A/N So here's chapter 2! We get to hear from Edward. Thank you so much to ms_ambrosia for helping to keep everything in it's rightful place and catching all my typos. And thank you also to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1!

Chapter 2

Emmett and his stupid ideas. I was so fucking tired from work, yet he was insisting that I come and meet him and Jazz at some club.

I tended to avoid nightclubs, if at all possible. For one, I wasn't a huge drinker and drinking seemed to be the sport of choice at those places. Back in college I drank enough, and had enough horrible hangovers to last me a lifetime. I still enjoy a couple of beers or cocktails, but that's about it.

And for number two, I had no desire to hook up with some random girl who's slept with who knows how many guys. I always used condoms, but still. One night stands were just not my style, and I knew the opposite was true for a lot of the chicks who frequent the club scene. Just like with the drinking, I did my share of partying and sleeping around in my college days. I was young, stupid, and horny. I got my fill. Now, I was twenty-eight years old and, in my opinion, too bloody old to be clubbing it up.

But, Emmett is Emmett, and he just would not listen no matter how many times I told him I didn't want to come. He met some blonde in his new building a few days ago; her name is Rosalie and after just one date for drinks, he was convinced he found the love of his life. Jazz and I had just rolled our eyes upon hearing this news. Emmett thought he found The One. Again. This happened every couple of months, but they never lasted. Emmett's easily bored, and no one seems to hold his attention for more than a few weeks. I had no reason to believe that this Rosalie will be any different. But Emmett nagged and nagged and finally talked me into meeting him and Jazz there. He just wouldn't shut up, so I finally agreed.

And so here I was, fighting the traffic and trying to find this club that I'd never been to before. My phone rang just as I was about to call Emmett and ask him for directions.

"Hello?"

"Where are you, man?" Emmett's voice was annoyingly boisterous.

"Still trying to find this place, Em. Where the fuck is it? I'm on Williams right now."

"Okay, you need to keep coming until you see Ninth. It's like six or seven blocks down. Turn right and it's on the left."

"Got it."

"You need to hurry up, dude! Rose brought two of her friends with her, and one of them is sooo your type. Her name's Bella and-"

"Emmett, no matching making please," I begged. The last time Emmett had set me up with someone, she turned out to be a kleptomaniac and stole the salt and pepper shakers from the restaurant I'd taken her to for dinner. I never trusted his Cupid skills again after that incident.

After a short conversation, in which I found out Emmett and Rosalie and her friends were upstairs, I drove for another ten minutes before I finally located the club. I had to park a few blocks away and was walking towards the entrance when my phone beeped with a text. The caller display read Emmett and I frowned, wondering why he was texting instead of calling. I opened the text.

Crazy T

What the fuck? I groaned and actually smacked myself on the forehead with my phone. Tanya Denali was my own personal nightmare. She just would not take a hint and go the fuck away. We'd gone out twice, but she turned quite stalker-ish real quick, so I never asked her out again. That was over six months ago and she still turned up on a fairly regular basis, always wanting to hook up again, convinced we were just destined to be together or some utter bullshit like that. It was annoying and slightly scary. I texted Emmett back.

Not comin in

Em: All OK. T thinks u and B r 2gethr

Who's B?

Em: Bella. Rose BFF.

I groaned again. Fucking Emmett.

WTF Em?

Em: Come in! Kiss B, she's in loop.

I reviewed my options. I could turn around and get back in the car and just leave. Or I could possibly get rid of Tanya once and for all by acting like this Bella and I were a hot and heavy item. What the fuck would this girl think? And why was she willing to play along with all of this? And how- my phone beeped again, recalling me to my immediate dilemma.

Em: Come now. B in pink.

After a few seconds of consideration, I decided to go for it. Why the bloody hell not? At this point I was willing to do practically anything to get Tanya out of the picture for good. She exhausted me with her little games. I gave a mental shrug and opened the door to the club.

