A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, read or added my story to their alerts and favourites. It encourages me to keep going!

Thanks to MrsKatyCullen for betaing this for me.

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Chapter 7

Edward wondered how a day could go so slow and simultaneously, so fast.

He couldn't wait for his date with Bella. Their first proper date, though he had fond memories of their dinner at the pizza place on Tuesday night.

The night he'd kissed her. He'd been fantasising about kissing her all day, pressing his lips against her plump, delicious ones. All through their dinner, as she talked and laughed, the desire grew. By the end of the night, Edward couldn't help himself, he had to kiss her or go mad. Not knowing what kind of reception he'd get, but unable to stop anyway, he'd leant down and fulfilled this particular fantasy.

And she had felt like heaven. The surge of desire he felt as their lips touched had been nearly overwhelming. Her mouth was like the softest velvet, tasting of pizza, coke and a flavour that could only be Bella. She had moaned softly when he ran his tongue over her bottom lip and it had only been with the greatest self-control that he didn't increase the pressure and ravage her mouth. He had deliberately held his body away from hers, not wanting to scare her with the evidence of what she did to him.

Any thought of denying this pull she had over him, of avoiding getting involved with a colleague had disappeared like mist in the hot sun. This attraction was stronger than any he'd felt before. It was like Bella was a magnet and he was helplessly caught in her force field.

Despite knowing that she would hound him for information, he'd asked Alice for Bella's number. He wanted to know where this attraction could lead and hoped that Bella felt the same. He'd start by doing the traditional thing. Ask her out on a date.

As expected, Alice had not simply given him the information he wanted. She had to extract as much information as possible first.

"So you do like Bella. I knew it."

"Just give me her number Alice."

"Are you going to ask her out?"

"It's none of your business."

"Of course it's my business. You're my brother and she's my friend. That makes it my business."

"Alice!"

"I saw the way you looked at each other on Saturday. It made me hot!"

Oh god! It was even worse than he'd expected. "Alice, are you going to give me her number or not?"

"Yes, yes, of course I will. So, where are you planning to take her?"

Unable to fight a lost cause, Edward gave in. "I'm not sure. Somewhere in Port Angeles, I suppose. You'll have to recommend somewhere."

"Oh yes! I know some great spots. There's..."

"Alice, please just give me Bella's number so that maybe I'll actually have someone to take with me," he said sarcastically.

Alice giggled and told him. "Are you going to ring her now?"

"Yes, if you'll get off the phone first."

"Ok, ok, I'm going. Make sure you ask her nicely."

"What do think I'm going to do? Subpoena her? I have asked girls out before you know," he retorted.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Good luck."

Alice finally got off the phone. Now that he actually had Bella's number, he felt nervous about ringing her. What if she didn't want to see him? What if he'd gotten the signals mixed up? Steeling himself, he'd dialled the number.

He'd felt something close to euphoria when she'd said yes. Unable to help himself, he admitted to her that she'd been on his mind constantly and wished she was next to him when she'd replied that she had felt the same. He'd have kissed and held her until they both felt dizzy.

His body told him that it wanted more, much more but Edward was going to take it slow, if possible. He wanted to get to know her, really know her and if that meant denying his body's urges until the time was right, then that's what he'd do. If he could.

Edward dreamed about Bella that night, dreams where he did all the things he wanted to do with her, that his body craved to do with her. He woke up, his body aching. Groaning, he rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, with little success.

Heavy eyed, his mood had instantly lifted the moment he saw Bella. God, he wanted her. Her reaction when he told her he wanted to kiss her was priceless. He was hard pressed not to laugh out aloud. If they'd been alone, he would have done it.

All day long, the awareness between them had been strong and constant. Every look, every touch, accidental or otherwise had been imbued with the sexual chemistry that flowed between them. To others, they appeared as nothing more than colleagues, but both Bella and Edward knew otherwise.

