Hey everyone! Firstly, I'd like to apologise for this chapter taking so long. I haven't been in the best of health, so I took a little break from the internet and from writing. I won't have much time to write much this week either as I'll be in hospital for a few days, but the good news is that I've already started on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be as long a wait until it's up.

Thank you to everyone who continues to read, favourite, alert and review. I hope you all received your teasers (anonymous reviewers excluded for obvious reasons).

Thanks to my wonderful beta SusanQ. She is amazing and kind and I love that she still continues to help me with my mistakes.

Thank you to jedigirlsc for prereading. She is a star and still managed to read this even though her day yesterday was so busy.

Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and all its characters. I just like to play with them.

Edward

I kept my head down against the steady fall of snow, the delicate droplets of ice no doubt now gathered in my hair. I'd rushed out of the house without a coat or jacket. I hadn't seen a need for one; I wouldn't be outside for long.

I'd been frustrated all day after my argument with Bella this morning. Normally things like that wouldn't have bothered me at all, but as the day passed, I still couldn't seem to shift it from my mind. I'd been joking with her on my bed, everything had been fine, but then she'd become insecure or something... girls.

I hadn't meant anything about it. I mean, it was pretty obvious I liked her that way, so she had absolutely nothing to worry about there. I couldn't seem to stop thinking about putting my hands on her. Watching her in school today, knowing she was angry with me, had driven me crazy. She was pissed, and when she got into that state of mind, it was difficult to snap her out of it. That's why I'd been surprised when she apologized and invited me over after my text. Of course, I'd already left the house by then, thinking I'd have to persuade her in person to stop ignoring me. I could have turned around and gone back inside, but I'd realized I actually did kind of want to see her, so I carried on through the cold weather with the promise of cookies and possibly more.

I jogged up her porch steps and quickly grabbed onto the railing as my feet gave way beneath me. I noticed the porch light must have burned out – that light was always on. It was almost as if the chief had unconsciously tried to take me out. Slippery steps, no light. The man was truly a cop without even trying.

I knocked on the door, my knuckles aching slightly due to my partly frozen fingers. Fuck me, it was bitterly cold out here.

I heard movement from inside, the door soon opening afterwards. Bella was still dressed in her school uniform, her hair slightly messy and shirt creased at the bottom. I met her gaze and gave her a small smile as she motioned for me to come in.

We both stood there in awkward silence, me with my hands in my jeans pockets, Bella with her arms crossed at her chest. I sighed and glanced to the side, noticing the new addition to the living room.

"I see you found a tree," I said, stating the obvious. She nodded and entered the room.

"Yeah, I've just finished decorating it," she told me with a brief look back over her shoulder. "I had a little trouble with the lights at first - I wasn't tall enough to wrap them all the way up."

I took a deep breath. "Did someone... was someone here to help you?" I asked as I stepped forward. She glanced at me again, but this time she didn't speak. She simply shook her head.

"No, I got a chair from the kitchen," she said as she started adjusting some tinsel on the tree. "Charlie and Jake had to work... so," she shrugged.

I ran a hand down my face as I bent my head towards the floor. I found myself feeling glad she'd been by herself, and that he hadn't been with her.

I didn't think I'd ever get over my dislike for Jacob. Sure, he didn't know the truth when he'd accused me of doing what I hadn't, but it made no difference to me now, even if he'd only been acting as he'd thought a friend should. The subject was still a sensitive spot for me. I could hold a grudge as well as the next person, and well, I didn't think I'd be letting go of that one any time soon.

"I'm sorry about this morning." I looked up to see Bella hesitantly walking towards me, her eyes sincere.

"It's fine," I voiced with a shrug as she stopped in front of me. She licked her lips and shook her head.

"No, it isn't. I was being childish," she said, her hands fumbling with the end of her tie. "I guess I just wanted a reason to be mad at you or something. I don't know."

Her honesty shocked me a little; this wasn't what we did. We'd forget about it and either cover it up with roaming hands or even more hurtful comments. But I could understand wanting to find a reason, whatever it may be, to push someone away.

"Yeah, you overreacted," I told her truthfully. "But girls tend to do that a lot, so I guess I can forgive you," I teased, smirking at her to let her know I was only joking.

I didn't want a replay of this morning. Not today and definitely not right now.

She mock frowned and went to turn away when her eyes focused back on me - she started giggling. I was just about to ask her why she was laughing when she spoke.

"You, um, have some snow in your hair," she said as she pointed to my head. She took that final step forward, closing the remaining gap between us, and raised herself up on the pads of her feet.

