Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Five

Edward followed me into my apartment, carrying both his luggage and the bag containing my belongings, then went directly to deposit them in my tiny bedroom. I was grinning widely when he returned.

"What?"

"Well, I was going to give you the tour, but you've obviously been here before."

A look of embarrassment flashed across his face. "I'm sorry, I should have waited to be invited."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "No, really, it's actually cute in a weird kind of way. I keep forgetting that you know more about me than I think you do."

"That doesn't excuse my bad manners." He came towards me and took my hands in his. "Will you please give me a tour of your home?"

I rolled my eyes. "It won't take very long, compared to your house. This is the living room, the kitchen is right here, the bathroom is over there, and I think you already found the bedroom."

"I'd like a guided tour of the bedroom." He shot me a hopeful glance.

"Well, in that case…" I walked quickly past him, biting my lip to hide my smile. "This oversized suite is the bedroom, complete with a bed for two, and a gorgeous view of the alley from your private balcony." He followed close on my heels and I stepped over to the sliding glass doors on the far wall. "Would you like a tour of the balcony as well?"

"I'm quite familiar with the balcony, thank you," he murmured. "I would prefer a more thorough exploration of the bed." His arm snaked out and wrapped around my waist, pulling me tightly to him, his face suddenly an inch away from mine. My body immediately molded to his, but I couldn't help but tease him a little longer.

"Are you sure? The view really is quite dramatic from the bal…"

His lips closed over mine, swallowing my last word, making my head swim as he kissed me thoroughly, breaking away only to begin moving down my jawline. "Fuck the balcony, Bella," he growled quietly. "I would much rather enjoy the view from your bed."

"Wh-where did you learn language like that, Mr. Cullen?" I gasped out, so ridiculously turned on by his unexpected choice of words that I stuttered.

"Through endless nights of unrelieved frustration, Miss Swan." His cold tongue flicked against my ear. "I've had more than enough time to think about exactly what I'm going to do to you now."

At those words, my last pretenses of resistance melted and I moaned as his lips continued down my neck, his hands already roaming over the curves of my body. I felt the now-familiar throbbing between my legs begin to turn my bones to jelly, arousal licking rapidly through my body as Edward pressed a lingering kiss to the pulse point on my neck. I ran my hands deliberately down over his hips, my thumbs dragging slowly over the hardened length under his jeans, then gasped as he pushed reflexively against my hands.

"The view from the bed is nice too," I whispered hoarsely.

His moan vibrated through my body. "Or the view in the bed, rather." He began backing up, gently pulling me along with him. "I've enjoyed many fine views of that bed." Now it was my turn to moan as his hard fingers ran slowly down the seam of my pants, moving inexorably towards the hot throbbing point between my thighs. Just as he reached it, his hand suddenly froze and almost simultaneously there was a brisk but determined knock at the front door. I whimpered.

"It's your boss," Edward whispered after a moment.

"Lori?" My voice cracked a little, the thought of her and the potential reasons for her visit was like a bucket of cold water on the pleasurable haze over me.

"Yes, she…" he paused for a moment and I realized he must be reading her mind. "You should probably go talk to her."

I swore under my breath and Edward chuckled just as Lori knocked again. Looking down to make sure Edward hadn't unbuttoned any of my clothing, I quickly left the bedroom, shutting the door behind me, and went to let Lori in.

"Um, hi Lori."

"Hi Bella, I'm sorry for showing up unannounced like this."

"No, it's fine. Come in and sit down." We sat on my second-hand couch, Lori shook her head when I offered her a drink, looking more uncomfortable by the second.

"Look, Bella, I'm just going to go ahead and say this. I'm really sorry I sent you home Friday night without letting you explain what was going on. Not that it's an excuse, but I was really stressed about that party and when I saw what looked like you shoving Edward Cullen, I overreacted. Esme Cullen told me later that night that you and Edward are old friends and I felt like a complete idiot."

"Yes, we um, went to high school together." How much could I tell her? Or should I lie? Was no one supposed to know about our relationship or was that just the Quileutes? I was horrible at making up stories on the fly, I always managed to say the wrong thing and contradict myself right afterwards.