Emmett had been right. You really couldn't fucking hear yourself think. I searched for the staircase and finally located it in the back right corner. With it being so busy, it was a fight to get through the sea of bodies to the other side of the room. Ugh, another reason to avoid the club scene. I managed to make it mostly unscathed to the staircase; one lady had trampled my toe with her pointy high heel.

When I cleared the staircase, I saw Jasper sitting in a deep leather chair with a dark headed little thing on his lap. She was pretty in a sort of exotic way, and I couldn't help but notice that Jazz had his hand pretty high up on her thigh. They looked extremely cozy.

Across from them, Emmett was sitting with his back to me on a couch. There were two girls on the couch with him and I assumed that the blonde one curled up under his massive arm was his Rosalie. My eyes traveled to the other one. I could see the thin straps of her pink shirt, so I assumed that this was Bella. I couldn't see her face, but I did notice she had long shiny brown hair. Interesting. I kind of had a thing for brunettes.

Jasper caught sight of me and yelled out a greeting. I immediately heard a high pitched squeal and my gaze finally landed on Tanya, standing to Jasper's left. She looked just as trashy and fake as always. I acknowledged her quietly as I made my way to the couch.

Bella hadn't turned yet so I still couldn't see her face, but I did my best to act nonchalant as I approached her. I felt her jump a tiny bit when I placed my palms on her bare shoulders, and I really hoped that she isn't completely weirded out by a complete stranger touching her. Any sensible girl would be.

Sending up a silent prayer to whatever god or deity handled crazy stalker girls, I leaned down and immediately noticed the light scent of strawberries, fresh and sweet. Nice. I took a deep breath of it just before speaking close to her ear.

"Sorry I'm late, baby. Traffic was a bitch."

Mentally smacking myself for how bloody cheesy that sounded, I moved in and pressed a kiss to her neck, just below her jaw. Her skin felt very soft and slightly damp under my lips. The strawberry scent was stronger this close, but instead of cloying, I found it intoxicating. She surprised the hell out of me by rolling her head back a bit more, as if she was offering more of her smooth, pale neck to me. I was intrigued and, I'll admit, more than a little turned on by her boldness. I took the opportunity to press another kiss to her skin, this time the warm curve of her cheek. I might not be able to see her face clearly, but I certainly wasn't complaining. This was by far the most interesting evening I'd had in a long time.

I saw Emmett shake his head at me and then he cleared his throat loudly with a smile. The woman beneath me jumped and then quickly stood. I tossed a scowl at Emmett before rounding the corner of the couch.

My first unhindered glimpse of Bella's face stopped me almost dead in my tracks. She was so pretty; her lips were full and flushed pink, dark eyes wide as they watched me approach her. Her hair was just a bit wild and lay in shiny waves down her back. A delicate blush stained the smooth skin of her cheeks. My eyes took all of this in as I moved across the small distance separating us.

She was utterly luscious.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug, praying it looked natural. She was shorter than me, her forehead even with my chin

Bella felt small in my arms, but not delicate. Her body was firm, yet sweetly curved. It was downright impossible not to notice the soft press of her breasts against me, or the fact that her nipples were definitely hard. I could feel them, and damn if my cock didn't think they felt brilliant. There was a stripe of bare skin between the waistband of her jeans and the hem of her shirt; my fingers discovered the dimples at the base of her spine as I spread my hands over her.

I turned us so that she was facing slightly away from everyone and my eyes found Tanya. She was watching all of this unfold with narrow eyes, her lips compressed into a frown.

I glanced away from Tanya and raised my hand to brush the silky hair from Bella's ear. I leaned in close and spoke softly, extremely conscious of the sweet scent that rose from her warm skin.

"I'm Edward and I'm really sorry about this. Thank you for playing along."

