Alrighty so it took me a few days longer than normal to finish and post this, but it was kind of a big chapter with lots of stuff happening so I wanted to make sure I got it just right. It's slightly shorter than usual, but I feel like everything was said that needed to be. Again I have to say a HUGE thank you for all of the reviews. I love how passionate you guys get about my characters. And a big thanks for everyone who has favorited my story as well. Unbelievable! Aaaand one more thanks to all of my readers across the globe. So insane that my story has been read in so many different countries! Much love to my girl Kayleigh, the one who has encouraged me to be the creative person she always knew I was. Oh and btw, this chapter is smut-tastic ;D I own the New Moon special edition DVD, a drawer full of VS undies and a few Spice Girls dolls hidden somewhere in the basement…SM owns Twilight.

p.s. This chapter discusses Alice's assault. While I don't find it too graphic it still might be disturbing for some readers…

Somehow, I couldn't stop myself.

I just wanted to know how it felt.

Too strong, I couldn't hold on.

Now I'm just tryin' to make some sense

Out of how and why this happened.

Where we're heading, there's just no knowing.

Then I crashed into you, and I went up in flames.

Could've been the death of me, but then you breathed your breath in me.

And I crashed into you, like a runaway train.

You will consume me, but I can't walk away.

From your face, your eyes

Are burning to me.

You saved me, you gave me

Just what I need.

Oh just what I need.

Crashed-Daughtry

~BELLA~

I sat there on the floor with Alice, holding her and trying to comfort her as best as I could while she sobbed into my shoulder. I didn't press the issue any further, but just let her know that I was there for her. She cried for at least an hour, her eyes so puffy they were almost swollen shut. I went and got her a cool, damp facecloth from her bathroom and a cold bottle of water. I helped clean the smeared makeup off of her face and the only thing she kept saying was how sorry she was. The tears eventually ran out and her sobs quieted down after she settled herself on the couch.

"Bella I'm so sorry."

"Hey," I sat down next to her and squeezed her hand. "You have nothing to apologize for. This is not your fault, you know that right?"

She squeezed her eyes shut and placed the cloth over her face.

"You're the first person I've ever told, you know besides my therapist. It's kind of like a huge relief, getting it out there.""Alice, why didn't you go to the police or at least your parents?" I was baffled as to why she would keep something like that a secret.

"You don't understand Bella. I never should have snuck out that night. I was out of control. As soon as I turned 18 I thought I knew it all. I was drinking and hanging out with the wrong crowd. My dad was long gone and my mom had no idea, no clue what kind of person I was. Or maybe she did and just chose to ignore it. I don't know."

She leaned back against the couch, picking at her cuticles until they bled.

"Alice you don't have to…"

"No," she shook her head at me, sitting up and pulling the cloth off of her face. "I want to. I need to." She cleared her throat and took a few deep breaths. "I went to my cousin's house. It was only supposed to be a couple of friends, but you know how word spreads. Tons of people were there. Most of the people I didn't really know, but I didn't care. I was having a blast. There was this guy. He um-I remember thinking that he was really cute, but now I don't really have any idea what he looked like, I was so drunk. All I remember now is that he had on this leather jacket." She paused briefly, taking several deep breaths.

"So after I was completely trashed I worked up enough courage to go over and talk to him and he was really sweet at first. He kept getting up and refilling my cup for me and told me how beautiful I was and he asked me if I wanted to go upstairs with him. I had never really just hooked up with a random guy before, ya know? But like I said I couldn't even tell you how much alcohol I had in my system. So I started to follow him through the party and he stopped to talk to this other shady looking guy. I watched him reach into his pocket and give him this little baggie and even in my drunken stupor I knew something bad was going on so I decided to try and sneak away."

She stopped again, closing her eyes and shaking her head while new tears started to fall.

"He found me. I don't really know where I was, but I was by myself and I just kept thinking that I didn't feel right. It was different from being drunk, I felt sick, poisoned. It's only now that I realize he must have put something in my drink. I saw him coming at me and I wanted to fight him, I did, but I was too weak. I couldn't see straight. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I begged him to just leave me alone, but that only made him angry. I'm still not sure what he did, but my head was in excruciating pain. I think he slammed me into the wall. And then he, um, he…" her voice began to shake with the emotion of reliving her nightmare and I held her tight to me.

