*Disclaimer - Sadly, I own nothing of Twilight with the exception of merchandise, bought and paid for. I do, however, own my love for borrowing the characters and playing with them however I choose to. I thank Stephenie Meyer for creating the TwiWorld and for allowing us to have our fun with it. She owns Twilight, the insanity it created in my mind is my own.

Thank you, Shug, for all you do. :)

Whatever Works

Learning to Wait

My perfect boyfriend liked to sleep. A lot. He had left his bedroom door opened after he put me in my own bed, and I snuck a peek before going down to see Esme in the morning. He was wrapped snuggly in his fluffy duvet, and I could only see the top of his head and one foot sticking out. And yeah, it was a nice foot. I tip-toed down the stairs so I wouldn't disturb him.

After Esme and I had breakfast, I ran up to see if he wanted something made before we began our therapy session. Still sleeping. This time he was flat out on his back, mouth hanging open and the covers shoved down to his waist, revealing his nicely toned chest and abs. I lingered, hoping my presence would awaken him – the view wasn't a waste of time, but hoping he would wake up was. My feet were a little louder on the stairs for that descent.

I threw a load of laundry in for Esme before beginning on her deep tissue massage. Then we did a half hour of strengthening on the equipment, and I tended to the laundry again while she had a jet bath to ease the muscle pain.

"If you hadn't sat on your ass for three months longer than necessary, it wouldn't hurt so much," I muttered as I tossed her wet clothes into the dryer.

"Are we frustrated?"

His smooth voice came out of nowhere, and I jumped as his arms slid around my waist. "Are we finally awake?" I quipped.

"Jet lag," he retorted, nuzzling the back of my neck. "Should get better."

I was already feeling a little better… "You'll be up half the night again now."

"You didn't complain last night."

He grunted as I elbowed him in the gut.

"Last night you said you wanted to learn how to take care of your mother. Taking care of is already done, buddy."

"Oh." His arms fell from my waist, and he gently shoved me aside to finish the job at hand. Instead of removing the wet items piece by piece, he lifted the basket and tipped everything in, slammed the door shut, and stared at the knobs. "I don't know which one starts it up."

I hit it and crossed my arms across my chest without saying a word.

"Thank you. I'll do better tomorrow."

He looked so adorable and smelled shower-fresh, I couldn't stay upset with him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, rubbing my cheek on his chest as I inhaled his scent. His long fingers ran up and down my back as I did. "Hungry? I can get you something before your mum needs help out of the tub."

Pulling away slightly, he bent his head to kiss me. "Good morning, Bella. Or afternoon…" Another kiss softened me further. "I'll get something myself, because I can do that. And I really don't want to be the one getting my mother out of the bath."

"I should so make you…" I teased threateningly.

"You're cute even when you're mean," he teased me in return.

"You're cute even when you sleep half the day. Asshole."

Laughing, he took my hand and kissed it as we headed across the hall to the kitchen. He was examining the contents of the fridge when I left him to get Esme. We ended up making sandwiches together for all three of us, and then he suggested he make a run to the grocery store. Esme suggested I join him.

"I don't know how much time he's spent in a store that isn't predominantly beer or music related," she whispered to me. "He may need some help."

Edward Cullen, it turned out, needed a lot of help – with just about everything. The only saving grace for him was that he looked endearingly lost when he struggled to do the most mundane thing around the house or in a store. But he was an eager student.

~ 0 ~

"Up you get!" I called out on my second trip into his room the following morning. I ran my fingers along the sole of his exposed bare foot, and he tugged it away from my reach in a flash. "Come on sleepy-head. You're not going to get on London time if you don't start getting up at daylight."

His head poked up, and he squinted at the clock. "It's only nine!"

I ran my fingers through his messy hair. "No, it's already nine. We're about to begin therapy. I thought you'd like to watch today."

Grunting, he inched his way closer to me, encouraging me to continue on with the scalp massage. Why did he have to look so damned hot in the morning? I gave in and sat down on the edge of his bed to ease him into waking up a little nicer. "You should just climb in with me," he purred sleepily.

"You should stop tempting me and just get your ass in the shower." I chuckled at his ploy to delay getting up.

"I'm tempting?" He grinned, knowing exactly how alluring he was.

"Immensely," I whispered into his ear, stopping to nibble on a lobe. Two could play the teasing game. I knew it was effective, because he moaned and shoved his hips towards me in a rudimentary attempt to hump my leg. Giving his earlobe one last tug between my teeth, I smacked his bottom and straightened up. "Go take care of that in the shower. Meet you downstairs in ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" he grumbled, rolling onto his back. "You think I can eliminate this that fast?"

My eyes trailed down his naked torso to examine the lump under the sheet. I chewed on my lip and tilted my head this way and that, giving it a really good inspection before nodding. "Yep. I have faith in you."

He groaned again when I trailed my fingers down his chest and belly as I stood up.

"See you soon."

