A/N This is the only slightly productive thing I accomplished today, and you best believe it is probably full of grammatical and other kind of errors so I can only apologize for that - however, if I waited to post this, I'd probably not post this, and I figured you guys want something more than nothing, right? And I'm happy with the chapter aside from said errors which aren't obvious to me but may be obvious to you (If I sound delirious it's slightly true, I'm sick atm :( ) Anyway. I love you all. Thank you for sticking with the story. It's comin'. Slowly.

Chapter Twenty Two: Champagne Showers

Bella

xXx

The morning of my birthday is heralded by thick rain, lashing against the window and I snuggle deeper into my duvet, wrapping my hands around the pillow and willing myself to go back to sleep. As a child, birthdays were my favorite; my mom would wake me singing softly in turkish and smelling like paint and incense. She would climb into bed with me with a handmade card, kiss my face until I laughed.

"Doğum günün kutlu olsun, nefesim!" She would murmur, stroking my hair behind my ear. When I was younger my dad would come into the room too, and presents would be scattered across my bed which I'd open with a mug of steaming hot chocolate, gorging on pastries from the french patisserie. Later it was often just me and my mom in the mornings, but special nonetheless.

Tears spring behind my eyes and I clutch the pillow tighter, groaning as a series of loud knocks pound against my door. Seconds later a great weight is jumping on my bed and I pull myself out of the duvet to find Emmett's grinning face.

"There she is! Happy eighteenth birthday, Cygnet!"

I give him a weak smile and accept his hug gratefully, breathing in his familiar scent. "Your dad is downstairs, and there's pastries and…presents!" He winks, pulling out a tiny red box from his pocket. "Mine first."

I wipe the sleep from my eyes and accept the box with a soft 'thank you'. Cartier cannot make me excited for this day, but it certainly helps. I flip the lid and gasp in surprise. It's one of my mother's rings, a gold band embellished with an emerald sitting between two diamonds. I'd completely forgotten about it.

"How did you…"

"I asked your dad if I could go through some of her things, find something for you. I know you won't go in there so…I got it resized and made the band a bit smaller for you, I hope I didn't overstep-"

I cut him off by launching myself at him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Emmett," I say around the lump in my throat.

He hugs me tightly, kisses me on the forehead and then gets up, flashing me a grin. "Get dressed then, and come down," he pauses, scanning my eyes thoughtfully. "They're all there, and I know that would normally make you not come, but please Cygnet, I'm begging you."

I slip the ring onto my finger and stare at it, listening to the rain. I don't have the energy to hate anyone today. I just want to get through it. The party tonight will be worse if I piss off my dad.

I can hate them all tomorrow.

"Fine," I answer, avoiding Emmett's gaze. "Give me twenty minutes."

He clasps his hands in mock prayer and then leaves, closing the door gently behind him. I fall back into bed, sighing. For once I don't feel angry at the prospect of seeing my dad and uncles, just a suffocating sense of nothingness that makes my skin itch.

"I miss you mom," I say quietly to my ring, twisting it on my finger as a horrible hollow feeling gathers in my gut. I know what she'd say if she saw me like this; exactly what she told me on my 14th birthday, the first time my dad didn't show up. "You cannot be sad on your birthday, nefesim. It is disrespectful to me. After all, today is my day too. I brought you into the world today. Today is our day, and neither of us shall be sad for a single moment. Do you agree?"

I groan into my pillow and then force myself out of bed.

When I step out of my room, Edward is leaning against the hallway by my door, his head freshly shaven. My heart jumps in my chest at the sight of him. We haven't seen each other since I snuck into the hospital to see him and Tommy, since he called me Daisy. Since I realized that I…

Edward lifts his head, intense green eyes meeting mine. He flashes me his cheeky grin, "Happy birthday, beautiful."

"Thank you," I say softly, unable to hold his gaze. He steps forward, and his hand tilts my chin up, questioning eyes searching mine.

"What's wrong, Daisy? Are you worried about tonight?"

"I'm fine," I say, giving him a weak smile.

Edward scoffs and my eyes fill with tears.

