Ffnet has been review reply fail for some time now. I'm sorry if you reviewed and I didn't get back to you. I always try to reply to new readers/reviewers and to anyone who has a question. Replying with PMs is time consuming and I have so many restrictions on my time right now that I need to write whenever I can. I'm sorry!

You might want to reread the kiss on the porch of the B&B at the end of the previous chapter to remind yourself of Bella's impressions, versus what you'll read here now from EPOV. Again, sorry for the delay in posting.

Thanks to Kristi, MAD and Lisa. As always. Please be kind. Only 2 of my 3 betas got to this before I needed to post. If there are any glaring errors, let me know.

Chapter 55—What Did I Do to Deserve This?

EPOV

I mentally laughed, helping Bella out of the restaurant and into the car. She was far from drunk, but she was happy. Seeing her like this: defenses down, wrapped in my jacket to ward off the fast-cooling, late summer night air, I couldn't avoid the surge of emotion that filled me.

I loved this woman.

I came close to telling her just that over dinner, but the strange vibe I had gotten from her earlier in the day stilled my tongue. Instead, I toasted her. I had meant what I said. When I was with Bella, the finest vintages paled. Nothing could intoxicate me more that her mere presence.

When we got back to the B&B I no longer wanted to wait. Stopping her before she could enter the huge Victorian, I again nearly confessed, but touched her face and kissed her gently instead. It was a short kiss, but the emotion behind it was real. I barely pulled away, needing her to take just the smallest bit of initiative to let me know she wanted this, too.

When she finally tilted her head, pressing her lips to mine, I knew we were on the same page. Her arms wrapped around my neck and she let out a breathy moan that spurred me on. I opened my lips and traced her mouth with my tongue before sliding my hands around her waist and up and down her sides.

Her tongue touched mine before darting back into her own mouth. I took this as an invitation. I plunged my tongue into her mouth to taste white chocolate, wine, and Bella. I pulled her towards me until I could feel her breasts pressed against my chest. I rested my hands on her hips, flexing my fingers to avoid yanking her even closer so I could grind into her.

I couldn't wait much longer and, when she slid her hands down my arms, to my hands, breaking away and leading me into the dimly lit lobby, I realized Bella couldn't either. We went straight to our room without saying a word. Bella gathered her things and quickly went into the bathroom to change.

I scrambled around, pulling out my sleep pants and Dopp kit. I fully intended to make love to my beautiful girlfriend tonight, so wanted to freshen up just a bit. I lay down on top of the bedspread, contemplating what was to come. I grinned, thinking that the clothes she wore to bed were always on par with the most delightful gift wrap. I couldn't wait to unwrap her tonight.

I glanced at the bottle in the ice bucket on the copper-topped table and frowned. No. Bella had had enough to drink. The bathroom doorknob rattled and I sat up before rising as she stepped out.

Huh. My eyes traveled quickly from her feet to her head. Her pajamas were…?

She was practically wrapped up like a mummy. What the hell? I thought back to the pajamas she wore in Vegas, and at the reunion-sweet, sexy outfits that drove me crazy with the desire to get her out of them. Tonight, though, she was in pants that almost made it to her ankles and a bathrobe that effective covered her from neck to hip. And were those socks?

I didn't say anything as I walked past her into the bathroom.

I closed the door and started getting ready for bed, my thoughts swirling a mile a minute. Had I misunderstood the significance of her reactions to me tonight? Was she not interested? I knew she was mad when I told her I wanted to date her properly after we'd slept together the night First was hospitalized. But in the month or so since, we'd spent time together, even managing to go out in public once or twice without the paparazzi following us around. We'd spent several evenings at my place or at hers, enjoying Angela and Ben's company. We'd shared several intimate moments behind closed doors at the office, and when saying goodbye at home.

She wanted this. I knew she did. C'mon, Cullen. Snap out of it. I leaned against the pedestal sink and stared at myself in the mirror. I contemplated shaving, but decided the scruff looked good. Bella hadn't complained the last time. I washed my hands and face quickly before brushing my teeth and rinsing with some mouthwash.

After stashing everything back in my bag, I glanced at myself in the mirror one more time, took a deep breath, opened the door, sought out Bella and…stopped dead in my tracks.

My girl was curled up like a child on her side. Her hands were folded beneath her cheek, her lips were slightly parted and she was breathing rhythmically.

She was asleep.

I took one or two hesitant steps towards her, not sure I was believing what I was seeing.

"Bella?"

