Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer and not to me… sigh.

Previously…

"You're as white as a ghost. Are you okay?" He said looking at me with a strange expression in his eyes. Was he worried that I had found out about Tanya? Please say it isn't true. Not willing to let him know that I was upset about what I had overheard, I planted a smile on my face that did not emulate my feelings. It reminded me of the smiles I used to wear when I was with James, as I hid my fear.

"I'm fine Edward, just a little tired." I could tell I had not fooled him. He eyed me skeptically for a moment.

"Did she say something –" He started to say, but then stopped short as his eyes shot past me to someone as I heard her voice.

"Edward." Tanya sang and I felt my face fall a little.

Sleeping With A Monster


Chapter 17 – Competition

Edward's eyes darted to my face and I could tell he saw the change in my facial expression. I planted a smile on my face as I turned around in the direction of Tanya's voice. Her approached reminded me of a leopard on the prowl confirming that I was not any competition. I could only hope Edward did not find her sexy, but who was I kidding. Even I could feel her sex appeal rolling off her in waves, crashing into Edward as he looked back at her.

"Tanya." He said coolly addressing her in a flat voice. She placed a hand on his bicep and rubbed it up and down.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" She demanded playfully of Edward before she turned her calculating gaze on me. He turned away from her touch as he introduced us. I couldn't tell if Edward meant to shrug off her hand or if it was a result of motioning during the introduction, but he managed to extract himself from any physical contact with Tanya.

"Bella? This is Tanya Butler." He said looking intently at me for a moment as if he were trying to convey some unspoken message. I did not know what to think. He kept his eyes on me as he continued the introduction. "Tanya, this is Bella Thomas."

"The whole hospital has been buzzing about you, Bella – the girl who caught Edward's eye. It's so nice to meet you – size up the competition." She teased, but her voice had an undercurrent of hostility to it and I knew exactly why. I could feel my anger towards her start to rise. The way she spate the word 'girl' at me was meant as an insult and I knew it. She didn't consider me a serious competitor for Edward's affections, as if I was beneath her, trying to belittle me. Having had my fill of insults and put-downs from James, I had vowed I would not take it anymore. That did not mean I always knew what to do, but I wasn't going to lie down and play dead for her either. If she had such a hold on Edward, why did he feel the need to go out with other women? I could tell she was playing a game with me right now, trying to stake out her territory, letting me know that he would come back to her when he was done with me. She fixed her cold calculating stare on my face, probably trying to gauge my reaction to her. So, I played her little game as my irritation with her egged me on.

"Wow! The whole hospital?" I said in feigned surprise. I turned to a slightly shocked Edward, placed my hand on his cheek and said. "Edward – Sweetie." I said emphasizing 'Sweetie'. "What have you been telling everyone?" He smirked at me realizing what I was doing. I still didn't know if what Tanya had said in the waiting room was true, but that did not mean I had to take any of her crap. If anything I would at least let Tanya know, I was not going to give up and go away just because she thought I should. Edward grabbed my hand on his cheek and moved it to his lips before kissing my palm while he looked down into my eyes.

"Nothing you don't already know, Love." Edward said following my example by emphasizing 'Love'. He brought our hands down and laced his fingers through mine, his eyes glittering with his amusement as he gave me a big grin. I sighed, sounding completely content as I turned to look at Tanya. She had a tight smile etched on her face, but her eyes let me know she ready to murder someone – no, murder me – in cold blood. I met her fierce glare as it tried to burn a hole through the back of my head, unwilling to let her know that she was really starting to scare me. It was the kind of look that told you to watch your back, for you never knew who would be waiting for you in a dark parking lot or alley.

As the overhead paging system squawked 'Paging Dr. Butler, please call Pediatrics,' Tanya's head whipped up to the speaker and she grimaced. I felt myself relax a bit, but she looked back at me and glared, bringing me up short. I quickly decided it was time for Tanya to move on. I smiled and offered her my hand. She hesitated before accepting my handshake, probably taken aback by my friendly gesture.

"It was nice to meet you. Tanya, was it?" I said acting as though it was difficult to remember her name. However, before she could reply, I looked back at Edward.

"Edward? Why have I never heard you talk about Tanya? I might have to keep my eye on you, now that I know you're working with someone like her." I said innocently before I looked back at Tanya and released her hand. I knew she would not take my words as a compliment.

"Likewise, Bella." Tanya sneered and I knew she would be keeping an eye on Edward as well. She turned and walked away.

