I checked on Charlie before I went upstairs. He looked over at me and lifted a corner of his mouth. I grinned in return and ran up to my room. Edward was stretched out on my bed, his feet hanging over the edge. He raised himself slowly when I clicked the door shut behind me. There was an odd emotion playing across his flawless face.

"How long have you been here?" I asked, suddenly worried that he heard my conversation with Charlie. I glanced over at the window in my room that overlooked the front yard.

He confirmed my fears. "He loves you, Bella."

I walked across my room and plopped down next to him on my bed. "I know."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and drew me close. I allowed him to pull me into his lap and bury his face into my hair. He turned his head to the side so his cheek was resting on top of my head. "I love you too."

I sighed happily and let myself go limp in his embrace. He lowered his lips to my ear and nipped at it playfully. "I heard you went bowling."

I squeaked and then buried my face into Edward's chest in embarrassment.

He chuckled and I felt my heart soar.

After I felt the blood drain out of my features, I pulled my face out of his chest, "So, it's an established fact that my bowling experience was unfruitful," -I smiled- "but what about your hunting trip?" I raised my eyes to his face and gazed into his golden eyes, which were lighter than I'd ever seen them before. Those were answer enough.

He leaned over suddenly and I felt his cold lips on my forehead. I stroked one of the arms that were wrapped around me with the back of my hand. Edward pulled his head away and proceeded to rest his head on top of mine. I closed my eyes. Being with Edward was always bliss.

"I suppose I should arrive for real now." I felt his jaw move on my head. I remembered that to Charlie, Edward still wasn't in the house yet.

"Alright, Edward," I said as he moved me off his lap, "but be fast."

He gave me a wicked smile before disappearing out my window. He'll show me fast, I thought, smirking.

Approximately nine minutes later, I heard Edward's Volvo pull up in front of my house. I ran to my window and saw him walk quickly across the yard to the shade of the porch- the sunlight was still strong enough to make his skin glisten. I sprinted down the stairs, losing my balance at the bottom and sliding down the rest of the way. I popped up and ran to the door. I heard Charlie call my name as I stumbled through the living room.

It was then that three solid knocks resonated throughout the house. I failed to slow down, and slammed into the door. Still pressed against it, I twisted the one dead-bolt in an effort let my Edward inside. He pushed open the door a little way and stuck his head into the house. I jumped back so he could open the door the rest of the way without flattening me.

"That sounded like it hurt," he said, once he'd stepped inside.

I shrugged and rubbed my arm absentmindedly. He laughed and I took him by the hand and led him back up to my room.

The second time we were shut inside my room together, Edward twirled me around and pressed his lips to mine. I resisted the urge to wrap myself around him, and kept the kiss polite. He pulled his lips away and skimmed his nose across my cheek. Then he guided me by the hand over to the rocking chair sitting in the corner of my room.

He sat down first, testing the piece of furniture with his weight and then pulled me to him. Our lips met again when I lowered myself onto his lap. He kissed me lightly, experimenting. I lifted my hand and brushed my finger-tips down his neck. Edward pressed his frigid hand over mine and smiled, temporarily breaking our kiss.

Then he kissed me again, more passionately than he ever had before. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck. He smiled again and I smiled back, I could feel his teeth on mine.

We continued like this, pushing the other's limits, trying to see how far it could go. I always held back in an effort to prevent too much temptation; Edward always held back in order to prevent breaking my bones.

The sun was beginning to set now, and the open window was permitting the rays to dance inside my room. I leaned away from Edward then, my arms still wrapped around his neck. I saw the last rays of the sun play against his face, causing it to have the same glistening appearance that I remembered so vividly from the day in the meadow.

I untangled one of my arms and ran a hand across the entrancing skin of his forehead. Before it completely crossed his brow, he grabbed my wrist lightly and pressed my hand to his cheek. I moved my other hand from behind his neck to his other cheek.

His perfect face was framed between my hands.

Edward placed his hands lightly on either side of my neck and leaned in to kiss me again on the lips. Before I could stop myself, I moved my hands up his shirt. My fingers flitted around his abs, circling each bulge of muscle. Edward's kisses on my lips and were replaced with a series of fluttering kisses to my jaw line. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

Edward's light kisses moved from my jaw onto my neck. I felt my eyelids flutter and my breath catch. I knew it was stupid to think he would do it in my bedroom with Charlie downstairs, but I couldn't prevent the thought from standing briefly in my mind before it got swept away by another series of kisses.

"Edward," I exhaled.

I could feel his smile on my neck. "I know. You love me."

"Yeah," I whispered breathlessly, "I do."

I pulled my arms out from under his shirt and smoothed out the fabric on his chest. Edward kissed me on top of the head once more, and then stood with me in his arms. He lowered me to the floor slowly and took a step back to examine me. His eyes moved from my bare feet up to my face, and then when he met my eyes, he smiled crookedly.

"What have we gotten ourselves into, Bella?" he asked, still staring at me.

"Trouble." I laughed weakly.

He chuckled and took a step closer to me. My heart rattled inside my rib cage.

"Are you hungry?"

The question caught me off-guard. The only answer I could manage was a small shrug.

"Of course you are," he said, closing the distance between us by taking another small step. "Let me take you somewhere."

"We can't just eat here?"

"Please, Bella," he said, brushing his fingers along my jaw. "Let me spoil you, just this once."

"You always spoil me."

"I do no such thing." He said this very unconvincingly.

"Uh-huh, sure." I rolled my eyes. "Well, let me get dressed then, if we're going out to eat."

"You look fine," he said earnestly.

"Please, Edward." I smiled. "For my sake."

