This is supposed to be an Edward chapter, but I hope you’ll forgive me for breaking the pattern and writing it as a Bella chapter.

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Chapter 14: Epiphany

Bella.

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As soon as the door swung shut behind me, I had my phone out to dial Edward. I needed to hear his low, soothing voice on the other end of the line so badly I don’t know how my former remedy of a cup of hot cocoa after a stressful day had ever worked. The phone had hardly rung twice before he picked it up.

“Hello?” His voice filtered into my ear.

“Hey,” I sighed, already relaxing a bit. After the tense conversation with my mother, everything had seemed a little more heightened and it had been hard to concentrate all night.

“How was work?” he asked.

“Well, I got cornered by my mom,” I answered, not bothering to tiptoe around it. “She wanted to know why I was seeing you again.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line and I could practically see him running a nervous hand through his hair.

“What did you tell her?” he finally said.

“To trust that we knew what we were doing,” I said in return, my voice hushed. His steady breathing on the other end was comforting to my still slightly frayed nerves. I took a deep breath and went out on a limb. “Edward, would you mind if I came over tonight?”

We’d only spent the night together, in the strictest sense of the phrase, twice since we’d reconciled, last night being one of the two, and neither had been planned. Not that I was expecting anything to happen even if he said yes tonight, but it was still nice to be sleeping in his arms.

“I’d really like if you did,” he answered after a beat. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and climbed into my car.

“I’ll be over in a bit then,” I promised before hanging up with him and turning the key in the ignition.

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I knocked on his door about forty minutes later and he opened it for me almost immediately as if he’d been waiting for me since we hung up. I smiled but before I could greet him properly he pulled me inside for a sudden, tender kiss. He kicked the door closed behind us and deepened the kiss, letting our tongues tangle together. When he pulled back a few moments later, it took me several seconds for me to come out of the daze he’d plunged me into. I noticed dimly that he was wearing sweatpants and nothing else, which did nothing to calm my suddenly racing heart.

“Hey,” I said finally, still out of breath and unable to think of anything a little more clever. He grinned and pecked me lightly for good measure.

“Hey,” he said in return. His strange happiness, while a bit out of character, was infectious.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked curiously, realizing we hadn’t even discussed it on the phone earlier.

“It was okay,” he answered off-handedly. I followed him into the living room and took in the changes with surprise. Almost everything that had been in boxes just this morning had miraculously found a home.

“Jesus,” I swore under my breath. “I hope you had help with this.”

“Rose and Emmett came over for awhile,” he explained and I nodded. I made the mistake of glancing back over to him as he sat on the couch and my throat went dry at the sight of his bare chest. I blinked and started from the short trance.

“I....uh, I’m going to grab a glass of juice,” I excused myself into the kitchen, throwing my overnight bag by his couch before skittering off where I couldn’t see his pale skin. I threw my palms onto the kitchen counter in desperation, taking a deep, long breath to try to calm myself.

None of that tonight. We’re taking this slow. He wants us to take it slow. This doesn’t mean anything.

Collecting myself, I rummaged through his cabinet until I found a clean glass and pulled it down. I heard his footsteps padding towards the kitchen and I quickly turned towards the fridge, not quite as composed as I needed to be to look him in the eye.

“Any plans for tonight?” I asked as I pulled the juice from his fridge and poured a glass.

“Whatever you want,” he answered, his voice sounding unintentionally inviting from somewhere close behind me. I paused and set the glass I had just poured down on the counter even though my mouth was drier than ever. Trying to deflect the feelings I knew didn’t have much chance of getting resolved tonight, I scrambled for a joke.

“Is that an invitation?” I insinuated wryly, thankful my back was to him as I shook off the effect his words had had. Without warning though, his bare arms encircled my waist and he planted a warm kiss on my neck. His mouth lingered there and I fell back into his embrace, enjoying the sensation.

“Do you really want it to be?” he asked, his tone was calculated, but a little uncertain. My eyes widened in surprise and I turned slowly in his arms, giving him a careful once-over. Tentatively, I rose on my toes and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

“Would it be alright if I said yes?” I asked, suddenly feeling a bit shy. He smiled and pulled me closer, kissing me before answering.

“Yes.”