"Are you ready to get out of here?" Edward smirked as we watched Tanya stomp down the hall. My growling stomach answered for me, and we laughed at the same time. I had come straight from school without grabbing a bite to eat, so I was famished.

"As long as it involves food." I laughed a little embarrassed, not only because of my stomach's betrayal, but also because of my bold exchange with Tanya. I certainly did not regret it, but I wasn't used to going head to head with some like her and coming out on top. I wondered what Edward thought of the whole exchange. I could tell he was amused and willing to play along, but I still wasn't sure about his relationship with Tanya. She made it sound like their relationship was one of convenience – how much more convenient can you get when you work long hours together. Of course, I'm pretty convenient living next door. Ugh! It was stupid that I could let Tanya do this to me. I did not know how I could tell Edward my secret now that she had managed to raise too many doubts in my mind. Maybe I will just give it some time and see how it goes.

"Alright. We can go get something to eat. Do you mind waiting while I get cleaned up and changed?" He asked.

"Go ahead. Where do you want me to wait?" I reassured him.

"You could go back to the waiting room or the children's room." He offered.

"I'll take the children's room, thank-you. I think it's probably the safest place for me to wait." I said as I glanced down the hallway as Tanya rounded the corner before walking into one of the rooms.

"I think you're right." He said as he followed my gaze. "Do you remember your way or do you need me to show you?"

"I think I can manage. You just hurry and get ready. I'm hungry!" I said just as my stomach decided to punctuation my comment with another growl.

"I won't be too long." He said giving my hand a squeeze before he released it and walked-off. I just stood there admiring the view as he walked away. When he was out of sight, I hurried down the hall in the opposite direction to the children's room, not wanting to run into Tanya for a third time. I am sure if I saw her again without Edward by my side, our exchange would be anything but polite. It would most likely boarder along the lines of a vicious catfight.

I walked past the nurse's station and waved to Pamela, who was on the phone. She returned my wave and continued to talk to the caller on the other end of the line. I found the children's room quite easily by following the sounds of children playing. I walked into the room to find about fifteen or so kids of all ages playing with the various toys and games.

"Miss Bella!" I heard a familiar high little voice squeal. I turned in the direction of the voice only to feel two little arms wind around one of my legs. I looked down to see Claire looking up at me with a big grin on her face.

"Claire Bear!" I said returning her excitement as I reached down to scoop her up in my arms. She let out another squeal and hugged me fiercely with her little arms around my neck. She pulled away and turned her head back in the direction she had come from.

"Uncle Jake! Look. It's Miss Bella!" She said excitedly. I followed her gaze to see, much to my surprise, Jacob Black from the gas station. He looked good in his black tee shirt, loose fitting blue jeans and black cowboy boots. His black straight hair hung loosely around his shoulders, instead of in the usual ponytail I had seen him wear at the garage. He is going to make a lucky girl very happy one day, I thought to myself warmly. He was sitting in one of the chairs, Barbie doll in hand. He had an amused expression on his face as recognition set in.

"I would have never pegged you for a Barbie doll man, Jacob." I laughed.

"Well, I'm G. I. Joe kind of guy myself, but since they didn't have any, I had to settle for Barbie." he laughed as he got up out of the chair and walked over to Claire and me. He handed her the doll and ruffled her hair. She swatted Jacob's hand away and giggled before she wiggled in my arms to get down. I bent down and released Claire to the floor as she skipped away to the playhouse with the Barbie doll. I straightened up and looked at Jacob as he watched Claire for a moment. His face looked worried making him look older than he probably was.

"So Claire is you niece?" I asked, breaking Jacob out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. She's my sister's daughter." He said, still a little distracted before he turned to me and said. "How do you know her?"

"I volunteered to lead reading time earlier this evening." I informed him while we walked over to where he had been sitting with Claire and sat down.

"So… How do you like Arizona so far?" Jacob said, his mood visibly brightening.

"It's great. I have a job and I've made a few friends." I said blushing a little at the last part, thinking of Edward. We talked for a time about my job and the classes I taught. Jacob talked about the shop. Come to find out, he was part owner in the shop with his dad who was now a silent partner since an automobile accident that left him in a wheelchair. Claire came over a few times to show us a doll or some other toy she was playing with.

"Did you know she has Leukemia?" Jacob suddenly said, as he gazed over at Claire.

