Okay my lovelies…the second half of the date.

Once again, love and splodyness to Shalu, Naelany, and all the UU girls!

This may not be as long as the other chapters but it's a good one. I promise.

CH7

BPOV

When I stepped out onto the porch, I had to choke back a "holy shit." Backlit by the setting sun, he stood there looking like walking sex for all the world. He didn't even know it. His manner was casual and spoke with familiarity to my dad, Sue and Al. His clothes accentuated his taut lean form and his smile -- oh, I could die a happy girl right now. Well, maybe not right now. Because I wanted to feel those lips on me. And soon.

When he held his hand out to me I grasped it like a lifeline. That tingling sensation rippled through me and settled somewhere in my center. As if that wasn't enough to start this evening out the right way, he opened my door for me, on one of my most favorite effin' vehicles ever: a Land Rover Defender 90. It almost did me in. It wasn't a new one, but I preferred the older body styles anyway, and it was green. If I were that kind of girl, I would've swooned.

After the boy dazzled me with his extensive list of music, his love of my favorite pizza, and shared so many of my own viewpoints on a jillion different topics, he surprised me again. Telling me that he was training a horse for Rosalie almost made me get up and leave, but he quickly smoothed my ruffled feathers with his explanation. Not that he owed me one, but I appreciated the gesture. He made sure I knew where he stood in that relationship: far, far away. That's completely hunky dory with me. I meant what I said about not seeing her again. I really didn't want to think about the negative effect she had on me. It scared me just a little.

I hoped Emmett could handle her, though I bet he would like to see me go head-to-head with her again. He was a little sick that way. But it was cool, he reminded me of my guy friends in Phoenix. Those guys would've paid big money to see that.

Of course, I knew that this would lead to him questioning me about riding. Honesty is always the best policy, in my mind, so I didn't sugar coat it. He didn't laugh, he merely offered to give me riding lessons. As innocent as it may have been, it sent my mind straight to the gutter. A place I wasn't sure I should go to right at the moment. I had to keep reminding myself that I was going to take this slow. Not jump into the water head first before seeing how deep it was.

Talk turned to Alice and her horse, and before too long I had the opening I was looking for. Asking him about Jasper had been question number one on my matchmaking list. I had to know if I was reading too much into what I saw. But then he brought up bull riding and I nearly passed out right there. Edward in tight jeans was hot, but Edward in chaps, riding a 2000-pound hunk of heaving, pissed-off beast? That image was hotter than the ninth circle of Hell. This I would have to see. Not to mention that Jasper and Emmett participated in it also. Why did I not move up here before? Cowboy country was so much better than I ever dreamed.

He directed the conversation back to my original question soon after, and his answers did not disappoint me. But for one brief second, I saw a look of terror in his features when I started to explain my theories. Did he actually think I was attracted to Jasper and not him?

Jasper was gorgeous, and under different circumstances I would have acted on that fact. But this sublime embodiment of flesh and blood in front of me put all other men right out of my mind. His chiseled features cried out to me, begging me to caress them, to feel them under my hands. The best part of it was that he had no arrogance about his looks. He portrayed himself simply, and never once did he preen, or strut, like most beautiful boys do. It only made him that much more alluring.

He agreed with my assessment of Alice and Jasper, and we came to the conclusion that pushing them together as much as possible seemed like a good place to start. By this time, I noticed that the waitresses were cleaning the restaurant and we would have to leave soon. My mind raced at the thought of not being able to sit here and talk with him all night.

"So, we missed the movie. Is there something else you would like to do?" He looked, I don't know, sheepish; maybe flustered? My thoughts stepped right off the curb again, and jumped up and down in a dirty puddle like a gleeful child. I really needed to get a grip.

"Why don't we just go for a drive? I mean, if that's okay with you. It's a really nice night, and the moon is full." Did I really just say that? Yes, yes I did. When did I become so corny?

"Sure. I think I know where we can go. Come on." He smiled that crooked smile, and stood. He pulled some money out of his pocket and placed it under his empty cup, then held out his hand to me. That little tingling sensation ran over my skin, and I realized that I had missed it while we were eating. His touch was beginning to take a toll on me, and I had to concentrate to quell the turbulent emotions.

Once we were in the Defender, he started driving back out of town towards the ranch. I flipped through his iPod and found a play list marked "PotO". Pot O what? Was he into Irish drinking songs? Intrigued, I pressed play and the intensely haunting strains of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera Overture blasted from the speakers.

He jumped and turned to me with shock plastered on his face. I smiled back wickedly. I had caught him off guard, and I liked that. I vaguely wondered what the big deal was, until I thought about it for a second. A seventeen-year-old guy who likes opera was not a common occurrence, especially in this area. Most of the guys around here were probably into Skynyrd, Big & Rich, or, heaven help us, 50cent. But I already knew that Edward wasn't a typical guy, though I found no immediate reason to tell him that. The evil side of me chuckled at the fun I could have with the sensitive spot I just found.

"Opera? Really, Edward? I would never have pegged you as an opera lover." I wanted to poke that spot just a little harder, to see what might happen. This evening's conversation had been enlightening but fairly benign, and I had a feeling that we had only scratched the surface. He took a deep breath and leered at me. Uh-oh.

