A Change in Direction: Chapter Twelve

2/20/2020

A Change in Direction: Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Twelve

Edward wasn’t in his SUV but in a tiny black sports car with its top already down. He parked on the street so he wouldn’t block me in. He was gazing at me with a wicked expression on his face when we got to the driver’s side door.

“What would you do to keep me from driving?” He asked in a deep and slightly amused voice.

Dangling the keys above my head playfully, I hopped to grab them, but his reach was too high. I jumped higher, but Edward’s arm went around my waist and pulled me close.

“Please? Let me.”

“Hm… You said the magic word, but you have to seal it with a kiss.”

It was my turn for my grin to be devilish. I grabbed his face and smashed my lips so hard against his he tripped back against the door. He moaned as I sucked on his tongue, my fingers tugging roughly on his hair.

When I pulled away with the keys in my hand, he stood there with a nearly pained expression on his face. Not because of what I did, though, but because I stopped. I opened the door and slid in with great pleasure.

“Are you coming, sweetheart?”

“Not yet, but I was almost there,” he mumbled as he sat down. I slapped his thigh, and he blushed a brilliant hue of pink. “I’m in for a wild ride, aren’t I?” He asked me more seriously, the color spreading to his nose and ears. I leaned over and lightly kissed his cheek.

“If you are, so am I.”

“That’s a pleasant thought,” he said as I pulled out onto the road.

The trip to the store only took a few minutes. Edward unskillfully found what he was looking for. It took us several tries to locate the aisle we needed, but once we finally found it, he snatched two of the elements before pulling me towards the checkout. I had a feeling he was trying to keep me from seeing the price. My body filled with dread at the thought of how much I would owe him.

“That will be twenty dollars and three cents,” the cashier declared, smacking her gum as she did so.

I turned to look at him. “What? Are you serious? That’s all!? Here, I’ve got it,” I exclaimed as I pulled out my wallet, but Edward was quicker than me. “Hey! What are you doing?”

“We had an oral agreement. In it, we stated that the first party, me, would repair the second party’s, your, hot water heater in return for dinner. In said contract, it was inferred that the first party would cover the cost of all materials needed,” he asserted as he swiped his card, his nose in the air.

“But, it’s only twenty dollars!” I complained, thrusting cash in his direction.

“Then, figure out what we can eat for that.” He took the money and shoved it into my back pocket. “Look, either I buy us dinner, or I buy these.” He lifted the bag. “You choose, Ms. Swan. Which do you think will be more?”

“I forgot what you do for a living,” I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest.

Edward pursed his lips for a moment. “I have a master’s in business. Little girl, I’ve got this kind of stuff down. I’ve made stronger arguments with weaker deals. You never stood a chance.” He patted my ass playfully where the bill rested in my pocket. “I think I want some fried chicken for dinner. Will twenty cover it?”

“I’m sure it will.” I laughed at his roguish grin. “You’re impossible.”

Scoffing, he opened the driver’s side door for me. “I’m not. I’m quite possible. You’re not cross with me, are you?”

“No,” I drew out with a soft sigh. “I suppose not. But if this is all it takes to fix it, I’ll feel like a moron.”

“It makes me happy I can repair it for you.”

“You haven’t yet,” I countered, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Edward brought his hand to his heart. “Ah, your words are so cutting. So cruel. Oh, ye of little faith, just give me time.”

I sat on my bed and watched him, or rather his ass, as he worked on the tank. Kicking off my shoes, I shamelessly stared. At one point, he stood up and turned the water back on. Then he went into the bathroom and looked at the tub for a few moments before nodding to himself. He then did something. I wasn’t exactly sure what he did, but he took off the hose before walking out of the closet again.

There was a little flicker of my lights, and then the heater hissed and gurgled. I could hear the tap in my kitchen turn on so that Edward could wash his hands. When he returned to my room, he was wiping his palms on the back of his pants.

“There you go. It’s already starting to get hot. Give it a few minutes, and it should be enough for a shower.”

My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Are you serious?” I stood up and ran into my bathroom so I could turn on the faucet. Warm water streamed out, and I squealed like a kid. “OH, MY GOD! YOU FIXED IT!”

“I told you I could!” He laughed. “I may be helpless in some things, but I am a man. We’re born with some natural skills.”

I threw myself at him, my arms going around his neck eagerly. “I’m so sorry I ever doubted you!” Squeezing my body as close to his as possible, I kissed his cheek.

“Why don’t you get yourself a nice warm shower to freshen up, and then we can go to dinner?”

Nodding my head wildly, I dropped to the floor. “Sounds incredible! Um… Just make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time, gorgeous. Enjoy the water.” He pecked my cheek before heading into the living room. I didn’t even bother to make sure he got settled before I threw myself into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. It flowed freely from the showerhead, and I giggled to myself. I tossed my clothes to the floor without thinking before I stepped under the warmth. I didn’t care how long it lasted.

It was, without a doubt, the best shower of my life. I didn’t bother to turn on any cold water. The heat stung my skin in the most pleasant way. I stayed in until there was nothing but ice left. As soon as it hit my back, I turned it off quickly and sighed in pleasure.

But that’s when I realized my clothes had gotten wet on the floor, either from my shower or the hose that had been dragged out of there earlier. I had to find something else to wear.

I toweled myself off some before brushing my hair through and applying my deodorant. The mirror, with its kiss-swollen appearance, glistening eyes, and pink skin, grinned at me. I wrapped the towel around my body and hurried into my room to get some clothes. Snatching up a pair of pretty panties from my drawer before throwing my dress back on, I didn’t even bother with a bra.

When I walked into my living room, Edward was sitting on the couch with the remote in his hand. He smiled when he saw me, turning off the television so he could give me his full attention.

