When the first indication of morning shined through the window in pale whites and grays, Bella felt the first twinge of disappointment since she'd been reacquainted with Carlisle.

She knew it was selfish. He was going to work and would be home later that evening; but it was all still so fresh and new that Bella didn't want their time together to stop. Even if just for a short time.

Carlisle laid with his eyes closed partially on top of Bella and she held him against her so tightly that she wished he would just give in and stay.

Selfish, Bella thought to herself. Why am I so selfish?

When the clock by the bed clicked over to 5:45 she whispered in Carlisle's ear. "Hey.." he didn't initially move other than a squeeze of his hand by her hip. It made Bella laugh lightly and whisper, "Carlisle, what time do you have to go into work?"

He kissed the top of her shoulder and Bella smiled blissfully when he moved up her neck until his lips were by the center of her ear.

"I have to be in at seven," Carlisle whispered. He hummed a little moan. "I thought going back would be easy but I think I forgot what this was like."

Bella's arms were secured around him and she cradled the back of his head. "Me too."

"I could stay here all day," Carlisle said honestly. His guard was fully down.

"Mmm.. me too," Bella repeated, feeling him begin to harden against her. She could have. It had been too long and a part of her, at one time, thought she would never experience a romantic connection again.

Carlisle shifted so he was completely on top of her and they made out hard again.

"Just stay," Bella choked out, making him chuckle against her lips.

"I'll be home early." He kissed her again and Bella took in a deep exhale before speaking again.

"Not early enough," she breathed, feeling far too needy for her own good. It made Carlisle laugh again.

When he pulled back with a smile it left Bella feeling even more at ease and content. There wasn't a hint of regret in his eyes. Bella had to admit that was her biggest fear - that one or both of them would come to realize they weren't quite ready after making this leap in their courtship.

But it didn't happen. They were ready to move forward. Both of them. Together.

"I never knew you had this side of you, Carlisle Cullen," Bella said playfully, smiling wide back up at him. She toyed with his hair and sighed.

Carlisle smirked. "There's a lot more to.. unpack."

"I can't wait." She held a lingering closed-mouth smile and pulled him down for a series of gentle, passionate kisses. "Do you have a little time?" Bella whispered. She felt Carlisle kiss the top of her chest and down the center of her breasts.

Carlisle took the center of her left breast in between his lips, making Bella sigh and tighten her grasp around him. She bit down on her bottom lip as he kissed back up her neck.

Carlisle pecked her lips "I have fifteen minutes."

..

As much as Bella could have kept Carlisle beside her all day, it also gave her a little time to reflect. She laid naked in her bed after he left, thinking about the last, long kiss he left on her lips before getting ready for work.

If she had been smitten before, she was certainly smitten now as they proved to have sexual chemistry.

Bella smiled to herself. Carlisle. Carlisle Cullen. She said his name in her mind and almost couldn't believe that he was the one who would swoop into her life in a loving, fun, exciting, hot-and-heavy kind of way.

She closed her eyes and relived those first few times she had ever seen him.

"Isabella," Carlisle had greeted her in the hospital after her accident in the Forks parking lot. "Seems you've taken quite a spill."

Bella's mouth tipped up in a little smile but she tried not to focus too much on that memory. Things were so different then and she didn't want to ruin the current moment. And so she didn't.

She closed her eyes and relived his kisses on her neck, his hands against her bare body. His.. everything. Bella huffed a laugh and sat up in bed, toying with her pillow-tossed hair. A few seconds later the door burst open and Bella gasped and pulled the covers up to cover her naked body.

Rosalie. Rosalie?

"Oh gosh, Bella, I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I've been so used to just coming into this room to get my-" Rosalie looked around, cutting herself off.

Bella's bed, that had been perfectly aligned, was now off set on a bit of an angle. Her clothes were scattered about the room beside the bed. There were the slightest indents on the wall just behind the bed frame. And, perhaps the most obvious, Bella wasn't wearing anything.

"Hey baby," Emmett strolled into the room and Rosalie immediately pointed a stern hand toward the door in an attempt to keep him out. "Whoa, Bella! Sorry!" He went to turn and then added, taking the words out of Rosalie's mouth, "It looks like someone got laid in here."

"Em!" Rosalie scolded, "Go!"

He did and she trailed.

"Sorry, Bella."

Bella didn't even have a chance to speak as the two of them whipped in and out of the room. She hoped they would write it off as just an awkward interaction and not read too much into why it looked like "she got laid".

"Shit," she whispered to herself.

Bella took her time, got showered and straightened up the room around her. By the time she was done, Alice and Jasper had returned. From the looks on their faces Bella was certain that they knew. They had to.

Emmett and Rosalie still appeared in the dark. They bickered a bit before settling down together on one of the couches.

"So.." Alice said, "How was everybody's night?" Her eyes roamed the room but kept landing an extra time on Bella. It's as if she wanted confirmation that she was right.

Bella wasn't about to indulge; but not yet. Even though it was Alice, who she loved and trusted. She knew she had to have that talk with Carlisle first.