"You're just friends?" The corner of Lori's mouth turned up.

I knew I was probably beet-red at this point. "Yeah, I always had a huge crush on him, though."

She laughed. "I can see why, he's a very good-looking young man. Do you think you'll see him again?"

"Umm…" This conversation was just too much, I could actually feel the heat coming off my face and Lori finally took pity on me.

"Never mind, I'm teasing you. I just wanted to come over and apologize to you in person, I tried calling you all day yesterday but your phone was off, and I got worried."

"Thanks, but really Lori, no apology is needed."

"Well, it makes me feel better to have apologized, especially with what I'm going to ask you next. I've got a party Friday night and another Saturday night that I could really use your help with. Can you work?"

Work…something that hadn't crossed my mind since I'd assumed I was fired Friday night. I was looking forward to spending the weekends with the Cullens, and I had definitely been planning to spend all my nights with Edward. Plus, if Edward and I would have to leave the area at the year's end, it wouldn't be fair to leave Lori in the lurch.

"Actually, I was going to tell you…I won't be able to work any more. I'm going to be leaving town at the end of the year and I'm totally swamped with planning that and keeping up with school too."

Lori blinked in surprise. "Oh. Where are you going?"

"Um, Alaska." It was the first thing that popped into my head, Edward and I hadn't discussed where we would go, but I remembered him saying the Cullens had friends there. The story I told Lori didn't really matter anyway.

"Alaska? What in the world for?"

"I have family there, my…dad's sister and her husband are in Juneau and they invited me to stay with them for a little while, until I get my own place." Where had this sudden amazing ability to lie come from?

Lori's face lit up. "Oh, are you transferring to University of Alaska Southeast, then?"

"Yes?" My nerves finally took over and it came out a question, but she didn't notice.

"That's really great, Bella, I looked at going to school there years ago, they have some awesome programs. And I guess I understand that you'd like to be closer to your family…but isn't your mom in Florida?"

"My mom and I don't get along," I muttered, feeling horrible about this lie.

"Oh, well that's too bad. But I'm glad you'll be near family, you always seemed so lonely here."

"Yes, I was."

"Are you sure you can't work just a couple more nights?"

"I wish I could, Lori, but I really have to get started wrapping things up here. I don't anticipate coming back to the area, so I've got a lot of loose ends to take care of."

She nodded reluctantly. "Okay…I'm really sorry to hear you're leaving, Bella. You're the best employee I've got, and I really care about you as a person too. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, if you need references for a job or anything."

"I will."

She stood up from the couch and pulled me into an sudden hug. "I'll miss you, but it sounds like you're doing the right thing. Follow your heart, be happy."

I hugged her back. "Thanks, Lori. For everything."

I walked her to the door and she promised to put my last paycheck into the mail the next day. The moment I shut the front door behind her, Edward emerged from the bedroom, a bemused look on his handsome face. "Alaska?"

"God, could this day get any weirder?" I groaned, going back to the couch and flopping down.

"Sure it could…did you know we actually do own a house in Alaska?"

I gaped at him as he sat down gracefully next to me. "Are you serious?"

"Southeast of Denali National Park. It'll probably be the next place my family moves after they leave Forks, it's one of Esme's favorite homes. So are you saying that you would like us to move to Alaska?"

"God no," I shuddered. "It's cold enough here, I don't think I can handle any place colder."

"What about New England? Or upstate New York?"

I snuggled up next to him and he began to stroke my hair. "I think those are pretty cold too. Why would you want to move so far away from your family?"

"I wouldn't mind having you to myself for a while. Not having to battle with Alice for your time is definitely very appealing. We could get a small house of our own, near a university so you could continue your education, and I wouldn't mind trying out a new major myself. What do you think?"

"As long as the school offers a degree in English literature, I'm game."

"That's something I was wondering about," he mused. "Why didn't you decide to go to a larger school?"

I shrugged a little. "Peninsula College was just convenient, I guess. I wanted to get out on my own, but I didn't want to move too far away from my safety blanket with the Blacks. I figured I could at least get started here, get my required courses out of the way and then transfer the credits later if I decided to move."

