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Chapter 26
Hairy Decision
Edward
It was the fifth day. Her period should be over by now ... According to experience and also judging by my olfactory perception, the hormones had now switched to ovulation preparation. And I had the feeling that I was finally ready. After the life-threatening mistake with Bella's fellatio, I had thought it over for hours and nights. Again and again I had asked myself what I could do. Stopping the project until her transformation was unrealistic for several reasons. First and foremost, Bella would not allow it - that was clear. On top of that, I had made a promise and, like Bella had done for hers, I should do everything I could to keep it - even if it meant jumping over my shadow of doubt, fear and self-reproach for the millionth time. But could I really rule out putting her safety at risk again? I had to explore potential dangers better, concentrate my actions on what I had already gained experience in ... Because it wasn't as if I hadn't already made successful progress - and if I was honest, I didn't want to do without it. She had shown me how it could be, made me enjoy the tender togetherness. Up to a certain point, I knew very well what I had in my grasp ...
I thought.
Like every evening, Bella got ready to shower and I noticed that she didn't resort to her old sleepwear - like the previous nights - but stealthily grabbed something fresh and shiny from the closet.
Hmm ... From the smell and also the sound, I would guess something silky, maybe satin. I knew it well enough from Alice's closet.
With slightly flushed cheeks, she stuffed all her paraphernalia under her left arm and headed for the door of the room.
"I'll be right back," she gave me a shy smile as she brushed her hair out of her face with her right hand.
I couldn't shake the feeling that she was up to something ... Well, I was up to something too.
Even before she had the handle in her fingers, I rose from my usual place on the bed and made my proposal to her.
"If you want, I'll come with you today."
She abruptly faltered in her movement, almost stumbling and dropping her things.
"W ... what?!", she stammered, swallowed and looked at me with a startled expression.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her adorable red lips opened a bit.
I could hear the blood in her veins picking up speed - and see it in her face.
Simply adorable ...
I could not resist and bridged the step that separated us.
My hand on her hot cheek, I breathed a gentle kiss on her mouth.
Even if her reaction - once again - was not what I had expected. Wasn't she supposed to fall around my neck in jubilation?
"Or have you changed your mind?"
"Um ... I wasn't expecting that ... I'm not prepared for that now ..."
She thought about it and seemed quite torn.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"
She put her fingers on mine and with determined pressure told me to take them down so she could take a step back.
I had to admit, her reticence gave me a slight sting, since she was usually quite the opposite. I had expected that she would eagerly wait for it.
Embarrassed, she lowered her eyes, and her skin became even a touch more flushed.
"I haven't even shaved my legs yet," she whispered so softly that a human would never have understood her.
My mouth remained open.
"You're not serious now? Because of a few little hairs ... you don't want to get in the shower with me?"
I was really surprised that she was so embarrassed.
"That's so ... Well ... with your eyesight ... and all ... I'm sure that's totally unaesthetic," she mumbled, looking up at me from under her lashes in shame.
"You really mean that?" I raised my brows a bit higher in mock disbelief. "I wouldn't have thought you'd base aesthetics on a little leg hair - I'm fine with that."
She narrowed her eyes skeptically checking.
Well ..., of course I saw them ... I even saw the dust fluff on them ... And if I concentrated hard, I could even see the mites and some of the larger bacteria - everything that crawls and flies on human skin. But that was normal and didn't bother me a bit - and I would be careful not to tell her that, if a few strands of keratin already caused her such concerns. Bella never ceased to amaze me.
"If you want, I can help you with that," I suggested to her.
"But can you even ... I mean, you don't even shave!", bubbled out of her.
"The last time I shaved was actually back in my human existence. With our hard vampire skin, you wouldn't get very far with the standard tools. Regardless, there are other ways to depilate. By the way, I can assure you that I would have no trouble with it," I winked at her.
"Um ... yeah right. What could possibly cause you problems ... You're perfect at everything," she muttered to herself musingly, causing me to roll my eyes.
But then a confused curiosity flashed in her eyes.
"But why would you need that?"
"Well, as you've probably noticed by now, we still have hair in certain places. I removed my underarm hair quickly - and destroyed - because the feeling with my higher sensitivity had quite disturbed me. So far, I have not regretted it," I began to explain, while she blinked at me more and more questioningly.
"How? Why destroyed ... and not regrettet?"
She seemed seriously irritated, which was no wonder. So, willy-nilly, I had to start with the basics.
"Our hair does not grow back because our cells do not reproduce. But it behaves with them like with our other separated limbs, which rejoin themselves by a kind of 'magnetic attraction' ..."
Bella's eyes grew wider and wider and at that point she interrupted me in amazement.
"That means when you cut ... or pull out a hair, you have to burn it, so it doesn't spring right back and grow?"
The disbelief in her gaze made me laugh out loud.
"Or I'm sure you can keep them somewhere. What do you think would be going on if Alice or even Rosalie couldn't do a different hairstyle every now and then?"
"Hmm ... I never thought about that before," she confessed.
Apparently there were still some details about being a vampire that she didn't know about.
"That would be weird to have to settle for one and the same haircut for eternity ... or to only ever be able to have short hair."
Lost in thought, she chewed on her lower lip, making me quite nervous.
If she knew what effect this innocent gesture had on me.
"So, my angel, how does it look?"
I pulled the door to the hallway open a little bit and her gaze lifted from my chest, where it had been stuck, to my face.
"Hmm ...?", she hummed distractedly, as if thinking about what I had done with my non-existent chest hair.
"Showering?", I reminded her, slightly amused that this was now bothering her so much.
"Um ... okay ... give me a minute, I need to go to the bathroom first," she stammered, and I took a step back so I could sufficiently enlarge the passageway.
Oh yes, those human needs were there too ... Could have thought of that myself if my decision didn't put me under such tense anticipation.
So I waited impatiently in place until the flush was activated and I could hear the tap.
When I entered the bathroom, she was still standing at the sink, brushing her teeth intently.
I locked the door behind me, leaned against it and watched her.
Leaning forward, she held her hair to the side with one hand and stared at the drain. Then she bent down lower to rinse her mouth and stretched her pretty buttocks so seductively towards me that I would have liked to step right behind her and ... Yes, what? My God, Edward! Pull yourself together!
Only when she straightened up and rubbed her face with wet fingers did her gaze fall over the mirror to me and she winced slightly, whereupon she lowered her eyelids and took one deep breath.
"Will I ever get used to it ...?", Bella mumbled softly to herself.
At that moment, I stood by her, pulled her into my arms, and dipped my nose into her hair to suck in her scent with relish.
But she stiffened a bit and did not snuggle up to me as usual.
Attentively I examined her reflection in the mirror.
Now I could finally understand Emmett's preference for these items in the bedroom. How erotic it would be to watch me peel off her tight top, under which the delicate outline of her sweet bosom was revealed, and caress her ...
But she was far from that at the moment - once again chewing unsteadily on her lower lip, so I backed away a bit and clasped her shoulders.
"Bella, my darling!", I murmured in her ear. "We now have four choices. Either I leave again if you feel too uncomfortable. Two - you manage to see past it. Third - we eliminate the reason for your discomfort as soon as possible. Or ..."
I kissed her on the neck and gently stroked from the shoulder down over her arm, whereupon goose bumps formed there.
"... I'll make sure you can stop thinking about it and appreciate the benefits of those little hairs at the same time," I whispered against her neck, letting my breath as well as my fingertips brush their way back over that same soft fuzz.
A shiver ran over her, and I smirked against her warm skin.
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