"Hey," he murmurs, pressing his forehead to mine and cupping the back of my neck. "What's wrong?"

"I…miss my mom," I admit, my vision blurry.

"I'm sorry," he breathes against my lips.

"I'm eighteen. She's supposed to be here."

"Daisy," he sighs.

There's a noise downstairs and he pulls back quickly, shooting me an apologetic look.

"I got you something…" he offers, smirking.

I wipe my tears away, smiling slightly. "You did?"

Edward ducks into his room and comes out with a badly wrapped box.

"You shouldn't have," I say, secretly pleased.

Edward shrugs, giving it to me. "This is from Tommie. It's not wrapped very well…" his hand comes behind his neck awkwardly and I can't help the grin that crosses my face.

I carefully unwrap it and open the lid, my heart clenching. There's a drawing of me laughing, half bent over my sketchbook and a little scribble in the corner.

'To Bella, happy birthday! Thank you for helping teach me to draw. Love your best friend, Tommie.'

My eyes fill with water and I blink them away, struggling to speak because I'm so choked up. Underneath it there's a photo of me and Tommie asleep on the couch, Edward staring at us from his seat on the floor with a gentle smile.

"That's from Esme," Edward says. "She said you'd like it…"

"I do," I say, giving him a watery smile. "Thank you."

"My present for you is downstairs."

"Oh?"

"You'll see," he says, smiling slightly. "I uh, you should probably hide those…"

I look down at the gifts in my hand and then nod, "Yeah, you're probably right." I turn back into my room and freeze when I feel Edward behind me, his hand gently touching my waist as his head moves to my ear.

"Daisy, I…thank you. For the hospital…you were gone when I woke up again and I didn't have time to-"

"It was nothing," I stammer out, my lower stomach in knots from the feel of his warm breath against my neck and the warmth of his hand on my side.

He gently kisses my neck and a shock of heat flares through me.

"Hurry up," he says teasingly, gently shoving me through my door.

Edward goes downstairs first and I follow him slowly, mentally preparing to interact with my family. The foyer is filled with balloons and SJ greets me with a big hug and a birthday card from all the staff.

"Did Robert sign it?" I say playfully and she tuts at me, handing me a box of homemade cookies.

I take them gratefully, "Thank you, SJ."

The dining room smells like a bakery and I walk in and gasp. The entire table is covered in fresh daisies, platters of pastries and fresh fruit rising from them, and sitting at the head is Phil.

Emmett smirks at me from next to him. "Your dad's coming in an hour, Phil thought it would be a good idea to start the day with just him."

"Happy birthday, nefesim," Phil grins at me. I rush around the table and jump in his arms, crying. He hugs me tightly, his beard scratching my cheeks and I cry harder when he tells me my mom would be so proud of me.

"I'm gonna check on the coffee," Emmett says, standing and kissing my head as I take my seat by Phil.

"You don't know how much this means to me," I tell Phil, smiling gratefully. "You, the daisies…it's perfect."

He smiles. "I'm so glad Bella, I wanted nothing more than to see you today, although I can't take credit for the idea. There was a letter in my cubby at work yesterday suggesting I should talk to Emmett about it. It wasn't signed so I was a little worried at first, but Emmett said it was probably one of your friends. I'm glad you have people like that in your life."

My heart surges in my chest and it takes every bit of willpower I have to not glance at Edward. My present is downstairs indeed…I want to cry at how sweet of a gesture it is, especially because if my dad found out he'd be in serious trouble.

"I'm really lucky," I say carefully, reaching over for a croissant. When Emmett comes back in and he and Phil are distracted, I let my eyes glance to the back of the room. Edward's leaning against the wall, a cup of coffee in his hand, talking to SJ. He meets my gaze and winks so fast I could have imagined it. My heart skips a beat and I tuck a daisy behind my ear.

Phil leaves and I brace myself for my father's arrival. A chorus of happy birthdays are given as the posse arrives, Ginny's wife Sara and Cauis's wife Amelia unexpected but welcome additions. A pile of presents is stacked in the corner and my dad hands me an envelope with the details to my trust fund in it, along with a diamond bracelet that I allow him to clasp to my wrist.

