a/n Hey everyone! Welcome back! I cannot begin to tell you how much it means to me to see all the favs, alerts and reviews. My little heart swells each time I see one. Thank you so much for making my day. And, as always, the team that makes this happen, I love them all dearly: Breath of Twilight, Robot Moose, Wicked Writer Chick and Bella Madonna. Hugs and kisses to each and every one of you!
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. However, the situation these folks find themselves in is all mine.
EPOV
She opens the door dressed casually as I've asked. Beautiful. Heartstoppingly gorgeous. I've come to pick her up for our second date. And she is just . . . Bella.
"Hello, Beautiful." I wait to be invited in. She steps to the side, eyes downcast, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as a small smile hovers around her mouth.
"Hey, Handsome," she replies, the small smile growing into a full-on enchanting grin.
I'm so glad that we have an entire day off to spend together. Even though we've spend every moment we could talking on the phone, and I feel that I know her better than any other woman I've ever been involved with, or maybe because of it, I'm so excited to spend the day with her. I've planned out every detail, trying to anticipate any and all eventualities that could possibly occur. I won't lie. The ultimate goal for this evening is a second go at what we had last week. That, quite possibly, was the best night of my entire life, and I want to relive it, over and over. I don't, however, want to push her into anything. There is something very special about this woman, and I don't want to jeopardize my chances with her.
"So, are you ready to get started? I have our day planned, and I think you're gonna like it," I say with a smirk, holding my hand out toward my car.
She gives me another dazzling smile, "Almost. Just need to grab my jacket and purse." She runs off to the bedroom and returns holding her jacket and purse high in triumph.
Together we head out the door, she stops to lock it, and then skips toward the Volvo. I chase her down the sidewalk and open the passenger door for her, get her settled in, close the door and make my way to the driver's side. I get in and lean across the center console planting a wet one on her cheek.
"What's that for?" she sputters, surprised.
"That's for agreeing to spend the day with me and being the most beautiful woman in Seattle," I say, smiling.
She looks down at her hands in her lap, then peeks up at me with those dark brown eyes through her long dark lashes as she worries her bottom lip. Then she turns to me and says softly, "I'm really glad you asked. I'm looking forward to spending time with you and getting to know you better. Where are we going, anyway?"
"Unh uh. I'm not telling. It's a surprise. You ready?"
"As I'll ever be, I guess," she says as she turns back toward the front, "Onward!" She makes a show of directing me to drive down the street.
Our first stop this morning is the Washington Park Arboretum, unbeknownst to her. I have arranged for a canoe, and plan to paddle this beautiful woman around the park and woo her whilst doing so. When I pull into the parking lot, I look to her to catch her reaction. She's looking quite confused.
"Edward? Are we really going to walk around and look at trees?" she asks a little apprehensively. "I mean, it's beautiful here, and I guess we can walk and talk . . ."
I smile my most dazzling smile. "I don't want to wear you out this early in the day. No, we're not going to walk around and look at trees. I have something a little more fun than that planned. You're just going to have to trust me."
I hop out of the car and grab the small cooler from the trunk on my way to open her door. She gets the door open before I get there, so I extend my hand to help her out of the car. She takes it, and I feel the tingles of electricity shoot up my arm. She gasps, looking quickly up to my face, searching my eyes for confirmation. She felt it, too. Seeing my answering look of affirmation, her brown orbs widen and sparkle, the little golden flecks standing out against the smooth chocolate. And all at once, she has a death grip on my hand. I wiggle my fingers, and interlock them with hers as I close the door, locking the car with the tell-tale beep of the remote.
My heart feels lighter than I ever remember it feeling as we walk toward the canoe rental, swinging our arms between us. I feel like a seventeen year old boy, in love, or maybe lust, for the first time. It's a wonderful feeling. Like I haven't a care in the world, except making this treasure of a woman beside me happy. My entire being is focused on that task.
"What are you doing?" she asks as I check out the canoe.
"We are going paddling, lovely lady. I used to come out here as an undergrad when they offered the tour classes by canoe. I came so often, they asked me if I wanted to work with the classes. I did, and I loved it. So now, I get to do this whenever I want. I don't have to wait for the tours. Lucky you," I chuckle.
After I get her situated in the canoe, I push us off and begin paddling. We chat as I row, talking about everything under the sun. Every once in a while I point out a particular plant or tree explaining their origins or what they were used for by the Native Americans of the area. I take my time, not rushing, stopping a few times for us to nibble on the snacks and drinks from the cooler, before heading back to turn in the canoe. Watching Bella soaking up the sunshine and the wind blowing her hair, I am content.
She helps me drag the canoe back to the shed and put it away. Looking at her with her shining eyes, I have to kiss her. Pressing her back into the wall of the shed, I cup her face in my hands and glance from her eyes to her lips and back again. She licks her lips, invitingly, and sighs. I lower my mouth to her sweet lips and give her a chaste kiss. Just her lips and mine.
Her arms snake their way up between us, and she wraps them around my shoulders, her fingers teasing the hair at the nape of my neck as she pulls me closer. Her tongue peeks out to tease my lower lip and I groan. Pressing more fully against her, I part my lips and her tongue tentatively sneaks into my mouth. Our tongues begin to tussle, a battle I let her win. She started it, so I let her lead it. Small whimpers and breathy groans escape from both of us before I pull away, leaning my forehead against hers, eyes closed. I'm so fucked. This woman does things to me, makes me feel things I've never felt before.
