Chapter 25

I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. At first I was disorientated but then I remembered I had crawled into bed beside Edward last night. Unfortunately, I was now the sole occupant of his bed. Forcing myself to get up, I hurried to the living room and answered the phone.

"Bella?"

Alice's voice immediately reminded me of my argument with Jasper the night before.

"I'm just calling to let you know your dress is ready. When do you want to pick it up?"

It was a relief to know she hadn't called about the argument, but I knew I couldn't face going to their house to pick up the dress. I doubted Jasper had told her about our argument and the last thing I wanted to do was go over there and alert Alice to the tension between us.

"I have some things to take care of this week," I lied. "Would it be okay if Edward picked the dress up for me on Friday?"

"I was hoping I could get you to try it on one last time to make sure everything fits perfectly," she said, sounding hopeful.

"I'm sure it's perfect."

"Okay, send Edward on Friday. I'll have it packed up for you."

I hated disappointing her. "I'm sorry, Alice."

"Don't be, you can't help being busy. But promise me, if there is anything wrong with the dress at all call me as soon as you can. I'll come over on Saturday morning to fix it. I won't have you walking up that aisle in an ill-fitting dress."

"Alice, it was perfect the last time I tried it on, and you only had the fine details to finish. Nothing will be wrong with it."

"Oh! I almost forgot. Did you want to go underwear shopping?'

"I'm just going to pick something up during my lunch break. I don't have a lot of time.'

"Okay," she said, with a horrible guilt inducing tinge of disappointment. "I guess I'll see you on Saturday then.'

"I'll see you then," I agreed before hanging up.

I sat on the sofa, and not for the first time since my fight with Jasper, I started to cry. He had ruined everything, and I was hardly sure of anything anymore. His actions last night had worried me. Did he have feelings for me that were romantic? Hadn't he loved Alice as much as I thought? The one thing I had no doubt about was that his reaction to me being with Edward was a jealous one, and where did that leave Alice? She would be so hurt.

By the time I pulled myself out of my pity party it was well after nine. While I took a shower, I wondered how Edward was doing with his exam. It was a shame that he hadn't woken me this morning as he was leaving to give me the chance to wish him luck, but I understood that he was probably too nervous to give than any thought.

During my lunch break, I went to Victoria's Secret in University Village to pick up some underwear. However, the shopping trip took longer than anticipated thanks to the shockingly diverse choice of garments they had on offer. There were so many colors, styles and fabrics to choose from, I paced the shop unable to decide on what to buy.

Since the dress was strapless, the bra I picked had to be too. Any hope that this would narrow my choice was dashed when I saw the large selection of strapless bras they had on offer. In the end, I picked a dark blue one with thin lace cups and picked up the matching thong too. Running my finger over the material, I could see that nothing would be left to the imagination when I was wearing these. The thought of Edward seeing me in them raised my blood pressure just a little.

Standing at the back of the store, I couldn't will away the fantasy of him helping me out of my dress and letting his eyes roam all over my body. Realizing that I had been in the store for well over an hour, I decided to skip the rest of my classes and headed home instead. As I made my way there, my thoughts still lingered on what might happen with Edward on Saturday night.

Back at the apartment, I put away the groceries that I bought on the way home and cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. It was my way of keeping myself occupied while I alternated between worrying about Edward's exam and fantasizing about Saturday night.

The more I thought about Saturday night, the more I wanted it to be special. Charlie and Sue were heading off to their honeymoon straight from the reception, and I still had my key to Charlie's house. It would make sense for Edward and me to stay at Charlie's after the wedding and drive home on Sunday.

The thought of Edward spending the night with me in my bed in Forks excited me beyond reason, and I came to the conclusion that it would be the perfect place for us to make love for the first time. A familiar throb pulsed between my legs, and I bit my lip. I wanted him so much, and I was pretty sure I was ready.

My decision to keep it as a surprise was not entirely selfless; I didn't want to give Edward the opportunity to try to talk me out of it.

