Disclaimer: I regret to inform you that I don't own Twilight.

Author's Note: I know it's been a long time, but here it is: Chapter Two of Playing for Keeps! I'm so sorry about the dreadful wait, but at first I wasn't going to continue this story at all, and then I got wrapped up in the whirlwind that is college life, and then some really crappy things happened…but it's done, and I hope it's something that you'll all enjoy.

I had a really rough time writing this considering that my inspiration for this story just recently had major heart surgery, and his brain was damaged when his heart stopped (twice) during the operation. He's currently unable to remember anything, including his own name. This also means that he has no recollection of me, which really gets me down. The doctors don't know whether his memory loss is temporary or permanent, so cross your fingers for me and hope that he pulls through.

This is for Dane.

Someone was touching me. Their arms were wrapped around my waist, and I could feel hot air blowing against the side of my face with each breath they exhaled. The heat that radiated from the body next to me was making me sweat uncontrollably, and I fought to breathe against their grip tightening around my torso. I opened my eyes, prepared to unleash my fury on whoever was waking me so early in the morning with their suffocating presence, but then I saw him. I mean, really saw him. He had a slight dusting of stubble along his jaw, and his hair was beautifully disheveled, hanging over his forehead and partially obscuring one of his closed eyes from view. His sumptuous lips were parted slightly in sleep, and I couldn't stop myself from reaching up to lightly trace his full bottom lip. The moment I touched him, his tongue poked out from between his lips and touched my fingertip before retreating back into his mouth. He crinkled his nose adorably and his eyes opened a moment later, the startling green irises struggling to focus in the darkness of the hotel room. When he was finally able to focus on me, a sleepy version of his signature crooked smile broke out across his face, and his arms tightened around me.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I greeted in a whisper as I reached up to push his hair off his forehead. He yawned widely and unwrapped one arm from around me to rub his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Morning." His voice was rough with sleep, and the sound of it made goose bumps ripple across my skin. "What time is it?" I glanced at the digital alarm clock on the bedside table before turning back toward Edward.

"It's still early, only nine." He raised an eyebrow before nuzzling his face into my neck, his stubble scratching against my skin.

"And why..." he trailed off, pausing long enough to press his lips under the corner of my jaw. "…did you feel it was necessary to wake me up at this ungodly hour?" I frowned slightly, a little hurt by his lack of enthusiasm over being woken up.

"You can go back to sleep if you want, but I'd appreciate it if you would give my body back before you do." I struggled against his grasp in an attempt to return to my side of the bed, but he was having none of it. He only held onto me tighter, the kisses he placed along my skin becoming more insistent.

"Mmm, no can do. Your body belongs to me now, woman. Besides, I don't mind being woken up early when I get to wake up next to you."

All traces of hurt feelings gone, I was unable to keep a smile from my face as I leaned forward to touch my lips to his, morning breath be damned. A low moan rumbled quietly in his chest as he took one of my lips between both of his, nibbling gently before letting the tip of his tongue graze my skin. Without thinking, I speared my fingers through his hair, reveling in the softness while I pushed my mouth harder onto his and let our tongues tangle and fight for dominance. After a moment I broke away to fulfill my body's need for oxygen, and he took the opportunity to roll on top of me. When he dipped down to capture my lips once again, I ducked out of his way, flashing a coy smirk up at him.

"Maybe we shouldn't get carried away while my friends are in the bed next to ours," I suggested, raising my eyebrows as he stared down at me with a ravenous look in his eyes.

"It's far too late to not get carried away now, babe." He pressed his hips against mine, and I groaned as I felt exactly how carried away he was getting. "Keep quiet. We wouldn't want your friends to wake up, would we?"

He rolled off of me then, grabbing the waistband of my panties and sliding them swiftly down my legs before bunching them up in one of his hands.

"I'm going to take these with me when I go home. You know, like a souvenir from my trip to Chicago." His eyes flashed mischievously. "What a lovely memento, don't you think?"

"Don't you dare, Edward. That's my favorite pair!" I shrieked, lunging at him in an attempt to snatch my underwear out of his hand.

I heard someone stir in the next bed, the sound of rustling sheets and a loud yawn leading me to believe that my friends were waking up. Alice always slept like the dead, but Rosalie was notorious for waking up early in the morning and then forcing everyone else's butts out of bed with her huffing and puffing about "wasting daylight".

"Shhh," Edward chastised me, placing two fingers against my mouth. "You're gonna wake up the whole hotel if you keep yelling like that."

"Bella? You awake?" Rose's weary voice came from the neighboring bed, and I felt my face flush immediately at the lack of clothing on my lower half.