"No. Jacob, I'm so sorry." I said sadly. I could not imagine the pain and sorrow her parents must be going through.

"The doctors say her chances are good because they caught it early. But there's always a chance…" Jacob said, as his voice trailed off, still watching Claire.

"She is in good hands, Jacob. I'm sure her doctors will do all they can for her." I offered. I knew Edward was one of her pediatricians, but I didn't know if he would continue to care for her or if Claire would go to an oncologist.

"She's so young to have to be dealing with something like this." Jacob said as he leaned over in his chair, elbows on his knees while he supported his head in his hands, clearly distressed. I placed my hand on his shoulder and rubbed it to comfort him.

"It will be okay, Jacob." I said offered, hoping to make him feel better, as I continued to rub his shoulder. I glanced up and saw Edward standing at the doorway staring at me with a strange look on his face. I smiled at him and his gave me my favorite crooked smile. He looked delicious wearing brown cargo pants and a cream-colored short-sleeved button up, his hair still glistening from his shower. Several of the top buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned, giving a glimpse of his toned chest causing my insides to melt. I turned to Jacob, anxious to get back to Edward.

"Hey Jacob, I have to go. Are you going to be okay?" I said hoping he would cheer up a little.

"Sure, sure." He said as he straightened up. "Thanks for listening." He said with a small smile. As I stood up to go, Jacob stood up with me and gave me a hug.

"Trust her doctors and try not to worry too much." I said before he released me. He nodded as I stepped away.

"Bye Bella." He said as Claire came back over to him. She waved at me as Jacob picker her up to hug her.

"See you later!" I said, waving at the pair before I turned and walked over to join Edward.

"Are you ready?" Edward asked sweetly before he glanced behind me at Jacob, his brow furrowed at little. "Who is that with Claire?"

"That's her uncle, Jacob." I said, wondering what he was thinking.

"You know him?" Edward pressed a little for more information and I wondered if he was feeling a little threatened.

"Yeah. He's only the first person I met here in Arizona." I teased, remembering the conversation I had with Edward that first day I met him when he feigned hurt that he was not the first person I met here.

"Oh." was all Edward could say. I started to wonder what was wrong, when Edward suddenly brightened and said. "At least I was the best-looking." I felt the blush on my cheeks as Edward reminded me of my comment when we first met. Edward laughed as we walked down the hall.

"Let's go eat." I said, acting impatient with him as I shook my head, but I could not hide my smile. Besides it was true, Edward was the best looking – ever.

*********

"Bella! Are you ready to go?" I heard Alice shout as she came in the house from the front door.

"Yeah, just let me grab my purse!" I yelled back.

"Jeez, Bella. There's no need to shout." Alice said, suddenly by my side causing me to jump in surprise as I picked up my purse off the dresser in my bedroom.

"Argh! How did you get in here so fast?" I said my hand flying up to my heart.

"Silly Bella." She shot back shaking her head at me. I just looked at her trying to figure out how she could move so fast without killing herself. I was used to taking things a little slower as to not trip over my feet.

"Whatever." I muttered under my breath.

"So, what time is Edward picking you up?" Alice said as she eyed my outfit with a frown, making me a little self-conscience about my brown form fitting t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Not until ten o'clock tonight."

"Really!" Alice said mischievously. I could see the light bulb go on in her head at the prospect of me being available to shop until then.

"No! Alice, I have strict instructions from Edward to get a nap this afternoon so I can stay awake to watch the meteor shower. It doesn't even get going until after midnight." I laughed remembering how adamant Edward was about me getting a nap in before we left. He said he didn't want to get me all the way out there to watch the shower only to have me sleep through it.

"Bellaaaa!" Alice whined before she stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.

"I'll tell you what. You can have me until two o'clock." I told her, knowing full well she would keep me until four.

"That's not enough time." She continued to whine.

"Edward has threatened to come and get me if you keep me out too long." I shock my finger at her as if I was scolding her.

"Oh stop with the schoolmarm act. He can't do anything about it if he's working." I could tell she was getting annoyed that I was fighting her on this. It was too much fun getting her riled.

"Only until four and then he's coming back for a nap as well." I countered.

"Well then, I guess I get you until four!" Alice laughed as she pushed me out the door and into her yellow Porsche. The last time I went shopping with Alice, I drove. I had no idea what I was in for when she got behind the wheel. It was the first time since moving to Arizona that I was truly afraid for my life. To say she was a scary driver was an understatement. She drove much to fast, tailgated at such a close distance I could have sworn our bumper was attached to the car in front of us, and she never slowed down to take a corner. She drove the same speed everywhere – fast. When we finally pulled into the mall parking lot, I had to pry my fingers off the armrest of the door.

