Chapter Ten

They wave as they begin to pull away from the house. When the truck pulls off the driveway onto the street, they sigh with relief, look at each other, and laugh.

"That was the longest day of my life," Edward groans.

Bella grins.

"Me too, lots of drama. Are you okay?" she asks, studying his face in the glow of the dashboard lights.

"I'm fine. I missed you today," he declares, turning onto a cross street.

She laughs, "I missed you too, isn't that silly?"

"Notat all, I guess we got used to it just being us. I don't like having to share you. I got spoiled," he counters.

"I feel the same way. I'm glad it's just us again," she says quietly.

"Me too, Baby," he agrees before they fall into silence.

As the truck maneuvers through the residential streets, a powder keg of anticipation and longing begins to fill the space between them. It would only take one touch, one threatening spark to set it all off. When the tension builds to intolerable, he pulls off the road, throws the truck into park, and begins moving his half of the bench seat back.

"Get over here."

She scrambles out of her seatbelt and climbs to straddle his lap.

Relief crashes over them as they mold around each other.

His lips lock on her neck and he groans as her fingers rake into his hair, holding his head to her.

He holds her tightly to him to the point of pain, lips and hands search out everything, claiming nothing.

The sounds of shifting fabric, messy kisses, and breathless pleadings fill the cab as windows fog and the air around them crackles.

At a fevered pitch, a growl rolls from him as he presses her from him causing her whimper. They sit, panting, wanting, needing, with hearts racing into the night.

He pushes open the door causing it to bounce on its hinges.

"Get out."

Although his voice is gruff, he helps her disentangle herself from him and carefully exit.

Outside they inhale the cold air deeply, clearing their heads.

"I want you so goddamn much, Sweets," he pants out with his hands on his knees.

He straightens when he hears her growl in frustration.

"Then why did you stop? We'd be in the room by now!"

"Because if we were behind closed doors there would be nothing left of you by now. You barely made it out of the truck cab intact." He sighs deeply as his blood cools and his sanity returns.

Stepping towards her he adds, "We need to talk. When I get you behind those closed doors, there won't be anything except maybe some dirty talking." He wiggles his eyebrows and his shoulders relax as her soft laugh dispels the last of the tension.

He holds out his hand. "Come, let's walk a bit."

She takes his hand and brings her body against him. He dips down and kisses her hair. She snuggles next to him and before he knows what he's doing, his arms are wrapped around her and his mouth has claimed hers. When she moans and runs her sweet tongue along his, he feels his blood heat and rush.

In a split second of clarity, he pushes her back, keeping her at arm's length and rests his forehead on hers as they try to calm.

Torn between the need to stay connected to her and the need to consume her, he waits for sanity before he moves a muscle.

Taking a deep cleansing breath, he continues, "We are going to walk for a few minutes. Are you warm enough?"

"Yes, I'm warm enough. Sorry, Moondoggie, I'll be good," she smiles innocently up at him, but the glint in her eyes gives her away.

This woman knows what she does to him.

He smiles and shakes his head. He holds his hand out again and as she takes it, he keeps some distance between them.

They walk for a bit without talking, lost in their thoughts, trying to ignore the magnetic pull to reconnect their bodies.

When they circle back to the truck, Moondoggie opens the tailgate and lifts her to sit on the edge. Stepping between her legs, his hands naturally run up her thighs. Her shiver reminds him of their volatile state and he immediately steps aside, choosing to sit next to her without touching her.

She reaches over and lays her hand on his. It takes him back to that first night when they sat up talking around the warmth of the stove in Dunny's storeroom. He remembers watching her sleep with his mind racing with forever thoughts.

"So let's talk, Moondoggie," She prompts.

He brings his leg up between them as he turns to face her. "We've never spoken about this sort of thing and I just want us to be on the same page."

"What sort of thing?" she asks cocking her head.

He reaches up and tucks a strand of her silky hair behind her ear. "Sex, Baby."

"Oh," her cheeks pink, "okay, well, what do you want to know?" she asks without looking at him.

