Thank you everyone for the reviews and all the attention this story is getting. It makes me so happy!

Please.

Edward read Bella's reply and was out of bed before he registered he had moved.

He made too much noise in the garage, because right when he located the keys to his new Volvo, Felix joined him.

"I've got it," Edward said hurriedly. He could hear the desire dripping from his voice.

"You're taking the car?"

"Felix, I can do it." He went to the silver car, opening the door.

"Uh, you're wearing only sweatpants, sir."

"Bring me a t-shirt. Hurry. And shoes!" he called after Felix. "This century!"

When Felix returned two minutes later, even though it felt like a lifetime for Edward, he kept staring at his employer curiously.

"Is there an emergency? Let me drive," he insisted.

"Go back to sleep," Edward said, getting inside the car.

He was too consumed with his need for Bella to allow the fear bubbling inside him to come to the surface.

He drove carefully, parking in the alley behind the pub, the only free spot. He rushed inside, scanning the place for Bella.

She was standing between two men who looked about to start a brawl. Her palms were on each of their chest, while she chided them for their behavior. Then, the man who'd told him Bella had the day off on Saturday approached the situation.

Bella spun on her heel, ready to head to the bar, but she noticed Edward in the middle of the room. Her mouth dropped, and her cheeks pinked.

Edward smirked, walking to her. "Tell your boss you're not feeling well, and that I'm taking you home."

Bella tried to protest, but no words came out.

"Everything okay, Bella?" The man in question came by her side.

"My ride is here," she told him.

"I thought you called Jacob. Who's he?"

"Give it a rest, Gary." She took Edward's hand, walking outside.

"Wait, you're really not feeling well?" he checked.

She giggled. "Your email did quite the number on me. Gary noticed how flushed I was and demanded I go home and rest."

"And you called Jacob." Edward didn't even try to hide his displeasure at the news.

"Actually, I was mustering up the courage to call you when Pick and Pock decided to spill their blood on the dance floor."

Edward laughed loudly. "So, you want to come over?"

"This is not a yes to all of it. It's a yes to your email. I want you to show me."

Edward pushed her against the wall in the alley where he'd parked his car. He caught her gasp with his lips, as he descended for a kiss. He licked at her lips, slowly parting them, tasting the sweetness of her mouth.

Bella's hands went into his hair, as she threw herself into the kiss, moaning loudly.

"Is that a yes to showing me?" she asked breathlessly when Edward pulled away.

"Since I'm stepping all over my rules, might as well do it thoroughly, right?" He led her to his car.

"You made Felix wait for you this whole time?"

He was surprised she remembered his driver's name. "No. He's home."

Bella stared at him incredulously.

"What? Mind over matter," Edward joked uneasily.

She giggled nervously.

Edward opened the passenger door, smiling at her.

"You want me to drive?" she asked, confused.

He rolled his eyes. "Has no one treated you right? I'm opening the door for you."

"Oh. Wow." She pinched his arm, making him curse. "Sorry, I had to make sure you're real."

"Wasn't that kiss real enough for you?"

"Actually, it felt like a dream. I had no idea…" she trailed off, blushing horribly.

"The dream has just began, Isabella."

She shivered violently, stepping into the car.

The tension was palpable on the way to his house. Edward was aware of Bella's shallow breathing and her fresh freesia scent. He only glanced at her once when he checked for traffic on her side.

He parked in front of the garage, keeping his hands on the steering wheel.

"You okay?" Bella checked in a soft voice.

"Come." Edward got out of the car. Bella met him in front of it, and he steered her toward the front door with a hand behind her back. After he punched in the alarm code to activate it again, he pushed Bella against the door. "I'm going to fuck you all night."

"Oh, my God," she moaned. Her hands went to the hem of his t-shirt.

Edward took a step back, grimacing. He wasn't ready for a mood-killer conversation about how being touched without his permission made his skin crawl.

He decided in that moment that the lights would stay out for tonight. No need for Bella's questions regarding the scars on his chest and back.

He took her hand, before she could read too much in his actions. "Quietly," he whispered, pulling her after him.

"It's so odd that your people live here," she giggled.

"Shhh!"

"Where are we going?"

"My room. Tonight, you get a taste of what you could have every day."

"Mmmm…hurry." She squeezed his hand. "If it's as good as that email…"

"Much better," he promised.

