A/N: I owe a very large "thank you" to Emibella, whose story, If It's the Beaches, had a scene that sparked something in here. I'll never forget the day someone told me I had to go read the chapter of hers, and they were right – smokin' hot. Chapter 7. UNG. And yes, for you nervous ladies, I did ask her permission before using the concept here. :)

Thank you to Squalloogal, for buying me at FGB. This is her last piece, and I am so grateful that she trusted me and allowed me to write for her.

Thank you to TwilightMundi, my beta. ILY.

More notes later.

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.

~o~

I give him my biggest, best smile, because I am so happy right now, I could burst. I never imagined feeling this again. Somehow, Edward has woken feelings I was certain I'd just never feel, never experience, never soak in again. I'm not quite sure how to repay him, but I've got a few methods in mind to try...

I spend the drive home thinking, wondering how I can be in so deep already. The more I think about it, the more I realize I've always been like this, though. I've always given so much of myself so quickly, and the thought startles and sobers me.

Even before I can control it, I feel my walls starting to shift a little higher. I've been in some lust-induced stupor, I decide, letting this man so close to my heart already. My mind and heart war through the drive, and I realize I'm home, having driven on auto-pilot apparently.

Rose and I go inside and spend the rest of the day cleaning and tidying the house. I call Alice at some point to gossip and catch up with her. A glamour-filled life I lead.

When it's closer to bedtime, I make sure Rose showers and gets her hair washed. These last few months she's begun to insist that she's a big girl and doesn't want to take baths anymore. Too damn bad for me, because it was at least twenty minutes of quiet time I could count on. The only positive was that I got to reclaim my tub. In our small house, there was only one decent tub; now that there aren't any tub toys in there anymore, I briefly contemplate a long soak once Rose is in bed.

The thought doesn't last, though, as Rose is tearing through the living room, a naked ball of energy. Inside, I'm screaming and frustrated. Having mastered the Zen art of calm-under-fire parenting, I use my best Disney Princess singsong voice.

"Rosie, hon, let's go get your pajamas on, okay?"

"I don't wanna go to bed, Mom," she says, lapping me again as I stand in place. "Will you read with me?"

"Yes, I'll read with you, if you agree to lights out bedtime after thirty minutes."

"Deal," she shouts, tearing off in the direction of her room.

Grabbing my cell phone, I follow close behind. I can multi-task and only feel marginally guilty, I decide. I text Edward.

Whatcha doin? :)

Tucking Rose in, I snuggle beside her, above the covers. She's re-reading a book that's worn and frayed at the edges, but one of her favorites. Smiling, I check my phone. Technically, I'm reading texts, right?

Trying to wrangle Em.

God, I still can't imagine that he does this every minute, every day, every week, all alone. I guess he has Esme and Carlisle, but still. My chest constricts as I realize that he's been alone, really and truly alone, just as long as I have.

I hear bribery works; it's what we're doing here. Reading time before bed, some time to settle down?

I might as well take a chance, right? Maybe he doesn't know this trick. I know Emmett loves to read as much as Rose, because they're constantly talking about books. And science. They're adorably nerdy, and so compatible when they stop being such assholes to each other.

My phone stays still and silent on my chest as I read, and I begin to worry I've overstepped my bounds with Edward. Finally, reading time is over and it's lights out for kiddo, post toothbrushing and one last potty trip. I hug and kiss her, tucking the blankets around her, and remind her that it's not time to ask for more water, or another story, or a dog, or... anything.

"Just sleep, baby. I'll see you in the morning," I beg.

"Mom, what's a DILF?"

What the mother fuck?

"What?" I ask, needing to make sure I heard her correctly.

"I heard you on the phone with Auntie Alice. You called Mr. Cullen a DILF. What's a DILF?"

Fan-fucking-tastic.

I'm forced to think on my feet, never a good thing.

"A..." I'm searching my brain for words that will fit... "Oh, a DILF is a dad I'd like to be friends with."

The smug smile overtakes my face and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself as I close the door and implore her to sleep.

Tiptoeing back to the living room, I fall onto the couch. It's old, but comfortable, and I wrap myself in the throw there. Suddenly, Edward's scent assaults me and I'm reminded of making out with him. Giggling, I wrap myself up in it, and close my eyes.

The slight vibration of my phone, still in my hand apparently, wakes me. It's dark and I stretch first, deciding to walk to my actual bed before I look to see what's waiting for me, my paranoia still rampant. If Edward's going to tell me to back the fuck off, better to be snuggled into bed.

Can you talk? Em is finally asleep.

Instead of texting him back, I dial. Well, no one dials anymore – I punch in his name and press send.

"Hey." His voice is soft, but scratchy. Undeniably sexy.

"Hey." Mine, on the other hand, is so fucking lame. What am I, twelve?

"Some nights, I really think he's never going to go to sleep," he says. I glance at the clock and am stunned to see it's past ten.

"He just NOW went to bed?" I ask, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah. Did I wake you? You sound tired."

"It was a long day. I mean, I had this sexy man all to myself for part of the day, but the rest was utter shit."

"Sorry to hear that. Anything in particular?" he asks.

"Motherhood," I quip.

"I can relate," he says with a little laugh. "Busy tomorrow?"

Humming, I try to recall my schedule. It's not so easy this late, this tired.

"I don't think we're too busy." I drop my voice, trying to be sexy. "You have something in mind, stud?"

"Ugh, don't tease, baby."

Hey, it worked?

"I'd never tease. I always follow through, it just may be awhile..."

His sigh is loud and I almost have to move the phone from my ear.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to be too big of a tease."

"It's okay, it's just … It's been a long time since I've felt this way. I just had to shut that side of myself off all these years, you know?"

Hell yes, I know.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. It's like the moment they're born, the entire world shifts, good and bad."

I can almost see him nodding.

"Exactly. And after Tanya-" He pauses, and everything is utterly still and quiet. "After Tanya left, everything fell to me. Esme and Carlisle help, but at the end of the day, I'm Dad."

"I can't even imagine, Edward."

Suddenly, an awkward silence overtakes our call. We've run the gambit of topics and now we're sort of stuck on this one, neither of us really knowing how to navigate our way out of the potential emo stretching out in front of us.

"Sorry," he says softly. "I didn't mean to drag the conversation down."

"Hey," I scold, my voice slightly tight. "This is your life. I want this part, too."

Even as the words escape my mouth, I realize they're true. I want Edward, good and bad.

Awkward silence returns, and I realize we never settled our plans for tomorrow.

"It's supposed to dump snow tonight," I say. "Wanna go sledding tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'd really like that."

I can hear his smile, and it makes me glad to know that he's not getting sucked down into a spiral of depression over the reminder of Tanya.

"Alright, old man, I gotta get some sleep. What time do you want to go?"

"How about you come over here in the morning, say ten? We can sled in the backyard and then have cocoa and lunch."

I'm a sucker for cocoa.

"With marshmallows?" I ask.

This is like, almost a deal breaker for me.

"Pshaw. What kind of a host would invite someone over for cocoa with no marshmallows?"

Whew.

"Good. See you at ten. Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bella."

I plug my phone in, get under the covers, and promptly do not go to sleep. My brain is racing with thoughts of Edward, and Edward with Tanya. After I've tossed and turned enough to be twisted in the sheets and blankets, I get up for water. I'm being so stupid, and even I know it, but I decide that the root of my issue is just a lack of knowledge. Once I know more about her, I'll be able to rest easier.

Right?

Crawling back into bed, I close my eyes and imagine what she might've looked like. I feminize Emmett's face, then add it onto a smokin' body. Fuck. The temptation to compare us is huge, and I resort to a few meditation breathing methods I've learned over the years to try and calm my mind.

Rose curls up in bed with me at some hour, the sun not having risen in the sky yet. I fell asleep before setting my alarm because I figured Demonseed Hellbeast (yes, I've mentally stolen the nickname for her) would wake me bright and early. As I begin to wake and stir, I realize it's not as early as I'd hoped. Then I look at the clock. Great. We've both slept so late that we'll have to rush now.

Filling Rose in on our plans for the day, she gives me a scrunched-eyebrow look, hands on her hips.

"We're going to Emmett's house?"

"Yeah," I reply.

"To sled?"

"Uh huh."

I'm frantically buzzing around her room, trying to find her ski bib, snow boots, and all the fucking winter clothes I hate. When I glance up, I see Rose still looking at me with that skeptical expression.

"What?!" I shout, frustrated.

"Simmer, Mom."

She walks away, and I collapse onto the floor, a fit of giggles overtaking my stressed body. Five minutes later, I'm composed and back in Momzilla mode. Everyone is dressed and ready, or as ready as we can be, and we're in the car. I've texted Edward to let him know we'll be slightly late, and he tells me to drive safely and take my time. Sure enough, as predicted, there's an assload of fresh snow outside.

The drive to Edward's reminds me of our difference in income and lifestyle, and I just have to laugh. We finally pull into his drive, and when Emmett answers the door, he's a little snippy.

"Finally!"

"Hello, Emmett. It's nice to see you again, too," I say.

Rose grabs his hand and drags him away before she's even got her coat off, shedding her clothes like snakeskin, forming a path to his room, or, well... wherever they're off to.

"My dad is such a freak. He was all in a panic this morning trying to find marshmallows," Emmett half-whispers as they leave reasonable eavesdropping distance.

This detail does not escape me, and I smile. Edward's been frantic, searching for marshmallows, for me. Just as the birds are chirping in my head, he slides behind me. Too bad I have nine hundred layers of clothes on, I can't even feel the warmth from his body.

"Good morning," he says.

"It is now," I say, all of the words coming out as a sigh.

I am so fucking gone for this guy.

"I can't even get to your neck with all this insane gear on. It's not the Tundra, Bella," he teases.

"It's so cold! How can you stand it?"

I'm serious; if it wasn't for James, I'd have moved somewhere warmer by now.

"Well," he says, taking my hand. "It does lend itself nicely to roaring fires and cocoa?" he suggests.

"Aw man, but the cocoa is for after," I whine.

"Why, Bella Swan, are you implying something?"

Oh my god, he bats his fucking eyelashes like a chick, and I can't help the barking laugh.

"After sledding, you slut. But admit it, you wish it was more..."

Please, please admit it.

"You're fucking right about that," he says, leaning in to kiss me.

The bluebirds are back, probably nesting in my damn hair. His hands make their way under my knit hat, and they're so warm against my cold skin, I moan. Loud running interrupts us as we back away a respectable distance from each other. Fuck.

"Mom, are we sledding or what?" Rose asks.

"Yes, but if you wanted to sled, you need to bundle back up."

"You too, Emmett," Edward adds.

