Rings and Porch Swings - o/s contest entry

Ninapolitan's D.I.L.F. Contest

Story Title: Rings and Porch Swings

Author: fiberkitty (posted on kittenmischief due)

Pairing: Bella / Edward (When you're done being in shock, please read)

Vamp or Human: Human

---

When Jake died, I didn't think I would ever feel anything again. Jasper called me from his cellphone to tell me before the car showed up with the news I'd been dreading for three years. When I saw the number, I started crying before I even answered. I just knew that this call was different.

“Jazz?” His name came out of me on a sobbed breath.

“I'm sorry, sunshine. The kid had rigged the shed to blow when it opened. Jake's on life support but they're just waiting on you. He's gone, baby doll.” My mind cut him off at that part. I vaguely heard “be there soon” as I dropped the phone.

Jake had come home for lunch that day and he'd kissed me with that look in his eyes. He broke his own rule and we had a noon quickie. He knew he wasn't coming back.

Jasper arrived moments after Marcus did. Both had red eyes as they came in the door. Marcus drove me to the hospital and sat outside the door as I went in. They'd bound all of his numerous wounds and wrapped the burns. His hair was mostly gone so the nurses had covered his head gently with a scarf.

There had been no brain activity after several hours and I gave them the go ahead to stop everything. Jasper sat with me while they removed the tubes, gently rubbing my back as I cried. He left me in the room with Jake and I said my goodbye. With one last kiss, I let him go.

A middle aged man, probably in his late forties or early fifties, came in and introduced himself as the chaplain. He had pale brown eyes, almost gold, and all I remember is that his name was Carlisle. I told him that I didn't believe in God any longer, that a loving god would not have taken my husband from me. He left me a phone number and told me that we have to endure darkness to truly see the light and when grieving, it is faith that can pull us through. Carlisle said he had faith enough for both of us and was only a phone call away.

The weeks following Jake's death, leading up to the end of summer vacation are still a blank to me. Jake's father had died a few years after we married, and his sisters were several hours away, one in California and the other in Hawaii. They stayed with me, despite their visit being a blur; Renee and Phil flew in as well. Jasper took off work and ran interference so that I could just go through the motions and grieve in private. Alice was busy with their new baby, Joshua; but her gift was having Jasper stay with me. She said that I needed him more than she did at that moment.

Jake had been my childhood friend and then when I moved to Forks to live with Charlie, he became more. We were engaged when he graduated high school, and married the summer before I started graduate school. There are few memories in my life that he is not a part of.

He had just turned thirty. It wasn't supposed to be his time yet! We were going to start trying for a baby this fall and it was going to be perfect. He was my best friend and left me behind.

I spent the nine months following that phone call immersing myself in teaching American Literature to undergraduates. I took a few classes to eat up my hours at home, and jumped at the chance to teach at Forks Elementary when they had an opening.

Resigning at the end of the year was hard, but I could not keep coming home to an empty house that held so many memories of Jake. I kept expecting to hear the shower running when I came in at the end of a day, or have him there to grab my bag from me when I pulled in the drive.

When Charlie and Sue decided to move down to a sunnier location, the San Joaquin Valley, they left Jake and me the Forks house as a weekend home or a place for them to stay when they come home for visits. Jake and I had only used the house two or three times so we had never met the new neighbors. It was nearing July when I moved back to my bedroom with the window overlooking the front yard at age thirty-two, hoping to find new dreams or at least escape my nightmares.

The woods across the road had been thinned and a house built in the past few years. Charlie had said some young lawyer and his family had moved in. Dad and Sue had relocated to California before he really met the neighbors. I guess that is up to me now.

The last of my boxes were unpacked last night, the bulk of Jake's belongings were stored away in clearly labeled bins in the attic. All I had left to put away were our motorcycles which would require some elbow grease to get up the door on the unused garage and to hang my wind-chime.

Jake had made me a wind-chime for my birthday; it was wrapped up in his workshop. Jasper and I found it as we packed up the garage. I had tied a separate string onto the drop cord and attached Jake's wedding ring to it. Now, whenever the wind caught the chime, Jake's ring sound against the metal.

I was waiting for the right place and of course I found it right after Jasper, Alice, and baby Joshua went back to Seattle. He could have just reached up to do it. There is a small hook hanging from the roof's overhang going down the front steps. I think Renee had originally had a hanging basket with plants on it.

Charlie had taken the stepladder with him and Sue when they moved. Jake was tall enough to press his hands flat on the ceiling so we never needed a ladder. It was a cloudy Sunday morning when I found myself standing atop one of my kitchen chairs in Jake's Thunderbirds jersey and a pair of shorts.

“You look like you could use a hand up there.”

I jumped at the voice and lost my balance. The chair teetered and I leaned left to try and correct but ended up falling backwards. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact, but it was a much softer, and warmer, landing than the one I expected.

“I'm sorry I scared you. I thought you would have heard us approach.”

I parted my eyelids to see eyes of swirling green and gold and a beautiful faced topped with auburn hair that had the faintest lightening at the temples. His cheekbones were sharply sculpted as were the arms and chest that had saved me from an impromptu meeting with the ground.

“Daddy? Aren't you going to put the lady down,” a small girl's voice asked him.

The man let out a rumbling laugh and gently lowered me to the ground, not releasing me until he was certain I could stand on my own. His left hand still lingered on my waist, a gentle heat that warmed my body and soul. It reminded me of the lazy confidence Jake always wore, and brought forth a smile I hadn't felt in eleven months.

As his touch remained, the heat turned into a spark and then full-blown electric shocks. It had been almost a year since I last felt a bodily response to anyone or anything. The end to the numbness was shocking, as was the immediate chemistry I felt for this stranger.

“Edward Cullen. This is my daughter, Kelsey. You are Chief Swan's daughter, right?”

I nodded and tilted my face up to smile at him. His name was familiar but I couldn't quite place it. Charlie must have told it to me in passing. “That's right. Bella Black. It is nice to meet you.”

“You as well. Isn't your husband here to help hang that up?”

I looked up at the sky and bit the inside of my cheek to stave off the tears which tried to build. “Jake passed away last year.”

A faint blush of embarrassment colored his cheeks. “I'm so sorry, Bella. I didn't think.”

I shook my head. “You didn't know. Charlie, my dad, was really shook up at losing Jake. He was on the force here with Charlie for a year before we moved to Seattle. Charlie wouldn't have spoken about it unless forced.”

