First & Ten Chapter 7

EPOV

"You were telegraphing that throw to Whitlock. See? You don't look anywhere other than at him." Coach Anderson gestured angrily to the screen and rewound the play for the fifteenth time. I didn't really have anything to say about it. He was right. I fucked up. Only the fact that Jasper had superior hands saved me from throwing an interception. I should have looked off the safety, made him think I was going to check down to Cheney. Just one step in the wrong direction was the difference between a pick and a touchdown.

"You're right, Coach. It won't happen again." I knew better. He shook his head in disgust and flew past the TD catch to Fitz. I nearly rolled my eyes. No point in discussing the shit I got right, naturally. After a few more minutes he was finally through with me and piled me with disks of the Seahawks game vs. the 49ers from the previous day.

"Get back to me on Wednesday on the holes you identify in the defense and what weaknesses we can exploit." He buried his head in the playbook, effectively dismissing me. Thank God, we'd been studying game film for nearly as long as the damn game had been. I was hoping to get out of here before…

"Cosmo Girl! How the hell are you?" That. Fuck. The lineman's meeting should have been over ages ago which meant that Emmett had waited specifically to give me crap. That figured.

"I have never been in Cosmo, Emmett. That's a chick magazine."

"See, the fact that you know that worries me." He slapped a meaty paw down on my shoulder and grinned at me. "Besides, two of your exes have been on the cover so that's good enough for me."

I didn't need that reminder and rolled my eyes. Tanya and Lauren had graced the covers of way more magazines than I ever would. "What are you still doing here, Em?" I walked down the hallway with him, heading toward the doors. I wanted to get back home so I could call and talk to Bella for a few minutes before I had to immerse myself in game tape.

He smacked my back playfully, which launched me forward a step. I glared at him while he let out a booming laugh. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? I had to see how your big date went!" When I raised an eyebrow at him he chortled with glee. "Okay; and I had to put some itching powder in the D-lineman's jockeys. Dockett gave me shit for that Freeney sack. I couldn't let that stand." I chuckled…at least he was after them instead of me. Then again, that sack was my fault. I was going to check to make sure he didn't fuck with my stuff as well.

"Itching powder again? Doesn't that one ever get old?"

His dimples winked as he grinned at me. "No. It's a classic. You can't go wrong with old school."

"If you say so." We got to the exit and I started to open the door when his hand tightened on my arm.

"Em? What are you doing?" He steered me over to the lounge area where there was a refrigerator, TV, game consoles, leather couches and a pool table. He grabbed a cue and a stick and started racking the balls. "Dude, I have to get home, I have a lot of shit to do tonight."

He ignored me and went ahead and broke. "Shit to do? Is that how you refer to Bella?" I took the other pool stick and whacked him on the back. It didn't even phase him as he lined up and knocked a striped ball in.

"Dude, knock it the fuck off. She's not like that."

"So, you didn't get laid. No wonder you're a crab ass." He sunk the four ball and then scratched on the two.

"I am not a crab ass. I just want to get home and study tape."

"Why so anxious? You've got all week. Your turn."

I had no idea why I was playing but I found myself hitting the five ball in the right corner pocket. "No, I don't. I have plans on Tuesday night." Shit, I hadn't meant to tell him that.

"Plaaaaannns?" he asked in a sing-song voice. "What kind of plans? Plans with a girl? Bella perhaps?"

"Em, does Rose have any idea how obsessed you are with my private life? It's a bit fucked up. Do you have feelings for me?"

He held his hands to his heart and fluttered his eyelashes at me. "She knows all about my unrequited love and that she'll always be second best in my eyes. But since I can't have you, I had to move on. You do understand, right? I content myself with admiring you from afar, sneaking peeks at you in the shower and collecting all those pretty pictures you're always posing for. It's not like I hide it, there's a huge collage of you right above my bed." He waggled his brows at me. "For obvious reasons."

"You're such an ass," I snorted as laughter overcame me at the thought of my picture being all over his ceiling. "I bet Rose thinks it's hot."

"Well, she admits you're prettier than she is. She's secure in herself." I missed the seven ball because I was laughing too hard to aim properly and he threw his hands up in triumph at my miss and then put on a straight face as he took aim at the six ball. He banked it off the corner, just missing going in. "Damn. So, seriously, are your plans with Bella?"

I couldn't keep the smile on my face as I nodded. "Yeah, dinner at her place."