"You still need my approval to withdraw until you're 25, but consider most requests acceptable," he explains, kissing my head.

I nod in response and mutter a thank you, doing my best to remain amenable even though I find the gesture frustrating. I was hoping I would be able to take the money for Tommie's treatments and pay it off. The table is cleared of pastries and brunch is served, huge plates of pancakes dripping in syrup, eggs, bacon, yogurt parfaits topped with fresh raspberries. $3000 bottles of champagne are placed in ice, the first one poured generously into crystal glasses for everyone.

"To Bella," Emmett states simply.

I manage a half smile and pick at my plate of food, dread building in my gut for the ball. After a couple of hours everyone leaves and I head upstairs to get ready for the evening. My friends are coming to the house for a few hours of celebration before we all head to the event. It's the first time my dad's let anyone come over in a while, even Rose, and I feel slightly anxious about having them all here.

As soon as Edward and I make it to the top floor I hug him tightly from behind, letting go instantly when he freezes. "Oh god, I'm so sorry," I say, horrified that I broke one of the only rules he gave me for physical contact.

He spins around and grabs my face, smoothing his thumbs over my cheeks and shaking his head. "It's calm, don't worry."

"But I-"

"Daisy…it's fine," Edward reassures me. "You just caught me by surprise. I'm good. Shit is fine when it's you, I told you that…I trust you."

Warmth fills me at his admission and I smile up at him. "Thank you, for the flowers, for Phil…What you did…"

"It's nothing," he teases, touching the daisy behind my ear.

"Edward," I say softly, staring into his green eyes. "Seeing as it's my birthday, can I ask for one thing?"

He nods, offering me a playful smile. "Anything."

"Kiss me," I ask, boldly.

Edward sighs, his eyes flicking to my mouth. "Bella we can't…"

"Just one kiss. Please," I step closer to him and tilt my head back to look into his eyes. "Please," I murmur.

He bends his head down slightly and our lips brush, a rush going through me.

"Daisy," his voice is low.

I press closer, opening my mouth against his. My whole body feels taut, his hot breath against my lips making me dizzy. He smells so good. "Just one kiss," I repeat, my hand touching his hard stomach. It contracts against my fingers and I feel another rush through my chest, heat building between my legs. "Edward," I murmur.

He groans, his mouth opening against mine before he forces himself backwards, shaking his head. "We can't."

"Not even one little kiss?" I pout at him and he smirks at me, his eyes dark.

"But it wouldn't be just a kiss, would it, Daisy?"

My thighs clench. "No?"

Edward's eyes slowly make their way down my body before meeting mine again. "Fuck, no."

I bite my lip and he shakes his head at me. "Fuck me…" he mutters.

"If you say please…"

"Out of my sight," Edward says playfully, crossing his tattooed arms.

I laugh, winking at him as I shut my bedroom door.

xXx

"Goddamn," Edward mumbles when I walk out of my room again, my hair curled and a gold silk dress clinging to my body. The back plunges just above my ass and I spin around for Edward playfully, my heart jumping in my chest as his warm fingers trail down the visible daisy chain.

"Do you like it?" I ask, glancing at him over my shoulder. A shiver goes through me when I meet his dark green eyes.

"No," he teases.

"You look good," I tell him, biting my lip. He's in a tight black suit with an open collar, revealing half of the butterfly tattoo on the right side of his chest and the simple chain he always wears around his neck.

"I know," he gives me a cheeky grin.

I reach out and run my hand across his buzzed hair and Edward hums. "You like it more like this?"

"Who says I like it at all?" I stare up at him innocently.

Edward winks and gestures downstairs. "Think some of your friends are already here. Shall we?"

"Of course Fido, let's," I return his wink and he rolls his eyes.

The second I get downstairs I'm wrapped up in a tight hug and I cling to Cilian tightly, breathing in his aftershave with a sigh.

"Happy birthday, baby," he says into my neck.

"I love you," I reply, leaving his hug for Jasper's equally tight one.

Cilian whistles. "You look fucking beautiful!"

