…"

"No," she answered when I trailed off. "And I wouldn't have let them. It's your story, Edward. I'm here when you want to tell it."

I swallowed nervously, nodding one time. "'Kay," I whispered, leaning in closer. "It's been a shit day, and I'll let you get some sleep, but… I just…" My gaze dropped to her lips, where she dragged her tongue over the bottom one.

"Yeah…" she breathed, leaning in.

The difference between this kiss and the one we'd shared in her bedroom back at Common Ground was Bella wasn't in emotional turmoil. This time, she was ready and aware and gave just as good as she got. Her fingers gripped the belt loops of my pants, pulling me closer, and my fingers slipped into her hair at the base of her neck.

It was over. The taste of her, the feel of her in my arms, and the sweet hum she let out all lit me on fire. Heads turned at the same time perfectly, and I slid my hands down her back to finally cup the bottom I'd only fantasized about. To touch it was so much better than I'd imagined.

Her arms wound around my neck, and we started to lose control. I lifted her up and planted that sweet bottom on my old dresser, which put her face to face with me. It also lined us up, and I could feel the heat of her through the sweet cotton pajama pants she had on.

I started to pull away because this was not the right time or too soon or maybe I was just fucking exhausted. My hands slammed down onto the top of the dresser on either side of her thighs, but her legs locked around my waist as my forehead pressed to hers.

"Christ," I breathed, squeezing my eyes closed. "Beautiful, I need… You gotta…"

"Okay," she replied, nodding against me, but she lightly brushed a kiss over my lips one more time.

I met her gaze to see if we were on the same page, and it seemed we were. I wanted her, and that wasn't exactly a secret at that moment.

She placed her hands flat on either side of my face. "Get some sleep, Edward. I'm assuming I'm still your captive here."

Grinning at the way she put it, I kissed her once more. "Mm, sounds tempting when you put it that way."

She nudged me back a little, and I helped her slip back down to the floor, but I kept her close with an arm around her waist. "Very," she agreed.

"But yes," I whispered against her forehead. "Even more now because James is on the run. I can't let anything happen to you, and I'm not taking any chances."

She nodded, cupped my face, and kissed me once more. "Night, Edward."

"Night, Bella."

~oOo~

A/N… Edward with Sid is just…everything. And yeah, I had cats steal a twenty from me once. We didn't find it until we were moving to another apartment. Cuddly goblins.

Everything updates as usual next week. So until then… Mooches, Deb ;)