Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.

**I was SO close to having this done within one week. I'll try harder this week.

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Seventh Inning Stretch

Chapter 6: Relieved

I was warm.

Comfortable.

It was just the way I liked it to be.

But, something was off. Something wasn't right. Something was definitely very, very wrong.

My eyes shot open with a flash just as the memories of the night rushed through my mind. Images of sweaty limbs and heated breaths reminded me that I had made a detrimental mistake. I sat up abruptly from my spot on Jacob's bed, my eyes darting around the room in a panic as they desperately sought out the familiar red numbers that would reveal my fate

3:25 a.m.

My muscles instantaneously relaxed as the breath that I hadn't realized I was holding was released in an audible gasp of relief. I brought my hand to my heart as it painfully beat in overdrive in response to the immediate fear that had taken over my system.

I was stupid enough to have fallen asleep.

I was lucky enough to have woken up a mere half hour later.

After I was able to pull the lump out of my throat, I allowed myself to look to my right to find Jacob resting peacefully, eyes closed and vulnerable beauty. His right hand was draped delicately over his bare chest, resting almost pointedly over his heart, his hair lying softly in his eyes, as the dark hues of his lashes combined aesthetically with the russet nature of his skin.

I watched in awe as his chest rose and fell with every breath that he took, feeling my heart conflict between flutters and flops in response to the innocence this moment exuded of him.

The emotional magnitude I was experiencing took me completely off guard, nearly knocking the wind right out of my expanded lungs. I had to reach out and touch him, my hand aching and burning with the desire to feel his skin against my flesh. Tears began to sting my eyes as the realization began to manifest inside of my soul that there was more to this than just the physical benefits of our relationship.

This was becoming more than I can handle.

This was too much, too little.

I wanted more of him.

I wanted all of him.

With a thick and heavy sigh, I began to turn, swinging my legs to dangle over the edge of the bed.

I was stopped by a heated hand on my bare back, a sleepy voice mumbling, "Don't go."

My back contracted and tensed beneath his touch, my stomach instantly attacked with nausea as my guilt began to settle in.

No one could ever make me feel this way, the way he made me feel…like my body would explode without his hands all over me.

"I fell asleep, it was an accident," I said, my voice hoarse with desperation.

"Bella." He spoke my name as though it was the only one he ever knew, and I felt the bed shift with his movements, felt his breath on the back of my neck as he crawled up and closed in on me. His hands were on my shoulders a second later and I was melting back into him, closing my eyes and giving in to the force that was stronger than my good intentions.

"Nothing has ever made more sense to me than this," he continued, his mouth assaulting my ear, the yearning in his voice sending jolts of electricity down my spine. "You should stay. Stay here…with me."

"You don't know what you're asking," I said barely above a whisper, pulling out of his embrace and standing to my feet as I began to gather my clothes. The room was dark but I could feel his eyes on me, his watchful stare burning through the distance between us.

"You don't know what you're doing to me," he countered.

I chose to ignore that statement, chose not to focus my energy on the implications behind it as I dressed as quickly as my clumsy movements would allow.

"I have to go, Ed--" I cut off, unable to speak his name in his presence. "He'll be waiting for me, wondering where I am."

I walked through the threshold of his safe harbor, deciding it was best not to look back at all that waited for me, all that was calling at me to return.

I found myself in Jacob's bathroom a few seconds later, splashing cold water from his old, drippy sink on my clammy face. I stood tall and looked myself in the small mirror, watching as the water collected on my forehead and ran in steady drops down my cheeks, my chin, my neck, dampening my sweatshirt.

I looked horrible, like a women stricken with worry and torment. I looked as remorseful as I felt. My confliction was apparent in the subtle creases of my forehead, the small worry lines sinking in and corrupting my brow.

I knew I'd be back, knew this wasn't over.

Any end to him and me—to us—was a notion I wished not to entertain.

I knew I'd be back, but I also knew I'd pretend I had the strength to stay away.

I almost believed my own lies, the lies that made it possible for me to sit at the same dinner table with Edward, the only way I could continue on living in my role as his doting fiancée, his future bride.

The sink continued to drip long after I turned off the faucet. I listened to the steady rhythm of its haunting dance as the droplets hit the ceramic surface.

Clearly, I was stalling.

I exited the bathroom, feeling inwardly worse than I did before I went in, but outwardly I was more presentable, making it all the more plausible to pass off my lies to Edward when I arrived home.

I wasn't surprised to see Jacob there, leaning against the wall of the hallway, waiting for me to pass. His arms were crossed, his muscles taut, nothing but boxers hanging low on his hips.

My air left me once again as I swallowed thickly and tried to remind myself of my reasons for leaving.