"Bella!" Rose calls. I pull out of Jasper's arms and make my way to her nervously. I feel like I haven't seen her properly in so long.

"Happy birthday, bitch," she says softly, her blue eyes searching mine as a tentative smile plays at her lips.

"I missed you Rosie," I sigh, hugging her tightly. She clings to me and I sigh happily. I turn from them to greet the rest of my friends, accepting Alec's kiss on the mouth with a mocking glare.

"We're italian…" he defends. "It would be rude not to." I shove him away playfully.

More champagne is poured and I step to the side of the gathering with Rose, touching the satin of her pink dress.

"You look gorgeous," I tell her.

"So do you!" She reaches out her finger and I touch it with mine, smiling at the tattoos.

Rose sighs softly. "Where have you been lately?"

"Things have been intense," I explain. "I can't really talk about it, you know what I mean?"

Rose bites her lip. "I do. I really do. Actually Bella I need to-"

"Shots!" Ben interrupts, grabbing my hand and dragging me away. I give her a helpless look and she smiles, mouthing 'later'.

"Okay, on the count of three, one…two…three…go!"

The tequila hits the back of my throat and I accept the pill that Jasper sneakily places on my tongue, my worries about the evening floating away in an instant.

xXx

"What did you take?" Edward's asking in my ear as he helps me out of the limo. I shrug at him and he scowls at me.

"You look so pretty when you glare at me like that," I sigh.

"Bella," he growls under his breath.

"Sorry," I rip out of his grip and return his glare. "Don't touch me Fido, ugh." I wink at him and he shakes his head.

"Brat," he says under his breath.

"Daddy!" I greet as we step into the foyer of the hotel, accepting the kiss he gives me on the cheek with a smile. In front of everyone here, I have to play nice. The repercussions for publicly shunning my dad would be too high even for me. It's why I normally refuse to go anywhere with him, but today is an exception, and as much as I don't like it, I'll go along with it.

The ballroom is full of hundreds of people and I internally grimace as photos are taken by an obnoxious arch of flowers. Everything is swathed in black, white and gold, the theme of the evening and I pose for what feels like an hour as the distinguished guests come up one by one and take a photo with me and Charlie. The rest of the people mill around the tables, clutching champagne flutes, huge glasses of wine or crystal rocks glasses full of sloshy amber liquor. Once the photos have been taken with all of Manhattan's elite, I am hounded by the families for half an hour. Edward stays close behind Charlie and I as we talk about nonsense like stock markets and dinner invitations, this crowded room with top reporters and people from Congress an unseemly location for any other conversation. I plaster a fake smile on my face when we greet Bianci and I feel Edward stiffen behind me when he kisses my mouth. "Cunt," Emmett growls under his breath and Edward covers his laugh with a cough.

Cinna kisses both my cheeks and then my forehead. He looks like an older version of Alec, a tall, broad man with dark hair to his shoulders and olive skin. Something about the way he looks at me makes me shiver, a cold gleam in his eyes as he appraises our group. I feel tension radiating from Emmett and Charlie and even Edward shifts behind me, his breath leaving in a soft sigh. Cinna glances behind me at him and purses his lips.

"Happy Birthday, sweet one," he greets me, offering me a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Alec smiles softly at me from his side. Cinna claps a hand on his shoulder. "Bella indeed," he teases, "No wonder my boy won't stop talking about you."

"Please," I laugh. "Alec would fall for anything as long as it said no when he first asked."

There's a chorus of laughter from the family and Alec smirks at me. Cinna appraises me and then my dad. "Perhaps one day we will be just one family, eh?"

There's strained laughter and Alec leans forward and kisses my cheek. I greet his sisters and mother and then we move to the next group.

"Isabella," Sorano greets me, holding both my hands in his. "Happy Birthday! And such a beauty. Doesn't she look like her mother, Charlie?"

"Yes," my dad says stiffly, shaking his hand and then kissing his wife Becca on each cheek.

"I hope the previous interactions you have had tonight haven't soured your mood young Bella. Some guests are more welcome than others, no?"

I glance back at Cinna and Michel nods at me. "As I remember your mother had a great fondness for riding. We have a stable out East, treat it as yours."