"Speaking of school," his lips brushed over the top of my head, "I'd be more than happy to distract you from all the assignments you have waiting, if you like."

"Don't tempt me," I whispered into his shirt. "If I get in bed with you now, I won't get out for the rest of the day. And I do have a big paper due tomorrow, I've got the rough draft done but it still needs a lot of work. I can't fail my freshman English class if I want to major in English Literature."

"We certainly can't have that," he agreed. "Why don't I change my offer to rewarding you once you've finished?"

I smiled and pulled back, looking into his eyes and allowing him to see the images of exactly how I wanted to be rewarded.

He sucked in a breath. "Get started on your paper, you little vixen, or I'll reward you right here and now on the couch."

"On my way," I laughed, getting up and moving over to my tiny desk. I collected my stack of notes and the hard copy of my rough draft, then sat down where I had my laptop set up on the two-person kitchen table. "What are you going to do while I work?"

He was rummaging through the refrigerator. "The first thing I'm going to do is make you lunch, since it's almost noon."

"You can cook?"

"Yes, Esme and I learned by watching The Food Network. She's much better at it than I am, though."

"Edward, can you actually eat human food?"

"Of course, but it smells horrible and tastes worse to us. Since our bodies don't digest it, we have to throw it up afterwards, and that's never a pleasant experience. How do chicken fajitas sound?"

"Um, that sounds great." I watched as he moved around the kitchen with perfect ease, apparently already knowing where everything was. "You don't have to cook for me, I've gotten pretty good at taking care of myself."

"I know, but taking care of you is my job now."

I smiled at his sweet words. "And what are you doing after lunch?"

"I have quite a bit of shopping to do, actually. I need to buy a laptop, since I want to start looking for houses for us right away, and I don't want to monopolize yours. I need to buy a few changes of clothes until I start bringing a week's worth back each weekend. And a few other things, odds and ends. Do you need me to pick anything up for you?"

"No, thank you. So is it New York or New England, then?"

"You truly don't have a preference either way?"

I shook my head. "No, I like everything you've said so far…little house of our own, near a university. Close enough to a town to be convenient, but out in the woods so you don't scare everyone on sunny days."

"Ithaca, then. Cornell is there and it'll suit us both perfectly."

"Cornell University?" I dropped the pen I was holding onto the keyboard of my laptop. "Edward, there is no way I can get into Cornell."

"Sure you can." He began chopping vegetables at a speed that made me dizzy to watch. "We'll both get in."

"Ah, no, I don't think so. Edward, I have good grades and all, but I'm not Ivy League material."

He frowned. "Why would you say that?"

I pushed back from the table and rubbed my eyes. "I'd be transferring from a small-town college, my SAT scores were average at best, I have no extracurricular activities or talents to brag of, not to mention I don't have anywhere near what tuition must cost."

"Money is no object for us, Bella."

Now I frowned. "Edward…"

"Wait, I phrased that very badly. Let me ask you this instead: if money was not an issue, would you like to go to Cornell?"

Frustration rippled through me. "Well of course I would like to, but even if money wasn't an issue, that doesn't change the fact that I can't just waltz into one of the most exclusive universities in the country."

"Well, no, you can't just waltz in. We'll both have to apply and go through the admissions process, and I'll need to check to see exactly how much we've donated to the school over the past century."

"Wait…what?" I was horrified. "Edward, you can't buy my way into Cornell!"

"Of course I can." He washed his hands and then came over to the table, sitting down in the other chair. "Money isn't an issue for us, Bella. And when I say 'us,' I mean you and I together as well."

My lips trembled. "Money may not be an issue to you, but it is to me."

"Bella," his voice was quiet but firm. "Everything I have is also yours now. You have to understand that."

"I can understand that just fine. What I can't understand is how you think it's okay to bribe a school to accept your girlfriend because she can't get in on her own."

He flinched. "That's not what I meant at all."

I put my elbows on the table and dropped my face into my hands, hating this sickening feeling of being at odds with him. Our first day living together and our first fight. "How else could you have meant it?"

