AN: Gentleman Edward makes an appearance and Bella is fooling herself.

As always, thank you to MeteorOnAMoonlessNight, Midnight Cougar and ghostreader24 for their help.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight but this Edward is mine

Deceit and Destiny Chapter 3

Half an hour later, I realized that the hotel was farther away than I thought. My feet were hurting again and I couldn't walk another step without resting them for a minute. I sank onto one of the many benches just in front of the stores that lined the street.

"I love these shoes, but my feet really wish I'd worn flats." I groaned as I slipped my shoes from my feet and wiggled my toes.

Edward crouched down in front of me, lifted each foot in turn, and rubbed my instep and massaged my toes.

I leaned back and groaned in pleasure. "You're definitely in the wrong job, Edward."

His light laughter echoed out into the night. "Nah." He grinned. "I like babies too much, and they don't often need foot massages."

After a few minutes, my feet were feeling a lot better, but I dreaded putting my shoes back on.

"Come on, it's not far now." He patted my foot.

When I complained again, he turned and crouched in front of me. "Hop on, Bella. I'll give you a piggy-back the rest of the way."

I protested, but at his insistence, I straddled his back and hooked my arms around his neck, linking my hands in front with my shoes dangling from my fingers. When he stood, my legs gripped him tightly around the waist and his hands settled under my butt. Unfortunately, that only made me aware of where his hands were and that my dress had ridden up. My face heated, and I was sure he could hear the hitch in my breathing because he lifted my body a little more and moved his hands so they were under my thighs instead.

I could feel the heat of his back through the two thin layers of material separating our flesh, and I could also feel him swallow where my hands were linked.

"Hold on, spider monkey," he said, taking off at a steady lope in the direction of my hotel. All too soon, we reached the front doors, and he allowed me to slip down his back to the ground, holding on to my arm until I was steady on my feet.

I stood in front of him, fumbling with the straps on my shoes, not looking at him. I didn't want to say goodnight. "Edward—"

"Bella—"

Edward ran his hands through his hair, and I marveled that I already knew it was his go-to action when he was nervous or unsure.

"Go on, Edward," I urged.

"Well, I really like you, Bella, and I don't expect anything from you except a little of your time. I'm heading back to San Francisco on Sunday, and I'd like to take you out tomorrow, if you'd like that. I could show you around Hollywood, and I know of a few of the smaller, less busy beaches along the coast. Maybe have some lunch?"

I hesitated for a moment, second-guessing my actions. Wanting to get rid of the look of disappointment on his face, I decided it couldn't hurt—it was a day out with a new friend, I justified to myself.

"That sounds great. I'd love to, Edward. We're all here until Wednesday, so I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind if I deserted them for just one day."

The smile I'd come to love already beamed from his face. "Thank you, Bella. I'll pick you up at ten? Or is that too early, considering it's nearly 4 a.m.?"

"No, that's fine. Ten o'clock is perfect."

I smiled up at him as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "You'll need something a little warmer than that beautiful dress, though."

"Why, where are we going?"

"You'll have to wait and find out. I'll see you at ten."

"I'm sure I can find something appropriate. Goodnight, Edward. Thank you for the lovely evening."

I could feel his eyes on me as I made my way over to the bank of elevators. When one opened, I stepped inside and turned to find Edward still waiting. He raised a hand to me, then disappeared from my sight as the elevator doors closed.

Jess had left a light on in the lounge, but when I peeked into her room, she seemed to be fast asleep. I quietly closed the door and slipped into the bathroom where I had a quick shower, leaving washing my hair until the morning. I brushed my teeth and changed into sleep shorts and a cami. After drawing the curtains closed, I slid in between the cool bed sheets, knowing Jess would undoubtedly wake me early to get all the details. I fell into a dreamless sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

~ oOo ~

I jerked awake at the feel of Jess bouncing onto my bed. "Bella, Bella, wake up. Come on, I want to know exactly what happened last night. Where did you go? Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him?"

