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CHAPTER 2:

Bella Swan

Everywhere and everything felt like him five years ago. The gray cityscape of Manhattan mirrored his cold persona, my small apartment echoed how he suffocated me, and my father's presence wouldn't let me forget how I got into this mess.

I needed to forget, so I left.

After we caught Leah up to speed in the bakery, she insisted on skipping class to stay with me tonight… along with my new bodyguard. As I drive them both down the wooded streets of Sacramento, I sneak glances at him in the passenger seat. He has his face practically pressed against the window as his neck cranes up, green eyes in awe at the tall trees. It's cute.

"Enjoying the view?"

Startled, he sits up in his seat and runs his hands through his hair. "Yeah, sorry. It's pretty here. I haven't really been anywhere but New York."

"Ah, so nature is a new experience for you."

He smiles and I notice a dimple. Jesus, dimples and a lean muscled body – definitely a recipe for trouble. "I actually wanted to study botany when I was younger."

Leah pipes up from the backseat. "From botany to buff bodyguard? How'd you manage that?"

He tenses, and for a moment he looks exactly like he did five years ago when he interviewed with my father. Back then he was skinnier, as if he hadn't had a good meal in a while. His body was rigid, but his eyes were agitated, primed to take on any threat. And his voice was soft, as if scared of being noticed.

Back then, he was like me. And that's why I told my father to hire him.

Saving him from Leah's probing question, I say, "Well, he had to find some way to put those muscles to good use." He meets my eyes, and I give him a soft smile.

He clears his throat, "We should probably go over your usual routine."

Leah smirks, "That's a short conversation."

"Shut it." He looks at me and I sigh, "I do the normal things. I go to the bakery, home, grocery shopping…"

"What about the weekends? Are there any coffee shops, clubs—"

Leah laughs, "This girl doesn't even know what a bar is, let alone a club."

I roll my eyes and Edward angles himself to me. "Wait, you don't go anywhere besides home and the bakery?"

I drive into our cul-de-sac, passing quaint old Victorian homes as I keep mum.

He prods, "Don't you get bored?"

I pull into the driveway of a pale blue two-story home with a forest of trees surrounding it.

Leah jumps out of the car and says, "She has Netflix and her vibrator to keep her busy." She runs to the house.

I grit my teeth. "I'm gonna murder her."

My house has an open floor plan with an outdated farmhouse feel — light wood floors, tiled kitchen with an odd teapot backsplash, and wide open views of the sprawling garden. It's completely the opposite of New York.

But it's not until Edward walks inside, sleek and put-together in his suit, that I feel self conscious about it. He's frozen in the entryway, assessing every nook and cranny of the home, and I can feel his panic building at the cluttered chaos of my space.

Leah notices and says, "What's freaking you out more, her random collection of baskets, the mountain of vinyls, or the framed recipes lining every inch of the walls?"

I reply, "I actually can't argue. It's a lot. I'm sorry."

He puts on a brave face. "No, no. It's fine."

"Meow." Shit. Edward jumps back and Leah laughs as his eyes widen, taking in my beautiful pudgy amber cat who plods up to him.

I put my hands on my hips, "You are a bodyguard right?"

His brow furrows, "Why is it so big?"

"Hey!" I pick up the giant furball, "Her name is Rose because she's pretty like one."

Leah mumbles, "And just as prickly…"

I kiss her head and set her down. "We have a spare bedroom there and the bathroom is just next to it."

Edward zones in on the sofa. "I actually prefer to sleep near the door for safety. Is it okay if I take the couch?"

"Oh. Are you sure? You're pretty tall?" I can't help but glance over his strong thighs. I wonder what they'd feel like–

"I've slept on worse." He chuckles, but Leah and I exchange a glance as I'm reminded that I don't know much about this man who is now going to be living with me… Yeah, I definitely shouldn't dwell on that.

"Uh, sis, can we have some girl chat?" Leah doesn't wait for me to answer, she just drags me into my bedroom and shuts the door.

She holds me by the shoulders. "How are you doing?"

I lean my head away from her. "I'm okay. I think?"

She probes me with her eyes. "Your abusive ex has found you and there's a hot but kind of strange man sleeping on your couch."

I glare, "Yeah, well, maybe I'm living in denial and shouldn't be thinking about those things or I'll have a giant panic attack."