"You too, Edward," I say, tongue sticking out at him from between my upturned lips. The kids laugh and Edward heads to grab his jacket, I assume.

We spend at least an hour outside, playing. Aside from the date at Edward's, it's the most fun I can recall having in the last few years. We sled, we throw snowballs, we make snow angels, and Edward and I sneak kisses and touches every single time we think the kids are distracted. It's thrilling and intensely frustrating.

After cocoa, we make sandwiches and eat in the living room, in front of the fireplace. It's not my romantic ideal with my hunky man, but this is a close second. For right now, our families are meshing. I can't ask for more.

Well, I can, but later.

Dinnertime sneaks up on us, and Edward explains that Sunday means dinner at Esme's. He invites Rose and me, but it's not time yet. After another replay of our parting of ways from last night, we leave. This time feels even worse, though, because we have no plans to see each other again until Friday.

Rose makes her Sunday night call to James, the one she makes when she's not spent the weekend with him, and they confirm their plans for the following weekend. He's not seeing her during the week this week, some lame excuse again. I've given up keeping track of them.

As we eat together at the table, we talk about the past week, and the week ahead. I think she says the name "Emmett" at least twenty times, going on and on about him.

Lying in bed with her a few hours later, I'm running my fingertips through her hair, my motherly attempt to soothe and calm her. We say goodnight, and I swap a few texts with Cullen before I collapse into bed, exhausted and not looking forward to work.

Mornings are awful, and this one is no exception as we run around the next day. Mondays suck, period. There's no way to make them better, you just have to accept it and move on. Once Rose is at school, I sneak through the Starbucks drive-thru, then feel fortified enough to face my boss.

Once I've pretended to work for a decent amount of time, I email Alice to get her opinion on clothes for my Friday night sleepover. I'm not surprised when my phone rings not five minutes later. Positive it's Alice, I answer.

"That was fast. Did you even look at what I sent?"

"Uh... Ms. Swan?"

It's not even noon on a Monday, are you kidding me with this shit, Mrs. Snarky? What kind of trouble could my kid be in already?

"I'm sorry," I say, flipping my phone to look at the display. Sure enough, school. "How can I help you, Mrs. Cope?"

"I need you to come into my office, Ms. Swan. Today."

Oh fuck. The tone of her voice leaves no wiggle room.

"Okay. What time?" Suddenly, I'm turned into Jell-O and all of my assertive parent bullshit is gone.

"Come in before pickup; two o'clock."

Mrs. Snarky hangs up before I can even fucking confirm, and I'm peeved. I'm also left to stew all god damn day about what she might want.

Finally, I'm out the door and on my way to school. Did Rose hit someone? Christ, I can't even imagine. Walking into the fancy building, the receptionist gives me a curt nod.

"Have a seat. She'll be right with you," is all she offers me before turning back to her work.

It takes mere moments before Snarky is fetching me, beckoning me to her office with just a hand gesture. I've got one for her...

Sitting, she gives me a hard glare. It's like we're at the O.K. Corral, and I swear, my forehead starts to bead with sweat.

"What is it?" I finally ask.

"Ms. Swan, we don't tolerate the use of slang and foul language at this school. We pride ourselves on well-groomed, well-educated, and well-behaved children."

I bite my tongue and hold in the laugh. Has she walked this campus lately? I've seen the kids that go here, the girls that roll their uniform skirts in upper school, the snot-nosed kids in the nursery program. But what does this have to do with Rose?

"Okay..." I say, trailing off and motioning my hands for her to fill me the fuck in.

"Today, in the middle of a class assembly, Rosalie asked me if there were a lot of DILFs at this school. Not just me, mind you. We were having Class One time, and she got up in front of the entire class, asking on the mic."

Nice. See, Bella? See where lying gets you?

"Mrs. Cope," I say, going for nice and polite. "I apologize. I assure you, Rose thinks a DILF is, well, not what you think. She overheard the word," I omit that it was me she overheard using it, "and I lied and gave her an alternate version. I told her it was a dad I'd like to be friends with."

A few heartbeats pass, and I try to gauge if this is my final straw. Is this the day I get my kid kicked out of this school?

"Make sure it doesn't happen again, Ms. Swan."

Snark dismisses me with another wave of her hand, and I thank my fucking lucky stars. I'm so relieved, I take Rose out to dinner. I also explain, in depth, that "DILF" isn't a word we use at school. When she asks why, I lie.

Edward has hardly texted me, which is good and bad. My natural instinct is to think this means he wants to bail. Maybe he's having regrets, but what he has texted me has been sweet and bordering on sexy, so it's probably just me being silly.

Thankfully, Rose doesn't put up a bedtime fight and she's down and out like a light in record time. I change into my flannel pajamas and curl up on the couch. A few texts later, I'm asleep in a smile-filled Edward haze.

Minus the trip to the principal, this day repeats itself on Tuesday. One small difference is that Edward appears at pickup. He doesn't immediately approach me; instead, he stands off to my side. I only know this because when I do turn and see him there, he laughs.

"I've been standing here for five minutes," he complains. "Don't you ever look around you?"

I'm sure I've turned five shades of red.

"Bad habit. I get very wrapped up in my head. Besides, where's your usual trail of PTA skanks?" I poke right back at him.

It's his turn to blush, and as if they have fucking SONAR hearing, Cuntywife comes up. Christ, could her tits be more perky?

"Jessica," I say with a curt nod. She might not acknowledge me, but I'm not going to play the class game with her.

As she lets go of Edward, she looks at me like I have two heads.

"Edward, how are you, honey?"

Wait a fucking second. Did she just call my … my … Edward "honey"?

The glare I give her rivals the one I often give Snarky when her back is to me. I turn to face Edward, waiting not-so-patiently to see how he's going to respond to her. We're not exclusive, we're not committed, so he owes me nothing, but my heart still clenches.

"I'm good, Jessica," he says, pulling back from her a little more. "How's Mike?"

Ugh. Just the mention of her vile husband almost makes me vomit. Just when I thought Cuntywife was as obnoxious as one could get, I met her husband one day. Terrible combover, terrible breath, terrible behavior.

Her face contorts and she realizes she's not getting anywhere with Edward today, so she wanders away after a few minutes of conversation. Naturally, I've mentally checked out and am staring at the clouds again, wondering when the next dumping of snow will hit, when I feel him closer to me, all warm, and good-smelling.

I've somehow forgotten how good Cullen looks in his work clothes, the crisp suit and tie doing everything for his body, even underneath his thick, wool winter coat. We exchange awkward smiles, and I realize something.

"Hey, Cullen... what the hell do you do, anyway?"

"I'm a hospital administrator, Bella. And you?"

I have no idea what a hospital administrator does.

"Legal secretary," I answer, although it feels so inadequate.

I wanted to go to law school. I wanted to open my own practice and fight for people. I wanted so many things.

The air between us, even with the weight of my thoughts, is thick with the best kind of tension. We're flirting with our eyes as we talk, his body inclining ever-so-slightly toward mine, and my body responds even without my permission. Is it Friday yet?

Shrill voices break us from our moment of enchantment, and for once, it isn't the Stepfords, but the kids. Edward walks to his car beside me, his arm grazing mine. I can't tell if he's teasing me on purpose or if he just feels the draw like I do, and I decide I don't care; I want it, either way.

We separate and he winks at me as he opens Emmett's door. My heart picks up, and I laugh, shaking my head.

The rest of my night is boring in comparison, right until Edward calls. We have a nice conversation, but it's too short. Reality is invading our time again, and it pisses me off.

Wednesday is my half-day at work, so I'm at pickup a little early. I spot Esme, and wander over to chat with her.

"How are you, Bella?" she asks, a grin on her face.

"I'm good, Esme. How are you?"

"Old," she laughs.

We stand quietly until she turns to me again. "Edward was going to ask Ben for a sleepover on Friday, but I don't think he has. Do you know his mom?"

"Oh, yes! He was supposed to email her," I say, rolling my eyes. "She's right there," I point, "Mrs. Cheney. Very nice."

"Thanks, dear."

Esme smiles and wanders over to Ben's mom. I watch as they chat, and wonder if Esme can pull off a last-minute sleepover. I really, really need her to. I mean, I'm sure Emmett needs to be around other kids, too.

In a move so clearly reminiscent of Edward, Esme notices me as I'm walking to my car and winks, a small nod of her head telling me she's secured the sleepover. I give her a little fistpump and she laughs, my intended reaction.

Edward is back at pickup the next day, and my breath hitches just seeing him. The weather has been clear for a few days, and he's just looking scrumptious. It's my turn to surprise him as I walk up and stand slightly behind him, what I'm hoping is just out of his peripheral vision. He closes his eyes and inhales deeply, in a slightly scary move, and I wonder what the fuck he's doing.

"You smell so good," he says quietly.

"I do, huh?"

"Stop. Just... don't. I can't take it today."

"Hard day?"

Turning to look at me, his eyes are pleading. "What did I just say?" he says, eyes wide.

Oh.

"Sorry, I didn't realize … I mean, yeah. Um."

I'm stumbling over my words and shuffling my feet, unsure of myself.

"It was exhausting," he supplies.

His eyes confirm he's telling the truth, and suddenly the fewer texts make sense. I want to reach out and soothe his eyes, touch his face, kiss his lips. The urge to try and take away his pain consumes me, but I stop just short, one step away from him, conscious of the gaggle of gossiping whores around us.

"We still on for tomorrow?" I ask, hopeful that he can sense everything I'm implying.

No, I'm not exactly planning a night of seduction, but I do want several hours of Edward, uninterrupted. I want to touch him and not worry about the eyes on us at school, or kiss him and not worry about a kid walking in on us, and mostly, I want to get to know so much more about him.

"Yes," he says almost in a sigh. "I'm looking forward to it. Are you coming over after Rose is picked up? Emmett's leaving school with Mrs. Cheney, so I'll be ready as soon as I can get out of work."

"Yeah, I can do that. Did you let the teacher know that Mrs. Cheney's picking Em up?"

He shakes his head no, and I realize maybe Emmett hasn't ever had a playdate at someone else's house.

"Esme usually does that," he explains. "Thanks for the reminder."

Oh.

The kids flood out from the building and we're separated as he talks to the teacher. Rose and I have to run, and I don't want to stand around looking obvious, so I wander away. As I open my car door, I look his direction again in hopes I can at least nod a goodbye. No such luck; he's still talking to the teacher.

We do our usual texting routine, and I fall asleep thinking up questions to ask him and topics I want to talk about.

Friday morning, I'm wide awake and eager. My overnight bag is packed, my body is shaved, plucked, and waxed as needed, and I feel good. Taking extra time after James picks up Rose to change into something sexier than my standard workwear, I make a mental note to try and buy a few new pieces of lingerie soon. I might not have planned a night of seduction, but that doesn't mean I don't want one.

