SO SO SO SO SO SORRY this wasn't up sooner! We lost power one day this week, and then my internet was down until today…its like living in the freaking dark ages! I was going mad! And thanks to all who reviewed! And sorry for the wait!

And Yes, yes, I know, my Jacob is awful. But I really don't despise Jacob as a character, there just needed to be a bad guy in my story. :-)

Don't own.

Ch. 16: Kiss Me, Baby

"Edward…" I said once we were in the cab, headed to my mother's.

"Don't worry about it." He said, his voice strained. He was annoyed.

"Don't worry about it? How can I not! This isn't exactly the best situation—"

"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped, then sighed, cupping my face in his hands. I was surprised he'd snapped at me, and I'm fairly certain my eyes showed that. "Just…don't worry about it. We'll figure something out, okay?"

I nodded, looking away from him and down at my broken hand. Why was Jacob such a dick? What part of 'I'm taken' is so difficult to comprehend?

"Bella? Look at me." Edward said, his voice quieter, tender. I obeyed, aware that I was probably sporting the deer in the headlights look, and instantly received a light kiss on my forehead. "It's okay. It's going to be fine."

"But now you're going to be in trouble…" I murmured, trailing off as he kissed me lightly on the lips.

"I'll be fine. There really isn't anything to worry about, okay?"

"Okay." I murmured, as we reached my mother's house.

I showered and changed quickly, not daring to trust my mother alone with him for too long.

Well…that's a lie.

I intended on showering quickly, but the hot water was just so relaxing after such a catastrophic night the night before, and now, with the paparazzi…I deserved a nice hot shower.

So, you know, an hour later, maybe a bit more, I was content and the hot water had run out, so I decided to grace my mother and Edward with my presence.

When I came downstairs, they were sitting in the kitchen and my mother had made some tea, setting aside a mug for me.

It kind of weirded me out that my mother was being chummy with Edward. Not that it was a bad thing, by any means, but it was out of the ordinary.

I sat down next to him at the kitchen table and noted the grin my mother flashed in my direction with a quirked eyebrow. What was that all about?

"So Bells, I just—oh, no!" she said, oh so suspiciously as she ended up pouring her lukewarm tea in my lap.

"Ah, Mom!" I exclaimed, as she was patting me with a napkin.

"Sorry, sorry." She said, as I glared up at her. "Why don't you go change, honey? Maybe that nice dress I got for you last week?"

"Mother, I'd like to speak with you upstairs, now." I said through clenched teeth, grabbing her wrist and pulling her with me up the stairs. "What is this all about, what have you been saying to him?"

"Do you know what day it is, sweetie?" My mother said, picking out the dress as I changed my pants and underoos.

"Saturday?" I sighed, accepting it from her.

"February fourteenth, dear. Valentine's day?" she said, zipping up the back for me. I froze, as she handed me formal shoes to wear.

"What?" I squeaked, collapsing onto my bed. "Mom…what do people even do for Valentines? I…he's taking me to dinner somewhere nice, I'm guessing?"

"Relax, honey. You're a girl, you don't have to do anything. Valentine's day isn't a real holiday anyway. It's a day where men take their girlfriends out for a nice date for a change, though it seems Edward is very good to you…"

"He's better than good to me." I smiled, clasping my shoes as my mother put a string of pearls around my neck. "He made me breakfast this morning, and it was edible."

"You already have him cooking for you? Nice job." She chuckled. "I've never been with a man who cooked for me…" she paused, "Then again, he is extraordinary, even if he did lie to me that one time…"

"What on earth are you talking about?" I asked, completely lost.

"That first night, with the snowstorm? He said your relationship was strictly professional. Don't get me wrong, I like the boy well enough…"

"You're crazy." I rolled my eyes, smiling. She was joking, but of course she picked something so obscure. "Can I go now, or are you going to throw more tea on me?"

"You can go, sweetie. Call me in the morning, maybe he'll make me breakfast too." She smirked, and winked at me.

What the hell?

Mothers. They were all nuts. From the second they give birth, a little insanity chip is inserted in their brains, I swear.

She followed me downstairs to see me off and get my coat, but I didn't even pay attention to that.

I was looking at Edward, and flushed when I saw him staring at me, the same way he did the night of the ballet.

Woah.

I guess I clean up nicely?

"You look amazing." He breathed, pulling me into a quick kiss that earned a suggestive throat clearing from my mother. I flushed even redder as she stood by with folded arms and a smile as she shook her head at us.

Edward mockingly leaned in to kiss my cheek with his hands folded behind his back, like that stereotypical picture of the childhood 'sweethearts' with the little boy and the little girl, as I was putting my coat on.

"Is that better?"

