~oOo~
November, 2009
Two months. We'd been seeing each other for two months. Originally, Alice had placed a one month restriction on keeping the "secret", but after meeting Bella and getting to know her, she relented and extended the allotted time -, her new deadline being before Thanksgiving. She said she wanted Bella at our family dinner table for the traditional meal. I had to admit, the image of B sitting on one side of me and Masen on the other was very appealing. It wasn't difficult to agree to the new date, and believe it or not, we'd managed to keep us a secret that long. It was becoming more and more difficult to do, though. My brother, who I had always relegated to the "Not the sharpest tool in the shed" crew, had turned out to be a tad sharper than I'd given his special ed ass credit for. Em was smart; hell, I knew how smart the dumb fucker was, but he usually wasn't the first to see what should be clear as water. It would only make sense that the one thing I really didn't want him to figure out would turn out to be what the man had radar or some kind of shit for. I was going to bust an artery if he asked me one more time who was "tickling my pickle." To be honest, I guess I was a little pissed that, as hard as I was trying to keep a wrap on things, I was still being transparent enough that even Emmett could see what was right under his nose. So I guess it shouldn't have shocked me when he asked point blank when I'd be bringing "her" around for everyone to meet. Of course I vehemently denied that there was a "her."
"Or him, I'm no homophobe, Edwina. I just didn't think you swung that way."
"Shut the fuck up, Emmett. You have no idea what you're talking about. Just drop it, okay?"
My brother surprised me with a rare moment of sincerity, "Sorry, man. I'll back off. It's just obvious that you're pretty fucking happy, and I'd just like to meet whoever it is that's making you this way." Wow, my brother had a way of surprising me when I least expected it. "I'd like to smack your boyfriend on the ass as a thank you for making you less of a prick lately, that's all." Annnnnnd, the sincerity disappeared as easily as it appeared.
Hell, at least with Emmett what you saw was what you got. With Rose you never knew what was going on in her pretty, blonde head. Alice and Jasper usually managed to avoid these moments altogether, but the two of them proved to be worth their weight in transmission fluid when I needed help throwing Sherlock Horny off the trail. Add to that the fact that Alice and Bella had become fast friends, and whenever I needed a cover or help with Mini Me, that made her and Jasper invaluable.
It seemed the entire family had their theories as to what I'd been up to lately. Mom and Dad definitely had a clue that something was going on, but at least they had the common decency to let me handle whatever it was in my own way. Mom had even called and left a message to say that she was available if I needed her for any last minute babysitting. Even overnight. No questions asked. Guess she had high hopes that her theories were correct.
Bella and Masen's bi-weekly lessons were producing amazing results. M was quickly outplaying his old man when we sat alongside one another at the bench, often correcting my form or simply blowing me away whenever he played. The two of them were becoming as thick as thieves; it wasn't unusual for me to hear fits of laughter erupting from where they worked. My standard question, "What's so funny in there?" was always answered with, "Nooothing...." After each lesson at our place, Mini Me would beg for Bella to stay for dinner. She stayed so often that he stopped asking, and B became a fixture in our kitchen every Tuesday, moving around Mini and I as we all worked together to make dinner or decide what to have delivered. It was wonderful watching her in my space, all comfortable and shit. B was becoming a part of our lives. I realized I needed to tell Masen about dating Bella sooner rather than later one Tuesday as I watched her lean over to swipe at Mini's nose with a napkin; wiping away the homemade pizza sauce we had all made earlier.
Bella and Alice were growing closer too. She knew to find B at our place on Tuesday nights, and it was a rare night that she didn't call asking to speak to my woman about their weekend plans or invite her to do something. They loved riding together, and would plan day trips to Daytona or Palm Coast to shop at the boutiques there. Alice even took her over to Gainesville a few times to show her our old college stomping grounds. Hell, Alice had met her parents! Well, Rene and Phil, Bella's mom and step-dad. It was clear that as more time passed, Bella would continue to become a fixture in all of our lives. But that didn't surprise me in the least. What did have me stumped was how Alice, Jazz, and I had managed to keep Emmett and the rest of the family in the dark. Either we were a hell of a lot better liars than we ever imagined, or everyone else was. Either way, I seriously doubted this could go on much longer, and honestly, I didn't want it to.
