Disclaimer: I own everything but their names.

July 24, 2001 – Santa Cruz, California

"I'm so glad you decided to come."

"Me too," I said, smiling over at him.

After discovering that Charlie would be working nights for the foreseeable future, I'd shared this little tidbit with Edward. He couldn't have been happier, and had stepped up his efforts in getting me to agree to come home with him.

His persistence paid off: I'd finally agreed.

Edward hopped out of the Jeep and came around to open my door. My stomach was full of butterflies and my hands hadn't stopped shaking all day; I smoothed my shirt one last time and did a quick visual check to make sure everything looked in order before he was at my door. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along after him toward the door.

He reminded me of Lisle, all pinball pinging excited – it made me feel better to see that my being here affected him, too.

His house was secluded, set back far from the road and covered on all sides by these huge sequoia trees. There was so much green it felt like I was back in Forks.

Edward watched me as I looked around. "It was my dad's," he explained. "I kind of moved in here with him after the divorce and, well…" he trailed off.

I understood what he wasn't saying: he'd been living there with his father when he passed away.

I squeezed his hand. "It's really beautiful. Reminds me a little bit of Washington."

"It's old, and it needs a ton of work, but Jasper and I grew up here. I can't see letting it go, you know?"

"Wait," I stopped, my heart beating a little faster. Why hadn't I thought about Jasper? "Is your brother here?"

Edward looked at me in confusion. "No, he's at his house."

"He doesn't live with you?"

"Uh, no. He lives with Esme."

I stared at him blankly.

"Jasper and I are half-brothers."

"How did I not know that?"

"I don't know?"

"Where is your mom?"

"She lives in New York." He cocked his head to the side. "Speaking of… where's your mom?"

"I think she lives in Florida now, we don't really talk." I shrugged. "It's better that way, trust me. She's kind of dingy."

He laughed and pushed open the front door. "That's not a nice thing to say about your mother."

Yeah, well, it wasn't nice of her to leave me alone with my father when I was two years old. I really didn't like talking about her… ever. She hadn't been a part of my life, and I had no plans to change that any time soon. "It's the truth."

He gave me one last look that said he hadn't bought my diversionary tactics, and then threw his keys down on to a table beside the door. I looked away and tried to keep my face from showing the anger the subject of my mom usually brought out in me.

I squeezed his hand and forced a smile. "Tell me about this place."

He smiled in return and nodded his head, understanding that I didn't want to talk about me or my mother.

"There are like, six bedrooms. Two down here and four upstairs. I stay down here with Lisle because I can be right across the hall in case he needs anything." He pointed toward a hall in front of us at the two doors that faced each other. "Bathroom's over there… and this is the kitchen."

We walked in and Edward released me, heading to the fridge. He grabbed two bottles of water and held them up for approval. I nodded.

"I'm going to call and order the pizza, pepperoni good for you?" he asked, grabbing the cordless phone off the counter.

I fluttered my eyelashes and crossed my hands over my heart. "Oh, you charmer. Pulling out the big guns! I thought you were making me dinner, not ordering it," I teased.

He narrowed his eyes. "You do actually want to eat, right?"

I laughed and waved him off, turning to explore the rest of the house as he made the phone call.

The first floor was mostly one big room. Windows all along the back showed a very overgrown back yard with a swingset that looked like it'd seen better days. There was a pool table in one corner, a few couches in the other. Old book cases built into the wood paneled walls were full to the brim with books both large and small. Below me, the floor was covered with bright green carpet that definitely needed updating, but the whole place looked so comfortable. It wasn't fancy or overdone; it was homey and laid back.

It suited Edward.

I decided to explore upstairs while Edward spoke on the phone. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I darted up and then turned right, opening the first door I came to. It had the same green carpet and wood walls, but they were mostly covered by posters featuring bikini glad girls and surf paraphernalia. One wall held a sign that read: Harbor High, Class of 1993 Baseball.

So this was Edward's room…

There was a twin bed pressed against the opposite wall, blue comforter tucked tightly into the sides. The bedside tables that hugged it on each side were cluttered. A baseball, a few surf magazines and three pennies were littered across the surface. I grinned, walking closer to the tiny bed and picking up one of the magazines as I sat down.

I hadn't made it more than two pages before I heard Edward's footsteps on the stairs. My insides danced a little. I was sitting on his bed…

"What are you doing?" Edward asked. I looked up at him leaning against the door frame and he smiled softly. He'd taken off his shoes and changed his shirt.

"Snooping." I shrugged, looking back down at the magazine.

