Thanks so much to kitchmill, who makes each and every chapter as best they can be and to Mana and Judyblue for all of their wonderful comments *smooches*

EPOV

"Are you going to tell me why you kept the truth about Swan possibly being my father from me?" Bella asks as soon as the waiter has walked away with our order.

I prop my elbow on the table and my face on my hand. I can't help it. She looks beautiful sitting there full of fire. Her brow is hitched and her posture is braced for my answer. Only thing is, I think she might feel worse when I lay it out there for her.

Just from her responses on the phone, I can tell she thinks her reasons for being pissed at me are valid, but they're not. I don't want to ruin our date by making her feel guilty for jumping to conclusions, but I also can't have her thinking I was "too busy fucking her" either.

I try a different approach. "Yes, we are going to have to discuss that, but why don't we wait until the end of our date?" I reach over and brush her fingers with mine. "We have a lot to talk about, and I'd like to have fun and be normal before it gets too serious. Can we do that? Have some fun first, I mean?"

She scrutinizes me, looking for what, I'm not sure. But after several moments she relaxes just the slightest bit. "Okay, we'll do this your way … for now, but don't think you're going to get out of it. I need to understand why you did it."

I give her a slow, easy smile. "I have no doubt you'll understand why, but until then, wipe it from your mind. I promise we'll get to it."

Her lips curve to match mine and she leans back and crosses her arms. "I think I can do that, Detective." Her heel slides up my leg.

I grab her foot and place it in my lap, then slide her fuck-me pump off. "You know, Bella, two can play," I say as I massage firm circles up the arch of her foot. She's all but mewling in her seat.

She gives me a smirk and then throws her head back. Moans start slipping past her lips as she writhes in her seat. People glance at our table.

I stop my movements, slide her shoe back on and drop her foot to the floor. "All right, Bella. You win … this round."

She straightens up and her expression can only be described as the cat that ate the canary. She leans closer. "I'll always win. Remember that." With a wink, she sits back and takes a swallow of her water.

At that moment the waiter brings out our drinks and appetizers. I ordered samosas and they come with several different chutneys. Bella's eyes light up when the food is placed in front of us. "They look so good."

I nod. "They are. These are my favorite, that's why I chose them. Go ahead try one." I tilt my head at the plate.

Tentatively, she reaches over and picks one up. Right as she's about to lift it to her lips, I reach over and grab her hand, guiding it to the mango chutney. "No, you have to try it with this."

She dips the samosa in the sauce and brings it to her lips. All the while her eyes are on mine. The simple act of biting into a piece of food is enough to drive me mad. I tear my eyes away just to try and regain my composure. She's has me twisted in knots. Her appeal is more than I can bear at times.

I clear my throat and turn back to her, only to find a smidge of chutney on the corner of her lip. I reach over. "You left a little bit right … here." I rub the corner of her mouth with my thumb then bring it to my own lips. "Mmmm, Bella chutney."

She props her arm on the table and leans forward. Her tits press together, and my eyes can't help but be drawn there. "Psst." I snap my eyes to hers. "I thought we'd already decided who wins this game. Don't keep starting things you aren't ready to finish. I'd love nothing more than to say fuck this date and have you take me back to your place."

I gulp and allow my eyes one more peek at her luscious cleavage before straightening up and grabbing my napkin. I bring it up and wipe at what I'm sure is drool dribbling down my chin. "You're right, of course," I stutter. Then I reach out and grab her hand in mine. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be playing these games with you when I told you I want things to be different this time. Please forgive me. I won't do it again."

She squeezes my hand tighter. "Please, do it again and more."

I sigh. "Bella, I want to show you how men are supposed to treat a lady—"

"I'm no lady, Edward," she interrupts.

I look her dead in the eye. "You are a lady and I'll make you see that. Just give me the chance, please. Let me show you how it's supposed to be."

With a small smile she gives me a slight nod. "Show me then, Edward." She leans back in her seat and picks up another samosa. "But it better not mean waiting until marriage and only making love. I still want to be fucked."

My pants automatically tighten at her words, so I lean forward, beckoning her closer. When she's close enough I whisper, "Bella, when the time is right, I'm going to fuck you so hard you'll be begging me to put it away and I won't. I'll only fuck you more. Got that?"

She twitches in her seat, crossing her legs. "Promises, promises, Detective." Her voice is playful, but I note the hint of want she's trying to bury.

"Oh, this promise is happening and you can thank me after." I wink at her and lean back, determined to dispel the sexual tension building in my bones. I intend to show her how to be treasured, not just fucked.

We spend the rest of our meal talking and laughing with light flirting and innuendo thrown in to keep it interesting. It seems we both realize where this is headed now and hopefully, she'll let me lead and get there when we're supposed to. Not because we already have or that's what she's accustomed to.