Edward was now driving his Volvo to pick her up, his body alive with anticipation. He felt like a teenager going on his first date, all nerves and excitement. He'd changed clothes three times, not happy with these jeans, this shirt was too loose, too casual, too dressy. Finally satisfied, he'd picked up the flowers he'd bought on his way home and left the house.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on her door, able to hear her moving around inside. As the door opened, the breath was knocked out of him. Bella was so beautiful, so sexy, his body leapt in response. She was wearing a tight fitting pair of jeans which left nothing of her shape to the imagination. The high heeled boots only accentuated the length of her legs even more. This was teamed with a silky blue top that hugged her breasts and exposed her throat and most of her shoulders.

Was she psychic? How was it that she happened to be wearing Edward's favourite colour? His eyes moved up to her face, her delicate blush highlighting her natural beauty and her warm brown eyes, all framed by her glorious hair. Hair he fantasised about too often to count.

"Hi Edward," she smiled shyly.

"Bella. You are too beautiful for words. You take my breath away." He held out the flowers he'd brought.

Her delightful blush suffused her face as she accepted the flowers. "Thank you. These are beautiful," she said as she smelled the soft pink roses. Edward was glad he'd picked the roses. They had reminded him of her, beautiful, delicate but deceptively strong.

"I'm glad you like them. They reminded me of you."

She smiled again. "I think you're trying to smooth talk me."

Edward chuckled at the suspicious look she gave him. "Believe me, every word is true. You can't know how much I've looked forward to tonight."

"Come in, while I put these in water," she said, turning around and walking towards the kitchen.

Edward nearly groaned as he watched her walk. Her backside was faithfully outlined in those jeans and he was practically salivating. Pull yourself together man. She's not a piece of steak. No, but I'd love to get my mouth on her. Edward shook his head and dragged his thoughts from the gutter before he disgraced himself.

He looked around as he followed her, noting the homely touches she'd added to the apartment. Bright cushions and throw rugs added colour, along with the bright abstract prints on the wall. A side table held an array of photos and Edward was tempted to inspect them. Her small, but modern kitchen, with its table and chairs was quaint, pots and utensils hanging overhead.

"So, where are we going?" she asked as she found a vase.

"Alice suggested a place called Pete's Steakhouse. Said they do a great steak along with other meals, if you're not into steak."

"I've heard of it. It's got a good name. I've never been there so it sounds good." She threw the rubbish away and washed her hands. "Ok, I'm ready."

Oh, so am I! "Let's go," he said instead, leading her out to the car.

"Nice car," she commented as she sunk into the leather seats.

"It's just a car," he shrugged. "It's got a great safety rating, its economical and it runs well. That's all I'm interested in," he admitted. "I'm not really into the whole car thing."

"And you a doctor," she teased, shaking her head. "Isn't it a rule or something that doctor's have to have a fancy car. A BMW at least."

Edward chuckled. "Haven't got to that part in the textbooks yet, so I can claim ignorance."

The light hearted conversation continued all the way to Port Angeles. Edward was surprised that, despite their constant awareness of each other, they were so comfortable together. Conversation seemed to come easily, even the pauses comfortable rather than awkward.

In the background Edward had classical music playing. Bella asked what the tune was and he told her 'Claire de Lune' by Debussy.

"You know, I know heaps of classical music but I often don't know the name. You can name me a tune and I'll think I don't know it until its played and then I'll be, of course I know this," explained Bella.

"That's quite common. It's because so much classical music is used as background music in movies and tv that you know it without realising it. Do you know my love of classical music started when I was a kid watching Looney Tunes?"

"Wow, I loved the Looney Tunes characters," exclaimed Bella. "I probably know every cartoon made."

"You're not the only one. Do you realise how much classical music was used in those cartoons?"

"I never thought about it, but you're right. The only one I consciously recognised was 'The Barber of Seville' because the title was in the cartoon with Bugs and Elmer Fudd."

"I loved that one," laughed Edward. "Who was your favourite character? Mine was Daffy Duck. He was such a pain in the ass but he cracks me up every time."

"I loved Daffy too but my favourite was Sylvester. I wished that once, just once, he managed to eat that smart alec,Tweetybird."

They laughed together as they reminisced about their favourite cartoon episodes and it seemed that in no time at all they were pulling up outside the restaurant in Port Angeles.

Edward guided Bella inside, his hand on the small of her back, a courtly old-world gesture he'd learned from his father and which came naturally to him.

