Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. Twilight character names belong to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Oh, you are just going to love this chapter. I had so much fun writing it.

Enjoy!

Chapter 11 – Three Little Words

Fear would always be a part of me. I knew that, but I was willing to push it aside and try to deal with my past. Something deep inside warned me against it, but, as Edward's lips gently caressed mine, I knew it was inevitable if I wanted to have a relationship with him. And, I desperately wanted to.

Edward pressed himself against me, and as our heated bodies met, I groaned into his mouth. He chuckled and the kiss was over.

"Mmmm, if I could wake you up like this every morning…" He ran his hands up my back and into my tangled mess of hair.

I buried my face in my hands, just imagining what I looked like, and his mouth tasted so minty fresh, he must have brushed his teeth before serenading me. Mine probably tasted like a trash bin smelled.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled into my hands.

"What?" He pulled my hands away from my face. "Didn't you hear a word I said last night? I don't want you to ever hide your face from me."

I grinned, and wrapped myself around him, leaning my head against his chest. "Sorry, I have bad breath."

"You do," he laughed, "but I really don' t care."

I felt his length harden against me, and I shifted my hips, making him moan.

"Oh, you think the boss will fire us?" I shifted my hips again.

He gasped, "I'm sure he won't, but he might lose a contract if he isn't at the office for his eight o'clock meeting."

"Oh." I looked up at him and could see the indecision in his eyes. "Don't even think about it." I pushed him away and popped him on his bottom with my hand. "We can't be late. I'm going to take a shower."

"Really?" He pushed me onto the bed, "Not if I get there first."

He took off around the bed, and I dove across it, tumbling to the floor. "Oh, no you don't," I said, and I reached out to grab his leg as he passed. He yelled as he fell, still trying to crawl to the bathroom. I rolled over him and tried to make it through the door, but he grabbed my foot and pulled me under him. We were both laughing hysterically as he rolled and hit his head on the door.

Pinning me down, he reached up with one arm and turned the knob, shoving the door open in one quick movement. Before I knew it, he was on his feet, jumping into the bathroom. I got up but not before he closed the door in my face.

"Oh, come on!" I knocked on the door. "It's my bathroom!"

I could hear him laughing on the other side. "Tell me the secret password and I might just let you in."

"Um…please?"

"Nope…try again."

"Eddie Bear?"

He was silent for a moment, all laughing choked out by my words, and then he opened the door slowly. "Why did you say that?"

"Well, isn't that what I used to call you?"

"Yes, but that was a long time ago. I didn't think you remembered."

"Oh." I looked down. "Well, I didn't necessarily remember. It was in my visions." I looked back up at him. "So, what's the secret password?"

He grinned, "Actually, it's three words…"

I cut him off. "I don't say those words."

His grin dropped, a flicker of confusion formed before he realized what I was saying. "That's not…I mean…"

I then realized he wasn't thinking the same words I was. "Oh, I'm sorry. I…"

"No," he opened the door and turned away. "It's okay, I understand."

"But…what were the words? I want to know."

He kept his back to me. "I was going to ask you to get on your knees and say, 'I'm begging you', but you're already in."

There was an awkward silence before he turned to me, and I could see the pain he was desperately trying to hide.

"I think I'll go home. If I leave now I might make it to work on time."

"No!" I yelled, a bit loudly, and he narrowed his eyes. "I mean, no. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get ready here."

"My clothes are at home."

"You have some at the office." I raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

He looked hesitant, like he would bolt out the door if I wasn't standing in his way, so I did something I'd never imagined doing. I dropped to my knees, clasped my hands together and looked up at him.

"I'm begging you."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Please stay."

He hesitated, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling, and sighed. I couldn't help it, while he was looking up my eyes scanned his body once more, able to see every muscle in the light. I had to keep myself focused or I would lose it again and attack him, which I couldn't do if he was angry with me.

He looked down at me and a timid grin crossed my lips. There was no returning grin, so I knew he was pissed. He offered his hand, I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.

With a deep sigh, he replied, "Well, I guess I can shower here and get dressed at work."

"Thank you!" I squealed and wrapped my arms around him.

His hold was loose, not at all like the tight embraces of earlier.

Damn, you sure know how to ruin things, genius! My inner Bella was shaking her head, looking at me in disgust.

