Stay with Me

Chapter 1 - Over

Bella's breath sped up faster.

Each time

his

eyes met hers, her heart would race out of control, causing her breaths to shorten and increase their pace. Then she would lower her eyes down to her plate or softly shake her head to clear it of the horrifying thoughts and treasonous desires within, turning to make conversation.

It wasn't a surprise to Bella that her plate was still more than half full. Her nerves were too twitchy and her muscles too tense to worry about something trivial as eating. A perfectly natural reaction to having dinner with your husband, right? Well, dinner with your husband, his boss and her husband.

She stole another quick glance towards

him

. His eyes were lit with a fire she had come to know all too well this past month. And just as she was about to turn towards her husband and ask him if he wanted some more wine, she saw

his

tongue slide along his lower lip slowly, seductively, his meaning all too clear. Bella shuddered and felt tingles all throughout her body as she remembered that tongue on her skin, in her mouth, tasting her.

"Bella?"

Bella's head snapped to her name. "Yes?"

She quickly saw

him

trying to hold back his laughter, an amused smirk settling onto his face, before she turned to her husband. She hated him. She really did.

"Sweetie, I was saying that Ness invited us to join her and Jacob at their house down the shore next weekend. Would you like to go?"

Bella's heart faltered. Oh God. Close quarters for a near forty eight hours with her own personal walking temptation? With both her husband and

his

wife there? Bella felt her palms start to sweat, a natural response to her fear. She had become someone she didn't recognize these past four weeks, her behavior shocking and uncontrollable. How was she going to control herself for those two hellish days? Pure unadulterated torture, that's what it was. Though if he ever got them a moment alone.....

"Bella?"

She was jolted from her fantasy at her husband's concerned and insistent tone. She forced a small smile onto her face and batted her eyes at him. Sure enough, the tight line that his lips had formed into relaxed into her favorite crooked smile of his. It always seemed to work when she did that. "Sure, honey. That sounds like fun."

Ness chimed in, "Great. It's settled then. Bella, it will be so much fun. You'll have a great time, I promise."

Bella flashed her small smile at the woman on her right before turning it back onto her husband. She couldn't look at

him

. Not yet.

Edward's smile grew bigger and he grabbed her hand and squeezed, lingering there, silently thanking her. She knew this was important to him, how grateful he would be to have her there. She squeezed back. He then brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it reverently; a stabbing twinge of guilt tore into her heart at the loving action. He really did love her.

She sighed softly, a mixture of contentment and sadness. She loved him, too. She truly did, but she couldn't help herself. She hated herself for being so selfish, so helpless against

him

. She despised her very being for breaking her vows to this man, over and over again.

She felt the familiar stinging at the corners of her eyes and the unwelcome lump forming in her throat at the cool temperature of the skin engulfing her fingertips. She was dirty, tainted. How could she have ever let another man's lips, fingers caress her skin? How could she let someone brand her time and time again, taste her? How could she when she had this gorgeous, faithful, loving and kind man waiting at home for her?

She was definitely the scum of the earth. No, even lower than that, way lower.

She tried to swallow past the lump as she stared into her husband's tender green eyes. She didn't deserve him.

"So Edward, ahem, how's the Hoffman account coming along?"

For the first time that evening, Bella was grateful for Ness' presence. Edward gently released her hand and turned to answer the question. Once he was engrossed in the work-related topic, then and only then did she venture a look over at

him

. And what she saw there took her breath away.

His dark eyes were on fire and tight, his jaw set and he looked to be almost....shaking? He was angry, that much was obvious.

She shot him a pleading look. Why was he so angry? What the hell?

His eyes narrowed further as he stared at her, his face getting even darker. Crap. He was angry at her, but why?

His shaking got worse, almost to the point where Bella began to wonder if he was in the beginning throes of a seizure. And then just as quickly as the tremors had come, they disappeared; the shaking stopped. Although his eyes never left her, she glanced down to find Ness' hand on top of his, stroking gently, in an almost absent-minded manner as she continued the conversation with Edward. She raised her eyes back to

his

face. He seemed....calmer. He was still angry but not nearly as much.

