A/N:

I know I said this was a story was a one-shot, but I had some lovely reviews and many, many requests to continue it. Someone even sent me some Rob pictures for inspiration...and it worked! I was then up all night planning out the next few chapters when I had to get up for work the next morning. Every time my head hit the pillow, I had to get back out of bed to jot a new snippet down.

Ah well, who needs sleep?

Seriously, every time I received an email alert telling me I had a new review, or someone had added the story to their favourites, it was better than a caffeine shot in aiding me to write long past my bedtime.

I hope I can maintain the fluffiness and the lemons.

Thanks to twitty89 for reading through this chapter; if anyone else wants to volunteer to Beta this story, please get in touch!

Stephenie Meyer owns everything but this all comes from my own deviant imagination...

BLUE SATIN

"Why do we have to twenty minutes to get out of Volterra?" I whispered to Edward as we waited in the shade of a doorway. Alice had just departed from us to go arrange transport. We stood face to face, my head tucked under his chin and both his arms around me.

"Ten minutes, now," he replied, "and it's because the Volturi will come looking for me at that time."

"And that's bad?"

"Very much so. If they found you with me, it would end...badly. Humans aren't supposed to know about our existence."

I suppressed a shudder, and he stroked up and down my back. Even the threat of impending danger couldn't shake the languorous feeling in my body at his touch.

Alice demonstrated her talent for larceny again, and although the new vehicle wasn't a bright yellow sports car, it was more comfortable. Maybe that was just because I was cuddled up in the back with Edward.

I was sure, when Alice drove up in the midnight blue Audi saloon (with tinted windows), that Edward would insist on driving, so I was shocked when he let Alice remain in the front. It made more sense when he pulled me into the rear seats with him, and onto his lap.

"Shouldn't I wear my seatbelt?" I asked, and he gave me a lazy smile.

"I've got hold of you." His arms formed a loose cage around my torso, although one of his hands had slipped down my back and was cupping flesh south of my hips. I didn't think his hand placement there had anything to do with protecting me. "Nothing's going to happen that Alice won't see first."

The drive was quiet, and you could almost taste the relief as Volterra disappeared from view. Edward was far from still, running his fingers through my hair, down my neck and back, or rubbing his nose against mine and brushing soft kisses over any exposed skin.

Nobody spoke, and it felt like Edward and I were in our own private stratosphere, far away from Alice in the front. I didn't see much of the landscape flashing by us, I was so wrapped up in the feast for the senses that Edward presented. With every breath I drew him in, reveling in his scent, and wherever my gaze fell on him, I had a new wonder to commit to memory.

I could have used the time to think about the events of the day so far, but I had so much emotion bubbling in me that the thoughts couldn't make space for themselves; all I could do was feel. Everything I'd seen on Edward's face - the joy, the awe – was matched inside me, pushing against the inside of my skin until I felt too small to contain it. There would be time to ruminate later, if I felt the need to. This point in time was destined to be all about being in his arms again, and the elation it brought me.

At one point, Alice took a hairpin turn a little too fast, but Edward acted on his word and kept me in place on his lap. Instinctively I brought my hands up, ready to catch myself, and they came to rest on the bare skin of Edward's chest.

His skin was cool in the air-conditioned space, and as smooth as I remembered. The contact made my memory flash on a moment in the courtyard – his naked skin against mine – and it sent my heart racing.

That caught Edward's attention. "What are you thinking, love?" he asked softly.

I smiled at the so-familiar question, but then flushed as I glanced hastily at Alice, shaking my head at him to say I wouldn't tell. He raised both eyebrows to show he understood, and the blissful smile broadened into a smirk.

A little while later, Alice broke into the bubble. "There's a rest stop coming up. I think we should pull in, for Bella's sake."

I hadn't wanted to say anything, but she was right. I needed to use the bathroom, then find something to eat and drink, then kiss Edward senseless. Not necessarily in that order.

The sky was surprisingly cloudy, especially after the bright sunshine of Volterra, but it gave Alice and Edward the freedom to move around. The little building was one step above a shack, but everything was clean, if basic. Edward nearly followed me into the bathroom, refusing to unwrap himself from around me, until I whined at him that I'd be embarrassed with him in there. Alice dragged him away.

I made sure my human moment was as brief as possible, but I took the chance to brush my teeth. I was already missing contact with Edward.