I pay the bill and pull out her chair, placing my hand on her back to guide her from the restaurant. When we reach the sidewalk, I motion down the street. "Care to take a walk with me?"

Her surprised eyes find mine. "Yeah, where to?"

I start walking down the sidewalk away from the parking lot. "There's a park up ahead. I thought we could sit and talk there."

Even in the low street light, I can see her smile. "Sounds like the perfect place."

We walk in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Mine are on being gentle and trying not to be goaded into an argument. While I love Bella immensely, she can also ignite my passion. I do my best to remind myself that she's been through so much and all I need to do is make her understand that she took away my opportunity to tell her. Would I have told her if she hadn't sent me away? I don't know that answer, but that's not what happened.

When we reach the park, I guide her to a bench hidden in the shadows of an older tree whose limbs stretch out over it. We both sit and get comfortable without either saying a word.

Finally, I take a deep breath and turn to her. "I had a wonderful time tonight with a beautiful woman."

She looks around. "Where's that bitch at?" Then she chuckles and slides just a little bit closer beside me. "I had a great time, too."

I smile to myself at her humor. Just one of the many things that made me fall in love with her. "You know we need to be careful, right? We can't just go traipsing all over town like we're in love all of a sudden."

She leans her head on my shoulder and sighs. "I wondered about that. Why did we go out tonight then?"

"Nothing wrong with a first date. The trial's over and we're free to do as we please. We just need to be careful, and I don't know if I can keep my feelings for you hidden in public." I rub my hand down her hair.

"I thought being public meant people will know, that you want them to know." She leans up and meets my eyes.

I put my hands on her cheeks. "I do want them to know. We just have to make it look like it's all new and fresh. That these feelings are just now developing. We can't run the risk of someone thinking there was a relationship before or during the trial. Maybe some group outings and things would be better the next couple of times."

She snorts. "What, like double dates? We're not in high school, Edward."

I roll my eyes. "No we're not, but we do need to be careful. Maybe Rose and Emmett wouldn't mind hanging with us next time." She sighs. "Just for a little while, let people get accustomed to the idea. Besides the trial, they're going to have an opinion anyway, just because of our age difference."

She reaches up and rubs my cheek. "Are you worried what people will think of you?"

I give her a firm shake of my head. "No. I don't care what people think of me, but I do care that James' conviction sticks."

She leans up and touches her lips to mine for a brief moment. Before I can even respond, she pulls back. "Thank you, Edward. No one has ever cared about me like this in my life and I don't want to lose that. We'll do whatever we need to do to make this work."

I smile. "Yes we will."

She turns back and settles under my arm on the bench, getting comfortable for the conversation to come. We both know what it is, but I don't want my answers to make her feel worse for her actions. That's in the past, we've already moved on from it.

I also don't know how to avoid it.

I sigh. "Bella, remember that day when you were sent ahead with Emmett?"

She nods against my side.

"After you left, that's when Charlie informed me that you may be his daughter. Do you remember what happened when we finally got back to you?"

She raises up and turns to me. "That's when Swan decided that you were off the case and made you leave me. We hardly even got to talk." There's vehemence in her tone.

I nod at her. "He didn't even give me the chance to tell you about me leaving. He barged in and pushed our conversation where he wanted it to go, remember?"

The realization spreads over her features. "And the next time I saw you, I sent you away." She gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Edward. I was cruel and never meant any of those words. I was just trying to help you. I didn't want you to lose your job over me." Wetness gathers in her eyes.

I lean closer and brush a stray strand behind her ears. "Baby, you did help me. It might not have been the best way to go about things, but what you did, it helped. I'm only even bringing this up so you'll understand that after I found out about Charlie, I never had the opportunity to tell you. We've hardly talked since, and that's just due to circumstance. It's no one's fault."

She crushes me in a hug. "I'm sorry I talked to you like that on the phone. It was just a huge blow to me. I hate him, I don't want him to be my father and I needed to blame someone."

"Shh, it's okay. You can blame me anytime you want. I love you and want all parts of you, even the angry ones." I hug her back, holding her as close as our bodies will allow.

We sit there in an embrace of comfort and understanding for as long as she needs. When she feels bold enough, she pulls back and looks at me softly. "I love you, too, Edward."

I smile and give her a small peck. "Okay, now that we have that out of the way, can we talk about … Charlie?"

She crosses her arms. "What about him? How he's seen me almost daily and failed to mention he thinks he's my father? Or how he knew that's who I was looking for and never opened his mouth? What about how he thought he could control us by taking you away from me? Want to talk about that Charlie?" she snaps.