"Thank you," I say gratefully.

"Please don't let us take up more of your time. Enjoy your evening." He smiles at me and my father before walking away, clasping his wife's hands. I find myself surprised once again at how someone so pleasant and attractive could be related to the awful man who took my uncle and most of his family away from us. Emmett scowls and I place a hand on his arm.

"Easy," my dad encourages. "Keep your anger for the real threats Emmett, Cinna is watching our every move."

We continue through the crowd and I quickly grow tired of the platitudes and empty pleasantries. Edward's ear piece is in again, and he mutters into it every few minutes or so, his eyes constantly mapping the crowd. I have to be careful to not stare at him too much, in case anyone catches me, but my inhibitions are down from the drug and the free flowing champagne, and he looks completely gorgeous. So much so that women's eyes and even some men's flick towards him, appraising him with an expression of interest intermingled with shock, like they can't believe he's a real person.

I push down the flare of jealousy I feel at the attention he's getting and try to focus on the conversations that I keep getting dragged into by the various guests.

Finally we sit down to eat and I'm grateful that my dad allowed me to sit at a table with my friends, Edward sits in the chair next to me, ignoring the wine and I look around the room to see that there's security on almost every single one of the tables, as well as in all the galleries and undercover among the guests.

To my dismay, Rose is sitting on the other side of the table from me, and even when I go to follow her to the bathroom when she says she's going, a speech begins in my honor and I sit back down with a forced smile. Several other speeches follow suit, and my cheeks color as I'm ordered to the front of my room with my dad to thank everyone and slice into my gigantic birthday cake that sits almost as tall as me.

Another round of champagne and an hour of goodbye's and it's finally over. I get into the limo with Edward gratefully, sending the panel up and lying across the seat with a groan.

"That was fucking shit," I moan. "And did you see Cinna? He's definitely behind all this, isn't he."

Edward leans forward, resting his head on his hands. "He's definitely got the most to gain from the boss stepping down but I wouldn't be so quick to assume it's him. Any of those guys in there would happily see you and him dead, don't be naive enough to believe otherwise."

"I know," I mutter. "You know, you got a lot of attention tonight."

Edward smirks, "And?"

I shrug and he sniggers. "It's always been that way. Ever since I hit puberty. How do you think I was so good at my job? It'll be the same for Tommie if he…" A horrible silence stretches over us and I sit up and grab his knee.

"Edward don't think like th-"

The car suddenly swerves and comes to a lurching stop, my body flying into Edward's and my head narrowly missing cracking against the window.

"Fuck!" Edward hisses, gently shifting me off him and grabbing his gun from his holster. "You good?"

"Yeah," I say weakly, my heart racing in my chest. "What just happened?"

"Stevie?" Edward calls. The lack of reply launches my heart into my throat. Edward grabs me and pushes me down to the bed of the limo and I comply, accepting the gun that he presses into my shaky hands. "Stevie?"

He presses the button for the divider and it slowly comes down with a mechanical whir.

"Shit!" Edward growls. "Bella, stay down. Do not fucking move."

"Stevie?" I ask him, my eyes already filling with tears.

"Dead. Could be anything, they must have injected him at the party."

My hand goes to my chest, a hollow feeling under my ribs. "What makes you think it's them? Couldn't it be natural?"

"Bella, there's a car in the middle of the road blocking our way, and this street is completely fucking deserted. This wasn't an accident."

My heart starts slamming into my chest. "The others…"

"In front. They'll notice any second and come back." He stares out the windows, frowning. "Nothing's moving out there. Fucking weird. They're just waiting…what are they waiting for?"

Panic flares in my gut. "Edward, I don't like this…"

"I'm gonna go out there."

"No!" I sit up slightly.

"Stay the fuck down," Edward snaps at me.

My fingers shake around the gun and I lie back down, swallowing.

"Good girl," he mutters. "Stay here, no matter what you hear, don't leave this car. You lock it behind me, yes?"

"Y-yes."

