Previously:

I was very excited on Saturday, and left my house at about 5pm to go to Laurens for a quick makeover. I again told Charlie I might be staying over at his house, and after a few awkward seconds of him staring at me, he just shook his head in resignation and said 'be safe, Bells, and if you are staying there call and let me know so I don't worry.'

"I promise, Dad," I said, surprising him with a kiss on the cheek.

Lauren had convinced me to wear a skirt with warm stockings - and she knew I generally disliked skirts - but found a sexy but sensible black one that I hadn't even realized I owned. The tags were still on it, and I almost fainted at the price - Alice's doing no doubt! - But after much needling from her and Jessica, I finally agreed. It was jet black, a good length and a bit loose, plaited, and going just past my knees. I wore a tight fitting red cashmere sweater, and my hair was slightly curled and pinned up on one side. They helped me with makeup, acceding my demands of 'just a touch', and I ended-up with light red lipstick on and a hint of mascara and eye-liner.

When everything was done, I peered at myself in the mirror, with Lauren and Jessica each looking over one of my shoulders. They waited for my reaction with wide smiles, and my lips slowly morphed into a wide grin.

The girl in the mirror - no, scratch that, the woman in the mirror - was, I had to admit it, very hot!

Lauren leaned down, her hands on my shoulders and her face next to mine, smiling at me in the mirror. "Go get him, girlfriend."

Chapter 6

I was nervous as I drove myself to Port Angelas, but I was thankful that at least it wasn't raining. I tried to relax by humming to myself as the radio played some old 60's songs that I vaguely recalled my mom enjoying. The distraction worked for a bit, but I felt a queer mix of butterflies and eagerness in my belly as I got closer and closer to the small port city. We had planned to meet at the waterfront, where there were restaurants and shops and a long boardwalk. Dinner and a possible movie were on the docket, and my stomach had not stopped back flipping for the past twenty miles.

The main source of my nerves was that I hadn't decided on whether to stay overnight at Josh's yet. Normally, I would have not even considered it - it being a first date and all - but, as my friends and my own conscience had been telling me all week, this was a 24 year old *man* I was dating. This wasn't a high school boy who was scared of big, bad old Chief Swan. What were Josh's expectations? We had talked about a million different things this week, but we'd skirted around any issues that might adequately address the experience differential between us.

Which, I knew, was enormous. I was an inexperienced, eighteen year old virgin who had dated precisely one guy - who was himself a 108 year old virgin.

Not a very pretty picture to measure experience against.

Feeling my nerves again, I fought down the feeling of inadequacy that had been my dark companion in the days following Edward's departure. I would not fall back into old traps, and would stand my ground, not letting myself get swept away and changing my personality to suit someone else.

Resolved now, I knew I was not going to stay over. It simply wasn't me, I was not that kind of girl, and I didn't want to give him the impression that I was; but deep down...part of me was disappointed, and I knew that, had I accepted his invitation, I doubted my ability to keep my hands off him!

To my surprise, I quickly passed the 'Welcome to Port Angelas' sign, my mind having been so occupied with the question of sleeping over that the hour long trip to Port Angelas had flown by. Looking out my window, I saw the sun setting on the western horizon just as I entered the city proper. By chance, it seemed, I had arrived at twilight.

The irony was not lost on me.

I took a deep breath, hoping that this was the final step of ridding myself of my unhealthy devotion to Edward. After all, this would be the very first date I was going on since he had dumped me. By dating - by living again - I was letting him go.

The thought made me shiver in a good way, and a small smile warmed my face.

I turned down the radio as I drove my trusty truck through the fairly busy, well-lit streets of downtown Port Angelas. It was an unusually tepid night for mid-march, the promise of spring warming the air. I noticed many people out and about, enjoying the rain-free night and the promise of browsing at the many shops along the boardwalk.

I made a few turns while I navigated my way to the Landing Mall, a small collection of shops and eateries on Railroad Avenue, which abutted the waterfront and was suggested by Josh as the perfect place to meet before dinner.

While I searched for parking, the roar of my truck made many heads turn my way. I tried hard to pretend they weren't all looking at me, and that my truck didn't sound like a runaway steam locomotive wheezing its last breath. I think I was mostly successful, though my red cheeks might have been a bit of a 'tell' that I wasn't as unaffected by my thunderous truck and the gawking pedestrians as I was pretending.