The drive to Edward's feels like it takes forever, but the snow is slowing everything down. Finally, I'm here, and ready. As I walk around to get my bag from the trunk, I feel Edward behind me. His body presses mine into the cold of the car, and I yelp.

"Let me help you with that," he says as he reaches in and grabs my things. Before he moves away, he nuzzles his nose against my neck then gives me a playful bite. "Inside, please."

He closes the trunk, his hand takes mine, and I follow. Inside, he at least lets me get my coat off this time. I giggle at the reminder of our first night together, and he catches me.

"I know. I can't walk inside without thinking about it, too," he says. "Do you know what kind of torture that is? Every time I come home, I think of you underneath me."

How is it that I'm warmer now, with my jacket off? I have no time to contemplate it before Edward's leading me to the living room.

"I don't want that to happen again, at least not today," he says with a laugh. "Best we head to safer territory."

When we're in his living room, he sits in a huge, plush chair in front of the fireplace, and guides me to sit next to him. Slightly defiantly, I sit in his lap. One of my arms is up and around his neck, my legs across the arm of the chair on the other side, laughing. Edward takes a quick look down my legs, his hand following his eye, and then unbuckles and removes each of my shoes. They fall to the floor without a second thought.

Bending down to reach me, his lips are soft and gentle on mine. Smiling, I relax in his arms. This is what I've waited for all week, and it's so fucking worth it. His big hands are warm and comforting as they wrap around me and pull me slightly closer. We're awkward like this, but there's no chance in Hell I'm moving. If I straddle him, which would be far more comfortable, I know we'll just move forward too fast.

Edward's lips are so soft compared to mine. The sounds of our lips against each other, our mouths kissing sweetly, and our breathing in the room, is delightful. I can hear the fireplace as well, the occasional crackle of the wood burning, but what I care about and focus on more, are Edward's noises. He's adorable with his whimpers, hums, moans, and grunts. He's not holding back, and that is the sexiest thing ever.

A long, low sigh leaves his mouth, and I notice he's slowing down. He can't be out of steam yet, we haven't even gotten our hands involved, but he's dropped back to just soft pecks and nibbles at my lips.

"Hungry?"

Oh, right. Food. I nod.

Picking me up so he can stand, I realize he's even stronger than I've ever given him credit for.

Once he's set me back down, he wanders off to what I assume is the kitchen. I wait, watching the fire, thinking about his life. Hearing him before I see him, I smile. He slides a tray between the two seats, and I look over to see an near feast of edibles, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. There are olives, cheese cubes, bread chunks, foil-wrapped chocolate squares, and green grapes.

Instead of taking the chair next to me as I expect, he sits at my feet. His eyes are so bright and alive, but there's still a strange hint of sad and tired there, too.

For the first time, I notice there's a blanket spread out on the ground, and Edward motions for me to sit on it with him.

"This all looks delicious," I say, and reach for a cheese cube.

His hand stops mine before I can grab it, and he pulls them both into his lap.

"No feeding yourself tonight, is the only rule."

"That goes for both of us, I assume?" I ask.

Smiling, he simply nods his reply. I lick my lips and eye the food.

"What do you want?" My words have a double meaning, and Edward laughs.

"For now? A grape, please."

As I pluck a bright green grape from the stems, he opens his mouth. I'm glad I'm sitting, because my knees go weak with the sight before me. Moving my fingers to his mouth, I watch as he closes his lips around them, sucking the grape from between the tips before I have a chance to let go.

Jesus God. He expects us to get through feeding each other all of this food?

We feed each other bites, take gulping drinks of wine, and I start to feel more playful. I put a piece of chocolate, warmed from the fire, between my lips. Edward looks at me with a raised eyebrow, as if calling me on breaking the rules. My mouth widens into a smile and I lean toward him. His mouth opens and captures my lips as they meet his. The combination of Edward, the chocolate, the heat, the wine...

Climbing into his lap, I practically attack him. Our lips are messy, the chocolate melting between them and getting all over our mouths. We're laughing and touching and so ready for each other. His hands are at my breasts, and while my dress is thin, the stupid bra I put on is way too padded and I can't feel him like I want to. Straddling his lap, I sit up and pull my dress off in one movement. I'm honestly too tipsy to even think about being self-conscious, but the way he looks at me erases every doubt I've ever had.

Edward looks hungry, lusty, and greedy. I think I'm going to like Greedy Edward. The thought that I'm supposed to be the one providing a nice experience, in repayment for the previous weekend at the gym, flies through my brain, then escapes and is out of my mind in the blink of an eye.

Before I can take my bra and panties off, Edward pushes up, sitting with me. His hands are in my hair, gripping and tugging, perfect and sure. There are muttered obscenities, and I'm not even sure if it's him saying them or me. I don't really even care, as long as we keep going just like this, making out and touching each other.

Removing my bra, his hands slide under the fabric and then around. Swiping his thumbs along the underside of my breasts, he elicits a moan and my body arches toward him, seeking more. More, more, more, I'm thinking in my head. He always makes me want more, I realize.

"Lay back," he says quietly.

I think about protesting, but stop myself. I am putty in his hands, again. Still.

As I move down, he pulls my bra all the way off, sneaky bastard. We shift around awkwardly for a minute as I move my legs and lay back. His intense gaze doesn't make me feel uncomfortable this time; instead, I'm just really, really turned on. I smile softly at him, and he returns it before leaning forward, toward my body.

Putting my hand up, I stop him. I want his clothes off; I need to feel his body against mine this time.

"Clothes, baby," I say, and then giggle, because I can hear the fine line of tipsy I'm walking when I speak. I'm not slurring, not beyond controlling myself or making decisions, I'm just really, delightfully buzzed.

Edward laughs too, and stands to take his clothes off. He takes the t-shirt over his head and drops it down on my face, still laughing. Before I move it, I take a stalker-like inhale of his scent. By the time I move the shirt off my face, Edward is down to his boxers. God, the way they hug his thighs is sinful, and I can see his cock already. Sitting up, I reach out for him, but he shakes his head at me.

"Lay back down."

Doing my best to roll back down gracefully, I look up at him, hovering over me still. I'm trying to control the idiotic noises in my head, a symphony of "mmm" and "ung" and "NOW PLEASE".

"Close your eyes," he says.

Just when I thought he couldn't get me hotter. I comply and close my eyes. Hearing crinkly noises, I assume he's unwrapping a condom. A condom. Shit. It occurs to me that we didn't use a condom last weekend.

As my brain rolls that thought around, I'm distracted by Edward's hands at my hips. My panties are pulled down and away from my body, and I wait to feel him between my legs again. Shifting, I pull my knees up and bend them, feet flat on the floor.

Edward hums low, and I feel like the sound vibrates right through my body. "Look at you, so gluttonous and ready." His words make me want to squirm, press against him. He's right; guilty as charged.

"Not yet, though. Not yet."

He's humming again, and I can feel his hands closer to my body, then warmth and wetness at my breast. I think it's his mouth, until he actually does wrap his mouth around my nipple. Feeling his lips on my skin, his tongue lapping, I think I might go insane. More vibrating hums, stronger sucking, and I can hear myself moaning.

Feeling the path of whatever it is he has shift and move down my body, my eyes fly open. He's got one of the chocolate squares between his fingers, practically painting my body in the soft, melted chocolate. Inhaling sharply as he crosses my abdomen, I fear he's going to take that blissful little square too low and give me the world's nastiest yeast infection. That's not the kind of parting gift I want to go home with.

"Edward..."

"Shh," he encourages.

Okay. I decide to go with it, let myself enjoy, and I'll speak up if he gets too close.

Just as he takes the chocolate and traces the top of my mound, he changes directions and heads back up my body. He completes what feels like a circuit, having drawn all around my body. I don't know why, but I'm taken by surprise as he begins to lick and suck along the chocolate path. By the time he's done with one nipple and making his way lower, I'm already a moaning, panting mess.

I swear, he licks across the top of my mound to get the chocolate, and I want to grab his hair and press him the slight bit lower, cooch drama be damned. Instead, I curse and feel his tongue make several swiping paths back and forth. He's placing open-mouthed kisses along the sensitive skin there, sucking and then licking once the skin is in his mouth. When he returns back to soft, sweet licks, on purpose or accident I have no idea, the very tip of his tongue slips quickly against my clit, and I realize this really is the best kind of torture there is.

Edward moves his mouth back up, thankfully, and as he captures my other nipple between his lips, I do finally wrap my hands into his hair. My hips press up into his, and I am reminded of the fact that we need either a condom or a few questions answered.

"Fuck. Edward..." I pause to breathe. Pressing my lips to his neck, now that he's got his head level with mine, I continue. "You're killing me in the best way possible, but Edward, condom?"

All movement ceases, as if Edward has completely forgotten the rules of being with someone new, too.

"Oh."

He pulls back to look at me.

"I don't have any. You're not... Are you on..."

"No, I've got an IUD, but..."

"Bella, I don't have any STDs. Don't you think I'd have told you?"

I'm glad he's sort of laughing as he says it, because the potential for a really awful misunderstanding or hurt feelings is huge in this moment.

"Yes, of course. And I have nothing to worry about. I mean, not that you gave me a chance to tell you much before last weekend," I say.

"Good."

As he says the word, his mouth is back on my skin, everywhere at once. His fingers are playing me, touching me where I've wanted and needed him all night, and I can't even think as they dip into me. Fuck. He's so good at everything and anything he does to me.

His breath is hot against my ear, his body still hovering over mine as his fingers tease and bring me to new heights. "God, you are so fucking sexy like this."

Somehow, the words combined with his actions spiral me into my orgasm. I'm clawing at him, whimpering and moaning, holding in the loudest scream of my life as I feel my body tighten and release around him.

Before I can even think of recovering, of speaking, of doing anything, he's pulling my legs up and thrusting into me. He's not hurting me or being aggressive; he's confident in the precision with which he moves. And, oh dear God, he really has earned that confidence. The angle he has my legs, resting against his chest, and the way he's pushing into me... I'm already heading into my next orgasm. I'm not even sure, actually, that I left the first one behind. It's all a haze of bliss at this point.

Hearing him talk, the obscenities coming from his mouth are so hot. One of his hands leaves my legs and cups my breast, teasing and pulling at my nipple as he continues to thrust into me. My own hands are all over his body, scratching and pulling him closer, to no avail. We're as close as we can get, and that pisses me off, to some degree. The next time we do this, I want to be on top so I can just get my body right next to his.

Picking up his pace, he's hitting harder, faster, deeper, and I fall again. My eyes are closed, my head is moving side-to-side like a possessed woman, and I just want to suspend my body in this pleasure. A few moments later, I can hear him grinding out words through his teeth, his body slowing and then stopping as he rides out his own orgasm.

