BPOV

A piercing crash of thunder woke me up. It was eerily beautiful, intertwined as it was with the distant sound of piano music. I reached a hand out to my side, feeling for Edward's body. But he wasn't there.

I had no more finished that thought when I felt his cold hand grasp my warm one before pressing it to his lips. "Morning, love."

I smiled at him just as another booming crack of thunder shook the house. I couldn't help but jump. He pulled my body against his. "My, listen to your heart fly. Don't worry, my love. I've got you."

It was approaching morning, a dim gray light just starting to brighten the room. My body rebelled against being awake. "Lay down with me?" I murmured into his chest. He slid us down and pulled my back against his chest. I threaded my fingers through his and tucked both of our hands in a ball against my chest.

It felt wonderful just being with him. I loved the sound of a thunderstorm, and the multitude of windows in his room seemed to bring the storm inside. While I was very relaxed, the energy of the storm kept me from being able to fall back to sleep. Instead I closed my eyes, enjoyed the feel of our bodies intertwined together, and let my mind wander.

Last night had been wonderful in so many ways. Going out with Edward and his family somewhere where we could all be free and blend into a crowd was so normal and so much fun. Well, truly, they didn't blend well. But the crowded and dark nature of the club made it easier than usual. I felt so free on the dance floor. Again, maybe it was that so many people being there made me feel like I wouldn't stand out from the mass. But after the stress of the week, it had felt so good to just let go, to just feel, to just be.

My most significant experience with dancing before the club was at Prom. And between my cast, having been tricked into attending, the scrutiny I knew we were under by the other students, and the ambiance of the gym, I hadn't felt the ability to really enjoy dancing like I did at the club. And I was surprised to find that it wasn't really as hard as I feared. I'm pretty sure I had overthought the whole thing. So I closed my eyes and didn't think. I just listened to the music and my body responded. I found I really enjoyed it.

I danced out the remainder of my annoyance with Edward. I had felt guilty for snapping at him the minute I got into Alice's room to get dressed. And though my rational mind knew that he was just working through and discovering his own sexuality, my irrational and self-conscious mind had gotten the better of me, twisting the meaning of his words so that I felt like he thought I was dirty and disappointing. I knew I needed to apologize to him and explain myself, but I needed to be more awake to do it right.

When he finally came to me on the dance floor my good mood had returned completely. And was heightened by the sudden display of possession he put on by kissing me hungrily and repeatedly in the middle of the dance floor. If I accomplished absolutely nothing off the list between now and the wedding but got to go dancing like that with Edward even just once more, it might be an even trade. Holy crow! I had absolutely no idea how erotic dancing with him would be. I couldn't believe I could get that hot fully clothed and without him really even touching me. My heart was in my throat the entire time and I all I could do was pant and try to get myself as close to him as was physically possible. Dancing with him like that made me want to climb inside of him.

And I was completely thrilled to find that dancing with me was affecting him the same way. When he spun me around so that he was dancing behind me, the fullness of his erection was immediately clear. I couldn't help but press back into him. I loved the sound of his groan, the feel of his hands gripping my hips. But I almost passed out from the pleasure of his icy tongue dragging across my sweaty body from shoulder to ear. That was the point at which my panties became absolutely saturated and I thought for sure he must know what he was doing to me. So I decided to see if he'd continue to play along.

Earlier in the evening I had seen a couple kissing near Rose and was initially uncomfortable with their very obvious display. But then I became intrigued when I saw the man's lips trail down the woman's neck, pause, and then come back up, leaving a very angry reddish mark in their wake. Instantly I decided to add that to the list. I wouldn't always be markable. And I desperately wanted him to claim me in that way. His little licking escapade seemed the perfect opportunity to raise the suggestion with him, and he surprised me with his eagerness to do it.

Unthinkingly I slowly slid my hand up underneath my hair to see if I could feel the spot behind my ear where he sucked on me. I couldn't, and I was dying to see it. The very idea that it was there was a complete turn-on. I passed off the movement of my arm as the need to scratch so Edward wouldn't ask me what I was doing.