Her eyes didn't open nor did her breathing falter. She was sound asleep. For one impetuous, pathetic, sex-starved moment I considered waking her, but my saner side prevailed. Sighing, I walked over to my suitcase, dropped in my kit, with its now superfluous condoms, and pulled out a t-shirt. I threw it on and moved to my side of the bed, sliding under the covers.

I slid close to Bella and kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodnight, love."

She sighed and shifted slightly. "Edward…." she breathed.

I allowed myself a small smile before shaking my head and settling back for the night.

BPOV

I woke slowly, gradually becoming aware of the hazy light and comfortable warmth of the room. Next, I noticed the barely there scent of lilacs, that must be in the fabric softener used on these sheets. Finally I realized that my head was rising and falling slowly, riding along on Edward's chest as he breathed steadily, his heart thumping strongly under my ear.

Every time I slept with Edward, this is how we woke; curled up together, his arms wrapped around me, my body pulled over his.

It was comforting.

Careful not to jostle him, I slid off his chest and off the side of the bed. I grabbed the robe from the foot of the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I needed to brush my teeth. My mouth tasted foul, and I was so thirsty from all the wine last night.

Last night. Last night was pretty damned good. Until…. My heart skipped a beat when I remembered Edward's toast. He'd called me more intoxicating than wine. He'd been so gallant, helping me out of the restaurant, offering me his coat when I was cold…and then the kiss. That toe curling kiss that confirmed to me that he didn't want anything more.

Sighing, I decided it was as good a time as any for a shower. Edward had mentioned a champagne brunch and going to an art gallery today. I winced as I undressed. Perhaps I should pass on the champagne today.

A warm shower went a long way in making me feel human again. Shutting off the water I got out and wrapped my hair in a towel while drying myself thoroughly enough that I could wear my wrap before I went back into the room to get my clothes for the day. Edward was still sleeping when I got out there. I glanced at the clock. 7:30. No reason to wake him so early. I stuffed my pajamas in my suitcase and pulled out my book before walking over to the couch to read for an hour or so.

"Bella…?"

"Hm?" I answered intelligently. I was so comfortable, I didn't want to move.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead. Well, get up again, it seems," he replied with a chuckle.

"Edward?"

"The one and only."

"What time is it?"

"Almost ten."

I sat up quickly and my book slid off my chest to land on the floor with a thunk.

"Oh! I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. What time did you get up?"

"Seven, I think. I was thirsty and decided to take a shower since I was up. I must have been more tired than I realized."

He chuckled. "Well, I took a page from your book and showered while you slept. If you get ready we can go down to breakfast." I just noticed that he wasn't in his pajamas, but dressed for the day in khaki cargo shorts, a dark blue polo shirt and docksiders. His hair was still damp and pushed back from his face by his sunglasses.

Edward took a step back as I stood up. "Okay, I'll be right out."

I grabbed the outfit Riley suggested for today; slim, black, tailored, knee-length shorts and a ruffled, wrap style top with short sleeves in a riotous print of pink, black and white; before heading to the bathroom. I'd fallen asleep with my hair wrapped, so it was practically dry. It took less than five minutes for me to dry it completely over a large barreled brush. I slicked on some matte gloss and spritzed myself with the freesia perfume I'd brought, before walking back out into the bedroom and putting on my sandals.

Edward smiled at me. "Ready?" he asked, holding out his hand.

I smiled back at him. "Ready."

We made our way downstairs to the dining area where we met up with a woman I hadn't seen before.

"You must be Mr. Cullen and Ms. Swan. I'm sorry I wasn't here yesterday when you arrived. I'm Siobhan, Liam's wife." She held out her hand to me. I reached out to shake, but she pulled me into a tight hug.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, breathless at her exuberant greeting.

"Likewise," she said, releasing me and going in for a hug from Edward. I laughed at his bewildered expression.

"How are you liking our little B&B so far? Liam tells us you aren't having breakfast with us tomorrow, so I feel I need to completely impress you with this one meal. Please, please, sit down." She said that all in one breath.

We were chuckling when we sat. The settings were simple, cream-colored linens, white china plates and polished silver. Siobhan scurried over and offered us coffee.

"Tea for Bella," Edward said, before I could respond. "English Breakfast if you have it."

"Of course, of course." She flitted over to the sideboard and brought back a tea chest, opening it to allow me my choice. Once we had our drinks, she started rattling off the morning's menu.

