Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it belongs to SM

Chapter Ten - The Nicest Things

You plague my mind.
I can never go outside.
I will never go back to being blind. - Laura Marling

Before I was about to leave, I gazed at Joe-Joe, my bear that was one of my lasting objects from home. I traced my finger along his black stitched mouth, then stuffed him into my pillowcase.

The last week wasn't normal. Business was thankfully slow, and I had been getting more time to sleep; more sleep meant more time to think about things. As if I wasn't scared enough, I thought about James, but those thoughts scared the hell out of me, making me stare at the bedroom's door at night.

Other times, I thought about my mother. I had been thinking about my family a lot lately, especially my mother. I missed her sweet fragrance and all the comfy, woolen cardigans she used to wear. When I didn't think about her, I thought about Edward. Sometimes my thoughts turned optimistic, like maybe he would care if he found out about my occupation and my problems, and maybe he could help Rosalie and I find a way out.

Even though I knew they were false hopes, they made me feel slightly better. Usually, those thoughts would drift into fantasies, thinking about his warm, strong arms wrapped around my body, and his hot kisses capturing my lips. I wanted to feel the passion; I wanted to feel some sort of...affection.

I took one last glimpse in the mirror, satisfied with how I looked. I had taken special care with my appearance that morning, trying not to overdo it like I did for work. Afterwards, I made my way outside and waited for Jared to grab his car keys.

The cold squeezed my skin, and made me hold my breath as if I was cooping all the warmth inside me. I stared back into the house - Sam was cleaning his records, one of the first activities he had done all week that wasn't James-related. He had been obsessing for the most part of the week, and it was frightening. My discomfort and depression was finally turning into something more sinister, something that I was finding hard to cope with – paranoia.

It was a Tuesday morning, , ,and I had already told Sam why Edward wanted me over today. Apparently Edward enjoyed my company the first time round, and and he wanted to see me again, which technically – I think – was true. Since he was Emmett's brother it was supposedly 'on the house', which was probably hard for Sam to say, but he valued Emmett's help too much. Not that I knew what the two were doing.

"Iz, get in the car," Jared ordered as he strolled outside. I nodded my head and obliged to his command. I felt like they were trying to get me out the house as soon as possible. That was why we had set off earlier than I intended. Paul even woke me up. I had never been woken up before.

Again, I was back in the cheap upholstery of the car, and I stared at his fingers tapping away at the steering wheel nervously. Soon, the water came pelting on the windowshield, and the wipers forced the rain away.

I thought about how quiet the past week had been. Before I entered the main room last Thursday, I overheard Paul and Collin talking about how word had got out about Sam's trashy business deals. I guessed it must have had something to do with Rosalie's client a few weeks ago, the one who had been head-butted by Sam.

What goes around comes around.

The rich neighborhood welcomed me back and again had me in complete awe. I gazed at the gardens that were filled to the brim with flowers: roses, freesias, and petunias, but they drooped by the force of the rain.

Suddenly the car came to a halt. I turned to Jared, expecting an explanation.

"This is your final stop," he told me without amble.

"What?" I immediately replied. "But, he lives up the road, up there–"

"Yes, I know, Iz." Bella. "But I've got things to do." My heart thudded. The thought of being alone wasn't a happy one.

"It's a two minute drive," I implore.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" He punches the steering wheel and glares at me. "Do what I fucking say!"

His outburst knocks the air out of me, and I timidly nod in response.

I opened the door apprehensively and stepped out, resenting the disagreeable weather. Jared's hand immediately struck out to shut the door, and before I could even bat an eyelid, ,he was gone down the road. He didn't even say goodbye, what a fucking shame.

I frowned, hearing the wind crying through the air and the feeling of the rain hammering at my skin. I would be completely drenched by the time I arrived at Edward's house, and that fact really annoyed me. All the work I had put into my appearance just to let a jerk throw me out in the rain.

I walked up the street with haste. It was familiar, but I knew the only way I could quickly seek access to his road was if I walked up the grassy hill in front of me. I sucked in a breath, and stomped toward the hill with all the energy I had.

I kept looking over my shoulder. Was I being paranoid? No, I was being careful.

As I charged up, I stared once more at the road behind me. The rain was tumbling down as if it was punching the ground, and my vision became blurry.

Wait...could I see a tall man in the distance?

A dark figure was there, that was for sure, and my palms started to sweat despite the cold weather. I looked up at the hill again and hurried up. At the same time, my neck kept swiping back to see the figure...or was it a lamp post?

All I could think about was making my way over that goddamn hill and being safe.

