Loving Bella by Elizabeth Bonet (books suggested by bill gates .TXT) 📖

Or that you’re the expert here?” Mason interjected. He stood head held high and with a snarl on his lips. Jacob took a step towards Mason and towered above the smaller redhead. Every muscle in his body corded with tension. “A. I’ve known her longer. B. She’s my best friend and I don’t want anybody hurting her.” Mason scoffed and opened his mouth to speak but Jacob continued. “Yes I realize that’s exactly what I just did but you did too. I know that was wrong and I don’t want you or me to take her down even further. And C. I love her so that makes me liable to all the above.”
Mason laughed bitterly up at Jacob and pushed him against the wall. “Yeah well I loved her first. Plus do you really think that to her you would even stand a chance against me?” Jacob snarled and kneed Mason in the stomach. Grabbing the collar of his shirt he pushed him down to the floor. “You listen good. Bella loves me, she even told me herself.”
“So I do stand a chance thank you and don’t you think just because you’re 5 years older, that me being closer to her age she might like me better? Or the fact that you’ll be leaving to Afghanistan soon for 4 years straight and the one she’d be seeing more is me?”
Mason grunted at Jacob and kicked him off of himself. He just about pounced on him when Mr. Smith interrupted yet again.
Clearing his throat he backed himself off the wall he was leaning against and stepped to where he was right next to the two adolescents. “So, I thinks it’s time we go back upstairs and have a nice lengthy chat. What do you boys think?” They glanced up in dismay and reluctantly followed the older man to the Sabbath school room.
Stephen, Mr. Smith’s son, had been in the hallway listening to all that was occurring. Since he too liked Bella. It exasperated him. All these years he had been fond of her and now this. He stumbled back at the sound of his father’s voice telling him to leave. Stephen looked on in anger as the two other men glared in response to his being there.
“Leave, Stephen.” Mason grumbled the words through clenched teeth as the younger boy straightened and lifted his chin in a jerky movement; sending a mess of blonde thatch into his face. At the show of Stephen’s proud defiance; Mason grunted to move toward him when Mr. Smith stretched out his arm to hold him back, yelling for his son to leave. The redhead’s green eyes were filled with envy and Jake’s grey one’s were steel as they glared in disgust at the younger boy.
“Alright boys lets hurry up and get this over with before you drag Stephen into this mess as well.”

~*~*~*~

Bella shivered in the corner of the pastor’s office as she sat on the edge of his huge leather chair hugging her knees. She rocked back and forth as she cried to herself and began pulling at her long black curls. Running her fingers through her hair she bit her lip silently praying that her nerves would calm and she could, if possible, think straight again.
But then with Bella, thinking straight was never possible. Her thoughts swirled into a big mess inside of her. Her emotions wracking at her body. To see her she looked like a possessed person. Some one knocked at the door causing Bella to shrink back into her secluded spot in the room.
Whoever was on the other side of the door grew impatient and knocked again. “That means it can only be one of two people.” She bit her lip harder, drawing blood. She had to decide what she was about to do and quick. She didn’t move to make herself look as if she wasn’t a mess. If it was either Mason or Jake she wanted them to see just how much damage they had caused.
Bella slid off her chair slowly and walked over to the door. As soon as her hand reached the doorknob she threw the door open, causing a wind to blow some curls into her face. She looked up through tear stained eyes to see a vision. Or what she thought was a vision. It was Mrs. Joy, who wasn’t supposed to be there. As soon as Bella made eye contact with the pastor’s wife she choked back a sob and grasped the older woman with a strength that she didn’t know she possessed.
Joy although running low on her air supply let her cry. She stroked the mottled, black hair that fell down the back of the younger girl. And felt a tear fall down the side of her own cheek. Bella held Joy tighter whilst she wept into her now soggy shoulder. Joy’s eyes narrowed when she heard steps behind her. She turned her head to look slightly over her shoulder to see Mason watching the scene, pain in his green eyes. Behind him stood Jake who’s look was one of shame and regret.
Joy glared at the two young men, but caught herself. After all they were just as affected by this whole mess that Bella was. Realizing this her look softened. The look on Mason’s face made her heart ache. It seemed out of no where when the men’s looks changed slightly. Suddenly Bella was deathly still. Just as Joy turned her head back to look at the young woman Bella cried out and fought to get at the two men.
Shocked and breathless Joy tried to immobilize the emotionally hurt and hormone raging teenager. Desperate to get help Joy looked back at Mason. A silent plea in her icy, blue eyes; saying: “Help me. You are the only one who can”. Silent, Mason took a step forward and reached for Bella who was still doing everything in her power to get to the ones who had abused her in the most dangerous ways to a woman’s heart. Mason sighed in dismay and grabbed Bella.
Jake who had been watching the whole scenario in jealous silence didn’t make a move to help. There was nothing he could do. Talk to her when she calmed down yes he must. But as propriety had it the only one who could have the authority to do such a thing was the man who held her heart. Truly, and not just because she loved him as a brotherly friend, but as a lover for as long as they both should live.