"Yeah, I am."

"Thought so. You weren't exactly being quiet."

"That's the understatement of the century." Alice's muffled voice came out from underneath one of the pillows, and I couldn't help but laugh at how pissed she sounded. "You're being loud as fuck."

"Sorry, guys," Edward apologized as I felt one of his hands drift over the skin of my abdomen, getting lower with each passing second. "I tried to tell her to keep it down, but she just refused to listen."

Another yawn sounded through the air, accompanied by a groan of frustration from Alice.

"It's not your fault, Edward. Bella always has a difficult time with keeping her fat mouth shut."

I opened my mouth to retort, but was stopped short when Edward's fingers reached the apex of my thighs and began rubbing tiny circles over my clit.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." He continued to draw circles on my sensitive flesh with his thumb while he slipped two fingers into my entrance and immediately began a steady rhythm. A violent shudder rippled through my body and Edward turned his head to look at me, a mask of mock concern on his face.

"Are you cold, love?" I bit my lip to hold back a moan and scowled at him, in utter disbelief that he was getting me off with my friends not ten feet away.

"A l-little," I lied. "I'll be f-f-fine."

He picked up the pace with his fingers, and I felt myself creeping closer and closer to the edge. Our makeout session just minutes before had left me so riled up that I was already inches away from coming on his fingers, an event that probably would not go unnoticed by Alice and Rose.

"What are we doing today?" Rosalie asked, sounding bored already. She wasn't really one for laying around when there was a whole city waiting outside of the hotel. Normally I wouldn't blame her, but I currently had a gorgeous boy's hand between my legs. All I really wanted to do right now was let him finish me off and then bask in my post-orgasmic glow.

"I was kind of wondering the same thing. What do you think, Bella?"

What. The. Fuck.

Edward was laying here beside me, fucking me with his fingers, and yet he felt that it was acceptable for him to carry on perfectly casual conversations with my friends. What an asshole! If I hadn't been so blissed out by the magic he was working with his talented hands, I would have been thoroughly pissed.

"Earth to Bella." Alice's high-pitched voice pulled me from my thoughts just as Edward curled his fingers forward, hitting a spot that made my inner walls tighten dangerously around him. "Any ideas for today?"

"Uh, yeah… I was thinking we could go see the Sears Tower." Edward applied more pressure to his thumb, which was still circling my clit, and I couldn't stop from crying out. "Ah! A-and then we could just walk around, see some other sights, that s-sort of t-thing."

I was grinding my hips down onto his hand, fighting against the moans that were bubbling up in my throat with each thrust of his fingers into me. The muscles clenching in my abdomen were getting harder and harder to ignore as Edward brought me closer to climax, and I was struggling to maintain my composure around my friends. I was so fucking close, and I buried my face against Edward's shoulder, panting softly against his warm skin as I prepared myself for what was sure to be an extremely intense orgasm.

And that's when he did the most infuriating thing of all.

He stopped.

His fingers stilled inside me before leaving my body completely, and he threw back his side of the covers before standing from the bed.

"Sightseeing sounds good to me," he quipped, leaning over to kiss the top of my head. "I'm gonna go hop in the shower real quick so that we can get this day started." With that, he turned and went into the bathroom, closing the door soundly behind him. I heard the shower start a minute later.

What the hell?

I was absolutely throbbing with the need to come, and I had half a mind to just reach under the covers and finish the job myself. Unfortunately, my friends were crawling out of their bed, staring at me with knowing smirks on their faces as they stalked toward me like lionesses on the prowl. And I might have a slender frame and long legs, but I'll be damned if I was going to play the helpless gazelle. I held my hands up in a motion for them to stop, but they kept slinking in my direction in a way that scared the fuck out of me.

"Wait just a fucking minute!" I yelled, stopping them in their tracks. "Do you really think the huntress routine is necessary?" They looked at each other before nodding, and I sighed in defeat. "Well, it's not. Sit your skinny asses down on the bed and I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

The predatory expressions left their faces, and they looked like two little kids who had just come down the stairs on Christmas morning to find that Santa had been to their house as they plopped onto my bed and stared expectantly. I felt like I was a fucking kindergarten teacher as I rolled my eyes and waited for the questions to start.

"Alright, first question…but for the love of God, keep your voices down. I don't need Edward hearing this." I glanced toward the quivering pixie and the smug-looking blonde, and I knew that this was going to be like removing a Band-Aid. It was painful, but you just had to get it over with. Fast. "Alice, would you like to begin the interrogation?" I swear that girl vibrated with excitement as she clapped her hands and grinned ear to ear.

