~* Bella *~
His banter with Alice was...interesting, to say the least. He cussed...a lot, so I was a little surprised when he held out his hand to me. It was such an innocent, sweet gesture, and, after hesitating for a second, I took it. It felt surprisingly soft and very warm. I'd been watching him stacking glasses earlier and couldn't help but notice how long and slender his fingers were, with slightly squared knuckles and short, but thankfully clean, fingernails. Appearances were certainly deceptive; his hands looked musician-like, delicate and gentle, seemingly incapable of inflicting any kind of pain or damage. Something tells me the that the drunk in the back of the police cruiser wouldn't have agreed with me on that.
We left the bar and walked toward the back of the club, slipping through a door marked "Private" and into a softly lit hallway.
"The office, staff room and kitchen, cleaning closet, stock room, which also leads to the cellar, annnnnnd...the elevator."
I raised my eyebrows. "No stairs?"
"Outside, yeah, but they're unsafe at best and not exactly rain proof!"
"Now you sound like a man talking from experience."
"Uh...you could say that...I mean if a broken rib, black eye, fractured wrist, and a sprained ankle count as experience." He grinned widely at me.
"Jesus! And you had the nerve to tease me for having issues with your bar stool."
The corners of his mouth twitched as he pressed the button and the doors quietly slid open. "After you Bella." My name slipped off of his tongue so quietly it was almost a whisper.
I stepped in to the lift and he stepped in beside me, punching in a 6 digit code and pressing the button to go up. I waggled my eyebrows. "Is that code classified information?"
He laughed. "If I told you I'd have to kill you and feed you to the dogs."
"Wow, you're full of charm. I bet you say that too all the girls who get to ride in your elevator."
He said nothing but smiled shyly, and I felt a sudden pang of guilt. My filter had failed me. All the girls? Fuck, Bella, you've just met the guy, and he'll think you already have him marked as a man whore! I also realised, to my horror, that my word vomit sounded much like a poor sexual innuendo.
"Edward, I'm so sorry. I never meant..."
He cut me off. "I know...it's okay, really." His face showed no indication of anger, offence, or irritation.
"I was just joking, but it came out all wrong! I'd never imply...I mean it's none of my..." I stopped and sighed. "I'm shutting up. You should be aware by now that I'm a complete idiot!"
I covered my face in my hands to hide my shame. The silence was broken by the ping of the elevator, signalling we'd reached the right floor. I heard the doors slide open and was startled by a pair of hands ghosting over mine, slowly and gently prying them away from my very red, embarrassed face. Biting my lip, I cautiously opened one eye and was instantly drawn to the green eyes staring back at me. I opened both eyes and could see Edward grinning from ear to ear.
"I told you already, it's fine. I know what you meant, no harm done, okay?"
I nodded, still biting on my bottom lip. He was holding my small hands in his big ones, his fingers softly brushing over my palms in a soft, soothing motion.
"And Bella? I don't think you're an idiot..."
My breath hitched in my throat, the air thick with anticipation. The silence was deafening. "T-thank you...I..."
The elevator doors suddenly started to slide shut, snapping us both back to reality. He dropped my hand and reached out to jab the green button, the doors sliding open this time. I smiled sheepishly as we finally left the elevator. I could feel his long fingers tangled in mine. He was still holding my other hand.
We were now standing in front of the large black door to Edward's apartment. "Well, I'm not sure what you're expecting, but they're still young. They tend to get easily excited, so the chances of them going crazy when you walk through that door are...well it's fucking inevitable, really!"
I had to laugh at his admission, but, at the same time, I was slightly worried. If he felt the need to warn me first, how big exactly were these dogs going to be?
He ran his gaze over me, casting a cautious glance at my feet.
"What?"
"Uh...it might be wise to lose the heels. I'd recommend it. So you don't topple over."
I laughed. "Damage control?"
He nodded as I leaned one hand against the wall to steady myself and slipped them off.
"Those shoes are..." He swallowed hard. "I mean, they look like death traps; you're practically inviting a broken ankle."
Standing there barefoot, swinging my shoes in my hand and now standing five inches shorter, I was suddenly very aware of the fact he was a strapping 6'1". "So how's the air up there?"
"Probably colder than way down there short stuff!"
He laughed and grabbed the door handle again, raising his eyebrows and silently asking me if I was ready. I nodded, and he opened the door. Thinking worst case scenario, I braced myself, preparing for the onslaught of a Great Dane or St Bernard, and followed him in. He closed the door quietly behind me and put his finger over his smiling lips, indicating that we should be quiet. I nodded and managed to deposit my shoes on the floor without making a sound.