At my words, she lifted her hands and slid them into my hair, tugging slightly. My skin seemed hypersensitive everywhere her fingers brushed.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Tanya now had her arms crossed and looked extremely pissed off. I hoped that meant she was buying this whole charade, but I decided not to take any chances. And the fact that my plan to convince Tanya of our devotion just happened to involve my lips meeting those of the luscious Bella? I told myself it was pure coincidence.

"She's not going to buy it unless I really kiss you. May I?" I asked very quietly, silently begging her to say yes, not even having a backup plan if she said no. I was flying by the seat of my pants here. Well, some region of my pants anyway. She intrigued me and I really, really wanted to kiss her, Tanya or no Tanya. I rejoiced when she nodded slightly, and so did that very particular region of my pants.

I pulled back a little and got another glimpse of her alluring face before I pressed my lips against hers. She immediately uttered a tiny little gasp and, I swear, the sound of it went straight to my cock. I froze, wondering if she could feel my suddenly raging wood.

Did it make me a complete pervert that I was sporting a massive erection after just barely kissing a girl I didn't even know?

She didn't move away, in fact her hips shifted just the smallest bit closer, so I took that as a good sign and kissed her more firmly. Her fingers tightened in my hair and then I felt her warm breath on my lips as her mouth opened.

When Bella's tongue licked against me, I almost lost my composure right there and then. She was igniting something primitive inside me and I couldn't stop the guttural noise that emerged from my throat. When she licked me a second time, I did what I'd been aching to do since the instant our lips touched. I slipped my tongue into her mouth and tasted her. And fuck, did she taste glorious.

She purred in the most adorable way and her tongue slipped into my mouth. I sucked it slowly, encouraged by the sexy little noises she made. This was very quickly becoming the most brilliant night of my life. Kissing Bella was something I was sure I could spend hours doing. Given the chance, I'd love to try.

Of course, Emmett had to ruin everything. He was one of my best mates, but I really did want to strangle him sometimes.

"Geez! Get a room, would you?"

The woman in my arms goes froze, and I did too. Belatedly, I remembered our audience and the whole reason I was kissing her gorgeous lips in the first place.

I pulled back slowly, not anxious at all for our connection to be over. Bella's cheeks had turned scarlet and she dipped her head, not meeting my eyes. The poor girl was probably mortified and I didn't blame her in the least. I took a deep breath and gently nudged her chin up, promising myself that I would somehow find a way to repay her for helping me with this whole fucking crazy situation.

When Bella's face lifted to mine, I was torn between simply crushing her to me to kiss her senseless and doing an extremely juvenile victory dance.

Her dark eyes were heavy-lidded, the pupils dilated so that only a thin band of milk chocolate showed. There was definitely desire, if not outright hunger, in those eyes and I knew without a doubt she was seeing the exact same thing mirrored in my own gaze. I had to say something to break the heavy silence between us.

"Bella?"

"Yes?" she breathed softly.

"Every time I kiss you, it's like the very first time."

Those chocolate eyes widened just a fraction and then she threw her head back and let loose with the most amazing laughter. I grinned at her and then, conscious once again of our audience, turned to the rest of the group.

"Hello, everyone," I offered casually.

Emmett and Jasper were watching us with wide smiles. The girl perched on Jasper's lap was grinning as well and Rosalie was jokingly rolling her eyes.

"Well, hey there lover boy!" The little dark haired one called out. "It's about time you showed up!"

"Good to see you too…" I paused as I realized I had no idea what her name was.

"Alice," Bella whispered quickly and quietly, a smile still on those luscious lips.

"Alice," I echoed confidently.

There was a love seat next to the chair that Jasper and Alice occupied so I led Bella over to it and sat down. She sat next to me and, to an outsider, she probably looked completely at ease. But I could feel the tension thrumming through her. It's like we were connected by some sort of weird electrical current, as strange as that sounds. I rubbed her hand soothingly with my thumb and she gave me an adorable smile. I wanted to kiss her again. Immediately.

"So Eddie, how did you and Bella meet?"

I clenched my jaw and turned to glower at Tanya, as much for her interruption as the use of the nickname I loathed.