They were led to their table and handed their menus.

"What would you like to drink Bella?" he asked.

"Just a lemon, lime and bitters to start, I think," she replied with a smile. "I don't think you'd be too impressed if I got drunk on the first date."

"Oh, I don't know. I would certainly see another side of Bella Swan."

"No, I think I need to keep a clear head. Besides, I want to remember everything about tonight."

Edward reached over and stroked the back of her hand with his finger, loving the feel of her soft skin. Bella looked at him and turned her hand so that he was stroking the palm of her hand. Edward was having trouble remembering what they were doing here.

Neither said a word, their concentration on where their hands were touching, until the waitress came to take their order, her eyes continually on the hot guy with the great hair.

"I'm really glad you came tonight," said Edward.

"Me too."

"I meant what I said the other day. I really can't stop thinking about you. I don't know why, but you've affected me like this from the moment we met. It's never happened to me before," he admitted.

Bella's eyes softened as she looked at him. "I know what you're feeling. I don't seem to have any control over this. I swore I would never go out with someone I worked with, but I can't stop this...whatever this is."

At her words, Edward felt a lightness through his whole being, felt like he could soar. "Why don't we get to know each other and find out?"

Bella only nodded, reaching for his hand again. She was the first to break the silence. "I've haven't been in a relationship for a long time."

"Why not? You are so beautiful, smart, sexy. I can't believe that no-one's been interested in you," he asked, amazed at the stupidity of the males around here.

"It's not that. I've had offers but, I don't know, no-one appealed to me. I was happy with my work, my friends. I just wasn't interested. Until you arrived." He saw the colour in her cheeks and reached out to stroke it.

"Don't be embarrassed. I'm flattered and honoured that you feel that way. Because it's the same for me. I've avoided relationships for years now, just had light hearted affairs which didn't affect me."

"Am I one of those?" she asked quietly.

"No. It's different with you. Like you, I don't know what this is, what it can be, but I want to find out. I want to explore this 'thing' with you. I really like you Bella, more than like you. I'm drawn to you like nothing I've ever known before." He looked at her beautiful face. "And I really, really want to kiss you."

Bella smiled at him. "I have no objection to that."

Edward sucked in his breath and was glad he was sitting down with a table covering him. "Count yourself warned, I will be kissing you tonight," he warned her huskily.

"Looking forward to it," she replied.

Just then the waitress returned with their orders, breaking the sensual spell between them.

Their conversation became a little less heated as they ate, much to Edward's relief.

"How did you know blue is my favourite colour?" he asked.

"Is it? I didn't know. I'll have to remember that next time."

"Bella, are you going to the Yule Ball?" He'd been asked if he was planning to go the annual event held for the staff at the nearby Country Club. Not knowing anything about it he'd asked for more details.

The event was strictly black tie and was a chance for the staff to let their hair down after a busy year. It was held a week or two before Christmas and apparently was roaring success every year."

"The Yule Ball? I hadn't planned on going," she replied.

"I was asked if I would be attending and thought it sounded like fun. Would you go with me?"

Bella looked at him with wide eyes. "You want to go with me? You do realise that everyone will gossip about us all night?"

Edward's heart sank a little at her answer. Didn't she want to go with him? "I know, but I don't really care. Bella, I more than anyone, should care, but I don't. I just want to spend the evening with you."

"What do you mean, 'more than anyone'?" she asked curiously, latching on to his words.

Edward sighed and ran his hand through his mop of hair. He hadn't meant to say anything but her non-answer had stung.

"You know how Carlisle didn't inform you I was starting because of 'issues' with my previous hospital?" She nodded and he continued. "I was the victim of a false sexual harassment allegation."

"Oh Edward, what happened?"

Inordinately glad that she didn't automatically assume that the allegations were true, Edward told her the story of Tanya and her delusions. He left nothing out, the anger in his voice evident.

Reaching out, she took his hand, giving him comfort. "I'm sorry that happened. Obviously Tanya has a problem to assume so much from such an innocent action. I'm glad that you were cleared. Not that I would have believed any of it, even after such a short time knowing you. And yes, I'd love to go to the Ball with you."

