A/N: Thank you. Everyone who has reviewed for the chapters previous to this, and for all the story alerts, and favorites that I have received from those who have done so.

First things first, I must inform my readers that I was injured on the job and did some serious damage to my wrist. So anyway there I was stuck in bed and I went to access my computer files and my computer wouldn't boot. There fore I had to have it rebooted to manufacturing settings. Needless to say I cried a little. Soo…please forgive this chapter being so late. With my wrist/hand/fingers on my right hand out of commission I sort of have been pulling a lefty on this chapter.

That being said, I am sorry this chapter is late. But I promise to make it up to you.

The next few chapters are going to speed things up briefly so we can catch up to the present. Get ready to read everyone

Thanks again for all those reviewed!

Also I am still looking for a BETA!

Please let me know if you are interested. On my profile I am going to post my email address and anyone who is interested can email me.

Disclaimer: I don't own twilight but I sure as heck wish I did. I just like playing with their beating hearts.

Chapter 4: Present: Bella 26

Sigh…

The water is cold its time to get out of the tub….

I got up slowly and wrapped my self in my towel. I was careful not to trip and break my neck and pulled the drain for the water to empty out.

I checked on Emma, just to make sure she was still asleep and then headed back to my room closing the door softly as I went. I pulled out a few boxes from my closet and lay on my bed after putting on my robe.

Pictures…of him…of us…

It was the only thing that I had left of those few weeks we had together before all hell broke loose.

God he looked so sexy in those trousers. Stop….I told my self.

I breathed in a deep breath. I got up and plugged in my Ipod. I climbed back into bed and Claire de Lune started playing again.

Cullen... why didn't I remember that name from forks?

And let my memories out holding a picture of his face to my chest.

PAST:BELLA POV

Be there soon can't wait to see you-E

How soon till you're here? –B

20 minutes-E

Kay-E

"Bella, hold still!" Rose said, fixing my make up. "How does Alice tolerate this?" She huffed.

"I don't know where is Alice?" I asked, mostly to myself.

"Who knows probably in the throws of passion with Jasper somewhere?" She smiled to her self. While she began spraying my hair with hairspray.

"Well it's not like her to skip out on dressing me up," I sighed.

"Don't worry little one, I shall have you primped and sexy in no time, and your man won't be able to keep his hands off of you." She chimed in.

"I hope so", I smiled devilishly knowing I had plans to get him naked again.

Oh yeah…

After that text she sent me last week I hadn't heard from her at all. She would just call when she knew I would be busy and then wouldn't leave a message either but it is also unlike her. When I did talk to her we talked for under a minute just to tell me she was visiting her boyfriend's family. Let's just say I was shocked. Alice never meets the parents, because she moves on faster than clothes go out of season.

"Have you talked to her at all Rose?"

"Alice? Not since a few days ago. She seems pretty out of it lately. Probably this guy of hers has her in all bits of torment. She's out all the time. She took a three day vaca or something up to her boyfriends place this week. You know to meet the parents."

"Yeah same here. She practically rushed me off the phone. Which is unlike her. But yeah she mentioned about going there. She didn't tell me where either."

"Oh yeah? I am sure she will come around Bells. Once meeting the parents is over with. Now I am officially done!" She clapped her hands together and spun the chair I was sitting to face me towards the mirror.

"Emmett didn't say anything?"

I looked at Rose who had furrowed her brow.

"To tell you the truth I haven't talked to him. I think he's playing hard to get. I fucking love it," she gushed.

I chuckled and just shook my head.

She finished me up in no time, dressing me in a dress to die for. A simple black number that had a plunging neckline, it was back less and the hem stopped about mid thigh. She added a pair of silver peep toe shoes that were wedges and were perfect with this dress. She too had styled my hair in a way that made me look more womanly. Intricately put up in an up do, that had wisps of hair that cascaded down in waves. Adding some jewelry to match the shoes and a few necklaces that worked to bring a mans eyes to your chest. She added a small silver purse and I was ready to go.

