Bella
There was a warm, fantastic-smelling man next to me in bed, and I wasn’t dreaming. A smile crept across my face as my consciousness won out over dreamland. That warm, fantastic-smelling man was Edward, and boy, did he feel good lying there next to me.
I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was only 6:15. Ugh! Why did I have to wake up when I had the opportunity to sleep in snuggled in the arms of the fantastic specimen of man currently softly snoring with his nose buried in my neck? I shifted a little, and Edward’s strong arms held me close. I can’t say that my girlie parts didn’t tingle. Damn.
I didn’t think that there were enough superlatives in the English language to describe how much I enjoyed myself last night. Dinner with the gang was so much fun, the indoor sports afterward couldn’t have been better. Could it really be true that once you found your true love that you’d just know? Because I was feeling dangerously close to knowing.
Was it even possible to define what it was drawing me to Edward? Just saying ‘everything’ was juvenile and inadequate at the same time. His eyes were truly a window to his soul. In them I saw his compassion, charm and his playful nature, not to mention his sensuality. Physically, the man was fuck-hot! Handsome with a body that I could stare at and want to devour forever. His personality was everything I could imagine ever wanting in a man. I enjoyed watching Edward at work, seeing how he interacts with the patients. He chose the right career path as a healer. Not only was he able to fix what was broken, but the patients were at ease with him, which was that intangible quality that cannot be learned. It needs to come from within.
I looked again at the man I held close to me. He had turned me from a woman, who was relatively content with her lack of a sex life into a needy, feisty woman constantly craving the nearness of him. We had taken a big step last night. Thinking about how his fingers coaxed the best orgasm of my life out of me set my need off all over again. I raised my fingers to his jaw and traced a path to the back of his head to the soft hair there. In his slumber, he turned his head into my hand with a soft, satisfied sigh. His lips curved into a small smile, delicate and delicious. I couldn’t resist. I leaned in and placed a kiss on his mouth, lingering a bit. Edward let out a quiet groan and tightened his arms around me.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, against my lips.
“Sorry to wake you, but you do look irresistible. I had to kiss you.”
“I guess I can let it slide this time. Be warned, though. Next time there will be repercussions,” he said with a gravelly growl. He then rolled on top of me, making me squeal a bit as he pressed his morning wood onto me. “Say hello to my little friend,” he chuckled.
“We both know there’s nothing little about your friend, Edward,” I laughed back. He leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss I’m sure I would have felt in my toes if my body had let the feeling get past my pussy. This man had some kind of power over my parts, and I raised my hips up to meet his delicious erection. His green eyes gazed at me with such intensity that I could only handle a few moments of his stare. I was afraid that he might see how desperately I wanted him in my own eyes. No sense in scaring him away.
After some very serious kissing and groping, Edward moved so that he was curled into my side and he was resting his head on my belly. He let out what sounded like a very content sigh.
“I feel good about the fact that everyone knows that we’re seeing each other. I mean, not like we should keep it a secret or anything,” Edward said.
“I know what you mean. It is nice that everyone is so accepting of how fast this hit us, you know?”
Edward nodded his head against me, both tickling and turning me on at the same time. “Well, in my family, there is no such thing as a long courtship. My parents, my grandparents, Alice and Jasper, it was all pretty much an instant attraction. Emmett and Rose are the exceptions, but I suspect the attraction was just as immediate. They are both pretty stubborn, though,” he laughed.
I heard what Edward said. I really did, but the way his head was resting on me, his voice practically resonating straight to my clit, was causing such a commotion in my panties that I let out an involuntary moan.
“Love, are you all right?” Edward asked with concern as he turned his head upward to look at me.
“I think I’m better than all right. You are doing all sorts of things to my bits and pieces with your voice. I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to control myself,” I said with a squeak.
“I’m all for you losing control, Bella. Are you willing to tutor me in how to please you more? Say, with my mouth?”
Fuck! What’s a girl supposed to say to that? I was woefully inexperienced in the oral arena, both giving and receiving. But this was Edward, and if he was half as good with his mouth as he was with his fingers, I was going to be a very lucky woman.
“Um, well, nobody has ever…” I started to say, looking everywhere but at him.
“Well, neither have I,” he said. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. “What? I was far too focused on my studies to get very involved with anyone. I’m a bit of a novice, but if you’re willing to let me come up on the learning curve, then, I’d love to taste you, Bella,” Edward said in way that could only be described as pure sex, looking up at me through his lashes, his fingers hooked onto the sides of my panties.