Oh shit. This is a touchy subject for her. I knew she was going to be pissed at him the longer he waited, but I also knew she came here looking for her father. Charlie's a decent man and did use poor judgement on several aspects of this situation, but he also had to make snap decisions on what was the best course of action for all of us.

I drape my arm across her shoulder and sigh. "Yeah, that Charlie. Look, Bella, I'm not going to lie and say I agree with those things, but I know the man and he's a decent guy. He found out a lot of information all at one time, besides possibly being your father. Just imagine walking into a crime scene and seeing one officer dead, another one shot, a detective declaring his love for a witness he's protecting and then finding out said witness might be his daughter that he had no clue existed. It's an overwhelming situation."

She snatches away and turns to me, accusation in her eyes. "So what? You think I should just forgive him and embrace him like the saint he is?"

I scrub my hand over my face. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I just think you should consider all the facts."

"Oh, I think I have all the facts, all right. Swan is a piece of shit who thinks he can control my life. He's nothing more than a sperm donor, if he even is my father," she declares.

My eyes widen. "You don't think he's your father?"

She huffs. "What? Am I just supposed to believe everything that comes out of Saint Swan's mouth?"

"No you're not," I agree. "Would you like me to set up a DNA test for the two of you? Help you find out for sure?"

She slumps in her spot. "If we get a test and it's confirmed then I'll have to face the truth of it, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

I reach over and grab her hands. "Baby, this is all you. You take all the time you need. You don't ever have to know for sure or acknowledge he even exists if you don't want to. I just wanted to let you know he is a decent man who was under extraordinary circumstances."

She pulls herself into my chest and wraps her arms around me. "Would you have told me the truth if I hadn't sent you away?" she asks in a soft voice.

I squeeze her tighter to me for just a second before pulling her back so I can see her eyes. "Honestly, Bella, I don't know. I'd like to think I would've, but I can't guarantee it. It would've been on my mind eating away at me every day though. To look in your eyes and know I was lying to you? I'm not sure I could've done that, but there's no way to know for sure." I slide my hand up to the nape of her neck. "But I do know I love you, and I'm sorry this whole situation has you torn up inside."

Her brows furrow. "Torn up?" she repeats. "I'm not torn up over Swan. I just put him out of my mind and forget it. It was how it affected us that I was concerned with."

She's not telling the whole truth, it's there in her eyes, but I'll take it. "Well, there's nothing to worry over here. We're solid." I smile and massage her neck.

She purrs and moves closer to me. "I can think of something solid I'd like to be reacquainted with."

My jaw drops, along with my hand. I slide back, putting some space between us. "Play fair," I warn.

She smirks and leans back, crossing her legs. In the process. I get a flash of skin and remember she's bare underneath that dress. I put my fist in my mouth and bite down … hard.

"Are you okay, Detective?" Her fingers walk up my chest as she leans in.

I jump up and move completely out of her reach. "You agreed we'd be good!"

She stands and raises a brow. "This is me being good." With a satisfied grin on her face, she loops her arm through mine and starts for the car.

I follow like the puppy I am.

Opening her door, I look away as she slides in. When she's completely settled, I walk around and get in the driver's seat. The smirk on her lips is clear even in the dim lights from the dash. I can't help but smile.

She has me, and I like that she knows it.

When we pull up at Emmett and Rose's house, I shut the car off and turn to her. "I'm going to walk you to the door, but I think I want to say goodnight here."

She smiles. "Goodnight."

I roll my eyes. "I don't think so." I slide my hand into her hair and pull her face closer to mine. "I had a fabulous time tonight, Bella. I really, really, hope we can do it again"—I brush her lips—"soon."

She fists my shirt and pulls me impossibly close. "Really soon." Her tongue traces my lips, begging for entrance.

I comply.

The taste of her is like no other I've ever encountered. It fills me up from the inside out, consuming me until I no longer exist. We're melded as one, twisting, turning, entwining, until we no longer have separate entities. When she pulls her lips from mine, I feel as if a part of me is no longer attached.

I press my forehead to hers. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you."

After I walk around to help her out of the car, we make our way to the porch. When she's been safely delivered where I received her, I leave one kiss on her forehead and back away to watch her enter the front door.

