Chapter 14 (She Was Thankful)

Chapter 14~(She Was Thankful)

BPOV

Best.Thanksgiving.Ever.

I had slept peacefully and dreamlessly all night, completely wrapped up in my sweet southern sugar.  We never went to sleep in the same position and definitely never stayed in the same position.  But we were snugglers throughout for sure. 

Thanksgiving morning as my eyes fluttered open for the first time, I felt something warm and wet making its way up my leg.  The feeling started at the top of my left foot and made a path that continued to my knee.  It was repeated on the right side.  A slow, lazy smile stretched across my face once consciousness caught up with me and I realized what was happening.  This is so much better than coffee.

Edward’s kisses alternated from one thigh to the next, covering every inch of skin until he reached the apex between them, making me gasp.  He looked up at me from between my legs with his crooked grin.  He obviously knew what he was doing to me.  His fingertips followed the same trail that his kisses had just left, teasing me mercilessly.  He continued his kisses along each hipbone and to my abdomen, stopping to dip his tongue into my belly button.  My moan turned into a giggle when he suddenly blew a raspberry there.

He continued his tongue torture to my cleavage.  He teased one nipple with his teeth while gently tugging on the other with his fingers.  He traced my collar bones up my neck to my bottom lip.  He never said a word while he worshiped every inch of my body and his silence just made his actions that much more intense.

He kissed behind my ear and down my neck and shoulder, while reaching down and intertwining our hands.  He placed soft kisses at every finger tip, never looking away from my eyes.

“I love you, Bella.  This is our first Thanksgiving together and I wanted to spend the first moments of it showing you just how thankful for you I am.” 

He rolled off of me to the side, pushing me over until I was lying on my stomach.  He started his worship of me again over the backside of my body.  He made circles on the backs of my knees, reminding me of our first kiss.  He wrote ‘I love you’ across my ass cheeks, making me giggle again.  He teased his fingertips along my sides as he kissed his way up my spine.  Between every kiss, he told me something that he loved about me.

“You are beautiful.  You are kind.  You are brave.  You are funny.  You are smart.  You are honest.  You are loyal.  You are loving and caring.  You are a wicked tease.  But best of all…you are mine.”

By the time he finished his journey up my spine and to my neck I didn’t know whether I needed to moan out of pleasure or cry out of awe and adoration for this precious man.

“I love you.  Every single part of you.  Inside and out.”  He moved my hair to the side, placing kisses behind my ear.  “You are the sunshine when I wake up, the laugh that gets me through the day, and the kiss that puts me to sleep at night.”

After nudging my legs farther apart with his knee, he reached down and pushed my leg up until it was bent at my side.  He gently stroked between my folds, finding me more than ready for him.  He pressed down, teasing me with his tip from behind. 

“You are my best friend, my love and my life.  You are the song in my heart and the melody of my soul.  Thank you for giving yourself to me,” he murmured.

As hot tears streamed down my face, he entered me fully in one thrust.  His arms were bent under mine, cupping around my shoulders.  I wanted to push back against him, but there wasn’t much I could do in this position but to take the love he was giving me.  He was hitting the sweetest spots, bringing me to my release quicker than I would have thought possible while he continued to pepper my shoulders with kisses.

My walls clenched around him, while I grasped the sheets and cried out his name.  He followed behind me in his climax, groaning and biting my shoulder.  He pulled out of me slowly, prolonging the feel good, and rested back on his side while we caught our breath.

I rolled over so that I could look into his bright green eyes.  I placed my hand on his cheek and smiled at him while he kissed my palm before leaning into it.

“No one has ever loved me like you do.  No one has shown me an ounce of the tenderness that you have.  No one has ever possessed my heart, mind, body and soul like you do.  There will never be anyone else.  I am more thankful for you than I am for anything or anyone else, ever.  I will always be yours and I can only pray that you’ll always be mine.”

We kissed slowly and tenderly, sometimes with tongues and other times only with lips until my alarm reminded me that I had to go to work.  It was painful to have to leave him in that bed.  So I offered him my hand so that he could shower with me.  After all, I needed to thank him properly for being so good to me.

-x-X-x-

I hated working on holidays.  That wasn’t always the case, but it definitely was now.  Growing up, my family didn’t do much to celebrate holidays.  I was an only child, born to only children.  While my grandparents were still living and before my parents divorced, we would go visit with them on Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.  After my parents split, the holidays just became like any other day, only differing at Christmas when there were a few small gifts and we baked cookies.

No, this year was definitely different and to tell you the truth, I was bored out of my mind.  Most of our usual patients had rescheduled their treatments for different days, and the hospital census was low, ensuring that we probably wouldn’t have anyone new to worry about.  We were running a bare bones staff which only included Lauren, Bree and I working the shift.  We busied ourselves by cleaning up the supply closet, restocking the rooms and playing round after round of Bullshit.  It’s a good thing we didn’t have any patients after a while.   Who knew playing cards could get so rowdy?

I was pouting over losing the last round when the sexiest voice to ever have been created spoke softly against my ear, “You’d better quit pokin’ out that lip or somebody might come along and bite it.”

I jumped, not having heard him walk into the unit.  It really never mattered what he said.  If he was anywhere near my ear, I was going to shiver.  Damn traitorous body.

I spun around in my chair to face him.  Edward had both hands on the desk on either side of me, caging me in.  He had a huge smile on his face and a mischievous look in his green eyes.

“You scared me!  Your stalking abilities are almost at ninja level.  What are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be having lunch with your family?”  Gah, it is really hard not to attack him with his gorgeous green eyes and pouty lips being so close.  And after everything he did and said this morning.

“Actually we will be havin’ lunch with my family.  We’ll be havin’ it here,” he said, standing up and pulling me along with him.  He drew me into a tight hug and placed a kiss on top of my head.

I looked up at him with complete confusion written all over my face.  “Sugar, I don’t understand.  Why aren’t you guys at your parents’ house?  It’s a holiday.”

“Well, every year on Thanksgiving my family, along with those of a few of the other doctors pitch in and host a Thanksgiving meal here at the hospital.  We do it for the families of the patients who are here.  The way we see it, you never want to be in the hospital at all, much less on a holiday, and their loved ones hate to leave them here alone.  So, we bring Thanksgiving to them.  Everything is catered, so it gives the cafeteria staff a break because they don’t have to cook, only help us serve.”

I was in awe of this man and his family once again.  During what can be a difficult time for our patients and their families, they give them unconditional love, charity and compassion.

“I love you.  And I love your family.  I can’t believe that you not only give up your own holiday, but you go to an extreme to bring such joy to others who wouldn’t otherwise have it.  It’s awesome, Edward.”

He sat down in my chair and pulled me down across his lap, immediately twirling the ends of my pony tail.  “Look,” he said in a quieter voice.  “We know that we have been blessed beyond what others have been.  We know the hardships that the families go through to have to miss out on traditions.  If bringing them lunch for one day lifts their spirits and takes their minds off of the stressors that are keepin’ them here even for a little bit, then it’s all worth it.”

At that moment, I didn’t exactly care that I was at my place of employment.  I didn’t care that kissing my man while at work was completely inappropriate.  What I did care about was the fact that he was genuine and caring and completely mine.

“Can’t y’all knock that mess off for like two seconds?  Ed, we have about twenty turkeys to carve.  Get your lips off of your woman and get your ass back downstairs,” Emmett said after he came bursting through the doors.

Edward looked up at me sheepishly.  “I’m supposed to be workin’, but I needed to come and see you,” he whispered.

“I’m glad you did.  Now go.  I’d hate for Emmett to have to physically remove you.  That caveman stuff is only sexy when you do it to me.”

“I’ll remember that, baby girl,” he said, giving me a peck on the cheek.  “Alright, Em.  Let’s go slice and dice.”  With that, Emmett put Edward in a head lock and gave him a noogie as they walked out of the unit and back towards the elevators. 

-x-X-x-

Lauren and Bree knew that I wanted to spend a little time with the Cullen’s before having lunch, so they offered to let me go down to the cafeteria first.  The food was set up buffet style, just as you would have it at home.  I couldn’t tell who was a doctor or who was a family member.  People were scattered everywhere; some sitting at tables eating, some fixing plates to go, presumably back to their loved ones who were sick.  Others were merely standing around talking and laughing.  The feelings in the room were palpable.  There was love, joy, peace, appreciation and the very one that the day was all about…thankfulness.

I spotted a mass of wild hair across the room and snuck up on the man that I was dying to see.  I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind, giving him a gentle squeeze.  I didn’t mean to interrupt his conversation, but when he looked under his arm to see who was hugging him, he excused himself from the other gentleman.

“Well, hello Sunflower!  I wasn’t sure I was gonna get to see you until tonight.  How did you manage to sneak off down here?”  Pops held both of my hands in his, drawing them to his mouth to kiss the backs of each of them.

“I did no such thing.  They have to feed the help if they want us to keep working.  What about you?  When did you get here?”

“This mornin’.  I had some business to tend to first, though.  Besides, you know I like to make everybody else do all the work if I can get away with it,” he said, giving me a wink.  So wicked.  I have a feeling Edward is going to be just like him when he’s that age.

I studied him for a moment trying to figure out what he had been up to.  “It’s too cold to fish I would think…,” I trailed off, tapping my chin with my finger.

“Very good, Sunflower.  Huntin’ season just came in and this happens to be my favorite time to go.  No deer stands.  I’m too old to be climbin’ trees.  Right now you have to stalk the deer or use a dog.  As it was, I happened along a beautiful red bloodhound who was more than happy to help out an old man.”

“You kidnapped Roscoe?” I asked him, completely amused.

“Borrowed.  Kidnapping makes it sound like he wasn’t a willin’ participant.  I assure you, he was.  Saw our first buck of the year, too.”

“Did you…shoot it?” I asked.  I had never been around hunters and I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about the subject.

