A/N Here is the Cullen home, or some reasonable facsimile thereof, an actual home near Dartmouth. Yours for a mere $2.3 million. http://www.beangroup.com/real_estate/listings/Homes/NH/Hanover/745101
Sacrificial Lamb Chapter 20
EPOV
The drive to New Hampshire had certainly been an eventful one. Where moving across country was nothing new to my family, traveling with a human was a novelty to us and it was surprisingly fun. Seeing Bella become more and more comfortable with them delighted me. Emmett already viewed her as a little sister; Alice, of course, loved Bella nearly as much as I did; Jasper was getting used to Bella and considered her part of the family while Rose…well Rose was slightly less hostile. Em and Jasper’s hijinks had actually caused her to let her hair down a little and while she didn’t exactly include Bella, she wasn’t overly rude to her either. It was progress, not that we didn’t have a lifetime to work on it anyway. I knew eventually she’d embrace Bella, if nothing else Rosalie was fiercely loyal to her family. Like it or not, Bella was part of that now.
I looked over at her, so peaceful in sleep, her head against the window and her gorgeous mouth slightly parted. I couldn’t resist running my icy fingers over her smooth cheek. She sighed a little and leaned into me. There were many things I’d miss when Bella became one of us and watching her sleep was right near the top of the list. I had spent countless hours watching her sleep, both before and after she knew I was doing it. I chuckled as I thought back to that first night in her room, her restless sleep punctuated with occasional murmurs of my name. It was watching her dream about me that made me admit my love for her. I would never forget that moment, one of the most significant of my existence.
I hated to wake her but we were nearing our new home and I knew she was anxious to see it. “Bella, love, we’re almost there.” She groaned and fluttered her eyes, slowly taking in her surroundings. The sun was just coming up and there was a lovely muted glow illuminating the trees. Mountains were visible from both the Vermont and New Hampshire sides. It was gorgeous here and I knew Bella would appreciate it.
She gasped. “Edward, it’s so beautiful! Look at the mountains!” I couldn’t control the surge of happiness I felt at her reaction; this was going to be home for awhile, hopefully for a long time. I’d always loved this area and I was thrilled to return.
“I’m so glad you like it, sweetheart. We hunt in those mountains frequently; wildlife is plentiful, as are the forests. It’s the perfect place for us.” I turned off the main road and down another nearly hidden drive. We always selected out of the way property, though this time I’d say Esme had outdone herself. Two sides of the property abutted mountains, one side forest and the other side was wide open land. Bella’s eyes widened when she took in the old farmhouse we’d purchased. It was built in 1840 but we’d renovated it and made it completely modern on the inside, with wood floors, granite countertops and stone fireplaces in every bedroom. Most importantly, it sat on over 200 acres of land. We had complete privacy, more than enough space and gorgeous views.
“Oh, look at the house! It’s like a farm! Are we going to grow things?” I laughed at her excitement.
“Esme will no doubt plant a huge garden. I don’t know that we’ll try our hands at farming but I suppose if you want to we could plant something.”
She giggled. “I can just picture Emmett in a pair of bib overalls tilling a field.” I laughed at the mental picture that created; somehow it was a look that would work on him.
My siblings pulled up next to us and piled out of the Jeep. “I heard that, Bella!” Emmett opened the door and hauled her out of the car, twirling her around. “I’ll get you a matching pair of overalls and a straw hat; we can get a tractor and tool around together.” I joined in everybody’s laughter although I inwardly shuddered at the thought of Bella and all the trouble she could get into around farm machinery. My morbid thoughts were interrupted by Esme and Carlisle coming out to greet us.
“Kids! You’re here, finally! How was the trip?” Esme enveloped all of us in welcoming hugs, saving Bella for last and making her smile.
Bella rolled her eyes. “It was an experience.”
“It was awesome!” Emmett corrected her, giving her a little hip check that sent her flying toward me. I caught her and gave him a glare. “Oops, sorry little sis! We had the best time, Esme, we have got to take road trips where we stop and interact with humans more.”
Carlisle cleared his throat. “Do we even want to know?”
Emmett suddenly realized that Carlisle and Esme might not be as amused with our fun and games at the humans’ expense as the rest of us were. “Uhh, it was just fun to stop and see the world and everything.” Dammit, me and my big mouth! Rosie’s always warning me. Don’t let him ask anymore!
Carlisle just raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “Well, come in and check out the house, we’ve gotten everything organized and I think Esme has found us the best house yet.” Kids will be kids, I don’t want to know what they did but I’m glad they had fun, everyone seems pretty happy, even Rosalie.