"They probably won't accept me otherwise either." I could feel his cool hand reach out to touch my arm as he lightened his tone. "On paper, my qualifications are fairly dismal: not currently enrolled in any school and zero extracurriculars other than playing the piano and chasing wildlife."

I shook my head, face still in my hands. "There is nothing you can say that would make me be okay with it."

"Bella," there was frustration in his voice now, "We are fortunate enough to have access to unlimited funds. What's wrong with using it to help us start our new life together?"

"Because you're not talking about using it to buy a house or something, you're talking about paying my way into a school I'm not qualified for. How do you think that makes me feel? I've been taking care of myself for years now, Edward, even before I moved out on my own. I'm used to being independent and self-reliant and I like that. I may not have accomplished much in the past five months, but at least I've done everything under my own steam. I can be proud of that. To have you casually say that you'll just bribe my way into school, that was," I hesitated, hating to say the word but knowing he'd hear it eventually anyway, "Insulting."

The hand gently moving on my arm froze and I finally moved my fingers away from my eyes to look at him. His marble face looked stunned, completely immobile. His eyes flicked immediately to mine and I knew that he felt every emotion roiling through me: hurt; embarrassment; bruised pride; frustration; in addition to my anxiety about bickering with him and my yearning for peace between us again. Pain flashed over his face and I immediately dropped my fingers from my face and reached out to clasp his hands. Pain was one thing I couldn't stand to see in his eyes.

"I made you feel that way." His lips barely moved. "I would kill anyone who hurt you but I may as well have slapped you in the face with such an insult."

"Edward, stop," I begged. "You're going to hurt me from time to time, just as I know I'll hurt you. We don't want to, but it'll happen. Haven't you ever seen Alice and Jasper fight? Or Carlisle and Esme? Something said the wrong way, at the wrong time, we'll probably fight every once in a while too."

His jaw clenched, he hadn't heard a word I'd said. "I made you feel that way."

"Listen to me!" I tried to pull my hands away so I could take his face in them, but he'd wrapped his fingers around mine. I tugged and his grip tightened painfully in response. "Edward, will you please listen…ow!" I let out a yelp as his icy hands squeezed too tightly and my knuckles cracked in response.

Faster than I could follow him, he dropped my hands and flew backwards from the table, his back against the far wall. Horror contorted his features. "Bella…"

"I'm fine." I lifted my hands and wiggled my fingers, aching gratefully for the release. "See? You just squeezed a little too hard. Will you listen to me now, please?"

"I could have crushed your hand," he breathed. "Bella, I could have…"

Real frustration flared inside of me then. "Will you shut up and listen to me?"

His eyes snapped back to mine, shocked, and I stood up from the table before walking slowly over to him. "Do you remember what you told me in the meadow, about what you were like before Charlie's funeral? With the self-loathing and second-guessing? I'm betting this is exactly what you were doing then, am I right?"

He blinked and I knew I had finally gotten his attention. I longed to move closer to him, but I stayed arms-length away so he could see my eyes and recognize the truth in my words. "First off, I'm okay. You just squeezed a little too hard. But I'm fine. Second, if you want to be able to read my mind and feel my emotions, you're going to have to accept that I won't always be happy. Sometimes I'll be sad, angry, sick, and frustrated. Sometimes you may hurt my feelings, and I'm sure I'll hurt yours from time to time. But you can't freak out like that, you can't shut down on me and start blaming yourself. If something is your fault then we'll sit down and work through it. I won't ever lie to you, obviously I can't lie to you. In return I need you to respect me enough to work through whatever issues we might have, not shut me out. Okay?"

He nodded, his eyes widening.

"Edward…everything about our relationship is unconventional, to say the least. I've fallen so much in love with you over a couple of days that it's almost scary, but I don't doubt how I feel. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, I want to laugh and cry and enjoy every single moment we have together. I want to love you for who you are, and I want you to love me for who I am, even while I hope your love inspires me to be a better person every single day. But that relationship requires respect. I respect you for who you are as a person, your wants and needs, your opinions and your choices. I may not always agree, but I will respect you. And I need you to respect me too, okay?"

