A/N: All outfits and links to the hotel and restaurant are on my blog. Supah thanks to my beta, Siouxchef. Thanks also to the nameless bitch that helps keep me sane everyday, and to TwilightMundi, who so graciously helped me clean this up a bit.

All copyright and trademarked items mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. The remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.

I smiled and walked out, climbing under the covers next to him. He set his book down on the nightstand and turned off the small table lamp. We turned toward each other and wrapped ourselves up together. We were once again as close as we could be, his hands resting on my lower back, my cheek on his chest listening to his heart beat, our legs twisted together. I could feel every part of him in this moment and I was struck at his lack of embarrassment. Really, what was there to be embarrassed about, anyways? Didn't I want him, too?

Damn right I did.

BPOV

I woke up with a smile. I didn't even bother to open my eyes, not yet wanting the almost dream of the night before to fade away. Once the corners of my mouth lifted, I felt the bed shift and realized why I was smiling.

"Good morning," he said, barely above a whisper.

His hands were on my face, cupping each side. He was placing soft, tickling kisses all around the surfaces he could reach; – my eyebrows, my nose, my chin. He stopped and I could feel his nose next to mine. His breath was skimming across the surface of my lips, his forehead resting against mine.

We had drifted slightly apart during the night, so I took that moment to wrap my arm around his waist and draw my body closer to his. I wanted to be right next to him, wrapped up in this moment together. As I had wrapped my arm around his waist, his went around mine and his fingertips settled at the waistband of my panties, consciously or unconsciously.

"Morning," I said, my eyes still closed tight.

"Sleep well?" he asked, then brushed his lips softly against mine.

I hummed in reply and ran my fingertips up his back, causing him to press his body into mine. When my hand reached his neck, I stopped to gently stroke the skin there. I felt a long, slow expulsion of air from Edward's body and he relaxed in my arms.

His lips came to mine again and I gently pressed on his neck, needing him to kiss me more, harder. I was lost with him, my brain finally fully waking up, the need stirring in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't even really figure out if it was hunger or lust, some swirled combination of the two, perhaps.

Each time Edward's lips left my own, no matter how brief the separation, my heart simply ached. The slow burn in my body raged on as his hand moved up to my hip, then trailed a line of fire to my shoulder, his thumb grazing the edge of my breast along the way. I whimpered against his mouth and hooked my leg over his hip, bringing our lower halves together.

Any uncertainty I had that I was going to make love with Edward Cullen vanished right at that moment. I'd have to have been an idiot not to see where this was going and enjoy every last second of it. Acting on impulse, I let my body lead the way down an unfamiliar path.

"Bella," he whispered, his mouth against the skin of my collarbone. Hs hand returned to my lower back, pressing me into him. I wanted more. I needed more.

As I was beginning to nudge his head up for more kisses, I heard a phone ring. Seconds later, I heard Edward groan.

"Ignore it," I begged, opening my eyes to look into his.

"I plan to." He smiled and returned to kissing my exposed skin.

His hands found the hem of my shirt and slipped underneath. They felt rough against my skin, but not in an unpleasant way. He moved them up and brushed his fingertips along the surface of my back, ending with his fingers curled up and over my shoulders.

His phone rang again, the same ringtone as before, and he dropped his forehead.

"Fuck. Damn it."

"It's okay, I'll be here when you get back," I said. "Obviously someone needs to get in touch with you."

I kissed his lips one last time and he rolled out of bed, grabbing his glasses as he did so. He walked to his dresser where his phone was and looked at the display before tapping the screen to answer.

"Good morning, Alice."

Sitting up in bed, I hugged my knees to my chest. What could Alice want so early in the morning? My gaze shifted to the clock and I realized it wasn't so early after all. It felt nice to sleep until the double digits on the clock, and I wondered what my day would entail before my grand date that night.

Edward's hand ran through his crazy hair as he paced and I caught bits and pieces of their conversation. He told Alice all about the shrimp incident and I could hear her laughter through the phone, causing me to laugh again at the memory.

"Alice, you can have her back soon, I promise. No, that won't work for me." I could see his hands flailing about in frustration with her. "Fine, I'll see you at noon then."

He tapped the face of the phone again and set it back on his dresser. When he looked up at me, he had that sad little puppy dog expression and I wanted to fix it, but didn't know what 'it' might be.

Edward walked back to the bed and slid in next to me. We were sitting side by side when he picked up one of my hands and kissed it.

"I'm sorry, I held her off as long as I could," he sighed. "Alice wants you home by noon."

"We're still on for tonight, right?"

His hand came up to my cheek and he kissed me softly. He nuzzled my nose again, as he had the night before, then pulled back.

"Of course. You're not getting rid of me just yet."

I smiled. "Wait. What's Alice all in a tizzy about? Usually she could care less how I spend my Saturdays."

"I sent her email last night after you fell asleep to let her know that you were here and staying the night. I mentioned our new plans for a date and she insisted that she wanted to spend the day with you getting ready once she found out where we were going."

"Really? Where are we going that requires all day to plan and prepare?" I asked skeptically.

"Nice try."

