A/N: as you already know, I'm not Stephenie Meyer, so I don't own anything Twilight. However, I do own Hunting party and it's being nominated at the Avant-Garde Awards in the category Best Shock Value. If you like my story, you have until June 4th to vote for it at http:/www(.)avantgardeawards(.)com

I'll make it short but sweet: thank you for reading and reviewing this story. Thank you for still following me even when Edward is being such an ass. Let's see if Bella will fall for him anyway...

Good reading.

Sixth chapter

BPOV

At first I wasn't sure what I heard. Was it thunder? Was it a lightning strike only a few feet away from me? Was it even possible that this deafening noise was only a figment of my imagination? Whatever the case, it didn't really matter; all that mattered was that the loud bang shocked me back into reality. I sat up quickly, propelled by a sudden adrenaline rush. What I saw then made me scream in terror, and I heard my own voice resounding through the woods before fading and being replaced by some muffled grunts.

A huge beast, a mountain lion in all likelihood, was headed toward me, slowly but assertively. His mouth was wide open and I could see his sharp and menacing fangs. At the same moment that I became aware of his approach, I realized that it was the discharge of a rifle that had awoken me. And the one who'd shot was none other than Edward, standing like a statue halfway between the bottom and the top of the slope I'd hurtled down. Shit. I was going to die because I was paralyzed by fear and because that idiot didn't know how to use a fucking shotgun.

My brain was numb and I was having a hard time analyzing the situation clearly. What if the puma was still alive because Edward didn't want to kill him after all?

Christ, Bella! Can't you see that Edward likes it when you're powerless and fearful? He's probably having a blast right now, watching you being terrorized by a dangerous feline.

Whether he really sucked at shooting or he wanted to make me beg for my life, it seemed I would meet my end like a startled deer, and the beast would finish me with one fatal bite.

I didn't have time to dwell upon this because Edward immediately reloaded his gun and shot once again. Perhaps I misjudged him or maybe he was merely unlucky the first time, for this time the projectile hit the wildcat straight in the head, making him collapse on the ground right in front of me as I was mentally saying goodbye to Renee and Charlie, my mom and dad.

I didn't notice before the cougar was neutralized, but my body was shaking violently and I wasn't able to control the spasms. In spite of the fact that I'd just screamed, I was now unable to utter a sound, and the only thing I could hear was a ringing in my ears. My sight was, for the moment, the only sense I could use to keep contact with reality.

I saw Edward coming toward me, and he seemed to be conducting a conference call on his BlackBerry. He was staring at me intensely and his lips were moving like a TV show put on mute. Fuck, what if that humming in my ears never went away? What if I never heard Edward's velvety voice again? I wanted to cry…

You're rambling, Bella. You must have hurt your head worse than you thought…

Yes, this situation was definitely tear-worthy. I fled the spa so I wouldn't have to face Edward ever again, and now I was regretting the sound of his warm and comforting voice. There was no doubt in my mind: this man had driven me insane…

He put his cell phone away and unloaded his backpack. He unpacked a thermal blanket, a bottle of Gatorade, and a first aid kit. I was still unable to move and could only blink as I watched him put the blanket on my trembling shoulders.

All of a sudden, I felt a whistle in my ears and the outside noises collided with my eardrums. I screamed in surprise.

"Shhh, don't be scared, Bella. It's over now. The danger's gone," Edward whispered, trying to wrap me in the blanket.

He called me Bella. I felt my heart swell in my chest and I wanted to stab it for its irrational behavior. I loathed the man who just rescued me. He degraded me in the lowest possible way, treating me like a cheap whore, a sex object he could use as he saw fit and without scruples.

But since I was half dying of hunger and thirst, I accepted the Gatorade and the energy bar he handed me without protest. I noted that my shivering was far less severe now that I was all wrapped up. I drank big gulps of the beverage and took a bite of the protein bar, very aware of Edward staring at me. I didn't know what he was waiting for, but I had no intention of thanking him for saving my life, even though simple courtesy dictated to do so. I just wanted to strangle him for putting me in this state of moral, emotional, and physical misery.

Yes, I was suffering even physically because his mere presence at my side was enough to transform my insides into a battlefield, desire making me ache like never before in my life. None of my former lovers had ever made me feel like I felt with Edward nearby, or even like I felt just evoking him in my fantasies. It was unhealthy and irrational.

"I think you had the beginnings of hypothermia, Bella," he said quietly.

