Edward

Bella sits next to me in a naugahyde airport chair, biting at her cuticles and tapping her foot. I know she's nervous about our trip, but my parents have been so excited for our visit. She's spoken to them over the phone several times, and they're already in love with her. There's was still a layer of self-consciousness there, I know. No matter how many times I tell her there's nothing to worry about, my words go in one ear and right back out the other.

I put a hand on her bouncing knee. "It's okay, Bella. Don't be nervous." Even as I say them, I know it's a waste of words.

"I know there's no reason to. I just can't help it."

I take her hand and kiss each of her fingers before wrapping them in mine. "They already love you."

She nods and draws in a deep breath with her eyes closed, then leans her head on my shoulder.

A minute later, a pleasant voice comes over the intercom, announcing that our flight is boarding. We gather our carry-on items and make our way to the gate. Once we're settled in our seats, Bella snuggles up next to me, and we both nap away the first leg of our flight.

The second flight isn't as peaceful as the first, not only because her nerves were getting the better of her, but also because of the amount of turbulence, which serves to worsen her nerves. She clings to my arm, her nails making crescent-shaped indentations in my skin.

"Bella," I mutter, nudging her out of her head. "Babe, you're gonna give me permanent impressions on my arm."

"Oh!" she says, leaning over to kiss the small marks. "I'm sorry."

I take her face in my hands and rub the tip of my nose against hers. "Just a little turbulence."

"I know. I've always been a nervous flyer." She sits back in her seat, and I intertwine our fingers and squeeze her hand.

"It'll be fine."

And it is. We touch down on the runway thirty minutes later and exit the gate fifteen minutes after that. I search for my parents over the heads of the other travelers making their way through the crowded airport. My mom apparently spots me before I see her, because when I spy her, she's waving both arms madly in the air. I speed up, pulling Bella along behind me.

When we reach them, Mom throws herself into my arms and squeezes me tightly. "Edward, darling!" she cries. "I'm so happy you're here. I've missed you like crazy."

"Me too, Mom," I say with a laugh. "I've missed you, too."

When she finally releases me from her grasp, I force Bella to step out from behind me and put an arm around her shoulders. "Mom, Dad, this is my Bella."

She smiles shyly at them. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Don't you 'Mrs. Cullen' me, honey," Mom says, pulling Bella into her arms. "It's Esme. And it's so wonderful to see you! You're even more beautiful than in the pictures Edward sent."

I hug my dad while Mom gushes over my girlfriend. "How have you been, son?" he asks, clapping me on the back.

"Couldn't be better."

When it's Dad's turn to greet Bella, he whispers something into her ear that makes her giggle. "I'm so glad you could make the trip," he says as he releases her. "Esme has talked nonstop about your visit."

Bella blushes and buries herself under my arm again.

Dad and I go to wait on our bags, and when we return, Mom's going on and on about Christmas and New Year's plans. "And we're going to have a great time on New Year's Eve. We're going to the Ritz. They hold a grand ball every year, and oh, it's so beautiful and just so much fun. We don't have to worry about imbibing, since we stay there overnight."

"Mom," I say, cutting her off gently. "Let's let Bella get acclimated to her surroundings before we bombard her with plans."

"Of course. I'm sorry, Bella." She puts an arm around Bella's shoulders as we walk to the car. "You must be tired."

"Oh, I'm fine. And it all sounds like fun," she says.

The drive to my parents' high-rise condo is filled with questions, answers, and general babble from my mother with snarky but loving comments thrown in by my father. And before long, we're home. Dad and I manage the bags while Mom practically drags Bella to the elevators, still going on and on about sights and events.

Mom breezes into the condo, still pulling Bella behind her. "This is our humble abode. I'm sure Edward would like to give you the tour." She winks at both of us before turning in the direction of the kitchen. "I'll have a nice lunch waiting when you're finished."

Bella turns wide eyes to me and takes a deep breath. "Does she ever breathe? She reminds me of Alice."

I chuckle, and my dad snorts behind me. "Come on, let's put our bags in my room," I say, taking her by the hand and picking her suitcase up again. Dad follows with mine, depositing it inside my bedroom door, then leaves us to join Mom in the kitchen. "Feeling all right?" I ask Bella when he's gone.

She nods. "A little overwhelmed, but I'm sure it will go away soon." She reaches up to kiss me but pulls back a little too quickly for my taste. "Show me the rest of the house," she says with a grin.

Bella

Overwhelmed is an understatement. I knew Esme has an enthusiastic personality. Her frenzied excitement is understandable, as she told me it's been a very long time since Edward's brought a girl home. I'm glad for the opportunity catch a breath when she leaves us standing in the foyer. I feel as though I've been accosted by a soft, motherly, Chanel-scented tornado.

Edward's room is pretty much what I expected. The walls are gray, and a black wooden bed sits under a large window. A black desk is situated catty-corner next to that, and a large dresser takes up most of the wall opposite the bed. Posters of various bands hang on the walls, and pictures of friends and family are strewn along the shelves and desktop. I'm surprised to see a large, framed picture of Edward and me on the dresser.