~oOo~
The Sexbargo had come to its natural end. No pun intended. There was no major discussion about when it should end, which surprised the hell out of me. No date set or plan made. It just ended one night. It was perfect. Just like Bella. We had spent the day in and out of the water. Masen had gone to spend the weekend at a friend's house, so we had two whole days to just spend together. Between the beach and her dock out on the inlet, we had little need for much clothing. I was never so thankful for living in a climate that allowed the female form to be minimally clad three hundred days out of the year.
I had no idea there were so many different kinds of bikinis, nor did I have any clue that Bella owned most of them. Every time I turned around it seemed she had a different one on. My current favorite was a blue one that fit like it was like it was made for her, and it had this bad ass skull print on it. Not to mention that it showed off that tat of hers perfectly. We were lying on thick towels, warmed from the heat radiating up from the wood of the dock. Bella was on her back with her eyes closed and her hair fanned out around her, drying in the sun. I lay next to her on my side with my head propped up on my hand. My face was so near her thigh. My free hand traced the inked image on her hip. I could smell the oils and lotions I had recently rubbed into her skin. Her hand languidly stroked my lower leg; my ankle, up along my shin, on to my knee where it would brush the hem of my board shorts before turning and retreating back down my leg only to repeat the maddening pattern. The only sounds were the birds overhead, the waves as they lapped at the pilings of the dock, and the occasional hum of a boat motor when a small craft would pass by.
It started with a chaste kiss on that thigh which was just within my reach. I would have preferred her lips, but it was what I could reach at the moment. Her soft moan was more of a cautionary tone than one of pleasure, though it certainly was that as well. "Edward. What are you up to down there?" I smirked as I pressed a second kiss to her muscled leg. When I licked my lips I could taste the salt from her skin mixed with the lotion. Most of all I could taste Bella.
"Nothing, dear. I’m up to nothing. I am simply enjoying being in your presence."
"Umm-huh. I doubt that," her voice was heavy and relaxed. And sexy as hell.
"I could very easily find something to get into, though. I'm very creative." I kissed her a third time, but on her hip right on the daisy I had just been tracing. She'd yet to explain the tat's meaning, but she'd said it held deep symbolism for her and had promised to explain it when the time was right. I trusted Bella enough to know when that time would be. The third kiss brought her up on her elbows. She looked down the length of her body to me. It was the most alluring thing I'd ever seen; her eyes looking at me through thick lashes, the sun glistening off her skin, and the bare, soft curves of her body. It took everything in me not to climb up her and take her then and there.
"Edward. Don't start something you cannot finish." The warning in her voice sounded more like a challenge to my testosterone charged mind.
"Who said anything about not finishing?" My own voice now held the same gravely tone hers did. I rose up on my hands and knees, crawling the few steps in order to reach those lips that had just issued the sweetest challenge. I bent further to kiss her deeply. When I had her breathless I spoke into her lips, "I always finish what I start, beloved. Perhaps it’s just been so long that you don't remember."
"Oh... I remember. I remember very well..." Bella's lips parted in anticipation of another kiss.
She looked surprised when I pulled back and answered her instead, "Well, in that case, I guess you don't need a refresher course."
Those brown eyes slowly opened and locked onto mine. The need and desire in them was obvious. One hand came up behind my head, threading its way into the hair at the nape of my neck. Without breaking her gaze, she gently pulled my mouth to hers, and after a breath of a kiss, she whispered, "Please, Edward. Please refresh my memory?"
