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Date time...Jacob takes a step to the side in this chappie, but he'll be back next chapter...

LEMON at the bottom for all you pervs like me out there

Chapter 10

Bella

I paced around the house nervously, waiting for Edward to arrive. It was five-thirty.

He called to say he got stuck in surgery and was on his way home to change before coming by my place. I couldn't help but pray that he got here before Jacob did. I heard my cell phone vibrate on the desk, and I reached over to answer it, frowning as I read the caller ID.

"Hey, Jacob." Not the person I was hoping to hear from.

"Hey. I'm leaving the house now. I hope you don't mind me being a little early."

Yes, I do. "No, it's fine. Eli's ready to go."

"Great. I'll see you in a few."

"Yep." I hung up and cursed silently to myself.

I went upstairs to Eli's room and helped him clean up his mess while I waited on Jacob. As soon as I put the last car in the bin, I heard a knock at the door.

I rushed downstairs and reluctantly pulled open the door.

"Hey, Bells!" Apparently Jacob was excited to see me. "Wow, you look great! Where are you going all dressed up?"

I nervously smoothed out the sapphire blue sun dress I had on. "Edward's taking me out."

He frowned. "Where to?"

"I don't know; it's a surprise."

He laughed darkly. "Well, this relationship is going to last long. You hate surprises."

I scowled. "He knows that."

"Yes, I do." I heard Edward's beautiful voice approaching behind Jacob.

I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I took him in. He looked fantastic. He was wearing black dress pants, a white button down shirt rolled up to his elbows, and a loose black tie. He held a bouquet of red roses against his chest.

"Hi!" I pushed past Jacob and jumped into his arms. "How was work?" He just managed to move the flowers out of the way before I crushed them.

"The girl I was working on will be fine, so it was excellent." He gave me a beaming smile before nuzzling my neck. I heard him groan softly before he pulled away. "Fuck. You smell incredible." He stepped back and spun me around. "And you look incredible, too."

He held out the flowers to me. "I brought you these. I know they're cliché, but I thought they were pretty. They look like the color of the lip gloss Alice had on you the first night we danced."

I blushed. "Thanks. You look really nice, too." My voice was quiet as I took the flowers from him and inhaled their wonderful scent.

Edward leaned down and brushed his lips against mine before glancing back at Jacob. "Hello, Jacob. It's nice to see you again."

I looked back to see him scowling. "Yeah. You, too," he muttered.

I took Edward's hand and went back inside, calling for Eli from the bottom of the steps. Eli came bouncing out of his room and looked at his father excitedly, before turning to see Edward. His face lit up and he rushed down the stairs.

"Edward! I'm going to Daddy's this weekend!" He ran over and hugged Edward's legs.

I discreetly looked at Jacob and saw his lip actually curl back away from his teeth when Eli hugged Edward. I felt the rage bubble up in my chest, and I bit down on my tongue to keep silent. A million thoughts and things I wanted to say ran through my mind that instant as I struggled to keep my inner turmoil a secret. Once the initial anger subsided, I realized I was actually hurt from Jacob's reaction. I had always thought he wanted me to be happy.

"That's what I hear!" Edward ruffled his hair. "I hope you have a good time tonight, and I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah!" He looked at Jacob. "We're still going, right, Daddy?"

Jacob quickly changed his expression into a smile. "Of course!"

"That reminds me, here are the directions to my brother's house." Edward pulled out a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Jacob.

"Oh, thanks." He reluctantly took the paper from Edward. "Come on, Eli. Let's get you something to eat."

"Okay." Eli gave Edward another squeeze and motioned for him to bend down, whispering something in his ear.

Edward laughed and nodded. "Tonight, I promise, little man. You don't have to keep it a secret any longer."

Eli looked at me and grinned. "What? What is going on you two?"

"Nothing, Momma. Edward's going to tell you later." He walked by me, acting smug, and I couldn't help but wonder where my little boy had gone.