He nodded again, his lips parting slightly, and this time I did move to him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist and pressing my face against his unyielding stone neck. "I love you, Edward Cullen."

His arms went around me and he lifted me just far enough off the ground to carry me back into the living room, sitting on the couch and curling my body around him. "Just let me…" his voice was a soft whisper and I relaxed then, knowing that he was coming back to me at his own pace. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, my nails scratching a little over his scalp as the tension in his body slowly dissipated. I rested my head against his shoulder and breathed him in, knowing he could feel the anxiety leaving me as well. Finally he moved again, lifting my free hand and carefully kissing it.

"I was wrong," he whispered, and I waited. "You're right…it was insulting for me to say I'd buy your way into Cornell. And I'm glad you called me on it, and that you were honest with me. Don't ever stop being honest with me, please?"

"I won't."

"Can I offer a compromise?"

I smiled. "Of course."

"Will you apply to Cornell?"

"Yes."

"And if you're accepted based on your own merit, will you use our money to pay for tuition?"

I snickered a little against his neck. "Of course. I'd be an idiot to turn down the Cullen scholarship fund for an Ivy League education. But I have a condition of my own. Well, two really."

"Name them." He kissed my hand again, gently pressing his cool lips to each knuckle.

"First, if I don't get into Cornell, you have to accept it gracefully when I decide to go to Ithaca Community College or whatever. Okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled, his lips pressed to my palm now.

"Second, if what's yours is mine, then the reverse is also true. If we're going to share expenses and funds, then I want you to take all the money I have right now and add it to these unlimited funds you kept mentioning."

His lips went still against my hand and after a moment I sat up to look at him. There was no resistance in his expression, just a great deal of surprise. "If that's what you want, Bella, but that's your…"

"No," I stopped him. "I know you're going to say that's my money, but how is it any different from your money? I'm sure mine will be an insignificant fraction of the overall amount, but it means all of it will be our money. And that will make it much easier for me to spend it if I have to, okay?"

He nodded. "Whatever you want."

"All I want is you, silly." I snuggled back close to his body, against his shoulder again, when my stomach suddenly let out an embarrassingly loud growl. "And maybe lunch too."

He finally laughed and boosted me off his lap. "Chicken fajitas will be finished in just a moment, madam."

I stayed on the couch and watched him as he prepared lunch for me, moving so fast around the kitchen I almost couldn't keep up. When he set the finished plate at the empty spot on the table, I went in and sat down, sniffing the fajitas appreciatively. "I'm getting spoiled, between you and Esme."

"Don't say that until you've tasted them," he warned. "I told you, Esme's much better at this than I am."

The fajitas were absolutely perfect, of course. "Mmm…for a vampire that doesn't eat food, you are an incredible cook."

"Thank you, love." He bent and kissed the top of my head. "Are you sure you don't need anything while I'm out?"

I shook my head, already devouring my second fajita. "No, thank you. I love you."

"I love you too." Then, he was gone. I slowly finished the fajitas, relishing every bite, then rose to put the plate in the dishwasher. I realized at that moment I was alone with my thoughts for the first time in many hours and I sank back down in front of my laptop, not really seeing the pile of scrawled notes in front of me.

Edward…I allowed my thoughts to run everywhere at once, ranging from his overreaction earlier to his sweet thoughtfulness about lunch and then to the memories of his cold hard skin against me, of every inch of his body tangled against mine. I felt a flush steal over my skin as I thought about him inside of me. We hadn't made love since yesterday afternoon, in the meadow, and already I missed it keenly. I wondered briefly how many times a human body could have sex in a single day, since he was apparently inexhaustible and my spirit was willing even if my body might not be capable of keeping up.

What must it be like for him, to be in love with and to make love to a human? As he'd mentioned, both Emmett and Esme had been dying when their partners found them, Alice and Jasper were both already vampires when they found each other. Even despite the way we meshed together, physically and spiritually, there were so many things he had to take into consideration while I simply enjoyed myself. Him squeezing my hand too tightly earlier was a perfect example, there was no way he could ever let himself go completely.

