Saturday Afternoon
Edward's POV

I hung up the phone after talking to Bella, even more excited for our date tonight than I'd been before. I decided to close up early since I had a few things to take care of before our date, so I flipped the sign over to Closed, locked the door, and then made my way up to the apartment.

Having an idea of what I wanted, I sat down at the computer and began to research. A few minutes later, I found exactly what I was looking for, so I called the florist to make sure they had what I wanted.

"Cherry Hill Florists. How may I help you?" It sounded like the same woman I'd ordered the last flowers from, which was good. She'd been a big help.

"Yes, hello. My name's Edward Cullen. I ordered some flowers from you a few days ago." I didn't expect her to remember me, but I'm sure she'd like knowing I was a repeat customer.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Cullen! The..." She paused for a second, making a humming sound. "Oh! The white calla lilies and yellow roses, right?"

Laughing, I answered, "Yes, exactly. They were a hit, by the way. Thank you for the suggestions."

"You're most certainly welcome. What can I help you with today?"

"Well, I did some research on my own this time. Do you happen to have yellow daffodils and red tulips?" I crossed my fingers.

She was quiet for a minute, and I could hear some doors sliding open and closed before she finally answered. "I had to check and make sure, but I do. Absolutely beautiful flowers, those daffodils. After your last order, I take it with this order that things went well with the young lady who received the delivery?"

I grinned, even though she couldn't see me. "Yes, they did, thank you. For today, if you could have those in a bouquet—more daffodils than tulips—with a little bit of the filler stuff and put it all in a pretty vase, would they be ready by five thirty for me to come pick them up? You close at six, right?" I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to pick them up and get to Bella's door by six o'clock.

"Not a problem. My assistant, Kate, is here today, so I'll leave her up front and go make the arrangement myself."

"Thank you so much," I told her. "I'll be there then."

Hanging up the phone, I smiled. I hoped that Bella would be happy with them.

I opened the drawer of my desk and pulled out a set of the personalized stationery that my mother had insisted on getting me for Christmas this past year. I hadn't used it once except for writing the thank you letter to them for all their gifts, but it was perfect for what I wanted today. Grabbing a pen, I began writing a note to go along with the flowers.

As soon as I finished and had added it to the envelope, writing Bella's name on the front, I decided to go ahead and get ready for the date. Putting the note with my jacket and keys, I went to the bedroom, stripped naked, and jumped in the shower.

While soaping up my body, I let my well-lubricated hand pay special attention to my cock. It seemed like ever since kissing Bella the night before, I'd been half hard. When I thought about it, I realized she was probably naked right now, getting a massage. Just the thought of her soft body nude was enough to bring me to full hard-on status.

I adjusted the spray a bit and then sank down onto the little bench in the shower. I spread my legs and let the water gently hit my upper thighs, misting up onto my balls. The feeling was amazing, especially coupled with the firm grip I had and the now almost-constant movement of my fist up and down my shaft.

I poured a bit more of the Bvlgari body wash I used into my other hand, and after resuming my stroking, my other hand went to my balls, gently squeezing and rolling them around in my palm. Fuck... I'd give anything for this to be Bella's hands on me. I knew we were nowhere close to being ready for that, but it didn't stop me from closing my eyes and imagining.

Moaning loudly, I thought of Bella down on her knees between my thighs, her tiny fingers wrapped around my better-than-average-size cock. She was stroking it at the base, her mouth sucking me in as far as she could fit me until I hit the back of her throat. My fist was slamming up and down furiously by now, just thinking about her peeking up at me from under her long lashes, those big, brown doe eyes looking innocently alluring and sexy as she sucked me into oblivion.

When I thought of her gently scraping her teeth on my cock while pressing a finger at the sensitive spot behind my balls, I came with a roar. Cum shot everywhere: the wall in front of me, on my chest, and a few drops even landed in my hair. I kept squeezing and stroking, gradually slowing until it became too sensitive to the touch. I dropped my head back against the wall, adjusted the spray until it was aimed at my chest, and just sat there until I'd caught my breath back.

As soon as I felt like I could stand, I finished my shower and got out, wrapping a towel around my waist. I'd just pulled on my boxers and khakis when Alice came barging in from the living room.

"Geez, Ali! Could've called out or something. I just got out of the shower."

She rolled her eyes. "Not like I haven't seen it before, Edward. Besides, I heard the shower turn off and waited long enough for you to get something on." Pointing a finger to her lips in a show for me to be quiet, she dialed and then put her phone up to her ear. "All clear," she said before closing her phone.

"What was that about?"

I was clearly confused, because she giggled at my expression.

"Just making sure Rose could get Bella inside without you seeing her before your date tonight," she said smugly.

I made a break for the door, but she was faster and blocked my way. "C'mon, Alice. Why can't I look?"

"Because I said so," she answered in her sing-song voice.

"Fine," I grumbled, heading to the bathroom to smear on deodorant before going back to the bed to grab the shirt I'd laid out on the bed.

"Oh, nice choice." Alice came over after I had tucked my shirt in, taking it upon herself to unbutton the top two buttons of the dark red, long-sleeved dress shirt. "Okay, now roll up your sleeves a few times, and it'll be perfect. You are taking a jacket, right?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yes, Mother."

Apparently, the sarcasm flowed right past her, because she smoothed out one more wrinkle and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. "Have fun tonight. Mom and Dad are gonna love Bella, by the way. Rose and I already do."

