Again thanks to all who has reviewed, added to their favourites and alerted!
As always, the amazing Stephenie Meyer owns all the characters, I just like them to dirty things!
So if you're reading for the first time, this is a second attempt at this chapter, I hope you enjoy!
BPOV
My thoughts disappear as Edwards's lips meet mine for the second time tonight. One of his hands leaves my ass and moves to the knot on my robe, trying to undo it.
"Where's your bedroom, beautiful?" he whispers against my lips.
"Edward…..we need to stop."
My body screams in protest. All I want is to keep going. I can feel him hard against me and I know it's what he wants too.
Edward reluctantly pulls away. We need to gather our thoughts and our breath, both of us panting heavily. I tighten my robe to cover myself—showing skin is not going to help our situation.
"I'm sorry, Bella. I got carried away." He smirks. "You seem to have that effect on me."
Gah!
"Don't apologise…I want to...I just…don't want to…" Ugh, this is coming out all wrong."I mean, I do… just not now…so soon." I stop my rambling to look at Edward and I'm met with the same smirk.
"So you want to have sex with me again…but you don't want to?"
"Yes."
"Ooookay then." He takes a deep breath and looks me over. His eyes roam my whole body, slowly trailing up my naked legs and pausing at my core.
"So are you gonna go on our date dressed like that, or are you gonna change? Because if not, I can't promise I won't pin you to another wall tonight." He grins.
Unf!
"Um, just give me five minutes." I point towards the couch. "Make yourself at home, I won't be long."
I stumble down the hallway towards my bedroom. Slamming the door, I fall against it. I can do this. I almost had sex with him—again—but I can make it through tonight. I can get through this date.
I remove my robe, grab my jeans and top, and throw them on. At least I'd done my hair and make-up earlier, although a quick glance in the mirror tells me it doesn't look as fresh as it did an hour ago. I look a bit "sexed up". I can deal with that.
I expect to find Edward sitting on the couch, but instead, he's wandering around the living room, studying my photos and picking through my bookshelves. I remain out of sight and watch him for a moment. When he picks up one of my books and starts to flip through it, I decide to make myself known.
"You know…if you wanted to know things about me, you could just ask." I giggle as he drops the book in surprise.
"Shit! I mean…um…I was…um…hi?" The pink in his cheeks gives away his embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I've got nothing to hide." I grab my purse from the couch. "You ready?"
He moves toward me and takes my hand. "Always."
We walk towards a silver Volvo that's parked outside my apartment—obviously it's Edward's. Not the sort of car I was expecting, but it weirdly suits him. Crossing to the passenger side, I'm surprised when Edward follows. I'm even more amazed when he opens the door and motions for me to get in. I'm in utter shock—I can't think of a single guy I know that would open the door for a girl. It's so old fashioned, so traditional, and I really, really like it.
"My mom brought me up to be a gentleman, and a gentleman always opens the door for a lady."
"Thank you, Edward."
We pull out of the space and an awkward silence fills the car. I realise I have no idea where we're headed or what he's planned for tonight. So in an attempt to cut the tension, I ask about our plans.
"So, are you going to tell me where we're going? Or should I guess?"
"There's a bar close to Eclipse called Volturi. Have you ever been?" I shake my head. "Well, tonight's open-mic night and I thought that might be fun?" He shrugs. "It'll give us a chance to talk and hopefully the entertainment will be good." He glances to me quickly. "But, if it doesn't interest you we can go somewhere else."
Placing my hand on his arm, I smile to reassure him. "That sounds great, Edward. I've never been to an open-mic night. I'd love to try something new."
After that, the conversation is a bit easier, more relaxed. Soon we're pulling into the parking lot of Eclipse. I'm confused.
"I thought I'd leave my car here and pick it up in the morning. Means I can have a few beers and we'll just grab a taxi." He answers my question, before I can ask.
I move to get out of the car but he leans over to stop me. "I thought I made it clear, I get the doors tonight." He smirks.
I sit back, smiling, as he gets out and jogs around to my side. Internally I pat myself on the back—I seem to have found myself a proper gentleman.