"Where did you get this?" I ask, picking up the unfamiliar photograph. We're sitting on barstools, facing one another, smiling at each other with our foreheads pressed together.

He shrugs. "Jasper took it at one of our gigs. I never sent you a copy?"

A certain warmth spreads from my heart outward, and I smile as I shake my head. "Sneaky Jasper. I've never seen it before. I love it."

He plants a kiss on my forehead and grabs my hand.

Edward shows me the en-suite bathroom, which is nice as far as bathrooms go, decorated in the same boyish color scheme as the bedroom. "Your mom hasn't changed much in here since you moved, huh?"

"No. Which I'm sure has taken every ounce of control she can muster."

We move to the hallway, and he shows me the other rooms, full of gorgeous furniture and chandeliers and bed linens. The guest bath is so calming—all white porcelain and white wood and light blue touches here and there. "

Everything's beautiful," I breathe. "Huge departure from my mom's yellow cabinets in the house I grew up in."

"Mom's got an eye for this stuff," he says. "Only trouble is she's always changing things up." He puts an arm around my shoulders and squeezes me, placing a kiss on top of my head. "Let's go see what Mom's up to in the kitchen."

The bedrooms have nothing on the gourmet kitchen. The walls are a creamy ivory, the cabinets are dark wood, and the granite countertops gleam. Esme's face lights up as we enter. She closes the refrigerator, which looks just like another cabinet when the door is closed.

"Lunch!" she says, gesturing to the spread on the island. There are sandwiches, salads, and a tray of cookies, along with pitchers of iced tea, water, and lemonade.

"Were you expecting to feed an army?" Edward asks with a grin.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want, and I was bored waiting to leave for the airport." She winks at me. "Please make yourself at home, Bella."

Edward hands me a plate, and I decide on turkey and swiss on what looks like homemade sourdough bread.

"How is your father doing?" Carlisle asks as the four of us enjoy our lunch together at the kitchen island.

"Better. He's home and doing fine. His girlfriend Sue is taking good care of him, so I don't feel so guilty for neglecting him."

"Good. As long as he takes care of himself, he'll be absolutely fine. And speaking of patients—" He wipes his mouth with a napkin and rises from the table. "—I need to get to the hospital for my shift." He kisses his wife on the cheek before taking his plate to the sink. "Lunch was delicious, dear. Thank you."

I grin in Edward's direction, understanding now where he learned that doting adoration. It's charming. I find myself hoping we'll still be like that when we're Esme's and Carlisle's ages. At least I hope we'll still be together then. The thought causes an unwelcome feeling in my chest. I pluck it right out of my head, crumple it up, and throw it into my mental wastebasket.

"Bella," Esme says. "Edward told me about your painting in the gallery. You must be so excited."

"Once I got over the shock, yes. I'm still extremely flattered such a well-known artist chose my work."

"I can imagine. And Edward, how's the music shop? Did you hire the boy you spoke of on the phone?"

"Yeah, Riley is his name. He's great. Got the hang of things quickly. He and Tyler will do fine while I'm gone."

Esme smiles a warm, adoring smile at her son and reaches across to take his hand. "I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too," he says, winking at her.

I die a little bit inside at their sweet interaction.

She breathes deeply and withdraws her hand. "I've got some work to do this afternoon and a presentation to make this evening, so you kids are on your own." She begins to gather the dishes and clean up.

"Can I help?" I ask, standing to bring my plate to the dishwasher.

"No, no, no. Absolutely not. I'll take care of this. You go unpack and unwind." She draws me into a hug. "I'm so glad to have you here."

"Thank you, Esme. I'm really happy to be here."

She glances over her shoulder, making sure Edward is out of earshot. "I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. It's definitely love, darling."

"So he tells me." I give her my most sincere smile. "I love him more than anything."

"I know," she says with a little gleam in her eye. She sighs happily again and pats me on the arm. "Go. Rest. Sightsee. Have fun."

"Thanks again," I say, turning to join Edward in the living room.

"The pleasure's all mine."

And that's where he gets his impeccable manners and grace, I think to myself.

"Is that all?" Edward asks as he places a handful of my lingerie in a drawer.

"I think that's it," I say, admiring the sight of his hands on my lacy things.

"You've got that look in your eye."

"What look?"

"The one that says, 'Edward, please ravish me now.'"

"Um, no, I don't."

He stalks toward me. "Yes, you do."

I back away as he advances, and before I know it, I'm against a wall, literally and figuratively. His lips are on my neck, and my hands push against his chest. "Edward, we can't."

"Oh, yes we can. And we do. Often." The trail of tingles he leave along my skin threatens to break my resolve.

"Edward," I try, but it comes out as a pleading moan.

"Bella," he whispers into my ear before nipping the lobe, sending sparks straight down my belly and between my legs. "There's nobody here. They won't be back for a couple of hours at least. I haven't had you in days. I want you. Now."

My knees go weak, and I think I may have whimpered. It was true. He's been so busy training the new guy at the shop and getting things set up for his absence, and I've been busy at the gallery. Then there was the matter of starting my period. Then packing, and then unpacking and repacking when Christmas presents had to be added to the mix. On top of that, we've both been exhausted. There were even a couple of nights where I fell asleep before he even got home.