Edward opened up that beautiful mouth, his lips were shaded in a deep rose with delicate white teeth behind them. He did not have a chance to speak as the sound of high heels on concrete interrupted us.

“Kelsey, sweetheart, you and Daddy need to come back inside for brunch. Grandma and Grandpa will be here to pick you up for the afternoon soon. Come on.”

I took in the long dark hair, the pointed nose and the medically enhanced body. Age had not changed her much beyond a slight broadening of the hips and chest. Jessica Stanley. Not only had I embarrassed myself in front of my insanely good looking neighbor, he was married to the girl who had tried to steal Jake away from me in high school.

As Jessica approached, Edward moved his hand to his pocket, ending the electricity which had been coursing back and forth between our bodies. I could still feel the pull from his tall form to mine and hated that I was dressed in Jake's old jersey and frayed denim shorts. Jessica was in crisply creased capris, a camisole, with a light summer sweater over it. She looked exactly how I would picture the wife of a young attorney. I felt drab and frumpy next to her.

“Jessica Cullen.” She held out a perfectly manicured hand and gave me a barely there hand shake before stepping back. “It looks like you've already met my little Kelsey. And Edward, of course.”

Her pale pink fingernails latched around his arm, the dress shirt with its rolled up cuffs. I felt a surge of jealousy and I wasn't sure where it was coming from. I couldn't be interested in anyone else, let alone the neighbor I just met. He's taken and off limits, even if I was free to want someone, which I'm not. I have been a widow for not quite eleven months, I am not ready for anything yet, especially with a rich pretty boy.

I stepped back and picked up the chime from where it had landed in the hostas Alice had planted to brighten up the yard. Edward reached over and took it from me.

“Here, let me get that. We can't have you falling again if I'm not here to catch you.”

His lips were pulled up into a self-assured, yet crooked smile and my cheeks heated at the sight. He was too beautiful.

Jessica clucked her tongue and rolled her eyes at Edward as he reached up to hang the chime on the hook. As he stretched up, his shirt pulled out of his jeans and showed a taut stretch of stomach with a sprinkling of cinnamon colored hair forming a happy trail that disappeared beneath his belt.

She turned to glare at me as Edward examined his “handiwork” and flashed her left hand at me. A large diamond and a glittering gold band adorned it. I gave her a confused look. I wasn't into married men, let alone any man right now. The moment I saw Kelsey I knew that Edward was a family man and not someone I could be interested in.

“It was very nice to see you again, Jessica. I am not surprised that you don't remember me, it has been almost fourteen years. Bella Black, although you probably remember me as Bella Swan.”

She gave me a curt nod. “I heard about Jake in the newspaper. Lauren and I were just talking about you the other day. When we saw the Chief packing up the last of his fishing gear we assumed you were moving back. What are you doing for a job?”

I forced a smile, wanting nothing more than to rip her hair out by its salon-treated roots for her reaction to Jake's death. “I'm teaching at Forks Elementary. I'll have a classroom of 'puddle jumpers.' It will be a nice change after working with undergrads in Seattle.”

“What grade do you teach?” Edward's voice was warm like honey and slid down my back to rest on my hips. He was still toying with the hook until the wind chime hung perfectly straight.

“Second, at least that's what they tell me.”

“I'm going to be in second grade!” Kelsey was bouncing as she spoke. “Maybe you'll be my teacher.”

I crouched down beside the sweet little girl. She had her father's hair but her mother's dark eyes. “That would be so much fun. The school will send my student list in the next month and I will let your mom and dad know as soon as I have it. No matter what, your teacher will be wonderful and you will have a great time learning.”

Kelsey leaned forward and gave me a hug. “My favorite subject is reading. Daddy reads to me every night before bed. Right now, he's reading me Lord of the Rings.”

“That's one of my favorites. Does he do the voices for you?”

Kelsey nodded, her curls swaying with the movement. Edward dropped his voice down to a low rumble and recited an exchange between Gandalf and Pippin.

“End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The gray rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.

“What, Gandalf? See what?” There, his voice sounded almost childlike as he tried to speak as Pippin.

“White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.” He paused and gave me a hesitant smile. “I'm sure that your Jake is watching that sunrise, Bella.” Something crossed his eyes as he looked at me, but it was gone before I determine what had just happened between us.

His hand brushed my shoulder as he lifted Kelsey up to ride on his shoulders. “See you around, neighbor.”

“Yeah, you know where to find me.”

His eyes were soft as he smiled. “Be careful, Bella. I can't always be here to catch you. I do have to work.” A few faint crows feet formed at the edges of his eyes, making Edward even more handsome. The slight flaws to his porcelain skin made him human.

After my neighbors left, I took a moment to admire the wind chime. “Thanks, Jake. You're not going to pawn me off on someone else that easily.” I tapped his wedding band, and listened to the soft ringing tones as I went back into the house.

---

EPOV

I was not surprised that she didn't remember me. During high school, Bella had instantly fallen in with Jessica and Lauren, and outside of school, she either worked at Newtons or was with Jake. That she went on to marry him was expected, and I had been happy to see the glowing smile on her face in their engagement photo Chief Swan had posted in the newspaper.

I was a year ahead of Bella in school and had gone off to Dartmouth while she stayed in Washington. I fell in love with one of my teacher's assistants in economics and we had a whirlwind romance. After my engagement to Tanya was called off, she had a job opportunity in Europe that she could not pass up and I wasn't willing to give up law school, Jessica had come to pay a visit on one of my few trips back to Forks to see my family.

We dated off and on, mostly off as we were a several hour long flight apart, and then she moved to Chicago while I was finishing up Law School. I had taken the Bar the last week of July and Jessica moved in with me in mid-August. I brought in the mail the second week of October and there was my envelope.

I ran in the house and called for Jessica. I heard the water running in her art studio in back. She came out with her hair up in a ponytail and a few smudges of clay on her hands and cheek. I slid my finger beneath the edge and took out the papers.

I was standing there in shock when she took them from me. I'd passed. I did it.

We celebrated that night with dinner out, and now in hindsight I can see the signs. She'd turned down a glass of champagne when I ordered a glass at the restaurant. Normally, Jessica ate her filet mignon medium rare and she ordered it well-done that night.