Her fingers ran through my hair, shaking the strands as she went. Her face was so close, her lips slightly parted in concentration. Her hands paused after a little while, her eyes dropping to meet mine. I lightly grasped her hips to steady her as she wobbled on her feet.

I got lost in her heated gaze as she slid her hands down my face, her palms cold and slightly wet from the now melted ice. The sensation caused my jaw to clench.

Then her lips were abruptly on mine and I didn't care.

She gently nudged my lips open with her tongue, slowly brushing it against my own. Our movements were unhurried and soft, different from the hint of desperation that always seemed to lie beneath the surface when our mouths joined like this.

I sucked her bottom lip into my mouth, teasing it with my tongue. She closed her eyes and gave a quiet moan, soon moving her hands from my face back to my hair. She grasped it between her hands as she tried to push herself closer to me. I loved when she did that.

I pulled her body to me, feeling the warmth of her skin through her shirt as I kissed my way down her throat. This movement seemed weirdly intimate...

"Didn't you say something about baking me cookies?" I whispered against her skin – I had to break the moment.

She pulled her head back and looked at me as if I'd gone crazy.

"You want me to bake cookies now?" she questioned a little breathlessly. I gave her a half smile and righted the hairband on her head.

"Why do you think I came all the way over here in this weather?" I asked as I slid my hands from her hips. I was joking, but she didn't know that. Yet.

"You said you were already on your way over," she accused, her eyes narrowing minutely.

"Did I? I can't remember," I lied, adding a shrug.

"Fine," she said with a false smile - oh yeah, she was pissed again - "but you're helping." She turned on her heel and made her way into the kitchen, leaving me staring after her.

I followed after her with a frown on my face and watched as she turned the oven on to heat up. She was humming to herself and completely ignoring me, opening cupboards and pulling out all the ingredients and other things that were needed. Then she did something that caused my mouth to drop open. Oh fuck no.

"I am not wearing that," I told her seriously as she held out an apron – one that just happened to be covered with hearts in varying shades and sizes. "No fucking way."

This was her way of getting back at me for putting a stop to things not five minutes before.

She picked another apron from a hook attached to the back of the door and pulled it over her head.

"Why can't I wear that one?" I asked with raised brows, my tone laced with indignation. Hers had 'Kiss the Cook' written on the front. I wasn't sure if that was some sort of message, but it seemed to be the only other one in the room. Either way it was so much better than the one she was trying to get me to wear. I could at least handle the one she was currently wearing.

She sighed and wrapped the tie around her middle twice before securing it into a bow.

"Who's going to be making these cookies?" she asked as she attempted to slip the heart crazy one over my head.

This was just one instance where my height advantage came in handy.

"You, obviously," I replied as I lightly captured her wrists in my hands.

"Exactly," she said while looking at me from beneath her lashes. That sweet act is not going to work this time. "It only makes sense that the person actually cooking them should get to wear this apron."

"God you can tell you're an only child," I murmured to myself lowly. Obviously it wasn't quiet enough.

She cocked an eyebrow and laughed. "I'm the selfish one... right."

Did I really want to get into an argument with her right now... because if either one of us carried on with this attitude, a row would become inevitable. The boat would set sail and head straight to the island of anger, hurt and fiery tempers.

I debated for a few more seconds before bending down a little so she could reach my neck.

"I can't believe I'm allowing you to dress me up in this shit," I mumbled, closing my eyes as I released a long breath.

I felt nothing at first and cracked an eye open to see her staring back at me silently. She appeared a little confused before she let out her own deep breath and slipped the apron over my head, her fingers lingering briefly on the ends of my hair at the nape of my neck.

She walked behind me and tied the strings at the back, stopping in front of me when she was done.

"It suits you," she voiced, amusement evident in her teasing opinion.

I groaned and bent my head back as I rubbed my hands down my face. "I'm sure it does."

She twisted her hair up and secured it with some clip thing before rolling the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows. "It's only an apron Edward. Get over it and come help. Please."

We spent the next twenty minutes measuring sugar and butter and what not. She made me crack the eggs, which was a lot harder than it looked when Esme did it. I got shell in the mixture and ended up with more of the clear part of the raw egg on my hands and counter, than in the actual bowl.

She smiled, her upturned lips turning into a laugh as she picked out the bits of shell with a spoon, shaking her head in amusement the whole time. I wrinkled my nose at the egg on my hands and washed them with some fruity shit by the sink, using more of it than necessary. Whatever. It smelled good.

I opened the chocolate chips – upon her instruction – and deposited them into a separate bowl... and also into my mouth when she wasn't looking. It was a good thing she had two packets.

I was asked to get the flour out of the cupboard as she couldn't quite reach it, which also ended in laughter – once more at me.