Edward turned on the water, checking the temperature before grabbing my hand and pulling me in.

He leaned against the wall and watched as I stood under the shower head, letting the water fall over me. As he watched his eyes became darker, and I could feel myself pulling toward him. Before I knew it, I was wrapped around his body, kissing my way up his neck.

"Bella," he groaned, "please stop."

I realized his hands were balled up at his sides. This wasn't at all what I'd expected. I really knew how to fuck things up. Thanks a lot! My inner Bella was royally pissed. I backed away and turned to let the water flow over me.

I heard him sigh heavily behind me, then I felt his body press against my back, and I could feel what I was doing to him. He was hard against me, and I felt my insides liquefy. He pulled my head back, kissing the side of my neck, while his right hand moved down to my happy spot, sinking deep inside of me, making me cry out.

Before I knew it, he spun me around and I was bent over, hands on the wall, with him behind me. He shoved into me hard and fast, fondling my breasts with his skillful fingers then trailing them down to make small circles on my clit. Within a matter of seconds I felt myself quickening, and I cried out in pleasure.

"Oh, fuck! I'm gonna cum!" My insides tightened around him and his fingers dug into my hips.

"Jesus!" he moaned and I felt him release in me.

It was over before I even knew what hit me. We stood under the running water together, wrapped in each other, for a long moment.

With a quick nod of his head, like he was confirming a thought, he pulled away from me and grabbed the soap, quickly squeezing it onto his hands and pulling me out of the water.

"What…"

And I couldn't finish my question, because his soapy hands were all over me, rubbing every inch of my skin, depositing soap bubbles along the way. He washed me quickly, taking his time only in certain pleasurable areas. He then put shampoo on my hair and massaged my head until it was covered in soap. When he put me under the water, he rubbed away the soap with his hands, making sure I was thoroughly rinsed.

When he was done, I reached over to grab the soap. I was about to squeeze some on my hand, with the intention of returning the favor, when he snatched it from my grip.

"You should get out and start getting dressed. I'm sure it takes you longer to get ready than it takes me, so I'll be out shortly."

I nodded my head. He did have a point.

I got dressed quickly, deciding on a pair of brown slacks and a cream colored blouse. When I came out of my closet, Edward was already dressed in his old clothes, standing by my window, looking out at the morning traffic.

I went to my restroom to brush my hair and teeth. I didn't want Edward to be late, so I pulled my hair back into a clip leaving only a few wavy strands hanging around my face. When I reached for my toothbrush I sucked in a quick breath. It was wet. Edward had used my toothbrush to brush his teeth before serenading me. I wasn't sure if I should be upset or giddy. I think I was a bit of both. In a way, it was gross, but then again, it was the same as kissing him. I smiled, deciding I'd rather be giddy, and brushed my teeth quickly.

When I came out of the restroom, Edward was still standing by my window. I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Still in a sour mood, he pulled himself out of my embrace and walked to the bed, sitting down to put on his shoes.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes." I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. He was so cold with me, and our love-making in the shower didn't feel very loving at all. "So," I took a deep breath and waited for him to look at me. When he did, I continued, "Is that what you call fucking? What we did in the shower?"

His eyes widened. "Why would you say that?"

"Because there was no emotion to it at all, that's why."

His jaw clenched and unclenched several times as he finished putting on his second shoe and put his foot on the floor. He looked back at me, his eyes burning with fury. "Yes, that is exactly what fucking is like. However, I recall saying I'd never do that to you. But, since you aren't into the whole love thing, I guess it would make perfect sense for you to assume I'm not either. So, in that case, consider yourself fucked."

With that he stood and stormed out, calling over his shoulder, "I'm sure you can see yourself to work." My front door slammed, and my chest felt heavy.

You really know how to screw things up. Yes, it was something I was very good at. I'd just offended him in the worst possible way, and I needed to explain myself before this conflict turned into something so much bigger than it was.

Walking into the office was nerve-wracking. Leah didn't greet me when I exited the elevator and she completely ignored me when I wished her a good morning. The room went silent as I made my way down the aisle toward Edward's office, conversations resuming the instant I grabbed the doorknob. I caught the dirty looks from Irina and Jessica just before I entered.

Edward was sitting at his desk with his face in his hands. At the sound of my entrance, he looked up.

"Edward, we need to talk."