My movement still caught his attention. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, actually I'm starving. I was too nervous to eat dinner last night before we went out and now I feel like I could eat a horse." I slid my shoulders slightly so that I could look at him. He had a strange look on his face.

"What?"

He flashed that crooked grin I so loved. "Horse isn't very good."

I gaped at him in shock. He so infrequently made a joke related to his nature. I burst out laughing. "Horse?"

If he could blush it looked like he would have. He nodded. "When I was a newborn, before Carlisle and I cleared out of Chicago. They were the biggest animals available without having to go far."

I had no idea how to respond to that but I loved that he volunteered that small story about himself. "God, Edward. You have lived so long. You have experienced so much. I want to hear your stories."

A look of total adoration settled his face and he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. "I would love to share them with you. I will tell you anything you want to know." He pulled the covers back off of me. "But first, you shower, I'll cook."

The movement of the covers swirled the cool air around my body and I looked down. I was wearing my pajamas. A deep blush lit up my whole face. Edward followed my gaze, saw the blush, and guessed what I was wondering. "You were so tired when we got home last night. I could barely wake you up. Alice changed you before she and the others left."

"Oh," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. I wasn't sure whether to be thankful or disappointed. But his mention of his family distracted me. "They still went hunting in this?" I gestured a hand to the windows.

He nodded. "A good storm adds a certain level of…intensity to the experience."

"Oh." I couldn't think of anything better to say. For some reason his explanation sounded sexual. I was capable of reading innuendo into anything.

He stood and helped me up. I stretched my arms up over my head and then fell against him, lacing my hands around his neck. He kissed me gently and led me to the bathroom. Just as he was about to leave the room, I stretched out a hand and softly grabbed his arm. "I just wanted to tell you I loved…everything about…last night."

His eyes darkened a shade and he smiled. He took a step back to me and pressed his lips against my cheekbone. "So did I, love." He pulled away and smiled again. And then he was gone. How does he manage to turn me into a puddle of goo with four words?

I turned to the shower and adjusted the water and then quickly stripped my clothes off. Suddenly remembering, I spun around to the mirror and lifted my hair. I gasped with pleasure. There, just behind and below the soft spot behind my right ear, was a nearly perfectly round reddish-purple hickey. Perhaps a little larger than a quarter. I noticed I had the goofiest grin on my face. I ran my fingers over it and hoped it would last a while.

Still grinning, I stepped into the shower. My mind was going in a hundred directions at once, all of them involving Edward. Gee, we're going to be stuck in the house together all day. After last night, there was absolutely no way I would be able to keep my hands to myself. I shuddered at the memory of his fingers inside of me. There was absolutely no way I was not going to return the epic favor he had paid me last night. I took a deep breath. We had at least thirty-six hours until his family returns. No need to rush.

I dried off and stepped into Edward's walk-in closet where Alice had placed my overnight and shopping bags from yesterday. I reached into the shopping bag to select some lingerie to wear when my hand hit a piece of paper. I pulled it out.

Hi Bella—Enjoy your weekend. I would start with the pink and black set. And look up on the garment press. You might need something a bit warmer to wear…. Alice

My eyes looked over to the built-in mahogany pants and garment press. There lay the black button-down shirt that Edward worn to the club last night. I picked it up and pulled it up to my face, breathing in deeply. Guh. I would bathe in that smell if it was possible.

I was afraid if I just put it on without asking he would read it as an obvious attempt at seduction. So I put my head out of his bedroom door and called down to him, knowing he would hear. "Edward? Can I borrow one of your long-sleeved shirts? I only brought tank tops."

Instantly he appeared at the top of the steps at the other end of the hall, but he came to an abrupt stop when he saw that I was leaning out of his bedroom door with only a towel around me. He looked down and scratched his head. "Uh, of course, what's mine is yours."