"We are offering your choice of a goat cheese omelet with tarragon and chives, lemon pancakes, or grilled steak with two eggs any style. We have honey baked ham, bacon, or breakfast sausage. You can also get our summer berry bowl with fresh cream, yogurt, blueberry coffee cake, apple Danish, English muffins, white or wheat toast…."

While Siobhan rattled off the breakfast menu, Liam entered the dining room with two glasses of champagne and a pitcher of orange juice.

"Mimosas?" he asked as he placed our flutes on the table. Despite my promise to myself not to drink anymore this morning, I found myself nodding. Liam grinned as he poured the juice into our flutes.

"They're such a handsome couple, aren't they Liam?" Siobhan commented while we waited for him to finish our drinks. Liam nodded, a wide grin on his lips.

"Uh, thank you," I responded, figuring from Edward still bemused expression that he wasn't going to say anything soon.

"So, what will it be?" Siobhan asked expectantly.

Edward indicated I should go first. "I'll have the lemon pancakes and bacon…maybe a few of the berries on the side?"

Siobhan beamed. "I'll make you a hot blueberry compote for the pancakes. It's fantastic, if I do say. Perfect with the lemon pancakes. I don't offer it normally, but I can tell you're someone who will appreciate it."

"Thank you." This woman was a force to be reckoned with akin to Alice and Riley.

"And what will you have?" she asked, turning to Edward.

"The steak, medium, and eggs, over easy." He grinned at me and I remembered our conversation in the diner so long ago about undercooked eggs. I felt a flutter in my chest as I realized he remembered, too.

Siobhan scurried out of the room leaving Edward and me alone for a moment.

"Wow," I breathed. "She's…."

"Something else?" Edward supplied.

I nodded vigorously. "I'll say." I took a sip of my mimosa. Perfect. "Oh, this is good."

"Take it easy there, slugger," Edward laughed. "We're touring the wineries today."

I put down my glass and picked up my teacup instead. Edward smiled.

Breakfast was delicious. An older couple stopped down while we were eating, offering us a pleasant good morning before eating lightly and leaving. Both Siobhan and Liam walked in and out, chatting with us, giving advice about which wineries we should visit, and refilling our coffee and tea.

We threw our napkins on the table and bid our hosts farewell before heading out to the car. Edward handed me his phone.

"I programmed in a couple of the local wineries and the address for that gallery. Where should we go first?"

We decided on a route that would let us drive in a big circle returning to the B&B after an early dinner.

EPOV

Spending the day shopping and touring the wineries with Bella was even more fun that I had hoped it would be. After a cautious start, we enjoyed some of the local wines more than either of us had expected we would. Bella bought a bottle of red she particularly enjoyed and took a card from the stack near the register, planning on ordering more directly if she couldn't find a seller in Chicago. However, the clerk was confident it was available in the big city.

Our last stop before an early dinner was the art gallery that housed the piece I was interested in. I hadn't shopped for art in a very long time, but Emmett was always aware of the local art scene and had shown me a picture of this piece a few weeks ago.

"What do you think?" I asked Bella.

She pursed her lips as she looked at the piece before us.

"Art appreciation isn't my strong point, Edward. I just know what I like."

"Do you like this?" I was on the fence about the piece and found that Bella's taste was similar to mine. She loved the same painting I did in the reception area of my office and was thrilled by the print Emmett and Rose had gotten her for Christmas. I also remembered her reaction to the piece I eventually bought her for her room, the one that reminded her of Washington.

Emmett believed this particular painting would be an excellent investment. I never understood collectors who let their art sit in a vault, but I couldn't really see this painting on a wall in my office or my home. If I decided to buy this it would not be displayed.

"Um, I like the colors. Blue is nice."

"But…?"

"I'm sorry, Edward, I really don't like it." Bella answered me confidently. "It's a little dark and depressing, I think. Not something I'd want to look at all the time."

I slid my arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Thank you for your opinion. I agree, it isn't something I'd want hanging in my home."

"Why are we here then, if you didn't like it?"

"Emmett believes that this artist has potential and that this piece would be a great investment. But I like to look at the art I have in my home and our office. What's the point if it isn't something I enjoy? You just made it easier for me to say no."

We left the gallery and headed out to dinner. There was a nice sushi place nearby. While we were eating our dinner Bella asked about our plans for the morning.

"You've been pretty quiet about tomorrow. Care to give me a hint yet?"

"What did Riley have you pack for tomorrow?"

"Jeans, sneakers, a long sleeved t, and my fleece vest."

I nodded.

"So it will be chilly?"

"It will be really early, before the sun's up. You'll need to be warm and layers are a good idea."