I thought about us earlier in the bedroom, the electric thrill that had run through me when he'd growled "Fuck the balcony" into my neck. I let my thoughts linger deliciously on that for a moment, then remembered his other words: "I've enjoyed many fine views of that bed." Had he really enjoyed watching me sleep so much, even from the other side of the sliding glass doors? Protectiveness I could understand, but what else could he have…

I gasped and my head snapped up.

There was plenty he could have seen…and heard…from the balcony. I hadn't had a boyfriend or any overnight visitors in the short time I'd been in Port Angeles, but I'd certainly pleasured myself in the safety of my own bed on more than one occasion. As if that weren't enough, it was always Edward I imagined in those moments and even if I hadn't moaned his name aloud more than once, I was sure my mind had been shouting it loudly enough for him to catch it, even then.

I groaned aloud now, not from pleasure but from utter mortification this time, my face hot at I thought back over how much he must have seen and heard, and how many times. For the first time, I sincerely wished there was some way to selectively shield certain thoughts from him…I'd die if he found out I knew. But of course he would.

At least it was always his name you were moaning, a wicked little voice inside of me pointed out. I smiled a little, recognizing the truth in that, then laughed as I imagined Edward fuming on the balcony after overhearing me moaning…Jacob's name, for example.

Ugh…I quickly pushed that thought away. Jacob had been my best friend, although more like a brother, and I could never think of him that way. There'd been some embarrassed fumbling moments once, after a beach party where one of the guys had brought a stolen jug of reservation moonshine, probably because we drunkenly figured that we were perfect as friends, and might be more perfect as lovers. The chemistry had been so horribly wrong that we'd recognized it after a few minutes, even through our moonshine-induced fog, and the next morning we'd sworn over the resulting hangovers that it could never be more for us. Jacob fit so perfectly into my life as my brother, I couldn't imagine him being anything else, and I knew he felt the same way about me.

That reminded me that I needed to call him, but I decided to wait until tomorrow. It had taken him almost two weeks to call me back once, I knew he wouldn't worry.

My thoughts swung back to Edward. Should I ask him exactly what he'd seen from the balcony and make him admit it? I already knew there would be very little I would be able to keep private from him, maybe I should just let him see it in my mind and let things progress as they might.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, and all at once I knew exactly what I would do. I would just have to be careful about letting him look into my eyes until then, and I could probably get some good practice in not thinking about certain subjects.

That decided, I turned to my English paper with a smile on my face. Soon enough I was immersed in my notes and revisions, and was completely absorbed in it when my cell phone rang at four o'clock. I ran to pull it off the charger, noting that the screen simply read "Edward." I'd never put his number into my cell phone, he must have done it at some point without my noticing. The thought warmed me as I answered.

"Hello, love." His voice made me miss him, immediately. "Making great progress on your homework?"

"Yes, actually I'm about to start the final draft."

"I'm glad. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to hunt before I come home. I have a feeling I'm going to need it to properly reward you tonight, and I don't think I'll want to go back out."

I grinned, glad he couldn't see me. "Okay, when do you think you'll be here?"

"Probably not until six or so. The bad thing about city life is that I can't just hop out the window and be in the forest. Do you want me to call you when I'm on the way?"

"You don't have to…no, wait. Yes, please send me a text when you're five minutes away. And…the front door will be locked. You should probably come in through the balcony."

There was a brief silence on the other end before he replied, his voice lower and thick with anticipation. "If you say so, love."

"All right. I love you."

"I love you too."

After ending the call, I hurried back into the kitchen and carefully made all the revisions to my saved file, then carried my laptop back over the desk and plugged the printer in. As the finished pages began humming out of the printer I checked the time. It was 5:15 and darkening rapidly outside, it would be completely black out by 6:00. Perfect.

I slipped my finished paper into a manila folder for safekeeping and then tucked it into my messenger bag so I wouldn't forget it in the morning. I dumped a can of soup into a bowl and heated it up in the microwave, keeping one eye on the clock as I ate. At 5:35 I grabbed my cell phone and went into the bedroom, pulling my clothes off as I went. I double-checked that the sliding glass doors of the balcony were locked before picking up my thick white terrycloth robe and heading into the adjoining bathroom, leaving the door open.

