1,441Beauty Takes on the Beast
Epilogue One
Edward
"Bella?" I did my best not to panic, but there was something about her being in pain or hurt in some way that sent all sorts of alarms to my brain. It allowed me to focus during dangerous situations, like when she was taken hostage, but alone, I sort of freaked out.
Lashed out. Whatever. Fear did stupid shit to my mind.
"Bella, I swear if you don't wake the fuck up, I'm spanking your ass so you can't sit down for a week."
She grumbled in my arms, dazed eyes blinking open. "I'm awake, though now I want to see what it's like." Her words were a bit slurred and in between short little breaths.
Not normal for her. We really needed to work on her stamina.
I would've laughed if the situation weren't serious. "You should've used your safeword or slapped my thigh as we agreed, Isabella Marie Swan!"
"Oh, you birth-named me," she moaned and shook her head. "I'm fine. I think the wine with dinner and just overall awesomeness of that moment rendered me stupid and I forgot." She tried to look all innocent with her eyes wide-open, a small frown on her beautiful, ravished lips.
Too bad there were all the marks I left on her, including some red ones that appeared like my fingers around her throat. It was hot at the time, but clearly, I wasn't able to adjust my strength enough.
"That will be the last time we explore your curiosity like that," I said.
A simple shift of her body, and pulling up my sweat and I was on my feet, carrying Bella toward the cabin.
"Why?" Upset, she looked at me with curious eyes. "Didn't you enjoy it?"
Of all things she was concerned about, that was her first thought. "I enjoyed it, but not at the expense of your health."
"Things happen like that all the time, according some of the kink sites I'd been on," she mumbled. "It adds to the experience—sometimes it sends the person to a subspace, I think that's what she called it. The orgasm is much more intense, too."
"If that was the case, you should've told me. I seriously thought I hurt you."
I did my best to keep some of the fear from my voice, but a shudder moved through me. It scared me to think what my life would be like if she was no longer by my side.
Then again, Emmett and the others would kill me if I hurt her.
She frowned, but nodded. "I apologize. I thought you knew about this sort of thing since you're more experienced than I am."
I placed her on the porch long enough to open the front door and then tossed her over my shoulder. Gently, of course. Within a minute, I sat her on the couch and sat on the coffee table to meet her eyes.
"Trust is needed to experience some of the things you're curious about, Bella. I didn't have that with my ex-wife or any of my old relationships. Maybe my high school girlfriend until she disclosed to everyone that I had a monster in my pants. So, if you are curious about some kind of kink, let us explore it together. It will probably be a first for me, too."
She smiled and threw her arms around my neck to pull me closer. "I like the sound of that."
I cocked an eyebrow as she laughed when her dress fell apart down to her waist. She cringed when she saw the state of her chest and stomach. Her skin was covered in dirt and small little scratches. I hissed like a fucking beast, and once again, pulled her into my arms, her legs wrapping around my hips.
"I'm fine, Edward. I do need to clean up, but I'm more than good. I don't want that to be the only time we explore the Primal kink. I'm curious to try another scenario."
I rolled my eyes and sat her on the bathroom counter, then started the shower. Changing my mind, I put in the stopper and started a bath. I fucked her hard, and I knew from experience that she'd be sensitive for a while.
"You know what they say about curiosity?" I looked back, which was a mistake considering the blissed-out look on her face in the mirror. She was trying to remove some leaves in her hair, her lips curved up into a beautiful smile. A knowing one. It told me she was replaying the scene in her head.
She looked at me, cocking her head to one side. "Curiosity gets you fucked?"
I started coughing and laughing at the same time, and I knew it was her intention. "I'm never going to win an argument with you, am I?"
"Some, I'm sure. But I'd say you have a sixty-forty chance." She shrugged, slipping down onto the floor and removing the tattered remains of her dress. "Though, to be honest, I'll probably let you win a few on purpose."
"Why would you do that?" I helped her into the tub as it continued to fill. Grabbing some scented bubble bath, I added some into the hot water.
"Mainly to keep you cocky, sometimes I like that about you," she murmured, shrugging when I looked at her in question. "Also, there are times when you win, I win."
I threw my head back and groaned, but it turned into a belly laugh. "I'll have to remember that. When you win, I win."
"It'll be a while before I can win again," she said with a pout. She shifted on her bottom, hissing at movement. "Join me?"