He squeezed her hand gently. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you for inviting me," protested Bella gently.

"No, not for that. For not believing the worst. For not wondering if there was any truth to the lies."

"Edward. I may not have known you for long, but I think I'm a pretty good judge of character and I couldn't believe it of you. As if you'd need to harass anybody to go out with you. Besides, anyone who loves babies as much as me, couldn't have done that," she teased.

"You're wonderful, do you know that?"

"Now you're making me blush again."

"That's not terribly hard. And besides, I love seeing you blush."

When their meal finished, Edward suggested they go for a walk on the waterfront. It was late November but it was a clear night. They both had their jackets and Bella readily agreed. Driving the Volvo down to the waterfront, Edward took her hand as they walked slowly, the gentle lap of the water against the shore providing the background music.

"Edward, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Why haven't you been involved in a serious relationship? You're handsome and eligible. Did you just want to play the field? Is that it?"

Edward stopped and looked at her. "Bella, I'm going to tell you something I've never told another woman. You need to know this because I want you to go into this with your eyes open, knowing all the facts. If afterwards you don't want to see me, I'll understand," he said sadly.

The moment of truth had arrived. The secret that only his family knew, which he'd never divulged to a woman, the reason he'd never attempted a serious relationship. He hoped and prayed that Bella wouldn't turn away.

"What is it Edward?" she asked worriedly. "You've got me scared now."

Seeing the fear and question in her face, Edward took her in his arms and held her close. Even with their bulky coats, it was magic to hold her in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, Bella." He let her go, took her hand in his and recommenced walking. "When I was 19 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer."

Bella squeezed his hand in support but didn't say anything.

"It was a huge shock, that's for sure, as there wasn't any history of it in the family that we knew of. I was in my first year of medical school, going out, having fun, all the things you do when you're at college when this happened. I needed to have radiation and chemotherapy to fight it, and I was eventually pronounced free of the disease."

"And there's been no recurrence? No secondries?" asked Bella.

"No. I was regularly screened for five years and there's been nothing. Unfortunately, the side effect of the radiation and chemotherapy was that I was rendered infertile."

"I'm so sorry," sympathised Bella. "There's no chance?"

"The oncologist said that in less than ten percent of cases, the body can eventually heal itself and start producing sperm again but I'm not hopeful. Before I started treatment Dad suggested I store my sperm in case I did become infertile and I wanted to have children later. At 19 it wasn't really at the forefront of my mind, although I've always loved kids, but I did as he suggested. So, I can probably father children, just not the way nature designed," he smiled ruefully.

"Is that why you get so upset when you see the way some people disregard their babies' health and welfare?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. At first it didn't bother me so much, I was just concentrating on beating the cancer and then catching up on the studies I missed while I was in treatment. But as the years went on, I became more and more thankful for Dad's wisdom." Edward looked at Bella. "I steered clear of serious relationships because it's not something I really wanted to bring up and talk about."

"Why are you bringing it up now, with me then?" asked Bella gently.

"Because, as I said earlier, you're different. What I'm feeling is different. I want to give you the facts and allow you to make the decision on whether we see where this leads. It wouldn't be fair of me to let you take things further without knowing the truth. This isn't about whether we like the same football team, this is something that could have a profound effect on our lives if it came to that in the future. I've seen you with the babies and I know you would make the best mother one day. You need to know that it may not be possible with me."

Edward stopped talking and looked down, his whole being filled with tension. What would she do? Would she walk away? He wouldn't blame her if she did. It was pretty serious talk on a first date, but he couldn't live with himself if he hurt her in the future because she didn't know all the facts from the outset. Mentally, he began steeling himself for her rejection, knowing it would hurt like hell.

"Edward" Bella turned and looked at him, raising her hand and resting it on his cheek, gently stroking. "Thank you for being so honest with me. I know that must have been really difficult for you. But it doesn't make any difference with me. I've never been drawn to anyone like I'm drawn to you. I can't walk away from this. Let's take things one day at a time and if one day, we come to that bridge, we'll cross it then. For now, I just want to be with you. You're important to me already and I can't let that go."

