It's been awhile but I'm back to regular updates on Mondays!

Thank you Fran for your awesome beta skills. You're amazing! :)

I do not own Twilight. These characters belong to Stephanie Meyers.

Chapter 10:

Edward Pov

I pull out a cigarette and light it, looking up at the sky, trying to get Bella off my mind, even for just a second. With the cigarette to my lips, I take a long pull and push a palm to my temple in a feeble attempt to slow my racing thoughts. I hear the front door close behind me, and I turn to see Demetri. I hold in a deep breath and count to five, because if I don't fucking calm down I'm going to end up going on a rampage. The beast held inside of me is just waiting for him to press the wrong button.

I hear him let out a laugh as he makes his way over to me. He clears his throat but doesn't speak. I don't even bother acknowledging his presence.

"I need to clear something up for you, Edward." He begins.

"And what's that?" I reply without turning to face him. I hear the front door open and close again, and this time, it's Carlisle.

"What's going on here?" Carlisle asks.

I shrug nonchalantly. "Your nephew was just about to clear something up for me." I hear Demetri laugh and I turn quickly, closing the space between us, begging him to give me another fucking reason.

"I was hoping that we could have a man to man conversation, but I see that it's impossible with you."

The nerve of this fucking guy! He beats his fiancee and thinks he's a man. He's a fucking coward, and I tell him so.

"A man wouldn't beat on his women, but a bitch would. So I think that it's clear what I think of you. How about you hit me? Prove that you're a man, because right now..." I size him up in disgust. "... All I see is a bitch who isn't worthy of Bella."

He takes a step back and laughs, seemingly unaffected by my words. He looks over at Carlisle, who is standing in silence watching our exchange.

"And you ... you think you're worthy? You're worthy of her?" He laughs and I swear the smug look on his face almost pushes me over the edge. "Listen, Edward, we need to come to an understanding. I want you to stay the hell away from Bella. The next breath that you take near Bella will surely be your last so I would take heed my warning if I were you."

"Okay," Carlisle says, walking between us. He catches my gaze and guides me towards the front door. "Go inside."

I have the utmost respect for Carlisle, so when he says to do something, I do it without hesitation. "I will handle this." He says, and although I don't want him fighting my battles for me, I know that if I stay one more second, the night will end with me in jail.

Bella Pov

"I own you."

I wake up in a jolt, sweating and clearly panicked from a nightmare. My breath comes faster, shallower. I clutch at my chest, it feels like it will burst with every tremor of fear that climbs up my insides and slides back down, giving me the butterfly effect. Then I fumble around my room in the dead of night to turn on the light.

I look to Demetri's side of the bed to see it empty. He hadn't come back home after he dropped me off. He was so pissed that Carlisle had made him leave, but still, that's no excuse.

Where is he?

I grab my phone and call him and it goes straight to voicemail. I slam my phone back on the nightstand and push my hair out of my face, trying to forget the dream that I'd just had.

It's no use. I'd been having dreams about Edward more and more frequently, and most of them were sexual. I wasn't having sex with Demetri because I wanted to wait until our wedding night, yet here I am having the dirtiest of thoughts and dreams about Edward. There is no denying that I want him.

I had to talk to someone about it, and the only person that I can think of is Leah. So I dial her number quickly, not caring that it's nearly three in the morning.

"Hello." She answers, sleep thick in her voice. I almost feel bad for waking her up, but not enough to hang up.

"I really need to talk to someone," I say in a tiny voice, hoping she can sense how urgent this is. She does, and it's evident in her words.

"What's wrong Bells?" She's awake now, and close to panicking. I must sound worse than I thought. I really am messed up in the head. How can I love Demetri and want to spend the rest of my life with him, while still having the thoughts about Edward?

"It's about Demetri. Well, not entirely, I just-"

"Spit it out." She urges.

"There's this guy-" I begin but she cuts me off.

"Not Demetri?" She asks and I shake my head no, as if she could see me.

"No, I met this guy a few weeks ago, and I can't stop thinking about him"

Silence.

She doesn't say anything for the longest time and I wonder for a second if she hung up.

"Did you cheat on Demetri?" Of course, she would jump to that conclusion.

"No." Not necessarily. "I've just been having dreams about him, and he's on my mind constantly, and I just-"

"Bella, you're engaged," She states the obvious.

"I know. I know. And I owe Demetri my life for all he's done for me. I just ... I don't know ... just tell me what you think I should do."

She sighs heavily. "I never asked you before, but do you love Demetri? Are you in love with him?"

"I love him. He's great."

She chuckles and I sit there stunned. What about this is funny?

"That's not how you talk about someone you love."

I roll my eyes. "Then again, you've never been normal so I don't know what I expected."

"Leah? Help me!"

"What do you want me to say, Bella? You made your decision. You agreed to marry Demetri."