Leah releases me and plops on the bed, "Right, sorry."

I sit next to her, "This is shit."

"We were so careful."

"I don't even think I've taken a picture of myself in the last five years."

She holds my hand and I see the fear in her eyes. I wrap my arm around her as she rests her head on my shoulder. I try to console her, "It'll be okay this time."

She holds me tighter and I kiss her temple. She softly says, "He is really hot."

"Leah!"

"What! I saw you checking him out in the car."

I push her to the side. "I can look, but I'm not touching." I haven't touched in five years…

"What's wrong with having a little fun? You know he's a good guy. He can help relieve some stress." I remember his hard body pressed against mine, his spicy scent enveloping me and those green eyes breaking down my walls.

I get up and walk to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower."

Leah laughs, "I'm sure you are."

"Shut up!" I slam the door.

Edward Cullen

James was a problem, to put it mildly. I lay back on her leather sofa with my laptop perched on my chest, giving myself a perfect view of the lush garden that's now bathed in moonlight. Despite the 'interior design' that nearly gave me a panic attack when I got in, this place is serene. I can see why she feels safe here.

A loud snore pierces the peace. I glare at the cat in the corner of the room, completely passed out. Shockingly, there isn't a lot of cat hair in the place, so that's a plus. For now.

But back to James. This guy is as generic as they come. A tall blonde, blue-eyed son of a billionaire, he was born with a diamond encrusted spoon and was doing a horrible job of deserving it. He had tried several business ventures over the years — acting, modeling, app development. He struck out on all three. Now he just has some made-up title at his father's tech firm, which worries me. The company develops software and specializes in protecting information, which means he has access to people who can hack information. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't found her before, which brings me back to my main question, why now?

Suddenly a bleary-eyed Bella trudges out of her room, making a beeline for the kitchen. She's in a tiny white robe, and I can't help but check out her long legs. I briefly wonder what she's wearing underneath, but stop that train of thought in its tracks. I'm here to protect. Damn, I've never had this problem before. Charles isn't exactly pretty.

I close my laptop and walk over to her, leaning on the counter of the kitchen as she searches her pantry. She's bent over and I spy a black lace trim under her robe, a sharp contrast to her perfect pale skin. I hear a soft, "Yes!" And then she spins around and nearly drops her pastry. "Fucking hell."

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." Shit, I need to be more careful around her.

She shakes her head, her auburn hair falling across her shoulders, "It's fine. I'm just used to having this place to myself."

I nod, then point to the muffin in question. She lights up and looks back in the pantry, giving me a better view of her black panties. I avert my eyes, needing to get a hold of myself. She comes up with another muffin and places it in front of me. "I sometimes do test-bakes for new flavors I'm thinking of adding to the menu. This one is orange cranberry."

I take a bite and can't help but moan. "These are amazing." She sets her shoulders back in pride, and I want to keep that glow on her face. "How are you so small when you bake like this?"

She puts both of her hands on the counter and very seriously states, "So much damn cardio. It's hell." Her plump pink lips go around the muffin as she takes a bite. "But these are heaven so it evens out."

As she chews away I ask, "Couldn't sleep?"

"Leah snores."

"She didn't want to take the guest room?"

Bella stops chewing and messes with the muffin wrapper, nervous. "Five years ago, after it happened, she'd bunk with me to help me feel… safe."

I nod, no judgment or pity in my eyes as I meet her vulnerable chocolate brown ones.

She averts her gaze and spots my laptop. "What are you doing up?"

"Making up for lost time. I'm researching… him." I study her to make sure she's okay with me talking about it.

She takes a deep breath. "Good luck. One thing he's good at is keeping a squeaky clean profile."

I say these next words carefully, "We don't have to get into things tonight, but if there's anything you can think of that would help us figure out why he's just now reaching out, or what I can do to prepare better in case he appears, let me know."

She mulls this over. "How much did my father tell you about what happened?"

"Not much. Just that he hurt you."

She laughs but there's no humor. "James is… reactive. His dad has done a lot to make sure his reputation stays clean. But he does what he wants, and even though he does sometimes get cut off from the family fortune as punishment, he's always let back into the fold. So since he has all the riches in the world, he's dangerous. Because the only thing he could want—"

"–-is you." She nods, slumping in defeat. My fists clench, pissed that this monster is using his privilege to torment her. I take in the crease of worry in her brow and her lips that are now frowning. I should leave her be. It's not good to get attached, to care. But I don't want her to go to bed like this.

