Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Thanks to my lovely pre-readers Jaxy (Jax713) and Packy (_LittleLovely_) and my rock star beta Mel (mcc101180).

Special thanks to ordinary_vamp for her song suggestion! The song "Sexual healing" belongs to Marvin Gaye. ;)

Last chappy, here we go...

Chapter 13. Part 2. Celebrations.

I close my eyes for a bit and try to get air in my lungs. My fingers fist the grass at my sides, as the crowd continues to cheer. I have only managed a couple deep breaths, when Emmett lifts me from the ground.

I'm not quite sure how my body is moving at this point, but we catch up with our team, chanting, jumping, and clapping for our crowd, while the podium for the medal and trophy ceremony is arranged. The energy that buzzes within the stadium is mind-blowing — we are over the moon with excitement.

I stand next to Seth who has one hand on his hip and the other waving to the crowd, while he takes everything in. Fans hold signs for him that range from "marry me" to "making the US proud." I laugh when I look at some of the girls screaming. When I turn to look at him, he's now facing the ground, and the hand that was waving is now covering his face.

"Hey…" I put a hand on his back and pat him slightly, but when I feel him sniffling, my arm closes around his shoulders and my hand ruffles his hair. "It's okay, kid. You deserve this."

He takes a deep breath and pulls the neck of his shirt up to his forehead, covering his face. He wipes his face down with it, and with another breath, he composes himself. My arm stays over his shoulders as we continue our way around the stadium.

When we reach the bench area, my eyes find my family in the VIP area right above it, and I wave at them. Bella is next to them, still up, still clapping. I smile at her, as my hand moves to my chest and pats slightly the emblem on my shirt. She smiles back at me knowingly, and her hand mimics mine.

The Brazilians get their silver medals first as we wait in a line. I'm the last one in line, as the team captain. Seth is in front of me, fidgeting, his eyes roaming the crowd. I flick his ear, just for good measure, and he swats at my hand in annoyance as he continues searching.

"Who are you looking for?" I ask, flicking his ear again. "Who?" Flick. "Who?" Flick. "Who?" Flick.

"No one… stop!" When he turns to look at me, I can see he's a mess of nerves. So 120 minutes of an excruciating game he endures like a trooper, but one medal ceremony he's nervous about.

"Hey, relax. You just stand there, smile, get your medal, and move on. That's it. That's all. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Maybe to you, 'cause you're Edward Cullen."

"So what? You're Seth Clearwater." I smile at him and ruffle his hair. "You're a star now, kid."

"No, I'm not."

"Lucy there would beg to differ." I point at the girl a couple rows up, who, as soon as Seth makes eye contact with her, displays a broad smile on her face, waving at him. I laugh as we start moving up the line.

After everyone else has gotten their medals, the FIFA president puts mine around my neck and shakes my hand. I nod at him as he grabs the World Cup.

He's saying something, congratulations I think, but I can't hear him. My hands itch to get around the neck of that trophy. I've been dreaming about this moment for so long, I can't really comprehend how I am standing here right now. When he hands it to me, the fingers of my left hand wrap tightly around it, while my right hand, still in a splint, holds it from underneath.

I take a deep breath as I face the stadium, my team buzzing behind me. I bring the statue to my lips and kiss the globe on the top, and then I lift it above my head with a roar — in our moment of victory. The stadium explodes in cheers as we jump in celebration.

We get down onto the turf for pictures as the media is allowed on the field. I do one more round of recognition around the pitch, waving to the crowd as we pass the cup around. I'm surrounded by reporters, but I decline any interviews — there's only one person I'll be talking to.

When I finally find her, she's already transmitting live. The mic in her face, her back to the stadium behind a cardboard wall with ESPN written all over it. I chuckle when I see the wood box they have her up on, to increase her height I presume. She's still wearing my shirt, tied in a knot at her back, and that denim skirt that ends a couple inches above her knees.

I can't wait for this to be over so I can peel all of that off of her.

I smile as I come closer, and she looks at me from the corner of her eyes. She starts talking into her mic — something about getting the exclusive from Edward Cullen. I roll my eyes at her and nod, taking a sip of water and pushing the hair off of my forehead before coming into the camera frame.

