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Thank you Mommakat!

BPOV

How soon was too soon?

This was the question that had been running through my mind for the last hour. He was sitting three feet away from me and if I didn't get out soon, I would explode. I had been trying really hard to give Carlisle my full attention. He was such a nice man and so interested in me and my shield, but ever since his son had walked in I couldn't really focus on anyone else for too long. I was on edge and I couldn't sit still. I couldn't control the movement of the rest of my body because I was wholly concentrated on keeping my eyes off him. I was fidgeting nonstop and that was not normal at all for a vampire. No one had seemed to be paying much attention to it though until Kate finally did.

"Bella, honey, are you okay?" she asked me.

"No I'm not!" I replied, my voice strained and abnormally high pitched. I had came up with my lie a long time ago. I had just been waiting for the right time to use it. "It's just that I'm not used to being around so many gifts at one time, all pressing into my shield. It's making me uncomfortable. Please forgive me but I need a break."

I didn't wait for a reply before I launched myself out the front door. I ran as fast as I could until I was back at my spot. I pressed my back against the tree and tried to slow my breathing and stop my hands from shaking.

The second Edward Cullen stepped into my house, I'd felt this odd but powerful pull to him. Tanya had been very right, he was the most beautiful being on this planet. His chiseled face, full lips, and chaotic copper hair, made my knees weak. He was tall, a little over six feet and muscular without being bulky. He had moved with such purpose, confidence, and grace. He was perfect...for me. But that was where the problem came in.

He couldn't be perfect for me. He had to be perfect for Tanya. My sister. My best friend. My teacher. My creator. I couldn't have him. It had taken me a second to take in his beauty and my desire for him and then another second to realize that I could never take actions to attain him. The third and final second was used to sober myself up. I couldn't let Tanya see me slobbering over the only man that she had ever loved.

I had greeted his family making sure that I was warm and gracious to each of them. My only flub was with Jasper, but come on. Almost every inch of visible skin was covered in scars. I didn't even know that vampires were capable of having scars. I had stared at him forgetting all about manners and reached to touch his skin to see how it would feel but then quickly remembered myself.

When I had finally gotten to Edward, I had to use every bit of my will power not to wrap myself around him, press my nose to his neck and inhale him, flick out my tongue and taste him, and run my fingers through the sex hair atop his head. When he touched me though, it had nearly been my undoing. How my bravado did not crumble at that moment, I could not tell you. A warm tingly sensation like electric temptation ran up my arm and down my spine. That temptation was forbidden though and after I reminded myself of this, I realized that I needed to be away from him, far away.

I had refused to acknowledge him further but my whole body was aware of him. When he shifted at all, I sensed it. Though I had released his hand so long ago, I could still feel that sensation pulsing through me. I couldn't comprehend what was going on with me and I didn't even want to know if he was feeling the same. All I needed to do was come up with a plan. The Cullens would be in Denali for three weeks. All I needed to do was stay away from him for three weeks without raising suspicion that something was wrong. That could be easily managed right?

In dreamland maybe.

When my breathing was back to normal and I was no longer shaking, I climbed up to my favorite branch and tried to reach my Zen again so that I could rationally hash out a plan. Zen was a lot harder to find than it had ever been before though. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward. It wasn't a good sign when you couldn't think of things to distract you because you're too distracted by what you need to be distracted from!

I clapped my hands over my face and let out a frustrated growl. It was louder than I had intended and echoed off the mountains across the river and sent the forest animals fleeing. I took a deep steadying breath and gave my body a cleansing shake before I got down to business.

Hunting.

Jasper.

Humans.

Running.

Books.

All of these things had the best possibilities of distracting me. Hunting would get me out of the house for long periods at a time. Jasper had distracted me earlier, I'm sure he could do it again. Humans were just another form of hunting to me. It sated all my senses and would also get me out of the house for copious amounts of time. I usually tried to find human tourists who had hotel rooms for us to play in. It was a rule that no human entered our home. Running gave me a rush and I always put my whole focus into it. I read a lot as a human and that hadn't changed since I'd changed. There was a huge library back home that had tons of books I'd never heard of and in languages I was still learning to speak. The task of getting through them was all consuming.

If I could constantly involve myself in one of these things, I could stay away from Edward and maintain my sanity. Hopefully.

TPOV

"Aren't you worried? She's been gone for over ten hours? Is that normal?" Edward asked as he paced in front of my bedroom window.

"It's very normal. Bella values her time alone. She's an explorer, she travels all over Alaska all the time. Don't worry, baby," I assured him sliding off the bed and going to stand behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in between his shoulder blades.

"I've missed you so much," I murmured. "How come you never call me?"

He stepped out of my arms and went to sit on the couch away from me. Clearly we would be starting this visit with a cold front. I tried not to feel hurt by his distance. Usually Edward was eager to see me when he first arrived after a long time apart, but he was just so unpredictable that I knew not ever to be expectant of him.

"How have you been," I asked taking my seat in the middle of my bed again.

"Bored," he replied dryly.

"As always," I thought knowing that since Bella was gone he would hear me.

He cracked a smile, the first since he'd arrived, and nodded his head.

"I had your piano tuned last week. Do you want to play a duet with me?"

"Not now."

"What else have you got to do? You can be bored in Forks all you want, but you know that when you're with me a good time is always insured," I mentally purred.

I stared into his golden eyes as I remembered the last time we had been on the couch he was currently sitting on. He had been sitting in between my legs as I sucked his earlobe into my mouth and massaged his very swollen member.

He ducked his head in embarrassment. I giggled as I imagined the blush that would have flooded his face, if it were possible. Edward had always been self-conscious about the more illicit things we had done together. I had always found that adorable because he was never that way during.

I'd only gotten glimpses of how passionate Edward could be. He never allowed anything past foreplay but it was enough for me. I was confident that one day we would go all the way and I knew the wait would only make the actual deed that much better.

"Let's go play, Tanya," Edward said with a hint of frustration as he stood abruptly and moved swiftly to the door. I giggled again as I followed behind him. Always so moody, but that was a good thing. His moodiness always reached a breaking point at which time he would seek me out.

His piano was housed in it's own room on the first floor at the back of the house. It sat facing a huge bay window overlooking the garden in the backyard. The piano itself was a stunning ebony Steinway concert grand circa 1901, the year of his birth. It had cost me a pretty penny just to own, I won't even discuss how much it cost to restore it.

Edward slid onto the bench first and I slid in on his right. He smiled down at the instrument and ghosted his fingertips over the keys reverently before turning his grin to me.

"I still can't believe you bought this for me," he said. "I could never thank you enough."

"I knew that it would make you happy and any time I get to see that look in your eyes when you look at it is thanks enough for me," I thought.

I ran the back of my hand down the side of his face and tried not to let the way he stiffened at my touch affect me. I turned back to the piano and positioned my hands over the keys.

"Fantasia in F minor?" he asked.

"Of course," I smiled. "It's my favorite."