“Shoot it?  Hell no!  How would a seventy five year old man and a lazy dog have gotten that thing out of the woods?” he laughed.  The man had me clutching my stomach in stitches.

“Come on around here with me.  I believe a young man in a hair net would like to see you.”  He led me to the carving stations where Emmett and Edward were hard at work so that I could begin fixing my lunch plate and get back to work.

“Hey, Little Bell!  You ready for some turkey?  They were fried this mornin’,” Emmett said while waving his carving utensils in the air.

“Fried turkey?  How does that work with the stuffing?”

Emmett dropped his fork and knife with a clatter, shaking his head.  Edward and Pops were laughing, but I wasn’t completely sure what about.

“Baby girl…I need to give you a little lesson.  Down here, we don’t do ‘stuffing’.  We have ‘dressin’.  The only thing we eat that comes out of a bird’s ass is an egg.  Dressin’ is somethin’ that you make so much of, it will only fit in a roastin’ pan.  It’s just as much the star of the table as the birds are.”

“Well, what about the giblet gravy?” I asked.

“Have mercy!  Edward…are you sure about this girl?  I mean, she just…,”

“Emmett, let me handle this.  She doesn’t know any better.  You keep workin’.  The next rush of employees will be comin’ in just a few minutes.  Now,” he said, turning to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder, “I can’t have my baby girl lookin’ like a tourist in the buffet line.  Let me help you out a little.”

I wasn’t sure, but I think I was a little mad at him.  I didn’t exactly appreciate his tone.  “I’m not stupid, Edward.  You don’t have to hold my hand and treat me like I’m three.”

“Mmm, feisty.  I like that.  But I didn’t say you were stupid, lovin’.  You ought to know better than anyone that we just do things differently around here, even the food.  But trust me when I tell you that it’s all good.  I just want to be there in case you have any questions.  Like dumplins for instance; they taste a whole hell of a lot better than they look.  And we typically do sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin pie.”

I rolled my eyes and shrugged his arm off of my shoulder.  Where was Rose when I needed someone to be smacked in the back of the head?  “Thanks.  I’ve got it from here.  Besides, I see your mom and I want to say hi before I go back to work.”  I walked ahead of him, continuing to load up my plate, still feeling a little ticked.

“Baby girl…are you really mad at me?” he asked, trying to give me his best pout.  Evil.

I sighed.  I wasn’t mad at him, but I really hated being reminded that I wasn’t from ‘around here’.  It just made me feel like I wasn’t really a part of things.

“No.  I’m not mad.  We’ll talk about it later, sugar.  I’ll see you tonight,” I mumbled.  I walked away from him in search of Esme.  She was in conversation with one of the other doctor’s wives that I recognized from going to church with us.

“Hi, Esme.”  She turned around to greet me, but her smile never reached her eyes once she saw the look on my face.

“What’s that face about, Sweets?  Do I need to go pick a switch for my son?”

She knew exactly how to make me laugh.  “That obvious, huh?  No, he was joking around earlier and I took it the wrong way I think.”

She led me out of the cafeteria doors and into a small alcove so that we could talk.

“What exactly did he say?” she asked me, furrowing her brows.

“Nothing mean.  Like I said, it was a joke that I just let get to me.  He and Emmett were teasing me about how things were done differently down here, even when it came to food.  I don’t know…for some reason it just reminded me that I’m not from here, like I’m a visitor…like I don’t belong.  He didn’t mean anything by it.  I was just being sensitive.”

“Well first of all, you most certainly DO belong.  You belong right here with us.  I better never hear you say otherwise again.  Secondly, I’ve never known you to be overly sensitive.  Are you sure it’s nothing else?”  Damn mind reader.  The whole lot of them.

“I think it’s just another one of those times that I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.  You know I don’t really have any family left.  I mean, my mom is alive, but we aren’t close at all; just an occasional call here or there.  We were never big on holidays or celebrating anything for that matter.  And since the moment I woke up this morning, this whole day has been about love and giving and togetherness and sometimes I’m still not sure how to process all of it.  Does that make any sense?”

“Sure it does, Sweets.  But sometimes overwhelming love is the best kind of love.  It’s all consuming, swallowin’ you right up.  But it’s the kind that sticks around for life or longer.  I don’t pretend to understand how you are feelin’ because this is all I have ever known.  But maybe you should talk to Edward about it.  I know you two love each other.  It’s plain as day and written all over you.  If I had to bet, I’m sure he’s in there right now with his super pout on.  But I know he’ll understand.”

She had given me a lot to think about.  I’m pretty sure that’s why I wanted to see her.  I needed a mother’s love and understanding and she definitely gave me that.  She gave me a hug and a kiss, sending me back to the unit for a few more hours of work.

-x-X-x-

I arrived to the Cullen’s house that evening for the family’s Thanksgiving dinner.  I had been heartbroken all afternoon just thinking about how Edward must have felt.  I knew that he had been teasing me all in good fun and had no idea what my reaction was about.  I had sent him a text as soon as I got back to work to reassure him that everything was fine and that I loved him.  I also knew that before we sat down for dinner that I needed to apologize and explain.  I’ve seen the terrible effects of miscommunication and worse yet, non-communication.  I wouldn’t let that happen with Edward and me.

I should have known he would be waiting on the front porch for me when I drove up.  He was absolutely beautiful, reclined on the steps.  He had on a charcoal grey sweater and black cargo pants.  His hair was illuminated by the porch light and in a riotous mess.  I’m sure his hand had made a trip or two through those gorgeous locks today.  He gave me a tentative smile as I got out of my Tahoe and started walking towards the front door.  That was a smile I never wanted to see again.  I missed the one that was sure and mischievous.  He stood when I reached him, drawing me into a crushing hug.  I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him with everything I had in me.

“Hi,” I said, looking up at him sadly.

“Hey.”

“Can we go sit out back for a few minutes?  I want to tell you what that was about today.”

“Sure.  Um…can I get a kiss first?”  He was so unsure of us right now and that was something I really needed to fix.

“You never have to ask to kiss me, sugar.”  He bent his head slowly to mine, first nuzzling my nose with his.  I leaned in and he brushed his lips against mine twice.  He licked his lips when he opened his eyes to look at me.  I reached my hands around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair so that I could bring him closer.  He needed to know how much I loved him and shy kisses weren’t going to do that.  I crushed my lips against his, kissing him like he had been gone for two weeks, not like I hadn’t talked to him in a few hours.  I pulled his bottom lip between my teeth and that’s when I felt the shift along with his moan.   I knew that he finally believed that everything was ok.

I nudged his lips open with my tongue, needing to taste him more than I needed my next breath.  I clung to him while our tongues explored and twirled and our teeth nipped and pulled.  I never wanted it to end, but I needed to reassure him.  I needed to tell him how I felt.  Our lips reluctantly pulled apart, but he continued hugging me, my ear over his heart and his chin on my head.

“Come on.  This won’t take long,” I said, pulling him by the hand down the steps towards the back yard.

We sat on the same swing that we had the first time I came to the Cullen’s for lunch.  That seemed like so long ago now.  We danced around each other that afternoon with flirting and innuendo.  Today however, I needed to be open and honest; no more holding back.  This was the last wall that needed to come down.

We faced each other, his arm immediately resting along the back of the swing and his hand weaving through my tangled hair.  He needed the connection and to be honest, so did I.

“Edward, I’m sorry.  My reaction didn’t really have anything to do with you.  I know you were just teasing me about not being from around here.  But for some reason, it really hit me today.  It reminded me that for a lot of years, I haven’t had anywhere that I belonged.  I’ve been wandering aimlessly it would seem, never taking the time to find my roots.  For the first time, I want to do that.  I want to belong somewhere, to someone.  I want to have a ready answer when someone asks where I’m from.”

I looked away from my twisting hands and into his piercing green eyes.  They were so full of love and understanding.  He removed his hand from my hair to cup my cheek.

“You do have somewhere to belong.  You belong here…with me,” he said tenderly.

“I know I do, but it can be so freaking overwhelming.  I haven’t talked to you about it before because I was afraid that if I did, you would take it the wrong way and back off which is not what I need you to do at all.  It’s just that I have never experienced anything like this.  Not just you or your family, whom I adore, but this whole town.  It’s like I got here and was immediately engulfed into a hug that no one sees any need of letting me out of.  There is so much love and kindness and acceptance that I sometimes don’t know how to handle everything that my heart is feeling.  I have lived so long without it that when I’m faced with such a rush of it, like I was today, it can almost be crushing.  It took talking to your mom to realize that it isn’t a bad thing, that all consuming love.  That it’s actually what matters most.  If love isn’t compelling, what’s the point?”

He was tracing the features of my face, down my neck and over my collarbones.  I loved it when he touched me this way just as much as I loved his touches from this morning.  After a few moments of silence, he finally looked into my eyes.

“I’m sorry my words, that were meant to be a joke, wound up hurting you.  I need you to know that I always want you here with me.  I want you to feel like this is your home, Bella; like I am your home.  I stand behind my words when I said that things are different down here.  But I think they are a good kind of different.  All of the things that you explained… it’s just who we are.  It’s all we know.  I understand that it can be overwhelming for you at times, but it all comes from a good place with good intentions.  I hope that instead of runnin’ from it, you’ll embrace it, and that you’ll tell me when you’re feelin’ a little swamped by it all.”

“I will, I promise.  I’m so sorry sugar.  I hope you’ll forgive the way I acted.”  He pulled me across his lap and wrapped his arms around me, nuzzling my ear with his nose.

“There’s nothin’ to forgive, baby girl.  Nothin’ at all.  I love you.  You know that, right?”  He pulled his face back from mine so that he could look me in the eyes.  “I mean, I would like to think that I did a pretty damn good job of showin’ you this mornin’,” he smirked.  Cocky ass…who had every right to be.

“You sure did, sugar.  And I love you.  How about I show you when we get home?”

