To me, Eternally Addicted nailed it with her review. He's used to doing his own thing and, until now, he's slept alone. Bella really just wants him to say ahead of time don't expect me for dinner because I'm busy. But we all know they suck at communication, so let's see how it plays out.

When Bella didn't see Edward at the table for breakfast, she knew she had to follow up on her promise to herself. After settling Quinn down for his midmorning nap, she headed to the office in the farthest rear corner of the house. At first, she couldn't figure out why he would choose such a remote location, but after seeing the view from the back windows, she understood. The extensive garden was mostly visible, along with just the tiniest fragment of silver light flashing on the water beyond. There were other, smaller offices along that hall, and she knew Emmett and Jasper used them while they were there. The room she'd chosen was at the end of the hall, affording her the chance to see the side yard and the gazebo covered in roses.

Edward's office door was firmly closed, but it didn't deter her. She knocked, waiting with her hands clasped behind her back. Though she wanted to barge in and yell at him, she didn't think that was appropriate. As Rose had mentioned, Bella wanted to be respectful to her husband in front of his men.

She heard his voice come in the form of a shout through the hollow wood door. "What?"

"It's Bella," she replied calmly.

There were a few expletives and something thumped on the floor before Jasper opened the door, nearly filling the empty space. "What can I do for you, Bella?"

Tilting her head up, she narrowed her eyes at him and then looked under his arm. Edward's suit was wrinkled and his hair looked as if he'd taken a rake to it.

"I need to speak with my husband."

It wasn't Jasper's voice that answered, but the angry growl of said husband. "Not now, Bella, can't—"

"Now." When all three men aimed tired but irritated eyes at her, she took a deep breath. "Please."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "You two, out."

Emmett smiled halfheartedly as he passed, but Jasper didn't even look at her. Straightening her spine, she stepped inside the office and closed the door. The room fairly reeked of alcohol and frustration.

Edward remained in his seat behind the desk, writing something on a legal pad. "I have a lot on my plate right now, Bella, so say what you came to say and let me get back to it."

"Have you eaten? Or slept?" He didn't bother to look up, so she moved closer. "You haven't seen me or Quinn in more than twenty-four hours."

"What is your point? You know I have to work around the clock sometimes."

"No, Edward, what I know is that you promised me you'd work on this marriage. We were in this very room when you said it." Stopping next to him, she crossed her arms and looked down at his desk. It was littered with balled-up paper and empty tumblers. There was a plate on the far corner of the desk that looked like it might have held the previous night's dinner.

"I know what I said."

"Why won't you look at me?"

With an aggravated sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and cocked his head enough to look at her. "Satisfied?"

"No, not in the slightest." She rested one hand on his shoulder. It tensed under her palm. "I don't expect you to spend every waking second with me, but you vowed to try harder than your father and not be an absent parent. Now, I forgave you for taking a business trip five minutes after Quinn was born and then staying away for almost a month, but I don't understand what you're doing right now. You're in the same house but you might as well be on another planet."

"No, you don't understand." Pushing back from the desk, Edward stood and faced her. "There are plenty of things you don't understand, and I'm trying to keep it that way."

Bella propped her hands on her hips, insulted by the volume of his voice. "Why do you insist on shutting me out?"

"Do you want to know what has my attention right now? An honest answer, and not just the broad stroke of a description I gave you?"

"Yes, that's what I'm asking."

"The Young Family is fucking pissed that I married you. They were hoping I would marry a woman in their family, someone related to the boss. Perhaps one of his daughters, or maybe his little sister. The fact that I didn't has our alliance balancing on a thin thread. I wasn't supposed to get involved with you, Bella."

Stunned, Bella gripped her shirt over her heart as it beat entirely too painfully in her chest. "Why did you, then?"

"Because I was stupid." Despite her flinch, he continued. "I wanted something for myself, and I took it. I knew better, but I thought we'd go our separate ways, and then I'd be stuck with the woman the Youngs wanted to hitch me to."

She backed up, tears rolling down her face and dripping onto her shirt. "Then why didn't you just do it? Why didn't you leave me be, come back here and marry that woman?"

