A/N:  I am grateful to purpleC305 for pre-reading and Midnight Cougar for beta-ing. You both make me smile even when it’s raining. Thank you. xx

DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I’m just here having fun.

-MP-

“Paris is a hard place to leave, even when it rains incessantly and one coughs continually from the dampness.” -Willa Cather

Chapter Seventeen

(BPOV)

Paris weeps for me.

In the early morning hours, I hear the sound of a gentle rain against the windows of our hotel room begin. It’s still dark outside, but I can tell Paris feels the same as I do about our departure.

I’m somber this morning, as I pack my suitcase and carefully stow my many treasures in my carry-on bag.

While my sadness at our departure looms around us, I know Edward’s anxiety at flying is ramping up.

He wasn’t able to get us a private flight from Paris to London, but really, it’s fine. No mile high club for me this morning. We’re both exhausted from being up all night and have a lot of travel ahead of us today. I barely know which end is up.

I’m looking forward to getting back to Seattle, but leaving Paris almost breaks my heart. We’ve had a lot of fun here seeing the sights. Our time together has allowed us to get to know each other in ways I didn’t anticipate. The physical part of our relationship has been incredibly intense, but extremely adventurous.

Edward is always pushing me out of my comfort zone, and I have no regrets. I like trying new things with him. He excites me in ways I don’t expect, which stokes a desire I hope never wanes between us. I know it’s time to get back to the real world and our lives, jobs, family, and friends, but I don’t want to lose the passion we’ve found in Paris. I hope that it follows us home.

I think after we return, I’m going to make a trip back to Forks and visit Charlie’s gravesite. Maybe Edward will want to go with me. While the Cullens have always been very welcoming, I’m a little disappointed I don’t have more family to share with him.

“Bella, have you seen my phone?”

“What? Isn’t it in the charger by the bed?” I look over to the nightstand and see he’s already packed his charger.

“No.”

“Maybe it fell under the bed. Did you look there?” I suggest, feeling a little nervous at the thought of his phone going missing.

He bends down and checks under the bed. “Where’s your phone? I need to use the flashlight under here.”

“Here.”

After a few moments, he gives me the bad news. “Nope. It’s not under there.” He stands and looks around our room.

“Edward—” I warn. “You promised.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll find it. We had it last night while we were taking videos. It’s probably in the layers of covers or fell behind the pillows.”

While Edward digs through the layers of bedding, I recall making what he says are his new favorite souvenirs. I’m partial to the one where his head is buried between my legs, since I held his phone for that one. It’s much more difficult than you would think with his highly skilled tongue making it impossible to focus on keeping the camera steady. However, the one when he recorded fucking me from behind may be my second favorite. I had no idea making our own porn then watching it could be so exciting and arousing.

“Here it is.” He holds up his phone proudly at finding it.

I’m instantly relieved; Edward’s promised to keep all of the photos and video on his phone safe and only for our viewing. It does make me a little nervous that something so revealing exists, but he assures me there’s nothing to worry about.

With Edward’s phone finally located and our bags all packed, we leave our suite sadly then check out of the hotel.

The rain continues while we both go through the motions this morning, stealing a kiss here and there. It’s quiet in the taxi on the way to the airport. After checking in for our flights and dropping off our bags, we proceed to passport control and airport security. At this hour, it doesn’t take long to go through the area, then we head to our gate.

Edward stops to grab a coffee, but I just can’t eat or drink anything.

His plan is only to take half a pill for this leg of our trip. He says it shouldn’t knock him out completely, but will be more as if he’s drunk with a three-drink buzz.

Standing and looking out the windows near our gate, I can barely see the rain still coming down in the dark morning hours. I walk back to where Edward is sitting and curl up against his side, and he puts an arm around me, holding me close. I wish we were still buried under the warm covers in our hotel room sleeping away the morning.

When Edward finishes his coffee, he heads off to the restroom and takes his pill at a nearby water fountain. Soon the flight attendants begin boarding our flight, so we find our way onto the plane and locate our seats. At departure time, the flight is only half-full of people with not many seated near us, giving us a bit of privacy.

