Endless Night: Chapter 11 - Complications

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Chapter 11 – COMPLICATIONS

Bella's POV

I didn't want to wake up. No, scratch that, I was already awake. I didn't want to get up. Because getting up meant leaving the cocoon Edward and I were nestled in, and I wasn't ready to do that quite yet.

Edward kissed the top of my head and I sighed in contentment. I wound my body around his tighter and buried my face against his bare chest.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he whispered in my ear. His breath tickled and I giggled. I felt him smile against me as he peppered my jaw with chaste kisses. I tilted my face up so his mouth met mine in a slow, delicious kiss. When he parted his lips, I dipped my tongue inside, letting it do an exquisite dance with his.

"I love you," he murmured against my lips. I smiled and laced my fingers behind his neck.

"I love you too."

Edward shifted and pulled my leg up over his. Warm, golden eyes met love-filled chocolate ones as he eased himself slowly inside me. I moaned in surprise and satisfaction. He withdrew and pushed back in, establishing a rhythm that was slow and sensual. It didn't take long for either of us to find our release. He was still buried inside me as he rested his head against my chest and closed his eyes. I ran my fingers through his hair lazily, wondering if we could figure out a way to stay here in the Four Seasons forever.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, tracing the outline of my belly button with his finger. I giggled.

"I have no idea. My mind can't think about anything outside of this room right now."

Edward eased out of me and propped himself up on one elbow. "Perhaps we could start with breakfast." He took my hand and kissed the top of it. "Then we could take a shower." He kissed the inside of my wrist. "Then we could go for a drive out to the coast or to a movie or to a museum … anything you want to do, Bella, just name it."

"Mmm … don't we have class tonight?" I sat up, holding the sheet against my chest to cover my naked breasts.

"We can miss one day." Edward smirked and tugged innocently at the sheet. I held it to myself tightly, enjoying the rare opportunity to tease him.

"I'm going to shower," I said, standing up and wrapping the sheet around myself. I sauntered backwards toward the bathroom, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively at my boyfriend the entire time. "I'd hate for you to make me go in there all by myself."

Edward crouched into a predatory stance and crawled to the edge of the bed. His eyes flashed with excitement as he flung himself up and threw his arms around me. I squealed like a kid and struggled to get out of his grip, but there was no winning when your opponent was part vampire.

We showered, which took longer than it should have because Edward couldn't keep his hands to himself, and then he ordered me room service while I busied myself with getting ready.

I had just finished dealing with my hair when my cell phone rang.

Jacob Black mobile flashed across the screen along with the goofy photo I'd set in his contact 

profile. I smiled. Jacob and I hadn't talked since I started dating Edward, and even though we'd never be intimate again, I missed his friendship.

"Hey Jake! How are you?" I answered brightly. Edward appeared in the doorway with a frown of disapproval on his face. I kissed his cheek and waved him back to the living room, closing the door behind him.

"Bell! I know I was a jerk on New Years, but two months is an awful long time to go without speaking to each other." I could tell Jacob was joking by the tone of his voice, but I felt bad nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I've been meaning to call you but I just got so busy with class and everything here in Seattle." It was a lame excuse but I didn't know what else to say.

Jacob snorted. "Busy with your new boyfriend, you mean?" I scowled. He knew me too well. "It's alright Bell, I understand. I just started seeing someone myself. That's actually why I was calling."

I chewed nervously on my lip. "Who's the lucky lady?"

Jacob hesitated before answering. "Tanya Denali."

My head shot up and I dropped my hairbrush. "Tanya Denali? When did this happen?"

"She came to see me in Forks last week and things sort of kicked off from there."

I had no idea what to say. Edward inched the door open and poked his head around the corner. I held my index finger up, signaling that I needed an extra minute of alone time.

"Don't you have anything to say, Bella? No 'I'm happy for you' or 'That's awesome, Jake'?" He sounded irritated.

I took a deep breath, unsure of how to respond. "Of course I'm happy for you, Jacob. I just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all."

"What makes you think Tanya wants to hurt me?" The irritation was still there, but skepticism now laced it.