My hair was drenched, and I was so eager to get to the other side that I started to fist the grass that was in front of me, looking for support to carry me over.

Could I hear footsteps?

I cranked my head round once again, and the figure was still there. I whimpered as I struggled across the grass, but as I turned around, the front of my foot slipped down the grass, causing my body to lose its stability.

I slammed into the ground. My face was two centimeters deep in mud, and I quickly scrambled to my feet. I wasn't going to have a second look behind me until I was at the top.

Hot tears clouded in my eyes. I was so pissed off because all of this could have been prevented if he had just driven around the fucking corner. Instead, I had dirt all over my clothes and my make-up was ruined.

When I reached Edward's street, his house was as clear as day (a day that didn't belong to Forks), since it was the biggest. Thankfully, it was no more than thirteen seconds away.

As I stood outside his door, my arms were ridden with goose pimples and my hair was so wet it stuck to my face. I knocked on the door at a fast pace making sure it rung throughout the house.

I had to wait for at least a minute, which didn't do wonders to my nerves and I didn't dare look back in case my thoughts were real. Eventually, he opened the door to his mini-mansion. As soon as his delicious face appeared in the doorframe, heat flooded to my face and my arms instantly wrapped around my body, desperately trying to hide the state of my clothing. It was humiliating.

He looked me up and down, staring at my soaking attire. I could tell that he noticed the dirt that had clung to my clothes due to the fall.

Edward was wearing a tight tee and gray gym pants, and looked delectable. He must have been working out since he had a dark patch of sweat sloping down his chest. My eyes scanned over his body – you could see his fine, chiseled pecs and his toned biceps. I suddenly had a hot, itchy feeling underneath the collar of my shirt.

"I'm sorry I'm early," I said.

He cocked his head and stared at me intensely from under his lashes. He may have seemed composed, but his eyes had something in them that was untamed.

"Come in," he said dryly. I obliged and scrubbed the bottoms of my shoes on his doormat before heading inside his warm house.

"Sorry to interrupt your workout," I spoke softly. I really wished I could have stopped apologizing, but the 'S' word kept slipping out from my mouth.

"I'd just finished," he replied. His bluntness made him sound more agitated, and I wondered if my being early pissed him off.

"Oh." There wasn't anything else to say.

"I thought you had some kind of chauffeur. Why are you so wet?" His voice changed into authoritative mode. It reminded me of the vivid scenes I had assembled in my mind earlier in the week.

"He didn't have time to drive me up here, so he dropped me off further down the road."

He weaved his fingers through his disarrayed hair and sighed. His gaze landed on me once again, and I swore he was taking in my body with his eyes – but I could have been wrong. I suddenly thought about what happened last week, and I pinched my arm at the embarrassing thought.

"I was just about to get into the shower," he declared. "Follow me. We'll get you some towels to dry up."

I agreed, although judging by his tone I knew it wasn't an option. I followed him up the stairs, passing more photos hung up on the walls. Edward always seemed conscious of his smile in every photo, somewhat hesitant. In reality, he wasn't shy and he didn't hold back. It just made me even more curious about the man he was.

When we reached the landing, he walked into the second door to his right, and of course, , .he led me into a gigantic bathroom, which had pristine white walls with matching furniture. I looked down and stared at his floor, which was like a chessboard in black and red. Everything was so modern and classy; the room made me feel out of place.

He turned on the shower, and the water slammed onto the shower floor. It only took a few moments for the room to be filled with warm vapors that would soon blur my vision. Edward picked up a fluffy towel from a cupboard and then walked back to me.

He stared at the towel for a few seconds, and that stare reconnected with my gaze. His green eyes were glazed over with zeal. That one look made my pulse beat harder.

"You must have been out in the rain for a long time." His voice was a near murmur. I gently nodded my head in response. I couldn't help but marvel at him: how his eyes were tracing over my face, how his lean torso was dilating in and out, and how his knuckles were gripped so tightly around that towel.

Edward's hand rose up to my face, and without warning, he caressed the towel on my damp cheeks. His intense stare was locked with mine, and I was surprised by his action.

He moved closer to me, and that was when I started to feel this ardent wave of heat. It must have been the warmth of the bathroom, but places started to tingle.

I smelled the sweat from his workout. In any other situation I would have been disgusted, but in this...it made me feel…different. His hand was working the towel on my bare skin, relaxing me, helping me lose my inhibitions…daring me.

He then lowered onto my shoulder, ,and continued drying me off.

"Lower," I hummed.