"So last night went well then?" I sank the seven in the left corner and took aim at the one.

"Yeah, it was great." More than great, it was fabulous. I'd never been so…charged around a girl before. I didn't know if that was even the right word but I'd been ridiculously excited and felt like I was on some high when she was next to me. And God, when I kissed her…it was like some weird combination of an electric shock but also completely comfortable and right, I guess. I wasn't about to tell Emmett that though, he already thought I was girly enough with the magazine covers and ridiculous endorsements and shit that I had to do.

I missed the ball completely because I was too focused on how great it felt having Bella's lips on mine. Emmett chortled as he sank the two. "You're completely gone over this chick. You should see your face! You look like some teenage girl mooning over…well…you!" I swung my stick at him and he danced out of the way gleefully. "Seriously, man, I'm happy that you found someone that makes you look like that. Tanya certainly never did." I felt a scowl move over my face at her name. He pointed at me. "Yeah, that's exactly how you looked. Why the hell did you date her for so long?"

I shrugged. "Convenience? Wanting to avoid the fucking drama that would unfold when I dumped her?" That didn't work, of course. I'd been smacked and scratched and had to drag her out of my condo before shit got too ugly. She'd cursed outside my door in Russian for about thirty minutes before I threatened to call the cops if she didn't leave.

"Tanya was hot as hell but she was crazy."

"You think I didn't know that? I found out after pictures of us together were printed everywhere and after our publicists and agents got us together and decided that we would be the it couple." I hated that bullshit. It felt orchestrated and fake even though we were together for all intents and purposes. I could count on two hands the number of days we'd actually spent with one another during the eight months or so we'd dated though. It was all very Hollywood and I was sick of it. It was yet another reason that Bella appealed to me, beyond her beauty and intelligence and the fact that she made me laugh.

"Well, you're out of that and clearly onto something better. Tell me about her and the date."

"You're such a girl, Emmett." He just leaned against the table and crossed his huge arms, waiting for me to continue. "She came over and she was adorably awkward at first." I grinned as I remembered her verbal slips. "She apparently loved Jasper's couch and of course I have the same one so I told her I was hoping she'd like it just as well and she said she liked me better instead of the couch." Emmett guffawed.

"We sat there and talked about football and my trophies and how she covers high school ball. It was just cool, to be able to talk to someone that was into what I do rather than the money I make doing it." I'd never really dated a girl that was into football beyond a surface basis. Bella's knowledge and passion about the sport that I played was a huge turn on.

"Any action?" he asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

"A kiss or two." The hottest kisses on the fucking planet. I wasn't about to tell him about her moaning at the table and the subsequent make out over chocolate lava cake. That was just for the two of us.

"And she invited you over for tomorrow night?"

"Well, I asked her out again and told her I really didn't want to wait until we got back from Seattle. Tuesday's the best night." Emmett nodded. We had lighter practices the first couple of days after games, not putting on pads and hitting again until Wednesday. We'd head up to Seattle on Friday so that was out. Tuesday was perfect and I already couldn't wait to see her again. She'd called me when she got home, just like she promised, and we ended up being on the phone for an hour swapping stories about growing up as only children. Talking to Bella was as easy as breathing and I already felt like I could trust her. A part of me worried that I was in too deep already but I honestly didn't care. She fascinated me.

He turned back to the pool table and sank his last striped ball. "Good for you, man, it sounds like you really like her. When do I get to meet her?"

I shrugged. Emmett was my closest friend other than Jasper and if Bella and I were together for any period of time he'd definitely be meeting her. For now, though, I wanted to keep her to myself. Jasper already knew her pretty well. My hands tightened on my pool stick as I pictured him seeing her in her black bra, which was ridiculous. He was crazy about Alice but still…I wanted to be the only one to see Bella's bare skin. I'd been sorely tempted to try for more last night but I knew that wasn't the answer. I'd fallen right into bed with both Tanya and Lauren and look where that had gotten me. Bella was a quality girl and I wanted to get to know her before I slept with her, even though it would likely kill me to hold off. Just those few kisses last night had me jacking off in the shower right after she left.

"You'll meet her when I'm sure we're headed somewhere."

Emmett snorted as he sank the eight ball in the side pocket. "It's going somewhere, we both know it. But if you want to keep her to yourself, I get it. Privacy is a premium around here."