Edward smiled and kissed me again, his stomach rumbling loudly. On instinct, I reached out and touched it, my palm laying flat against him. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I like it when you touch me," he confessed.

"Good, because I plan to do it as frequently as possible."

And I meant it, I really did. I was enjoying the new experiences of learning Edward and his body. Turning his head, he kissed me again and then we were once again interrupted by his loud, protesting stomach.

"It's okay, I'm hungry too," I said. "I can't believe how long we slept."

I got up and stretched before I realized by the look on Edward's face that my shirt had ridden up above the bottom of my panties, giving him a nice, but unintentional, show.

"Yes, hungry..." He waggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed.

He got up from the bed and we walked into his kitchen hand in hand. He had some fruit in the fridge and granola bars in the cabinet, so we stood and ate, staring at each other. There were a few awkward moments, but overall it was just nice to share the space with him.

"So, I have to get you back in time for Alice. I would much rather you stay here with me, but I'm afraid arguing with her is no use," he rolled his eyes and moved closer to me.

His hands were on the counter resting on either side of my body. His legs were on the outside of mine, warm and soft against my bare skin, the hairs on his calves tickling against the smoothness of mine where his pant leg had ridden up. He had one last piece of pineapple in his bowl that he held up to my lips. When I parted them, he didn't push it into my mouth as I had expected; he held the wedge between his fingers and traced it along my lower lip. I had to resist the urge to suck the lip into my mouth and swipe the juice that pooled on the surface.

My breathing increased as I felt Edward's body press against mine, then saw the tip of his tongue peek out from his mouth. He licked his own lips first, several breaths passing between us, then softly sucked my lower lip between his. That time, I closed my eyes as we kissed, knees going weak. I was glad to have him against me partially because I wasn't sure I'd have still been standing, had he not been right there.

Edward's right hand came up to the left side of my face and cupped my cheek, his long fingers wrapping up and behind my ear. He slowed our kiss and nipped gently at my lip as he backed away.

"Alice..." he breathed.

"I'm making you think of your cousin right now?" I teased. "Shit, this is going far worse than I imagined."

"You haven't seen her in full Alice mode yet, just wait. If we're late, she'll keep you away from me longer under some stupid pretense, and the sooner," he kissed just below my ear, "that I can get you back," and then at my jawline, "right here in my arms," another kiss, on my chin this time, "the better." Finally, blessedly, he kissed my lips again. He wasn't holding back that time. I hadn't even realized he had been earlier, but the passion, want, and need behind this kiss made it clear to me that he had. I pressed into him and he groaned before taking my hand and leading me to the bedroom to get dressed and on our way.

Fucking Alice.

He drove me to the dorm and walked in with me. Alice and Rose gave him a hug before peppering me with all kinds of questions about our disastrous date the night before. We all sat in the living room and talked about things, then Alice insisted that Edward leave us to our girl time. I walked Edward to the door and gave him a quick peck on the lips goodbye. He brushed his hand across my cheek again, in what was quickly becoming my favorite move of his, and leaned down to kiss me.

"I can't wait to see you tonight. I'll miss you," he whispered. His eyes had a glow of sincerity about them and I felt like I was radiating happiness.

Yes, Bella, this is how it's supposed to feel.

Smiling at him, I ran my hand down his arm to give his hand a gentle squeeze before he left me for the day. Once I'd watched him walk away, as usual, and the door was closed, I let out a dreamy sigh and heard Alice and Rose squealing from behind me. I closed my eyes and laughed. There was so no use fighting it, they'd see the expression on my face, and really, didn't I just want to soak up this feeling for as long as I could?

Alice's hands were around me before I could even turn around, hugging me from behind.

"Oh, Bella! We have such a fun day planned before your date. Are you ready?"

"Sure, Ali, but can I turn around first? I wouldn't mind a shower and a change of clothes before we get to these plans you have."

She laughed and let me go. I turned to face them both and we all squealed in a circle, jumping up and down. Yep, we're embracing our inner teenagers for sure now.

"So, what are these grand plans, Alice? And what do you know about where Edward's taking me tonight?" I narrowed my eyes at her as I ended my sentence.

"My lips are sealed about his plans, but oh… Bella… swoon!" she giggled.

"Gross, Alice, that's our cousin," Rose said.

"I never said I wanted him, Rose, I just appreciate a nice romantic gesture from a man," Alice huffed. "Bella, go get some comfortable clothes on. Don't worry about a shower, we're having a girl's day at the spa. Don't even think about protesting, it's already all scheduled."

"I wasn't even going to." I smiled at her on my way to my room, and it was the truth. I was looking forward to the day with my two new friends, bonding with them and getting to know them even better. It would be a fun way to pass the time while waiting for my date. If I couldn't spend the day with Edward, Alice and Rose were the next two people I would want to be with.

As I walked in, I flipped my laptop open to boot and check my email. I'd been avoiding Jacob for a while and considered sending him something quick just to reassure him I was fine. I hadn't even bothered to open his last few messages, confident they were full of the same crap as the first few – the "I need you," "I want you back," type messages that I had frankly had enough of.