In contrast to the frantic and needy moment before, he pulls back from me slowly, kissing each of my calves. His hands rub soothing circles on my muscles, and I can't be bothered to open my eyes yet. Right where I am is warm and happy, the fire still smoldering, Edward settling into my side. My head turns to him and we kiss softly, carefully.

I haven't learned much more about him, but decide we have all morning to talk. I realize I'm so in love with this man beside me. I couldn't deny it if I wanted to, and that is such a foreign concept to me. I've always been able to guard my heart, protect myself, but I can't with Edward. I'm incapable of hiding, incapable of holding back, and he seems to be in the exact same predicament.

The last thing I hear before I fall deep asleep is Edward's contented hum and whispered thanks against the top of my head. At some point in the night, he has clearly dug through my bag and wakes me to put my nightgown on and follow him to bed.

In my most romantic and wild fantasies, I never could have imagined the feeling I have as I lay with him, drifting back to sleep in his arms. His bed is fucking huge, unimaginably comfortable, and it's as if this is where I've been headed my entire life. Nothing has fit like this, or made sense like this, ever. I push the thought to the back of my head, saving my nervous breakdown and re-analysis of my entire failed marriage for a more suitable time, and succumb to sleep.

A/N2: This story will now go back on hiatus *sadface* until the rest of my in-progress stories are completed.

A/N: Endless thanks to Squalloogal, for purchasing this in the FGB auction. You guys get this chapter, plus chapter 3 of this story, thanks to Squally's generosity.

You've probably noticed that this story changed names. This is formerly Meet the Parents. Welcome to Fumbling to Happiness, the multi-chapter story name. Thank you to the 900 people I polled and pestered who helped me figure out the right new name. I hope you don't completely hate it.

Mucho besos & gracias to my beta, TwilightMundi, and to tarasueme, who never hesitates to look over anything I send her. Also, to jjuliebee, who has pimped this story more than anyone I know. I love you, JJ.

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.

~o~

He turns and looks at me, smiling, and then he stops. We're in the hallway and I have no clue what we've stopped for, when he moves his body in front of mine, pressing me against the wall. There's no hurry this time, just slow, casual, dare I say lazy kisses. The kind that say "thank you," and don't need to rush because they know there are thousands more just like it behind them.

Edward leads me to the kitchen and I can see a meal laid out across the counter.

"Dinner?" he offers.

"Yes, please!"

Through my haze of lust and need, I've entirely forgotten the need to eat. The growling of my stomach reminds me, though, and I'm glad Edward has enough common sense left to remember humans require food.

"Just need to pop it back into the oven for a quick reheat," he says, pressing a few buttons on the oven.

"Did you cook?" I ask.

"I've learned to make a few things; enough for us to get by," he says. "Esme often invites us over."

Watching, I pay attention to the lines of his body and the way he moves. He's obviously very comfortable in this kitchen, and that makes me smile. Edward grabs two bowls and portions out what I can now tell is salad. Only, this isn't at all like my version of salad – you know, open bag, dump in bowl, glop on dressing? No, this has beautiful greens, I can see peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, strawberries, blueberries, and walnuts.

I notice the bowl next to the salad as Edward picks it up, along with a whisk, and brings the dressing back together. He's talking to himself softly the entire time, making notes about the food and its freshness.

"Should be okay," he mutters. "Salad and baked rigatoni good?" When he finishes speaking, he looks up at me and his eyes are so clear, so alive.

"Yeah."

I'm all mono-syllabic, having imagined this elaborate dinner, but being faced with just Edward. His casual comfort with serving me baked pasta and salad is … unimaginable. In the very best of ways.

As we sit at the table, his hand rests on my knee. Looking up, I catch him staring at me, a goofy sixteen-year-old's grin on his face.

"You look very proud of yourself, Cullen," I tease.

"I am. How often do I get this lucky? Beautiful woman in my house, happy kid, great night."

Smiling back at him, I nod and go back to eating my salad. It's like an orgasm in a bowl, and I have to stifle the giggle that wants to erupt at the fact that I'm sitting here with Fucking Cullen, post-orgasm high, eating the best salad of my life. Surreal.

The rest of the meal passes mostly in quiet, our bodies touching in some manner the entire time. Sometimes it's his hand on my knee, or mine on his arm, his lips against mine...

When we're finished eating, he stands and puts our bowls into the sink, having reused our salad bowls for the pasta. Walking me back to his bedroom, he helps me get my dress back on (sadly), and it's like reality is settling back into my bones. I briefly wonder if this is why so many of the Stepfords are on meds – this awful, shitty, lonely reality.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Edward asks, just as I've gotten out the party hats and streamer for my epic pity party.

My usual Saturday bullshit is so mundane, I can't even bring myself to bore him with the details.

"Not much," I say.

His hand moves to caress my face again, and I'm thinking I could really get used to this. Closing my eyes, I soak up as much of him as I can before I have to leave. Being a mother is a fulfilling job, it's just something I never imagined would overtake and consume my entire life.

"I want to see you. Will you have time?"

As he speaks, he's kissing my eyelids, then nose, and cheeks, and moving toward my lips. I'm definitely going to need Chapstick when I get home.

"Yeah," I breathe. "I should. We could take the kids to the pool?"

Might as well make full use of the wax I paid for.

"Yes, that sounds perfect."

We work out the details of where we'll go; I offered to meet at the local rec center's indoor pool, but Edward prefers his snooty gym. Well, the gym or the country club. Since I'm not ready to turn in my Regular Person Card just yet, the gym it is.

"Text me?" I practically beg against his lips.

Our kiss escalates quickly and I want to stomp my foot and pout at the fact that the large grandfather clock in the other room is reminding me that it's far past my own bedtime, never mind our childrens'.

Edward hands me my jacket and helps me put it on, and I really can't help but smile. I'm sad to be leaving, but these small gentlemanly moments give me hope for more.

Opening the door, he takes my hand, and I pause, frozen where I am, exactly one step outside Edward Fucking Cullen's house.

The most beautiful, pristine snow is falling to the ground. The flakes are fat, fluffy, and wet, and right now, it's heaven. Looking around, I see that the surfaces of the expanse between the houses are lightly dusted with it, and everything looks magical. Everything is shimmering in the moonlight, and it feels like the potential is there for all of it. The piles of snow can become snowmen, the hills will be banks for sledding, and me? I can feel the potential building there anew as well.

Positive my cheeks and nose are turning pink in the chilly air, I leap into Edward's arms, laughing. Sure, what I needed was a few good rounds inside that house with him, but what I needed even more is now gently wrapped around me. The hot and hunky man I lusted after for weeks has sort of faded to the background, never gone, that's for damn sure, and the strong, warm man holding me now has surfaced.

The potential is there for him, too, and it only sinks in further and deeper as he kisses me lightly once, then begins to tickle me. Shit, I hope he doesn't drop me. At least we'd be on the ground again, but a quickie in the snow isn't exactly my idea of a great nightcap.

Trying as hard as I can to not be affected, I let his fingers jab into my ribs and poke around my flabby middle, his need to provoke a reaction clearly growing.

"Aren't you ticklish?" he asks, frustration evident in his voice.

Biting my lip, I just shake my head no. I don't know why I'm even bothering to lie – I'm awful at it. He laughs and again I worry he's going to drop my sorry ass right onto the cement, but his arms are strong and reassuring around me. In more ways than one.

Finally, he sets me down and I realize we're at Esme's back porch. Stealing one last kiss, we compose ourselves as best we can and he opens the door for me. As I enter the room, I notice a man I've never seen before. Older, distinguished, but cold, perhaps? There's some distance, some unease between us that I can't quite put my finger on.

"Ah, Bella Swan, this is my father, Carlisle Cullen. Dad, this is Bella, Rose's mom."

Reaching out to him, I take Carlisle's hand in mine and we shake quickly.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cullen."

As I'm uttering the words, I have to bite my lip to keep the laugh in, the reminder of my name for Edward making me slightly schoolgirly.

"And you, Miss Swan. I've hardly heard a peep from the kids, but I believe Esme is watching a movie with them in the theater," Carlisle says, his look sweeping from me up to his son, then back to his newspaper.

"Thanks."

Edward's quick answer surprises me, and we're on our way down basement stairs before I can ask questions. I stop short on the last step, not wanting to turn the corner and look at them just yet. This last little peek, last little moment of privacy and grown-up time is mine, and I'm taking it. Turning on my heel, I pull Edward's mouth down to mine for a quick kiss.

My tongue sweeps out into his mouth, along with a quiet moan, and I pray that my puffy, oldass, now broken jacket isn't making too much noise as my hands move to his face. For some reason, I have to fight to stay rational. Fight to keep from saying all of the things my heart wants me to say and share with him. I'm not ready, and neither is the life-sustaining organ pumping away in my chest, even though it seems to disagree.

With a wide smile, I pull away and step down the last step. Our kids are sitting next to each other in huge, leather chairs. The large projector is playing a movie I know has just come out on DVD, and they're sharing a bowl of popcorn between them. Popcorn smell assaults me and for the first time ever in my life, I'm a little sad. I don't want the salty, buttery goodness; I want Edward smell.

"Hey, guys. Did you have fun?" I ask, breaking their movie-induced stupor.

"Mom!" Rose shouts, leaping from her chair to hug me.

I see Emmett roll his eyes and Edward inclines his head at him, some macho display of non-affectionate affection, I guess.

"Ready, Rosie Posie?"

A sharp tug on the ends of my hair alerts me to the fact that Rose obviously does not want me to use her nickname in front of the boys.

"Do we haveta?" she asks, pleading with her sad, but obviously tired, little eyes.

"Yep, it's way past bedtime. But, how about swimming tomorrow?"

Rose jumps and squeals, and I think, yeah, I feel that way about them, too.

"Mr. Cullen and I will work out the details, but we'll get some fun time in between our usual errands, okay?"

Emmett gets out of his chair to high-five Rose, and the grown-ups laugh.

"Bella, thank you for letting me watch the kids tonight," Esme says, smiling at me with such a genuine expression my heart clenches. She really is the ideal grandma. I'm envious, as I miss my own, who passed on several years ago. "I'd love to watch them anytime." She winks at me, and I giggle. Giggle.

I've been reduced to giggling. I'm not even sure I care, really. Maybe what I need is giggling.

"Thank you for watching them, Esme. I can imagine what a handful these two were."

I'm totally not even kidding, either. Rose can be such a handful, add in another body and brain on her level and I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Esme looks at me and says, "They keep me young."

