A/N: Thanks you guys for the reviews on the lemon! The number 21 was rather lucky! *blush* I try to answer most of you via return messages, but the Blue Eyes response is on my Profile page for your question Tatiana! As far as an Edward POV, I don't think I could even fathom how Blue Eyes or ANY man thinks accurately, which is why they're so infuriating (LOL)! Special props go to DC for lessons in geography and all the insider info on navigating Seattle. I owe you one *cough*

Another note-I have met this great beta named Dani who is helping me edit and get this story on another FF board as well. I will likely go back and re-post my edited old chapters, but it's only grammar changes, not plot (in case you notice the chapters look different). Thanks Dani!

BTW- only 9 chapters left!

SM owns twilight

Chapter 22 Licks and Lost

Our naked bodies were tangled in enveloping warmth and the atmosphere was surreal. Edward rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on one elbow with casual poise. His eyes raked across my body while my face remained rosy and glowing from climax. Watching him look at me was like seeing myself for the first time. I felt…beautiful.

"You're beautiful," Edward whispered, somehow reading my mind. His fingers trailed lightly over my form, barely touching me in an exploration along my skin. Shivers followed his touch in succession.

"You're kinda sexy yourself, Blue Eyes." I turned my body to meet his gaze directly.

Edward responded by lying on his back, sighing in exasperation as his hands raked through his sex hair.

"What?" I asked, confused by the change.

"There's no comparison, Bella."

It was my turn to sigh, rolling over on top of him with my legs straddling on either side. "Oh really?" I raised one eyebrow in mocked challenge.

Edward nodded solemnly but watched my actions with wary intrigue.

"Well, I beg to differ." I traced along his jaw line, following down his neck, his chest and his abs. My fingers were mirroring the movement he had demonstrated mere seconds before. "In fact," I leaned over and kissed his lips softly, "There are certain parts of your anatomy I could observe intimately, for hours."

Glancing up I could see his lips smirk and a smile formed uncontrollably. "Such as?"

He's enjoying this.

"Let's see…" I sat up in riding posture, cocking my head to the side in detailed perusal. "…your chest is nice." My hands caressed his shoulders and my fingers dragged down his torso in one motion. "Your abdomen is very well defined." My body began to respond again of its own accord. "Your happy trail makes me…happy." A giggle escaped my throat. "And these...freckles? I'd love to count them, one by one, with my lips."

Edward's body began to respond again too. "You had to go there huh?"

"What?" I teased playfully, leaning over to lick a beauty mark placed by God right beside his left peck.

By God Bella? Should you be thinking of him right now? Well it is heavenly!

"Oooh, here's another one!" I meandered over his chest with my lips, counting each of Edward's freckles with admiration.

Blue Eyes grabbed my arms, chuckling to himself as he flipped me over and once again assumed the dominant position. "My dearest Bella, I do believe I am the one who needs to be observing you, intimately."

Oh My.

"Especially since you chose to admire and enumerate my freckles. It's only fair I should receive the same luxury. Wouldn't you agree?" His eyes smoldered while he began licking my body. My neck and breasts became first priority in his exploration. His choice of location varied slowly down my body, eventually finding one of my own beauty marks beside my navel. The attention it acquired was quite thorough, causing me to giggle uncontrollably. "What? Did you say that you agreed, Bella? I'm not sure I heard you before." Edward started licking lower.

Yes. YES!

"Yes." I whimpered.

The months of angst and paranoia regarding Edward's true feelings for me dissipated in his kisses. In fact, his mouth revealed to me his true intentions, multiple times.

##$$##

I woke up Saturday morning in his arms; the morning light was filtering around the heavy drapes in the room. His breathing was soft and regular with my head against his chest and I attuned my ears to the sound of his heart. Its rhythm was beating strong and clear.

I love this man.

Rising up to look into his face, I caused him to stir. His eyes fluttered open. "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning, Edward."

I could repeat those words the rest of my life.

Room service brought us Eggs Benedict, waffles, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola. I stared in shock while Edward pushed the cart up to the bed.

"Who's going to eat all of this?" I gasped.

"I didn't know what your favorite was." He shrugged. "Plus, I figured you would have a big appetite." Even after last night, he still managed to make me blush.

"You were the one who kept talking about wanting more, if I recall correctly." My bold reply caused an eyebrow raise in return.