Once again, he takes my hand and we walk towards the bar. It's just a couple of blocks from Eclipse and I can hear the music already. Once inside, we make our way to a free table. The place is pretty crowded and if we'd been twenty minutes later, I don't think we'd have gotten a table. Edward offers to get our drinks, and since I've never been able to hold my beer, I ask for a white wine.
As he makes his way over to the bar, I use the time to take him in. He's just as gorgeous as I remembered. He's wearing dark jeans with a white button-down over a t-shirt and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows—sexy and casual. Looking around the bar, I notice he's turning a few heads and I feel proud that he's chosen to be here with me.
As I wait for him to return with the drinks, Alice's words come back to me. I need to let him in, not focus on the "what ifs", and just have some fun. And she's right—I've always been the serious one. I think about what I should be doing and not living in the moment. Edward's a nice, well-mannered, hot guy—I would be stupid not to have some fun. Although, he still needs to know that I won't be jumping back into bed—or on a desk—with him tonight.
I look to the bar to see him coming back with our drinks, smiling as I catch his eye. My smile gets even bigger when, instead of sitting opposite me, he gets in next to me.
"They're still serving food, are you hungry? I'll grab us some menus if you are."
"Actually that'd be great, I haven't eaten since lunch."
He goes back to the bar to ask the server for the menus. As he's waiting, my eyes catch a pretty brunette making her way over to him. Even from a distance, I can see this girl is beautiful. She's tall—almost as tall as Edward—and slim, with legs that go on forever under her ridiculously short skirt.
I'm eager to see how Edward reacts to her. Is he the gentleman he appears to be?
I take a sip of my wine and gracefully snort when he doesn't even notice her. Just as she reaches out to touch his arm, the server comes back with Edward's menus. He thanks her and walk away from the bar, leaving the brunette stumbling behind.
I can't help my smile. He's here with me. He wants me. As he slips into the booth, I lean into him and place a chaste kiss on his lips.
Pulling back, I'm met with a bewildered look. "What was that for?"
I shake my head. "No reason." Reviewing the menu, I ask, "So can you recommend anything?"
"Nope, I've never eaten here. Want to get a few appetizers and share?"
"Yeah, that sounds good." I scan over the menu and notice they have two combo platters. "What about these." I point them out. "They've got everything—we can't go wrong."
We make our decision just as the waiter comes over. "Guys, what'll it be?"
"We'll have the two combo platters." Edward hands the menus to the waiter and turns back to face me.
The waiter catches my eye and winks.
Eww , really?
He's about the same height as Edward, but he's much bulkier. He looks like he spends too much time at the gym lifting weights. With tanned skin, dark eyes, and short black hair, he's attractive, but he's not my type. I need to make that clear.
I lean into Edward, who caresses my face and kisses me. Seconds later, the waiter is gone and I find myself leaning into Edward for more. He smiles down at me.
"What was that for?"
He shakes his head. "No reason."
EPOV
This waiter is pissing me off. Since we've been here, all he's done is leer at Bella. My kiss surprised her but I needed to do it—it felt right and I needed to make it clear to him that she's with me. I love that she caught him looking and snuggled into me. And it's even better that she's stayed there even after he left.
We're quiet, and it's a bit uncomfortable. I'm thinking about our encounter earlier at her apartment. I hope I didn't push too far—I don't want her to think I'm only in it for sex. But before I can apologise, she beats me to it.
"I'm sorry about earlier, you know with Mike. I really wish you hadn't seen that."
"I'm glad I was there—I didn't like seeing him grab you like that. A guy shouldn't put his hands on a lady…unless she asks, of course."
"Well I'm glad you were there to get rid of him, but the rest was quite awkward."
I try to look at her, but her face is burrowed into my shirt. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you heard why we split up." I stay silent, letting her continue. "It's embarrassing for the guy I'm going on a date with to hear that my last boyfriend cheated on me, in my apartment, and that I caught them at it."
"Ah, that part."
"Yeah, that part."
The silence returns.
"I can see why you'd think it was embarrassing for you, but the fact that he cheated on you doesn't make me think any less of you." I hug her to me. "It just makes me think my first impression of the guy was correct—he's a prick."