“Are you excited about getting back to Seattle?” Edward asks, as the flight attendants close the door to the plane and begin to go over the safety procedures.

I shrug. “I’m really sad our trip is coming to an end, and I’m not excited about going back to work.”

“I’m surprised to hear you say that. I thought you liked your job.”

The captain tells us we’ve been cleared for takeoff and we taxi to a predetermined spot, then soon after, begin speeding down the runway.

I choose my words carefully; I’m still trying to figure out my next direction in life. “I do, but it isn’t like people grow up hoping to be an airport screener one day. I don’t know what to do. I keep thinking about going back to school to finish my degree, and I’m starting to wonder if that’s even something I still want to complete.”

The vibrations of the plane speeding down the runway distract me, then that floaty feeling happens when I can tell we are off the ground. Fortunately, our conversation seems to be distracting Edward from what’s going on around him.

“You can always change your degree to something more interesting. Psychology is kind of broad. Were you planning to follow in your dad’s footsteps with a career in law enforcement or criminal law?”

I try to pop my ears to relieve the pressure, as the plane continues to climb in altitude.

“Not really. I had no idea how I planned to use my degree. I always liked psychology in school, but maybe I should have thought more about the job I wished to have at some point in the future.”

“You could be a dancer.” He winks.

I feel the plane level off and chuckle at Edward’s suggestion. “We both know that’s not true, and would you really be okay with me dancing for anyone but you?”

The playful smile on his face fades quickly. “You’re right. I wouldn’t be okay with that.” He thinks for a moment. “How about a baker?”

“Edward! I made macarons once; that doesn’t make someone a baker, and you didn’t even try them.”

He leans back his head against the seat. “What about a naughty baker? You could wear an apron and heels.” He lets out a groan. “Or maybe you could be one of those nineteen fifties housewives, with the proper dress, classic pearls, and high heels. I can come home from work and you’ll have my evening drink waiting, then you’ll serve me dinner.”

“Edward, you clearly have a lot of very specific fantasies.” I shake my head.

His hand comes over and rests on my leg. “Oh, I do. What about you? What are some of your fantasies?”

I try to think of something that will turn me on even more than I already am for Edward.

Naked Edward with a watch? I doubt I can let the cat out of the bag on that one yet.

So, I go with something safer. “Maybe something with you and your motorcycle,” I ponder.

“Entirely possible. What would you be wearing in that scenario?”

“I have no idea. I’m not great at this game, and why are you always focused on what I’m wearing in the fantasies?”

Edward licks his lips and doesn’t answer my question. “Well, I know what you should wear.”

“What should I wear?” I can’t wait to hear this.

“Black leather and boots, maybe a bit of lace. All skin-tight with zippers just waiting for me to pull them open.” Edward lets out another moan at the visual and closes his eyes again. I watch as he tries to readjust his pants, which are getting tighter the longer we continue this conversation.

“Maybe we should talk about something else since this line of discussion is clearly making you uncomfortable.”

Edward grabs my hand and lets it rest on his crotch, then starts to move it a bit. “Sweetheart, you always make me uncomfortable. I’m constantly hard around you, and it isn’t something that goes away easily.”

“Oh, please. You really expect me to believe that?” I scoff and look around, but no one is paying any attention to our conversation.

“It’s true. From the first moment I saw you in Emmett’s hospital room, I wanted you desperately. I thought that drive to take you back to the airport was going to kill me. I went home after I dropped you off and jacked off twice to the thought of you doing it for me with your hand or mouth. Plus, you were mad at me. Feisty. I liked it.”

I can’t believe he’s telling me this or that he was attracted to me since we first met, because I thought he hated me.

He continues, and I notice a slight slur when he speaks, so I know his pill is starting to have its full effect. “Bella, when I found you in Emmett’s apartment, I was so angry. I wanted to bend you over his kitchen island and sink deep inside you making you forget Emmett ever existed. I knew a good pounding by me was what you needed.”

I’m shocked and a little turned on by his candor. Apparently, half of a pill is the equivalent of truth serum.