“Far be it from me to deny you a learning opportunity, Dr. Cullen,” I giggled, my apprehension dissolving as he slid my panties down my hips. I rose up so that he could slip them the rest of the way down. When I did, he placed a sweet kiss, full of promise, on my mound and then peeled the lacy garment down to my ankles, off of me and then quickly tossed them onto the floor.
Edward situated himself between my legs as he gently nudged my thighs apart, giving my clit a reassuring touch that sent shivers of want straight through me.
“So beautiful, so wet,” he murmured as he looked upon my center and then into my eyes. He then turned his head to the side and began to caress my upper thighs with wet licks and kisses. The anticipation of his tongue and mouth on my clit and pussy was making me squirm without me even realizing it.
“Is this okay?” Edward breathed, looking up at me with raised eyebrows.
“Oh, definitely, I am just not very good with being teased.”
Edward then ran his nose along the opposite thigh oh-so-slowly. “This teases you? Would you rather have my mouth here?” he asked, dragging his finger from my clit down to my dripping sex. I couldn’t help but buck my hips at the sensation.
“Mmm, please,” I groaned. “Please, don’t tease me anymore.”
As Edward skimmed his lips across my flesh, ever closer to my desire, I fluttered at the sensation of his hot breath. Then he tasted me, flattening out his tongue and licking me in one long, slow stroke from my entrance to my clit. The feeling was electric, intensified by his groan as his mouth captured my throbbing bundle of nerves.
“Fuck!” I practically screamed as he alternated between licks and nips at my clit. “Edward, don’t stop, whatever you are doing. Aah, gonna make me...” I said almost incoherently.
“Mmm, not yet, Bella,” Edward said, moving his thumb to my clit and letting his tongue teasingly enter inside. “I want to taste how much you want this,” lick, “want me.”
The feeling was so intense. His scruffy face on the sensitive skin of my thighs was providing the perfect foil to the pleasure his mouth was giving. His tongue found my clit again and a long finger was inserted into me, providing the most wonderful pressure on my g-spot. My masturbatory skills were pretty good, unfortunately, due to constant use. I knew that g-spot orgasms, for me, were elusive at best. Edward had me so turned on, that I knew this orgasm was going to be epic. And I was right. I felt him slide another finger in.
“Oh, right there, Edward. Your fingers, right there! Shit! Feels…ungh… so damn good!”
“Right there, Bella?” he asked, rubbing more forcefully as I threw my head back on the pillow, the coiling in my abdomen winding tighter and tighter. My hands were frenzied, grabbing the sheets, clenching, unclenching as the feeling built. Edward’s mouth continued to lick, suck and nip. One of my hands wound its way down to his head, threading itself into his soft bronze locks. My other hand began to pinch one of my nipples. My world was spinning out of control, lick by delicious lick.
“Let go, Bella. Let me hear how I make you feel,” Edward rasped. I looked down at him just long enough to see that his green eyes were darkened, just like in my shower fantasy. That was all it took, and I began to fall over the edge.
“Edward! Oh God, oh GOD! Yessss!” My whole body coiled in sweet rapture. I may have been screaming so loud that I missed his groans.
Edward continued to stroke me gently as I came down from my high. I was shaking and sweating, barely able to string together a meaningful sentence. A cavewoman-like grunt was all I was able to utter as he asked how his first “pleasing Bella” lesson went.
“That good?” he chuckled as he brought himself up to my face. I kissed his lips, swollen from the passion and moaned. Edward skimmed his nose to my ear and whispered, “I love that you can taste yourself on my mouth.” Hearing him say that almost made me come again.
As I lay sprawled on the bed, Edward rested on his elbow, our legs all tangled up together. I felt a smile creep across my face.
“Still smiling, Swan? You flatter me.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” I began, shifting to my side to face him. I trailed my hand down his side to the waistband of his boxer briefs. “That was, without a doubt, the best orgasm of my life. You earned that smirk that you are wearing, Cullen.”
Edward brushed my hair over my shoulder and brought his large hand to rest on my cheek. “I might be smirking, but you are beautiful when you come, Bella,” he said as he gently ran his thumb across my lower lip. I captured it in my mouth, gently sucking on it and caressing it with my tongue. Our eyes locked on each other as I continued to lick his thumb. My hand caressed his length through the thin cotton of his underwear. I then rolled us so that I was on top of him, lacing our hands together over his head and me straddling his hips as he crashed his mouth to mine.
