Forever

1. Guarding

Emmett's POV

The family had been hunting the first time it happened, or more appropriately, the family had been hunting the first time they had given in. Travelling to the forest of West Virginia, far from home, so Carlisle could take Esme to one of the sites she had wanted to see along the trip, the name eluded him, and he honestly didn't care enough to try and recall such insignificant detail. And of course, with the red head scouring every shadow, Victoria and the Volturi waiting for their Bella to be left unprotected, someone had to stay behind and guard her beating heart.

Emmett had been all to happy to take the task, he cared for Bella, and the task of protecting her wasn't really that much of a task and more of an opportunity to spend time with her. But he usually hunted with Rosalie, and saying no this time caused unneeded suspicion in the ranks of the Cullen household. He should've complained, refused, and avoided the trouble. Rosalie and Edward had certainly wanted him too, and Emmett suspected that his spouse and sibling hoped he would pass the task to someone else, not comfortable with the increasing closeness of him and Bella over the past few months. He couldn't really blame them, he knew his inappropriate thoughts and cravings were wrong, shameful and a huge betrayal to the trust his brother and mate had for him. He should've known that staying alone with her would only end in trouble.

As the sky had began to grow dim on the first day of his task, the alabaster clouds turning dreary as the sun set behind emerald and oak trees.

He found himself standing loyally in front of Bella's house, crouched low on one of the branches of the trees surrounding the building. Clad in a black T-shirt which fit loose on his body and a pair of torn Jeans. It sat comfortably over his limbs, making his task exceedingly easier as he found a seat where he could safely watch for danger.

  It was mere coincidence that his perch also gave him a perfect view of her room, and in doing so, a perfect view of its contents. A breath chocked in his throat as his amber eyes widened in shock, being subject to the front view as Bella pulled her top off, the thin material hanging from her finger before fluttering to the ground suggestively.

What was she doing? He did tell her that he was coming tonight, didn't he? Didn't she remember?

 He could just imagine Edward's reaction if he knew what his brother was seeing, the rage and jealousy, knowing he had seen Bella naked before his priest of a brother, he would probably attempt to suffocate Emmett, then he would give Bella a speech on morals and etiquette, tell her how it wasn't appropriate to show skin whilst the public eye could see, that her window should never stay open for the world to see the amazing sight of her naked form!

Dear God, she had an amazing back, curved, with small freckles littering the skin, it wasn't anything like Rosalie, although he had to admit his judgement was flawed, him and Rose hadn't fucked for years, his memory of what she looked like was growing less and less appealing the more time he endured her verbal abuse. Bella's skin was flawed, but not in a bad way, more like a clay master's sculpture, if you gazed close enough you would see the grooved and lines which webbed the skin together, the freckles and bumps she possessed, it was what made her unique, and in turn more beautiful than anyone he could try and compare her too. He wished he could reach out and run his hand over the soft flesh of her forearms, feel the slight teasing swell of her breasts, feel her shudder at the temperature of his body, the tell tale flush of her cheeks, he wondered where else her beautiful blush was privy too. He would wrap his fingers around round hips and draw in the unbearable softness and warmth she possessed in both flesh and spirit.

The branch cracked under Emmett's stiff grasp, his fingers snapping the bark, feeling it splinter and crumble under his hands. The sound echoing loudly and alerting Bella's attention. She moved warily to the window and he quickly jumped down, backing into the darkness as she approached, her arms covering her naked breasts, but not enough to shield his wandering vision from the fullness of the two mounds, as the pillowy muscle pressed and moulded to the shape of her arm, emphasizing the soft fullness of the skin. He released a soft groan as his jeans grew tight, his body beginning to stir in interest, pressing against the rough material of his trousers. He leaned against the tree to stop himself from crumbling under the unnerving desire to enter her room and take what his brother had so foolishly denied for so long.

She turned away again, not bothering to close the curtains and Emmett really wished she would, for the sake of her virtue and his weakened conscience. He breathed in deep, trying to get the predicament between his legs to settle down, and wasn't much successful when his eyes kept flickering to her window, catching glimpse of her bare skin.

He discovered that she apparently slept naked, although when this became a thing he didn't know, Edward had revealed to never seeing her naked, so obviously this new change was only recent, he wondered what had caused it to occur. But there was no point wandering, so he settled for a night of discomfort, finding a thicker branch, and sitting, facing away from the window stubbornly. Finally, the lights flickered out, casting the golden glow of the room into deep, blue darkness, and he though his torture was over, if he couldn't see her, he wouldn't have to struggle for control. He settled down, his eyes closing as he began his wait for the morning sun to arrive.

An hour passed, and all that could be heard was the continuous thrum of nature around him, the brush of leaves, and the chatter of ground animals as they scavenged food for themselves, the hoot of an owl, followed by the cry of a mouse. He tried to hear the settle of Bella's heart, the slowing of her breath, anything to show her descent into the land of the dreaming; but nothing could be hear, her heart continued the aware beat, and her breathing didn't slow, he could only imagine her bright, doe eyes in the darkness, listening to the heavy silence of night.  

But the peace was soon shattered.

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