Maybe the engine needed a bit of a tune-up? I don't remember it being quite so loud before; and for a moment, I considered finding a parking spot on some remote side street before I embarrassed myself further.

Frowning, I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, resolute in my conviction that I would not revert back to being 'shy Bella' tonight, the wallflower who was embarrassed by anyone who paid her any attention and let people walk all over her.

Thankfully, I found a small spot that my truck could just about fit into, just a few blocks from the Mall and conveniently adjacent to the boardwalk. After successfully parking, I turned off the engine, grabbed my purse, and spared a quick glance in the rearview mirror. I took several deep breaths, debating on whether or not to reapply my lipstick but finally decided against it.

I looked good, and I was ready for this.

I gave myself a brief mental pep talk and opened my door, stepping out into the warm evening air. A fresh breeze blew in from the water, reminding me of the smells of First Beach.

That was a relaxing thought, and with a determined gait I stepped onto the boardwalk, eager with anticipation - and some nerves - of seeing Josh again. Just the thought of looking into those intense blue eyes made me shiver in anticipation, and I began to swing my head around, looking for him among the many strolling people on the walkway.

However, before I had even taken three steps, a smooth voice to my right startled me, making me gasp and almost trip on the wooden planks.

"Hello, Bella. I can see that you weren't exaggerating about your truck."

There was no mistaking that husky voice, as I had spoken with its owner every night this week and who had starred in several very racy dreams. "Josh!" My lips turned upwards into a wide smile as I moved towards him, very pleased that he somehow met me literally at my door.

When I stopped to look at him, standing perhaps a foot away, I had apparently forgotten just how darn *hot* he was. I knew my eyes widened and my heart thudded in my chest, but I couldn't help it: he had me hooked. I was unable to stop my eyes from raking over his lean body, dressed smartly in a form fitting dark sport coat, with grey slacks and black turtleneck that helped accentuate his height.

I don't know what he must have thought about the expression on my face - and I think I may have drooled a bit - but Josh was a complete gentleman and closed the distance to me quickly, a soft smile on his face as his eyes sparkled at me. Luckily, he didn't use that sexy voice for the moment, and I was grateful as it helped me gather my wits.

But when I looked up at his face again after my blatant ogling, I froze as he leaned down and gave me a soft kiss to my cheek, his musky scent surrounding me and making my mouth water.

Even as I stood there like a drooling fangirl, he gently took both of my hands in his. "I am so glad you are here, Bella," he said earnestly. "You look fantastic."

I blushed, probably to the roots of my hair, but his appreciative look and warm smile began to put me at ease, and I gave his hands a small squeeze. "I am glad to be here too. And you look great as well," I said quietly, glad my voice didn't squeak.

He winked at me, and keeping hold of one of my hands began to lead me down the boardwalk towards a cluster of twinkling restaurants up ahead. I walked nervously beside him, feeling happy and full of butterflies, praying my nerves would settle at least enough that I wasn't blushing all night.

But I was curious about something, that his warm greeting had almost made me forget. "Josh? How did you find my truck so quickly?"

He glanced over at me, even as he walked us confidently around a few couples that were strolling and gazing out over the water. "Well," he answered, his smile morphing into a small teasing smirk, "I remembered you told me how loud your truck was, and when I heard this ear-shattering roar coming down the street, it wasn't hard to spot an old red Chevy with a sexy brunette behind the wheel."

I huffed in faux-annoyance, though my blush made another appearance. He squeezed my hand and gave me a humorous smile, and I couldn't help but chuckle with him. "It's not so bad," I objected.

He laughed. "I agree. It made it very easy for me to come and scoop you up."

I grinned back at him, and we began an easy conversation as we strolled hand in hand down the walkway as if we'd known each other and been dating for months, instead of the first date that it actually was. There was just this effortless comfort between us that was quite amazing.

As we walked through the touristy town, I let my eyes wander over the familiar sights. Though I had been to Port Angelas at least a half dozen times with my friends since Edward left, this visit felt very different. For one, I was on a date. Secondly, Josh had a home here, and seemingly knew everything there was to know about the place; he pointed out various restaurants, stores, tourist sites - anything and everything that thought might be of interest.

