A/N:i was trying to do some writing over thanksgiving but i was at my fiancé's family's house across the country and i worried someone would look over my shoulder and think i was writing porn (am i?)

THEN i got home and sliced my finger open on a knife and had to get 5 stitches which is making typing harder than it SHOULD BE!!! But i am back to work and I'm cranking these chapters out bc I'm really excited for what is to come

Chapter 30

I don't know if it was a direct correlation, but the weeks following my outing with Jake led to far less Bella time than I was used to, which already wasn't enough.

My overall mood was becoming bleak. It wasn't just from seeing less of Bella, though that was a huge part of it. It was also from seeing way more of Dad.

He came and went at his own discretion. I did my best to avoid him, or at least ignore him if I was forced to be in the same room for more than thirty seconds, but it didn't make much of a difference. His presence lingered in the house long after he left, smelling like booze and body order and depravity. Even Alice, who was at Jasper's more often than not, made herself more scarce than usual.

I was alone and full of rage most days. Bella still called when she could, but our conversations were short and whispered, as if Jake was right on the other side of the wall.

He probably was.

I saw her once, maybe twice before Thanksgiving came. I gave her the low-down of my conversation with her boyfriend, but she seemed uninterested. That was fine with me; there was nothing I found less interesting than discussing her other relationship while we were together.

I was at my wit's end by November 20th.

Just a few more days.

Some of my irradiation may have been coming from anxiety, I admit. I was so fucking eager to spend a full night alone with Bella, it was becoming all I could think about. I needed it, really needed it, so much so that even Alice was happy for me when I told her I wouldn't be home for the Holiday.

"I'll just go to Rose and Jasper's! Don't sweat it, brother. You go have fun."

We hadn't actually spoken about my relationship with Bella aloud, besides her initial disapproval a few months ago, but it was obvious. Even Emmett seemed to know what was going on, throwing me winks behind Jacob's back when we were all together. Jazz knew all of it, obviously, and said very little about it, but I knew it made him nervous.

Its not that he was friends with Jake, per say, but Jasper was a good person. I knew he didn't like what was going on behind Jacob's back.

And I knew, thanks to the sympathetic glances he so often shot me, he was worried what it would do to me when this all came to a head; if our relationship crashed and burned, it would certainly take me with it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Bella told me that it would be okay to wear the outfit I'd worn to her charity performance over the summer, I just needed a suit jacket.

I found one for fairly cheap, thanks to my sister's thrift store sleuthing. Alice also prompted me to moisturize after shaving the night before, and styled my hair in perfect disarray right before I left the house.

I almost didn't recognize myself in the mirror. I looked clean and put-together, two adjectives I didn't usually associate with myself.

Someone that worked for the wealthy family that hired Bella to play came to pick her up in a sleek black car with tinted windows. In an attempt to remain as inconspicuous as possible, I'd agreed to meet her there, which left me taking the El uptown. I stood for the entire ride, not wanting to ruin my nice pants with whatever sticky shit was all over the seats of the train.

I wasn't exactly invited to the holiday dinner, per say. It was a family event- these people just so happened to be so rich that they could rent out a portion of the hotel and pay for gourmet food and live music. However, I was permitted to sit in a back room with the rest of the staff and eat, which is why I still had to be properly dressed.

Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to hear Bella playing through the walls. Her voice carried over just enough that I could tell it was her, and even just imagining her out there made my chest swell with pride.

That's my girl.

The food they served was fucking delicious, despite it obviously being leftovers the rich assholes in the main hall didn't eat. It was a comfortable environment for me, too- most of the people I talked to were also from the South Side, just working this gig to earn an extra buck to feed their families or whatever.

Still, all I really wanted was the time alone with Bella I was promised.

It felt like fucking forever until the whole thing wrapped up, especially because I was confined to that tiny back room, with the exception of stepping out in the cold to smoke a cigarette every once in a while. Finally, when it was nearing eleven o'clock, an older man popped his head in to ask for my help in taking Bella's keyboard and other musical equipment up to her room.

Finally.

Bella had a lot of shit. Between the keyboard and microphone and amplifier and whatever other weird devices she'd brought, it took three trips up and down the elevator before we were done. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tip the dude who helped me, but I didn't have any cash, so I just shook his hand and thanked him. He seemed happy enough with that, so I assumed there was no harm done.

Kicking off my shoes and hanging my suit jacket over the back of a desk chair, I stepped into the suite.

It was nearly bigger than my house, and definitely the nicest place I'd ever be spending a night. Huge windows boasted a view of the lit city skyline. There was an entire kitchen with a fridge (stocked with booze- I checked,) and in the center of it all, the king sized bed, fitted with a golden comforter and so many large, white pillows, I wasn't sure what we were supposed to do with them.

The only thing missing was her.

"Bella?" I called out, grabbing two beers from the fridge and popping them open.

"In here!"

I followed her voice. It led me to the only closed door in the suite- the bathroom.

Inside, Bella stood with her back to me, her arm desperately reaching around her body to grab the zipper of her tight black dress.

"Can you help me?"

For a second, I thought about how she got the dress on- someone must have zipped it up for her- but then I remembered Jacob was in Phoenix, and I felt better.