“I can still taste myself on you,” I whispered as I broke the kiss. Edward groaned, grabbing my hips and moving them in a slow circle against his cock, the friction good, but definitely nowhere near enough. I rested my hands on his chest and began to place open mouthed kisses on his neck, licking my way to his nipple. I never thought of a man's nipple as an erogenous zone before, but Edward's carnal response to the attention that my tongue and teeth gave his tiny peaks left his excitement unquestionable. I felt the weight of his hand on the nape of my neck as his fingers coursed through my hair holding my mouth in place prolonging my teasing. Mumbled curses fell from his lips as our eyes locked, eliciting me to bite down roughly while at the same time squeezing his cock through the fabric. I loved learning his body, knowing that I was making him feel as good as he had just made me feel.
My mouth abandoned his satisfied nipple and my tongue drew a path down his chest and abs dropping gentle but wet kisses along the way. When my lips were finally met with the final barrier to what I needed most, I hooked my fingers into the waistband of his boxers.
“I want you in my mouth, Edward. I need to taste you,” I begged, completely swept away when met with the longing of his deep pools staring back at me as I positioned myself between his muscular thighs.
“Please don’t feel like you have to, Bella,” he began.
I licked my bottom lip and smiled. “Rest assured, there is nothing in this world that I want right now more than my mouth wrapped around your cock, Edward.
Intimacy with Mike consisted of, in retrospect, sloppy make out and groping sessions, and mainly sex where he got off and I rarely ever did. Taking that into consideration, why I was so hurt when we split was beyond me. Jake and I, while we didn’t do it like bunnies, had plenty of encounters, most good, many awkward, and all mutually caring, but lacking the needed passion.
The look I saw in Edward’s eyes was raw desire. It was everything that was lacking in my previous relationships. Being with Edward was instinctual. From the moment we saw each other in the call room last week, this crazy, wonderful, and at times scary draw to him consumed me. The pure, unadulterated lust in his eyes mirrored my own.
“Let me help you with those,” I said as I began to pull his boxer briefs from his body. Edward lifted his hips in an effort to help. I slid them down his legs, tossing them to the side. The sight before me was beautiful. There was no other word for it. Edward had a glorious cock. I could not mask my own physical reaction to the visual before me as a blush spread over my flesh, and when our eyes met my lips curled into a smile and my hand reached to feel the velvety hardness.
Edward raised himself onto his elbows. I knew this was so that he could have the perfect view of the pleasure he was about to receive, and this knowledge sent a chill pulsing through my entire body. I stretched up with my left hand and gently scratched his chest as I bent my head toward his erection. I let the instinct that ruled my body whenever I was around him take over as I opened my mouth to taste the pre-cum that waited for me. I had friends who had argued about the taste of a man. Those who did not like it certainly had not tasted the magnificence that was Edward. As I wrapped my lips around his head and let my tongue dance around it, I heard Edward moan. His sounds encouraged me to take him further into my mouth, squeezing him gently near his base as I looked up at him. Edward’s eyes were dark, hooded, making me wet all over again. I brought my mouth back up to the tip, concentrating my efforts on the sensitive skin there. Edward shifted to sit up, gently grasping the back of my head.
“Shit, Bella, that feels so fucking good,” Edward said in a low voice. “Your mouth, so beautiful,” he rasped.
I was certainly enjoying my new experience. Hearing his sexy words fall from his lips caused me to moan, which in turn made him tighten his hold on my head, threading his fingers through my hair. It was a fantastic sort of discomfort that served to heighten my arousal. The cycle of sensations we were having seemed to drive us both wild.
And then the fucking doorbell rang.
We both froze, not aware if we had been a bit vocal in our explorations. Like a bad, X-rated sitcom, his cock popped from my mouth as we looked at each other.
“Who the fuck would be here at…” I said, looking at my clock, “…7:30 on a Saturday?!”
I stood up and marched over to the window, near nudity be damned. I was pissed, even more so when I heard the heavy footsteps of my landlord on the porch and saw his red Jeep with the utility trailer being pulled behind it.
“Edward, I swear, there must be a knight in shining armor holding a pair of blue balls on the Cullen family crest to symbolize the cock-blocking that is your family’s specialty.”
Edward laughed, trying to stifle it. Neither of us was ready to face Emmett if he were to go all Ricky Ricardo on us, saying that we had some ‘splainin’ to do.
I pulled on a pair of yoga pants, commando, and a hoodie, putting on my game face and bouncing down the stairs.
“Good morning, Bella!” the gentle giant smiled, dimples blazing. Each Cullen had a gift, and Emmett’s was his adorable dimples. And damnit, I found myself smiling when I really wanted to be in my bed, finishing what I had started with Edward.
“Nice mower, Emmett,” I said, motioning to the push model that was loaded on the trailer. I looked toward the Jeep and was greeted with a friendly wave from Rosalie, her phone glued to her ear.