“Now, wouldn’t Emmett and his security camera have gotten an eyeful if that happened.” He chuckles. “Then he would have known you were mine from the start.”

Edward rubs my hand back and forth over his denim-covered crotch, and I can feel him hard and ready.

“And that chapel wedding at the hospital was weird.” He sighs. “Mom and Alice put him up to that. I just can’t believe you ever agreed to go along with it.”

Since it seems we are both coming clean, I wonder, “When did you know it was all a lie?”

Edward smirks. “I would like to say when I kissed you at his apartment. I didn’t think you were the type of person to cheat, but when he didn’t recognize you at the hospital I knew.”

“But you agreed to be his best man.” A fact that’s always confused me.

“Bella, do you really think I had a choice with Mom and Alice doing everything they could to try not to lose you? Or him. Mom saw it as a way to bring Emmett back into the family after so many years away. She wasn’t going to let you go without a fight and didn’t care about the details of your relationship. She was determined not to let Emmett screw it up.”

I recall some of the details myself. “The morning he asked me to marry him, I was actually heading to the hospital to come clean and let him off the hook. It took a completely different turn, and next thing I knew, I’m walking down the aisle. It’s all still a bit of a blur.”

“Well, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m thankful Rosalie showed up. She was the piece of the puzzle I needed to put the brakes on everything. If I knew her or where to find her, I would have contacted her before it all ever got that far,” Edward reveals.

“I know. It’s kind of weird. I’m thankful for her too.” I smile up at him and remove my hand from his to caress the side of his bearded face. I miss his full beard, but this still works too.

I try not to let him derail my thoughts. “Even though she turned out to be quite mean. It was a relief, but at the same time, I didn’t want to lose you or your family. I already had feelings for you that I knew I wasn’t supposed to have. I was so confused, and letting everything go seemed like my only option.”

Edward nods. “If you ask Alice, she will tell you I was a bit surly during the month we were apart.”

I lean up and kiss his lips. “It’s all water under the bridge now.”

“The Pont des Arts?” he teases.

“I’m more partial to the Passerelle Debilly myself.” I grin.

“Mmmm,” He kisses my forehead. “I’m partial to that one too. Have I told you I love you on an airplane yet?”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“Well, I do Bella. I love you.” He gently kisses my lips then pulls back to change the subject. “Where should we live?”

I notice the plane starting to change its flight angle, so we must be getting close to Heathrow airport.

“I don’t know, but not with your parents,” I clarify.

“Understood. We can look for a place when we get back. You still have the rest of the week off, right?”

“Yes, and you can stay with me for as long as you like.”

“I like the sound of that.” Edward grins as if he’s just hit the jackpot. “How about forever?”

He’s so cheesy sometimes. “We can start with that, but you may get tired of me leaving clothes everywhere or find you hate cats. Tucker and I are a package deal.”

“I don’t care. I’ll take you both.” He squeezes my leg.

The plane continues to descend through the clouds hiding our connecting airport. When we finally get close, hovering above London, the city looks similar to Paris with plenty of gray clouds and rain.

I sigh. “We were so lucky to have great weather while in Paris. It all seems to have caught up to us now.”

Edward glances out the window. “We’re from Seattle. I would think you would be used to wet and rainy.”

“I am, but it was a nice escape for a while.”

I feel the moment when our landing gear touches down on the runway. It’s such a jarring motion, then the engines become so loud, I’m surprised we are all still in one piece. The plane taxis to our gate where we know we have plenty of time to make our next connection.

“Time to go find our way through this labyrinth.” Edward unbuckles and stands to remove our carry-on bags from the overhead bin.

I nod. “I heard Heathrow is one of the worst for connecting flights.”

“We were lucky to go nonstop from New York to Paris on our way here,” Edward adds.

We walk down the center aisle and step off the plane. As we stroll up the jetway hand in hand, I can hear the rainfall just beyond the walls, as the wet cold seeps in all around us.

It isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be to find our connecting gate, but we do have to go through security again. I’m just glad we don’t have to do anything with our bags.

“How about a bite to eat?” Edward suggests and looks around at our options. “We are in London. So, we could find some classic British food here at the airport I’m sure.”