I try to control my breathing so that I'm able to speak, but I'm still panting profusely. I feel lightheaded — my heart's about to hammer itself out of my chest. I'm standing next to her while she holds that annoying reporter mic in front of her. Oh and she's speaking, but I can't pick up the words. My eyes are lost on the way her lips move, on the gigantic smile plastered on her face, on the way her eyes shine with pride, with emotion, on the little US flags painted on her cheeks...

God, could she possibly be any more adorable?

"... on how things started and where you ended up today," she finishes and brings the mic close to my face.

I can't get my eyes off of her. This clearly was a bad idea. I can't give an interview now. All I want is my lips on hers — to get her out of this place and into my hotel room.

I deserve it, dammit.

She's looking at me, waiting for me to speak. We're on live TV.

Shit.

"Er... what do you want me to say?"

"Well, tell me… how are you? How do you feel?"

How do I feel?

I take a deep breath. "Well, I'm very happy, very happy indeed."

Geez, I can't even find words.

"And... um... I think we deserve it. We worked hard from beginning to end. So hard..." My eyes are glued to hers, and she smiles encouragingly.

Does she expect me to continue talking?

God... I can't... I can't think.

I can barely breathe right. "I want to thank everyone who supported me from the beginning, who carried me through this..." I need to pause and take a breath. I feel the emotions catching up with me — exhaustion, elation, joy, pride. I'm quite frankly overwhelmed, and a big lump sets in my throat, but I force myself to continue. "My parents... my sister—" My voice breaks at the mention of my family, and I can't fucking believe I'm tearing up, right in front of Bella and the whole fucking world. I look down and choke in another breath, which I exhale roughly, puffing my cheeks, trying to hold everything inside.

Bella pulls the mic away from my face, leaving me some space to get my shit together so I don't start weeping like a little girl — a little girl who just won the fucking World Cup, but still a little girl.

"It's okay," she says, and I turn my eyes to hers again. She pushes her hair behind her ears and smiles at me again. "Maybe we can talk a bit about the game, about your decision to leave the free kick for Seth—"

But I interrupt her, because I wasn't done giving thanks. "And I want to thank you too." One hand reaches for her face while my other arm circles around her neck and I pull her lips to mine, closing my eyes.

The mic squishes between my chest and hers. My breath comes out roughly through my nose, as our lips crush together. I'm vaguely aware of the people around us gasping. I pull my face reluctantly from hers, kiss the side of her face, and with a shaky "I'm out," I storm out of the camera frame.

Overwhelmed, I march back out onto the pitch, where my teammates are still celebrating. The crowd's cheering is still deafening, and I scan the stadium again, running a hand through my hair, trying to grasp what we just achieved.

Someone hands me a US flag which I clutch in my hand. When I try to bring myself to move again, two small hands appear on my chest, as her arms hug me from behind.

"You did it!" Bella says in my ear, pulling me back. "I'm so proud of you."

I don't find words to say to her as she kisses my cheek.

I turn around, grab her elbow, and pull her close for a kiss. She kisses me back, smiling, not caring about the cameras surrounding us. I put my arms around her waist — US flag clutched in one hand — and pull her to me, deepening the kiss, as her hands fist my hair.

"Get a room!" Emmett says behind us, and I break the kiss with a chuckle. Bella's arm is around my waist and she hugs herself to me.

A room is, precisely, what we need to get.

Once the adrenaline leaves my body and I cool down, the pain on the back of my leg returns. After a quick shower, and reluctantly following Bella's orders, I go have it checked by the medics, under the condition that she comes with me. I end up regretting that decision because, as soon as the medic starts rubbing his fingers behind my leg, I want to scream like a baby.

I let go of her hand and clench my fingers on the patted surface of the examining table where I lay face down, trying hard not to scream. Then I feel her fingers over mine, trying to get me to relax.

"Edward, breathe," she orders. When I open my eyes, I see she's now crouched in front of me. Her expression surprises me though, it seems like she's trying hard not to laugh.

I let out a harsh breath and an "ow!" escapes my lips.

Bella giggles. She fucking giggles.

"Why are you laughing?" My tone is rough, my voice strained. The medic is still running his torturous fingers on my knotted muscle.