I swallowed as a sudden lump rose in my throat, but before I could really react he was gone and headed towards his bedroom. I laughed and ran after him, catching onto his playful mood. He grabbed me the moment I crossed the threshold to his room, pushing the door closed and pressing me against it. I smiled against his mouth as he kissed me.

His lips left mine, trailing against my collarbone deliciously. I caught my breath and gathered a question before I lost all coherency, a state which was fast approaching.

“What...brought...this...on?” I breathed in between his kisses, clutching at his hair as he continued his attention to my collarbone.

“Call it an epiphany,” he said and I was immediately jealous of the composure he still had. That had to be remedied; I would not be the only one compromised here. I pushed him away and flipped our positions so he was leaning against the door. He grinned down at me and I leaned up to nip at his lip gently.

“What kind of epiphany?” I asked, trying to sound innocently curious as my hands drifted slowly down his bare torso to the waistband of his pants. He inhaled sharply as my fingers slid under the elastic.

“Mmm,” He groaned, throwing his hand back against the door. “Can this wait until later?”

“I guess so,” I answered with a shrug. Smiling wickedly to myself, I abruptly pulled my hands out of the pants and stepped away from him. I held my hands demurely behind me and tried my best to control my features as he groaned in displeasure.

“That is not what I meant,” he said seriously and stepped forward, pushing me gently back towards the bed.

“I know,” I agreed and climbed onto the bed, shedding my shirt in the process. I turned back to see Edward drinking in the sight of my pale flesh quietly. I couldn’t stop the blush that found its way onto my cheeks. I sat up on my knees, reaching for the button of my pants but his hands stopped me.

“Don’t,” he said softly, sitting on the bed next to me.

“Do you want to do that part?” I teased and he laughed, kissing me as he guided me back against the pillows.

“Yes,” He answered and my heart melted at the grin that touched his lips. His hands slid to rest on my sides and he peppered kisses down my stomach, stopping briefly to kiss the sensitive flesh of each breast that was peeking out from the lace of my bra. I shivered as his lips alternately dragged and nipped down my stomach until he reached the waist of my pants.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I watched silently as his silliness slipped away from him and his face grew serious. His fingers traced the button of my pants once before he flicked it open and began to slowly inch my pants off me. I shimmied a bit to help him and he threw them quickly away and surprised me by sliding his hands back up my legs slowly, sending a monumental shiver straight through me.

“Bella,” he murmured, breaking our silence and meeting my eyes seriously. “Are you sure you want this?”

“Do you?” I whispered, sitting up a little more so I could run my hand through his already tousled hair.

“I want whatever you want,” he answered, repeating his words from earlier with a twist, and my heart squeezed tightly in my chest as his words hit me. He leaned down to plant an open-mouthed kiss against mine and I sucked in his bottom lip greedily, feeling desire shoot through me as his hands began stroking my thighs again.

“I just want you,” I assured him softly, pulling him closer. His mouth met mine eagerly and his tongue traced against my lips, begging entrance. I fell back readily, pulling his weight on top of me.

He spread his palms underneath me and up my side until his fingers splayed against the underwire of my bra. I bit back a whimper as his fingers danced along my ribs, playing with the fabric against my skin. Looking up through hooded eyes, I saw him smiling down at me.

“What is it?” I asked throatily.

“I’ve missed you, is all,” he admitted and shook his head to himself before deftly unhooking my bra. The smile that had tugged at my lips was quickly erased as I gasped from the feeling of his warm mouth encircling one of my already sensitive breasts. Burying my fingers in his hair, I pressed myself against him, eagerly searching for some friction to relieve the pressure that was building inside.

His hands roamed my body as he sucked and teased my nipples and I groaned at each new sensation. Once or twice, his hand would hover over my underwear, teasing to pull them down and away, but his hand would always circle away, leaving me with a more persistent ache every time.

Impatient to touch him, I hooked my leg around his to flip us over so I could easily slide my hand under his waistband. He inhaled sharply as my hand made contact with the silky skin of his member.

I gripped it, pumping it gently at first and then increasing the movement as pleasure flickered across Edward’s face. Using my free hand, I slid his sweatpants down his hips and off the bed. He groaned as my hand increased its pace and breathed my name out like a prayer. I gasped as his hands gripped my hips tightly, enjoying the sensation myself.