“Sorry about the early morning visit, but we are headed out to look at that other property and I thought I would drop this by for you. If you don’t have time, I can swing by later and mow the yard. Or give Edward a call. I knocked on his door first, but he must be out for a run or something.”
Dear God: Please keep me from blushing. Just this once. I beg you to save me from the humiliation that will ensue if Emmett even suspects that his brother is upstairs. Thank you.
I felt my cheeks redden and silently cursed my autonomic nervous system. Thanks, God.
I politely ignored the comment, not offering if I had any knowledge as to the location of his brother and focused my attention on the red mower outside.
“Well, let’s see what we’re dealing with here,” I said, moving to the trailer. “It’s pretty easy, right? I pull the stringy thingy and it starts, then mow, right?”
“Technically speaking, yes,” he said with a chuckle. “This is the safety bar thingy, which you have to have squeezed in order for the sharp blade thingy underneath to spin and cut the grass. Gas goes here. If you have any problems, give me or Eddie a call. He should be around, but he might just be sleeping. All those crazy hours you guys keep.”
I smiled a secret smile and thanked Emmett as he unloaded the mower and pushed it toward the porch. “I should be able to conquer a few patches of grass. And I’m sure Dr. Cullen will turn up eventually.”
Emmett smiled broadly. “Yes. He will. I’m fairly certain we will find him here a lot, Bella! See you later!” he called over his shoulder.
“Bye, guys,” I said with a wave as I turned to go inside. As I shut the door behind me, I began laughing as I watched Emmett and Rose drive away.
“Coast is clear, Mr. Super Spy,” I giggled as I returned up the stairs to my room. Edward was on the bed, his boxer briefs hiding what I wanted to see. He opened his arms widely and welcomed me back to bed.
“He sure knows how to ruin a moment, doesn’t he?” Edward said with a laugh and a big squeeze. He tucked his face into the crook of my neck and held me for a moment.
“Yes, and I’m not convinced that he didn’t suspect your whereabouts.”
“Eh, no matter. Honestly, everyone will think what they want anyway. And I’m not ashamed that I spent last night and this morning pleasuring you, Bella.” His voice was low and soft, its timbre doing things to my body, my heart, my soul. “But, I won't deny that I'd prefer longer lengths of privacy to explore what we have going on here, instead of all the interferences from well-meaning pixies and big brother bears.”
Edward sat upright, turning me slightly so that we could face each other. He ran his fingers through my hair as he leaned in to place a small kiss on my lips.
“Bella, I want to tell you something, and I hope it doesn’t make you run screaming from me,” he said, smiling. “I haven’t really dated much, just have never found anyone who held my interest. I feel like we were supposed to meet, though. I just feel like you really see me, in a way that only you could. And it totally sucks that you'll be leaving in November, but I don't want to think about that now. I want to enjoy what time we do have, and worry about the rest later.”
Edward had just put into words all of the things I had been thinking over the past few days. Thank goodness he was brave enough to say it first.
“There's no chance I'll go running, Edward. I have never felt the kind of instant connection that I feel with you. It's hard to explain but these past few days have been so much fun and so natural, I feel as if everything in my past has led me here, as if somehow you were pulling me to you. But then I think that I really shouldn’t question the path that led me here, you know?”
“I agree. So, we play it by ear?” Edward asked, raising his eyebrow at me.
“What?” I said, grabbing his ass. “Play with your rear?”
Edward groaned at my horrible joke and kissed me soundly. “Your horrible jokes might be a hard limit, Swan.”
Heh heh heh. He said hard.
I sighed. “Yes, let’s just have fun for now, and we can think about November later. I know it’s textbook avoidance, but I’ve been denying myself for far too long. It’s summer. We’re young, and I have seven states left on my list to visit. I think I’m going to need a partner in crime, Cullen. You game?”
Edward’s green eyes danced. “You bet. Let’s sit down sometime soon and come up with a plan. What do you say?” he asked, hugging me close.
“Deal,” I breathed, feeling almost overwhelmed by contentment. I would have been a hell of a lot more content if Emmett hadn’t knocked on my door.
Edward and I snuggled while talking about our plans for the day. There was grass to be mowed, houses to be straightened, laundry to be done and naps to be had. Then I had a shift starting at 7PM. I was looking forward to working with Carlisle, but secretly hoped that we were slow so that I could float to OB. The experience with Janie made me consider midwifery, but I needed to do some more observation, more research.
At 8:30, Edward gave me a goodbye kiss that lasted until 8:45 and then he headed home. I may have mentioned something about resuming what was interrupted earlier, which earned me a playful swat on the ass. All in all, it was the end of a wonderful stretch of time spent with someone I knew would be in my life even after my time here was up.
