Ok, you can relax now: Edward is finally here! The next two chapters are a little bit longer because it would obviously be a very bad idea to separate them. :)

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Previously:

I thought to myself, however, that if something or someone wonderful came along, I would make sure to grab on and never let go.

Chapter 7
BPOV

It was at the end of a two-week lecture series on child abuse that I found myself at the local bar. I rarely came here, especially not alone, but tonight I really needed a drink to get my mind off of the horror stories we'd been discussing in class. I knew that Renée's method of parenting had left much to be desired, and could in some ways be considered a form of emotional abuse – although generally unintentional – but to hear about the things some children went through, and at the hands of their own parents…

Maybe it was just a coincidence that this coming weekend would be my twenty-seventh birthday, but it still brought back a whole slew of painful memories of the night that had changed the path of my life exactly ten years ago. Not to mention the reason behind my split with Jacob just five years later. Jeez, good luck did not come to me on my birthday.

I shuddered as I sipped my glass of wine. It was time to clear my head and just relax.

I closed my eyes and hummed along with the song playing over the speakers. It was one of my favorites currently on the radio, a modern-day ode to exciting, passionate love. Something I had not had much of in my life, but still yearned to feel someday. I was surprised when I heard the person sitting next to me start singing along softly, harmonizing seamlessly between the stereo and my mostly-in-tune humming. I determined it had to be a man, based on the rich, deep tone of his voice.

As the last few notes trailed off and the music transitioned into the next overplayed Top 40 beat, I slowly opened my eyes and turned to get a look at my neighbor.

Staring back at me were the most brilliant green eyes I had ever seen. With just one glance they captivated me, pulling me into their depths.

The man sitting beside me was the most gorgeous creature I had ever laid eyes on. I remembered being immediately attracted to Jacob's finely cut form, but I was blown away by the beauty of this stranger. He wore a well-fitted white button-down that managed to show off the planes of his chest, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, tucked into dark jeans stretched over incredibly long legs. Topping off his model-esque features was a full head of wild sex hair in an unusual reddish-brown shade.

His full pink lips were quirked up in a soft smile, and I couldn't stop my own from forming in response.

"You have a beautiful voice," I felt the need to point out.

"Thank you," he replied, surprising me when a light blush quickly spread over his cheeks. "Your, um, humming is quite lovely as well." I snorted, causing him to chuckle. "Sorry, that was a little too much, wasn't it?"

"Not at all." I held out my hand, surprising myself with my own forwardness. "I'm Bella."

He grasped my hand in his and instead of shaking it, slowly brought his lips down and placed a soft kiss to my knuckles, keeping eye contact the entire time. I felt a small shiver run down my spine.

"Edward." He nodded to my empty wine glass. "Would you like another?"

I thought for a moment, eyeing his mostly-empty beer. "If you are."

He signaled the bartender, and we waited in a comfortable silence – as silent as a bar can be – while our drinks were prepared. I couldn't help sneaking glances over at Edward, watching the way his eyebrows furrowed as though he were deep in thought, and the way his long fingers tapped on the counter. The nervous tension must have gotten to me, because as soon as my refill was placed in front of me, I grabbed for the glass and started sucking down a few huge swallows.

"Whoa, slow down a little." Edward placed his hand on my forearm when I finally put my glass down. I felt my face flush in a combination of embarrassment and alcohol, and he smirked. "Rough day, huh?"

Although that hadn't been the reason for my guzzling, I sobered when I remembered why I was here in the first place. "You could say that." Not wanting to go into detail, I settled with telling him, "I just got hit with some unpleasant memories today, and needed to unwind a bit."

He nodded lightly, not pressing for more, for which I was grateful. "I get that."

I belatedly noticed that Edward's hand was still on my arm, and couldn't help staring. I hadn't been touched so casually by any man other than Jacob or my father, and while it was somewhat disconcerting, it also felt … comfortable. Like a deep, calm feeling was spreading through my body from our point of contact. He noticed the direction of my gaze and quickly pulled his hand away, smiling sheepishly.

I almost yelled at him to put it back, missing his warmth and the tingling, almost electrifying sensation that came along with it, but I stopped myself just in time. What the hell was I thinking? One guy starts paying a little attention to me and suddenly I get all worked up? And in public, no less.

I looked over and saw that Edward was surreptitiously fiddling around with a napkin in his lap. Somehow, knowing he was also nervous actually made me feel more relaxed. I decided right then and there, I wanted to get to know him better. I wanted to learn things about him and find out what exactly it was that had me so intrigued.

Not wanting the silence to eat away at us again, I brought up the subject of the song we had just been listening to. Edward sighed a little, relaxing his shoulders and shooting me a relieved smile, before jumping in with his opinion.

There were no more pauses in our conversation after that.

It was incredible how, after those first couple of bumps, the night moved on so smoothly. We kept up a steady dialogue, which morphed into a sort of twenty questions exchange. The topics were easy and light to start, such as our favorite color (somehow mine had changed to green, after having been blue for as long as I could remember) or our job (he was a doctor). Neither of us pushed for extra details unless they were given freely.

Slowly, as we began to open up with each other, we started sharing more personal information. I told him a little about my parents, and what it was like living with each of them. Edward confided that he had caught his last girlfriend cheating, and had not pursued a relationship since. I may have done a little mental fist-pump at hearing that.