I heard him come closer and felt the bed jiggle when he sat down next to me. He leaned in close, looking at the magazine over my shoulder. He smelled so good.

"Find anything interesting?" he asked, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear.

I breathed in and out to calm myself down. He was so close. The heat of his arm against mine was warm in the best sort of way. I swallowed nervously and turned to look at him. "Not yet, but I just got started."

He hummed and scooted back, stretching his legs out in front of him as he leaned against the wall. "Pizza should be here soon."

I closed the magazine and placed it back where I'd found it, turning to look at him fully. "'Kay."

He was watching me. I saw his Adam's apple bop up, then down, like maybe he was nervous.

"Would you like to continue snooping, or did you want to do something else until the pizza gets here?" He smiled.

"I'm not sure," I said, bending my knee to lift one of my legs up under me. "Do you have anything interesting I might find hidden in here?"

Edward shook his head. "You're the most interesting thing in here right now."

I blushed and looked down, tracing a finger of the blue material beneath us. "Stop that."

He laughed deeply. "I'm serious! I've never had a girl in my room before."

Yeah, right. I didn't know if I believed him on that or not. He was pretty much gorgeous, and I doubted it was a new development for him. Different mothers or not, Jasper favored him at some angles; he was my age and a hottie already. But, then again…if it was the truth, it made me feel somehow special.

And now he was smirking. Ugh. I really hoped he wasn't pulling my leg.

I scowled at him and moved to stand, but he caught me by the wrist before I could get far. My body turned and he pulled me forward until I was standing between his legs. My hands settled on his shoulders as he looked up at me.

My nerves skyrocketed as his hands slid around my waist and it dawned on me where we were. In his bedroom. On his bed. It wasn't like I'd never been alone with a guy before, but I imagined the fumbling makeouts and sloppy sex I'd shared with Riley during junior year back in Forks would be much different than doing those same things with Edward.

"Where are you going?" he whispered.

"I think Jasper's room might have cooler things for me to see," I joked, pulling back a little as if I was going to leave. We both knew I wasn't, but Edward's hands tightened on me anyway. I hoped he understood that it was easier to make jokes than to think of actually being in a bed with him. Not that I didn't want to be, of course. I did. I most definitely did.

But once we were there… how far would it go? Was I ready for that? Was he? I knew Edward had been hurt in the past, and that he was hesitant to be in a relationship again for a long time after his divorce. I didn't want to rush into things that we may not have been ready for.

I breathed in shakily, and by the movement I felt in Edward's shoulders, he did too. I let him pull me forward again as he leaned back. "Come here," he said quietly, turning to stretch out on the bed completely.

Slowly, I placed one knee and then the other up on the bed, sitting back on my feet to look down at him. I was still a little – okay, a lot – nervous. "Come where?" I asked.

Edward turned on his side and stared up at me with an amused smile on his face. "I won't hurt you, you know," he said.

"I know that," I told him. "I'm just… a little nervous."

"So am I," he responded, his voice a little shaky.

Hearing confirmation of my earlier assumptions relaxed me a little: this was essentially all new for him, too.

Edward grabbed my hand again, tugging me forward until I was next to him. I turned on my side, facing him as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. His eyes were on mine as his hand ran a path up and down my back, stopping just at the edge of my shorts before it went back up again.

"Hi," he whispered, a small smile on his face.

I giggled. "Hi."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Oh, now you're aski—"

His lips cut me off and his hand finally went south as the tips of his fingers trailed across the bare skin at the back of my thigh. A hum built in my throat as his lips skimmed mine and he laughed a little. "Not asking anymore," he said.

Well, okay then,I thought.

His eyes twinkled and anticipation danced in my belly. It most certainly wasn't the first time we'd kissed, not by a long shot. It also wasn't the first time we'd been so close to one another. But the possibility that it could go further than it ever had before made everything seem that much more exciting… and maybe a little frightening too.

I lifted one of my arms under his and pushed my fingers beneath his shirt, feeling the bare skin there. The muscles in his back fluttered under my fingers and he scooted even closer, pushing me more fully on my back. The bed creaked below us as he shifted, hovering over me with his weight supported on his free hand. One of his legs slid between mine and he pulled me under him. Then his lips were back on mine, stronger this time.

My hand on his back tightened into a fist as I kissed him back, imagining just how far he would take this. His lips pulled at mine and his hand returned to my bare leg, fingers inching just below the hem that rested on my thigh. I shivered as his fingers slid higher. His hands were rough against my skin and the tickle of his fingers brought goosebumps to the surface.