"Hey! Don't I get a hug!" I put my free hand on my hip and pretended to be mad.

Eli raced back and gave me a hug. "Love you, Momma."

"Aw, I love you, baby. Have fun."

"Kay."

Jacob looked back at me with a torn expression on his face. "Bye, Jacob," I said smiling. No need to make it any harder than it had to be. I was an adult, I could behave like one.

"See ya tomorrow, Bells." He grabbed Eli's bag and shut the door behind them.

"Well, that went pretty well." I looked at Edward in shock.

"You didn't see his face when Eli hugged you?"

He looked surprised. "No?"

"His lip actually curled away from his teeth like he was some kind of animal!"

He chuckled. "He doesn't have to like me, Bella." I looked at him in confusion. "I could care less if he likes me or not. He means absolutely nothing to me."

"Really?" My voice was small.

"Yeah. You and Eli are all that matter." His eyes seemed to pierce through me.

I love you! I screamed in my head, but I was too scared to say the words first.

"Now, if you're ready, we should probably get going.

I smiled. "Okay. Let me just grab my shoes and put these in a vase and we can go."

We were in the car for just over a half an hour. I had no idea where he was taking me. We laughed and talked the entire way. He seemed to know I was in need of cheering up after the few minutes I spent with Jacob.

We turned off the highway and into the entrance to the Indiana Dunes National Park. I watched out the window in silence as Edward drove into a parking lot and parked his Volvo.

I waited patiently while Edward came over and opened the door for me, knowing that if I did it myself, I'd get an earful.

"We're not in Illinois anymore," I pointed out.

"No. I've always found that I could come here late in the day and no one would bother me. It's a good place to think."

I looked around and noticed there was only two other cars in the parking lot. He was right.

He grabbed a big bag and a small cooler out of the trunk before taking my hand and leading me to the lake. When we finally reached our destination, he set down the bag and the cooler and grabbed a blanket out of the bag.

I watched in awe as he set up a picnic for us.

"You planned a picnic?" I looked at the spread in front of me. He seemed to have thought of everything.

"Yeah." He ran his hand through his hair as he sat down . "I didn't want to do the typical dinner date, so I thought I'd bring you here. And I wanted to make sure you were fed, so I had Esme pick some things up for me to bring. I have no idea what all she bought."

There was wine, cheese, fruit, a Greek salad, pasta salad, chicken, little sandwiches, and even caviar.

I looked up at him, grabbing the caviar. "Seriously?" It seemed so pretentious and very un-Edward-like.

"I don't eat it. Do you?"

I laughed quietly. "No. Can't stand it."

"Well then, I guess this can go back." He put the tub back in the cooler.

I looked at him and felt my entire face radiating the love I felt for him at that moment. "Thank you. This is wonderful."

His eyes shined brightly with emotion as his own face broke out into a wide smile. "I did good?"

"Great." He leaned over and kissed me softly.

We ate while we talked about our days at work, and I described one of the funny things Eli had done this afternoon, making Edward practically choke on his food. Once we were finished, Edward cleaned everything up and pulled me into his arms.

We watched the sunset in silence for a while, feeling the constant electricity that flowed through our bodies whenever we were close to one another. My whole body relaxed as I listened to the waves crash on the shore and let my mind wander away from Jacob, Eli, and life in general. Before I knew it, I was dozing off.

Edward broke the silence. "Bella?"

"Hmm?" I slowly opened my eyes and turned my body so that I was facing him.

"Are you really all right with the whole Jacob thing?"

I sighed. "No." He looked down at me quizzically. "I always thought he'd be happy for me when I found someone. He's dated three people since Eli was born, and I've always been supportive in whatever he did. He was always smart in the way he introduced them to Eli and no matter what, always put the two of us first. I never had any reason to complain, even if I'd wanted to." I looked into his emerald eyes and felt my heart break for the friendship it seemed I was losing.

