Caught in the Flames

Chapter Ninety-Six

As always, none of this is mine. I'm just the perv who want to make our beloved Twilight characters swear, drink, and go at it like horny rabbits. This story will be a combination of love, suspense, some violence and steamy, sweaty sex.

On with it!

Chapter Ninety-Six

EPOV

Tonight had been a dream. There were no words to describe her ethereal beauty. Her dress hugged her body, making me want to make love to her for days on end. Her beaming smile when I won the Casey Severide Award for Valor and Heroism, made my heart lurch with a new-found, all-encompassing love. Holding her in my arms while we danced was something I had wanted since I first saw her in Marianos, reaching for that pasta sauce. Her petite body was made for me and I loved it. I loved her.

Unfortunately, the only issue we had was with Laurent.

Waste of skin.

Argh!

The dude was a fucking sea slug.

And don't get me started on his comments about women in the house? Highly inappropriate. Leah had every right to be pissed off and for wanting to castrate him with the butter knife. I was pissed off and I wasn't a woman.

Shaking off my thoughts, I focused on the perfect woman snuggled in my arms as we rode up the elevator to the Presidential Suite of the Palmer House. I wanted to top off this magical night by making love to my beautiful girlfriend. Though, I secretly wished that she was my wife. That off-handed comment I made to the concierge was something that weighed on my mind, in a good way. I wanted her. I wanted to see her in a white dress, wearing my ring and sharing our lives together. I wanted to build a home with her. Create a family, in whatever means possible. Ideally the way God intended, but if not, through surrogacy, adoption or magic.

My concern was that did she want the same things?

I knew she loved me. Every day, she showed me how much she loved me. I did the same for her, too. But was she ready? We'd only been together for a few months. It was too soon to even consider marriage. Was it?

You can always go looking for engagement rings. Something elegant and refined, just like your girl.

"Edward, love, come on," Bella murmured, gently pulling on my hand, leading us out of the elevator. "You have the key."

"Right," I chuckled. Threading our fingers together, I led us to the suite, unlocking the door and ushering her inside. The suite was elegant. But, all I cared about was being with my girl, in the bed, making her explode with pleasure. Though, the dining room table in the suite looked pretty appealing, too.

"I cannot wait to get out of this dress," Bella said, rolling her shoulders. "The boning is cutting into my ribs." She turned to me, the back of her dress on display. It looked convoluted with black ribbon lacing holding it up. "Help me?"

I crossed to her untying her dress and loosening it around her body. Once the ribbon had been removed, Bella shimmied slightly. The dress fell from her body, revealing her perfect nearly naked form beneath. She only wore a lacy nude thong and her red heels. Fuck me sideways. She turned around, her eyes hooded and her pale skin flushed. Her hands moved up my lapels and she smiled seductively. "Sit down, Edward," she purred, gently pushing me to the couch. When my ass hit the couch, Bella took her time, straddling my legs. She licked her red lips, untying my bow tie. "Seeing you in that presentation, on that stage...I was incredibly proud of you." She tugged my tie from my shirt, tossing it behind her. "My boyfriend is a hero. He's a hero to the city of Chicago. Most importantly, he's my personal hero, in more ways than I can count."

"You're my hero, sweet girl," I murmured, my hands running along her smooth, ivory skin. "Every day, you amaze me with how strong you are."

She blushed, ducking her face into the crook of my neck. "I am not a hero," she whispered quietly. "You risk your life every day to save strangers. I couldn't even save my own child." Her hands moved to her flat stomach, cradling it sadly.

"Don't," I said sternly, taking her hands in mine. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. It was James' fault. Never yours, love. He was the monster. You are the innocent, just like your baby." Staring into her beautiful brown eyes, I cupped her face. "You are so strong, so brave. I love you so much, Bella." Kissing her soft, sweet lips, I pulled her closer to my body. "Let me show you how much I love you."

She bit her lip, her fingers traveling up my shoulders until they took purchase in my hair. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked, my arms tightening around her tiny body. "You don't have any reason to apologize."

"I ruined the moment," she choked out, her eyes capturing mine.

"No, love. You didn't. It just gives me the opportunity to carry you to the bedroom before I show you how much you mean to me. How much I love you," I cooed. "Hold on." Her legs latched around my waist. I stood up, holding her in my arms, cupping her ass. With a purpose, I carried to the bedroom the suite, preparing to show her what she meant to me.

A/N: Lemon alert next chapter...it won't be too long. Then, some more drama. Leave me some! Oh, and PS ~ pictures of the Palmer House Presidential Suite are on my blogs.