"So I already know that you guys had sex—"

"Whoa, hold up there, doll face," I interrupted, raising my eyebrows as I stared her down. "How do you know that Edward and I had sex?" She scoffed and looked to Rose, who rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Bella, please do not insult my intelligence. It was a little too obvious that you and your online lover did the nasty when I found all of your used condoms in the bathroom trashcan. Not to mention the wrapper lying on the floor beside your bed." I took a quick peek at the floor and, sure enough, there was a little foil wrapper sitting happily on the carpet, screaming to the world that Edward and I had indulged in a little bit (or a lot) of fornication last night.

I smiled guiltily at my friends, and Alice squealed like a little girl while Rosalie's lips curled upward in approval.

"So anyway," Alice continued, a newfound enthusiasm ringing in her voice. "Now that we've established the fact that some serious V-card stamping took place last night, we can move on to the real question at hand: how was it?"

"Fantastic."

She pouted.

"Come on, B," Rosalie prompted, her blue eyes shining. "You have to give us more than that. We want details!"

"Like what?" I had no idea what was appropriate to share and what should be kept to myself. Alice had a tendency to go into great detail about her sexcapades with her boyfriend, Jasper, while Rose kept all of the dirtier details to herself. I just always knew when she'd had another one-night stand because she would text me saying 'I had sex last night. Just thought I'd let you know.'

"Well, for starters, did you finish? Did he? Was there foreplay?"

Well those questions sounded easy enough to answer.

"Yes, yes, and yes."

"Isabella, what part of the word details do you not understand? You are going to sit here until you tell us what that boy did to make you hot, and then how he took care of the problem. Am I understood?" I nodded speechlessly, suddenly scared shitless by Rose's wrath.

Fuck.

The next five minutes or so were spent recounting the night to my best friends, beginning with Edward pulling a deck of cards out of his suitcase and suggesting that we play a little game of poker. When I got to the part about how he made me come during foreplay, Rosalie held up her hand.

"There are so many different types of foreplay, Bella. You need to specify what he did." I blushed as red as a tomato, but Al and Rose just waited patiently for me to answer.

"He uh…he put his mouth…um…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Bella! Quit being such a virgin and just spit it out already."

"He ate me out, okay?! He put his mouth on me and made me come. There. Are you two finally happy?"

"Yes, thank you."

I was forced to continue with my story, choking out bits and pieces about the actual penetration and how it felt to have him buried inside me. Alice and Rosalie seemed surprised that I had actually managed to orgasm during my first time, low whistles escaping their mouths.

"Damn, B. That boy must be good. My first time, I felt nothing but pain."

"Tell me about it," Alice chimed in, examining her nails. "It hurt like hell."

"Yeah, it hurt," I explained, looking down at my hands folded in my lap. "But I made him stay, and after the pain subsided, it was incredible."

"Lucky bitch." Rosalie looked thoroughly jealous, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Rose, babe. I've been waiting for Edward for how long, now? It's been over a year. I'm sure the fantastic-ness of the sex had something to do with how badly I wanted him to begin with."

"Yeah, maybe..."

"So, Bella." Alice looked like she had just found out that Forever 21 was giving away free clothing rather than finding out that her best friend had her V-card stamped the night before. It frightened me a bit. "After the initial penetration, where else did you guys do it? Because I know it was more than once."

Damn you, Alice. You and your psychic powers.

Or maybe the three-plus condoms in the bathroom trashcan gave it away.

"Well the first time was on the bed, and then I followed him into the shower when he went to get cleaned up. Um…we came back out here and sat on the floor and talked for a bit. Talking turned to kissing, kissing turned to more, and before I knew it, he was on his back on the floor and I was on top of him."

"Damn girl."

"Yeah, and you also might not want to eat off of that table," I mumbled, pointing to the round table in the corner.

"Holy fuck, B!" Rosalie's face was a mask of shock, and Alice was giggling uncontrollably beside her, sounding more like a hyena than a human being. "First of all, that man must have crazy-good stamina. Second, I don't even know how you aren't sore today. Four times in one night? Jesus. Not to mention that it was the very night that you lost your virginity."

I shifted in bed, and for the first time noticed how sore the muscles in my butt and thighs were. My center felt raw and worn, and yet despite that, I was still desperate for release.

"I am sore. Like you wouldn't believe. And to be perfectly honest with you, I have no fucking clue how we managed to go so many times. I guess it was just all the sexual tension from the past year coming to a head." Rose started to laugh, and I glared daggers at her. "Pardon the pun. Anyway, I think we just need to fuck it out of our systems."

"And have you?"

I smirked deviously.

"Not quite yet."