“Bella,” he moaned, then added reluctantly, “You have got to stop that.”

I pouted a bit, but complied as he leaned up to kiss me. I took the moment he paused to catch his breath to pull my soaked underwear off and throw them aside, leaving both of us with nothing left between our skin. His hands came eagerly to stroke the newly revealed skin, teasing briefly at my entrance but not entering just yet. His hand fell to my knee, which he gently pushed backwards in a tacit request for me to allow him out from underneath me. I complied, rolling to his side and he propped himself up easily beside me, his hands losing no time in resuming their explorations and his kiss finding its way to the hollow of my neck.

I melted against the pillows as his fingers danced downwards, finally coming to slide along my already slick folds. I thrust involuntarily at the contact, squirming to get closer to his fingers. He smiled into my skin and hummed in laughter.

“Edward,” I pleaded softly. “Please.”

A single finger slid inside me and I jerked upwards towards it greedily. He crooked it inside me as he slipped it in and out before adding more fingers. I whimpered in pleasure as he began to find a rhythm and thrust my hips to meet his hand’s movement.

“Edward,” I breathed desperately, feeling the pressure beginning to build inside me as his fingers worked towards my release. He kissed me fiercely, his lips searching all along my face as he brought me closer.

“I think...” he started roughly, his breath fanning against my already sweaty skin in a wonderful way, “I could spend days re-memorizing every sound you make when I do this...and all the different faces you have...and all the wonderful ways you say my name.”

That was all it took to push me over the edge and send my body into shakes. I gasped softly as I came down from the sensation and held his face close to mine by threading my fingers in his hair. His lips were everywhere, kissing every inch of skin he could easily reach as I held him.

“Make love to me,” I whispered as I regained my senses. He let his head fall into the crook of my neck and I could feel his lips as they brushed against my skin.

He pushed himself up repositioned so I could feel his hardened tip brushing against my center. His bright green eyes sought out mine as he leaned his forehead against mine and grabbed my hands, intertwining our fingers as he slowly pushed inside me. I couldn’t help the gasp that stuck in my throat at the sensation of having him inside me again after all this time. He paused and I wondered if he was feeling the same as his face flickered with unreadable emotion.

“Bella,” he murmured as he squeezed my hands and began to move inside me. His pace had a slow, burning desperation in it and I matched it in my own feverish way as our skin melded together and we pushed against one another.

He brought me to release first, my world splitting open in a strange burst of electricity that contrasted with the torturous pace of ecstasy we had set with each other. He came with a few more sporadic thrusts, collapsing in my arms and moving quickly to pull me against him when he rolled to me my side. I crooked my leg across his torso and he grabbed it, his hand stroking it thoughtfully.

“Thank you,” I whispered against his skin and his hand came up to cup my chin gently. His eyes were dark with lingering arousal and I felt powerful to know I was the source of it. He didn’t speak immediately, just held my gaze with impossible magnetism.

“I love you,” he said finally, simply. Tears sprang unbidden to my eyes at those words and I sniffed, looking down to hide them as I fought for composure. His thumbs swiped under my eyes anyway, knowing what I was doing without a word from me.

“I love you too,” I said, nodding. I caught his hands that were busy wiping away my tears and kissed his fingers gently. Smiling, he pulled me closer to him and I readily sank down to lay beside him.

Thinking back through what felt like a dream, his words from earlier swam back into focus.

“That must have been one hell of an epiphany,” I murmured as I snuggled closer. He laughed softly, his chest vibrating pleasantly beneath me and he kissed the top of my head.

“I’ll explain later,” he promised and I nodded, feeling too sated to do much else than sleep at the moment.

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Because I know SOMEONE will find it fit to mention ~ Bella is responsible and on birth control. The end.

I didn’t get the chance to reply to any reviews from the last chapter, so sorry! I was on a short schedule yesterday and I figured you’d prefer for me to write this rather than reply to you.

Please keep reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts about the story. Thanks for all the support and as for a round-about estimate of how many chapters are left, I would say 3-4, maybe?

~also, I’ll probably be posting the playlist for this story soonish over at my livejournal community, gloriousbite, so if you’re interested in what music I listen to while writing, keep an eye on the comm! :-)

ew, I hate long author's notes, what is this?