He briefly stopped for a second. It was as if the hesitant Edward had stepped out from the photos. His eyes then sharpened – momentarily – and then he considered my demand. He lowered the towel to the top of my breast, and I felt his fingers stroking me through the towel. I was having a hard time concealing my deep breaths.

Edward's hand suddenly fell lower onto the curve of my breast.

"Bella…" he purred, "…we really shouldn't."

I silenced him, making a light 'shhing' noise. His large hand cupped my breast, but the towel was still in between us, and I was sure we were both thinking the same thing – would we cross the limit?

"Lower," I repeated.

Edward didn't have any second thoughts this time, his hand slid down my stomach, falling exactly where I wanted him to go.

And then the towel dropped.

For a moment, all we could hear was the hissing noise of the shower in the background.

Then, he grabbed me, pushing me against the bathroom wall, and before I knew it, ,he was undoing the buttons on my shorts. I was fascinated by his quick, smooth actions; his face was in total control.

I locked my hands around his neck, while at the same time he stared straight into my eyes, pushing his body into me. I felt the cooler temperature of his strong fingers collaborate with my hot, wet folds.

I'd never been that intimate with a man in my life. He started to caress my clit, and I wanted to collapse into the feeling. No man had ever made me feel like that.

"You're so…," Edward begun, but the sentence was left in the air and ended by my moaning.

He teased me in a way that made my legs want to crumple onto the floor. Edward knew what he was doing as he circled his fingers around my entrance. I wanted him so badly; I wanted him to thrust into me.

"Edward…please," I begged.

I felt his light kisses graze my neck, and I drove my lower body into his hand, pleading for him to push into me. But he wasn't done playing.

"You like that?" His mouth curved into that mocking smile.

My breath hitched. "Uh-huh."

His roguish grin was still displayed. "I'm doing this to you, Bella," he whispered in my ear. "I want you to always remember how I've made you feel."

I bit my lip. I needed him badly. His eyes flashed away from my face for a second, and took in my frustrated state. I could tell he enjoyed watching me like that.

He then plunged two lengthy fingers into my wet entrance, ,and I inhaled loudly, throwing my head back and gripping onto his t-shirt. His fingers started pumping into me, feeding me an overbearing sensation that heated my insides.

That was better than everything I'd thought of in the week.

"Edward, keep on…" I swallowed the rest of my sentence.

He pushed my body up the wall, and I felt the tendons on his arms tense up.

"You think you can mess around with my thoughts?" he said in between breaths. I felt his other hand creeping up my shirt, making his way to breast. "I can play with your emotions, little girl." He unhooked my bra at the back, in one simple action, and started playing with my left breast.

His other hand curved inside of me, and the strong, tepid feeling was demanding to break out of my body.

"Edward!" I screamed. Every piece of my dignity belonged to him. He was the only man I wanted, I needed.

"That's fucking right, Bella. None of your little friends can make you feel how I make you feel."

I clawed my nails on the wall in desperation. I could feel my insides tightening, and I knew I was going to reach my climax soon.

"You need me, Bella…" And then he hit a spot inside me that felt like he had broken a barrier.

"Fuck!" I screamed in delight. Tremors released through me and my head rested on the wall for a few seconds as I enjoy the aftershocks.

My eyes snapped to his face. He looked proud. I'd never known such feelings existed without having sex.

"Are you ready for round two?" he quipped suggestively, his beautiful deep voice seducing me so easily, and his erection stroking my leg.

Most girls would jump at the opportunity, but if there was something I knew perfectly – I wasn't most girls. As much as I wanted to fuck Edward senseless, there was a little voice in my head that told me to stop everything. Or at least pause. I wanted Edward, but now my feelings had changed. It wasn't a crush, it was something more. I wanted to be with Edward. I needed to know that he could be there.

I sounded selfish, and I knew I was being selfish, because I wanted Edward to somehow be my scapegoat.

"Hold your horses," I said, trying to sound equally as seductive. "You don't think I'm that easy?"

A/N: Huge thank you to my two beta's - Twimarti and Kaydee1005. They send me back my chapters and eventually make me mutter... 'Oh my Lord...what would I do without them...'

I know it's been ages, but I've just been terribly distracted. There is no other excuse, I'm sorry!

Anyway, I would love to know how you think it's been going so far. I want to know if you hate Bella's cockblocking skills, or how much you dislike Sam...or like him...I mean, it's your choice.

On the last note, I'm working on a contest right now called the Saving Bree Tanner contest. It would mean the world if you have a look at the entries or enter yourself! There are brill prizes ;)

http:/ www . fanfiction . net /u/2450360/ (obviously you'll need to take out the spaces!)

Thank you for reading,

KC.