I moaned into our kiss and gathered her into my arms. After an awkward show of us trying to stand without breaking our hold on one another and nearly falling off the dock in the process, we started the long journey back up the walk to her house. Halfway there, in mid- kiss, Bella remembered the towels left forgotten where we had been lying. She tried to break free, but I was not ready to let her go. Especially with the way the rest of my body was responding to the possibility of what could happen between us.
"Edward," her tone was cute and teacher-y as she chided me, "I need to run back for the towels. I'll just be a sec. Ed-ward! Please!" She gently pried my hands from her hips and pressed a quick kiss to my chest before jogging back for the towels. She ran right back, and the view was magnificent. She slowed as she neared, her arms immediately going up around my neck. I pulled her to me until the full lengths of our bodies were pressed tightly together. Bella gasped at the contact our thin suits afforded us. "More, Edward. Show me more."
With that I picked her up, her legs wrapping around my waist, lining us up perfectly. It took a Herculean effort, but I managed to make it back to the house without embarrassing myself. We erupted into frenzied kisses, like two people who had been stranded in a desert and stumbled upon an oasis. Fingers tugging, scratching, kissing, biting, and moaning -- it was intense and primal. Then the feel of Bella wrapped around me, in every way, was enough to bring me to an early finish. We stumbled up the stairs this way. I managed to bang the hell out of Bella's knees and elbows on the wall and railing as I struggled to control myself. Bursting through the doors, we almost ended up on our asses, but I somehow kept us moving towards the stairs to her room. Bella's smile against my mouth and her gentle attempts to get me to put her down were almost unnoticeable in the fury of the moment.
"Edward, baby.... Edward! Honey, let me down. I don't think my knees and elbows could survive another trip up the stairs like the last one. Put me down, sweetie." Her tone was kind and dripping in sex. I couldn't deny her. I groaned loudly as her legs released my waist and she slid down my front.
"Here? You wanna do this here?" I gestured to the living room.
"No, but I'm not about to risk further bodily injury just so you can play cave man and haul my ass up the stairs. I'm walking this set."
"Fine by me, but I doubt you can carry me like I did you."
She laughed that beautiful laugh of hers, and used the towel around my neck to rein me in closer to her. She backed her way up the staircase and pulled me with her. "No, I wouldn't even try to. You'd give me a hernia."
She stopped at the top of the stairs and drew me to her. There were no words of "are you sure?" or "we can stop." This was all or nothing. We had both come to our own conclusions that this was the right time. We didn't need words to confirm it. She led me to her room, our frenzy settling into acceptance that this was happening. I pulled her to me as we entered her room. Scooping her up, I cradled her to my chest as we crossed over to her bed. When I righted her, I took care to press a kiss to each bruised elbow before kneeling to do the same for her tender knees. Her fingers wound into my hair as I nuzzled up her thigh, nibbling and licking the salt off her skin there. When I reached her tattoo of the daisy and the tiny bird, I paid the image homage with a chaste kiss.
I looked up into her heavy eyes before hitching my fingers under the elastic of her suit bottoms and gently tugging them down. The sight of her bare before me was more than I remembered. So very much more. I wanted to savor the sight of her, drink her in. She stepped out and I tossed the bottoms aside. Overwhelmed by the moment, I wound my arms around her waist and pressed my cheek to her stomach. And just breathed. I breathed in the scent of her, the warm air around her, and the sweet, musky smell of her need for me. Only when I felt Bella's gentle hands in my hair did I stir to stand. I trailed kisses up her abdomen and in the valley between the gentle swells of her breasts. Next to receive the treatment were her shoulders, and as I nipped and licked at the taut skin there, I tugged on the ties that held her top against her skin. The tiny scraps fell away, tumbling to the ground.
The feel of her skin in my hands felt like silk as I smoothed my palms over her now naked form. She gasped quietly when I brushed over the peaks of her nipples with my finger tips. It seemed like eons since I had last felt Bella like this. Almost like another lifetime. It was like it had been the first time I'd touched her, but familiar, unhurried, right. She reached between us and palmed my length through my suit. Her hands slowly explored me in ways she hadn't in so long. It was heaven and hell, the sweetest pleasure and the cruelest torture. One of her hands crept up the ripples of my abdomen, tracing the contours of my chest and arms, always fascinated by the colors that adorned the skin there.
