Edward's POV

As I waited for Sasha to get back from her lunch so I could take food over to Bella's, I thought about the last few days. It was Wednesday, and neither Bella nor I had brought up what had happened or anything that was said Saturday night.

"Mmm, you take such good care of me, Edward. I love you."

When she'd said she loved me, something in my chest had loosened. For the first time in a long time, I'd felt an almost overwhelming sense of rightness. Every day I spent with her, I realized that feeling just continued to grow. I'd talked to my mom a couple of days after that, and even she could tell how I felt about Bella.

~*~CIBD~*~

"So, Edward, Alice told me about Bella," my mom said when she finished telling me about some of the children in the village where they were currently working.

I rolled my eyes, glad she was unable to see me. "What about her?" I certainly wasn't going to give away any more than I had to yet. I didn't think I was quite ready for the wedding and baby planning there was sure to be if my feelings became known.

"She said Bella's a lovely young woman. She sounds very smart, very dedicated, and very beautiful. Is that true?" she asked slyly.

I smiled. "She is that and more, yes," I admitted. "She's funny, we have similar tastes in music and food, she gets along well with the group, and we just have a very good time every time we're together. I think you and Dad'll like her."

"You obviously really like her, son. Alice said she, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose all like her as well. I'm sure your father and I will love her. We should be home in a few weeks. I can't wait meet her."

~*~CIBD~*~

We'd talked a bit more, and I'd promised to keep her updated on the status of our relationship. I'd come away from the conversation with only a couple of hints about the future, marriage, and children. I considered myself lucky.

The chime of the door pulled me from my musings, and I looked up to see Sasha walking in with a to-go cup and a carry-out bag from a local diner. "I'm back," she said, smiling. "You can take off now. Here's your order."

I took the bag from her and peeked inside, seeing the two large salads and two bottles of water I'd called in before Sasha left for lunch. "Thanks. I'll be back in an hour or so. Call me if you need me."

Nodding at a customer as I left the store, I quickly made my way next door to Bella's Books. When I walked in, Bella looked up and smiled.

"Hi," she said softly, coming around the counter to give me a kiss.

When she pulled away, I chanced a quick look around the store. Seeing that it was empty, I used my free hand to pull her back against me and pressed my lips to hers again. She melted against me, her hands resting against my chest and fisting my shirt to hold me to her as we kissed. The sound of a horn from a car going by made us pull apart slightly, both of us breathing heavily.

"Mmm, now that's the kind of greeting I like," I teased as Bella's cheeks flushed pink.

"I lose myself in you so easily," she murmured, smoothing my shirt from under her clinched fists.

"No more so than I in you," I assured her.

She smiled. "What's for lunch?"

We moved back to the office, leaving the door open so she could see and hear customers as they came into the store. I handed Bella her chicken Caesar salad and water, watching her smile as she saw the side container of ranch dressing instead of having the regular Caesar dressing on the salad itself.

"Just the way I like it. Thank you."

I acknowledged her thanks with a smile and nod and then opened my salad.

We began eating quietly, each of us making appreciative noises at the homemade taste of the salad.

A few minutes later, Bella set her fork down, took a drink of water, and then looked over at me. "You know, in all this time we've been, um, together, we've never really talked about your parents. Your dad's a doctor, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, when he's here in the States, he works in the ER. Right now, he and Mom are in Haiti with Doctors Without Borders. They've been there for almost six months and are scheduled to be home in a couple of weeks."

"Oh, I bet you guys are really excited about that! I'm sure it'll be good to have them home." When I nodded, she asked, "What about your mom? Does she work?" Before I could answer, she smirked, teasing, "Aside from parenting you three, I mean."

I chuckled. "According to her, that's a full-time job. No, really, she's an interior designer when she's not halfway around the world with my dad. She loves it. Always has. She doesn't have her own firm or anything. She just gets clients through word of mouth, but she likes it that way, since it frees her up to go with Dad when he chooses to go with DWB."

Smiling, I looked up at her. "They know about you. About us."

Bella's eyes widened. "What? Who told them? Why?"

I could tell she was surprised that she warranted a mention to my parents. "Well, Alice was very excited the last time she spoke with them, and I talked to my mom yesterday for the first time since you and I met. As to why... Bella, you are quickly becoming very important to me. I hope you know that. Why wouldn't I tell my parents about you?"

She blushed again, the pink color moving to cover her cheeks and down her neck as she nodded. "Please tell them hello and that I'm looking forward to meeting them." I wanted to shout with happiness when she said, "You're very important to me, too, Edward."