I pulled some yoga pants, a tank top, underwear, and socks out of my dresser and got a thick hoodie out of the closet to keep warm. Once I'd changed, I sat at my desk to write Jacob back. That's when I saw it; sometime between when I'd fallen asleep and when I'd woken up, Edward sent me email. The subject was simply "Beauty". The body read:

Sometimes, there is truly beauty in the breakdown. Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself with me last night. I hope you continue to feel comfortable sharing yourself with me and I very much look forward to our date tonight. I promise, no Benadryl will be required this time.

He signed it "Edward" and I noticed an attachment – my song. I loaded it into iTunes and read the title as it played - Let Go by Frou Frou. I'd seen Garden State and knew this song almost by heart, but never felt the significance behind it until just then. It brought a smile to my face, not just the lyrics, but some of the moments and sentiments from the movie as well. I loaded the song into my ESBC playlist and closed the email. I moved on to Jake's feeling content and happy.

Opening the most recent email from him, which the timestamp told me had been sent that morning, I saw his angry words.

Bella, I don't understand why you won't email me back? I thought we were going to be friends? Is this how "friends" treat each other? I miss my Bells. Please answer me, I need to know you're okay. Love, Jake

It struck me as odd that he was so worried, but never bothered to call. What the hell? It was as if he was picking and choosing his moments to be dramatic, then working himself into a frenzy for no good reason. It wasn't like he couldn't get in touch with me – if he'd bothered to text me, I would've replied. I realized that he was attempting to manipulate me with his passive aggressive behavior. I composed something quickly back to him.

Jake, don't be so dramatic. I'm busy, I have a life. We are friends, but not for long if you can't keep yourself in check. I'm fine - better than fine - I'm great. How are you? How is Mike? -Bella

Take that, Jake. New Bella's in charge now.

As soon as I hit send I closed the laptop back up and went into the living room. Alice and Rose were already waiting in matching track suits, which made me laugh. They both effortlessly looked like they walked out of the pages of a Victoria's Secret catalog.

We went to the spa where we started with waxing and plucking. Alice convinced me go to for a partial Brazilian after we all made a pact to do it together; they revealed that they both had dates later that night as well. I figured why not, it's about new experiences, right?I got my legs and eyebrows waxed and was grateful for a steam shower in between that and the massage we had planned. I made a mental note to scratch 'massage' off the Discovery List when I got back to the dorm room. We all got facials, then met up in the jacuzzi for a soak before our mani/pedis and hair. We gabbed like long lost friends and I learned so much more about Alice and Rose, and even Edward.

Everyone agreed that my hair should be down around my shoulders, so the stylist just put some loose curls in it, then did my makeup with a light smokey eye and a natural gloss. Even I had to admit that it looked great.

Once we got back to the dorm, Alice got out some clothes from my closet. She picked a grey and black corset and panty set with black garters and stockings, a black and cream oval print dress, and black patent heels. I finished it off with silver jewelry, a black purse, and a cute jacket that would keep me warm. New Bella reminded me that I looked hot.

Picking up my Discovery List notebook, I crossed out "get a massage," and closed it up, setting it back on the upper corner of my desk. As I was finishing getting ready, Alice and Rose came in to admire me. Alice handed me a smallish pink rolling suitcase and I raised my eyebrow at her.

"Oh, come on, you already spent one night with him. Just trust me, you'll be thankful in the morning. That reminds me. We're counting our girls' day today as Sunday brunch, so don't rush back. Have fun, Bella. I'm so glad that you and Edward are hitting it off!"

"Me too, Alice, me too. It's so easy to be around him, it's a little scary. I…."

There was a knock at the door and Alice and Rose hopped off my bed and squealed again as they ran into the other room. I took a deep breath and grabbed my jacket and purse, following quickly behind them. Alice opened the door and I sucked in a quick breath at Edward's appearance. He was wearing a blue button-up dress shirt with a tie which had diagonal black, blue and grey stripes. He had dark pants on and dress shoes, and when my eyes finally made it back up to look at the rest of him, I noticed a single red rose in his hand.

"You look amazing," he breathed into my neck as he pulled me in for a quick hug. His arms wrapped around my waist and dipped to my lower back to pull me closer.

"So do you, but don't you always?" Turning back to Alice and Rose, I bid them goodbye. "Alright girls, I'm off! Alice, thanks for the mystery bag. Rose, have fun on your date with Emmett and tell him I said 'hello.' Oh, Alice, tell Jasper I said 'hi' too, please." I laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

Edward handed me the rose and took my other hand in his as we walked out. He was rolling my suitcase behind him and loaded it in the trunk once we got to his car. I noticed a small black bag already in there and presumed it was his overnighter. I was excited at the prospect of going someplace new and fun with Edward. I was also excited that I'd get to show off my newly pampered body in the hot lingerie Alice picked out for me.

As I slid into my seat, goofy smile plastered across my face, I thought about our upcoming dinner. That was the only detail I managed to get from Edward on the walk out to his car, since I was already a teensy bit hungry. Edward asked if I wanted to grab a snack on our way out as we had a small drive ahead of us, but I declined, grateful for his offer.