She giggles. "Yeah he is—just took me a bit longer to realise it."
Our food arrives, delivered by the obnoxious waiter.
"Anything else I can get for you?" Again, he's totally focused on Bella.
Okay, I've got to stop this now.Instead of answering him, I turn to Bella, lifting her face gently and press my lips to hers. Whereas our last two kisses have been on the chaste side, this one isn't. I'm marking my territory.
As our lips meet, I pull her bottom lip between mine, causing her to whimper. We're sitting in an awkward position so I tilt my head to the side for better access. Resting my hands on her hips, I pull her closer. As she leans into me, her tongue slips into my mouth. I try to hold back the moan when our tongues meet, but her smile against my lips tells me I haven't fooled anyone.
We slowly pull apart, looking up to see the waiter's reaction, but the space is empty. Good.
We smile at each other, Bella blushing slightly, and dig into our meal.
A silence falls between us again, but this time it isn't awkward, we're just enjoying our food. Someone comes to check that everything is fine with our meal, and I smirk when I see our original server behind the bar serving drinks. Thanking the waitress, I order another round of drinks.
"So…since I've told you something pretty embarrassing about my last relationship, I think it's only fair that you tell me something." She's smiling as she says this, but I know she's serious. "And you met the guy in person, so it better be good!"
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Like…"
"Hmmm…" She taps her chin. "Like a time you couldn't get it up? Or a time you came too quickly and the girl left disappointed? You know—something embarrassing to level the playing field here."
"Okay, okay, I get your drift. Let me see…" I try to think of something she'd want to hear.
How about, I know exactly how you feel because I walked in on my fiancé fucking some guy in my bed one afternoon. Then she dumped my ass because she was only with me for my money and said that if I planned on opening a bar instead of becoming a doctor she wasn't interested.
"Shit, really?"
I look up to see her big brown eyes staring at me.
"Fuck." I put my head on the table. "I said all that out loud?"
"That really happened? You were engaged and she left you… because you weren't going to be some big-time doctor?"
"Yeah, it really happened. We were engaged and I thought we were both happy. I came home early one afternoon and found her with some guy in my bed." Of course it was more drama filled than that, but she doesn't need to know that now.
"Well she sounds just lovely, maybe we should introduce her to Mike." She giggles and leans back into her place in my arms.
The lights go down, signalling the start of the entertainment. Mr. Asshole Waiter announces the first band, which look like they've yet to hit puberty. We continue to nibble on our food as we listen to the different acts. I'm disappointed. They're awful—shockingly awful! Here I am, trying to impress Bella, and I'm going to end up ruining her night.
Bella pulls on my shirt, bringing my head down to her level so she can speak into my ear. "Want to head back to my place? We can talk more there?"
I look down, caught in her big brown eyes.
"You know what, that's a great idea." My cock hardens slightly at the thought of staying at her place tonight. "Let me go settle the bill."
The bar is a lot more crowded than when we came in—the open-mic concept is obviously drawing in a big crowd. Maybe we need to consider it for Eclipse. We'd have to open during the week, but it's definitely something worth thinking about.
Ten minutes later, I'm still waiting for the waiter to come over to take my bill— probably to make me pay for my stunt earlier with Bella.
"What can I get you, handsome?" The waitress from earlier purrs at me, which I assume is meant to be seductive.
"Just the tab, please." I reply, ignoring her attempt at flirting.
I glance back to the table to check on Bella, only to see the waiter sitting in my seat, clearly hitting on heragain. Apparently I wasn't clear enough earlier.
What the hell do I have to do? Dry hump her?
For a second, I think Bella might want him there. But then her body language states otherwise—she's leaning away from him.
I throw some cash down on the bar as the waitress approaches—probably leaving way too much to cover the cost of our meal. Then I make my way back over to the table.
"Really, I'm flattered, but no thank you."
She's being polite to him? Really? The guy is practically sitting on her lap!
"C'mon, babe, ditch the pretty boy. I can show you a much better time than him. I get off in thirty minutes, which means I could be getting you off within the hour."
Do guys really expect lines like that to work? And show her a better time than me? I seriously doubt that, buddy.