Only then do I turn and skip down the steps and all the way to my car.

~~~~~WS~~~~~

When I open my eyes the next morning, my phone is beeping with a missed text. What I see when I open the picture message has me running straight to the shower. It's already bad enough waking up without her, but waking up to images on a screen is even worse. There's no way this problem is going away on its own.

I allow image after image to flash through my mind as I work myself up and down. It doesn't take but minutes before I'm coming in spurts all over the shower wall.

After a bowl of cheerios and a chat with Alice, I've made plans for this evening. Time to get a good read on this Jasper and see what he's all about. Is he just using Alice to get information, or is he really here for what he said? To find out how his brother got mixed up in that mess? I'm not sure, but it's high time I find out, or try, before he gets anywhere near Bella.

I go online and pay some bills and then catch the first couple quarters of the Seattle Seahawks game before it comes time for me to head out. I make my way to Newton's in no time. Alice's car is already parked in the lot.

As soon as I enter, Alice is standing, motioning me over to their table back in the corner. Before I even reach them, she's out of her seat pulling me into a hug.

"So glad you decided to come out with us, big bro," she says.

I give her a tight smile and choose not to respond. I don't want to be an asshole, but I have reservations about how this get-together is going to go, and until then, I want to remain neutral. I take a seat and nod to Jasper.

Alice wastes no time and picks up her menu. "I think I'll have a burger." She closes it and lays it on the table in front of her. "What about you guys?"

I lift a brow at her obvious attempt to push the conversation. "I think I'll have the chicken sandwich, like always."

She turns to Jasper. "What about you?"

He finally breaks his silence. "I think I'll have the chicken sandwich, too." He closes his menu and lays it down, looking directly at me. "Edward, I know you think I have nefarious motives here, but I assure you, I'm not using your sister." He turns and smiles at Alice. "She means a great deal to me, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize that."

She grabs his hand and beams at him. "Oh, Jasper, I know you'd never hurt me."

I clear my throat. "While all this is sweet and everything, you'll understand if I'm a little leery. You come here and mysteriously hook up with my baby sister and expect me to believe it was an accident?"

Still holding tight to Alice's hand, he answers, "Oh, no, it definitely wasn't an accident. I was meant to find Alice. The fact that she's your sister is the only part that's accidental. I always knew she was out there somewhere waiting for me." He nods like the shit he's spouting is fact just because he said it.

Alice is staring at him like he hung the moon, and I think I might be sick. "So let's say I buy this bullshit. What's next, now that the trial is over?"

He lets go of Alice's hand and looks at me more seriously. "Well, tomorrow I'm going to interrogate James, try to get some answers." I nod—makes sense. "At some point I'd like to get Bella in to answer some questions."

I bristle at his use of her name. "First, that's Miss Higginbotham until she's asked you to call her otherwise. Second, haven't you heard the whole story from her on the stand?"

He nods. "I did hear the murder story, but I'm looking for any clues as to how my brother found himself in that position. Miss Higginbotham might know something and just not realize it."

I think about what he said. It has some merit. Bella may be the key to figuring out how Peter got himself into James' back pocket.

I sigh. "I'll tell you what. I'll talk to Bella and get her to come in and speak to you only if you agree that I can be there."

Alice's wide eyes are on me, saying, "You're giving away too much," while Jasper's eyes are scrutinizing me thoroughly.

After several minutes of silence, he finally nods. "I can agree to that. Maybe you know more than you think, too."

I take a deep breath of relief. I took a risk being protective over Bella, but he'll know soon enough. Might as well bend things to benefit us as much as I can.

Jasper and I exchange numbers, and I let him know I'm serious about helping as long as he's here for what he claims. The rest of the meal is pleasant enough. We make small talk about sports and Alice fills me in on her boutique. When it's time to go and we've walked out to our cars, I give her one more hug.

Jasper holds out his hand. "Nice talking with you, Edward. Contact me tomorrow and we'll set a time up for you and Bella to come in." He smirks, and I'm busted. There's no way he didn't catch on to my feelings for her.

I take his hand and shake it firmly while staring directly in his eyes. "As long as Bella's willing, we'll be there." I turn to Alice. "Why don't you come over tomorrow and I'll take you to meet Bella."

He whole face lights up. "Tomorrow?" I nod. She starts bouncing in place. "Oh, I can't wait to meet her." She jumps and hugs me again. "Thank you, Edward. What time?"

"How about lunchtime? We can take her out."

"I'll be there with bells on," she chirps.

I catch Jasper's eye once more and give him my own smirk. If he cares about Alice like he proclaimed with all that bullshit earlier, he'll keep his thoughts about Bella and me to himself. It would hurt her if he hurt her brother and new best friend with any accusations.

He steps forward and leans in close. "We'll talk about this later. Alone and off the record." Then makes his way to open Alice's door for her to get in. She's still bouncing around with excitement.

I salute them both and turn to get in my own car. My girl has some payback coming after that stunt she pulled this morning.

So, how do you think the date went? And Edward's explanation? What about Jasper seeming to catch on?

Smoke on the Water is up for top ten completed fics in May, along with a bunch of other great fics. Make sure you go vote!

See you next chapter!