Edward pulls the safety on his gun and takes out his phone. "They jammed it," he growls. "How the fuck did we miss this. Fuck." He runs a hand down his face and then bends down to look at me, his hand on the door as his green eyes search mine.

"You lock those doors after me baby, you got that?"

I nod shakily.

"Good girl, okay." He quickly opens the door and slams it shut, and I hear the loud sounds of his feet thudding across the pavement before there's complete silence from outside.

The doors click as I lock them and I take a shaky breath. The car is too silent without him, nothing but my breaths and a soft ticking from the engine.

"Okay, okay, okay," I say to myself, breathing hard and clutching the gun. "Stay down, stay down."

After a few minutes I peek up from my spot, staring out at the street and trying to ignore the sight of Stevie, glassy eyed and slumped against the steering wheel.

I see the car Edward mentioned, but no sign of him. There's no movement on the street either. I frown, as I stare at the dashboard of the car, realizing with wide eyes that it's completely off, which means the ticking is…

"Bella, get out the fucking car!" Edward howls from outside.

"Oh fuck!" I gasp in panic, sitting up properly and reaching for the lock. "Shit!" My fingers slip on the handle and I have the door half open when the ticking stops behind me.

Adrenaline kicks in and I burst out of the car, sprinting as hard as I can.

A hot wave of heat suddenly flares at my back sending me flying forwards, and seconds later there's a huge boom that makes the ground shake and car alarms go off in the vicinity. I land on my elbow and wince in pain, my legs scratched from the concrete.

I'm scooped up off the floor and Edward stares at me with wide eyes, his face white. I'm about to hug him when cars pull up all around us, guys with guns storming the street and the abandoned car in the middle. They yank open the doors, guns cocked. Edward shouts after them, "It's empty, I already checked."

Emmett runs up to me, and grabs me tightly. "Jesus, fucking christ, Bella. Are you okay?"

I nod as he pats me down, checking for injuries. "Thank god."

"Anything, E?" Edward's tone is detached, but his fingers are white where he's gripping the gun.

"Fine. Maybe some bruises," Emmett responds, kissing my head. "You feel okay, Cygnet?"

"Just shaken up," I reply numbly, wrapping my arms around myself and shivering.

Marcus lets out a shrill whistle, "Everyone get out of here and into green zones now. SBS is covered and on the move with Jimmy. I want all other drivers switched immediately. Peters, get that body out of here and get me Stanley to sub in as the driver. Johnny, you get into each and every one of those houses and make sure no one saw nothing. Masen, get Cygnet out of here now, find a hotel, don't tell anyone which one. No one else comes near her except the boss until I find out what the fuck happened here. No clean lines, so keep quiet until 9000 tomorrow, Masen you'll bring her to the apartment then. Now get your cocks out your hands and fucking move." Marcus lands a kiss on my head and then gives Edward a black rucksack and an envelope, which he tucks into his front pocket.

Edward turns to me, "I'll carry you, it's faster," he states firmly, his green eyes boring into mine.

"Fine," I mutter, maintaining our charade, though secretly I'm grateful. My shins are bleeding a little from the fall and I damaged one of my heels. Racing after Edward doesn't seem like a very fun idea. He sweeps me off my feet easily and starts walking, a rush of movement behind him as everyone follows Marcus's orders.

We get three blocks before he stops in an alley. I'm about to ask him what's wrong when he drops me to my feet and wraps me in his arms tightly, resting his head on top of mine. I clutch at him tightly, breathing in the spice and musk that clings to him.

"Fuck," he mutters. "For a second I didn't think you'd make it out…"

I pull out of his hold gently and stare up at him, reaching on my tiptoes to kiss him softly, my mouth barely grazing his. He sighs against my lips, rubbing my back gently before he pulls away.

"Okay, the rucksack has some clothes in it. You'd better put them on, and then we'll get a taxi to whatever hotel the driver suggests."

I take out the joggers and jumper and pull them on over my dress, pulling the hood up over my face. Edward swaps his blazer for a similar jumper to mine and puts a cap on his head.

"You sure you're okay?" he asks, searching my eyes.

"I'm okay."

He scoops me up again and starts striding down the street.