I went to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water and tossed him one. He plucked it out of the air and opened it and took a swig. "I want her to meet you and Rose, Emmett." Well, more him than Rose. Rose hated Tanya on sight and I had no idea what she'd think of Bella. "Right now I just want to enjoy being with her, no eyes, no pressure. If it goes anywhere, we'll have to deal with press and gossip and all that shit and neither one of us is ready for that."

"I get it, man. I've seen what you went through in the past. You're gun shy. But if you like her as much as I think you do, you're both going to have to endure it eventually. It'll be better if you have friends there to bolster you when you do." He was right of course. It was a discussion I really needed to have with Bella before either of us got in too deep. You already are. Yeah, I was like a schoolboy with his first crush. It was strange but I liked it.

"Thanks, Em, you're right. As soon as we get to that point, we'll all get together. I promise." I rather enjoyed the mental image I had of Emmett and Alice meeting one another. "I have to get home, but I'll see you tomorrow."

He grinned and put the pool sticks away. "Later, man. Go call your girl." I smiled. My girl…I liked the sound of that. I gave him a wave and headed home so I could call…my girl.

Xoxoxoxo

"Heading to Bella's?" I turned my head as Jasper came up to me in the locker room. Practice was over and I'd showered and shaved here rather than heading home and heading back out again.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be there at six so I have a little time to kill." Should I get her flowers? Candy? I wasn't sure what dating protocol was anymore. It'd been a long time since I'd done anything more than picking up a phone to call a florist or having something sent over from Tiffany's. Bella didn't strike me as the type for expensive jewelry or fancy floral arrangements.

"I wonder how Bella will find a way to bring me up this time. It's clear she really wants me." I snapped a towel at him and he ducked out of the way. Fuck, Bella had told Alice and she'd told Jasper so it was only a matter of time before Emmett heard.

"What's this about Bella wanting Jasper?" Emmett's voice boomed as he came around the corner in nothing but a tiny towel.

"Dude, would put something on? If you bend over I can see your…" Jasper broke off as Emmett did just that, flashing us both. "Ass." Jasper whipped out his cell phone and snapped a picture, winking at me.

"Just showing GQ what he's missing." I snorted as I put my wallet into my back pocket and got my car keys and shut my locker.

"I am not missing anything."

"You keep telling yourself that, Esquire. Don't worry, Cowboy, there's plenty left over for you." Emmett grabbed an ass cheek and shook it.

"Emmett, I'm going to kick what's left over if you don't put some fucking clothes on." Jasper opened Emmett's locker and tossed him his clothes. "Get dressed or I won't tell you how Bella wants me."

Em glanced between the two of us as he pulled on underwear and shorts. "Okay, I'm dressed. Tell me."

Apparently, Jasper was okay with filling him in as long as he was half dressed. I groaned as Jasper shot me an impish grin. "Well, it seems that Ms. Bella has a bit of an issue when it comes to speaking her mind. She just blurts things out at the most inappropriate times. Apparently she told Romeo here that she wasn't sleeping with him and when he asked her what she was talking about, she said she wasn't sleeping with me as a cover. She just wanted to clarify seeing as she was wearing my clothes and answering my door at six in the morning."

I punched him in the arm as Emmett roared. "She was talking about me." At least I think she was. It was hard to tell with Bella but the way she'd acted and her kisses….yeah, it was about me. Had to be.

"If that's what you have to tell yourself to get through the lonely nights, be my guest," Jasper drawled.

Emmett hooted. "I have got to meet this girl. She sounds like a riot. Maybe she'll not want to sleep with me!"

I glared at him. "I'm quite certain she won't want to sleep with you."

"I have a picture of his ass; we'll show her and let her decide for herself." Jasper waved his cell phone and darted out of the way when Emmett lunged for him.

"Give it here, Tumbleweed." Emmett was bigger but Jasper was faster and he juked and ducked and managed to elude him.

"No fucking way. I'm keeping this for blackmail purposes. You have no idea when but I will use it against you. I owe you."

Emmett sat back down and shrugged. "Do your worst, Spurlock. It won't be anywhere near my best." Sadly, this was probably true. Emmett was the king of pranks on our team. He turned to me and flashed his dimples. "So, if your girl is hot for Jasper already, I get why you want to keep her away from me. You'd certainly lose her then."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, you're a real threat, Em." I couldn't help but laugh at the jovial expression on his face. "I can't risk it until she'd madly in love with me." As the words left my mouth I felt my stomach flutter. What did that mean?