“How was it?” He asked in a pleased voice.

That’s when my body reacted without my permission, and I threw myself at him. I straddled his waist, ravishing his mouth with a vigor that surprised even me, but he wasn’t complaining. He put his hands on my back, pulling me in closer as my fingers explored his chest.

“Thank you,” I mumbled again and again in between kisses.

“Is this what I get for fixing something?” He asked breathlessly as my mouth pressed against the nape of his neck, sucking and nipping as I went.

“This is for not listening to me and helping me when I was too feisty to accept it.”

“I like that you are, though,” he said, smiling as my lips touched his. “Thank you for letting me do that.”

“Edward, why? You could have had an afternoon to yourself.” I ran my fingers over his cheek, and then I brought one over his lips. He caught it between teeth, sucking on it a moment before releasing it.

“I’m tired of being by myself. There was nowhere else I wanted to be.”

I pressed my forehead to his before kissing his mouth again. With each passing second, it became hotter with his hands falling to my thighs. I could feel him growing with excitement between my legs, and I wondered if he could feel my desire too. My hips ground against him, encouraged by his soft moans and the tight squeezing of his fingers.

My phone rang, and I could have screamed. “Ignore it,” I whimpered, bringing my mouth to his ear.

“It may be important.”

“This is more important,” I responded, pulling back slightly. His expression told me he was serious. Swearing loudly, I reached over and answered it while still straddling his lap. “Hello?”

“Isabella Swan, why didn’t you tell me you had a job?!”

“Hello to you too, Mother,” I frowned. “Because.”

“That’s not a reason. Why didn’t you tell me?” She crazily demanded into the phone, her voice more than shrill.

Gazing at Edward, I shook my head. “Mom, as much as I’d love to get into this with you, I’m kind of busy.” He smiled, brushing his fingers over my hips on the outside of my white dress. “I’ve got a guest.”

“Alice doesn’t care if we talk. Tell her I said hi,” she brushed me off quickly. She was so rude.

“Renee, it’s not Alice.” I rolled my eyes at her. I was grateful she couldn’t see me. She would have probably popped the back of my head like she did when I was ten and got sassy.

“Oh?” She seemed confused for a moment. “Is it a boy?”

I pulled the phone away to look at it, making a face as I did. “Mother, first off, any person who I would be with would not be considered a ‘boy.’ I’m at the age that if I’m with a ‘boy,’ I should be arrested.” Edward snickered at my answer, and I waved at him to hush, but it was too late, and Renee had already heard him.

“Is he nice? Is he cute? Is he into sports?” She asked so quickly her voice went into a more high pitch. It was her excited squeal. It was worse than the annoyed one. By far. And it was harder to shut up.

“I gotta go, Mom.” I shook my head, feeling a blush come across my cheeks.

“Are you at least using protection?” Renee spoke loudly enough that Edward heard it over the phone. He laughed outright, bringing his hand up to his eyes.

“MOM! I’m going now! Bye!”

“Bye, sweetie! Call me later with the details! Love you!” She shouted into the speaker. I brought it away from my ear quickly and turned it off with a frustrated sigh. I pressed my face into Edward’s chest, which was still rumbling with laughter.

“She’s crazy as hell,” I mumbled.

“She seems to care about you, though,” he answered, bringing me up so I could look into his eyes. “It was probably good she called. We should stop.”

“Yeah.” I bit my lip. “You’re right. We should.”

That worked for all of two seconds before we started kissing again. I dropped my phone onto the couch before sliding my fingers to his thick hair. He chuckled against my mouth, and I returned it happily with a giggle, feeling like a teenager making out on her parent’s sofa. Something about it just got me in all the right naughty ways.

It made it so much hotter.

“Hey Bella, there’s a fancy car parked in front of your house!” I heard a familiar voice call from outside, but my reaction wasn’t quick enough. I could barely tear away from his mouth before Alice threw open the door. But I guess she didn’t notice right away what I was doing because she continued to ramble on, a big bag hanging from her arm and two cups in her hands. “It’s sexy! Anyway, I hope you don’t mind. I needed to get out for a while. I brought you some tea, and I have those samples that I-” She cut off, her jaw dropping open. “I am SO sorry! I didn’t realize you had company.”

I scrambled off Edward, nearly falling to the floor as I did. He quickly grabbed my waist to keep me from hurting myself. Getting up, a wild blush spreading over his cheeks that I was sure matched mine.

Caught, red-handed.

“I’ll come back later,” Alice remarked in a half giggle. “Call me or whatever.”

“No. Wait. That’s okay,” Edward stopped her. “I should get going.”

He was almost to the door before I could stop him with a hand on his arm. She moved out of his way, giving him a wide berth as she did so. She watched so raptly you would have thought she was viewing a soap opera. I felt like asking if she wanted a bowl of popcorn.

“Wait! What about dinner?” I asked, lowering my voice.

“Another time,” he smiled slightly. “Have your tea and have fun with your friend.”

“Wednesday?” I offered, but Edward shook his head.

“No. That’s my time.” I understood precisely what he meant. I would be on the clock then, and he would never allow me to buy him dinner.

“Next Monday?” I tried again, biting my bottom lip as I looked up into his deep green eyes.

“It’s a date.” He smiled so sweetly I almost begged him to stay. Edward leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “I’ll see you Wednesday evening, Ms. Swan.”

I just stood at the door as he walked out, unable to move even as I watched him get into his car.

“Jesus! Who the hell was that?” Alice yelled in excitement, running over to watch as he drove off.

“That would be Edward Masen,” I answered, shutting the front door before he turned off my street. “And you can’t tell Jasper what you just saw.”

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Thanks to Gina for proofreading this chapter!

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