Slowly and steadily, I lowered my gaze to the floor; with one foot in front of the other I brushed past him, my shoulder connecting with his. My steps seemingly echoed in the silence of the hallway as I lifted my stare to focus on the approaching door in front of me. My hand reached out and gripped the doorknob.

I stopped, paused, wanting to turn around and tell Jacob all that I was feeling, ask him if he was feeling it too.

Oh, God, couldn't he feel it too?

I wanted him to run to me, shout out me, tell me to stay, beg me to belong to him and only him.

I almost jumped when I felt him behind me, his arm reaching around, resting his hand on mine as it gripped the handle.

His body pressed pointedly against mine, trapping me between him and the door as I felt his breath descend upon the back of my neck, making it impossible for my breathing to continue coming in steady spurts. I tilted my head to the side giving him the access I knew he craved.

His lips caressed my shoulder, my throat, gently nibbling along my jaw until they reached their intended destination.

"I'll see you soon," he said in my ear, low and husky.

I was on fire again, slowly burning alive.

I turned around to face him, wanting everything I couldn't have. Tears were forming in the corner of my eyes as I swallowed heavily again, trying to bury my desire.

"No," I managed to choke out, slowly shaking my head. "I can't keep doing this."

His eyes grew impossibly darker, as his hands reached out and gripped my hips, seductively sliding up my body to rest on the sides of my face.

"Dammit, Bella," he said, harsh and forceful. "Quit fighting the inevitable; you'll come tomorrow." His voice was confident, demanding. He wasn't asking, he was telling.

I nodded as the tears escaped my hold and slid down my cheeks. I knew he was right. I knew I couldn't stay away.

He gently wiped the moisture from my cheeks, kissing my lips, my forehead, my nose, while tucking my hair behind my ears.

"Edward isn't the only one capable of feeling things for you," he said, his voice shaking with vulnerability.

His lips meant my forehead one last time before he turned from me and walked away, leaving me to sort through the meaning of his confession.

I quietly walked in the front door of Edward's house, the house I currently resided in, careful to shut the door behind me with a soft click. It was dark and silent, my shame and regrets the only palpable notions surrounding me. I closed my eyes in relief for finally returning home, turning around and resting my back against the cold oak of the door as I let out an extended sigh. Flashes of Jacob flooded my mind, bringing me back to the feel of his skin and the taste of his lips.

That's when I felt it. A pair of eyes was watching me through the darkness, presenting me with the feeling that I was not alone. I shivered against the realization that he was watching me, waiting for me.

Slowly, I inched my eyes open, fearing what I would find.

Sure enough, Edward was standing across the foyer from me, leaning against the wall at the base of the stairs. He was propped up against the banister with his back resting against it, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes cold, yet worried as he stared across the distance, carefully appraising my appearance.

The darkness made him seem almost ominous, the air around me thickening as a moment of awkward silence filtered in the distance between us.

"Ed-Edward," I choked, unable to hide the guilt from my voice and the shock from my face at finding him waiting for me. "What are you doing up so late?"

His eyes flickered briefly to our grandfather clock before focusing back on me again. "Four in the morning?" he asked, quiet and unsure. "Four in the morning and you're walking through the front door? Where have you been?"

"I was…Angela. Angela called and she needed me," I said in a rush, realizing I hadn't planned this lie. I hated the lies, hated the person I had become.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" he asked, his voice increasing in volume as he took a few steps toward me and ran his hands frustratingly through his hair. "You left in the middle of the night without as much as a note or any clue to where you've gone. "

"I'm sorry," I said in a whisper, and I couldn't look him in the eyes, couldn't stand to see the sadness and suspicion I'd surely find manifested there.

There was a pause.

A deep breathe.

And then he was standing directly in front of me, hands on my shoulders, eyes searching mine.

"You have to tell me what's going on with you," he said forcefully. "Bella, please tell me what it is so I can make it better."

"I told you," I said, flinching away from his touch because I knew I didn't deserve it. "Angela needed me. That's all."

He stared at me then, looking me directly in the eyes and I knew that he knew. He knew I was lying, but I also knew that we would both pretend everything was fine. We'd pretend everything was fine because it was easier to live the lie than to face the truth.

The truth shatters.

The truth destroys.

After a long moment of impasse, Edward nodded his head and swallowed thickly. Before I could blink his arms were wrapping around me and he was pulling me into him, tucking his head to rest on top of mine. I could feel his heat, his heart, his desperation to keep me by his side, could feel his chest rise and fall with every tattered breath he took. He held me in silence for a time longer than I could remember with the ticking of the grandfather clock the only music to my ears.

He never called me out on my lies, never said another word. Instead, he exhaled harshly as if to except his fate, ruffling my hair before pulling away and kissing me gently on the forehead.