I kiss the tip of her nose before smiling and grabbing her hand. We walk back to the car, both lost in our own thoughts. "Penny for your thoughts," I say softly. And she smiles a shy smile.
"Oh, not many in there," she confesses. "I'm just sort of 'feeling,' right now." She looks down, seemingly embarrassed.
"And . . . how do you feel? What are you feeling?" I ask. I'm curious if she feels the same things that I'm feeling. It's glorious, yet incredibly frightening at the same time.
"Like I'm content. Like there's nowhere I'd rather be, right now," she sounds a little uncertain.
I stop, right there in the middle of the parking lot next to the car, and wrap my arms around her, pulling her tight to my chest. "I know exactly what you mean." I lean back a little to look into those shining eyes, once more, and try to convey with mine that I really do know exactly what she means. I kiss her forehead and open the door, ushering her into the car. I take several deep breaths on the way to my side, trying to calm both my nerves and my body.
"That was lovely, Edward. Thank you for showing me the hidden park." She smiles her sweet smile, just for me.
"Oh, we're not done yet, m'lady. We've only just begun," I smile back at her, and I know she knows. She knows that I feel the same way she does. My heart leaps in my chest. Just to sit here, gazing at this woman smiling back at me, makes my heart swell and threaten to jump right out of my body. While as a doctor I know that it is physically impossible, that's exactly how I feel.
"Well then, Dr. Cullen, where are we off to now?" She uses her best interrogation voice, then laughs at herself. "Boy, I really sound intimidating, don't I?"
"It's the same voice you used on me when you gave me my ticket," I reply with a grin of my own, remembering that fateful day, not so long ago. "Didn't scare me off. And, seeing that I'm hearing rumblings of mutiny from your stomach, how about some lunch? I know the perfect place."
"Oh, you could hear that? I thought I was the only one who could," she mumbles, embarrassed. "I am a little hungry."
"Okay, it's settled then. Ray's, here we come."
She gasps, "I didn't think they were open for lunch! And we don't have to go someplace so fancy. I'm not dressed for it!"
"Relax, sweetheart. We're going to Ray's Café. They are open for lunch and much more casual than the restaurant downtown. They do, however, have some of the best seafood in Seattle. You game?" I ask.
She concedes, allowing that she loves seafood. Great! All those long telephone conversations over the past week or so are standing me in good stead, so far. I pull out of the parking lot going west. About a half hour later, we pull into Ray's parking lot to park.
The hostess seats us on the deck area as I requested. It's such a beautiful day, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. Sitting at a table on the deck, we chat some more over a cocktail, and I hold her hand across the table as we wait for our lunch. The conversation ebbs and flows, with some comfortable silences in between. We just relish our time together.
Our food arrives and it is just delicious, but falls short of being as delicious as the woman sitting across from me. I could sit and watch her for hours. "You're beautiful, you know," I muse aloud.
The flush that creeps over her, beginning at her chest and moving up to her face, makes her glow that much more. An embarrassed smile gracing her beautiful mouth, she mumbles, "You're the one that's beautiful." She glances up at me through her lashes and I can see her eyes twinkling with emotion. I lift her hand to my lips and kiss each knuckle, in turn, before kissing each fingertip, looking deep into her chocolate brown eyes and trying to convey without words how much she has come to mean to me in such a short amount of time.
I glance at my watch, startled that so much time had passed. "Finished with your lunch?" I ask, knowing that if we don't get moving we're going to miss the next stop in my plan. "Are you ready for more?"
Her eyes get huge and round, "You mean there's more?"
I smile, knowing the next stop is probably something she's never even heard of. "Yep, I have more plans for you, my dear."
"I need to visit the ladies' room," she says standing up from her chair.
I hurry around the table to get her chair, "I'll meet you up front?" I ask.
She smiles demurely and responds, "Sure."
I extend my hand as she walks toward me. She takes it, and I interlock our fingers, pulling her to me and encircling her waist with my other arm. I bend down, she's so tiny and delicate, and run my nose along her cheek and down along her beautiful neck, inhaling the aroma that is uniquely Bella.
"You are the most exquisite woman, Bella. I can't get enough," I murmur in her ear. I feel the shiver that runs through her body and see the goosebumps pop up on her arms as she sighs.
Her sigh ignites the fire in me, once again, and I have to kiss her. We're standing at the door of the restaurant so I walk us outside away from the door, leading her with our entwined hands, and stop. I let go of her hand and wrap my arms around her waist as hers slide up my chest. She reaches up on her tip-toes and I don't have to bend as far to kiss her. She meets me halfway, our mouths meet in the middle and what starts softly, quickly becomes stronger, heated, wanton. I pull away, breathless; she's panting, too, her eyes still closed. The connection, the tingles, are still there. I brush the apple of her cheek with my thumb, and she opens her eyes to look into mine. I smile.
Slowly, I release her and take her hand again. "Come on. We have places to go," I say, my voice a bit rough with the emotions flooding through me.
She sighs again, and follows where I lead.
e/n I know. I'm evil. But this was just going to be waaaay to long if I finished the date. So, more on that next week. For now, let me know what you're thinkin'. Click that little button below.