It was almost six when Edward finally burst through the door, a little tipsy and wearing the widest grin I'd ever seen on him. He slammed the door and strode towards me brandishing a bottle of champagne, which he slammed down on the table before scooping me up into his arms and twirling me around.

"The exams are over!" he yelled dramatically.

"I take it you did well?" I squealed in delight as he buried his face in my neck and squeezed me tight.

My body slowly slid down his as he set me down, but he didn't let go of me. "I think so," he said, smiling down at me. "I'm just so fucking glad it's over. You have no idea what a relief it is.'

I was so pleased for him, I cupped his face and pulled it down to mine. He returned the kiss eagerly, his tongue tasting faintly of beer when it slipped into my mouth.

"That's good," he groaned, pulling back just enough so he could talk. "I've wanted to do that all day, but I had to go out with the guys for a little celebration this afternoon," he explained. "It's tradition.'

"You don't have to explain to me," I assured him. "I'm just so happy that you're done.'

He turned to the champagne bottle and began to peel off the foil. "I know this is a little over the top, but I thought we could have a little celebration of our own.'

I practically skipped to the kitchen to get glasses. Edward followed me with the bottle and when I stretched up to take the glasses down from the shelf, he was right behind me reaching up to do it for me. I turned to face him, loving the warmth of his body against mine. He looked down at me with awareness sparking in his eyes.

I ran my hands up his body and splayed my fingers across his chest, enjoying the firm covering of muscle on his chest. He gave a short animalistic groan and lifted me up onto the counter. He pushed my legs apart and settled between them, pressing his burgeoning erection right on my center. I was vaguely aware of the glasses hitting the counter. One of them may have smashed, but I was too caught up in the sensation of Edward's tongue in my mouth to be concerned.

Hungry for more, I wound my legs tightly around him, pulling him closer and moaning into his mouth when he ground against me with more force. His hands were everywhere; in my hair, on my breasts, pulling at my hips, they moved so fast I felt like I was making out with an octopus. His mouth left mine, dipping to my neck where he sucked gently and swept his tongue over my pulse point.

"Bella!" he groaned, pressing against me with almost painful force. "You get me so hard!"

Somehow I managed to slide my hand between us to cup him through his pants. He gripped the counter on either side of my hips and pulled back to watch me rubbing my hand all over his crotch. Emboldened by his obvious enjoyment, I moved my fingers to his buttons. I wanted to please this gorgeous man. I wanted to show him how much I loved him.

"I want to make you come," I whispered.

His eyes rolled closed and a tiny muscle bounced in his jaw. "Not here," he rasped, before wrapping my legs around his waist and lifting me off the counter. While he carried me to his bedroom, I peppered his face with kisses and licks which made him grin as he kicked the door open and lay me down on his bed.

I sat up instantly, grabbing for the fastening on his jeans again. For a brief moment his fingers fisted in my hair, and then he loosened his grip and watched as I undid the buttons. His eyes darkened with lust when I began tugging the heavy material down his hips.

The sound of the phone made us both groan.

Edward took a step back. "Leave it, " I whispered.

He smiled affectionately at me, cupping my cheek in his palm. "Why so desperate?" he teased lightly. "We have all night.'

I flopped back onto the bed when he left the room, silently cursing whoever it was who had picked this precise moment to phone. A few seconds later Edward called out to me.

"It's Jacob!" he yelled. "He wants you."

Edward handed me the phone when I made it into the living room. I glanced down ruefully at his still open jeans, before he turned his back and headed into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver.

"Hey, Bella," Jacob answered. "You okay?"

His concern revealed that my greeting might have been a little terse. "Yeah, sorry. I'm fine, I was just a little busy."

"Sorry, I called earlier but there was no answer." I felt bad, Jacob had been so nice to me last night and here I was irritated by him for interrupting me. "I just wanted to check if you were okay, you know, after last night. Have you talked to Jasper today?'

