First Blood | Ed. Cullen & B. Swan

Chapter 9

Simon stood in the bedroom of his new apartment, sifting through the outfits in his closet as he tried to find what to pack.

"What am I even supposed to bring?" He found himself asking, "Isn't Florida sunny all year round?"

Bella shrugged from her spot on his bed, flipping through one of the photo albums she had found on the shelf above his desk. There were photos, notes, and letters throughout the whole book. They were sorted by year, and each item was marked with the date it was made. She was looking through the most recent album, and she smiled as she traced over photos of them and their friends.

"It's considered to be, but then it always seems to downpour every other day. You and Edward don't have to come out when it's too sunny, just when the clouds are out. Maybe pack shorts and tank tops for the majority of the trip. I know it won't feel hot to you, but it'll look better. Besides," She muttered with a small smile, "You both never show some skin."

Simon found himself smirking as he listened to her. He was looking forward to this trip more than he thought he would be. Edward had told him the main reason for getting Bella out of town for the weekend, but Simon didn't care. He knew Bella missed Renee, and he was looking forward to officially meeting the woman. Simon was a little smug about the whole ordeal, as Charlie had asked Bella to take Simon as the third ticket instead of having Alice take it.

Simon and Bella had never told Charlie that they had been dating, so when the Cullens came back, Charlie was more adamant about getting Bella to hang out with Simon instead of Edward. As far as Charlie knew, Simon and Bella were best friends, whereas she and Edward had gotten back together.

They had only had a few conversations about it, but both of the men were now officially with Bella. The public story was that she was dating Edward, and Simon was just her close friend. Their friends knew otherwise, as Simon and Bella didn't feel comfortable about lying to them. Jess had been surprised that dating more than one person at a time was an option, but Angela had been rather supportive. Ben had kept his opinion to himself, and Mike had already forgotten about the conversation after a few minutes.

Simon and Edward hadn't gotten much closer, but they were slowly becoming more accustomed to each other's presence as they shared their time with Bella.

"What's up with the bed, by the way?" Bella asked as Simon moved back into the room, packing his clothes into a duffle bag. "Edward only has a couch."

He fought back a smug grin as he looked back at Bella, and he snickered as he watched her face blaze red as she made the realization.

"I wanted you to be comfortable whenever you stay the night here," He said instead, not addressing her obvious thought. "A real bed always beats sleeping on a couch. Or the floor. That wasn't so bad the last time, though."

Bella rolled her eyes as she bit her lip, fighting a smile of her own. "So it has nothing to do with the other use for a large bed like this, besides sleeping?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself.

"Only if you want it too, Izzy," Simon found himself playfully shooting back at her as he dropped the bag near the door, his burgundy eyes darkening closer to their older black as he glanced back at her. He moved back over to her, taking the album from her hands and setting it aside.

She moved before he could, pulling his body down onto the bed. He caught himself before he could crush her, but his lips met hers before he could think twice. Her hand slid into his hair as he trailed his lips down her jawline and over the curve of her neck.

She tugged at the base of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head before tossing it away. She couldn't stop the moan that ripped from her throat as he sunk his fangs back into her neck. Her body arched up into his, and she found herself flipping their positions.

She straddled his hips as she tugged off her top. She leaned down, trailing kisses down Simon's neck as she carefully rocked her hips against his. Her hands wandered, exploring the muscular body trapped underneath hers.

She left small bruises as she marked her way down, glancing up at him through her lashes as her hands made quick work of his belt.

"I love you, Simon," She whispered as she leaned up, placing a gentle kiss against his lips. She faintly bit his lip before she pulled back, her bright eyes meeting his.

"I want you to take me."

***

Bella awoke to an empty bed. She pulled the blanket off of her as she sat up, shivering as the cold air met her bare body. She bit back a smile as the memories of the previous night danced through her head.

She crawled out of the bed, grabbing one of Simon's long-sleeved shirts from the closet. The bottom of the shirt went past her mid-thigh, and the sleeves went past her hands. She pulled up her sleeves before she left the room. She wandered around the apartment for a minute before a familiar aroma led her to the kitchen. As she walked in, she found Simon's back facing her.

"Are you..." She found herself mumbling, "Are you making pancakes?"

Simon's head snapped up in surprise as he heard Bella, a sheepish look spreading across his face at her question.

"Um, yes. Er–Well, I attempted to. I can't exactly taste it, so I don't know if I did it right. I may or may not have stolen Esme's recipe. Breakfast really isn't my specialty," He said as he subconsciously rubbed at his neck, "I was actually going to bring it to you; I wasn't expecting you to be up yet."

Bella found herself smiling as she approached him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. She rested her head against his before she pulled back.

"I love you, Simon," She smiled, taking the plate he offered her.

"I love you, too," Simon watched her fondly as she started to eat, his eyes drifting to some of the bruises visible above the collar of her shirt.

"Hey Izz, you got a little something there," He smirked as he gestured to his own neck, laughing as she smacked his arm.

"What time are we heading to the airport?" She asked as she finished her food, standing to wrap her arms around his waist.

"We still have a few hours to kill. Do you want us to stay here, or go over to Edward's?"

"Here, for now," She said as she grabbed his hand. She led him back to the bedroom, where they laid down together. Her hand drifted up to the locket around her neck as she rested her head on his chest.

"What was your mother like? Would you tell me?"

Simon wrapped his arms around her, lightly trailing his hand down her back. His glazed eyes were unfocused as he mulled over her question.

"She was reserved, but always kind. And her smile, rare as it was, had the ability to light up the room. She always tried to make the best out of whatever situation we were in. She had even tried talking our father out of Esme's marriage to her first husband. I didn't really understand what was going on at that age, but my mother never had a good feeling about Charles."

"I wish I could have met her," Bella whispered as she twined her fingers through his.

"She would have adored you," Simon murmured as he kissed her cheek, "She'd wonder how I was able to catch such a pretty little dame, but she would be thrilled to have you as part of the family."

Silence fell between them as they both shared a smile.

"Her name was Adah."