"I never said she wanted to hurt you, I just…" You're meddling, Bella. Stop. Now. "Just forget I said anything. I'm really glad that you two hit it off! You both deserve happiness."

"Thanks, Bell! I wanted you to find out from me instead of through the grapevine, ya know?"

I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "I'm glad you told me." The door opened and 

Edward entered the room, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling his face into my neck. 

"Uh, Jake, I need to go. Good luck with Tanya! Make sure you keep me updated on how things are going."

"Right, yesterday was Valentine's Day, I should have realized you'd be with him. I'll keep you posted, Bell. And thanks for being supportive."

We said our goodbyes and I hung up.

"What's going on?" Edward's eyes were on me.

"That was Jake. I guess he and Tanya are an item now." Edward's eyes widened, and he took a few steps backwards and sank down onto the edge of the bed.

"Wow," was all he could say. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and squeezed his eyes shut. 

"Jacob Black, of all people…"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with Jake," I said in my friend's defense. Edward looked up at me and smirked.

"I know, I know – aside from that New Years Eve display, that is." He scratched his chin and fixed his eyes on the wall behind my head. "I can't figure out what Tanya would want with him though. 

She's known him for just as long as I have, and she never expressed any fondness toward him. I usually had to twist her arm to get her to spend any time with the guys from the tribe."

"Perhaps this is just fate working in mysterious ways," I suggested. Edward shrugged and stood up. 

He took a few steps towards me and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Perhaps."

I finished getting ready while Edward rang up the bellhop to take our stuff downstairs. The car was loaded and waiting for us in the valet area after we checked out. Edward stayed quiet during our drive back to campus, and I could tell by looking at him that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" I reached my hand out and rested it on his thigh. Edward looked over at me and gave me a tight smile.

"I'm just thinking about some things, that's all." He took one hand off the steering wheel and covered mine with it. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, knowing he wasn't ready to spill his thoughts to 

me.

"This is one of those moments when I really wish I knew what you were thinking," I murmured. 

Edward chuckled and squeezed my hand.

"No, you don't, my sweet Bella." He stopped the car and looked over at me. "Why don't you take your stuff inside and I'll come back in an hour or so to get you?"

"Where are you going?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and looked out the driver's side window. "I need to drop my stuff off at the dorm and make a quick phone call."

"Edward … if this is about Jacob and Tanya…" my voice trailed off.

"It's not about them, I promise." He turned and kissed my cheek. "If Jacob and Tanya are happy together, more power to them." Edward came around and opened my door for me. He grabbed my bag from the trunk and set it down on the curb. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him to me, inhaling his scent and resting my cheek against his chest.

"I don't want you to go." I almost laughed out loud at how pathetic I sounded. Never in nineteen years did I imagine I'd turn into one of those girls – the clingy ones who don't want to let their boyfriend out of their sight. You're not like that, I chided myself. You're just crazy in love.

He chuckled. "I won't be gone long, love. I'll be back before you know it." He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. I slid my fingers through his hair and sighed.

"I'm timing you," I joked, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

"Bella?" I turned around and couldn't help but smile. He was standing on the driver's side of the car with his arms and chin resting on the roof. His mouth was turned upward in a crooked grin.

"Yes?" I resisted the urge to drop my bag and catapult myself into his arms.

"I love you."

My insides immediately turned to mush. "I love you too, Edward."

There would never be a day when I didn't.

---

Edward's POV

I hated lying to Bella.

I hated the way it felt when I looked in her eyes and reassured her my call had nothing to do with 

Jacob Black or Tanya Denali. In reality, it had everything to do with them.

"Are you calling to give me all the details of your post-dinner Valentine's Day activities?" Emmett joked.

"Who the fuck answers their phone like that?"

"I do," Emmett said. "What's got you so riled up?"

"Are you and Rose at home? A situation came up and I need to talk to you guys, but I only have an hour before I have to meet Bella." I crossed my fingers that they were in the apartment, because I was already headed in that direction.

"Sure, we're here. What's going on, Edward? You sound stressed."