I cocked an eyebrow and shook my head. "Not if you want to recover or win anytime soon."
Despite my initial protest, it wasn't long before I joined her. I didn't dare tell her I waited because her bath water cooled since it was usually Hades hot.
.
.
.
A week later
"Do we really need to go back?" Bella whined. She was dragging her feet on packing up to leave the cabin.
I pinched her pout and slapped her ass. "Yes, you know we do. I have the Morgan bid to finish and you need to sit down with your brother to discuss the letter that came in a few weeks ago."
At the mention of the letter, she frowned. "My mother finally seeks us out after an article comes out about my home invasion incident. And because of it, she probably looked into why they would invade my house. She likely found out what I'm worth."
"Maybe, but you two have ignored it long enough. If you don't decide about letting her back in your lives, you need to let her know that. The last thing you want to happen is for her to show up unannounced."
Bella doesn't take shock and surprises well. My surprises, she learned to love. It was never anything that would cause her anxiety. I wasn't an asshole, but little ones. Like having someone drop off some lunch while I worked. Flowers the day after an anxiety attack, something that started after receiving Renee's letter. Little things I thought I'd never be aware of enough to do for someone else. I couldn't help wanting to do them for her. It seemed second nature to me now.
"There's something else, too."
"I have a little brother," she whispered, a shudder moving through her body.
Bingo. She finally said it out loud. Emmett wouldn't make contact with their mother until she was ready. He was, however, investigating Renee Dwyer, her name after her third marriage.
I wasn't sure what about the situation upset Bella the most. They honestly thought Renee had died. They hadn't heard from her in years. To find out they had a little half-brother, only six years old, and two step-sisters from Renee's marriage to Phillip Dwyer.
"Will you tell me what has you the most upset?"
She looked at me and sighed deeply. Taking my hand, she walked to the couch and sat down. I did the same. We had a few hours before we needed to head out.
"My first thought I had after I read that letter was..." She groaned and shook her head. It was as if she didn't want to admit it openly.
I picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. "No matter what you have to say, I will still love you."
My words seemed to encourage her to continue.
"I thought, how dare she have a child when I can't." She bit her lips and choked up a bit. Leaning against my shoulder, she kept going. "I didn't even feel human in that moment."
It explained her panic attack after getting the letter. She was reading it, while Emmett and I were going over some blueprints for the addition for their childhood home. I had to help her through the attack, leaving Emmett to pick up the letter that set her off.
To say he'd been angry was an understatement. Since that day, they each decided to put it aside until they were ready. It had to be soon since something in that letter led me to believe that their mother was sincere in her desire to see them.
Whatever the case might be, Bella needed to know that I would be right beside her no matter what they decided.
"Considering everything you've been through, I can understand that initial thought, Bella. It wasn't the only one, though, so try to remember that. Having one dark thought actually makes you human, not inhuman. At least in my eyes."
She nodded. "I was angry next, or angrier. I have missed six years of his little life." She wiped at her tears and clenched her hands into fists, pounding them on her thighs. "Six beautiful years of his life."
"Emmett wants to call her, but your brother won't make a move until you decide how you want to proceed."
"I need to meet him, Anthony—his name is Anthony." She sniffed, laughing a little. "It was the name of my imaginary friend when I was a kid."
"That has to mean something, Bella."
"Maybe," she whispered. "We'll talk to Emmett once we get back. I think we should head to Florida to meet them. Do you think you can take another week off soon?"
"You want me to join you two? Seems like a family thing."
I shrugged at her confused look. I knew we had a future, but was she ready for me to meet her mother? Her little brother?
"Edward Anthony Cullen!"
"Oh, now you birth-named me." I grinned, which made her roll her eyes.
"Don't get all cocky on me. You are family. Even if we hadn't started dating, you'd still be a part of our family. We all love you, so get fucking used to it."
I watched her stomp into the kitchen to pack up the perishables, grumbling to herself. It was obvious she needed some space, and I needed some, too.
But not before I had the last word. I wrapped my arms around from behind, but she remained stiff. She always reacted like this when I said shit that made it seem as if I wasn't worthy of her.
"I'm going to marry you some day."
Take that, baby.
AN: Thanks to Midnight Cougar for the quick turn around despite the weather. I think I have either one long chapter left or two short ones. I do want to write a future take but trying to decide what it would be about. Thanks for reading!