"No, I don't think I'll hear from him anytime soon," I said quietly, feeling a tiny pang of pain again. "I'm fine though. I'm not going to beat myself up about it.'

"That's good to hear. Listen, I won't keep you if you're busy. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

"You're so sweet," I said impulsively, and he chuckled down the line. "Thanks for last night it was really good of you.'

"You owe me one," he said, still chuckling. "Maybe one day you could return the favor.'

"I'd love that. You can call me anytime." I paused. "I need to go, but we'll talk soon.'

"Never mind talking... you need to bring that truck over before it falls apart."

I laughed, "Okay, I will, I promise. Now stop nagging."

I hung up after saying goodbye joined Edward in the kitchen. He was arranging broken glass on the counter into a small stack, and I noticed right away that his jeans were re-fastened. I pouted.

"You were with Jacob last night?" he asked not looking at me. His voice was quiet.

"Yeah, I had dinner with Jasper and it was still early when we were done, so I went to see Jacob. " I really didn't want to tell him about the argument, not tonight. I could've made up a story about the truck, but I was already lying by omission and didn't want to further compound it.

He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "I didn't realize you and Jacob were so friendly.'

"Yeah, well we won't be for much longer if his lousy timing doesn't improve," I joked, but Edward didn't smile. "I needed some company, and–"

"And you went to Jacob?"

"I knew you were studying, so I didn't want to disturb you," I explained.

After my argument with Jasper last night, I really didn't want to risk something similar with Edward. It was clear he was jealous, and if I told him what I really discussed with Jacob it would only make matters worse. I really wanted him to come to the wedding with me, but if he knew what Jasper had done last night it could all blow up at the wedding. It would be better to tell him afterwards and then I could deal with Jasper when the time was right.

"So, did you have a good time with Jacob?" he pressed.

I moved closer to him. "It wasn't like that. The night we went on our date, Jacob and I had a real heart to heart. He's in love with this girl and–"

"Leah," he cut in.

I nodded, relieved that he knew. "I told him that night that I had feelings for someone too –I didn't tell him it was you –and it was a common bond for us. When I was getting my cast off the other day, I bumped into him at the hospital and we had lunch. Leah and her husband showed up. It's just so sad, Edward. Jacob and Leah are clearly in love with each other but she's stuck with that asshole."

He laughed."You're developing quite a foul mouth these days."

"I can't think of another word that's more fitting for a guy like that. Anyway, last night Jacob told me all about the situation with Leah."

"So why were you thanking him?'

He had me there. "It was just nice of him to indulge me when I needed a friend."

Wrong choice of expression.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but then he turned and dumped the glass in the trash before returning to the cupboard and pulling out two more glasses. "Weren't we supposed to be celebrating?" he reminded me, handing me a glass and then grabbing the bottle.

"Are we taking this to bed?" I asked suggestively, but jumped in fright when the cork popped out of the bottle.

"Patience," he said, with only a faint trace of the tension his voice held before. He poured some champagne into my glass before filling his own and then clinking them together. "Are you hungry?" He asked, making me I realize I was.

"I'll cook something," I offered, taking a long sip.

He topped up my glass. "No, I'm going to go out and buy some beers. I'll pick us up a pizza if that's okay?'

I nodded, disappointed that he didn't want to go straight back to the bedroom, but this was his celebration. And like he said earlier – we had all night. I drained my glass after he left, and sat back on the sofa going over what we'd been doing before Jacob called.

I poured more champagne into my glass and sipped while thinking about how he'd been directly in front of me. If I'd been successful in pulling his jeans down his penis would have been right at eye level. I giggled at thought of referring to it as his penis. Even in my mind that word seemed so formal now. Remembering my recent reading material, the word cock came unbidden to mind.

My eyes squeezed tight as my insides lurched. Could I really do put my mouth on him as he had done for me? Between my legs started to throb. I was giddy with excitement as I made my way to the kitchen. Noticing the banana sitting proudly on top of all the other fruit in the bowl, I grabbed it, peeled it, and squinted at it.