He leaned in and nuzzled my nose.  “Hell to the yeah, baby girl.”

I think your family may have started eating without us,” I giggled as I looked inside the back windows.

“That’s alright.  I’m really more interested in dessert anyway.”  Satan.

-x-X-x-

For the second morning in a row I was not happy about having to get up to go to work.  The reason for my feeling that way was lying on my chest snuggled between my boobs.  It seemed that Edward had no intention of letting me leave any time soon since he also had one of his legs slung over mine and an arm wrapped around my waist in a vice grip.  I had no idea how we got that way or even how I had actually managed to sleep.

I had woken up early even though I had been thoroughly exhausted in the best way.  It seemed like Edward and I apologized and accepted each other’s apologies for hours.  Actually, I’m pretty sure there was no inch of his body that I left unattended.  He looked preciously pleasured and thoroughly worn out when we finally made it to sleep.  I looked over at my alarm clock and realized that I only had five minutes left until it was supposed to go off.  I reached over and turned it off so that it wouldn’t wake Edward.

It took every one of those five minutes to pry him off of me so that I could get into the shower and start getting ready for work.  The reason I was glad to be working was because it was Black Friday and all of the Cullen women were supposed to go shopping that day.  Alice told me it was a tradition and to appreciate having to work this year because I wasn’t going to be able to get out of going with them next year.  Next year…just the thought of still being here then brought butterflies to my stomach.

After I dried off, I walked over to my closet to find some scrubs to wear to work but was immediately stopped in my tracks.  There hanging on the door was a brand new pair of Alabama scrubs and a houndstooth covered badge reel with a note clipped to it.

Dear Bella,

I bought these for you a few weeks ago, but have been holding on to them

so that you would have them to wear on the big day.  I’ll never

forget how you looked or what you were wearing, or rather what you weren’t, when you finally

said such sweet words to me...”Roll Tide, Sugar”.  They have been

some of my favorite other than I love you.  I hope you have a good day.

I’ll miss you something fierce.  Don’t forget that you and the girls have

a football game to lose this afternoon against us boys.

I love you, baby girl!

~Your Sugar

He had to be the sweetest and silliest man that I knew.  Who else would tell you that Roll Tide could sound just as good as I love you?  I won’t forget the day that I accidentally wore orange on a Saturday.  It was early in the football season and I wasn’t yet accustomed to wearing  team colors on game day.  I had a few errands to take care of that morning, so I was going to meet Edward over at Jasper and Alice’s house to watch the game. 

As soon as I walked in the door, Alice grabbed me by the arm and started shoving me upstairs.  “No, no, no!  You can’t show up at my house lookin’ like that!  Lord Almighty!  This is an SEC game for cryin’ outloud!” 

I had no idea what she was talking about.  I thought I looked pretty cute dressed in my fall colors.  “What’s wrong with this?” I asked her as she pushed me down on her bed.

She sighed and closed her eyes while she shook her head at me.  Apparently I was stressing her out.  “Bella, please listen so that I only have to say this once.  WE.DON’T .WEAR.ORANGE!  EVER!”  Needless to say, she gave me one of her cute retro looking Alabama shirts.

I didn’t make that mistake twice.  I should have known Angela wouldn’t lie to me.  These people are serious about their football!  That was the same night that I debuted my team choice for Edward.  He was very enthusiastic in his appreciation, especially since we won that game.  Roll Tide, indeed!

-x-X-x-

Work was busy, but there was excitement crackling in the air, especially amongst our male patients.  Alabama was playing Auburn and I learned very quickly to reference it as The Iron Bowl.  Everyone was dressed in their colors and it even got a little rowdy as game time approached and finally got underway.  No one was paying any attention to their treatments that day; all eyes were on their little televisions.

When my shift was over, I drove over to Doc and Esme’s house.  They host a family Iron Bowl party every year where they all gather at their house to watch the game together, cook lots of food and play a game of touch football out in the front yard during half time.  I was certain that it was going to get a little wild.  As I drove up I could see everyone out in front of the house tossing the football and goofing around with the kids.

Everyone was dressed in what Edward would call ‘play clothes’; their sweats and warm up suits.  The guys didn’t know it, but the girls had already met and started talking strategy.  In typical Cullen fashion, there was a bet riding on this game, so cheating was sure to ensue and we had it in good confidence that the referee was on our side.

After greeting everyone and receiving one of my favorite twirling hugs and kisses from my man, Alice and Rose whisked me upstairs so that we could change into our Sultan Sassy approved touch football attire.  Touch being the operative word.  She had picked out tight fitting Alabama jerseys that barely made it past our belly buttons and tight grey yoga pants.  We weren’t afraid to play a little dirty if we had to.  If I were one of those betting Cullen’s, I would dare to say that it might get a lot dirty after the boys saw us.

“Come on girls.  We’ve got a game to win,” Alice said, grinning evilly as she began to descend the stairs.

We all walked outside and got into our huddle, effectively beginning our own game by sticking out our asses in our tight pants.  “Mark my words.  One of them will be over here within five seconds.  You know the plan and Pops is in on it, so don’t worry about…,” were the last words I heard from Rosalie.

I was being pulled from the huddle by an amused looking Edward.  He wrapped his arms around my waist, locking his fingers behind me.  He raked his eyes over my jersey very carefully before leaning down to whisper in my ear.  “What in the hell are you wearing?”

“My uniform.  You don’t like it?” I asked too innocently for my own good and giving him my best doe eyes.

He rubbed his hardness against my belly.  “I think you can figure out the answer to that baby girl.  Now who’s the one not playing fair?” he growled.

“We just wanted to look cute, that’s all.”  I pulled him even tighter to me.  “You might have a hard time playing with that…situation you have going on down there.  You might want to take care of that.”

“Oh, you just wait until after the game.  I’ll be sure it gets taken care of…more than once.”

“You’ll have to catch me first, and I’m pretty fast.”

“Trust me.  You won’t be runnin’ far and when I get my hands on you, it definitely won’t be fast.  You might want to think long and hard about that during the game, lovin’.”

Lord have mercy.  The trash talking has begun and that man is a pro.

Since they had already played with the kids before I got there, this game was strictly men versus women; three on three.  The adorable and not so honorable Pops was our referee.  The bet was that if the women lost, we had to be their slaves for an entire day.  That really wasn’t so bad of a deal if you asked me because I could only imagine the things my Master would ask me to do.  Shit, Bella!  Focus!  If the men lost, since they were all required to be in the annual Christmas parade anyway, we would make them wear full on elf attire while walking the parade route.  I was dying to see Emmett in tights.

The coin was flipped, giving the girls the ball first.  Our first play was going to be just a simple pass.  We knew they would cheat in some way, so we were waiting on them to make their first move.  Needless to say, it didn’t take long.

Alice was our quarterback and as she reached her arm back to throw the ball to Rosalie, Emmett barreled through, picking her up and running her in the opposite direction for a touchdown.  The boys were so busy high-fiving each other, they didn’t realize that Pops had thrown a flag on the play.

“A flag?  What is that for?”

“For holdin’ of course!” Pops explained to him.

“Holdin’?  That wasn’t holdin’.  That was an interception!”

“Fifteen yard penalty.  Automatic first down.”  The boys stalked off to their huddle grumbling about how Pops was losing it, giving out penalties in touch football.

I walked back to Alice and Rose, sneaking a wink at Pops.  They were going down!  They kept their shenanigans to themselves for the most part over the next few plays.  They did, however, turn it up a few notches with the touching.  I swear one time I was nowhere near the ball and Edward grabbed my ass with both hands.

“Hey!  Personal foul!” I yelled at him.  Pops threw the flag and gave him a penalty.  We scored on the next play.

They got the ball next and when Jasper threw it to Edward, I was all over him and even managed to jump on him, riding his back all the way to their end zone.

“Hey now Pops, that was holdin’.  Aren’t you gonna give them some kind of penalty?” Edward asked.

“Why would I?  You scored didn’t you?  Big baby.”

Edward turned around and glared at me.  “What have you done to my Pops?”

I skipped away back to the girls.  “I’d watch it if I were you.  You don’t want him to call unsportsmanlike conduct on you, now do you?” I giggled.

We went back and forth in a mix of playing and groping until the game was tied with two touchdowns each.  We were back in our huddle, the boys having the ball.

“Okay.  This is the last play.  You know what to do, right?  Full coverage as soon as the ball is snapped, got it?”

“Got it!”

We all lined up, ready to take on our own man.  Jasper stepped back, looking to throw the ball to Edward while trying to avoid Alice who was running towards him.  Rosalie and Emmett were blocking each other- or rather he was trying to chase her- while I had the hardest job of trying to catch Edward.  Just as soon as I got to him I heard Alice yell, “Now!” and I quickly darted around behind his back…and pantsed him.  The other girls had both done the same thing to their guys, effectively stunning them all.  Jasper was so in shock, he fumbled the ball and Alice picked it up and ran it for a touchdown.

We beat their pants off…so to speak!  Pops gave us high fives before going inside, saying something about not needing to witness the forms of illegal celebration he was sure his grandchildren had in mind. 

Jasper pulled his pants up and chased Alice into the house.  Emmett, who can’t really be shamed, tackled Rosalie to the ground while his pants were still around his ankles and began kissing her into a giggling fit.

Edward bent forward to grab his pants, but never broke eye contact with me.  He smirked, pulling them up slowly as he began stalking towards me, like he was a lion and I was the gimpy gazelle that he was about to devour.  The intense look in his green eyes alone was enough to make me whimper.  I started walking backward towards the house, knowing that any minute he was going to pounce.

“You’re going to look really cute in your striped tights for the Christmas parade,” I said, grinning at him and trying not to laugh.

“You, my baby girl, are one sneaky little cheat.”  I stopped once I reached the steps to the porch, allowing him to catch up with me.  “I have a feelin’ you’ll make an excellent Cullen one day,” he murmured against my lips.