"Thanks." I pushed the door shut and smiled. Minutes later I was dressed. I had on the black bra and panties set with the hot pink pin stripes and detailing. The panties weren't a thong, but they were in the same family as the back fabric only covered half of my cheeks. Over that I donned Edward's black button-down shirt. It was huge on me and I had to roll the sleeves way up to get them to hit mid-forearm. Then I looked around for a minute trying to decide what to put on the bottom. The shorts I brought didn't seem quite right. Tentatively I pulled a few of his drawers open until I found what I was looking for. I assumed he had them but then again he hadn't been wearing any on Tuesday that I could tell. I pulled out a pair of black silk boxer shorts and slipped them on. I had to roll the waist twice to get them to stay on my hips, but when I turned to look in the full-length mirror behind me, I knew they were the right choice.

I was now very appreciative of the pedicure Alice had insisted upon last night. My toenails were bright red.

As I walked downstairs, an incredible aroma caught my attention. I walked into the kitchen to find Edward standing at the stove grilling French toast and frying bacon. He had already set a place for me at the island counter and there was a glass of orange juice and a bowl of strawberries awaiting me. "That smells fantastic."

He smiled up at me and his face froze.

"What?" I asked as I hoisted myself up onto the tall chair.

"That looks fantastic," he said nodding at his shirt on me. I was pleased that he thought so but still couldn't keep the blush from rising on my cheeks.

I dug into my breakfast with total abandon. Edward sat on the stool next to me completely mesmerized by my enthusiasm. We made small talk about nothing in particular until my plate was finally and embarrassingly clean and I pushed it away. "God, that was so good." I smiled at him. "I would be annoyed with you for being so good at everything, even cooking which you can't even enjoy yourself, but that was just too good not to feel entirely grateful."

He laughed out loud and in a blur had placed all the dirty dishes in the sink. He took my hand and helped me slip down off the stool. I shivered.

"Are you cold? I could make a fire."

"That sounds great."

I curled into one corner of the leather sofa and admired Edward as he built the fire. Soon it was blazing brightly and casting warmth into the room. He settled against the middle section of the sofa facing me.

We watched two movies together and then he spoiled me by making me lunch. He stoked the fire and we settled back into the couch.

"I want to play a game," I began.

He smiled at me. "Okay. What would you like to play?"

"A question game. We'll take turns asking questions and we have to be absolutely truthful answering them."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Okay. Ladies first."

"Okay. What did you mean by saying that hunting during a thunderstorm makes a more 'intense' experience?"

He looked completely surprised by my question. "Um," his crooked grin returned, "okay. Well, because we turn ourselves completely over to instinct when we hunt, the others find that all of their base instincts demand…attention when hunting. It's common for them to spend a significant amount of alone time," he paused, "after they sate their thirst. When the violence of the weather combines with the violence of the hunt, it apparently makes their…alone time…more…intense." He looked relieved to be done with his explanation.

It took my brain a moment to comprehend his meaning. But then, guh. The sound of his voice trying not to be explicit in saying his vampire family tended to have rough sex when a thunderstorm interrupted their hunt sent a tightening sensation to my lower stomach. Note to self: No. 23. Outside during a thunderstorm.

I swallowed hard.

"My turn?"

I could only nod.

"Okay, then. Why did you get so upset yesterday afternoon?"

I knew this one was coming. "Well, okay. See…sometimes I feel like there are two sides of me. The side that is confident in myself and us and completely understands your need to have strict boundaries of all sorts. And then there is the side, much smaller, that can't help but read rejection and undesirability into your words whenever you make us stop." He seemed ready to interrupt but I pushed on. "Yesterday, when you said you felt dirty and disappointed in yourself for what happened, what I heard was that you thought I was dirty and disappointing. I realize that's unfair and inaccurate. And I'm sorry, because it wasn't fair to you. I know all of this is new to both of us. I'm just having a…hard time…waiting." I bit my bottom lip.

"Oh, Bella. You know I could never think those things about you, right?" He reached his arm out across the back of the sofa to stroke my shoulder.

I blinked back my stupid tears and smiled. "Yes, I know." I wiped a tear quickly from the corner of one eye. "Okay. My turn." I thought for a moment. His fingers were making small circles on my shoulder and it was hard to think.

"What is your favorite thing about being a vampire?"

He pressed his lips into a tight line. "Speed." He returned quickly. "What is your favorite thing about being human?"

