Bella's POV

As I turned over the sign on the door to the shop, I couldn't help but smile. Edward and I had made love Wednesday and then again, several times, last night. I'd only ever been with two guys before, and it certainly hadn't felt like it did with Edward. He was a tender, caring lover, but I'd learned quickly that he had a potty mouth when he was turned on. It had excited me to hear the things he'd said to me the night before, and the more excited I'd gotten, the more turned on he'd been. It was a cycle neither of us had wanted to break. Consequently, we were up until after midnight, then awake again at three in the morning for another round, before having to be up at eight this morning for work.

I continued reminiscing as I checked to make sure I was ready for the day. When the first customer came in ten minutes later, I cleared all thoughts of the night before from my head and went back out to the main part of the store to attend to business.

The morning passed in a blur. I was really tired, so that didn't help things, and even though I tried writing, I just couldn't get anything good written. I did manage to put a small sign on the door that said the store would be closed the next day. We were going to Seattle to help Alice and Jasper move, so I wasn't going to open the store at all on Saturday.

At close to eleven o'clock, the bell above the door chimed, and when I looked up, a quick smile graced my face. I had a few customers who had already become regulars, and Mrs. Cope was one of those. She never failed to make me feel happy when she came into the store. She hadn't been in since Monday, since her family had been to visit for the week.

"Hello, dear." Mrs. Cope smiled as she walked to the counter.

"Good morning," I replied. "How are you today? How was your visit with your daughter and her family?"

"It was wonderful! The little ones are growing up so fast, though. They left early this morning, so I gathered my books and came right over. I've finished everything I bought last week. Do you have anything new for me?"

I nodded and then held up a finger. After a quick trip into my office, I came back out with a small bag. "I had a lady bring in a bunch of the Harlequin Intrigues the other day, and I hadn't seen you buy any of these, so I held onto them for you. Choose what you want, and then I'll put any you don't want on the shelf."

Mrs. Cope smiled happily and began rooting through the books in the bag. After several minutes, she set down five of the romance books and pushed the bag to the side. "These should do it," she told me, smiling.

"I'm glad you found some you'd like." I grabbed the bag and set it on the floor, out of the way.

As I rang up the books, she asked, "Now what's that note on the door about you being closed tomorrow?"

I explained about going to help Alice and Jasper move and that the store would be open as normal on Monday. We stood there chatting for a few more minutes until the door chime sounded and a young mother and her little boy came in.

"Okay, well, have a good weekend, dear. I'm sure I'll see you early next week," Mrs. Cope said, gathering her purse and books.

"Of course. Thank you. See you next week." I smiled as she left the store, and then I went to see if my newest customer needed any help.

~*~CIBD~*~

I hate days like today, when Sasha's off work. – E

Edward's text made me laugh. He'd complained about it when he walked me down to the store too, how he wouldn't be able to see me for lunch, even though we were only a handful of feet away from one another.

Poor baby. We'll survive, won't we? – B

His answer came only moments later. I suppose. ;) How's your morning been? – E

Good. Steady. Yours? – B

Same. Don't forget to eat lunch. Lock the door and run up to grab the leftover pasta salad from your fridge later. – E

So protective. I will. Soon, probably. My stomach is growling so loudly, I'm surprised you can't hear it! – B

Is that what that was?! I thought a lion had escaped from the zoo! – E

I laughed and quickly fired off a reply. No, but if you're good, I'll show you my inner tiger tonight. ;-) – B

The bell above the door chimed, and I sent a new text before he could reply to the last one. Gotta go. Customer. Luv u! – B

He replied simply with: U2. – E

~*~CIBD~*~

It had been a busy day. People were thrilled the little used bookstore was reopened for business. Most didn't want to spend the money at either of the two big bookstore chains in town, and the only other privately owned bookstore sold more touristy stuff—like travel or local history books—and new books than they did the used stock they carried.

The bell above the door chimed just before five, letting me know I had a new customer. I was back in the children's corner, putting out a few new books and straightening up, so I called out, "Hi, welcome to Bella's Books. I'll be right up." I set the books to the side and then made my way to the front of the store.

When I got to the counter, I saw a good-looking, dark-skinned man with dreadlocks down past his shoulders. I smiled and prepared to introduce myself further, but the words stuck in my throat when I looked into his eyes. Something in them put me on edge instantly. He was smiling, trying to look friendly, but something about him made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I quickly moved to put the counter between us, keeping a forced smile on my face. Clearing my throat, I tried again to speak. "Hello. Can I help you find something?"