As I'd learned while speaking with him all week, Josh was very easy to listen to and talk with. He had lots of interesting anecdotes to share about many of the town's attractions, often amusing me with tales of things he'd done here when he was a teen. We probably spent close to an hour just walking along and chatting and laughing, or sitting on a bench and gazing out over the water, holding hands the whole time and exchanging small little grins that had an underlying tension and promise to them.

It was very easy and natural - almost effortless. Our chemistry was, as Lauren might say, 'sizzling.'

And, despite knowing him for only a week, I knew that I really liked him.

When it came time for dinner, he surprised me by informing me he had made reservations at three different places, letting me choose from them unless I wanted something different.

"Well," I said, remembering our discussion from Thursday night where we had talked about restaurants, "you said there was a good seafood place right on the water? Downriggers I think it was? I think I would like to go there." I tilted my head, looking at him for his reaction.

He smiled down at me, his eyes warm and sparkling. "Good choice, the food is good and it's got a great view of the harbor." He pulled out his cell phone, presumably to cancel the other reservations, and we walked down to the restaurant I chose, just a little ways up ahead. I was secretly pleased he had cancelled the other two reservations and not just left them hanging - it showed him to be thoughtful and considerate - and I knew it was something I would also have done.

The restaurant was a bit fancy, and there was a group of people waiting for tables in front of an attractive blonde hostess. I ignored the admiring looks of the girls who were waiting on line, but the hostess was more blatant about her ogling. When Josh gave his name and she told him to follow her to the table - her hips swaying a bit more than necessary - I had a bit of a deja vu moment when she looked critically at me as she seated us.

However, unlike last time I was in this position - when Edward took me to La Bella Italiana - I was not going to stare at my shoes and feel insignificant. Instead, I reached down and purposefully took Josh's hand over the table, moving my chair closer to him. I knew it was immature and it might have bothered me if I was on the receiving end of such a gesture, but when Josh squeezed my hand back and turned to give me a dazzling smile, I wanted to do a little happy dance, and my answering smile clearly expressed my gratitude to him for reacting so well.

The hostess left in a huff, and our waitress was out quickly, taking our drink order - a tap beer for Josh and a Coke for me. When she left, he smiled softly at me, and leaned forward to speak quietly. "It's easy to forget you aren't twenty-one yet, you definitely look and certainly act older than your eighteen years suggests."

I laughed, remembering almost the same conversation I had with Edward when we were first getting to know one another. Josh tilted his head, a question in his eyes, and I shook my head, chuckling. "Sorry, it's just that my ex-boyfriend told me the exact same thing," I explained, realizing that there was no ache associated with thinking about Edward anymore.

Josh raised a playful eyebrow, and I leaned forward until our faces were very close together, both of us leaning over the table. "I told him that my mother says I was born middle-aged and seem to get older every year."

His blue eyes shone with amusement in the amber light of the restaurant, but then his face morphed into a thoughtful frown. "Is that a good thing, do you think?"

When I opened my mouth to give him my standard answer - that I basically used to take care of my mother - I hesitated as I thought about his question. Twice more my mouth opened, but I didn't say anything, and began to really ponder my answer more deeply than I had ever before.

Was it a good thing? Should I have been taking care of her like that? Should I have had to? Should I have had to always be so serious and be the responsible one for as long as I could remember? Should I have had to sacrifice much of my childhood to care for my mother?

Josh noticed my introspection, and didn't rush me to answer him. I almost expected the 'what are you thinking' question that Edward would always ask, but Josh let me have my time, and I greatly appreciated him for it.

I finally shook my head, my lips tugged upwards in a small smile. "I think it was necessary, as my mother is very flighty and I needed to take care of a lot of things." Here I paused for a moment, and spoke more quietly. "But I think you make a good point - it should not have been necessary, or my responsibility. I think...well, I think I missed out on a lot because I had to be the adult far too often, and I couldn't just be the 'kid' and let myself just have fun."

My smile faded, as I realized the truth of this. I had been far, far too serious as a young teenager, and probably missed out on a key stage of my growth as a person.