I felt a familiar sensation as I realised he'd grabbed my hand again. I was starting to like that...a lot. His fingers were running small circles on the back of my pinky finger as we walked down the hallway and stopped just short of the lounge. He gestured for me to look, so I peeked around him and covered my mouth with my free hand to stifle the laugh that was threatening to explode and give us away.
There was a huge couch in the middle of the room, with enough space for a family of ten, at least. Curled up at one end was a large, stocky-looking pit bull, who was black all over and sleeping soundly. Sprawled out lazily on top of him was a little French bulldog, who, from what I could see, was all white with a little black patch that surrounded one eye and covered the ear. It was, by far, one of the cutest sights I have ever seen.
Having not known Edward for very long, I'd found it difficult to predict what breed of dog I thought he'd own. I'd figured a Labrador or perhaps a snappy little terrier. I have to admit, I was a little surprised, not only by his choice of breeds, but also by the stark contrast in the size and colourings of the duo.
I looked up to see Edward put his fingers in his mouth, and a shrill short whistle rang out around the apartment. Before you could say "run while you still can," the previously sleeping dogs were awake, frantically scrambling off the vast couch and making a beeline straight for...me. Fuck! I dropped my bag to the floor while I had the chance, and a split second later I was face to face with the pit bull, who had lept up onto his hind legs and dropped his front legs over my shoulders.
Before I could open my mouth to speak, I was assaulted by two sensations. The first was something soft, small, and bulky knocking in to my ankles, shortly followed by the feeling I was falling backward. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact. I was flat on my back and ready to surrender. I opened my eyes to see a very surprised looking pit bull standing over me, chewing down on a rubbery blue ball that squeaked with every bite. All the while, my face was being given a very thorough licking from what I could only assume was the little bulldog, unless Edward had a fetish he'd felt the need to suddenly share with me. Nope. Definitely the bulldog.
Edward was leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, watching the scene unfold before him, a huge grin plastered across his face.
"Edward...this...isn't...urgh...quit licking already...funny!" I got no response, only a hearty laugh as there was now a pitbull enthusiastically nuzzling at my breasts. I wonder if Edward liked to...
"You've robbed me of my dignity!" I huffed and reached out, making a lame attempt to free myself from the dynamic fucking duo.
"I warned you first!" A strong pair of hands reached out and grabbed me by the waist, somehow managing to untangle me from the mass of legs, eager tongues, and wet noses.
He was chuckling as he righted me up onto my feet. "Are you okay?"
I grinned sheepishly at him. "Yeah, thanks."
Another sharp whistle resounded from Edward, and the dogs instantly sat. Just like that. I looked at him in amazement. "How did you..?"
"Obedience training."
"Wow." I was momentarily impressed before something dawned on me.
"Hey! If they're trained to sit, then how come you subjected me to the licks of death?"
"What, and deny them a little fun?"
I poked him in the chest. "You had just as much fun as they did!"
He absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his chest that I'd just jabbed and flashed me that little lopsided grin. That was all the confirmation I needed.
I brushed myself down. "So do these two deviants have names?"
"The big boy with the squeak fetish is Turtle, and the little bulldozer over there is my girl Pancake."
I couldn't help but giggle. I looked at him questioningly. "Pancake? Should I even ask?"
"Well," he gestured for me to sit, so I perched precariously on the edge of the huge sofa, not daring to get too comfy in case a quick escape was needed. "I'd only had her a few hours when Jasper came over with the boys. They asked me her name, and, when I explained that she didn't have one yet, they decided to...uh...help." He laughed, obviously remembering, and I turned to see him grab 2 bottles of water from the fridge. He waved one at me. "Drink?"
"Yes, please."
He strolled over and handed me the cold drink. I popped the cap and took a pull as he flopped down beside me on the sofa, elbows on his knees. He gulped back at least half the bottle before coming up for air.
"Thirsty?" I asked.
He nodded, and I noticed his lips were wet and shiny from the water. I'd love to just reach out and... I was snapped out of my daydream by a loud squeak and noticed that the dogs still sat where we'd left them. Well, Pancake anyway. She was looking at me like I was about to become her next meal. I shifted in my seat, a little uncomfortable. Turtle's behaviour was altogether different. He was lying in a heap on the floor, legs sprawled in every direction, giant tongue hanging out of his mouth, and his beloved blue squeaky toy clutched between his front paws. I had to laugh.
"So how did the boys come up with Pancake? It's a little...different."
"The stab-in-the-dark method."
Now I was confused, and it must have shown on my face. He was grinning quizzically at me.
"They blindfolded me, opened the dictionary, shoved it into my lap, and made me point to a random point on the page."