He smiles at her discomfort. "We should share who we've been with, birth control, and how we want to move forward in this area, anything else you think is important," he says.

He frowns at her nervous giggle and adds, "I mean, of course, I know how I want to move forward—but I don't want to hurt you by moving too fast, because I really want to move fast." He lets out a huff, "I'm trying to think of you, Sweets."

She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders and dives in. "Okay, well, I've been with two men. The first one was a friend and I was seventeen. We met in our GED class and would hang out. We were friends," she shrugs.

"What happened?"

"Well, he got a girlfriend so we stopped the 'with benefits' part of our friendship, but she couldn't believe that we were just friends and eventually he had to make a choice. That's the last I saw of him," she finishes with another shrug.

He frowns at how little kindness she has had in her life. And again, he finds himself amazed at the strong, yet tender and loving person she still managed to become.

"My first and only girlfriend was Lauren, when I was in college. We dated off and on for two years. I found out that she loved my family's money and social status more than me. It's one thing that led to all the mess with my family," he shakes his head, "I didn't trust anyone after that and didn't let anyone get close enough to be a threat. I've had 'friends with benefits' in certain towns but nothing more than a night or two," he shrugs, "I think six girls altogether." He hopes she can understand his casualness toward sex and not mistake it for crass hook ups.

"You're only girlfriend?" she asks. The timidity of her voice shows the error of his words.

"Until you, Sweets, but you are so much more. 'Girlfriend' sounds watered down, a pale comparison to who you are to me—you hold my heart."

She smiles and reaches across the distance to give him a sweet kiss. He wants to pull her to him and lay her down, but he makes his leg stay in place between them, a buffer ensuring good behavior.

She leans back and tucks her hair behind her ear.

"And the second person?" he asks softly.

He sees her brace, taking a deep breath.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Sweets," he rushes to say.

"No, it's okay, um—I was eighteen, it was a few months before I moved to Arizona."

"Was he a friend too or a boyfriend?"

She chews her lip briefly before answering, "Neither, hewas a lawyer in the office I cleaned. He was working after hours. He cornered me in his office, between his desk and the bookcase."

A chill runs down Moondoggie's spine.

"He held me down on the desk and told me to be still, that it would be over quickly."

"My God, Baby, he raped you?" he whispers in horror.

She hesitates then concedes and nods her head. "I didn't fight him, so it took me a long time to call it that. I always thought it had to be very violent, and maybe, if I had fought him it would have been, but I told him 'No' and he forced me, so yeah, he—he raped me. I—I didn't go back to that job after that." She drops her head and he sees her begin to shake.

He scoots over to her and pulls her onto his lap. Rocking her, he groans out, "My Baby, my beautiful Baby Girl. I love you so much, Sweets. No one—No one is ever going to touch you like that again. I swear."

"Shhh—it's okay, Moondoggie, I'm okay," she coos as she wipes a tear from his cheek.

He lets out a harsh laugh against her neck, "You're comforting me," he shakes his head.

After a few moments, she sits back, and in a pragmatic manner adds, "He used a condom, but I got tested for pregnancy and STDs anyway. I was clean. I got on the Depo-Provera shot. I haven't been with anyone else." She finishes and sits stiffly looking at her hands in her lap.

They sit in silence trapped in their thoughts. He senses that she needs the distance and lets her sit stiffly on his knee while he rubs his hand gently up and down her back.

After several moments, she comes back to him and looks up. He smiles tenderly, but she sees the hurt in his eyes. She snuggles against him and he sighs wrapping his arms tightlyaround her—safe.

He clears his throat and says quietly, "I got tested about four months ago and haven't been with anyone since."

She squeezes his waist to let him know she heard. They sit quietly and comfort each other with their connection.

After a time, he pushes her gently back and brushes her hair from her face encouraging her to look at him.

"This is why we needed to talk, Baby. I'd never want to hurt you and I could have if I didn't know …"

"No—no, this is just what I don't want! Think about who I was on the bench in the foyer, in the truck just a few minutes ago. I'm not scarred and broken. Don't treat me differently, Moondoggie, please."