He closed the door of his room softly, walking Bella backwards to the bed, all the while kissing her delicious lips. She moaned, tugging at his hair.

"Please. I don't think I've ever been this turned on."

He chuckled, reaching behind his back to tug his shirt off, and then he pulled his sweatpants down his legs.

"Fuck! You had no underwear on this whole time?" Bella groaned, falling back on the bed.

"I was trying to sleep when I got your answer."

"Sorry?" She didn't sound sorry at all, as she lifted up on her elbows, biting her lip.

"Do you have any idea how desirable you are?"

"Show me."

He made quick work of her clothes, then after holding her eyes in the dark room, he leaned down to lick at the column of her neck. Bella bit into her fist, barely stifling the loud moan that escaped her lips.

Smirking, Edward reenacted his words from the email to the letter. Bella's reactions were much more than he'd expected. She was wild with need, thrashing under him, her hair a mess, her eyes wide and sparkling with desire.

When Edward filled her for the first time, he realized it had never felt so right with anyone before. His arms went under her armpits, holding her tightly against his chest, moving his hips hard and fast.

Bella gasped out his name along with all deities above, crying out broken words, as he pushed her over the edge – three times – before he couldn't hold his release anymore and emptied in the condom.

"Fuck," he gasped against her neck.

He couldn't find the will to move away. Not yet.

They lay there in silence for what felt like an eternity, before he got up to throw away the condom and bring a wet towel to clean her. She was already half asleep, so he cleaned her slowly so as not to wake her.

Then, he got in bed, staring at Bella sleeping peacefully.

Edward had expected a myriad of feelings at seeing a woman asleep in his bed. Someone who wasn't Angela. But the only feeling was the one of content.

The first thing Edward became aware of when he woke up was of fingers running down his back. He winced, rolling onto his side away from the hand touching him. Outside, it was still dark, and Bella was smiling sleepily at him.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to wake you," she whispered.

"Why are you awake?" He frowned, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. It felt like he'd just fallen asleep.

"I was wondering if you wanted me here in the morning? Or should I go home?"

Edward closed his eyes, groaning softly. "You think too much." He rolled on top of her. "Sleep."

Bella stroked her fingers through his hair, lulling him back to dreamland.

Next time Edward opened his eyes, he was surprised to find Bella sprawled on the bed, her wild hair covering half of her face. It looked like it had tangled up during their activities. He chose to let her sleep longer, no need to subject her to his early morning routine.

He decided to skip his morning run, because Bella was likely to panic if he left her alone. After a shower, he went to make coffee.

While the coffee brewed, he popped the bread into the toaster. When it came up, it was burnt beyond being edible.

"Maybe you should tell me what you want for breakfast." Tanya's voice from behind him startled him.

Edward turned to her slowly. "Some toast would be nice."

"You set it too high," she explained, pointing to the gear he'd rolled to five. She moved it to two.

"I'll be back to get the toast." Edward grabbed the two cups of coffee, ignoring Tanya's curious looks.

Bella was sitting up in the middle of the bed, her hair even wilder if possible, the bedsheet clutched to her chest. She met his eyes, when he stepped into the room, footing the door shut.

"Good morning," he smiled warmly.

"I thought you'd left," she mumbled.

"I made coffee." He placed the mugs on his nightstand. "Did you sleep well?" He sat next to her, watching her carefully.

"There are muscles I had no idea existed that hurt," she mumbled.

"It gets better."

Bella caught her lower lip between her teeth. "I'm not so sure…"

She didn't have to explain it, because he knew what she meant. "I wasn't convincing enough last night?" he teased, afraid of the outcome.

Bella looked out the window, lost in thought. Edward couldn't look away. She was so beautiful.

"It was all an illusion. You gave me what I wanted, but we both know I can't give you what you want."

There was a knock on his door. Probably Tanya with the toast.

Edward rushed to the door, opening it a crack, enough to take the plate, then he closed it in her face. As discreet as Tanya was, she'd have questions for sure. He placed the plate next to the cups of coffee, sitting back next to Bella.

"You need that…what you do. I mean, after your email…it makes sense," she whispered, still looking out the window. "I can't give you that."

"You gave me much more last night."

"Let's say this satisfies you for a period of time, but it won't last. It's part of you." She turned to face him, her chocolate brown eyes swarming in tears.