Edward could feel the moisture in his eyes and ruthlessly pushed them away. She still wanted to be with him. She knew the truth and was accepting him how he was.

He looked down into her beautiful face, her deep brown eyes showing nothing but acceptance and he knew he couldn't wait any longer. Pulling her into him, their bulky jackets in the way, he leaned down and kissed her.

This kiss wasn't like the one he'd given her on Tuesday. This kiss contained all the suppressed passion and desire he'd felt since the day they met.

Bella's arms encircled his neck while his tightened around her waist, letting her feel the evidence of what she did to him.

Their lips melded together, moving in perfect harmony. Edward increased the pressure, his tongue seeking entry to the delights of her mouth. Bella opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to duel gently with hers.

Edward's pulse was racing and his breathing was becoming erratic. One hand tangled in her long hair, holding her steady as the kiss went on and on. Eventually, Edward trailed his lips over her cheek and to a spot below her ear. Her ragged moan resonated through his heated body as he licked the delicate skin there. Her coat hindered any further progress, so Edward stopped. He leaned his forehead against hers, evidence of their ragged breathing misting in the cold air.

"Thank you," whispered Edward.

"For the kiss?" teased Bella.

"Yes, for the kiss, for tonight and for not walking away," he replied, giving her another quick, sensual kiss. "It's getting pretty cold. I'd better get you home."

Bella nodded and they made their way back to the car, Edward's arm around her shoulders. Every now and then, he would kiss her temple and he would feel the shiver that coursed through her. He felt so...so...he couldn't describe it. If he had wings, he'd probably take off. This feeling of happiness was foreign to him. It was all Bella's doing.

On the drive back, Edward held Bella's hand in his, his thumb stroking her skin. After the heaviness of their previous conversation, they kept things light, telling each other amusing tales of things they'd seen at work.

"One time, this heavily pregnant woman was walking down the hall to the waiting area. As she walked past me I noticed that her dress was caught in her underwear. She'd obviously been to the ladies room and hadn't noticed what happened. She was walking pretty fast so I practically had to chase her down the hallway. When I finally caught up, I stood behind her and whispered what was happening. The poor thing went bright red, hastily pulled out her dress and sat down. I know she was trying to ignore the sniggers coming from around her!" laughed Bella.

Edward chuckled. "That's almost as bad as walking around all day with your fly open."

"Worse," confirmed Bella. "Her whole backside was on show."

Pulling into the kerb outside Bella's apartment, Edward turned off the engine in order to walk her upstairs.

"Edward, would you like to come upstairs for a while," asked Bella.

Would I? Calm down, boy, you're not being invited to look at her etchings. "If you're sure?" he replied.

"I'm not ready for the night to end just yet. Are you?" asked Bella.

Shaking his head, Edward got out of the car and assisted her out. Still holding hands, Bella led Edward upstairs, taking his coat and hanging it near the door.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, smoothing her hair down.

Edward smiled tenderly. She looked nervous, so he set about reassuring her. Taking both her hands in his, his smiled down at her. "Bella, please understand. I won't do anything you're not ready for. I promise. I just want to be with you." Giving her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth, he continued. "I do want you. I've wanted you since the moment we touched, and I would love nothing more than make love to you all night long, but until you're ready, and you tell me so, I won't do anything. So please don't be nervous around me, you have nothing to be afraid of."

Bella leaned into him, her arms around him. "I'm afraid I won't be able to stop. I'm not afraid of you, not at all. I'm just worried that I because I want you so badly, I'll lose control."

Edward tightened his arms and kissed her hair. "When we're ready, we'll both lose control, and it'll be wonderful."

Bella raised her head and looked into his eyes. "That doesn't mean we can't fool around until the time's right, does it?" she asked cheekily.

"Certainly not! I want nothing more than to fool around with you," he chuckled.

Their lips crashed together once more, rubbing over and over each other as their tongues danced. Now that their bulky coats were off, their hands were able touch each other with much more freedom, a fact they both took advantage of.