“I guess I could eat. At least I can read everything.” I smirk.

“Let’s hope. We’re still early enough for breakfast, but I’m sure they will serve us anything.”

We stop and look through the map to find a place nearby called Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food. Since we are also early in the day, the restaurant isn’t that busy and we are seated right away.

“So what are you thinking?” Edward asks.

“I’m not sure. Everything sounds good. Maybe a chocolate tart or some sticky pudding?” I glance through my options. “Both come with ice cream.”

Edward chuckles and sets his menu to the side. “I’m going with the full English breakfast.”

“Well, how very proper of you,” I tease.

I end up ordering the sticky pudding with vanilla ice cream and glance over Edward’s shoulder to notice a photo on the wall.

“You know,” I say and pause for a minute, “that guy looks familiar.” I point out the photo for Edward who briefly notices it.

I get up to take a closer look when I finally put the pieces together. “Edward, this guy. He’s Emmett’s friend.”

Edward still looks confused.

So, I continue. “You know, the one who came to cook us dinner.”

This time Edward stands and looks at the photo more closely. “I guess it could be. What was his name?”

“I don’t think he ever said his full name, but is there a chance it was Gordon? That’s the name on this place.”

“It could be, but I’m not great with names,” Edward concedes.

“I think that’s it. Oh my goodness. What a small world? Let’s hope this food is as good as that dinner was.”

“Yes, the only thing wrong with that meal was the company, well, and the conversation.” Edward looks around. “I thought the guy was from Australia. Not London.”

“Maybe your dad said that.” I try to recall.

Our food shows up and I’m extremely pleased with my selection. Edward has quite a feast in front of him, and it appears a healthy appetite.

“I guess the shorter flight was easier on you?”

“Yes, I feel better after that one than I normally do, plus the food is helping too,” he explains. “Or maybe it’s my traveling companion.”

“Oh, Edward. I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

“No, just you. Plus you wore me out last night.” He raises an eyebrow in my direction.

“I’m afraid you are quite mistaken, sir. You were the one who kept me up all night. I need much more sleep than I got.”

“I let you nap for an hour or so.”

I shake my head. “An hour is not nearly enough. When we get back home, I’m going to collapse and sleep for days; I’m certain.”

“I can’t wait to stay in bed with you for days.” Edward smiles and winks.

“Don’t you need to go back to work?”

“I’ll check in with Dad, but everything should be fine without me for the rest of the week. Now, how’s your pudding? Sticky?” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I answer seductively, batting my eyelashes at him.

“Yes, I would.” He leans over to kiss me, but the kiss doesn’t last long enough for me. “This is my second favorite way to try your desserts.”

“Oh, really? And what would be the first?”

He doesn’t answer, but I feel Edward’s hand move under the table, past my thigh, then a finger gently rubs the fabric between my legs.

“I think you know.” He lowers his voice. “But I’ll be happy to show you once we are home.”

I’m not sure what causes my entire body to flush and warm more, the thought of Edward’s head buried between my legs or the fact that he speaks about the two of us going home together to the same location without a second thought.

“I can’t wait.”

“I love you.” He says it for only my ears and moves his hand back to my knee.

I smile. “I love you too.”

Our food is delicious and soon I have nearly licked everything clean.

“Someone liked her pudding,” Edward teases, looking over into my bowl, while I notice his plate is almost as spotless.

“Yes, I was more hungry than I thought and in need of nourishment after our night full of fun.”

“There will be plenty more of that when we get back,” he assures me with a quick kiss, and pays our bill.

“Let’s go find our gate. Hopefully, we’re getting closer to take off.” I check my phone for the time.

“Okay, I think we still have less than an hour until boarding begins, but I’m anxious and ready to be back in Seattle.”

“It’s a ten hour flight. With a full belly, I’m hoping finally to catch up on some much-needed sleep. My boyfriend won’t let me rest.”

“Well, I don’t blame him one bit. You’re incredibly sexy and I’m sure he can’t keep his hands off of you.”

He pinches my ass, causing me to jump and squeal.

“Edward!’

“Come on, sweet cheeks. Let’s go home.”