by M. S. Parker
“Me, too.” I managed my first real smile in several hours and caught her hand, squeezing it.
Then there was just Stacia.
Edward glanced toward her and then at me.
He leaned in and kissed me softly, just a light brush of his lips over mine. “A few more minutes.”
It took more than a few as she deftly deflected all of Edward's subtle hints that it was time for her to go. I idly wondered if I could create a character like her. The woman who wouldn't leave. I could see it as a sketch in my head. Her hosts would come out in their pajamas and she'd still be talking as if nothing had changed.
I’d gone through another glass of sparkling water before she left, but my head was clear and my bladder was full. I went to the rest room as he escorted her all the way out, unsure that I could trust myself to give her a polite farewell. When I came out, he was waiting for me.
I smiled at him and opened my mouth to say something. I wasn't sure what, but I didn't have a chance to figure it out, because in the next moment, I found myself with my back up against the wall and his mouth on mine. There was a hunger in his kiss that he had only ever hinted at and it caught me off guard. When he pushed up the hem of my dress, heat blistered through me.
He cupped my ass, only thin silk between our skin. I gasped as he picked me up. His voice was rough as he ordered, “Wrap your legs around me.”
I did and he wrapped one arm around my waist. The house blurred around me as he started to walk. In just a couple minutes, we were in the bedroom and he all but threw me down on the bed, coming down on top of me in the next breath.
“I want you,” he rasped. “Now.”
“Then have me.” The words were practically a whimper as excitement buzzed through me. Finally, my brain had kicked off and I wasn’t thinking about Flynn, Stacia, Kendra, our problems or anything else. Only him. He pulled aside the crotch of my panties and shoved inside me.
I cried out at the sudden intrusion, shoving my hands into his hair. I pulled on it for a moment as my body shuddered from the feel of him. Then I was pulling him down to kiss me. When he pushed his tongue into my mouth, I sucked on it. He groaned, his cock throbbing inside me as he rocked his hips.
I contracted my pussy around his cock and the groan became a growl. He pulled back and then drove deeper into me, harder and faster and then I was moaning, rocketing towards orgasm. He gasped out my name before his teeth found the soft skin of my throat.
I closed my eyes and for a moment, I had a flash.
Sunlight shining in through the windows, cadet blue eyes glinting down at me.
Edward twisted a hand in my hair and arched my head back. “Open your eyes. Let me see you, darling.”
I looked at him, focused on his face. “Edward.” I said it almost desperately—I was desperate. Desperate to forget, desperate to lose myself in the man who loved me, the man who cherished me and didn’t try to hurt me.
He cupped my hips and lifted me up higher, surging deeper and deeper until he could go no further. His cock pulsed as he rubbed against the bed of nerves buried deep inside. The sensations sent a tremor of feelings coursing through me and I cried out, clamping down on him as the orgasm slammed into me.
Edward started to climax and the hot splash of wetness pushed me higher. I clung to him, holding him inside me, never wanting to let him go. I wanted us to stay like this forever. Locked together.
I was still panting, sweating when he collapsed down on top of me, his head resting on my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair and closed my eyes as our breathing slowed.
Wayward thoughts trickled through my brain and I found myself thinking things I shouldn’t. I opened my eyes and looked down at the man lying on me, the one whose body was still joined with mine. I’d focus on him.
That was what I needed to do anyway.
Chapter 9
Paper tucked under my arm, coffee in one hand, I fought with the keys and tried to remember which one was for the front door. Edward had left earlier for work and now I was planning to go to the nearest coffee shop where I could drink more coffee and search for another job.
I had my laptop tucked away inside my purse and I planned to bolt my wake-up coffee on the way, then tuck myself in a dark corner with a tall vanilla iced latte and occupy my mind with job hunting. Something that would keep me from thinking about how I'd done another shoot with Flynn, even after that awful encounter at the party. We’d barely spoken two words to each other the entire time, and that had involved setting up for the shoot, managing instead to communicate through a series of gestures and monosyllables. We’d finished up in under two hours and he’d paid me a thousand dollars.