"Yea, but-"

"No buts, Bella. I will never support unfaithfulness. If you called for my blessing to cheat, I can't give it to you."

"I don't know what I was thinking. I love Demetri. He adores me."

"Are you sure?"

That confuses me. Didn't she basically just tell me to be faithful and stop obsessing over a guy that I don't know?

"You just told me-"

"Bella, I just want to make sure that you're making the right decisions for you, and not just marrying a guy out of obligation, or just because you made a commitment. You may have felt a certain way about Demetri, but sadly, feelings are fickle. Trust me, I'm speaking from experience."

I sigh dramatically, and she laughs. "I'm back to square one." I say, and she laughs again.

"So, describe this guy." She sounds very interested and I perk up, excited about talking about Edward.

"God, Leah the man is so fucking sexy, like blow your mind sexy. He's drop dead, throw your panties at him sexy. That's why this is so hard. And I'm so, so, so, attracted to him." I usually have a hard time not staring at him. I mean Demetri is hot, don't get me wrong. But Edward is just rugged and just so, so perfect. It's hard to keep my hands to myself when I'm near him. My hands literally itch to touch him, especially last night. He looked extremely fuckable with a day's worth of scruff, and his usual tousled hair extra messy from all the tugging. His sex hair brought dirty thoughts to my head and I had to spend most of the night looking everywhere but at him.

"If he's so good looking, he must have a terrible personality."

"No. He's perfect. Leah, he's so sweet and considerate like-" I search for the right words. "I don't know. He just makes me feel things that I've never ever felt before."

"Like what?"

"He makes me giddy, Leah! I feel nervous when he's around, but I want him around like all the time. I feel more like myself when I'm around him, and it just feels good. It feels right."

"It feels right." She says the words slowly.

"It's silly, I know."

"No, it's not." We sit silently for a while before she finally breaks the silence. "I honestly don't know what to tell you Bells. I don't want to be responsible for steering you in the wrong direction. Is that selfish of me?"

"Of course not! I didn't really call for a solution. I just really needed to talk to someone about it."

"Was I the first person that you called?" She asks excitedly, and I laugh.

"Of course. I tell you everything."

"Well, I'm flattered." She laughs again, and then silence passes over us. "You deserve to be happy, Bells. Do whatever makes you happy."

"I will."

"See you later at the cafe," She says it more like a question.

"I will be there."

I spend the rest of the morning staring at the ceiling, thinking about Edward. I can't get him out of my fucking head. I close my eyes and it's his eyes that I see. It's his touch that I feel all over me, lighting me on fire. It's his gaze that's before my eyes, looking at me like I'm a treasure; the only woman in the world. The only woman for him.

That morning when I get to the cafe, Edward isn't there and I have to admit that I miss him. I miss the way he teases me and makes me talk even though he knows that I'm usually in my own world, in my own head. He seems to want to understand my world, and he interjects himself into it. His interest in me is thrilling, and I've come to crave his attention. I've come to crave the look he gives me when I call him out on something and the look in his eyes when I challenge him. I miss his smile so much, it's as if I didn't even realize his effect on me.

I pout the entire time that Alice talks to me about her new client and eventually she catches on to my mood and she asks if everything is okay. I nod my head and look out of the window, which stops her inquiry.

"Have you talked to Edward?" She asks giving me a knowing look.

My eyes widen, nervous that she could quite possibly know something. Oh god, what if Edward told her something? "No. Why would I?" I answer quickly, too quickly, and she notices.

She laughs, looking at me over her coffee cup, shaking her head. "It's just a question Bella. Jesus!"

I relax and she continues to laugh.

"He said that he'd be here." She puts her cup down and looks at her watch. "I'm supposed to be upset with him." She folds her arms across her chest.

"Why?" I'm really curious. Alice doesn't really ever get upset, and I'm hoping that she gives me a reason not to like him so that I can squash these feelings, or whatever this is.

"He quit his job. Now Jasper is struggling to look for a replacement." She says sadly, and for some reason, I feel the need to defend him. He has a great opportunity on his hands and I'm sure if Alice knew that she would understand.

"Alice, he had to. He got an offer he couldn't refuse." I explain to her, remembering what he'd told me the day before.

"What offer?" She furrows her eyebrows. As close as she seems to be to him, I was quite surprised that she didn't know.

"Carlisle offered him a job." I tell her and watch as a big smile spreads across her face, and she sits up straighter in her seat.

"Really? That's great! I wish he'd told me himself last night, but I'm still so happy for him. That's so awesome!" She beams and I can tell that she is genuinely happy for him, and I find myself smiling because honestly, I'm happy for him too.

"Can I ask you something? I'm asking as your friend, not as your cousin's fiancée." I began and Alice rolls her eyes.

"Of course Bella."