We were quiet for a moment, and then the topic turned lighter as she asked how my morning had gone at the store. We talked about nothing of consequence as we finished eating, and then after throwing away our lunch mess, I followed her back out to the counter.

"Bella, before I go back over, I wanted to ask, would you be interested in coming to Seattle this weekend with Emmett, Rose, and me to help pack up Jasper and Alice for the big move this weekend? Alice wanted to ask herself, but I convinced her to let me ask you."

She laughed. "Of course! It's the least I can do after you all showed up here to help me. Only if you'll let me have you guys over for dinner at my place Friday night. I'm assuming Alice and Jasper won't be up then, since they're moving on Saturday, right?" At my nod, she said, "Okay, then Friday evening, how about we grill steaks, corn, and baked potatoes out on the landing and eat in my apartment?"

"Sounds perfect," I told her honestly. "I'll let Emmett know." A customer came in then, reminding me I needed to get back to my own store. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled. "See you later? How about I pick up some Chinese, and we hang out at my place?"

She nodded. "Sounds good. I'll be over around six thirty. I need to run to the bank after I close."

I kissed her softly once more as her customer called out with a question and then waved goodbye as I left the store.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Bella's POV

As soon as I closed up the store, I quickly ran to the bank and made my deposit and then went back home to change. I washed my face to get rid of the work day's makeup and then added back on some tinted lip gloss and mascara. After looking through my closet, I decided on a pretty, but casual, blue top with flutter sleeves and a pair of black leggings. A pair of casual sandals completed the outfit.

Before leaving my apartment, I grabbed a DVD off the shelf by the TV and then locked the door behind me. It took but seconds to make my way across to Edward's door.

He opened the door within moments of my knock. As I caught my first glance of him, I felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs. Once again, I paused to admire what a gorgeous man Edward was. He stood in the doorway wearing a tight, faded, dark green T-shirt, softened with age, a pair of well-worn jeans slung low on his hips. He was barefoot, so I admired his perfectly shaped toes before trailing my eyes back up to his smirking face.

"Hi, love. Like what you see?"

I felt my face flush at having been caught staring, and he laughed.

Still a bit embarrassed, I tried to slide by him without saying a word, but he caught my arm and quickly pulled me against him. He slid one hand low on my back, holding me against his body, and tangled the other in my hair. He used that hand to tilt my head back gently, so I was forced to look up into his eyes. I watched as his lips descended to mine, and then my eyes drifted closed as he kissed me softly. By the time he pulled away, I was breathless again.

"Edward," I breathed, acutely aware of every point on our bodies that were touching.

He moved his hand from my hair to my cheek, trailing two fingers down my cheekbone to my chin before speaking. "You look great, too, Bella. That blue is beautiful against your skin. Come in, please."

As soon as he released me, I stepped farther inside, smiling when I saw what Edward had done to the living room. His coffee table was pushed off to the side, making room for a massive amount of pillows artfully arranged on the floor in front of the couch.

"What's all this?" I asked, my voice full of wonder. "Where in the world did you get all these pillows?"

There were at least fifteen pillows of all sizes piled around one another. I saw four huge body pillows, five or six normal bed pillows, and a bunch of smaller pillows scattered around. They were all sitting on top of a soft-looking blanket, and the whole set-up just looked incredibly inviting and comfortable. Not to mention completely romantic...

I tilted my head back and looked up at Edward when he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"You like? I borrowed quite a few of those from Rose and Emmett when I went to get the Chinese food. I thought we'd have a picnic on the floor, but I wanted you to be comfortable." It was his turn to look embarrassed. "If you'd rather, we can sit at the table or on the couch instead."

I turned in his arms, kissed him softly, and then shook my head. "No, please. This is perfect. Thank you."

I couldn't believe he'd gone to all that trouble. He was so sweet. Just as I was about to tell him so, my stomach let out a huge growl.

Edward laughed. "I guess we should eat now before something tries to jump out and attack me!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, bub, but feed me. It was a long afternoon, and I'm hungry!" I kicked my sandals off by the door and made my way farther into the room.

~*~CIBD~*~

Twenty minutes later, we were nestled amongst the pillows on the floor, feeding each other bites of the General Tso's and sesame chicken, as well as some really yummy ginger beef. After taking a drink of the Tsingtao Beer Edward had bought while he was out, I filled him in on some of my afternoon.

"I talked to Angela this afternoon on the phone during a bit of a lull at the store."