I'd told him not to call me again and he hadn't responded. I suspected he would call me and I wondered if, this time, I’d find the guts to say no. And always, following that was the question that made my stomach twist. Would he show Edward the pictures?
My phone rang, startling me out of my reverie and I ended up dropping my keys, my coffee and my purse. It clattered on the marble floor and I reached for it, heart pounding as I realized how close I'd come to losing my laptop. As I bent, my hip bumped into the table next to me. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it was hard enough to jostle the vase that sat on one end of the table.
In slow motion, I saw it all happening. My phone playing the theme song from Titanic as the elegant piece of crystal toppled over and crashed, straight down on my laptop.
Water and flower petals and pieces of crystal flew everywhere.
I stood there, stunned, while my phone finally went silent. Numb, I picked it up and looked down at the little 'missed call' message on the screen.
No shit.
Tears burned my eyes as I stared at the vase, something that probably cost more than I’d earned in that miserable photoshoot. And I hadn't even looked at my laptop yet.
“Miss Gabriella! Are you okay…I heard something…”
One of the servants came rushing around the corner and she came to a stop at the sight of me. I sniffled and tried not to let the sob burning up in my throat escape.
“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” she asked gently.
I turned around and walked over to the steps, dropping down heavily as I stared at the mess I’d made. I'd barely been living here and I'd already started ruining things.
“I crashed into the table and knocked it over.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounded pitiful, like a five year old who’d done something she knew her parents wouldn’t be happy about. “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s just a vase.” She came closer and after a moment, she sat down next to me. “I can call Mr. Edward.”
“No!” I shouted it so loud she flinched and immediately, I felt like a fool. She was just being kind. “I’m sorry. I…I just feel stupid. I don’t need to bother him.” Slowly, I shifted my eyes over to the vase. Licking my lips, I asked, “Do you know where he bought it?”
“No, I'm sorry.” She shook her head. “He won’t be angry, Miss Gabriella. It was an accident. He’s a nice man, Mr. Edward. He doesn’t get angry over accidents.”
“But I…”
She shook her head again, more emphatically. Then she rose and carefully picked her way through the glass, picking up my bag, my keys, my laptop. She grimaced a little as she held it up, letting water and petals fall away. A pale peach bloom clung to it and she put my other things down next to me so she could pluck the bloom away.
“Wait here.”
I frowned at her retreating back and then got up, moving over to the small closet concealed under the stairs. I came out with a couple of paper towels and a small garbage bag. When she came back, I was already picking up the largest slivers of glass.
“Miss Gabriella, if you do my job, Mr. Edward will think he has no use for me,” she chided gently.
I looked back at her and saw a glint of humor in her eyes. I managed to smile, but it was weak. “Yeah, I’m sure I know everything there is to know about taking car
e of a house like this. I can’t even make it to the door without being destructo girl.”
“Why don't you sit down and we'll check your computer first and then I’ll clean up the mess. You have things to take care of today, I’m sure.”
Things. Yeah. Job hunting. Wedding plans with the event planner from purgatory and the soon-to-be mother-in-law from hell. I went back to the stairs and sat down, watching as she picked up the laptop. “What’s your name?” I asked.
“It’s Mila.” She opened the laptop and started to dry it off
My stomach clenched when I saw the screen. There were cracks in it. No, not cracks. The thing had spiderwebbed out from where the vase must've landed. There was hardly a section more than a couple inches wide without damage. More water dripped out from the bottom of it as she went to dry the underside off and I buried my face in my hands.
“Mr. Edward has another computer he keeps around the house. It’s his backup. I can get it for you.”
“The way my luck is going today, I’ll break it.” Shaking my head at her offer, I took the carcass of my old one. “I’ll take it to a repair shop. Maybe they can pull off a miracle.”