I take a deep breath. "What do you really think of your cousin?"

Her face drops. "I told you before Bella. He's a douche, but he's family and my dad always says, take care of the family. Unfortunately, that includes that asshat."

I laugh at her facial expression. She gets so worked up talking about Demetri even though they are so cordial in family settings. They all seem to hate each other secretly, but when they are all together, no one would know. I've been around the family for almost two years now, and only recently did I realize this.

"I honestly don't understand how you put up with him, or why you agreed to marry him."

"He's done so much for me and my family. He took care of both of my parents' funerals. My dad's last words were about him. He pointed out how well he treats me. He treats me like a princess, Alice. I can't just ignore that." It's that simple, and she should understand.

"Right..." She rolls her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. "It's as if you're trying to convince yourself." I carefully think about her words, wondering if they are true.

Demetri was so persistent in his pursuit of me, and I fell hard for him. He was so sweet, and gentlemanly. I wasn't used to that, and he made me feel like a princess. I wake up every morning feeling as if I am in a fairytale, and isn't it every girl's dream to marry the prince? It's not so much about the money, but the security. Knowing that I will never have to worry about anything because he takes such good care of me.

"Alice, you know how I feel about Demetri."

She nods in spite of herself, and then sighs. "I know. I just wish you had time to explore. Time to find out if he's really what you want for the rest of your life." She tilts her head to the side, examining me.

"Alice..." I let out a laugh. "He's your cousin."

"And you're my best friend, Bella. I want you to be happy. I want you with someone that makes you feel how Jasper makes me feel every day."

I reach across the table for her hand and squeeze. "I am."

"What about Edward?" She asks all of a sudden, catching me off guard. I pull my hand away quickly.

"What about Edward?"

She shoots me the look. You know the look. The one that says 'you know what the fuck I'm talking about', and 'don't play fucking stupid.' She mastered that look, and I can't help but laugh.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I take a drink of tea.

"God you're dense." She says exasperatedly and rests her palm against her forehead. "The poor guy is so into you that he can barely function or think straight."

I lift a shoulder in a shrug and continue to drink my tea.

"We established our relationship. We're friends."

"Bullshit! You two exude sexual tension; I'm surprised you make it through the morning without ripping off each other's clothes." She rolls her eyes. "You owe it to yourself to explore that. See if there's something more between you two before you make a mistake and ultimately make an ass out of yourself when you're ready to divorce that bastard."

"You're telling me to cheat on your cousin?" I raise an eyebrow and she mumbles something that sounds a lot like, 'am I not speaking English?'

"Not what I said. Just talk to him with an open mind. Be open to the possibility that he may be the one for you."

"I don't know Alice. I don't even know if we have anything beyond this attraction. It may just be lust, and I don't want to go down that road only to be left there."

It's her turn to reach over and squeeze my hand. "Trust me Bella; what he feels for you is far beyond lust. He may want to screw your brains out, but it's more than that. We talk, and usually he only talks about you. He has feelings for you, and I know you're scared, but so is he."

I nod in understanding, not wanting to continue this conversation. I have so much to think about.

Edward Pov

"Hey, I'm going to need your help this week," Carlisle says looking through paperwork on his desk. He looks up when I don't speak. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, it's not a problem. I would like my mornings free." I tell him and he sighs heavily, his shoulders drop instantaneously.

"Edward..." He starts speaking as if he's talking to a child. "You've got to stop."

I let out a humorless laugh, and I fold my arms across my chest. "You know I can't do that."

He sighs again, and then sits down at his desk. He then rests his elbows on top and rubs his temples. "You're putting me in a bind with this, Edward."

Now it's my turn to sigh. "I don't even want you in the middle Carlisle. As far as I'm concerned this has nothing to do with you."

"You say that it doesn't but I know my nephew. He already told me to kick you out of my house because of the way that you spoke to him." Carlisle explains, and that makes me laugh. Then I think about how Carlisle probably stood up for me, and my smile falls. Now I completely understand the predicament that he's in.

I clear my throat.

"Thank you for sticking up for me." I tell him and watch as he looks up with furrowed eyebrows and dismisses the thought.

"You're my son in every sense of the word. Of course, I did."

"I know, I just ... he's your nephew so-"

"We aren't exactly seeing eye to eye right now." I know what he's referring to. When he pulled me to the side and I told him that his nephew hit Bella, he was just as pissed as I was.

As if we spoke him into existence, Demetri opens the office door and walks inside. This is the first time that I've seen him without his usual suit, and it just reminds me of how different we are from each other.

"Carlisle, I need to-" He stops talking when he sees me standing there. He smirks in my direction and walks further into the office. "I need to speak with you in private."

I stare daggers at the son of a bitch from across the way, noticing how he squares his shoulders and turns to face me.