"He drug me into a room somewhere. I started screaming or trying to, but I don't think anyone could hear me because of the music. I kept begging, but he just got more pissed off and he-he hit me, punched me in the face like three or four times. He just kept beating me and-and choking me, telling me I needed to shut the fuck up. I guess he was trying to knock me out or k-kill me…I couldn't really see after that. My eyes were just-he hit me so much I couldn't open my eyes. I just laid there and there was so much blood in mouth and I could feel it running down my face…I didn't have any strength left. I think I was starting to black out, but I could-I could feel him on me and then I thought maybe I had died," she was sobbing now, barely getting out her words.

"I felt him get off of me and I wanted to leave so badly, but I couldn't move my body, I couldn't even lift my head. It felt like my legs were made of lead. And he had just left me there. I knew for certain that I was going to die there, that no one would find me in that room until it was too late. I laid there for what felt like days, but it must have only been an hour or so. I remember falling asleep and coming to and struggling to open my eyes, but I just couldn't do it. And then I remember-I remember this voice…they kept asking me questions. I guess they were trying to figure out if I was a-alive. And the one thing that sticks out in my mind the most is them telling me that it was going to be okay, that they were going to help me and I felt this small glimmer of hope that maybe I would make it. Someone had found me. The next thing I remember after that was waking up in the hospital. I had a couple of broken ribs and he broke my nose and chipped my front tooth." She collapsed against the couch, exhausted from her admission. I stroked her hair and held her hand and had no idea how to help someone who was in such agony.

"I was just covered in bruises and scratches and-and him. I was supposed to testify. They had him in custody, but I couldn't bare to face him. I knew there was no way I would be able to sit in the same room with him and feel his eyes on me. I basically just hid out for awhile, hoping that it would all blow over and I could somehow, maybe, manage to put it behind me. It worked for awhile, but the dreams, the-the nightmares…"

"Shh, Alice it's okay. We're going to find a way to get through this." Truthfully I had no idea if there was any way to get through something so awful, so terrifying.

"So, Emmett doesn't know about this?" She shook her head.

"I don't know how-Bella, I care about your brother so much, I don't want to put all of that on him and I just…he's the first guy I've gotten this close to since it all happened. I don't-I don't know what to do or…"

"Hey, listen. You don't have to tell him anything, but he cares about you Alice. A lot. I know he'd understand and I think it might even help you a little bit to have some more support."

"I know. I know you're right I just don't know how to say it."

We sat in silence after that and I couldn't stop imagining the horror that she had lived through. She eventually fell asleep and I covered her up with a blanket before sneaking back into my apartment.

~000~

I was beyond stressed. I was sick over what Alice had told me and wished I knew of some way to help her, not to mention I had no idea what to do about Edward. I loved him. I loved him so much it hurt and I was terrified of it. I had never felt something so strong and earth shattering and completely consuming in my entire life, so I pushed him away. Not completely, but enough that I knew I was hurting him and I didn't want to. I never wanted to hurt him, but if he wasn't looking for the same kind of commitment that I was, the complete and utter devotion, I didn't think I'd be able to handle it. It was painful enough kissing him and touching him and spending time with him, but the thought of sex, of making love to him, nearly broke me. I wanted him in ways that couldn't even be put into words, but if I left myself exposed and vulnerable to him without him giving anything in return…I couldn't even finish my thought. It hurt too much. On top of it all, Alice had become almost entirely dependant on me and I didn't have the heart to tell her I needed some space. Any free time that I had, she wanted me there with her. She was terrified of being alone with Emmett and because of it I knew Edward was suffering even more by our lack of intimacy and alone time. Weeks went by and Edward and I hadn't gone beyond kissing. It was my fault entirely because I was the one that kept stopping things from going further, but I knew if I let him touch me in any way I would give in and have sex with him and as much as I burned with the desire to feel him inside of me, the fear of having my heart broken trumped my urges.