When I emerged, he was on a cell-phone talking in fluent Italian – it sounded very sensual. According to Alice, he was booking us a hotel in Florence. I wanted him to talk to me like that, the language dropping from his tongue like little drops of honey. I remembered that one phrase, 'Ti amo', and I knew it meant 'I love you' - he'd said it as we made love, right before I climaxed. The memory made goose bumps break out over my body.

They'd changed out of the red festival cloaks while I was in the bathroom, and Edward was in a shirt that I presumed Alice had packed. They were far less conspicuous this way. Edward pulled me into his side even as he continued speaking, and Alice handed me a slice of pizza on a napkin. It was huge – half the size of a normal pizza back home, but the base was so thin it flopped over.

"You're supposed to fold it up to eat it," she told me, and I obeyed, finally getting it orderly enough to take my first bite.

"Oh my God!" I said with my mouth full. I swallowed. "Why is the food this good in a place like this?"

She shrugged, as if to say 'I wouldn't know'. I'd been warned that the Italians took their food seriously, but I was expecting to be eating a greasy burger and fries when we stopped – not this slice of perfection. I nearly inhaled the rest of it.

Edward hung up. "We have a reservation. It's very central too." He planted a kiss in my hair. "How long until we get to Florence, Alice?"

"Another hour, hour and a half, maybe."

"Good. That gives us plenty of time this evening. I'm taking you out for a meal, Bella, so you can sample the flavors of Italy."

I wanted to tell him that I'd rather be sampling the flavors of Edward, but couldn't bring myself to be brazen enough in front of Alice.

"Can we not get a flight home until tomorrow?" I asked.

"We could…" Edward paused, and Alice eyeballed him. I watched them stare each other down, obviously having one of their silent conversations, and I huffed while I waited for one of them to tell me what they were disagreeing about.

Apparently Alice won, because she spoke first. "Yes, we could get a flight home tonight Bella, but Edward says you need to rest, and you won't be able to do that properly on a plane. Although I seriously doubt he's only planning on using the hotel room for sleeping." She shot him an arch look but the only response she got from Edward was an elegant shrug. He didn't try to deny it.

"I'll be fine on the plane, really," I argued, looking to Edward. "We should head back to Forks as soon as we can – Charlie will be spitting feathers as it is, and the longer we stay away, the worse it's going to be."

Edward's mouth was pressed in a tight line. "That's not the only reason," he said, his voice as taut as his face. He didn't seem to want to offer an explanation, so I looked to Alice.

"We know that I can't see anything around the werewolves – if a person's future merges with theirs, all I get is blackness. Earlier today I had a vision involving Victoria, the one I told you about. I know she will be encountering the wolves, because she can smell them getting close, then it all goes blank. I checked Charlie's future, and he sees a plume of smoke in the distance, and you can tell by the color that it's a vampire being burnt. That's what makes me think that Victoria loses to the wolves."

"Okay, this is a good thing." A ring of tension in my chest that I'd been carrying since I knew Victoria was after me loosened, finally. "So when we get back to Forks, she's gone?"

"Not if we go today," Edward muttered tersely.

Alice shot him another dark look, before expanding on his words. "If we get the flight back tonight, the fight won't have occurred yet. I can see it happening because Victoria has made the decision to return to Forks, but she's not there yet. If we return before it does, we have no idea what will happen, and I can't see it because it seems we will cross paths with the wolves. All our futures completely disappear as soon as we cross the town boundary. Edward worries that if we go back and you two are together, it could send her into a fury, and he won't risk it."

"I won't risk you," he clarified, brushing a kiss on my forehead. "And that is why we are staying in Florence for a couple of days."

"A couple of days?" I tried not to shout the words. "Charlie will have the FBI out looking for me!"

"Silly Bella," Alice said. "We've got Esme on the case. And I wouldn't bother trying to get him to budge, I've done my best and he's sticking to his decision." She tapped the side of her head. "It'll all work out for the best."

She went out to pump gas, and I turned to Edward, ready to argue with him despite Alice's warning, but he distracted me with a long, soft kiss. Every time I tried to pull away to speak, his lips followed mine. Finally, I gave up and relaxed into the movement of his mouth.

"You know that's cheating," I said hoarsely when we finished.

"I never claimed to be honorable," he replied, smirking. "Look at the way I stole your virtue this afternoon."

I swatted at his chest. "You didn't steal it. It was freely given." I kissed him again, one sweep of my lips over his.