I had bought a ring a few weeks before and had planned on waiting until Christmas or New Years, when the moment felt right, but then she broke down into tears in the car and told me she was pregnant. My world came crashing down. I was not ready for kids yet, but I also wasn't going to shirk my responsibility. I loved Jess, to a degree, and knew that we could have a good life together.

I pulled the car over, popped open the glove compartment, and showed her the small diamond I'd saved up for. Jessica cried, happy tears this time, and promised to love me forever.

She certainly wasn't loving me when I walked into Newton's with Kelsey three months ago and saw her bouncing on Mike's lap up in the office. She was handling the store's accounts receivable and payable. Apparently, that wasn't all she was handling. I was thankful that Kelsey was occupied with the waterwheel and koi pond the store had installed last fall and not seeing her mother with her skirt pushed up to her hips.

Our divorce settlement included me paying for a year's rent of a home for her and providing a car. I didn't care, I wanted her out. I loved her and she destroyed everything we had built over eight years.

I had taken Kelsey to my parents' house outside of Forks. Mom and Dad were always glad to see her. When I told them what happened, my father was shocked. Carlisle always tries to see the best in people, but in his job that is most often a necessity. Mom was hurt. She had loved Jessica like the daughter they'd never been able to have.

I had taken off my wedding ring at Newton's, tossed it into the wishing well, with a prayer that Kelsey would not be hurt by the approaching unpleasantness. Jess had refused to take hers off and still wears it now that our divorce has been finalized. She expected me to take her back even after I found out she'd been screwing Mike for the better part of a year.

I have a feeling that until Mike makes their relationship official, Jessica will continue to wear the platinum and diamond band I'd purchased her on our fifth anniversary. She took off the engagement ring and replaced it with the new one, a much flashier ring than the first I'd given her. She said the new ring was a better representation of our love. I should have known then that we were doomed.

Now I'm faced with my first real crush living across the street from me and she's unavailable. Bella is grieving and honestly, I can't date yet. My divorce is still too fresh and I'm not ready to go down that path, especially with someone I really just met.

When those cocoa brown eyes met mine last week, I felt like a boy once more. Instead of getting up at five for my morning walk, I moved it back to six so that I'd have a chance of seeing Bella go out to collect the paper in the mornings. Twice I saw her, both times in an overly large shirt which she clung to like a security blanket. In my morning shower, I'd jerked off to thoughts of Bella in those shorts.

“Who has you distracted, Ed?” Leah's voice broke my daydream of Bella coming over to borrow a cup of sugar and me asking her to stay for supper.

“Nothing, just dazing, Leah.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at me. “Sure and you're blushing for no reason at all.”

“It's been a long three months, Leah. Forgive me for losing focus now and then.” It came out more harsh than I'd intended. “Sorry. I'm just not used to this divorced thing yet. You'd think with the number of them I've had to represent, I would, but it still throws me for a loop every day. Jessica shows up in the morning before I'm out of bed and takes care of Kelsey until I'm home in the evening. She has supper on the table when I get home and then she leaves after Kelsey is in bed. The only difference between now and when we were married is that I sleep alone and on the weekends it is just Kelsey and me.”

Leah nodded and dropped a stack of files onto my desk. “How is your new neighbor? I haven't been over to see Bella yet. She hasn't been out to see anyone on the Res since she moved back. We're all worried about her.”

“That's right; you grew up with Jake. Umm... She seems okay enough. I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her. Jessica was around the one morning I've seen Bella out and it has been a busy eight days since then.”

Leah laughed and walked out of the office muttering something about men and brains in our asses.

I cut out of the office early, odd for a Monday, and came home to a sight that had me almost run into the mailbox. Bella was sitting on a newly hung porch swing with a blonde man. His arm was around her, her head on his shoulder. I pulled into the garage and slammed the door behind me.

Jessica was at the kitchen table, talking on her cell phone. She ended it quickly. “Good, you're home. I've got a date tonight. Don't look at me like that, you're the one who wanted the divorce. You can cook for yourself, right?”

I crossed my arms. I was not in the mood for this today. “Just go, Jess. I can cook just fine. I did it all the nights you had to 'work late' at Newtons. Kelsey! Come say 'bye' to your mom. She's leaving.

“Jess, we've got to talk about this arrangement. It's not working. I'll take Kelsey to your apartment from now on. I don't want you in my house every day. We're going to give Kelsey the wrong idea.”

Her fingernails were tapping on the table, keeping time with my words. “Whatever. Just bring her to Mike's in the morning. I've been staying with him. He won't mind. It means I can stay in bed longer in the mornings.”

Jessica gathered her purse and went into the living room to kiss Kelsey on the cheek and then left in a flurry of agitation. I went to sit with Kelsey on the couch and watched out the window as Bella rocked in the swing with her new beau. Eventually, I gave up trying to sit still and busied myself in the kitchen.

I made basmati rice and heated up a packet of curried chickpeas and some leftover tandoori chicken I'd frozen last week. We ate on the floor, using fingers instead of forks, as Kelsey demanded. By the time we'd finished and cleaned up our mess, Bella's boyfriend had left and I could see her outline through the kitchen window. She was dancing around the room, no doubt happy after some good night kiss.

I wasn't sure why it was eating at me so badly. She was beautiful in her understated way but I've never taken that much interest in other women. I've only been with two women, Tanya and then Jessica. Both had pursued me until I accepted. Relationships evolved from there until they fell apart. Except for Bella, I've never been the “crushing” type. I admired her from afar for a few months before I graduated, and even then she was unavailable.

With a shake of my head to clear the random thoughts of Bella over the years, I emptied the clean dishes from the dishwasher. Kelsey and I went about our evening routine; I read another chapter of Lord of the Rings, she brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas, I tucked her into bed, I pulled out my guitar and we made up a song, and then I kissed her forehead and left.

I kept to my schedule and pulled on my swim trunks and a robe. I was out on the back deck when I saw the light pop on out front. I made my way around the side of the house and saw Bella coming up the side walk.

“Oh, hi, Edward.” Bella looked down before tilting her face up to look at me. “Sorry to interrupt. I... Here. I made extra and thought the three of you would like some.”

Three? I was about to tell her there were just two of us and one of the two was in bed, when she thrust the covered bowl into my hands. “The cobbler is still hot. I didn't know if you liked ice cream or not, so I left it off.. If you're not going to eat it soon, you'll want to put it in fridge so it doesn't go bad. Jasper liked it, the cobbler's full of peaches from the Farmers' Market in Port Angeles, so I hope you like peaches too. I'll shut up and let you get back to what you were doing. The bowl is a toss away so don't worry about returning it.”