"It would be my honor." I replied with a smirk, putting the bottles of beer down on the counter and placing my hand on my bare shoulder as I worked the zipper down the dress.

I pried my eyes from the creamy skin of Bella's back and looked up to where we were reflected in the mirror.

She was so fucking beautiful. I didn't get a chance to take a good look at her at all this evening, so I took this opportunity to do so. Her hair was pinned back from her face and fell along her shoulders in loose waves. Bella didn't often wear makeup, but when she did, it was light and tasteful, just like tonight. Silver earrings dangled from her ears, matching perfectly with the rest of her ear piercings and the tiny silver necklace that clung around her throat.

Still staring at our reflection, I eased the dress down her body, exposing most of her to me, the only thing remaining a tiny black thong. Bella's breath hitched when a groan escaped my mouth.

"Look at you," I muttered, watching in the mirror as my hand wandered past her collarbone and to her chest. Bella let out a small moan, and I brought my lips to the soft spot behind her ear, feeling her throat vibrate against my lips. "So fucking beautiful," I said against her skin.

Her arm came around the back of my head. She laced her fingers through my hair, tugging a bit to make me look up, back in the mirror.

"Look at us," she said. "We look good together, don't we?"

My lips curled into a smile, and I watched as that smile reached my eyes. I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist, watching my hand snake over her stomach, and pulled her to me.

"Fuck yeah we do, baby."

I let my hand continue its exploration of her body as I observed in the mirror. Bella gasped when I let my pinky finger slide beneath the hemline of her underwear.

"I was gonna take a shower," she exhaled, her voice breathy and her eyes hooded.

I leaned down, letting my lips connect with the soft skin of her neck. "Mmm…" I moaned when my tongue came in contact with her salty flesh. "Am I interrupting?"

"Yes," she sighed, tilting her head to give me better access.

"How about we get a little dirtier first?"

Bella gasped again, spinning in my arms so we were face to face. Her brown eyes burned with lust and desire and another emotion I didn't want to put a word to, but I was certain I was reflecting it right back at her.

A pained sound came from my throat, and I couldn't stand it anymore. I leaned in, smashing my lips against hers and devoured her mouth. She returned my kiss with just as much enthusiasm, and soon our mouths were crashing against each other's, hard and desperate. It didn't take long for her to work the zipper of my pants, and once I was free, I yanked at her panties so hard they snapped.

Tossing them to the corner of the bathroom, I spun Bella around so she was facing the mirror again.

Through labored breaths, I panted out, "I want you to watch," and my words must have done something to her, because she melted in my arms, so I guided her body til she was leaned over the sink and slid into her.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"That feels so fucking good, Bella," I moaned, tilting my head back to give her better access.

She worked the shampoo into my hair, massaging my scalp in the process. I tried to do the same for her earlier, but was certain I did not do nearly as good of a job.

After rinsing my head, Bella began washing my back, running the soapy washcloth slowly across it, just like I had done to her. When she reached the bottom, she squeezed my asscheeks, making me jump and nearly slip out of the shower.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled, spinning around to face her with narrowed eyes.

She smiled up at me. "Cute butt."

"Yeah," I grumbled, reaching around to grab her ass and pull her against me. "I would say the same to you, but I don't think cute's the word I wanna use."

"Hmm," she mused, wrapping her arms around my neck. "How would you describe my butt, then?"

"Like a Georgia peach." I replied without hesitation, and Bella laughed, so I laughed, though I wasn't really kidding.

"I've never even been to Georgia!" She said.

I gave her ass another squeeze. "Me either, but I'll take you there. We can see just how accurate my peach analogy is."

Her arms snaked around my waist. "Is it warm in Georgia? I've just about had it with these Chicago winters."

I shrugged. "I think so. Warmer than her, for sure."

"Hmm…" She mused. "Do they have peaches in Miami? I think I'd rather go there."

I laughed, leaning in to kiss the top of her wet head. She smelled like shampoo and Bella. "I'll take you wherever you wanna go, baby."

When we finished in the shower, I gave Bella a minute to do whatever girl shit she had to do, slipping on my boxers and heading to the fridge. I took out two new beers-we didnt get a chance to drink the others earlier, and they were definitely warm by now- and sat down on the bed, waiting for her.

Propping myself up against the headboard, I glanced around the room from this new angle. Bella sure did have a lot of musical shit stacked in the corner. Trying to figure out what half of it was, I noted her keyboard, its stand, some wires and an amplifier and I wondered…

I mean, she could play for me in here, couldn't she?

Bella finally came out of the bathroom looking a lot more like Bella in an oversized t-shirt and cotton shorts. I smiled at her, cracking open the beers and extending one to her. She grabbed it, taking a big swig and smiling at me. The setting didn't matter; when we were together like this, stripped of everything besides some booze and each other… that's when she's my Bella.

The Bella that Jacob did not know.

"So, I was thinking…" I started, but she cut me off.

"Yes."

I raised an eyebrow as she sauntered over to the bed, sitting down at my feet.

"Yes what?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll play the song for you."

"How did you know what I was gonna say?"

She smirked at me. "Because I know you, Edward Masen."

My breathing caught in my throat, and I guess she saw something on my face, because her smirk fell. She gazed into my eyes, serious and intense, and I reached out to grab her hand.

"I know you do."