Thank you for such kind reviews after the last chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed a bit of fluff. Let's find out what the next morning/week brought these two.

Chapter 13

Our non-sex night was amazing. It was probably the best sleep I'd had in a very long time. I felt rested, happier, and more in love than I felt possible.

There was a down side, though. The worst part about snuggling so close all night long was waking up horny as hell. Bella had her back against me, which was fine, but her shirt had ridden up and her bare ass was pressed right against my hardness. Correction, I was more than hard – I was rock fucking solid.

We both entertained the idea of a quickie. Or more accurately, Bella woke up to me poking her in the ass and started rubbing herself against me. Mid-kiss and Bella uttered a major faux pas - uttering another man's name in our bed.

Jake.

Seriously? What the fuck!

Apparently while my tongue was in her mouth, his words started echoing in her head about how we should abstain from sex. Fucking Jake. Cock-blocked by our therapist. Unfortunately, I understood what she was saying and didn't want to disappoint him as well. So, the bright side, I guess, was that we were both truly committed to getting our marriage back on track. After we agreed it was best if we listened to his advice from our first session, I got up.

"I'm, uh, going to grab a shower. A cold one." I ran my hand through my hair sheepishly. "Do you want to use the bathroom first?"

Bella nodded and got up. She walked passed me, into the en suite and I was pretty sure her hips swayed a hell of a lot more than necessary. She brushed her teeth, leaning over the counter to spit into the sink. Her shirt lifted up slightly, enough to give me a glimpse of her tight little ass. And it was pure torture.

I came up behind her, hands splayed on her hips briefly. Then I lifted the shirt an inch or two higher to reveal more of her backside. My lips pressed to the side of her neck; her head fell back against my chest. I took in our reflection in the mirror. My white t-shirt swallowed her but was the ultimate in sexy. I could see her nipples perked, taunting me, and her slender waist was accentuated by my hands on her hips. The tops of her thighs clearly visible. It was almost better not being able to see what I was missing out on. Her eyes were closed but I wanted her to see what I was seeing.

"Bella. Look at us."

Her eyes opened and met mine in the reflection. I smiled; she smiled back.

"This is us, you know, the old us."

Bella nodded and her smile grew.

"Feels good doesn't it?"

"It does, baby. I've missed this." My hands rose and cupped her breasts. "I've missed these, too."

Bella shook her head at me. "Edward," she warned in a tone that really didn't convince me. My thumbs rubbed her nipples as I raised one eyebrow at her.

"Come on, Jake'll never know." My lips pressed kisses along her exposed neck.

Bella removed my hands, kissing my palms sweetly as she denied me. Her action made the rejection hurt marginally less.

"I think you should have a shower, definitely a cold one, Mr. Cullen. But take your time, I need a few minutes myself, if you know what I mean." Bella wiggled her eyebrows at me and playfully slapped my ass before she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Well, damn it! That certainly didn't help matters. Knowing she was going to be pleasuring herself while I was in the shower doing the exact same thing was cruel punishment. Jake and I would be having a chat about his fucking stupid abstaining idea at our next session for sure.

In the shower, conjuring up erotic pictures was easy. In my head, and probably in real time, Bella was back in bed. My shirt had been unceremoniously tossed to the ground and she was completely naked, lying back against our pillows. Like the reflection earlier, her head had fallen back, this time her dark hair fanned over the white pillowcase instead of my chest. Her eyes were closed. Her feet together, knees apart, the fingers of her right hand rubbing herself while her left hand pinched and tweaked her breasts.

Perhaps she couldn't rub fast enough or hard enough so she grabbed the trusty and favored rabbit from the drawer in her bedside table. She'd apply lube to the shaft of the toy before turning it on and sliding it into her warmth. Like my hand on my cock, the toy would be hard at work - sliding in and out, in and out, in and out. The vibration on her clit and the beads rotating inside her, hitting her G-spot, would cause her hips to buck up. Her mouth would open slightly and her eyes would squeeze closed as she inched closer to….

"FUCK!"

I wasn't quiet when I got my release, spilling generously into my hand. My left hand punched the tile wall out of blissful frustration.

Finishing in the shower, I took my time, not wanting to come out and see my vision come to life. When I finally emerged, Bella was dressed – thank God – with a smirk on her face. I jutted my chin at her.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothin'."

I grabbed her, pulling her into my arms and tickling her ribs playfully.

"Stop! Stop!"

"Tell me what your silly little grin was for then."

Bella blushed. "I heard you."

"Shouldn't I be the one blushing then?"

"We, uh, finished at the same time. It was like we were both in sync, you know?"

I admit I got a cocky grin on my face. "Baby, we've been in sync since day one."