This explained why my shivering decreased thanks to the thermal blanket. I wasn't cold anymore. I was starting to have hot flashes, actually, and I knew damn well what was causing them.

"I need to check your wounds-"

"You called me Bella," I cut him off with a weak voice.

"Hallelujah! You spoke at last! I was starting to believe that this ignominious wildcat made you lose your voice for good," he said sarcastically.

I wanted to slap him…

"You called me Bella," I repeated more firmly.

"Isn't it the nickname you prefer?" he asked with his most charming voice.

Was he trying to dazzle me?

"I'm Bella only to my close friends and family members," I replied harshly.

"Oh, I see… and I suppose I've not been close enough to you," he said with his damned disarming crooked smile.

His double entendre sent me back to our activities from the day before. I was fairly sure he did it on purpose, the bastard. But then he went in another direction. "Very well, then, Isabella. As I was saying, I need to take a look at your injuries. Then we'll return to the spa. It should take us at least two hours, maybe more given your condition…"

I didn't notice that my hands were all bloody until he mentioned injuries. He grabbed them and brought them closer to his face to examine them. My heart started racing.

You're worse than a schoolgirl. Aren't you ashamed of becoming feverish at the thought of Edward playing doctor with you?

Edward said we needed two hours to return to the spa. What time was it now? For how long had I been unconscious? And what would have become of me if he hadn't found me?

You know what would have happened, stupid girl. He saved your life for heaven's sake, and all you want to do is scratch out his eyes. What's wrong with you?

"And what time is it now?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's close to noon," he answered while continuing to work on my hands.

He cleaned them with sterile towels, removed the pebbles with tweezers and bandaged them with gauze. Lots of gauze. I looked like I had third degree burns the way they were swaddled.

"You're very lucky your wounds are superficial, Isabella, because I'm not sure you'd like my way of closing open injuries."

Edward was intentionally emphasizing my name, like he wanted me to feel guilty about something. And as if he was reading my mind yet again, he continued, "I wonder how Charlie Swan, the Forks' Police Chief, would have taken the news of his daughter dying as a result of a bad encounter with a mountain lion… Oh! Wait, there's blood in your hair too…"

He moved even closer to me, his face brushing behind my right ear, and his hand lifting up the strands of hair that were hiding the sight of the bump I'd felt ever since I'd regained consciousness.

"Those fucking head injuries bleed like hell," he stated in a tone that I didn't recognize, gently running his fingers on said bump all the while inducing an electric current through the rest of my body, "but they're rarely serious."

If he didn't stop his little game on the most sensitive area of my anatomy aside from my erogenous zones, I was going to pass out for the umpteenth time and he'd be forced to take me across his shoulder to bring me back to the spa. Good God, maybe that's what he wanted. Maybe he was afraid that I'd escape his hold if he loosened his grip.

You fool, Edward Masen totally ignores that he has a hold on you…

"For God's sake, why didn't you bring Doctor Cullen with you? I'm sick and tired of being fondled by a pervert!" I protested after several minutes during which I allowed him to touch me, the sensations he was generating too enjoyable for my own good.

Obviously, Edward didn't realize he was exacerbating my senses and that my legs wouldn't support me if he continued to make me euphoric like this. I wasn't even sure I could stand up in my current state.

At last he stopped running his skilled fingers through my scalp, but then his hand slid down my neck, caressing it like he was trying to torment me even more. My heart went berserk. I certainly deserved to die right on the spot for what I just told my savior, and he must have decided to slay me himself.

"I'll let bygones be bygones this time, Bella, but you should really stop trying to tarnish my reputation," he whispered huskily in my ear.

I was about to reply, but I never got the opportunity because in a move I wasn't expecting at all, Edward swung me in his direction so as to face him, cupped my face in his hands and kissed me forcefully. The fire that was smoldering in my veins escaped and came to burn my lips the second they made contact with Edward's. As soon as he deepened the kiss, my will collapsed, and I responded to his embrace, entwining my tongue with his as I frantically threw my arms around his neck. But he released me just as abruptly as he'd grabbed me, and I stayed frozen on the spot, my insides aching with unfulfilled yearning.

"I definitely earned the right to call you Bella," he said, all smug, although slightly short of breath.

I remained on the ground, mute with frustration and still in shock from the kiss he'd just stolen from me. Edward stood up after freeing me from his iron grip, but he leaned over me again to offer his hand.