The hotel is a lot less fancy than what I'm used to, but it seems comfortable enough. Edward gets us connecting rooms just in case, and when we get inside I sit on the bed, crossing my legs.

"Edward…how did they…you don't think Stevie…"

He comes to sit on the bed with me and shakes his head lightly. " I don't think he betrayed you, but we can't rule anything out. The bomb…I have no fucking idea how they did that, but Bella that was close. Too close."

He frowns, looking down at the bed and I move closer to him, touching his thigh gently. "What's wrong?"

Blazing green eyes meet mine. "I told you to stay in the car! I told you to fucking stay, Daisy. If we hadn't realized…"

"It wouldn't have been your fault! You were trying to protect me, you had no idea about the bomb."

He runs a hand down his face. "Should have fucking known."

"Edward…"

He looks at me and grips my face in his hands gently, his eyes burning into mine. "You almost fucking died."

"I"m fine, Edward," I murmur, resting my head against his.

"Yeah," he sighs.

"Did you know you called me baby earlier?" I joke, a half laugh leaving me before I burst into tears.

"Daisy," Edward murmurs.

"I can't believe Stevie's dead. It's not safe around me, everyone close is at risk."

Edward's silence makes my chest hurt and he strokes my hair. "Working for your dad is risky. Stevie knew that."

"And Pattie?"

He sighs. "Bella, you can't think shit like this, it'll make you fuckin' crazy. Shit happened. The end. Okay?"

"I don't think it's that simple."

Edward smirks at me, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. "Sure it is."

My eyes drift to his mouth and he pulls back from me, his green eyes glinting. "Behave."

We talk for a couple of hours but then I start yawning and Edward smiles softly. "You should get some sleep, birthday girl."

I nod, glancing at the bed. "Can you…stay?"

Edward breathes out roughly. "If…if someone shows up here. Which they shouldn't. But if they do, and I was in your bed…"

"Right." I nod. He's right. It's too risky. How do I know that my dad hasn't got tabs on me somehow. Even though Marcus said not to tell anyone where I am, it doesn't mean my dad can't find me.

"Try to sleep," Edward says, kissing me on the head. The heat from his mouth makes me shiver. "I'll be right next door." He's almost through it when he turns back to me, a sly smile at his lips. "Night, baby."

I throw a pillow at him and he sniggers, closing the door between our rooms.

I fall back against the bed with a sigh. Now the adrenaline has worn off, I'm exhausted, and even thinking about Stevie isn't enough to keep me awake.

My hands wrap around a pillow and I hold it tightly, willing myself to have good dreams.

xXx

A rough shout throws me out of sleep and I sit up in bed, my heart racing. There's nothing but silence for a while and for a second I wonder if I dreamt the noise, but then a strangled yell sounds out again and my chest tightens, panic forcing me into alertness.

Is it Edward? Are they in his room? Will they come for me next?

I get out of bed and tiptoe across the room to the chair by the connecting door. I know there's a gun on it and if I can just get my hands on it…

Just as I get close I hear a low whimper. "No, no, please no! James!"

My heart sinks in my chest as realization hits. There's no one here. He's just dreaming. I slump over slightly, breathing out a sigh of relief. Edward cries out again and I open his door, walking into his room. The curtain's half open, filling it with shadow and white light. Edward's twisting and turning in the sheets, crying out.

"Edward," I call, walking up to the bed. "Edward, you're dreaming."

He keeps thrashing and I grab his shoulder. "Edward."

The second my hand makes contact he rears up and I find myself pinned underneath him on the bed, a gun at my head.

"Edward!" I shriek as the safety clicks.

His green eyes focus suddenly and he wrenches back from me. "Shit."

He unclicks the safety and drops the gun to the mattress. I sit up, breathing hard.

"God, you scared me!" I tell him, my hand on my chest.

I glance over to him and my eyes widen when I realize he's naked, my breath catching. Without permission my eyes trail down his body, mapping his muscled torso and the tattoos that cover him, then drift lower, to the parts of him I've never seen before. There's a tattoo of a knife just under his left hip, right next to his cock. I gulp audibly as I stare at it and then force my gaze upwards, feeling embarrassed for checking him out when he's upset about something.