Edward
I reluctantly headed home, knowing that I had things to do, and that she had things to do as well. I had told her that I would be by later to help with her yard, even though she insisted that she could manage. It felt good to help her with things. I knew that Bella was a pretty independent woman, a fact in which she had obvious pride, but the urge I had to take care of her was almost overwhelming. I accepted it for what it was: I was falling in love with Bella Swan.
Entering my house, it dawned on me what I needed to do. I passed by the pictures of my family, all the happy couples, and reached for the phone in my pocket.
“Hello, Edward! To what do I owe the pleasure of an early morning phone call?”
“Can’t a guy just call his mom?” I asked, smiling as I sat down in a comfortable leather chair that my mother had chosen.
“Well, of course, dear, but it’s early, and I figured you’d be sleeping in since it’s your weekend off. What do you have planned? You are coming to brunch tomorrow, aren’t you? Sometime around 10?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“Will you be bringing Bella?” she asked, the smile on her face so evident in her voice.
“I gather you have spoken to Alice?” I asked. I probably should have been annoyed, but I wasn’t. I was actually looking forward to introducing Bella to my mother.
“She mentioned that Bella was new at the hospital, and that the two of you have been spending time together. She’s a travel nurse, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She has a six month assignment here in Forks,” I answered, trying to keep the bit of sadness I felt out of my voice.
“Are you busy now? I just put a coffee cake in the oven. It’ll be done by the time you get here,” my mother offered. “We can catch up over a little breakfast.”
That was just what I needed. The advice of my mother and some homemade goodness would go a long way to help me sort out what my brain and my heart were struggling to tell me. I quickly showered and dressed, then grabbed my keys, phone and wallet. I backed out of the driveway and headed toward my parents’ place, slowing as I passed by Bella’s. A smile crept across my face as thoughts of our time together invaded my brain. Without a thought, I gave two quick taps to the horn and continued on my way to see my mom.
On the ten minute ride to the outskirts of town, my head swirled with thoughts of confusion and my heart swam with feelings of completion. I knew that Bella and I had barely just scratched the surface, but my heart knew that I had found “The One.” Nobody else could elicit this feeling, no matter how loudly my head screamed its caveats.
I hopped out of my car and climbed the three stairs onto the porch that was just off the kitchen of my childhood home. My mother was at the massive island in the center of the room, placing pieces of coffee cake onto familiar blue and white plates. Opening the door, I was hit with scents of comfort: cinnamon and coffee, flour and sugar.
“Edward, honey! It’s so good to see you!” my mom said as she carried the plates to the breakfast table overlooking the expansive back yard. I enveloped her in a tight hug and kissed her cheek.
“Smells great, Mom. You sit, I’ll get our drinks,” I told her and brought the carafe of coffee and mugs to sit by the creamer and sugar on the table.
“Thank you. So what’s bothering you? You look rather confused, dear.”
I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. “I think I’m in love, Mom. I met Bella on Tuesday, and here I sit on Saturday, completely confused but calmed at the same time. And to make matters more complicated, she’ll be leaving after Thanksgiving.”
Esme sat stirring her coffee, looking at me with soft eyes as I told her about Bella, how being around her makes me feel, and how I have never before had the pleasure of these emotions.
“It’s the most natural, effortless thing, being with her, Mom. Is there really such thing as love at first sight?” I questioned, to her and to the universe as well.
“I believe in it. When I met your father, I knew that I would marry him. Your grandparents had a similar experience. And I don’t need to remind you about Alice and Jasper,” she joked.
“She feels it, too. Bella told me this morning that she has never felt so drawn to anyone. Neither have I. Tanya and I were friends for almost a year before we tried things romantically. I think she and I were just worried that we would end up with no one. We were each other’s firsts, but the spark just wasn’t there, you know?” I picked up my fork and took a bite of the cake before me.
“And you’re wondering if the spark with Bella is enough?” my mother asked.
I shook my head. “I know that the, um, attraction is solid. She’s so smart and funny. She knows what my career is like, the demands and expectations I have placed upon me. I guess I’m just a little rattled about the fact that this all just seems too easy.”
“My dear boy,” she said, “sometimes things are just that straight forward and easy. Your medical training has you solving puzzles all day long. This may be one of the simplest cases to walk through the door. A boy likes a girl, and that girl likes him back. She sounds like a delightful person, Edward. The way your face lights up while talking about her tells me that she is special.”
“She is special. I’ve just never been in love, and in just a few days my life is completely upside down, in the best way possible. I don’t think I can go back to the way things were a week ago,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “It’s like some dumb cliché, but I never even realized what I was missing until I met her.”