Her eyes are dancing in a dangerous way that tells me she's even more delighted about playing Matchmaker with her son. I suddenly realize that I know very little about Edward's family, and although he's given me small details and bits and pieces of his life story, there is so much left to learn.

The thought thrills me.

"Goodnight, Esme, Edward," I say, nodding at them both.

Turning to leave, I realize there's no way I can navigate this maze of a house on my own. As I'm getting ready to ask Edward to help a girl out, his hand is at my elbow. It's not overt, not too boyfriendy, just a guy helping out. Rose is wrapped up in her end-of-the-night conversation with Emmett about the movie and doesn't even notice, so I have no idea why I'm even nervous, but this is just the pleasant effect of Cullen, I guess.

"I'll miss you," he breathes into my ear as the kids walk ahead of us. His body is closer to mine, warming me, and I have no time to reply. My once cold, dead heart clenches a little. I'll miss him too; more than I'm ready to admit to either of us.

Emmett is semi-navigating Rose in front of us, and it's slightly comical to watch them doing almost the same thing we are. I know they're too young to even think about things like that, but it's funny to look at them and wonder what if.

At the front door, I turn and shake Edward's hand. Sure, it's the goofiest thing I've done lately, but I don't want Rose or Emmett to suspect anything yet. I also flag this topic to return to tomorrow at the pool, because I'm not sure if we're intentionally hiding this from our kids, or if we're both just really awkward around each other now.

Edward's fingertips tickle my palm, and I swoon, swear to god. I guess we're not as awkward as I thought. He lets go too soon, but I know it's needed. The door opens, and the ground is soft under our feet. Rose and Emmett each gather snowballs to throw, and Momzilla comes out to play.

"Okay, enough," I say, the cranky at having to leave all of this and go back to my real life settling into my bones. "In the car, please."

Emmett shows the first sign of affection toward his father I've seen: as Rose and I buckle in, he's got his arm wrapped around Edward's waist. It's a small but tender moment. They wait there, on the porch in the snow, no jackets, as we pull away. Even as I'm turning out of his driveway, they're standing there watching, waiting, soaking in as much of us as we are of them. It's then that I realize Rose has turned all the way around in her seat and has been waving out the back window the entire time.

My heart almost breaks.

"Did you have a good time?" I ask, genuinely interested.

Rose is like my life raft at times; it's totally not cool to admit it, but she is probably one of my best friends, even at seven years old. She's smart, funny, and likes a lot of the same things I do. Not because I like them, mind you – but because she genuinely likes them herself. She's not the kind of kid to say she likes something to please me. Oh no, sometimes I can see the conflict that rages in her eyes, wanting to be different from me.

"Yeah, Mom."

Her answer falls short of my expectations, but I know better than to press her. She's probably tired and needs time to digest all of the changing things. I'll ask her again at breakfast and make sure she's really okay spending more time around Emmett.

The rest of the car ride is quiet, filled only with the soft sounds of the radio and my inner dialogue that never stops. When we get home, I help Rose into her pajamas and she climbs into bed without argument, a rarity for her.

By the time I'm in my own PJs and back in my room, my phone is buzzing away on my dresser. I flip it open and smile.

Good night, Bella. Xoxo

I send what I hope is a cute reply and crawl under the covers. My sleep is restless, even more tossing and turning than usual, as I let thoughts of Edward and me simmer. Am I ready to bring a man into my life?

Faster than I know it, the sun is rising high in my bedroom and I'm awake again, having no recollection of ever falling asleep. As I make my way to the coffee pot, I try to think about my day. I need to go to Target, the pool, and then... well, I might as well be honest. I want to spend the entire rest of the day with Edward. I'm not sure how realistic that is, though, so I map out other errands and laundry, the highlight of every single person's Saturday, right?

As I'm mixing pancake batter, I feel warm arms wrap around my waist and a head smooshes itself against my ample ass. At least it's good for something.

"Hey, sweets. Ready for some pancakes?" I ask, like pancakes are manna from heaven. The reality is, my griddle is old and needs to be replaced, and I hate that I'll have to soak and scrub it, but Rose loves pancakes.

Rose whoops and hollers, finally settling down at the table. Once I have a stack cooked, we sit together, eating and talking about the day.

After we've eaten, showered, and dressed, we hit Target, spending only about twice what I had budgeted. Fucking dollar spot.

On the plus side, Edward and I have been texting back and forth the entire time. Somehow, dirty texting makes your wallet draining much more acceptable. I even let Rose get a Littlest Pet Shop, which I'm sure I'll regret after I step on it at during the trek to my bedroom at midnight.

Once we're home, I implore Rose to change into her bathing suit quickly, and do the same in the privacy of my bedroom. Putting on my bikini top, I take an extra second to look in the mirror and make sure my nips are both pointing the same way.

Girls properly in place, I slip on jeans and a sweater and make my way to Rose's room. She's dressed and ready, and we drive to the swank place the Richies like to call the gym. As we drive, I wonder if anyone even sweats inside there.

Like the gentleman he is, Edward is waiting outside for us. We're both bundled up, Rose and I, but the itch to touch and hug Edward is palpable. I can tell he feels the same when he embraces me, and I panic for a moment. This is definitely not in our agreed-upon plan.

Before I can protest, he pulls back and takes my hand in his, leading me to the visitor sign-in forms. After being handed a temporary card, I take Rose back to the women's locker room and feel like an idiot. I haven't worn a bikini in at least a year, what the fuck was I thinking putting it on? There's no time to wallow, though, as Rose is undressed and ready in her suit before I can even pull my pants off. She's literally running laps around the bench that separates the rows of lockers, and I just laugh as I pull my hair back into a ponytail and lock up.

Once we're hand-in-hand, I realize I have no idea where the pool is. I didn't see it on our way in, so I turn to ask what looks like the only normal person in this place. She points and grunts, and just as I'm about to lecture her about politeness, Rose drags me away. Snagging two towels on our way out, I wrap mine around me in my continuing fit of self-consciousness.

"Slow down, don't run!" I say, then realize I sound just like my fucking mother. The thought makes me blanch.

Rose bolts through the door that Snotty has pointed us to, and I see Edward and Emmett semi-splashing at the shallow end of an elaborate pool. On one side is a walk-in shallow end, and the other has covered, spiraling waterslides. At the shallow end, there are a few fountains popping up through the water, and a mushroom that has water raining down on small kids. It's not packed in the pool, but not empty either.

The kids run into the pool, and Edward leads me over to a jacuzzi with a small waterfall. From here, we can still keep an eye on them, but also have privacy. We're the only people in the warm, bubbly water, and I'm glad for it as I drop my towel at the edge.

Stepping in, I grab Edward's hand that he has outstretched to me and settle between his legs. He's strong and warm, his fine hairs tickling my back as we try not to be too obvious in our snuggling.

"I guess we're telling the kids?" I ask.

"I don't know. It still doesn't seem like a great idea. Maybe we should hold off a few more weeks?"

I nod, knowing he's right, but confused by his proximity to me. What he does next takes me even more by surprise: his hands wrap around my waist and pull me even closer to him.

"You are so sexy in this bikini."

His breath is hot against my skin, even compared to the fine spray the bubbles around us are creating. I want to lean back into him and let him work his insane Cullen magic, but then his words really register.

"Oh my God, are you fucking blind?" I ask, half-laughing.

As his fingertips splay over my stomach, the muscles clench involuntarily. He's seriously going to do me in, right here, right now.

"Why would you say that? You are gorgeous."

"Where should we begin? My thighs and ass are not made of steel, not even close. My stomach is flabby, my tits sag. I have freckles in funny places, thanks to too much teenaged suntanning. My-"

Edward bites my earlobe, effectively stopping my speaking. As I groan, he speaks, and I try really hard to listen.

"Your thighs and tits are magnificent, Bella. You don't realize what great shape you're in, and you don't even workout. Your freckles are adorable, and this stomach?" Both hands continue to graze and tease my skin as he speaks. "This is where your most precious gift, your demonseed hellbeast, came from. It's not anywhere near flabby. You have the curves of a real woman that's lived."

Humming, I rest my head back against Edward's shoulder.

Wait a second.

"Demonseed hellbeast?" I laugh, repeating his words.

"Yeah. She's awfully cute for someone spawned from Hell, though."

"What about your demonseed hellbeast?" I ask, almost but not really offended.

"Oh, he's perfect for her. Two minions of Satan, sent to torture us."

We laugh together, but then his hands are roaming again, and I can feel them between my thighs. Carefully, probably so as to not arouse suspicion, he shifts my legs apart and hooks mine outside of his. Just the thought of what he's going to do, anything at all now that I'm opened to his body, has me panting like a dog in heat. I'm that shameless, apparently.

"Edward," I implore.

"I'm just gonna make you feel good, Bella," he reassures me, his voice soft and seductive. "Don't you wanna feel good?"

His teeth nip at my neck and I realize I am thoroughly fucked, even if I'm lacking that particular body part inside of mine.

"Yeah."

Snaking his hand down into my bikini bottoms, I can feel him teasing me. As his fingers glide up and down my lips, just the tips shifting and teasing between, I whimper. It almost seems unfair that I'm having so much fun and he's not, but in this moment, I'm just too greedy to care.

Briefly, I contemplate ducking under the water further so he can touch my breasts, but there's absolutely no way we can do that without raising suspicion. As it is, I'm leaned back against him, eyes closed, moaning like a whore. I'm just thankful we haven't been thrown out yet, and toss out a brief thanks to the universe for allowing us this miraculous moment of privacy.

Edward's fingers focus their attention on my clit, varying his strokes from side-to-side and then up-and-down, and I realize he's talking softly in my ear. He's whispering the things he likes about my body, in fact, and had it been anyone else, I'd have thought they were just snowing me. Edward, however, is entirely genuine. He's listed a few of my scars and even the shape of the parts I hate, turning them from saddlebags to luscious hips and such. Part of me wishes he would just shut up; I'm uncomfortable with anyone paying this much attention to my body, but the greater part of me is enjoying the vibration of his voice through his chest, and the way he's paying me an endless stream of compliments.

Shifting his other hand lower, he snakes it, too, into my bikini bottoms. His fingers circle my entrance and after he pushes two inside of me, I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming as I come. He is so, so good at this.

His voice is low and scratchy as he speaks. "I can't wait to get you to my house again."

All I can do is hum in my post-orgasmic state. Suddenly, the thought occurs to me that I've lost track of Rose, something that never happens at the pool. My eyes fly open and I curse, a little louder than intended.

"Don't worry," Edward reassures me. "There are life guards and I've kept my eyes on them. Well, one eye. Did you enjoy that?"

"Mmm, yes, Edward, thank you. That was fucktabulously good."

We linger, the air quiet between us, for the next few minutes.

"I don't want you to leave," he says softly.