Once he was seated on the driver's side, he turned to look at me again. "You really look amazing, Bella."

"Thank you, Edward. I'm so excited. Do you feel like spilling any more details about where we're headed?" He smiled and shook his head no. "How about just telling me how long it will take us to get there?"

"About an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on how legally I drive," he chuckled.

"Okay."

Smiling, I slipped my hand into his after he set up some music to play from his iPod. The sound of the music was a soft background noise to our near constant talking. In what felt like no time at all, we pulled up to a red brick building with a cute red awning above the door. Edward gave his keys to the valet and led me inside. He smiled at the hostess.

"I have a reservation for two, the name is Cullen," he said.

She led us to our table and we sat next to each other looking at the menu.

"Everything looks and sounds delicious. How'd you pick this place?" I asked.

"Ah, my parents have actually come to visit me a few times and they recommended it. They know the chef, so I was able to get reservations on short notice."

He smiled and I nearly melted... or dragged him away to what I was sure our next destination was. I gently reminded New Bella that Old Bella still needed to eat, so if she wanted to have her wicked way with Edward, she'd have to be patient.

"Do you think you might want to share something?" he asked. "I was thinking we could choose an entree each and swap, and also share a pear salad. How does that sound?"

I thought about the creamy bleu cheese in the salad melting on my tongue, the soft, sweet pears dissolving along with it and the crunch of the pecans providing a nice contrast. Imagining Edward feeding me was almost enough to make me pant.

"It sounds delicious." I licked my lips. "What were you thinking we could share?" I glanced back down at my menu and spotted several things I might enjoy.

"Well," he was back to studying his menu, "plenty of things are deal breakers, seeing as how I promised this date would not involve Benadryl." He smirked at me. "How do you feel about steak?"

"That sounds good. What if you order the filet and I'll order the fettuccine?"

"Mmm." His eyes narrowed as he made a low noise of pleasure. Yeah, you'll be doing that again later, for much different reasons, I hope.

The entire dinner was one long seduction. Edward did indeed feed me bites of the salad and I repaid the favor. Watching his lips close over the food and get gently drawn out as I withdrew the fork was almost too much. Almost.

Both of our main courses were heavenly. I would twirl a bite of my pasta and feed it to Edward, then he'd bring a bite of perfectly cooked steak to my mouth, a hostage swap, as we'd begun to call it. He insisted at one point that I had sauce from my pasta at the corner of my mouth and leaned in. His tongue came out and quickly swiped the edge of my lips before he wrapped his own around them. It was a cheap ploy to kiss me, but I let it slide since I'd been trying to find a good reason to do the same to him; he was just bold enough to out and out lie, knowing there was no way in hell I would call him out on it.

When dinner was finished, our waitress asked if we wanted dessert and I knew there was no way I could eat another bite. Edward insisted we at least look at the dessert tray, so she brought it out for us. I admitted there were several tasty options and was utterly shocked as I heard Edward order.

"We'll take a slice of the chocolate mousse cake, a crème brulee, a slice of the chocolate walnut pecan pie, and a bread pudding. To go." He winked at me after uttering those last words and I blushed. There was simply no way not to, New and Old Bella agreed.

The waitress brought the boxed up desserts and the check. Edward didn't even bother to open the folded case with our bill, he simply handed a shiny black card to the waitress with a smile. She came back almost immediately and handed it to him, wishing us a good evening. Neither of us corrected her when she referred to us as Mister and Missus Cullen.

We stood outside and waited while the valet brought Edward's car back. We both had our jackets on, but Edward stood behind me, arms wrapped around me.

"I can't wait to take you where we're going next," he whispered into my ear. I could feel his warm body pressed against me and I was light headed for a moment. The idea of an uninterrupted night with Edward away from my dorm or his apartment, cell phones turned off, laptops unplugged, was my personal idea of bliss. He kissed me softly on my neck and I rested my head back on his shoulder. I let out a soft sigh and closed my eyes, content in this moment.

I was also a little nervous; we hadn't done much yet beyond kissing and some light groping, but we both seemed eager to get to the next step. I had to admit to myself that being with Jasper and then Tanya had been eye opening for me, and I realized how much fun being with someone else could be. I knew I wanted to take my time and enjoy my experiences with Edward, but I also wanted to let things happen naturally, in the time that we both wanted, not on anyone else's schedule or by the guidelines someone else thought we should follow.

I was pulled out of my sexytime thoughts as the valet pulled up and opened my door for me. The rose Edward had given me was sitting on the dash and I picked it up once I was buckled in. Edward dropped the bag of desserts in the trunk on his way to his seat and saw me fiddling with the rose once he got in.

"Too cliché?" he asked, scrunching up his face a little. He put the key in and we were on our way to our next destination as I spoke.

"Not at all. It's beautiful. Renee's favorite flower was the rose. When I went to be with her at the end, Phil had gotten into the habit of always having fresh red roses. She would walk around saying all these silly rose quotes and smelling them."

Edward squeezed my hand and smiled at me. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Don't be silly. There was no way you could, and I very much love the gesture," I said, smiling back.