It wasn't long before I'd pushed both of my hands inside his shirt and his hips were between my legs. I could feel every single inch of him: his shoulders, broad and strong and flexing with every movement he made; his back, the muscles there, how they danced in harmony with each other, like the flex of one set off the shift of all the others; his legs, lean and long and pressing steadily against the footboard, making it groan; his chest pressing against mine.

What I noticed most was that he wasn't just hard where my fingers were touching, he was hard everywhere. Especially in the most important place. The spot that was all him… the spot that told me I was making him feel as good as he was making me feel.

My insides tingled as Edward pushed into me again. His tongue stilled in my mouth and he breathed heavily against my lips, opening his eyes to meet mine. I moaned and his answering sound was somewhere between a grunt and my name. I wasn't sure. The next time, he used the footboard for leverage, slow but firm as he rocked himself forward and back. Like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

God, it felt so good.

My insides tingled as he continued at that pace, slow and hard all at once. He pressed against that spot with every shift of his body, and mine lifted to meet him. The first time I did it, a look of shock passed over his face and his eyes popped open. I smiled and bit my lip as he lifted his upper body away from mine.

"What's wrong?" I asked, scared that I did something wrong.

He looked at me, green eyes soft and full of what I hoped was more than lust. He shook his head. "Nothing," he panted. "Nothing's wrong."

Edward's hips rolled again, and his breath was hot against my skin as he kissed my chin and then lower. My hands lifted to his hair as he kept moving, pulling the strands lightly as I ran my fingers through it. I clenched my eyes closed and breathed heavily. He fit so perfectly between my legs. I suddenly wasn't so nervous anymore when he slid away and lifted my shirt.

I looked down just as his lips met with the bare skin of my stomach. "Can I see you?" he asked. "I want to see you…"

I could only nod.

I lifted and helped him as he pulled my shirt up and over my head, laughing with him when it got caught on my ponytail. My shirt hit the floor with a quiet swish, and I looked down at it, lying there. I was afraid to look in his eyes, scared he'd be somehow disappointed. I was so much younger than the women he'd been with before.

Maybe I didn't measure up to the woman he'd once pledged his life to. I hadn't been around when his ex had dropped off Lisle, but if she looked anything like the bikini-clad babes that dotted the wall around us…

"Don't do that," he said. I looked up, feeling vulnerable and unworthy. He touched my cheek and then pulled away, lifting his own shirt. Like he was offering himself up, too. He tossed it on the floor with mine and I swallowed nervously as I took in his bare skin. I'd seen it all before, but he still took my breath away. He was perfect.

With his eyes on mine, Edward crawled toward me, pushing me back against the bed and hovering over me again. His gaze moved a path across my rapidly rising and falling chest and his finger followed. I clenched the material of the comforter in my hands.

He moved his lips to my ear and pulled my legs back around his hips. "Did you know you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen?"

I fought the urge to argue with him, and then he started kissing me again so I couldn't.

From there it was all lips, and hands, and his warm skin on mine. The small smattering of chest hair rubbed against me, creating a delicious tickle against the tops of my breasts. The way his lower half rubbed against mine created a really, really nice tickle down below. I was breathing heavy and I couldn't hold on tight enough.

Somewhere along the way, I began to believe him. I wasn't perfect, but even I knew I wasn't a troll. And the way he touched and kissed and made me feel so good, all while whispering words about how good I made him feel and how much he wanted me, made my fears disappear.

In the heat of the moment, I just wanted his clothes off. I wanted all of mine off. I wanted him closer, closer, closer. And it seemed like he felt the same way.

"God," he breathed. "You…"

A moan followed and his hips stilled against mine. I pushed against him harder and felt the tickle grow and bloom and I moaned as pleasure came over every part of me.

When he pulled away his smile was so big, and I knew mine matched. He kissed me quickly a few times and fell to the side, putting his hand on his chest. I closed my eyes as a smile crawled up my cheeks and tried to catch my breath.

One of his hands settled against my bare skin and I felt his lips on my arm. I opened my eyes and turned to look at him. The smile was still there in every part of his face. His cheeks were flushed and his lips were swollen and his eyes were brighter than I'd ever seen them before.

He looked like I felt: happy.

Soooo… yeah. This was the longest chapter yet. And I hope you enjoyed it. I've got a busy day tomorrow and I don't know when I'll be able to update again, so I'm giving you this a little bit early.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and tweeting and everything. Best. Readers. Ever. Hands down.

Reviews are love.

Until next time!

xx