"I'm glad to hear it." He wore that expression again, all honeyed reverence and gentle joy. "Time to be on the move."

We climbed back into the Audi, and Edward maneuvered us back into the position we'd been in before, with my legs draped over him. The smooth noise of the engine and the gentle movements Edward made as he stroked my back lulled me to sleep. It was like I blinked; one moment we were driving across a landscape full of olive and cypress trees, and the next we were on a narrow street lined with stone buildings.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead," Edward murmured into the skin of my neck. "We're at the hotel."

"Uh," I moaned groggily. "Do I have to move?"

"I can carry you, if you'd like," he purred.

"No, no. I'm fine. I can walk." I crawled off of him, pushed the door open and nearly landed gracelessly face-first on the sidewalk.

Florence was just as overcast as it had been at the rest stop, which I was thankful for. If the weather remained like this, we could freely explore the city in daylight. Besides, it wasn't cold – there was a hint of a chill that told me the day was drawing to close, but compared to Forks it was almost tropical.

Alice had already gone inside to check us in, and Edward retrieved our bags from the trunk, refusing my insistent plea that I carry my own.

The hotel looked exactly like I expected one in Italy too, with a lot of marble and warm colors. Our room was right down the corridor from the reception, on the ground floor, and I gasped when Alice unlocked the door.

The room was huge, with a high, vaulted ceiling, and two four-poster beds stood against one wall, the metal frames topped in white canopies. Around the beds was enough space to fit my bedroom in at home, the floor elegantly tiled in terracotta and overlaid with floral rugs. To my left stood a dark-wooded wardrobe, elaborately carved, and beyond that was a door that I presumed led into the bathroom.

It wasn't luxurious, but it was grand.

Edward had to gently push me forward as I gaped around me, and Alice laughed at me.

"Did you think we'd be staying in a poky little place?" she asked. "When you travel as a Cullen, you travel in style."

I noticed her choice of words – as a Cullen, not with a Cullen, and Edward stroked his thumb across the ring finger of my left hand.

"It's certainly got style," I agreed.

"Well, I'm going to make use of our proximity to all the shops to do what I do best." She waved her purse at us as she flitted out of the room. "Couturiers of Florence, here I come!"

Edward and I laughed at her exit, then I groaned. "She's going to buy me loads of clothes that I won't want to wear, isn't she?"

"Oh I hope so," he said silkily. "I hope she's going to at least visit one lingerie boutique." I colored, and he laughed huskily.

I extracted myself from his hold, to try to mask my embarrassment, and set about unpacking the few belongings I'd brought, taking my toiletries into the bathroom, Edward following me. That, again, made me stop and stare at the splendor of the creamy wall-to-wall marble, and the giant mirror across one wall. The shower, rather than being a cubicle, took up a full corner of the room and was separated only by a ditch in the tiles, to stop the water overflowing out.

Seeing the bathroom made other needs surface. "Edward?" I started.

"Human moment?" he finished for me. I nodded, and he tightened his hold on me, hands sliding down my back and firmly massaging my butt. He seemed to have a preoccupation with that part of my body. "I'll miss you," he whispered, and kissed a trail down from the crown of my head to the tip of my nose, before brushing his lips across mine.

"You're only going to be in the other room," I pointed out, although truthfully, even that felt too far.

"I know," he sighed, exactly as if I'd told him I would be on the other side of the planet instead.

After another minute of butterfly kisses and butt massaging, he tore himself away. I locked the door behind him and leaned back against it, staring at myself in the mirror.

I looked exactly the same. Doing the deed hadn't wrought some great physical change on my body. There was no flashing sign above my head saying 'She's a woman now!'

But there was something different. It took a long moment to realize that it was because I was smiling. For months, the creature I'd seen in the mirror had been hollow-eyed and lifeless - maybe I'd smiled around Jacob, but it had been fleeting. Now, although I was damping the smile down so my face didn't crack, I looked happy.

I shook myself and stripped off my clothes, turning the water on and letting it heat up as I brushed my teeth. I was looking forward to getting under the water: aches and pains I hadn't noticed were there while I was in Edward's arms were now making their presence known.

The water was glorious, and all the knots in my back relaxed one by one. I shampooed my hair twice, then slumped against the cool tile as I let the conditioner sink and work its magic. My eyes drifted shut, just for a moment, as I imagined I could feel the sunshine on my face, just as I had when we were in the courtyard.