I shook it off and turned to Jasper. "What else did she tell Alice?" Surely she didn't mention the…

"Porn moaning and making out after feeding one another chocolate? Yeah, I got it all man." Jasper grinned and ran his hand through his hair. "I also heard that she kissed you first. Wuss."

"She had to make the first move? I am going to have to rescind some of your nicknames, Eddie. That's not very smooth at all. I'm disappointed in you."

"I made plenty of moves of my own," I muttered.

"Yeah, who do you think came up with the feeding thing? Romeo knows what he's doing, even if he is a bit slow on the uptake," Jasper chuckled.

"She kissed me first because she found me so irresistible." I liked that she'd kissed me first; it made me feel much more relaxed and sure in my own moves. I wasn't used to doubting myself but Bella made me feel like a teenager again, awkward and unsure.

Emmett stood and patted my head like I was a dog. I jerked away from him and ran my hand through it to make it sit correctly. "Of course she did, Princess. I'm sure Jasper wasn't on her mind at all in that moment."

Jasper choked on laughter as I punched Emmett in the gut. He just smiled good naturedly at me. Damn him and his huge muscles. "You two suck. I'm leaving and I'm going to make sure to tell Bella not to tell Alice anything about our night. You gossipy girls can wonder all you want."

"You're gonna tell Bella not to tell her best friend about their date? Man, you are an idiot. Good luck with that one." Jasper shook his head as if I was hopeless. Well it was worth a shot, wasn't it? Surely she could give her an extremely edited version of the night. Jasper laughed. "When you get to know Alice a little better you'll know just how futile that request will be. If she wants to know something, she'll know it." Yeah, I believed that.

"Fine, whatever. I'm not telling either one of you shit though."

"Who cares? Obviously all the good stuff will come from Alice. When can I meet her?" Emmett demanded. Jasper sputtered and I left him to deal with Emmett's request and headed to the parking lot. I had a beautiful woman waiting for me; I didn't need to waste any more time with those two jackasses.

Xoxoxoxox

I'd stopped at a florist on the way and grabbed Bella a bouquet of daisies. They seemed more her style than roses or orchids, which my former girlfriends had preferred. I didn't want to compare Bella to them but it was hard not to. She was so down to earth and real compared to them. Daisies seemed fitting.

I found Bella's apartment building easily enough. She lived in downtown Phoenix, about half an hour from me with traffic. Not bad at all. I parked and entered the building, frowning a little at the lack of a doorman or security. I didn't like the idea of her having no protection.

I went to the elevator and hit the up button, waiting impatiently for it to appear. When the doors opened, a young couple stepped out and both did a double take at the sight of me. Fuck. "Hey, aren't you Edward Cullen?" the guy asked excitedly. I smiled and nodded, gesturing for them to get out while they stared.

"Yeah…uh, weren't you planning on getting off here?"

"Oh, yes. You don't live here, do you?"

"No, I'm visiting a friend." They finally moved out of the elevator, the girl staring at me and licking her lips rather obviously while her boyfriend or whatever he was thrust his hand out for me to shake. I shook it quickly and stepped into the elevator.

"Great game, man. When you threw that pass to Whitlock in the third, threading it through those two corners…it was bad ass!"

"Thanks! You two have a great night." I hit the button for the third floor and flashed them a smile as the doors closed. I relaxed against the wall, grateful that my ride up was blessedly alone. I should have taken the stairs and would on the way out. I hated being trapped in an elevator with strangers; it inevitably led to either propositioning or exuberant fans or both.

The doors opened and I found apartment 322 quickly. I knocked and heard a bang followed by "Shit," and a few seconds later the door opened to reveal a frazzled looking Bella, her face sweaty and her hair sticking out everyplace.

"Bella, are you alright?" My fantasy of pulling her into my arms and kissing her in her doorway evaporated in concern for her disheveled appearance.

"No! Yes! I don't know." Well that certainly cleared things up. She sighed and attempted to brush her hair out of her face. "My air conditioning decided to go out and of course I made lasagna so it's hot as hell in here and…damn it. I should never have asked you here."

I tried to push back the hurt that came with those words and ran my fingers over her cheek. "I can handle hot, if I get to be with you."

"You already are hot," she blurted and then turned that lovely pink shade that she did whenever she said something that caught me off guard. She was so incredibly beautiful.