"There are many things you don't know about me yet, Bella." The innuendo in his tone was obvious, and there was a teensy amount of promise underlying it. It made my stomach flutter in a pleasant way. Hrmm, did he just go all dark and sexy on me?

Never one to let a guy have the last word, I lowered my voice and said, "Perhaps we'll have to remedy that situation, Edward."

He let the leer continue and one-upped it with a slightly squinty smirk.

Damn, that is H. O. T.

He burst out laughing and I joined him. Another layer floated off.

When we were halfway back to the ranch, he turned down a side road I had never been on. It was dirt, and not very often used, if the overgrowth of the roadside was to be believed.

At the end of the road was a small lake. The water looked like a shiny carpet where it reflected the light of the moon. There were a few trees surrounding the lake, but the rest of the area was open pasture. We pulled up almost to the edge of the water. Edward got out and went to the back of the vehicle. He opened the back door pulled something out, then came to my door and opened it.

"Are you going to stay in there?" His voice was playful and light, like a child showing off a shiny new toy. He was carrying a thick blanket. I hopped out. He went to the hood of the Defender and threw the blanket up on it and turned to me.

"Let me give you a boost," He gestured to the brush guard on the front of the vehicle. I climbed up and he held my arm to steady me, though I didn't really need it. I fixed the blanket so it was double folded over the windshield wipers and sat down on the hood waiting for him.

Before he climbed up, he turned the stereo back on low, but left the Phantom soundtrack playing. We settled ourselves with our backs leaning on the windshield, and I looked up at the sky. The glowing orb of the moon was shining down, surrounded by a million stars. They were always more prevalent here. Back in Phoenix, all the lights kept them at bay.

Neither of us spoke. It was peaceful and it seemed wrong to talk at the moment. We just watched stars and breathed.

I was about to speak, when the opening chords of "The Music of The Night" began.

Phantom really was one of my favorites, and this soundtrack was the 1986 Original cast, not Gerard Butler's version. Though the film is wonderful. I began to hum along with the song, and felt Edward move next to me. His hand gently reached over and grasped mine. The electric shock was more profound this time. I heard his breathing hitch. Did he feel it too? I turned my head to see him. His gaze was transfixed on me. His eyes looked almost black, akin to looking through a forest at night. You know that the predominant color is green, but the lack of light plays tricks on your mind. The colors bleed into one and only on the edges of your vision can you pick out the details.

As I drank him in with my eyes, he slowly turned his whole body toward me. His left hand took the place of his right, which had been holding mine, and he propped himself up on his right elbow. His movements were slow, like watching a cat stretch languidly after napping in the sun. My breathing was becoming shallower, and my heart lurched into a sprint. I'd never felt this nervous in the presence of a boy. My body was so keyed up, it almost felt like it would explode. Why was he having this tumultuous effect on me?

My voice was hiding somewhere down around my navel, and it was doing a dance with my soul, waltzing to his tune. I tried to convince them to take a break, but it was pointless.

"Bella," my name spilled from him in a whisper. "I don't think I understand this."

His eyes roamed my face, and finally immersed themselves in mine. They looked moist, as though he were on the verge of tears. He leaned closer to me, his eyes pleading with me to answer his uncertainty. My voice reluctantly left it's partner to the dance and found it's way home.

"What's to understand, Edward? Things happen, and all one can do is hope for the best."

He leaned closer still, his face only inches from mine. I could see the deep green of his eyes now, still questioning me. I could smell his soap; it was herbal, and sweet, with a hint of citrus. In answer to his question, I simply reached my right hand up toward his cheek and caressed him.

His breath blew gently across my lips as he pressed them to mine, feather light and tentative. His lips were soft, and full. I drew him into me with slight pressure from my hand. I closed my eyes, felt the kiss deepen, and my heart rose in a crescendo with the music in the background. His left hand reached across my body and pulled me to him. I shifted into the embrace and slightly parted my lips. His tongue responded to my invitation and timidly made its way in to meet mine. I could vaguely taste "chick pizza" and something else; it was spicy, like cinnamon.

There was a pounding in my chest and I knew my heart was going a mile a minute. Then he moaned lightly into my mouth and I recognized a growing warmth where my soul waltzed in lazy circles. The pressure of the kiss increased again and his hand gently rubbed the small of my back. I ran my hand up into his hair and gave it a small tug just as his tongue initiated a fierce duel with mine. We continued the silent riposte for what felt like eternity. Then he gently pulled back and placed a small chaste kiss on my lips.

When I opened my eyes, they were looking directly into his. The pure joy I saw there almost made me cry. This beautiful boy sent me into a paroxysm of emotion that I couldn't explain. And somehow, it seemed as though I did the exact same thing to him.

I realized my hand was still entwined in hair, so I lightly ruffled it and brought it back down to his cheek. He smiled that adorable crooked smile at me. I returned it, sure that I looked more like a grinning idiot.

"Do you understand now, Edward?" My voice was thick, as though I had just woken up.

"There's nothing to understand, Bella. Good things come to those who wait." His idiotic grin mirrored mine.

Whew! Ok that was my first time writing a small lemon-flavored goody. I hope it turned out sweet instead of sour. LOL

And for all of you who are reading my story: BIG SMOOCHES!

Next chapter gets a little more Jasper. Heehee, there's a teaser for ya!