This epiphany started me on a whole chain of thoughts I did not want to ponder right now; such as - was I so drawn to Edward because, for the first time in my life, I had someone who wanted to take care of me, instead of me having to take care of them?

I shook my head to clear it. I didn't want to think about this, not tonight.

I refocused on Josh, and saw him nodding sagely at me. "Bella, remember what I said the night we met? About doing things now, while you can, while you are young and free from most obligations, and can feel passion for things?" He reached over the table top, and took my hand that was by my glass. "Please make sure you do that."

I squeezed his hand back, grateful for him at the moment, and feeling my eyes get moist with the emotion that swept through me.

Josh must have seen that I had enough of heavy discussion, and he thankfully changed the subject telling me a funny story from one of his classes. After that, we chatted and teased and laughed throughout the rest of dinner, just a young couple on a date getting to know each other better.

No intense declarations, no angst, no self-hatred, no imposed barriers, no supernatural elements.

I loved it.

When they cleared our plates, our conversation had turned to the calendar and Josh again mentioned the possibility of me trying some modeling. I dithered a bit, deflecting his probing questions, but he seemed adamant that I at least consider it. "Look, Bella," he finally said when he realized that I was being obstinate because of self-confidence issues, "I spoke to a friend of mine who is a photographer, and he works with models and agencies all the time. I asked him, as a favor, to look at the charity website, without telling him who I was asking him about. He figured I was asking about one of the girls in the calendar, but I didn't tell him which one."

I tried to keep from fidgeting, as this conversation made me feel nervous and insecure. I realized, in that moment, that it was not simply my dislike of attention that made me so uncomfortable; no, it was my deep-rooted fears that I wouldn't be good enough, that I was not attractive, that people would laugh at me for even trying.

I knew I'd always had self-confidence issues, whether that was because I was a wallflower, or because my self-esteem made me one, I wasn't sure. But was it possible it was all in my head? Was I more attractive than the plain Jane self-image I had of myself?

I chuckled at my second epiphany of the night. Maybe Josh had a career in counseling? He was certainly good at it.

Josh probably saw the doubt that had crossed my face - I was still an open book, unfortunately - but thankfully did not call attention to it. Instead, he was looking at me with a warm, joyful grin. "You know what my friend said about the calendar Bella? He liked several of the pictures in general, but told me that that the girl on the cover - you - could find work as a model. He loved your pictures, all of them, and thinks you need to get a portfolio put together and should definitely give it a try."

A small thrill went through me at Josh's words, and some part of me was desperate to believe him; but he must have seen some lingering doubt on my face, as he shook his head at me. Finally, he chuckled at my stubbornness and slid a business card to me. "Please, Bella. His name is Mark. Call him. You've got nothing to lose except maybe an afternoon." Josh took my hand and squeezed it. "Do this for yourself, Bella. College is expensive, this might make it easier for you if it works out. He has agreed to do the portfolio without any up-front money."

I squirmed a bit under his gaze, but his smile and manner was so genuine and convincing that I finally agreed to do it. I knew I sounded a bit whiny about the whole thing, but he didn't flaunt his victory in my face, and he seemed so confident in me that I couldn't help but feel gratified.

When we left the restaurant, I was feeling very happy and carefree and light. Josh seemed to share my mood, and we walked a bit further down the boardwalk where it was quieter, without shops lining the street. We went a bit further, and were soon standing quietly between the tall lamps, looking out at the dark waters of the bay.

"I really enjoyed dinner, Bella," Josh said, squeezing my hand. "Thank you for coming here with me." His smile was simply dazzling, and I felt myself falling into the blue depths of his eyes. My heartbeat was thudding in my ears, and I realized he was standing close, that our bodies were only inches apart. I was hyper aware of my own body, which felt tingly and alive, and when I glanced at his lips, his eyes seemed to darken. He slowly leaned down, his intentions clear, giving me plenty of time to stop him should I choose.

I had no intention of doing so, of course. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, and when I turned my face up and felt his breath caressing my cheeks, my eyes fluttered closed and my heart rattled in my chest.

When his warm lips slowly pressed themselves against mine, I couldn't help but moan as the smell and feel of him completely surrounded me. I was drowning in Josh; his delicious cologne, the hard press of his body, the warmth of his touch, and the taste of him overwhelming my senses. My body on autopilot, my senses flying, I couldn't help but stand on my tiptoes and reach up with my hands to thread them through his hair and tug him closer.

