Hello again everyone, It has been a while since we had an update; I had to deal with a couple of things, but I am glad to be back with a new chapter. As usual, thank you again from the bottom of my heart to all of you following this story, putting it in your favourite list and alert list, and leaving comments.

That drives me to continue and give you the best of these characters.

I can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter; see you at the bottom!

Without any further ado!


Chapter 14: The Morning after

His eyes fluttered open. He could feel that it was too early to be awake. The curtains created the perfect ambiance. After a while, his eyes adjusted to the room, and his gaze was immediately drawn to the sight of the naked body draped across his. There was something to say about seeing her in this state, and he loved it. He can get used to seeing her in this state: all soft, her long hair everywhere, her right hand holding his side.

The soft curves of her form and the warmth of her skin against his sent a surge of desire coursing through him. He couldn't help but trace his fingertips lightly along the contours of her back, revelling in the sensation.

His gaze wandered a little bit around the room since he didn't really pay much attention to it. It was definitely cozy. He could see a sitting area, a French door that he imagined led to her closet and bathroom.

He felt surrounded by her scent; it was everywhere - the pillow, the covers, her. He closed his eyes and sniffed her hair. Was it weird to sniff someone?

As his mind settled, thoughts of the previous night's intensity flooded his consciousness. Nothing will ever be able to compare to what they did. Nothing! He never knew that sex could be like this. He would have to ask someone because he had nothing to compare it with. I mean, he was a guy who enjoyed sex like any other guy, but this felt different.

Watching her taking in the pleasure he solely gave her was incomparable. He wanted to know more about her body, to explore and see her again and again in the height of pleasure. He was a man to please!

It was more than physical attraction for him; he hoped it was the same for her. Forget about playing with fire; he was burning in it! His eyes fixated on her relaxed features. The delicate lines of her profile, the flutter of her eyelashes against her cheeks, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed; brought a sense of tranquility to his restless heart.

She looked at peace.

During their talk late night talk, she mentioned to him that she had boyfriends in the past, and strangely she never felt at peace with any of them. She was always second-guessing herself around them, always waiting for the other shoe to drop until they proved her right by either cheating on her or lying to her. She didn't trust easily.

Pictures of the previous night played again in his mind; they were amazing together. Unable to resist, he leaned down and placed multiple kisses on her lips, gradually awakening her from her slumber. She stirred, a sleepy smile gracing her face as she met his gaze.

He moved her so he could kiss up and down her shoulders, and her neck. Hands slowly caressed her soft skin, trailing down the side of her neck and her breasts. She wasn't fully up yet; her eyes were closed, her hand still on his side, a smile on her lips. He took her nipple between his forefingers which made her sigh contentedly while the other hand moved to the other breast.

These sensations running through his body were like a current, setting his entire being into flame. His hand trailed further down her stomach and torso until it reached where he wanted it the most. "God, you're so fucking beautiful like this!"

She wrapped her arm around his neck and laughed, "Not as beautiful as you." She said before crashing her lips to him.

"Fuck! I want you again, Bella," he said between kisses.

"Then take me!" she whispered in her sleepy voice. That damn voice!

Without any other word, he inserted his fingers into her folds at the same time, his tongue plunged into her mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance; he could feel her excitement; she secured her legs over his hips.

He learned what she liked the previous night and started playing with her to get that amazing sound that he came to love. She was getting close and could not wait to see that sight.

"I want to be inside you." He whispered.

"Please!" she said, holding the back of his hair.

They had been pretty active the previous night, so, carefully, he entered her slowly. And there it was. His favourite sound.

He waited a moment before he started moving. A series of moans of pleasure escaped her lips; her whole body was trembling; she grabbed his ass to press him into her. He hissed and bit down on her shoulder.

She cried out in pleasure and in pain. It made him immediately stop. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, don't stop. Please don't stop!" She moaned. That was his girl!

He smiled into her shoulder and began thrusting into her faster and deeper. She was meeting each of his thrusts with the same vigour until they were moving in a superb rhythm. Her hands were everywhere on his body. He knew he was close. He leaned up on his elbow and pulled her leg higher.

"Ugh, God!" Yep, she was closer too. Not long after, they climaxed.