She tries to compose her face but fails. "You said 'ow', you big baby." She chuckles through the end of her sentence, and I gape at her, fucking dumbfounded. She is chuckling, giggling, at my suffering.

All right… so maybe I am over reacting.

No, I'm not. It fucking hurts!

I try to take a deep breath, hiding my face on my arm.

I can still hear her giggle, and I want to snap back at her, but my traitor lips are stretching into a smile as well.

"Stop laughing at me!" I say into my arm, laughing myself, just as the medic goes over a particularly tense spot on my leg.

I cringe and turn to glare at him. "Shit! Ow!"

The medic lifts his gloved hands from my leg as Bella snorts behind me.

"Tee-Tee, c'mon!" I drop my head on my arm again.

"All right, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." When she finally stops laughing, her fingers reach for my hair, and I exhale out in relief.

Once the excruciating massage is over, the medic wraps the back of my leg with ice packs which I'm told to keep on for twenty minutes.

Celebrations in the locker room go by in a blur. Champagne flows, but the more I drink, the more I'm ready to get out of here. We record special interviews with some of the major networks, but I'm frankly out of it. I answer to questions the best I can — put a smile on my face when needed — but I couldn't repeat what they were about even if I tried.

My eyes are fixed on the woman behind the camera — as she waits with the rest of the press — my mind on all the things I plan to do to her.

Once the interviews are over, we get a couple of hours to relax before the sponsors' dinner and award party, so we get ready to head back to the hotel.

I approach Bella while she's getting her things. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I thought you might want to rest for a bit before dinner." Her tone is uncertain as she eyes me suspiciously. If she thinks I'm going to let her walk away from me now, she's, well, wrong.

"You're coming with me," I say, locking my hand in hers.

"I am?" Her lips stretch out in a playful grin, one that tells me she wants this too.

"Yes." I smirk at her briefly before heading out to the bus.

We are done with protocol now, so the bus is frankly mayhem — crowded with some of my teammate's wives and girlfriends — and I find myself regretting not riding with Bernard. They are still passing around champagne bottles as Bella and I take our seats.

Seth comes closer to us, visibly inebriated. "Hi, Bella!" He sways and holds himself up on the back of her seat.

"Hey, Seth."

"She said yes," Seth slurs, his eyes almost shut.

"Who?" Bella is as clueless as I am.

"Lucy!" Seth's smile spreads over his face. "She'll come to the dinner."

"Oh… that's good," Bella says politely as I shake my head.

"You better hold off on the champagne then, kid… unless you want to puke on her shoes. We both know you can't hold your liquor."

Seth frowns at me as Emmett comes behind him, a huge-ass grin on his face. "I have just the song for you two!" He takes his phone out of his pocket, pointing at Bella and me, and walks to the front of the bus.

Oh dear God…

When the tune starts, I hang my head in shame.

Of course…

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaby, I'm hot just like an oveeeeen…" Emmett comes back, singing… dancing… running his hand down his torso.

Seth falls on the floor, laughing.

"I need some loviiiiiin'…" Emmett continues singing and starts dancing in front of Bella.

"Cut it out, Em," I say, getting up from my seat, a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay… relax." Bella grabs my hand and holds me back.

Emmett hands me the bottle of champagne, which I decline, shaking my head. "Now, I just wanna know, who's gonna watch over Collin while I get my 'sexual healing'?"

"Not me…" I say, getting back in my seat, still holding Bella's hand.

"Of course not… Oooh! I know a better one!" Emmett says loudly, running to the front of the bus again.

Oh for fuck's sake…

I rub my fingers on my forehead as another embarrassingly explicit tune starts playing. Seth gets off the floor and is jumping and dancing now.

Bella laughs, tracing patterns with her fingers on my palm.

When the champagne bottle makes its way to us again, she grabs it this time and takes a swig from it, keeping her eyes on mine.

She licks her lips as she passes the bottle to me, and I stare at her, astonished.

"Fuck, E, she's a keeper."

I ignore Emmett's comment and smile at Bella, taking a swig from the bottle myself.

The rest of the ride to the hotel goes on the same way; my obnoxiously drunk teammates play music and dance, while my hand sits comfortably on Bella's lap. My eyes keep darting to her legs, half-exposed under the denim skirt she's wearing.