"It just makes me sad to think that he's not even willing to give you a chance, and I think it's kind of hypocritical." I paused. "And I know that if it came down to choosing one of you, I would pick you over Jacob any day. He may be my best friend, but-" I stopped myself. I was close to telling him exactly how I felt about him.

He pulled in a deep breath before speaking. "Bella. Do you want to know my little secret with Eli?"

I searched his face for any clue. He seemed extremely nervous. "What is it?"

I was suddenly aware of our hearts pounding furiously in our chests. He looked down at my hand in his and fidgeted for a moment before speaking. "I am without a doubt, completely in love with you." I felt my eyes widen and fill with tears. "You and Eli mean so much more to me than I ever thought possible. I have never in my life felt for anyone the way I feel for you." He looked back at my face anxiously, but didn't meet my eyes.

The tears in my eyes spilled down, and I felt like I would explode with joy. He loved me. He loved me just as I loved him. My eyes finally met his, and my entire body melted into him. The love that I felt from him was like anything I'd ever known. It was thrilling, terrifying, soothing, and peaceful--different ends of the emotional spectrum, contradicting each other; it was amazing.

I knew I was smiling back at him like a complete moron, but I couldn't seem to make myself care. "I love you, too." I felt a jolt of emotion rush through my body as I finally said the words aloud.

He cupped the back of my neck and pulled me to him, kissing me like it was the last thing he would ever do. The heat raced through my body, sending sparks through my limbs and fire burning low in my stomach. I wanted him desperately, and I found myself wishing we were in his bed so that he could finally make me his in every way possible.

He slowly rolled me over so that I was on my back and hovered over me, never moving his lips from mine. We stayed like that for what felt like hours, drinking in each other's taste, scent, and touch.

When we finally separated, the sun had dropped below the horizon and the sky was now a dusky purple, peppered with stars.

"We should go back," he whispered roughly. "There's still more that I had planned for us."

I frowned. All I wanted was to get naked and hop in the bed with him. I felt like some sort of hormonally imbalanced teenager.

I quickly cleared my throat before speaking. "Okay."

Edward

She loved me. She fucking loved me. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I drove us back to Chicago, holding her hand the entire way. The relief I felt was insurmountable, and now that the worry and stress I'd put myself under the last few days was gone, I felt like my whole body was vibrating with joy. I could do a happy dance in the middle of Wrigley Field and not give a flying fuck what anyone else thought.

I glanced over at her and saw her beautiful skin illuminated by the dash lights and realized that we could only be in our own happy little bubble for a short time. Sooner than I'd like, Jacob was bound to burst it. I felt my face drop into a scowl with the thought. I wanted her to be able to have both of us in our lives, to not have to make a choice. It wasn't fair to force her to choose between the two of us, and I made a promise to myself to try to make things with Jacob as easy on Bella as humanly possible.

We got back into the city, and I took her to the Signature Lounge so that she could enjoy the view of the city while we had a few drinks. It was pretty pricey, but it beat the lines at Willis Tower.

After the first couple of drinks, I realized my plan was flawed. The alcohol loosened her up, making her speak more freely and happily. She occasionally ran her hand down my thigh or over the tattoo on my arm as we spoke, and it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing her over the chair and fucking her in front of everyone here. After her third drink, I knew I had to sober her up and get her out of here if I ever wanted a shot of being with her tonight.

At one point, she got up and swayed--actually fucking swayed--her hips as she went to the bathroom, and I heard myself let out an involuntary groan. I looked around and noticed that many of the guys there were watching her, and I felt the possessiveness I'd felt on my birthday return, flowing through my blood and making my vision turn red.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm down, when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I looked over and saw Alice standing there with Jasper.

"Hey guys." My voice was tight. I hadn't calmed down much.

"Hey, Edward! Where's Bella?" Alice's high voice seemed to vibrate off the glass, making me cringe.

"Bathroom," I said simply.

"Oh." She looked around for a minute. "I haven't gotten to talk to her in a while, do you care if we sit down with you for a while?"

