Chapter 5

I worked really hard on this. The longest wrote so far. I hope you are enjoying this. I have changed the rating to M.

Two an a half hours later Edward was driving in the downpour, with squeaking windshield wipers and all. Miss Bella Swan had disappeared from Cullen Beds, last seen exciting to the parking lot, leaving one rumpled bed-sheet behind her. He peered through the rain, scanning the paint numbers on the mailboxes.

Her personnel file listed her address as just south of the river, outskirts of downtown Seattle, a small community full of young families that were remodeling the older homes. Finally he found what he was looking for, although when he found he looked carefully. he wondered if he'd made a mistake. The grass was knee-high and in sore need weeding. Of the three concrete steps that led to the front door, two was cracked and part of one was missing. Although house, all in all, was kinda cute, with a A-line roof and dark red bricks so popular long ago. But still....

Edward knew Miss Swan was a little messy, but this was extreme. He pulled up the collar of his over-coat and then made his way to the front door. He nearly laughed at the little shiny silver horseshoe that was hanging over the door knocker. 'Jeez, this house needed more than a horseshoe, but he didn't think Miss Swan would take kindly to having him laugh at her house. He put on his best poker face and rang the bell. After what seemed like hours, a raspy voice came from the other side of her front door.

"Hello?"

"Miss Swan, it's Edward Cullen"

She cracked her door open, which allowed dim light to sweep a bit of the darken porch. She peered at him suspiciously, wondering why this man thought he needed to bother her. Hadn't he done enough already. "Mr. Cullen what are you doing here?"

"Could I please come in?"

For a moment he thought she would refuse, not that he could blame her, but then the door swung fully open. She was dressed in an old dark blue terry-cloth robe, and her nose looked red and irritated. Her eyes weren't much better. She looked like death it's self. Had she been crying? he wondered to himself. He started to touch her, and realized that's what had gotten him in trouble in the first place.

"Are you alright?" The concern was clearly noticed in his voice.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice raspy, and he realized she was sick. He felt the first stirrings of what he hoped was sympathy. It was a depraved man who felt desire for a woman who looked to be running hundred and three degree temperature. He wished there was something he could do to make her feel better.

Remembering what he was here for, he cleared his throat. "I came to apologize"

Bella didn't say a word, blinking a few times before walking inside. He assumed it was an invitation to follow, since she had left the front door wide open. Stepping into what appeared to be the living room. Glancing around it was a nightmare of Bob Villa proportions. A truss had sheared through the side wall and was embedded like a pickax. Rain was pouring into a large bucket that looked about to overflow. There was a ladder and tools set up, a home improvement book lay open on the top step of the ladder. Gently he shut the front door, afraid to be the cause of any more new disasters.

She looked up at him defiantly, waiting for a wise-ass remark.

"You've got a leak" he said, trying for honesty. She sneezed " Magnificent deduction. I can see why you're in charge in security"

He knew what she was trying to do, if she thought she'd get a rise out of of him, she was sadly mistaken. He wasn't up to kicking puppies or insulting sickly women with leaking roofs.

"I'm sorry" he repeated, apologizing more for her roof than anything else. She waved a hand, easing into a chair."Forget about it. I would offer you a seat, but as you see most are soaked"

"Is this why you've been sleeping at the test lab?" Bella winced, but didn't deny it. Edward shook his head, taking another closer look around. Something definitely akin to sympathy tugged at him. Altruism wasn't one of Edward's finer qualities, even if he was raised to be a gentleman, but suddenly he realized he wanted to help. Here was someone who needed him.

"Want a hand?" he asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Know a roofer?"

He blew out a breath that hadn't realized he was holding "I...could fix it for you"

"And what would you want in return?"

She didn't make altruism easy, but he wasn't going to give up. "Is it just me, or do you not trust anyone?"

Bella crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him. "Just the ones who've had their hands on my breast"

Automatically his long fingers flexed in memory, but he held on tightly to altruism. "Please, let's not go there right now. It's raining in your living room. I can fix it for you. No favors necessary"

Her brown doe eyes looked a little bleary, but they still held suspicion. "Swear?"

"Swear" For a moment he thought she was going to say no, but finally she nodded agreement.

"All right. How are you going to fix it, Mr. Handyman?"

"Well, Miss smartypants, We'll put some plastic sheeting first, and that'll dry things off some. After that, a couple of two-by-fours, and you'll be business temporarily. It's nothing more than a band aid, but it'll hold for awhile"

Bella sneezed once again before wiping her sore red nose. It was clear to Edward she wasn't feeling well. "I think you just might be alright for a guy"

"Got any chicken soup?"

