Chapter 3

Edward didn't know what the fuck he was doing as he stared down into Bella's big, brown eyes. He'd been happy when she'd become so flustered downstairs that she forgot to get her mail. Not as happy as he'd been when she initiated an actual conversation, mind you. The box was just the opportunity he'd needed. And he knew that he was walking a thin line between getting her to open up and trust him just a little and scaring her off completely. But the fact was, while she still seemed a timid, nervous little thing, she hadn't asked him to leave. At least not yet. And he'd been telling the truth when he said that this was the most she'd ever spoken to him.

And God, he really wanted her to keep talking to him.

Trying not to give her an opportunity to shut him out, he asked, "Is there somewhere you need to put these? Do you have a bookshelf or something?"

She glanced quickly to a door on her left just off the living room before blushing tip-to-toe.

"The bookcase is…yeah, it's in my bedroom," she said, her voice all breathy when she said the word bedroom. His cock jumped at the sound – the sexy, fucking sound. He clamped that shit down. He wasn't here for that. Not yet anyway.

"I could carry them in there for you," he offered.

"You want…to go in my bedroom?" The sudden panic in her voice told him everything he already knew was true.

"Just for the books," he said. "You can even stay out here if that makes you feel better."

"I could just take them in a few at a time. I mean, you already carried them up here and everything. I don't want…that's not necessary."

"I want to help," he told her. "Let me."

She looked at him for a long moment, and he could see every reservation and fear inside her eyes, and just when he was about to tell her not to worry about it, she said, "Okay." And that simple, small gesture told Edward more about Bella than anything else. She was stronger and braver than she thought.

He picked up the big box, and she led him over to the door. She opened it and stepped aside, letting him walk through. The first thing he noticed about her room wasn't the muted earth tones of her comforter or the big bed against the wall in the center; instead he noticed the way it smelled. Soft and clean, delicate and feminine. Just like her.

He placed the box on the floor by the bookcase against the wall. She had a ton of books ranging from novels to scientific textbooks. He didn't know exactly what Bella did, but he curious to find out. He was curious about a lot of other things, as well.

One thing at a time, he silently reminded himself.

"Would you like me to put them on the shelf?" he asked. His voice rose so she could hear him in the other room.

She startled him by saying, "That's okay. I think I manage the rest on my own, thank you."

When he turned around, she was standing right before him. Close enough to touch. And even though he wanted to – he really fucking wanted to – he didn't. Instead he dropped his hands to his sides and offered her a smile.

"No one's ever been in my room before," she all but whispered. Hell, Edward couldn't even tell if she was talking to him or to herself. But as the truth of her words sunk in, he realized that Bella might've been much more inexperienced than he'd originally thought. He could handle inexperience, but he didn't know if he could handle a virgin. And even more, he didn't know if a virgin could handle him.

"Never?" he asked, swallowing hard.

The flush on her cheeks was instant and deep, but her eyes held his for just a moment before she looked down. "Well, not here."

"Oh." He relaxed, thankful for her insinuation, but he noticed a slight dip in his chest as he realized what it meant. He'd never been jealous, not really. Although, if he was being honest, he'd never really had anything to be jealous of. He'd had relationships over the years. Well, he'd had women in his life who were fun to be around and good in bed. But he'd never had anyone who made him feel like this. And he didn't even know what this was. All he knew as he stood there looking at Bella was he didn't like the idea of another man's hands on her. But that was ridiculous, wasn't it?

"You're the only person who's ever been inside my new apartment except my parents."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said, and he noticed she was wringing her hands.

"Don't you have any friends?" The wounded look on her face made him wish he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He hadn't meant for it to sound so accusatory, and when he really thought about it, he wasn't exactly the kind of man with a full social calendar. Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had a beer that wasn't out of his own refrigerator.

"You think that's strange, don't you?"

"I don't think anything," he told her reassuringly. "Besides, you shouldn't give a fuck what anyone thinks."

Her eyes widened and then she blinked, but her little giggle at his words made him feel good. And not just good because he'd said something right, but good because he had a feeling Bella didn't laugh all that often. And even if he still couldn't understand all the reasons why, Edward knew he wanted to be the one who made her smile.

"Why…" she started, but hedged just a little. "Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you really come up here? I don't think you do this for everyone else in the building. And I know you're not still working because you got off at six."

He was pleased and surprised to know that she knew his work schedule. It confirmed that he hadn't been wrong about all of it. She had noticed him as much as he'd noticed her. And if Bella found him half as interesting as he found her… Well, that was even better.

"Can I ask you a question, Bella?"

"I guess."

"Why did you stop and talk to me today?"

She pulled the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down nervously. "I…I don't know."

Edward knew that what he was about to do could be a huge mistake, but he couldn't have stopped himself if he tried. He had to touch her. He reached across the small space between them and brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Everything, from her hair to her skin was so fucking soft. He could hear her intake of breath, sharp and quick. He hated that he'd scared her, and honestly, he didn't know what the fuck he was even thinking by doing something that stupid when she was so timid and nervous. But amazingly, she didn't push him away, so he left his hand there, his fingers gently touching the curve of her neck. He could feel the throb of her pulse beneath his fingers; he could see the flush covering her delicate neck and beautiful face. Unbidden, images of what her flushed skin might look like elsewhere flooded his mind.

"I'll tell you what," he said, his thumb gently brushing her cheek. "You think about it tonight, and tell me in the morning. But I'm pretty sure that your reasons for stopping were the same as my reasons for coming up here."

He'd never wanted to kiss someone so much in his goddamn life as he wanted to kiss her then. But Edward knew that would be way too much, too fucking soon for her, and he didn't want to scare her off. So, with as much self-control as he could gather, he pulled away, but before he left, he added, "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

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A/N

OMGoodness! Thanks so much for reading and for all the sweet reviews. I can't tell you how much it means when you take the time to do it. I love that y'all seem to love this E and B. I really loved writing them. Happy New Year to all of you! I hope it's an amazing one.

Reviews are love.