I handed her the daisies and she buried her nose in them. "As are you, and I'm not talking about the sweating." Fuck, Cullen, that was a stupid thing to say. Way to remind her that she's not looking her best; though she still looked damn good in my eyes. She was wearing a short black skirt that showed off her pretty pale legs and a button down royal blue shirt that looked lovely on her.

She bit her lip and opened the door wider to let me inside. I brushed past her and winced as the heat slammed into me the instant I stepped in the door. She was right; it was like a sauna in here. Bella sighed and put the flowers on a table she had next to the door. "You don't have to stay. We can do this another night, if you want."

As if I would take her up on that. I would endure a lot worse to spend time with her. "I want to stay, Bella." I trailed my right hand along her sweaty neck…there were definitely some benefits to the heat. She was damn sexy and seeing her sweat made me picture her being sweaty and naked with me inside her and yeah…this was going to be a long night. "Something smells really good." She did as well, but I was talking about the mouthwatering scent coming from the oven.

She smiled up at me and gestured toward the kitchen, which was attached to the living room. It was small but nice, with gray countertops and white cabinets. "I made lasagna. It has about twenty more minutes until it's done and I can turn the oven off. I'm so sorry, Edward. I didn't know the air was going to stop working." She looked so flustered and helpless that I couldn't resist pulling her into my arms and giving her a reassuring hug. She burrowed into me a moment before pulling back and shaking her head.

"I'm sweaty and gross and now I'm getting you that way."

I pulled her back into my arms and she sighed and relaxed into me. "I don't care about that. I just want to hold you."

"I'm sorry I'm such a disaster."

"You're not." I tiled her head up and finally kissed her, like I'd been thinking about doing since she left my place on Sunday night. Her lips felt right on mine and I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her tight little body was pressed up against mine and I wanted nothing more than to push her down on the couch and explore every inch of her but it was too soon and it was too damn hot.

She sighed when I broke the kiss and released her. "What are we going to do? We can't eat in here. We'll melt."

It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest we could shed some clothes but that would hardly keep with my plan to take things slowly. "We could take the food back to my place. It might be pretty cool by the time we get there but we could heat it back up." And then of course I could suggest that she stay over because there was no way she could spend the night in here with her air conditioning not working. Again, Cullen, not doing a very good job at not tempting fate are you? "Did you call your building manager?"

She frowned and pushed her hair back from her face. "Yes, but they can't come out until tomorrow. I'm going to stay at Alice's tonight probably. I need to call her." I deflated a bit at that news but it was for the best.

"I've got an idea. I have some workout clothes in the car, is it okay if I change?" Jeans and a long sleeved shirt were not going to cut it tonight.

She puffed her cheeks out adorably. "God, yes, you have to be uncomfortable as hell. I'm so sorry Edward. I can't do anything right when it comes to you. I swear I am more together than this usually."

"Hey." I cupped her chin in my hand and she looked up at me with her big, sad brown eyes. "That's not true, Bella. It wouldn't matter to me if we had to eat bread and water in your office." She giggled at my reminder of the lunch I offered her and I smiled at the light that returned to her eyes. "I am happy to be with you. Sweat or no sweat. And I have an idea."

"What?" she asked.

"Let's have a picnic in the hallway. It's air conditioned. Do you have a blanket that we could put out there?" Her face lit up in a huge smile and I knew she loved the suggestion. It was better than taking her home…I knew if I did I'd likely ask her to stay over and if she stayed over the odds were good that things would go too far. I wanted to touch her, to taste her, in the worst way.

"Edward, that's perfect! You go get your clothes and I'll grab a blanket and call Alice." She was practically bouncing with excitement and I felt like I'd scored the game winning touchdown instead of just making a suggestion to make our evening more comfortable. Bella had that effect on me though, everything seemed magnified with her.

I hurried out the door and jogged the stairs down to my car, ducking my head to keep from being noticed when I heard a group of people spilling out of the elevators. I pulled my gym bag out of the car and ran back upstairs, which was pretty dumb considering I was going into her sweltering apartment to change. I knocked and went in when she called out to and stopped short when I saw she was now wearing an old gray AU t-shirt and very short jean shorts that didn't leave a lot to the imagination. Her hair was pulled up now and some loose tendrils curled down from her ponytail. I swallowed thickly at the sight of her. It was probably a good damn thing we'd be eating in the hallway.