Advancing on her, Edward grabbed her by the shoulders. She tried to turn away from him, but he held her steady. "Because you're mine."

He lifted her, pressing his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss. She couldn't decide if she wanted to smack him for being so rude or melt into his embrace. She'd known he was possessive, but he'd never been so blunt before.

"Dammit, Bella, kiss me back."

His face hovered half an inch from hers, so close his features blurred. Or maybe it was from the tears still leaking from her eyes. It felt as though she were a wrecked ship about to go under the water for the third time with no way to rescue herself from drowning. There was no air for her lungs; he used up all the oxygen in the room.

It was hardly a movement at all, but she pressed forward to slant her lips along his. Opening her mouth and slipping out her tongue, she stroked it with his and moaned at the sensation. Edward's hold on her shoulders gentled, and he smoothed his hands down her hair to cup her ass and bring her against him.

She gasped, looking up into hungry eyes. He was hard between her legs, needy and practically begging. "Mine," he murmured, using his thumb to brush away a lingering tear.

Threading her hands into his hair, she pulled him down for another kiss. It was no surprise when he slipped his hands down the waistband of her leggings and dragged them to her knees along with her underwear. When he ran his fingers through her slick folds, she let out a whimper. He took her by the waist and set her on his desk, right on top of the papers he'd scribbled on.

At the same time that he worked open his zipper, he bit along the side of her neck. Moans turned to loud cries when he slid inside her, resting her knees on his elbows and watching the place where his length disappeared into her body.

"Fucking—shit, Bella."

Watching his face, she thought she had never seen someone as beautiful before in her life. His expression changed to something bigger than the both of them when he focused on her. Bringing his fingers to her clit, he massaged in rhythm with his hips. Though she braced her hands on the desk, Bella thought for sure she wouldn't remain upright for long. Her limbs weakened the more he grunted, thrusting in and out, in and out. It seemed he wouldn't last long, given the way his lids slipped closed and his hips faltered.

"God," he groaned.

Edward stopped, and Bella stared up at him. It was a little hard to believe she'd let him get carried away and have sex in his office with the others mere feet away.

She started to rise, but he didn't pull out of her. Instead, he looked down with a sexy smirk. "Relax."

Perplexed, she said, "I'm fine."

"No, you're overthinking, and you didn't come."

Her cheeks heated. "It's not a deficiency or something."

Edward chuckled. "No, but I'm not letting you up until you come."

"What—oh."

He simply had a way about him, she knew that. Experience or willingness to put forth effort, it didn't matter. One of his hands on her breast and one back to her clit was all it took for her to find herself breathing heavily. With a moan, she lay back on the desk and tried to let herself feel. She couldn't help but squeeze her legs together when he slipped out of her body, and then she almost shot up off the desk when he moved her shirt and bra out of the way to suck a nipple into his mouth.

Tunneling her fingers through his hair, she yanked on a handful when her belly clenched. "Oh, god, Edward."

Humming against her nipple, he moved his fingers differently, somehow more, and she felt the tightening begin. Only focused on Edward, she managed to let go of everything else and felt the warmth wash over her, the heat and fire combining to take her over the edge.

Nosing his way up to kiss her earlobe, he said, "Better?"

His breath in her ear made her shiver, and he straightened. Looking up at him, smugness etched around his mouth and triumph lighting his eyes, she couldn't deny that he'd satisfied her. "Better."

He helped her stand, then fixed his pants while she put herself back together. Moving to the liquor cabinet, he poured a drink and she watched him swallow it in one gulp.

"Edward."

"Yes?"

Waiting for him to look at her, she took the glass and set it down before taking his hands. "I want you to have lunch with us."

Brows pulled together, he withdrew his hands from her grasp. "I really have to do damage control, Bella. It's not just them right now, and—"

"Sex every once in a while won't make everything okay." Turning on her heel and heading to the door, she almost made it out before his words stopped her.

"Bella, I know. I'm sorry, but I've told you what it's like."

She let her head drop from the weight she carried on her shoulders. "You've told me plenty of things, and just when I think I can trust you, something else more important comes up."

It startled her to feel his hands on her; he'd moved silently. Standing in front of her with his hands resting on her forearms, he looked at her dipped head. "I don't know what you expect, but there are some things that are life and death. Literally."