The room grew silent, and I realized that the shower had been turned off. The thought of Edward wet and naked and just behind that door made my core throb unbearably, and I bit my lip as I quickly formulated a plan in my head.

"Why don't you guys go raid the continental breakfast," I murmured quietly so that there was no chance of Edward overhearing. "Bring back everything that looks good."

"You're not coming with us?" Alice pouted, but Rose looked like she knew what I was up to.

"Not this time, Al. The girl has bigger fish to fry. Come to think of it, we might want to hit the Starbucks across the street while we're at it. Good luck, Bells." They stood from my bed and headed for the door, loudly complaining about how starved they were and how they hoped that the hotel's breakfast was at least half way decent. As soon as the door closed behind them, I climbed quickly out of bed and threw on Edward's v-neck t-shirt from the night before, forgoing underwear since Edward had thought it funny to kidnap my favorite pair. Moments later, the bathroom door opened and he emerged in nothing but a plush white towel that was slung low on his hips. His wet hair was a dark auburn, and my stomach did flips as I sat on the bed and watched him cross the room to his suitcase, seemingly unaware of my presence. I stayed silent until he bent over, his fantastic ass on display for me.

"Wow, what a view."

He jumped and let out this strange yelp before turning to face me, clutching his towel tightly against his hip. I couldn't help but laugh at the shocked look on his face, and he glared menacingly at me.

"Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack? Jesus Christ."

"Sorry," I said rather unconvincingly, swinging my legs back and forth as his eyes roamed my body hungrily.

"I thought you went down to grab breakfast with Alice and Rosalie." I raised my eyebrows at him, eyeing him speculatively.

"Was someone eavesdropping? That's not very polite, you know." I stood from the bed and walked slowly over, swaying my hips slightly more than usual. "You know what else isn't very polite? Leaving a girl on the edge of orgasm while you go take a shower."

"Sorry about that, babe. I didn't want to finish you off in front of your friends and risk you making too much noise."

He smiled this shit-eating grin that made it clear how not sorry he was, and I took the last few steps that would close the distance between us. When I made it to him, he reached out to put a hand on my hip, and my lips curled into a sickeningly sweet smile that made him swallow hard.

"Oh, you're not sorry," I said, running a finger down his chest. Upon reaching the edge of the towel, I hooked my finger under it and pulled it off of him, leaving him stark naked and glorious in front of me. "But you will be. Sit on the edge of the bed."

I'd never given a blowjob before, so I wasn't exactly sure if I would be good at it. I did however, have Alice as an instructor, and she (and Jasper) claimed that she was the master at giving head. And really, who better to learn from than the master? I was going into this with the basic knowledge of how to use my mouth to make him feel good, and I just prayed to God that I would figure the rest out as I went.

He staggered back to sit on our bed, his knees bent and his feet on the floor. I stalked over to him and watched in delight as his eyes bugged out of his head.

"Fuck, you look so fucking good in my shirt. Especially since I know you aren't wearing any panties under it." I narrowed my eyes at him as I pushed him to lie back on the bed, licking my lips at the sight of his dick, which was now standing at full attention.

"Trust me, you're going to pay for that stunt, too." I pressed a searing kiss to his mouth before sliding down his body, my lips leading the way as I worshipped every ripple of his perfect physique. My fingers traced the contours of his chest in an almost reverent manner, and I heard him hiss from underneath my careful hands. When I pulled away and adjusted our positions so that I was kneeling in between his legs, a strangled groan left his lips at the thought of what I was about to do. With a smug smirk on my lips, I reached out and grasped his length firmly in my hand, giving it a pump or two while Edward gave a shout and writhed on the bed.

"No no, my dear," I scolded, immediately removing my hand from the hot satin skin of his cock and loving the whimper that escaped his perfect pink lips. "You're going to have to be quiet if you want me to do this for you. It's only fair, after all."

His hips bucked involuntarily, and I pushed down on his left hip in an attempt to still his movements.

"Christ, Bella." His voice was low and ragged and full of pure need, and as much as I wanted to beg him to never stop talking, there was a point I needed to make with him.

If my life had stage directions, this is where it would say Enter Sexually Confident Bella.

"What did I say?" I asked in a domineering voice, pausing to take a long lick along the underside of his shaft. I heard his breath catch in his throat as I placed a moist kiss on the tip and I delighted in the way he squirmed, his eyes closed tightly and his lips parted. "No noises." With that, I wrapped my lips around the head of his cock, flicking the tip of my tongue over the slit before taking more of him into my mouth. His body was literally shaking under me, and I had to fight the urge to grin as I started bobbing my head up and down in his lap. There was no way that all of him could fit in my mouth, so I used my hand on the base, twisting upwards to follow the path of my lips. After a few minutes like this, I let him fall from my mouth with a small pop and let my tongue trail along the vein that spiraled along his length. His stomach muscles clenched under the hand splayed on his hip, and I raised my eyes to look at him.

