Hi, it's me. And, yeah, it's update time (: Happy Friday! Although, with this stay at home order, it's not as exciting, is it? Bleh.


DISCLAIMER: The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

Beta: Fran

2018

This must be a dream.

That is the first thought that crosses my mind as I drift into consciousness and find myself tucked against a long, warm body. The sight of his heavily tattooed limbs and the feel of his hard chest under my cheek confirms what I already know: Edward slept over last night.

My lips quirk up at that realization and then stretch into a wide, crazy smile at the memory of all the good, clean, fun things he did to me last night. And the many, many times he did them.

Jeez, he's incredible.

His virile, masculine body is stretched out before me in delicious slumber - limbs languid, lips parted, brow smooth. My eyes are ravenous as they consume him, watching the steady rise and fall of his ink-stained chest. And, what a fucking fantastic chest it is, with its light dusting of soft brown hair - the same color as the faint trail that leads from his adorable bellybutton to the sweet temptation that is the promised land. The sheets just barely cover his naked lower half, only a sinewy hip lined with firm muscle and the top of a bulky thigh peek through the tangled mass of fabric. I breathe deeply at the sight, suddenly overcome with an urgent desire to peel the blankets away from the strong legs and perfect manhood that rests beneath them.

What would he do if he woke up with me on top of him?

With me between his legs?

My mouth between his legs?

I clench all over in a deep, pleasurable shiver at the thought.

The movement must jostle him, because, moments later, Edward lets out a soft moan and lifts his arms above his head to stretch. My mouth dries, and hips squirm restlessly as his muscles elongate and bunch. I've observed him in various states of flexing intensity on multiple occasions now; yet, this innocent stretch affects me just as much as the mental image of him perched over and hungrily rearing into me does. I don't think I'll ever tire of looking at him. This beautiful, complex man.

"Mmmm," Edward hums, suddenly rolling onto his side to scoop me into a tight embrace. "Are you just going to stare at me all day?"

I scoff against his neck, ready to deny his accusation at all costs. "I wasn't staring at you," I murmur defensively, lacing my arms through his and squeezing him to me, nevertheless. My nose meets his sternum, his light chest hair tickling my cheeks as I breathe him in.

What can I say? He's irresistible even when he's aggravating me by calling me out on my shit.

"Mhmm," he hums dubiously. "And I wasn't pretending to be asleep."

"What?" I rear back, frowning at the playful expression on his sleep-wrinkled face. "Why would you do that, weirdo?"

He just smirks. "I wanted to see what you'd do to me if you woke up and found me still asleep."

"Oh, you're naughty," I grin, wiggling deeper into his embrace. "You were hoping I'd molest you, huh?"

"Something like that," his chest rumbles against my cheek as he speaks. "Color me disappointed that all you did was stare at me like the creeper you are."

"You're just so pretty when you're fake sleeping," I admit, nuzzling my nose to his small, pink nipple. He huffs, most likely protesting at my use of a feminine adjective to describe him, but doesn't vocalize his indignation. That's because he knows I won't buy it. He might act all humble and deny it, but he knows he's beautiful. I decide to tease him. "I was contemplating ripping the covers away..." I trail off, swirling my fingers through the line of hair on his lower abdomen. His stomach tenses, muscles flexing in response to my flirtatious touch. "But then you up and blew your cover. If you'd waited a couple minutes more, you would have had a nice, wet mouth wrapped around you right now."

"Don't tease me, Bella," Edward growls, rolling me onto my back and settling his hips between my knees. His naked flesh meets mine, warm and throbbing, and I groan in pure want.

"I'm not," I gurgle, lifting my hips to press myself against him. "I'm a sure thing, baby. Take whatever you want from me."

Wild lust flickers in Edward's eyes as he stares down at me. His hips sink as he chews his bottom lip, wheels turning in his head as he thinks. Then, with a great sigh, he pulls away and flops onto his back. "As much as I'd like nothing more than to straddle your face and fuck your dirty mouth, we have plans that we can't escape."

"Plans?" I'm sitting up now, staring down at a horny-eyed but resigned Edward. "What plans?"

"I royally fucked up yesterday," Edward swallows. "So, I'm making it up to you. We're going to brunch with Alice and Jasper."

My pout vanishes as soon as the words leave his lips. And then I preen like the fucking dork I am.

He wants to make it up to me.

"All right," he snickers, watching the giddy smile spread across my face with a look of thinly-veiled amusement. "Go shower before I change my mind."

He doesn't have to tell me twice.

I'm immediately up, scampering across the room to the bathroom like a lunatic. His exasperated chuckle follows me down the hall as I press the bathroom door closed and start the shower.