A cool finger slid across my belly, from hip to hip, and the contrast to the warmth of the water made me shriek and jump. The movement made one foot slide from underneath me on the slick tile, and my whole body slid with it.

I'd have been on my butt, if it wasn't for Edward's hands firmly on my hips, keeping me upright. A warm, electric buzz spread over my skin, moving outwards from where he held me.

"I told you I had hold of you," he murmured, his voice so low it turned my spine into a molten thing. He had to be using that sultry tone of voice on purpose.

His wet hair was the darkest shade of bronze, too rich in color to look anything as ordinary as brown, and his skin put the marble around us to shame. I stood like an idiot, lost in his eyes. They were still the blackest black – when had he last hunted? – but a shadow lay across them, and I knew now what that was. Desire.

It took two attempts for me to find my voice.

"I thought I locked the bathroom door."

"You did," he acknowledged, bending his neck to press a kiss to my throat. I had no sensible reply. "You were too far away." He looked up at me from beneath his eyelashes, a hint of a pout accompanying the sulkiness of his proclamation. It should have made him look like an angelic little boy, but with that shadow in his eyes, it was impossible. He was far too tempting.

I knew that I was tempting him too. Even if he hadn't picked the lock to come to me, I could feel how much he wanted me pressing into my hip.

"Are you sore?" he asked, as his fingers stroked the skin at my waist. I shook my head. I might have been, but the only part of my body I could currently feel were the scant inches where we had skin-to-skin contact. All my other nerves had burnt to useless cinders.

I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he dropped his knees before me, so his head was now level with my breasts. He took a deep breath and nuzzled at the skin between them, while his fingers kept tracing soft circles lower down. I reached out to grip onto his shoulders, because my own meager sense of balance had deserted me.

"Have you washed yet?" he asked softly, and I shook my head mutely again. "Then I'll do it." He reached for the shower gel, squeezed some into his palm, and lathered it up. I watched, fascinated by the movement of his graceful hands.

The water had warmed his skin, so the goose bumps that broke out over my own were not from cold. He worked his hands over me, sweeping them over my backs, arms and belly. Apparently, he thought my breasts were very dirty, because he spent a long time softly massaging them. Occasionally, his fingers would trail to the peak and gently circle around, eliciting near-silent gasps from me.

With one hand still cupping me, he slid the other lower, trailing just his fingertips across my skin and causing me to shiver. When he reached the apex of my legs, he slid one hand between my thighs, moving my legs until my feet were shoulder-width apart. I thought he was going to move to where I wanted his touch the most, but instead he squeezed more body wash into his hands, and went about washing my legs from the feet up. I panted as he moved.

My inner thighs were as apparently dirty as my breasts, but his touches on them were feather-light passes that curled my toes. He moved his nose so it brushed against the skin at the juncture of my thighs, and inhaled deeply.

"You smell so sweet," he whispered. "I want so much to put my mouth on you."

I replied with a garbled moan.

"But I can't do that while you're human. It's too dangerous." He swallowed back the venom, as if to prove the point. "I'll promise you one thing, though. If – when – you are changed, I will dedicate weeks to doing nothing but that."

My response was lost in a gasp, because he chose that moment to push two fingers inside me. It was all I could do not to sway and fall as his fingers moved, twisting and curling until he found a rhythm, stroking the places that made me moan the most.

I gave up on trying to hold myself up, and slid down the tile until I was on my knees, his fingers still within me. It only took a few more curls and I came undone, slumping forwards against his torso and shaking.

"I'll never get tired of that," he said after a moment, as he brought both arms up to wrap around me. I panted into his shoulder, words failing me again. There was a wet, sucking sound by my ear, and when I peeked, he was licking his fingers clean.

I felt like I should have been grossed out, but the pleasure he wore so openly made that impossible. Any way that I could make Edward happy, I would.

He was still waiting for his own gratification, and I reached out hesitantly, to grasp him. He was hard in my palm, but the skin was soft. Unlike the rest of Edward's un-pliant flesh, there was some give when I squeezed lightly, which made him grunt. I hoped it was in pleasure. I had no idea what I was doing, but I experimentally tightened my grip and moved my fist, copying the crude gesture people made when they spoke about doing this.

"Bella," Edward groaned, and I was pleased that I could make him feel that way. "I want to be inside you...if that's okay."

He was suddenly hesitant, and I made eye contact, letting it show in my face just how okay it was. This was so unlike last time, slow and measured, but it meant the old Edward had returned – the one who was so frightened of hurting me.