She gave him a confused look "Hungry?"

"No, but you look like you could use some. I could go to the store if your cupboard is bare" From the looks of things, she appeared like a woman with bare cupboards.

"I do believe your trying to get on my good side?"

"Do you have a good side, Miss Swan?"

Bella smiled, a little wobbly, but bright enough to stop the rain. "If you're not careful. Mr. Cullen, I'm going to change my opinion of you"

After chatting for another twenty minutes, Edward left. Promising to be over tomorrow morning to repair her roof. She just hoped she wouldn't regret this.

O~O~O~O

Edward kept his word, 10:00 am sharp, he arrived ready to tackle the day. He was wearing a pair of fadeout dark wash jeans and black tee-shirt. Bella tried to fight her emotions she felt, when ever he made his presents known. He was built all in the right places. She may not be looking for a relationship but that didn't mean she couldn't at a good looking man. Of course, she never had plans to tell him that. No way was she going to feed his ego.

Edward also was having his fair share of a hard time taking his eyes off her. Even though she was sick, he took in the little details that made her attractive. Her smile, laugh, hell just the way she walked was enough to do him in. Pulling his eyes away, quickly he climbed up the ladder, suddenly needing to study the hole in her ceiling. Trying to keep a hard on at bay. He had never had this much of a problem before, what was the hell wrong with him.

On a more rational day, it would have been easy to stay away from Bella Swan. Edward stole a quick look down caught her smile.

Bella sat curled up on the corner chair, sipping hot tea while watching as Edward worked on her ceiling. The cold medicine she'd taken was starting to make her woozy, but she didn't want to sleep, she just wanted to sit here and watch him in action. Watching his tight sexy ass move around while he stood on the step-ladder, was the high light of her day. He hadn't said much since he had arrived, which surprised her. She had figured the Edward Cullens of the world didn't understand the value of silence.

She knew about those charming types who always had a joke or an insincere compliment. The guys that liked to regale the world with the tales of their exploits. Before yesterday she would have bet her Visa bill that Edward was one of them. But she was wrong about today. Being wrong never sat well with Bella, and eventually it bugged her so much that she turned on the stereo, just to fill the silence that was far too comforting. At six o'clock, the calm, melodious tones of Dr. Whitlock filled the house.

"Do you mind listening to her?" Bella asked, liking the way he moved as he worked. Way was it hard for her to look way. His shirt hung loose on his frame, and she could see the strong lines of his arms and back as he lifted the boards into place.

Edward picked up a nail and began to hammer "Dr. Whitlock? She's a little opinionated, don't you think?" He asked "I should know" he whispered.

"Sometimes, but I don't think it hurts to take a stand on things"

"No, I guess not" He said, a smile playing around his mouth. He was humoring her. Bella didn't take humor lightly.

"I bet you think she's too old-fashioned" she shot back.

"I didn't sat that"

"You didn't have to"

"Well, for your information, she's my sister"

"No kidding? That's so amazing"

Edward shrugged " I guess. I mean I am proud of her but she thinks she knows everything"

"Because she does. You should try doing her job sometime" Bella snapped. Guys like him thought everything was so easy. Life was just one big piece of chocolate cake. She thought to herself. Their eyes met, hers daring, his amused.

"Okay, we'll play advice counselor. Turn up the volume" Bella adjusted the knob and they both listened to the female caller's voice.

"Dr. Whitlock, I'm nineteen, and I'm in love a great guy. We've known each other for six months, but I can tell that he's the one. We've been talking about marriage, but I know my parents won't approve. What should I do?"

Bella muted the radio, shot a curious look at Edward. "So, what is your advice, Dr. Cullen?" She asked, laced with sarcasm.

He put down the hammer and leaned on the top step of the ladder. "Elope. Skip the confrontation with the parents and just go for it. Et Tu, Dr. Swan?"

Just as she suspected. Fly-by-night. Entirely irresponsible. She took a sip of tea, mulling over her response. "What about college? What about learning what this guy about? What if he's a deadbeat?" Edward lifted another board and she got a little dry in the mouth in the presence of such amazing biceps. She nearly missed his response.

"What about love?" he asked. At that moment in the world, she was sure that some porker had just sprung wings.

"Your a romantic"

"No, just practical"

"How so?"

"If things don't work out, a divorce, no harm, no foul"

Trust a man to be slapdash about marriage. Jacob hadn't been slapdash. "They should wait. Take their time. Eighteen is too young to get married, and divorce is not an option" He shot her a curious look. " Catholic, Miss Swan?"

Bella raised her chin "No, I just have high standards" Too late. She realized that she might have put her foot in her mouth. "Have you been married before, Mr. Cullen?"