"Bathroom?" I asked, my voice slightly higher pitched at the sight of her.

"Second door on the right." I went in and pulled on one of my black work out shirts and shorts, folding my jeans and button down and putting them back in my bag. I was pleased at how non-girly her bathroom was. It wasn't loaded down with all the crap that girls seemed to have, hair gels and perfumes and lotions and whatnot. She had her green toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap and just one body lotion. Bella Swan was my kind of girl.

I came out of the bathroom and put my bag from the front door. Bella turned away from the oven and took a deep breath when she saw me. She muttered something about "hot in here" and I grinned because it didn't seem like she was referring to the broken AC or the oven. "See something you like?" I couldn't resist asking.

She walked over to me and fisted her hands on the neck of my black muscle shirt. "Yes." She yanked me down and her lips met mine and my hands found her waist and pulled her against me. I wasn't actively thinking about it but my hands managed to find their way beneath her shirt to the silky skin of her stomach. Fuck, I wanted her. Right here and now in this hot as hell apartment, I wanted to throw her down on the floor and get even sweatier. Her lips were firm on mine as her hands buried in my hair and we devoured one another.

My hands moved up her rib cage and I was closing in on her breasts despite the voice in the back of my head telling me it was too fast. It didn't feel too fast with the way she was kissing to me, the urgency of her lips on mine and the way she tugged on my hair. So what if we had sex a little early, we could still build on that, right?

I slid further up her torso, focused on getting my hands on her perky little breasts. An annoying beeping sound pierced my subconscious and Bella pulled back from me, her chest heaving. "The lasagna's done." Saved by the bell? It certainly didn't feel like it but maybe it was for the best. Just maybe though.

She ran to the oven and turned it off, then pulled the bubbling pasta from the oven and setting it down on her counter. She looked from the food to me and seemed to be debating something before she shook her head and pointed to the red and white checked blanket that was lying over the back of her couch. "You want to go set that up?" No, I actually wanted to put it on the floor and roll around with Bella on it but it was for the best if we got out of the room and into a more public place. I couldn't attack her in her hallway when anybody might happen along, could I? Yeah, you totally could. Okay but I wouldn't.

I took the blanket out into the hallway and spread it out to the left of her door, covering up the stained black carpet. There was a vent above and it was blessedly blowing cool air. We both could use a cool down, not just from the heat of the apartment either. This girl was testing my control in every way. I went back inside and grabbed us each a bottle of water from the fridge. Bella nodded when I showed her what I'd chosen to drink, I didn't think either of us needed alcohol coupled with the moods we were in.

She dished up the lasagna and some salad and we carried it out onto the blanket. She breathed a deep breath as she slid down the white wall and leaned against it. "I should have come out here earlier. I was too busy freaking out to think about being practical though."

I sat next to her and nudged her with my knee. "Practical would have been calling me and telling me about the AC so we could have gone out or eaten at my place or something. Practical would have been eating ice cream instead of cooking lasagna." She huffed at me and I scooped up a forkful and hummed in pleasure as the flavors explored in my mouth. "Fuck practical, this is incredible."

Bella giggled at my reaction. "I learned to cook because I had to. My mother was terrible at it and my father knows how to fry fish and that's about it." She took her own bite and made another semi-orgasmic sound. She was going to be the death of me. "I was going to make garlic bread to go with it but I don't want to cook anymore than I have to. This is okay, right?"

I picked up her right hand and kissed it. No way did I want her to go back into that stifling apartment. "This is perfect. So, other than not being able to cook, tell me about your parents." I wanted to know everything about this girl.

Bella smiled as she told me about her mother's hobbies of the month, from painting to pottery to calligraphy and cross stitching, she'd tried it. She sounded like a free spirit and a lot of fun. "Dad's way more settled than she is. Give him a fishing pole and a beer and he's content for hours. Or turn on the TV and let him watch football or baseball." She scooped up another forkful of lasagna. "He's a Seahawks fan though, sorry."

"So did you tell them about me?" I really wanted to know if she'd mentioned me to her parents. Then again, I hadn't mentioned her to mine, mainly because my mother would immediately want to meet her and probably start planning the wedding in the next breath. She was desperate for grandchildren.

She swallowed and then looked at me for a minute before answering. "No. I mean, what do I tell them?" Fuck if I know. "I guess I just want to wait and see where this is going before I mention it to anyone but Alice." That made perfect sense to me.

