Stolen HeART
Elephant Ears
Even my unsettled night's sleep couldn't sway my positive mood. The storm that had descended on Forks during the night woke me up from a dream that left me frustrated. Scenes of Edward and me as we explored each other's body; the sound of his deep low groans vibrating against my skin as he nibbled against the pulse point on my neck caused me to flush a crimson red every time those images flashed through my mind.
With the storm intent on staying and my brain actively awake, I found it increasingly difficult to stay in bed, so I decided to get ahead with regards to the business side of the gallery. I made myself a cup of Earl Grey tea and ploughed through the paperwork and contracts. I resisted the urge to listen in on Edward. I knew that it would be an easy distraction I could do without and I didn't want to disturb James from his deep sleep.
I wasn't surprised that he had returned early from his visit. I knew the moment I realised that Carlisle was at the hospital that he would phone James and inform him, though I didn't expect him to turn up here.
James had stayed the night in the spare room. We'd gone to bed pretty much after my emotional outburst and when I checked in on him while the storm was its worse he was out like a light. I was glad that he had stayed the night. We had drunk way beyond the legal limit and with the storm getting fierce; it would've been a constant worry for me if he had decided to try to leave.
I'd mentally tried to block the whole incident of Edward and me from my brain. It wasn't because I was embarrassed, well not much anyway. It was more to do with the suddenness of the experience. We had been having a casual, if not flirtatious conversation, when it took a dark turn I was shocked and almost scared at how I quickly responded to Edward's demands. I felt out of control and exposed.
I'd spent a good part of the early morning memorising the floor plan of Edward's town house.
The security alarms that I needed to locate were in the entrance hall and the panic room which was located in the music room. The other two were of no importance, his personal effects and documents. The sooner I saw for myself what needed to be done the sooner I could relax and let the next few weeks just play out.
With the sun just rising, James staggered out of the bedroom and mumbled something about a coffee and some breakfast. With the lack of food in the house and only 'girly tea' to offer him, he got dressed and left. He would make his way to his own place which was just a few miles away. There, he would get a few more hours of sleep before he headed down to the hospital.
Charlie had been allowed to sit out on the grounds, now that he was off of the oxygen. The green lush gardens had benefitted from last night's storm. The smell of Charlie's prized roses hit me as soon as I opened the patio doors. We spent the morning ignoring the elephant in the room. I didn't want to approach the subject of the heist; I chose instead to speak about the state of the world and the economy. Charlie knew the plan inside out so there was no need to trouble him with minor changes. I wasn't prepared to tell him about my situation with Edward.
If this had been a normal guy meets girl situation, then I have no doubt I would have mentioned him to Charlie in passing. But Edward was the victim of the crime I planned to commit and if I talked about him with my dad in a contented way it would be a dead giveaway that he had become more than just the victim of said crime.
I left shortly after lunch, as Rose and Charlie settled down for a long game of their usual scrabble while they waited for James to arrive. I had no doubt that Charlie would get very little rest this afternoon once James turned up. I held my tongue and stopped myself from nagging Charlie about overexerting himself, remembering what Carlisle had said to me in the parking lot yesterday. I had to accept the fact that this is what Charlie wanted.