Alice's timing was impeccable, her voice came over his intercom, "Mr. Masen, your eight o'clock is here."

He pressed the button to speak to her. "Yes, send them to the conference room, I'm on my way."

"Edward…" I tried again, hoping I could at least squeeze a minute or two of explanation in before his meeting.

"I'm busy," he said as he grabbed his briefcase and stood. "I'm going to be in a meeting this morning." He pointed to a stack of folders on his desk. "Please file these," he then pointed to a smaller stack, "and distribute these manuscripts for editing."

He made his way to the door, brushing up against me on his way.

"Wait."

He stopped at my command but did not respond.

"We need to talk."

Turning slowly, he replied, "I have a meeting. It will have to wait."

"But…"

He stepped up to me and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "It will have to wait," he whispered.

"Okay." I was relieved to feel his anger fading and hoped to have the chance to explain things soon.

I felt a pang in my chest when the door closed behind him. I hated that I'd hurt him, and I wanted to make it better, but how could I explain my reaction to those three words without making it so much worse. I couldn't love. I was afraid to love. Everyone I'd loved was taken from me, and the thought of going through that pain again was excruciating. Though I couldn't remember the exact circumstances of my loss, the pain was always there, lingering in the shadows of my convoluted mind, making itself known at the most inconvenient times.

I sat at his desk, staring at the stacks of folders that needed to be filed, and wondered what it would be like to just let go and give in to the feelings that consumed me every time Edward was near. Honestly, it scared the shit out of me.

To keep my mind occupied, I busied myself with filing. I hadn't even gotten to pass out the manuscripts when Edward stormed into the office and threw his briefcase across the room, knocking over a vase.

I jumped up, nearly falling over the open file drawer in my haste to get to him.

"Edward, what's wrong?"

He started pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair.

"I may have lost the contract…a series," he looked at me, eyes burning, "a whole fucking series!"

"What happened?"

"I don't know." He took a deep breath. "They have to think about it. Apparently the author has an offer from another agency, and she wants to meet with them before making a decision." He leaned over to pick up his briefcase. "I think they made that up though, I wasn't at my best today." He sighed heavily.

"Are they still here?" I asked.

He turned to me, "What?"

I darted out of the office and saw two men and a woman walking out. I rushed to catch them in the lobby.

"Excuse me." I met them as they were waiting for the elevator.

They all turned to look at me. "Yes," the shorter of the two men responded.

"Hello," I reached out my hand to shake each of theirs, "I'm Isabella Swan. I am Mr. Masen's assistant."

"Oh, yes. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I just want you to know you are making a huge mistake."

"What?" The man turned to the others and then looked back at me. "Why do you say that?"

"Well… Mr. Masen is in a poor mood today, in case you haven't noticed."

The woman nodded her head. "Yes, he was rather short with us, and I wasn't comfortable, that's why we are going to seek representation elsewhere."

"I understand and respect your decision, but I want you to leave with a clear understanding. You see, it's my fault Mr. Masen is in such a sour mood today."

"Really?" the other man spoke.

"Yes," I blushed, "you see, we are…well…we are dating."

"Ahh…" The two men looked at each other and laughed. The shorter man responded, "And what did you do to put a damper on his good spirits?"

"I um…I refused his advances this morning."

They all laughed, and the woman responded, "Wow, you actually refused him? I envy you."

"Hey, woman to woman, you know we have more control. When we are not in the mood, we have the power to say no. If it were up to men, they'd stick it in anything that has a hole."

She laughed. "Oh, I simply love you."

The men chuckled as well. "You have a point dear," the taller one wrapped his arm around the woman. "By the way, I'm Mr. Moretti but you can call me Aro, and this is Miss Giordano and Mr. Giordano.

"But you can call me Jane," she said with a smile.

"And I'm Alec. In case you're wondering," he nudged Jane's arm, "she's my sister."

I noticed the resemblance, they could be twins. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You know," Jane said with a smile as she glanced at Aro and Alec, "I think I'd like this young lady to represent me. Are you an editor Miss Swan?"

"Oh, well, I've only begun working here. Just graduated from college you know."

"Perfect. I'd love a pair of fresh eyes for my work. I'm tired of all the biased bullshit from older editors. I'll sign if you'll be my agent."

"It's up to Mr. Masen," I confessed, "but I'd love to."