I was surprised she was actually asking. It was typical Alice behavior to just tell you what you were going to do and wait for you to follow her commands. And to be honest, I could use a bit of a distraction from my thoughts of Bella.

"Sure." I looked up to see Bella coming over, smiling at me. I gave her a wide smile in return.

Jasper nudged me. "Looks like someone manned up."

"Fuck off." I glanced at him sideways and grinned. "But yes, I did."

"Sweet. How's the whole Jacob debacle?"

I looked over at Bella and Alice, noting they were too involved in their conversation to hear me. "Same. Nothing's really changed. I still think he's a dick."

"What are you going to do about it, man?"

I looked into Jasper's concerned face. "Not a fucking thing." He looked stunned. "Look, Bella mentioned something about choosing me over Jacob any day, and I'm going to try everything in my power to make sure that doesn't have to happen. She should be able to have both of us in her life. And as of right now, Jacob's not said anything else. And if he does, well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Besides, I can be the adult and play nice if I have to."

"You're better than me, dude." He shook his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I think I probably would have kicked his ass if he talked to Alice that way."

I chuckled bleakly. "Oh, believe me. It would be nice to knock some sense into the asstard, but like I said, I'm not doing anything to make this any harder on Bella. And besides, what kind of shit boyfriend would I be if I let my anger get the best of me in front of Eli?"

"You've got a point. So any big plans for this evening?" He waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Now I'm really going to tell you to fuck off. It's none of your business."

He laughed. "So you do!"

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair. "No plans, per say. Just hopes."

"Well, better make the hopes into plans before your johnson mutinies." I cracked up. I couldn't help it.

He laughed with me. "I mean, fuck, dude. How long's it been anyway?"

I took a deep breath, trying to control my laughter. "Oh, God. I don't have a clue. Over two months, maybe?"

His eyes bugged out. "Damn, Cullen. You must be in love." I rolled my eyes. "Your hand hurt?" He examined my arms. "You know, your right arm's starting to look a little bigger than your left."

I laughed again without thinking. "A little." I sobered up and looked over at him indignantly. "You know, I went a lot longer than this when I was overseas."

"Yeah, but you had no choice. And you can't fucking act like you're the Pope. I've known you for seven years. You use your equipment. Regularly."

I glared at him. "You make it sound like I'm a fucking slut or something."

He held up his hands and smiled calmly. "You're not. At all. You can still count all the people you've slept with on your hands, no toes necessary. Some people can't."

"Damn right I can."

We stayed and talked with Alice and Jasper for another couple of hours, all while I insisted Bella drink water with me. She had already had wine at the beach and another three drinks here. I didn't want her to be drunk by the time I got her home. There was no way I was taking advantage of my drunk girlfriend--it was just not my style.

We walked down Michigan Avenue for a while until we got to the Water Tower before turning back, making sure I was completely sober before driving.

We got in the car, and I pulled out of the parking garage before speaking. "My place or yours?" I didn't care where we went, I just wanted to stay with her.

"Yours." She looked at me, blushing.

"What are you thinking?" I reached over and ran my thumb across her knuckles.

"Nothing." I raised my eyebrows. "Well, I was just thinking the last time we got to stay the night together it was at my place. I guess I was just...remembering." She bit her lip, and I could have sworn her face got even redder.

I grinned crookedly at her when I stopped for a light. "It was definitely worth remembering." She looked down so I continued. "I loved having you in my arms."

I realized that if she slept with me tonight, my bed would smell like her tomorrow. The thought made my lips pull up while my dick simultaneously hardened. I was going to have to do something about that before I attacked her and scared her off.

We pulled into the garage of my house, and I quietly led her into the bedroom. It was already one in the morning, so I found an old high school t-shirt of mine and gave her the extra toothbrush I had in the drawer before stripping down to my boxers and brushing my own teeth.

