Chapter 15: Heat of the Night

The nightclub pulsed with heat and bodies, a mass of movement and desire wrapped in a neon haze. From his vantage point on the upper level, Edward leaned against the railing, eyes locked on the dance floor and her.

She moved like sin incarnate, hips swaying to the deep, sensual thrum of the bass. Strobes lights fractured across her bare shoulders, catching the sheen of sweat at the base of her throat. Her dark hair tumbled down her back, catching light as it moved. Every roll of her hips, every flick of her wrist, every slow, teasing tilt of her head drew attention.

Men watched.

Edward gritted his teeth. His job was to protect her, and she was making it damn near impossible to think straight. She knew exactly what she was doing. Every so often, like she could feel his eyes on her, she'd glance up. And each time, she held his gaze just long enough to make sure he felt it. The invitation. The knowledge that she could command his attention whenever she pleased.

Then she'd turn away, leaving him there, still watching.

He wasn't the only one. Men prowled around her like moths to flame. One leaned in too close, lips brushing her ear. Edward's jaw locked. He saw the flick of her fingers, the shake of her head, and the man slinked off, disappearing into the crowd.

Edward exhaled, only to tense again as another man tried his luck.

This one wore confidence and money like a second skin. Slicked-back hair. He murmured something. Bella laughed. Edward didn't hear it, but he saw everything. The lean. The angle. The way the man's fingers brushed the bare skin of her arm.

His vision narrowed.

She should walk away.

Why wasn't she walking away?

Then she glanced up at him. She knew. And she was daring him. Heat curled in his gut.

This wasn't supposed to be personal. But Bella? Bella never played by the rules. And right now, she was winning. Just as quickly, she dismissed the man with a smile that lingered too long. Then, she turned back to her friends.

Edward dragged a hand down his face. He needed to move. To breath. To not stand here unravelling piece by piece. That's when he heard the click of heels approaching.

Angela Whitt Weber. One of Bella's closest friends.

She was tall and striking, with warm bronze skin, short hair, and black eyes. A polished kind of beauty. He could see the appeal. But he was drawn to chaos—the kind that came in black silk, bitten lips, and eyes that dared him across a crowded room.

Angela and Bella had met as freshmen at Columbia University. Now, years later, she was a corporate lawyer with a corner office in midtown and a reputation for making senior partners stammer. And, when it came to Bella, they were sisters.

She stepped beside him, and leaned her elbows on the railing, eyes already scanning the floor below. She didn't need to ask. She already knew who was watching.

"You know," she said casually, "most men would take the hint when a woman looks at them like that."

Edward didn't look at her. "I'm not most men."

Angela smiled faintly, "No. That's what makes it fun to watch."

He stayed silent.

"You're lucky," she added. "Bella has patience."

That pulled his gaze. Sharp. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Angela met his eyes, steady. "Most men don't get this far."

"And what do you think I'm doing?"

She tilted her head, smiling just enough. "Wrestling. Losing."

She let the silence stretch between them before adding:

"Don't worry." She said. "I'm not here to warn you off or dig for gossip. Bella doesn't let just anyone orbit this close. If you're here, it's because she wants you to be."

A pause. Then softer:

"And if she trusts you for some reason... I'll keep my opinions to myself. For now."

She left him with a tight jaw and a gut full of truth he wasn't ready to name. Edward scanned the crowd. Then was gone.

His breath caught as he swept the floor, eyes slicing through bodies until—there. A flicker of dark hair disappeared into the shadows at the back of the club.

He moved. Fast.

Heat, sound, bodies, everything collided around him as he pushed through. And then, he found her. Leaning against the wall of a dimly lit hallway, alone. The bass pulsed through the walls like a second heartbeat.

She looked up. Smirked.

"Masen"

"Bella"

He stepped closer. "You shouldn't be out here alone."

She tilted her head. "I wasn't. And it seems I can't get away from you." Her words slurred just slightly. She sounded tipsy.

There it was. That spark.

"Looks like you and your friends are having fun?" he asked, voice low.

Her lips curled. "You tell me."