He hesitates for a moment and then nods, "I love my beautiful, sexy minx," he says, locking eyes with her in a heated gaze, "but I need you to promise me that you'll let me know if you are uncomfortable."

"I will, Moondoggie, I promise. But you gave me so much time to get used to you physically, always letting me lead in what I was comfortable with. Even when you obviously wanted more, you didn't push me. It was quite maddening, actually," she laughs quietly and he smiles. "I'm safe with you, free with you and I want this with you," she stresses, looking into his eyes for understanding. Leaning into him, she welcomes his mouth with hers.

His hands fist the fabric at the small of her back and pull her into him. This kiss holds heat and passion but is tempered byan underlying devotion. With their lips, they share their hearts.

As his lips possess hers, he pulls her between his legs and tight against his chest.

'You're mine and I'll never let you be hurt again.'

Sweets balances herself on the truck bed with her hand on each side of his head. She then begins to move her torso against him as she breaks away and begins to run her tongue along his neck.

'You're mine and I'll never hurt you by leaving.'

He lets out a groan and helps her to straddle his lap.

'I love you.'

She pulls back to look at him as she runs her hands through his hair and places them on either side of his face as she leans in to pull his bottom lip between hers.

'I adore you.'

He angles his head to take over the kiss, his mouth covering hers with heat as his tongue captures hers.

'You are my everything.'

She moans into his mouth, pulling and unbuttoning until her hand feels his heated skin as she runs her hands over his stomach.

'You are my home, my family.'

His hands slip under her shirt as he pulls her hip toward him.

'My heart is safe with you.'

She swivels on his lap and latches onto his neck.

'I know I am safe with you.'

He growls and pulls her down as she rocks again.

'—Safe.'

"Moooondoggie …"

"Mmm, Baby …" he moans as he runs his hand over her luscious ass and pulls her closer, tighter.

"Ug, gah, Moooondoggie …" she whimpers.

The fog clears and he pulls back, brushing her hair awayfrom her face and holding it in a low ponytail.

"Baby …?"

"Edward Cullen, get me to a bed this minute," she pants. She's beautiful with her flushed skin and bright eyes.

"Bed …" he tries to get his brain to focus.

"Bed, Baby…" she swivels on him kissing down his chest.

"Oh, God, Bed…" he runs his hand down her back tucking his fingers inside her waistline.

"Now…" She kisses up to his neck.

"Now…" He throws his head back letting her have her way with his neck.

With a herculean effort, he pushes her back and rolls off the tailgate, effectively breaking the spell.

He pants with his hands on his hips as she squirms under his thermal glare.

He doubles over with his hands on his knees and roars into the night.

He straightens and walks back to the tailgate, "Get in the truck, Bella," he commands.

He hovers near her without touching while she hops down.

He opens the door and fists his hands to keep from reaching out for her as she passes him to sit.

"Buckle up, Baby," he grits out.

~o0o~

Back on the road, he pushes up the console between them, sending coins rattling and falling between seats.

She takes his hand and places it on her thigh.

With his eyes glued to the road, he growls out, "Closer."

She scoots as close as her seatbelt will allow.

He spreads his fingers and run them along the inside seam of her jeans. When he reaches the center seam, he begins to run his pinky back and forth, creating pressure.

She loosely wraps her hand around his wrist and shudders.

He smiles deviously in the dark, "Do I need to stop for condoms, Baby?"

"No—No, I want you—to feel you, gah, this feels so good," she pants.

"Don't move, Baby, we're almost there," he whispers with his eyes glued to the road.

'We're almost there,' hangs in the air as he rests his thumb on her thigh while his stiff fingers work together to apply pressure as his pinky runs along her center and her grip tightens on his wrist .

She convulses and lets out a shuddering sob as her thighs close, capturing his hand.

He holds his hand still as he parks the truck and turns off the ignition.

After a moment, he whispers, "We're here, Baby."