"It's more than okay. You have no idea how much I want this," I assured him, planting a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Actually, love, I can smell it," he teased, and it was so unexpected that I blushed hard and deep, the blood pooling not just in my face but across my chest. "Oh, that is lovely," he said, his voice deepening to a near-growl, and he inhaled.

He brought me to my knees again, so I was above him, mirroring that first time, his hands on my hips and our gazes locked. I shifted, so he slid along me, until he was at my entrance. One movement from either of us would bring us together.

Abruptly, he swore under this breath, and lifted me away from him. "Alice is back."

I moaned like a child deprived of candy, keeping my grip on his shoulders, trying to pull him back to me.

"Bella, she'll be able to hear everything," he reminded me.

That was as good as flipping the water to cold. Suddenly, I wanted very much to be dressed, away from Alice Cullen and her freaky powers. Actually, I wanted her to be gone, but I didn't doubt that she had a bushel of shopping goodies to torture me with.

Edward helped me stand as my legs were still shaky, and I finally rinsed the conditioner out.

"What are going to do about - " I gestured vaguely at his naked body.

"I'll take care of it. You go get dressed."

"Oh. OH." The blush I'd only just got rid of reappeared, and Edward growled at me playfully as the scent swirled around him in the steam. He meant he was going to...

Well I'd never before thought of Edward doing that, but now I couldn't get the mental image out of my head. I wanted very much to stay and help him, or at least watch, but Alice's presence in the room outside beckoned. I could hear her crashing around outside, opening drawers and slamming them, and it had to be for dramatic effect because she was perfectly capable of moving silently.

I sighed and wrapped up in two towels – one for my hair, one for my body – and pouted at Edward one last time as I ventured out of the warm cocoon of the steam.

The bedroom was chilly in comparison, and I gripped the towel harder, for all the good it would do. I knew that parts of my body were reacting to the cold, because Alice raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm concentrating very hard, because you know Edward's rifling through my thoughts right now, and the picture might help him along."

Of course she would realize what Edward was doing in the bathroom. I heard a grunt and a string of profanities issue from within.

"He likes it when you blush too, you know. He likes it, likes it."

I couldn't have been more mortified if I tried, so I decided to ignore her and get dressed. These situations were always less embarrassing with clothes on. "Turn around, Alice."

She beamed at me. "Are you sure you don't want to grace your fiancé with that image?" I gave her my best steely glare in response. "Don't worry, he's already finished. I think it was the combination of the blush and the headlamps on full beam that did it." She pointed between my hard nipples.

"Alice - "

"I'm sorry, I'll behave. I can't wait until Jasper gets around Edward and feels how keyed up he is, I'll be getting all the benefit! Sorry, sorry – but I have gifts!"

She picked up a glossy bag with an Italian name embossed on the side. "Here, put these on. Don't worry; he hasn't seen them in my head."

'They' were a matching bra and panties set, in a rich, deep blue satin. There didn't seem to be enough fabric to them. "Alice, there is no way I'm wearing these."

"Bella, trust me. He loves that color against your skin." She sighed. "This would be so much easier if you could see inside my head like he can. Believe me, when he sees you in it later, you will be thanking me. In fact, so will he. He's going to buy me a Porsche!"

Okay, now I was intrigued, although I still wasn't entirely convinced. I gestured for her to turnaround and face the wall – I might have had sex, but I wasn't ready to flaunt my bits at the world. Alice pulled a face, and traipsed into the bathroom with another bag.

The panties were barely there, but at least they weren't a thong. They covered everything I wanted covered, and tied into a bow at one side. The bra pulled everything in and pushed it up, creating oomph I didn't know was possible, but despite all that, the set was surprisingly comfortable.

"I don't suppose you'd agree to wear these?" Alice was back, holding out a pair of black stockings and two blue circles of fabric that matched my underwear. "It's all silk, so it will feel incredible against your skin, and these are just to hold them up – but they will drive Edward wild." She stage-whispered the last, and pushed the circlets into my hands. I flushed as I realized they were garters.

I decided to try them on and if I wasn't convinced, they would come straight off. Alice had to help me pull the hose on and fasten the garters, and it was curiously intimate as her cold fingers brushed on my thighs. I speculated how much fun could be had with Edward in taking them off.

"What's he doing?" I whispered to Alice, wondering what was taking so long in the bathroom.