I groaned and shoved my pillow over my head. "Jess, Jess, can you at least wait until my eyes are open?" I moved it slightly so she'd hear me. "I need coffee before I'll tell you anything." Opening one eye, I glanced at the clock seeing it wasn't yet eight and flopped back down with a groan. "What happened to sleeping late; we're on vacation."

Ignoring my whining, she bounced back off the bed and disappeared through the open door. I could hear her on the phone ordering coffee and breakfast, so I burrowed back under the covers, drifting off for another few minutes.

All too soon, she was back. "Come on, Bella, I've called the others and they'll be here in around ten minutes, so get in that shower now." She pulled the covers off and pulled me out of bed, pushing me toward the bathroom.

"All right, all right. There's not much to tell anyway, Jess."

"Stop complaining. Enquiring minds want to know."

I took my time in the bathroom, a delicious shiver of anticipation running down my spine knowing that Edward would be calling for me in a couple of hours. Excitement ran through my body and butterflies took flight in my belly. I felt disloyal but shook away the guilt at enjoying Edward's company. I took my time washing and conditioning my hair and shaved what needed to be shaved. I didn't intend to do anything. Being well-groomed always made me feel confident and good about myself.

I could hear the voices of the girls out in the other room as I took the dryer to my hair to try to tame it. I selected a pair of lightweight denim Bermuda shorts from my closet, and paired them with a dark blue top with a boat neckline and capped sleeves. With the thought that Edward would be taking me to at least one beach, I put on a dark blue bikini underneath but added clean underwear to a small backpack. Slipping my feet into my old Chucks, even though I knew Alice would have a fit, I wandered out into the lounge area.

"Here she comes," Jess sang out. She held out a mug of coffee and shifted over on the sofa, patting the seat beside her. I sat and sipped at the hot beverage, sighing as the ambrosial liquid slid down my throat, infusing my system with caffeine. A memory of sitting in the café with Edward last night appeared in my mind, and I could feel a huge smile form on my face.

"Oh, look at that smile, girls." Alice was hopping up and down in her seat, clapping her hands.

I rolled my eyes at her exuberance. "Alice, nothing happened. We danced a lot, I know, then we went to a café for iced coffee, which extended into more coffee and a pastry. Then he walked me home."

"That can't be all, Bella. I saw the way he was looking at you. He spent the whole evening with you and ditched his friends. Did he kiss you?"

"Let her be, Alice. If she says nothing happened, then we should accept that, shouldn't we? There's nothing else, is there, Bella?" Angela looked over at me, and I saw that little crease form on her forehead.

"Ang, he kissed me on the forehead; that's hardly romantic, and I'm sure he was just being friendly."

Despite my protests, I knew that it could be something more, but there was no way I was letting my mind go there. It was a simple friendship, and he was just being nice.

"Well, there was certainly some chemistry on that dancefloor, Bella. You can't tell me there wasn't," Jess protested. "If he didn't kiss you, then did you kiss him?"

"Jess, I told you already, nothing happened. I kissed him on the cheek to wish him a happy birthday for today. He's taking me out and showing me a few places here in L.A. and along the coast. Just as friends," I warned, but no one appeared convinced. "Look, girls, he comes from San Francisco and he'll be going back tomorrow, so friendship is all that's on offer. I know you, Jess, and you, Alice, would like it to be more, but I'm married to Jake, in case you'd forgotten."

There was a part of me that hungered for something else too. The chemistry and energy between us was off the charts, but I buried that feeling deep down. He lived in San Francisco and I lived in Port Angeles. End of story!

"Oh. My. God. You're going out today? Alone?" Alice did that usual high-pitched squeal that always came out when she was excited by something.

I put down the cup. "That's enough, Alice. It's totally innocent and nothing has happened, nor will it. Now, I hope you don't mind me deserting you for the day; I'm sure you can find something to do. I'll see you later today."

Angela seemed mollified by my insistence that it was just an outing between friends, but the look on Jess's face told me she didn't believe me. Alice pouted, but seemed to accept my assurances. With breakfast over, Angela and Alice left to get their beach gear together, leaving me alone with Jess.

"You want it to be something more though, don't you, Bella?" she asked quietly. "No matter what you say, I know you're not happy with Jake. Just please be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt, but I'm here to talk if you need to; you know that, right?"