"God. I don't know if I can pick just one. Maybe food?" He smirked. "Especially when you feed me food like this morning. Okay, what is your least favorite thing about being a vampire?"

"I don't know if I can pick just one. But I would have to say my fear that I will accidentally hurt you. What is your least favorite thing about being human?"

"Easy. Seeming so fragile to you that it scares you."

We just stared at one another for a moment taking in each other's words.

"My turn again," I began. "What are you most and least looking forward to when I'm like you?"

His grimace returned. He had accepted my change, but that didn't mean he loved the idea. "I'm most looking forward to your being indestructible, but I'm also worried then that you might not need me anymore."

I was stunned. I echoed his words from earlier, "Oh, Edward. You know I could never feel that way, don't you?"

"Yes. Most of the time." He so clearly had his own insecurities. "How about you? Most and least thing you're looking forward to when you're changed?"

"I'm most looking forward to being your equal and I'm most worried that…you…won't like me as much when I'm not soft and warm and human anymore," I rushed out.

"Impossible. It's the essence of who you are that I love. That won't change." The small circles he was drawing on my shoulder turned into deeper massaging motions.

I felt the sting of tears in my eyes again but I managed to blink them away. Okay, time to lighten things up. "Tell me a sexual fantasy that you have about me."

"That's not a question," he said as the corner of his mouth twitched up.

I huffed. "Fine. What is one sexual fantasy you have about me? Better?"

"Much. You're cute when you're annoyed, you know." I rolled my eyes. "Okay. There's one in this room."

I didn't know what he meant but that didn't keep my heart from starting to beat faster. Unthinkingly I blurted, "Two."

"What was that?" His eyes narrowed at me.

"Uh, nothing. You have to, um, finish your answer."

Before I knew what was happening Edward had scooped me up in his arms and placed me on top of his piano so that my feet rested on the keys. He sat himself at the bench, spread my legs apart so that my feet weren't in his way as much, and began playing bits and pieces of things distractedly.

My heart was beating so hard I thought I might pass out. And with his face so close to the apex of my legs I knew he would be able to smell my arousal. But I wasn't going to let him realize how much this was affecting me.

"When we can, Isabella, I will have you on this piano," he said in almost a whisper as he watched his hands on the keys. I was a goner. I audibly whimpered. So much for him not knowing this was affecting me. "My turn." His voice was clipped. "You said 'two.' What did you mean?"

I could barely form a sentence. "Um, two. Right. Um," I took a deep breath. As much as I had no interest in moving, I needed to turn the tables on him. "Help me down?"

He looked momentarily disappointed, then intrigued. I plastered a nonchalant expression on my face, grabbed his hand, and pulled him behind me. I walked over to the rug in front of the fireplace and pulled him down to the floor with me. I kissed him hard and then laid back on the rug keeping my knees raised and slightly spread. I held my arms up to him, beckoning him to lay on top of me. He hesitated. "You showed me. I have to show you. You know, in the name of science."

He rolled his eyes. But then slowly he placed his body between my legs, lowering himself down on top of me until his body was flush with mine. He still held most of his weight on his arms, but not so much that I couldn't feel his obvious erection. I pressed my lips to his ear. "When we can, Edward, I will have you on this rug in front of this fire." I bit his ear lobe and he growled. That sound sent an immediate jolt of pleasure to the center of my legs. When he pulled back his eyes were darkening before me.

"My turn," I rasped. "Do you like it when I bite you?"

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against my forehead. "Very much." His voice was husky. "Do you like it when my fingers are inside of you?"

Oh my freaking God. He did not just ask that!

I choked and strove unsuccessfully to echo his casual reply. "Yes, very much."

"How much?"

"Nuh-uh. My turn. What is a sexual fantasy that you have about me that you don't think is proper for you to have?"

His head pulled back and his eyes flew open. "Isabella—"

"You have to answer, Edward. Those are the rules." He hesitated so long I was sure he wasn't going to answer. I took a deep breath. "Or…you could, you know, show me…."