"I don't want to go either. Do you have plans tonight?"

Sighing, he turns me to look at him. "Yeah, I promised Emmett we'd go to the movies. It seems like kind of a father/son thing, you know? I don't know how he'd react to inviting you and Rose."

"It's okay," I say, running my hand along his cheek. He clearly didn't shave this morning, and the stubble tickles my palm, making me smile. "We have lives."

His hand reaches for mine under the water, and he threads our fingers together. Suddenly, I remember something.

"Hey, Rose is with James next weekend," I say, leaving the rest unspoken.

"All weekend?" he asks.

"Yep. She goes Friday around six, and then comes home Sunday night sometime, usually around eight. Depends on what James has planned with his other family."

Groaning, I remind myself to watch my words. Just because it didn't work out with me doesn't mean James isn't entitled to a happy life.

"I don't know," Edward says softly. "Emmett would be suspicious if I had you over the whole weekend, but I might be able to plan a sleepover for him with someone from the class. He's been asking about a playdate with some kid named Ben."

"Ben is very sweet. Good kid. His mom is a little nutty, but aren't we all?"

"Do you have her email?" he asks.

"Dude. Check the class list, Father of the Year," I tease.

He tickles me and I let out a loud yelp, drawing every eye in the enclosed area to us. Shit. We part like teenagers caught making out on the couch, and I keep laughing for a good five minutes.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Rose whines, having run to the jacuzzi from the pool. Emmett appears right behind her, his eyes pleading to Edward.

"Okay, okay. Can you get lunch?" I ask, turning to Edward.

He nods and we all make our way back to the locker rooms, shower, and meet out in the lobby. After a quick drive down the road, we're wolfing down sandwiches and soup from a fantastic deli, everyone mostly quiet. I can sense the exhaustion running through Rose, having run herself ragged at the pool. Emmett's hair has dried and is spiking up just slightly, making me giggle every time I look at him; it's that same uncontrollable look Edward's hair seems to have.

Full and happy, the kids get into each of our cars, and we're left standing there in awkward silence. Their eyes are on us, curious and big, as we stand, talking.

"I'm sorry, I- I wish I could..."

"Stop, it's fine. Really, Edward. I'll hopefully see you on Friday, and maybe at pickup sometime," I say, winking. "And there's always the phone, you know."

"I know. It just feels like... not enough."

His body is so close to mine now, and I'm torn between reminding him to back off and pulling him closer.

"I know what you mean," I whisper. My eyes meet his and I'm reminded of last night, when he asked me not to break his heart.

Very carefully and very slowly, he leans to kiss my cheek. It's something we can clearly explain away to the kids, but the way he lingers is just for me. His soft lips press to my cheekbone, whispering against the skin briefly before he pulls back.

"Talk to you later?" he asks, opening my door for me.

"Yeah. Absolutely."

I give him my biggest, best smile, because I am so happy right now, I could burst. I never imagined feeling this again. Somehow, Edward has woken feelings I was certain I'd just never feel, never experience, never soak in again. I'm not quite sure how to repay him, but I've got a few methods in mind to try...

Just a quick note to let you all know that I'm participating in The Fandom Gives Back Author Auctions again. Once the auctions go live (late June/early July, I believe), I will post a link on my FanFiction profile and blog. My auctions will be two highest bidder style, with the following terms:

- Starting bid $50 for a minimum 5K piece. Can be an outtake/sideshot/futuretake; must be from a a current or past story, including one-shots and drabbles.

- Starting bid $50 for a minimum 5K piece. Can be new story idea, or outtake/sideshot/futuretake from a a current or past story, including one-shots and drabbles.

I don't write: rape, incest, pedophilia, abuse of any kind, RPF, Jake/Bella, and I reserve the right to refuse other ideas that I forgot to include here. I will do my best to work with the high bidder(s) to ensure mutual satisfaction.

I do write: everything else -- canon pairings, non-canon pairings, Vamp, AU-H, slash, femme slash, BDSM, K-rated, angst, sappy, multiple participant lemons, etc.

If you're interested in being on "Team MsKathy" for group bidding, please contact HookaShewz.

I am also offering up a co-writing auction with SweetDulcinea! I will be sure to link to that as well once things are up and posted.

I appreciate your support of this great cause (and me!) in advance. ♥

A/N: Thank you so much to Squalloogal for buying these and generously gifting one to Ninapolitan, tby789, and LolaShoes. This was what Nina requested, and I hope I've done it justice here. More notes at the end!

Thank you to TwilightMundi, who helps with my idiotic late-night mistakes and makes me giggle.

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.

¤-¤

BPOV

I wasn't quite sure what Edward had meant when he thanked me for helping him with himself, but I let it go and drifted to sleep with him.

Thankful that I'd driven myself to his house, when I woke up in the middle of the night, I got myself dressed again and left. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend the entire night with him, but we both had jobs to get to in the morning and I knew I'd need a fresh change of clothes and a shower. As I crept out, I considered leaving a note, but couldn't find any paper or a pen and wasn't particularly in the mood to browse around at somewhere between four and five AM.

Once home, I fell into bed after setting my alarm, and slept comfortably for the rest of the morning. Showering quickly, I thought back to Edward and wondered what might come of our night. Perhaps it was simply a great opportunity for two single people to scratch an itch they had.

Walking into the coffee shop, I spotted my Barista Boy and gave him my usual smile. The only difference was, I had a slight pang of guilt that morning. Should I not be smiling at him anymore? I wondered.

I wasn't sure.

Edward had been a fantastic date, and I certainly wanted more, but I wasn't clear on what the rules were. He had kids, and I never wanted them. He had an ex-wife and I'd never dated someone longer than six months. He clearly made more money than I did, had been overall more successful in life, and had been through more life experiences. Could we ever make anything substantial work with such an imbalance in our lives?

Time wasn't on my side, so after a few flirty exchanges with the handsome coffee boy, I took my coffee to go and drove to work. Angela had my schedule for the day, and we were going to be predictably busy for a Friday.

Around eleven o'clock, Angela came beaming into my office. Between patients, I had moved to my desk to make some notes and check my email. And Twitter. And maybe LOLCats. Except, Angela's head appeared wrapped around the door jamb before I could really begin the goofing off.

"And just what did you do last night to earn these?" she asked as she pulled a beautiful bouquet of stargazer lilies from behind her.

Certain I was blushing a deep shade of red, I put my head in my hands and laughed. Desperately hoping they were from Edward, I opened the card as Angela giggled and sat down next to me. Angela read the card aloud, peeking over my shoulder.

To many more nights of stargazing together. Call me, please? Edward

His telephone number was at the bottom, and though I wasn't sure I could call him, I was certain I could text.

Thank you for the amazing flowers. Well, what will be amazing flowers once they open. -b

Leaving my phone behind on my desk since I knew I'd be tempted to look at it every five seconds, I grabbed lunch and saw more patients.

"Bella, your phone is going nuts," Angela said, phone in hand. "Can you just make it stop chirping?"

Laughing, I grabbed it from her and nodded. "Sure, sure. Let me see what Mister Cullen has to say..."

Not nearly as amazing as you, opened and beautiful. When can I see you again?

Blushing at his words and implication, I giggled. "Well, then..." I whispered, mostly to myself as I flipped to the next message, leaving the first unread.

Too much? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.

Had it been too much? I was again unsure of protocol in this situation.

Not too much, just a busy day. I'm free tonight?

I spent a few minutes worried about being too available, but I wasn't the kind of girl to play games. When I wanted to spend time with someone, I wanted to be with them, I didn't want to dance around it and waste time. Since Edward's schedule was limited by the time he had to spend with his kids, I wanted to be available when our schedules would allow it.

Handing my phone back to Angela, I walked in to the next patient room and saw a few more animals. She reappeared a few minutes later, a wide grin on her face as she handed me my cell phone again.

Can't do tonight, but God do I want to. Kids. Sunday night?

Sunday night, was he kidding me? I needed to get ready for the work week and I had important things to do on Sunday night. Like paint my toes, and put on my mud mask.

Sure, they were small things, but I realized in that moment that these were the kinds of concessions I'd need to get used to. I could do those mundane tasks on Saturday, right? If I couldn't, there was no point in even seeing Edward again. If I wasn't prepared to put aside my normal expectations and ideas of a dating relationship, there was no point in wasting either of our time.

Leaving his message unanswered, I saw my last few patients. Friday night, and I'd be without a date. Again. How was this any different than the week before? At least this Friday, I had the prospect of a date on Sunday. And, I could call him, right? Maybe? I decided to get an answer.

I want to say yes, but can I call you tonight? Maybe once the kids are asleep?

His reply came only moments later, a confirmation that he'd call when they were asleep and he was available. He mentioned that he had some work he needed to wrap up quickly, but didn't anticipate it would be too late.

As I drove home, I decided to call Alice.

"Hey baby, how was your day?" Her calm and smooth voice soothed me immediately. Alice and I had been friends for so long I'd lost count of the years.

"Really good," I said. I only slightly attempted to keep the smile out of my voice.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I should ask how your night was?"

"It was ah-mazing, Alice. Edward is..." I sighed. "Edward is really great. But he has kids, Ali. Am I the kind of woman that can date a guy with kids?"

Alice and I had spent countless nights in our twenties discussing kids and marriage and the meaning of life. She always knew she wanted a house full of kids, and I always knew I didn't want any.

"Of course you can, goober. Don't be silly. How old are they?"

Searching my brain for the information, I thought back to my conversation with Edward at the pet store.

"Six and eight, I think."

"Those are good ages. What happened with their mom? She still in the picture?"

"Yeah, he said he has them on weekends and sometime during the week. He asked to see me, but then said he couldn't get together until Sunday. Should that bother me?"

If anyone would be able to help me sort out my thoughts and feelings on this, it would be Alice. She knew me better than I knew myself, often.

"Well, Bee, you need to decide if he's worth it. If you think he might be, why not give it a go? I mean, you'll never really know how hard it is to manage things unless you try, right? You'll just build it up in your head to being this terrible thing, and who knows? It might be easy."

"Yeah," I said, stuck deep in my thoughts.

She had a point; I'd never really know unless I tried. It wasn't like I was going to meet his kids that weekend. I knew enough divorced couples to know that I didn't really even want to meet his kids until or unless things got serious between us.

When I got home, I made myself dinner and soaked in the tub. The bubbles, music, and bottle of red I'd brought with me helped and I was utterly relaxed, happy, and content when my phone chirped. Grateful he'd called then and not later (as I might have just fallen asleep when I got out of the tub), I answered quickly.

"Hey."

"Bella? How are you?"

"Just a sec, actually. I need to climb out of the tub without killing myself. I'll be right back."