The night of the Kings Of Leon concert came and I thought I was going to absolutely lose my mind. I had been dancing and singing in my bedroom, acting like a complete fool and Edward had busted me. I was beyond mortified, but when I saw him leaning against the doorway to my bedroom, knowing he had been watching my half naked body, I wanted to tackle him to the floor. Maybe I was being foolish. Who cares if Edward loves me? Obviously he wanted to be with me, couldn't that be enough? Why should I keep denying the both of us what we so desperately wanted? And God did I want him. He had on a tight, black t-shirt that outlined his muscular physique and dark gray pants that made me just want to bend down and bite his ass. And that hair. God, his hair alone was enough to make me want to strip naked for him. We made it to the venue and I was beyond thrilled that we had floor seats, but the real excitement came from the electricity that was passing between me and Edward. The DJ was amazing and the energy from the crowd was contagious. We were all dancing and singing and Alice and Emmett were making out like a couple of horny teenagers. I was ecstatic for them. Things had been so tense between them, especially since Alice wouldn't tell him what was going on. It was nice to see them both stop worrying so much, but honestly I was a little jealous. Of course I didn't envy them their problems, but the fact that they both knew exactly where they stood with the other. I had never believed in labels, but not knowing what Edward was to me was starting to drive me slightly insane.

I don't know why I drank Emmett and Alice's beers other than the simple fact that they were sitting there and for some reason I felt like I could use some alcohol, especially with the way Edward was looking at me and we were so close; the crowd pushing us together. Chugging two beers though hit me fast and hard and before I could stop myself I was in Edward's lap. There was nothing wrong with that, right? But then I kept going. I felt Edward's excitement as I continued to rub my ass back and forth across him and I wanted him so badly, all of my resolve flew out the window. Just because he wasn't down on his knees professing his undying devotion to me didn't mean he would turn out to be like Jacob. I decided to shut off my mind for once and just feel; feel him and what his hands were capable of doing to me; feel his body calling out to mine. He wanted me right then and there and I had never been more turned on. I came, hard, right in the middle of a crowd of thousands of people who were none the wiser as the pleasure coursed through my entire body. It had been too long. He did things to me that I didn't even know were possible, that I didn't know a person was capable of feeling. He brought out these urges and desires in me that I could no longer hold back.

The concert had been amazing, but I could barely concentrate and I so badly wanted to feel him control my body once again. I hadn't even realized how exhausted I was until I woke up in Edward's car, completely confused and disoriented.

"Edward, what is this? Where are we?"

I had never expected in a million years that he would take me away for the weekend for my birthday. And he brought me to the beach. He paid enough attention to me to know how much I loved the beach and wanted to do something to make me happy. Then there was the scrapbook. I pulled it out of the bag and was confused at first as to what it was, but as soon as I opened to the first page and saw the picture of me and Emmett with my parents at my graduation, the tears began to fall. The book was filled with almost every picture I had. I laughed out loud at the memories and slowly ran my hands along the pages as if I was touching the people in the photos. The tears came uncontrollably as I looked through my life. It must have taken weeks for Edward to put all of this together and my heart swelled to the point of bursting thinking about all of the thought and effort he had put into it.

"Edward, what is-how did you do this?"

"I'm sorry Bella please don't cry. I asked Emmett about it and he thought a scrapbook was a good idea. I had Alice help me make copies of the pictures from your memory box…" He stopped himself and I realized that he was probably confused by my reaction. He thought he had upset me. Without thinking twice I threw myself at him, knocking him back into the sand, kissing him with more force and emotion than I had ever felt about anything in my entire life.

My body craved him and I knew words would never do justice to the utter gratitude I felt towards this man for a gift he probably didn't realize meant more to me than anything else in the entire world.

"Edward, that is the most thoughtful, beautiful, touching gift I have ever received. I don't-I don't know what to say. I just-you're too wonderful, too amazing." I was crying again. I was so confused. I loved him with every single ounce of my being and I wanted so badly to believe that he felt even half as strongly about me. My heart kept telling me over and over that he cared, that he wanted me, that he wouldn't do all of the things that he does if he didn't, but my head kept reminding me of Jacob. Jacob had been wonderful at first too. Jacob gave me surprise parties and diamond earrings and soup when I was sick…

"This is all too much Edward.. Why did you do all of this?" He looked so completely confused.

"Bella I wanted to do this. I wanted to do more, but I didn't have enough time. It's your birthday. Hell, even if it wasn't your birthday you'd still deserve this and so much more."

"Thank you Edward. Thank you so much. I don't-I can't…" I broke off, not sure what to say anymore.

"Bella why did you say you were denying me at the concert?"

It took me a moment to realize what he was asking. Of course I knew what he was talking about, but in that moment I had to decide whether I continued on in silence, keeping my feelings a secret and hiding myself away from him or letting myself give in to Edward and take the leap.