Edward's chin is at his chest and he's breathing hard.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, concerned. I want to reach out to him but he's naked and vulnerable, I'm not sure it would be okay.

Green eyes meet mine and Edward nods, running a hand down his face. "You were yelling." I tell him softly. "Was it a nightmare?"

Edward nods, sighing. "I'm fine now. Just...bad memories." For the second time I wonder who James is, and what happened to him, but it doesn't seem like the right time to ask.

I grab a pillow from the bed and hand it to him, my cheeks flushing. Edward looks at me with a confused expression and then looks down at himself, his lips curving up suddenly.

"Are you offended by my cock?" He arches a brow, taking the pillow in his hand but not covering himself.

My eyes drift down his body again and I swallow heavily, shaking my head. "No."

I drag my gaze back to his and he chuckles, moving the pillow in front of his sizable length. He bites his cheek, "Well I guess now we're even."

"Not quite. You haven't seen my pussy." I point out boldly.

Edward's eyes widen and his teeth sink into his bottom lip. "I haven't."

I arch a brow, "Do you want to?"

"Shit, Daisy." Edward's laugh is husky, "Of course I fucking want to, but I can't."

I smirk at him, "You couldn't handle seeing it?"

Edward grins, tilting his head at me, "Can you?" He removes the cushion and my breath catches.

His cock is now thick and hard against his stomach. I feel an ache between my legs as I stare at the considerable length of him. A tiny whimper leaves my mouth and Edward's laugh is low and rough. "Yeah, that's what I thought, Daisy." He covers himself again and I look up at him, breathing heavily.

"Edward," I pant. I've never felt like this before, like every single part of me is on fire, like I might die if he doesn't touch me.

He groans. "I shouldn't have done that…you should leave, Bella."

He's right, but I can't stop myself. "I'm so wet for you," I admit, biting my lip.

Edward's teeth snap together and his eyes go dark. "Fuck. Daisy, get out of this room before we do something we'll regret."

I get off the bed and walk up to him. Edward tenses, breathing heavily. "Bella…I can't control myself if you…"

I run my thumb across his soft bottom lip, bending my head to his ear. "Get my fingers nice and wet, because I need to go and touch myself and I want your spit all over my pussy."

The low groan he makes sends a rush of heat between my legs.

"Fuck," he hisses, grabbing my hand and spitting on it.

I stare at him as I take my hand to my mouth and lick across it lightly, tasting him.

Edward's eyes roll back, his jaw clenching tight.

"God damn Daisy, such a bad fucking girl," he growls. "Get the fuck out of this room and fuck that pussy for me, hard."

I start to pull back but he holds out his hand to my mouth. "Your turn, spit good baby, I want to get my cock nice and wet."

I whimper as I stare into his green eyes, licking my tongue across his large calloused hand, covering it in my spit. Edward's mouth is open as he watches me and I whimper, feeling a throb between my legs.

"I swear to god, if you don't get the fuck out right now, I'm going to fuck you." Edward growls out through gritted teeth.

It takes every bit of self control I have to move away from him. If we slept together once, we'd sleep together again and there's no way we wouldn't get found out. I can't risk it. Tommie is too important. They both are.

We stare at each other for a second breathing heavily, and then I walk out the door, shutting it behind me with my free hand. My raspy breaths are loud in my room and I shimmy out of my underwear and lie back on the bed, spreading my legs and rubbing his spit on my clit, whimpers leaving my lips.

I'm wet down to my thighs and I press my spit soaked fingers into my pussy, replaying the sight of his cock, swollen and hard against his abs. I imagine I can hear him groaning and the thought of him lying in bed with his hand around his thick cock has me so close my legs shake. I fantasize about him opening the door between us and giving in, taking me anyway, even though we shouldn't. The thought has me close to the edge in seconds and I reach my climax with a loud moan, my whole body shaking violently.

After, I lie there, staring at the ceiling with a twisting feeling building in my gut. I may be attracted to Edward but it's so much more than that.

I think I'm falling for him.

A/N Reviews are love. More soon babies xo