She moved first. Closed the distance. Her hand brushed his chest, deliberate and slow. He didn't stop her. Couldn't. Every nerve fired at once.

She rose on her toes, breath warm against his jaw. "Tell me you don't want this," she whispered. "Look me in the eye and lie."

He couldn't. God, he wanted to.

Bella tilted her head, her hair falling in loose waves over one bare shoulder. The silk of her dress hugged her body in all the wrong ways. Or the right ones. He forced his eyes to her face. But her lips were parted, flushed from heat and alcohol.

"You know what your problem is, Masen?" she murmured, teasing.

Edward swallowed, "Enlighten me."

She stepped closer again. "You're always so serious. Do you ever let yourself feel something?"

"This isn't the place for that." His voice came out too rough.

"Not the place?" She hummed. "Or not with me?"

Damn her. She smelled like vanilla, something floral, and the faint trace of tequila. She was too close, and he was losing.

"You're good at dodging," she whispered. "But you can't dodge forever."

Her fingers curled into his lapel, dragging lightly over the fabric. Edward stiffened; every muscle locked.

"I've been trying to get your attention all night," she whispered.

Edward exhaled, long and low. "You've had it."

Her smile turned wicked. "Good."

She leaned in again. Her hands slid up from his jacket to his shoulders, then to the warm skin of his neck. One shift. One breath. And there would be no space left between them.

This was the line. But Bella didn't ask for lines.

He should stop this. He should. But then she kissed him.

Her taste hit him like a fuse. The world tilted; sound blurred. All he could feel was her.

It wasn't innocent. It wasn't careful. Her lips were soft and insistent. Sure. Intentional.

She tasted like salt, liquor and something sweet. He'd spent too long resisting. Too long dreaming about what this would feel like. And now that it was happening, the real thing didn't just live up to the fantasy, it blew it apart.

His hands went straight to the small of her back, pressing her flush against him, the other cradling her jaw, tipping her face up so he could take more.

A breathless sound escaped her. Her fingers twisted in his hair, tugging just enough to draw a groan from his chest. She pressed into him, erasing space. Her mouth moved into his, slow at first, then deeper. Needier.

She was warmth and softness in his hands. She was in lungs, under his skin, everywhere at once.

"Bella," he rasped against her mouth.

"Masen." He would give anything to hear her say Edward, even once.

She fisted the front of his shirt like she needed to anchor herself. Like she was afraid he might pull away. As if he could.

His lips found her jaw, tracing the curve down to the tender skin just beneath her ear... Bella gasped, her grip tightening.

"Don't stop," she breathed.

"I couldn't if I tried," he confessed, voice rough.

She exhaled, and he found her mouth again. He was braced on either side of her head, pressing into her like it would never be close enough.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was reckless and dangerous. But right now? He was drowning. And he didn't care. The mission, the lies, the risks … all of it faded, swallowed by her.

"You're so beautiful," Edward murmured against her lips.

She hummed, a soft smile curving at the edges. "I've wanted this," she whispered, her breath warm against his cheek. "For so long."

He pulled back just enough to look at her. His eyes searched hers, needing confirmation that this was real, that it wasn't just the music, the alcohol, the illusion of safety in shadows. What he saw in her gaze nearly undid him.

Honesty. Hunger. Hope.

"Me too," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "God, I've been trying so hard to—"

She cut him off with another kiss. He kissed her back.

And then—a sound.

Distant. Barely there. But enough.

He froze; breath ragged. His body still caged hers against the wall. His eyes flicked toward the hallway entrance, but the shadows were empty. The noise had already faded beneath the beat of the club.

Still, the spell was broken.

"Masen?" Bella said softly, confusion flickering across her face. Her hands still rested on his shoulders; her lips were swollen from their kiss.

He stepped back, just a few inches, his hands falling from the wall. The loss of her hit instantly.

"We can't," he said hoarsely. He wasn't sure if it was for her... or himself.

Something flickered across her face before she masked it. "We did," she said softly. The words were light, but her eyes, God her eyes said everything else.

He shut his own, just for a beat. Hating himself for being the one to ruin it.

"I should get you back to your friends."