“Jasper? Your boyfriend right? I saw the two of you earlier out on your swing. It looks nice, by the way.”

Her cheeks blushed. “He's not my boyfriend. He was Jake's best friend and he's married to my friend Alice. Jake and Jasper made a pact to look after Alice and me should something to happen to one of them. He brought some of my favorite takeout and I made dessert. He probably has already done a background check on you and every other man in a five mile radius of Char... my dad's house.”

Relief flooded through me at the knowledge she and this Jasper weren't involved. “I was just...uh... getting ready to go for a swim. It can wait though if you want to come in.”

Her eyes drifted over my chest where the robe had parted. Bella's cheeks turned a delicate pink as her teeth worried the center of her lower lip. “I shouldn't. I had better go. Good night, Edward.”

~*~

I didn't have any other alone time with her until the following month.

On August seventh, my parents had Kelsey for the day. I was doing yard work when I saw Bella come out in a tank top and a pair of dark denim shorts. She went to her car and pulled out a large planter from the trunk. I slowed down in the pruning of the front evergreens when Bella walked to the garage and returned with a shovel.

I tried not to be obvious in my stalker habits. I moved to the side of the house and pulled some weeds out of the flowerbed, watching as she dug a hole and then stuck what looked like a rose bush down into it. Bella struggled with a bag of mulch but the determination on her face kept me from jogging across the street to offer assistance. She had the look of someone who wanted to do it on her own.

She cleaned up her mess, returned the tools to the garage and then disappeared into the house. As she always does, her fingers touched the hanging ring as she walked by, setting off a musical interlude that was both hopeful and sad. Bella came running out to her car a few moments later, a cellphone and keys in hand.

She pulled out quickly, the gravel of her driveway scattering as she spun around to leave. I pulled out the lawn mower and finished the yard.

I was sitting down on the cement steps leading up to the porch, drinking a glass of lemonade, when he pulled up. Even though I knew he wasn't involved with Bella, I still didn't like Jasper poking around. He was too good looking and was too close to her. I don't want her turning into the 'other woman.'

Jasper got out of his truck and was pulling at his hair before turning around. He looked at me and started to run over, his feet almost flying across the asphalt.

“Have you seen Bella?”

I pointed down the road. “She took off about twenty minutes ago.”

He mumbled “fuck” under his breath. “Did she say anything to you?”

“No, should she have? I'm just her neighbor.”

Jasper put his hands in his pockets. He let out a sigh and I could smell the faintest trace of a cigarette on his breath. “It's a year. Today, I mean. Jake died a year ago today. I had a late start because I had to help with Josh, my son, and she didn't wait for me. We were going to the cemetery together.”

“Then I guess that's where she is.”

Jasper started shaking his head. “I'd have passed her on the way here if she was. I'm gonna go check the Res. She might have gone to be with Seth, Jake's cousin. If she comes home without me, tell her to call me, will ya?”

“Why don't you just call her? She had her cellphone with her.”

“I tried that when I pulled in. She has it off. I've gotta go if I want a chance to find her.”

I nodded and he took off. The lemonade no longer tasted good to me. I tossed the remainder out into the bushes and then jumped up. I had to go find her. Something inside me told me that I was only one who could and she needed me. I grabbed a new shirt from on top of the dryer and my keys from the hook beside the door. I was out in the car in under two minutes from the moment I entered the house.

The car purred beneath my hands. Opening myself to instinct, I turned toward the school. No cars were in the elementary school parking lot so I moved on to the high school. The navy blue Kia was on the far end of the lot, seeming left behind. I parked beside it, hopeful that she was still at the wheel. Luck wasn't with me in that moment.

Something drew me out into the woods. I ran. Twenty minutes later, the sounds of crying reached my ears. My pace slowed and then I came out into the meadow, my meadow.

Bella was lying in the center, eyes swollen. She sat up, holding the Thunderbirds jersey in her lap, and her wedding ring in her palm She had taken it off.

“Jake, you told me that you would never leave me, but you did. It hurts, every day that I wake up and you aren't there beside me. I miss you at night when you aren't there to hold me and I miss not waking up with a cold butt because you stole the blankets. I miss making you breakfast and I even miss worrying about you. I still listen to the scanner at night, wishing that your voice will come over it just one last time.”

“Jasper is probably mad at me by now. I just couldn't bear to go back to the cemetery. You aren't down there. Your body is, but you're not. You're still here, with me, in my heart.”

Bella paused, wiping her tears on her husband's shirt. “Jakey, I met someone. He's amazing. I think you'd like him. He's smart, caring, and handsome. So, I'm harboring a stupid silly crush. You'd make fun of me, I know it. Jasper checked him out, don't worry. There wasn't anything on his record except for a speeding ticket or two from eight years ago. He's not available though.”

I was torn between hurting for her pain and jealous that someone had captured her interest. Bella seemed to be wrapping up her heart-to-heart with Jake so I stepped back into the trees, not wanting to scare her. The forest had other ideas and a branch snapped beneath my feet.

“Who is there?” Bella hastily wiped at her face.

I stepped forward, shielding my eyes from the rays of sun filtering into the clearing. “Jasper was looking for you. I was worried and came looking too. When I saw your car in the lot, I just knew you were out here.”

“Did you have the radio on?”

Bella's question didn't make sense to me so I just shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I always do.”

She toyed with the ring in her hand. “What song was playing?”

I thought back and tried to hum the last few lines of the song. “Every...”

“Every Breath You Take.”

---

BPOV

I could have screamed. I did, silently, at Jake. When Edward started humming, and we both said the song title- my song with Jake- I started tearing up again.

“Shit.” Edward swore as he ran the fifteen or so feet separating us. “What did I say?”

“That...was...my song...with Jake.” I could feel my body shaking as Edward put his arms around me. “First the wind chime and now this.”

He handed me a tissue and I quickly wiped my eyes and nose. I tried to blow my nose quietly, but failed miserably. Jake always teased that I was going to call in moose and caribou when I blew my nose. Edward just sat there patiently, his hands rubbing up and down my back.

“You're right you know. He'll always be in your heart.”