"Speaking of Alice, did you have to tell her everything that happened on Sunday night?"

Bella stared at me like I'd asked her to solve the riddle of the Sphinx or something. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I tell her about it? She's my best friend!"

"Yeah, but she told Jasper and of course he told Emmett and now they're both giving me shit about you wanting Jasper."

She blinked her gorgeous eyes at me and then burst into laughter. That was not quite the reaction I was expecting so I raised an eyebrow and waited until she was calm again. "What's so funny about that?"

"I don't know. It's just that usually my mouth gets me in trouble, now it's getting you in trouble. I just like the fact that it's backfiring on someone other than me."

I stared at her lips for a bit and she licked them in response. "Your lips are likely to get us both in trouble before long." And then I was kissing her again, right there in the hallway, way more intimately than the setting called for. Bella didn't seem to mind and her hands gripped my shoulders and her body shifted closer to me.

The sound of a slamming door and feet shuffling toward us put a damper on the moment and I pulled back. Trouble wasn't a good enough word for what her lips could do to me. A throat cleared and I turned to look up at a skinny, tall man with thick glasses and messy black hair. He looked at me and then at the woman still in my grasp and said, "Hi, Bella."

She let go of my arms and eased back against the wall. "Hi, Eric, how are you?"

His dark eyes flew to me and back to her. I fought the urge to pull Bella back against me. It was pretty obvious the guy had a crush on her; he blushed every time he looked in her direction. "I'm good. What are you doing out here?"

She sighed and gestured toward her apartment. "The air isn't working, again, and I cooked dinner so it's about a million degrees in there. Edward came up with the idea of a hallway picnic and so here we are." His eyes focused on her long bare legs and this time I didn't resist and put my hand on her knee.

He looked back at me again and then shuffled his feet. "Well, if you need a place to stay…"

"It's taken care of," I interrupted before Bella could say anything. He'd assume she was staying with me and that was more than alright in my book.

"Oh, that's good." He gulped and glanced nervously down the hall. "Well, I'm home if you need anything. See you later, Bella."

"Bye, Eric." I watched him until he was back in his own place before turning back to find her glaring at me.

"What?"

"What? Did you just get all possessive of me, Edward?"

Yes. So? "Maybe. Why?"

"Why? I don't belong to you, Edward." Oh, but I wanted her to, in every way. "And even if we do eventually become more…you still won't own me."

I moved my hand up her leg a little and watched her eyes glaze over with lust. "I seem to remember you having a rather jealous reaction to a certain blonde in the club the other night, when we hadn't even kissed yet." It was damn hot to remember it, now that I was here at her side.

Her eyes narrowed and she smacked my hand off her leg. "She was a slut, Eric's a nice guy. There's a difference."

I rolled my eyes and loaded some more lasagna on my fork. "Nice guy or not, he couldn't take his eyes off your legs. He wants to sleep with you, make no mistake. He's just less forward about it than she was." Bella snorted and I ate before continuing. "Oh, Bella, do you want to spend the night at my place?" I asked in a high pitched voice, not too far off from Eric's in my estimation. "I'll give you my bed and sleep on the couch. Maybe we could watch a movie together and you could lay your head on my shoulder. Then I can kiss the top of your head and you'll tilt you face to mine and…" I broke off because I wasn't seeing Eric and Bella anymore, but myself and Bella. And I was getting turned on again. Would that be my constant state around her?

"At least he was kind enough to ask me." She sounded irritated and maybe a little hurt about that.

I turned to face her, sitting cross legged with both my knees pressed against her right leg. "When I ask you to spend the night, I won't be sleeping on the couch, Bella." Her eyes widened and she swallowed thickly. "I thought about asking and I really wanted to but I also don't want to rush this. I like you, a lot, and I don't want to ruin things by moving too fast. Can you honestly say that if you stayed at my place, you think nothing would happen?" She shook her head quickly. "I'll ask, Bella, I can promise you that. Probably not too far in the distant future." She closed her eyes. "Will you say yes when I do?" I swallowed a lump in my throat as I waited for her answer.

I don't know why I had to know. I was probably some closet masochist and wanted to torture myself all night long with visions of her being in bed with me. Her eyes flashed open and I saw the answer in them before she opened her mouth. "Yes, I will," she said softly, without a waver in her voice. Yeah, I'd be jacking off the moment I got home tonight.

