They
stayed at Game Works until closing time. Alice was plastered and was hanging
off Jasper, saying she wanted to ride his cock all night long. Rosalie was not
much better, on Emmett’s back and whispering in his ear. Jasper said he’d take
Alice back to his place and Emmett went with Rosalie. Conveniently, it left
Bella with Edward. “Are you sure you’re okay to give me a ride?” Bella asked,
smiling coyly.
He
nodded, helping her with her coat. They left and clambered into Edward’s SUV. He
helped her into the passenger seat, jogging to the driver’s side. Once inside,
he turned over the car and turned on the heat. “Sorry. It’s colder than I
thought.”
“I
lived in Chicago. This is nothing,” Bella quipped, her hands in her pockets. Edward
chuckled, turning on the seat warmer before backing out of his parking spot. He
pulled out and got on the highway to head back to his home. “What made you
decide to choose this as your winnings for our bet?”
“As
fun as our clandestine encounters have been, I’ve missed the company of a woman
and holding her in my arms. I may be a cold, distant asshole, but … I want that
with you,” he shrugged. Shit, did I say
too much?
“Does
this mean our arrangement is changing?” Bella asked. “Are we still ‘friends
with benefits’ or something more?”
Edward
thought about that. He was afraid of changing the nature of their relationship.
What if Bella turned into someone who’d hurt him? “I don’t know. I can’t answer
that, Isabella,” he replied.
“Who
hurt you so badly that you can’t open yourself up? You’re a good man, Edward.
Yes, you are an asshole,” she snorted.
“That’s
a surefire way to win my heart,” Edward deadpanned.
“Let
me finish, Dr. Impatient,” Bella argued. “You are an asshole. But, there are
moments where I see someone who wants to love another person, badly. During
that quake when Jake was in the ED? You cradled me like I was the most
important, precious thing, Edward. Like you have feelings, romantic feelings or
feelings of friendship … I don’t know. But, I’m here if you want to talk.”
He
thought about what she said and she was right. Bella was smarter than he gave
her credit for. On top of being a brilliant doctor, she’s very perceptive and empathic.
It was his fear, though, that stopped him from loving. For now, he’d just use
his body for a physical release and for tonight, to hold and cuddle her. “Thank
you for the offer to talk. I did share what happened with me to Jasper and
Emmett. They knew me when it all went down,” he shrugged. “Long story short, I
was engaged to be married and my ex-fiancée had been cheating on me for our
entire relationship of six years. I don’t want to get into the logistics or
whatever, but …”
“When you’re ready,” Bella said, reaching across the console and tugging his right hand from the steering wheel. She threaded her fingers with his and he smiled at her, thankful for her understanding. He relaxed his hand, his thumb running along her knuckles as he drove them to his home and pulling up into the beautiful, but contemporary home.
Love this house. Glad that he opened up a bit to Bella.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have a friend who'll listen, let you vent and understand how you feel. I hope in time Edward opens up to Bella. Maybe that's all it will take for him to let go of his fear and let his feelings for Bella to happen. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story as always. Keep up the good work
ReplyDelete