He made it down the stairs fifteen minutes later, hair dripping wet and unshaven, but a glowing smile got him a coffee, as well as a return smile from me. Esme and I went through our routines with him verbally while I attached the TENS electrodes and massaged her. He wouldn't be able to do this part, but he could help with her mobility and strengthening exercises. I was impressed by how many questions he asked and how he threw himself into the exercise portion.

Lunch, prepared by Edward, was waiting on the table when I got Esme out of the bath. He blushed slightly when I commented on his efficiency and tipped his head down to give me a chaste kiss. He blushed further when we sat across from Esme and saw her Cheshire Cat grin. And because I loved that he blushed sometimes, under the table, I gave his thigh a little squeeze and then grabbed onto his hand for several minutes while we chatted about Esme's garden plans for the spring. I was getting the hang of flirting in person, and I felt quite proud of myself.

That night, our teen make-out session went a little further than the previous two nights. Apparently, he liked being flirted with as well. And even better, he didn't escort me down the hall with his now familiar 'my balls are so swollen I can't walk!' shuffle – I slept in his arms.

~ 0 ~

"Good morning," I whispered, kissing his neck and then nibbling on his chin.

He grinned, mumbled and rolled over, pulling me with him. "I do prefer that to 'up you get.' Very nice."

"Hmm. Me too." I took another nibble. "Now, up you get."

"You first. I'm a gentleman."

"You're lazy. But cute, so I'll let you sleep another ten minutes while I shower."

"I won't be sleeping now that I'm thinking of you in the shower." His sleepy voice flirting was ranking at the top of my favorite Edward voices. And his hand was in one of my top favorite places, resting on my hip with his long fingers extending around to dig into my fleshy cheek while his thumb made little circles just inside the waistband of my panties. He was killing me with this wait.

Edward was on the phone when I came out of his bathroom, looking all dishevelled and all kinds of hot. He paused his note-writing to glance up and wink at me. I blew him a kiss and dashed over to my room to get into some fresh clothes. I decided to wait for him in his room while he showered. He could possibly blush again if Esme were to see us making an entrance together in the morning. Besides, I had something else to discuss with him.

"Ah! Good, you waited for me!" He came out in only a towel and straddled me as I lounged on his bed. His kiss was sweet and hot at the same time, and very minty.

"I just made the bed," I panted after he finished devouring my lips and moved down my throat. My legs had decided to act on their own free will, and they were currently wrapped around his waist.

"Nice job of it too, thank you." His nose nudged inside the neckline of my blouse, and his tongue followed. "I think I like waking up with you. This is going to be part of our morning routine together."

"So you can go down to breakfast with your mother, sporting that…?" I lifted my hips to his, indicating that I had, indeed, felt the presence of his arousal.

"Good point. Back to your own room!" He crawled off me with an evil cackle, flipped me, and bit my butt cheek before I could even react to his taunt.

"Before you send me packing, I have a bone to pick."

He laughed like a teenaged boy, and I rolled my eyes at his unspoken innuendo. My eyes then followed him across the room where he dropped his towel and started to dress. "And what bone are you picking this morning?"

The way the morning light shone in on him made the dampness still on his skin from the shower glisten. He looked like he was sparkling as he tugged on his jeans.

"Bella? I know it's hard to focus…" he taunted as he zipped up.

I stammered and stumbled on an opening word while he chuckled at me. "Bathroom!" I finally blurted. "Now, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt on this, because you do share it with a much younger boy, but one of the Cullen men has some very bad aim."

Still smiling, but unfortunately for me, fully clothed, he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I probably can't swing that entirely over to Evan. We'll try to do better."

I blocked his kiss with my finger. "And clean it."

Edward nodded in submission and nibbled on my finger until I moved it.

"I mean it, Edward," I murmured against his lips. "I'm not cleaning your bathroom."

No… Isabella Swan does not fluff egos nor clean her boss/boyfriend's toilet. Definitely. Not.

~ 0 ~

I found Edward in his bathroom later on with his befuddled look, a spray bottle, and a roll of paper towels. Half of the roll had already been used and was discarded on the floor by the toilet.

"You know, you'll have to go back to Diamonds and Spades just to pay for paper towels if you keep this up," I said teasingly when he caught me watching him.

"I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Obviously." Sighing, he sat on the edge of the tub. "I'm not trying to get you to do this for me – I just really don't know what to do. I've never done any of this before."

"Never?" I gave him a suspicious look.

He shook his head as he laughed at my expression. "I've never had to! My mother did everything before I left home. Then I had hotel rooms, and then a cleaning service, and then Jessica, and Sue… I've literally never had to do this. Any of it."

I went to him, placing a kiss on his head. "We'll pick you up some gloves. You'll learn, Edward. You can learn to do anything. And in the meantime, meet… the toilet brush!" I gave him a rundown on bathroom cleaning, as well as a lesson on sorting his laundry before showing him how to work the machines.

Mike showed up at the house late in the afternoon. "The domestication of Edward Masen!" He laughed at Edward's expense. "We should get a crew in here to film this shit! Priceless!"