"I'll explain everything when I get there." I clicked the phone off without saying goodbye. I was probably overreacting. I mean, all Jake told Bella was that he and Tanya were dating. That wasn't so terrible, was it? For all I know, Tanya had a thing for him the entire time we were together, or vice versa.

It was never that simple, though, especially not when it came to Tanya. I hadn't heard from or seen her since the day I ended things with her, and while that alone wasn't enough to make me worry, the fact that she had started spending time in Forks with someone close to Bella was.

I parked my car and jogged up the stairs to the apartment. Rose flung the door open just as I was about to knock.

"What's going on?" she asked, standing aside so I could enter. She closed the door behind me and joined Emmett and I in the living room.

"Tanya is dating Jacob." I tried to keep my voice calm.

"Jacob who?" Emmett could be so dense sometimes.

"Jacob fucking Black! What other Jacob do we know?" I could feel my patience thinning already.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa – slow down." Rose held her hands up and perched herself on the arm of the couch. "Tanya – as in your ex-girlfriend Tanya – is dating Jacob Black? From the tribe?" I nodded, dropping my head into my hands and fisting my hair. Emmett let out a long breath and Rose crossed her arms over her chest.

"He called Bella this morning while we were still at the hotel." I stood up and started pacing back and forth across the room. "He made it sound like it was nothing, but I think all of us are smart enough to know things don't work that way with Tanya."

"What would Jake see in her?" Emmett wondered aloud. "There's at least a dozen hot chicks in the tribe. He could have had any one of them I'm sure." Rosalie smacked Emmett's arm, causing him to jump.

"Don't slap him on my account. I was thinking the same thing," I admitted. "Jake isn't a bad looking guy, and I know for a fact that Leah has had the hots for him since before we moved to town. She's gorgeous and comes from a good family – Billy loves them! Why would Jacob pass that up for my sloppy seconds?"

Rosalie snorted out a laugh. "That's a valid point. Except I think sloppy is a compliment for her."

"You can say that again," Emmett muttered. "Black is a good distraction for her. He gets some, you and Bella can move forward without interruption, and we all see a lot less of her ugly mug. If you ask me, he's doing us all a favor."

Rosalie nodded in agreement. "Em's right. I mean she basically disappeared after the chat you two had last month. Don't you think she'd be around more if she was plotting something sinister?"

I had the urge to hit something or someone. "Of course not! She'd never do anything obvious!"

"Has she given you a legit reason to think she might try to sabotage what you and Bella have?" 

Emmett leaned forward and rested his chin against his hand.

The final sliver of patience I had left slipped away. "Does she need to give me one? I think we all know she's batshit crazy!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "Jesus Christ, WHY are you making me explain myself? I just told you my manipulative, borderline psychotic ex girlfriend is dating 

Bella's closest male friend and you both act like it's nothing! I'm calling Alice-" Rose reached out and covered my mouth with her hand.

"Edward, you need to calm down. Neither of us said this was 'nothing,' we're just trying to maintain some composure instead of jumping to conclusions and freaking the fuck out." Rose put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "Bella is like a sister to me – I would do anything to help protect her and you know that – but did you ever stop to think that maybe Tanya is doing this just to get a rise out of you? You're less observant when you're stressed, and that's probably what she's looking for right now."

"Are you listening to yourself, Rose? You're telling me to step aside and let Tanya do what she pleases." The thought of anything happening to Bella made me sick to my stomach.

Rosalie narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "I said no such thing, Edward! Obviously we all need to be careful and watch out for her. I just don't think your over-the-top reaction will help matters any."

"Over-the-top? You think this is over-the-top?" I clenched and unclenched my fists furiously. I'd never been so angry. "Get out of my fucking way so I can call Alice!"

Emmett stood up and put himself between Rose and I, placing one hand on my chest and one hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, both of you! Is Tanya in Forks right now?"

I didn't want to calm down. "How should I know? I told you I haven't talked to her!"

"For God's sake, Edward, stop acting like a child!" Rose pushed Emmett's hand off and grabbed her coat from the hall closet. "I'll go to Forks and see what I can find out. Maybe Carlisle or Esme know something. Or Charlie."

I grabbed Rose's coat from her and slung it across the couch. "Don't bother. I'll go to Forks myself."