I can't help but notice how toned her legs are, and I wonder if she enjoys outdoor sports like I do... or maybe it's the yoga. I could try yoga with her. My brain wanders over to all the places I'd like to take her, all the things I want to do with her, until we make it to the hotel. Then I don't think about that anymore, because my mind is set on getting out of the chaos that is my team and getting her into my room.

Bella walks next to me, my arm around her as we make it through the hallway. Emmett keeps singing behind us, making us both laugh. I slide the key in and open the door.

"Have fun, kids…" Emmett laughs, smacking my ass.

Bella steps in, and I follow, closing the door behind her, exhaling in relief when my team's chants fade away.

Alone at last.

My hands rest on the door, caging Bella between my arms. She's looking right up at me, an incredibly beautiful smile on her face.

I rest my forehead on hers, and she puts both hands on my cheeks.

"You were incredible today," she says, running her fingers over my jaw. "What a day, huh?"

"God, Bella…" I kiss her softly and, against the complaints from the back of my leg, slowly lower myself to my knees, trailing kisses over her neck, her chest, and her torso. "I don't have words for today." My hands roam her sides until they reach her hips and the line of skin exposed between the skirt and my shirt. I kiss the skin over her hip-bone and make my way over to her bellybutton. "I wanted to do that this morning."

Bella doesn't say anything, and when I look up, I can see that her eyes are closed, her head back against the door.

I move my hands to her back, where my shirt is in a knot.

"My jersey looks so good on you that I almost, almost, don't want it off of you." I undo the knot and slip my hands inside, gazing up at her as she smiles down at me.

I finally let my hands run over her legs, to her ankles, where I unhook the little straps of the sandals she's wearing. How she manages to walk around in these cork platforms is beyond me. Once I get rid of them, I stand up, locking my arms around her legs, bringing her up with me.

"World Cup's over," I say, kissing her neck. Bella hums under my lips, wrapping her legs around my waist. "You're all mine now."

My hands roam her body as my lips attack hers. My hand clutches her thigh as I pull her off from the door and into the living room. I stumble in my haste but manage to set her up on the kitchen counter, and my hands get rid of her — my — shirt. I kiss her neck as my hands work the clasp of her bra. Even with my splinted hand, I manage to get rid of it quite fast, and my lips travel from her neck to her breast, pressing her back on the counter, knocking down whatever was there, causing it to fall on the floor with a clatter.

Bella squirms under me as I lick and kiss her nipples.

She pushes me up and her hands lift my shirt over my head. Then she presses herself on me, her hand clutching my neck, her tongue eagerly slipping in my mouth.

God… I want her so much.

I grab her again and lift her off the counter, trying to head to the bedroom. But the need for some friction is stronger than the voice in my head, and I end up pressing her against the wall of the hallway.

"Bella, I won't even make it to bed. I need to be inside of you — now."

"Yes… Please." Her hands move down my torso, reach my jeans, and start undoing the buttons.

Fuck…

"I just… I need… I have to get a—" As the need to just start pounding into her consumes me, I remember I don't have any protection on me.

"I'm on the pill. I trust you."

The fact that she was able to make out what I was trying to say is not what shocks me — to the point that I tear my mouth from her neck and stare at her — it's those three last words; they mean the world to me.

She trusts me.

"You do?" My eyes search hers as I heave, still pressing her against the wall.

"I think I always have. I was just afraid to admit it to myself." Her fingers brush some of my hair off of my forehead.

She trusts me.

My eyes are fixed on hers, the truth of her words pinning me down. "You don't know how long I've waited for you."

"All of two weeks?" She smiles tauntingly.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," she says, cupping my face, bringing her lips to mine again.

I can't possibly wait anymore. I put her down and lower myself quickly, and with one hand, I pull her skirt up and seize her panties, lowering them to her ankles. Before I'm up, my jeans and underwear are on the floor as well.

As if we're synchronized already, my hands reach for her ass as her arms cling to my neck, and in the next second, she's hoisted up on me again, her back pressed on the wall.

Her hand reaches in between us, and I hiss into her neck when she closes her fingers around me and brings me to her entrance, rocking her hips, spreading her wetness on me.

