I don't own these characters. They are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. I only borrow them. No humans are permanently harmed through my actions, though I do confess to harassing, annoying, torturing, and exasperating them – just because it's fun. I make no money from my little stories, sad day. I only play in the sandbox, I didn't build it.

X

Edward's POV

I was shocked when I felt her warm, soft hands caressing me, dragging me from my slumber. Tentatively, she brushed her fingers over my neck and then moved them down my chest, slipping beneath my shirt to tease and toyed with one nipple. I arched into her touch, my surprise stealing my breath – my voice. I murmured her name at last, my desperation helping me find the necessary air to do so. She laughed softly and I felt the puff of her breath against my throat. It was the most exquisitely painful heat I have ever experienced.

"Isabella," I said again.

"Edward," she whispered back and her lips caressed my ear as she spoke. That tiny connection between us was enough to make the lust roar to life. I shifted slightly so that she would not feel the hardness at my groin.

But she shocked me yet again and her fingers ghosted over my straining length. "Don't hide from me, Edward," she told me softly. "I want to feel you...all of you. Always."

Then her fingers closed around me and she gave a short stroke. It was almost enough to undo me, that one simple, short caress. I groaned and my back arched against my will, thrusting me into her hand. I tried to warn her, to tell her that it was too much. She was too beautiful and I wanted her too desperately to maintain any control.

But it was too late. I felt my climax sweep over me, embarrassingly swift, astonishingly fierce. It seemed as if pumped gallons of fluid onto my belly and her hand, and still her breath caressed me as she murmured praises against my skin. The evidence of my lack of control began to cool and I twitched. I reached down to touch her hand and-

I awoke with a start. I groaned as I realized that the climax I had dreamed had, in fact, taken place in my sleep. Was I a young boy, to spill myself in my slumber? I grimaced and removed my shirt, using it to wipe away my guilt. The little room was quiet, and I could only be glad that the boys had not woken. Apparently, I had been very quiet in my dreamed ecstasy.

I rolled over and tried to find a comfortable position on my pallet. It was difficult knowing that just a few feet away, Isabella rested on a soft bed. She would be sleep warm and drowsy. The image of her was so vivid in my head that I could almost feel her soft flesh pressed against me.

Fervently, I tried to remember that her sons were in that soft bed with her. I reminded myself that she was a lady and a widow and was due more than my lustful dreams. Though my body ached for her, my heart ached no less. For a long while, I tossed and turned, restless and frustrated. Finally, I got to my feet and stumbled as quietly as I could to the basin of water on the washstand and splashed some tepid water on my face.

In the moonlight, I could see them. Alex was snuggled up against his mother, while Aaron was sprawled on his back, one hand hanging off the edge of the bed. Carefully, I tucked his hand beneath the covers. I stood there and watched them. They were each wonderful in their own way, and in their own way, I wanted them all to be mine.

~AYW~

We discovered that we would have to wait two days for the next train back East. I resolved then and there to show the boys as much of Denver as I could. This had the added benefit of allowing me to escort Isabella as well.

Alex and Aaron exclaimed over the multi-story buildings, made faces of disgust at the sometimes filthy streets, and generally had a wonderful time just absorbing all that they saw. They were constantly trying to talk us into buying them treats of one sort or another. I found myself enjoying their chatter and enthusiasm, and most of all I enjoyed knowing that everyone who viewed us saw a little family.

If the days were a delight, then the nights were torture. The scent and sound of her so close, and yet so completely out of reach, grew more painful with each passing moment. On the second night, I woke to find my own hand clasped around my manhood and I gasped at the remnants of the dream from which I had awakened. To my mortification, I saw Isabella's dark eyes shining in the moonlight and they were locked on me – on my errant hand. I was tempted to continue stroking myself to completion, but instead I closed my eyes and turned over. I heard her sigh in the darkness, but what that little sound meant I did not know.

~AYW~

"Are we really going to be on a train?" Alex asked excitedly. Again. He was thrilled about the upcoming journey. Aaron was less so and wanted to know how safe the train really was. The closer we had gotten to our departure time, the more quiet Aaron had grown.

"Yes, we really are," I assured him. We would be leaving in about an hour and were currently trying to gather our belongings so that we could get the boys to the depot in plenty of time.

"And it'll take us a long time to get there, right?" Alex pressed.