I wasn't sure if my intensity surprised him, but suddenly his arms snaked around me, holding me close against him as our lips moved together. The kiss built slowly, from soft caresses to a slow parting of lips, the urgency ever increasing as the kiss deepened. When I felt the tip of his tongue lightly caress my bottom lip, my own answered tentatively, sliding against his.

It felt like an electric shock went through me, and I was suddenly desperate to get closer. My tongue pushed forwards into his mouth, the taste of him drowning me. When I both felt and heard him moan into my mouth, my own answering mewl surprised me with its longing. Without even thinking about it my right leg snaked around his, trying to touch him at all points of my body.

With increasing urgency our kiss deepened, tongues dancing, and his hands in my hair and on my hip felt like burning brands. When his fingers stretched across the skin of my belly, all I could do was moan and wish for more.

Some deep part of my brain catalogued that we were mauling each other on a public boardwalk, and I had never been much of a fan of PDA's; but our kiss was so sexy, and hot, and desperate that I didn't want it to end.

I'm not sure how long we were kissing for, or how long it might have continued, but the sound of laughing voices approaching from the left broke us from our little hazy bubble. Josh and I slowly pulled our faces away a few inches, our eyes staying locked as he slowly stood back up straight, his breathing as heavy as my own.

I was gratified to see that his eyes looked as smoky and dark as I imagine mine might have been, and a slow, languid and devastatingly sexy smile spread across his face.

"Wow, Bella," he murmured, and my answering smile was so wide it made my blushing cheeks hurt.

A group of two couples passed us, chatting away, and our fire was finally banked. I watched, entranced, as the blue returned to his eyes, his pupils returning to normal from the fully dilated black of a few moments earlier that had almost completely obscured his iris.

I wanted to do a little happy dance, since I knew dilated pupils were a sure sign of arousal, and I was so glad he seemed to be just as affected by our kiss as I was.

Josh winked at me, and with a little chuckle our hands again clenched together and were swinging between us. We walked to the movies without saying much, but there was a new electricity and awareness between us now. If I was Jessica, I might have said something clever like 'Wow...Just Wow!' But despite that poor showing of literary fortitude, I could not think of a better phrase to describe our kiss.

We ended-up choosing a silly romantic comedy, but I honestly couldn't have cared less what we watched; all I could really focus on for the next two hours as we sat in the dark theater was the feel of his hand in mine, or his arm around my shoulders and his thigh pressing against my own.

At some point, his left arm snaked over my shoulders, his hand dangling down my left bicep. When I shifted closer to him and lay my head in the crook of his shoulder, his fingertips accidentally grazed my left breast and nipple. I jolted in my seat, forcing his hand even lower and more firmly pressing my breast into his hand, sending a fiery bolt of sensation straight to my core.

For a brief moment, I felt so hot I thought I might combust.

Despite the wondrous feeling, I was extremely aware that we were sitting in the middle of a fairly crowded theater, and there was simply no way that this could lead to any sort of satisfying conclusion right there. Of course, my hazy mind and painful nipples didn't want to do anything but ask him to squeeze harder, but alas the saner part of my mind prevailed and I sat very still while he slowly moved his hand off my breast and back to my shoulder.

With my head tucked under his left arm he couldn't see my blush, but when he chuckled I figured my face was so hot he could probably feel it through his shirt.

Nothing so forward happened again, and when the movie ended and we stood to leave, he gave me a very knowing grin which I, of course, answered with a flaming blush. This made him chuckle, and I shook my head at my own predictableness, grabbing his hand and leading him from the theater.

Outside, he asked if I wanted to get some coffee or maybe some ice cream.

"Ice cream sounds great," I answered, my heart still thudding in my chest. Our hands had barely been apart since dinner, and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye yet.

Josh seemed to feel the same. He kept me close to his side, and would occasionally move my hair behind my ear, or gently kiss my cheek or squeeze my hand, and I was in a state of arousal for almost the entirety our time together.