The good old ugly monster of jealousy rose up in her. The pleasant feelings she had felt toward Ness earlier now dissipated with each stroke of her hand on Jacob's. She wanted to claw the woman's eyes out.

She did her best to conceal her frustration and rage, tearing her eyes from Jacob's and pushing her fork around her plate. But he had seen it. He had always been able to read her frighteningly well. One quick glance back at him told her he knew. And he was reveling in it.

She saw his jaw unclench and a wicked grin appeared, with an angry yet amused glint in his eyes. His hand grabbed Ness' and began to rub hers gently, tenderly, sensually.

Bella felt her heart thump faster and her pulse race with the hatred she felt right now for the woman to her right and the man sitting facing her who seemed to encourage it with each ministration.

He slowly brought his wife's hand to his lips and kissed it slowly, forcing the blood to rush to Bella's face and making Ness' breath hitch, interrupting the conversation. Ness turned her hand and placed it on his cheek, looking at him lovingly. Jacob returned the expression making Bella feel like she was going to be sick. What he did next made Bella's heart drop and shatter into a million pieces, allowing a much darker and more sinister form to take its place in her chest. He kissed Ness' open palm and whispered. "I love you, baby. You and only

you

."

Ness smiled, completely oblivious to Edward and Bella's presence in the room. A flush began to form on her beautiful features. Bella knew that flush all too well.

She wanted to scream! To throw her plate at Jacob! Demand these people leave her house at once, letting the door hit them on their asses on the way out! She wanted to slap him, hit him, punch him even! Knowing her, she'd break her hand but she didn't care. How dare he do this in front of her? What was his problem?

But, she knew she couldn't do any of these things. When she saw Ness lean in and kiss Jacob chastely, she swallowed quickly and turned to her husband. "Edward, I'm going to start the coffee and begin cleaning up. Would you like some more wine in the meantime?"

Edward was all too happy to be distracted from the loving silent exchange between the two people in front of him. He had never been one for PDA and neither had Bella. He smiled

her

smile. "No, I'm okay, love. I'll help you, give these two a minute to themselves." He flashed his grin at the couple who weren't paying attention to anyone or anything except each other. Bella rolled her eyes and wanted to heave.

As she made her way into the kitchen carrying hers and Edward's plates, her husband graciously grabbed the other two plates unbeknownst to the couple. Once they were in the kitchen dumping everything into the sink, Bella couldn't hold it in any longer. "Should I bother getting dessert ready or are they just going to go at it right on the table in front of us?"

Edward stared at her in shock. She knew he was uncomfortable being in there watching the horrendous display just as much as she was but it was obvious he didn't share her anger. She normally would have checked at the venom in her tone but she was beyond all rational thought currently; she was furious.

"Bella, they've only been married for six months. They're still in the honeymoon phase, to some extent. There's bound to be more public displays, I should think. It wasn't that long ago that

we

were still in that stage."

He gave her a pointed look, forcing her to drop her eyes and focus on the dishes she was washing. He was right. They

had

been in that stage not too long ago. Sometimes, Bella wished she knew how to get back there.

She closed her eyes briefly, willing the guilt and shame away. She opened them and began to wash the dish in her hand for the second time. "I'm just saying it's a little much. And if you ask me, it's completely unprofessional. She works with you, for crying out loud."

She turned and saw Edward roll his eyes. "Her family owns the company, love. She doesn't have to always worry about being professional." He turned an amused smile on her and she huffed impatiently, going back to her dishes.

They both heard the faint ringtone going off in the other room, cut off by a quick breathless "Hello?" Bella's stomach tightened. They then heard the low tone of Ness' voice but couldn't hear the exact words that were being spoken.

A minute later and the beautiful young woman stuck her head in. "Edward, can I speak to you for a minute?"

Edward placed the plates down on the counter that he had been gathering to use for dessert, glancing apologetically at Bella, and followed Ness out of the room.

Bella could hear Ness' charming voice getting farther and farther away. "So, Daddy just called and he said that Hoffman doesn't want us to stick to the traditional classic

boring

image he's been using for the last gazillion years. I'm glad he finally listened to me. Now he wants something new, fresh, exciting...."