I gasped at his words, which he took as an invitation to deepen our kiss.  The only thought I was capable of while he was kissing the breath out of me was that I really liked the thought of being Bella Cullen.

Like I said…Best Thanksgiving ever!

Chapter 13 (She Saw The Future)

Chapter 13~(She Saw the Future)


BPOV

Having Angela in town was a little surreal. I’d never had a friend come and visit me anywhere before. Then again, I viewed most of the people that I knew more as acquaintances than actual friends. Angela had always been good to me. I met her one day when I went to check on a patient of mine that had just received a kidney transplant. She let me know that Mr. Adams was recovering really well and that all of his lab work looked great even while he was in the Intensive Care Unit. She had been taking care of him since he was discharged to the regular surgical floor. Angela was so sweet to me and was apparently very good to him. When I went to visit him he gave her rave reviews. He talked about how he never had to wait very long for his pain medication and how she popped her head into his room several times during her shift just to check and make sure that he had everything he needed.

After that, Angela and I began meeting each other in the cafeteria for lunches and eventually, she talked me into joining her for some girls’ nights. She was around my age, in her later twenties, but had been working at Massachusetts General since she graduated from nursing school. She was a Boston native and attended UMass, graduating at the top of her class. It was no wonder she had already achieved so much, being such a go-getter. She was determined and driven and was a wonderful example to me while I was there.

“I still can’t get over the fact that you are here! You know I hate surprises, but this has been absolutely the best! I’m so glad you came.”

“Thank your man. It was half his idea anyway. You don’t even want to know how shocked I was when he answered your phone. I knew after talking to him that I had to get my ass down here.”

“Mmmm, you got Edward’s wake up voice. That really is one of my favorites. His voice is all low and rough and his accent is even thicker then. How were you able to stand it?”

“It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that. That may or may not be part of the reason I decided that I needed to come see you. I just want to lick every single one of them when they talk.”

“Well, I think they are just as fascinated by your accent there missy,” I told her.

“Do you know how hard it has been to tame this wild tongue of mine?” she laughed.

“I can only imagine. Maybe you should come here more often. It might cure you of that chronic potty mouth.”

“Hmm…maybe I will. I did have a lot of fun.”

“I noticed. And somehow I don’t think you were trying to tame your tongue so much as you were trying to ram it down Mr. Chaney’s throat,” I said, looking at her pointedly.

“Can you blame me? That man was made for my pleasure, that’s what I know.”

“Oh my word, I don’t think I want to hear this.”

“Look, you cannot deny that there must be something in the water down here. The women are beautiful and the men are gorgeous, but their slow, sexy, southern drawl and all of that charm? It’s just too much. I’m just saying.”

“I learned quickly that there really was no point in trying to resist it.”

“So I see. You know I’ve been watching you over these last few days and you’re different. The entire time you were in Boston, I never saw you let go and have as good of a time as you did Saturday at the party. I don’t even have words for yesterday. First of all I can’t believe I let you drag me to church, but lunch with the whole Cullen family? That was truly revealing. Those folks will slop sugar all over anything standing, and if they’re not kissing you, then they are tackling you with a hug. But you fit right in, like you’ve always been there.”

I let her words hang in the air between us, not really knowing what to say, but knowing that they were true.

“Why don’t you tell me more about that tall drink of sweet iced tea you’ve been hiding from me?” she said, wagging her eyebrows at me, which reminded me way too much of Emmett.

Angela and I were meeting at The Deli on the Square for lunch. I thought the name of the place was pure genius. The owner told me she named it that because that was how people would always describe which deli they meant. Like I said…pure genius. I had taken her to the hospital earlier and given her a tour so that she could see where I was working. I should have known she’d hit it off with Carmen.

“So…,” she prompted me after our waitress dropped off our sandwiches and chips.

“First of all, I haven’t been hiding him from you.”

“Well, you certainly haven’t told me how much things have progressed between you two. I don’t even think you went on a date while you were in Boston and now you have a boyfriend.”

“Did too!” She raised a questioning eyebrow at me. “Okay, well maybe only once or twice.”

“That’s what I thought. Now I know all about how you and Edward met and everything until right after you went with his family to the lake. After that, you just sort of disappeared. Now what happened?”

I swear she and Alice could be sisters, or in the very least best friends. I know I may as well tell her everything or she’ll probably just find a way to get me drunk before sundown.

I retold her everything; how Edward and I had talked at the lake, about the sweetest birthday ever when he told me about Nashville and sang me a song after giving me the necklace. I went on, telling her how I already knew that I was in love with him and his family and how it just became concrete after the open mic night at Sugar’s. I told her about his song and mine and how tender he was when we made love. I told her about how he held my heart in his very hands and how I wasn’t scared in the least to give it to him completely. I told her about how insanely sweet he was and how much I loved it when he teased me.

“I don’t know what else to tell you, Angela. He makes me feel like I’m somebody. Edward makes me feel like…well, me… and that it’s ok to be me just like I am. I knew who I was, for the most part, when I got here, but he has started teaching me who I can be. I never realized that after hiding for so many years that there were so many missing pieces. I was content in life, but I wasn’t truly happy. He’s already so much a part of me…his touch alone isn’t just written into my skin, it’s burned into my soul. Does that make any sense at all?”

She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly at me. Giving me the once over and a nod, she reached across the table and grasped my chin, looking me in the eyes.

“Well, Miss Bella,” she said in her best mock southern drawl, “it sounds like you may have finally found yourself a home.”

I smiled at her and wiped away a tear that I hadn’t even realized had fallen.

“We’ll see.”

-x-X-x-

Edward and I arrived at Emmett and Rosalie’s house at ten o’clock in the morning on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They had decided that they were ready to take advantage of their win from the Cullen Halloween Costume Contest. Angela deemed them the winners as soon as she had been introduced to everyone. Traitor…not that I could blame her. I mean, they rocked Dog and Beth!

Alice and Jasper paid for their room in Atlanta plus managed to get them two tickets to see Jason Aldean that night in concert. Edward and I were taking care of Riley and Ally and I’m pretty sure we got the better end of the deal. Those two were some seriously cute kids and they were so good. I couldn’t wait to show them what I brought with me.

“We really appreciate y’all doin’ this. We have been needin’ a night away forever. With Emmett’s game and practice schedule and with the day care, it just never seems like a good time.” Rosalie led us into their living room where Emmett and Riley were bowling on the Wii.

“Hi boys!” I said, sitting down on the couch behind where they were standing to play.

“Hey, Little Bell. You sure you’re up to this?” Emmett asked, never looking away from the television screen.

“I think we can handle it. You just go have fun and show your lady a good time. She needs some adult only time, if you know what I mean. She’s with kids all day long. She may not remember how to have an uninterrupted conversation.”

“Well, between you and me, I’m hopin’ we don’t do much conversatin’,” he said, wagging his eyebrows.

“Dear Lord, I did not need to hear that. Weren’t family body shots enough?” Edward groaned as he walked in the room with Ally sitting on his shoulders.

“Listen mister. I don’t care what you say. What y’all did was hot and if I’m honest, a little inspirational. We ought to be thankin’ you two,” Rosalie said as she placed their luggage by the door. “Come on, Em. If we leave now we can stop and have a good lunch before checking into the hotel and then get some rest before the concert.”

Emmett cut his eyes at me as he handed me the Wii remote. “Rest. That’s what we’ll call it,” he chuckled. He walked over to Rose and gave her a big sloppy kiss.

“Gross!” Riley groaned.

“What do you know? You’re seven,” Emmett said to him.

“Come here you two,” Rose said, calling Riley and Ally over to her. She kneeled down, getting eye level with them. “You two be good to each other while we’re gone. We’ll be home tomorrow after church. Don’t give Uncle Edward a hard time gettin’ up in the mornin’. And what Aunt Bella says, goes. Alright? She’ll tell me if you don’t behave.”

“Yes ma’am,” Riley said.

“’Es ma’am,” Ally agreed.

“Give us some sugar, babies. We love you.” Emmett and Rosalie got hugs and kisses from the kids and from us and walked out of the back door with him whispering, I’m sure something naughty, into her ear, making her giggle.

“Ok guys…what’s first? Games, or making cookies?” I asked them.

“Cookies!” they both screamed.

“Well come on then. I brought some cool cookie cutters. When the cookies are done, we can decorate them with icing and sprinkles and candy!”

“Baby girl, you know we are gonna have these two for the next twenty four hours. Do you really wanna get them all strung out on sugar already?”

“You don’t have to participate, Edward. I think we can have fun without you,” I told him while taking Ally down off of his shoulders and putting her on my hip. “What do you think princess?”

“I make cookies, Lella.”

“See? She wants Lella to make cookies, Eddard. Don’t be such a hiney hole.”

“Hiney hole? I’ll show you. C’mere girls!” He grabbed me around the waist and started kissing both Ally and I all over our faces.

“Stop, Eddard!” Ally growled at him. He immediately stopped kissing and instead started pouting.

“I can’t believe she growled at me. I’m her favorite.”

“Yes, but I said the magic word…cookies. Come on Sir Pouts-A-Lot. I’m sure you can make it up to her and get back on her good side.”

-x-X-x-

EPOV
After decorating three dozen cookies and eating lunch, it was time for Ally’s nap. I took Riley outside to toss the football. I told Bella that we needed to talk strategy for the upcoming annual flag football game that the whole family played every Thanksgiving.

That would give her time to set up the games we would play that afternoon before we made mini pizzas for supper that night. I thought we could play Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. They were childhood favorites of mine and I knew that they were Riley’s favorite board games. It can be hard getting him away from the Wii or his DS, so we needed to pull out the big guns. Plus, those were easy enough that we could let Ally play with us.

“Uncle Edward, is Aunt Bella your girlfriend?”

“What do you know about girlfriends big man?”

“Well, she is a girl, and she’s your friend and I saw you kissing her at my birthday party.”