My hands grasp her sides as I hold her up and then slowly bring her down, sinking into her. She gasps and her nails dig into my neck.

"Are you okay?" I manage to get out through a tight jaw.

She nods fervently, her eyes closed. I shut mine as well, needing a moment to get used to the feeling of her enveloping me this way. I drop my forehead on hers, already panting.

I start moving then, slowly at first, for as long as I can manage.

"You feel amazing," I say between pants.

Bella's moans do nothing to help my control, and sooner rather than later, I'm erratically pounding into her. I will take my time with her for round two, and three, and four… but right now, this is what we both need.

Bella meets my thrusts, making me moan into her neck. She stifles a scream into my chest as she comes undone and I follow immediately after.

I stand there, panting, one hand on the wall, the other holding her to me, until my right leg starts shaking under me, and I decide I need to sit for a bit. I turn Bella around, and with my back to the wall, deep inside of her still, I lower myself to the floor.

She's splattering kisses all over my neck and shoulders, as I try to rub my leg unnoticed.

"What's wrong?" She frowns, her scrutinizing gaze on me.

"Everything's perfect." I smile at her, my hand reaching for her face. Some of her hair is stuck to her forehead and I brush it back.

She eyes me suspiciously and her hand reaches for my leg. When she shifts her weight as she moves, I can't help but wince.

"You're hurting." She tries to get up, but my hands are fast on her hips, pushing her back onto my lap.

I exhale through my nose before I am able to speak again. "It's just a bit sore. I'm okay. Please, I don't want you to move yet."

She looks at me with worry in her eyes, but doesn't move away.

"Thank you," I say with conviction. She shrugs and shakes her hand at me, not really knowing what I'm thanking her for. My hand returns to her face, brushing more hair back. "For everything, really," I continue, my eyes glued to hers. "I was going to let my temper ruin everything. And then you came along, making me impossibly angrier, but saving me from myself at the same time."

She smiles but doesn't say anything. "You make me want to be better, Bella. To try to control myself… so, thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Stop…" she says with a hand on my chest. "You made it better. What you've done for Seth… You've made it better with your teammates, with your fans. Even with your sister and Jasper. It's all you, Edward. You should give yourself more credit."

I smirk at her again, deciding to change the topic, because, realistically, I don't know if I would have been here without her. "I want to hold your hand tonight when I introduce you to everyone." I reach for her hand and intertwine my fingers with hers. "Would that be okay?"

Her eyes travel from our joined hands to my face, and she nods her head. Her other hand is at my neck and slowly starts its way down. We stay quiet for a while, my eyes on her, her eyes following her fingers.

"Your body is surreal," she says, trailing a finger over my chest. "Every muscle so... defined... lean..." Her finger traces the shape of my abs down to my hip-bone. "It's like you're carved from stone."

I laugh through my nose, cupping her face in my hand. "Five-hour training sessions, six days a week, does that."

"It works," she says, biting her bottom lip.

"You should have seen me when I arrived in Old Trafford. I was this languid little kid. But after our first season, I had completely transformed my body, mind, and soul."

"I have trouble picturing you being little." She continues trailing her fingers over my body.

"I guess I wasn't really little. I mean, not you-little…" I smile, touching my finger to the tip of her nose.

"I'm not that little…" She raises one eyebrow at me warningly.

"Can you see over the dashboard in your car?" I challenge, my grin stretching on my face.

"Yes, I can," she retorts, but I can see it in her eyes…

"Liar…"

"Well, it's a big truck, so I do kind of have to stretch a little," she admits sheepishly.

When I start laughing, she swats a hand at my chest, before she resumes her finger patterns, this time down my arms.

"Anyway…" I try to continue, despite the fact that she's still naked in front of me. "I was tall. Just very skinny and— Bella, you better stop that. You're starting to stir things."

"Sorry…" She moves her hand to her thigh with a giggle. "I should probably go."

"What? Why?" My tone comes out whiny in my surprise.

"Well, I need to get ready, and so do you."

"I can have Bernard bring you your things here." I don't care if I sound desperate. She's not going anywhere.

"What? No…"

"Why not? You can get ready here."

"Edward…" Her eyes meet mine.

"Take a shower with me," I plead, my hands cupping her face.