"Good." We finished dinner in relative quiet, chatting a little bit more about or families and other inconsequential things. I was acutely aware of her bare leg next to mine and felt that hum of energy moving between us. My fingers were itching to touch her so I kept them busy by stuffing my face with food.

Bella was taking her last bite of lasagna when she tilted her fork too early and it landed on her chest, right above the V of her t-shirt. She cursed and reached for a napkin but I stilled her with my hand, my eyes mesmerized by the sight of the tomato sauce on her pale skin. Bella stared at me as I leaned forward. What the fuck was I doing? This was not a good idea and it wasn't the place or time…the next thing I knew my tongue was pressed against that silky skin as I licked the sauce of her. I heard her gasp and then her fingers tangled in my hair.

I didn't know what it was about this girl and food. I'd never found eating to be an erotic experience but damned if eating with Bella didn't make me all hot and bothered. I licked the sauce off her and pulled back far enough to look into her face. She looked like she was about to explode and she pulled my face to hers and pressed her lips to mine hungrily again. I groaned and pulled her to me and once again we were making out like teenagers in the hallway.

There was a voice inside my head shouting that it wasn't the right time or place but Bella let out a whimper against my lips and I ignored it. Who cared if someone else happened by? That kid was probably peeking out his peephole…let him see just who she belonged to.

A ding down at the other end of the hall signaled the elevator arriving and Bella shoved me back, both of us breathing heavily as we stared at one another. Whoever got out didn't come in our direction and I started to move back toward her but she put her right hand flat against my chest. "Slow, remember?" she asked shakily. I remembered that I'd said it but the reasons why didn't seem very important when she was looking at me as if she'd like to rip my clothes off and have at me right on the floor. God that would be amazing.

"Right. Slow." I pulled back and leaned against the wall next to her. "I don't remember why I wanted to go slow," I pointed out hopefully and Bella laughed breathlessly.

"You had good reasons."

"No, I'm stupid and so are my reasons." I slid my arm around her waist and she leaned against me.

"Neither of those is true, Edward." Damn me and my big mouth. "Just promise me you'll ask me when the time is right."

I tightened my grip on her waist. "I will." The right time better come soon or I'd explode.

She lifted her head off my shoulder and rose to her feet gracefully, reaching out a hand to pull me up. "Let's brave the heat one more time so we can put these away and get out of here. It's probably safer in there." It seemed ironic that the privacy of the apartment would seem safer but she was right. Walking back in was like being inside the oven. We put our dishes in the sink and Bella rinsed them quickly while I folded up the blanket and put the leftover food back in the refrigerator.

She went in her bedroom for a minute and came out later with a bag. I smiled at her efficiency. "Will you walk me to my car?" she asked sweetly, looking somewhat unsure despite the fact that I'd been ready to make love to her in the hallway. I thought it was adorable.

I took her hand in one hand and my gym bag in the other and we left the sauna behind as she locked the door and we made our way to the elevator. I held her hand the whole way down and to her car, where I helped her put her bag in her trunk, dropped mine, and then pulled her into my arms, kissing her softly in contrast to the heated kisses earlier. It was no less potent though and I felt my cock stirring yet again at the taste of her.

"Can I see you when I get back from Seattle? Monday night?" I sounded anxious and pathetic but I really didn't care and neither did Bella, apparently, because a huge smile came over her face as she nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow night after practice, okay?" She nodded again and for some reason I felt compelled to ask. "Watch me on Sunday?"

She stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around my neck and gave me a light kiss. "Of course I will." I kissed her again and then held her door open for her as she slid into her Volvo and started the car. I picked up my bag and turned to walk to my own car when I heard her window rolling down.

"Edward?" I turned back around and looked at her. "You look really sexy in your uniform." I barked out a surprised laugh as she grinned and rolled her window up before pulling out of her parking space and driving away. Bella Swan was a fascinating girl and Monday was way too far away. I didn't know if I could wait that long.

A/N Whew! Getting a little hot between our favorite couple, huh? How long can either one hold out? Not very, methinks! Next chapter, the couple watches game film? Hey, you have your romance, they have theirs! :)

What was your favorite nickname from this chapter? What other names should Emmett call the boys? What should they call him?

Training Camp has begun, my football loving girls! I'm super excited for the season. Who do you root for? I'm full of questions today. I'll stop now. See you all in two weeks!