"Oh, I bet that was nice. How are she and Ben doing?" Edward asked.

I smiled. "They're good. Their jobs are going well. Angela just got a job at the Green Lake branch of the Seattle Public Library. She literally just has to walk three blocks to work right now. They found a house already and should close within the next few weeks."

Edward made an appreciative noise before speaking. "That's one of the things I wanna do in the next few years. I love living above my store, but I really wanna own a home. I'm thinking of buying a fixer-upper in the next year or so and making it perfect before I'm ready to move. Guess it all depends on what's going on in my life in a year." He shrugged and smiled at me. "How's Ben liking his new position?"

"Ang said he loves it. They've been out with the other guys in the office there and their wives or girlfriends a few times, and they seem like a nice bunch of people. She misses me and her other friends here, but she's enjoying Seattle so far."

"Did you mention we were gonna be in Seattle this weekend?" At my nod, he continued, "You should call and make plans to get together while we're up there. We can pack some in the morning and then meet them for lunch somewhere before finishing up and driving back down here."

"Really? I'd love that, Edward. It's only been a few weeks, but I really miss them. I've talked to Ang a couple of times every week, but it's not the same."

He tugged me closer so I was nestled at his side. "Of course, love. Besides, we all liked both Angela and Ben when we spent the day with them before they moved. Everyone'll be happy to see them, I promise."

I grinned and said, "Okay, then. I'll call her tomorrow and ask."

When we finished eating, Edward took our plates into the kitchen and came back out with two fresh beers and two fortune cookies.

"Here ya go. These are good, aren't they?" he asked, handing me the beer.

I took them both and nodded. "I've never had Tsingtao Beer, but it's very good." I held up my cookie and motioned to him. "You go first."

Edward set his beer down carefully beside him and broke open his cookie, pulling out the little white strip of paper. "Your smile will tell you what makes you feel good."

We looked at each other and, almost as one voice, said, "In bed!"

Laughter erupted from us both immediately. "You do that, too?" I asked him between bouts of giggles.

He nodded. "Emmett got me started on that years ago," he said, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes, it makes no sense, but then other times, you get one like this..."

"Exactly! It's scary how perfectly funny they fit sometimes." I cracked open my cookie and pulled out the paper. "Okay, my turn."

I read my fortune and felt my face flush, remembering a few nights before when I was missing Edward after I got into bed.

"Bella," Edward said in a teasing voice. "What does it say? It's gotta be good to have you turning that red!" He held out his hand. "Come on, love. Give it here."

I hid my face in my hand before blindly reaching out and dropping the little paper somewhere in the vicinity of his lap. I felt him move beside me, and when he sucked in a breath, I knew he'd read the fortune.

"Count your blessings by thinking of those whom you love"—his voice shook as he finished—"in bed. Oh..."

The temperature of the room suddenly shot up about thirty degrees, and I just knew I was the color of a tomato. I needed to lighten the mood, so I jumped up, careful not to spill my drink.

"So, umm, I brought a movie!"

Edward cleared his throat and then laughed. "Oh yeah? What'd you bring?"

"Don't make fun of me," I warned before holding up the DVD I'd picked up from beside his TV. "Pearl Harbor, with Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck."

"Kate Beckinsale, too. I haven't seen that movie in years. Alice used to be in love with Affleck, and Emmett always had the hots for Kate, so we watched it a bunch," Edward said, smiling.

"Well, I have to admit to having had a thing for Josh Hartnett myself for a while." I shrugged my shoulders. "He's cute, what can I say?"

I put the movie in and then brought the remote with me to settle back down on the pillows beside Edward.

"Cute, you say?" he questioned, leaning over and nuzzling my neck.

"Mmhmm." I nodded, tilting my head a bit. "Very." I squeaked as he nipped at my neck. "Okay, okay. Not as cute as you."

"Better," he said gruffly.

We lay together and watched the movie, snuggling and content. I was glad Edward didn't make fun of me at all when I cried at the sad parts.

When Danny finally made his move and took Evelyn flying, I felt Edward's lips pressing soft kisses to my shoulder. I shivered under his touch and moved my head to give him better access to my neck. As the sweet and romantic love scene in the movie continued, I realized my own was playing out in front of my eyes.