He had propped himself up on his elbows and was watching me with fascination, his eyes burning with white hot lust and his bottom lip caught between his teeth to prevent any sounds from escaping that perfect mouth. Watching him watch me was crazily erotic, and a new wave of need rose and broke over my body as I lowered my mouth onto his dick once more, letting a long, low moan vibrate around his length as he threw his head back and reached down to fist his hand in my hair. I would be lying through my teeth if I said that sucking him off wasn't making me ridiculously wet and in desperate need of release, so I slipped one hand between my legs and began rapidly circling my clit to stave off some of the aching need that was building in my nether regions.

"Oh, fuck. Bella…Bella stop! I can't—please, no more." He was practically sobbing, and I released him immediately, lifting my head and eying him warily.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? I—did I do something wrong?"

He sat up and grabbed my shoulders, gently leading me off of the floor and onto the bed so that I was seated beside him, curled into his side.

"No baby, you were perfect," he answered, stroking my hair softly as he pressed his mouth to the side of my throat. "I just want to be inside of you when I come." His statement made my desire flare hotter, and despite everything, I felt a blush stain my cheeks pink.

"Oh. Oh." My spoken words turned into a throaty moan as he pulled me so that I was on top of him, my thighs straddling his hips and his extremely hard dick aligned perfectly with my center. Somehow he'd managed to pull my shirt off, leaving us both bare and breathing heavily as our eyes roamed each other's bodies.

"I'll never get over how beautiful you are," he whispered with intensity, his eyes glinting in the dim light of the room. And as much as I loved the compliments that poured like honey from his lips, I remembered that I was still in the process of punishing him for his earlier behavior. The man had to be taught a lesson.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," I growled as one of my hands snaked into his hair and pulled, causing his eyes to roll back in his head a little. I had no idea where this vixen behavior was coming from, but Edward certainly seemed to be enjoying it. His head was thrown back and his chest was heaving with every breath that hissed through his clenched teeth; I don't know if I've ever seen anything more beautiful in my life. I lowered myself onto him so that just his tip was encased in my warmth and his hand flew to my hip, preventing me from going any lower.

"Condom," he grunted, his eyes hooded and his mouth in a hard line. Although it wouldn't have been entirely necessary since I was on birth control, I was astounded that he had remembered and been considerate enough to remind me.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed myself off of him before dashing over to his bag and grabbing a tiny foil packet from the box I knew he had stashed there. He scooted back so that he was laying in the center of the bed, and within seconds I had rolled the condom onto his hardened length and straddled him once more, leaning in to kiss him deeply as I sank onto him in a fluid movement. A mutual groan left our connected mouths as I sheathed him fully inside me, letting him fill me in a way I never imagined possible.

I braced my hands on his chest, and we began to move.

I rocked against him a few times before lifting my hips and slamming them back down, a move that earned a loud curse from Edward. When he looked at me in apology for his outburst, I smiled and reached down to push his damp hair back from his forehead.

"It's okay; you can talk now."

"Thank fucking God," he muttered, breathing an audible sigh of relief. "If I had to go one more minute without telling you how Goddamn gorgeous you look on top of me, I would have exploded." A throaty chuckle left my lips and he groaned as I ground my hips hard against him, a move that sent shivers up my spine and an electric shock straight to where he was buried so deeply inside me.

"No exploding yet, babe. Give me a few minutes to catch up to you."

I hadn't even finished my sentence when Edward tightened his grip on my waist and flipped us so that my back was on the bed and he was hovering above me. Before I could protest our change in position, he pulled out of me and his head was between my thighs, licking and sucking and nipping and oh, fuck. I grabbed fistfuls of his hair in my hands as my hips undulated against his face, wordlessly begging him to go a little faster, to add a little more pressure. A moment later he lifted his head and met my eyes as he took one more long, languid lick up my slit, chuckling softly as I whimpered and squirmed on the bed.

"Are you all caught up now?" he asked, his voice nearly as scratchy as the stubble that was rubbing against the inside of my thigh.

"Uh-huh." I nodded and watched in awe as he crawled back up my body with a predatory gleam in his darkened eyes. My body was already quivering in anticipation, and seeing him want me so badly threw me into sensory overload.

"Fuck." The word escaped my lips as both an explicative and a plea, and as I watched the crooked smile form on Edward's face I knew that he understood exactly what I had meant.

