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Disclaimer: Twilight's not mine.

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BPOV

Dimly, I heard a tapping, soft but persistent. I cracked my eyes. Edward's room was unfamiliar to me in the shaded morning light creeping around the closed shades. I felt the heat of him still curled around me. I was on my side and he was flush against my back, one arm draped heavily across my waist and his face buried in my hair.

There was the tapping again. Someone was at Edward's bedroom door. I glanced over my shoulder and saw he was still sleeping soundly. I was momentarily distracted by the beauty of his sleeping face. He looked younger, softer, like that boy in Hamlet again. His face was so peaceful, there was a whole level of anxiety and tension that he must carry all the time that was absent in sleep. I wished I knew what to do to make that face happen when he was awake.

Tap, tap. Someone wanted him. Maybe it was Sam and he was supposed to be someplace. Or it might be Maria, the housekeeper, who I'd met a few times this past week. I hated to wake him to answer it, so I slid carefully away from his body and free of his arm. He sighed a little and rolled onto his stomach, his arm splayed out where my body had been. I found my panties quickly at the foot of the bed where I remembered Edward stripping them off of me before he…well, better not think about that right before I answer the door. I was stuck about what else to put on. My dress was out. I settled on Edward's wrinkled tux shirt, laying in a pile on the floor near my dress. I stuffed my arms into the sleeves. There were no buttons, I realized. Of course not, I got confused when I got there last night, it had been shirt studs, not buttons. And those studs were long gone, scattered across the room when he ripped his shirt open…fuck… Stop! Inhaling deeply to clear my head, I wrapped his shirt closed across my front and clamped my arms across my waist to hold it there. Well, I was covered. It would have to do.

I hurried to the door and cracked it open to see Alice's black hair and sparkling blue eye staring back at me through the sliver. Her expression was a little wary, cautious, but not surprised to see me there. Until that moment, I hadn't considered how Alice might feel about this, me and her brother very decidedly blurring the lines of our arrangement. I got the feeling the night before that she was sort of throwing me at him, but maybe she didn't intend for me to tumble straight into bed with him. Just like all the others. Suddenly I worried that she might not approve of what I'd done, or worse, be angry with me.

"Um…hey Alice…" I managed to whisper.

She looked like she was working hard to keep her face smooth. "You weren't in the guest room, so I figured….The Harry Winston people will be here soon for the necklace."

"Oh! Right. One second," I closed the door softly and hurried to the piano to retrieve the expensive pile of jewelry discarded there. Edward was still sleeping. I ran to the door and slipped out into the hall, blushing a little at what a cliché I must look like, wearing nothing but Edward's tux shirt, my hair a God awful mess of ruined hair style and post-coital chaos, my makeup probably smudged all over my face.

I wordlessly handed the jewelry over to Alice.

"Um, Alice?" I began. She looked up at me, one little eyebrow cocked in response. "I'm…well, I don't know how you feel about, um…me and Edward…and this."

Her face softened and she smiled broadly, "Bella, it's great!"

"It is?"

"Yes!" she rolled her eyes at me. "Frankly I saw this coming a mile away."

"You did?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm just surprised you held out as long as you did. Edward can be very persuasive."

I blushed and looked down at my bare toes, thinking that "persuasive" was a completely inadequate word to describe what Edward could do, but I didn't say anything. There was a lot I wanted to say, a lot I was thinking and worrying about, but while Alice was my friend, she was also Edward's sister. So I couldn't exactly say that the fact that her brother was a man whore terrified me, that I was frantic that I wouldn't be enough to hold his attention, that he'd be lured away by the countless other women who wanted him, that I was already wondering how long I might reasonably hope to keep him before he moved on, that I wasn't even sure what to expect when he woke up this morning. No, I couldn't say any of that to her. She seemed to understand that, though and she merely reached out to squeeze one of my hands.

"You're good for him," she whispered.

I looked up at her, sure that my fear and anxiety must have been written all over my face, "I just hope I can be enough for him."

"Just be you. Don't worry about the rest."

I nodded and bit back the tears I felt hovering in my throat. It was almost what he had said to me last night. Just live in the moment, take what you can get and don't worry about the future. And that's what I would do.

"So," I said lightly, trying to shake off my gloom, "what was the word last night? Was I a disaster?"

Her face transformed, lit from within. "Oh, Bella!" she squealed, gripping my hand harder as she rose up on tip toe in her excitement, "You were a hit! The most talked-about woman of the night. Everybody loved your dress, your hair, everything! They raved. It was all over the news, all over the gossip shows and the red carpet coverage…all anyone talked about was you!"

I smiled, happy for her happiness. I was glad I could do her proud, because it was really her success. All I did was show up and not fall down.

"I'm so glad, Alice! You deserve it!"

"We deserve it. You inspired me. There's a ton of stuff you should see. I'll bookmark it online and we can look later. But not today. Edward's got nothing today. Nobody schedules anything major for right after the Oscars. So he's all yours. Enjoy!"

I blushed at her "gift" and all that she was implying, but I choked out, "Thanks."