"Well you are glowing with an aura this morning, so I suppose giving more suits you well." Edward continued the teasing with his eyes as he popped a large grape in his mouth.

Finally he continued, "What would you like to do today, Dr. Bella?" His question was obviously loaded with intent which intrigued me.

"Since you did accompany me willingly on this work excursion and you showed such excellent decision making last evening, I think I'll let you decide."

"Excellent choice," Edward mused, "I'd love to take a detour before heading back. Have you ever been to Snoqualamie Falls?"

"No," I admitted, somewhat embarrassed by my lack of experience in Seattle's scenic attractions. "When I would visit Charlie it was almost always confined to Forks or Port Angeles."

Edward pretended not to notice my discomfort. "Well there's the Salish Lodge and Spa, which has amazing views of the waterfall. It's only about thirty minutes east of here. We could stay the night, and return to the Retreat Sunday." It was now Edward who seemed shy, unsure of my response.

"That sounds amazing. I would need to call Alice, since she is watching Rio." I leaned over to find my bag on the bedside table, sending a quick text to Lil' Firecracker from my phone. She would probably lecture me for ours if I didn't go with Edward, so her response was a foregone conclusion in my mind. We continued a mini-picnic in our bathrobes on the bed, enjoying the foreplay of feeding each other breakfast. When my cell phone rang, I inadvertently cringed in response.

"You gonna get that?" Edward questioned, taken aback by my behavior. "It's probably Alice returning your call."

"Oh, yeah." The fact that I hadn't told Edward about the prank calls entered my mind.

You need to tell him. Not now!

Thankfully Alice's name flashed on the screen, relieving my consternation for the moment. "Alice? Hey, can you hear me?" Her words seemed muffled, and I checked the bars on my phone for connection problems.

After a few seconds her voice was audible yet strained. "Bella? I'm so sorry." Her response caused my stomach to lurch, the blood draining from my face.

"What's wrong?" I could barely ask, my mouth suddenly dry and parched.

"It's Rio," she answered.

No!

She launched into a litany of explanations. "I let him out for a walk this morning around the lake but he took off, Bella! I called him but he ignored me. He ran into the woods and hasn't come back, I'm so sorry. I called Jas and we've been looking for him and calling him but he hasn't come home. What should I do?" I could hear that she was crying, and tried to hold back my own worry for her sake. Rio had been known to have his moments, so I tried to assure myself he was just acting out for me leaving him. Nevertheless, worst case scenarios started filtering through my consciousness.

"How long has he been gone?" My voice cracked.

"Over two hours." Alice grew quiet, the silence unbearable.

"I'm coming. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Ok, Bella. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. It's going to be alright. See you soon." When I hung up the phone my unsuccessful attempts to remain calm crumbled. My lips started to tremble as I realized that Rio had been missing most of the morning. I managed to relay the conversation to Edward through muffled sobs, and his reaction was calm and attentive.

He held me against him, brushing my hair with his hands. "Bella, it's going to be alright, just like you told Alice. Let's go."

We packed in hurried silence while I prayed that the silver Volvo could cut our drive in half. Once Edward pulled onto the WA-104 W he increased his speed markedly. His wary glances in my direction only made me want to cry more.

Blue Eyes' patience only lasted twenty minutes into our drive. "Bella, didn't you say Rio has run off before? I'm sure he'll be waiting on you by the time we get back."

A new series of waterworks ensued. "Yes, but he doesn't know his new territory well. And dogs can't read road signs, or property markers Edward. What if he goes into Olympic National Park? It borders the Retreat, and he may never find his way back! Or what if someone took him? What if he's hurt?"

"Wait, wait, wait. Stop spazzing. He's probably just not answering Alice. She likely tried to paint his toenails or something. Besides, why would you think someone took him? From around the Retreat you mean? He has his collar and tags on. Who would do that?" He asked in confusion, processing my rant.

You never told him about the calls.

I was quiet so Edward spoke again. "Bella? What's going on in your head? I feel like you're keeping something from me."

"I'm sorry," I managed.

"Sorry for what?" Edward asked, his frustration mounting.

"I have kept something from you. But only because I wanted to be with you this weekend, and I knew you would try and talk me out of it, if I told you. And it's probably nothing, or it's more of the same. Either way I'm sure it's unrelated to Rio. But what if it's not? Oh Edward, I'm gonna be sick." I bent over from a wave of nausea.

