Sorry I posted 2 chapters at once last week - for those of you who missed it, in Chapter 12 Edward showed Bella around his new flat & offered her the staff quarters until she found somewhere else to live (& in Chapter 13 Rose gave Bella a job). So anyway on we go...

CHAPTER 14

The next decision Bella had to make was a much bigger one, whether to break off any further connection with Edward or move in with him. Rose wanted her to start work on Monday which was only three days away and having a full-time job would definitely limit the time Bella had to look for somewhere to live. The sensible option was to accept Edward's offer, at least for the next few months. But Bella still had huge reservations about voluntarily prolonging the agony of being in daily contact with Edward, while constantly having to hide her true feelings, and she definitely had no illusions that the situation would get easier to handle with time.

Despite sporadic attempts to emotionally distance herself, the undefined relationship they had somehow fallen into was so comforting that it was difficult to be sensible. Without knowing quite how it had happened, Bella realised that if she wasn't careful she would get to the point where her whole life revolved around Edward and she had no idea what he was willing, or able, to offer her in return.

Bella wasn't stupid and she knew better than anyone that Edward could be impatient, arrogant, inflexible and controlling. She was also well aware that underneath the charm was an emotional coldness and detachment which she found quite chilling. But she seemed to be able to tease out a different more relaxed side of Edward's personality, which he was unable to show to anyone else and which she treasured. However despite their closeness, Edward was always extremely careful to maintain a slight distance and Bella had glumly accepted that the feelings she had for him would never be reciprocated.

She couldn't help her daydreams though and it was becoming harder and harder not to overstep the line. She often found herself leaning closer and closer into him as they lounged on the sofa, until he obviously grew uncomfortable and moved away. At times she was so desperate that she was tempted to try to seduce him, but she really didn't know how to go about it.

She imagined pretending there was a spider in the shower and running out in a towel which barely covered her modesty, 'sleepwalking' into Edward's room in the middle of the night, or just plying him with alcohol. But the thought of making the first move filled her with embarrassment and she knew she wouldn't be able to do it. Meanwhile the urge to just touch him became more and more unbearable, to the extent that it often took a huge effort to concentrate on anything else when she was near him.

Therefore despite going over all the pros and cons of his offer for hours, all Bella had achieved by the time Edward came home from work was a headache. Alarmed to find the flat in darkness and a pale looking Bella curled up on the sofa, Edward dropped his briefcase and crouched down beside her, anxious to find out what was wrong. Unable to stop herself smiling up at him, Bella glibly explained she was feeling a bit tired and had been worrying about what Rose was going to expect of her, and luckily Edward accepted her explanation and spent the next ten minutes going through all the reasons why Rose was lucky to have her, before wandering off to make them both a drink

Happy that Edward seemed to have regained his temper and hadn't immediately brought up the subject of moving, Bella decided to take his silence as a sign that he was going to let her make her own decision without putting any further pressure on her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. However far from backing off, Edward had merely decided to take a different approach by emphasising what Bella was going to be missing out on. He therefore put all his considerable energy and charm into the task of making sure Bella was entertained and amused for the evening, while putting the finishing touches to his plans for the upcoming weekend.

For some time, once he was sure she had fully recovered from Mike's attack, Edward had been intending to take Bella away for a relaxing few days in the country. He knew she missed the countryside and he was looking forward to introducing her to the part of Kent he had lived in as a child. The Kent countryside was beautiful, there were plenty of interesting places to visit, as well as any number of good restaurants and pubs and if the sunny weather continued Edward knew several picturesque spots for a picnic. So what could be better than a weekend break before Bella started her new job?

Edward had already booked rooms in Tunbridge Wells for Friday and Saturday night and this location was near enough to drive back to London on Sunday afternoon and still leave enough time for Bella to finish any last minute preparations for her first day at work on Monday. The only problem Edward could see was convincing Bella.

He felt quite confident about persuading her to go away with him, but he knew she would be difficult about letting him pay, so he had concocted a whole story about having arranged a business meeting which had fallen through at the last minute. Emmett would back this story up if necessary and to avoid any over-thinking or last minute objections from Bella, Edward decided his best chance was to spring the whole thing on her when he got home from work on Friday evening and whisk her off straight away.

