TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

 

The Lemonade Stand has spent so many years bringing you the best the Twilight fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you even MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE, and now we're lucky enough to share previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction.

The excitement has been building for weeks as Belladonna and TheFictionFreak have been pic teasing us images for their next co-writing adventure. Today, they have graciously agreed to share an excerpt from their upcoming new fic Clean Sneek.  Be sure and put them on alert so you don't miss out!

banner by LizziePaige

Clean Sneak

 by Belladonna and TheFictionFreak

Summary: Bad guys. Good girls. Black-market booze. Love at first sight. New York is on the cusp of something big in 1927. So are Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

MARIE: Are you ready to do this again, sweets?

JO: Ready as I’ll ever be, doll. 

MARIE: This fic’s gonna be different from Body of Christ. A lot less church. A lot more crime. About the same amount of booze.

JO: Right. But still no foxes. 

MARIE: When we make a promise we keep it.

JO: Thanks, God. 

MARIE: With Body of Christ we gave Fleabag a HEA. Now we’re doing, what? Giving Romeo and Juliet a HEA? Who do we think we are, Jo?

JO: We’re righting all the historical wrongs, Marie. We’re doing a service here, one FanFic at a time. 

MARIE: I’m also writing as a shout-out to Gus and Pauline. My grandparents inspired me a little with this one. 

JO: My inspiration is drawn from never having to Google Catholic Mass, ever again. 

MARIE: *cackles as she writes in a Catholic Mass*

JO: At least I know if this guy attends, he won’t be paying attention to the priest.

MARIE: Right. He’ll be watching Kitten. 

JO: Like a fuckin’ hawk. 

MARIE: Ain’t it a crime when the one person you love most in the world is the one person you shouldn’t be with? 

JO: Love conquers all, though. Right? 

MARIE: Let’s hope.

JO: As long as we don’t have to pray, I’m in (okay, but maybe we’ll have some silent talks… with Him).

MARIE: You want to share a teaser from our new fic, Clean Sneak, or are you too busy praying?

JO: *whips out teaser for TLS* I’m ready. Let’s do this. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I set the crate of liquor down onto a bar stool next to Esme and peek over her shoulder. 

“Carry the five,” I tease. She don’t need my help though. Esme’s smart as a whip.

Her head snaps up. “Edward.” She checks her watch and breathes easy. “Thanks so much for doing this.” 

“No worries. Got a new guy, wanted to show him the ropes anyway.” 

She sets her pencil down. “New guy, huh?” 

“Yeah.” I glance around at the crowd. “Yorkie was skimming off the top from Marcus, so...”

Esme steps around to the other side of the bar and pulls out a steel box from underneath all casual, like I didn't just tell her the guy got clipped. “You trust this new guy?” 

“Time’ll tell. For now he’s good at what I need him to do.” 

She pulls a wad of money out then locks the box up and shoves it back underneath the counter. She slips the cash into the front pocket of my pants, smooth as silk, as she joins me on this side of the bar again. 

I don’t need to count it. I know it’s all there.

I bend down and kiss her cheek. “I’ll see ya in three days.”

Esme gives me a wary look all of a sudden, like she wants to tell me to be careful out there, or maybe remind me I’m better than what I am. But she knows I’m too old for that shit now. She knows I’m in too deep.

“Don’t worry, Es. I got this,” I tell her as I back my way across the room. 

She waves me off and goes back to her paperwork. 

I spin around to head for the exit when I’m practically knocked off my feet. At first, all I see is sequins, silk and the face of a fuckin’ angel. 

I catch her by the waist and her hands fly to my shoulders. We end up chest to chest with her hanging onto me, and me clutching her like my life depends on it.

And she’s no angel. All dame. 

I don’t wanna let her go. 

“Jesus H. Chri…” the words die in her mouth as she looks up into my eyes. 

“My thoughts exactly.”

We’re like that for a minute, frozen like we’re ending a dance we never even started. 

She peeks up at me through long lashes. Her eyes are bright with excitement, holding my stare like she’s not gonna look away even if I paid her to. They’re big and brown but lamplights bring out little flecks of gold in ‘em. 

Her lips turn up in the smallest hint of a smile, full and beautiful. The kind of lips I wanna fall against. The kind I wanna feel everywhere. She blushes a little, but she’s not ashamed. It’s like she wants me to see. I don’t mind. It brings out the red in her lipstick and it matches her dress. What there is of it anyway. It’s more like a scrap of cloth. Not that I’m complaining. 

From the feel of her against me, there’s not much underneath it either. 

“Where’d you come from, fella’?”

“I could ask you the same, doll.” 

I stand the two of us upright, but instinct has me holding on to her like she might disappear if I let her go. Truth is, I don’t want her going anywhere. Not unless I’m headed there too.

When her lips part, I don’t think twice. I gotta know what they taste like. I pull her tight and her breath catches. Her short hair swings into her face, and I brush it away from her eyes. It doesn’t look to me like she’s got any objections. So I slip a hand behind her head and lean in carefully, like I might break her or something. Her eyelids flutter as she tips her head.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Meet us at the joint account on fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/12927018/

When are we posting? Monday 9.21.2020.