"Okay."

With his finger, he raised her chin so she had to look him in the eyes. "Okay?"

"Yes. Okay, nothing more."

"You're unusually brave today, Bella."

She sighed. "Maybe I'm sick of being shoved to the side all the time. Maybe I've realized I deserve better than that."

"You do deserve better." He rubbed his thumb up and down her cheek. "You deserve much better than me."

Clenching her jaw, she reiterated, "Lunch, Edward. With your son."

He dropped his hand. "Fine."

Though her legs shook, she walked away without a backward glance. By the time she reached the stairs, she had to sit on the bottom tread and catch her breath. Tears tried to push their way out, but she swallowed and forced them back. She was sick of crying all the time.

Upstairs, she went into the room that had been hers mere days before and cleaned up in the bathroom. Something about the entire day had her avoiding the room that she continued to call Edward's. The bed tempted her, but she wouldn't give in to the need for a nap when it was almost lunchtime. Checking on Quinn, she found him asleep and made her way to the kitchen.

"Tyler, Edward will join us for lunch today."

"Sounds good, Miss Bella."

She stretched, feeling a dull ache in her back, probably from her awkward position on the desk. Sitting at the small table by the window, she decided to enjoy a minute in the warm atmosphere that always existed in the kitchen as long as Tyler was there working.

Trying not to monitor the clock, she chatted with Tyler about what he planned to make for dinner. She no longer had cravings that he fulfilled for her, but he still kept her favorites around.

"Everything is ready, Miss Bella."

"Thanks, Tyler."

She stood and walked through the swinging door to the dining room. Unsurprisingly, it remained empty. Sitting with a sigh, she thought she would like to tackle a remodel of that room very soon. It was hideous.

Tyler entered, setting dishes down and leaving. When he came back with a pitcher and poured ice water into her glass, she finally heard the voice she'd anticipated.

"I'll have water for now, too, Tyler."

"Of course, Mr. Edward."

Soon enough, it was just the two of them. Edward fooled around with his phone, but at least he was there.

"Thank you."

Bringing his attention to her, Edward smiled briefly. "I'm hungry."

She rolled her eyes. "That happens when you don't leave your cave for sustenance."

Instead of responding to that statement, he stabbed a piece of lettuce. "Quinn sleeping?"

"He should wake soon." She feared Edward would bolt if it were only the two of them for any length of time.

"It's fine. I'll get him if he does. I do miss him, even if it doesn't look like it."

"It doesn't."

"Blunt today," he commented dryly.

"And brave, apparently. Two qualities you told me I needed more of."

Nodding, he continued to eat. "There's a lot going on, that's all. This isn't one of those things I can simply pass off to the guys and let them handle it. It's serious."

"What? Someone didn't like the barrels of wine you sent as a peace offering? Or is someone annoyed they weren't invited to the wedding that shouldn't have happened?"

Edward scrubbed his hands over his face. "The Santiago Family wants revenge for the explosion I told you about. They want their pound of flesh, Bella, and I have to cover our asses."

She sat in silence, processing what he said. "Because it was you."

He dropped his hands to the table with a loud thud. "What?"

"You wouldn't have to cover your ass if you were innocent." She leaned forward. "You made me think another Family targeted you and your father, but that's not true, is it?"

"Bella—"

"How many other times have you lied merely to scare me into submission?"

Banging his fists on the table, he shouted, "That's not what happened!"

"Liar."

The only sound in the entire house was his heavy breathing, and Bella had a second to regret saying the word before he stood.

"Spend some time with Quinn, Edward. He's growing up fast."

She left the dining room before he could, confused and upset with herself. She was right, she could feel it and see the sense of it. He'd lied to her with the intention of scaring her. That didn't mean she had to push him when he was making the effort to join her for a meal.

"Bella!"

Turning on her heel, she saw Edward storming in her direction.

"The very idea that your husband is worried about a revenge plot against him because of the bomb he planted intending to kill over twenty men in one fell swoop should be enough to scare you witless. There's your truth."

Shaken, she sank into the nearest chair while he pounded up the stairs.

Will they revert to their old ways, or will they work it out together?