His mouth was on mine, devouring. He ran his tongue against my bottom lip and when I opened my mouth he plunged his tongue in and out. I was panting furiously. It occurred to me that he wasn't French kissing me. Oh my God. He's tongue fucking me. I broke out in a thin sheen of sweat at the realization. He pulled back and I groaned. "I want to be in your mouth, Bella, but not just my tongue."

!#?&%!?

I wanted to tell him I wanted that too, but he pressed his fingers against my mouth just as I was about to speak. "I think we should take a break from this game for a while, love."

"Okay," I squeaked. He smiled at me. He sprung off of me in one lithe movement, held his hands down to me, and lifted me to my feet. I was shaky.

I looked to the living room windows. The rain was still pounding to the ground, though the thunder seemed to have quieted for now. I couldn't tell what time it was because it was so dark out. I was surprised to learn that it was already five o'clock.

I took a deep breath. "Okay. I have a different game then."

He looked at me skeptically.

I swallowed. "Um, well, we forgot the dare part of Truth or Dare."

"No."

I ignored him. I walked around him at a leisurely pace to the stairs. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. I dare you to join me."

"No," he called.

"Fine. I understand if you're chicken." I heard a low growl from behind me. "I guess I win this game then."

I walked up the stairs and when I reached the top, I quickly pulled off his black boxers and threw them down the steps. "Oops." I heard a louder growl that time.

I kept walking towards Edward's bathroom, knowing he could easily hear me. "I promise I'll keep my hands to myself, Edward. I won't try anything. You can trust me."

When I was walking up the stairs to his floor, I said, "I'll even keep my underwear and bra on. And you can keep your boxers on. That is, if you're wearing any. If not, I don't mind if you use the ones I was wearing."

I was just walking into his room when something grabbed me from behind and I was flying through the air. Edward had his arms around me like a vice and landed us on his bed so that he was on top of me. I hadn't seen or heard him coming. My heart was thundering.

"This is how it's going to work," he rasped. "Your undergarments remain on. We shower. And that's it. No…touching. Do you understand?"

I bit my lip and nodded.

When he got up off of me I was astounded to see that the fly to his jeans was undone. I could see the black boxers underneath of them as if he had disrobed to put them on, pulled his jeans back up, and then left his fly undone. He walked towards the bathroom. "Coming?"

God I hope so. "Yeah," I choked out. He turned the water on and I entered the bathroom. We looked at each other.

"Ladies first."

"Oh, uh, no. I went first last time. It's only fair." I tried to sound very official.

"Nonsense. This is your dare." He wasn't relenting in the least.

"That's right. I dared you."

"You dared me to join you in the shower. But you're not in the shower. Yet."

"Fine." I started at the top and began to unbutton Edward's black shirt. I kept the material close together because I wanted what was underneath to remain a mystery until the last possible second. When the last button was undone, I took a deep breath, shrugged the shirt down off my shoulders, astutely ignoring Edward for the moment, and then turned around to hang his shirt on a hook and give him a good view of my ass. When I faced him again, his eyes were completely black.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"What?" I put on my best innocent expression. I knew he didn't buy it.

"Turn around in a circle." My heart was in my throat again. As I turned around, my knee caught the stack of towels he had placed on top of the toilet lid. They tumbled to the ground.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I bent over to pick them up, giving him a full view of my rear. His growl startled me. I threw the towels back in place and stood back up to face him.

I took a step towards him. He looked fierce. "I love that sound," I whispered. His eyes widened. I hesitated for a moment and then stepped towards the shower. "Your turn," I said as I stepped in. I left the door open behind me.

I stepped under the stream of water and wet my hair. Every molecule in me told me he wouldn't come. But I was hoping nonetheless. Please number five, please number five. The chant seemed to work well the last time…

Just then I heard the shower door close. I didn't open my eyes because I didn't yet want to know if he had gotten in and shut the door or decided against joining me and shut the door. I could still feel him in the room either way.

"May I wash your hair?" I kept my eyes closed and nodded. I could have cried. He got in!

I felt his strong cold fingers work the shampoo. It was one of the most sensual experienced I ever had. He was so gentle and loving, but he also worked his fingers in relaxing circles all over my scalp. Then he turned my body around and rinsed all of the suds away. I gasped when I felt him press his lips softly against his mark on my neck.