Alice scampered down the hallway, the priceless Harry Winston trailing from her fingers. I slipped back into Edward's room and closed the door quietly behind me.

Edward was awake, lying on his side, propped up on one elbow. Christ, he was beautiful. The blanket covered his legs and hips, but his beautiful body from the waist up was exposed. He was so sculptural and flawless, his smooth skin taut over his gently toned muscles. His jaw was scruffy with the shadow of his beard, but it only served to give him a raw, dangerous edge. And damn, that hair. The sex hair was deadly enough when he was out of bed and fully dressed, but now, when he was naked and it really was sex hair…my knees felt freaking weak.

He watched me slip into the room with a slow, sexy grin spreading across his face.

"I woke up alone," he said, softly, "And I didn't like it."

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EPOV

Bella stood there leaning against the closed door looking like every goddamned sex fantasy I'd ever had come to glorious life. She was wearing nothing but my tux shirt, wrapped closed across her front, and she had one of her arms across her waist to hold it there. The shirt stopped mid thigh, exposing the rest of her long, creamy fantastic legs. Her hair was a beautiful mess, a dark, chaotic halo around her face, tumbling down over her shoulders and back. Her eye makeup was smudged, but it only served to make her eyes sultry and smoky.

I wasn't kidding when I said waking up alone made me unhappy. When I woke up and stretched my arm out, finding nothing but empty bed, my stomach fell, thinking Bella had changed her mind or regretted it and fled in the middle of the night. Then I'd heard low female voices in the hall and realized where she was and the flood of happy relief I felt was embarrassing.

"Alice," she said by way of explanation. She pushed off the door and walked slowly across the room, dropping her arm, letting the shirt fall open in front. A long pale sliver of her body was bared, and I caught a glimpse of her midnight blue panties flashing. I sucked in my breath sharply. Yeah, we were definitely headed for round two…soon.

"Apparently Harry Winston wants their necklace back," Bella shrugged and the shirt fell further open. I could see the swells of her breasts beginning. Last night definitely went too fast. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time on those. I planned to rectify that oversight immediately.

"Let them have their fucking necklace, as long as they leave what was inside of it. Come here," my voice was low and ragged with desire. She hopped up on the bed without hesitation, on her knees in front of me. Jesus. I was afraid I'd race through this encounter as well, I was so fucking desperate already.

I sat up and reached forward, grabbing her by the waist and yanking hard. She lost her balance and fell into me with a shocked little gasp. I turned her as she fell, so she was angled across my lap. I raised one hand and fisted it into her hair and crashed my mouth down onto hers. She moaned and softened against me, her arms snaking up around my neck, pulling my head down to meet her.

I slipped a hand around to her stomach and brushed the sides of the shirt out of my way, laying my palm flat across the smooth bare skin of her stomach. Her muscles trembled a little underneath my fingers. I loved how her body responded to my touch. I slid my hand up her ribs, letting my fingers dip into each little hollow as I made my way up until I was cupping her breast in my palm. I drew circles around it with my fingertips, closer and closer but not touching the center. Bella hissed against my mouth and arched her back towards me, begging me to touch her. I gave her what she wanted, but only for a moment, pinching her gently. She gasped.

I pushed on her hips to get her back on her knees before me. Grasping the back of one thigh, I swung her leg over me so she was straddling me, but still on her knees. I gripped her waist and pulled her forward, nudging aside my shirt with my nose. She started to shrug it off her shoulders but I reached up quickly to stop her.

"Don't. You wearing nothing but my shirt is the sexiest thing I've ever seen. I want you just like this."

I reached out with my tongue and licked her on her sternum right between her breasts. She sighed in anticipation and her head fell back, eyes closed. I went to work, first on one perfect breast, then the other. I covered every inch of her milky skin until she was fisting her hands in my hair and yanking hard, moaning and arching against me.

"Edward…" she whispered. I loved hearing her say my name like that. It was my new favorite sound.

I hooked my fingers into her panties and started to work them down. She had to shift off me for a moment to get them free, but then she swung her leg back over me again, straddling me. Now it was my turn to throw my head back and moan. The sensation ripped through me and my hands gripped her hips so hard I was afraid I might hurt her.

I whipped my hand out, searching for the drawer in the bedside table. I had to get inside of her, as soon as I could. I snatched a condom free and used my teeth to rip the package open. She pushed my face back and kissed me hard, pushing her tongue deep inside my mouth. I was fumbling blind trying to get the damned condom on, reaching around behind and underneath her, but I didn't want to move her for the world. She lifted her head and drew my bottom lip into her mouth, sucking and gently biting, and I moaned.

Finally, I was ready. I gripped her hips and pushed in. She cried out.

"Did I hurt you, baby?"

'N-no," she gasped, her eyes shut tight, her forehead against mine, "Oh, God, Edward…you feel so….good."

I pushed up into her once and her head fell back. I could feel the tips of her hair tickling my thighs. I knew this wouldn't take long. I was so ready.