"Tanya, please don't call me Eddie."

"Oh sorry, it just slipped out. You never used to mind when I called you that. I guess you've changed."

"He certainly has," Bella interjected softly. "He has much better taste these days."

I had to struggle to hold back my laughter as I watched Tanya try to decide whether or not Bella had just insulted her. In the end, she just shook her over-bleached hair back and started with the questions again.

"So, how did you two meet?"

"That's a funny story, actually," I laughed, my mind racing, and I turned to Bella, hoping for some inspiration. "Do you want to tell it, love? Or should I?"

"Oh, I always love hearing you tell it, baby," she cooed back at me, her eyes full of mischief.

Well, I guess that's what I got for involving her in this whole bloody charade in the first place. I was on my own. I could feel the eyes of our whole group on me and I swear a fine sweat broke out on my forehead - that's how badly I wanted to convince Tanya I was totally taken so that she'd finally go away once and for all.

"Well, I was walking home from work one day and I passed this window. Inside was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and I couldn't help but stop and stare," I smiled at Bella, whom I could tell was trying not to burst out laughing.

"Oh Edward, tell the truth! You were looking at the cake, not me!" she shoved my shoulder playfully and my eyes widened as I tried to make sense of what she'd just said.

"Uh, well yes, the cake was beautiful, but it really was you I was looking at," I stuttered, pleading with my eyes for her to help me out. I guess it worked because she laughed and turned to Tanya.

"I was setting up one of my display cakes in the window of the bakery and I saw this gorgeous hunk of a man strolling by."

"You're a baker?" Tanya asked with a derisive snort. I felt Bella bristle beside me but before either of us could open our mouths, Rosalie jumped in, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Actually, she's an extremely talented pastry chef who was recently featured in The Times. She made Garrett Blake and Kate Montague's wedding cake," Rosalie added with a smug look.

I hoped I didn't look as shocked as I felt. Even I knew who that famous couple was. They're celebrities who met on the set of a movie and fell madly in love. They lived here in Seattle and when they got married a few months back everyone called the wedding a "fairytale". It was all over the magazines and newspapers and tabloids for weeks.

I looked at Bella and she was blushing again. Tanya, on the other hand, was squealing like a stuck pig, her eyes huge.

"Ohmigod! Did you get to go to the wedding? Did you meet Garret? Was he as dreamy as he seems? I bet Kate was a real bitch, right? Ohmigod, you have to tell me everything!"

I really thought Tanya was about to hyperventilate and, while that would have been endlessly amusing to watch, I just wanted her to go away already. Bella looked a bit shocked at Tanya's outburst, but she spoke calmly.

"Um, no, I didn't go to the wedding. Their reception was at Garret's estate, so I did go there, but only to set the cake up. I didn't meet Garret, but I did meet the bride and she was nothing but lovely. She sent the bakery an autographed wedding photo with a very nice thank you card."

"Too cool!" Tanya screeched. I cringed and felt Bella do the same. I really, really wanted Crazy Tanya to just leave us alone so that I could talk to Bella normally and perhaps even kiss her again. Luckily, I could always depend on Jazz to cut straight to the chase.

"Man, I'm beat. Let's bounce."

And, with no further ado, he stood up and started walking towards the staircase, dragging a giggling Alice with him. I jumped up immediately and so did Bella, Rose and Emmett. All of us were ready to be out of here and away from the over siliconed blonde.

"Ok well, it was good to see you guys!" Tanya gushed. "Bella, we should do lunch sometime! I could give you my number and maybe-"

"Um, yeah sure Tanya. I'll look you up. Bye!" Bella called as I practically pulled her down the stairs with me, leaving a slightly dazed looking Tanya standing where she was.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we got downstairs. But the relief didn't last long when Emmett pointed out that Tanya was just crazy enough to follow us down here. With that thought in mind, the six of us rushed out the door and into the cool summer evening.