"I was just...driving by and saw your quaint little shop. I simply had to stop in." The man looked around, staring at the office for longer than I was comfortable with, before turning back to look at me. "My name's Laurent."

His voice was soft, precise, and if what I was hearing was right, he had a bit of a French accent, although it might've been Cajun from Louisiana and not the actual foreign country. If it weren't for the ultra-creepy vibe I was getting from him, I'd have thought him almost sexy.

"Uh, Bella," I offered, unsure of what to say.

He smiled again, flashing a bright white smile, and then turned and began to walk slowly over to the nearest shelf of books. After a moment, he turned back and spoke again. "I noticed there's an apartment over the store. Is that available for rent, by any chance? I'm thinking of moving to town and will need to find someplace to live," he said smoothly.

My mouth moved faster than my brain as I answered, "Oh no. I'm sorry, but that's my apartment. I live above the store."

I could almost hear Edward's voice in my head then, chiding me. Bella, don't give him more personal information!

His eyes grew dark at that, and I unconsciously took a small step backward.

"Oh, how convenient." He spoke softly, but it sounded calculated. "Do you have a roommate? Surely a young woman such as yourself doesn't live alone."

Tell him yes, Bella. Tell him you don't live alone, I heard Edward again in my head.

I shook my head quickly and said the first thing that came to my mind. "No, I'm married."

He glanced down at my hands quickly, and his lip curled when he saw my bare ring finger. I hurriedly shoved my hands in my pockets.

"I see," he said then, his voice deceptively nonchalant. "And is he home now?"

Okay, I'd had enough. This guy was seriously creeping me out. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and got ready to dial Edward's number if I had to.

"Unless you plan to buy something, I think you should leave," I told the frightening man, trying to keep my voice steady.

He took a step toward the counter, forcing me to take a step back. When he took another step, I opened my phone and was about to hit the speed dial for Edward's number, when the door of my shop opened and four large, tanned young men came walking through, talking loudly and shoving at each other playfully.

I instantly recognized Jacob Black, an old friend of my father's, and Seth, my younger stepbrother. My heart, which had been lodged in my throat since I first laid eyes on the strange man, slowly fell back in place, and I breathed deeply.

"Jake!" I cried, racing around the counter to throw my arms around his neck. I could feel myself trembling as he engulfed me in his arms.

"Bella? Everything okay here?" Jacob asked, and I could feel his head move up to take in the man standing near my counter.

I nodded, feeling safe now that I was in his arms. "Now, yes." I lowered my voice and turned my face into his neck, whispering so only he could hear. "Make him go away, please. He scared the fuck out of me."

I was still shaking as I felt Jacob's muscles tense.

"Seth," he said quietly, carefully handing me over to my stepbrother.

Seth wrapped his arms around me, turning me away from the rest of the group. The two boys that had come in with them moved up with Jacob, leaving us by ourselves off to the side.

"I think it's time for you to go," Jacob told Laurent, his voice hard and commanding.

"My apologies," the man said. "I certainly didn't mean to frighten her. I'll be on my way now."

I raised my head enough to watch Jacob and the other two boys almost surround the man and walk him out. Seth and I were quiet until the group, minus Laurent, came back into the store.

"He's gone, Bella. We watched him drive away," Jake told me confidently. "Are you okay?"

I breathed a sigh of relief and then squeezed Seth once and moved away. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms before speaking.

"I'm good now, thanks."

"Did he do something to you, Bella? You looked like a deer in the headlights when we came in, honey."

I shook my head. "He just creeped me out—asked questions about the store, the apartment, whether I lived there alone, that type of thing. I probably overreacted," I said, shrugging my shoulders. In my head, I knew I hadn't, but I decided I would try living in the land of denial for a while.

"If you were worried and scared, there was probably a good reason, Bella," Seth responded softly.

I was still for a moment and then shook myself out of it and looked at the group of boys. Now that I was more calm, I recognized the other two with Jake and Seth. "Hey! What are you guys doing here, anyway? Quil, Embry, it's good to see you both, too. It's been a while."

Quil nodded. "Since Charlie and Sue's wedding."

"It's good to see you, Bella," Embry said with a smile. "Great place you've got here! Charlie said it was nice, and he was right."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. I love it so far." Turning to Jake, I said, "I thought you guys were at school."