I stood in the hall bathroom, raking my hands through my hair as I took deep, calming breaths. There were no candles, no roses, no champagne, no strawberries--none of the typical romantic stuff I was pretty sure girls liked. I groaned. I was going to have to stop over-thinking this and just go to bed. I wanted everything to be perfect, but it quickly dawned on me that perfect was where Bella was--no matter what we were doing.

I walked into the bedroom and saw Bella standing next to my bed, with her back turned toward me. I looked at the shirt and saw Cullen stamped on the back of it. I had to grit my teeth to keep myself from jumping her. Seeing her marked with my name made any and every logical thought disappear, replaced with pure caveman-like, take-her-now thoughts.

She turned around and gave me a nervous smile and held up what looked to be her pills. "I need some water. I forgot to take one earlier."

Definitely her pills. Well, thank Christ that was one less thing I had to worry about. I was pretty certain my head would explode with worry soon if I wasn't careful.

"Sure," I smiled. "I'll go get you some."

Bella

Once Edward came back with a glass of water, I took my pill and put the glass on the nightstand. I turned to get in the bed, only to feel Edward's hand gently grab my wrist. I turned to face him, opening my mouth to speak and felt his lips crash down on me urgently. His lips were needy, moving avidly with mine, causing a wave of heat to flash through my body.

He pulled back and laid his forehead on mine while we both gasped for air. "God, I want you right now, Bella. Seeing my name stamped on your back is such a fucking turn on."

His fingers ran up my thigh and felt the lace of the blue boy shorts I had on, groaning. "Fuck me," he muttered.

I heard a small squeak come out of my throat with his words. My face flamed red in embarrassment, and I cleared my throat. "I want you, too, Edward." My voice was thick and low and took me by surprise.

I saw his eyes flash with desire before darkening so deeply, they looked almost black. "You have no idea how you effect my body." He pushed his hardness into my stomach before stepping back. I was pretty sure I did. It was the same effect he had on me. "Every little thing you do makes me want you. You have the most incredible body, the smoothest, creamiest skin. The way your hair falls in your face and the depths of your eyes drives me crazy. But what makes me feel like I could lose all control around you is when your cheeks fill with that beautiful, scarlet-colored blush when you're embarrassed about something." He ran his fingers up my jaw, making it tingle.

I heard him moan. "Just touching you makes my body hum. You are it for me, a ghrá." What was that? It seemed like all the control he had just been talking about had miraculously disappeared.

I swallowed audibly and tried to regulate my breathing. My body was on fire, feeling as though it would burst into flames at any moment. His hand cupped my face while I tried to control my reaction, and I leaned into it.

He pulled me back to him, licking up my jaw where his hand once rested. I could feel his smile against my face. "I love the way you taste--so sweet."

I was pretty sure I let out some sort of sound, which only made him move me even closer to him, crushing me against his chest. His hands roamed my body, just as they always did, but this time there was the promise of more. That promise made my head spin and my heart flutter in my chest. The reaction I was having with just the thought of finally being with Edward was so strong, I couldn't imagine what the actual act would feel like.

I felt his hands brush the sides of my breasts as they made their descent to my waist. He ran his hands under the hem of the t-shirt I was wearing and cupped my ass, grinding his erection into me while he continued to lick and nip at my neck. I realized my hands were hanging limp at my sides, and I reached up to his shoulders, pulling him closer to me.

He picked me up and sat me on the bed, moving himself in between my legs as he took my mouth in his again. He sucked my tongue in his mouth, and I thought sparks would literally shoot out of my feet. I could feel every inch of him press against my panties; they were probably ruined by now, but I couldn't seem to care.

I moved my hands all over his chest, moving them around his nipples and playing with the waistband of his boxers like I knew he liked, running my fingers along his tattoo. His hips bucked into me, and I heard his soft groan as I did.

