Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters.

"Do you really feel like that was wrong...Carlisle?"

Honestly, no. The feel of her skin, radiating warmth as I had traced my cold hands along its pearly surface, had that felt wrong? No, it had felt soft and smooth and wonderful. Had her hand, hesitantly tracing the angles of my face, felt wrong? Honestly? No, I had sunk into her touch, wanting to savour every moment of it. Had her kiss, that unexpected yet magnificent kiss, really, truly felt wrong? Honestly? No. Even now I wanted to lean across the couch and once again capture her lips with mine, to let my tongue gently tease her pale, full lips, and to kiss not just her mouth but her warm, flushed cheeks and along the gentle curve of her neck and down her body...

With my mind wandering further and further down this route I was quickly becoming very aroused. I was also neglecting to respond to Isabella's question.

"Isab..Miss Swan, I cannot interact with you, or any of my clients, on anything more than a strictly professional doctor to patient level. To do anything else would be totally against protocol, not to mention the fact that even if we were two strangers, you are still too young to be in a..." I couldn't bring myself to say the word 'sexual', my mind needed no more thoughts along those lines about Isabella, "a...physically romantic relationship with me. So while the kiss was very nice, nothing more can ever happen between us."

I fought to control myself and to maintain a serious expression. I certainly didn't want to let Isabella know that there was currently a fierce battle raging between my upstairs and downstairs brains: one wanted me to swiftly finish mending her stitches and leave, the other simply wanted her.

"It was nice?" Isabella broke through my thoughts with her question. I'd said the kiss was nice? While this was true, I certainly hadn't meant to admit it to her. The conversation was definately not going in the direction I had wanted or planned. It was meant to be a discussion of whether she wanted to press charges against me, not an analysis of our romantic encounter!

"It wasn't unpleasant, no, but it should not have happened and I feel I should leave now to avoid any other incidents taking place." The role reversal of this situation was worrying me. I was now the one who was uncomfortable, unsure and stumbling. Isabella, on the other hand, never let my gaze leave hers, waiting for me to speak again.

"Well, I should be going Miss Swan" I began to rise from the couch, but Isabella's hand caught my arm and tried to pull me back down.

"What about my stitches Dr Carlisle? Won't it be awfully suspicious if you file a report for a house visit in which you never actually helped the patient? In fact, that's my dad's car pulling into our driveway now. How else can you explain your visit here if you haven't done anything to my arm?"

I cursed under my breath, however now that the Chief was about to enter the house I found it easier to resume my tasks as a doctor. While it had just been me and Isabella, she was all I could see, all I could focus on. With Chief Swan here, I was once again amongst members of the public, here simply to treat another patient. However it also meant having to interact with a powerful figure of the law who's underage daughter I had just kissed.

Trying to clear my mind of all that had happened and focus on the task I had come here to do, I opened my bag and took out the necessary tools for mending Isabella's stitches. With my high skill level I was done in minutes. As I was packing the equipment away once more the front door opened and Chief Swan stepped into the porch, his arms laden with grocery bags.

"Hey Bells! Could you help your old man out and take some of these groceries into the kitchen? Oh, and who's car is that outside? It's not one I've seen round here before. You got a new, rich boyfriend or something?" Even though he was joking I tensed at his words.

Isabella stood up from the couch and went to help her dad, briefly running her hand along my arm as she passed me.

"It's Doctor Cullen's car dad, he had to come over and fix up my stitches for me, I managed to rip them" Taking my bag, I followed her and shook hands with Chief Swan.

"Thanks a lot Doctor Cullen, bit accident prone is my Bella."

"Any time Chief" I smiled, before turning to his daughter. "Your stitches should hold now, providing you're very careful with that arm. Any more problems you can head to the hospital or give me a call, any time. Goodbye then Miss Swan, Chief" I smiled at Isabella and nodded to Chief Swan before opening the door and letting myself out onto the front steps.

"Thank you, Doctor Cullen!" Her words, spoken casually yet with a hint of suggestion, followed me down the drive.