With her in my arms, I started swaying to imaginary music as I reminisced about that night in the club. Our 'song' was as unconventional as us – 'Smack My Bitch Up' by Prodigy. I made a note to make a mixed CD for Bella and then chastised myself for wanting to do something so nerdy. I guessed that deep down I would always be that Edward. Bella noticed my change in disposition and questioned me.

"What's that face for?"

I shrugged. "I was just thinking I should make you a mixed CD of some of our significant songs but that's so stupid and dorky. Why would you—"

"I'd love that!"

"What? You would?"

"It's really romantic. Tyler did that for me once."

I growled under my breath and rolled my eyes. "Tyler, huh?"

Bella poked her finger in my chest. "Are you jealous?"

"Should I be?"

"No. Should I be jealous of Tanya, Angela, and Bree?"

Bella laughed at my snort. "Yeah, poor Tanya. She got the short end of the stick."

We continued to dance then made our way downstairs for breakfast. We talked about all the things my previous girlfriends taught me. It was sort of weird and slightly embarrassing to talk in detail about learning various intimate things, but I loved that I perfected everything with my wife. The best thing I mastered with her was loving with my whole heart, and after a night of strictly cuddling, I was more convinced of our love.

The rest of the week, Bella and I were good. Really good. We talked about how lonely Bella was being home all the time and I encouraged her to go to reading groups, form friendships with other moms and have play dates. We also vowed to talk about how we're feeling more often and especially to share when we were feeling lonely or sad because that's when we needed each other the most. For the first time in a long time, I felt content.

Jake was impressed with our progress. Our next session focused more on what we each 'expected' of the other and then how to let go of those expectations.

"You can have expectations of yourself but not of your spouse. When you have things planned out in your head and come home to the opposite, you have to remember that's your issue, not hers, or his. If Bella's had a bad day and needs a break as soon as you walk in the door, she can't assume you'll know this. And Edward you can't expect to come home to a pristine house because you have no idea what kind of day Bella had. Furthermore—"

I had to interrupt.

"This is great advice and all, Jake. And I, we, really appreciate it. But, uh, I was wondering if we could, you know… uh…get the go ahead to engage in some, uh…sexy times?"

I couldn't believe I'd just asked a virtual stranger for permission to fuck my wife.

Jake didn't answer but he did smirk; not in the good way but in the mocking sort of fashion. Bastard. There was nothing I wanted more than to wipe that grin off his face. I glared at him as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Sexual frustration is a good thing. Enjoy the process of getting to know each other again. Kiss and hug and all that good stuff, but I'd really like to suggest you keep sex out of it for the time being. You just finished telling me about the amazing night of cuddling you had. Have more of them. Masturbate or -"

"Yeah, done that. Doesn't exactly replace the real deal, ya know?"

There was that friggin' smirk again. "Mutual masturbation, if you must, but waiting a bit longer won't hurt."

My snort interrupted him and I had to wonder if he remembered how painful blue balls could be. Jake narrowed his eyes right back at me, like he'd read my mind.

"I bet I've been abstinent a lot longer than you have, Edward."

"Fine, you win, but that was a low blow."

Jake smiled. "Yeah, I know. I'll probably use it again at some point, just so you know. We're almost done for today but I wanted to suggest maybe meeting again in three weeks time since you seem to be doing so well. Obviously, if you have any concerns, my door is always open."

"We must be your best students, huh?" I grinned.

"You've responded well to therapy, yes. It's really helped knowing about your past, Edward. I really do commend you for talking so openly about it. Now, I also wanted to assign a little homework to complete before we meet again."

"Because abstaining for three more weeks isn't enough of a challenge."

Bella rolled her eyes at my comment and Jake laughed as he continued.

"I'd like you each to plan a date night. I understand you have access to sitters and I'd like you to take advantage of that fact. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it does have to be a surprise. Try to come up with something you think would make the other happy. Do you think you can do that?"

Already my wheels were turning and I was nodding my head. I knew what would make my wife happy. And no, I wasn't lame enough to think a mixed CD would be enough. This was bigger than that, and it was going to take some courage on my part, but I was willing to try in an effort to give Bella a date she would remember.

Beside me, Bella answered affirmatively.

"I think we can do that."

"Great. See you in three weeks?"

I went back to the office after our session and asked Carlisle for his help. I'd been coping and doing things on my own for so long that it was actually hard for me to ask for assistance. Thankfully, my brother was more than willing to lend a hand and told me he was proud of me. The next weekend, I was going to face a fear in hopes of finding happiness, not only for Bella but for myself as well. I prayed I wouldn't crumble under the pressure.

Coming up - some of my personal favourite chapters, actually - I can't wait to share. Any guesses on what Edward has planned?

Lolo84 and Capricorn75 - thank you both so much. You're both amazing and such dear friends to me!

Much love to everyone who's reading, reviewing, and recommending my story - I appreciate it so much!