This is really happening.

-infatuation-

"Well," I whistle, stepping out of the Uber with a stumble. I frown at my feet, already regretting the chunky wedges I decided to pair with my flouncy, floral romper. But it's brunch. And, like every basic bitch out there, dressing in an Instagram-able outfit is a must for me. Although, I doubt I'll even take a picture here. Especially given everything Edward divulged last night. I will do everything in my power to show him that I'm nothing like the women - well, more like girls - he's dated in the past.

He's trusted me enough to spill every sordid detail. Now, it's my turn to show him that doing so wasn't a mistake.

"Did you step in something?" Edward murmurs, his shoulder brushing mine as he sidles up beside me and peers down at my feet curiously.

"Nah," I force out, choking back the swirl of emotion this line of thinking brought forth. These feelings are a little too ... serious for the casual arrangement Edward and I are working with. Plus, brunch is all about bottomless mimosas and indulgent, high-calorie meals, not misty eyes, and gushy declarations of love and devotion.

Love.

My mind stutters.

Did I really just think that?

No. I didn't mean love-love. I meant ... Shit. I did mean that, didn't I? My heart squeezes, and stomach bottoms out in confirmation.

Edward stares at me expectantly as my brain short circuits at this realization.

Fuck.

Shit.

Fuck.

"Are you okay?" Edward intones, lips turned down, and brow crinkled in concern.

No.

I just realized that I'm ... I can't. Thinking about it is almost as bad as saying it aloud. These dumbass, inconvenient feelings are only going to complicate things as they stand. Now is definitely not an opportune time for this revelation. I have no idea what the status of our ... arrangement is. Edward just started talking to me about shit that matters. We're basically back at ground zero of a relationship. I should not be as invested as I am. This is not a healthy progression. I need to get myself the fuck together.

"Um, Bella?" Edward murmurs, now very concerned.

Shit.

Now I look fucking nuts. Not that I needed any help in that department.

Suppressing my urge to wince, I smile tentatively instead and gesture at my shoes in an attempt to explain my odd behavior. "I'm just ready to rip these fuckers off already."

Edward's brow lifts, and he chuckles. He seems convinced that I was contemplating shoe-icide. Crisis averted. I deserve some kind of award for pulling that off.

"I told you to wear sandals," Edward drawls. "Nobody gives a shit about what you have on your feet, babe. Guys don't even notice those things."

Guys.

I scowl.

"You think I'm trying to attract male attention?" I plant my hands on my hips, fixing him with a pointed stare.

"Why else would you wear them?" He sniffs, glancing away quickly. His eyes trace the marquee of the restaurant we're standing in front of as he murmurs, "I told you to just wear sandals, and you ignored me. Obviously, you don't care about what I think."

Oh.

I see.

He's jealous.

That really shouldn't please me as much as it does. I can't help it, though. There's no room for jealousy in a casual sex arrangement. Which means ... maybe that's not what we're doing anymore. Maybe these newly acknowledged feelings that tie my stomach in knots might not be as unwelcome as I thought they are.

Regardless, I can't leave this flash of jealousy unaddressed. So, I paint on a slick smile and lean into Edward teasingly. "Someone's testy."

"I'm not testy," he shrugs me off. "Come on, let's go inside."

Oh, he didn't like that.

I'm a little smirky as I watch him trudge away. Who knew Edward had this side to him? Yet, as much as I enjoy the hint of green coloring his behavior, I kind of feel bad for fucking with him. So, with a sigh, I decide to put him out of his misery.

"I wear them for other girls," I drawl, clueing him in on one of the mysteries of the female mind as I trail him up the sidewalk. "Brunch is like a fashion show for some reason. If I wore what I wanted, I'd get judged for being a messy bitch."

All the tension drains out of Edward's body as I speak, and he sighs. Looks like someone's relieved.

"God," he murmurs, stopping to let me catch up, which is kind because my quick gait resembles a cross between a sore jockey and giraffe on roller skates. These shoes really do fucking suck. "I forgot how awful girls are to each other," Edward frowns, pausing to observe my less than graceful display. "Can you even walk in those?" I shrug a shoulder dismissively, and his eyes roll as he laughs. Sobering after a moment, he glances me over and shakes his head, almost as if he can't comprehend what he's seeing. "You look beautiful in whatever you wear." His hand clasps around mine, squeezing comfortingly. "Don't worry about what anyone else thinks about you. They don't control your happiness."

The smile that tugs at my lips is genuine. I can't help but clutch his hand harder as my heart thumps against my ribs and heat dusts over my cheeks and neck.

How the hell did we get here?