"Does anyone ever get away with saying no to you?" She looks down in exasperation, but I know I can win this argument.

"You have. You told me I couldn't kiss you," I remind her. "You slapped me. Did you know I had never been slapped before? And you did. You slapped me. You slapped me good." My fingers close under her chin as I bring her to face me, unable to keep a straight face. "You've been really mean to me. I think you should make it up — showering with me, for starters."

"Very smooth, Cullen." She gives me a mischievous smile, one eyebrow up.

"C'mon, Tee-Tee, stay."

She looks into my eyes in defeat. "I guess I could call Jake, see if he can get my bag so Bernie can pick it up."

"That was easy!" I start laughing, and before she can complain, I close one arm around her waist and help myself up with my other hand, pulling her up with me.

"I can walk, you know?" Her arms are around my neck as she smiles at me.

"I know… I just don't want to let you go yet."

T-minus one minute for round two.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I sit on the couch in the living room, waiting for Bella. The TV is on the sports channel running the World Cup news over and over. I sink deeper in the couch as I wait, my eyes fluttering closed. Next thing I know, the clicking of her heels on the tile floors wakes me up.

She's in a light pink dress, with a ruffled skirt that ends midway through her thighs. Her legs seem to go on forever and end in skin colored pumps. She looks incredible.

She walks closer to me, as I try to sit up on the couch, still a little groggy from sleep. Her hair is up in a loose bun, strands falling from it on each side of her face. She twirls a finger on them as she approaches me.

I'm finally able to get up from the couch, my stiff leg making me stumble forward to meet her.

"You're fucking gorgeous." My fingers touch the fabric of the dress at her hips.

"Thanks." She laughs, looking up at me, as her hands reach for my tie, straightening it.

The bracelet on her wrist catches my attention. "This is pretty," I say, turning her hand in mine and kissing her wrist.

"It was my mom's," she says with a sad smile.

"Oh…"

"She passed away when I was little."

"I'm sorry." I rub my nose on the inside of her arm. There are so many things I don't know about Bella yet. Things I want to know about her. About her childhood, her family, her friends. I want to know everything.

"It's okay," she says with a little shrug, and her smile turns more real. "Are you ready?"

"I am," I say, just like I did this morning, except this time I say out loud the rest of my thoughts. "I am ready for everything." The double meaning of my words is not lost on me.

She shakes her head and walks in front of me to the door. My eyes scan her figure in that dress while my hand sets on her lower back.

"I hope this doesn't have a hidden zipper like that other black one I was never able to get off of you," I say as we reach the door.

She turns around, her back to the door, a devious smirk on her face. Stepping closer to me, she runs a finger over my tie.

"Just in case you fail to find the zipper again, I'm not wearing any underwear." She takes one step back, her hand reaching for the knob, turning it open with a click.

The palm of my hand lands on the door with a smack next to her face, making her jump a little, as I slam the door closed and lean over to her. My other hand, still at her hips, clenches the ruffles of her dress.

I groan as my nose touches hers. "Don't tease me like that, Tee-Tee."

"I'm sorry." She breathes out shakily, her hand closing on my tie, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip.

"No you're not." I chuckle as my lips meet hers. I take a deep breath before I tear my face from hers. "You're evil."

She smiles while wiping her gloss off my lips. "How do you think you look in your perfectly tailored, three-piece, black-on-black suit? I'll be having just as much trouble keeping my hands off of you."

"Doubtful…"

"We'll see," she says with a shrug.

"Let's go before I feel obligated to prove you wrong, right here, right now."

We both take a deep breath before I open the door and we walk out to the hallway, hand in hand.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Bella sits at the table with my parents as I meet with sponsors and give interviews. I take little breaks between things to sit next to her. I find it equally difficult to keep my eyes off of her and my hand off her thighs.

Waylon gives an emotional speech that makes my mother cry. He congratulates all of us, takes his hat off to us, for not giving up and fighting until the last second. He says he's never been prouder of his squad.

Seth, in his popped collar, dances with his girl all night. I give it to the kid, for having the energy to party like that. I, on the other hand, am ready to leave. I'm exhausted, I'm sore, but most importantly, I can't wait to get my hands on Bella again.