"He's getting dressed. I told him to stay put until I say he can come out."

"He agreed to that?" I asked dubiously.

"He's learning that it pays to trust me," she smirked. "Now, last but not least - " She pulled a dress from within the embossed bag; a long sweep of a black, slinky fabric.

"I wanted something in the same color as your lingerie, but I couldn't find anything suitable. I also wanted to get you satin, but then I thought I was best getting you something you'd feel comfortable in. It's a silk-cotton jersey, so it will feel divine on your skin."

I took the dress from her, and the cloth was soft beneath my fingers. She was right; the dress was simple, almost like a long t-shirt. I pulled it over my head, and it stroked across my skin as it slid down, falling to just above my knees. The fabric draped along my frame, so it didn't swamp me, and the neckline was square, showing off all the extra 'oomph' that the bra had provided.

"Bravo!" Alice said, assessing the dress on me, then she threw a pair of black ballet pumps at me. I missed catching one and it hit the wardrobe. "I've outdone myself, even if I do say so."

I hugged her. "Thanks Alice, for restraining yourself. I do feel comfortable in this."

She smiled. "I'm not done yet."

The next ten minutes whirled by as she plunked me into a chair and fixed my hair and makeup, apparently heeding my requests to keep it minimal. My hair was left loose, and she'd kept the makeup simple at eyeshadow, mascara and lipgloss. "You don't need much anyway, but this is just to enhance."

"She doesn't need anything, Alice," Edward called from the bathroom.

She leaned in conspiratorially. "I think he wants to get out of there." He growled again, and came stomping out.

"Alice, what's taking so long - " He stopped dead, and the look on his face as he appraised me made me redden all over.

"My work here is done," she said, laughing. He ignored her, and pulled me to him, kissing me long and deep and with plenty of tongue.

He pulled away when I ran out of air, and even though he spoke to Alice, he didn't tear his eyes away from me. "She's perfect, Alice. Thank you." He ran one finger down the side of my neck, to my collarbone, and along the length of that, while I trembled against him.

"So long as you don't try to thank me with a kiss, I'm happy," she replied.

His eyes flicked to her, then he took a step back. "I'll think of some other way of thanking you. All my kisses are reserved for Bella." Parts of me wanted to thank Alice for putting him in this mood, and parts of me wanted to throttle her for interrupting us in the shower. Being in proximity to him again made me ache all over for the chance to touch him, to be skin to skin.

"So, I'm going to go explore the countryside outside of Florence," Alice said. "It's been a few weeks since I hunted, and it will give you a chance to reconnect without me interfering. I'll be back - " she paused, obviously consulting her future, "the day after tomorrow. Ciao!"

I waved vaguely in her direction as she left, but I didn't look away from Edward. In the middle of her little speech, I'd realized what he was wearing, and I was trying very hard not to forget to breathe.

While Alice had been out buying my dress, she'd obviously picked up a suit for him. I knew nothing about fashion, but even I could see the obvious quality in it. The cloth was a charcoal-grey, not quite a black like my dress, and it made the onyx pools of his eyes even more vivid. His hair, vibrant copper, stood out as the only real color on him, and although the rest of him was flawlessly groomed, it stood in perfect disarray, as it always did.

"Bella?"

"Mmm?"

"Bella, you look absolutely exquisite."

"Mmm." I wasn't listening to his words, but watching the shapes his mouth made as he spoke, remembering it moving over my skin.

"Bella?"

"Mmm?"

His smile deepened, to wide satisfaction. The pace of my pulse rocketed in response. "I think you're dazzled." He leaned down to brush a kiss against my mouth, and I licked my lips, moaning at the taste of him on my tongue. It did bring me out of my reverie though, and I grinned sheepishly at him.

"So, I still dazzle you?" He really did look proud of himself.

"Always."

He kissed me again gently, our eyes open, and I regarded how dark his irises were. I smoothed a finger along the shadow under one eye. "You need to feed."

"I will. Soon. When I can bear to tear myself away from you. Besides, I don't think they'll have my favorite here in Italy." His hands roamed down my back and stopped just short of my butt.

"No mountain lions?"

He shook his head. "Although, while we're here, we should make sure that you get to try as much food as possible."

I nuzzled into his chest. "I don't want to leave this room."

He sighed. "Neither do I. But the sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back."

I tilted my head to look up at him. "Okay. But I'm not having too much to eat. A main course and dessert, at the most."