"I thought you said you had plans with Bella tonight?" Emmett shook his head in confusion.

I flung the apartment door open and spun around to face them. "I did have plans with Bella, but the last thing I want to do is inconvenience anyone with my 'shit'." I made air quotes with my fingers.

"You're not inconveniencing anyone, Edward…" Emmett's words trailed off when he saw the wild expression in my eyes.

"Just forget about it. I'll talk to you two later." I slammed the door and jogged back downstairs. As soon as I got in the car, I squeezed the steering wheel with my hands and rested my head against it. 

Maybe I really was being childish. Maybe Tanya and Jake's budding relationship was truly innocent in nature. Maybe I was overreacting and I'd end up looking like a fucking moron when the night was said and done.

Bella was my world, though – there was no maybe about that.

I started the car and sped towards the one-o-one.

I would do anything – go to any lengths – to protect my world.

---

Tanya's POV

I slipped my hand into Jacob's and sighed with false contentment.

His touch was nothing like Edward's.

He leaned over and whispered something in my ear. I gave him a flirty laugh in return, and the sparkle in his eye told me that was exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

His voice was nothing like Edward's.

When his mouth met mine, I melded my lips against his, moving with him as if we were one fluid being.

His kiss was nothing like Edward's. But it would have to do for now.

Jacob cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. "I talked to Bella this morning."

My head snapped up and our eyes met. "You did what?"

"I talked to Bella," he repeated. "I called her to tell her that we're an item. It didn't feel right keeping something like that from her."

"Why would you do such a thing?" I struggled to control my anger. "It's not like the two of you were an item or anything. You don't owe her anything, not even an explanation."

"Maybe we weren't an 'item,' but she's one of my good friends." Jacob leaned away from me and frowned. "I didn't realize I needed to get your permission before doing something as simple as making a phone call."

"If it were any other friend, it wouldn't make a difference." I pouted and blinked several times. I was one hell of an actress when needed. "Really Jacob, she's dating the guy I spent the past four years of my life with. She took him away from me. Did you really think I'd feel comfortable having my new boyfriend getting all buddy-buddy with her?"

"Perhaps you should have considered that before you decided to make me your boyfriend." Jacob stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "You knew Bella and I were close before you even approached me about dating. It was foolish of you to believe I would throw away her friendship just because you waltzed through my door."

I felt my body stiffen with fury. I folded my hands in my lap, tucked my chin, and took a deep breath. If Jacob weren't so instrumental in my plan to get revenge on Bella, I'd have probably killed him. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into his soft flesh and tear his throat out.

"I guess I didn't realize how strong of a connection you had with her." I stood up and ran my fingers down the side of his face. "I assumed I'd mean something more to you than she did."

"Jesus Tanya, I've been seeing you for a week and you're already acting like we've been together for months." Jacob stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and pointing towards the front door. "I can't deal with this shit right now. You need to leave."

"Jake, I'm sorry," I said, trying to hug him. He pushed my arm away and pointed towards the door again.

"I need to think about whether I'm can do this not." He trained his dark eyes on me. "I'm not sure if 

I'm willing to sacrifice my friendship with Bella for this." He gestured to the open space between us.

I grabbed my coat off the back of Billy's la-z-boy. "I don't want to drive you away, Jake. Please know that." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek softly. "I'll give you your space. Call me, 

ok?" He nodded and looked away from me.

I said a silent thank you to whatever higher power might exist as I made my way outside to my car. 

Everything was going according to plan, which felt relieving. I really didn't give a flying fuck if 

Jacob continued to talk to Bella or not. In fact, I wanted him to continue talking to her, because the closer he was to her, the more she'd confide in him, and chances were he'd end up sharing some of her secrets with me as well.

Even though I felt nothing for Jacob, his concern for Bella pissed me off. First Edward chose her and now Jacob indicated he would choose her too. I didn't know what it was that everyone saw in this chick, but I intended to find out.

Because once I found out, it meant that I could have my way with her.

And if she could handle what I had in store for her ... well, then maybe she deserved Edward - and 

Jacob - after all.