The Breakers Chapter 8 Pic Tease and Teaser

"And you?" he asks quietly, his voice hesitant as if he's afraid to upset me. "Do you talk about him … Evan?"

I gasp. Hearing Edward say Evan's name makes my knees buckle and I close my eyes.

"Shit, Bella, I'm so sorry," Edward says urgently. He steps closer and grabs my hand, holding it tightly in his. His thumb is soothingly rubbing back and forth across my knuckles and it only takes me a second to regain my equilibrium thanks to his sweet and very comforting gesture. I can feel the calluses on his fingers, feel the scabs and scrapes from working on the boat, but even with all that, his hand holding mine feels incredible.

Strength and comfort and calm wash over me and I want to bask in it for hours … days even.

"How did you … " I start to ask and my voice is quiet though much steadier than I would expect, all things considered.

He shifts closer still, until our bodies are almost touching. His thumb hasn't stopped its sweeping motion. With his other hand, he brushes my hair back over my right shoulder. The motion is so familiar that it should make me question it, but I don't want to. The edge of his finger ghosts across my bare shoulder and it makes me shiver and warm all over at the same time.

"Charlie and Emmett were talking about him the other day and judging from their reactions, I knew he was someone important. Something told me that it had to do with you, too. After what Peyton said, it just seemed to click." He shrugs his shoulders slightly and there is a pronounced dip between his eyebrows. I want to reach up and smooth it out, but that would mean moving, and I definitely don't want to do that … or have him move either.

It's not lost on me that just a few days ago I didn't want to be in the same room as him let alone be this close.