"Well not too long," I assured him. "You will find much to do on the journey. I've brought your lessons with me."

Alex groaned and even his brother shook his head mournfully. "We cannot waste so many days," I told them. "Besides, I assure you that you will both be bored in a very short amount of time."

"Hardly," Alex scoffed and then dipped his head at a hard look from his mother. "I don't think so, sir," he amended.

"Yes, it will take us several days, and our journey could be delayed by the weather," I said. "However, I shall endeavor to keep your boredom at a minimum."

Aaron shot me a look from beneath his long lashes. His eyes always reminded me of his mother, for in them shone the same sharp intelligence. "There are sometimes accidents, too," he murmured.

"I think we shall all be safe," I told him.

"I think that is everything," Isabella – Bella – said at last. I picked up the satchels and followed them all down the stairs.

~AYW~

We had been lucky enough to obtain berths in a Pullman car. The accommodations were not lavish, but they were clean and comfortable, which was enough for me. For her, however, I would have liked to offered more. I wished that I had access to the type of financial resources that would enable me to provide Isabella and the boys with luxury. There had been a time when I might have been able to do so.

Still, she did not seem to mind and the boys were practically bouncing in their seats. She had packed us some food and we passed the time by discussing the scenery and playing games with the boys. I had tucked a small chess set into my bag and I began teaching them the game. Alex and Aaron both grasped it quickly, to their delight. The rocking motion of the train made it difficult at times, but the boys did not complain of boredom that first day.

We stopped to refuel and pick up and drop off passengers and the next few days proceeded in the same fashion. The boys did grow bored and when their complaints grew, I would give them work to do. That slowed their mutterings, but did not banish them. It was difficult to find time alone with Bella, which made the trip frustrating. But I knew it was only a matter of time before I declared my intentions openly. She would not be surprised by my declaration.

~AYW~

We finally arrived in Pittsburgh and Bella seemed to grow very quiet as we hired a buggy and located some accommodations. Her family home had burned down, so we could not stay there. The boys kept asking her questions about various places we passed and she answered them, but she seemed distracted.

This time, we had separate rooms. We could hardly keep up the deception of being wed here in her hometown, but I was more than willing to make it a truth rather than a lie. I made sure that she and the boys were settled in their room. She hesitated at the door, pulling it almost closed behind her.

"I wanted to thank you," she said quietly. "For accompany me, for helping me with the boys. For...everything." Her cheeks grew becomingly pink and I had to restrain the urge to brush my fingers against the color.

"I want to do that for you," I told her.

"Do what?" she asked, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

"Everything," I replied.

"Oh..." she said, obviously taken aback. Then her smile grew wider. "That's very gentlemanly of you, Mr. Masen."

I leaned in close and let my lips linger near her ears. "That's where you're wrong...Isabella," I breathed. "My thoughts – my intentions – aren't gentlemanly at all." Then I laughed and she trembled slightly. "Well, my intentions are honorable if that counts for anything," I added, letting her know without words that my thoughts were definitely not.

I pulled back and her eyes were wide, her breathing rapid. "It does," she whispered. "It counts, I mean."

I smiled slowly at her. "I'm very glad to hear that." I nodded. "I look forward to escorting you and the boys tomorrow. And please, if there's anything I might do to make this easier for you, do not hesitate to notify me."

"I won't," she promised.

I reached down and took her hand in mine. It was delicate, but not fragile – much like Isabella herself. Slowly, giving her plenty of time to withdraw her hand, I moved my lips toward her fingers. I placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, and then I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet, subtle scent of her. Opening my eyes, I allowed myself to briefly and lightly brush a caress across her cheek.

"Good night, Isabella," I murmured. "Sweet dreams."

Her cheeks grew red then, and I knew she was remembering watching me as I slept and dreamed of her, my body hard and aching for her. "You as well, Mr. Masen." There was a low, husky note to her voice that had my body reacting in predictable ways.

I gave a small groan. "You, my lovely Bella, are a vixen," I chided.

She gave me a light shove in the chest and shook her head. "And you, Mr. Masen, are temptation personified. Go now, before I forget that I am a lady and a mother."

Unable to help myself, I gave her cheeky grin as I backed away. "My dreams will be sweet indeed," I promised her and I laughed when her blush deepened.