She unbuckles and wraps herself around him, kissing his neck with a lazy passion. His smug smile reflects back in the windshield before he pulls her back with his hands cupping her face, looking intoher smoldering brown eyes.

"Let's get you inside, Sweets. I'm not anywhere near done with you."

~o0o~

With the click of the locking door, he has her pressed against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist and her elbows resting on his shoulders while her fingers weave a crown in his hair.

His mouth works her neck, sucking, licking, his hot breath doing funny things to her, while his hands work her ass. Both sets of fingers running that center seam from deep between her legs, up between her cheeks, back, stopping to knead her cheeks together, only to work the center seam again.

When a shudder runs through her, he pulls back and walks them into the room. He sits her down on the edge of the bed and kneels in front of her with the streetlight from the sheered window softly lighting the room.

She bends down to press her lips to his. He runs his hands up her thighs before pulling back from the kiss.

"You promise me, Sweets, if I go too fast or if you're uncomfortable, you'll let me know."

She nods and leans to continue the kiss, but he stops her and looks deeply into her eyes. "I will be upset with you if you don't stop when you need to, do you hear me?"

"I promise, Moondoggie, I promise, please," she breathes.

He nods, satisfied, and releases her to continue the kiss.

With sloppy kisses and excited hands, they work each other's buttons.

He leans back, pulls both of his shirts over his head, and watches her shrug out of hers, her breasts jiggling above the bra line with the movement.

"I'm gonna need some light on this, Baby," he says letting out a hungry growl.

He walks over to turn on the desk lamp and close the curtain. When he turns back to the bed, he finds her poised in anice blue bra and matching panties.

"Fuuuuck!" he chokes out.

He kicks off his shoes, watching as she giggles and writhes under his gaze.

His breath hitches as he begins to walk toward the bed, unbuttoning each button of his fly, his eyes locked on her, a starving man before a sumptuous feast.

He watches a blush begin on her chest and run up her neck and she scans his torso. She lifts her eyes to his and he sees what he's been waiting for. The lust and longing in her eyes take his breath away.

This is not a little girl.

This is a woman in need, and he's the lucky son of a bitch that gets to satisfy her.

"Baby, you are glorious," he smiles and tenderly run his finger between her breasts, bending to kiss her.

He drops his pants and moves between her legs. Lifting her foot, he runs his hand up her calf, stopping mid-thigh and running back down. As his hand begins to make the circuit again, he kisses her ankle, licking slowly up her calf, past her knee, stopping mid-thigh. He places that foot on the bedspread before lifting the right leg and repeating the process.

His touch is heated and each movement holds reverence. On the second circuit, he has her pleading for more. This time he doesn't stop mid-thigh but licks and kisses a path to her core, running his nose over her damp panties.

As her back arches off the bed, his hands run inside the waistband. When his circuit of kisses descends her legs, he takes her panties with him.

Kneeling between her legs with his hands softly massaging her calves, he takes a moment to appreciate her beauty. She is glorious and the fact that he alone, has the right to be here, to see her this way causes a humble pride to bubble within him.

When she pleads his name, he bows forward. As she squirms, he gives a slow lick to her slick lower lips; one taste as she arches off the mattress with a scream.

He drops a heated kiss on her well-trimmed mound, over her navel with a swirl of his tongue, to her stomach, and then up between her breasts. He looks at his beautiful goddess, writhing, biting her lip with her eyes shut tight.

"I love you, Bella," he breaths as he drops a kiss on her tender lips.

Her eyes fly open and she lets out a small sob as she wraps her arms and legs around him, caging him in, holding him captive.

She pants into his mouth and runs her tongue along his bottom lip.

He groans as his mouth descends over hers, holding siege with wet heat. Reaching behind, he pulls her arms away, entwining their fingers, as he pushes her hands above her head.