Before I could answer, she was gone, leaving me standing there with my mouth open and wild thoughts racing through my mind. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and then went to the living room to grab my watch and wallet. I looked at the time and realized I didn't need to leave for another twenty minutes, so I had plenty of time to wrestle with my hair.

Twenty minutes later, I gave up, just running my fingers through it again before picking up my keys, jacket, and the note for Bella. I went out through the store so Bella wouldn't see me leave and locked the door behind me. The flower shop was only a few miles from the store. I had to fight my lead foot, figuring a ticket really wouldn't start off the night well.

I found the florist easily. After locking the car, I walked inside to see a woman, easily in her late sixties, with a kind and expressive face. I knew immediately that she was Margaret, the woman I'd spoken with several times now.

"Mr. Cullen?" she asked politely.

I shook her hand. "Please, call me Edward. Thank you for doing this on such short notice."

She smiled and patted my hand in a very grandmotherly way. "It was no problem at all, Edward. I'm glad things went well enough that you came back for more. I'm assuming from the handsome look you have and the fact that you're picking these up yourself that you have a date with the lucky Bella?"

Laughing, I replied, "I do, indeed."

We stood there talking for a few minutes about my flower choices, and then Margaret went to the cooler and pulled out the bouquet. She'd arranged the flowers in a deep green vase that set off the red and yellow of the flowers perfectly.

"Will this vase work?" she asked. "I have others, but I thought this went well with the flowers."

I smiled gratefully. "It's beautiful. I was just thinking that the vase was perfect with them. I'm sure she'll love them. Thank you so much." I pulled out my credit card, paid, and then looked at my watch. "Oh, I do need to run. Thanks again! If all goes well, I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot more of you," I told her.

Her face lit up. "You remind me of my Hank when we first began dating, nearly fifty years ago. I hope it works out as well for you as it has for us," she said, sounding utterly sincere.

"Thank you, Margaret. Have a good night."

"You, too, Edward. See you again soon, I hope!"

I unlocked the door and debated on how best to handle the flowers. I had a couple of blankets in the trunk in case of emergency, so I pulled them out and set the vase on the passenger seat. After putting the blankets around the base, the flowers were fairly secure. I would use one hand to keep them still when I needed to, but just driving slowly, they should be fine.

When I pulled up to the apartments, it was just a couple of minutes before six—just enough time to stuff the blankets back in the trunk, smooth out any wrinkles on my clothes, and grab the flowers before knocking on her door promptly at six o'clock.

Just before I knocked, I set the envelope in the bouquet without crushing any of the beautiful flowers. Bella opened the door, and I was stunned. She'd been beautiful before, of course, but tonight, she looked like a vision. Her dress was some sort of sheer blue mixed with black lace. It was sleeveless and fell to her knees, allowing her creamy skin to show to perfection, and the cut of the dress was entirely flattering. I had to fight to keep my eyes from staring at the way it fit her chest.

"Umm, hi, Edward," she said shyly.

I shook my head, realizing I'd been standing there staring for who knew how long. "I'm sorry, Bella. You just...you look stunning. I love that color on you. Oh! You cut your hair."

I must've sounded as shocked as I felt, because her fingers were suddenly brushing at her hair, and a blush rose from her chest to her cheeks. With my free hand, I touched her cheek softly and then ran my hand lightly over her new, almost shoulder-length hair. "It's beautiful, Bella, really. It suits you. I can see your beautiful face and stunning eyes so clearly now." I smiled to let her know I was being sincere.

I heard her exhale and knew she'd been nervous. "Are, um, those for me?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, of course," I answered, laughing nervously. "Sorry, I'm, umm, a bit nervous."

This time, it was Bella who cupped my face with her palm and leaned in to kiss me softly once. "Don't be nervous. It's just me! The flowers are beautiful. Thank you. Come in while I put them on the counter and grab my purse."

She led me to the kitchen and put the flowers in the center of the kitchen table. She pulled out the envelope, and I quickly put a hand on hers to stop her.

"If you don't mind, please wait until you get home to read the card."

I must have blushed, because she smiled and brushed her hand across my cheek softly before putting the envelope down on the table and nodding. "Sure. If that's what you want, that's fine with me."

She grabbed the black clutch from the table and held her hand out.

"Ready to go?" she asked sweetly.

I nodded. "Definitely. I've never been to this restaurant before, but Rose assured me it was delicious. I hope you like Italian food," I said cautiously.

She licked her lips. "I love Italian food, and I'll try just about anything, just for future reference."

Smiling, she pulled her keys out and locked her door behind us. I took her hand in mine, and we carefully made our way down to my car. I opened her door and waited until she was all the way in before closing it and hurrying around to my side.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything upstairs, but you look very nice tonight," she said. "That color red looks great on you."

I waited until I'd pulled out into traffic before taking her hand once again. "Thank you," I replied. "Alice approved, too. She barged in while I was half dressed earlier when you all got back from your day out." I shook my head, thinking of my sister. "I'm just glad she wasn't two minutes earlier. That might've been a tad more awkward."

She laughed, her thumb tracing circles on my hand, both making it hard to concentrate on driving. "So, where are we eating?"

"A little place called Bella Italia. I thought the name was fitting, although that wasn't why I chose the place," I said, grinning at the irony of the name.

"Oh! I've heard of it, but haven't been there. It sounds wonderful."

She blushed when I said truthfully, "Well, with a name like that, how can it be anything but?"