“Boy nothin’ gets by you. Yes, she is my girlfriend,” I said, tossing the ball back to him. I was working with him on how to make the ball spiral when you throw it.

“Is she gonna be my real Aunt Bella someday?”

Good Lord. This kid is killin’ me here. Why couldn’t he have asked his dad this?

“Um…well…I’m not sure yet. She just started being my girlfriend a couple of months ago. It usually takes a little longer than that, bud.”

“That’s not what Lexie said.”

“Who is Lexie?”

“She’s a girl in my class. She wears pink glasses. She told me that when a boy and a girl like each other, they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Then they get married so they can kiss and hold hands. And then after that is when the baby comes. Are you and Bella gonna have a baby?”

I stopped throwing the ball and stared at him in complete and utter shock. Then after I thought about what he had actually said, I doubled over laughing.

“Dude, you need to stay away from Lexie. And don’t let her be your girlfriend! That’s not exactly how it works, but yes, I love Bella and she is my girlfriend. Maybe if we’re lucky she will be your real Aunt Bella one day. Is that alright with you?” I asked, starting to throw the ball again.

He shrugged. “That’s cool.” Wait ‘til I tell Emmett about this one.

We made our way inside about the time that Bella was coming downstairs with a freshly bathed Ally. That child was precious and totally owned my heart. I hated to say it, but lately, she may have been knocked down a notch on my favorite girls scale. Bella had me completely consumed and seeing her with a dark headed baby girl on her hip after the conversation I’d just had outside with Riley…it was doing things to my heart. Big things. Good things.

“Hey ladies,” I said, leaning down to kiss my two best girls. Bella pulled back, avoiding my kiss.

“No way, sugar. I love you to bits, but you smell like outside and us girls are squeaky clean. But, I think we’ll take a rain check on that kiss for when you don’t smell so much like a dirty boy.”

I leaned down, moving her hair behind her shoulder and pressed my lips to her ear. “I thought you liked it when I was a dirty boy,” I growled.

I saw the goose bumps rise behind her ear and down her neck as she shivered at my words. I couldn’t help myself, tracing them with the backs of my fingers. “Cold, lovin’?”

She narrowed her eyes at me and then grinned before turning her head to whisper into my ear. “Look down and you can see for yourself.”

I looked down and noticed just how thin her shirt was. Wicked, wicked woman. “Hateful.”

“Hmmm…I prefer to think of it as fighting fire with fire.” Our eyes were locked in a grinning stare.

“I think I’ll go take that shower now,” I said as I turned to walk upstairs.

“You might want to make it a cold one!” she hollered over her shoulder. Ain’t no doubt about that Jezebel.

-x-X-x-

Riley and Ally had luck on their sides, each winning a round of Chutes and Ladders, but I was getting my ass kicked in Candy Land. Every card they picked up either had two colored squares or a character on it, getting them further up the board. Every card I picked up only had one square on it. It was the longest game of Candy Land I had ever played.

“Cuss it! I can’t believe I suck this bad at stinkin’ Candy Land!” I looked over at Riley who was laughing his fool head off. “Just what is so funny?”

“Nothin’, Uncle Edward,” he said still giggling.

“How is it possible to get stuck on every single piece of licorice?” I looked over at Bella and she was biting her lip so hard I thought she was going to draw blood soon. She was shaking, she was trying so hard not to laugh. Suddenly realizing what must be going on, I jumped up off of the couch.

“No ma’am! Not fair! Did you seriously cheat at Candy Land?” I yelled. She finally doubled over laughing, holding her stomach.

“Oh my gosh, you should see your face! Oh Edward…that’s…oh man!”

“You know, I kind of expect it from Riley. I mean he’s seven and he’s a Cullen male. He’s hard wired to be competitive and hate losing. But to be set up by my own girlfriend…that’s just wrong!”

I picked Ally up from Bella’s lap and started walking up the stairs. “Come on princess. I think it’s time for our tea party while these two big cheaters make our supper.” I could hear Riley and Bella’s continued laughs as we went into Ally’s room.

-x-X-x-

“Girls, your pizza is ready,” Bella said, snickering as she leaned in the doorway of Ally’s room.

Ally had required a dress code for our tea party and apparently this afternoon’s theme was Candy Land characters. She had dressed herself as Grandma Nutt, or as she said it “Gamma Nut”, in a little apron and a big floppy hat. I didn’t even get to be King Candy. No, I was Princess Frostine, or “Pincess Fwosty” with my tiara and sparkly pink tutu. I had no shame for this little angel. However, the first one of those women to buy her make up will have to answer to me! I don’t think I can pull off wearing glitter blush.

Bella came across the room to where I was seated at Ally’s Tinkerbelle table and wrapped her arms around my shoulders from behind.

“I have always thought you were gorgeous, sugar, but today you are absolutely stunning,” she whispered into my ear before kissing my temple.

“I’ll do anything for my girls. You should know that by now,” I said, lifting up my tiny tea cup to her mouth so that she could take a pretend sip.

“Mmm, that’s excellent tea Grandma Nutt,” she said to Ally.

“Tank you, Lella.”

“Why don’t we put your costumes away and go have some pizza? Then we’ll watch a movie before bed.”

We walked down the stairs hand in hand with Ally following behind us so that we could catch her if she happened to fall. She insisted “I do it mysef” about everything, which quite frankly scared the shit out of me.

“You’ll make a great dad some day,” Bella said to me. That one little statement spread warmth through my entire chest. I raised her hand to my lips, placing kisses along her knuckles but not losing eye contact with her.

“Thank you, baby girl. I hope you’re right.”

We had our fill of pizza and a few more cookies. Not even twenty minutes into the movie I saw Ally start to suck her thumb, the tell-tale sign that she was getting ready to fall asleep. She slowly raised her chubby little hand to my head to start twirling my wild hair around her fingers. I could only hope that my own daughter would do the same thing. I absolutely loved that when I was with her, that it was how she would put herself to sleep. I gave her a few more minutes, feeling her fingers eventually slow until they finally stopped. I picked her up and took her upstairs to tuck her into bed.

When I got back downstairs, Riley had stretched out along the couch and had his head in Bella’s lap. She was scratching his back, singing Puff the Magic Dragon to him and his eye lids were drooping. I pulled on his toe to get his attention.

“C’mon, bud. Let’s go get your teeth brushed and get into bed. We have church in the mornin’.”

“Yes, sir.” I bet my kids will never be this good. Emmett and Rose had done such an awesome job with them.

After we set out his Sunday clothes, Riley crawled into his bed and asked me to stay and say prayers with him. He thanked God for his family, his friends, his Nintendo DS and lastly for his Aunt Bella. I couldn’t think of anything else to add to that.

After making what felt like my millionth trip downstairs since we had been there, I was ready to curl up with my girl for a little quiet time. The only problem with that was that I couldn’t find her anywhere in the house. She had turned off the movie and the only lights that she left on was a lamp by the couch and the light over the kitchen sink. Knowing how we typically spent our last moments before bed, I suddenly knew where to find her.

I opened the back door that led to the deck. She was lying down on one of the cushioned lounge chairs, wrapped up in Rose’s hot pink Snuggie, looking up at the stars. It was the perfect night for that because the sky was completely clear and the moon was basically full. She was twirling her hair and had a slight smile on her beautiful face. Rose and Emmett lived in town and I could hear the train rolling through off in the distance.

“Now why do you always sneak off from me and come outside by your lonesome? You did this at the lake too, you know.”

She smiled up at me. I moved her forward in the chair, taking my place behind her and pulling her back between my legs and against my chest. I breathed in the vanilla scent of her hair. “Why do you smell like cake?”

She giggled. “What?”

“You smell like cake…like vanilla and sugar. It makes me think of something warm and cozy, like home.”

She rested her head against my shoulder. “It’s my lotion and body spray. Warm Vanilla Sugar. Does that mean you like it?”

“Makes me want to eat you,” I whispered, biting her earlobe playfully.

“You already do that.”

“You are a very naughty girl today, not that I’m complainin’.”

“I just like teasing you. It goes both ways you know.”

“Yes, I know and I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s only one of the many things that I love about you my baby girl.”

She was quiet for a few minutes. I took her hair out of her hand so that I could run my fingers through it. It was always so soft. I wonder if hair twirling is genetic since Ally loves to do it too.

“You always twirl my hair. Did you know that?”

“I know I do it sometimes.”

“No. You have done it since the first time you sat on your parents’ swing with me. It made my scalp tingle and I nearly got a crick in my neck sitting there because it felt so good I didn’t want to move,” she giggled. “You always do it when we are sitting close together. It always seemed like a very intimate gesture to me.”

“I’ve never thought about it like that, and I didn’t realize that I had always done that to you. I’m surprised you didn’t run away from me. I think I must do it because I just feel like I need to be touching you in some way whenever I’m with you. It doesn’t bother you does it?” I asked, looking down at her.

She snorted at me. “Hardly.” After a few contented sighs, she was silent again.

“Wanna tell me what’s on your mind? You’re bein’ awfully quiet.”

“Nothing. Well, that’s not true. I was just thinking about today, about the kids…about you.”

“What about me?” I asked as I started placing soft kisses down her exposed neck.

“You know I can’t think much less speak when you do that,” she sighed. Oh how I loved that sound.

“Quit stallin’. Start talkin’.” She giggled because my words were muffled into her shoulder at this point.

“Well, first I was thinking about how much I love you. I feel like I don’t tell you enough.”

“You tell me enough. You tell me every day, several times a day. You tell me even when you don’t say anything.” I kissed around to the back of her neck, running my hands along the backs of her thighs.

“I was also thinking about the future. I haven’t allowed myself to do that much in the last few years. Today just brought up a lot of things I haven’t thought about in a really long time. That’s all.”

“Like what?”

“Like staying in one place…marriage…kids,” she trailed off, biting her lip.