I giggled. It was certainly a unique method. "So I'm guessing the book was open on the letter P?"
"How very observant of you."
I shrugged. "So you didn't choose Pancake because you have a secret fetish for breakfast foods? It's not too late to confess!"
He was grinning from ear to ear as he laughed loudly, his whole upper body shaking. "Well, it was a tough choice, the name Waffle was always an option..."
I slapped him playfully and a loud bark echoed around the apartment. Pancake was suddenly over by Edward's feet.
He reached down and scratched her ear. "We were just playing. Don't get your tail in knot!"
"Something tells me she's not keen on me." I was eyeing her cautiously.
"It's not you personally. She's just a daddy's girl. If you hit me, she'll get protective, and, if you get too close, she'll pretty much turn green with envy. For a little dog, she has a huge attitude. I don't think sassy covers it."
"What about Turtle?"
At the sound of his name, he stopped mid-chew and looked up from his ball, all wide eyed and slobbery tongued. My heart melted on the spot, although the irony of feeling more at ease around the bigger dog was not lost on me.
"Can I pet him?"
"Sure."
I stood up and made slow steps towards him. He made no attempt at jumping up, much to my relief, so I knelt down beside him. "Hey Handsome!" He nuzzled his head into my lap, so I tickled him behind his ears, which he seemed to like. He wriggled forward until eventually the entire front half of his body was in my lap. I was now sitting on the floor, my back up against the couch with my legs stretched out in front of me and a pitbull making himself very comfy. I stole a glance at Edward, who had leaned right back into the couch and propped his long legs up on the coffee table.
His lips twitched up in to a sly grin. "I think it's safe to say he likes you."
"Yeah?"
"Definitely."
I turned my attention to the dog. "Are you a ladies man, Turtle? Huh? I bet you chase all the girls down the street."
"He does love the ladies, but he's very selective in his choices."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he hates Rose, and he's not so keen on Alice either."
"I can't say I'm surprised. They're not really uh...dog kinda people."
He scoffed. "You can say that again."
I was absentmindedly stroking Turtle's head, just behind the ears. His eyes were closed, and he was dozing quietly in my lap. "So what's he like?"
"The total opposite of this little lady."
Pancake was curled up next to him, one protective paw on his leg, claiming her territory. I felt the sudden need to challenge her. Jeez, Bella, she's just a dog!
"She's stubborn. If she doesn't wanna do it, then she won't. She's a bossy little thing. She's not very affectionate, and she likes routine. Turtle's a whole different ballpark. He'll do whatever you tell him to. He's a pretty laid back kinda guy, but don't let that fool you. He has a huge delinquent streak. Chewed his way through countless t-shirts and boxers when he was a puppy, as well as a few pairs of Nikes."
I was giggling uncontrollably. "Did he grow out of it?"
"Kinda. I'll buy him anything that squeaks to keep him distracted, and I have to hide my Nikes a little better."
"Sounds to me like you have a diva and a doofus on your hands."
"In a nutshell."
I gave Turtle a little tickle on the neck and was thanked with a huge, sloppy lick of my hand. "Jeez, you're such a slobber bucket! Typical guy."
"Hey, I resent that!" Edward's lips were twitching as he tried to hold back his amusement.
"Don't be a baby." I chuckled and leaned down, planting a big kiss on the top of Turtle's head.
"How come he gets a nice kiss?" He was pouting now, like an indignant five year old boy, and fuck did he look cute doing it.
"Because," I looped my arms around Turtle's neck and hugged him. "I love him."
The look of surprise quickly disappeared, replaced with a shy smile. "Well, I was gonna give you the grand tour, but if you don't wanna part with him..."
"I want the tour! I'm sure he'll get over it." I put one hand on the couch to push myself up from the floor, and there was a high pitched whine.
"Looks like he wants you to stay."
I managed to worm my way out from under Turtle, who proceeded to whine. I crouched down in front of him and looked him straight in the eye. "Turtle, I'm going with your Daddy now, but I'm coming right back. So you just have to wait here like a good boy, okay?" I planted a tiny kiss on the end of his nose and produced his blue squeaky ball from behind my back, rolling it across the floor. The whining stopped, and I was forgotten as he went charging after his little squeaky blue friend.
Edward was standing, his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently, and a little Pancake-shaped ball was sound asleep on the sofa in the spot he'd been sitting in.
I glanced at her and then him, shaking my head. "Definitely a daddy's girl."
"Well, Turtle now thinks you're the love of his life, so it looks like we're even." He smirked. "Come on, I'll show you around."
That was the second offer from him tonight that I couldn't, and wouldn't, refuse.
0 comments:
Post a Comment