Bella let an annoyed sigh escape her. She couldn't wait for this night to be over; three more dishes and she would be done. She almost regretted doing them this early. She would need something to keep her mind occupied once Ness and Jacob had left.

Speaking of, she couldn't wait for

him

to leave. His little display tonight had sealed the deal for her; she would end it. She loved her husband. Edward was good to her, good for her and he loved her. He had never given her a reason to doubt his love for her or his fidelity.

She winced and again sighed, this time sadly. Yes, she would do the right thing, the

proper

thing. It didn't matter how Jacob made her feel physically. She loved Edward, not him.

Yes, she would wait until they left, text Jacob and tell him it was over. Then she would never let Edward invite them over again. If she had to, she'd fake stomach viruses, nasty colds, headaches, even the swine flu, if that's what it took to keep the

happy

couple away.

The sponge made its third trek around the plate slowly as Bella let her thoughts wander. She would still have to do the weekend down the shore but she could do it. She felt strong enough, capable enough to deal with the close proximity of her former lover and his wife. She could do it. She would just make sure to keep Edward by her side at all times, just in case.

A sudden stiff bulge pressed up against her quickly jerked her back into the present. She felt a warm rush of air at her ear and dropped the sponge and plate into the soapy water in reaction. Her heart began to race and she let out a sharp gasp.

His hand crept its way to her hip, then to the front of her waist before sliding to the other hip. He grabbed her tightly and pulled her roughly into him, letting her feel his hard length digging into her back.

Bella didn't react. She couldn't; her mind was mush. She felt his breath at her ear again and she shivered. "I want you. Now."

Those words, spoken in the husky tone she always yearned to hear, snapped her back to reality. She began to struggle against him, tugging at his arm, trying her best to pry his fingers' death grip on her hip.

He only tightened his hold and chuckled darkly, "Feisty tonight are we? I

like

it when you're feisty." He had accentuated his meaning by thrusting his hips into hers when "like" made its way past his lips.

"Let me go. Right now." She kept her voice quiet, hoping neither of their spouses would hear her in the next room, but laced it with deadly menace.

He chuckled again and pulled her even tighter against him, effectively trapping her between him and the counter. "I don't think so." He then lowered his mouth to her neck. "Relax, they won't hear us. They're too busy creaming themselves over that new account bullshit." He kissed her skin, his hands wandering up the sides of her body. As much as she hated it, her body began to respond to Jacob's familiar touches and was making her crave even more. "Relax, baby," he whispered into her ear. Her eyes drifted closed and she began to melt into him.

Jacob felt her body slacken against his and he knew he was winning. He pressed open-mouthed kisses from behind her ear to the left side of her jaw. Bella's fingers buried themselves into the counter. His familiar scent was working its magic on her senses and before she knew it, she was seconds away from begging him to do what he seemed very intent on doing. She wanted him; she wanted him now. Everyone and everything else be damned.

He chuckled in triumph, "God, you have no idea how badly I wanted to grab you, throw you on the table and fuck you right in front of them. I've been thinking about it all night." The fingers of his left hand teased her right breast, causing her head to fall back onto his shoulder. He nibbled on her neck. "I bet I could fuck you right here, right now," His left hand began to sneak into the neck line of her dress. "And that motherfucker still wouldn't have a clue," he growled.

Bella's eyes snapped open at the mention of Edward. She turned to meet Jacob's face, which was only inches from hers, and yanked his hand out of her dress, glaring at him. "That's it. Let me go, Jacob, or I'll scream for Edward."

The smug smirk that had been playing along the edges of his lips, his

warm

lips...

concentrate Bella!

....disappeared and his eyes tightened. "Really? Well, why don't you go ahead and do that then? I can tell him how I've been fucking you senseless for the past month and just how much you've been enjoying it."

Bella's eyes narrowed. She HATED him! Two could play at that game. "Really? You'd hurt your wife like that? I thought you

loved

her." Malice lingered at the edges of her hushed tone.