“Are those things that you want?” I asked hesitantly. She surprised me by turning around in the chair and straddling me. She closed her eyes, placing her forehead against mine. “Yes,” she whispered.

“What do you see for your future? I know marriage is just a piece of paper to some people, which is really sad. So many people see it as something that is disposable.” I rubbed my hands up and down her back, under her shirt, just needing that skin to skin contact to feel even closer to her.

“You know I Wiki’ed marriage one time and it said something about it being a social union or a legal contract. I couldn’t believe it! When did the world become so calloused? You would think with my background that I would be one of those people. But I’m not. My view of marriage is very much the opposite.” She was thoughtful for a few more minutes. “When someone asks me to marry him and I say yes, there are no take-backs. To me it’s more than a promise that you make on one day. It’s a promise you make for life.”

I crushed my lips to hers. I couldn’t help myself. It’s like God made her just for me. She is under my skin, in my veins, the very essence of my heart and soul. I parted her lips with my tongue, just needing to taste her sweet warmth. After our kiss slowed down I got up the nerve to ask her something I desperately needed to know.

“Would you let me love you for life?”

“Yes.”

“You’re awfully sure of your answer. Does that scare you?”

“I’m sure it should, but it doesn’t. Not at all,” she said against my lips.

“Bella, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t already thought about a future with you. Seeing you with the kids today, especially when you were holding Ally on your hip…I just wanted it. I wanted it more than I have ever wanted anything. I need you to know that. I need you to know that one day I want to hear you tell me that there are no take-backs; that you promise to be with me for life.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a tender kiss. It was sweet and sensual and most of all promising. She never had to use words with me. I knew that this was her way of telling me with her heart and her body what her lips couldn’t yet say.

She turned back around in my lap so that we could stare at the stars a little longer. We had come so far since we first gazed at that big southern sky. It seemed like yesterday and last year all at the same time.

“How many kids do you want?” I asked her, breaking our silence.

“More than one. How about you?”

"More than two.”

“Boys? Girls? Both?”

“Both.”

She was quiet again before asking, “Soon after marriage or wait?”

“Soon,” I said with finality.

“Soon,” she agreed.

Not much later she began to shiver even though she was wrapped in a blanket and in me. I tossed her over my shoulder to take her upstairs. I think she liked it when I pulled the caveman stuff on her. She giggled the entire way to the guest room where we were staying.

“You go brush your teeth. I want to check on the kids,” she said to me after returning from the bathroom in her pajamas.

When I was done, I found her in Ally’s doorway just staring into the darkness that was only lit by a Disney princess nightlight. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her hair, placing my cheek on top of her head.

“I can see it, you know. With you,” she whispered. I squeezed her tighter, her probably not knowing how much I wanted to jump up and down like Sassy at that very moment.

I turned her around in my arms so that I could see her face. I traced my finger from her nose to her cheek and down to her bottom lip. I looked into her beautiful eyes and made her a promise I never intended to break.

“It will only ever be you baby girl. No take-backs.” After I placed a chaste kiss on her lips, I led her by the hand back to the guest room and pulled her into the bed with me and held her as close as I could get her with our clothes still on.

“I love you, Edward.”

“Mmm, love you too baby girl. So, so much.” And with that, I had one of the most peaceful night’s sleep ever, wrapped up in future promises and my baby girl.

Chapter 12 She Was White Trash

Chapter 12~(She Was White Trash)


BPOV

“You have lost your mind!”

“What?”

“You know what. I’m not wearing this!”

“Why not? It can’t be that bad!”

“How in the hell would you know? You haven’t even seen it on me yet.”

“No…but I have an idea. I am the one who bought it.”

“Yes, and I can see why, you little perv!”

“I can’t help it. I thought you’d look hot. You have to realize you’d be fulfilling so many of my teenage fantasies by wearing that.”

“That show wasn’t even on when you were a teenager.”

“Satellite.”

“Figures.”

“Look, I really want to win this year. Please do this for me. Don’t make me bring out the pout.”

“Edwaaarrdd…”

“Baby girl, just quit ya yappin’ and get your cute ass out here and let me see it already!”

“Fine. But consider this your foreplay because I’m sure as hell not doing anything else for you.”

I had been in the bathroom, trying on the costume that Edward had picked out for me to wear to Alice and Jasper’s Halloween party. The theme this year was going to be ‘Wicked White Trash’. For someone who liked to make people over and dress them up, I was shocked that this was the one time of year that Alice didn’t make demands. In fact, everyone’s costumes were a surprise to each other because it was always a contest to see who’s was better and fit the best within the chosen theme for that year.

When I walked out of the bathroom, I had been looking down trying to make sure I had the shirt tied just right under my boobs. Edward had chosen for me to go as Daisy Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. When I looked up, he was reclined back on his elbows on the bed with his eyes as big as saucers and his jaw nearly dropped to his chest. He had apparently been stunned silent.

“Edward?”

He blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head before he spoke.

“Good God Almighty damn baby girl!”

“Please tell me you mean that in a good way.”

“How in the hell else would I mean it? You look…wait…shit! If you look this good from the front…Oh good Lord I’m an idiot! Do I even want to see it from the back?”

I walked over to him slowly, eying him like he was my prey.

“I don’t know…do you?” I asked coyly while running my fingers through his hair.

“Ummm…to quote you…hell to tha yeah!”

“Alright sugar. You asked for it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss and then turned around, popping my butt out a little bit while I looked over my shoulder at him.

Edward whimpered and bit his lip. So damn sexy.

“Amen!”

I turned around to question him when he quickly pulled me into his lap.

“What does that mean? Amen?”

“Well, I thought it would be a good thing to go ahead and say a prayer, thankin’ the Lord because that is the best little sin wagon I have ever seen!” he said, squeezing my ass. It didn’t help that he gave me the crooked grin and the wink, which sent a shiver up my spine. I hate him…wicked panty-melter.

I rolled my eyes instead. He didn’t need to think he had the upper hand. “I’ll say it again…you have lost your mind!”

He began kissing me down the front of my neck and into my cleavage where my costume left no need for the imagination.

“Hmmm…maybe. But you love me anyway,” he said, nuzzling his scruff across my collar bones, driving me crazy.

I sighed. “As much as I tried not to, I really do.”

“What do you mean you tried not to? I thought I was thoroughly convincing,” he said as he rolled his hips suggestively under me. Damn it. I need to abort this mission right now or I’m going to be walking funny. It didn’t keep my eyes from rolling back in my head…or that moan from escaping my lips.

“Yes you were. So convincing, in fact, I was late to work this morning. That’s why I have the weekends- only sleep over rule,” I reminded him while I kissed down his jaw line.

“But that’s a stupid rule.” He grabbed my hips and flipped us over on the bed so that he was hovering over me and brushing the hair out of my face. “Things have been so busy since before Homecoming that I don’t get enough time with you at night, or at all during the week. I just want to be with you whenever I can. Is that so terrible?”

He was tracing my lips now and I’m fairly certain he knew that he would be getting his way because of it.

“Ok, we can include sleepovers during the week, but there has to be rules.”

He knew he had won because I saw the fiery glint in his eyes before he could hide it.

“What rules are we talkin’ about? I’m not big on rules, you know.”

“Well, for starters, if we have sexy time in the morning, it has to be limited to one orgasm each. Your…enthusiasm was the reason I was late this morning,” I leveled at him.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” he said as he began to untie and unbutton my top.

Lord I could already feel the lust haze clouding my brain. He’s doing this on purpose, the little devil.

“I’m talking about the fact that I woke up this morning with someone’s hand between my legs.”

“Hmm…that sounds vaguely familiar now that you mention it,” he said, although his words were muffled against the swell of my breast where he was placing sucking kisses.

“And then I was attacked against the shower wall!”

He chuckled and looked up at me while he started tracing his finger down my chest and rib cage.

“Oh, thaaat…I don’t recall any complainin’. It was more like hollerin’ the way I remember it,” he smirked.

“I would suggest you keep that finger still if you want to keep it. I’m trying to have a conversation here and you are making it very hard to think.”

He ground his arousal into me. “No, I think you are the one that’s makin’ things hard.”

I growled and pushed him off of me and sat up, trying to fix my shirt.

“Edward, please. All I’m saying is that I’m trying to be responsible here. I felt like I was doing a walk of shame this morning when I walked by Carmen. I could tell she was biting her cheek trying not to smile at me while she raised that all knowing eyebrow. I happen to love my job…you know…the one where your dad is my boss? I’d like to keep it and you make it difficult for me to want to do that sometimes. It’s so easy to get lost in you because I love you and you feel so good. Just please agree with me on this one little request?”

“If I agree, can we get back to business? I’m not too sure I like to be left hangin’.”

“Business huh? You mean like a job?” I asked suggestively, reaching out and pressing my palm firmly over his tented pants.

“Yeah, sure,” he groaned and closed his eyes.

“Yeah sure…what? You agree to not making me late anymore with your excessive excitement, or yes to the job at hand?” I teased him.

“Both. Whatever you want. Just…yes!” he panted as I continued to add pressure to him.

“That’s a good boy. Now, I need to get this costume off before it gets wrinkled. I’d hate to get it messed up before the party,” I said, hopping off of the bed and starting back towards the bathroom.

“Oh hell no you don’t you teasin’ little Jezebel!” He was leaping off of the bed and running after me before I could even make it half way across the room. Edward scooped me up and carried me inside. He reached over and turned on the water in the shower while I was undressing.

“Why don’t we practice this shower thing so I can know exactly how much time I have to…what did you call it? Attack you in the mornings.”

One of these days I’d learn not to make deals with the devil.

-x-X-x-

Halloween was on a Sunday this year, so on Saturday of the weekend before, the church was hosting an event for the children called “Hallelujah Harvest”. They had bouncy houses, face painting, carnival games and all kinds of food for not only the kids of the families from the church, but for the entire community as well. Even though this was a smaller town in the grand scheme of things, most kids didn’t do traditional trick-or-treating anymore. In the evening, the preachers, elders and deacons and their wives parked their cars in the parking lot and decorated their opened trunks so that the kids could dress up in their costumes and walk around and ‘trunk-or-treat’.