"We were. We have a long weekend, so we thought we'd go home and see our families. Rebecca and Rachel are in town, and I wanted to see them. We've heard a lot about the store from Sue; since we had to drive through here anyway, we thought we'd stop and say hello."

"I'm glad you did," I told him honestly, smiling at the four of them. "I should stay open another hour, but I think I need to go upstairs and sit down." I realized I was still a little more freaked out than I wanted to be. "You guys wanna come upstairs and see the apartment?"

"That'd be good," Seth said. "Mom mentioned you have a friend that lives and works in the next building over?"

I nodded and smiled. "Edward Cullen. His family's from Forks. We, uh, we're seeing each other."

Jake smiled. "Good. Let's get upstairs, and you can tell us all about him."

I locked the door, double checked both locks, and flipped the sign to Closed. Then I grabbed the cash from the drawer, turned off the lights, and motioned for them to follow me.

~*~CIBD~*~

An hour later, there was a knock on the apartment door. Jacob immediately stood and held his hand out, silently telling me to stay where I was. I was sure it was Edward, but I nodded and stayed put anyway.

Jake opened the door quickly, blocking the entrance with his muscular frame. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Where's Bella?" I heard Edward's voice ask. "Who the hell are you?"

I quickly moved to the door and pushed past Jake to throw myself into Edward's arms. All the stress and tension I'd felt for the last hour and a half came pouring out of me as he wrapped his arms around me, and I began sobbing into his shirt.

~*~CIBD~*~

"So the guys explained what they'd walked in on and made me promise to keep her safe before they left so they could get to La Push before dark," Edward told his brother and Rose.

By the time he was finished, I was huddled on his lap, tense and chewing at my bottom lip. Emmett looked furious, and Rose was watching me with a worried look on her face.

"Bella, are you gonna be okay?" Rose asked me softly.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "I will be. It just really shook me," I admitted.

"Bella," Emmett began, "you really should think about hiring someone to work with you. I don't think any of us—" he paused, looking around at Rose and Edward "—like the idea of you being alone in the store all the time."

"I'll start coming in until you find someone, Bella," Rose volunteered.

I raised her head and looked at Rose. "Rose, I can't let you do that! You've got your own job to handle."

Rose just shrugged. "Emmett and the guys at the shop can cover for me. It's no big deal."

"Yeah, Bells, we can handle the garage until you have someone to help you."

I felt my eyes well up with tears as I looked at the small group of friends that had quickly become like family.

"Thank you," I said quietly, brushing my tears away as they fell down my cheeks.

Rose smiled. "No need for thanks, Bella. You're family now. We protect our family."

We sat there for a few minutes, quietly sipping our beers. The guys had grilled steaks and veggies while Rose and I had made oven fries and chatted. We'd all been sitting around Edward's large dining table, just enjoying the time together, when Edward had finally brought up the visit from the creepy Laurent guy and my friends from La Push. The mood was more tense now, but I still felt safe and comfortable here with Edward and his family.

Emmett suddenly chuckled, drawing all of our attentions to him. "Speaking of family..."

Edward nodded. "I'm picking Mom and Dad up at the airport and driving them home on Thursday. They would just stay here in town, since they're coming back Friday for dinner, but Mom's desperate to get home to her own house and spend the night in her own bed. Plus, that way, they can drive their own car back the next day."

"Are they gonna stop by here first and meet Bella?" Emmett asked, looking over at me.

Edward shook his head. "Their plane comes in at six that morning. Mom wanted to stop and wake Bella up, but Dad convinced her to wait and meet her the next day."

Edward had told me this the day before, after he'd made the arrangements with his dad, so I wasn't surprised.

Emmett laughed. "I bet that's killing Mom, having to wait..."

Chuckling, Edward agreed. "You should've heard her whining on the phone. You'd think it was gonna be a week before she got to meet her," he said, squeezing me softly.

I smiled at that and then quickly covered my mouth as a wide yawn escaped me. "Oh, sorry," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat.

Rose smiled. "I think that's our cue to leave. We have an early morning tomorrow. We'll swing by at eight and pick you guys up."

I slowly climbed off Edward's lap and was engulfed in a big Emmett bear hug before being passed off to Rose's smaller, but still strong, embrace.

