**EPOV**
It was a quiet ride back to Bella's house. For once, I left her alone with her thoughts because
I was equally absorbed in mine. A smile played on my lips as I recalled the events of the day. Would she ever stop surprising me?
I know I was the one that initiated this afternoon's phone call, and that I had made the innuendo that catalyzed the provocative conversation. Still, I knew better than anyone that it's one thing to have sexual thoughts and desires, but it's another thing entirely to make yourself so completely vulnerable by stating those desires out loud, in graphic detail.
I looked at her in profile, her eyes on the road and her hands gripping the wheel. God, she was beautiful. I thought of the way she looked at me today, desirous and alluring and unapologetically female.
"It was like talking to the romance novel version of you, the version I thought only existed in my head," she had said. What I wouldn't have given to be inside her head at the moment!
I knew, to some extent, that Bella must fantasize about me; I had yet to meet a hormone-driven teenager who didn't have fantasies. I would burn all over again to know what drove her lust-fueled thoughts when she was all alone.
What did she imagine me doing to her, and her to me? There was nothing, nothing, I wouldn't do for her. It took all my restraint not to simply ask her, especially after she had asked me what I fantasize about, but something stopped me.
I decided that rather than asking her in a thousand different ways what kind of lover she wanted me to be, I'd rather let her show me and find out for myself. But that was going to take patience I wasn't sure I had, especially considering how bold she was becoming in her advances.
Our wedding night couldn't come soon enough! I was rapidly losing the restraint it took to refuse her, and she knew it, too, the little minx. I smirked, giving her a sideways glance. My beautiful Bella, pure and fair and warm and silent. If I lived a thousand years, I would never meet her equal.
When she asked me about my fantasies, I'll admit, I copped out. Rationally, I knew that my urges were nothing to be ashamed of. To deny one's sexuality was about as natural as trying not to blink.
But like anybody else, I was a product of my upbringing. I grew up in one of the most puritanical, sexually repressive eras in American history, and as I tried to explain to Bella, some things went against the grain.
It went without saying that I had fantasies about Bella, but it was complicated. The more vulgar fantasies left me with a feeling of guilt and disgust because I felt as if I was disrespecting my beautiful bride-to-be in my own mind, and that was inexcusable.
In my own private moments of need, I flipped through a mental slideshow of memories of her being unintentionally sexy.
I thought of her licking blackberry juice off of her full and luscious lips, moaning at the taste. I thought of the beguiling way she would tuck a wayward lock of hair behind her ear, smiling shyly, right before she blushed scarlet. I thought of the stubborn set of her jaw when she was angry; she was glorious when she was angry.
By the time we pulled up to Bella's usual parking spot on the curb, I was inwardly berating myself for letting myself get all worked up just in time to be alone with her all night long in the close confines of her bedroom. I hoped Charlie would engage her when she walked inside, giving me some time to get myself under control.
"See you upstairs!" Bella said brightly, pulling her key from the ignition and putting it in her pocket. She reached for the door handle to let herself out, but I couldn't bear to let her walk away from me, even for the shortest amount of time, without feeling the warmth of her kiss.
I gently took her by the arm, stopping her.
"Hold it right there, Miss Swan. Aren't you forgetting something?" I said, remembering her earlier reaction to my using an authoritative tone with her. I didn't know much about her desires yet, but I could be reasonably sure that some part of my little goddess liked to be dominated. I filed that thought away for later.
Her heart stuttered. She looked at me quizzically but seemed to get my meaning as soon as she took in the smoldering need in my eyes.
She smiled coquettishly and slid across the vinyl seat. "Maybe you could refresh my memory," she said, peering up at me through her long lashes.
I couldn't help but wonder if that was the same irresistible face she made for Jacob Black when she used her charms to trick him into breaking the treaty. Poor Jacob Black didn't stand a chance.
I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger and tilted her face upward. Her eyes closed and her lips parted, and I drew in closer to her. I decided to tease her a little bit and held my mouth just a hair's breadth away from hers, not yet giving in to the kiss. I could feel her warm breath and the electricity of her proximity every bit as well as I knew she could feel mine.
And then I pressed my lips to hers, softly at first, but growing in intensity. I carefully wrapped my lips around my teeth and deepened the kiss, making her moan approvingly against my mouth.
When I could tell she was running out of breath, I pulled away from her mouth and set my lips to the sensitive spot just under her jaw. She gasped at the attention, and I chuckled against her sweet-smelling skin.