I hadn't had the grip I thought I'd had on the packet, so when I pulled it out, the bag fell from my hands to the counter and turned the air around us a misty white. I coughed and backed up, waving my hands in front of my face as I tried to bat the flour away from me. Needless to say it did nothing.

"Oh my God," Bella laughed, gripping the edge of the counter for support, "your face..."

She cracked up again, this time holding her sides as she bent over somewhat.

"It's not funny," I snapped, taking another step back from the still hovering cloud. "I'm not good with this domesticated bullshit!"

I coughed again. Jesus Christ.

She wiped her eyes on the bottom of her apron as she caught her breath. I stayed out of the way as she measured the flour out and added it to the chocolate chips, before then adding them both to the other mixture.

"It's okay Edward," she said sweetly, her tone light. "No one can be good at everything."

I had the sudden urge to give in to my ten year old self and throw flour in her hair.

Instead, I ignored her attempt at goading me and shoved my hands into my pockets as I leaned against the counter.

Bella placed spoonfuls of the cookie mixture on a tray, and I shamelessly stared at her ass when she bent over to put said tray into the oven.

She immediately started washing up the used utensils and equipment, her back to me as she completely ignored my stony expression.

I hated that she was getting so much glee from the fact I was useless in the kitchen. I wasn't ashamed to admit I was a bad loser... and even though this wasn't a competition, I still felt as though I'd lost something.

I hated people seeing a weakness in me, even if it was something as stupid as baking. I bet Jacob Black helps Bella all the time without screwing up. I bet he doesn't drop shell in the mixture when cracking an egg. I bet he doesn't fuck up something as simple as pulling a bag of flour out of the cupboard.

I was being irrational and I couldn't get a hold on my feelings. Fuck... I needed to have a cigarette.

I turned around and flattened my hands on the counter top, completely forgetting about the mass of spilled flour. I groaned internally and fisted my hands.

After tonight, I'm not eating another fucking cookie - ever again.

I stared at my flour covered hands and smiled to myself when another childish thought popped into my head. This time I didn't discount it.

I stepped behind her and pressed my palm to her left ass-cheek, leaving a nice flour imprint.

She startled and looked over her shoulder, trying to see what I'd done. After a quick glance at my hands, it wasn't hard to guess.

"What are you...? Did you just leave a hand-print on my butt?" she questioned, her tone full of disbelief as she turned around, presumably to dry her hands.

I went to open my mouth to say I couldn't help it, when she swiveled around and pressed her palm to my face, over my right eye.

Whatever it was that was currently stuck to my skin definitely wasn't flour alone.

"What the -"

"Don't touch it," she said, batting my hands away, her eyes filled with silent laughter. She squinted one eye as she gazed back at me.

"You know, now you kind of look like that Orc thingy from 'The Lord of the Rings'."

"They're called Uruk-hai," I told her, wanting nothing more than to go wash my face. This crap was starting to set and pinch at my skin.

"What the hell is this stuff?" I moaned.

"Just flour and water," she smiled, shrugging. "My hands were still wet from washing up, and there was all that flour left on the counter... I couldn't stop myself."

She bit her lips as she tried not to laugh again.

"Evidently," I grumbled, pausing almost immediately. "Wait, did you just compare me to a creature from 'The Lord of the Rings'?"

"Well... yeah," she grinned, pausing for a few seconds, "but don't worry, you're slightly better looking."

I snorted. "Please, I'm much better looking."

She scoffed and made a disgruntled face at the mess on her hands. "Your head won't be able to fit back out the door when these cookies are done," she warned with a twinkle in her eye. "In fact..."

"What?" I asked, feeling just a little bit uncomfortable with her looking at me like that.

"I think your nose is growing too," she gasped, complete with over-exaggerated wide eyes. "You know, if you're not careful, people will start calling you Pinocchio."

I grabbed a towel from the counter and dusted the remaining flour off my hands.

"You're really not funny," I informed her, reaching behind me to try and remove the embarrassing apron.

"I'm a little funny," she responded lightly, quickly washing her hands.

"Yes, but what you've yet to realize – or comprehend – is that most people laugh at you, not with you."

She slowly walked over to me, pushed her front to my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist, her fingers now tangling with mine behind my back. I clenched my jaw and looked down at her head.

I swore this girl was going to cause me to lose my mind. She'd been distant all week, and had snapped at me this morning. Now here she was giving comfort... or taking it.

I wasn't a hugger, so the fact that I wanted to wrap my arms around her and not let go messed with my head. Couple that with the fact I wanted to slide her shirt down her arms and kiss every bit of exposed skin I could reach, I was sure I was about to completely lose my shit.