"I plan on it, woman."

He grabbed the base of his dick and aligned himself with my center before swiftly pushing in, stretching my inner muscles in the most delicious way as I moaned my approval. I had been expecting it to hurt considering how sore I was from last night, but the feel of his hips between my spread thighs and his length deep within my body was too perfect to describe. I could feel my body practically humming with pleasure as he began to move inside me and my hands drifted of their own accord to nest in the softness of Edward's hair, tugging harshly at the unruly bronze locks as he quickened the movements of his hips.

"Ah, Bella."

Hearing him say my name in such a raw and primal way made my body tingle all over, and I got so caught up in the sensations that I barely noticed when he rolled us so that I was on top of him, splayed over his chest. His hands went immediately to my hips, pulling me off of his cock before forcing me back down, hard. My head dropped back and a long, low moan left my lips as he repeated the action again and again and again, my pelvis slamming against his in a way that made my insides quake. I was riding him, but he was driving me; driving me crazy, driving me mad, driving my hips onto him with a force that would shake the very foundations of this city.

Look out, Chicago.

I leaned forward a bit, and the very next downward stroke caused my clit to grind harshly against his pubic bone

"Mother fuck!" I screamed, my walls clenching around him in warning as he picked up the pace so that I was sliding up and down his length at the speed of light, my bones shaking and my heart pounding and my center rejoicing at the most perfect friction it had ever known.

"Tell me how good it is," Edward gasped from under me, his eyes dark and dangerous. I followed his gaze to the site of our coupling and watched as he slid effortlessly into me time and time again, the sight making the sensations that much more powerful.

"Ungh, it's good. It's so good! I love the way you feel inside—" I stopped short as his hands left my hips and fell to the bed beside him. He had been moving me, so my movements ceased and I could practically feel my climax slipping away. "What? No! No, don't stop, please—"

"Move on me." His voice was just barely a whisper, but the intensity at which he was watching me made it seem like a shouted command.

Sir, yes sir!

Without thought, I placed my hands on his chest and began the rhythm he had ceased only seconds ago, lifting my hips before driving them back down onto him in an almost savage manner. That warm, tingling pressure was building in my core, and I bit my lip as my hips rolled like ocean waves, crashing down onto Edward and all his perfection.

"Jesus Christ, Bella…oh, fuck…you're going to make me come."

Oh, me too, me too, I thought as I rode him harder, determined to get us both there at once. I was close…so close…and my movements became erratic and frantic as I slammed down onto him harder than before, my eyes rolling back in my head from the sheer pleasure of my powerful strokes. In the back of my mind I wondered if it was possible to break someone's dick, but the feral noises ripping from Edward's throat assured me that he wasn't hurting in the least. His head started thrashing from side to side, and his hands flew up to grab my breasts, tweaking my nipples into hard, sensitive peaks.

"Jesus, fuck….nnngh…say my name. Edward, say it!"

I felt his muscles stiffen as he pulsed inside me, bellowing my name at the top of his lungs as he came.

"BELLA! Oh, fucking hell, Bella! You're so…so fucking good…Christ…"

Hearing my name mixed into his string of profanities and watching his face contort in pleasure as he reached the promise land threw me over the edge, and I clenched hard around his throbbing dick as sparks shot through every nerve ending in my body. It went on and on and on and on, my inner muscles contracting and releasing against his now softening length. When the last waves had subsided, I collapsed forward onto his chest, panting heavily against his sweat-slicked skin as his arms wound around me. We were silent for a long time, just listening to the sounds of the world outside our hotel room and each other's uneven breathing. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days, but we knew nothing other than the warmth of each other's bodies and the comfort of our post-coital bliss.

"Well," he muttered after a while as he gently rolled me off of him. "I think I've learned my lesson." I curled myself into his side and sighed as he wrapped his arms tightly around my body, holding me to him.

"Oh yeah? And what lesson would that be?"

"That it's not nice of me to pleasure you in front of your friends. And that I can't just take your underwear back home as a souvenir."

"Very good," I praised, stroking his hair lovingly. "I think my punishment did you some good."

"It definitely did. Which is exactly why I'm not just going to take your underwear home," he elaborated, the tone of his voice indicating that he was in fact very pleased with himself. "I'm going to have them framed, and they're going to hang in my dorm room when I go back to school."

"You're such an ass." I laughed at his antics, but my smile faded as my thoughts took a different direction. "Besides, I don't think Tanya would approve of another girl's panties hanging on your wall." I regretted the words as soon as I spoke them, because the look on Edward's face went from one of contentment to one of confusion and pain and I hated myself for having put the emotions there. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I know it's not my place." Not to mention that we were both naked in bed after an incredible round of sex.