When my parents finally say they're calling it a night, I ask Bella if she wants to leave too and she nods. My sister decides to stay with Jasper a little longer.

As the valet brings my dad's rental, my mother embraces me in a hug.

"We are so proud of you, son." Tears prick at her eyes again.

"Mom, stop."

My mom moves to hug Bella as my dad pats my back.

"Bella," my mom says, her hand on Bella's arm. "We'll see you back home?"

"Uh… yes?" Bella answers shakily, and my mom shoots me a reproaching look.

My dad comes to the rescue, grabbing my mother's shoulder.

"Esme, dear, let's leave the kids to rest. Edward's had a long day. We can discuss summer plans another time. Bella, son, have a good night."

My mom doesn't look convinced, but she nods and smiles at Bella and me before they head to the car.

On the way to the hotel, I think about what's next. Bella and I haven't talked about it yet, but we'll somehow make it work. I'm not worried. Bella and me, it just feels right. Even right now, sitting in the back of this car, her tucked under my arm, it feels like we've been together forever. It does not feel like I only met her a couple weeks ago. And yet I want every second of every moment I get with her.

Once in the hotel suite, Bella pushes me onto the couch, one hand on my chest, while the other pulls on my tie.

"Sit," she orders with a smile.

I can feel the edges of my lips stretching into a grin as well. I am completely hopeless against my Tiny Terror. I do as she says and sink on the couch with a huff, extending my leg in relief.

She steps out of her shoes and starts loosening my tie as she kneels on the couch between my legs. "You won the World Cup today." Her smile is radiant, and the pride in her eyes is exhilarating. She pulls the tie over my neck, and I rest my head back, chuckling at how surreal this is. We won the World Cup and somehow I also get to have Bella.

She runs her hands over my shoulders, under my jacket, as she helps me get rid of it. She rids me of my vest next, before continuing unbuttoning the top of my shirt, opening up the neck as she smiles. "Better?"

I nod and smile back at her, relieved to not feel so claustrophobic anymore.

"How's your leg?" She runs a hand over my thigh.

"I'm all right." I shrug. My leg is sore, but not that much more than the rest of my body. It's been a physically and mentally intense journey.

When her hand reaches for my ear, I seize her wrist before she can get her fingers in my hair. I wouldn't be able to resist that right now. I don't need any more help or reason to pass out on the couch. I bring her hand to my mouth instead and shake my head at her.

"I thought you liked that." There's a bit of disappointment in her voice.

"I do..." I say, trailing kisses down her wrist. "Incredibly so..." She giggles when I reach the inside of her elbow. "But it also puts me to sleep, and I don't want to sleep right now."

"You don't?" She gives me a mischievous smile.

"Uh-uh..."

"You must be tired..." she says, still smiling, trailing her fingers on the scruff down my jaw.

"Not that tired."

"You're doing the squinty eyes."

I smirk at her, squinting my eyes further on purpose. "Tee-Tee, I'm not tired..." I grab her wrists again. "I'm ready to go all night."

I pull her to me, my hands roaming the back of her dress, searching for the zipper. I can feel it under the ruffles, but I can't find the damn tab to pull.

I groan as she giggles.

I bring my hands in front of me and try to take the splint off in frustration.

"Hey, stop."

"I'm over this fucking splint. Can't move my hand right."

"Leave it on. Here…" She bends her arm to her back and directs my fingers to this itty-bitty, barely-there, tear-drop shaped, pull tab, which is not only minuscule, but it's also hiding inside of her dress.

"What the hell?" I pull the zipper down slowly. "That sneaky bastard!"

Bella laughs, holding the dress on the front with her hand. I get up from the couch, bringing her up with me as she giggles into my shoulder.

I don't get sidetracked this time and make it to the bedroom. I set her on top of the bed which puts her about a foot above me.

"Hi, shorty." She bounces on the bed as I let her go, holding her dress to her chest.

I smile at her, grabbing her hands, bringing her close to me and effectively releasing her dress. Bella kisses me eagerly, like I have come to know and crave, while her hands work on the buttons of my shirt.

My shirt drops on the floor as she steps out of her dress and toes it off of the bed as well. She lowers herself on the mattress, pulling on my belt. I comply, getting on top of her, as her hands reach my pants.