"I don't get you, Bella," I admitted, frowning at the top of her head. "Sometimes... sometimes you're just so fucking infuriating, and well... ridiculous."

"Says the boy with flour stuck to his face," she responded instantly, lifting her head as her eyes drifted across my features.

"Which you put there," I pointed out, glancing at her mouth. She completely ignored that statement.

"I can set a chair up in the corner for you, if you'd like? Complete with a jar of paste. You'll feel right at home."

Speaking of home. "By the way, your light needs replacing outside."

She furrowed her brows. "Huh?"

"I think your porch light has gone out. I slipped on the steps earlier – you can't see a thing out there. You need to get Charlie to replace it when he gets home... or if you know where the spare bulbs are, I can do it," I offered.

"Oh," she said, giving me this weird expression.

I sighed. "What's with you today? You've being really fucking weird... more so than usual."

She pressed her forehead against my chest again, mumbling something I couldn't make out.

"How long have you been friends with James?" she asked out of the blue. I froze. Why would she want to know that?

I hesitated before answering her. "Not that long. Why?"

She broke away from my chest and eyed me seriously. "I overheard him and Laurent talking today at school. They mentioned your name when talking about Victoria... he was calling her a whore -"

"And you think I've lied to you about not seeing anyone else while we're..." I finished the sentence there.

She cleared her throat and pulled at the end of her shirt. "Maybe. But, it's not as if you couldn't. I mean, it's not like I could stop you or anything. We're not like that."

I swallowed thickly and turned to gaze out the kitchen window. There were so many things I could say to her, but I couldn't seem to push the words out.

"Yeah," I replied simply, rubbing the back of my neck. She flicked her eyes to my face as I continued.

"And in answer to your non question... no. I haven't been with her... or anyone else for that matter. I told you I wasn't going to do that."

She shifted on her feet. "Yeah, not until we stop this," she voiced, eyes locking with mine.

I squeezed my hands into fists.

"Yeah, not until we stop this," I said, repeating her words.

"I was a little surprised to hear James saying that about Victoria. I'm in no way her biggest fan, but she doesn't seem to sleep around like the others. Plus, I've seen the way she looks at him... when you're not around, of course," she said, letting out a humourless laugh.

I didn't ask who she was talking about when she referred to the 'others'. I didn't have to. And the other part... I didn't think anything I said would make her believe me on that front.

"Calling a girl a whore like that..." she sighed, carrying on with a shake of her head. "I don't know, I guess it really made me think about things."

"What things?" I asked swiftly. She's going to end this thing between us.

She just stood there, her cheeks flushed a light pink as her mouth opened and closed. This heavy tension started to build around us – it was suffocating. I had to break it.

"I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world to be called – a whore I mean," I said, clearing my throat awkwardly. "Just look how well things turned out for Julia Roberts."

"That was a movie, Edward," she said, her lips morphing into a smile, the tension in the room dissolving just a little with it.

"Semantics," I smirked, poking at the crap still stuck to my face. "Plus, the piano scene in that movie was hot."

Her cheeks bloomed a deep pink as she focused on the magnets stuck to the fridge.

"Are you blushing?" I smirked, loving how her cheeks flamed just that tad bit more with my words.

"No," she replied quickly, removing her apron. I followed suit.

"Has someone got a fantasy?" I teased, giving her a wink. "You know, I could take you back to my house right now... sit you on my piano and let your fingers hit out random notes as I..."

I stopped right there.

A silence filled the room after the words had left my mouth. I didn't know why I'd even said anything - we'd had this discussion already. I wanted nothing more than to take her upstairs right now and feel her around me, but her experience – or lack of – was stopping me.

The fact that she hadn't been with anyone else obviously panicked me, but then the thought of her giving herself to Jacob Black made me sick to my stomach.

"Then why aren't we?" she asked softly, her cheeks turning pink again with her question.

That instantly stopped the joking.

I didn't know why I was making such a big deal out of it. It was probably because this situation was different... she was different. But then what we were ultimately doing here? She seemed to want to...

I guess I just couldn't understand why she'd choose me over anybody.

"I don't know," I replied eventually, feeling incredibly uncomfortable with this conversation.

We stood there staring at one another for maybe just a minute more, when the timer on the oven went off, signaling the cookies were ready.

Bella immediately went to the oven and carefully pulled the tray of cookies out before turning off the heat. She seemed to be avoiding looking at me... embarrassment or something else keeping her eyes from me.

I stood behind her, making sure not to touch her as I tried to sneak my hand around the side to grab a cookie. She pushed my hands away. I went to try again and this time she actually pushed me into one of the seats at the table.