I should have made him promise on that, because of course he wanted me to try nearly everything on the menu. I guess these were all 'human experiences' that he didn't want me to miss out on.

The restaurant was on the edge of one of the central Piazzas, and we were sat in the alcove beside a window, looking out at a fountain in the distance that seemed deep enough for me to wade in. It made me think of the one I'd run through in Volterra - so much had changed in less than half a day.

I got the impression that the restaurant was very exclusive, and very expensive. Edward must have reserved the table at the same time he booked the hotel room, and paid exorbitantly for it. Despite being at the front of the restaurant, the table was isolated from other diners, giving us the same sense of being in a private bubble as we'd had in the back of the Audi. Rather than sitting across from me, Edward chose the chair next to me.

He didn't ask what I wanted to eat, but when the waiter came for our order he rolled off a list of items in perfect Italian – and I even saw them consulting over the wine list. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he grinned back as the waiter walked away.

"You're old enough to drink in Italy, Bella," he told me, as he gently squeezed me knee under the table. The squeeze sent chills to other parts of me that I wished Edward was touching, and he stroked small circles over the silk. I was glad to be wearing the stockings – if he had been caressing bare skin, I'd have straddled him here and now, even in front of the other diners.

I caught a glimpse of us reflected in the windowpane, our faces close together and with a golden cast to them from the candlelight. For the first time ever, I truly felt like we belonged together. Sure, Edward was still light-years ahead of me in terms of beauty, but there was a symmetry between us that made sense. We were both pale and dark-eyed in the colorless wash of the glass, and wore a mirrored expression of love. I knew, for the first time, that Edward really, truly loved me as deeply as he said he did, and I accepted that.

Everything that happened after my birthday was water under the bridge. It didn't matter anymore. We were together again, and that was all I cared about.

"What are you thinking about?" He breathed the words in my ear, snapping me out of my silent trance.

"Us. What else?" We smiled at each other, expressions soft, and he held my hands between his.

The waiter returned, placing a bowl of soup in front of me, and what looked like miniature ravioli before Edward.

"Edward, why have you ordered food for yourself?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.

"It's not for me." He smiled, spearing pasta onto his fork, and raising it to my lips. "It's for you."

I bit down, and the creamy taste of ricotta spread over my tongue, contrasting with the tang of the tomato sauce.

A suspicion occurred to me. "Did you order two of each course?"

He shrugged. "You don't have to eat all of it, just sample what I ordered."

We were interrupted by the waiter bearing a bottle of wine and two glasses. There was a quick exchange between he and Edward, and I was presented with a glass full of golden liquid.

"I hear it's very good," he told me, tapping his head to show me how he had heard, and moving the glass towards me encouragingly. He had his own glass, which twirled the stem of between his fingers, and the waiter had left the rest of the bottle in an ice bucket beside the table.

"Edward, I can't drink the whole bottle. I won't be able to walk back to the hotel!"

He smiled. "I'll carry you." He went back to tracing circles on the back of my hand. "These are all things I want you to try, while you still can." His voice had softened, stroking down my skin like the silk around my legs, and smoothing away my indignation.

I bit back a sigh. "Okay, I'll try everything." I didn't want to ruin the mood between us.

Edward fed me as course after course arrived. I had tiger prawn ravioli in a lobster sauce, while he had ordered tagliatelle with "a ragout of duck in red wine, cream and prosciutto". I wasn't sure what most of that meant, but it melted on my tongue. On the side there was bruschetta to dunk into the sauces.

The waiter didn't complain that the plates he removed were often more than half-full. I stuck to the one glass of wine, although it seemed to last forever, and I suspected that Edward was topping it up when I wasn't looking. I wasn't sure if I liked the taste when I took my first sip, since I'd never had wine before, but halfway down the glass I'd definitely begun to appreciate it. It cleansed my palette between bites of the myriad flavors Edward offered to me.

I knew dessert was on its way, and I excused myself to visit the bathroom. It was tiled extravagantly in black marble, and lit softly, so when I looked in the mirror I had the same glow around me as I had seen reflected in the window. Maybe it was just my mood.

As I made my way back, I passed the waiter, who smiled warmly at me. Edward had my hand in his before I even sat down, and pulled my in close, tucking me in under his arm and wrapping it around my shoulders. "The waiter was thinking of how in love we looked," he murmured into my ear.

"Well, we are," I replied, gazing at us in the window again.