I turned so I was face to face with Edward. His piercing green eyes were now a dark evergreen and filled with a heat that matched the fire building inside me. I reached up and cupped his face with one hand, drawing him down until his lips pressed against mine.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Edward's POV

As Bella pulled me down for a kiss, I slid one hand under the bottom edge of her shirt and around to caress the soft skin of her back. The kiss was soft at first, tender, but I soon began to coax her lips gently apart with my tongue. When she sighed into the kiss and twisted my shirt in her grasp, I slipped my tongue out to find hers. The kiss grew more and more heated. Our tongues were dancing, slipping and tangling with one another. I couldn't seem to get enough of her, or her of me.

My breathing was ragged when we broke apart, but I couldn't stand to be too far from her. I immediately sought out the slender column of her neck, sucking and nibbling gently on the tender skin. Bella was breathing heavily, making little breathy, moaning sounds that shot straight to my already-hard dick.

I found a particularly soft, sensitive spot under her ear, and when I sucked lightly on the skin, Bella whimpered and jerked her hips against mine.

"Oh, God, Edward! Do that again," she pleaded breathily.

My hand slid down to the curve of her ass, and I pulled her tightly against me as I sucked slightly harder on the spot that had elicited such an amazing reaction the first time. I bit down gently, laving the spot with my tongue, as I ground my hips into her. My cock pressed against Bella's sweet spot, even through my jeans and her thin, black leggings.

"Don't stop," Bella begged again, gasping as I pulled her tighter against me, tangling our legs to get as close as I possibly could.

Our position, with Bella riding my body, reminded me of just a few nights before at the club, when the beautiful woman in front of me had ridden my thigh to completion. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to see her come apart again like she had then.

Moving my other hand between us, I gently massaged the luscious curves of one of her beautiful breasts before rolling the nipple between my thumb and forefinger. She gasped in pleasure, jerking her hips against me again. I tweaked the taut nub as I growled, "Come for me, love. Let go."

I watched through hooded eyes as Bella flew over the edge. A light pink blush spread across her face and down her neck as she trembled in my arms, the afterglow of her orgasm more beautiful than anything I could even imagine.

I kissed her softly, brushing the hair back that had fallen into her eyes, and watched as she came back to awareness.

"Edward?" she whispered, still holding me tight.

"Hmm?" I murmured softly.

She smiled up at me and then leaned to kiss me tenderly before continuing. "Make love to me."

I froze at her words. I'd wanted to take things as slow as Bella needed me to, especially after her story about her experience in college. If she felt like she was ready for us to take that next step, I certainly wasn't going to stop it.

"Are you sure?" I questioned, not wanting there to be any second thoughts or regrets.

Bella nodded, kissing me softly. "I'm sure," she answered, her voice filled with a quiet conviction.

That was all the reassurance I needed. I pressed my lips to hers for a hard and fast kiss and then slipped out of her embrace and to my feet. She made a sound of protest, but it was quickly silenced as I grabbed the remote and clicked the TV off. I left the movie playing, not really caring about anything but having the beautiful woman at my feet in my bed. She squeaked as I scooped her into my arms, and after another hard, fast kiss, I walked us purposefully to my bedroom.

The room was dark when we crossed the threshold. Rather than turn on the overhead light, I carried Bella carefully across the room to the bed and turned the bedside lamp on low. It cast a soft light just enough for me to see the beauty in my arms.

I slowly lowered her to the bed. Her hair fanned around her head as she swept it back away from her face, and there was a smoldering light in her eyes that showed me just how much she wanted me.

"Come here, Edward," she said softly, reaching up to pull me down to her.

I quickly shed my jeans and pulled my T-shirt over my head, leaving me clad in only a pair of black boxer briefs. Her eyes widened as she took in my obvious arousal, which was highlighted by the tight fabric. She blushed as she caught me watching her, and it excited me enough that my cock jumped, bringing her attention back to it. When she moaned softly, I quickly covered her body with mine, capturing her breathy moans with a kiss.

Desperate to feel her skin against mine, I pulled back enough to lift her shoulders from the bed. She lifted her arms over her head, and I slowly slid her shirt up and off, tossing it in the vicinity of the chair in the corner. I groaned softly when I saw the white lace cupping her breasts. Before lowering her back to the bed, I used one hand to quickly flick the closure holding the fabric together and then pulled it from her and tossed it near the shirt on the floor.

Bella moved her arms and began to cover herself.

I lowered her back to the mattress and begged, "Don't, please. You're stunning, Bella."

And she was. Her perfectly round breasts, just big enough to fit in my hands, with dark, rosy-pink nipples, which were tightened with arousal, had me throbbing and aching for her.