"Jesus, you'll burn your tongue if you eat them right this second," she admonished. "Just let them cool for a few minutes first."

She went over to the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk and grabbed two glasses from the cupboard.

"Okay, I don't want to upset you," I said, tapping my palms on a place mat.

"Why would that upset me? You'd be the one burning your tongue," she said, her brows scrunching up in confusion.

"Well, because I wouldn't be available for kisses, obviously," I said, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

She turned to face me and raised a brow while taking a sip of milk.

"Hmm, you kisses are all right. I mean, I've had better," she shrugged, setting her glass back on the counter.

It looked like she was over her embarrassment.

And truthfully? I wasn't expecting that answer... I didn't like it. "Oh yeah? From who?"

She topped up her drink before returning the carton to the refrigerator. "From none of your business, that's who," she responded, her back to me.

I laughed.

"Hmm, never heard of him. Does he go to our school?" I retorted with a smile, halting my tapping.

"Such an idiot," she mumbled, bringing a drink over to me.

"Haven't heard of him, either," I said, hiding my smirk by taking a quick gulp.

She snatched the oven gloves back off the counter and hit me on the shoulder with them.

"Did you just hit me... with pink oven gloves?" I smiled, squinting my eyes playfully.

"Yeah, I guess I did." She crossed her arms over her chest, "and I didn't pick the colour, Renee did," she added as an afterthought.

"Hand them over," I stated, holding my hand out for them.

"No. Why?" she asked, putting them behind her back.

"Like I'm going to tell you that," I smirked, getting up out of the chair.

"Knowing you, it's probably something perverted," she said, backing away from me.

I shook my head and laughed. "You're the one who likes the kinky stuff. My dreams don't lie," I teased with a wink.

She soon realized she had no where left to run, and just as she made to dart to the opposite side of the table, I grabbed her around the waist and brought her back to my chest.

"Pass them here," I said, shaking my head in disbelief when she shoved them up her shirt.

"Not going to happen," she stated with a look over her shoulder.

I sighed, unconsciously taking her hands in mine. "Such a spoiled sport."

"I've never been one for sports," she retorted, linking our fingers.

"That's just because you haven't experienced the right kind of activity," I responded automatically, whispering the words into her neck.

We both stilled, our joined hands resting on her stomach.

And there was that silence again.

"It's getting late," I breathed, untangling our hands. "I should probably get home."

Bella turned in my arms, the oven gloves falling to the floor with her movement. She looked hesitant about something as she stood there gazing back at me.

"You could stay," she told me, twisting her tie at the bottom with awkward movements. "Charlie won't be home until the morning."

I'd stayed with Bella a couple of times now, but they'd always been spur of the moment ideas. No words had ever been verbalized... I'd just sort of fall asleep in her room and that was that. Now she was actually offering, which meant I had to give an answer instead of just ignoring the complicated aspect of the situation.

I scratched the side of my jaw. "Er, yeah, okay," I mused. "I mean, I have cookies to eat, right?"

She relaxed slightly, her shoulders falling with an exhale as she nodded. "I suspect you'll want to go wash your face?" she guessed with a smile, eyeing the mess still stuck to my skin. "Go on ahead and I'll bring the cookies and milk up in a minute."

I nodded numbly, the whole situation feeling a little... odd. "Yeah, thanks," I said, taking an eventual step backwards. I turned and made my way out the room, taking the stairs two at a time. In the hallway, I paused, not knowing if I should use the main bathroom or use the one adjoined to her room. I felt a little weird walking into her bedroom without her being in it, so I slipped into the main one, shut the door and flipped on the light switch.

My reflection in the mirror brought a grimace to my face as I immediately set about washing the flour off my face with hot, soapy water. My skin warmed with the heat, but it felt so good to finally be rid of the cement-like stuff. With my eyes still closed, I reached blindly for a towel, bringing it up to wipe my face dry.

I pushed the hair off my forehead, the ends now a little damp, and rested my hands on the edge of the sink as I looked back into the mirror. My expression displayed the confusion I was experiencing inside. I was surprised Bella had asked me to stay... I didn't think she'd offer something like that. She'd never kicked me out before, but then she'd never seemed particularly excited that I was staying either.

She seemed to be stuck in her own head today more than usual, and I didn't know if that was due to our fight this morning, or whether it was something more. I wanted to know what she was thinking right now.

She was the most complicated girl I'd ever met. I both hated and loved that she wasn't as transparent as the other girls at school.

With one last deep breath, I returned the towel to the hook on the wall, and opened the door.

Light was seeping from beneath Bella's door, indicating she was already inside. I knocked, but didn't wait for a reply before pushing the door open.