He dropped his hand to his side and smirked. "You humans and your grooming habits."

"Thanks," I murmured acrimoniously, then ran to the bathroom to brush my hair.

I nearly yelped when I looked at myself in the mirror- my hair was a piled mess on the top of my head. I'd have to remember never to take Edward's comments regarding my appearance seriously in the future.

After I'd managed to get my hair stick-straight, I ran back into my room where Edward was sitting comfortably on my bed. He smiled and stood up when I entered the room. I held up one finger signifing to him that I was still not ready,and he sat back down, amused. I still had to change my clothes. I yanked open a drawer in my pine dresser and selected an outfit. I slipped on a navy blue tank top and my favorite pair of jeans. I pulled on a pair of shoes and then cleared my throat at Edward, who then retracted his politely averted gaze from the window and onto me. I was ready.

Edward flashed from my bed over to the door and pulled it open. I felt the weight of Edward's hands on my shoulders as we descended the stairs. I went to check on Charlie in the living room, but saw that it was vacant. During the time that Edward and I were upstairs, Charlie must have gone out. Knowing this made me much less guilty going out to eat.

"He went out to eat, too," Edward said, staring at the refrigerator. It was uncanny how he could echo my thoughts. I walked over to his side and read the post-it note stuck to the refrigerator door. It said he was going to Pacific Pizza with a few friends from work.

I left Charlie a note and stuck it on the refrigerator beside his own. Then Edward took me by the hand and led me to his car outside the house.

"So, where are you taking me?" I asked once I'd shut the door to his car.

"C'est Si Bon. It's in Port Angeles."

"In these clothes? Edward!" I screamed. "I can't go in this! That's no casual-dress restaurant!"

"Then we'll stop by my house to change."

"Edward," I pouted. I didn't want him to go out of his way for me, but I knew he enjoyed doing so.

"Alice already has an outfit picked out for you."

"Figures," I muttered, sinking lower into the seat.

"She actually made us reservations last week," he said, chuckling to himself.

After a time, I raised my eyes to him. Instead of watching the road, Edward was staring at me. When I realized this, I averted my eyes quickly. No need to show him that I was even starting to consider regarding this outing with pleasure.

When we left the paved road, I sat up straight in my seat. We were almost there. I turned to look out the passenger window. The trees were whipping by so fast that they looked like green blurs.

Finally, the trees lifted away and the Cullen mansion came into view. The moment I walked through the front door and into the wide open living area, Alice took possession of me. She guided me by the hand up the curving staircase.

When I stepped into Alice's immense bathroom, she pressed a dress against me. I took hold of it and held it away from me so I could take a good look at it. I could feel Alice beaming behind me.

"You like it?" she asked, standing on her toes to look over my shoulder.

"I love it, Alice!" I glanced back at her. "You knew I would."

The dress was a light pink and made of a silk chiffon fabric. I slipped into it quickly. The straps resting on my shoulders were very thin, hardly visible. The dress fell down to just below my knee and black lace climbed up the skirt.

Alice came up from behind me and wrapped a thin, black belt around my waist. Then she took me to a pink chair and sat me down. She began pulling back my hair. She hummed quietly as she worked. A few moments later, she allowed me to stand. She'd pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail that ran down the back of my neck.

Alice grinned up at me as I turned around to face her. Her image flickered. I blinked a few times in surprise, and then her image reappeared. She'd run and gotten a pair of simple, black dress shoes. My eyes followed the shoes as they swung back and forth, hanging off her finger.

I extended a hand towards them, but Alice pulled them away, grinning. "I'd suggest walking down the stairs without the shoes on." Then she laughed, her voice ringing through the bathroom, "Or I could carry you..."

"No!" I shouted, "I think I need to relearn how to use my legs after getting my cast off." Then I murmured, "But I guess it wasn't like I'd learned how to use them in the first place."

This sent Alice into a fit of laughter. "Either way, Edward probably wants you in one piece for dinner." I couldn't help but smile as she grabbed my hand again and led me down the stairs.

I looked down at Edward and Emmett from the top of the stairs; they were lounging on the couch. Edward stood up the moment I stepped onto the lower floor. In a second, he had his arms wrapped around me.

"You look beautiful," he said, planting a cold kiss on my forehead.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Of course, this was an understatement. He looked staggering. He was wearing a simple white collared shirt with a light grey jacket pulled over it.

Emmett was standing by then and was making his way slowly across the living area toward us. When he did reach us, he placed a hand on Edward's shoulder and the other on the top of my head. "You two have fun." He said smiling, eyes moving between the two of us. Edward mirrored his expression and then shrugged off his hand.

"We will." He surveyed Emmett's other hand, which was still on top of my head. "And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to get your hand off my date."

I felt the weight on the top of my head vanish. "I didn't know Edward had a sense of humor until you came along, Bella," he laughed.

I heard a low growl rise out of Edward's chest. Emmett merely chuckled and slapped Edward's back in a companionable gesture. I smiled at the exchange.

Then he flung his arm around Edward's shoulders and turned to face me. "You'll take good care of him for us, won't you, Bella?" he said, pointing a finger into Edward's chest. I saw Edward raise an eyebrow in Emmett's direction.

"Won't let him out of my sight." I answered, playing along.

"Well, now that we've got that settled..." Emmett exhaled in mock-relief.

"Right." Edward said and he rolled his eyes. He stepped away from Emmett and towards me. "Are you ready to go now?" He smiled softly down at me and affectionately tucked a nonexistent strand of hair behind my ear.

I felt Alice shove my shoes into my hands, I glanced down and them and nodded at Edward. After slipping them on my feet, I hooked my arm around his and we made our way outside.