There weren't any vehicles for sale in the entire county, at least not advertised. Most people around here kept their vehicles until they ran them into the ground, and then they fixed them or found someone to fix them. It had been a struggle without one for sure, but my friends had been generous and helpful in that regard. I would be happy to stop paying a delivery fee to Mike. Even though I loved the Newton family, I didn't need to pass off any more of my income than necessary. The only solution I could find to buying a truck was to go either to Buffalo, or even further to Woodwater.
Esme was disappointed. She acted like she expected to find exactly what she wanted to buy simply by opening the paper and her checkbook, which I guess was more easily done in Seattle. I still felt weird about it, not liking the fact that someone was just giving me something, no matter how essential. Edward was adamant that if I desperately needed it, and he was unable to provide it, then he was all too happy to accept it from his mother.
Carlisle had been eerily silent since we came back inside. He stayed in the living room while the rest of us were in the kitchen. He wasn't happy about Esme’s offer either, and I understood that he felt like I was seducing his family away from common sense. I didn't know how to convince him that I wasn't that diabolical. The only thing I wanted was Edward; Carlisle and Esme’s approval was secondary.
The day was long and tedious. We drove more than I cared to, spent entirely too much time pretending Carlisle didn't exist, and by the time Edward and Esme found what they deemed the perfect truck I had a headache. I didn't even care to test drive it, but I did. I needed to know it would work out for me every day, so common sense won out. I did enjoy it, more than I would have expected. It was a few years younger than me, light gray with a darker gray interior. It smelled like they’d spent some time cleaning it; wax and a citrusy soap scent. It had big tires and a roll bar, and I felt safe and comfortable driving it.
“It’s a good thing my old Chevy was a manual,” I mentioned to Edward as we climbed out after the test drive.
He kissed the side of my head. “I figured it must have been when you went for it without any hesitation. I don't even know how to drive a manual, so I guess you're going to have to show me.”
I smiled up at him. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He glanced around, and saw that his parents were inside talking to the salesperson. “I don't know if you know this, but my dad is not a car guy. Unless it’s knowing the price of luxury brands.”
“That comes as a complete shock,” I deadpanned.
He slung his arm over my shoulder as we headed back inside the dealership. The warm air was a relief, and I chaffed my hands together to rid them of the sting the cold had left behind. When we stopped in front of the desk the Cullens were seated at, Edward took my hands between his and rubbed them gently.
“So, you kids liking the Toyota?” the guy asked Edward.
I frowned. “Yes, I like it. It’s the one I want.”
I hadn't liked Bob the salesman from the minute he’d walked up to us, which was before we’d even made it out of the rental car. He’d addressed Carlisle and Edward exclusively, referred to me as the little lady more than once, and overlooked the fact that Esme was the one with the money.
“Good, good, so are we signing on the dotted line?” he said to Carlisle. “I gotta be honest, someone else took her for a spin this morning and was real interested, said they’d be back this afternoon. If you’re serious, we need to lock it in.”
“Get me your manager,” Carlisle said, and for once his haughty tone of voice was going to work in our favor.
Bob spluttered. “Excuse me? Aren't we making a sale here? Nice and friendly?”
Carlisle leaned forward, his hands gripping the fake wood. “I am not purchasing anything. My wife,” he indicated Esme, “is buying the truck. Get me your manager.”
Bob sighed, rising and muttering as he walked off.
“Thank you, Carlisle,” Esme said, resting her hand on his chest. “He was becoming unbearable.”
“He’s an idiot,” Carlisle responded, and Edward snorted.
“Hi, I’m Amy Saunders, the general manager. Bob said you wanted to speak with me.”
We turned as one to watch the young blonde approaching us, her hand extended toward Esme. She shook her hand before offering to shake mine, then went on to the men. I liked her already.
“My soon to be mother-in-law is buying me a truck, and Bob had a hard time grasping the concept,” I volunteered.
Esme nodded. “We like the Tacoma, Bella has test-driven it, and I’m ready to sign the papers. I just can’t imagine giving commission to someone that won’t even address me directly.”
“Unless it’s to call you little lady,” Edward added.
“I apologize for anything that might have made you uncomfortable. Can I get the paperwork together for you?” Amy offered.
“Please,” Esme answered her.
Things went smoothly after that. Amy and Esme spent the time to go over all of the details and the dotted lines, Carlisle sat in one of the visitor’s chairs and focused on his cell phone, and Edward brought me coffee from the complimentary setup while we stood around and waited.
When Amy walked over to us and handed me the keys, I smiled at her. “All I need is for you to come sign in a few places for it to be yours, Ms. Swan.”
“Bella.”
“Okay, Bella.” Amy smiled at me warmly.
“If you’re the manager, how did you wind up with an employee like Bob?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s been here longer than I have. He wasn't too thrilled when the old manager retired and promoted me to take his place, either.”
Yeah, I doubted ol’ Bob had taken that well. I wondered how much longer he’d have a job.
“Congratulations, then. You appear to deserve the job.”
“Thanks.” She smiled wider, making a merely pleasant face attractive.
We were finished a few short minutes later, and we headed out into the cold to start the long drive back to the farm. Edward and I were alone in the warm cab of the truck, and he scooted closer to me along the bench seat.
“I can’t concentrate on the road with you that close.”
“Maybe I like being a distraction,” he responded in low tones against the side of my neck, where his mouth was leaving trails of humid air on my skin. Goosebumps erupted and I laughed.
“You will if we have a wreck in this truck your mom just bought.”
“Eh, there’s a roll bar.”
I laughed at that. “Maybe so, but I don’t want to test it out so soon.”
I had to clench my thighs when he breathed into my ear. Jesus, that felt good. “Okay, I’ll leave you alone so you can focus on the road.”