My phone chimed with an incoming text just as I was rinsing the suds from my hair and I giggled. The impatient vampire would just have to wait a few minutes. I took my time in the shower, enjoying the heat and steam, reluctantly turning off the water and toweling myself off slowly and carefully. I finally pulled my robe around me, belting it tightly and letting my damp hair hang down my back. As I went back into the bedroom I focused my mind on innocent things: my classes, what outfit I should wear tomorrow. I'd left the light on and a quick look confirmed it was impossible for me to see anything beyond the closed sliding glass doors, past my reflection and the thick black behind it.

Pleased, I went about my normal evening routine. After eating and showering I usually retired to my room for the rest of the night, either watching tv or reading in bed. Tonight I fussed around, picking up some laundry I'd tossed carelessly on the floor a few days ago, straightening out the jumble of jewelry on my dresser top. Once I thought I saw a flash of white out on the balcony and, like any cautious individual, went over to check again that the door was locked. I gave the handle several sharp tugs to make sure.

Finally I ran out of things to do, turned on my small bedside lamp and flipped off the overhead lights. I curled up under the covers, still wearing my my robe, and reached for the latest romance novel I'd left on the bedside table. I let my free hand play idly with the drying strands of hair that hung over my shoulder as I opened the paperback. It was one of those wonderfully trashy romances with just enough plot to string together the many detailed sex scenes, and I'd left off before just as the hero returned to his lover after a long absence. How appropriate.

I twisted my hair tightly around my fingers as I read, biting my lip a little as the scene in the book grew steamier. When I got to the part where the hero had stripped his lover naked and was leisurely nibbling his way over her creamy white body, I squirmed slightly, pressing my dampening upper thighs together and shifting my upper body so that my breasts thrust out a little. I thought I saw a flash of white again out on the balcony, but this time I ignored it.

By the time the hero had pushed his hot swollen member into the lady love's tight wet passage, I was almost panting. I let my fingers run under the edge of my robe, down to the knotted belt and back up again, the back of my nails sliding over my flushed skin. The pulse beating between my legs was more insistent now and I knew I was thoroughly wet there already. I read on, and as I reached the final scene where the lovers exploded into a simultaneous explosive climax, I allowed myself to think about Edward for the first time.

Enough. I pushed my bookmark back into place and very deliberately set the paperback down on the bedside table. I slid under the covers and flipped off the lamp, knowing it didn't matter. He could see in the dark.

Edward…I moaned quietly as I imagined his hands were the ones running over my skin, thinking about what it would feel like to have him nibbling down my neck and over my collarbone. I thought about the sight of him completely naked over me, imagined the path that his lips and tongue would take as they moved over my skin. I pulled the sides of the robe apart, leaving the belt in place, letting my fingers trail over my hardened nipples, thinking about his mouth there. I rubbed my thighs together again as I pictured him kissing his way down from my breasts and over my stomach, imagined his cold hands pushing my knees apart as his lips hovered over each my hipbones before pressing lower still, his tongue tracing a line down to my inner thighs and then up to where I was so eagerly waiting for him.

I moaned again, louder now, as I pushed my fingers insistently over my hot wet softness. Edward hadn't yet put his mouth on me there, but now I imagined it in as much delicious detail as I could, envisioning his tongue pushing into me as my fingers were doing now, occasionally moving back up to flick over and gently suck where I throbbed the hardest.

My orgasm was coming at me already, I could feel it building from deep inside. I fought back the pleasurable haze that threatened to shut down my mind, forcing myself to concentrate on him as I started to come around my own fingers, insistently rubbing my thumb higher up. I thought of his face, of his smile, of his lips and tongue, and then I was done.

I cried out as it hit me, hard and sharp, stabs of pleasure that reached so far up inside that they literally choked me. I jerked involuntarily, the movement forcing my fingers to slide out, and that sensation triggered another climax, clenching and deep. This time, I kept enough breath to moan his name aloud.