Edward took the ribbing good-naturedly, and the two went off to discuss his schedule for the following day of interviews. Mike stayed for dinner with us and spent the evening. He seemed to be hoping for an invite to stay – it never came. I could only presume that if Edward wasn't comfortable with our relationship in front of his mother, Mike would definitely not get a show. It did leave me anxious about spending the day with the two of them, but my anxieties were rapidly soothed once Edward and I were alone upstairs. He had a way of soothing everything except the sky-high sexual tension that had been amassed over the last days of heavy petting.

The only good thing about waiting was that we were getting to know each other better, physically. He knew that when he rubbed his thumb on my pelvis, I would arch my back – every time. I knew that when I sucked on a particular spot on his neck, he would hiss, then swear, and follow it up by cursing himself for his desire to wait – every time. I also gained knowledge of a term I remembered my girl friends in high school using but hadn't really understood… my boyfriend was a grower, not a shower. It was interesting to see the various stages, and what made him engorge further. He wasn't frighteningly massive, but definitely more than adequate. Everything about him was perfect.

"What's so funny?" Edward asked as I giggled out of the blue. I was lying on his chest, admiring his perfect penis even though he had tucked it away under his boxer briefs.

Could I tell him that? "You've got a really nice package down there." Apparently, I could.

"But amusing?"

Reluctantly, I looked away from it and gazed up at his face instead. It was perfect, too. "I have this thing where I laugh when I'm happy. Don't you?" That got me a smile and a kiss. "Also when I'm tense. And you've got me pretty worked up, so expect random spurts of laughter."

"As long as I know you're not laughing in bed out of amusement," he said jokingly.

"Like… ever? Because sometimes you do some really funny things – sweet, but funny."

"What? Elbow kissing?" He grinned as he traced his finger along the crease he loved to suck on. "I know I'm weird. If I ever do something that's too bizarre for you, just let me know. Otherwise, I do plan on enjoying every inch of your delectable body. Just so you know."

It was my turn to grin widely. "I have a delectable body? Or does my shampoo make everything taste like strawberries?"

He groaned against my ear before nuzzling behind it. "Your scent, your perfect skin, your curves… everything about you is irresistible to me. I will pay homage to my most favorite places tomorrow night, but there's really not an unfavorable spot. To me, you're perfect."

I threw a leg over his as I cuddled up to him even closer. He thought I was perfect, and he could say so. Feeling emboldened by his comments, I reciprocated. "That's what had me laughing just now – an unbelievable euphoria over how perfect the man I'm lying with is."

"So this is a physical thing for you? You only want me for my really nice package? Is that what you called it?"

"Uh-uh," I mumbled, running my tongue over the sensitive spot on his neck. "I want the full Edward."

"Fuck! That feels so good!" He hissed. "I am the stupidest man alive to not be delving into you right now… I've never waited. I've never had to wait. I've never wanted to wait – and I still don't, but it's the right thing. I want to wait for you." His words rushed out breathlessly.

"Soon," I whispered, easing up on his neck so we could both begin to calm down.

"Very soon, my sweet girl." He took my cue and removed his hand from his usual spot on my ass, stroking my arm soothingly instead. "You're not nervous about tomorrow at all, are you?"

"What about it? The press part? Or the sex?" In truth, I was feeling a little edgy about both. I wasn't looking forward to a day with Mike, and I didn't want to disappoint Edward in bed. Even though it wouldn't be our first time together, he had a lot of experience and I didn't want him to get bored with me.

"Either? Both?" He tipped my chin up to gaze into my eyes. "A little? Me too," he professed with such sincerity it flooded me with adoration for him. We held each other in silence for a long time before I felt his breathing become slow and rhythmic as he drifted off.

~ 0 ~

I was being chased by a swarm of bumblebees. Giant bumblebees, some with a blue tooth stuck to their heads. Self-important little busy-bodies…

"Shit… Bella? Sorry, honey. I need my arm." Edward's sleepy voice chased off the bees. "My phone's ringing. It's in my pants." He eased himself out from under me and then reached over me to grab his jeans from the floor on the side of the bed. At the same time, the phone on his nightstand began ringing. "Holy fuck! Give me a chance to wake up! Can you grab that one?"

I stretched underneath him to grab the handset. "Hello? Hey, Ev! How's my best guy?" I poked my tongue out at Edward as he made a face at me. "Daddy's on his other phone right now. Can he call you right back?"

Evan opted to talk to me while he waited for his dad. I had no problem with that, though he was having some issues understanding my accent with my morning voice. On his cell, Edward was mumbling grunts of agreement and making impatient gestures.

"Okay, okay! We'll be ready…" He rolled his eyes as he listened to another string of excited words. "Mike… Okay… Yeah, I gotta go… No, my son's waiting on the other line. Bye, Mike!"

He gave me a quick kiss as I put Evan on hold. "That was our wake-up call. He'll be here in an hour."

I rushed out to get ready in my own bathroom, leaving Edward to talk to his son and do what he needed to. My stomach felt like I had swallowed every one of the bumblebees from my dream.

A/N ~ I'm with Mike in this chapter. I would pay to see that shit. ;) Thanks for reading! ~ SR