Not having surrounded myself with many friends, especially those with kids for the last few years, I didn’t realize what I had been missing out on. Not only was I falling in love with my new friends, or better yet, my family; I was quickly being swaddled into this whole community. I loved its quaintness and charm. It was being a part of things like this that had me already rethinking my future. Not that Edward wasn’t reason enough; he was the very best reason at this point. However, this type of fun and togetherness that was felt throughout the community was enough to push me to start thinking about some important decisions for my future.

Speaking of the devil…Lord I loved to watch him walk. Well…strut. That smile wasn’t hurting anything either.

“Hello lovin’. You havin’ a good time?” Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up for a twirling hug. He placed a very chaste kiss on my lips when he put me down. We did have little ones everywhere we looked after all.

“The best! This is awesome sugar! Look at all of these kids! They are so happy and excited. I’ve never been to anything like this before.”

“Well, that is the point, to have fun. Things aren’t like they were when we were growin’ up where you could go from door to door, beggin’ for candy. So, this is the alternative. I happen to think it’s even better.”

“Me, too. Did you see Ally and Mary Beth? Didn’t they look precious?”

“Yes I did. How do you think I got talked into these cat whiskers?” he asked, pointing to his face paint.

“Those weren’t your idea?”

“Ha ha. Hardly. The things I do for my nieces,” he smiled, leaning down to give me an Eskimo kiss.

“I’ll have to see if Mary Beth will let me borrow her cheerleader uniform. It could come in handy later,” I said, biting my lip.

“Ooh baby girl…you are a wicked little thing, talkin’ so dirty in the church parking lot. I’ll have to keep my eye on you.”

“Hmm…and what about tonight? Will you have your eyes on me then?”

“You know I will. That’s actually why I came over here. It’s time for us to go get changed and head over to Sassy’s house. They left about ten minutes ago. Looks like all of the grandparents have the grandkids tonight, so no one has a curfew. Come on! I’m ready to get you into your daisy dukes so I can get you out of ‘em,” he said, walking backwards and pulling me by the hand towards his truck.

“Now who’s the wicked one?”
-x-X-x-

I had never been more thankful that it happened to be a warm Halloween in Alabama this year. According to Edward, it could go either way. Considering the fact that he chose to barely dress me for this party, I wasn’t complaining about the seventy degree weather.

Edward and I offered to supply the alcohol for the party. That got us out of decorating duty, which made Rosalie call me a myriad of not so nice names. I was over it.

Every year the Cullen’s rotated hosting duties for the Halloween party. Whoever the host was for the year is who decided the theme. The theme dictated how everyone was supposed to dress and the kind of food that was served. They had been having these parties since they were teenagers, which is when the bet for the best costume started. They used to dress individually, but Edward told me that once Alice brought Rosalie home with her from college, that changed. From then on Emmett and Rose always dressed as a couple as did Jasper and Alice. This year, Edward said that he was ready to join them.



We briefly knocked on the door, only as a means to let Jasper and Alice know that we had arrived. They obviously had an open door policy with each other. In fact, they all did. We were getting there early as part of our costume reveal. They said that this year they were having a special guest judge to decide the winner. The prize was that the two losing couples would pay for the winning couple to go on an overnight date. If Edward and I were one of the losing couples, we also offered to keep the kids for the night. I actually had no idea how to feel about that part. I loved every little one of them to pieces, but I had never babysat kids overnight before. I’d have to follow Edward’s lead on that one.

“Hey Sas! We’re here. Where do you want us to put this stuff?” Edward called out.

Since I was Daisy Duke, he decided to dress as Luke Duke, her cousin. Having been subjected to a Dukes of Hazzard marathon weekend, I knew that it was Enos that had a crush on Daisy. So when I asked Edward why he hadn’t dressed as him instead, he told me that he thought it would keep with the theme better. You know…white trash…dating your cousin? Worked for me. He was way hotter in his tight worn jeans, slightly unbuttoned blue plaid shirt and Dixie flag belt buckle. And did I mention the cowboy boots? No? Hmm…damn shame. They did wonders for his ass.

Alice walked around the corner to the living room from the kitchen and I thought my eyes would bug out of my head when I saw what she was wearing. This was going to be the best party ever! Alice was basically dressed in head to toe spandex. Her top was leopard print and had red zippers all over it. Her pants were black and had zippers at the ankles and she was wearing the most hideous leopard print high heels that had a red bow at the top. Her usually twisty black hair was teased into some serious pageant up-do. There were seriously no words.

“Who in the hell are you supposed to be?” Edward bravely asked.

“I’m a trailer trash trophy wife, you idiot. What does it look like?”

“Peg Bundy,” I said. She smiled brightly at me.

“Exactly! She was the best white trash wife ever, right?”

“Well where is your Al?” Edward asked, looking around at all of the mismatched lawn chairs that were scattered around the living room where the real furniture used to be.

“Oh, he’s not Al, but he is really channelin’ the white trash tonight. He ought to win for both of us! Although, Bella, you are smokin’ hot. Was this get up your idea?”

“Not even. Do you think I would willingly show this much ass in public?”

“True. Jazzy! Come in here!”

A few minutes later, Jasper walked around the corner and I doubled over laughing at the first sight of him. He had on a mullet wig, an unlit cigarette dangling between his lips, a white mesh wife beater tank top, grease stained, worn acid washed jeans, and he topped it off with a trucker hat that said ‘Warning: hot moms make me horny’.

“Watch it there Miss Daisy. I don’t think your cousin Luke would appreciate it too much if I got a peek at your cash and prizes,” he drawled in his lazy way.

I couldn’t even be bothered to care. I couldn’t even imagine how Emmett and Rosalie were going to be dressed. They had kept their costumes super top secret. Secret like, Rose didn’t even tell Emmett until this morning what their costumes were.

We grabbed a generic coke from one of the coolers that was posing as a coffee table while we waited for everyone else to arrive. After looking at what was on the table in the kitchen, I was glad that Alice suggested that we eat real food before coming. She had set out squeeze cheese and Ritz crackers, pigs in a blanket, chili, tater tots, fruit cocktail and moon pies as part of the white trash feast. We would be eating off of paper plates with mismatched plastic cutlery. The best part was the vinyl Nascar tablecloth. Alice had taken the white trash decorating to a whole other level. I would have never expected this from her.

The doorbell rang while I was in the kitchen and I heard Jasper shout, “No way!”

I walked around the corner to see Rosalie and Emmett standing in the entryway.

“Oh…” Alice started.

“My…” Edward continued.

“DOG!” I screamed, running into the room.

“Holy shit! You so win! I don’t give a rip who the judge is!” They had just made my day with their costumes.

Emmett and Rosalie were dressed as Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife Beth. They were perfection and I was completely jealous, although Edward and I would have never been able to pull it off.

Emmett had on black jeans over black boots, a black leather vest that had fringe on the sides and a large cross stitched into the back, no shirt, his badge, sunglasses, and a wig that was so real looking I had to touch it. Rosalie had even given him the tribal looking braids on the sides and drawn tattoos on his arms. If it weren’t for Rosalie’s outfit, I wouldn’t have been able to quit looking at Emmett. It was unreal how well she nailed this outfit for him.

She was wearing leather pants that were way too tight, a pink halter tank top that she had obviously stuffed to the gills, a bleach blonde wig, a pink phone hanging from her belt along with a pair of handcuffs and a walkie talkie. But the best part, other than her ginormous boobs and fake piercings, was her super long hot pink fake nails that stuck out of the tips of her black gloves. She was rockin’ Beth Chapman.

“Well why are y’all just standin’ there? Get your asses in here. Our judge should be here in a minute,” Edward said. He had a funny look on his face and winked at Alice, making me wonder just who this person was going to be. I was praying it wasn’t Doc because I’d die if he saw this much of my body. Of course, he had seen me in a bathing suit, so I guess I shouldn’t worry too much.

Rosalie was telling us how she had started shopping for their costumes the same day that Alice told her the party theme. She said she was out for blood this time after losing to Alice year after year. I didn’t really understand the competitive nature of these crazy Cullen’s, but it sure was a lot of fun to watch.

There was a timid knock on the door and Alice got up to answer it. A moment later she walked into the living room with none other than my friend Angela!

“For the love of God, tell me this isn’t how you people actually live!” she said, looking around Alice’s living room.

“What are you doing here?” I screamed, jumping up and running over to hug her.

“Funny thing. One morning I called you on my way into work, thinking that you would just be getting up. When low and behold a very sexy sounding sleepy man answered your phone and told me that you were in the shower. As it turns out, someone had left out a few of the more recent developments in their relationship with said sexy sleepy man, so I decided it might be time to make a trip down south. I got Edward’s number and called back later in the week and we planned this little surprise for you. So…SURPRISE! I’m only here until Monday, which you have off, thanks to your hella fine man. Tell him thank you like a good little girl.”

I just stood there shaking my head. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that my only real friend in the last couple of years was really standing here with my new friends…and had been invited by my boyfriend.

I let go of Angela and turned to look at Edward, who for some reason was looking very sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was absolutely the best and I was more than sure I’d have to repay him later. I walked over to him slowly until I was standing right in front of him.

“You did this for me?”

“Sure I did baby girl. I thought you might could use a little bit of your old life. I know we can be smotherin’ and overwhelming. I thought it would be nice to see a familiar face. Plus, you can introduce her to how we do things down here. She might like it,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Cutest, sweetest man alive. And all mine.

“I love you Edward Cullen.” I reached my arms up around his neck and pulled him down and gave him the slowest, wettest kiss I could manage. A clearing throat broke us apart. I rested my forehead on his, looking into the most beautiful green eyes that were so full of love.