"Now, if you get to drunk please call me, and I shall come pick you up." She kissed my cheek and ducked out of my apartment

Minutes later the doorbell rang and I went to meet him at the door. I checked myself over one more time before I had the nerve to open the door.

After fumbling with the lock I was able to yank the door open and see him standing their looking as beautiful and sexy as ever.

I sucked in a lungful of air.

"Isa-bella, you look beautiful", he brought me in his grasp and hugged me closer to him.

"Umm..yeah. You look good. Great. Really." What the hell was wrong with me?

He chuckled.

I stepped back and took in his appearance.

Sweet Jesus.

His eyes were looking me up and down, eye fucking me I am sure. As I did the same to him.

He was sporting a pair of black slacks. Tailored down to a pair of black dress shoes, I gulped when I saw the bulge in his pants as I made my way up his body.

My eyes darted to his and he was smirking at me.

"Like what you see, love?"

I nodded my head in a bobbing motion.

Mmmmm…yes, yes I do.

His shirt was black as well, the two top buttons undone. His sleeves rolled up his arm to his forearms. And he wore a black belt that showed off his waist.

His hair was as per usual messy just rolled out of bed, or sex hair that almost made me collapse just thinking of it…

"These are for you, love", he smirked at me again for eyeing a particular spot on his pants.

"Th-Thank you", I said. I finally looked at the flowers in his hand and they were beautiful. Alternating red, white and pink roses that looked absolutely beautiful wrapped in a black ribbon.

I quickly went to put these in water, and told him to come in.

"We actually have some time to spare before we have to go to dinner, I hope that's okay?" He asked sitting on the couch.

"Oh that's fine…Ummm how long do we have?" I asked.

"About an hour." He said, looking at the pictures that were on my coffee table.

"Do you want something to drink? I have beer, water and sprite." I faced him with the vase in my hand.

"I'll take a sprite."

After placing the bouquet of flowers in the vase I placed it on my counter. I brought them to my nose and breathed in deeply. They smelled wonderful.

I then reached into the fridge and pulled out a can of sprite and brought it to him.

"Wow these are just amazing", he said aloud.

I sat next to him eyeing what he was looking at.

"Oh that's one of my clients I am working on. I just finished with it." They were pictures of friends of mine. Ben and Angela who had just gotten married.

"They are friends of mine, and asked for me to do their Wedding. Do you like them?"

He just looked at me and nodded before returning to gaze at the pictures.

"The way you capture them even when they aren't posing it looks so natural like you just paused their life in their most happiest form." He looked up at me again and gave me an attentive smile. "Would you take pictures of me?" He asked.

"Really? You want me to take your picture?" I gulped. Holly Crow.

He nodded again.

"Okay…hold on", I went and got my camera.

When I returned he was leaning back on the couch looking at me contently with a smirk on his face. The panty dropping smirk….oh mother…

I half smiled, and clicked the first picture of his face…

I worked my camera, and used different lighting and then had him do different positions… Some standing, some sitting…

The whole time we laughed, and joked and the tension started to rise in my veins.

"You know Isa-bella, something about you behind the camera. Concentrating like that…well makes you look really really sexy", he said in a sultry tone as he stood up and stocked over to me.

"Oh really?" I said smirking back. Walking backwards to keep the space between us.

"Yes, in fact", he walked closer pressing me back against the wall. "It makes me want to do things to you that I wouldn't want to do to anyone else", He whispered against my neck.

Oh god…I am going to combust…

I cleared my throat."Oh yeah?"

He brushed his lips over mine and down the other side of my neck.

"Mmm…you smell like freesias and something sweet, like strawberries." His breath caught as he crossed my lips again making them part slightly. I breathed in his sent. He smelled sweet too, like apples and cinnamon and after shave.

He pressed him self to me then, and I felt his groin right on my stomach.