The last thing Edward wanted was to see her crying. He cupped her cheek, leaning closer. "You're wrong. I wouldn't have tried so hard if I wasn't sure of what I needed. And what I need is you in my life."

She stared at him in disbelief. "If I change my mind about this? If I want that?"

"I'll be happy to show you."

"Are you sure you can have a normal relationship?" A nervous laugh left her lips. "Not like I know what that is."

He smiled, pressing his lips to hers. "We'll learn together. Now, stop talking about escaping me, because you're not going anywhere, Bella."

"I have to go home. Harley's probably wondering if I abandoned him."

"After we have breakfast, I'll drop you home on the way to my office," he promised.

"You'll drive again?" She leaned over the bed to grab a cup of coffee. "Do you have a preference?"

Edward stared transfixed at the scar covering her left side.

"Edward?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Which one is yours?"

"The black mug." He kept his eyes on the long, never fading scar. There was a tattoo above it that made a shiver ran down his spine.

"Stop. Please," she begged, rearranging the bedsheet around her body, holding the red mug with both hands. "I got this during that bike accident. It was a close one, I told you."

"Christ." He shook his head. He reached over to put her coffee safely back on the nightstand, and then he wrapped his arms around her. He pushed away the bedsheet, and pressed his lips to the base of the scar on her hipbone. Slowly, he made his way up, kissing the proof she was still alive, even though she'd been in a terrible accident.

"What are you doing?"

Edward shook his head, not ready to tell her more about his life. Not when he felt so vulnerable.

When his alarm for getting ready for work buzzed, he pulled away reluctantly. They had breakfast in silence, and then while Bella took a shower and untangled her hair, Edward got dressed.

He took the plate and mugs back to the kitchen. "Thanks," he told Tanya, who was wiping the otherwise spotless counter.

"It's part of my job to keep you alive," she laughed.

"You've done a superb job these past few months." He cupped her shoulder. "Let me know when you want some time off to visit your sister."

"After seeing you burn toast, I'm afraid to leave you alone," she said playfully.

"Hey, I'm not that bad."

She gave him an incredulous look, then her eyes widened, focusing on something over his shoulder.

Edward spun around to see Bella tying her shirt under her breasts. It looked ripped, and Edward felt bad, for it might be his fault. Bella stopped short when she noticed Tanya.

"I think you owe me a new shirt," she mumbled, blushing scarlet.

"Tell Felix to get the car ready," Edward told Tanya, before pulling Bella back to his room. "Like you complained," he teased.

"Well, I'm complaining now."

Edward opened his walk-in closet's doors, and as a last minute decision, he opted for one of his band t-shirts. He had intended to give Bella one of Angela's blouses, but that would trigger too many questions.

Bella turned her back to him, throwing her ripped shirt to the floor, before tugging his over her head. It was so long it covered her short skirt. She knotted it to the side.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Let's go before I decide to ditch today."

"What would the boss say?"

He missed her sarcasm, in a hurry to put some distance between them, before he decided to ravish her all over again.

"I am the boss, Bella."

"Yeah, then maybe you should allow yourself to ditch work."

He wasn't ready to read too much into her words. "I've missed too much work already." He led the way outside, barely acknowledging Tanya, who was watching him as if he'd grown another head.

Felix had the back door of the Caddy open. His eyes moved from Bella to Edward, but he kept his face composed.

Inside the car, Edward took Bella's hand, squeezing it.

"We're dropping Bella at home. I hope you remember the address," he told Felix.

"Yes, sir."

Bella fidgeted beside him, looking at their linked fingers.

"What?" he whispered, bringing their clasped hands to his mouth to kiss the back of her hand.

"I'm scared this isn't going to work."

"Let's see what happens, and if you're afraid of the other thing…I might have a solution."

"You'll have someone else who satisfies you like that on the side?" Her wide eyes met his.

"Don't be absurd, Bella! Let me think about this."

"Okay." She turned her focus out the window.

In front of her building, Edward kissed her slowly. "I hope you had fun last night."

"I might come back for seconds." The corner of her mouth lifted up.

"You know where to find me."

Ten minutes into the drive to work, Felix cleared his throat, meeting Edward's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Since when are you so nosy?" Edward snapped.

"I've never seen that love-sick puppy look on your face, sir."

"Fuck off. Watch the road."

Thoughts?

Who loves Felix? I sure do.