His words were the slightest whisper and his breath was warm upon my cheek. I could smell lemons, the warm musky undertones of his aftershave or cologne, and a fresh sweet scent that must have just been him, all mixed with sweat. He must have been working hard after I left. Goodness knows he was just futzing around while I planted Jake's blush rose bush. I had felt Edward's eyes on me as I pressed four stones down into the mulch. Each had the side view of a wolf howling at the moon and then Jake's birth and death dates on the back.

I turned to look at Edward just as he was moving and our faces met in a half-way kiss, the corners of our lips brushing. The jolt that had been present when he caught me came back once more, fire racing through my veins. The intimate connection spurred me to turn in his arms, our lips meeting fully.

My hands slid up into silken strands that curled around my fingers. I tugged gently and he answered with a groan. I moved against his chest, my nipples tightening as I pressed myself more fully against Edward's torso. One hand moved to my lower back, pulling me tight so that I could feel all the hard planes of his body, including a hard bulge that was pressing into my stomach.

I had missed feeling lust, feeling wanted, and it spurred me to action. I swiveled my hips, brushing my body against Edward's cock. God, did I want him.

His lips parted, drawing mine between his, and I was lost. I opened my eyes to see bronze lashes half-way closed over his two-toned eyes. My pussy grew damp as his other hand slid down to cup my ass and pull me into him.

My body knew this dance and my tongue longed to join in. I swept my tongue across his lower lip and gently traced the ridge of teeth beyond. He parted for me, his breath panting as he lowered us to the ground, our tongues tasting one another as we moved. My legs went to either side of him, my hands keeping our lips together.

I lifted my hips and he thrust back, the pressure creating a delicious ache. Edward released my tongue and nipped at my lips before kissing his way down my neck. He hadn't shaved and the stubble scratched in such a way that I wanted more.

Our hips continued to press and release, and I could feel my orgasm approaching. It had been so long since I had been touched, so long since I had wanted to be touched. Edward's lips latched on to the skin at the base of my nick and sucked. He slid one leg between my thighs, pressing up into my heat.

I moaned and pulled at his hair, urging him to continue. I ground myself against his thigh and then he bit down. Sharp pain, a dull ache, and then bliss. Stars burst behind my eyelids as my back arched, pushing me even harder against him. Edward growled out my name and pushed into my hip, his body quaking.

“God, Bella, you're so beautiful.” His words were drawn apart with hundreds of kisses and gentle laughs.

I released his hair and my wedding band slid free from my palm, hitting me in the chest. My memory was returned in that simple motion; it was one year since I lost Jake and here I was rutting on the ground like I was a teenager. I'd lost my virginity in this very spot fourteen years ago. I've only been with one man, I've only kissed one man- no, now two.

I slid out from under Edward quickly and drew my legs up. I'm a grown woman; I'm not supposed to go off and have trysts in the woods with a stranger, let alone a married one. Covering my face, I started to quietly cry. I cried for Jake, I cried for me, I cried for the marriage vows I'd helped Edward break.

My body however, argued at the loss of body heat and I began to shiver. The sun was gone and another summer rainstorm was blowing in. Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind, tugging me against his chest.

“I'd apologize but I wouldn't mean it. Bella, you're beautiful, that was amazing.”

I pulled away, grabbing my wedding ring which had fallen into the grass, and then quickly climbed to my feet.

“I can't do this. We can't do this. My husband died a year ago; this is wrong. You're married. I can't do this to you, well, obviously I can. But I won't. It wasn't right. I can't hurt Jessica like that. I can't be the other woman. That's now who I am. You're gorgeous and smart and everything I'm not, so even if you weren't married, it's not like you would be interested in me.”

I was deep into a case of verbal diarrhea and had to stop. “I've gotta go. Jasper is going to go ballistic. Look, I won't say anything to your wife. We'll pretend it never happened. So, I guess is this 'bye.' I'll see you around.”

I took off at a brisk walk, my legs too weak from the mind-blowing orgasm to work properly. I fumbled with my keys, and finally managed to drop into my seat as Edward came stumbling out of the woods. He didn't seem to be in any better condition than I was.

I dropped Jake's shirt to the passenger side floorboard and threw the ring into the cup holder. My car was in reverse and away from the parking lot before Edward could make it to where we had parked. I couldn't face him, not after what we had done. Turning on my cellphone, I saw twenty three missed calls and four messages, all from Jasper. The moment he picked up, I apologized and told him to meet me at the house.

~*~

“You feel guilty because you enjoyed dry humping someone you find attractive? Bella, I'd be shocked if you weren't interested in someone. It has been a year. Soon it will be two and then three. Jake isn't coming back and he would not want you to be lonely. He loved you with every breath he took and he knew that you felt the same way about him. It's okay to love again, it's okay to even just lust again.

“No one is expecting you to be a nun. Go out and fuck your neighbor senseless. He seems like a good guy. Edward came over while you were in the shower. I wouldn't let him in, obviously, as you were in tears when I pulled in and the only word I could make out was his name.”

Jasper tipped the beer bottle upside down and then set it on the table with a loud thunk. He leaned back in the chair, his boots going up onto the table. With his eyes closed, he looked at peace for the first in a long time.

“I miss him, Bella. He was my best friend and there will never be another partner like him. But he's gone and we're alive. We're doing Jake a great disservice by focusing on the life he's missing out on and not taking solace in the all the good times we had with him. He'd be standing over against the sink, his fuck huge arms crossed over his chest, and he'd tell you to get your ass over to the neighbor and apologize for running out on him.”

I held up a hand. “Jazz, I can't. He's married.”

“Well, fuck. He didn't mention that part when he came pounding on the door and demanded to see you. That paints things in a different light. Since you now know your parts are in good working order, maybe you should give Emmett a call. He's been asking about you every time I run into him. I think he's too worried about pissing off Alice or me to ask you out. I'm about to set him up with my sister if you don't end his misery.”

I nursed my own bottle. “Jasper, I don't know if I'm ready to date. I don't think I was ready for that with Edward today. It just happened. If I was, I don't think it would be with Emmett, he's like my big brother and you're my other really hot big brother. It just wouldn't work. Go ahead and set him up with Rose, they're perfect for each other.”

Jasper shrugged and had another slice of pizza. When finished, he pulled me into the living room and we watched a video that he and Alice had put together. There were clips from high school dances, Jake had lifted me up so that I stopped stepping on his toes, and from our favorite places in Seattle. Moments from our wedding were included and then a message from Jake that he'd left with Jasper in case anything happened to him.