Somehow, they staggered to the lounge where Edward sat down and pulled her onto his lap, their mouths never leaving the other. Edward's pulse soared as Bella's hands wove themselves into his hair as she took control. Edward's hands caressed Bella's waist, his fingers snaking under the material to touch the satiny skin there.

When Bella wriggled on his now aching erection, Edward moaned into her mouth and gripped her waist.

"Bella!" he gasped. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Yes," she murmured against his mouth before kissing her way down to his throat. "You taste yummy." She dragged one hand down and traced the skin of his throat with her fingertip before working the top button undone. Edward's heart was hammering with excitement when her hand made its way under the material and she began running her hand over his chest, gasping when her finger touched his nipple.

Without conscious thought, Edward turned their bodies so that Bella was now laying back against the lounge with him leaning over her, her legs still over his. Edward was now ravaging her mouth, as he'd fantasised doing so many times in his dreams. Their tongues battled for supremacy, although there would be no loser here.

Edward groaned when her hands caressed the skin of his back where she'd pulled the shirt free of his trousers.

"God Bella, are you trying to kill me?"

Bella just giggled against his lips. "No, oh no. This is just too much fun."

Over and over they continued kissing, their hands on each other. Edward ran his hand over her jeans-covered leg, wanting it to be her bare skin. Without volition he began grinding himself into her hip, trying to ease the intense ache. It did no good. There was only one solution and Bella wasn't ready for that yet.

Unable to stop himself, he began rubbing the skin of her stomach, marvelling at its softness. He desperately wanted to run his lips over it, to taste her. Instead, he nibbled on the skin of her throat, savouring the moans of pleasure coming from her mouth.

His hand moved higher and he placed his hand over her breast before squeezing lightly. The feel of her softness in his hand was beyond anything he'd imagined. When his thumb flicked over her nipple, Bella cried out.

It was enough to rouse Edward from his passion-filled haze. Opening his eyes, he saw Bella looking at him with the same expression he probably had on his. Her eyes were heavy with desire, her breathing fast and he could feel her pounding heart under his hand.

Edward removed his hand from her breast and smoothed down her top. He sat up, pulling her up with him and enfolding her in his arms. They just sat silently for a while, allowing their bodies to calm down, both knowing that it wouldn't take much to re-ignite the embers of their desire for each other.

"I'd better go," he murmured into her hair.

Bella nodded, her arms tightly around him.

Lifting her off him and standing up, Edward pulled her into another hug. "God it's going to be hard seeing you at work. Every time I see you I just want to grab you and kiss you," he murmured.

Bella laughed softly. "I know what you mean. You wouldn't believe some of the fantasies I've had about you whilst I've been working."

"Mmm, sounds interesting. I want to hear about them someday," said Edward.

"Maybe someday I'll tell you," she replied, looking up at him.

He couldn't resist kissing her again, every cell in his body screaming at him to take her to bed, that she wouldn't protest too much.

Pulling his lips from hers he disentangled himself. "Bella, I've really got to go before I break the promise I made not half an hour ago."

Bella pouted slightly, her lips full and red from his caresses. Calling forth every bit of self-control he could muster, he took her hand and walked towards the front door.

"Goodbye Bella. Thank you for a truly wonderful night. Are you on duty this weekend?"

"I'm working tomorrow afternoon and Sunday, then I'm off until Wednesday."

Edward nodded. "I'm on call this weekend so I'll probably see you at some stage. Can I see you on Sunday after you finish?"

Bella nodded. "I'd like that. I finish at 4pm."

"Why don't you come over to my place. I'll show you what Mom's done and I'll even try to cook dinner for us."

"Can you cook?" asked Bella.

"Well, I do a good steak and salad. That's about the limit of my culinary expertise, I'm afraid."

"Sounds wonderful. I'll come over after work."

"Can't wait," he murmured, giving her one last kiss before he forced himself to leave.

With one last long, lingering look, Edward left. He seemed to float down to his car, his spirits so high it ought to be illegal.

With a wide grin on his handsome face, Edward daydreamed about Bella all the way home. Time would seem like an eternity until he saw her again.

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A/N: The woman in Bella's story - that was me. Yep, there I was, feeling good, thinking I was the shit and all the time my arse was on display to the world! Very embarrassing.