I lay it on the counter and grabbed the champagne bottle. I poured myself glass, which I drained in one gulp while I eyed the banana.

This is silly.

I set the glass down gently and picked up the banana.

Oh what the hell.

I slid it between my lips, caught somewhere between feeling foolish and highly amused.

I pushed it in as far as I could – which really wasn't very far at all – vaguely aware of how ridiculous I must look standing in my kitchen trying to swallow a banana whole. I closed my eyes and tried to remember what the women did in my books. But I couldn't remember if I was supposed to suck first or lick first. Opting for the latter, I flattened my tongue against the unwitting fruit.

I tried to swirl my tongue around the banana, but gagged when the tip hit the back of my throat. Giggling, I pulled it out slightly and tried again. Hollowing my cheeks, I sucked gently and attempted another swirl of my tongue.

Getting into it, I let my lips slide back a little and circled the tip forcefully. All at once I was yelping in pain when I felt something sharp slice into my tongue.

I hadn't heard the door, but Edward appeared in the kitchen just as I spat blood into my hand.

"What the hell?" he gasped, gawking at the blood-tipped banana I was still holding.

I felt my tongue and then stuck it out at him. "Is it bad?"

"How can you cut yourself on a banana?" he asked incredulously, setting the Pizza and a brown bag on the table before moving close enough to inspect my tongue. "There's a tiny nick on it. It's not too bad. It shouldn't bleed for long.'

He pried the banana out of my grip and examined it. "Ah, there's a tiny bit of glass embedded in the end of it." He looked up at me quizzically.

"I sat it on the counter after I peeled it. You must've missed a piece of glass when you cleaned up earlier."

Tasting blood in my mouth, I poured some champagne into my glass with the intention of rinsing my mouth.

"Whoah!" he exclaimed, grabbing the bottle and holding it up to the light. "You've really been hitting this!" His eyes went back to the banana. "You didn't bite it," he said slowly.

"Pardon?'

"How did you cut your tongue when you haven't even bitten the banana?"

Busted!

I giggled.

"You're drunk," he accused, his eyes narrowing.

"Well you have some catching up to do." I grinned. "Come on this is supposed to be a celebration."

He smiled dubiously. "I just don't get how you could cut your tongue like that. I mean most people just bite into a banana. But you didn't take a bite." He frowned, clearly confused. "What were you doing with it?"

"I was sucking it."

His eyes widened, and he bit his lip before dragging his hands down his face and fixing me with a hooded stare. "Sucking it," He parroted quietly. "Fuck!"

"What's wrong?"

He stalked to the table, grabbed a beer from the bag and opened it. I watched open-mouthed as he downed the whole thing in one swig and immediately grabbed another. "Like you said..." He burped. "I have some catching up to do." He pushed the pizza box in my direction. "Eat," He ordered.

We ate in silence and I finished the champagne before stretching myself out on the sofa. Edward eyed me with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, feeling more than a little inebriated.

"Let's play poker," he suggested.

I sat up pleased by his playful tone but my head spun a little. He grabbed the cards from the sideboard, then sat beside me."You look beautiful when your face is all flushed like that," he commented, pulling my hair back from my face. He dipped his head so his lips were close to my ear. "Are you up for strip poker?'

I nodded knowing my face had just turned several shades deeper. He smiled wickedly, and I almost launched myself at him right there.

I looked at the cards he'd dealt me and tried to remember how to play.

After a few rounds I was sitting barefoot and wearing only my bra and jeans. Edward had fared worse, scowling with only his boxers to protect his modesty. I could hardly bear to draw my eyes away from his body to look at my cards, which made concentrating on the game nigh on impossible.

"I win!" he yelled, clapping his hands together while leering at me. "Lose the jeans," he said triumphantly.