He breaks the kiss and moves to her neck, kissing, licking, sucking as his body presses down, holding her still as he shifts to worship her breast. He releases her hands to lean back enough to unclip her bra. His hands run under the cups, pushing them aside as he claims his prize. Breathtaking handfuls send a shiver down his back as his hot mouth covers her strawberry nipple, his tongue teasing itto a sharp peak. He blows warm air across it as he releases and moves to the right breast to repeat the process.

As his mouth worships her right breast, her chanted prayers and pleading whispers evaporate in the fiery air around them.

He abruptly sits back on his heels as her eyes fly open and seek his. He lifts his eyebrows in question; she smiles and nods.

When his body moves over hers again, her hands run over his broad shoulders, up his neck, and into his hair. Their eyes stay locked as he pushes into her. She rolls her head back as they groan out together.

"Look at me, Baby," he whispers.

"I love you, so much, Edward." She whispers back.

"I love you, Bella," He smiles tenderly and lowers to give her a tender, reverent kiss.

When he pulls back from the kiss, her heels move to press into the back of his thighs. That's all the invitation he needs to begin moving in earnest. As she moves with him, meeting him half way with each thrust, they let themselves be carried away on a wave of love and passion, each lost in the other.

When he feels her walls begin to pulse, he knows she's close and slides his hand between their sweat-slickedbodies. As his finger makes contact with her clit, she arches into him as he holds her hips, sending her over the edge.

"Love you—Love you—Love you," he pants as he drives into her three more times watching her writhe in ecstasy, beautiful, glorious, before he follows her into the abyss with a growl.

He collapses around her with his cheek resting between her perfect breasts.

Her fingers begin lazily combing his wet locks.

"Am I crushing you?"

"No, don't move. Your weight feels wonderful," she whispers.

"Are you all right?" he mumbles against her skin.

"I am boneless, spent, and totally blissed out," she purrs.

A self-satisfied smile spreads against her breast before he kisses it.

After a time, he feels himself softening and slowly rolls to her side, joining her in a unified moan at losing their connection.

They lay side by side staring at the ceiling catching their breath.

"That was—incredible, Moondoggie. I—I never knew," she whispers.

"What, Baby?" he finds her hand and brings it to his lips.

"That sex could be like that," she says with a dreamy sigh.

"It was good?" he asks, mentally fist pumping the air.

She turns to lie on her side. "Oh God, Moondoggie, I think I left my body," she says in awe.

He turns on his side facing her as she asks shyly, "Was—was it good for you?"

He tucks her hair behind her ear and touches her chin for her to look at him, "Baby, I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. It swelled with so much love for you, I didn't know if I could bear it," he says sincerely.

"Really?"

"Really, really," he smiles.

"Shrek?" she laughs quietly.

He nods with a grin.

She looks down, "Snail trail."

"What?"

She points to her thigh and giggles softly.

"We're a mess, let's take a shower and wash off this day," he says leaning in for a tender kiss.

With her hand around his neck, she keeps him from pulling back. "I love you," she whispers against her lips.

His mouth covers her again, "I love you too, Baby," he whispers looking into her eyes. They share a smile before they break apart to move to the bathroom.

They shower together and although he wants her again, he knows she is tender and the day is weighing on her. They enjoy soapy hands moving freely accompanied by kisses and loving whispers.

He towels her off, kissing from toe to nose as he does.

She slips on his old, Harley Davison shirt and crawls across the bed much as she did in another lifetime back in Forks, but this time, without panties. The view is spectacular and Moondoggie makes short work of joining her in their bed.

She snuggles up next to him just as she does every night; so much is the same and yet, everything is different.

He clicks the light off and the room settles into a quiet darkness with filtered light from the window.

"Moondoggie…"

"Yeah, Baby?" he pulls the blanket over her shoulder.

"I'm so happy right now, maybe the happiest I've ever been," she confides.

He pulls her tighter against him, "Me too, Sweets, we're going to be happy for the rest of our lives."

"K" she whispers, kissing his chest.

"Okay," he smiles against her hair, "Sleep, Baby." He whispers.

"Mmm…"

He places a lingering kiss on her forehead and with a contented sigh, closes his eyes.