Bella sees me over his shoulder and rolls her eyes. At least I know she isn't falling for this guy's "charm".
"I swear, babe, I'll have you screaming my name all night long—it's Jacob by the way."
I've heard enough.
"Actually, Jacob,if Bella's going to be screaming anyone's name tonight it's gonna be mine, again."
Jacob shoots out of the seat and stands next to me, facing Bella.
"I think we should leave that decision to Bella, don't you?" He shrugs at me arrogantly. "Unless you're scared of her choice, Pretty Boy."
I shake my head. "You're completely right, Jakey, let's leave the decision to her. If she wants you, I'll happily walk away and leave her in your hands."
I look at Bella, whose eyes are wide with fear.
"EDWARD! Edward! I'll be leaving with Edward, thank you. As in, now—let's go." She climbs out of the booth and grabs my arm, yanking me towards the door. By the time we get outside she's giggling non-stop. "Eww! As if I'd leave with him! He was so arrogant and just expected me to fall for him!"
Laughing, she grabs my hand and we walk towards the main street to flag a cab. We catch one quickly, and in no time we're back at her apartment. I'm not quite sure what to expect. Best case scenario, we end up having really hot sex again. Worst case scenario, well, that would have been her picking Jacob over me. I decide to stop worrying and take the night as it comes.
Bella ushers me to the couch as she heads to the kitchen to get some wine. I sit where I'm told, rather snooping like I did earlier. Getting busted once is acceptable, getting busted a second time is just rude. A couple of minutes later, Bella comes back with two glasses and places them on the coffee table. She takes a seat next to me, curling her legs under her, and sitting against me like she did at the bar.
"Sooo…" she trails off.
"Mmhmm..." Good one, Edward.
Bella jumps up from the couch. "It's too quiet, you want music?"
I stifle a laugh. She's too cute and she looks nervous. "Sure, whatever is fine with me."
She smiles nervously. Once the music is on, she takes her spot next to me. I love how she fits so perfectly. I decide to start since she's seems nervous about something.
"So, is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
BPOV
"I kind of wanted to talk about us?" It comes out like a question and I really don't know why. I do want to talk about us.
"Us?"
"Yeah, I mean, where this is going." I look up to see his reaction.
"Well, I like you, Bella. I'd like to spend more time with you." I watch his eyes to see if he's being honest with me. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything.
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Me too, I like you and last week was wonderful." I look down. "It's just…that night, at your club….I don't normally do that. I'm not a one night kind of girl. I…uh…I had fun, but if we're going to pursue this I need to take it slow. What happened with Mike has kind of rocked my confidence. I need to know that's okay with you before we go any further."
This time I don't watch his reaction. No guy ever wants to go slow.
"When I started dating Lauren, I was infatuated with her. I was young and she was beautiful, and way more experienced than me. Looking back, that should have been a warning to me—she was younger, but I was the virgin." He chuckles before continuing. "I've always been a romantic—which is weird for a guy, right? I wanted my first time to be with someone I loved. So we started dating, and after a few months I thought I had fallen in love, and we had sex."
He stops, leaning forward to pick up his wine. He takes a large gulp, before returning it to the table.
"My family is wealthy, Bella, so there are certain things that are expected of me. In the beginning, I thought Lauren loved me for me. But I found out later that she was all about the money and lifestyle I could offer her. My dad's a doctor, his dad was a doctor and his dad before him…well you get my drift. Emmett and I were expected to do the same. But we realised that wasn't what we really wanted to do. Surprisingly, our parents were really supportive of our wishes.
But that's when things started to go wrong with Lauren. It started as snide comments about the club, and then it became comments about what was expected from me. But I stayed with her because I thought I loved her. Then one day, I came home early from work and I heard noises coming from the bedroom. I knew what was going on, but I needed to see it with my own eyes. And believe me, I got an eye full."
Edward takes a shuddering breath. I can't help myself. I climb into his lap and wrap my arms around him. He buries his face in my hair and returns my embrace.
"After that we had a huge argument. She told me she hadn't been in love with me for a while, and only stayed for the lifestyle. She said if I couldn't give her that, she would find someone who could. She gave back my grandmother's ring and left. That was it. Just like that—over."