"Nope"

"Have you been married before. Miss Swan?"

"No"

"What about Jacob?"

Instantly Bella was back in New York, back in the townhouse, eating Thursday-night lasagna and playing poker. Jacob couldn't stand to lose, so she would always let him win. In seven years, he never caught on. He just thought she was crappy player.

She drew up her knees tightly, reluctant to talk to Edward about Jacob. She'd already mistaken him for Jacob, while sleeping back at the test lab, and look where that got her. "You almost done up there?" No better way than to change subject.

Edward picked up the hammer once more and begun pounding. "Yeah. Just a few more minutes" They were as different as two men could be. Jacob had dark hair, cut short, practical manner. Edward had that tousled bronze hair that never seemed to stay in place. Jacob was steady and reliable. But Edward Cullen a 24/7 candy store that believed in free samples. The man coasted on a wink and smile. Yet there was Mr. Unreliable, stuck on a ladder fixing her ceiling.

How did that work? Bella shook her head, feeling too tired to contemplate the possibility of being wrong twice in one evening. She leaned her head back against the soft cushions of her chair and listened as Dr. Whitlock dispatched words of wisdom-agreeing with Bella, of course-and gloried in the amazing power of Mr. Unrealisable's biceps.

O~O~O~O

It was almost ten o'clock before her roof was some what restored. The boards looked pretty unslightly, unfinished pine over mangled Sheetrock, but it was a small price to pay now that it no longer rained in her house. If it really got her, she supposed she could paint it a fashionable shade of blue. Edward finished packing up her tools and collapsed on her couch.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" he said, pushing wayward hair out of his eyes. "You look wiped" Actually, she thought he was being kind. She felt miserable, but she couldn't quite force herself to stop watching him. It was like staring after a car wreck. You hate yourself for doing it, but you can't bring yourself to avoid it, either.

"Your sitting on my bed" It was as if she'd told him he was sitting on explosives. He jumped up, and then took a good look around the place. She was too drained to be embarrassed, but her toes curled anyway. She'd never been an incredibly material person, but she did have some pride.

"You don't own anything, do you?" he asked, now leaning against the back of the couch, his hands jammed in his pockets. She watched her pride flutter out the window.

"I manage" she said, tossing her head in a very Mae manner.

"Yeah" he answered, a wealth of disbelief in the word, the Mae gesture completely wasted. It was moment. She knew he should leave, and he knew he should leave as well. Yet, both of them continued talking, trading barbs, as if it was the most natural thing in he world. An insidious memory crept into her mind, the feel of his mouth at her breast. Suddenly the soft material of her robe became unbearable.

He seemed to feel the tension as well "Stay at home tomorrow. Get well" He picked up his overcoat and started to the door.

"I have a conference call scheduled in the morning" she said, willing him to stay.

"I can get Angela to reschedule it for you" he answered, shrugging into his coat.

"No, I want to renegotiate the rate we're getting for cotton batting, and I've finally gotten on the calendar with a VP at JWI Bonded Fibers"

"Then I'll take the call for you" He sounded serious. Even in the drug-induced haze of her brain, she recognized the sincerity in his voice. Curious, she studied him, searching for the punch line. But there didn't seem to be one. "No offense, but I can handle it"

His face cleared, all sincerity gone. Instead, he assumed the vacant look that he seemed to have perfected and shook a warning finger at her. "Fine. Take the call, be stubborn, but if the entire company comes down with the flu, I'm holding you personally responsible"

"I don't have the flu" She said, mainly because she felt like crap and didn't like listening to lectures. Edward stopped in the doorway, then swore softly and turned around "You do have blankets, don't you?"

"There are a couple in the back room"

"Go lie down then," he said, with a gesture at the couch.

While he retrieved the bed linens, Bella sank gratefully onto the long, leather couch. her bones felt as if they were made of water, and as she lay down, she sighed in relief. A warm blanket covered her, her herbal pillow placed under her head. She closed her eyes, comfortable for the first time in days. For a moment he stroked her hair with a gentle hand.

"Good night, Miss Swan"

"Goodnight, Edward Cullen"

There was a click as he flipped off the lights, and the room was shrouded in the night, the rain no longer a miserable thing, now it seemed more like a friend. He walked toward the door, and she lifted her head up, watching his silhouette in the darkness "Edward?"

At her voice, he stopped, and she stated after him. Another time she might have asked him to stay, but it wouldn't be this night. He wasn't the right man, so "Thank you" was what she ended up saying.

"Don't mention it" he replied, and left. Once more Bella was all alone. Quickly she curled into herself, letting sleep wash over her.

So, what did you think?