"Try to get some sleep tonight, okay? Edward'll keep you safe," she murmured against my ear as she hugged me goodbye.

I nodded, unable to voice my thanks, and then she and Emmett waved goodbye and closed the door behind them.

We stood there for a moment before I schooled my expression and turned to Edward. From the look on his face, I knew I hadn't done a very good job of hiding my anxiety.

~*~*~CIBD~*~*~

Edward's POV

I watched as Bella tried to put a calm expression on her face, but when she turned to me, I could see the fear in her eyes and the tightness around her eyes and mouth.

"What's wrong, love?" I asked softly, running the back of my hand down her cheek.

"Umm, would you walk me home and make sure no one's in my apartment, please? I don't wanna go over by myself until I know I'm alone."

Her voice broke in the middle of her plea, and I immediately felt myself go into ultra-protective mode. I made an instant decision.

"I'll do you one better, my Bella," I replied and then scooped her up into my arms.

Less than a minute later, I flipped on the light and then set her down on her feet beside my bed, steadying her with my hands on her shoulders. She bit her lower lip and looked down at the floor, color rising in her cheeks.

"Bella?" Using my thumb and forefinger to tilt her chin up so she was looking me in the eye, I gently pulled her lip from between her teeth. "What put that look in your eyes?"

She hesitated another moment, and then she took a deep breath and answered, "As much as I enjoyed our time the other night, I don't think I'm in the mood to..."

Her voice trailed off, and I realized what she was hinting at. I shook my head and quickly tried to put her at ease.

"Bella, love, all I wanna do tonight is hold you. I wanna fall asleep with you in my arms and know you're safe with me. Will you let me do that?"

I held my breath as I waited for her answer, and the sweet smile she graced me with brought relief to my entire body. She nodded, but then looked pensive again. "I still need to run over to my house and grab something to sleep in," she murmured.

I took three steps around her, opened a drawer, and then came back to face her. Holding out one of my most comfortable T-shirts, I said, "Here, take this. Will that work?"

She nodded, kissing me softly before making her way to the bathroom. "I'll be right out," she said softly over her shoulder.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, I quickly shed my clothes and pulled a pair of soft cotton pajama pants out of a drawer and slid them on. I was used to sleeping in nothing at all, so the last time I'd worn these had been when visiting my parents' house. Nonetheless, I figured Bella would be more comfortable if I had at least something on.

I climbed into bed, pulled the sheet and blanket back to make room for Bella beside me, and then relaxed on my back with my fingers laced behind my head. Minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and Bella walked back into the bedroom. I saw her eyes light up when she saw me on the bed, bare chested and relaxed.

She'd finger-combed her hair, so it wasn't as sleek as she wore it during the day, yet it gave off a casual, sexy vibe. The dark blue T-shirt hit her mid-thigh, making her legs look a mile long and unbelievably hot. She had her lower lip between her teeth again, and with one hand on the door frame and one knee bent, she looked like sex personified. My cock went from nice and relaxed to hard as a rock in ten seconds flat, and it was everything I could do to keep my moan suppressed.

"C'mon, love. Let's get some sleep," I told her, smiling and patting the bed beside me. I willed my erection to go away, not wanting her to feel pressured in any way.

She nodded mutely and then turned off the light and made her way to the bed. As she climbed up on the mattress, the T-shirt rode up until I got a peek at her dark pink, lacy panties, and I slammed my eyes closed as I took a deep, calming breath. When I opened them again, she was lying beside me, a cross between a nervous smile and a confident smirk on her face.

"You okay, Edward?" she asked softly, her eyes quickly moving down my body before racing back up to my face. I watched color spread to her cheeks as she blushed again.

"Of course," I answered. "Now come here and get comfortable."

I pulled the sheet and blanket over us and then turned onto my side and pulled her to me, her back to my front. My cock nestled itself against the curves of her ass, and we both sighed at the contact. I took one moment to relish the feel of her pressed against me and then curled my body more fully around hers and bent to brush a kiss to her shoulder.

"Good night, my Bella," I whispered against her ear.

"Night. Love you," she murmured, already halfway there. The stress of her afternoon was quickly pulling her to unconsciousness.

I could still feel her muscles tense beneath my arm and against my chest and legs, so I began to hum the melody to the song I'd composed for her. Gradually, I felt her relax until she was nearly boneless in my arms, and then her quiet, even breathing lulled me into my own peaceful sleep.