Welcome back! Enjoy, dear readers! Things are about to get a little steamy...

Chapter 10

The large group entered the honky tonk, and Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie headed straight to the bar while Bella, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and Emmett gathered by the stage, carving out some space for their group. Bella was grinning from ear to ear, enjoying the pulsing beat and rasping voices coming from the stage. The trio returned from the bar, carting buckets of long necks for the entire group. Emmett, who didn't normally drink in order to keep his athletic form, picked up a bottle and tipped it at Bella, giving her a wink. "Special occasion," he mentioned, and took a giant swig.

Bella tipped her own at him, and then clinked glasses with those around her, including Edward. He stood next to her, and she watched him take a sip from his beer. His Adam's apple bobbed enticingly, and she noticed him lick errant drops of the beer from his bottom lip, which made her thirstier than ever. She took another swig of her beer, and before she knew it, the band was taking a break and her bottle was empty. She looked down at her empty drink in surprise, and then was even more surprised when Esme replaced her empty drink with a large, frosty milkshake.

"What is this?" she asked in amazement, not realizing that this place would be serving shakes like a 50's diner.

"It's called a Bushwacker," Alice yelled over the country music playing from the speakers. "It's like magic. You can drink and drink and drink them and you go from nothing to whooppp…" she trailed off, swirling her finger in the air loopily, indicating that these beverages were much stronger than they appeared. Bella took a tentative sip, and hummed in quiet approval. Now this is my kind of drink, she thought happily, and slurped away at the chocolaty, rum-filled concoction.

Edward placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned down toward her. "Be careful," he warned good naturedly, "those can knock you on your ass. I've been there before." She raised her eyebrow saucily at him, and he realized how that sounded. "I didn't mean I've been on your ass…uh, I mean I'd been on my ass before…because of the drink. It's strong. I'll shut up now." Edward released her shoulder and looked straight ahead, as if the empty stage was suddenly intriguing.

Bella giggled and returned to sipping her frosty treat, and the rest of the family followed suit, drinking and laughing and dancing around to the music. Finally, a new band came on stage, and Bella could tell this one was popular. The crowd that had gathered in the bar surged toward the stage, pushing those at the front like herself and Edward further forward, and as a result, much closer together. In the rearranging, Edward got himself pushed behind Bella, and that's where he got stuck, crowded by people on every side.

As the band started off with a rocking first track, Bella looked around and noticed their group had splintered off into duos. Rosalie and Emmett were off to the side of the stage in the shadows, groping and making out like a couple of teenagers. Bella nudged Edward and they giggled like school children at the couple's antics. Alice and Jasper had run into work friends of his, and they were settled on barstools, shooting back shots and sharing industry stories. Carlisle and Esme had grown tired of the crowd, and found a table in the less-crowded back of the bar; they whispered to each other, lost in their own world. Bella sighed and subtly pointed out Edward's parents to him. He smiled at the sight of them, and then down at her.

At that moment, the band transitioned to a more melodic slow song, with sultry, sexy lyrics. In the humidity of the crowded bar, Bella had long ago pulled her hair to the side to cool her back and neck, and was now noticing the effects. As Bella and Edward swayed with the movement of the crowd, she could feel the soft material of his shirt whisper against the exposed skin of her upper back. It was mesmerizing, and—completely uncharacteristic of her—Bella yearned for more. Man, those Bushwackers must be stronger than I thought, she contemplated, as she set down her now-empty glass on a nearby table.

Edward, meanwhile, couldn't stop staring down at the skin exposed in front of him. Bella was close enough that he pretty much had a bird's-eye view, and he was struck by the subtle sexiness of her exposed left shoulder. What an odd thing to find irresistible, he realized with a chuckle. Most guys needed blatant vulgarity to get turned on nowadays, and he just needed to see a couple of inches of collarbone and he was on fire. It looked so soft, so warm. He could see a shimmer of moisture upon her skin and he knew she was warm in the moist club air.

He took his cold beer bottle, covered in cool droplets of condensation, and without thinking of what he was doing, brushed it lightly across the back of Bella's exposed shoulder. She gasped in shock at the cold moisture, and then gasped in added surprise when he trailed his hand over the dewy moisture, spreading the cool water up her shoulder and toward her hairline. She felt her head tip instinctively to the right, exposing more of her neck to him. He let that movement encourage him, running the side of his beer bottle along the back of her neck, and following it with his damp fingers. Bella felt a residual drop of condensation run from her neck down her collarbone, and disappear into the neckline of her dress. She glanced up and saw Edward's eyes follow the descending drop into the front of her dress. She breathed deep, and the movement of her chest made Edward's eyes widen. Bella giggled without thinking; he was like a little boy entranced by the ice cream truck…he didn't even realize he was staring.

At her giggle, Edward's eyes snapped up to meet hers, and his face flamed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Bella. I, uh, I got distracted. By the band…I was distracted by the band." Bella smiled, knowing that he'd barely noticed the band for the last 20 minutes, but she allowed the white lie. She couldn't deny that those last few minutes were some of the most intimate of her life, even though that might seem crazy.

She turned her body around so that she was facing him, and placed her hand on his exposed forearm in reassurance. "It's okay, Edward. I'm feeling…different too. Maybe it's the drinks," she said hopefully, though she knew for a fact that it wasn't the drinks making her feel this way.

"You're right. I should probably get you back to your hotel. You mentioned you had an early morning tomorrow, right?" Even as Edward said the words, he wished he hadn't. Not only did he not want her to go, by the look on her face, she didn't either. But manners prevailed, and she smiled firmly up at him, nodding her head curtly.

"Yep, early morning. Big day. Bella tired," she said in a silly voice, feigning a yawn to drive the point home.

Edward passed them by the bar on the way out the door so she could say goodbye to Alice. "We'll see you again, right? Tomorrow, or Wednesday even?!" Alice demanded of Bella, and Edward held her breath to hear Bella's answer.

"Sure, Alice. Why don't you call me tomorrow around lunchtime and we'll figure something out?" Edward hoped Bella was serious, because he'd really like to use her hanging out with Alice as an excuse to see her again. What, are you too chicken to arrange it yourself? Yep, yep I am, he answered his own question.

Bella and Edward waived goodbye to an oblivious Emmett and Rosalie and to a smiling Carlisle and Esme before heading out onto Broadway. Bella wasn't sure what was going to happen next, especially in light of his embarrassment of his actions earlier, but his hand immediately gravitated back to grasp hers, leading her in the direction of her hotel. She wondered for a brief moment if it was chivalry or attraction that caused him to extend his hand to her, but she decided not to care at the moment.

Suddenly, they were at the hotel doors. Bella and Edward stood in the silent shadow of the doorway, both afraid to make a move and upset the balance of the moment. Finally, Edward gently grabbed her hand, turned it over in his palm, and placed the most delicate, endearing of kisses upon the inside of her wrist. Bella's stomach positively flipped completely over, and her breath inhaled in a nearly-silent gasp. Edward smiled at her and opened the door for her, wordlessly ushering her inside. And with one last, silent look at her, Edward dipped his head in goodbye and left into the night. It was all Bella could do not to float up to her room in a complete daze. When she closed her eyes, all she did was pray for morning to come quickly, when she could see another heavenly day unfold.

More scenes like that? How do you want to see it go next? Peace, Love, and Review!