She nodded slowly and then moved her hands to rest on my forearms as I hovered over her. I bent my head and placed a kiss on her chest, right over her heart, before kissing my way back to her lips.

Bella's hands moved up my arms and down the muscles of my back as we kissed, her fingertips exploring every inch of me she could reach. With one hand holding myself up, I skimmed the other palm down from her cheek to her neck, continuing down her body. I cupped the warm weight of her breast in my hand, squeezing gently and rolling the nipple between my fingers, like I had in the living room a few minutes before.

She writhed underneath me, making little noises of desire against my lips. "More, please," she begged softly. "I need to feel more of you."

With one last kiss to her lips, I began to move down her body, paying special attention to the nipples that were begging to be touched, before kissing my way down her soft belly. I hooked my fingers in the top of her leggings, and with her nod, I slowly pulled them down her legs and past her feet, tossing them to the floor, leaving her in only the matching white panties.

Even in the low light of the room, I could see her arousal dampening the fabric between her legs. I lowered my head, pressed a soft kiss right over her center, and felt her jerk from the contact. When I hooked my fingers in the sides of her panties and drew them down, she whimpered. I quickly tossed them to the floor and then moved until I was stretched out on the bed with my head between her thighs.

I watched her fists clench the blanket beneath her, and then I lowered my head and skimmed my nose down her folds. Her scent called to me, begging me to taste her, and I quickly replaced my nose with my tongue, dragging it up slowly from the bottom to the top of her, circling around her clit once. Tart, like green apples, and spicy sweet, like cinnamon, assaulted my senses. I swirled my tongue around her clit again and then dipped it inside her, tasting her more deeply.

It was more than I'd dreamed of, and I knew I wanted more. Moving my lips back to her clit, I traced her lips with a finger, coating it with her juices, before slowly sliding it inside her. I needed desperately for her to come so I could taste her completely. She was so aroused, I knew it wouldn't take much. I added a second finger, curling them so I was pressing against the soft, spongy part at the front of her walls, and then sucked her clit into my mouth and bit down gently.

She came apart instantly, squeezing my fingers so tightly that I groaned at how it would feel on my cock. I kept stroking and licking every drop of her essence until she moaned my name, her hands reaching for me to try to pull me up her body.

With one last kiss to her curls, I quickly stood, shed my last piece of clothing, and grabbed a condom from the bedside table drawer. After donning the tight-fitting latex, I moved back onto the bed beside her. She reached one hand into the hair at the base of my neck and the other around to my back and pulled me above her. Looking deeply into her eyes, I slowly slid inside her.

"God, Bella," I hissed softly, feeling her tightening around me already. It was an incredible feeling, and I knew I wouldn't last nearly as long as I wanted to this first time with her.

I rocked my hips slowly, wanting to prolong both our pleasures as long as possible, until I couldn't wait any longer. With a groan, I flipped us over until Bella was straddling me, her knees planted on the mattress on either side of my hips. She began to ride me, sliding up and down my length easily. Resting her hands back on my thighs, her back was arched, giving me a beautiful view of her bouncing breasts, flat stomach, and curls at the place our bodies were joined.

When I felt my own orgasm quickly approaching, I reached between us to stroke her sensitive clit and murmured, "Come with me, Bella. Let me feel you come around me, please!"

With a flick of my fingers, Bella shattered once more, her cries of my name and clenching around my cock pulling me over the edge with her. I gripped her hip with my free hand, continuing to tease her clit with the other, and thrust up hard one last time. My orgasm felt like it was ripped out of me as I cried out her name.

Bella collapsed against my chest with a whimper. Sweat glistened off our bodies, and our breathing was labored, but I felt better, more alive, than I'd ever felt before.

After a few long moments, I pulled her down to my side and then carefully pulled the condom off, tied a quick knot at the top, and tossed it into the trash beside the bed. Then I turned back over, tugged the blanket and sheet out from under us, and pulled them back up over our bodies. Bella curled against my body, my back to her front, and hugged my arm when I slid it around her waist.

"Edward?" she murmured quietly.

I pressed a kiss to her hair. "Yes, love?"

"I love you. You don't have to feel the same yet. I just wanted you to kno—"

I whipped her around to face me, interrupting her speech, and planted my lips on hers. Finally pulling away, I looked deep into her eyes until I knew she was really looking at me, and smiled.

"I love you, too, my Bella."

Her beautiful smile quickly turned into a yawn.

"Sleep, my love."

Her eyes fluttered closed, and I reached over carefully to set the alarm before sleep claimed me as well.