Four hours later, we were still shopping strong. My feet were killing me and I was hungry. However, I knew the sooner we finished, the sooner I could go back to my place for a nap. I seriously needed one now that Alice had run me from one end of the mall to the other three times.

"Time for a swimming suit." Alice chirped.

"What?" My voice getting higher.

"I'm assuming by your reaction, you don't have one." She gave me a knowing smile.

"What do I need with a swimsuit?" I wondered aloud.

"Unless you want to sit in the boat next weekend and watch the rest of us swim, you can. But, it's going to be hot and you will probably want to cool off in the water. By the way do you water ski?" She said in a rush as she pushed me towards a rack full of tiny pieces of fabric disguising themselves as swimwear.

"What are you talking about?" I said trying to keep up with Alice's ramblings.

"Jasper and I are taking out the boat next weekend. You know… Labor Day weekend? I'm assuming you don't have to work it." She said like it was obvious.

"Oh. I didn't know you were going." I was still wondering what she was talking about. I did not know they had a boat.

"I guess Edward hasn't asked you yet. Maybe Jasper forgot to say something to him." Alice said with a confused look on her face.

"Maybe he wasn't planning on asking me." I said quietly. What if he was planning to take someone else, or worse yet, Tanya? Maybe he didn't want to take anyone. I was still worrying about the supposed drawer Tanya said Edward had given her at his place. I heard Alice let out a loud huff before she pinched to my arm, hard.

"Ouch! Alice, what was that for?" I almost shrieked as I rubbed the sore spot that was sure to bruise later.

"Of course he's planning on asking you." Alice said as if it was as plain as the nose on my face.

"Did he tell you he was?" I asked wondering if she would be as confident about Edward's intentions if she knew what I overheard during Tanya's phone conversation earlier in the week.

"He doesn't have to. You don't see the change in Edward like I do. Before you came along, he barely made time to do things with any of us. He was always too busy, always at the hospital, never making time to date, always the fifth wheel. However, when he is with you he smiles, laughs, he even jokes around. Believe me, before you he was always serious, always in control, never letting loose and having fun." Alice said in a rush, her hands fluttering around her head as she spoke.

"Come on Alice. You make Edward sound like a career drive zombie." I said not quite willing to believe that I could affect someone like that.

"He was. However, with you he is a completely different person; he's… happy." Alice said with a wistful smile.

Alice painted a completely different picture of Edward than Tanya's earlier comments did. My instincts were telling me to believe Alice's version of Edward over Tanya's and I wanted to. On top of that, I knew I could trust Alice over Tanya any day. But still… I trusted my instincts when it came to James, and look how that turned out. 'Wow, talk about trust issues' I scoffed at myself. I knew enough not to blindly follow Alice or Tanya's opinions completely. I would keep them both in mind, as I decided I could not deny my desire to push forward with Edward and see where this took me. As for telling him my secret – when the time was right, I would do it. Alice broke me out of my thoughts as she started to pull swimsuits off the rack and pushed them into my arms.

*********

"Wow! Edward, it's beautiful up here." I said reverently as I looked out over the precipice we had settled on to watch the meteor shower. The view was amazing in the rapidly dwindling light. Edward drove us up into the high desert north of Phoenix to watch the night sky.

"Yeah. I am glad we left a little early. It would have been a shame to miss the view before moon dips below the horizon." Edward said as he stared down at me. I glanced at him and blushed realizing he was talking about a different view.

"So what do we do until the meteor shower starts?" I asked innocently.

"I'm sure we can think of something." Edward said as he stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I placed my arms on top of his and leaned back into his chest as he rested his chin on top of my head. We stood there in silence for some time, enjoying the view of the valley bathed in the soft moonlight.

"Let's get set up before we can't see anything." Edward said kissing the top of my head before he removed his hands from around my waist. He grabbed my hand and led me back to the jeep. I laughed internally as I thought back to when he came to pick me up earlier wearing Levis and an olive green tee-shirt, stretched taut across his toned chest. I would have been happy to just sit around ogling Edward all night. I nervously eyed the monster jeep waiting in front of my house, wondering how I was to get into it. Edward chortled before he effortlessly lifted me in and helped me with the five-point harness. Apparently, the jeep belonged to Emmett who had graciously loaned it to Edward for tonight's date. I wondered what Rose thought of that and if she would give Emmett any crap for it.