"Not in the Volvo you're not!" He rolled the windows down, letting in a gush of cool air. "Deep breaths, Bella. I'm not stopping because we need to get back as soon as possible. But you need to calm down and tell me what happened, like now."

"The calls. I started getting the prank calls again this week." I cringed in anticipated response.

"What? The hell Bella? You didn't tell me? When?"

"Wednesday and Thursday night," my voice cracked again.

Edward was silent for what seemed like hours. His jaw was tense and I watched the muscles flex underneath his skin. "Ok," he answered.

"Ok?" I questioned confused.

He's pissed.

"Are you angry?"

"Yes, Bella, I'm angry."

"Can we talk about it?" I prodded, my anxiety mounting.

"I'd rather not right now. You're upset, I'm upset. Let's just drop it."

Like that solves things.

"Ok." My response echoed his with a morbid undertone. I knew that thie conversation would end in a fight later. I stared out the window for the remainder of the drive. The sights blurring by as the clock seemed to stall. An hour and forty-five minutes later we we're pulling into the Retreat. My heart was in my throat as we drove up to the cottage. Holding my breath I scanned the area for Rio. Alice and Jasper were standing on the porch, his arms wrapped around her. I could see her tear-stained cheeks before I opened the car door.

"Bella!" She met me in the yard before I had taken two steps.

"He's not back?" I asked helplessly.

"No. I jogged a mile into the trails calling him and came back while Alice stayed here. No sign of him." Jasper rubbed Alice's shoulder protectively, distraught over the situation. "Does he have a chip, Bella?"

"What?" I was stunned from the situation. "Oh, yeah, Rio has a chip. But it's not GPS, it's only for identification at shelters or vets if he's found."

Edward stood beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. It was the first sign of affection since our non-fight on the way back. "Let's start looking. We should try the jogging trail you've been using the most with him."

I nodded and went into the condo to change my clothes and sneakers quickly. Rio's toys were scattered on the floor, his bed empty. Silent tears flowed down my face but I wiped them away and hurried outside.

We're going to find him. We're going to find him.

Edward was waiting on the steps and grabbed my hand as we walked into the woods. I started calling Rio, my voice battling against the suddenly raucous sounds of nature. "Rio! Rio!" We walked a hundred yards more and I tried again. "Rio! Rio!" An hour later and 3 miles of walking resulted in nothing except for a mounting panic attack. My voice was raspy and hoarse from screaming.

"Bella, let's head back. Jasper called all the other Cottages, the Retreat security, and your dad. We'll find him." Edward's words had lost their conviction.

"Did he tell him about the calls?" I asked hesitantly.

"No. I didn't tell Jas about that. You need to tell your dad yourself."

Great.

My fear and anxiety turned to anger as I walked with Edward back to the cottages. I should have placed Rio in a kennel, but I never liked leaving him there, the atmosphere was too generic. If I had let him get to know Alice more before leaving him with her, maybe he would have responded to her commands.

You know Rio is hard headed.

When we reached home Alice walked over with an arm full of bright pink flyers. "I had to keep busy," she apologetically explained.

Charlie arrived that afternoon with dark circles under his eyes. It seemed like my return to the Forks area had caused him nothing but sleepless nights. "Hey, Bells."

"Dad," I broke down again, "You know he's my baby. I don't know what else to do."

"I know. He's a smart dog, Bella, give him a chance. You wouldn't believe the miles dogs can cover in a day." Charlie's no nonsense demeanor calmed my nerves once again. Edward left to go shower while I walked inside with Charlie, giving me the opportunity to confess my withholding of information.

Needless to say, Charlie was not very pleased with my declaration. "Have you ignored everything I taught you? No detail is unimportant Bella. And this James character is still missing by the way, which makes me more concerned. What kind of doctor quits his job under duress and then disappears after pissing on a co-workers car?"

"A deranged one," I muttered.

"Exactly. I'm not saying this has anything to do with Rio, but the fact that you kept this from me is unacceptable. How can I protect you when you keep things from me?"

"You think I still need protection?" I asked in surrender.

"Yes, I'm concerned that you do." Charlie admitted with worry. "And that's why I need you to tell me anything that happens, or that seems unusual, until we find this creep. You understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good." He kissed my cheek. "Now as for Rio, his ID and tags are up to date and he's chipped, so if someone picks him up they should notify you. We'll walk the trails again tomorrow morning, ok?"