Esme smiled brightly at me and laid her hand over mine, squeezing lightly. “Enjoy yourselves, then. Have faith that it will all work out if it is meant to be.”
“But when she moves,” I began.
“You’ll stay in touch, visit on weekends, and make time for each other until you can be together again. Your father and I did it for a year when he began his undergraduate degree. It’s difficult, but not impossible. Build an unshakable foundation with the time you have now. Let the details take care of themselves.”
“Strong foundation, huh?”
“Absolutely. It will sustain you for the rest of your lives if done right. And another thing, when you find yourself doubting? Just remember that love isn’t without risk. It is scary to lay yourself out in front of the person whose opinion means the most. But the benefits are beyond compare.”
I sat for a moment, smiling. I knew that my mother was right. I was scared to death of opening my heart, only to be hurt, not specifically by Bella, but in general. I know that she had been hurt by her last boyfriend, and she might be feeling the same way. But I was also certain that she felt as I did, that to be away for too long was torture.
“Have you talked much about what will happen when she moves?” my mother asked.
“No, not really. I mean, I know she’s headed for San Francisco for a three month assignment, and then she plans to take some time off before starting graduate school. We haven’t really talked at all about what those plans mean with regard to our, uh, feelings. Everything is just so new. But I think it is on her mind, as well as mine. We’ll sort it out. I just want to spend time with her,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders and a smile.
“Edward, have faith. Meanwhile, make sure that she makes it to brunch in the morning. I can’t wait to meet the woman who has cracked your heart’s shell!”
I felt the heat creeping into my cheeks and sat back in my chair. “Well, Bella’s working tonight with Dad, but she said that she’ll be fine to come over with me after work. Is there anything we can bring?”
“Listen to you, already saying ‘we!’”Esme chided, earning an eye roll from me as I stood and picked up the dirty dishes.
“See if I ever confide I you again,” I laughed as I put the dishes into the dishwasher.
“Oh, now, I’m just teasing. You can expect much worse from Emmett, I’m sure. I can’t think of anything that we might need. The weather looks iffy, but if we can, we’ll eat outside on the patio. You might want to bring a sweater, just in case.”
As we continued to talk about various projects that Mom was considering, my phone chimed with a new text alert. I looked to see who left it and smiled.
“Bella?” Esme said with a grin.
“Yes. Wonder what’s up?” I said, opening the message.
My lawn is mowed! Told you I wasn’t a helpless damsel. –b
I quickly typed out a reply.
Well, I’ll have to think of another way to impress you. How about lunch at my place? 11:30? –e
Esme was wiping down the counter and taking a sideways glance at me as I smiled like a fool.
“How is she?” my mom asked in a bit of a sing-song voice.
I casually watched my phone, waiting for a reply from Bella. We both laughed at my feigned sense of calm, and I told Mom about how Emmett brought a lawnmower by so that she could take care of the near jungle-like conditions in her yard.
“And before you ask, yes I offered to take care of her yard when I mowed today, but she wanted prove she could do it herself.” Mom nodded her head.
“She sounds like she’s pretty independent. I guess she’d have to be, traveling the country on her own,” Mom observed. My phone then chimed with another text.
Sounds like a plan, but then I have to try to get a nap before I go in tonight. I’m tired, for some reason! ;) -b
Smiling, I shot out my message.
Great! Fatigue must be catchy, cuz I could use a nap, too! **waggles eyebrows** See u at 11:30 J -e
Looking at my watch, I discovered that I have less than ninety minutes before Bella would show up at my place, and I needed to grab some things at the grocery for lunch. I also had hoped to take care of my small lawn, but that was going to have to wait.
“Thanks for listening to me, Mom. You really did help ease my mind some,” I said, wrapping her in a hug. “I can’t wait for you to meet Bella. I think that you will really like her.”
“I’m sure that I will. Between all of the accolades from Alice and your father, I already expected that she was a lovely person. To see how she has affected you tells me something, too,” Mom said, patting my cheek.
“Well, I have to get going. Bella’s coming over for lunch before she crashes for a nap this afternoon before work. I have to swing by the store to grab a few things.”
“OK, dear. I’ll see you tomorrow then? Please tell Bella that I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Mom said sincerely.
“I will. And thanks again,” I replied, squeezing her hand lightly. I left the house humming like a fool with a goofy grin on my face, and it felt fucking fantastic.
After grabbing a few things at the store, I headed home and began to make a grilled chicken salad for Bella and myself. As I finished assembling the salad and slicing the chicken I had just taken off the JennAire, I heard a knock at the door.
“Come on in, Bella!” I called loudly.
I heard the door open and close, then saw a cute brunette peek shyly around the corner.