So his efforts and pleas don't fall on deaf ears. His hands wander up my sides, dragging my top up, fingers tickling my skin lightly. I shiver. He sucks on my neck, and my head lolls to the side.

"I've missed you," he says when he drags his mouth away from my skin and slants his mouth over mine.

"Mmm," I agree as his he lifts my shirt over my head and expertly removes my bra. When he turns his lips in the direction of my breasts, I stop suddenly and put my hands back against his chest. "Wait, Edward. I feel like this is disrespectful."

He barks a laugh of what sounds like disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"This is your parents' house."

"You don't think my parents have sex in their house?" He shudders after admitting that. "Wait…"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Look, Bella. I've been going crazy for this. There's no way I'm going two whole weeks without having you." He kisses me roughly on the mouth to punctuate his point. "Besides, you're the first girl I've ever had—like had had—in this bedroom. This bed will be excited to see some non-solo action."

I giggle, but I still feel uncomfortable at the possibility of one or both of his parents hearing us in the act—or worse, walking in on us.

Edward trails his mouth down and across my chest, nuzzling my right breast with his nose before skimming it down the soft swell. "Relax, babe. They won't be back for hours. I promise."

Promise, you say? I think as he pulls my nipple between his lips. Well, in that case… I thread my fingers through his hair and hold him right where he is as he laves and nibbles, only stopping for a second for me to yank his shirt over his head. I run my hands over his chest and abs, feeling the soft skin of his hard body. When I reach the button fly of his jeans, I take my time popping each one, making sure he feels my fingers pressing against his hard-on through the denim. By the time I have them undone, he's groaning into my mouth again. He palms my ass and presses himself against me.

"I need you." His hands glide down to the backs of my thighs, and he picked me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. "Lock the door, baby," he says, pausing by the door, bending his knees so I can reach the doorknob. I do as he asks, and he wastes no time getting us over to the bed.

The rest of our clothes are discarded quickly, and he lays me on my back and settles onto his side next to me. "You're so beautiful," he husks as he leans over me. As much as he tells me this, I'll never get enough of the words falling from his perfect lips.

"So are you."

The corners of his eyes crinkle when he returns my smile, and he moves his hand down my body, stopping at the apex of my thighs, expelling a large breath when he feels how ready I am for him. One finger drifts down to my entrance, and he thrusts inside without hesitation, curling it and finding that spot that makes my back arch off the bed and my mouth mutter nonsense.

"Mmm. You like that, don't you?" he rasps in my ear.

I can only nod. I feel him hard and ready against my thigh, so I reach for him and grasp tightly, making him draw a breath in through his teeth. I stroke him firmly, moving my hand down his shaft and up, over the head, where a drop of moisture leaks out. Again and again I stroke as his fingers tease.

"This won't happen if you keep that up," he says. I feel sexy and powerful when he says things like that. He withdraws his fingers and starts to settle on top of me, but I push him back and straddle him.

"Yeah?" he says, grinning and blinking up at me.

I slide my slick skin over him, getting him wet.

"Don't tease me, Bella. Please."

But I want to relish the feel of having him naked and hard against me for the first time in a week.

He stills my hips, and I reach down to put him inside me slowly, leaning forward to kiss him on the lips before sitting up taking him deep, deep inside. I move at an agonizingly slow pace, spreading my knees as far apart as they'll go, forcing him deeper inside and squeezing him.

"Fuck," he groans, grasping my hips with straining hands. Rocking over him slowly at first, I reach down to feel where we're joined together. His eyes widen as he watches me. I marvel at the feeling of him sliding in and out of me between my fingers.

"Bella," he mutters in a warning tone. "This won't last long."

I bring my hand back to rest on his thigh as I lean back, setting a quicker pace, bouncing as he raises his knees to support me. Need escalates quickly, and things become frantic. I lean forward and grab his hands, intertwining them with his and pressing them into the mattress above his head. Our moans and oaths mix together as our mouths and tongues and teeth clash. Mounting and building and growing into something so strong it takes my breath away every time. The burn starts low in my abdomen, expanding slowly to a violent explosion. I cry out his name and arch, tightening, shuddering my release.

"God, baby," he grunts in my ear as he thrusts up into me, grasping my hips. "I feel you coming. You feel so good." He pushes roughly into me a few more times and tenses as he releases inside me.

I collapse on his chest, spent and panting, slightly sweaty but completely sated. When our hearts and breaths slow, I pry myself away, letting him slip out of me slowly before I make my way to the bathroom to clean up. When I come back, Edward curls up next to me, wrapping me in his arms and pressing a kiss to my swollen lips. "Let's not go so long without that again."

"A week is hardly a dry spell," I tell him. "But I agree. And now I am le tired."

He chuckles as he tugs the quilt out from under us. "What, getting up at four in the morning to catch a flight doesn't agree with you?"

I cuddle up next to him under the blankets, my eyelids heavy, my body thoroughly exhausted, intending to sleep away our first afternoon in Chicago.