I opened my eyes for the first time. If I thought he was beautiful, I was stunned by the appearance of him wet. His hair appeared darker and hung down in loose curls over his forehead. Every once in a while he would sweep it back with his hand but it would manage to spill forward again. Droplets of water ran down his face. My eyes followed them down over his chin, down his neck, to his chest. I realized I was leaning forward unconsciously. I shook my head to snap myself out of it.

"May…I…wash your…hair?" He smiled and nodded. I grabbed the shampoo and put some in my hand. But he was so tall I couldn't reach him. "Um, you're too tall. Bend down." He smirked at me. "Please?"

He dropped to his knees in front of me and I knew if I allowed myself to focus on that I might cum right in front of him. I was surprised at how arousing I found him positioned like that before me. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus.

My hands were trembling when I ran the shampoo through his hair. "I love your hair, Edward. It is one of my favorite things about you." I worked my hands around in firm circles, then ran my fingernails over his scalp. My eyes widened as I realized he was making a sound that resembled purring, though it might have been a low growl. It sent another flow of moisture to my already wet panties. "Okay, um, rinse."

He stood up and tilted his head back under the water.

"Edward, if I promise to be good, can I show you something?"

His eyes narrowed but he nodded. "I…I don't know why, but I found the picture of you kneeling before me like that to, um, be very…appealing. I want to show you what I mean." Before he could respond, I sunk to my knees, but I lowered my behind to my heels so that he could see I wasn't trying to do anything to him.

I slowly ran my eyes up his body. "Edward, do you realize I've never seen your bare legs before? You're so beautiful. May I touch your legs?" I met his eyes. From this angle two things were crystal clear: his erection was tenting the silk boxers and his breathing rate was accelerated. He nodded again. I wondered if he'd lost his voice.

I slowly reached out my hands and placed them on his lower quad muscles just above his knees. He truly was pure raw muscle. He was so smooth most everywhere else, I marveled at the thin layer of brownish hair that covered his legs. Slowly I moved my hands down his legs, around the back of his calves to his ankles. I kept my face tilted down watching my hands' movement on his legs. I laid my palms flat on the top of his feet, and then pulled my hands away. I sat back.

"I see what you mean about this position being…appealing. Do you have any idea how seductive you are, Bella?" I blushed immediately. He held a hand down to me and helped me to my feet. There were two puffy sponges hanging from a hook. I placed a little soap on both and handed one to him. I took one for myself. We were 'just showering,' after all.

I ran the sponge up my right arm and then my left and then washed my neck before beginning on my chest. He simply stared at me without blinking. I noticed he had stopped breathing.

Out of nowhere he grabbed my hand. "I want to do it." Using his sponge, he traced the line of my bra running his hands over and under my breasts. Then he ran long soapy strokes up and down my stomach before tracing the sponge across the top of my panties. I was panting hard. He dropped back to his knees and used a hand at my ankle to communicate that he wanted my legs further apart. He started the sponge at my right foot and slowly worked up to the edge of my panty. Quickly he dropped his hands back down to my left foot and repeated the same process. When he got back up to the top the second time, he pushed the sponge in between my legs and I gasped. "Turn around."

I turned on now shaky legs and leaned my hands against the tiled wall to steady myself. The tile remained cold despite the warm steam now filling the room and I was immediately reminded of number six. He began running the sponge up the back of my legs, repeating the same process as a moment ago. The skimpiness of my panties meant that much of my ass was exposed to him and I noted with interest that he seemed to concentrate on cleaning that skin longer than was necessary. Soon my back was clean too and I was rinsed off. I stood trying to recompose myself for a moment as he washed himself. I realized I wasn't steady enough to take charge of washing him, but then watching him run his hands over his own wet body was almost as good.

He leaned into me so that the water cascaded down his body as well. He planted a barely there kiss on my lips before reaching around me and…shutting the water off.

He reached out and grabbed two towels, handing one to me and keeping the other for himself.