"Hey," Alice chirps as we walk into the restaurant hand-in-hand. I try to ignore the giddy flutter in my chest that our blatant display of togetherness conjures, but it's so, so hard. He's putting no effort into hiding his affections. It makes me feel tight behind the ribs and warm all over.

After wrapping us both in a hug, Alice steps away and tucks her hands behind her back. "Our table's almost ready," she comments, eyes dropping to our entwined fingers. Her lips quirk up in response, but she schools her features. I'm impressed. Her self-control seems to be improving. "I'm so happy you guys came. Edward - you really should be proud of yourself. I've been trying to get Bella to come out to brunch with me for a year with no success."

Edward's gaze settles on me, and I warm.

"I don't like leaving my bed on Sundays," I shrug, swallowing at the sensation of Edward's thumb subtly dancing over the inside of my wrist.

Ugh, one little touch from him, and I'm a shivering mess. Why am I so obvious?

"Hmm, remind me why I dragged you out of bed again?" Edward's voice is gravelly, eyes meeting mine briefly as I smother a cheeky grin. I'm sure he can tell exactly what I'm thinking about - what we almost did this morning. What I wish we were doing right this moment instead of standing around in a crowded restaurant.

Alice's lips part, no doubt catching on to our blatant innuendo. "Oh, wow," she murmurs breathily as her eyes dart between us. "You could have stayed home, you know."

Edward eyes me hungrily. A provocation. An invitation.

And then my stomach growls.

"Yeah, uh," I flush, palming the monster trapped in my belly. "We're here now, so..." I trail off, meeting Alice's eyes and shrugging. "Too late." Alice rolls her eyes. "So, this food better be worth it," I quip in a sing-song voice. Edward nudges me in response, to which I counter very maturely by sticking out my tongue at him.

Alice observes us quietly, eyes crinkled, and lips stretched into a faint smile. "Huh," she comments, clearly wanting to say more, but respecting my wishes for her to hold back on her ... extra-ness, nonetheless.

She's a good friend, that Alice.

"I'm going to use the restroom real quick," Edward murmurs, ducking to plant a kiss on my temple. I breathe in quickly in response, eyes shut, and then smile, murmuring a soft, "okay" before he strides away.

"Okay," Alice states, her calm demeanor chucked away as soon as Edward's back turns. "You need to spill."

"I..." I start, unsure of what to tell her. "We talked last night, obviously," I swallow. "He explained a lot of things - personal things - about his past and his relationship with Irina."

"And?" Alice probes, arms crossed. She's probably upset I'm not giving much away. No surprise there, she's nosy as shit.

"And then we kissed and made up." I bite my lip, cheeks flaming at the memory. "Multiple times."

"Lord have mercy," she breathes. "No wonder you two are all over each other."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. It kind of feels ... different with it all out there."

"Different good or different bad?" Alice frowns.

"A good different," I smile. "I don't know. It feels a lot lighter ... easier. I'm happy." I'm in love with him.

Fuck.

That revelation can go fuck off back to the recess in my mind, in which I buried it. It's not time to dwell on that or admit it out loud to anyone, let alone to myself.

"Ugh," Alice groans gleefully, obviously unaware of the battle that is taking place within me. "You guys are so cute; I can't deal with it. When I saw you two holding hands earlier, I almost lost it."

"Lost what?" Jasper asks, stepping into our conversation out of nowhere. He smiles at me in greeting, lifting the drinks in his hands as explanation for his absence. "Hey, Bella, glad to see you guys made it. Where's Edward?"

"Bathroom," I reply, leaning over to peer at the contents of his drinks. "What did you get?"

"Some frozen wine bullshit for Alice," he shrugs, handing said drink to its owner. "A beer for me - although it's some froufrou microbrew shit. Damn hipster fucking restaurant." Tilting the cup to his lips, Jasper murmurs curiously, "Now, what is it that you almost lost, babe?"

Alice scowls at his persistence and looks to me for help, eyes widening in alarm. I wave at her flippantly, communicating through my expression that it's fine to tell Jasper what we were talking about.

"Edward's been very touchy-feely with our girl Bella here," Alice murmurs, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "I almost died at the sight. They are so stinking yummy."

"Yummy, " Jasper smirks. "How cute."

"Please," I drone. "Ignore her. She's as emotionally mature as she is tall."

Alice scowls. "My height has nothing to do with this, and you know it."

"So," Jasper murmurs, mercifully redirecting the conversation. "You guys are good, then? You guys talked it out?"

"Yeah," I swallow, tugging at the hem of my romper as I mull over what to say. "We talked. We're good, I think."

"You think?" Jasper's brows raise.