"If you make me drop my camera I am going to kick your ass", I said in a breathy tone.

He chuckled and took my camera from me and stepped back to set it on the coffee table. All I could do was watch as he stalked back over to me and began assaulting my lips with his.

It continued on like this for a few minutes…Jesus if he keeps doing that with his tongue he will be fucking me against this wall in no time…

I broke the kiss and walked him back wards until he hit the couch and pushed him down on to it before sitting on his lap.

I ground my self on to him, and bit down on his lower lip. He moaned softly into my mouth, and his hips thrust upward once.

"Bella, Bella..oh I want you so badly", he said against my mouth as I assaulted him.

I put my hands everywhere I could reach and began undoing the buttons on his trousers.

"Bella, what about dinner?" He asked looking at me.

I smiled, "Baby, do you really wanna leave this couch?" I said, as I sucked on his neck.

"Ahh…no, no right here is just fine", he said pulling me closer.

I finished undoing his pants, and stood up quickly and gave him my panties.

"Follow me", I winked and sprinted for my bed and landed on my back. Edward was trailing behind me.

We both stripped as fast as we could and gave over to our senses. He climbed up on the bed and in between my legs.

"Bella, how do you want me?" He asked, looking at my body as he spoke.

He placed his palm on my breast circling the sensitive skin but never touching where I wanted him most.

"I wa-want you everywhere", I gasped. His hand left my breast and made circles down my stomach until he touched my slick folds.

"Jesus, Bella you're so wet", he panted.

"Ahh…for you baby…you drive me crazy", I all but screamed out.

He slid his finger around until I began moving my hips and he thrust two fingers inside me.

"God YES!" I yelped out.

"You like that Isa-Bella?" He whispered in my ear.

I was never one for dirty talk but with him he made me want to cum just thinking of his voice.

"Ugh…yes…just like that. God baby yes"…I panted into my pillow.

I pulled him up closer to me then not able to contain my self as he assaulted my wetness with his agile fingers.

"I need you inside…inside me now!" I growled out.

"Your wish my command", he said as he readied himself between my legs.

"Wait Bella, I know this fact is a little late considering what we have already done but I don't have any condoms", placing his head down on her shoulder.

I lifted his head up. "I'm clean and I am on birth control", I looked into his eyes.

"I am clean, too." He said, kissing me gently.

He thrust into me then, making me scream his name.

"Oh fuck, Bella, so tight, ungh", he grunted.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head on this. He was going slow, pacing us and I wasn't having this.

"God, baby more. I need you to pound me," and his movements accelerated. His thrusts rougher, deeper with each penetration.

Until finally we were panting out our releases, sweating, and slick between our bodies. We stayed like that for a little awhile.

I glanced at the clock.

"Dang 11 o clock already?" I sighed into his chest.

"Are you still hungry?" He said getting up and glancing at the clock. "Because I am sure I could eat a cow right now".

"Yeah I think I could eat." I grinned at him.

"Okay well I have some other place I want to take you instead of where I was planning to take you."

"Okay. Let me just get dressed."

After putting back on my dress and shoes that Rose picked out. We made our way out of my apartment and down onto the main streets of Seattle. I was wearing my favorite pea coat that went to the length of the dress. It was chili outside but I figured we would be inside a place to eat soon enough.

We walked for about ten minutes until he made a turn into this little café. It was a cute little place that gave off an Italian feel to it. It was very intimate with lights that hung from the banisters and soft music played in the back ground. We were seated immediately in a private booth.

I looked around me at everything.

"Where did you find this place?"

He smiled and looked at me. "My mother used to bring me here when I was younger every time we used to run errands together. I guess you could say it was our little tradition." He furrowed his brow.

"That's nice. So do you like living in a big city?"

"Yes, I do. It's everything I would want it to be and then some." He smiled suggestively at me.