Setting the phone on the counter, I got out of the tub and dried off, then slipped on my comfy, fluffy robe. Picking the phone back up, I slipped under my cool sheets and snuggled into bed.

"Better. Still there?"

"I am," he said. "Bella, did you just say you were getting out of the tub?"

I laughed. "Yes, yes I did. I needed to unwind and relax after my long, hard day," I said, lowering my voice, hoping to tease him a bit.

"Are you...." He paused and exhaled audibly. "Are you naked?"

"Well, that depends on what you think of as naked. I mean, we're all naked under our clothes, right?" Laughing, I went on. "I have a robe on, though, to answer your question."

He was adorable, his voice a half-whine, half-pout. "Fuck. I wish I was with you right now. I miss you."

"You don't even know me yet, you can't miss me. And, I wish I was with you, too."

"I do, though. I miss your smell, your taste, your smile, the way you fidget when you're nervous, and the way you let go with complete abandon and take what you need. Fuck."

His last word was a whisper, and I was surprised he was ready to confess those things to me. Pleasantly surprised. Maybe he wasn't like the other guys I'd dated, and maybe this would be different. I could hope.

As much as I wanted to continue on that line of conversation -- who was I to turn down some good, old fashioned phone sex, after all -- it didn't feel right. Deciding to aim for a distraction, I asked a question I knew would take us off the dirty subjects and back to reality.

"How's Jake?"

"I don't want to talk about Jake right now," Edward whined.

"I know, but, I just don't think it's a good idea to head down that path." I could almost see his plump lower lip sticking out in his best pouty face. "Yet," I added.

"Alright, you're probably right that it's better not to. Jake's good. The kids adore him. He chewed up my favorite pair of slippers this morning."

"Aww. You need to get him some more toys, maybe."

"Maybe. I'll need to pay a visit to my new favorite store, I guess," he said.

"So, how long have you been divorced, Edward?"

My nerves had finally settled and it seemed like a good time to begin the serious portion of our conversation.

"A little over a year now," he said. "We agreed on almost everything and got the paperwork pushed through. There was no point in fighting her, you know? She wasn't in love with me and I wasn't in love with her either. I'm not sure I ever really was, if you want the truth."

Quiet settled over our phone lines, and I wasn't sure how to proceed. I could hear the hesitation in his voice and wondered if maybe I'd crossed a line.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a painful topic."

"No, these are all topics that are on the table and up for discussion. You need to know all of these things about me. The kids were still so little when we split, four and six. I worry so much that I fucked them up forever."

Now we were at an area that I had a little experience in.

"You know, my parents broke up when I was just a baby. I spent most of my time with my mom, but then lived with my dad when I got a bit older. I don't think I'm too fucked up," I teased. "It was better, I think. I never had to deal with them fighting or hating each other. Do you guys fight?"

"No, not anymore. We used to, but now we just try to focus on the kids and what's best for them."

"And she's remarried?" I asked.

"Yeah. She and James got married a few months after our divorce was final."

"Do you think they'll have more kids?"

"Christ," he muttered. "I really hadn't thought about it. I have no idea. I hope not, though. Is that selfish of me?" He paused briefly. "Well, either way, I hope not. Victoria has her hands full with our kids."

"Do you want more kids?"

The line was so quiet and still, I panicked.

"I mean, I'm just curious. I know this isn't typical second-date conversation, but this isn't a typical second date," I teased again.

"No, I really don't. I don't think it would be fair to my kids to bring more into the picture. Do you want kids?" he asked.

"No." A simple answer seemed like the best plan.

"Well, that's good. At least we agree on that. Tell me, Bella, have you ever been married?"

Laughing, I shook my head, as if he could see me. "Nope. Never married, never close to married."

"Afraid of commitment?" he asked, his turn to tease.

"No, nothing like that. Just a lack of opportunity and the right guy," I explained.

"So what would this 'right guy' look like? I mean, on paper..."

"God, I can hear you grinning through the phone, you ass. I don't know. Someone kind, I suppose. Someone loving. Understanding, for sure. I make mistakes, and I need someone that understands that. Hmm, what else..." I thought about it and realized I was pretty low maintenance, with a few exceptions. "I need someone smart. I mean, I don't want to sound like a snob, but he has to be able to keep up with me."

Edward laughed loudly, and I worried for a moment he might've woken his kids, until I remembered just how overwhelmingly large his house was.

"I can keep up, I'm sure of that."

"Oh, Mister Cullen, I'm sure you can, too."

A peaceful quiet rested between us and I realized I was getting sleepy.

"I gotta get my beauty sleep soon. I have a hot date on Sunday and I need to be well rested."

"Alright, if I must let you go, I must. Can I text or call tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'd really like that."

"One last thing, Bella. I want you to know that I realize my life is full of complications. I'd never expect a woman like you to want to make endless compromises for me, but it sounds like you're willing to at least give it a try, and for that, I am truly grateful."

As I formed a reply in my head, I blushed and squirmed around a bit.

"Well, we'll see how it goes. No promises."

"No promises," he repeated.

"Talk to you tomorrow," I said, yawning at the end.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered, a hint of longing in his voice.

"You too."

Hanging up, I set my phone down on the nightstand. After I plugged it in to charge, I rolled over and pulled the covers up, thinking about everything we'd talked about. It was a lot to take in, but at the same time, it wasn't like Edward told me he had cancer; he had kids, and we could work around that, right? Besides, I still only knew surface Edward. Who knew if I'd even want to stick around after a few more dates? I hardly had a great track record when it came to getting to know men.

After a great night of sleep, I woke up to the most adorable photo text of what I assumed were Edward's kids and Jake outside. They looked like they were probably in the backyard, as I was pretty sure I recognized a few pieces of furniture, and they were obviously having a blast.

We traded a few texts throughout the day, as I got my usual Sunday errands done, so that I could spend whatever part of the day Edward had free with him. I'd brought my flowers home from the office, and tried to be patient for them to open. That night, when I'd scrubbed, been waxed, painted my nails, then put on a hair masque, I sat and wondered what our date would be like.

Are you taking me out tomorrow? What time are we meeting, and where?

Lying back on my bed, I thought about Edward and the planes of his body. The shape of his form, the timbre and cadence of his voice. Just as I was getting myself worked up, my phone buzzed with a text.

I thought I'd cook and we could enjoy a casual Sunday night in. You could pack a bag and stay the night, unless that's too fast?

Thinking, I realized that I really, really wanted to stay the night. I was an adult, he was an adult, why did we need to pretend and/or go at anyone else's pace but the one we were comfortable at?

I'd love to. Plans sound good. I'll dress casually, then. What time?

Walking to my closet, I thought about what I'd wear, and what I needed to pack for my overnighter. I didn't want to pack anything super fancy, or give Edward the impression that I was something that I wasn't; I was absolutely a low-maintenance kind of a girl. I liked to dress up now and then, just not every day.

Soon enough, I had my clothes and bathroom supplies packed, as well as a piece of lingerie and some comfy pajamas, just to be safe. I decided not to bring my laptop, but did bring a book I'd been reading.

How about six? I drop the kids off at five, and that should give me enough time to get some groceries...

It was already past dark, and as I read Edward's text, I was surprised by my phone ringing.

"Hello?" I answered, even though I knew who it was.

"Hey," he said. "Is it okay that I'm calling? I figured..."

"Yeah, it's fine." Inside, I was a giddy mess. "I'm glad you're calling. The kids looked like they were having a great time with Jake. He's a hit, I take it?"

"Yes, they love him so much already. I'm sure they're going to give their mother a hard time when they have to leave him here. So what can I make you for dinner tomorrow?"

His voice had lowered and I heard a rustling sound.

"Hmm, you cook? More than just mac and cheese?"

"I do," he said, shifting again. "The kids need to be able to eat a healthy meal, and I find that it helps my stress levels to get in the kitchen and cook. Girly, right?" He laughed at the end, and I could swear I detected a self-conscious tone to his voice.

"I think it's sexy. A man who knows his way around the kitchen and a woman's body? Mmm." Smiling, I laid back on my couch. "What do you love to cook, anything in particular?"

"I'm going to ignore the comment about your body, before we dive into that topic and never make our way out again. I make a mean lasagna. Or we could grill burgers and veggies. Whatever you want, really."

"Burgers sound good; nothing too heavy. Can I bring dessert?"

Okay, I was intentionally teasing again. It was just too fun with Edward. He seemed to respond every time (though, granted, there hadn't been a ton yet), and he wasn't annoyed at my behavior, like some of the guys I'd dated. He played along with me, instead of discouraging me.

"You are dessert," he said.

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped.

When I could think again, I responded. "Oh, I thought we weren't going to dive into that topic..."

Edward mumbled something about diving in and I giggled, then slid under the covers.

"It's almost bedtime, you know," I said.

"I know, but I'm not ready for you to go yet," he complained.

Yawning, I said, "Tell me a secret."

Edward hummed and I could hear him shifting around again.

"A secret?" he whispered. "Let me see... I really love my life, especially lately. I mean, I worry about the kids like I said last night, but at the end of the day, I'm doing the best I can. I have great parents, a job I love, great kids, and this gorgeous woman that seems to want to spend time with me."

Blushing, I giggled. How was it that he always reduced me to a puddle of schoolgirl glee?

"Your turn," he said.

I thought for a moment. What secret could I share with Edward? Though so many people seemed to know me on the surface, very few took the time to get know everything underneath.

"I always wanted a brother or a sister," I whispered. "Growing up was so lonely, and my poor mom, she did her best to keep me busy and play with me, but it wasn't the same."

The quiet stretched out before us awkwardly, and I wondered if I'd overshared. Just as I took a breath to apologize, Edward spoke again.

"God, that's … I'm sorry."

It wasn't the kind of glib comment he was just making to give me an apology; I could tell he meant it.

"I have Alice, she's like a sister to me. I'm lucky."

"You are. I had my two brothers, and although we get along great now, I spent plenty of days wishing I'd been an only child."

Laughing at the contrast in our childhoods, I wondered more about his life. I decided to be patient and ask him the next day at our date.

"I wish I was there to tuck you in," he said softly.

"Me too. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he agreed. "Good night, Bella."

"G'night, Edward."

Once again, I slept deep and heavy.

In the morning, I went to the gym and then the book store. Alice met me at our favorite bistro and we had lunch and coffee, gabbing well into the afternoon. Finally, when it was time to leave for Edward's, I locked up my place and drove over. I tried to obey the traffic laws, but the speeding ticket I'd have gotten would totally have been worth it, I decided.

Knocking softly, I smiled when I heard him shout that he'd answer the door in just a minute. When he finally opened the large, ornate obstacle separating us, I almost gasped. In contrast to the other night, all suit and tie and business sexy, this Edward was casual and comfortable. He smelled and looked like he'd just showered, but the ease with which he carried himself was palpable. Sure, he seemed nervous like I was, but his obvious happiness at seeing me overwhelmed that.