"Just go!" my mother said, laughing, shooing us out.

"You know you're beautiful." Edward said as we got into the cab. He took my good hand in his, and kissed it.

I smiled, as our fingers intertwined.

"You know, you could have told me that it was Valentine's day." I said as he played with my fingers. "Instead of having my mother dump tea in my lap."

"I didn't know she was going to do that." He chuckled. "She just said she wanted to talk to you upstairs after she asked about our plans."

"And what are our plans?"

"You're not getting away that easy." He grinned, as I pouted. "Don't worry, I promise you'll like it."

I sighed and nodded, as we sat in a comfortable silence the rest of the way to the restaurant.

Dinner ran smoothly, and I don't think I stopped smiling once the whole night.

Edward was amazing.

I'll never forget the attentive way his eyes rarely left mine the entire way through. What was he thinking?

To be perfectly honest, I was in a daze.

Here I was, dating Edward Cullen, New York's most eligible bachelor, and he was looking at me like that.

I didn't get it. How had this happened?

He was so wonderful, it was like a fairytale.

…I knew what this was, this was Cinderella.

Without the fairy godmother, without the step sisters, and the wicked step mother. But this was Cinderella, in all intents and purposes.

And he was most definitely the prince.

"You ready?" his velvety voice said, as he reached across the table to take my good hand and kiss it.

I still don't think I could get used to that, even after a hundred years. Hand kissing was just so old fashioned and classy…I loved it.

I smiled and nodded, still noting the stares as Edward Cullen escorted me out of the restaurant.

Once in the cab, he whispered something to the driver—no doubt to keep it a secret—and then settled to sitting with his arm around me, pulling me close to him.

I wish I were at an angle where I could look up at his beautiful green eyes, but settled for the closeness of his body to mine.

One thing I found unbelievable about this whole situation, was how comfortable I was with him. We hadn't been dating for very long, but it felt like we had.

I felt his lips on my temple, and smiled as I craned my neck to look up at him.

He just grinned, with a playful look in his eyes, then put his hands over my eyes as we pulled up.

I hadn't been paying attention anyway, I was too busy thinking about him.

"Oh...Edward no!" I exclaimed as he maneuvered so his hands stayed over my eyes as I exited the car. "I can't see."

"Voila." He said, releasing me and placing his hands on my shoulders, instead.

We were in the park, and there standing in front of us was a two-seater carriage with a pair of white horses and a driver in a tuxedo and top hat.

No way.

My hand immediately flew to cover my mouth, as my eyes bugged out.

No freakin' way.

"Glad you like it." He chuckled at my reaction, his voice centimeters away from my ear. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, before guiding me forward to the carriage where the driver helped me step up and he followed.

"Where did you come from?" I gaped, as we draped the blanket over the two of us, and settled in. "Edward…this is probably the most romantic thing I've ever heard of, ever."

He didn't say anything, just smiled at me.

"I'm glad." He said after a few moments. "I was trying to impress you."

"Well it worked." I smiled, flushing a little. "Color me star-struck."

He was trying to impress me?

Oh, man…believe me, he didn't have to try! I was star-struck from the start!

He smiled wider, if that was possible, and captured my lips with his.

…I don't think I'll ever get used to kissing him.

He kept it slow, as I couldn't really control myself and kind of wanted to jump him right then and there, and within seconds I was breathless.

My stomach was hosting butterfly Olympics, I swear. He was just too much, too amazing, and extremely gifted in the art of kissing.

His hand reached for mine, where it was keeping warm under the blanket since I'd left my gloves at home, and accidentally brushed my bare thigh where my dress had ridden up while sitting with my legs folded. I shuddered, at his cold touch, causing him to pull abruptly back.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly, bringing his hand to my cheek, instead. "I didn't mean to…I wasn't trying to feel you up or anything—"

He was really cute when he thought he did something wrong.

I smiled, shaking my head at him, and took his hand with my good hand, resting both our hands in my lap.

"It wasn't a bad thing." I told him quietly, pecking him on the lips.

"I didn't want to go too fast…be like Jacob…" he brought his free hand—the one I hadn't captured—to rest cradling my head.

"You're nothing like Jacob. I promise." I said seriously, keeping his still slightly uneasy or worried gaze with mine. I smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. "Though I appreciate your concern."

We sat in a comfortable silence for a bit, I resting my head on his shoulder as he pulled me close and kept our entwined hands in my lap.

It was pure bliss, just the two of us, the night air, and a carriage ride under the stars. It couldn't get better than that, I don't think.

I smiled, thinking about his reaction to touching my leg. He almost seemed more innocent, in that situation, than I was. I began to wonder how much experience he really had, if he'd been so skittish just then…

He was probably just being a gentleman, to not scare me off. I had had a pretty horrific night the night before. And thanks to my mother, he knew I was…ahem…inexperienced.