We ended up going to an old fashioned ice cream parlor, and decided to share a waffle bowl with strawberry and vanilla ice cream. Josh walked us to a small table in the back, and instead of sitting across from me, he sat down right next to me, seemingly unwilling to allow any distance between us.

We were clearly on the same page there.

With the bowl on the table between us, Josh put his spoon into the tasty treat, and then turned towards me, the spoon extended towards my mouth, making me gape in surprise. "Ladies first," he said, his voice deep and husky, his eyes moving between my eyes and my lips.

Smiling coyly, I leaned forward, letting my mouth open only a little bit, enjoying the teasing we were doing. He slowly moved the spoon forward, and I let my lips slide over the cold ice cream. It was so delicious, I let out a small moan and my eyes fluttered closed as I took the ice cream fully into my mouth, savoring the flavor.

When the spoon was empty, I opened my eyes and licked my lips, only to see Josh's face only a few inches from mine, his eyes again dark and smoldering, and the empty spoon still in his outstretched hand. "My God, Bella, you are so beautiful," he whispered, his voice deep and shaky.

My insides were squirming. Who knew eating ice cream could be so seductive? Maybe I needed to read some of those trashy romance novels that my mom seemed to love?

At the same time as I was thinking this, I was doing a little happy dance inside of my own head. While I had certainly not purposefully tried to appear like I was doing anything but enjoying my treat, I was thrilled that I was able to affect him so much.

It was a liberating, affirming feeling that did wonders for my self-confidence, which had been so cruelly shattered by my ex-boyfriend.

Smiling softly, I leaned forward and let my icy cold lips gently touch Josh's, lingering there for a moment. "Thank you," I whispered, my hand gently cupping him behind his head and playing with the hair on his neck.

Josh kissed me again, soft and chaste, just letting his lips caress mine. After a moment, we both pulled back; clearly, we both wanted more, but this was not the place for that. Josh, realizing this too, made a silly joke and the tension was eased as we chatted again about the movie. When I admitted to him I didn't really know what it was about, he laughed and said he had the same problem.

As the night had gone on, I realized that Josh had a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor. There were hints of it during our calls this week, but tonight it was more pronounced. Happily, I liked sarcastic humor, and found we both had similar ideas about what was and was not funny. We talked about books and movies we thought were humorous, and told each other silly and embarrassing things that had happened to one another. By the time we left the ice cream parlor at about ten-thirty, I had not remembered laughing so much in long time and I was really happy.

As we walked down the boardwalk, I shivered a bit. The temperature had gone down, and I had a chill from the ice cream. Josh pulled me into his side, his arm over my shoulder, rubbing it to help keep me warm. He was so much taller than me that his arm fell right into place on my shoulder, and my own arm snaked around his lower back. I imagined we looked like any happy couple as we strolled down the boardwalk, and that brought me immense satisfaction.

All too soon, however, I realized Josh had walked me back to my truck. I nibbled my lip as I had a decision to make as to where I was spending the night, which was now much more difficult after getting a taste of him with those delicious kisses.

I knew what I should do: I could say goodnight and drive home. That was the safe option, for sure, and I was quite confident we would see each other again, and soon.

But is that what I wanted?

I could so easily go back to Josh's house and try - 'try' being the operative word, here - to drive home later tonight, perhaps in an hour. However, I knew myself well enough that I seriously doubted my ability to leave if things got...heated.

Of course, I could go to his house, throw all caution to the wind, and just see where we end up, even if that meant staying the night. Despite what my rational side was saying, there was a large part of me that was egging me on to do just this. To yield control to the amorous, sexy woman that lived way down deep inside of me, the one that Josh seemed to effortlessly bring to the surface, the one whose existence had only been hinted at when I was with Edward, who had been determined to shut her down every time she poked her head up.

I smiled at the image that suddenly popped into my head; a small Angel with my face and fluffy white wings, dressed in virginal white and hovering over my left shoulder; and over my right shoulder, a small Devil Bella, complete with a red felt dress, black stockings, red lipstick, and little yellow horns.

Each one giving me contrary advice.

"Go Home, Bella," spoke the Angel Bella from my left shoulder, white skirts glowing and radiant.

"Take him, Isabella! Fuck him! You know you want to!" smirked the Devil, hovering over my right, her little pitchfork decidedly phallic shaped, her red dress now semi-transparent and cut low to her belly.