Wow, Bella. What a perfect time to bring up his girlfriend.

"No, it's okay," he said, reaching over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You have a right to bring it up. It just kills me to know that it hurts you so much."

"But how could it not?" I asked softly. "How could it not hurt me to know that while I was willing to swear off all other guys for you, you were starting a relationship with another girl? I mean, I know that we're far away from each other, and that it would be really, really hard to make it work, and that it's completely irrational, but I didn't care about any of that. All of the right feelings were there. For me, at least."

The tightness in my throat as I spoke and the tears threatening to spill from my eyes made me realize that I wasn't strong enough to have this conversation right now without losing it. The thoughts had been plaguing me for months, and now here I was beside Edward, baring my fucking soul, he just stared at me with this odd look in his eyes that I couldn't decipher.

I couldn't do this.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, making a move to get out of bed. "I—I can't…"

Warm fingers wrapped tightly around my wrist in an attempt to keep me where I was, and I turned to look at the impossibly perfect god of a man on the bed next to me.

"Edward, don't. Just forget about—"

"No."

"No?" I was confused. He'd told me once that he wasn't good at voicing the way he felt, and now he wanted to talk about this?

"No."

I settled back onto the bed, suddenly painfully aware of our nakedness. He must have realized at the same time, because he reached down to grab the sheet, pulling the thin white fabric up over our bare bodies. When we were both comfortable, he reached for my hand, entwining our fingers tightly together.

"Bella, I need you to listen to me. I do feel the same way about you. Jesus, how could I not? You're fucking incredible. If I thought I knew that before this trip, it's nothing compared to what I know now. Every second I'm with you, I feel like I'm going to go mad because I can't decide whether I want to throw you on a bed and have my way with you or pull you into my arms and hold you for hours just so I can feel close to you. I thought that maybe after we had sex, I'd get a little bit of this out of my system, but when I opened my eyes this morning and saw you smiling at me…fuck. It was like everything I knew flew out the window. You've absolutely ruined me, Bella, so please do not let me hear you say that you're the only one with the feelings here. I've got them too. Badly."

"I just don't understand how it was so easy for you to put your feelings for me aside and date Tanya. I couldn't even look at other guys romantically without thinking of you."

"I never said it was easy," he murmured, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. "Forgetting you long enough to start a relationship with her was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And even now, I still don't know if I made the right decision. Even now, I can't help but think of you every time I'm with her."

I couldn't stop the tears then.

They came, spilling out of my eyes and running hotly down my cheeks. There was no use trying to hold in the sobs, either. They tore harshly from my chest, causing my body to shake violently beside him, and he reached out to me, his warm arms wrapping gently around my trembling frame.

"Please. Please don't cry, love."

How pathetic. I'd been trying so long to get him to really open up to me, and when he finally tells me the magnitude of his feelings for me, I break down and cry like a little baby. He probably thought I was a nutcase, but I really couldn't make myself care too much. He felt about me the way I felt about him, and

When my cries had quieted and I'd regained a fair amount of control over myself, I lifted my head to throw a tentative smile at Edward.

He wasn't smiling back.

"I—I'm sorry," I stuttered, willing to do anything in my power to put a look of happiness back onto his perfect face. "I just couldn't—"

"Isabella Swan, don't you dare apologize to me."

Wait…what? Why was he angry? Had I done something to upset him?

"I don't understand." Gently, carefully, he reached over to take both of my hands in his and brought them up to his mouth, pressing his lips to my knuckles.

"Bella." He said my name slowly, his voice shaking slightly. Our joined hands were still against his mouth, and I could feel his lips brushing against my fingers with every word he spoke. It was very distracting, because all I could think about was the way his lips felt against other parts of my anatomy. "Bella, I don't want you to apologize for this. Not ever, okay? I'm the one that should be apologizing to you." I opened my mouth to protest, but he gave me this look that told me that now was not the time for arguing my case. I promptly shut my mouth. "After seeing you cry like that…how much pain I've caused you by not being honest about the way I felt…I'll be lucky if you can forgive me. God knows I'll never forgive myself."

I hated this. I hated that he was so angry with himself for something that I wasn't even upset about! Those tears had merely been an outlet for everything I was feeling at the moment, and I had in no way meant to cause him any sort of anguish with my episode.

"There's nothing to forgive," I whispered, tucking myself more snugly into his side. "You told me once you weren't good at expressing emotions, and by not revealing the full magnitude of your feelings…you were just being you, Edward. And I wouldn't want you to be anything other than that."