"Sounds good, dad."

My thoughts started racing the moment I was alone.

He may be hurt. He's all alone in the woods. What if James was around and took him? Stop thinking the worst!

##$$##

Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett all came over that evening. They brought Chinese take-out and told cheesy jokes, obviously trying to keep my mind off of Rio. But every time I glanced at his empty bed on the floor I thought about him. Around ten o' clock they said their goodbyes, promising to help in the search the next day. Edward lingered behind, his body stretched out on the sofa. He patted the cushion between his legs and I obliged, nestling my body against his. We were quiet for a while, both of us immersed in our own thoughts.

"You still mad at me?" I pondered out loud.

"It's more of a slow boil," he answered, his tone lighter than on the drive back.

"Can we turn the heat off?"

He chuckled. "Sure, Bella, I'll try and forget you lied to me just to get me in bed."

"I didn't lie to you!" I elbowed him in retaliation. "I withheld some recent events to spend time with you. I wasn't certain I would sleep with you."

Liar.

"Pity. I was warming to the lie of omission only because it was to get me to sleep with you." His tenor was now playful and forgiving, a welcome change from his earlier tone.

"I'm sorry. I should have told you, and Charlie. It won't happen again."

"Is Dr. Swan apologizing? A shrink admitting she's wrong and that she didn't think things through?" He teased further, his hands now rubbing my shoulders and neck.

"Don't push your luck there, Maestro." I shrugged out of his grasp only to lean back into his hands immediately.

An old movie with William Holden was on TV, and we argued over whether his acting was better in Stalag 17 or Sabrina. Our debate ended in a stalemate, which I sensed would be a pattern, given our stubborn personalities. Sometime before the movie ended we drifted to sleep on the couch.

I dreamed of Rio, of buying him as a puppy, and all the antics he pulled back in Arizona. The first pair of Steve Madden heels he ruined, and the rolls of paper towels he ripped apart all over my apartment flashed through my mind. His tendency to beg, especially for chocolate, made me smile in my sleep. In fact, his whining seemed so real it caused me to stir.

Edward was already awake, shaking me quietly while he whispered. "Shhh. Bella, listen!"

A faint scraping sound started coming from the area of the front door, followed by a whimper. I stumbled out of Edward's embrace, looking at the clock as I ran to open it. It was two a.m.

Rio was sitting on the welcome mat, his body shivering, his muzzle slightly bleeding as if he had been in a fight. I squealed in delight, falling to my knees in the doorway. Rio bounded into my lap, licking me repeatedly. Edward was by our side, patting Rio and chuckling from the responsive licks on his account. We finally made it back in the cottage and shut the door.

"Maybe we should give him a shower? It will be easier to check him out," Edward suggested.

"Yeah, good idea." He seemed no worse for wear except for some scratches on his face, but I wanted to be sure. I walked him into the bathroom while Edward went into the kitchen to grab a bowl of water.

"Edward, did you take his collar?" I called into the other room.

"What?" He asked, walking into the bathroom.

"Did you take Rio's collar off?"

"No." He looked puzzled.

"I didn't either." I looked into Rio's big brown eyes, realizing he had returned without his ID and had obviously been in a scuffle. "What happened, boy?" He cocked his head in response, excitedly drinking the water Edward had sat down in front of him. How did he get his collar off? It was always kept tight around his neck because of my paranoia over him losing it. Whatever happened, he was home, and I was more than relieved.

"Will you stay over tonight?" I asked Blue Eyes, his body leaning against the door jamb as I washed Rio with suds up to my elbows. His hair was tousled even more and a nice scruff was on his face. I was tempted to drag him into the shower next.

Gutterville.

"It's already three a.m., beautiful. But I'll be more than happy to stay this morning." His response was sardonic and sexy, baiting me as usual.

"Good to hear it, Smart-aleck. I would hate to have you unhappy." My inability to ignore the bait was pathetic.

Or maybe banter is what turns you on most.

"Mmmm. There's only one thing I can think of at the moment that would make me unhappy." Edward smirked.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" I remained on my knees as I started drying Rio with a big towel.

"If you refuse to stand up and give me a private showing in that wet t-shirt."

Blush

A/N: Reviews are like counting freckles….hours of enjoyment!