She was drawing her curtains as I stepped inside, her body covered in festive pyjamas. I smirked.

"Nice pyjamas," I told her with a smile as I closed her door. They were a soft blue with hundreds of snowmen printed across the fabric. She looked... cute.

"I like them," she said, jutting out her chin a little. I laughed and slid off my shoes, kicking them clumsily to the side.

I jumped on her bed and made myself comfy against the headboard, resting my hands at the back of my head. Bella just stood there with raised brows.

"What?" I asked as I grabbed a cookie from the plate, immediately bringing it to my mouth. Finally.

"Make yourself at home," she mumbled with sarcasm, climbing onto the bed beside me. She sat in the opposite direction so she was facing me, and reached for own cookie, humming softly as she chewed.

"These are good," I said around a mouthful of deliciousness. "Who knew I could bake?"

She coughed, choking a little as she laughed. "Yeah, who knew?" she smiled, tucking a few strands of escaped hair behind her ear. She'd released it from the clip; it was now in a loose braid down her back.

I happily munched my way through half the plate in minutes, not paying attention to anything other than the goodies in front of me. I reached for my glass of milk, glancing at Bella as I took a rather large gulp.

She was just sort of sitting there with half a cookie in her hand, her mouth partly open... what was wrong with her now?

I raised a brow as I deposited my glass back on the bedside table, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand as I took another cookie from the plate.

"Do you chew?" she asked, watching on as I devoured what was left in my palm. I rolled my eyes, my mouth too busy to talk. "And I thought Emmett was bad," she added as she tapped my leg, pointing to her own drink.

I reached across and passed it to her, my fingers brushing against hers as she took the glass from me. She murmured a 'thanks' before taking a sip.

"I'm a growing boy and all that," I answered with a shrug, my belly now nice and full. She set her glass down on the other bedside table, crawling further towards me to dump the cookies next to her drink. Just when I thought she was about to sit back down she stared swiping at my chest and stomach.

"You've got crumbs everywhere," she accused, brows creased. "There's nothing worse than trying to sleep with crumbs in the bed."

I looked down at where her hand was currently moving across my torso, and sure enough there were crumbs scattered across my shirt.

I sighed and sat up a little, leaning across to the edge of the mattress as I shook my shirt over the side of the bed, the crumbs falling to the floor.

"Any more?" I asked, turning back around to face her. She bit her lip as her hand pointed to my face.

"Um, you have some around your mouth," she told me, eyes focused on my lips. I brought my hand to my face, blindly swiping at my skin.

"Gone?" I questioned, looking back at her. She shook her head and raised herself to her knees as she leaned forward.

Her fingers on the edge of my mouth caused my lips to part, her hand stilling as she locked eyes with me. I lightly grasped her wrist in my hand and pulled her forward, her other hand resting on the pillow beneath my head.

"Thanks for the cookies," I expressed, my thumb rubbing against the skin at her wrist.

She broke our gaze to stare at my mouth, her cheeks flushed. "You're welcome," she answered lowly.

I didn't know who made the first move, and didn't particularly care as her lips were now pressed against mine. My hands found her cheeks as she straddled my lap, the tips of my fingers immersing into her hair. She tasted like cookies and girl and Bella – I opened my mouth with a new desperation.

She started rocking against my hips as our lips met again and again, our tongues brushing and teasing in the best ways. I moved my hands to her waist and lifted her slightly, gently pushing her onto her back while still keeping my mouth attached to hers. My body covered her own, her legs parting for me to rest between.

The material of her pyjamas was soft against my fingers, but it wasn't the softness I wanted. I wanted her skin on mine.

I immediately started to undo the buttons on her pyjama shirt, groaning into her mouth when I felt she was bare underneath. I kissed and sucked lightly at her neck as I ran my hands between her breasts and across her ribs, loving the sound of her heightened breathing.

My mouth found her nipples, teasing them with my tongue as I palmed her breasts. She moaned loudly, her back arching as she pushed her chest closer to my mouth, her hands pulling my hair, moving my mouth to where she wanted it.

We broke apart long enough for me to pull my shirt over my head, my breathing hard as I lowered myself to her once more. My arms rested beside her head as I moved my hips along with hers, watching her eyelids flutter when I hit the right spot.

She was whispering words I couldn't make out, lost to the feeling our movements were creating.

I slipped my hand beneath the elastic of her bottoms, my fingers touching her above her underwear as she moved against my hand. She soon got frustrated at the lack of room, her hands immediately pushing the pyjamas from her legs.

I watched as more and more skin came into view, my hand moving to run up the inside of her thigh.