She reached out to shake my hand, "Then I'm looking forward. Where shall I sign?"

"Oh, let me get the paperwork for you. Please, have a seat."

They sat down on the chairs in the lobby and waited as I dashed back to Edward's office.

"Edward," I beamed as I rushed through his door.

He looked up from his computer.

"I got them to sign under one condition."

His eyes narrowed, "What's the condition?"

"Miss Giordano wants me to be her editor."

His lips pulled up slightly. "Well, I think we can arrange that. What did you do to change her mind?"

"Oh, I just told them what a huge mistake they were making, and she seemed to like me."

"You certainly have a way with words, Miss Swan."

"Oh, we're back to calling me Miss Swan are we?"

He frowned. "Well, this is your baby, so…" He shoved the folder across his desk. "Go crazy."

I grabbed the folder and made my way back to the lobby with a huge smile across my face. I flipped through all the "sign here" tabs and Jane signed them all. She gave me a hug just before stepping into the elevator.

"I look forward to working very closely with you," she said as the elevator doors closed.

"Me too," I called, through the metal. I'm sure she heard.

"Miss Swan?"

I turned to see Leah smiling at me from her desk. "Yes?"

"I forgot to wish you a good morning, so…good morning."

That's convenient. "Oh, well good morning to you too." I guess.

"Have a good day," she called out as I made my way through the doors.

When I returned to the office, Edward had his nose buried in paperwork.

I closed the door and locked it. "Is this a bad time?"

He looked up. "For what?"

"To discuss what happened this morning."

He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I don't think there ever would be a good time for that, but we need to get it over with sometime so…let me have it."

Making my way slowly over to him, I pushed his chair back a bit and sat on the edge of the desk between his legs. He turned his face, unable to look at me.

"I want to know why you treated me like a piece of meat in the shower this morning," I asked. "I'm not one of your toys."

His eyes narrowed and his lips pressed into a hard line. After a moment of thought he responded. "I didn't mean to treat you that way. I thought you would know that, but I was confused and pissed, and I wasn't in the mood to be all lovey dovey."

"Okay, I can certainly understand that, and I am apologizing for my stupidity." I slipped off the desk, knelt down between his legs, and looked up at him. "Can you forgive me?"

He reached over and stroked my face with his fingertips. "You know you mean more to me than anyone in the world, don't you?"

Holy shit! Am I ready for this? "Um…sure."

"Please believe I would never want you to feel any less."

"Okay, I believe you, but…about what pissed you off…"

"No." He pushed his chair back a bit. "I don't want to talk about it."

"We need to. I need you to understand." I scooted up to him once again, placing my hands on his thighs. "I can't say those words, because I can't…I mean, I'm having trouble dealing with…um…I'm…scared."

He leaned forward and cupped my face in his hands. "What are you afraid of?"

"Losing everything that means anything to me."

"I've been there, Bella, and I'm tired of being afraid. I want this. I want you. And it doesn't matter how long it takes for you to open up to me, I'll wait for you."

"You're going to have to be very patient."

"I've waited for you for seven years. I think I can wait a bit longer."

I gasped. "Seven years?"

He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. "Seven agonizing years."

I sighed against his mouth as it wrapped around mine in a sweet, sensual kiss. Just as our bliss started to deepen, the sweetness evolving into a rough expression of our passion, there was a knock at the door.

Edward pulled back. "Yes?" he called.

The doorknob rattled.

"Oh," I gasped, "I locked the door."

He grinned. "I'm glad." Leaning forward, he kissed me again, pulling the clip off the back of my head and running his hands into my hair, securing my face as his tongue slipped into my mouth to play.

Another knock made him groan and pull away from me. He huffed in irritation and yelled, "What?"

"Edward?" Alice's small voice came through the door. "You have a visitor."

He stood and pulled me up, leading me to the door. Looking down at me, he grinned, "We can talk later," he whispered, giving me a chaste kiss before turning to open the door.

I wasn't paying any attention to the visitor, because I was too busy looking at Edward's face. His smile vanished and he growled, "What the fuck do you want?"

I turned to see Tanya standing in the doorway. "Oh, I just wanted to show you something."

She held out a photo. One look and the world spun, the office walls blurring in my vision. The last thing I heard was Edward's frantic voice. "Bella? Bella?" Then a shroud of darkness consumed me.