"So tell me."

"Well, I haven't confirmed yet, but if the weather cooperates, we're taking a hot-air balloon ride."

"What?"

"A hot-air balloon. They only take off if the weather conditions are perfect, so the company might still cancel on us, but I'll call them around four in the morning to confirm."

"Wow." I couldn't judge the tone of her voice.

"Are you okay with it?"

"I think it's a great idea. I've never been."

"Me neither. The balloons are finicky things, it seems. I have to call at four tomorrow morning to make sure we're still taking off. If we are, we'll need to be at the launch point by five fifteen. Hope that's okay."

"Oh, yeah. That's why we're having dinner so early?"

"One of the reasons." I hoped that I wasn't being too forward, but that Bella understood my implication. From the slight widening of her eyes, I thought she did.

Once we were finished eating we made our way back to the car, holding hands, talking about the wineries we'd visited and the painting I decided not to purchase. We waved to Liam as we walked through the lower floor of the B&B, and climbed the stairs to our room.

Bella sat on the couch while I fished around in my bag for my iPod. Finding it, I set it to shuffle and sat next to her.

"More wine?" I asked, gesturing to the bottle that was on the table before us. Bella's eyes darted to the bottle before she shook her head.

"I think I've had enough."

"Mmm," I hummed in agreement. I didn't want her to fall asleep tonight. Turning to face her more directly, I leaned forward and brushed my lips across hers. She held very still. I watched as her eyes fluttered shut, before leaning in again to kiss her more soundly.

With a breathy sigh, Bella opened her mouth to me. I slid my hand up her arm and tangled it in her hair, holding her to me. Her tongue darted out to touch mine and I reciprocated, lapping softly at her, promising myself that we'd take this slow.

I pressed myself against her and Bella slid back into a more comfortable position. Already, I was practically laying on top of her. I could feel the softness of her belly against stomach and the fullness of her breasts pressed to my chest. Bella ran her hands down my arms and up my back, stopping to grip my shoulders before running through my hair.

All the while I continued to kiss her. She twisted her head away with a gasp, breathing heavily. I moved to her neck, kissing and sucking the skin along her throat. She moaned softly and the sound went straight to my cock. She wrapped her arms around my head and held me to her neck. I was more than glad to oblige, nibbling on the skin below her ear before tracing the shell of her ear with my nose.

"Oh, Edward…."

Determinedly, I slid my hand up her side. I brushed my thumb along the side of her full breast and she surged towards me, pushing herself into my eager palm. Gently, I ran my thumb over her nipple and gave an internal fist pump when I felt it harden under my hand.

Her hand smoothed its way down my back, until she reached the hem of my shirt. Slowly, her hand came back up, under my shirt. She dragged her nails across my bare back. It was my turn to shiver as I felt goose flesh erupt in her path.

Suddenly, Bella's phone began sounding from her bag on the floor. I attempted to ignore it, hoping she'd do the same. That hope died when I felt her stiffen underneath me.

"It's Angela."

Damn, that's not what I wanted to hear. I sat up and pulled her along with me, running my hand through my hair. My family hadn't tried to contact me, but Angela could be calling with something work-related.

I sighed, "You better answer it."

Bella nodded and grabbed her phone, connecting the call.

"Hey Ang…."

BPOV

"Hey Ang!"

"Hi Bella! I'm so sorry to interrupt your weekend…." She sounded all keyed up.

"Don't worry about it. You wouldn't have called it if weren't important. What's up?"

Ang let out an excited hum before speaking again. "Ben asked me to move in with him!" she squealed at an octave only dogs and Blackberries could interpret.

An ice cold feeling flooded me despite my happiness for my friend.

"That's great, Angela. I'm so excited for you!" I hoped she couldn't hear the panic in my voice. From the expression on his face, I could tell that Edward did.

"Thanks!"

"How did he ask?" Edward was still looking at me. I held up my hand and nodded to let him know everything was alright.

"Earlier today I mentioned having to go back to the apartment to get the mail. You left early yesterday and I never went home so I figured the box would be full. I know you are waiting for your test results, so I wanted to check. I decided since I'd be at the apartment maybe I'd stay for awhile and do some laundry. I basically spent the whole afternoon there: washing laundry; going through the fridge to toss out old food; I packed up the patio set, since it's going to be too cold for us to hang out on the terrace soon; that kind of stuff."

As I listened to Angela, Edward reached out to touch the hand that wasn't holding the phone. I gave him a quick squeeze, but he didn't let go. He began to trace my fingers with his own.