Running my hands up and down his back, I try to soothe him. That girl is a first-class bitch. How could she have a guy like Edward and not be interested in him.
"Edward, the way I see it, it's her loss. You're a great guy and she was lucky to have had you."
He pulls back and our eyes lock. Wrapping his hand around the back of my neck, he pulls me closer for a kiss. Softly, oh so softly, our lips meet. This time, there is no need or lust. There is no pushing for dominance. It's just a comforting kiss between two people who understand each other.
"Thank you, Bella," he mumbles against my lips.
I pull back. "Do you mind if I ask a question?"
"Of course not."
"How long ago was this? Are you still hung up on her?"
"No. Looking back, I don't think I was ever in love with her. It's been two years now, give or take a few months."
"Thank you." I snuggle back into his arms as they wrap around me.
"Can I ask you a question now?"
"Of course." I mirror his words.
"You and Mike…how long ago was that? It seems pretty new if he's still coming to collect his things. Am I the rebound guy?" His face is in my hair so I can't read his expression.
"Well, you're right—it is a fresh break-up. But you're definitely not a rebound. It's been over for a long time, I just refused to see it. I caught him in a similar situation and then I threw him out. I fled to the company of my girlfriends and they took me out to drink away my sorrows….and that's when I met you. I believe you know the rest." He chuckles and nods again.
"So it really is fresh then?"
I sigh. "Yes, it is. But I don't want to look at what we have as a rebound relationship. I really like you and I'd like it to be more than that. But that's also why I think we should take things slowly."
He nods and lifts me off his lap, back into my original position on the sofa. My heart plummets.
I'm not worth the effort. He just wants a quick fuck.
He leans forward, taking both glasses of wine, and hands me my glass. He lifts his glass.
"To going slow?" His eyebrows raised, questioning me.
I raise my glass and smile. "To going slow."
To lighten the mood, we decide to watch a movie. The only comedy I have is The Hangover, which is actually Mike's movie, but apparently it got left behind. I make popcorn, dim the lights, and get a blanket so we can cozy up.
I must have passed out, because the next thing I feel are a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me from the sofa.
"Where's your bedroom, beautiful girl?" His breath on my ear sends shivers down my spine.
"Second door on the left." I mumble, still half asleep.
I make no move to leave his arms. I'm too comfortable and don't want to leave them any time soon.
Edward finds my room and gently places me on the bed. As he moves away, I tighten my grip on his shirt.
"Stay." I whisper.
"Bella, I think that goes against everything we discussed tonight."
"We won't do anything, just stay. It's late and there's plenty room." I keep my grip on his shirt and gently tug him, bringing him to the bed with me.
"How can I say no when you're all cute and sleepy?" I open my eyes to see him running his fingers over my face, stroking my cheek tenderly. I meet his eyes. He wants to stay.
"You can't go, just stay." I smile, knowing I'm winning this battle.
In the darkness, I hear him sigh.
His breathing evens out after a few minutes, but I have a question.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"If you had dropped me off at the end of the night and gone home, would I have gotten a good night kiss?"
"I'm sure I would have tried at least, yes."
"So…do I still get a good night kiss?"
"Bella…" he breathes. I feel the bed move and his breath is now on my back. Shivers run down my spine and I feel my nipples harden. "I would find it really hard to stop if I were to kiss you, in your bed right now." His voice is now hoarse, with what I'm hoping is lust.
Rolling over, I face him and mould my body against his. My breath catches as I feel his hardened cock against my stomach. I smile to myself, realising I'm not the only one affected by our situation.
Locking one of my legs around his, I snuggle up to him, placing little kisses on his neck. "Please, just one kiss?" I nip at his neck with my teeth.
With a growl, he rolls us over and I find myself on my back, Edward hovering above me.
"One kiss…that's it."
Without giving me time to answer, his lips are on mine.
Ummm….I hope you liked?
Massive thanks to my pre-reader Marika! And huge thanks to my amazing beta Pattinlethr, she is the comma queen trying to teach me her wisdom! Without her this would be a grammatical mess!
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