We quickly found a rhythm with each other, both of us slightly sheened with sweat from the exertion. I could feel it starting to build inside me already. I wanted to hold on, but that was all it took for me, I was arching and gasping in my release. Involuntarily, my teeth found her skin, biting down on her shoulder. Then she was there with me, gasping my name and gripping my shoulders, rocking into me. Her spine gave out as she rode it out and she slumped boneless into my chest. I wrapped my arms tight around her ribcage, rocking us gently back and forth as we floated on our mutual euphoria.

She's mine.

I was swamped suddenly by the intensely possessive feeling. I did feel like she was mine, now that she was with me like this. Some women might have been able to be with me like this and then head straight to another man's bed, but not Bella. I felt like I knew her well enough by now to know this about her. No, if she was with me like this now, she wasn't with anyone else. So whatever there was or used to be between her and Jasper, it was over now, I was sure of it. Hell, maybe it had always just been some lingering ancient history between them. Who the hell knows? Whatever. He was her past, but I'm her present. Anyway, it was her future I was worried about now, our future.

Although I had about zero experience with how real, healthy relationships were supposed to work, some rational part of me knew I should probably get this all out there and talk about it, address it head on. We were supposed to talk. I was supposed to tell her how I felt about her, tell her I wanted her to be with me for real. But what the hell was I supposed to say? Spill my guts to her, tell her I'm in love with her and I want her to commit to a serious relationship with me?

That's a freaking joke. Me, asking her to commit to a serious relationship. Me, who's never even had one. Me, who's still terrified by the very thought of it, no matter how much I want it. Me, who's sure to screw it up. By anyone's estimation, even my own sister's, hell, even by my own, I was a very bad bet, a heartbreaker, a whore. I had absolutely nothing to offer her, no assurances I could make. If I were her, there's no way I'd get seriously involved with me. Sad, but true. I'd probably warn her to stay away from me if I didn't want her so desperately.

And I had no idea how she felt. Yes, I knew she wanted me. Yes, I knew the sex between us was unreal. But did she even want to be with me like that? Or was I just a fling for her, something fun and forbidden?

I knew I was being a little cowardly, not confronting her now that we'd taken this step. But if I laid it all out there now and she said no…I couldn't bear the thought of her walking away from me already. So right now all we had was sex. Lucky for me, I could do sex really well. Plus, I reasoned to myself, the deeper in we got like this, the longer we were together, the harder it would be for her to leave. So I'd take her like this and hope to God I could make her fall in love with me like I had with her.

The irony was not lost on me that it was I, Edward Cullen, who'd studiously avoided any woman ever laying claim to me, who was now stuck here angsting like a teenaged girl about where I stood with Bella. Talk about karma coming back to bite you in the ass. I suppose I had this day of reckoning coming. And if I were honest with myself, considering how I'd lived my life up until now, I'd earned myself a broken heart, not blissful happiness.

I felt Bella turn her face into the crook of my neck and sigh. It was heavenly to stay there, holding her, her body curled around me, but I did need to clean up. I gave her hip a tiny nudge and she slipped off me to curl up on her side in the bed. I dealt with the necessities and returned to her side, urging her head up so I could slip my arm underneath her. She obliged, resting her head on my chest and throwing her leg over mine.

I wondered just how long we could stay here tangled together, before the world intruded. At that moment, her stomach growled audibly, giving me my answer. She ducked her head into my shoulder and I laughed at her reaction.

"Bella, are you trying to tell me something?"

I felt her shrug. "I'm kind of hungry. But I don't really want to leave…this."

I pulled her in closer. "Me either. I can call Sam and have him bring us something."

She brightened at that thought, "Really?"

Christ, Bella, yes. I have enough money to make just about anything happen. Just name it. But all I said was, "Yeah, sure. What do you want?"

"A cheeseburger," she said decisively, "With bacon. And fries"

"Done. How about a milkshake to go with it?"

"Ooh, yes! Chocolate!"

"Sounds good. I'll call him," I said, shifting a little towards the side of the bed for the phone.

She rolled away a little to stretch lazily, which was sexy and turned me on, like every move she made.

"And I suppose I need to get cleaned up," she said.

I dragged a hand over my face, wondering suddenly how bad I must look. Because I felt great. "Yeah, I guess I should do that, too."

Bella shot me a look out of the corner of her eye. "Are you going….do you have plans today?"

"Yes," I said decisively.

She looked back at the ceiling. "Oh." Her voice was cold. Instantly I felt her distance, felt the walls go back up. Crap, even a hint of the real world and she's pulling away from me again. Oh, no, I couldn't let her slip away so soon. In one swift move, I rolled over on top of her, pinning her underneath me.

"I have very definite plans to keep you here as close to me as possible all damned day, preferably under me."

I bent my head to kiss her under her ear and she laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. I sighed internally in relief as I felt her warm to me again.

"Well, I suppose I could clear my schedule, if lying underneath you is what's on the agenda," she sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Lying? Like you would just lay there?" I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Won't I?" she asked, her voice full of pretend innocence.

"I suppose you could try," I smirked. Then I slipped my hands up to her waist and tickled her lightly and she squirmed under me, shrieking and laughing, making all sorts of interesting things brush together.

And then…yeah. We didn't make it out of my room for the rest of the day.