“Hi! Thanks for asking me over,” Bella said as she came to my side and placed a peck on my cheek.
“Don’t mention it. I figured that since you cooked for us last night, this was the least I could do. Plus, I kind of wanted to see you before you headed in tonight,” I said with a grin.
“Well, it smells wonderful, whatever you’re making. You want me to get drinks for us?” she asked, looking toward the glass fronted cabinet where I kept the dishes.
“That’ll be great,” I told her. “I’ll just have some ice water.” I arranged the chicken on the salad greens and placed the plates on the island.
Bella placed two glasses of water beside the plates and sat down. “So, I was able to get the yard done fairly quickly, even though it was overgrown a bit,” she said with a hint of pride. “I was even able to figure out how the bagger thingy on the mower worked. Now I have a neat lawn and a tidy little grass pile out back.”
We both dug in to our lunches. I was a lot hungrier than I thought. “In the future, you can just bag the clippings and Emmett will take them to the area’s yard waste facility. Or you can just take the bagger off and let the mower mulch the clippings,” I said between bites.
“Mmm, this is really good!” she said after having a taste. “I’m gonna pretend I know what you are talking about with regard to mulching. I am fairly well versed in the physical act of mowing, but the actual science behind a pretty lawn? Not so much. But don’t tell Emmett.”
We both laughed. She was so adorable as her eyes lit up, a smile breaking across her lovely face. We continued to chat about little things, such as the neighborhood and the people who lived near us. Before I knew it, lunch was done, and after we had quickly rinsed the dishes, we both stood there, wondering what to do next.
“Um, I’ll be right back,” Bella said as she headed toward the bathroom. “Quit checking out my ass, Cullen!”
“Never! It’s just too good!” I said with a laugh.
I found it fascinating, comforting, not to mention downright frightening how much I yearned to be near Bella. Over the years, caught up in school and my residency, I hadn’t really allowed myself the luxury of a girlfriend. It didn’t matter to me that I had never found someone that I clicked with. Tanya was the only woman, other than my sister and mother, with whom I felt close enough to share my secrets and dreams. Even after we figured out that we weren’t soul mates, but rather best friends, I didn’t feel a loss of the potential mate, and neither did she. Tanya had said that even though she loved me and would do anything for me, she begged, laughing, to never get naked in front of her again.
“I think I will have to go see Riley and see if I can get a classmate discount for psychological services if we ever get naked again, Edward,” Tanya laughed.
“And I think you have to work on your bedside manner, Tanya! You wound me with your words!” I shot back in mock indignation. I knew what she spoke was the truth, though.
“Come on, can you see us ten years down the road with the house, the kids, the cat?”
I let out a sigh. “I can, but I see us with different people, visiting each other on summer break. And a cat? I don’t think so.”
Tanya let out a giggle. “I know. I sure hope you are right, though. About the different people? Not that you wouldn’t be a fantastic husband, but you’re like my brother. I feel like I may never find Mr. Right. How have we managed to isolate ourselves and not live life, Edward?”
Her words stung a bit, their veracity like a wake-up call. “I’m not sure, T. It scares me, too. Your guy is out there somewhere, just like the future Mrs. Cullen. I think we just need to focus on getting through med school and our residency. Alice is a big believer in fate. We’ll know when it happens.”
“Ah, the all-knowing Alice. Well, I hope she’s right about that. Otherwise, you’ll be visiting me and my 25 cats!”
I was snapped from my reminiscing when Bella walked to the island and took a seat, her gorgeous brown eyes gazing at me with a look of contentment. It was a look that I hoped was mirrored in my own. I knew that I needed to let Bella head back to her place so that she could rest up for her shift, but the selfish part of me resisted. I wanted to keep her with me.
“So what’s next? Do you want me to walk you home so you can catch a nap before you head to the hospital tonight?” I decided that I would be a gentleman.
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s only 12:45. I know I won’t be able to sleep more than an hour or so. Would you mind just hanging out for a while? Unless you have things that you need to do. I mean, I understand if you have things that you need to do…” Bella began to say quickly, almost nervously. I came around to sit next to her and grabbed her hand in my own.
“Silly girl. I hope it doesn’t sound too corny of me to say that the only thing I need to do is spend time with you. I would love nothing more than to hang out all day, but I just don’t want you to be too tired for your shift.”
Bella blushed a fantastic shade of pink. “You’re not too corny, Cullen. We can always nap a bit, right?”
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind that she would want to nap with me, but I wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity. “Whatever you say, sweets!”