Edward was in shorts and a t-shirt, feet bare, beer bottle in hand. Seeing my bag, he quickly set the perspiring bottle on a table in the foyer and lifted the bag from my shoulder. When he was that close, I could smell him even better, and nearly swooned. Apparently he felt the same way as my bag was quickly (but gently) set on the ground and before I even had time to think about it, was wrapped in his arms.

The door closed behind me, and I was suddenly pinned against it. I expected Edward to go in for the quick kill – the typical searing kiss, quick grope, move on to the eating type of greeting I was used to. I should have known better.

My body was pliable beneath his, and although he did press up right against me, he didn't immediately kiss me. His hands slid up my body to frame my face, and his nose met mine. Trailing down one side and up the other on my face, I swallowed in anticipation. His breath was warm and humid on my cheeks, lips soft and right in front of me. So close, yet so far. My breathing quickened and I just wanted him to throw me down right there on the marble floor.

The tips of his fingers scratched lightly at my scalp as he continued to torture me in the most delightful ways. When his lips had ghosted across my neck and up to the hollow beneath my ear, he started to press them to my skin. Soft, tentative, tender kisses grew harder as they reached my lips. When he finally kissed me, I momentarily forgot to respond.

His hands in my hair tightened and then left, moving back to stroke my cheekbones with his thumbs. A moment later, his kisses turned softer again, more chaste. Whimpering, I furrowed my eyebrows and finally brought my own hands up to his face, my pathetic attempt to keep him where he was.

"Dinner," he whispered against my lips.

I gave a strangled whine and gave him a few more sweet kisses before I let go. We walked hand-in-hand and I marveled at the professional-level kitchen he'd led me to.

"You want a beer, or some wine?"

"No thanks," I replied.

"Zucchini okay?" he asked, inclining his head to the cutting board.

Nodding, I walked around to where he was mixing up the burgers. "Mmhmm, looks great." Standing behind him, I pressed my body against his. He let out a soft groan as my hands began to wander. Starting at the base of his neck, I kissed and nipped at his skin. As his hands moved to the bowl to stir together the ingredients, I felt his biceps flex and tighten against the soft cotton of his shirt.

My fingers wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed his arms as I pressed my body closer still. The dress I'd worn hadn't allowed for a bra, and I felt my nipples tighten as he leaned back against me, seemingly intentionally brushing his body against my chest.

"Trying to distract me?" he asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

I hummed and laughed a bit. "Very," I replied. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"

"No, no. But I am going to be on my way to the grill in a second. Come with me?"

Quietly agreeing, I pulled my body away from his and we walked out into the backyard. Watching the burgers and vegetables grill, we sat at the patio table. Well, Edward sat at the table, I sat on his lap. It was his turn to tease me, his hands toying with the hem of my dress. I'd kicked my flip flops off in his entryway and was swinging my feet as we made out like teenagers, knowing we weren't going any further anytime soon. It had been so long since I'd just kissed someone just to kiss, and it was sheer pleasure as we waited for our food.

Soon, the warmth of the day and Edward's proximity to me were catching up, and I had to pull back a bit. As he got up to flip the burgers, I took his chair and we sat side-by-side while things finished up. When it was time to eat, we went back inside.

The entire time we dined, we flirted, kissed, laughed, and touched. It was playful and light, an ease and easiness to it unlike anything I'd experienced.

"I'm glad you're here," he said, his fingers playing with mine on the tabletop.

"Me too."

The sun had begun to set and the house was growing dark.

"Come on."

Edward stood and reached for my hand. As I slipped mine into his, he led me up the stairs again on the familiar path I knew to his bedroom. He'd stopped and grabbed my bag on the way up, which I was grateful for.

When we were in the giant room again, he walked to the French doors and opened them. I saw the same balcony I'd seen from below, though now I could see there were two chaise lounge chairs, and a small table. A cool breeze floated in and I smiled.

"Do I have time to change?" I asked, my voice suddenly quiet and small. I'd stayed by the door to the room, closing it quietly behind me.

Turning to look at me, Edward gave me a smirk. Shaking his head no, he began to walk toward me. His smirk shifted to a predatory smile and my heartbeat picked up.

"Ready for dessert?" he asked.

I just laughed, standing there awkwardly. Trying to take in all of the details of his room, I looked around, suddenly nervous. As he approached me, my eyes tilted closed.

His hands were in my hair again, then down to my bare shoulders. "You aren't wearing a bra, are you?" he asked, thumbs tracing over the thin fabric covering my breasts.

"No," I breathed.

Trailing his mouth down the same path his hands had just been, he kissed along my collarbone first. Using the elastic of the dress top to his advantage, he pulled it down and exposed my breast to his mouth. A quick tease later, he dropped to his knees and looked up at me. The vulnerability there, the questioning and desire, it was all immense.

As we locked gazes, he lifted the hem of my dress and brought his hands under the fabric. Carefully, he pulled my panties down, then moved his head beneath the fabric. My body tilted back, resting my weight against the bedroom door as he began to kiss and lick his way up my thigh.

Whimpering when he reached the top of my mound, my knees nearly buckled when I felt his mouth against my bare lips. Edward lifted one of my legs and slipped it over his shoulder, opening me up to his actions even more, and loved me with the same enthusiasm as before.

The room was quiet but for our sounds, and the noises of nature filtering into the room from the backyard. It was intense and erotic, the open door, the breeze wafting across our bodies, Edward beneath my skirt licking and sucking me, coaxing my orgasm from my body.

It took no time at all once his fingers joined his mouth, and I was pressing against the door to keep from collapsing as I came. Even as I recovered, his mouth still placing gentle kisses on and around my wetness, I wanted and needed more. Somehow, in his presence, I became wanton and greedy.

Pulling my dress over my head, I threw it off to the side and then tugged at Edward's ears, the only thing I could get a solid grip on. He laughed and lowered my leg off his shoulder, then stood. Once his hands were in mine, he pulled me to the bed and we fell together, laughing and kissing. Soon I had his clothes off, and he was hard and thick in my hand.

Unlike the previous time, I needed to feel, touch, see, and taste him. We didn't have all night; both of us had to work in the morning, so I quickly rolled with him so he was on his back. As I straddled his waist, both of us naked, I licked my lips and bent to kiss him. His mouth was soft and slick with me, and I let out a little moan. His hands roamed down my back to my ass, and he lifted his hips as he pressed me down, making known exactly what he wanted.

Except it wasn't what I wanted, and it was my turn.

I slid down his body, peppering kisses along the way. When I got to his thick, yummy dick, I placed a gentle kiss at the tip. Edward tried to buck up into my mouth, but I kept my lips closed and in a grin. Carefully, I snaked my tongue back out of my mouth and licked around the ridge at the head.

As I continued to work Edward's body into a frenzy, I realized the noises he was making were turning me on like never before. Typically, this was an act I participated in to pleasure a man and sort of … get it over with. Listening to the soft moans and sighs of encouragement, however, I realized I was squeezing my thighs together and, well, horny. My eyes flicked up Edward's body and I watched his mouth open and close, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips periodically. His eyes were closed and he was in absolute pleasure-filled bliss.

My name fell from his lips several times, and when his hands wound into my hair, I moaned around him. Taking pleasure in his pleasure was getting me worked up and I dropped a hand to my body. As I moved up and down his length, I trailed my fingers up and down between my lower lips. I imagined it was his cock, and moaned again.

"Bella, god, you are fucking amazing," he whispered. "But you have to stop. Please," he begged.

I simply moaned around him again; I wasn't ready to give up the intoxicating power I held over him at that moment. His hands gripped my hair tighter and he seemed to be waging a battle with himself over whether he truly wanted to stop me.

Suddenly, he sat up, taking away my fun.

Giving him the best pouty face I could, I considered crawling into his lap to finish the job, but he quickly pulled me onto him.

"How do you do that?"

I wasn't even sure how he could speak – his mouth was everywhere on my body, hands roaming, ramping me up to my orgasm again.

"Do what?" I panted.

"You have a fucking amazing mouth. More on this later. Right now, I need to be inside you."

Somehow, somewhere, he'd grabbed a condom and was opening it. I watched with rapt attention as he slid it down his length between us, then maneuvered me so that I was slowly sinking down onto him. His strong arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed to the side of my neck as he continued to talk, showering me with praise and love as he pushed up inside me.

Anchoring my legs on either side of him, I rocked my hips against his. One of his hands scraped gently across my nipple and came to rest at my clit, using just the right pressure and speed to bring me quickly over the edge of my orgasm. As I came, I bit into his neck softly, my own attempt to muffle my noises, and then felt him still.

His grip on my body was tight, and after a few minutes, changed. Edward began to stroke and caress me, leaning back onto the bed and taking me with him. Our lips were still teasing and tasting, not to build to something more, just to maintain our connection.

Edward got up off the bed to clean himself up and toss the condom away, I assumed, and so I took that moment to get into my pajamas. When he came back, I noticed he had on a pair of boxers as well, and we settled into bed together, wrapped up in each other. My thoughts were a haze of lust and worry as Edward pulled the duvet up and over us, our bodies warm, and the cool night air breezing around in the room.

"You know, I think that was the best date I've ever had," he said softly.

"Me too."

I burrowed deeper into his arms and expected sleep to come quickly, but Edward kept talking.

"You know, she hardly ever did that. How in the world did you get so good at that?"

"So good at what?" I mumbled against his bare chest.

"So good at …" He paused and bent to kiss me again. "I don't want to sound crass, but so good at giving blowjobs. She always hated it; said it was disgusting."

"Weren't you with other women before her?"

Surely he had been.

"No. We met in high school and she was my first and only girlfriend."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, the vibrations shaking through my body. "Surprised?"

"A little," I confessed. "I imagined you'd have been so popular and the girls would have fought over you."

"Oh, they did. I just stuck to one. My parents and her parents were friends and it made sense at the time. I guess I never realized how miserable I was."

I wanted more information, but I needed sleep. Sidelining my curiosities, I closed my eyes and hummed softly, trying to indicate that it wasn't talking time anymore. My fingertips played with Edward's chest hair and I tried not to get ahead of myself with worry about exes and children and subpar sexual experiences, of which I also had plenty.

We still had so much to learn about each other, but I fell into an easy slumber, pleased with how things were progressing. I couldn't have asked for a better second date, and was already eager for our third.

A/N2: Just a reminder: this will be continued into a full multi-chapter once my current in-progress stories are completed. You can always check my blog for up-to-date information about what I'm working on! I'll also be posting the outfits and other information there.