My headache had eased sometime after the coffee Edward had given me, and all I felt now was a good kind of tension. I couldn't shift my legs as much as I wanted to, and Edward was rubbing his hand up and down my leg, from knee to thigh.
By the time we got home I was a jittery mess. We said goodbye to Esme and Carlisle, who waved but didn't touch me. Esme hugged me and promised to be back as soon as she could. I promised her I would tell her when we’d nailed down a date for the wedding, and then they were gone to pack and head to the airport first thing in the morning.
Edward tugged me toward the house with a firm hand on my elbow. I had zero complaints as the door shut behind us and he immediately pounced.
“I’m so glad they’re gone,” I groaned as Edward lowered his head to nibble at my neck.
“Mmm, it’s a bonus that you’re horny.”
My hands were busy on his chest, working their way up his buttons. “I can’t help it. All the anxiety is gone. I feel light.” I kissed his skin where the first few buttons parted. “Free. Anyway, you started it in that truck.”
“I can’t help myself when you look so sexy.” His mouth opened, latched on to my sensitive skin, and I moaned loudly. Shoving at clothing now, I pushed him into a frenzy. We peeled off the layers we’d bundled up in to be outside in the cold. Once he had me naked he picked me up, and my legs went around his waist automatically.
“Why, Mr. Edward, is that a carrot, or are you happy to see me?” I framed his face with my hands and kissed him.
“Carrot? Carrots are skinny and bent, Bella.” The look on his face sent me into peals of laughter.
“And bumpy.”
He growled. “Just wait until I get you into that bedroom.”
“Don't threaten me with a good time, buddy.”
He smirked as he walked, his hands kneading my ass. I went for his neck, kissing and biting and straining to nip at his ear. His hard length was pressed between us, and I shifted to rub along it with my core.
“Jesus, Bella.”
“Do you like that?” I breathed in his ear, and a shiver ran over him. I took that as a yes.
He bumped into the doorframe as we entered our bedroom, but that didn't stop him. He kept moving toward the bed, and he sort of dropped me and slid me onto it at the same time. I laughed at his awkwardness.
“What were you comparing my dick to a moment ago?” he demanded as he rubbed it against me.
“Ah, I can't remember.” I bit my lip to hold back the giggle, and moaned instead as he moved to rub his erection where I ached for him most. Through the wetness he’d created with his nearness and his words, back and forth to tease and send me over the edge.
When he gave in and entered me, I looked directly into eyes which had gone gold and evergreen. He moved within me, with me, as we reconnected after days worth of stress. I held his shoulders until his movements became fast and erratic, and then I had to push on the headboard to meet him thrust for thrust. Need and pleasure built together until I was clinging and crying out. Edward didn't take long to follow me into the floaty abyss that stole consciousness momentarily.
“We need to christen your truck,” was the first thing out of his mouth when he rolled off of me.
“Now?”
He pushed up on his elbow and looked down at me. He gave me a quick kiss. “I might need a minute.”
“Sometimes I wonder.”
“What can I say? I’m in my prime, and you do so much to turn me on.”
“Such as what? Say I’m glad your parents are gone? Because that’s all it took this last time.”
“Yeah, I find that sexy.” He placed kisses on my nose and cheek, then nuzzled into my neck. “And this little freckle right here.” He swirled his tongue over it and muscles I thought were worn out clenched. “Your throat is particularly fascinating.”
“Why’s that?” I asked as he kissed up the throat he mentioned.
“It’s strong and smooth. Your veins show under your skin. And your pulse jumps, right here, when I touch you.”
I moaned, I couldn't help it. He was nibbling on me, tasting me like I was his dessert. My legs moved restlessly. “How do you send me so high, bring me back to earth, and then get me going again?”
“Because I love you. It’s easy to get you going when I show you how I feel.”
“Here, though. It’s cold out, and we’re naked.” It snowed while we were gone, and the property was blanketed in white.
“Unfortunately, you make a good point.”
He maneuvered to a sitting position and pulled on me until I was sitting on his lap, then shifted his hips until he slid inside me. Indecipherable noises hummed in my throat as I moved, as I led us, and I loved it. I could bring him desire, lust, I could drive him crazy. There was a difference, wasn't there, in having control and being given control? Edward gave up his power to me so that I could experience it for myself. To show me how much he loved me, he’d said, and it was evident. He had the strength to run the show and never did unless I was comfortable with it. Love surged through me, warming me from the inside out. I kissed him, kissed him with everything I wanted to show him, to tell him; there were words stuck in my throat, but he knew. He would always know because I would never fail to show, to tell, the way he did for me.
And when he faltered, when his hands gripped my hips and his head strained back against the headboard, I picked up my pace until he came.
“Damn, Bella, you kill me.”
I looked at him, slumped half over on our bed where so much love had been made already, and smiled at his flushed face and the scruff that he’d been letting grow into a beard lately. His labored breathing jostled me every time he inhaled and exhaled. “I love you.”
He smiled. “I know.”
“Yeah, you do know, don’t you?”
“Spring can’t come soon enough,” was his reply as he sat up to kiss me. I had to agree, since I couldn't wait to marry him now that his parents knew.
“Can I have a nap now?” I laughed as I asked. “I’m worn out.”
“Anything you want.”
I climbed off his lap and made my way into the bathroom. As I was coming back out, he was picking up his pants. “You're not staying with me?”
He stilled. “I thought you wanted a nap.”
“Yeah, with you wrapped around me.” I shivered as the cool air made itself known on my naked skin.
He dropped his pants and took my hand, getting back in the bed with me and wrapping himself around me. “I love you, too.”
I smiled at that. “I know.”
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