"Edward?" Her voice was small, tentative, almost fearful as if I might deny her the request she was about to make. I reassured her with a tender kiss. "Edward, why this one? What does it read?" Her fingers brushed the ink that covered the ribs on my right side. I was not expecting that question, but I would deny her nothing in the moment.
"It says 'Tiger' and it’s my sign. I was born in the year of the Tiger."
She traced the strokes that made up the symbol. "I didn't know you were into ancient Chinese Astrology...."
"Just as you are always so quick to remind me that there are many things that I don't know about you, there are many things that you do not know about me."
"Touché. So I guess that explains this tiger head on your bicep. It’s beautiful, by the way. I've never seen one like it."
"Yes, that's me. And I drew that one." My breath caught when she placed a kiss on the tiger as I had just done to the flower on her hip.
"And this one, on the left side?"
Her touch ghosted across my abdomen to the skin on the other side of my body. Her other hand remained entirely occupied as well, making it difficult to concentrate. I didn't have to look to know it was Masen's tat.
"'Dragon’. That one reads dragon, and it’s Masen's sign." Her hand immediately made the connection at the same moment her brain did and reached for the graphic tribal tat of a dragon that wrapped around my lower arm on the same side.
"It’s such a strong image for such a little guy. But it fits him."
"This is how I see Masen. Sure, he's my son, but he's his own person, and he's a tough little shit. I remind myself of that each time I look down at that one. He may just be a kid, but he's very capable."
Bella became very quiet. My hands were busy caressing her soft form. My eyes followed them wherever they went, hungry for the sight and feel of her. She stood there, naked, bared for me to take in. I wanted to be just as vulnerable as she was, so I stilled her hand and brought it to my lips where I pressed a kiss to her fingers then laid it flat to my chest. Then I slowly slid my suit off and stepped out of it. Her eyes slowly opened to watch me move. They drifted up and settled on my chest and on the new addition that they found there. Well, new to her. I'd had this one a little over a month now. Just under Masen's name that was emblazoned across my entire chest were two new Chinese characters. They sat over my heart.
"These- these are new...? I don't remember these, Edward, and believe me, I have every inch of your body committed to memory." Her gaze drifted over my naked body and Little Eddie responded to his audience of one. I was so proud of the little fucker at that moment.
"Oh, really? Well, you're right. These are new, but they are actually one tat. And before I tell you what it means, I'm hoping you'll finally tell me about your tat." I bent to kiss the swell of her breast, "Tit for tat, I think the saying goes." I expected her to shut down at the mention of her tattoo. Maybe it was the fact that we were both so exposed and vulnerable. Maybe she sensed that I was about to tell her something profound about my new tattoo, but she didn't hesitate. And it made me love her even more for it.
She pulled us both down onto her bed, lying across it on her back. I shifted to my side to see her better. She was glorious with her hair around her. I leaned to kiss her, to reassure her that I was here, and listening. She took my hand and pressed it to the picture on her hip, craving that physical connection between us. Several times she began to speak, only to stop and try to start again. I knew this was big for her, but the not knowing and the mystery were worse than any history she could give me. Sensing she needed more from me, I bent and kissed both the flower and the bird that graced the snowy skin of her pelvis, then nestled my head to her abdomen. I thought it might be easier to talk about whatever the fuck it was if she didn't feel like she was being stared at. It worked. She curled her leg over my waist and started talking again.
"They're a daisy and a lark, images from a bedtime story my mother used to tell me when I was a really little girl. I got it to remind me of someone I never want to forget. It’s hidden 'cause it’s very personal, and I don't talk about it. Ever. It's just easier if it’s not in plain sight for everyone to see and comment on." I sensed that she was finished, that this was all the explanation I was going to get from her at that moment. But I needed more. So I pushed a little and took a guess.