“I love you too baby girl.”

“Alright…if we are gonna get this party started with sloppy kisses, we may as well go on ahead and break out the Boone’s,” Jasper said teasing us.

“Boone’s Farm? Is he serious?” Angela asked me.

“As a heart attack.”

“What? Even the website says that Rick Flair loves it,” Jasper said defensively.

“Oh crap. Don’t get him started. Y’all come on. Everyone else is startin’ to pull up and I’m ready to have some adult fun! Come on girls! Let’s crank up the music and dance!” Alice was pulling us out onto the back porch and away from the men. It wasn’t until then that I really got a good look at what Angela was wearing.

She had on a cut off denim skirt that was so short, it showed the ruffled panties she was wearing underneath. She also had on dirty platform flip-flops, but the best thing was her shirt. It was a pink t-shirt that she had cut off at her midriff and it had a sparkly iron on cat that beside it said ‘wanna touch my kitty?’ I’d never let Edward pick our costumes again, because while we looked damn hot, we weren’t winning a damn thing tonight.

-x-X-x-

As the party raged on, the men participated in several contests. Emmett reigned supreme as the winner of the pigs in a blanket eating contest, the can smashing contest (which explains so much, by the way, since they were smashing them against their foreheads), and the beer guzzling contest. Well, I’m not sure if it would actually be called guzzling. They were drinking out of those helmets that had the straws that go from the helmet to your mouth. This, however, led to the belching contest. I was so glad I didn’t have to watch Edward participate in those. It might have ruined his whole mystique.

No, he was content to divide his time between cheering the guys on or teasing the ever loving shit out of me with his mouth and hands. He was killing me and he knew it, the cocky ass. He would get me all worked up and then leave to go cheer for the next competition. He’d be paying for that later. Tying him up came to mind. He’d have to learn the hard way to keep those frisky little hands to himself.

Not long after the contests were over, Rosalie passed around a hat that had slips of paper to the remaining couples at the party. It didn’t slip my attention that Angela had huddled up with a guy Edward said was named Ben and was one of the assistant coaches along with Emmett. He also taught driver’s education and economics at the high school. I wasn’t sure how those two subjects went together, but then again, I had learned not to ask. It’s just how things are here.

The slip of paper that Edward drew out of Jasper’s trucker hat said ‘boy does girl’ and had a number on the back, but nothing else. Rosalie winked as she walked her big boobs by me. She was up to something and I couldn’t tell if it was going to be good or bad. Either way, I was sure I’d be blushing to the tips of my toes before it was over with.

“Did every couple get a slip of paper?” Rose asked as she took her seat by Emmett. There were six couples left that included Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, Angela and Ben, Mike and Jessica Newton, Heidi and Marcus Hollingsworth, and Edward and I.

“If you look on the front it will either say ‘boy does girl’ or ‘girl does boy’ and there is a number on the back. The number on the back is the order you’ll go in for this last little competition.” Still confused, we all stared blankly at her.

“Emmett, bring out the Jose’ and the limes! We’re doing body shots! You’ll use the front of your paper to see who takes the shot. If it says boy does girl, the boy takes the shot off of his woman, and vice versa. Any questions?”
“Are those the only rules? We can do whatever we want?” Edward asked. Lord have mercy. I’ll never make it. Our paper said ‘boy does girl’ and we were the last number in the group. That will surely give this wicked man too much time to think and plan.

“Whatever you want,” she nodded.

He looked over at me with a very mischievous, crooked grin and leaned in until his lips were pressed to my ear and said, “Hell to the yeah, baby girl. Just you wait.”

The man reduces me to whimpers. There are no words for that much sexiness.

I looked him in the eyes, raising my eyebrow. “Bring it on, Rose!”

Mike and Jessica went first and their shot was pretty generic with him just licking her neck before she handed him the shot. Of course, I was surprised they even managed to do anything at all since they were already three sheets to the wind.

Angela and Ben went next and she shocked the hell out of me by making him lean back on top of the coolers. She leaned over him and licked the salt off of his hip bone before taking her shot and kissing the lime out of his mouth. Go Angela! I somehow doubt she’ll be staying at my house tonight.

After that it was Heidi and Marcus’ turn. I knew Heidi from the hospital. She worked in the lab on the same floor as I did and was Maggie’s daughter. Her husband wasn’t very original either. He licked the salt from her shoulder. She was holding the shot glass, but at least he didn’t use his hands to get it from her…not that it was sexy. Because it so wasn’t. However looking at who was left, I had a feeling I’d be good and turned on by the time this contest was over.

Rosalie and Emmett went next. She made him take his vest off and sit on the floor, lean back and prop up on his elbows. She popped open the button of his pants and placed the shot glass right inside. She straddled his thighs, leaned down and licked the salt trail from every single ab muscle he had before leaning over and taking the shot…with no hands. Now that’s how it’s done so that it’s sexy!

I couldn’t help myself…I stood up and clapped for my girl!

Jasper led Alice to sit in a chair so that she was facing everyone. He stepped behind her and said something in her ear, making her giggle. He leaned around and lowered the zipper that was located at her cleavage about two inches. He then set his shot glass right inside. While standing behind her, he licked the salt trail from behind her ear all the way down to her cleavage where he also took his shot with no hands. It wasn’t until then that I noticed that Alice didn’t have the lime in her mouth. He winked at the rest of us and grinned wolfishly before leaning down and retrieving the lime that he must have hidden in her cleavage as well. I guess Jasper’s a boob man!

Oh my Jesus Lord! That means it’s our turn.

Edward had been quiet. Too quiet. He grabbed my hand and walked us into the dining room.

“I need a table for this,” is all he said to everyone else. My heart was absolutely pounding in my chest. Like he wasn’t sexy enough, the quiet confidence was rockin’ my world right about then.

“Lay down…on your stomach,” he said to me with hooded eyes. I followed his command not having any idea what he was going to do. Was he going to lick it off of my back?

He had the shot glass in one hand and the lime in the other. He walked to the end of the table where my head was and looked me in the eyes before he said, “Open.” How in the hell was I supposed to open my mouth and not let anyone hear the moan that was surely about to come out of it?

I opened my mouth and he placed the lime there. His eyes were dark and scorching by this point and my breathing was seriously getting out of control. He walked around the table, tracing the line of my body as he went, paying special attention to the back of my thigh.

He then clasped his hands around my knees and spread my legs apart just a little bit further. Right at the apex of my thighs, on the table, is where he placed the shot glass. Oh fuck. There really was just no other word at this point.

“Now,” he waited until I looked over my shoulder at him. “Watch.”

I watched as he dipped two fingers between my legs into the shot glass and made a line from the inside of my thigh to the outside of my knee. Then he added the salt. He reversed the direction licking from my knee back towards the inside of my thigh until he reached the shot glass, moving slowly and looking into my eyes the whole time. He ran his nose down the center seam of my shorts before he wrapped his lips around the shot glass and slammed back the tequila. Then he crawled up on the table behind me, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling my head back so that he had better access. He leaned down and bit the lime and my lip in the process, so that the juice spilled down my chin. He licked the juice off of my chin before kissing the living daylights out of me.

I couldn’t see. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

“Shee-yit…”

“Y’all so win.”

“Take me home,” is all I could manage to say.

-x-X-x-

Edward drove like a bat out of hell getting us back to the house. I didn’t wait for him to come around and open my door. I had places to be and people to do and chivalry was out the window for the time being. I had no intentions of being a lady anyway.

We barely made it into the door before his lips and my hands were everywhere. He led me over to the stairs where after only two steps, I collapsed. We weren’t going to make it to the bed for this. I needed him right then. This whole damn night had been hours of torturous foreplay and I was over the teasing. It was time to pay up.

I hoped he wasn’t attached to that shirt because I sent every button scattering around us as I ripped it to get it off of him. He groaned when he untied my shirt and discovered that I hadn’t been wearing a bra all night. I merely smirked at him. Serves him right. With every inch of skin that he revealed, he wasted no time in licking and nipping at it with is teeth. I’d probably be a puddle by the end of the night, but I’d be a happy puddle.

He slowly pulled down my shorts and the tiniest pair of panties ever along with them. I didn’t have time for slow. I reached up, unbuckled his belt and shoved his pants down. Holy cow…does Luke Duke go commando? ‘Cause Edward as Luke Duke does. God, you are so good to me.

I wrapped my still high-heeled feet around his legs, bringing him down to me. He was breathing hard and bracing himself with his hands on either side of my head on the step.

“This is gonna be hard and fast baby girl.”

“Sugar, it looks like you already have the hard taken care of. Now shut up and get on with the fast. I needed you like yesterday.”

He leaned down and gave me a searing kiss and entered me in one hard push, making us both moan in pleasure.

“You’ll kill me I swear to the Lord above you will! You feel too damn good.” Every stroke was hard and I could feel the edge of the stairs digging into my backbone with every thrust, but couldn’t find it in me to care.

Nothing felt like Edward. Every time with him was better than the last and I swear my feet were going to cramp if he made my toes curl any harder.

I could tell by his groans and swears that he was really close, so I reached between us to touch myself. When he saw what I was doing he began to speed up his movement, which sent me blindly over the edge.

“Unh, Edward, yes!” With that I felt him explode inside of me as he bent his head down and bit me on my shoulder. We were both so out of breath you would have thought we had been at it for hours instead of minutes; it was that intense.

“Sweet Jesus lovin’! Where in the hell did that come from?”

“No clue, but if you give me a minute, I’ll be ready to go back there,” I panted.

I felt him lift his head and look around for a minute. When I opened my eyes, I saw what had made him begin to chuckle.

Not only was I naked on the stairs in just my red ankle strap high heels, but his pants were down around his feet that were still clad in his cowboy boots.

He looked at me with a smirk and said, “Jasper would be so proud.”

I grinned knowing that Sassy probably would be, too.

-x-X-x-