Malicious Compliance Chapter Thirteen

A large part of Edward—a very large, throbbing part—wanted to give in to his urges. Being domestic with Bella brought back those good memories he'd long since buried. What he once thought could only be a physical relationship, full of quickies and no substance, had grown into much more. Edward had missed her, there was no denying that. If he put thoughts of Bella to the back of his mind, he could live his life without her. Perhaps it would be difficult. Maybe he would only be lying to himself that he was fully happy, but he could have a complete life without Bella Swan. He'd done it once and he could do it again.

But if he didn't have to; if she was there, in his arms . . . Then why should he move on without her? Bella had grown so much, changed and worked on herself. Their joint therapy session was coming up in a few days, and he considered it to be the biggest step in the right direction. They needed to learn it was okay to be themselves. It was almost as if they each walked on eggshells, afraid to screw it up again. After that, nothing would stop them from having everything.

Basically, he was already looking at them being together long term. First, he wanted her to move back in with him. Then, they could figure out how to mesh their schedules once her business was off the ground. After that, it was only a matter of time before he proposed and everything became incredibly serious. 

And yet, he hesitated over this one thing. Over this hurdle, this monumental step that cemented the fact they were back together. A couple. A partnership. 

Lovers. 

Tightening his grip, Edward listened to Bella’s soft sigh as she nestled closer against his chest. Sleep eluded him, and not a little because of her warm skin pressed up against his. She smelled like him; she wore his shirt; she was in his bed. In his arms. Every primal instinct left in his body sang with pride. 

Though it was difficult, he finally shut off his brain and slept curled up with the love of his life.

The steady rhythm of rain pelting the roof roused him from a deep sleep, so Edward carefully extricated his limbs from Bella’s. After setting up the coffeemaker, he made his way into the bathroom. Even though he typically kept his scruff, he'd spotted the redness he left behind on the most sensitive areas of Bella’s porcelain-smooth skin. It only seemed right to give her the benefit of a smooth face if they were looking to become tangled in the sheets. 

He turned the hot water on and pulled out his razor. Sensing movement out of the corner of his eye, Edward watched in the mirror as Bella crossed behind him. With a twist of her wrist, she shut off the faucet and hopped up on the counter. 

Trailing the pads of her fingers lightly over his jaw, she murmured, "Leave it."

Searching her features, Edward noticed the tousle of her hair and the slouch of his shirt riding low on her shoulders. Bella gazed at him with such adoration it made his heart thump painfully. Cupping her face in his hands, he lightly brushed his lips over hers. The rich scent of brewing coffee filled the loft, along with the lingering hint of body wash on Bella’s skin. The feather soft kiss was no longer enough; he held her head tightly and melded their mouths together, sucking on her upper lip. She whimpered, digging her fingernails into his bare back as she urged him closer. 

Yanking her hips forward, Edward plunged two fingers inside her, her high-pitched cry muddling his head like a strong whiskey. Something behind her rattled and fell over, and he deepened their kiss almost brutally. Her knees came up, her legs widening, until her feet dug into the waistband of his plaid pajama pants. The bite of her fingernails on his forearms only urged him to drive her pleasure higher. Tightening his long fingers around her jaw, he slipped his tongue into her mouth before letting his hand drift to her throat. The fingers buried to the hilt in her pussy curved just right, and then he added pressure to her clit with his thumb. 

He had no choice but to back up enough to breathe, adjusting his grip on her throat. Heat covered her in a dark blush as she held his gaze, and his palm vibrated with the moan building in her vocal chords. A shiver began in her legs, and she knocked something else over. Screams ripped past his grip, and he loosened it while she rode out the orgasm. 

Throwing her arms around his neck, Bella bit his bottom lip and dragged it between her teeth. "Please, fuck me, Edward. Please."

Sweeping her off the counter, Edward carried her to the bed and laid her down. He'd made up his mind at some point in the middle of the night, and he couldn't wait any longer. Despite the numerous things he wanted to do to her, at the top of his list was finally burying his cock deep inside her cunt. He needed to be face to face, to watch her as he invaded her body. She didn't disappoint, her eyes rolling back in her head when he thrust inside her fully.

"God. Fuck." Clawing at the sheets, Bella tilted her head and arched her back. "You're so fucking hard."

"It's all you," he ground out. Edward’s muscles strained with the exertion of fucking her fast and hard.

She brought her legs up, bracing her feet on his shoulders. The angle pulled him so deep he nearly lost it right then. They both moaned when she brought her hand down to play with herself. Her inner muscles clamped down on his cock, and he couldn't hold back anymore. 

It felt so good to empty everything he had into her warmth, to feel her squeezing him as she called his name. To be connected again as one instead of two. 

"Jesus fuck," he muttered into her hair, trying not to crush her with his body weight. 

"Mmm." With a satisfied smile reminiscent of a cat having drunk a full bowl of cream, Bella gazed up at him. 

"I feel better, how 'bout you?"

"Absolutely."

Dropping to her side, Edward listened to the raindrops grow heavier on the roof and her breathing leveling out. She snuggled against him, and he automatically wrapped his arms around her. 

"I think I realized something," she said quietly. "I'm not the sum of my past, but neither are you. I'm not perfect, and I'm sure I'll make mistakes, but I've grown. I've grown up, I guess."

He tightened his grip on her.

"We're meant to be together, just like you said." Bella propped herself up to look at his face. "I respect that you choose me, the same as I choose you. I love you so much it overwhelms me, and I do worry I'll fuck up. But I know we'll work through it if I do."

Tilting up to kiss her, he said, "I forgave you even when you didn't ask forgiveness. I needed that for my own self worth."

Her gaze dropped to his chest. "I didn't know that."

"By the time you did apologize, I'd moved on from seeing you as the only guilty party."

"I promise to try to keep my insecurities in check. You've shown me I'm worthy of you, and I think I'm pretty badass for starting my business."

He stroked a hand through her hair. "You are."

"Thanks." Pressing a kiss to his forehead, she scooted down and rested her head over his heart. "We're going to be okay, aren't we?"

"More than okay, we're going to be great."