Reluctantly, I pulled away. "You better get in there," I muttered. "Charlie heard you pull up and is about to come check on why you're taking so long to come inside." I jumped out of the truck and ran over to the driver's side where I opened her door and offered her a hand to help her down.
"To be continued," Bella said, kissing me quickly once more, before turning and rushing up the front walk to her doorstep. I hurried over to the northern side of her house and made the easy leap up to her window. I effortlessly slid the window open, my nostrils flaring as I was immediately assaulted by the scent of Bella's arousal.
I jumped inside the small room. I couldn't make any sense of it at first. Her bedroom was still in darkness; Bella was still downstairs telling her father goodnight. Then I noticed the neatly folded scrap of white fabric-the source of the scent-placed very intentionally on the window sill.
For the love of all that was holy! She had left her panties for me to find. I picked them up, feeling the thin cotton slide between my fingers. Shoving the underwear in my pocket, I swallowed quickly at the venom pooling in my mouth and willed myself to regain control. Bella would be walking through the door at any moment, and I was utterly frenzied with lust for her.
As if on cue, I could hear her light footsteps padding down the hallway, then her heart racing on the other side of the door just before it creaked open. She slipped inside the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Bella seemed a little thrown off by the fact that I was still standing by the window in the dark. A dim light was cast over the room as she switched on the desk lamp and tossed her jacket over the back of a chair.
"Everything alright?" she asked, a small 'v' appearing between her brows. Her concerned doe eyes grew even wider as she processed my wild-eyed expression.
I held my hand out in a gesture for her not to come any closer.
"I just need a moment...I got your little present, and it was a bit of a shock to the senses," I smiled at her ruefully.
Her wide eyes darted to the window sill and her mouth fell open. "Shoot! I totally forgot about that! How much trouble am I in?"
I laughed at her guilty expression. "So much trouble," I growled.
I took a few more deep breaths, using the familiar burn to recenter myself, then relaxed my frozen posture. I walked over to her bed, kicked off my shoes, and casually fell backward on the mattress with my hands folded behind my head.
Bella exhaled loudly, looking relieved, and maybe just a little smug.
"I'll be just a minute," she smiled at me in the mirror as she dug an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants out of her dresser drawer and excused herself to the bathroom.
I gestured with an open palm toward the door as if to say, "Go right ahead." She breezed through the door which clicked shut behind her.
I reached in my pocket, fisting the material of her panties. It had a surprisingly soothing effect. Her essence was literally in my pocket; as far as souvenirs go, it was a great deal better than a Snapple cap.
As she turned the shower on, I heard the water rushing through the pipes of the home, like blood pumping through veins.
I imagined her, in the small bathroom, the mouthwatering scent of her intensified by the heat and steam; it sent flames scorching through my throat. I didn't have to imagine the sound of her heartbeat; I could hear it clear as day, thumping steadily away as she went about her evening routine.
Right now, she would be slowly unbuttoning her blouse and letting it fall from her shoulders. And knowing her as well as I did, she'd throw it on the floor in the corner. She'd shimmy out of her skirt, probably trip over it as she stepped out of it, and toss it onto the pile. Then she'd reach behind her and unclasp her bra, sighing in relief to be free of the confining garment.
In my fantasy, she had her back to me, because even in my own mind, I shied away from impropriety. But I couldn't help but remember how it felt when she had placed my hands over her breasts earlier tonight.
The trust, desire, and raw need shining in her eyes, and the feel of her soft body under my hands ignited something in me that I was struggling to contain. I could feel my control wavering and knew I needed to tread very carefully.
As Bella shut the water off with a lurch of the knob, the sound of water running in the pipes slowed, then stopped. I heard Bella wring the water out of her hair before throwing open the shower curtain.
Outside the house, I could hear Charlie getting into his cruiser. He had waited for Bella to get home promptly at midnight but then had to go to the station to cover for his deputy who was in the hospital with his wife having a baby.
This wasn't exactly welcome news because Bella was always so much bolder when we were truly alone. And after the events of this evening, I wasn't sure I had the restraint to refuse whatever "gear" she wanted to try next. I sighed, somewhat anxiously.
Just then, Bella's door swung open and she appeared in her nightclothes with a towel wrapped around her wet hair like a turban. Her skin was pink, freshly scrubbed from the shower, and she smelled of her usual intoxicating scent mixed with the added aroma of her strawberry body wash.
"So what's on the agenda for tomorrow?" Bella asked as she untwisted the towel from her head and began to vigorously towel dry her damp hair.