"So, anyway, I packed an overnight bag with fresh clothes and headed back to Ben's around dinner time. When I got there, he had the table set and dinner in the oven. It was so nice. I asked him what the occasion was and he said, 'I love you, Angela and I want to ask you something.' My heart started pounding a mile a minute, you know? I mean I love Ben and I know we'll be together forever, but it's way too early to be thinking about marriage. Isn't it? I don't know. But, anyway, he said, 'You're always here and I like it that way. What would you think about making the arrangement permanent?'"

"Oh!" My reaction was genuine. I knew this complicated things for me, but I was truly happy for my friend. Edward's fingers had moved from my hand to my wrist and despite the importance of this conversation, a tingly feeling was building up inside me as his touch raised goose bumps on my arm.

"So I asked him," she continued, 'Are you asking me to move in with you?' and he said, 'Yeah. I'd love to go to sleep knowing I'm going to wake up to you in my bed every morning. What do you say?'"

"Oh, that's so sweet, Ang. What did you say?"

Edward raised my hand to his mouth and placed a single kiss on my palm. I shot him a quizzical look but he just smiled at me and slid closer, nuzzling his nose just under my ear, eliciting more goose bumps. I automatically tilted my head a little, giving him better access. I could feel him smile against the skin of my neck.

"I told him yes, of course! He made me dinner and everything. You should have seen him, he looked so shy when he was asking, like there'd be any way I could turn him down."

"I'm happy for you." I hoped Angela couldn't hear how breathy my voice had gotten. I needn't have worried.

"I know this puts you in a tough spot, but maybe you could ask around at work and see if anyone is interested in your room. Mine's a little bigger and has its own bath so I figured you'd move in there if you got another roommate."

"Don't worry about it, Ang. I'll figure something out," I told her with more confidence than I felt, somewhat anxious to get off the phone as Edward's lips replaced his nose on the side of my neck.

"Okay." I could tell from the happy tone of her voice that she was so completely into the idea of moving in with Ben that she wasn't thinking about how I'd work this out. I couldn't hold her lack of concern against her, though. She deserved her happiness with Ben.

"Oh! And you got a letter from the college. It looks like your grade report. Do you want me to open it?"

I stiffened and pulled away from Edward. He looked at me with a curious frown.

I'd never told Angela why I was taking a summer class. I'm sure she thought that I was just trying to lighten the load during the school year or maybe finish up early. Telling her to not open it would seem weird, so I gave her a reluctant okay.

I could hear her tearing open the envelope.

"You got a B!" Angela was pleased. After all, a B wasn't a bad grade. But in this case….

"Thanks, Ang. I appreciate you calling to tell me. Listen, I have to run. I'll be home tomorrow night and we can talk more then."

"Okay, Bella. Bye."

"Bye."

I disconnected the call. I could sense Edward beside me, but didn't turn to look at him. He must have sensed my mood because he didn't attempt to touch or kiss me as he had while I was on the phone.

"Damn," I whispered.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Alone, either of the bits of news I'd just received would be upsetting, together….

"What wrong?"

I forced a smile onto my face and turned to face Edward. "Ben asked Angela to move in with him. She's very excited."

"Oh, love, I'm sorry…."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. This is good news. I'm happy for Angela," I replied with false enthusiasm that wasn't fooling Edward for a second.

"But it puts you in a tough spot, doesn't it?"

I shrugged.

"I'm sure you'll find someone who needs a roommate."

"Of course," I replied, not interested in thinking about the details of seeking out a roommate right now.

"Is that all?"

"No."

"What else?"

"My grade came." I felt Edward stiffen. My schooling was still a sore spot between us.

"And…?"

"I got a B."

"Oh."

Edward was fully aware of my need to get at least a B+ to raise my average to where I needed it to remain in the program. I still had a semester, but now would need to get at least Bs in both classes to get there. If I didn't, I'd lose my spot come December. Since I'd already gotten one C while taking two classes at the same time, getting another one was hardly unlikely.

I could sense Edward's struggle. He wanted to comfort me, since I was obviously upset, but didn't want to show even the slightest bit of support for my continuing in the Teaching program. Suddenly, I was feeling very alone.

Tears finally overcame me and poured from my eyes. "Damn," I said again, dashing the tears from my cheeks.

Then his arms were around me. My head was on his chest as he pulled me close and the floodgate burst. I didn't even attempt to be ladylike in my sobbing, sniffling and snorting, ruining Edward's shirt.