"Edward I-recently I haven't been good to you. I've been selfish. I know I'm not making much sense it's just…recently I've realized my feelings for you. I can't begin to tell you how much I care about you and to think about moving forward and having sex with you without you feeling the same would just be too much. I can't go through that again. I've given my heart away before without getting anything in return and that was when my feelings were only an eighth of what they are for you." I looked away, tracing my fingers through the sand. This was all too much. I couldn't stop now though. I had finally made up my mind.

"But then I realized, I have to have you." I looked back up at him. "I don't care how and I don't care if I get anything in return, but I need you. And I'm sorry for that, but I don't know how to exist anymore without you." He stared at me for what felt like hours, a look of shock on his face. I held my breath as the tears continued to fall, waiting for the rejection and the pain to come. He finally broke the silence.

"Look at me," he grabbed my face, forcing my eyes onto his. "I guess that I'm completely at fault for all of this, for you not understanding. Bella, I'm in love with you." And the world exploded around me. I got to my feet. I was in complete shock and disbelief. My brain was trying to tell me to run away, trying to keep me from exposing myself further, but I kept my feet firmly planted in the sand. I wasn't going to run anymore. Yes, I was scared as hell and I had never once expected someone as amazing and perfect and incredible as Edward to love me back, but there he was, opening his heart to me. He stood too and I knew he was waiting for my response.

"Edward, I am so in love with you."

He gripped my waist and pulled me into him with such force my head spun. He kissed me then, so urgently, his tongue demanding entrance into my mouth. I groaned against him, completely consumed. He was everywhere and everything and I couldn't manage to get myself close enough.

"Say it again Bella," he moaned into my mouth.

"I love you Edward. I love you. I'm in love with you," I gasped as he cupped my ass, causing my dress to ride up.

"You have no idea how good that sounds," he whispered in between kisses.

He lifted me and I jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. My dress was somewhere around my hips now and I could feel his erection rubbing through the lace of my thong.

"I want you Isabella, I need you," he said low in my ear. I moaned from the combination of the feel of his hot breath and his demands.

"Oh God, I want you too Edward," I breathed, attacking his mouth again. And then he was running, actually fucking running with me still attached to him, up the beach into the house. He stumbled through the glass doors into the living room, practically slamming me into the wall with the force of his sheer need for me. I knew exactly how he felt. All this time my body had been craving his touch like a drug and now we were finally here in this moment, all of our feelings for each other out in the open and the hunger to devour each other driving our actions. We continued to kiss ravenously, my hands tangled in his hair while he tried to make his way to the bedroom. He somehow managed to find the steps and I unhooked my legs from around him, not daring to have him carry me up the stairs. There was no way I was going to have this night ending in the emergency room. I leaned back, spread out on the steps while he hovered above me, both of us trying to catch our breath.

"I need to see you," he growled, grabbing me again, tugging at my dress. I lifted my body in the air as he slid it down my hips and off of my legs, flinging it over the railing.

"Fuck Bella, why aren't you wearing a bra?"

"I didn't need one," I whispered back feeling extremely exposed and ridiculously turned on. He placed a hand on each side of me, caging me against the stairs and attacked me with his mouth again. I reached out and tugged at his shirt, until he practically ripped it off and pressed his perfectly chiseled chest against mine. My nipples immediately hardened at the contact and I desperately needed some sort of friction against the aching throb between my thighs. "Edward," I moaned out. I was begging now. I couldn't really find the words to tell him exactly what it was I wanted, so I just kept repeating his name. He broke away from my mouth, trailing hot, wet kisses down my neck to my collarbone. He paused briefly, licking his way down the front of my chest, down in between my breasts, so tortuously slow I involuntarily arched my back up, thrusting myself into his face, my body begging for more. He continued making his way down my torso, alternating between kissing and sucking and licking, over my stomach, circling his tongue around my belly button, lower and lower, kissing a trail across the edge of my thong from one hip to the other. I gripped his arms trying desperately to pull myself closer to him somehow in my awkward position. He skimmed his nose over the thin, lace fabric and gently flicked out his tongue, sucking me into his mouth.