The rest of the drive was silent and I was surprised as we pulled into what looked like a mostly residential neighborhood. Edward parked on the street and turned the car off. I raised an eyebrow at him when he turned to look at me.

"It's a B&B," he explained.

I was so giddy, I clapped in excitement; I'd never been to a B&B before.

Edward unloaded our suitcases from the trunk and handed me the bag with the desserts in it as his hands were full. I was practically skipping with excitement as we walked in to the building. Edward dealt with the room arrangements and the Innkeeper showed us to our room for the night.

I looked around and took in all of the different qualities of the room. It certainly was unlike anywhere I had ever stayed before; it was on the smaller side, with a cute little fireplace opposite the bed. I smiled when I realized the shower was probably large enough to accommodate two. As I walked back to the main room, I saw Edward heave my suitcase onto the bed.

"Ooh! Shall we see what our Alice has packed?" I smiled. I was a little hesitant to open it on the off chance she'd packed something risqué, but I decided to take my chances.

Edward took my coat and hung both of our jackets in the wardrobe on the opposite side of the bed. He came back to my side just as I was opening the top of the case. There were clothes folded neatly, my favorite grey UGG boots, and a bottle of wine next to a corkscrew that made us both laugh. I took the wine and corkscrew out and handed them to Edward to set on the desk. I saw a pink hoodie and my favorite scarf also, and just as I had gotten to the bottom, I noticed a lace-trimmed purple tank and panty set which I assumed was to sleep in, and some black lacy panties and a bra. Edward put one hand on my lower back and the other reached out to grab the undergarments.

"I'll have to send Alice an extra special thank you gift for packing these," he mumbled as he unfolded them to properly examine each piece.

"You haven't even seen what's under this dress yet," I teased. He dropped the black scraps of fabric and his hands were around me in a flash.

"Trust me when I tell you that I mean every word of what I'm about to say. I have never looked forward to anything more."

Laughing, I swatted his hands away, pulling out a smaller pink mini suitcase. Opening it, I saw some toiletries, a toothbrush, a Hello Kitty contact lens holder, my glasses, and a brush. They thought of almost everything.

"Weird, no toothpaste?" I asked, more to myself than Edward.

"I told her I had that one covered," he explained and pointed to his small bag.

I'd gotten to the bottom of the mini case when I saw a bunch of black wrappers. I almost fell over laughing when I realized what they were: condoms with Kama Sutra positions printed on the wrappers. Among the sea of black, just how much sex did they think we were going to have?, I spotted a soft pink piece of paper, folded in half. The flap said, "For Bella's eyes ONLY" in Alice's handwriting.

"Here, keep yourself entertained looking at this," I said, handing him the case with the condoms in it. His eyes went wide, then he began to examine each wrapper, one by one.

I opened the note to read it.

Bella,

We love you and want you to have a FUN weekend. The condoms are more of a joke than anything. We saw them and just couldn't resist. No matter what you decide to do or not do, please remember that we love you and we can't wait to hear all about it. Edward is a great guy and deserves a good woman like you – and you deserve a good guy like him, too.

Love, Alice & Rose

They'd each signed their name and I was touched by their sweet gesture. I folded the note back up and tucked it into one of the pockets inside the case. My hands playfully fought with Edward's as he continued to sift through the naughty condoms. I wrenched the case from him and began to put my things back in so that I could easily carry them into the bathroom.

Edward gave me his pouty face and I laughed.

"Edward, do me a favor and pack those things back into the bigger bag, please?" I pointed at the clothes and boots that were unpacked on the bed. "And stop looking at me like that. I've been on the pill for years," I said as casually as I could while walking away.

I got the urge to skip again, jump for joy, something, anything, to let out the rush of ecstatic energy I felt. Instead, I took a deep breath once I set my bathroom case down and steadied my nerves. We'd been in the same bed the night before and I knew Edward wouldn't take advantage of me, so I just needed to decide what I was okay with.

Sure, we were moving fast. Sure, it was maybe too soon for a weekend away and all that it implied. I couldn't deny the pull I felt to him, though, and just like that morning, I felt the rush of desire creep over me and knew that I would be his and he would be mine before the night was over.

I smiled at myself in the mirror and began to take my jewelry off. Unhooking my bracelet, I slipped it into my case, then took my earrings off. Suddenly Edward's cool hands were at the back of my neck.

"Would you like help with this?"

He bent down and kissed the left side of my neck, then the right, looking at me in the mirror. I had to fight to keep my eyes open and my brain coherent.

"Please."

He unclasped the necklace and slid his hands on top of my shoulders and around my neck to hand it to me.

"Do you want to see a picture?" I asked.

He quirked an eyebrow at me and I opened the locket.

"Renee and Phil, obviously," I pointed, "and Charlie. Phil gave me the locket before I left Florida. I've worn it more in the last week than ever before. Thanks to your encouragement, I realized that I couldn't just keep ignoring that they're gone."

I smiled softly at him, then lowered my head to set the locket in another pocket of the case. His hands wrapped around my waist and he gently turned me so to face him. He kept his hands on my hips after I was facing him and lowered his lips to mine. Edward kissed me sweetly for a minute, then rested his forehead on mine.