She started to protest, but something on my face must have told her she’d be wasting her time. She just sighed and nodded.
Because I’d already gotten in her way enough, I shoved the computer in my bag, scooped up my damp phone and slid out the door. Fate must have been feeling sorry for me because I found the right key on the first try this time.
I made it down two of the steps and sank down, staring down the curved driveway and wondering what I was going to do. It wasn’t like there were coffee shops on every corner here. I hadn’t thought of that. I hadn’t realized just how different life would be living with somebody rich enough to own real property in New York, property that meant coffee was more than a couple blocks away.
My phone buzzed.
Managing not to groan, I looked down.
Edward’s message was sweet enough. Except he had just called. I would have called him back shortly, but he couldn’t even wait ten minutes. Instead of trying to text him back and explain, I just returned his call.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
I’d heard once that if you smiled, it echoed in your voice, even if people couldn’t see you. So I tried to smile. It felt flat. “Hi, Edward.”
“I tried to call you earlier…”
“I know,” I said when he paused for just a moment. “I was uh…well. I kind of broke something.”
“Broke something?”
“Yes. Of course. I’m really sorry. That pretty vase by the front door? Crystal?”
“Vase…oh, that.” His tone was dismissive, then concerned. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
I swallowed, rubbing at a small nick near my ankle. It was probably from one of the small shards that had gone flying. “No. I’m fine, but the vase is toast. I destroyed it. My laptop is probably busted. The vase is nothing but a million little pieces now.”
“It’s just a vase. What’s wrong with your laptop?”
“I dropped it before I crashed into the table and knocked the vase over. The vase landed on it, and there was water...” I shrugged lamely, forgetting he couldn’t see it through the phone.
“You’re having a rough day. I was calling to tell you I’d be late, but now I’m wondering if I should come home as planned.”
“No!” I couldn’t yank back the tone I’d used, but I covered it fast, saying again softly, “Edward, you can’t leave everything when I have a bad day. I’m guaranteed to be cranky at least five days out of the month, what are you going to do then?”
He paused and then chuckled wryly. “Well, I see what you mean. Very well. What did you have planned for the day? I know my mother mentioned she had plans this afternoon, looking at swatches and dress designs for the bridal party?”
“Yes.” I was delighted I managed to say it without clenching my teeth. If I made it through this afternoon without committing matricide, I’d been amazed. Was it matricide if you killed your soon-to-be mother-in-law? I didn’t know, and hopefully I wouldn't find out. “But for now, I thought I’d find a coffee shop and get some more work done, maybe look for some leads on my next job.”
“Your next…? Oh, yes. You said you’d be finishing up this project soon.” He hesitated.
I could all but feel the words building inside him. I knew what was coming and hoped he wouldn't say it.
He did.
“You know, it’s not necessary that you work right now, Gabriella. You’ve got your hands full with the wedding and adjusting to everything that’s changed.”
“I need to work.” If I didn’t, I’d go nuts, but I couldn't tell him that, not without sounding like he wasn't enough for me. “I like working, Edward.”
“Of course.”
A car pulled up in front of me and the sight of Paul climbing out shouldn’t have made me scowl, but it did. It would be a lot easier to find a coffee shop with him around, no doubt. I just wanted to be alone. Me and my bad mood. “I’m going to get going, Edward. Get to work at all.”
“Of course. Call me around lunch so we can talk.”
“If I can.”
***
I didn’t call.
I forgot.
Between an actual idea for a new TV show—one that I suspected wouldn’t sell just as nothing else had—and my focus on job opportunities both on freelance sites and classified ads, I completely lost track of time. By the time my phone went off to remind me about texting Paul for a ride to the offices of Magnifique for my meeting with Claire and Estelle, hours had gone by and I hadn't even noticed.
When the phone did go off, I jerked my head up and looked around, confused as I took in my surroundings. Loud music, louder voices and the general chaos of a New York coffee shop. It was familiar and comforting.