"Which one represents you? The bird or the flower?" I was shocked that she answered me.
"The daisy. I'm the daisy."
“So, who is the lark, love?”
“My sister, Theresa-- Reese.”
When she spoke that name my eyes shot to hers. I’d heard that name before, when she slept. One minute she would be sleeping soundly in my arms, peace and contentment radiating off her unconscious form like waves. This is where I slept best: next to Bella. I knew that this is where I wanted to spend every night for whatever time I had on this planet. I wanted to be here, next to my girl. But at some point in the night something would change, almost as if someone had flipped a light switch, and suddenly she would be deep in a nightmare. These dreams were old news now. I knew the routine. Bella would start out sleeping like a baby, wrapped in my arms, but then she would become a bit restless. Soon she would be kicking and thrashing, crying out into the dark that enveloped us. She would cry out the same thing every night. "Reese! I'm so sorry! Reese! Don't go! Stay with me... stay with us! Reese!" And I was powerless to stop it. Sure, if it were a real thing that I could fight then I would. I would dismember the fucker with my bare hands, whatever or whoever it was that caused my heart to crack like this, and that was exactly what Bella had become. My heart. With each and every nightmare I felt her crack and fragment. I worried that she would never be able to repair the damage her sub-conscious was inflicting. It ended the same way each time: The nightmare would get to a point where I could no longer bear to hear her cry out, so I would shake Bella until she awoke, scared and disoriented. She would then apologize for disturbing me and jump up to use the restroom. The water would run as she knocked back a glass of water, and then she would walk back to bed, crawl back under the covers and snuggle in close to me. This is how we would drift back to sleep.
Finally, I had an answer. I now knew who Reese was. I tenderly caressed the skin at her hip and put my head back against her soft abdomen.
“I didn’t know you had a sister, baby.”
Bella was quiet, and for a moment I thought she finished talking, but then she continued.
“I was very young when she died, I was eight and she was five, but she was my world. There was a horrible accident. I survived and she did not. I miss her every day, and I still feel the void she left just as much as the day she died. I have these--nightmares, and I relive the night of the accident.”
“Oh, Bella. I’m so sorry, sweetie. I had no idea. Tell me about her?”
“Not now, Edward. I will., I promise I will, but right now I just need to be here in this moment with you. To love you and have you love me. Can you do that, please?”
I moved to lie alongside her again so I could see her. I started with her hair and looked down the full length of her body, pausing to look at the tattoo we were just discussing, then continuing to her toes and back up again. I saw her differently than that first time she revealed her form to me in her class room. My view of her had changed even since that last time we were together like this. I wanted to protect her, provide for her, consume her, ravish her, reward her. I wanted to rejoice that she had trusted me, and I wanted to honor and acknowledge that trust. I took her hand and placed it over my heart and the tat she had asked about just minutes earlier. I used her finger tip to trace the ink.
"It reads 'Phoenix.' It’s your sign, Bella. You were born in the year of the Phoenix, and this is your sign over my heart." I knew she could feel my heart under her hand. Hell, I could feel hers through her finger tips. Yet there was no response. No smart ass remark, no quirky quip. Just silence.
Then in a flash of skin and limbs Bella was over me, straddling me, pushing me back into the mattress. Her mouth crashed down onto mine, her one hand remained over my heart while the other braided into my hair. She broke the kiss first.
"You marked yourself with my sign?" It was more of a statement than a question, but there was the tiniest inflection at the very end. More disbelief than question.
"Yeah, baby, I did. I wanted to remember someone very special to me -- always." I intentionally used words similar to the ones she had just used herself. This was as close to telling her I loved her as I could get right at that moment. And it was close enough.
Bella buried her face in my neck, planting kisses there, nuzzling her way along my recently unshaved jaw to my chin.
“I love the scruff, Edward. I love how it scratches against my skin.”