They stayed in the same position, and the sound of their steady breathing lulled them into a peaceful slumber.

L&D

Hours later, he woke up and noticed Bella was no longer beside him. Their clothes were all over the floor. He grabbed his boxers from the floor, slipped them on with a lazy stretch, and headed toward the white French doors in the room that opened to her closet. Her closet was luxurious and spacious. How big was this condo?

The closet had a marble island in the middle with drawers; there were three big mirrors in the room that leaned against the wall. There was a mustard-coloured chair piled high with clothes, which made him chuckle. But what really caught his eye was a picture hanging on the wall.

It showed Bella and her sister, side by side, laughing and holding ice cream cones. They looked so much alike; with their flowing hair and freckled faces, they could pass for twins, even though Annabella was technically older. In the background, he spotted a slender woman running toward them, and he recognized her as Renee Swan. She was a beautiful woman. For a second, he felt sorry for Charlie, who had lost his wife and daughter. For one second, though!

The closet led to the bathroom, and as expected, it was top-notch. There was a big standalone bathtub and a glass shower, and the decor matched the closet. He did his morning routine, used the extra toothbrush Bella had left out, splashed his face with water, and then went in search of Bella.

She was in the kitchen, wearing a long shirt and bustling about. There was a small round table near the island loaded with breakfast goodies. When she noticed him, she turned with a spatula in hand, giving him a warm smile. Unable to resist, he pulled her close for a kiss.

"Why didn't you wake me up to help with breakfast?" he whispered, taking the spatula from her hand and flipping pancakes.

"How much food do you think we need?" There was a lot of food; you would think she was planning to feed a family of five.

"I don't know, really," Bella laughed. "I started and couldn't stop, apparently."

They worked together in the kitchen. He could feel her gaze on him at times; he knew exactly what she was thinking about; they would have to find time to talk about what happened last night. The sound of clinking utensils and sizzling pancakes filled the air.

It felt good; they worked like a well-oiled machine. When everything was ready, he pulled her chair closer, kissed her, and thanked her for the delicious breakfast.

"I can't believe you did all this by yourself," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Bella took a bite of pancake and grinned. "Well, you did help with the pancakes."

He gave her a knowing look as they enjoyed their breakfast together. They talked about the previous night's events, and it felt great to know that it meant to her as much as it meant to him. She commented on the things he did to her last night, and of course, the constant blush was present.

As they finished their meal, Bella's phone rang, and she stood up to answer it. While on the call, he took the opportunity to clean up the table and the kitchen.

She answered the call, glancing at Edward, signalling that her dad was on the line. Edward's heart started racing because he wasn't prepared for her father to find out yet—he still had to talk to Emmett and figure things out.

He could hear part of their conversation.

"Ehi, papà? Come va?" Hey dad? What's up?

"Sto bene, papà. È stato un compleanno fantastico. Grazie ancora! Ti voglio bene anch'io". I'm good, Dad. Had a great birthday. Thank you again! I love you too

"Già, mi immagino che pianga tutta la notte, dicendo: "Oh, il mio bambino sta crescendo, Charlie!". Isabella laughed.

[Yeah, I can imagine her crying the whole night, saying, 'Oh, my baby is growing up, Charlie!]

"OMG, te lo immagini? Dovrò trovare un posto per indossare quello che mi ha regalato lo zio C." [OMG, can you imagine? I'll have to find a place to wear what Uncle C gave me.]

Listening to her talking to her dad, reminded him how close she was to him. This completed things even more. If she hated him, that would have been easier.

"Oh, sì. Stamattina ho una riunione. Voglio fare l'ultimo controllo prima di inviare la collezione. Le farò sapere" [Oh, yes. I have a meeting this morning. I want to do the final check before I send the collection. I'll let you know.]

"Domani sarebbe meglio per me. Ah, ok, allora posso fare venerdì?" [Tomorrow would be better for me. Oh, okay, I can do Friday then?]

Sì, anch'io ho qualcosa da dirti" [Yeah, I have something to tell you too]" She looked at Edward while saying that.

The conversation hummed in the background. Edward received a quick text from Emmett, reminding him not to miss their meeting. When he finished tidying up, he strolled over to the large window and admired the view. It truly took his breath away. It reminded him why he loved this city.