"True." He kissed my hair. "So, do you want to explain to me about cliff-diving?"

I stiffened and tried to pull out from under his arm, but it was futile attempt. I had to settle for taking a gulp of wine.

"Bella, you promised me that you wouldn't do anything reckless."

I sighed. I really, really wanted to hit back at him, to mention all the promises he'd broken when he went away, but that would take the mood of the evening far from where I wanted it to be.

"It was a way I could feel connected to you, even when you weren't there," I confessed.

He pulled away enough to look down at my face. "That makes no sense."

"I know." I shook my head and tried to collect my thoughts. "While you were...gone...sometimes I could hear you. It was when my adrenaline was high – if I was in some kind of danger – and you'd talk to me. If I was about to do something reckless, you'd ask me not to do it – but then, if I didn't do it, you went away."

He thought for a long moment, brow furrowed, then stroked a finger across my lips. "So you genuinely weren't trying to kill yourself."

"No, not at all! I told Alice, it was all a big misunderstanding."

He frowned. "Well, I will be with you from now on, so there won't be any need for you to do dangerous things to hear me. For instance, spending time with werewolves." All trace of amusement had left his voice, and it dripped with something I couldn't quite identify.

A pinprick of anger flared inside me. "Edward, you can't tell me who I can and can't hang out with. The wolves are my friends – and besides, they were protecting me from Victoria."

His eyes flashed. "Victoria?"

"Yes, like Alice said in Volterra, she thinks the wolves will have it all sorted out before we get back to Forks."

"Victoria is in Forks." He was horror-struck, every part of him still. "I thought Alice meant she returned while you were here in Italy."

"No. She came back to get revenge over James." And I told him the whole story about the months he wasn't there over a double dessert – tiramisu, and raspberry panna cotta, which I did not eat all of – and I was glad I had the food to concentrate on. If I'd had to tell him about those months without the distraction, I would have been in tears several times over.

Then he confessed what he had been doing while he was away from me, which included an attempt to track Victoria himself, and that horrified me. By the time we'd both finished, I felt a shift between us. The air was clear. We could move into our future, with no secrets or guarded memories dividing us.

"I think you should finish your wine," he said finally.

"I think I've had plenty," I replied. "I don't want to be drunk tonight."

His expression darkened, and he pushed the glass away from me. "Perhaps you're right."

All of a sudden we were on fast forward, out of the restaurant with the bill paid and rushing back to the hotel, me practically trotting to keep up with him. He had one arm around my waist to keep me moving forwards, and I think if the streets hadn't been so busy, he really would have carried me back to the hotel. Anticipation flashed through my body, leaving me trembling.

Edward didn't even stop to say good evening in the reception, but marched us right past to the desk and down the hallway to our room.

Once the door was open, he began moving as quickly as he was capable, leaving the lights in the room off, the only illumination coming through the window. He slammed the door shut and pressed me up against it in one movement, his mouth attacking mine and his hands sliding up the backs of my thighs, under my skirt.

"Fuck, Bella," he said as his fingers grazed along the garters. "You're wearing stockings?"

I gulped and nodded, the unexpected curse shooting desire along my nerves. He took me by the hand and spun us to the other side of the room, so we were stood at the foot of one of the beds, and his lips went to my neck, kissing and licking and sucking down to my collarbone, leaving a trail of cold fire behind.

"Please, please, please..." I chanted, as I slid one hand to the back of his neck. He responded by cupping my butt, under the dress this time, his hand firmly kneading the skin before sweeping round to grip my hips.

"What has Alice got you wearing?" he asked huskily. I took the chance to step away from him and pull the dress from my body, throwing it in the direction of a chair.

I could see myself in the mirror across the room: pale skin, enhanced by blue satin, my legs encased in black and my hair spilling around my shoulders. It was another first: I didn't just feel beautiful, I felt desirable. Sexy.

It was reflected in Edward's expression as he stalked towards me with a storm in his eyes.

I know, I know, cockblocked twice. But chapter three is written and will be up a.s.a.p. and I think it will more than make up for it.

Oh, and I based the hotel room on one I stayed in when I went on a college trip when I was eighteen – me and the girl I shared with were the luckiest sods, we got allotted that room by chance and everyone else's was much smaller. Mwahaha!

Picture here: www . hotelaprile . it / image _ zoom . php ? show = ==

Please let me know if you like the direction this is taking, if you don't, if you have any random thoughts...all feedback is appreciated!