I was in tears as Jasper left, but they were cleansing tears. I fell asleep listening to Jake's voice saying good bye and making me promise that I would find love again. At one point, I woke up enough to remember I hadn't locked the door when I heard Jasper come back up the steps but I was too comfortable to get off the couch.

Waking the next morning left me somewhat disoriented. Jake's video had been stopped, the remote was returned to its place atop the television set. The blanket from the recliner was pulled over me and there was a single white rose with a plume of freesia next to it on the table.

I breathed in the sweet scent and put them into a vase in the kitchen. The front door had been locked. I silently thanked Jasper and made a mental note to call him later.

I went about my normal routine and was going to head to the school to start setting up my classroom when my breath caught. Edward was outside in just a pair of shorts as he grabbed his paper. There was still a heavy fog in the air and he looked like a fey creature stepping through the mist. His hair was wet and as he approached the road, I could see that his shorts were his swim trunks.

Blushing, I turned my head the other way. I did not want to be caught gawking at my hot neighbor who I had dry humped in the forest yesterday. My eyes were traitorous and could not help but follow the line of wet hair on his abdomen to the front of his shorts. I had quite the feel yesterday and could imagine what was behind the fabric all too well.

I was in the car and could see in the mirror that he was waving. Edward stood next to his mailbox as I pulled out of the driveway and smiled as I stopped next to him. He was patient a I cranked the window down by hand.

“I hope you don't mind, I brought the flowers over and your door was open. The tv on so I peeked in when you didn't answer. I locked up the house for you when I saw you were asleep on the couch. We're not Seattle, but it still isn't safe for someone to leave the house unlocked at night.”

Edward dropped down lower so that his face was level with mine. “And, Bella, I'm not married. Jessica and I divorced three months ago.”

His hand came up and caught my chin, encouraging me to lean toward him. Edward's lips brushed against mine gently.

“Have a great day, Isabella.”

With those words, he tapped the roof of my car and stepped away.

~*~

Weeks turned into a month and school started. Kelsey was in fact in my class and I saw Edward each morning as he dropped her off. His mother, Esme, picked up Kelsey in the afternoons. He had not kissed me again, although I often found a handful of early autumn wildflowers on my doorstep in the morning.

My birthday arrived with little fanfare. I took myself down to the diner for breakfast before school. School went relatively smoothly. Jessica had dropped Kelsey off at school that morning, saying that Edward had to leave early that morning and wasn't dressed for work so he must have had a date and took off work. By that point, I'd heard all about Jessica and Mike Newton. It seemed to be the favorite gossip of the teachers who were all interested in the now available Mister Cullen. When Edward showed up at lunch with a basket of takeout from the French restaurant in Port Angeles, the other teachers were gawking at us.

His response to being asked why he'd brought everything just for me, he just smiled and then pointed back down the hall towards my classroom. Edward's hand moved to rest on my lower back, fingers pressing possessively upon my hip.

“I didn't know which you'd prefer, so I had the staff pack up a serving of coq au vin as well as the beef bourguignon. I like both of them.”

He led me to my classroom with gentle pressure. I could feel his touch on my back but it seemed as though his fingers were up under my skirt. Edward's breath caught and he turned so that his lower body was touching mine.

“Do you feel it too, Bella? Since the moment I caught you, thoughts of you constantly distract me. I want to know what makes your brain tick. I want to know what makes you smile. I want to know everything about you. I want to love you, make love to you.” His voice was a husky whisper spoken directly into my ear.

I hustled us into my classroom and closed the door. My cheeks were aflame with desire and I was worried that we would have a repeat of our forest meeting if we didn't start our lunch soon. Edward chuckled as he set up the picnic lunch.

We shared both dishes, plenty of still warm bread. When we finished with the entrees, Edward pulled out a Styrofoam box filled with ice and a dish of chocolate mousse. From his pocket, he retrieved a candle and stuck in the top.

“Happy Birthday, Bella. I wanted today to be special. You deserve it.”

Edward sang to me, his full lips capturing my attention as he turned the birthday song into something intimate. We ate the spoonfuls of mousse, eyes locked.

Our hands intertwined, and I was focused entirely on those shimmering green eyes as Edward pressed his lips onto my knuckles. “Kelsey and I baked a cake last night. We want you to come over for supper and birthday cake.”

“Edward, why me? You could have anyone. Why me?”

His eyes darkened and then one warm hand came up to rest on the back of my neck. “I think it has always been you. I watched you when we were in high school together. You were with Jake and never noticed anyone.

“When you came back to Forks, I had not heard about Jake and expected to pine for you from afar. No one should have to lose his or her spouse like that. I'm so sorry that you have had to endure that pain. Let me help shoulder some of your grief. Can you give me a chance to hold a piece of your heart? Bella, are you willing to try being with me?”

I let my lips answer for me, kissing Edward softly. He still tasted of chocolate mousse as our tongues came together once more. His heat surrounded me and I longed to lose myself in the sweet spicy scent that clung to him. Edward pulled back all too soon and we both whimpered at the loss of contact.

“School.”

He quickly packed up the basket, his eyes smoldering as he watched me lick the spoon from the chocolate mousse. With one last stolen kiss, Edward whispered, “Tonight, Bella, bring your swimsuit.”

~*~

I arrived at five pm, as the note on my front door requested. Kelsey answered the door, pulling me toward the kitchen where Edward was pouring pasta into a colander.

“Mrs. Black, come see the cake I made! Dad and I made pink frosting; he let me stir. I added the sparkles when we were done!”

The cake was two layers of very pink frosting. The top was coated in edible glitter and Kelsey had written my name in purple decorator gel. It seemed to be meant for a child's birthday more than mine, but my heart melted at the sight regardless.

“I hope you like red forty with your cake. Kelsey got carried away with the food coloring.”

I smiled at Kelsey's upturned face. “I think it is the most beautiful cake I've ever seen. Thank you both for having this party for me.”

The three of us ate chicken Alfredo while Kelsey chattered on about school, about wanting to play the flute like her grandma, and over cake she told us about Mike buying her a new bike for when she's staying over with him and Jessica. About that time, the doorbell rang and Edward excused himself to answer the door.

“Dad, this is Bella.”

When Edward walked back in, my two worlds collided.

---

EPOV

I had not expected Bella to turn gray when she saw my father. He walked in and smiled, although it didn't quite reach his eyes. “I've worked with you before, haven't I?”