Our waiter approached us then. I picked the first thing on the menu. The mushroom ravioli and Edward ordered the same, with two cokes. I noted to that the waiter was eyeing him and he just ignored her. I liked that he did that. I really did.

"So Bella, tell me something I don't already know about you?" He took a sip of his soda.

I cleared my throat and braided my hands together unsure of what to tell him.

"Well when I was sixteen I lost my mom, step dad and baby brother in a car accident." I looked up at him to see him starring at me.

He placed his hand over mine.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He smiled slightly and it didn't reach his eyes.

I smiled timidly back. "It's alright."

We held hands together like that for awhile. He made me tell him things that I wasn't used to. It was over whelming at times and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. After we finished eating he paid for our meal and left a tip.

"Would you like to take a walk with me Bella?" As we entered back on to the street.

"Sure." I smiled at him and he took my hand.

We walked for a distance and made our way out to the park. There was a small bistro place that sold hot chocolate and we got some to keep us warm. I sipped mine slowly savoring the rich flavor and the warmness it created within me.

We walked onto a path way and it was a beautiful night.

"Edward. Tell me something about you." I looked over at him.

"There's nothing to tell." He said clipped. He looked away into the darkness and took an unsteady breath.

I was going to stop and ask him what that was about, but then he continued on with out even glancing at me.

"I've never felt this way about anyone before." He said without hesitation and I blushed scarlet.

"You barely know me."

"I know but I know this is very different."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know how to explain it. I just know that what I am feeling is something unique and I don't know what to call it."

I was silent. I didn't know what to say so we just walked in silence for a while. Finally I got the nerve and spoke up.

"You're not the only one, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not the only one who feels that way." I said in a whisper.

He stopped walking and just looked at me.

"Do you mean that?"

I nodded my head.

His eyes blazed at me and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Like he wanted to say something else but he refused to open his mouth.

Until finally he spoke.

"I don't have the strength to be away from you, Bella."

The air left my lungs in a whooshing sound.

I barely spoke up when I answered.

"Then don't".

He stepped up to me then and used his free hand to touch my face.

"The way you trust me so soon Bella. Why?" He eyes blazed for an answer.

"Because," I whispered. "I don't have the strength to be apart from you either. In a way you're saving me." I knew that once I said that I meant it. He was quickly becoming the center of my universe. He was giving me reason to look forward to everyday.

"What if I'm not the hero, what if I'm really the bad guy?" He looked at me with piercing eyes.

"You wouldn't hurt me." I whispered out and closed my eyes and leaned forward.

I brushed my lips against his and breathed in his sweet scent.

"Oh Bella." He whispered and laced his arms around me and hugged me closely to him.

When he pulled away he began to speak again.

"Bella, there's something we need to talk-"

Ring

Ring

Ring

"Shit," he muttered as he pulled out his phone and answered it. He put up one finger to tell me to hold on a minute and stepped away from me to have some privacy.

The bits of conversation I could hear were hard to depict what he was talking about. I heard "stay out of my business," and "I'll take care of it," and "get off my back," and then "don't you dare". Then he hung up and came back up to me.

"Come lets you get you out of the cold."

The conversation he had confused me but I wasn't sure if I should bring it up or not.

That night he didn't stay the night. It didn't hurt me that he didn't stay because I needed time to process my feelings for him. When we returned it was a little after 1 am. I was tired and after stripping down to nothing I crawled into bed.

That night I was expecting dreams of Edward to assault my dreams once again. So as I laid there waiting for sleep to take me I realized three things I was absolutely positive.

One, Edward was falling for me. Two something about him wasn't adding up. And three, I was absolutely positively in love with him and that scared the crap out of me. Something in my chest stirred when I thought of him. My breathing became harsher and my heart beat faster for two reasons because he already owned me and because I knew something was going to happen and I was unsure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Please tell me what you think. If I can get to fifty reviews I promise I will release an Epov from this chapter and then just because you guys all rock...I am sure you will want to know what little Alice was up to while she visited her bf's place...