Even as I gnawed at my lip trying to decide, we arrived at my truck. The boardwalk had far fewer people on it now, and there were many empty parking spaces. I turned to face Josh, and his hands came to rest on my waist, his eyes again focusing on mine.

Like before, there was this immediate sparkling tension in the air, and this time he didn't hesitate at all. He leaned down, his lips covering mine, our bodies pressing together as we clutched ourselves to one another. I imagined Bella the Devil standing on my shoulder, cheering in victory. My mind fuzzed out, as all I could see, feel, hear, and taste was Josh.

At some point we came up for air, and I realized I was gasping and shaking as he leaned over me, kissing the sides of my jaw and my neck. My whole body was tingly, it was amazing. My own hands were grasping him to me, murmuring his name, sliding my right knee up and down his thigh.

As we stared at each other, the cool night air slightly chilling my ardor, my good-girl side asserted itself. I gently put a hand on his chest, gripping the lapels of his jacket even as my body language changed. He slowly leaned his face back, and stood up to his full height. He was smiling down at me, his eyes sparkling and so warm.

"You need to go, right?" he asked gently, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

I nodded. "I don't want to," I whispered, "but I do need to." I slowly fingered his jacket, looking at the creased and crumpled lapel where I had grabbed it during our earlier make-out session. I sighed, lifting my face to meet his eyes. "If I don't...if I go back to your house with you..." I left the rest unsaid, as he clearly knew what I meant.

I wanted, though, to make myself very clear to him. "It's not that I don't want too - believe me, I do - it's just...it's our first date. It's too soon, even if it doesn't feel like it is." My voice didn't crack, thankfully, and I was relieved when he just smiled, and his other hand came up as well, and he cupped my cheeks.

He gently kissed my forehead, my nose, and my chin before pulling me in for a hug. I pressed my face against his chest - he was a full head taller than me - and sighed happily as I inhaled his cologne. "You don't need to explain, Bella. I totally get it, and I agree." He voice rumbled in his chest as I spoke, and my whole body vibrated with it.

I pulled back a bit to look up at him. "You do?" I asked, confused.

He laughed, that soft husky laugh I was coming to adore. "Yes. If we went back to my place, I don't think I could restrain myself tonight either." His eyes sparkled at me, his hands coming down to squeeze my own. "There is no rush. Like you said, it's just our first date."

I leaned my head back against his warm chest, and I felt his voice rumble again. "First of many, I hope."

I smiled against him, feeling his heart thudding. "Are you asking me out again?" I teased, a small smile playing on my lips.

"Oh, absolutely, Isabella," he quipped. "Make no mistake, I am definitely asking you out again." He leaned down, and whispered in my ear. "In fact, the sooner I see you, the better."

I shivered, but this time not from the cold, but from the promise in his voice. I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed the side of his jaw. "Ok," I whispered. "I look forward to it."

Josh helped me into my car, and after another soft kiss, I was driving home, a sense of giddiness rippling through me. I was never one for girly displays of emotion, but I really, really wanted to squeal at the moment.

The hour long drive seemed to take no time at all, and I practically floated into the house, like I was drifting on a cloud.

"Bella?" I heard Charlie call to me. I was surprised he was up, as he was going fishing at 6:30 the following morning. I glanced at the clock, and it was almost midnight.

"Yeah, Dad," I answered, hanging my coat up on the hook. I walked into the living room, and Charlie was sitting on his recliner, the TV on low. He was blinking as if he had just woken up, and I realized with a warm feeling he had waited up for me.

He took a long look at me, the cop side of him observing me closely. I fidgeted under his stare, feeling like I had too much energy to stand still, and just wanting to run upstairs and revel in my happy mood. He must have seen something in my expression that made him relax, and he gave me a small smile.

"Had fun tonight Bells?" he asked, one of his eyebrows raised, but the tugging at his lips giving him away.

I blushed, but didn't break my gaze from his, and I couldn't control my own lips from quivering upwards. "Yes. Josh is a great guy, we had a lot of fun."

He nodded slowly, playing the part of the concerned interrogative father. "Going to see him again next weekend?" I knew Charlie had been waiting for me to start dating again; he had been thrilled when I snapped out of my funk a few months ago, but I don't think he had seen me smile and blush like this in quite some time.

