Chapter 15

BPOV

My boss just fucking kissed me!

That was wrong on so many levels, but I couldn’t care any less if I tried, to be honest.

I was excited and nervous, all wrapped up into one, as I tried on and showed Edward each item that the lady had given me.

I watched closely as I saw his eyes widen and contract each time, and I noticed that it was his way of saying yes or no, even if he didn’t verbally say anything. When he could only swallow and nod his head, it made me feel ten kinds of sexy.

I split the lingerie up into what I thought he liked and didn’t like judging by his reactions, but at the end, he got all of them anyway because he said that I was shopping for me, not him.

I liked it.

I think. 

My favorite pieces were the simple stretch cotton sets, some in solids, some with cute little patterns on them.  I had to admit that while those were my favorite because of comfort, the more risqué pieces, like the corsets and sheer nighties, had a special place in my favor because of the way his eyes had darkened and he’d been unable to actually form words when viewing me in them.  Rendering a man speechless did amazing things for my ego.

I thought back with a smile as I remembered how he had touched and spoke to me in the first dressing room. Him telling me how naturally beautiful I was, unlike the other ladies in the store.

He was so different to any other man that I’d met, not that I knew many, but that was beside the point. Edward made me feel beautiful, not by just his words, but how he looked at me, too.

The look in his eyes never wavered from reverence when he spoke to me and it made me feel like a million dollars. I never thought that he would use me, or treat me like a piece of meat and that spoke volumes to me.

Had we really only known each other a matter of hours?

“I think I’m done,” I said through the door as I finished tying my laces up.

He walked in the door not two seconds later and took the pile of clothes from me so he could go and pay.

I didn’t like the fact that he was paying for everything, but I knew that I couldn’t fight him on it. He wanted to buy me these things and I had little to no money to get them myself, so I had no other option.

“How about you go and get some fresh air while I pay,” he said as he got to the bespoke glass counter.

“Okay,” I said unsurely as I looked between him and the outside world.

In the space of the small store, I felt like it was our own little bubble. Would it be the same on the other side of the glass? In the hustle and bustle of the city, would he still look at me the way he had been, speak to me with the same softness?

Would he still be this nice when we got to where we were staying? Did he just kiss me because he thought that he had to? That I needed it?

I brushed those questions away as I walked towards the doors.

No, I didn’t think he was like that, not at all.

A few minutes later and he was by my side with a huge smile on his face.

“You look happy,” I muttered as I looked up and down the street.

“I am,” he chuckled in reply as he took my hand.

This was so strange and unreal.

It was getting late and it was starting to get dark. I noticed more lights in the city now and I knew that I would never want to come here on my own.

It was scary as hell.

“It will get busier along here soon with people finishing up work, we need to catch up with the others and get back to the car,” he said as we started to walk in the opposite direction of where we had originally come from.

He took out his phone as we got to the end of the block and called someone. From what I could hear, it was Emmett and his loud voice.

“They’re already at the car,” he said as he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

We carried on walking for a little while as we looked in the windows of the stores that we passed. Everything was so modern and clinical. I didn’t really like it much, I liked a little clutter and home comforts.

“Here we are,” he said as we walked up to the car and he opened the door for me.

“Thanks,” I smiled at him before I got in.

I had to scramble over some shopping bags, but I managed it without falling on my ass and making a fool out of myself in front of everyone.

I finally sat down, leaving enough space for Edward to get in behind me and then gasped at what I saw.

Rose and Emmett were making out like teenagers in front of me and Alice and Jasper were giggling at them, while Alice was sat on Jasper’s lap.

How could they be acting like this after only knowing each other for a matter of hours?

Christ, who was I to judge, I’d already been practically naked in front of Edward and had kissed him already.

Maybe it was them? The men. Maybe they just had that effect on the women in their lives.

“I think they’re going for a world record, they’ve been like this since Edward called Emmett,” Alice laughed lightly as Jasper wrapped his arms firmly round her.

“Christ, he doesn’t waste any time, does he?” Edward chuckled as he handed me the few bags that I had.

I looked around the small space with a puzzled expression. I had nowhere to put them, so I held them on my lap until Edward laughed again.

“Come here,” he said and before I could ask him anything, he picked me up from under my arms like a little girl and sat me on his lap.

“Now you have somewhere to put your bags and to be honest, if they can do it, so can we,” he chuckled as he looked at Alice and Jasper.

I carefully put the bags down in the now vacant seat and thought, heavily.

This was all going a little too quickly, okay, way too quickly for my liking.

We hadn’t known these men for more than a few hours and they had fed us, taken us shopping and spent fuck knows how much money on us and I was more confused than ever that our new relationships had already reached a blunt physical level.

Why were they doing this? It seemed like this was more than what we applied for when it came to the job. In fact, nothing had been mentioned about the job that we had apparently gotten.

What were they up to? Scenarios kept running through my mind as the driver took us slowly through the streets of LA.

The worst thoughts came to mind as we harshly pulled up to a set of lights and it caused Edward to grip me tighter in his lap as my body lurched forward.

 “Careful, sweetheart, I don’t want you to get hurt,” he murmured in my ear and fear and dread started flowing through me.

My breath hitched as everything came crashing down around me.

Why were we here?

What did they want from us?

Were we going to be some type of bride, like an arranged marriage or something? That was the only thing I could think of.

The only reason why they would be spending their money on us, treating us like princesses.

They were buttering us up for some horrible news!

I knew it, I just knew it!

“Bella, what’s wrong, breathe, please!” I could hear Alice’s words from somewhere around me, but I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t think full stop anymore.

“Bella, come on babe, don’t do this, please calm down,” Alice cooed in my ear as I felt her wrap her arms around me.

Was I still sitting in Edward’s lap? Where were we?

“That’s it, babe, just breathe,” she calmly said as I fought to get my breathing under control.

The next thing I knew was her letting go and being pulled back into Edward’s embrace, him holding me tight to his chest as he kissed the top of my head and whispered small words to me that I didn’t understand.