It was too much. The mixed signals from Edward, losing my roommate and very likely my apartment, not getting a high enough grade in that class to take off some of the pressure of the upcoming semester….

"Shhh…." Edward made soothing sounds, trying to calm me down. He reached around me and hauled me onto his lap before settling back, rocking me like a child making shushing noises.

"Bella, you can make this work. We'll make it work. I promise. Please don't cry. Please."

He continued to murmur quietly while I continued to cry. My sobs lessened and I could feel some of Edward's tenseness dissipate.

"It will all work out. I promise you."

"H…how…?"

"I'll flex your schedule at work a little more. If you did a few hours on the weekends it will ease your schedule during the week so you can attend your classes without having to worry about work piling up. I'll clear you to work from home or we can get you a flextime partner. Anything. Bella, please, let me help you. I'm so proud of you. You've got so much on your plate and you handle it so well."

I snorted at the assertion that I handle anything well before what Edward said really sunk in.

"You…you're proud of me?" I asked with a sniffle.

Edward pulled back a little bit to look me in the face. God, I must be a mess.

"I'm so proud of you. You're amazing at work and I know my mother couldn't be happier with the work you do for her. You're handling school on top of working 60 hours a week and still make time for me. I know you're not happy with the B, love, but it's a grade that you should be proud of. I'm sorry I haven't been supportive of your schooling. It's not that I don't want you to get your education; it's just that I think you're better suited for business than teaching. You're getting that teaching degree out of fear, not out of passion. I want you to pursue your passions. But if you still want to get that teaching certification I'll stand behind you one hundred percent. Anything…," he wiped his hands across my cheeks, drying the tears that were there. "I'll do anything to make this easier for you."

"You will?"

He smiled at me. "I will."

I sniffed again. "I don't want to be a teacher."

"I know."

"I want to work for the Literacy Project."

"You know Esme wants you to put in more hours."

"I want to go to school for Marketing and Public Relations."

"I think that's a great idea."

I put my head back down on Edward's shoulder. We hadn't solved all my problems, but just knowing that I was going to drop the teaching certification program made it feel like an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Exhaustion overwhelmed me and I found myself dozing on Edward.

"It's been a long day, love, and we have an early morning. Let's go to bed."

"Mm-kay…." I hummed, allowing Edward to lift me to my feet. I kicked off my shoes and undressed quickly, pulling on the other set of pajamas Riley had brought me. I collapsed on the beautiful bed, reaching over to find Edward.

I didn't find him.

"Edward?"

"I'll be right there…." His voice sounded strangled and I wondered what was wrong, but was too tired to ask. It was just a few minutes later that I felt him climb in next to me. I turned to face him and snuggled into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me.

Warm, secure and content in his arms, I quickly fell asleep.

EPOV

I have never been an overly religious man. When I was younger I attended church with my parents for all the major holidays. However, as an adult, my scientific view of the world has left me with a healthy dose of skepticism. But now…right now, I knew that God was punishing me for something.

My plan to make love to Bella last night was thwarted by her low tolerance for alcohol. Since I woke up alone this morning, any early seduction was out of the picture and tonight…tonight the bad news from Angela reduced Bella to a sobbing mess.

All this was bad enough, but then Bella decided the best way to end the night was to strip down to nothing and change into her pajamas in front of me. Bella was practically asleep when I suggested we go to bed. Why sleep on the couch when there was a perfectly good bed just a few feet away? She agreed. I helped her to her feet and she proceeded to remove every last stitch of clothing she was wearing, before putting on her pajamas and climbing into the bed.

I doubt she even realized what she was doing. I suppose I should have looked away. A real gentleman would have, but if there were any sight more captivating than Bella in her naked glory I couldn't imagine it. When she got in the bed she reached out to find me. I told her I'd be right there.

What did I do to deserve this? I quickly undressed, pulled on my sleep pants and slid into bed next to Bella. She scooted close to me. I shifted my hips away from her before wrapping her in my arms.

I was seriously considering canceling our early morning plans. A hot air balloon ride sounded adventurous and romantic when I'd booked it. Now it was anything but. Burying my nose in Bella's hair, I inhaled deeply and settled down for a few hours rest.

If that light gets any closer we'll all be hit by a train. Yes, that's right, the next chapter includes the prologue.

I have a blog. I post teasers, reviews and so on there. http: / ironictwistisntitironic. blogspot. com. You can subscribe and you'll get the occasional email with info on this story and the one I'm planning on writing next.