We all piled into the house. I’d seen pictures of course but they really didn’t convey the sense of home that I felt the instant we walked into the building. Gleaming wood floors, a warm welcoming entrance, the formal dining room perfectly set as if waiting to serve a seven course meal, the living room that provided comfort and familiarity, our couches and Emmett’s beloved TV in place and offset by the stone fireplace with a fire already crackling inside.
“Isn’t it a little warm for a fire?” Bella whispered to me. I put my icy finger against her warm skin.
“Not for us, for obvious reasons.” She shivered at my touch, whether from the coolness or from desire I couldn’t tell. It had been three very long days with no alone time and I was more than ready to rectify that after we finished touring the house.
Carlisle led us to the master bedroom down on the first floor, his and Esme’s haven from the rest of us. There were two more bedrooms on the first floor but they’d left them as guest rooms, though they told us we could claim the rooms if we wanted them. Upstairs were four more bedrooms; Alice and Jasper’s room was at the far left end; Rose & Emmett’s at the far right and two in-between.
“Is one of these ours?” Bella asked Esme.
She smiled softly at me and squeezed my hand. “I’ll let you show Bella to your room.” I didn’t need any encouragement on that end. Without warning I scooped Bella up and raced down the stairs.
“Edward!” she laughed breathlessly. “Where are you taking me? I want to see our room!”
“I’m taking you to our room, love.” I ran behind the house. “Close your eyes for me, Bella.” She looked at me balefully but did as I asked.
I stopped and put her on her feet, facing the building that would be our home. “Okay, you can open them now.”
She opened them and blinked, turned and looked behind us at the house and then in front of us at the second house. “What? It’s like a miniature version of the house!”
“Yes, it’s our wedding present from Esme and Carlisle. They’re giving us our own place.” It wasn’t that far from the main house and they could still hear us from there, but at least it would give us some privacy.
“We…we’re going to live on our own?” Didn’t she like it?
“Yes, well, they’ll only be a few steps away but…” I was abruptly cut off my Bella launching herself into my arms and pressing her lips to mine. All my worries at her reaction vanished as I lost myself in her sweet kiss. I scooped her back up and carried her toward the house without breaking the kiss until we were at the door. I opened it and led her inside.
The house really was a replica of the bigger one; we just had two bedrooms instead of seven and two bathrooms instead of four and a half. The kitchen was smaller but still fully functional. Instead of a dining room we had more of a breakfast nook and my piano was where the dining room was in the main house. Our living room was cozy, also with a blazing fire in the stone hearth. The sofa here was smaller but very comfortable; I could easily picture Bella curling up next to me with a book in front of the fire.
While Bella was oohing and ahhing over the house, I just wanted to find the bedroom. I made myself wait for her for two years but now that I’d had her, three days felt like eons. I carried her into the master bedroom and placed her at the foot of the bed, letting her take in the room. The big bed we’d had back in Forks was in place along the wall, facing out a sliding glass door that showed a beautiful mountain view. Our dresser was against the right wall, next to the rather large walk-in closet. Alice had little input into the house as long as she could design closet space. Two of the empty bedrooms in the main house were going to be used just as extra closets. She’d stuck her nose into our house’s design as well and the closet was already filled with a ton of clothes, 75% of which Bella would probably never wear.
The black leather sofa resided along the left wall. Really, aside from the sliding glass door and the mountain view our room was very similar to the room we’d shared in Forks. I hoped that would be alright with Bella. “If you want to change anything…” She cut me off with her fingers this time, pressing them against my lips and shaking her head.
“No, Edward. This is home.” I was relieved she felt that way. Even though we’d moved across the country and were starting a very different life together than the one we’d left behind, I’d wanted the reminder of our beginning, the bed I’d bought for her and the place where I’d proposed. I steered her back towards the bed and lowered my head to kiss her. She halted me with a hand a on my chest.
“I’ve been in the car for three days, Edward. I need a shower, badly. You always smell good no matter what; it’s not the same for me.” She was being ridiculous but I could understand why she’d feel that way.
“Hmm, you’re right. We should take a shower.” Her eyes widened with surprise and then her face turned speculative. This was one thing we’d yet to do together and I’d had quite a bit of input on our bathroom. I couldn’t wait to see what she thought.
“We, huh? Alright, Mr. Cullen, let’s go clean up.” I twined her fingers with my own and got two fluffy blue towels from the linen closet. I pushed open the bathroom door and let Bella step inside before me. She jerked to a stop and a “Wow” came out of her mouth. Even though I knew what to expect I had the same reaction myself. Marble white floors with navy speckles, a matching countertop with modern fountain his and her sinks, gilded mirrors, a huge navy blue Jacuzzi tub with matching marble tiles and a shower that could easily hold our entire family. Multiple shower heads that could rain down on us from all sides, stone walls, a bench to sit if we so desired and a heavy glass door that pulled open on either side. I turned on the spray and it rained down like waterfall, just the effect I’d requested when Esme was designing it.