"Oh that feels so good, more," I cried. He quickly rose to his feet, pulling me up by my hand as we raced up the steps only to make it as far as the hall before we were throwing ourselves at each other again, hitting the floor. He pulled my legs apart, cupping my pussy and slowly rubbing back and forth; the lace feeling amazing against my swollen lips. I cried out when he shoved the material aside and gently bit down. He pulled me up to my feet again and I followed him down an endless hall until he finally threw the last door open, picking me up once again and laying me back on the huge bed. He crawled up over top of me and kissed me again, slower and more sensual, breaking away and stroking my cheek with the back of his hand.

"I love you, so much Isabella." And it poured out of him, the raw emotion. I could feel it in that moment, feel his words and the genuineness behind them.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that," I sighed, running my fingers through his hair. We had slowed things down now. We weren't any less urgent or needy, but somehow both realized that we wanted to savor this moment, really appreciate each other. He rested his forehead against mine as I ran my fingers over the smooth skin of his back.

"Make me yours Edward." He sat up and pulled off his pants and boxers, resting back on his knees, taking me in. I wanted to feel embarrassed, lying there in nothing but my underwear while he examined every inch of me, but I didn't. I felt wanted and needed and more importantly I felt loved. He kept his eyes locked on mine and I tried to do the same, but I couldn't stop staring at his naked body. In the few times that we had messed around I had never really had the time to see him, to appreciate him. His strong, broad shoulders and hard chest; the smooth, defined stomach muscles covered with the small trail of dark hair that led the way to the perfect v-cut of his hip bones, down into his magnificent erection. I hadn't seen that many naked men in my life, but I knew that Edward was not lacking. I didn't need a comparison to know how huge he was. The wetness pooled between my legs and I knew by now my underwear was probably ruined. He leaned forward slightly, gently grabbing my ankle and raising my leg off of the bed, placing small kisses up my calf, across my knee and up my thigh, his hot breath fanning out across my flesh, causing me to break out in goose-bumps. He repeated the action on the opposite leg and I thought I was going to explode if I didn't have him. I reached out and grabbed his smooth, hard shaft, causing him to gasp. Gripping him firmly, I slowly began pumping him as he dipped his head forward, sucking a breast into his mouth. I arched towards him as he sucked and flicked my nipple while massaging my other breast and I was going into sensation overload. I started to work him faster, and could feel him grow in my hand as he switched breasts, sucking me so hard I thought for sure he'd leave a mark, but it felt exquisite. He broke away causing himself to fall from my hand and I was momentarily disappointed until I saw that he was removing my underwear. He leaned over the edge of the bed towards his pants, and I realized he must have been getting a condom. I placed a hand on his chest.

"Edward you don't have to. I'm on the pill and I mean, I trust you unless…" he shook his head and shut up my ramblings with a kiss as he placed himself over my body. He reached down and slowly massaged my slit, spreading the wetness and inserting a finger, than two and three. He pushed into me deliciously slow, before sliding out and rubbing the tip of his cock back and forth over my opening. I spread my legs farther apart, begging for him and we locked eyes. He continued to tease my entrance and my whole body was quivering with the thought of what was about to happen.

"Please Edward, please," I sobbed.

"Please what Isabella? Say it. I want to hear you beg for me," he growled.

"Make love to me, Edward," I moaned and heard a grumble low in his chest as he slowly pushed himself inside of me. He took his time, allowing me to adjust to him, inch by inch and we moaned in unison as he sunk down into me, pressing us flat against each other.

"Oh God, you're so tight," he groaned, closing his eyes. I grabbed his face, pulling him towards me trying to convey all of my love for him without words and he slowly began to rock inside of me. He reached up and placed my hands above my head, lacing our fingers together and giving him better access to my breasts. Slowly he began to pick up the pace and I bent my knees, causing him to push deeper inside of me, hitting places I never knew existed. I rocked my hips upward, meeting each one of his thrusts with my own, our labored breathing the only sound in the room.

"Mmm you feel so good Edward." He was pounding into me now; the bed frame thumping against the wall above our heads. I had never felt so full and whole in my entire life. The thought of Edward stretching me to maximum capacity turned me on further and I could feel the numbing warmth start to creep through my body. Up my arms and legs, across my chest and into my stomach. I had never once had an orgasm from sex alone. With Jacob I had always needed to get off before hand and I always thought something was wrong with me, but it all became very clear that I was not the one with the problem. I wrapped my legs behind Edward's back, locking my ankles together, pulling him into me. He extracted his fingers from mine and pushed up, supporting his weight and slamming his hips into mine frantically, the delicious sound of skin slapping skin echoing throughout the room.