Moments later, he felt a gentle kiss in the middle of his back, causing him to turn around.

"So, what do we do now?" he knew exactly what she was asking him.

He had whispered to her the previous night that there was no going back. It was just him and her now, but she still needed him to say it again. The morning sun added a brilliance to her eyes.

He lifted her up so she could look at him straight, and she instantly wrapped her legs around him.

His plan got sidetracked because she was wearing only her underwear under the shirt, and she smelt great, and he couldn't help but kiss her neck, kiss her bottom lip.

"We do whatever you want, baby!"

She chuckled. "You know what I mean, Mase." He looked at her and saw the uncertainty in her eyes. Didn't she get it yet?

"It's simple, baby, you are mine, and I am yours," he said, kissing her again.

"I really like the sound of that." She replied, "We'll have to figure out the logistics because I don't want us to hide for too long."

"Me too. Just give me time to work things out because there's a lot at stake," That was a lie. What she thought was worrying him was completely different from his actual worries.

"I understand," she replied, her voice reflecting her understanding as usual. "As long as I get to kiss you wherever and whenever I want, I don't mind waiting!"

She gave him a passionate kiss and whispered something in Italian that he didn't understand. And as usual, her Italian did something to him.

"You know, Miss Isabella, you sound so sexy when you speak Italian," He couldn't help but squeeze her delicious butt.

"Oh really?" she smirked and proceeded to say "Voglio ripetere l'esperienza di ieri sera, ma questa volta sotto la doccia." [I want a repeat of last night, but this time in the shower] She ground her body against his.

"sì, I don't know what you said, but yes, I want that too," he responded, which made her laugh. [yes] He loved her laugh. Was there a thing I didn't love about this woman?

He kissed her and walked them both to the bathroom.

L&D

Edward got home, still buzzing from his time with Bella. As he walked in, Emmett, who was chowing down on some leftover pizza, greeted him with a grin.

"Welcome back, Romeo," Emmett chuckled. "Judging by that look on your face, I'm guessing things went well with Bella yesterday?"

Edward plopped down on the couch and stretched out, a contented smile on his lips."Em, I'm fucked." Emmett laughed.

"No, really, I mean it," Edward continued, excitement mixed with a touch of uncertainty. "I can't even explain what I'm feeling right now. I've never been this serious about anyone before. I can't even imagine walking away from her. Just the thought of it would devastate me."

Emmett nodded, knowing Edward like the back of his hand. They'd been through a lot together, chasing adventures since high school. They'd always aimed for the kind of love their parents had, and now it seemed like Edward might've found it.

"Be careful, Eddie, you're starting to sound like you're..." Edward's gaze met his, stopping him before he could finish his sentence.

Emmett set his beer down and sighed. "Look, we've had this conversation multiple times, and I don't need to tell you again that you're playing with fire and risking everything, every-fucking-thing for all of us. There are so many things riding on us; for the first thing, we have a lead on these motherfuckers, so you can imagine the level of shit we will get if we fuck this thing; I know you're not dumb, and I want to believe that you wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't real."

Edward simply nodded, feeling the weight of it all. Emmett took a sip from his beer.

"So, in other words, we're screwed," Emmett continued with a laugh, which caused Edward to laugh as well.

"Look bro, no matter what, you know I've got your back. There's got to be a way for both of us to get what we want, though I'm not sure how."

Edward let out a sigh. "I wish I could stop feeling like this so I wouldn't be so torn up."

Emmett leaned back, pondering it all. "You know, thinking about it, she's perfect for you." Edward grinned, imagining Bella becoming part of their family. They changed the subject to maintain their sanity.

Later in the day, they had a quick video meeting with a couple of the team members to go over what happened at the birthday party and discuss Giovanni, and they got the intel that the team has a lead on the corrupt cops working for Charlie. It was promising progress in their operation. Edward couldn't help but reflect on how far they'd come. It had all started as an impossible mission, but now they were on the brink of a breakthrough. He just needed to ensure he didn't mess it up.


There you go! What do you think of their morning after. I want to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and reviews are the way to make me happy ;) Let me know what more you would like to see in the next chapters. Until Next time!

NEXT CHAPTER: INDULGING IN DESIRE