"I don't know how you can be so understanding about it," he grumbled, releasing my hands and wrapping his arms once more around my frame. "Knowing that I hurt you makes me want to punch myself."

I huffed a sigh. This brooding of his was getting old really fast.

"Yeah, well you know what I want?"

"What?"

"I want you to stop moping and kiss me again."

That seemed to do it. His face softened and I thought I caught a glimpse of that damned crooked smile before his hand was tangled in my hair and he pulled my mouth to his, crushing his lips against mine in a searing kiss. I opened my mouth beneath his, and he groaned as his tongue made its way into my mouth, his flavor warm and tangy and Edward. Before I knew it, he was on top of me and I could feel his arousal growing against my thigh. I pulled back to gasp for air, and Edward's lopsided grin did nothing to help my breathing situation.

"I don't suppose we have time for another round, do we?" I almost had to laugh at his insatiable appetite for me, but the look in his eye silenced any giggles before they had the chance to escape my throat. Right now there was nothing I wanted more than another round, but Alice and Rosalie would be returning at any minute, and I knew they wouldn't take kindly to walking into the room to find Edward balls deep inside me.

"No. They'll be back soon." He nodded morosely, and this time I couldn't help but laugh. "Jesus, Edward. I'm sure we'll get some more alone time soon."

"I guess you're right. Right now we should probably focus on getting cleaned up."

Before I even knew what was happening, he had climbed out of bed and reached down for me, slinging me over his shoulder like I weighed no more than a sack of flour. I struggled in his grasp, and he responded by playfully smacking my ass.

"Hey!" I protested loudly as he carried me toward the bathroom. "I can get to the bathroom myself, you know."

"Yes, I'm aware," he said, although he didn't set me on my feet until we were safely in the bathroom with the door shut and locked. "However, I thought that maybe we could shower together. You know, to conserve water and everything."

"But you just took a shower a little bit ago."

"This is true," he said as he reached to turn on the water in the tub. "But if I recall correctly, a certain sex goddess decided that she was going to get me all hot and sweaty just minutes after I emerged from the bathroom. So I think another shower is in order."

He pulled me into the shower then, and the hot water cascaded down over our heads, soaking our hair and trickling in tiny rivers down our chests. It took everything I had to ignore the way Edward's flawless body looked under the spray and concentrate on getting clean. I reached for the shampoo, but his nimble fingers wrapped around mine, plucking the bottle from my grasp and pouring a small amount in the palm of his hand. He washed my hair slowly, his hands gently working through the tangles of my thick tresses as I hummed my approval. After all the shampoo had been rinsed from my hair and I had slathered it in conditioner, I helped him clean up. I caressed the hard planes of his back, took the time to trace every line and dip on his torso, and ran my sudsy fingers through his messy hair. We stopped every so often to share chaste kisses, knowing that Alice and Rosalie's pending arrival didn't give us much leeway for more passionate displays.

When the water had been turned off and we were both wrapped in fluffy white towels, we made our way out of the bathroom and into the main area of our hotel room.

"Well, well, well," Alice chirped, folding her arms across her chest. "What have we here?" I rolled my eyes and padded over to my suitcase to pull out an outfit for the day. As I bent over, I could practically feel Edward's eyes on my ass, so I made sure to wiggle it a little for his benefit.

"But out, Alice. Edward and I were just doing our part to help the environment." I knew there was no chance she or Rose would buy that, but I figured it couldn't hurt, right?

"Oh yeah," Edward quipped sarcastically. "Go green."

We all laughed at that, and finally having found the shirt and shorts I wanted to wear that day, I turned to retreat into the bathroom once more.

"Oh Bella?" Rosalie called to me from across the room, stopping me in my tracks. I'd heard this tone of voice before, and it could not mean good things. It was that I love you, Bella, but I'm about to embarrass the shit out of you tone.

"Yes Rose?"

"Turn around."

I did as I was told, slowly turning to face my beautiful, blonde best friend who was currently eyeing me with one eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk on her lips.

"What's on your neck, Bella?"

My hand flew up to trace the dark red mark that I knew adorned my skin, and my cheeks burned as I blushed shamelessly. A quick glance at Edward told me that he was amused by Rosalie's discovery of my hickey, and I threw him a scowl and Rose the middle finger before stomping into the bathroom and slamming the door behind me.

From inside my safe haven, I heard Alice squeal with excitement.

"Well, let's get this show on the road! I'm ready to take the Windy City by storm!"

I chuckled to myself, feeling somewhat bad for the wrath and chaos we were going to unleash on this city.

Hold onto your hat, Chicago.

A/N: Well? How'd I do? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, so shoot me a review or a PM to let me know what you think!

Love you all.