I cried out with each thrust; he was hitting me at just the right angle and causing the friction I so desperately needed, rubbing back and forth over my clit. I slowly ran my nails down his back, trailing my hands over his muscular ass and squeezing, pulling him into me.

"Oh don't stop, don't stop Edward," I whimpered, surprised I still remembered how to talk. "Oh God, I'm gonna cum. Oh my God, oh my God," I chanted over and over as I exploded, clenching him from inside. My body arched up off of the bed of it's own will and I cried out before falling back. I could tell that Edward wasn't far behind by the look of concentration on his face so I pushed up on my elbows and bit down on his neck.

"Ahh fuck Bella," he hissed as he spilled inside of me, falling on top of me against the bed, kissing me slow and passionately. We laid there for several minutes, his forehead pressed against mine, while we tried to catch our breath in between kisses. He slowly pulled out of me and I felt as though I had lost a limb. He leaned up on his side, stroking my hair and placing soft, gentle kisses on both eyelids, my cheeks, my nose, my chin.

"That was-that was incredible," he sighed, trailing his fingers along my body.

"Mmm you have no idea," I murmured, pulling him to me for another kiss. I was quickly beginning to understand that I would never be able to get enough of this man.

"Happy Birthday Isabella."

"My birthday isn't until tomorrow."

"It's 2:09," he said, pointing to the wall clock across the room. "It is tomorrow." He gave me that crooked smile that had me wanting him all over again and pulled me against him, cradling me to his chest, his arms wrapped around me and our legs tangled together. We were as close as we could possibly be.

"Wow," I whispered. "Best. Birthday. Ever."

~000~

"Good morning birthday girl."

I stretched and yawned, smiling to myself before even opening my eyes, knowing I was waking up next to Edward. I rolled over expecting to find his warm, naked body, but no such luck. I sat up and blinked open my eyes and found Edward perched on the edge of the bed looking sexier than anyone should be allowed to look this early in the morning. He was naked, except for a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms sliding low on his hips and he was holding a plate in one hand stacked high with french toast and orange juice in the other.

"You made me breakfast in bed?" I laughed.

"I did," he grinned back.

"When did you have time to go grocery shopping?"

"I swung by and stocked up yesterday before the concert." I shook my head at him, still in shock that this incredible man wanted me. I noticed him continuing to grin at me and realized I was still naked. I leaned over to grab his shirt from off the floor, but he stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Um, getting dressed?"

"Mmm, no I like you better like this," he smirked.

"I am not eating breakfast naked," I laughed at him, slipping his shirt on over my head and pulling on his boxers, rolling the waistband several times so they'd stay on my hips.

We took turns feeding each other the mound of french toast, kissing in between each bite and licking syrup off of each other's chins. I had never been so blissfully happy in my entire life. I grabbed the orange juice from the nightstand and took a big swig, nearly spitting it back in the glass.

"Um, Edward I think this orange juice is rancid," I said, puckering my lips.

He chuckled at me and shook his head. "It's not rancid Bella. It's a Mimosa. There's champagne in it."

"Oh. Isn't it a little early to start drinking?"

"Not when it's your 21st birthday. I have every intention of getting you trashed today." He grinned at me. I put the glass to my lips again and tentatively took another sip. Hmm, it wasn't so bad. Actually, it was good now that I was expecting it. I downed the rest of the large glass and could already feel the warmth from the alcohol spreading through my chest. This was going to be a long day.

"So what are we doing today?" I said, bouncing up and down on the bed. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I had an entire weekend alone with Edward.

"That is entirely up to you. We could go out to the beach, or head into town. There's a bunch of little shops there that you'd probably like. And tonight there's like this summer concert thing out by the beach…" he trailed off while I weighed my options. I was silent for several minutes and then began crawling towards him on all fours, gently pushing his chest to ease him back onto the bed.

"We have all day right?" I smiled, placing a knee on either side of his torso. He gave me a slight nod, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Well I definitely know what I want to do first," I whispered, placing small kisses on his stomach, trailing up his chest and then finally onto his mouth.

"And what is that?" he said low and seductive.