I obliged her by gently rubbing against her neck and collar bone, soothing the sensitive skin with my tongue as I went. She rocked over me at the sensation, moaning. Her warm, wet center brushed against my stomach as she move back and forth. I sat up, straining to reach her better. The shift caused my erection to slip between us, her core sliding along the length. Her hands kneaded at the muscles covering my shoulders: pulling me closer, spurring me on as I matched her movements from beneath her.
"Edward...." Bella's voice was breathy, pleading. "Edward, I need this. I'm ready for this...."
"I'm yours, Bella. My soul, my heart, my body- it belongs to you."
Our voices were hushed and reverent, each of us acknowledging the return to one another. My skin tingled across every square inch. Every pore hummed at her touch. I could hear the hair on my chin as it scraped against her skin, causing her to moan and bow backwards- allowing me better access to where she wanted to feel me scratch the supple skin of her chest and neck. Her breathing turned to pants, and her hands planted themselves on my shoulders. Her nails dug into my skin, the pain erotic and intoxicating. The length of her hair cascaded behind her, pooling in my lap, each move she made causing it to sway and dance over my thighs in cool waves. The dueling sensations of pleasure and pain and the friction Bella was creating had me reeling. I wanted her to feel it as well; I cupped her beautiful breasts in my hands, running my fingers over the pink tips before bending to rub them with the scruff of my chin then suckle each one. I felt Bella shift her hips backward, aligning me perfectly with her entrance. When she shifted again I felt the soft warmth of her core as I slipped into her. We both gasped at the sensation. I grabbed her hips to still her and just savor the moment. Then, when I couldn't wait any longer, I lowered her slowly down onto me. Bella cried out as I filled her, overcome by the moment of us being like this again. She rocked as our hips met, exploring the feel of us together this way. Carefully, she lifted herself up, drawing tight around me as she did. I hissed in a breath as she neared the tip and then sank back down again, her slow movements maddening and perfect.
I let her continue, setting our pace. We were unusually quiet as Bella continued with the purposeful rise and fall, the friction building with each shift she made. We let our bodies say everything we held deep within. Then, when I thought I was going to have to beg her to move faster, she did just that. Her breathtaking form moved over me faster and faster. I reached behind her, grasping at her back as she steadied her hands on my shoulders. I buried my head in the crook of her neck and breathed in the sweet, salty scent of her; the coconut oil mixing with the smell of sex and need. I licked and kissed and nipped at the tender flesh there; spurring her on. Her head fell back as I felt her tighten around me, constricting and contracting again and again. I was so close, just barely holding back, when I felt her shudder and heard the most beautiful sound as she cried out one word: Edward. Me. My name. In her greatest moment of need it was my name she called. No one else's. This knowledge threw me over the edge, bringing me to climax just after her. We slowed, the urgency and passion replaced with tenderness. Bella again rocked gently over me. Savoring the connection, allowing us to ride out the waves of aftershock that still wracked our bodies. When we finally broke the sacred silence it was with a surprising giggle that escaped from her smiling, blissful lips.
"What's so funny, my love?" I gently positioned us back against her pillows, tucking her into my side. She looked up adoringly at me as she answered.
"I've never felt that intense before. Or that powerful, but I felt entirely exposed at the same time. I guess I'm just a little blown away that I could feel that way all at the same time."
"You were- are.... You are beautiful, and powerful, and intense, Bella. And so much more. I can't wait to show you all the things you are. And I can't wait to show you all the things I want to do to this beautifully intense body of yours."
We spent the rest of the day and all that night reconnecting and rediscovering each other. After expending every ounce of energy we had playing out fantasies, Bella fell asleep in my arms as she had more nights than I could count. This time curled against my bare chest, her hand over my heart and her mark on it. Her mark went much deeper than the ink did, though. She was etched on the very muscle that beat below the indelible symbol, and there she slept, quietly, through the entire night.
~oOo~
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