I couldn't help but smile, at both his concern for me and for the memory of my evening. "Yes, I think so," I answered, my blush rising again.

He sighed, and got up from his chair. "Ok, I'm happy for you, Bella." He walked over to me, and gave my arm a squeeze. "Goodnight honey."

He trudged towards his room, and I reflected that, besides being the father to a teenage girl - never an easy thing to deal with under any circumstance - Charlie had to deal with much more than that. Since storming into his life a year ago - and being the first roommate he has had since my mother left him 15 years ago - I had given him several major body blows that I'm surprised he had handled as well as he had.

I had run off to Phoenix and ended up almost getting killed; I'd gotten into an intense relationship with Edward Cullen, a boy his best friend Billy told him was 'bad news'; gotten my heart broken and forced him to suffer months of my zombie like behavior...it was only recently that I really starting to live again.

My eyes felt a bit moist, as I realized how tough a time I had given my Dad. I knew my emotions were on overdrive right now, after being so ruthlessly suppressed for so long, but nothing could really burst the happy bubble I was in.

When he disappeared from the living room, I tore up the stairs, only stumbling once, and practically floated into my room with a huge smile. I jumped on my bed, rolled onto my back, with my legs crossed and feet bouncing. I was thinking about my great date, and remembering the feel of his kiss, of his lips, of his hard muscled body...

After a few minutes, I decided I would try and go to sleep, impossible as it seemed at the moment. I slowly undressed, jumping when my phone beeped to alert me to an incoming text. I eagerly grabbed it from my desk, and when I saw Josh's name and a big Heart emoji on it with the words 'text me that you got home ok' I quickly typed in my reply.

'Home ok :) Thank you for a great first date!'

I waited eagerly for a reply, and then my phone beeped again. 'It was truly my pleasure. Glad you r home, stay warm, and I will call u tomorrow. Heart Josh.'

I hesitated only a moment, before answering with Heart Bella.

I pulled off the rest of my clothes, and then jumped onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow before letting out a long, girly squeal that I had been holding in all night.

The next morning, I woke rested and happy, with a huge smile on my face after having a wonderful night's sleep. After finishing my morning routine, I skipped around the house, cooking myself breakfast, doing laundry, and singing to myself the whole time.

After breakfast, I had a great three way call with Lauren and Jessica about my date. Angela was at Church, and I would catch up with her later.

My friends grilled me about my night, and when I described the kiss, they both laughed with happiness for me. "You go girl!" Lauren cheered.

"Finally!" agreed Jessica.

When I discussed the ice-cream incident, I heard them both giggling. "Very nice, Swan, very nice," Lauren teased. "I wasn't sure if you had it in you!"

When we finally calmed, they told me about a small gathering they all went to at Austin's house. Nothing exciting happened, but then Lauren dropped a bombshell.

"Guess what I am doing on Saturday?" she asked coyly.

I was intrigued, but had an inkling from her tone. "I could guess, but I think you want to surprise me?" I teased.

"I'm going to see Rob!" she shrieked. "He called me yesterday, and wants to take me out!"

I laughed and congratulated her, and we chatted and laughed for the next half hour about boys. When we finally hung up, I happily put away my clean clothes and took out my books to get started on my homework.

Sometime after lunch, my phone rang, and I smiled when I saw that it was Josh. Grabbing my phone before the first ring had even finished, I breathlessly greeted him. "Hello?"

Josh laughed at my enthusiasm. "Good afternoon, Bella! I'm glad to see you in such a good mood, I hope I might have had something to do with that?"

I giggled into the phone. "Maybe? Perhaps? A smidgen?" I teased him, and he chuckled at me.

We chatted for almost an hour, and when I hung up we had firm plans for next Saturday. And, to my delight, when I told him about my possible TV interview this week - I had spoken to my father about doing it and he was all for it - he said he would try and come to Port Angelas to offer moral support.

I was deeply flattered that he wanted to spend so much time with me, and thanked him so many times, that he finally told me I could repay him by calling his photographer friend.

So, with some trepidation, I agreed I would call him, the very next day.

This was certainly going to be a busy week!

AN - Hope you enjoyed!