I pop the last bite in my mouth and ask, "You have any more?"

She's caught off guard and it takes her a moment to shake off the bad feelings. Then, with a spark back in her eyes, she scoffs, "Is that even a question?" She pulls out a whole dozen and we dig in, completely at ease, unaware that tomorrow everything will blow up.

RING!

I nearly fall off the couch as my eyes snap open, unable to see anything in the darkness. I quickly answer my phone without checking who it is, hoping I haven't woken Bella and Leah.

"Hello?" I keep my voice low.

On the other end, Charles' rough voice comes through, "Edward, we have a problem."

He won't tell me what it is over the phone, but he'll be at the house in a half hour and he tasks me with waking up Bella and Leah, both of whom are now glaring daggers at me in the living room. I hand them mugs of coffee as a peace offering before the doorbell rings.

Charles enters the home, and as he takes it all in I realize that this is his first time here. He smiles and greets Bella, "This is clearly your style." He then sets a box of donuts down in front of his two grumpy daughters. I hear a quiet, "Thank God," from Bella, and her features soften. Good to know.

He takes his seat in an armchair across from them, while I stand off to the side, too anxious to sit. Then he leans forward and lays it all out, "I was called today by a prosecutor in New York. She said that she's representing a woman who was assaulted by James."

Bella trembles. Leah holds her hand. This is bad.

"She's gathering character witnesses and would like you to testify. She's obviously been unable to track you down, so she called me." Bella's eyes are trained on the ground.

I ask, "Is the defendant in a safe house?" Charles nods. Bella is still as stone. I continue with my questions. "How long does she have to decide?"

"Two weeks."

"Did you tell the lawyer that he's already found her?"

Charles sighs. "Yes. She said she can help get you in a safe house and get security…"

All of a sudden Bella jumps up. "I need a minute." She spins around and Leah is about to follow but she points to her, "Stay." She rushes to her room and shuts the door.

Leah bites her nails. "She's fine. I hope…"

Charles addresses me, "What are you thinking?"

My mind is going a mile a minute. "The stakes are high for him, and the consequences are now deadly for her. The intimidation is probably going to increase, but unless she agrees to be a witness I don't think there's going to be a physical threat."

Leah puts her head in hands. "Fuck."

I add, "We'll need another person on security if she says yes. And one for Leah too."

Charles nods, "Make the calls and get your people ready just in case it comes to that. I trust you."

Suddenly Bella comes out of the room, flushed and haggard.

I have an urge to go to her and hold her. But all I can do is plant my feet firmly on the ground and ask, "Are you okay?"

"I just threw up." She walks back to the couch. "Look, I have an important meeting that I can't screw up. So I'm going to pretend all of my problems don't exist and probably have a meltdown later. Sound good?"

Everyone is silent.

She continues, "Great. Dad, it was good to see you. Let me know if there are any updates, preferably after 5pm today."

As he gets up, Leah says, "Thanks for coming Dad, but next time do not turn up at the crack ass of dawn."

"Fair enough." He shoots me a 'we'll talk later' look before Bella leads him to the front door. But before he goes he softly says, "Your style is so much like your mother's."

She's taken off guard. She swallows and replies, "So mom was a hoarder. Good to know."

He smiles and takes his leave. Bella slams the door and leans against it. "I'm going to get ready, and you can't ditch class again missy."

Leah rolls her eyes, "So bossy." Bella marches to the bedroom and Leah turns to me. "Look out for her today. Make sure she does okay?"

I nod, "Who is the meeting with?"

"Victoria Mormont, governor's daughter."

I make a mental note to do some research before we leave. Leah bites her nails again and I ask, "What's up?"

"If she panics, just get her in a corner of the room. It's weird, because normally she prefers open spaces, but in these situations, it works. And she usually puts her hand to her chest, right before..."

"Thanks for telling me." She nods, concern still etched on her face. "Leah, I will protect her. I promise."

She sighs. "I trust you. And she does too." Then her eyes twinkle in mischief, "It also helps that she's into you."

"What?" But she just laughs as she rushes to the bedroom and shuts the door. Fuck me.