*peeks out from behind tree* Is it safe to come out? I now I have been gone awhile, but it really was unavoidable.

WARNING: There is a little lemon in this chapter. It's my first one too. I broke my lemon cherry.

And because I always forget to put: I own nothing.

Chapter 8 - As Am I

Athens, Greece

Thursday; 8:27am GMT +3

EPOV

Bella's hair felt soft and silky and the way her lips pressed to mine was beyond exquisite. I felt everything I always knew I would feel shoot through my body, along with a few things I hadn't imagined. I could have stayed like this forever, but unfortunately, real life had a way of intervening. Especially if you work for the government or some covert agency. They always seem to know when to interrupt.

Bella pulled away and looking towards her cell phone that was ringing on the night stand. I couldn't seem to help but growl at it. Bella laughed lightly at my expense before she reached past me to grab the phone. I bit back a moan when her barely covered breast brushed against my arm. Whoever was on that phone had better have a damn good reason for the interruption.

She looked down at the caller ID before glancing up at me. As she brought the phone to her ear, she mouthed 'Caius' to me. I leaned forward to catch what was being said. Bella laced her fingers with mine before she spoke.

"Hello," she answered.

"Bella, it's Caius. Is Cullen there with you?"

"Yes."

"You've been compromised. Get out now and get to DC."

"Yes, sir." I wonder if Caius picked up the slight tremor in her voice.

Bella hung up the phone and looked at me. "We need to move. Now," she said.

I ran across the room to grab my duffel and quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt. I threw on my sneakers and picked up my bag as well as Bella's. Bella tucked a 9mm Glock into her waistband while simultaneously sticking her feet into her boots. In less than two minutes we were out the door and in the elevator.

While the elevator descended, Bella put her foot up on the railing to tie her boots. She was done by the time we hit the parking garage.

As we headed towards where our rental car was parked, we both scanned the area for any potential threats. We approached the car and I headed towards the drivers side, tossing my bag into the back seat as I slid in. I pulled the car out of the spot and Bella pulled her gun out of her waistband and held it next to her thigh at the ready.

The exit to the parking garage came out right next to the entrance to the lobby and that was when we saw them. One man and one woman stepped out of a very sedate beige SUV. The man was fairly tall with long blonde hair and the woman next to him had flaming red hair and somewhat feline features. They almost seemed normal, but something about them set me on edge.

"Edward," Bella whispered. "We have to go. We have to go right now."

I was just about to make the turn when the pair looked our way. My eyes involuntarily locked with the man's. He gave smirk and a sarcastic salute before grabbing the woman and jumping back into the SUV.

"Edward! Go!" Bella screamed.

I peeled out, tires squealing, with the pair hot on our tail. As I zipped through the busy Athens streets, I asked. "Who are they?" Bella threw a glance at me, then looked back towards the mirror. For a moment I thought she had chose to ignore the question, but then she answered.

"They were part of the team that took Rosalie and I, and then killed Eric and Mike. That red-headed bitch is Victoria. She shot poor Mike with his own fucking gun. The other one is James. He is one creepy sadistic mother."

I nodded while I took a left turn at 70mph. My back bumper clipped a park car, but I kept going.

For about five minutes we whipped around the city before I saw my opportunity. A construction area with k-rails separating the two lanes. About half a mile up I saw a small gap in the rails. That was my chance to escape. I got onto the road and floored the gas. Just as it looked as it looked like I would pass right by it, I pulled the parking break and spun the wheel, turning the car into the opposite direction. Releasing the break, I stomped on the gas and shot though the gap just as James was about to plow into me.

We kept going in the opposite direction, heading out of the city, even when we saw the SUV explode after colliding with a cement truck.

The drive to Thessaloniki was silent. My mind kept going back to how Bella felt in my arms. I knew I was fidgeting with my nervousness. Bella noticed and looked over at me with a quizzical look on her face. I tried to give her a smile, but I was fairly certain it came out as a grimace.

"Pull over for a minute Edward," she said.

"We need to get to the airport."

"James and Victoria are dead. We can spare a moment."

I pulled off to the side of the near empty highway and put the car in park. Bella twisted in her seat to look at me, her elbow resting on the headrest. "You're thinking about what happened at the hotel." She stated as a fact, not a question. Even after all these years, she could still read me better than anyone else. I just nodded in confirmation.

"Are you still in love with me?" she asked out of the blue.

I locked my eyes with her deep chocolate brown ones. "How could I ever stop?" I looked away and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Besides, why should it matter. You made it pretty clear it was one sided."

Bella suddenly knocked my hand away and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at her. The look on her face was somewhere in between desperation and anger. "I did love you. I was just to scared to admit it. I didn't think I was good enough and I didn't really believe I could have any hold over you."

I shook my head at the ridiculousness. "And now?" I chocked out.

Bella released my chin and pulled herself over into my lap. Her knees straddled my lap and my hands automatically found themselves at her waist. As her fingertips brushed over my face she gave me a look that could only be described as adoration. "How could I ever stop loving you?"

Her lips came down to mine and it was like a fire consumed both of us. The feeling seemed to go straight to my cock and I was instantly hard. I couldn't help but thrust my hips up into hers. The moan she let out was one of the hottest things I had ever heard. She responded to me and her hips starting grinding a rhythm against mine. Somehow, I managed to reach the bar to slide the seat back a few inches to give us more space. I leaned her back against the steering wheel and lifted her shirt, exposing her breasts to me. They were round and soft and a perfect handful. I leaned forward and took one nipple into my mouth.

Bella kept rubbing hard against me, but I wanted more of her. Some rational part of my brain told me that we had very limited time, but I wanted to hear the sound of her orgasm at least once. I popped the button of her low riding jeans and rubbed my thumb over her clit.

It only took moments before Bella threw her head back and screamed my name. What surprised me, however, was that the combination of her grinding and the sound of her orgasm sent me over the edge with her.

Bella started giving small, sweet kisses as I buttoned her pants and pulled her shirt back down. She then gave me a megawatt smile before she slid in her seat.

I returned the seat into it original position and restated the car. Just as I was about to pull back out onto the road Bella started chuckling.

"What?" I asked.

She just smiled and pointed down to my crotch.

Looks like I needed a new pair of pants.

Thessaloniki International Airport

Thursday; 7:08pm GMT +3

As I was changing into a clean pair of pants in the back seat, Bella dismantled the gun and put the pieces in the side pocket of her bag. Since we had to travel as civilians in order to avoid detection, the gun had to go. We would drop pieces into several trash cans in the parking lot and hopefully by the time any were discovered, we would be back in the states.

We eventually made it to the ticket counter and booked the next flight to Washington DC. Lucky for us there was one more tonight and it left at 9pm. Even better, traffic in the airport was light and we were through security and customs by 8. We decided to grab something to eat real quick before our plane started boarding. As we waited by the counter for our food, Bella leaned back against the counter to face me.

"I just wanted to make one thing clear, just so there is no confusion," she said.

I felt my eyes widen a bit. Was she going to say that what happened in the car was just a fling? That she really didn't feel anything for me?" Somehow I managed to nod.

She stepped up to me, lifted up on to her tiptoes and carefully put one hand on either side of my face. "I just wanted to make sure you understand that I am unconditionally, and irrevocably in love with you."

I let out a sigh of relief as I wrapped my arms around her.

"As am I, Bella. As am I."

Anyone else want to play with Edward in the car? Raise your hand.