Over the course of our time together, I started getting a more complete picture of the type of man he was. Edward was very well-spoken, always thinking through his answers carefully before confidently offering – and stubbornly sticking to – his point of view. He was chivalrous, standing up when I went to use the restroom and sliding in my stool for me when I returned. He was extremely intelligent: his interpretation and insight of many of the books and movies we shared our thoughts on were quite impressive.

On top of all that, his intriguing ability to go from a nervous blush to a salacious smirk, complete with raised eyebrow, was enough to make my libido jump into overdrive. As the night progressed, I found our stools inched closer and closer together, ending up with our knees touching under the countertop. I wasn't dressed in anything particularly special for a night out, but the way his eyes occasionally drifted over my body told a different story. Sure, Jacob and I had been intimate as a married couple, but he had never looked at me with so much desire.

At one point, the sexual tension was at an all time high between us; I could practically see the electricity in the air. As more and more of our conversation seemed to be taken as innuendo, Edward's hand came to rest on my thigh with a light squeeze, and I couldn't take it any more.

"I think I'd like to get out of here." I moved my hand over his, a gesture to let him know I hoped he would go with me.

Edward needed no convincing, jumping up and throwing a couple of bills down to cover our drinks. He sweetly held out a hand to help me off my stool, and continued to hold it as we pushed through the crowd toward the door.

"Is this alright?" he leaned down to whisper in my ear. I nodded, rendered speechless by the sensation of his breath on my neck.

When we got outside, I started to veer towards the side of the lot where I had parked, but Edward pulled me back. I turned in confusion and saw he was shuffling his feet nervously on the sidewalk.

"I, uh-" he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I caught a cab here from the city. Do you…" he trailed off.

"I can give you a ride, if you want?" I offered. I definitely did not want our night to end just yet, and the fact that there was only one car between us was actually helpful in this case. At the very least, I had studied Edward enough to trust giving him a ride.

"That would be great." He smiled in relief and I caught sight of a small dimple I must have missed in the dim bar lighting. Oh my god, could this man be any more perfect? I almost swooned right there.

I led him to my car, and he politely held my door open as I got settled in. After he buckled himself into the passenger seat, he replaced his hand on my knee, causing me to jump. At my reaction he quickly went to remove his hand, but I grabbed it before he could retreat.

"It's ok, you just surprised me," I reassured him, wanting to stay in contact with him. He smiled and nodded, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly across my denim-covered thigh.

We didn't speak much as I navigated through the dark streets, Edward's low murmur occasionally breaking the silence to point out the next turn. His hand stayed on my leg, and the tension continued to rise. I squirmed in my seat, wishing I could tell him to move his hand higher. No! I was driving. Best to wait until we had the car parked…

Much too soon I pulled up in front of a two-story house in a quiet neighborhood. I shut off the car and we sat in silence for a moment before Edward turned to face me, reaching for my hands.

"I had a wonderful time talking with you tonight, Bella. I can't deny that I feel a strong connection to you and I would rather our night not be over quite yet. I hope this isn't too forward of me, but would you like to come in for a while?"

It surprised me that he didn't blush, but stared at me with earnest, hopeful eyes. I was grateful to hear he felt the same about our connection, and it was the easiest thing in the world to nod my head yes. Edward grinned and jumped out of the car, rushing around to my side to hold the door open for me. He led me up the porch stairs to the front door, but paused just after turning his key in the lock.

He turned to me with a slightly apprehensive yet sincere expression. "Bella, I just want you to know that I promise to be a perfect gentleman. I hope you are okay being alone in the house with me, but please tell me if you are at all uncomfortable."

I loved that he was so concerned for my wellbeing, but there were other, stronger feelings coursing through me at the moment and I just couldn't hold back my suggestive reply. "Thank you for reassuring me, Edward, but I'm not sure I want you to be a gentleman right now. And, well, to be honest this bra is getting pretty uncomfortable."

With a wink, I moved to go into the house, making sure to brush against him as I passed. Before I could look around the entrance to his home, or even blink, Edward had me pressed up against the closed door, both hands on my hips and one of his knees pressed between mine, holding my legs apart.

He dipped his head in close, running his nose along my collarbone and up the side of my neck until he reached my ear. My entire body trembled as he whispered, "Are you sure, Bella?"

I sucked in a deep breath as I felt the tip of his tongue trace around my ear. My thoughts were scrambled and I couldn't manage to respond quickly enough.

"You've been driving me crazy all night and I would love nothing more than to leave the gentleman outside for the evening. Just say the word, and I'll be whatever you want me to be."

I could feel a hard bulge against my thigh, and despite the heightened emotions of the moment, I felt my eyes tear up a little. Not only did this amazing man want me, but he was also willing to do things at my pace, to make me feel at least somewhat in control. Perhaps this was the passion, the fiery desire I had been searching for, with just the right amount of sweetness.

Despite any reservations I had about what this night would bring, having only met Edward a few hours ago, I knew I needed to go through with this. I needed it, needed him, like I needed air and water to survive.

And so, I brought my hands up to cup his face, and whispered the only thing I knew I desperately wanted.

"Be mine."