Edward shifted the duffle bag over
his shoulder as he drug Bella through the crowed airport. Stepping out of JFK,
Edward immediately lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke into the icy air. The
bitter cold of the city caught them off guard. A stark contradiction to the
heat they were accustomed to. Letting the cigarette dangle from his lips, he
zipped up his favorite leather jacket and flipped the hood up on his hoody. He glanced
at Isabella as he exhaled once again. She had that look on her face. The one she
always got when she was thinking or was … frustrated. Her brows furrowed as her
eyes looked anywhere but at him.
“Helios, are you sure you want to do
this?” Bella asked with hesitation. She finally made eye contact, her worry
clearly evident. “We could, you know, just…” she let the word drop.
“Do what, Bella?” Edward asked angrily
as he drew the cigarette to his mouth, exhaling, he continued, “We can’t leave
and there’s no way in hell I’m letting you do this without me.”
Bella sighed, looking to the ground.
She was not happy about any of this. She had not wanted to come back to New
York, let alone drag Edward here. She wasn’t sure what to expect but knew it
wouldn’t be good. Between Senator Newton and Jacob, this would not be easy and
could very well turn out extremely bad. Not to mention Alec who she knew would
interfere in some way. And if he didn’t, would Edward seek him out? A part of
her felt that Alec needed a beat down for what he had done to them but that
wouldn’t solve their problems. If anything, it would make it worse.
Bella looked out, lost in thought. It
wasn’t that she didn’t want Edward with her. On the contrary, she couldn’t
fathom him not being by her side, but she worried how he would handle New York
again. Hell, she wasn’t sure if she could handle it herself. Their time here
had been riddled with conflict and despair. Neither had been happy. Her chest
tightened as she remembered the emptiness she felt when he left. Edward grasped
her hand tightly, drawing her out of her thoughts.
“Bella,” he said firmly.
She looked into his very determined
face. He tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowed solemnly as a crease formed
across his forehead. An effect of him trying to control the anger he had been
feeling since this trip was announced two weeks ago. He didn’t trust the
situation, he didn’t trust Mr. Black, and he certainly didn’t trust Senator
Newton. His involvement was Edwards’s biggest concern, especially with Edward’s
and Bella’s history with his son, Mike. He also knew that Alec would not let
him be here without causing some form of ruckus. Overall, this was a bad
situation waiting to happen.
“Helios,” she finally whispered, her
voice cracking with unspoken emotion.
He immediately dropped his cigarette
and pulled her into his arms, drawing her lips to his. She melted into him, as
she always did. His tongue moved effortlessly inside her mouth as she let out a
soft moan. Their undeniable connection never wavered, even in their brief time
a part. Edward was even more determined to settle this. Whatever happened in
New York they would handle together, as they did with everything. She was his
life and he would protect her at any cost.
*************
A/N… There is definitely some unfinished business that needs to happen in
New York but what exactly has Edward and Bella so concerned? Find out when I
begin posting A Bitter Cold on February 1st.