"He's fine here. What do you need?" Carlisle says, and Demetri looks taken aback by his statement.

"This is business, Carlisle-"

"-I said he's fine," Carlisle cuts him off curtly.

Demetri looks up heavenward and sucks his teeth like the fucking child I know him to be. "I need you to keep an eye on Bella."

"I thought this was business,"Carlisle asked standing straighter and throwing wary glances my way.

"Bella is my business and I don't want him near her." Demetri points at me and I snort. He came all this way to ask Carlisle to keep his fiancée away from me.

Carlisle clears his throat. "Surely you know that they are both adults."

"I fucking swear Carlisle- sometimes I don't know whose side you're on." Demetri says and then his phone rings. He looks down at it and shakes his head, before holding up a finger and walking out of the office.

I point back at the door with my thumb. "This guy." Then I shake my head. He's out of his mind if he thinks his little threats will derail me one bit. I make a move for the door but Carlisle stops me.

"I have a few things to show you. Don't go too far."

I nod in understanding and make my way next door to my room to take a shower and get dressed for my day.

Later, I get a call from Alice begging me to go out clubbing tonight. She says that the guy Rose is dating owns a club and that he got us all in VIP. After all of the begging, pleading, and guilt tripping, I finally relent, and she tells me that she will pick me up in a few hours.

A few hours later, I hear a knock at the front door, and I'm pleasantly surprised when I see Bella standing there dressed in a sexy, little black dress with fuck me heels that make her legs look a hell of a lot longer. Mother of Christ! I don't even try to hide the fact that I'm eye fucking her, and she raises an eyebrow at me.

I give her a smile, and then lick my lips as I look her up and down again. "You are sexy as fuck."

She doesn't speak; she just folds her arms across her chest and raises an eyebrow.

"You ready or not?" She asks with an attitude and I laugh at her expression. Is she mad at me? The fuck did I do?

I reach out for her waist but she moves away quickly. "Keep your hands to yourself, Edward. I'm serious."

I hold up my hands in surrender and back away from her. "Fine. I won't touch you." I tell her and then walk forward till I'm right in front of her. I lean down to speak in her ear. "But believe me, my eyes will be on you all night." I hear her breath hitch and I smile, satisfied with the reaction that I received.

"Come on." I tug her arm and she looks up at me as if to ask, 'what are you playing at." Then a thought crosses my mind as we make our way to her car. I open the driver's side door for her and she thanks me before sliding inside.

I hope to God Demetri's not going clubbing with us. I can't endure a full night of him feeling Bella up in front of me.

"Will Demetri be meeting you at the club tonight?"

She drives out of the driveway, pulling onto the road before answering me. She gives me a questioning glance.

"What kind of a question is that?" She laughs, and I raise an eyebrow.

"I just thought-maybe he wouldn't let you out of his sight." I say and she laughs louder.

"Oh, so you think because I'm engaged I can't go out and have fun with friends?"

That's not at all what I was implying, so I don't answer, I just look at her. "No, Edward, I don't plan on seeing Demetri tonight at the club. If you must know, he left for New York early this morning. We were supposed to spend the day together but he-" she clears her throat, and shifts in her seat. "He forgot."

He forgot? Right. You don't forget a woman like Bella.

We sit in comfortable silence staring out the windshield. Thirty minutes later, we pull in front of a club that I was unaware existed. As soon as the car stops, I rush to open Bella's door, and she looks up at me flashing that drop-dead, gorgeous smile that could light up my world in the darkest of times. I'm aware that I'm blatantly staring at her, and she looks down embarrassed. But when she looks up, she's blushing, and fuck me if it's not the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life.

I slowly inch my hand to her face. "Fuck, you're beautiful." I cup her face in my hand and she blinks up at me.

"Thank you," She answers in a whispered voice. I shake my head of the fog, trying to remember where I am. I was lost in her big brown eyes, completely drowning in them, and loving every minute of it. I drop my hand quickly and stand up straight, shaking my head again to clear my mind. I'm seconds away from pushing her against her car and fucking her brains out. I want her so fucking bad, my dick is crying from being so fucking close yet so far.

I hold my arm out for her to loop with mine, and she rolls her eyes as she does every time I pull this, and then she laughs.

"I will never get used to this." She laughs but her arm goes around mine and we walk towards the club.

"I thought Alice was picking me up," I remember the conversation I had with Alice.

"I live closer to you so she asked me to." Bella explains and I nod. "Hold on, she told me to call her when we get here." Bella pulls her arm free. "Do you have your phone?"

I nod and give it to her. She dials Alice's number and waits for her to answer. Minutes later, Alice walks out of a side door with Jasper, Rose, and ... shit, is that?

It can't be who I think it is.

"Holy fucking shit! Edward?"

You all can probably easily guess who the guy is...

I still want to hear your guess. :)

Please rec some new stories.