I smiled at how we were already starting to sound like an old married couple...not that we'd ever get old, I thought with a bittersweet mixture of gratitude and regret.
"I believe Alice wanted me to bring you by for your final dress fitting, and also a cake tasting."
Bella nodded a little absentmindedly. "I don't suppose you have any preferences about cake flavors?" She met my eyes in the mirror with a teasing smile.
I rolled my eyes. "I will defer to you on that one," I chuckled. "Though come to think of it, one of the few human memories I have of my mother is eating her lemon cake. It was my favorite," I said softly with a small smile.
Bella's eyes widened as if I had just said something profound. It was the way she always looked whenever I told her some long-forgotten anecdote from my human life.
**BPOV**
"Well, that settles it, then! The cake will have a lemon tier," I said decidedly. I finished combing out my hair and went to curl up beside Edward in bed.
"That's sweet, but hardly necessary, love. I will have to eat some of it for the sake of appearances, but it won't matter to me one bit what flavor it is," he said in a gentle tone, wrapping an arm around me and kissing my still-damp hair.
"It matters to me. I want to honor your mother in any way that I can. I know so little about her...or you for that matter," I added in a quieter voice.
"You don't know me?" he repeated with a raised brow. "What is that supposed to mean?" Edward asked, hurt evident in his voice.
"Just that...you were around for decades before me. You've lived an entire lifetime (and then some)before you ever even saw my face. I want to know that Edward, too! I want to know everything about you," I finished, glancing up at him. His face relaxed, the hurt seeming to dissipate.
"Ah, well, next time you see Esme, ask her to haul out the old photo album," Edward suggested with my favorite crooked smile.
My jaw dropped open. "There's a photo album?!" I screeched excitedly.
He nodded, grinning. "Kept under lock and key because it would be rather, well, damning if photo evidence of our agelessness ever surfaced. But try telling someone like Esme that she can't have photos of her children." He smirked, radiating love and affection for his adopted mother.
"It bothers me, though, that you feel like you don't know me, Bella," a small frown formed on his lips. "Trust me when I say that none of it mattered. I wasn't the person I was meant to be because I hadn't met you yet." A cool hand cupped my cheek.
"I could say the same thing right back to you. Would it make my past any less interesting or relevant to you?" I countered.
He had a stricken look on his face. "Of course not! Ok, I guess I see your point. But you do know me, Bella. In many ways, better than anyone else does."
"I'll never know you better than Alice," I whispered, for the first time realizing how much that bothered me.
Edward smiled and ruffled my hair. "It's true that Alice and I have a very special bond. Because of our gifts, we sort of speak our own language. The only thing I can compare it to is the uncanny relationship between identical twins. And you would not be the first, second, or even third person in the family to get irritated by that from time to time," Edward laughed lightly. "In fact, Emmett would tell you to 'join the club.'
"Be that as it may," he said in a more serious tone, "Alice is my sister. You are my world."
"Well, when you put it like that..." I yawned, feeling a bit silly for bringing it up.
"Bedtime for the human?"
I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table. The digital clock read 12:42 in bright red digits.
"I can't wait until I don't have to sleep," I grumbled with heavy eyes.
"Aw, don't say that, love. It's one of the few things I miss," Edward murmured wistfully.
"Yeah, but when I don't have to sleep, we'll have so much more time to spend together, talking..and other things," I trailed off, my hand skimming over his chest and strayed southward over his chiseled abdomen. A cold hand clamped overtop of mine, impeding any further exploration.
My head shook gently with vibrations of his laughter rumbling from his chest. "Oh, my beautiful Bella. We will literally have all the time in the world for that," he chuckled. "Do you know what else I'll miss?" he whispered in my ear.
"Hmm?" I answered drowsily.
"Listening to you dream. It must be my favorite pastime. So don't be in such a hurry to stop dreaming, love. The rest of it can wait."
"M'kay," I sighed, half asleep. "Night, Edward. Love you."
"Sweet dreams, my love. I'll be right here. I love you, too. More than I can ever say," Edward crooned. He tucked my comforter up around shoulders, smoothed my hair out of my face, and kissed my forehead. I sighed happily and drifted off to sleep to the soft sounds of Edward humming my lullaby.
**A/N** A short fluffy chapter that sort of wrote itself. I know FF was having some issues for a day or so, so I hope y'all didn't have any trouble reading Ch 14. You can also find me (and this fic) over on AO3 should FF ever go down again. Thank you all for taking the time to read and review. I can't tell you how much it makes my day!