With one quick movement, he had the t-shirt off my body and dropped it on the floor. He came back down to me, grabbing my breast in his hand while he assaulted my mouth again. He flicked my nipple and pushed his hips into mine, making me moan loudly. I rubbed myself against him, trying to relieve the enormous pressure that was building in my body when I felt his fingers move my panties out of the way and push inside me.

"Ugh." He made the sound while I gasped. "You're wet already."

I couldn't stand it anymore. I grabbed his boxers and pushed them down his legs.

"Edward," I groaned. "Enough foreplay. I've had nothing but foreplay for the last month." I was startled at the words that came out of my mouth.

His eyes met mine and within seconds I felt my panties being ripped from my body. He moved himself over me and pushed the tip in. I closed my eyes and felt my body turn to mush.

"Look at me." I opened my eyes and stared into his liquid green ones. "I love you."

He pushed himself slowly into me, never breaking eye contact. I couldn't even speak; the sensations that pulsed through my body were too strong for me to make any kind of sense as I felt myself expand and stretch with his length. It had been so long, I couldn't help but gasp once he was all the way in. Who knew it could feel this good?

"Are you all right?" He looked down at me in concern.

"Great." Wonderful, fabulous, perfect.

I pushed my hips up, pulling him even further into me, before I felt him pull back and then push back in again. Our hips met each and every single time, matching speed and intensity.

I could feel myself getting closer and closer, and I grasped at the sheets while I continued to stare into his eyes. He moved his hands to mine and interlaced our fingers, squeezing tightly.

Before I knew what was happening, my vision blurred, and I felt the waves of my orgasm pulse through me. I shuddered and moaned underneath him as he continued to thrust into me, never stopping.

He took one hand away from mine and brought it in between our bodies to my clit, flicking it in time with his thrusts. I could feel my muscles tightening up around him again, and I heard myself call his name as I came crashing down again.

He let out a low moan, followed by my name--and what was that? A ghrá?-- when he came. I felt his body relax as he put his head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling and kissing me gently.

Our breathing was ragged, and I could feel Edward's pulse match mine as I ran my hands up and down his strong back.

After we calmed down, he pulled out of me and shifted our bodies so that we were lying under the covers, facing each other.

I ran my thumb across his cheekbone and smiled. "I love you," I whispered.

He gave me a sleepy smile and reached over to turn off the light. He then pulled me back into his arms, and I rested my head against his chest.

"What was that you said earlier?" I asked hesitantly.

"What was what?" He placed a quick kiss in my hair.

"A g-" I cut myself off. I wasn't exactly sure what he said.

I felt him shift a little under me. "A ghrá?

"Yeah. A ghrá." It sounded like a ghraw.

"I called you that?"

My brows knit. "Um, yeah?"

He chuckled. "Hmm. Very interesting."

"What?" I practically shouted it.

He took a deep breath. "It's Irish Gaelic for 'my love'. My grandfather used to call my grandmother that before he died. I haven't heard it since I was probably fifteen."

I sat up a little. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously." I saw his smile in the faint light from the clock. "I told you about the Irish cross tattoo representing my heritage, right?"

I nodded and then realized he probably couldn't see it. "Um-hm."

"Well, my grandparents--my father's mother and father--immigrated here from Ireland just after they were married. My mother took us all over there once a week so that she could run errands without the three of us bugging the shit out of her. I was always fascinated by the lilt in their speech and the secretive words they spoke to each other. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me, and I asked my grandfather what it was that he was saying when he spoke like that. He taught me a few words and phrases in Gaelic, that being one of them." He ran his hand through his hair. "I've never actually said any of it before now."

"So... Does this mean you're going to start yelling at me in Gaelic when you're angry with me so that I don't understand what you're saying?"

He laughed. "No, of course not." He pulled me back down on his chest. "I would never be angry with you." I could hear the smile in his voice and knew he was teasing.

"Sure. You say that now."

He chuckled. "Goodnight, a ghrá." He emphasized the phrase as he squeezed me against his body.

I hummed. It was much better than baby any day. "Goodnight."