She nodded. The kind of nod that didn't mean agreement, it meant closure. She straightened her dress. When she looked at him again, her smile was there. But it didn't touch her eyes.

"Sure," she replied, voice cool. Too cool.

Like she'd just tucked every raw emotion behind a wall of practiced indifference.

The walk back to the club was silent, charged with everything they weren't saying. Edward forced himself to stay focused, but the truth pressed in from all sides. It hadn't just been a simple kiss. It had been a detonation — the kind that left you undone, that lived in your bloodstream, that made every other kiss feel like a pale imitation.

When Bella rejoined her friends, she did so with an ease that almost unnerved him. But he caught it—the half-second pause she held before she smiled. Angela and Kate leaned in, and Kate whispered something that made Bella nod. All three women glanced in his direction, subtle in a way that wasn't subtle at all.

A flicker of heat ran through him. He looked away.

He hung back as they gathered their things. Angela and Kate chatted animatedly as they stopped toward the curb where the valet stand buzzed with subdued chatter and the low hum of approaching cars. Bella followed, quieter now, eyes down as she adjusted her clutch. He stayed just far enough behind to watch her, and to watch them, the dynamic between the three.

His gaze shifted to Catherine Volturi, or simply Kate. Blonde, blue-eyed beauty. He knew the basics: her family had made their fortune in real Volturi Estate Group—old money, high-rise power. She'd stayed in the family business, now working as a luxury real estate broker in Manhattan, moving multi-million-dollar properties like they were handbags,

Their files said that they'd been introduced in their early teens, when the Volturis started doing business with the Swans' property ventures, and had been inseparable ever since.

It was interesting, watching the three of them together. Physically, they couldn't be more different, but the closeness was undeniable. Sisters, even if not by blood. Fiercely loyal. Fiercely protective.

Angela had a softer edge; Kate was direct and much more assertive than the other two. He remembered the way she had sized him up in the past, thinking she was being discreet.

A second valet jogged ahead of the others, already holding the keys to a sleek silver coupe. Of course. Someone had called it in early—Kate, probably. The valet handed over the keys, and both women stepped forward. Kate gave Bella a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, then pulled back just enough to look her in the eye.

"Text me when you're up. We're still on for brunch and I better not have to drag your ass out of bed."

Bella nodded, her voice low. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

Her eyes flicked to Edward, sharp but unreadable. "Masen."

He gave her a slight nod.

Kate arched a brow but said nothing more. Angela squeezed Bella's hand as she slipped into the passenger seat. "Get some sleep," she said gently, though her glance flicked briefly to Edward.

He stayed where he was, watching them go — the taillights vanishing into the night.

Bella paused beside him. Edward stepped forward instinctively, opening the car door. "Thank you," she murmured. He nodded, swallowing hard as he closed the door and rounded the car.

The drive back to her condo was silent. He glanced at her through the rearview mirror, her lips still flushed, hair tumbling over one shoulder. She looked thoughtful, her fingers brushing absently against her knee, and he couldn't stop himself from wondering what she was thinking.

For his part, his mind was in chaos. Every second replayed with brutal clarity. When they arrived at her condo, he quickly parked and stepped out, moving to open her door. But Bella was already out, her movements graceful despite the late hour. She stood beside him for a moment, her light brown eyes locked on his, steady and unblinking and made his breath catch.

"I..." Edward started, then stopped. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say.

Bella tilted her head, waiting.

"I want this," he said finally, the words slipping out like a confession. "God, I want this. But I can't afford to want it. There's too much at risk."

Bella's expression softened, her lips curving in a small, understanding smile. She nodded.
"I understand.

She stepped closer, fingers grazing his arm as she leaned in. Her breath was warm on his skin as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. When she pulled back, her eyes held a quiet confidence.

"Your move, Masen," she said and turned.

He watched her walk toward the building. Watched until she disappeared. Then he leaned back against the car, his breath left him, and let his head fall back, eyes to the sky.

What the hell was he doing?

Another week, Another Chapter :)

I went through so many emotions writing this chapter. I didn't want to disappoint! I believe I did these two justice.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on their moment. Also, I have been contemplating posting two chapters a week. what do you think?