chapter ten

As soon as Mason was able to get to Bella, he immobilized her. Hopeless she turned to her last defense. When all was quiet Bella glared up at the redhead, and lashed into his face. “I hate you!” It had worked. Just after the words escaped her lips Bella saw a flicker of pain cross through Mason’s features. Upon seeing his hurt Bella felt remorse to what she had just done. But nevertheless Mason was as gracious as the most kindest of people.
“Well I hope you know that that is not the case with me. I love you Bella.” Mason spoke softly into her rich, dark hair. Bella’s eyes melted; causing puddles of tears to stream down her sodden cheeks. She lied her head against Mason’s chest and sighed. Jake’s face was a glowing red. He clenched his fist and took a step forward as if getting reading to punch the older man.
Joy looked over just in time to see this profound notion and stepped in front of him to intervene. “Come along Jake we must go. You can explain yourself later.” Jake nodded, causing brown hair to fall in disarray across his pale forehead. His jaw set, Jake proceeded Mrs. Joy out of the room. Mrs. Joy sighed as she closed the door behind her. Silently she prayed. “Lord be with them. And Dear Lord give him the words to comfort her and not make things worse!”

~*~*~*~

Mason stood stiller, he was sure, than the Lincoln Memorial itself. There he stood right where he wanted to be. Maybe not in that exact place (Pastor’s office wasn’t exactly his ideal of a romantic place). But he knew that wasn’t what was needed at the moment. No, at the moment romance was not needed at all. That would only make the situation worse. No, right now what Bella needed, what she deserved, was practical comforting love. He had hurt the woman he loved severely.
And the only way to solve that was to comfort her. The woman in his arms that very moment moved slightly. Causing the smell of her hair to waft up to delight his senses. Her smell was intoxicating. So intoxicating he had to suck in a breath to control the emotions which were raging and threatening to be released from his hungry soul. Mason looked down. There after wishing he hadn’t. There Bella stood looking up at him through huge brown eyes that were glistening with wetness.
Bella’s lips were swollen from her crying and were quivering. They were slightly open as they were barely showing her teeth that could only be seen through a small gap in between her plump lips. She was seductive and she wasn’t even trying to be. That was what killed him. His attraction to her went far too deep for his own good. Not only was his attraction for her appearance, which some might find questionable, but for the woman she truly was inside.
There were very few women like her anymore. Mysterious, quietly soft spoken yet when you got her riled up she became a passionate fireball. Plus there was this peace about her. It was God he knew. He just, wasn’t ready for that yet. Mason closed his eyes, just breathing in her scent. He was so lucky, Mason knew, to have a good, Christian girl who truly loved him. True there were moments that she’d get extremely mad at him. But they were always for good cause… Especially if he had just hurt her. Like he did now. Remembering where he was at the present Mason inwardly groaned. How he wished he could just get down on one knee, get married to this girl and run off with her into the sunset.
He shook his head in reprimand to himself. How he wished he could just stay home. With people who loved him. Instead of where he was headed. But all