"Are you strong enough to walk, Bella, or will I have to carry you like a sack of potatoes?" he asked with a twinkle in his penetrating gaze.

I wanted to stay angry at him, but I couldn't.

"I'm heavier than a potato sack," I replied while trying to grip him with my swaddled hands.

"Barely," he continued, almost smiling as he helped me straighten up.

The trees started to spin around me and I was attracted to the ground like a magnet. Edward kept me from falling. I closed my eyes not to face the green eyes staring intensely at me.

"Well, it seems you'll never make it back to the spa on your own feet," he sighed. "You might need to have your head checked by the good doctor after all."

And with that, he grabbed me as if I weighed less than a feather and settled me on his back like a father would do with a five-year old kid. I was forced to cling to his neck, but he didn't seem to mind. I was simultaneously mortified and excited.

"And what about the backpack?" I asked.

My blanket had fallen down but I wasn't cold anymore, holding tightly to him.

"Obviously, I can't carry both you and the bag, so we'll have to leave it here. I'd leave the fucking shotgun here too if I could, but we might need it again," he answered, picking up the rifle before moving.

I didn't say anything else for fear of angering him. The first few minutes of the hike were the most strenuous because we needed to ascend the hillside, but afterward Edward didn't have much trouble as long as he was able to avoid stumbling over the roots, dead branches and rocks standing in the middle of the general path. He was progressing slowly because of me, but he seemed to know where he was going.

"How do you know we're going in the right direction?" I asked after a while, curious.

"Do you really think one can run through the woods without a navigation system, Bella?" he said in a condescending tone. "Oh, I forgot! That's exactly what you did, and right in the middle of the night, to top it all off!"

I guess he had the right to be pissed… And it was such a stupid question anyway… Now Edward felt he could push me. Crap.

"If you feel like talking, darling, I'd rather you tell me what made you leave the spa in the middle of the night rather than waiting until morning and asking someone to give you a lift somewhere."

Go ahead, girl, tell him that you fled so you wouldn't jump him.

Answer a question with another question: the best defense.

"And you, Edward, why did you kiss me earlier?" I whispered in his ear.

"Isabella Marie Swan…," he trailed off, using my full name.

My name on his lips sounded like a wistful lullaby, and I felt a pang in my heart. I wanted so much to taste his mouth deeper and longer.

"… Isabella Marie Swan, I've wanted to kiss you the instant I noticed you the first time in that Tribeca restaurant. Carlisle had to restrain me that night or else I'd have stalked you to your place," he admitted with a hoarse voice.

This statement made my heart leap in my chest.

"I answered your question; I expect you to answer mine now," he said, adamantly.

I didn't know what to say.

"Don't force me to take a cheap shot again," he added, faking threats.

What? Another bad trick on me in the middle of nowhere? Surely he was joking. I decided to test him.

"I'll bet you're not even the one who came up with the blow job prank. You're not clever enough. Anyway, I'm not sure you could make me feel any lower; my pride is practically gone, thanks to both you and your assistant."

After all, what pride could possibly remain in a woman who was willing to let a stranger abuse her body without even seeking revenge afterward?

You're a real doormat. You let people disrespect you without even reacting…

But I'd received an overdose of pleasure thanks to Edward's special care, so how was I supposed to reconcile the bastard and the master of the orgasm? How to reconcile the arrogant man that no one could defy and the gentleman who rescued me?

How can you have fallen for a guy like that, Bella?

"You're right. I've been disgusting toward you, and as soon as we're out of this quagmire, I'm more than willing to help you regain some of your pride," he said, "but only if you explain the reason for your escape attempt."

I fled the spa because you're brighter and hotter than the sun, Edward, and probably as inaccessible…

"I left because I didn't want to face you again; I'm too weak and I'm going crazy because of you. In fact, I'm going crazy about you," I confessed, my voice breaking.

"I don't understand," he replied.

"Hence my first comment: you're sort of dumb," I retorted cynically.

"I don't understand what the problem is, Bella," he repeated slowly.

"I won't say it again, Edward," I responded tersely.

I was sure he was doing it on purpose, to make me tip over the edge. I just admitted that I was falling in love with him and he didn't see the problem? He slept with fifty different women each and every year and he didn't see the problem? So basically, he didn't mind if I suffered? This shitty seminar would profit him more than his pals, ultimately, if I was able to make him see that it was wrong to play with a woman's feelings the way he'd done since our arrival.