He wrapped the towel around himself and stepped out of the shower. I dried myself as thoroughly as I could while keeping my eyes on him. I flipped my hair over and tied the towel around my hair for a moment, allowing the moisture to soak into the thick fibers. Then I released the towel and stepped out of the shower.

"That was refreshing," Edward said with a crooked grin.

"Refreshing," I mumbled. I was so hot for him I could barely see straight.

When he wasn't looking I squeezed the towel around the fabric of my bra and panties. The dampness wasn't exactly comfortable, but for some reason I wasn't ready to give them up yet. I grabbed his black shirt off the hook and slid it back on. At this point I no longer felt the need for bottoms, despite how much I enjoyed wearing his boxers.

He walked out to his closet and returned a moment later with a pair of gray flannel pants and a white wife beater. He managed to look comfortable and sexy at the same time.

"I suppose it is my turn now." I looked at him confused. "For a dare?"

"Oh, right. Yes." My mind couldn't begin to anticipate what he might want me to do. And what he might think I wouldn't be willing to do.

Just then my stomach grumbled loudly. I blushed. He came to me and placed his hand around my waist. "Food for you now. I will take a rain check on the dare for another time."

"Okay," I whispered. I was dying of curiosity.

I was hungry, but not so hungry I wanted us to spend a lot of time preparing something involved. I settled for a sandwich and a bowl of soup. It fit the weather.

When I was done eating we sat gazing at one another across the kitchen table.

"No more ideas for games, love?"

I pushed my plate and bowl back and placed my arms up on the table. "Well, actually, I do have another idea. But I don't think you'll want to play."

"Oh really? Try me."

I took a deep breath. PLEASE LET HIM PLAY.

"Okay," it was clear he caught the shakiness in my voice. He was intrigued. "Here are the rules. Tonight is my turn. You will get a turn at another time of your choosing."

He raised one eyebrow at me. "Proceed."

"You will do what I say. You will speak only when I say. You will not touch me unless I give you permission to. If you disobey a rule there will be consequences. If you disobey the rules twice you will forfeit the turn you have coming."

He didn't respond. Does that mean…?

I took a deep breath. "Go to your room and wait for me. I want you standing in front of your leather couch." I met his eyes. They were pitch black.

He rose at an excruciatingly slow pace, intentionally scraping the chair against the hard floor. It sounded very loud in the quiet house. Then he was gone.

Ignoring the dirty dishes, I ran up to Alice's room. My new black dress was hanging in her closet. I quickly slipped it on and dug out the tall black heels she had selected to go with it. I flipped my now nearly dry hair upside down and ran a brush through it, spraying a light amount of hair spray into it to give it a fuller tousled look. I picked up Alice's black eyeliner and ran a thicker than normal line under each eye before stroking on black mascara. I didn't add any other make up. I wanted to be pale, like him. I look pretty bad ass, if I do say so myself.

I grabbed a small bottle out from under Alice's vanity, left the heels in the hall outside her room, and ran back down to the kitchen. I wish I had had this idea sooner and prepared better for it. But I could improvise this time. I poured some of the clear liquid into a large measuring cup. I put it in the microwave with a paper towel over it for twenty seconds. When it started to pop I pulled it out. I gingerly stuck my finger in it and snapped it right back out. It was too hot for my skin, but I knew it would have some time to cool before I used it, and I doubted he was as sensitive. I grabbed a teaspoon and two kitchen hand towels and made my way back upstairs.


By Popular Demand: Bella's To-Do List (Items accomplished either in part or fully are italicized):

1) Against the tree by the meadow

2) Feel his full weight on top of me

3) French kiss

4) See him naked

5) Shower together

6) Against the cold tiles in the shower

7) In his car

8) On our lab table

9) On his leather couch

10) I want him to come in my hand

11) IN MY MOUTH

12) His mouth on me, there

13) Whatever it takes to get him to say FUCK again

14) Get him to talk dirty in general

15) Submit

16) See him hunt

17) Have Edward taste my blood

18) Dominate

19) Phone sex

20) His mouth on my breasts, suckling me

21) On his Baby Grand Piano

22) Hickey

23) Outside in a thunderstorm

24) In front of the fireplace in the Cullens' living room