Edward was prepared with drinks, snacks, a star chart, binoculars, bug spray and even flashlights with red cellophane over the light beam. When I had asked about the flashlights earlier, he said it was so the white light of the flashlight did not blind us. Our eyes would take at least 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness. The red cellophane would help to preserve our 'night vision'. Edward proceeded to spray down my exposed skin and my snug fitting purple tee shirt and blue jeans with bug spray telling me he didn't want the mosquitoes to drain me like a vampire. When he had finished with me, he quickly sprayed himself. Edward handed me a large denim quilt while he grabbed a cooler, a backpack and more blankets. I laughed at all the blankets, wondering why we needed so many in Arizona. 'It's not as if it gets cold around here in August,' I thought to myself.

"Care to share with the rest of the class, Miss Thomas?" Edward queried like a teacher.

"What's with all the blankets? Haven't you noticed how hot it is here?" I said shaking my head.

"Maybe so, but the desert tends to get cold at night especially at this elevation – even in August." He said knowingly.

"Really. Are you sure there isn't some other reason you brought all these blankets?" I teased wiggling my eyebrows at him, seeing if I could get a rarely seen blush out of Edward.

"That too." He laughed before he rewarded me with a much-anticipated blush clearly visible in the light coming from the interior of the jeep. He closed the jeep and we started to hike to our viewing spot. The terrain was rugged and I struggled a bit, never having been much of hiker. The clumsiness of my youth usually managed to rule out that activity while I was growing up. Edward was very patient with me as we took it slow in the dim light. We made our way over to an outcropping of rocks and found a good spot that faced east allowing for the best viewing of the meteor shower. Edward set down his stuff and climbed up onto the rocks. He leaned down and took the quilt from me before he folded it in half and laid it across a large flat boulder. Another boulder rose up at a reclined angle to the boulder Edward was standing on. It formed a nice backrest so we could lean back against the boulder and watch the meteors. I handed him up the rest of the items before he reached down and helped my up onto the rock.

"So is this where you bring all your other girls - to your own personal 'inspiration point'?" I teased Edward as I motioned to the Edward's cozy little setup before me.

"I'm offended that you would suggest such a thing." Edward scoffed in mock pain, but before I could reply, he quickly added. "You're the only person I've ever brought up here, Bella."

"Seriously?" I said a little hopeful at the prospect, as I attempted to squelch the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth, trying to play it cool.

"The only one." He said firmly. I looked away, a little embarrassed by the intensity of his gaze. Edward sat down in the middle of the blanket with his back up against the boulder that rose up behind and motioned for me to sit in front of him in between his legs. I sat down leaning back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders before he sighed and buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. I chuckled at the thought of how disgusting my hair must smell after all that bug spray as I caressed little trails up and down his bare forearms with my finger tips.

"Like the aroma of bug spray in my hair?" I said a little disgusted at the way the spray felt against my skin – sticky and icy cold as the alcohol evaporated.

"Smells like strawberries… covered in bug spray. It's quite the intoxicating turn on." He teased with a soft laugh as he lifted his head and rested it on my shoulder.

"Mmmm. Maybe I should wear it all the time." I offered.

"Will you? Please?" He mocked back.

"Anything for you." I laughed back.

"Promise?" He said huskily as he moved the hair off my shoulder and started to place little kisses on my neck. I shivered in response to the touch of his lips on my skin and tilted my head to the side to allow him better access. I closed my eyes and moaned softly. Edward's arms tightened around my body in response. I opened my eyes for a moment when I caught sight of the silver streak of a meteor shooting across the sky.

"I… think it's… starting." I whispered breathlessly to Edward, having a hard time concentrating on what I was trying to say as he continued to trail kisses along my neck and jaw.

"Hm… love?… What's… starting?" He mumbled against my skin in between his kisses.

"The… meteor… shower." I sighed, not caring about why we were out in the middle of the desert anymore. I just wanted to attack this gorgeous man that was igniting a trail of desire everywhere his lips touched my skin. I turned my head, slightly turning my body around towards him and captured his lips with mine in a soft gentle kiss. He cradled my head in his arms as I reached up one hand and wound my fingers in the hair at the back of his neck. We continued to kiss each other softly for a few minutes before Edward raised his head and let out a content sigh. He gently caressed my cheek with his hand as he looked into my eyes.