"Thank you for showing me their pictures. I know it can't be easy to carry them around with you and be reminded of them. I wish I could've met them."

I felt like he was looking straight through my eyes and into my heart. He always knew exactly what I needed to hear. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled at him.

"Ready for dessert?" he smirked.

"Maybe not just yet." I patted my still full belly. "How about we start a fire and open the wine. I'm sure once I've digested a bit I'll be ready to enjoy dessert." Even I wasn't sure if I meant the actual food or something else by the time my sentence was finished.

Edward took my hand and tugged me out of the bathroom.

"I already started the fire. Why don't you open the wine while I get a glass?"

He let go of my hand and rummaged through his bag. I had the wine ready and turned to watch as he grabbed a box and opened it, producing a very odd looking cup.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A wine glass."

"Where's the stem? And the other glass?" I crinkled my eyebrows as I asked.

"There's no stem," he explained as he walked toward me, "and there's just one. I figured we could share."

He reached next to me on the table and filled the single glass about a third of the way with the dark red liquid. He tipped the glass and took a long sniff, eyes closing and smile widening as he did so.

"Do you like wine?" he asked, eyes returning to my face.

"I've never had any," I shrugged.

"Ah, well, this might be a bit much for you then, but try a sip."

Edward handed me the glass and I took a little smell first. It was strong, he was right. I tipped it back and took a sip.

"Let it sit in your mouth for a minute," he explained.

For some reason, those words nearly sent me over the edge. I did as he suggested though and it wasn't bad. It wasn't something I would drink every night, but I could taste the appeal of it as I swallowed. Edward's eyes were fixed on my lips as I handed the glass back to him. Out of habit, I sucked my lower lip into my mouth and shifted my weight nervously.

Closing the distance between us, Edward wrapped his hand around my waist again and looked down at me with a smile. I wasn't playing coy that time, I was just flat out nervous; even after summoning the strength of New Bella. She was no match for Edward Scone Boy Cullen.

"Can I help you out of these shoes?" he asked quietly. I nodded.

The next thing I knew, his hands were sliding down my sides. When he reached the edge of my dress, they moved to my stocking covered legs and I sucked in a quick breath. His fingertips trailed down to my feet, both hands moving to the left, and he gently tapped the top of my foot.

"You have to lift it if you want the shoe to come off," he laughed. Oh, right.

I lifted my foot and he removed the shoe, repeating his actions on the other side once he was done. He looked up at me and I saw the lust in his eyes as his hands went back to my legs. As he lifted his body, his hands reversed their path up my legs, then under my dress. He stopped just under the hem for a moment, a silent question in his eyes. I tilted my head slightly to let him know it was okay to continue, even though I wouldn't have minded if he'd stopped where he was.

As his hands slid up and under my dress and he stood to his full height, he was peppering kisses along my collarbone. Edward groaned as he ran his fingers just beneath the fleshy part of my bottom and came across the straps of my garters. He moved his fingers up and down the straps as his mouth moved to my neck. His hot, open mouthed kisses on my skin combined with his hands on my ass were driving me crazy.

"Bella..."

I got that feeling, the 'ants in your pants' moment where you just fucking know something is about to happen and you almost can't hold back, but know you have to... just for a minute longer.

I hummed in response to him and he squeezed me into his body. I could feel how hard he was through his pants and I was glad I wasn't the only one having trouble holding back. Pulling back from him slightly, I began to undo his tie. As soon as I had it undone, I slid it from his neck and threw it aside. I unbuttoned his shirt as quickly as I could. Edward's hands were still on me, but they'd moved to the surface of my dress, hesitant and waiting at the top of the zipper.

"Bella," he tried again. "We're getting to the point of no return, love. Fuck, you're driving me crazy just standing here." He sounded exasperated.

I understood completely.

"Good," I said quietly.

His shirt was untucked and unbuttoned now, and I pushed it over his shoulders and off his body. I took a brief moment to look at him standing there. He'd taken off his shoes and socks at some point and was left in only his pants and belt. His upper body was softly sculpted, bare and demanding attention. I licked and kissed his nipple as my fingers went to his belt. The urgency took over and he picked me up by the waist. I squealed a little as he set me back down next to the bed and slid the zipper down on my dress. I had his belt off and tossed to the side, pants unbuttoned and ready to be unzipped.

The zipper on my dress slid down quickly and he pushed the small straps off my shoulders. I thought we'd need to move apart for the dress to fall off my body, but Edward simply peeled the top portion down, then tugged from the bottom, sending it to the floor with his pants as he did so.

He groaned when he saw my corset and ghosted his fingertips over the swell of my breasts. I was more than seduced, I was in a frenzy of need, impatient. I sat back on the bed and pulled him on top of me. Moving my legs to either side of his body, I felt his hands everywhere at once.

"Stop, Bella, please," he begged. "Just for a moment."

I was brought out of my lust-filled haze as he spoke.

"What?"

My hand moved to his face and I began to trace his features, crumpled in concern.