Even through the waves of pleasure, I could hear a sharp metallic snap and the muted whoosh of the sliding glass door to the balcony opening, then slamming shut. In the next second Edward was over me as I panted, his eyes blacker than I'd ever seen them, his face tense with raw lust. He yanked the covers back and reached down to grab my wrist, pulling my hand up and enveloping my wet fingers in his mouth. His tongue stroked each of them, sucking them clean and then slowly pulled them out, allowing my fingertips to linger on his lips.

"That…is…mine," he enunciated clearly. I moaned as he gave my fingertips one last swipe with his cool tongue. "Mine, Bella."

"Yes," I gasped out.

His black eyes trailed down over me. "So you wanted to see what I would have done to you if I could, hmm?" He released my wrist and my hand fell weakly to my side as I began to tremble with anticipation. "You wanted to know exactly what I was thinking out there so many times, hearing you come and moan my name?"

This time I didn't even have the ability to answer him.

His eyes scorched down my body and in a split second he had untied my knotted belt and pulled the robe away from me. "If you ever wear this thing to bed again, I swear I'll take the belt off and tie you to the headboard with it."

All my senses shivered at his words, and of course he noticed, a wicked smile appearing on his full lips. "Of course, you might enjoy that, you never know. Hmm…" He dipped his head and his lips and tongue began moving over my neck, just as I'd imagined. My entire body moved reflexively then, curling up towards him, but he pressed me back down, his mouth not pausing for a moment as it moved on to the base of my throat. My arms came up to cradle his head, my fingers running through his hair as his tongue traced a straight line down between my breasts. There, he stopped and looked up at me, his eyes even darker than before.

"You want me to show you what I would have done to you, my love?"

"Yes, please," I begged.

He began trailing kisses down my body, over my stomach, pausing only to dip his tongue into my navel. He slid his entire body down between my knees, forcing my thighs to part and lay open before him, before resuming his kisses over my skin. He didn't hesitate or linger anywhere, continuing straight down until his lips were directly over my heat, then he was kissing me there, oh so gently but with a firmness that made me whimper, all the strength left in my limbs vanishing.

The tip of his tongue came out and he ran it slowly over my lips, giving just the lightest of flicks over the sensitive peak at the top, then probing deeper. I could feel his cool breath against the heat, then the hardness of a single finger as he ran it over and then up inside of me, curling in a way that made my back arch off the bed. His hand over my hip pulled me back down to his mouth.

Oh God, the sensations…I didn't know exactly what I had expected him to do after my extended show for him, but I hadn't dreamed it would be like this. His lips, tongue, and fingers were tireless, teasing climax after climax from my body, pushing past the sensitivity that followed each, making my body tingle and then respond even more strongly every time. I don't know how much time elapsed as I writhed above him, tethered to the world only by his cool hands on my hips and my fingers in his hair.

When complete exhaustion finally numbed me, he skimmed back up my body, his lips nibbling and kissing my jawline. "I could do that to you all night long, you know," he whispered against my ear. "I could just lick you for hours and watch you go mindless with pleasure over and over again."

My body tensed and released into one long convulsive shiver.

"I want you, Bella. Please…"

"Yes," I rasped out. I don't know where the strength came from, but my legs lifted to wrap around his waist as he slid into me, my fingers clenched in his hair as he moaned against my throat, his lips unerringly seeking out the pulse point that pounded just under the skin. I didn't have the ability to do anything other than shiver under him, clutching him tight as he thrust hard, filling me completely. I felt him stiffen against me and then a growl tore from his chest as he pushed harder and faster, impossibly wrenching one last slow climax from somewhere deep inside me, where we were joined. I felt him come inside me, the vibrations from his open mouth against my neck humming throughout my body.

I heard him whisper my name, his voice spinning out into a low moan. Then for the first time in my entire life, I completely blacked out.

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A/N: So I went to my very first midnight premiere Thursday night to see New Moon…did you catch my little nod to the hands-down BEST not-in-the-book-but-unbelievably-awesome line from the movie? Thank you, Chris Weitz, for giving Bella a backbone!

You all leave such awesome reviews, they really rock my world and your thoughts about what might be coming next really do help me to write! Thank you!!!