Bella’s face lit with wonder as she took everything in. “It’s so beautiful.” I unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it off her shoulders.
“Not nearly as beautiful as you are.” She blushed and reached up to pull my polo shirt over my head. I slowly removed the rest of her clothes, savoring each new inch of skin as it was revealed to me. Bella didn’t let me stand and admire her for long though, she hopped gracelessly into the shower and tilted her head back to absorb the spray. I watched as the water streamed over her gentle curves of her body, having to swallow back a pool of venom at the sight. I wanted her. Three days was far too long to go without being inside her. With that in mind I hurriedly undressed and climbed into the shower and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.
I ran my lips across the graceful curve of her neck, down over her shoulder. I licked the water off her skin as I reached out and grabbed a loofah to run over that delectable flesh. I squirted some of Bella’s favorite freesia body wash on it and ran it over her body, paying close attention to her breasts. She moaned and pressed back into me, allowing me access to every inch of her. After several passes over her center, I dropped all pretenses and discarded the loofah and pressed my fingers against her bundle of nerves. Bella’s moans became louder as I worked her over.
She began to shake and shiver against me so I led her over to the bench and sat her down. Touching her was wonderful but tasting her was heaven and I needed to have her on my tongue. I crouched before her and ran my tongue along the length of her. Bella’s head fell back against the stone wall and she pushed closer to my face, grabbing my hair and encouraging me to take all of her. I pressed my tongue firmly against her and flicked it back and forth increasing my speed as her moans got louder. I thrust two fingers into her warmth and continued moving my tongue against her. She tightened her grip on my hair and thrust against me as she tightened around me and came. I lapped up all of her juices and gave her a kiss, dragging my lips up her torso to her breast, sucking her nipple into my mouth and pressing it firmly between my lips.
Bella was too far away from me, though, so I picked her up and stood, pressing her against the stone wall. She gasped as the cold rocks pressed against her back, pushing herself against me and wrapping her legs around my waist. I was hard as a rock and aching to be inside her. I pressed against her wet heat and she yanked my mouth away from her breast. “Now, Edward. I want you now.” I twitched at the command in her tone and pushed inside of her. I felt her tight walls clench against me as her heat scorched me. We’d only been physical for a few weeks but already our bodies knew one another, moving together as one. I held her gently, not pressing too hard against the wall for fear of injuring her. We kept a slow, steady rhythm, our tongues pressing together as our bodies did so. I felt the pressure building inside of me and I increased my pace. Bella moaned against my lips and met my thrusts with her own. I felt her start to tighten around me and I let myself go, both of us coming together.
“I love you, so damn much.” I gave her a soft kiss as I pulled out of her and guided us both back under the water stream, washing the sweat from her body. I cleaned my Bella thoroughly, soaping her back up but not letting my hands wander even though I wanted her all over again. I opened her shampoo and squirted some into my hands, massaging it through her hair as she closed her eyes and got lost in the sensations. I rinsed the suds out and repeated the process with her conditioner. When that was done I reluctantly shut off the water, her skin was starting to prune from being in the water for so long. I toweled her completely dry and squeezed the excess water out of her hair as she wrapped the towel around her beautiful body.
“Edward, that was incredible.” I dried myself off and grinned at her. “We really have to do that again.”
“We will. Daily!” I had every intention of making love to her multiple times daily for as long as she’d let me. I smoothed her wet hair away from her face and just got lost in those gorgeous eyes of hers. “You are my entire world, do you know that?”
Bella’s eyes filled with emotion. “As you are mine, Edward Cullen. I can’t imagine life without you and I’m glad that I don’t have to. I’m yours, forever.” I waited for the usual wave of guilt that I felt whenever I thought about eternity with her to wash over me but this time it didn’t. It was what she wanted and if I was honest with myself, it was what I wanted. I could not exist without her and I didn’t have to.
“Forever.” I peeled the towel from her body and picked her back up and carried her to our bed. “I want you again.” I laid her back down and she opened her arms to me, welcoming me back into her body. I slipped inside of her and lost myself within her. We spent the rest of day christening our new home, making love in every room, ending the night in front of the crackling fire in the hearth, Bella sleeping in my arms as I watched the light flicker across her beautiful face. This place already felt like home, but I knew that any place with her would. Wherever she was, that would be my home.
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