"I know you said you're on the pill, but do you want to get a condom anyways? I mean, God, this is awkward. I've been tested, have you?"

I laughed. Only you, future Dr. Cullen, would interrupt what was about to be the hottest sex of my life. Not that it was a very vast list of contenders. I took a deep breath, thinking about what he said.

"I haven't, but Jake and I were each other's firsts."

His face fell a little more. What the hell?

Kissing me softly, he rested his body on mine. Frankly, that just increased my frustration with whatever it was he was hesitating to talk about. He set his forehead on my chest and looked to the side.

"Edward? What?"

Threading my fingers through his hair, I tugged gently, forcing him to look back up at me.

"I know you were each other's firsts, Bella, but you weren't each other's only."

He wasn't being hurtful, just honest. If I was being honest with myself, he was being smart, too. I'd never even thought to ask Jake about his encounters with Mike; had they used condoms? Even if they had, did Jake or Mike ever bother to get tested for any STDs?

"Fuck. Edward. I'm so sorry," I blew out my breath. "I didn't even think about the consequences of Jake's cheating on me. God damn it."

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. That clearly wasn't Edward's intention and he rolled to the bed and laid beside me.

"It's okay, you know. We can deal with it when we get back to school. I just … need to protect myself. I feel horrible."

I laughed bitterly.

"You feel horrible? You shouldn't feel horrible at all, Edward. If anyone should, it's Jacob, but I doubt he feels much these days."

"Bella, I didn't mean we had to stop. I just wanted a minute to grab a condom. I'm sorry that I ruined the moment," he said, voice quiet.

His comments provoked another laugh from me.

"You think you ruined the moment? Edward, I love that you're so smart and responsible. It wouldn't have even occurred to me to think about protection in that sense. I just feel so… dirty. It's so wrong, right, because I've only ever been with Jake, but clearly I was the only one being faithful. And who really knows who else he was with, you know?"

"Don't cry, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." His thumbs wiped my tears away as he spoke. Tears I hadn't even realized were falling. His body was halfway on mine again, hands up at my face. I looked at him, sure I was going to see something horrible and awful. Instead, I just saw love and I was amazed again at his ability to overlook the flaws and mistakes of my past. He rolled to his back, bringing me with him and I curled into his side. His hand rubbed soothing patterns on my back and I took a deep breath, tears slowly stopping. My hand moved across his bare abdomen, fingers flat on his skin.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Because I know that you're not afraid to be a grown up. You see a problem and you want to handle it. You don't shy away from it and pretend it doesn't exist. It means I can really trust you. I appreciate that, even if it isn't always exactly convenient."

We both laughed and he pulled me on top of him.

"I want you to be able to trust me. I need you to trust me. This isn't a fling for me, Bella. I'm not just trying to get up your skirt and leave."

"I know, Edward. And, I do. I do trust you."

Edward knew most of my history with Jake and also knew just how far I'd gone with both Jasper and Tanya. I wanted to be completely honest with him from the start, and they were both important parts of my recent past. As I leaned down to kiss him, his hands moved lower again, cupping my bottom and pulling my hips into his again.

"Edward. Maybe we should take a minute first to … prepare? I would hate to be interrupted for what would be the third time, by my count."

"Mm, you have a good point. Not just yet though, I'm enjoying this too much," he spoke against my lips and continued kissing me. One of his hands moved to my head and he stroked his long fingers against the back of my neck as his lips played with mine. Those fingers, I wanted them all over me. I needed them.

Moaning into his mouth, I pressed my hips against his, letting him know my patience was wearing thin. He gently but quickly pushed me off him and got up from the bed.

"Okay, I get it, me either, can't wait, not any more, need you so bad," he was babbling as he walked at a fast pace into the bathroom. I heard the case open and things falling onto the floor in his haste to get a condom. I giggled to myself as I waited. He walked back in, boxers tented and distress written across his face.

While he was gone, I turned to my back and propped myself up on my elbows, one leg stretched out and the other bent up at the knee.

"Fuck," he muttered, drinking me in once he finally looked up at me. He pulled his boxers down and off his body, stepping out of them on his way to the bed.

"God, I hope so."

"You are completely sinful, Isabella Swan."

"Get over here and let me corrupt you then," I giggled.

Crawling up from the foot of the bed, he tossed the condom down for the moment as his hands ran up and down my legs again. Edward undid the clips of my garters and slid my stockings off, following them quickly with my panties.

He wasted no time at all bringing his fingers to me. He was straddling my legs just below the apex of my thighs, his thumb resting right on my clit. I let out a contented sigh at the feeling building in me. Moving his fingers between my lips, he dipped one of his long, luscious digits inside of me.

"So fucking beautiful," he whispered.

His other hand moved up to drop inside my corset and tease my nipple. I flexed my hips, needing more of him, somehow. Edward sprawled out next to me, his hand never stopping his stroking of me. His mouth came to my neck and he kissed, sucked, and licked every part of me he could reach.

"Do you even know how hard you make me? Watching you squirm beneath me, my fingers deep inside of you as your whole body flushes with excitement? God, I want to keep you on the edge of this moment all night."

Fuck. Me too.