Bella nodded. “Thirteen months ago. My husband, Jake. You gave me a pep talk on having faith when I had none left.”

I was at Bella's side before my father could disengage Kelsey from his neck. She let me take her into my arms and I was humbled that she trusted me enough to let me hold her.

“It's okay, love.” Love? I wasn't sure where that came from, but it felt right. This was comfortable, despite the odd nature of our relationship.

Bella's fingers tightened around my shoulders, squeezing twice before she let me go. Her color had returned, and her eyes, while bright with unshed tears, were not red nor were her cheeks wet from crying. “Thank you, Edward.”

My father grabbed Kelsey's bag from beside the door and with a rueful smile to Bella, he started back through the doorway. “Your mom and I have to leave at nine to pick up your aunt at Sea-Tac. If you aren't free by then, we'll take Kelsey with us. It is nice to see you under more pleasant circumstances, Bella.”

I was mildly embarrassed to have my father allude to private matters, but outside of my stammered goodbye to my father and daughter, his departure was easier than the arrival had been. When I returned to the kitchen, Bella was finishing up the last bite of her cake and had a dollop of frosting on her lower lip.

Her skin was smooth under my thumb as I brushed the frosting off. Her tongue licked the sweet butter cream from me. Our eyes met and I could see the mischief sparkling behind them. She wanted to play.

“As much as I would love to have you lick frosting from me more, and I want nothing more than to coat you in this sweet confection and then clean you using only my tongue, we should probably talk about where we are headed first.”

“Bed.” Her desire was easily seen; the flush over her cheeks and down her neck, the widening of her pupils as she boldly dropped her eyes from my face to chest and down to my lap before meeting my gaze again. Her touch was tentative as it came to rest on my chest.

“Bella, I'm serious. We should talk before making love. It's a beautiful night, why don't we take a bottle of wine and two glasses over to your porch swing. After we figure things out, we can come back, use the hot tub and see where things go. I don't want us to screw things up.”

Bella nodded and moved to rest her head on my shoulder. While I wanted nothing more than to carry her up to my bed and make her scream my name, I had to temper our passions with the knowledge that we had more than chemistry to support us.

After a long embrace, I disentangled myself from her limbs, kissed a pouting lower lip that begged for my touch, and then grabbed the wine from the counter and two glasses. I locked the door behind me and followed Bella across the street. My eyes watched the gentle sway of her hips beneath the long knit skirt she'd worn to school. Fuck my need to talk. My cock led the way; an invisible string between Bella's thighs was tied to the end of my cock, tugging me closer with each step. Bella unlocked the door and grabbed a quilt for the back of swing to keep us from getting the dampness onto our clothes.

We sat side by side, talking about our dreams for the future, and that while happy in Forks, we both longed for something more. I mentioned my cabin in Alaska and noted the sparkle in her eyes as she mentioned that she's never been anywhere outside of the stretch between Seattle to Forks and down to Phoenix.

I talked about my history with Jessica and Tanya; how I still keep in contact with Tanya and she is a good friend but nothing more. Bella nodded, explaining that she understands having close friends of the opposite sex as two of her three closest friends are men. I listened to some of her favorite memories of birthdays past, including a motorcycle trip from Seattle down to visit Charlie and Sue.

We talked about children and there were tears in her eyes at that point. She wanted children although she felt that at thirty four, she wasn't sure if she was going to reach that dream. Bella and Jake had just started to try when he was killed.

“I always had plans of having two or three children. When I found out that Jess was pregnant, it was hard to accept. I hadn't been ready, right then, to have kids. I think now that I have the means to financially support a family, adding a second would be nice. It is too early to start thinking about us having children together, but I do want you to know that if you want to be with me, I'm willing for it to be everything.

“Bella, I don't go into relationships expecting to fail or just to have a good time. I'm not talking marriage or forever, but I am in it for the long haul. Kelsey needs stability and I am not the dating type. I'm a 'relationship and give you my whole heart' guy.” I paused, pulling Bella onto my lap so that she was straddling me, her arms looped around my neck. Our wine had long ago been discarded. “A large section of your heart will always be Jake's; I know that. I'm just asking for you to make room for me, for Kelsey, too; she's a part of the package deal.”

Our foreheads came together, as we stared with star-filled eyes at one another. Bella's face bumped against mine as it rose slightly. “I want to try.”

I kissed her once more, releasing my pent-up passion, and let her feel the full force of my desire for her. It had been nearly twenty years since I first longed to kiss the soft lips pressed against mine. My fingers slipped beneath the light sweater she wore, lust guiding my movements, until I had it bunched above my hands.

Palming the skin at Bella's waist, I swept my tongue through her mouth, distracting her as my hands slid up the sides of her ribcage. She pressed against me as my fingers ghosted over the swell of her breasts and my cock began to harden. I was afraid that she was going to make me spend in my pants again. Everything about Bella made me feel like the seventeen year old boy I had been when we met, not the thirty-five year old I am.

My heart was pounding in my chest, my cock continued to grow so hard it felt ready to burst, my breath coming out in pants, and I could not stop my hands from wandering, stroking, pinching, and caressing. I didn't want one inch of Bella's skin to go unexplored. Even as we paused our kiss to catch our breath, my thumbs slid back and forth across her nipples, earning the occasional mewling of pleasure from Bella.

“Now...is...probably... a good time... to discuss... protection.”

Bella kissed along my jaw and huskily said, “IUD, drug and disease free.”

“Same here.”

She giggled and nipped at my earlobe. “You have an IUD too?”

I swatted Bella on the ass and she wriggled her hips against me, further taunting my dick. “Have you had your birthday spankings?”

“No!” It came out as a gasp.

I lifted her effortless and deposited her over my lap. I removed the clip from her hair and attached it to the rope of the swing. Bella's skirt had risen up to barely hide the curve of her ass so I helped it along, lifting it up to her waist.

“You've had number one and I'm going to thirty-four, right?”

Bella was red-faced as she mumbled yes.

My touch was feather light as I gently stroked the skin of her upper thighs and lower back. Heat was radiating from her pussy and I wanted to thrust my fingers beneath the fabric. Slow and steady would win this race. It has been a year since she was last with someone. I could not afford to scare her away.

Spanking number two was the lightest of pops, hardly a sound was made. Three was a little harder and she moaned, pressing her body down against my lap. Four and five were the same, but I moved the receiving area around. Six, seven, and eight landed on her upper thighs, my fingers gently stroking the white cotton covering her pussy.