With the three functional fingers of my right hand, I seize her wrists and bring them over her head.

"I'm taking my time now. There's no rush." I begin kissing her at her wrist and work my way down her arm as she squirms.

"Tickles…" she whispers, but the way her legs clench around me tells me it's more than that.

And just as I promised her last night, I claim every inch of her as mine with a kiss, a lick or a nibble, with the touch of a finger or two, or a rub with my nose — I make Bella completely mine, until she screams it so.

Once I am inside of her, I moan into her shoulder in relief — I have been aching for her all night. Neither of us holding back now, we give everything to each other until there's nothing else to give, and I collapse next to her.

My ragged breathing and her little hums are the only noises that can be heard in the room. We stay like this for a while, just catching our breath, until I feel Bella move next to me, her hand behind my ear, her fingers in my hair.

"Bella, no." I plead, without enough energy to actually grab her hand. "I don't want to sleep."

"Why not? You gotta be exhausted."

She starts tracing patterns behind my ear and I take a deep breath. "But you're here…" I try to make my point without giving in to her hypnotizing caresses. "You're here, and I can finally have you. I don't want to waste time sleeping."

"I'll still be here tomorrow." Her voice is soft next to me, and I turn around to face her.

"Say you'll come back with me," I blurt out. I was hoping to ask her in a better way, but I don't think there's any energy left in my body for a well-functioning brain.

"Back where?" She absentmindedly moves her fingers from my head to my shoulders.

"Back to the US, to L.A."

"Well, I have to go back too."

"I know, silly. That's not what I'm saying," I press, trying to get her to understand.

"What are you saying, then?"

"I have to do press and sponsors shit for a couple of days, but then I should get some time off, before having to go back to England. I want you with me."

She smiles, her eyes on my shoulder, where her fingers are tracing circles.

"What are your plans for vacation?" she asks casually, as if she either misunderstood or decided to completely disregard my invitation.

"Well, I could really use some rest, and I've always wanted to go to Costa Rica. There's rock climbing, canopying, rafting, rappelling, surfing..."

"That's your idea of resting?" Her eyes finally meet mine, and she smiles.

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "It sounds like fun though. We could do something else."

"We?"

"Bella, I only get two weeks of vacation before I have to be back at Old Trafford for next season's training. I'm not going anywhere without you."

She moves closer and kisses my shoulder. "So, Costa Rica?"

"If you want."

"It does sound like fun."

I hug her closer to me and kiss her forehead, deciding I should just go for it and ask her. "Would you come with me to England too?"

She gets up on her elbow and stares at me seriously. "Edward, I'm not moving to England."

Well, it was a long shot.

"Okay. It's okay." I wave my hand out in surrender, before Tinny Terror is awoken. "I just thought I'd ask."

"I have my job, my dad… my life is in L.A."

"I understand," I say, my hand running over her hair, my mind running over other possibilities. "We'll figure something out."

She relaxes and smiles weakly.

"There's always breaks, holidays, long weekends…" I continue. "We'll make it work, okay?"

"Okay." She kisses me softly, her hand reaching for my ear again. This time I let her as I circle my arm around her and close my eyes.

Content to have Bella in my arms, I begin to relax and surrender to sleep. She'll be with me tomorrow, and the day after that. We'll work it out through the long distance, and it will be okay, and it will be enough. For now.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

A/N: Well, there you have it. This was my grown-out-of-control-OS-turned-into-multi-chapter! I hope you liked it and thank you so much for reading it! I had a blast writing it (especially perving on all the hot soccer players out there for… er… research, and inspiration…)

Here's the gif that inspired the whole thing (bit . ly/QX7xcG) just remove the spaces.

As I said before, I couldn't have done this without Jaxy, Packy and Mel. They are the TT to my PAA. It also wouldn't have been nearly as fun without Niki, my perving companion. Believe it or not, my sweet husband helped me a lot with this fic! He'll never read this, but I thank him too. And since he's only five inches taller than me, Kristen and all her … er… experience, made TT and PAA's size difference realistic. ;)

So… yeah… this wouldn't be anywhere without all of you, so thank you and I love you all!

*happy tears*

Ronnie.