Her hands were tugging at my belt loops, her hips leaving the mattress as she tried to find the pressure she wanted... needed. "Edward," she breathed as she ran her hands up my back, "take off your jeans."

I momentarily paused but her fingers were at the button before I could say anything. I didn't realize my own hands were helping her until we were lowering the zipper. I pushed my pants down as far as I could without having to get up, my lips back on hers as she used her feet to push them off the rest of the way.

She felt so good underneath me, only thin layers of cotton between us. Her shirt down her arms as she pushed herself up to remove it completely, her lips and tongue now moving against my jaw in slow kisses.

We'd unintentionally and unconsciously lined up, my dick pressing against her warmth. I normally wouldn't think twice about the next part, but as her fingertips trailed down my arms, feather light, she gazed up at me with parted lips, I knew I couldn't take her like this.

I wouldn't admit it aloud, but I cared enough for her not to take her virtue when we'd been arguing only this morning. It was a new notion for me – I didn't usually feel anything other than lust when with a girl. But Bella had somehow sneaked her way into my core, taking over my thoughts and sometimes, feelings.

Her cheeks were warm with pink, her eyes dark-with-wanting brown. She looked beautiful and trusting as I fought with myself not to push this further.

"It's okay," she breathed against my mouth, her hands running through my hair. "I want to."

I closed my eyes with a groan, my face dropping to her neck. I wanted to... oh God I wanted to, but if we did this, everything would change.

Why did she seem so willing for it to be me? Why wouldn't she want it to be Jacob or someone else who seemingly adored her? Did she think of me more than I thought? Did she feel something for me other than what we had here? If I wasn't such a coward I would ask her all those things, but I was, so I didn't.

"Please," she whispered, the look in her eyes threatening to make me change my mind.

I studied her face and searched her eyes. My resolve was lessening with each second that passed.

"Not tonight," I told her, planting a soft kiss against her mouth. This whole scenario was so backward. It should be me begging to take that final step, and if I gave myself time to really think about what that meant, I knew I'd freak myself out so much I'd end up leaving this house. I'd leave Bella alone in this bed and avoid everything that would occur afterwards.

The most obvious thing though, was I wasn't stupid enough to think I could stop this from happening. It was the natural progression from what we were doing with one another.

I moved to the side just a little, giving myself enough room to give her what she wanted. I didn't remove her underwear... I didn't think I'd be able to say no to her if she was completely bare beneath me.

My words seemed to appease her a little, but not fully. I gently moved my hand underneath black cotton and teased her warm flesh - I distracted her.

Her hands gripped the sheets as I pushed a finger inside her, her mouth opening to release a whimper that went straight to my dick. She was tight and wet and I had to take a deep breath so I didn't do something stupid.

"Are you okay?" I asked, halting the movement of my hand. Her eyes shot open, one of her hands coming to grab my wrist.

"God, yes," she breathed, cheeks flushed, "don't you dare stop." I smiled softly and moved my thumb to rub against the area that made her moan and writhe.

My erection was straining against my boxers - I wanted to ask her to wrap her hand around me, but the look of pleasure on her face stopped the words from leaving my mouth. I didn't want to be selfish.

Of course, when her hand made its way into my boxers by its own accord, I practically thanked Jesus.. even if we were probably sinning in his eyes. I'm sure if he knew how good her hand felt, he wouldn't judge me too harshly. Not that I actually cared.

I thrust against her hand, biting back a groan when her fingers ran across my sensitive head. I knew she didn't have much experience with this sort of thing, but everything she did felt so good to me. If there were gold stars for handjobs, I'd give her at least three.

She was close, I could feel it. I added a second finger and circled her nub with my thumb, my lips tailing along her ear as I whispered her name and how good her hand felt. Then she was done. Her back arched and she clenched around my fingers as she stifled a cry, her head turning to the side as she came.

Her chest rose and fell with her laboured breathing, a soft whimper leaving her mouth as I removed my hand. I kissed her stomach and breasts, moving to her cheeks as she lay sated against her pillows. Her eyelids fluttered open, her lips forming a small and somewhat embarrassed smile. This was new.

"Hi," I smirked, placing a kiss against her lips.

"Hi," she whispered back as her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

Her hand was still wrapped around my hardness, so when she gave a slight squeeze I closed my eyes and hid my face against her chest.

I wasn't expecting her to continue, but she'd matched me in nearly everything we'd done so far, whether it be sparring, teasing... orgasms.

She ran her whole palm against the head of my dick, before moving her hand up and down, twisting her wrist slightly each time she made her way back down.