His eyes tightened even further and now his jaw was clenched as well. "All I'd have to do is sweet talk her a little and she'd get over it. Throw in some flowers and some good old-fashioned sentimental sex and I'd be in the clear. Guaranteed." Bella growled a small sound in obvious revulsion. His eyes lit up again; he had called her bluff. "My marriage will be the one that lasts. Yours and Cullen's won't." His eyes then flashed in angry challenge.

Bella turned almost completely in his embrace and slapped him hard, making his arms fall from her. Her hand stung from the force of it but she didn't care; he had deserved it. She stepped back, putting some distance between them.

He swiveled his gaze back to hers after his head had been moved from the force of the slap. His eyes were dark and the anger shone brightly.

Bella listened for the other two people in the house, thinking they had heard the loud contact her hand had made with his face. They hadn't; she could still hear them talking on the other side of the house. Edward's voice gave her the bit of strength she needed to solidify her resolve. "Get out. We're done. I don't ever want to see you again."

Jacob's eyes flashed again at her low hiss. He began shaking again.

Bella's eyes widened but only for a moment. She narrowed them once again in his direction. "This is it. I mean it, no more. It's over. Go back to the table and wait for your

wife

!"

Jacob didn't say a word. He didn't even look like he was breathing, except for the tremors that rocked his body.

They went on like this for another minute, frozen in a silent stand-off, until Bella had had enough and turned around to finish what she was doing. She then heard his footsteps leave the room.

Good.

She closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. She'd done the right thing. She'd deal with the emotional fallout later.

She heard Jake's deep tone reverberate throughout the house, "Honey, I'll be right back. I forgot my phone in the car and I gotta call Seth about tomorrow's line-up."

"Okay, babe." Bella rankled at the soft voice full of adulation; she hated it. She heard the slight sound of lips smacking and she once again felt sick. Bella shook her head angrily. Let Ness kiss Jacob all she wanted. It wasn't her concern anymore.

She then heard the front door close with slightly more force than necessary, but not enough to give away his anger. Only she seemed to pick up on it, though; she heard the two voices immediately resume their discussion in the living room.

Bella finished washing the dish she had dropped earlier and rinsed it off, placing it in the drying board next to her. She pulled the plug out of the sink, letting the water drain, and washed her hands quickly. She then grabbed the towel, drying her hands, before rubbing some lotion into her palms from the dispenser on the window sill in front of her.

As Bella massaged the lotion in, her thoughts wandered. She had done the right thing. She loved Edward; she didn't love Jacob. She was married and so was he. The past month had been wrong, completely careless and inconsiderate on both their parts.

She was lower than the scum of the earth and she would never be free of the shame and remorse she felt. She could never right the betrayal of her beloved husband. Never.

The light of the coffee maker caught her eye and she leaned forward, pressing the button to get it going.

Bella closed her eyes tiredly. She just had to get through the next hour. Then she would tell Edward she needed to relax and take a bath. She would lock herself away in the bathroom upstairs and fall apart in the warm soapy water that would surely remind her of what she had just given up. She would let her tears fall and mingle with the water that clung to her pale skin.

Just one more hour.

Bella opened her eyes and moved to the cabinet to open it and start grabbing mugs.

From right behind her, she heard the garage door open swiftly. Before she could turn around to see if there was an axe murderer coming to grab her, a huge hand clamped down on her mouth, muffling her scream, and pulled her back into the garage. The door was shut hastily by the intruder but as quietly as possible, enveloping her in darkness.

Bella kicked and flailed wildly, trying to land blows anywhere she could. Her elbow had made contact with a solid wall of muscle and she heard a groan behind her. This spurred her on and she increased her movements, disregarding the pain she was also inflicting on herself. She wouldn't go down without a fight.

The hand clamped down tighter and she bit down with all she had. She heard a low hiss but the hand stayed where it was.

"Dammit, Bella! It's me!"

Her body slackened quickly and she withdrew her teeth from his hand which he then jerked away, swearing as he did. Her eyes had begun to adjust and she could just barely see his large form in front of her. She was in shock. Her heart tried to slow down and she tried to catch her breath, her chest heaving in and out rapidly.