"Look, I can't sleep with you, and I chose to disappear to avoid temptation," I finally revealed, blushing scarlet.

"Why can't you sleep with me?" he asked, torn between confusion and disappointment. "I know you want to. You dream about it as much as I dream of taking you right here, right now on the ground."

How could he maintain this conversation while continuing to maneuver around the tree trunks and the mud puddles?

"Well, for one thing, because I'm absolutely not interested in being the five hundredth woman who warmed your bed, which, by the way, wouldn't do much for restoring my pride," I said, more than a little resentful at having to justify my actions.

"Oh, I see. The literature teacher reads the tabloids. Who knew? I would never have guessed it was your kind of distraction… Interesting, though," he continued.

I couldn't see his face, but I was sure he was smiling triumphantly as he said those words.

"I DO NOT read that shit," I denied, offended. "My roommate Jessica does."

"I don't give a damn, Bella. You're intelligent enough to know better than to believe what's written in those rags, aren't you?" he questioned, his velvety voice returning.

"Condescension isn't helping you right now, Mr. Masen," I replied placidly.

"I didn't want to offend you. My apologies. So if I have this right, you refuse to spend some good time with me because you don't want to become another notch on my headboard?"

"I already spent some good time with you. As for the rest, either you have a defective circuit in your short-term memory, or you weren't listening to me when I was talking to you," I said, on the verge of losing my patience.

I'd run out of excuses, and I was tired too. Fuck, what if I fell asleep on Edward's back and he took advantage of it to basely have his way with me, realizing I'll never surrender to him? His next comment had me suddenly more alert.

"You do know that your friends are convinced of the contrary, right? They think you left the compound because you were jealous of the pleasure they had with their partners while you couldn't enjoy yourself. Wanting to exonerate me is very generous of you, especially after the blow I inflicted, but it's totally counterproductive. Your friends won't pity you for being coupled with a bad lover; instead, they're going to insist that you see a specialist…"

I didn't hear the rest of his sentence; I was stuck on the word lover.

"Don't you see that the problem rests right there, in the word lover?" I interrupted. "You're not my lover, and you'll disappear from my life tomorrow or the next day. Why the hell would I have cheap sex for a day and come out with nothing after, huh? What would I gain from it? I'm falling for you, asshole, and I'm already in tatters, emotionally speaking. So don't ask me to go further with you; it would be the worst torture for me to endure…"

Edward instantly came to a halt. I thought he wanted to catch his breath – he'd been carrying me on his back for more than an hour – but he gently put me down and turned so he could study my face. He watched me for several seconds before he spoke again.

"I'm already having a hard time, in our present situation, letting you take a step out of my sight. Why do you assume that I'll disappear from your life?" he asked, looking at me with fever in his eyes.

I must have misunderstood his question, for it seemed as if he was referring to us as an "us". What did he say yesterday? "… this toy probably caused a lot of breakups, but since we're not a couple, I can use it as much as I want with you…"

"Edward, you barely know me. How can you say things like that?" I asked in shock.

"Because I'm in love with you, Bella. Of course I couldn't admit it to you yesterday morning in my room without risking that you'd run for the hills. Had I known that you'd want to leave a few hours later anyway, I'd have declared myself right on the spot," he confessed.

The CEO of Softag in love with me? Why? It was impossible. He didn't know me! Perhaps I was still lying under the fir, only dreaming that I'd been rescued, and when I woke up – if I woke up – I'd be cold, hungry, and it would be dark again.

"Please, say something," he whispered.

But if I was dreaming, Edward wouldn't be waiting for an answer, would he?

"I ran from the spa because I didn't want you to know my true feelings… because I didn't think it could be mutual. I'm still having a hard time believing it, actually," I said at last.

"Do you think you can make the rest of the journey on your own legs, you beautiful siren unaware of your own charms?" Edward asked with his crooked smile.

"Probably, why?" I asked in return, disconcerted and mesmerized by his killer smile.

"Because I want to retain my strength for this evening and tonight, sweetheart, to prove to you that you're not dreaming," he explained with a knowing look.

My heart was trying to escape from my chest, floating on a cloud at the promise of a night with Edward. I put my hand in his and we resumed our hike side by side.

See you all next time for the conclusion of this little erotic fantasy.

Thank you, dear Ale, for being the best beta in the world :0)

Milk