Bella shouldn't have too many excuses, because she had already confided she was going to relax as much as possible over the weekend. To try to avoid last minute stress she was spending Friday getting her hair cut, shopping for some new work outfits with the last of her savings and generally making sure she had everything ready for Monday in plenty of time.

At six o'clock on Friday evening Edward therefore parked his newly valeted sports car outside and ran up the stairs to the flat two at a time, with an almost childish sense of anticipation bubbling up inside him. But the sight that met his eyes when he opened the door completely floored him and stopped him in his tracks.

Judging by the bags and clothes scattered around, Bella had been trying on her purchases in front of the hall mirror, which was the only full length mirror in the flat. She had her back to the front door, but turned her head when Edward appeared and greeted him with a happy smile, before going back to twisting from side to side, in an effort to get an all round view of herself in her new clothes.

Since his very first glimpses of Bella, which he had almost managed to put out of his mind, Edward had got used to seeing her in comfortable loose fitting clothes, with no make-up and long un-styled hair, but Bella had decided to go for a bit of a makeover today. The clothes she had bought, although suitable for the office, really showed off her figure in a way Edward wasn't expecting and her hair was newly glossy, discretely highlighted and piled up on top of her head, in a style which emphasised the delicate curve of her neck

For once Bella had felt so good about her appearance that she had decided to drag Edward out for a cheap meal somewhere to celebrate her new job, and with this in mind, she had already showered and put on some eye make up and lipstick. But before getting changed to go out, she'd decided to quickly try on her purchases, which included a couple of pairs of shoes with killer heels and she had been in the middle of assessing these with the last work outfit, when Edward turned up.

Taken by surprise, Edward stood frozen in the doorway, powerless to stop the barrage of x-rated images which flooded his mind as his eyes slowly swept over Bella's body. The air between them was suddenly crackling with electricity, and the pull was so intense that Edward's usual self control evaporated, leaving him hungry and wanting, consumed by a burning need which made a mockery of the effort he had put into denying the powerful attraction he felt towards her and the careful charade he had maintained for so long.

As Edward's eyes darkened and he took a slow step forward, he savoured the anticipation of finally taking what was his. He was already so aroused that he could almost feel and taste her, lost in the moment when his hands and mouth would claim her body, while she writhed in pleasure and screamed his name. But just as the last shred of restraint slipped away from him, he realised Bella was also standing motionless, staring back at his reflection with a look of absolute shock on her face.

Feeling as if a bucket of cold water had suddenly been thrown over him, Edward somehow managed to pull himself together enough to mutter an apology and quickly step out of Bella's view and into the kitchen. Sitting down at the kitchen table, he wiped his hands over his face and helped himself to a steadying glass of whiskey, while he struggled to get his body back under control, realising he was literally shaking with the effort of trying to rein in his lust.

He felt not only ashamed, but disturbed and appalled by the violence of his sudden reaction and had no idea how he had come so close to jeopardising their relationship. At least the look of shock he had seen on Bella's face would keep him from making a similar mistake again and he hoped that coming so close to losing control would enable him to be better prepared in future.

Thankfully when Bella re-appeared a few minutes later, she was back in her habitual baggy jeans and t-shirt and Edward managed to excuse his strange behaviour and back up his original plan, by pretending he'd just been informed the business associate he was supposed to be meeting this weekend had been arrested for fraud. Bella was all too willing to believe she had misinterpreted Edward's expression, because any other explanation was obviously ridiculous. To Edward's relief she therefore not only accepted his story about an aborted business trip, but also enthusiastically agreed to his suggestion that she should spend the weekend with him in Kent instead.

Feeling slightly giddy after her successful shopping trip and looking forward to the new possibilities which were finally opening up for her, Bella was definitely in the mood for swapping her original idea of an evening out for a whole weekend away. Once Edward had showered and changed, they therefore quickly packed and set off, leaving Edward feeling slightly surprised at how well his plan had worked out.

In fact Bella was so innocently happy and excited about their trip that Edward was able to forget his earlier faux pas and quickly settle back into his usual brotherly role, confident in the belief that he wouldn't slip up so easily again.

A lovely weekend in the country, what could be nicer?

See you next week xx Suki