I liked that he was being mindful of my green-ness.

But he was so horrified, and all he did was brush my leg…it wasn't scandalous or anything…

Before I could stop myself, the words had already left my mouth.

"Say, Edward? When was the last relationship you had?" I asked, absently playing with his fingers.

"Why do you ask?" he said, stiffening a little.

"Just curious." I shrugged, looking up at him. "You don't have to tell me, it's not really my business."

I hated those girls who needed to know everything about their boyfriends' dating history. Who they were with, for how long, what they did, their names, phone numbers, addresses…no.

I wasn't like that.

Truth be told, I really didn't care who he'd been with, or how many people, or whatever. I was just curious about his present behavior.

"No, its fine." He said after a moment. "College. My third year, actually. Her name was Tanya, and she was a fifth year medical student." He looked down at me. "She was my supervisor, at the hospital that fired me when I wouldn't date her. In college, I wasn't her only boyfriend that year. Apparently she had several while she was dating me, then got mad at me when I found out and didn't want anything to do with her. Apparently she forgot."

"That's awful." I said, sympathetic. "How could anyone do that to you? You're Edward Cullen…you're beautiful and kind and amazing…why would anyone want to cheat on you?"

My eyes widened when I realized that I said that out loud. I had been thinking that, but didn't even notice I was saying it as well.

"I…that was supposed to stay in my head…" I murmured, flushing a little.

He chuckled, and kissed my cheek.

"You can ask anything you want." He said, smiling down at me. "And she wasn't being…satisfied…" He trailed off, a little pink around the edges. "Um…her other boyfriends were more of just people she used for physical purposes while she tried to keep up a dying relationship with me…"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." I shook my head. I couldn't imagine being like that…

Wait.

What did he mean by being satisfied? Did that mean…

I smiled, chuckling a little, poking him in the chest.

"Maybe I should get you a chastity belt." I said, grinning. "Mister Let's-give-Bella-white-roses, Mister Are-you-waiting-for-marriage…"

"I told you it wasn't a bad thing." He said, taking my hand from where I'd been poking him in the chest, and kissing it. My heart skipped a beat. "And I do want to wait until marriage. I don't see what the rush is."

I couldn't help but stare at him.

He was unlike any man I'd ever met, ever.

Most guys I knew got pissed if they didn't get some ass by the fifth date at the latest, and started expecting it on the third. All of my coworkers, when I worked at the hotel, were like that, most of the guys I went to college with were like that…

He was staring at me, his beautiful green eyes unfathomable. I didn't know what he was thinking, I couldn't begin to guess.

Well, I could, but that really kind of frightened me.

If he was waiting for marriage, then he wouldn't just have random flings here and there, for the hell of it. He hadn't had a real relationship in years, apparently, since college, which is probably when he decided all of this.

So that meant that he never intended this to be any kind of fling.

…did he really think I was marriage material?

Obviously he wasn't going to propose right now or anything, but it didn't make sense for him to date me if he didn't think I might be the one.

I mean…he didn't have flings, he didn't have sex, he was like a monk. Where had all the rumors come from, then?

I couldn't really get my head around that.

Stop it, Bella, you're being ridiculous. You've only been dating him for a week. Stop thinking about marriage.

I was just as bad as all of the girls I went to high school with: as soon as one of them got a new boyfriend, they'd automatically jump to compare their first name with their boyfriend's last name.

And I was doing the same thing, right now.

"I meant the white rose as a compliment." He said, kissing my hand as he continued to stare at me with whatever that expression was. "It's unique, compared to the standard of today's social expectations."

He smiled, and placed a short, chaste kiss on my lips.

The carriage came to a stop, and the ride was over.

He slipped the driver what was probably a disgustingly large amount of money, before helping me down himself.

I didn't understand why he didn't let the driver help me down—seeing as it was his job—until I tripped and fell right into his arms.

Oh…he counted on that. He planned it, even.

Jerk. He knew me too well…

He chuckled, before tilting my chin up so my lips met his once more for another sweet, chaste kiss.

I smiled, as he put his arm around me as we began walking to where he had another cab already waiting.

How he'd had time to plan this, I don't know, but the whole thing was really sweet.

I had the best boyfriend in the world!

Okay, I know this wasn't much plot and basically just fluff, but I had a rough week and felt like writing something lighthearted to cheer me up. So sue me. Hope you liked :-) And the plot will pick up next chap, I proooomise. And yes, it does seem like Valentines day was kind of thrown in there…because it was. Again, sue me…so long as you beautiful people REVIEW !