I did have a few loads of laundry to do, so I gathered those while Bella borrowed my laptop to check her email. She was expecting some information from her contact at her agency regarding her next assignment. I tried very hard to forget that in 25 weeks, she would be going to San Francisco.
“Know anything about Stanford Medical Center?” Bella asked with a smile.
“As a matter of fact, I do. That’s my old stomping grounds. Is that where you are headed next?”
“Yup. Nola let me know that they would like to have me for six months, but she negotiated three, with the option to stay another three if I’d like.” I tried not to let my disappointment about the possibility of a longer assignment flicker across my face.
“Another six month assignment doesn’t fit into The Plan, though. I need to find a good graduate program and hope that Nola can find an assignment for me in the vicinity. It shouldn’t be a problem. I was hoping to take a break and spend some time with my parents in Phoenix after I finish in San Francisco. It might just be easier to live with them again for a bit while I go to school.”
“Are you going to work and take classes?” I asked. Phoenix was so far away.
“Oh, I haven’t thought that far ahead. Right now, I am here through Thanksgiving, then on to Stanford, it seems. I’ll look at schools and try to have my applications done by the new year, I guess. Renee will be pushing for Phoenix, no doubt, as will Charlie, Jake and Leah. Part of me is resisting that, though,” she said with a somewhat sad inflection in her voice.
“Well, you have some time, at least,” I said, willing a smile to my face and mentally taking note to check out graduate nursing programs in Seattle and even Portland. I didn’t think it could hurt to be prepared.
My first load of laundry finished in the washer and after I started the second, I noticed Bella trying to stifle a yawn. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her middle, pulling her close.
“Someone’s tired,” I said in a low voice in her ear. I felt her body shiver.
“Yes, I am a little sleepy. Maybe I should head home for my nap,” Bella said with a sigh, giving my arms a squeeze.
“Well don’t feel like you have to leave on my account. We can go upstairs and nap if you want to. I will be a good boy and keep my hands to myself. I promise,” I said, punctuating my statement with a kiss to her temple.
“Is that an order, Dr. Cullen?” Bella said with a smirk and a half step backwards, bringing her ass into contact with my previously sleeping groin.
“You’re making it awfully, uh, hard to be good, Nurse Swan. Upstairs with you,” I said, releasing her and giving her a playful swat on the ass.
“Yes, sir,” she said over her shoulder as she walked to the staircase, swaying her hips deliciously. I was so screwed.
We walked up the stairs and went into my bedroom. Bella took off from the door and jumped onto my bed like a six-year old. She was so adorable in her childlike ways, and I couldn’t wait to join her. I flopped down next to her as she continued to bounce.
“Are you having fun?” I asked as she bounced more, jarring my body as she nodded her head furiously.
“It’s always fun to bounce. I don’t do it much because I am a paranoid nurse who has treated way too many injuries on kids who play on trampolines.”
On her next bounce, I swiped her legs out from under her and she landed on her ass, giggling, right next to me. Bella then fell over onto her back, her head landing on the pillow. She looked at me with the happiest smile lighting up her face, and my heart felt a tug.
“I really should try to nap, you know. I feel like Goldilocks in your comfy bed,” Bella sighed as she turned onto her left side, facing me. I turned onto my right side, mirroring her.
“Well, then don’t let me distract you, pretty girl.”
Bella smiled sweetly as she snuggled herself into me, her head using my bicep as a pillow and her right hand resting right over my heart, which had me feeling another tug. I encircled her in my arms and held her close, her heady scent soothing me in ways that I never knew existed.
“You are a wonderful distraction, Edward. The very best there is,” she assured me. “Can you set your alarm for about 4:45? I’d hate to oversleep.”
“No problem,” I said as I pulled my phone from my pocket and set the alarm. “OK. I kick you out at 4:46. I’ll spot you a minute, Swan.”
I felt her laugh and pulled her close again. It was quiet and peaceful, until I heard her whisper.
“Edward?”
“Yes, Bella?”
“Where are the underwear and bra you stole from me?”
I shook with laughter and kissed her upturned face. “Wouldn’t you love to know?” I asked her, narrowing my eyes slightly.
“Fine, Cullen. I will find them,” she replied with determination.
“I’m counting on it, Bella. It’s a guarantee that you’ll keep coming over. My evil plan will work.”
“Just try to keep me away.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Tricking you into submission.”
“No tricking needed. And we’ll see about the submission thing,” she said with a smirk.
I laughed and squirmed a little trying to disguise my growing cock, because Bella mentioning anything sexy had that effect on me.
“Goodnight, Edward,” she said, snuggling back into me.
“Goodnight, Bella,” I said, kissing the top of her head, drifting off to sleep with a smile on my face and a beautiful girl in my arms.
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