"I'm going to take a shower." His voice was low and quiet.

He was defeated.

After shifting through the kitchen, going through the everyday movements, I made Edward's lunch through a haze of remorse and disgust.

I felt sick, revolted.

I felt repentant.

I knew that I had to make it up to Edward. I had to go to him, apologize, be with him and only him. I needed to make this right again so that I could go back to being the woman that he loved, making his lunches without the tormenting thoughts, go back to being the Bella I once thought I was.

Somehow that line of thinking led me to find myself standing outside the bathroom door, listening to the soft rhythm as Edward showered, hearing the water as it spilled from the faucet and splattered against the tiled surface of the floor.

I opened the door gradually, stepping inside the steam filled room. Edward's shadow from behind the glass door was oblivious to my entrance, his head down and thoughts drifting.

Slowly, I stripped myself of my clothes, stripped myself of Jacob and the passion that we shared. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside, Edward opening his eyes and lifting his head in response to my unplanned appearance. He looked surprised to see me, his eyes slightly widening as he reflexively took in my naked body.

The water was my only shield from his peering eyes, and suddenly I had never felt more exposed, as if he could see the remnants of my infidelity written on my flesh. I shivered, not because I was cold, but because I was suddenly very, very hot.

"I'm so sorry," I managed to say, my voice slightly cracking. I felt the water beating down on me, flattening my hair as it dripped down my face, rolling beneath my chin.

"Sorry for what?" he asked, confusion written all over his face.

I expected the question, knew that he would ask it, but nevertheless, it took me off guard. Closing my eyes and sighing deeply, I breathed, "Sorry for everything."

"For being so distant lately," I added in response to the puzzled look he continued to offer me.

He didn't move, didn't speak.

Growing uncomfortable with the uncharacteristic atmosphere between us, I looked up at him and quietly asked, "Can you just hold me?"

I knew it was a selfish question, that I was being a selfish person, but I needed him. I needed the comfort I knew only his arms could provide.

He blinked and licked his lips, closing the distance between us as he wrapped me up in his embrace, pulling me against him, skin to skin, heart to heart.

"Come back to me, baby," he pleaded after a moment of silence, his head lowering to my shoulder, his lips skimming my neck, as his nose buried into my hair and breathed me in.

Feeling Edward's arms around me, his warmth flooding my senses, I began to relax, began to feel like everything was going to be okay.

His lips eventually sought out mine, capturing me in a heated kiss of fire and desperation. There was no barrier between us as his hands slid up my slippery body and into my hair, crushing my face to his. I felt him grow hard against my hip, felt him push me into the shower wall as his slid himself against me.

The walls were closing in on me, the shower suddenly making me feel claustrophobic. I knew there was no way I could reject him again, not after it had been so long since we were intimate, but the thought of corrupting him with my unfaithfulness made me physically ill.

He moaned into my mouth, shifting his hips into me as his hands glided down my curves, gripping my waist and thrusting me into him. "I fucking want you so bad," he said breathlessly against my lips, "Please, baby, I need you."

I held back tears as I closed my eyes and pulled my mouth away, nodding my head and giving into what he wanted, what he needed.

In one swift motion, his hands were under me, hoisting me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist. The position brought memories to mind, memories of a different man, a different time, memories that I knew I had to push aside while with Edward. I opened my eyes to push the recollections away, finding nothing but love and emerald staring back at me.

I can do this.

I can go through with this.

Edward rested his forehead against mine as our breathing increased in tune with each other. Never taking his eyes off me, he lifted and positioned, gasped and panted in anticipation of what was to come.

And then as if my inner conflictions were getting answered, as if a higher power had felt my disinclination, the hot water that had been streaming around us wasn't feeling so hot anymore.

That's when the hot water turned cold.

Ice cold.

Edward tensed, paused for a moment, and then sighed while dropping his head into my shoulder, recognizing that our connection was gone, the mood completely ruined.

I shivered against him, apologizing again as he lowered me to my feet.

In the midst of at all…

The only thing I felt was relief.

A/N: As always, I need to say thank you thank you thank you to my wifey-lovah, my hubby is no Edward. Without her I couldn't write. Without her, this story wouldn't exist and I'd just suck at life. She forever owns my heart.

Also, I wanted to add that Edward does NOT know what's going on with Bella. I can see where that might get a little confusing. He isn't stupid, so he knows she's lying about a lot of stuff, but he's not really sure why. The poor guy is completely baffled.

Last but not least, please head over and visit the Team SOB blog if you haven't already done so. There's a very special girl named Amber in need of some kindness.

http://teamsob[DOT]blogspot[DOT]com/

Much Love,

Rhi