Home.
Sucking in a huge breath through my nostrils, I breathed in the scent and realized that for the first time in weeks, I actually felt relaxed. It was pitiful, but the noise was more soothing to me than the blissful silence and sweet serenity of Edward’s home—I couldn't quite bring myself to call it mine—and definitely far more comfortable than things had been with Kendra lately.
Maybe I should have just moved into a local barista.
Amused at the idea, I sent off a message to Paul and started clearing up my work area, including the cups from all the coffee I’d consumed. I was surprised my hands weren't shaking. Paul responded back and told me he’d be there in ten minutes. That allowed time for a pit stop and then I was out the door just as he pulled up.
Once I was tucked inside and he was navigating the mean streets of New York, I asked whimsically and wistfully, “I don’t suppose I could talk you into joining us, could I?”
“Joining you, Miss?”
“I’m doing some wedding stuff with Edward’s mom, Claire.” I sighed. “She's not exactly...fond of me. It'd be nice to have a buffer.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a buffer, Miss Gabriella.” He flicked me a look in the rearview mirror after he’d come to a halt at a red light. “Mrs. Bouvier doesn’t take much notice of me. She’d act as if I wasn’t even there.”
I wished I could say that surprised me.
He came to a halt in front of the elegant, old building that housed Magnifique. When he came around and opened the door, I took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll do fine.” He caught my arm before I walked by. “However, the next time you’d like company, perhaps we could pick up Miss Kendra?”
The fact that I actually considered it when I was annoyed at her showed just how much I didn't want to face Claire and Estelle alone.
***
“Sure.” Kendra shrugged at me over the table, but her smile was guarded. “I can help hold the monster-in-law at bay. Are you two still arguing over what the bridesmaids are wearing? You know, I really hope I don’t end up in something that makes me look like a
cow.”
“Nothing could do that.” I rolled my eyes and took a drink of the mai-tai. We’d ordered a pitcher of them at the small, park-side bistro. The dinner rush hadn’t quite hit, but it was getting close. “Right now, Estelle is playing the mediator. Claire is insisting on rust red, floor length debacles that I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. We’re looking at a few more in two days if you can make it. She keeps trying to push me toward these designer wedding dresses that I hate and can’t afford, so of course she says she'll pay for it, which means I can't protest...” I sighed, twirling my straw in my drink. Just the thought of it was making me tired.
“You should just tell her to suck it.” Kendra shrugged. “But I'm free in two days.”
We sipped our mai-tais and looked out over the sprawl of Central Park. There was an awkwardness between us now, a tension that hadn't been there before I'd met Edward.
She broke the silence first. “How is it, living with a guy?”
Putting my glass down, I reached for the discarded straw wrapper and started to twist it around my finger. “I don’t know. Weird.”
“Well, yeah. You’re living with a guy.” She rolled her eyes. “Just tell me he doesn’t do anything nasty like leaving the toilet seat up.”
“No!” I laughed a little and some of the tension faded away.
“He’s fine…I just…” I stopped and blew out a breath, not sure if I could even explain it. “He calls and checks up on me. All the time. If I don’t answer the texts within a few minutes, he’ll text again, then he’ll call.”
“Awww…” Kendra’s face softened. “Honey, that’s sweet.”
“No!” Groaning, I braced my elbows on my hands and buried my face against my palms. “It’s not sweet. It’s irritating. Nobody needs to know where I am twenty-four seven. I knocked over a vase this morning. It was an accident, but he offered to come home. I don’t need a man leaving the office because I’m a klutz.”
“How about because you’re sad?” Kendra countered, sounding almost annoyed.
I groaned and then shoved back, peeling some money from my wallet and tossing it down to cover the tapas and drinks we’d been sharing. “Sad, mad, sick…I’m still a big girl, Kendra.” She just didn't get it.