“Please?” Bella's hips rose to meet my hand when I pulled away.

“That's only eight, love.”

Nine through twenty were a little harder, my hand began to tingle slightly after each time we connected. “Twenty. You should count the rest.”

On twenty-one, I let my fingers slip down the edge of her panties, the wetness drawing me beneath. One fingertip gently stroked down the center of Bella's labia, ending just short of her clit. She drew in a sharp breath, whining as I pulled away.

My hand came down hard on her ass, the sound loud. “Count, Bella.”

“Twenty-one.”

“Good girl.”

I repeated at the same strength on the other cheek, squeezing instead of pulling away.

“Twenty-twooooo.” The sound was drawn out into a long ooh.

Twenty-three through thirty alternated in strength. Thirty-one and two I delivered against the lips of her pussy, short sharp spanks that her writhing against me. She was forgetting to count at that point so I did it for her.

The thirty-third spanking was more of a caress, I could feel the heat rising from her cheeks. Thirty four was not a spanking at all.

Pushing the material of her underwear to the side, I thrust two fingers inside her pussy. Bella was wet, oh so wet, and hot. Her walls were slick with her arousal and clenched down against the intrusion I gave.

“Thirty-four. Wait, that's not a spanking.”

I pulled my fingers out and popped her on the ass one last time. Bella tried to move but failed, pushing down against my aching cock. I lifted her onto my lap so that she sat facing me once more.

The swing moved backwards as I adjusted my weight and Bella lost her balance. With such an offering, I could not resist the breasts in my face and licked my way down her cleavage. I pulled the sweater up in front, my tongue delving beneath the lace cups once my fingers had them pulled out of the way.

“Edward!”

I moved one hand down to cup her sex, the palm pressing against her clit. She ground against it as I sucked and nibbled at both peaks. Her nipples were hard, colored a deep plum from arousal and my attentions.

Hands in my hair pulled my face up to a hungry kiss. I slid my hand up and then under her underwear, my fingers moving down and in unerringly. My middle and ring finger were soon buried in her wet pussy as my thumb worked her clit.

Our tongues gave up trying to mimic the rhythm my fingers set and our lips stayed loosely pressed together as I moved her body towards a climax. Our breaths mingled as Bella rose up and then lowered herself onto my fingers. One whine became two and then a third as she began to breathlessly plea for more.

“There. Harder. Faster. Like that. More. Edward, please. More. There. Almost. Edward.”

I swallowed back her last cry of my name as it came out on a wail as she came. Her body clenched around my fingers, pulling me deeper within her depths. One last circle with my thumb made her launch up higher around me, trying to evade my fingers.

“No more. No more! Too much.”

I laughed against her sweaty neck, licked the salty drops from her shoulder. She made a purring sound, deep in her throat as her body slowly eased back down into my lap. I was ready to go take a quick cold shower and then climb into the hot tub with her once my cock softened. I was not going to push her for sex, despite my body's insistence.

I kept telling myself that as her warm hand opened my belt and undid the three buttons holding my fly closed. When the denim parted, my cock sprang free, and I was immediately glad I had gone commando. Unlike Jessica, Bella's nails were short and her hands rough from working on the house. They felt heavenly.

She worked my shaft with one hand, the other gently stroking the glans. I nearly came when she moved over me and rubbed the head of my cock against her clit, her panties shoved to the side. She shivered as the night breeze picked up, so I pulled the blanket up around her shoulders, also shielding us from view should anyone drive by.

Bella's hand moved to fist my cock, grasping just beneath the head. I choked out her name as she slid me back and forth along her slit, the wetness coating me. She whispered something and I didn't hear, or perhaps just did not understand I was so lost in my lust for her.

“I asked, 'do you want me?'”

I growled and kissed Bella, my teeth snagging on her lower lip as I sucked it into my mouth.

“Fuck, yes. I want to fuck you, here on the swing, Bella.”

She positioned the head of my cock against her opening and slowly tilted her hips as she lowered herself onto me. Tight. Bella was exquisitely tight and hot, and she felt like smooth wet velvet as our bodies came together.

I lifted as she came down, I pressed harder against the swing's bench as she rose up onto her knees. The porch swing swung as we made love, adding its own component to our intimate dance. Our lips met and parted, I sucked at the soft fragrant skin of her neck, nipped at the muscled length of her shoulders, and squeezed her hips. Her hands moved in large circles; my hair, down my arms, clawed their way up my back, and then ended the circuit by tugging at my hair again.

I could feel my balls tingling, tightening with the need to come. I had to see her come undone once more before that point. She thrashed against me as my fingers once again found her clit, first fluttering around our joining before gently stroking the stiff bud near her mound. Her eyes opened, having closed long before when our bodies first came together.

Bella's lips formed a delicate 'o' as she looked into my eyes, brushing my hair back. Her body moved continuously against mine. I could hear her heart pounding as she came closer to her peak.

“You're wrong, Edward. I do remember you. You wore glasses in high school, always sat at the corner table. I did see you, I just had to remember. I never knew your name; you weren't...” Bella's voice broke as her body began to tighten around my cock. “Not in my classes. Guh. I was with Jake and couldn't really think... about... anyone else. Especially the beautiful, mysterious, star of a dangerous number of my daydreams.”

She giggled, the motion causing her pussy to clench tightly. “Fuck... You were the cause of my first fight with Jake. I watched you drive off in that fancy silver car while he was there on his motorcycle for me. He yelled the whole way to my house. I cried and I didn't even know your name.”

“Am I worth it?”

Bella kissed me softly, her body never ceasing in its movements; I guess that was my answer. My fingers gently flicked her clit back and forth and sent her over the edge. Her head fell forward onto my neck and she latched on, her teeth pressed deeply into my flesh, just barely stopping before she could draw blood. Bella cried out my name as she came, the sound muffled by my skin.

The counterpoint of pain heightened my pleasure and my hips snapped against hers. I wanted to bury myself deep inside Bella and never let go. My whole abdomen tensed, my thigh muscles drawing tightly as my come began to pulse through my cock.

My fingers tightened on her hips, pulling her sharply against me, thrusting deep inside her. I was marking her as mine with my fingerprints, leaving my essence within her, and with a last breath, I whispered her name as my body relaxed. But despite the physical markers, I would always need her more than she did me. I was hers.

“I'm yours, Bella. Completely and utterly, yours.”

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