Deciding it might be nice to take the upper hand; I reached behind my body and unclasped my bra. His reaction had the desired effect; he was definitely surprised. Empowered by his rapt attention, I slowly wiggled my shoulders until the straps slid down my arms. The grin slipped from his face, his eyes darkening as I let the fabric fall to reveal my hardened nipples.

He stared for a long moment and I felt myself begin to melt under his gaze. "It's your turn to deal," I croaked.

His eyes shot up to my face and stayed there as he shuffled the cards, his crooked grin slowly returning as he dealt.

I lost the next game, and only had my jeans half way down my legs when he grabbed me from behind.

"Let me help," he murmured, sliding his hand slowly down my thighs, taking the denim with them. He dropped to his knees, sliding his hands up my calves while he helped me rid myself of my jeans. I yelped when he bit my butt cheek.

He chuckled darkly, licking the teeth marks. Kissing his was slowly up my back; he rose to his feet and then nibbled my earlobe. "Turn around," he whispered, his fingers encouraging me to do so.

His hands circled to my front, cupping my breasts. I sighed with pleasure when his thumbs brushed over my sensitive nipples. He massaged more firmly while pressing his warm lips to the base of my throat. When he lifted me off the ground, I knew where he was taking me.

"If the phone rings this time," I murmured as he carried me. "I'll kill you if you answer it!"

His chuckle rumbled in his chest.

He sat me in the middle of the bed but I scooted to the edge, pulling him to me. His kisses were feverish as he rubbed his hands over my legs and upwards taking in every inch of skin until he reached my breasts. I gasped at the pleasure of his warm mouth enveloping my nipple.

"Edward!" I moaned falling backwards, his mouth never leaving me as he followed. He flicked sharply over my aching tip before moving to my other breast to do the same. His fingers hooked under my arms and he pushed me up the bed until I was pressed against the headboard. My nipples puckered in the cold air when he sat up to gaze at me.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him looming over me, breathing heavily and regarding me with dark, intense eyes. Without a word, he grabbed a fistful of my panties and ripped them from my body. I gasped as he roughly pulled my legs apart and proceeded to attack me with his mouth and tongue.

It felt so good but so different from how he'd done it before. This was far more intense. I wriggled beneath him, but his hands clamped my hips and held me in place while he feasted on my throbbing flesh. He alternated between using his teeth and his tongue to pleasure me, drawing strangled gasps from me as I tried to push myself up onto my elbows to watch him. His eyes snapped open and he watched me watching him. I had never seen his eyes darker, and I bit my lip as I fought to maintain eye contact with him while I panted under the pleasure of his ministrations.

One of his hands left my hips and snaked between my legs.

"Oh!" I gasped, my eyes rolling closed in pleasure when he pushed a finger inside of me and started thrusting forcefully. My orgasm erupted.

"I love you!" I cried as my elbows gave out and I collapsed onto the bed. Pleasure rolled over me in waves as I came for him shouting his name and other incoherent words. When I fluttered back down to earth, he was lying on his back by my side. I curled myself against him, trailing my hand lightly down his body.

"I want to do you now," I said, still panting from the pleasure of my orgasm.

He sucked in a long unsteady breath and I could feel his heart beating wildly beneath my face. I moved over his body in my bid to seize the moment, but I had moved to fast and my stomach lurched when I bent over him.

"Oh God!" I cried, as I shot off the bed and raced to the bathroom. I only just made it before I threw up into the bowl.

Even after my stomach was completely empty, I continued to wretch until the convulsions subsided. I flushed the toilet before sagging back against the bathtub, but my relief was short-lived when I opened my eyes to find a fully clothed Edward watching me from the doorway.

"I'm sorry," I croaked. "Too much champagne."

His mouth set in a grim line. "Are you okay now?" He bent to help me up when I nodded. "Let's get you to bed."

Disappointment rocked through me when he guided me to my own bedroom. "I'm sorry," I said again. "I didn't mean to ruin the night."

"It's fine," he said without contradicting me.

He pressed his lips to my forehead, leaving me sitting on the edge of my bed cursing the champagne.