Turning my head to meet his lips, I hoped to convey just how badly I wanted and needed him. I whimpered against him, silently begging him to give me what I wanted, even if I wasn't sure exactly what that was. Did I want him inside of me, or did I want him to make me come? Did it fucking matter? Either option was practically mind blowing.

Edward's thumb moved faster against my clit as he withdrew his fingers and pushed them back in slower.

"Is this how you want me to fuck you?" he asked quietly. "Soft and slow? Maybe you want it faster, harder?"

Who knew Scone Boy was a dirty talker?

"Please," I whimpered.

"Please what, Bella? Please fuck you harder with my fingers, or softer? I want to make you come so hard before I'm inside you."

Hard enough to leave a temporary mark, he bit at the juncture of my neck and body and I screamed, unable to hold back any longer. His other hand came over my mouth gently to muffle the noise I was making and I really tried to hold it in. My eyes clamped shut and my entire body went stiff with my orgasm washed over me. Edward continued to move his fingers, thumb still gently rolling back and forth across my clit as I came down.

Withdrawing his fingers one final time, I saw him reach for the condom and felt my build up beginning again, just at the sight of him. He'd shifted so that he was straddling me again and I was ready to beg him, if he hadn't already been moving as fast as I thought he could. I felt primal – the need, the want, all of the build up over the last few weeks.

Edward rolled the condom down his thick length as I moved my knees to either side of his body. He shifted his weight so he was resting partially on top of me, kissing me again, and my legs wrapped around his waist.

"Edward," I sighed. Perfection. This moment is perfect.

"I know," he whispered, kissing just below my ear. "I know."

I felt his hand between us as he guided himself into me. Any amount of imagining what this moment would be like would have been insufficient for the reality. He was longer and thicker and far, far better than I could have hoped for. From the first time he sank deep inside of me, I was gone, lost in a sea of lust and love.

He pulled back and adjusted my legs and hips, sinking further the second and subsequent times. I couldn't help the small sighs and murmurs as he slid in and out of me, pushing me closer to the edge.

"Bella, look at me, love." I moved my eyes to meet his. "I want you to touch yourself, please. I want to hear and see and feel you come around me, underneath me, with me," he strained as he spoke.

My hand moved between us and I almost flew off the bed at the pleasure of touching myself while Edward was inside of me. Of all of the new experiences I had up to this point, I decided immediately this was my favorite.

I slid my fingers lower and touched him, feeling around him as he moved. He groaned into my neck and began his own panting and mumbling. I kept my fingers around him as I moved my thumb back up to my clit. I pressed and my hips bucked.

"Faster, Edward, please."

"Oh God, you're going to kill me," he laughed a little, but complied.

The increased speed from him and friction from my hand sent me over my edge for the second time. He didn't have a free hand that time, so Edward pressed his lips to mine, body shaking with a laugh as I came loudly again. His laughter stopped as my body began to relax and I felt his muscles clench, his movements stopping to let his own orgasm flow through his body. He grunted and lowered his forehead to my shoulder with his body as closely connected to mine as it could be.

Ss he relaxed above me, his soft breath swept across my skin. My hands wrapped around him and we both rolled onto our sides. He dealt with the condom and I watched in fascination as he tied a knot and dropped it into the trash can. I'd never seen what happened to a condom after sex and was curious.

He rolled back to face me, helped me remove my corset, and we wrapped up together under the blankets. One of his hands was stroking my back and the other was in my hair. His lips were pressed to my head and I thought for a moment he'd fallen asleep. I was worried about the fireplace since I had no clue how to turn it off, and I knew enough to know that needed to get up and use the restroom, but I wasn't ready to wake him just yet.

"Thank you," he whispered, almost too quiet for me to hear.

I lifted my head to look at him. "For what?"

"I've never felt like that before," he explained.

"Are you kidding?" That's not very nice, teasing me right after we just had sex. I was a little miffed.

"No, absolutely not. That was... unbelievable. You really do bring out the worst in me," he laughed.

"I happen to think it's the best, but we can debate that later," I said, climbing out of bed.

Before I could, Edward's fingers were wrapped around my waist, bringing me back to him. He pulled me close, nose at my neck, lips on my shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to pee, Edward, if you really need to know. Do you want to turn the fireplace off while I'm in there?"

His hand traveled up to cup my breast and I groaned in protest. "Just another minute, love, please."

He was kissing me softly and really, what was I in such a rush for? We cuddled another minute and he let go of me after one last sweep of his hand across my body.

"Okay," he playfully smacked my bottom as I got up, "you're free… for the moment."

I turned to scold him, mostly sure he was still teasing me about his reaction to our intimacy, but he had such a broad and sincere smile on his face, I could tell he wasn't kidding. I pondered this as I walked to the bathroom. When I was done, I walked back to the bedroom to find Edward sitting up in bed, the bag of desserts next to him and boxes opened all around him.

"Dessert?" He smiled and I smiled back at him. "It looks like they forgot the forks," he said as I walked towards the bed, "so we're just going to have to use our hands." As his words trailed off, he gave me that grin, which had just the slightest bit of a naughty hint to it now.