Some of you are quite frustrated with Edward. I get it, I do. But he'll stop being a complete idiot soon. at least for the time being. xD

You guys make me a better writer, I swear, and I can't thank you enough. As well as my team which includes Fran, Jill, Ariel, and Pearly. All my love.

xxx


-72-

"I hope you like Thai food," Bella says, opening her fridge to grab a bottle of Corona.

I can't help it, my eyes light up like a fucking little kid, and I'm about two whole seconds away from giving her full-on grabby hands.

"You remembered the kind of beer I drink," I say with the same level of awe that one would say, "my child just took their first steps."

"What kind of bartender would I be if I didn't?" She grins, using a bottle opener that's screwed to the side of her counter, to pop the cap off before she hands it to me. The mist that swirls out from the top makes my mouth water, and the bottle is cool on my lips when I tip it back.

"My mom always said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Bella turns as she talks, sliding a drawer open and grabbing a knife to chop the vegetables. "Dad said it was with an ice-cold beer," she turns to look at me over her shoulder, pointing the tip of the knife in my direction. "I say it's through the chest with a very sharp knife."

I sputter on my mouthful of beer, only barely catching it from spraying all over her kitchen. A chill skates down my spine, the alert of danger going off in my brain, but one look at her tells me she's kidding. Her laughter is loud—and honestly a little musical—but it would be more maniacal if she were a killer, right?

"In my opinion, it's a mixture of all of that. As well as a good, if a bit morbid, sense of humor and a pussy that makes him cry with how good it is," she turns back to her task, slicing shallots and peppers, and honestly, who gives a fuck what else she's slicing?

What the fuck is happening here? Her perfect mouth just said the word pussy, and my cock is not exactly gonna allow us to roll over that.

"Uh, well...fuck, can't argue with that logic," I laugh nervously, my free hand gripping the back of my neck.

"So what about you?" She asks, tossing the ingredients she's been chopping into a wok that's been heating on the stove.

It steams and sizzles, almost instantly filling the kitchen with the smell of garlic, onion, ginger, and spice.

"What about me?"

"How do you win your way into women's hearts?"

"I...don't, really. I guess when I do, I start with being exceptionally clumsy, ruining her date so I can get her on one with me instead, and maybe a small side of stalker-ish tendencies," I hold my index finger and thumb close together to emphasize my point.

Bella drops the knife in the sink, adding a few more ingredients to the wok and swirling them around.

"You're too fucking cute," she glances up at me while she cooks.

I don't think I've ever been called cute before. It makes my stomach flutter in a weird way.

"Is it working?" I ask.

"Is what working?"

"Winning my way into your heart."

She freezes, leaning over to grab my hand and pull me closer to where she's cooking. The heat in the room shifts, but with the look she's giving me, I'm not entirely sure it's coming from the stove. Reaching her hand up, she places it where my jaw meets my neck, that delicious pulse point that's hammering away just for her. The way she pulls me down to her is a little rough, but the kiss she places on my lips is so fucking soft it makes my heart clench. I only get a slight tease of her tongue before she releases me, her hand running down my chest instead.

"Yeah, Edward. It's definitely working."


Would it work for you? ;)