I swallowed around the lump in my throat and hid behind the cup until I could control my voice. "I'm fine, Jess. Thanks for looking out for me, and I promise that if I need to talk, you'll be the first one I'll come to."

She sighed, but didn't say anything more about Edward. "Okay. I'm just going to get a shower and get ready. If I'm not out by the time you leave, just bang on the door and let me know you're going."

Left alone in the lounge, I filled my cup again and checked the time. I still had around forty minutes until Edward arrived, so I grabbed my phone and opened the doors out onto the balcony. The day was already fairly warm and I was hoping for a short time at a beach. I finished my drink and spent ten minutes on the phone talking to Connor. That was as long as I could keep his attention since he had a better offer of a day of fishing with my dad. I returned to the bedroom to add sunscreen, a hat, and a towel to my backpack.

By that time, it was getting close to ten, so I pulled on a lightweight denim jacket, then rapped on Jess's door to let her know I was off. I slipped my backpack over my shoulder, and made my way along the hallway to the elevator, wiping my slightly sweaty hands down the denim covering my thighs.

There was no reason for me to be nervous, but I couldn't get rid of the butterflies of anticipation inside me. It made me realize just how far removed from Jake I'd become, and although I loved my son to the moon and back, I couldn't say I felt the same about his father. I wasn't even sure I'd ever loved him the way I should.

Nevertheless, I was looking forward to today, and I was determined that thinking about my relationship would have to take a back seat for now. It would be something that I'd have to look at much more closely when I returned home.

Jess was right, I wasn't as happy as I should be, as I could be.

Down in the lobby, I looked at my watch and slipped inside the small gift shop in reception. I didn't overthink things and found a small present the assistant wrapped for me. Then, grabbing a bottle of water from the bar, I took a seat in the reception area while I waited for Edward to arrive. At exactly ten, a motorbike pulled up outside the doors.

I'd always admired bikes, and Jake had found and repaired a couple of old ones, which we used to ride along the back road of La Push. Of course, getting pregnant put a stop to that even quicker than Dad would have done if he'd found out.

I swooned a little when the man sitting astride it took off his helmet and revealed himself to be Edward. He was wearing board shorts and a band T-shirt covered by a dark denim jacket.

Eagerly, I stepped outside the doors into the bright sunshine and let out a squeal of excitement that would have put Alice to shame; I was just glad she wasn't there to hear it.

"Wow, Edward, I love it. It's been years since I was on a bike."

He smiled widely at my exuberance. "Good morning, beautiful." His velvet voice washed over me, and any nervousness I'd felt disappeared. "You've ridden? I was hoping you'd be okay with a bike ride. It's a great way to ride the Pacific Coast Highway. Is that okay? Are you ready to go?"

When I nodded and slipped on my backpack, he handed me a helmet. I slung my leg over the seat and pulled the helmet over my head, tucking my hair inside. I wasn't quite sure what to do with my hands and just rested them on Edward's waist. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the girls behind the glass doors, two of them with thumbs up and Angela frowning in that way she had when she wasn't happy with something. I shook it off as Edward's beautiful voice broke into my thoughts.

"You'll have to hold on a bit tighter than that." His voice was muffled by his helmet, but he grabbed hold of my hands and drew them right around his waist until they met over his belt buckle. "You okay back there?" He looked over his shoulder, and I nodded as he switched the engine on.

With my body so close to his, I had a difficult time concentrating on anything but the feel of my legs gripping tightly around his hips and my hands on the T-shirt covering his rock-hard abs. Even his distinctive scent invaded my nose as I leaned my forehead against his back. I could feel every move his muscles made as he skilfully wove through the mid-morning traffic and out of town. My whole body was humming, and the fleeting thought of how it would feel skin to skin crossed my mind.

Even if either of us had wanted to say anything, there was no way to be heard above the rushing wind, but every now and then, his hand covered mine and squeezed lightly letting me know he was aware of me behind him. With my heart thumping in my chest, I wondered if he could feel it, too.

~ oOo ~