I open my mouth to explain and then close it. This is his friend, not mine. He's nice, but ... I'm still wary of what I tell him. There is no loyalty here; no guarantee that what's said stays between us.

That alone gives me pause.

I know, begrudgingly, how I feel about him, but everything is still all muddled. I don't know how to communicate that without giving too much away. I feel backed into a corner, and I have no idea how to proceed.

Luckily, Edward steps into our circle and puts the breaks on this uncomfortable conversation. His eyes volley from me to Jasper, to Alice as he frowns pensively.

"What are you guys talking about?"

I open my mouth, ready to spew out some nonsense in order to change the subject, but Jasper beats me.

"You," Jasper smirks, and I want to slap him.

What the fuck?

What the hell does he think he's doing?

Edward doesn't seem to be bothered as he slides his arm around my waist and tugs me against his side. "All good things, I hope."

I need to put an end to this. I need to redirect. To distract.

I throw out a Hail Mary.

"Hmm, not likely," I jest, wiggling my fingers against the dip in his waist - where he's most ticklish. Okay, I'll admit, it's a dirty move, but I have to do something to distract him from Jasper's treachery.

Edward jerks and twists away from me in response. His nose wrinkles in disdain as he slaps my hand away from him. He definitely did not enjoy that.

I shrug, nowhere near apologetic.

This is just another win in my book. Another successful diversion. I should get paid for this.

And then, because he has it out for me for some reason, Jasper has to go and ruin it. "You two are cute," he drawls, eyes glittering mischievously as he observes our interaction.

Really?

Here I was thinking Alice's blabbermouth was going to be the problem. Little did I know her reformed, sex fiend of a boyfriend is who I should have been worried about all along.

Figures.

I start to open my mouth to put an end to his obnoxious behavior but am silenced by Edward's heavy arm dropping onto my shoulders. "You think so?" He replies, humor coloring his tone. Why the hell is he playing into this? Can't he tell he's goading him? I didn't think Edward was that obtuse, but now ... I'm not so sure.

I don't know why all of this is making me so anxious. Maybe it's because I feel like we've made a bit of headway. Edward's opened up. He doesn't appear to be hiding what's going on with us. We're making progress. Progress I didn't entirely expect.

Yet, my earlier revelation, combined with the uncertainty of our situation, is fraying my nerves.

Can we be seated already? I'd like for this conversation to be over.

"Oh, yeah," Jasper smirks mirthfully. "You think so, too, right, Alice?"

Alice, who has been quietly observing us this whole time, looks to me, bottom lip trapped between her teeth. I'm sure she can see the panic in my eyes. She knows this is killing me. But, with a tilt of her head and a twitch of her lips, she betrays me. "So cute."

How the fuck dare she.

Jasper, looking smug as shit, completely disregards the murderous glare I send him and continues the torture. "So," he drawls, and, boy, is he loving this. I want to throw my arms up into the air beseechingly. Why me? Why won't he shut up? Please, make him shut up. "Are you guys a couple now or what?"

My stomach plummets.

This motherfucker.

Heat crawls up my body, coloring my face. I'm not usually a violent person - that role is reserved for Angela - but, at this moment, I want to kill him. I can picture it vividly in my mind. It would be so, so satisfying.

I can feel Edward's eyes on me. They add to the sizzle of heat on my cheeks, neck, and chest. He's quiet for a moment, thoughtful. His silence makes me want to jump off a bridge. It's killing me.

I shoot a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. I can't resist. His lips are pursed, looking so very kissable, yet devastating at the same time. Devastating because he can ruin me right now with a single word.

My throat constricts in a swallow as my heart thrums erratically.

"Yeah," Edward says finally, and the breath I'd been holding noisily whooshes past my lips. "I think I'd commit murder if another guy tried to touch Bella. So, yeah, I think that makes her my girlfriend."

Ho-ly shit.

Did he just say that?

I think he just said that.

I'm his girlfriend?

I'm his fucking girlfriend.

Edward Masen's fucking girlfriend.

"That all right with you?" Edward murmurs lowly, jostling me out of my stunned musings.

I'm speechless. His declaration has rendered me absolutely speechless. And now he's asking if I'm okay with it? Of course, I'm fucking okay with it!

I clear my throat and swallow, trying to find my voice. "Uh, yeah," I warble. "Yeah, that's ... um ... that's fine with me."

Nailed it.

If he notices the emotion clogging my voice, he doesn't address it. Instead, his lips tug up into a soft smile as he presses his forehead to mine.

Okay, so, maybe we are cute.


Well, well, well! Anyone see this coming? Can't wait to hear what you guys think!

See you all next week!

xo

j