"Fuck," I panted as I felt the tension build. My release soon coursed through me, my hand quickly covering hers around my cock as I came. I caught most of it with my hand, but a little had landed on her stomach.

I closed my eyes as I moved our hands a few more times, making sure everything was out, hissing when her fingers brushed against my still sensitive head.

"It's not funny," I told her with a smile as she giggled lightly. I removed our hands and tucked myself back into my boxers, glancing around the room for something to clean up with. I spotted a box of tissues on her dresser, and immediately got to my feet to pull a handful out.

"Sorry, about... well, that," I told her as I pointed to her stomach. She took the tissues from me and wrinkled her nose as she wiped them along her skin.

"It's fine," she answered, her cheeks reddening somewhat. "I'm just going to go clean up in the bathroom real quick." I nodded and watched as she stopped to get clean underwear... and then double back slightly to pick up my t-shirt from the floor.

As soon as the door clicked behind her I fell back to the mattress with a thump, my hand immediately moving to rest over my eyes. My heart was beating a steady rhythm as I tried to forget the way she looked at me earlier, her expression unlike any look she'd given me before.

The door opened, Bella reappearing in my t-shirt and underwear and nothing else. Her hair was loose and in soft waves, trailing down around her face. I'd just practically seen her nude beneath me, yet seeing her like this made me avert my eyes to the side of the room. I was being so fucking ridiculous.

She wasn't looking at me, and for that I was thankful. I jumped up off the bed and excused myself to the bathroom she'd just exited, going about my business swiftly. After washing my face for the second time that evening, I slipped back into the bedroom and hesitated by the bed for a few seconds, practically freezing my balls off. I bet the chief had the radiators on a timer or some shit, going on at certain times of the morning and afternoon, before switching off late evening. It was horrible sleeping with the heating on in the winter – it always gave me headaches and left my nose stuffy in the mornings when I'd wake.

I internally rolled my eyes at myself and dove beneath the covers, resting on my back as I felt the bed dip as Bella got out to turn out the light. She had a lamp over on her dresser still switched on, the wattage obviously extremely low as it lit the room just enough to be able to see everything, albeit with a warm tint.

Bella crawled back under the covers, making noise that depicted I wasn't the only one feeling the chill. We both simply lay like this for a few minutes in silence, and as I went to turn over and get comfy, cold feet pressed against my legs, causing me to gasp.

"Jesus, your feet are fucking freezing!" I snapped, sounding harsher than I'd intended to.

I went to move my legs away but she was having none of that - she pushed herself closer to me, and tucked her feet underneath them instead.

"But you're nice and warm," she replied, letting out a yawn. "I'm good now."

She was pressed up against my side, her body soft and warm, tempting me to snuggle back. It's official, I'm turning into a sappy, feeling, girl. Tomorrow, I was going to find the biggest steak I could and sit down at the table with a beer. Or, if I was being honest, I'd let Esme cook it for me and I'd have a coke instead of the beer. That wouldn't make me any less manly, if anything it would just make me lazy. I was okay with that.

I tried to simply close my eyes and sleep, but something felt off. I took a peek at the form next to me from the corner of my eye, her face serene as her head rested against the pillow. I debated with myself over my next move, rubbing the side of my face with the hand not currently beside Bella as I wondered whether she would think too much of it.

A fake yawn left my mouth as I raised both arms into the air, pretending to stretch. My right arm dropped back beside me as I finished - my left, however, went behind Bella's head and around her shoulder. Smooth, Edward. Real smooth.

A soft giggle filled the room, and as I turned my head to the side, I could see a smile on Bella's lips as she slid that little bit closer to me. Her own arm came to lay across my chest as her head rested on my shoulder, her breath warming and tickling my skin.

"Edward?" Bella whispered sleepily, her voice low as her cheek rubbed against my arm.

"Yeah?" I answered, peeking down at her.

"That was so cheesy."

I hid a smile against her hair and feigned ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Nothing else was said after that, and as we both slipped off into the land of dreams, I allowed myself to think what it would be like to do this regularly... to have this girl in my arms every night.

I fell asleep that night with a full heart and a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

Reviews will get a teaser for the next chapter.

I have three recs this week. They are:

'Fall to Ruin One Day' by sleepyvalentina. There are only a few chapters posted so far, and it already owns me. So, so good.

'The Diva Diaries' by KiyaRaven. I'm sure a lot of you are already reading this, and rightly so. It's funny and full of UST.

'Random Angels' by Eila. It's like Twilight, but reversed, in the fact that Bella is the vamp, Edward is the human. It's complete and has a few twists and turns that make it different from the original story.

Please leave them all some love - you'll find all the stories listed in my favourites.

Thank you so much for reading. VHL xx