"Bella? I want to talk to you about 'us'." He said in a serious tone. A feeling of dread started to creep along my scalp at all the things Edward could say. If it had not been for Tanya and her comments, I probably would not be feeling this way. Unfortunately, the seeds of doubt were sown and I was left trying to fight it back like a nasty weed in my flower garden that would not go away. I straightened up and pulled out of his grasped as I turned around to face him. I was still in between his legs, but I was now sitting on my knees with my hands in my lap before I looked up at him. I was glad the light was dim, afraid he would see that I was a little nervous to hear what he had to say. What if he told me he wanted to see other people, not that we were exclusive, but living next door to him did afford me the knowledge that he probably wasn't bring other women home with him. His behavior thus far had not led me to believe that he didn't want to see me anymore. Maybe he just wanted to make it clear that he did see other people - like Tanya.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant, deciding to plunge ahead. If it was bad news, I wanted to get this over with. Edward looked at me for a moment before he started to speak. It was too dark to gauge his reactions fully. He leaned forward and grabbed both my hands in his before he spoke again.

"I wanted to ask you if we could date each other exclusively; you know – date only each other and no one else." Edward said. He sounded a little nervous. It still floored me that he was not sure of me. My reactions to him were so transparent there was no way he could not know how I felt about him.

"Edward? Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" I said, a big grin spreading out over my face. He chuckled lightly.

"I was afraid it would sound too much like we were in high school if I asked you to be my girlfriend. But that's exactly what I'm asking you." Even in the soft moon light, I see his eyes shining with anticipation and I could hear the sincerity in his voice. In that moment, I knew I could believe him, completely.

"Yes, Edward. I'll be your girlfriend." I said suddenly feeling like a shy teenager. Edward exhaled in relief and we laughed as the tension around us eased. He pulled me back towards him and we resituated ourselves so I was sitting across his lap, head on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around me. A light breeze swept up from the valley below and I shivered at the unexpected chill it held. Edward grabbed one of the other blankets and wrapped it around us.

"Oooo! Look at that one." Edward said pointing towards the horizon as a bright shooting star streaked across the sky.

"Wow! That was a bright one." I said surprised at how long the meteor burned across the sky before it faded away. It seemed to punctuate the moment between us as we took our relationship to a more committed level. The shooting star was beautiful and seemed to add to the feeling that fate was playing a roll.

I felt his hand under my chin he pulled my face away from the horizon. I looked up at him from under my eyelashes and I could see his eyes smoldering at me. His lips claimed mine in a passionate kiss and I moaned into his mouth, as the electrical current that usually past between us ignited into a fire that spread throughout my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck before I brought my hands up to run them through his hair. He sighed in response before he deepened our kiss as our tongues wrestled for dominance. His free hand ran up and down my back before traveling down my hip and thigh to my knee and back up again before plunging his fingers into my hair.

Edward gently placed me back onto the blanket as I slid off his lap and he stretched out next to me, leaning his upper body over mine as we continued kissing. He broke off to devour my neck as I gasp trying to catch my breath and I could feel his breath coming fast against my skin. I hitched my leg across his hip wanting to get closer. He responded by grabbing the back of my leg and pulling me closer still. I could tell our passion was quickly escalating to a point I wasn't sure I wanted to cross, but it was too easy with him. So natural that if my life had been different, I would not have hesitated giving myself to him completely. But, I could not do that until he knew everything. I did not want to cross that line without telling him who I was. It would not be fair to him, to us. I needed him to want me for me, all of me, including my past. Not just the façade I had built for myself after leaving James.

Edward brought his mouth back to mine and we continued to kiss getting lost in each other. Luckily, Edward was the perfect gentleman and never pushed for more. I don't know if he sensed my hesitation to further our physical relationship or if he still felt the need to continue to take it slow, but he didn't try to take it any further. The urgency of our kissing slowed before he pulled back and looked down at me, stroking my cheek with his hand.

"That was even better knowing I was kissing my girlfriend." He said gently. I softly laughed for joy as his words settled into my heart.

A/N: Thanks for reading and for the reviews guys! It really puts a happy song in my heart – cheesy, I know! ;}

Sorry I didn't get this one out sooner, but my week got crazy; throw in a sick day, and I was playing catch-up the rest of the time. I hope you enjoy! – SavageWoman