"Take a shower," I whispered in his ear before jumping off of the bed and sprinting out of the room. Truthfully I had no idea where the shower was or the towels or pretty much anything, but I was hoping once he recovered he'd get the hint and follow me. I had made it down the stairs and grabbed my bag without any sign of him and I was nervous now that maybe he thought I didn't want him. I turned around to find Edward standing on the bottom step, arms crossed across his chest, watching me.

"You think you're going to get away from me that easily?" He cocked an eyebrow, slowly stalking towards me. I continued to stare at him wide-eyed and helpless, adrenaline coursing through my body, ready to play whatever little game he was starting. He stood in front of me, pressing me into the wall, pushing his body flush against mine. Without warning he pulled up the hem of his t-shirt I was wearing, exposing my naked chest to him and ducked down, sucking me into his mouth. He pinched the nipple on my right breast between his thumb and finger all while working his magic tongue over the left one, making me writhe against the wall. He continued on until my arousal had become too much and I cried out, desperately trying to pull him closer. He broke away then, pulling back and staring at me with smug satisfaction.

"Better go get that shower," he smirked, knowing exactly what he had just done. I suppose getting me back was only fair. Bastard. So that's how he wanted to play? Game on. I grabbed my bag and walked past him, being sure to brush against his very obvious erection before starting back up the stairs. I made it to the landing and turned to face him, his eyes trained intently on me and in a move so uncharacteristic I wouldn't have believed it if I weren't standing there doing it, I pulled off his shirt and boxers and flung them at him over the railing, marching off towards the bathroom and silently congratulating myself.

I stepped into the humongous bathroom and tried to take in my surroundings. There was a huge, claw foot tub in the center of the room, marble counter tops and a shower big enough to fit my apartment inside of it. I spun around and locked the door, not letting Edward get off the hook that easy. I grabbed a big, white, fluffy towel from the shelf in the corner and began rifling through my bag for my razor, shampoo and soap, but nearly passed out from what I found. Alice had clearly lost her mind. Amongst my shorts and t-shirts was enough lingerie for me to do my own spread in Playboy and I had never seen any of it before in my entire life. I didn't know whether to be angry or thankful or just plain embarrassed. I pulled out what I needed for the shower, started the water and climbed inside. I stood there, motionless under the hot water, replaying the previous night's events over and over again in my head. The concert, the beach, the scrapbook, the mind-blowing sex…Edward telling me he loved me. Edward's in love with me. I still couldn't manage to grasp the concept. I showered and shaved quickly, eager to get back to him. I pulled on a green halter top and denim shorts, towel dried my hair and slapped on a little mascara for good measure. I hurried out of the bathroom and in my excitement threw the door open only to find an empty bedroom. I walked back into the hall and could hear the faint sound of running water coming from the opposite end. Of course. A house this huge would obviously have another shower. I followed the sound until I came to the last door on the right and swung it open, my jaw dropping. It must have been the master bedroom, but that didn't quite define it. It was bright and open and decorated with greens and blues. There was a huge bed in the center of the room covered in pillows and a ceiling to floor window with a breathtaking view of the beach. I turned around and there was a door sitting wide open, revealing a much larger bathroom than the one I had just used, but I couldn't focus on any of that because there was Edward in all of his naked glory standing behind the glass shower door, eyes closed and head tilted towards the stream of water.

I tried to make myself walk away or at the very least stop staring, but I had no control over those types of things when it came to Edward. I watched as the beads of water slowly rolled over his shoulders and down his muscular chest, down his stomach, over his legs…I'm pretty sure at this point I was probably drooling, but I couldn't seem to snap myself out of it. He turned the water off then, flung open the door and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist, smirking at me the entire time.

"See something you like?" he asked, smirk still in place as he sauntered towards me, smacking me on the butt before pushing past and out into the hall. I followed after him into the first bedroom and continued to stare at him while he got dressed like the creepy perv that I was.

"You know, you keep staring at me like that and it'll wind up going straight to my head," he laughed, snapping me out of my trance.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I said, hoping to sound like I wasn't bothered at all, but I could feel the flush in my cheeks betraying me. "So can we go into town?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Whatever you want to do my love," he replied, making my knees go weak. I would never, ever get tired of hearing him call me that.

The next chapter or so will be a little less angsty, but I promise the drama will return shortly. Reviews are better than watching Edward shower ;D