Thanks for staying with me!

Thanks to Iris, Midnight Cougar, and SparklyMeg for their help. Big hugs.

Chapter 30

This time, when we're in the car driving through the city, it's a different kind of nerves that's settled deep in my stomach. These are the best kind.

It's the kind of nerves that sends shivers down my spine.

It's the kind of nerves that makes the hairs on my arms stand on end.

And when he looks at me that certain way, it's the kind of nerves that sets my whole body on fire.

"Are you sure? I mean, my place… It isn't…" He's all flustered and cute. He's adorable.

"I don't care," I say simply.

The roads are busier on the way back, but we're soon pulling up outside his apartment. I know he seems to have some sort of issue about where he lives, but it doesn't look rough; there are no boarded-up windows, no crime scene tape, and no doors hanging of the hinges.

"What are you so worried about? This is nice."

He shrugs. "If you'd seen my previous place, it was just… better." I know where he lived with Tanya. It was uptown, overpriced, and understated. It was the type of place you paid too much just to say where you lived, and everything about it screamed Tanya.

He walks ahead of me, but I yank him back by the bottom of his sweater. He stands still, refusing to turn around to face me.

"Edward?" I step closer to him. My chest against his back. "Edward…"

He turns without saying anything. He briefly looks at me, before focusing his gaze over my shoulder.

I wait until he looks at me again. "Where would you be if you'd kept the apartment?"

"Working for John Turner."

"And if you'd stayed there?"

"Then I'd be in a job I hated, working for a family I have zero respect for."

I'm glad he doesn't mention being with Tanya.

"Right." I nod. "So, tell me. How bad is this place?"

He looks down at me and smiles. This time, it reaches his eyes, and I can see I'm getting through to him. "It's much better."

"Exactly." I take his hand. "Now, c'mon."

But this time, he pulls me back, and I turn to face him. "Bella, it's only better 'cause you're here."

ooOoo

Inside, he offers me a glass of wine, and I take a seat on his sofa. The place is small but cozy. It has a homey feel, which I'm guessing is the polar opposite from the place he shared with Tanya. I imagined a minimalistic set-up with lots of "art" and no family photos; cold.

Without even seeing the other place, I know I prefer this.

The living room has a small two-seater sofa and has one old chair in the corner. A small coffee table sits in front of the sofa and faces the TV, which is so big that it looks out of place in the small room. There are a handful of photos on the wall; one is of his parents on their wedding day, one is with Emmett and Edward, and the others are family ones, where they all look much younger. From my seat, I can see Edward's bedroom and a closed door, which I assume is the bathroom.

Considering the place is a certified bachelor pad, it's tidy, clean, and not what I was expecting at all, which makes me think he maybe knew — or had hoped — that we'd come back here.

"White okay?"

I take the glass from him. "Perfect." Edward doesn't drink wine, and I love that he has a chilled bottle ready for me.

He puts the TV onto a music channel and sits next to me; we're so close that our thighs are almost touching.

Instantly, the air between us crackles, yet neither of us makes a move. Both of us are too scared to act on it; we know that if we do, it changes everything. It's overwhelming, yet at the same time, I want more.

And the way my heart flutters and my stomach swoops tells me I'm more than ready.

I laugh quietly, breaking the silence, and gesture to the opposite wall. "How stereotypical that you live in a small place with mismatched furniture but own the largest TV I've ever seen."

He smirks. "Boys and their toys?"

I roll my eyes. "Right."

"It's the one thing I was… allowed in the last place. I wasn't about to leave it there."

I roll my eyes. Of course he wasn't allowed a say in the decorating.

"Well, I know how you feel about this place, but I like it." I get up and walk over to the wall displaying his photos. "I love this one of your parents." I point to the one of their wedding day.

He stands next to me and smiles softly, almost wistfully. "It's my favorite. I… I… Well, I guess I just like to remember happier times."

"Then it's a good thing you're making the most of the time with her now. She seems as happy as she can be, Edward."

"I know." He sighs and goes back to the sofa. He sits with his elbows resting on his knees and his face hidden in his hands. "I was so focused on getting her the best treatment and being able to make sure she was financially secure that I didn't see she just wanted to see me and Emmett happy."

"And are you?"

"What? Happy?"

"Yeah."

When he looks up at me, his gaze locks with mine immediately, and it sends goosebumps down my spine. It's as though he can see right through me, like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.

And that he's thinking the same thing.

"Happier than I ever thought possible."

As his words wash over me, I move to stand in front of him, in between his legs. His legs widen automatically, and he places his hands on the backs of my thighs, just under my ass.

The nerves are gone. I want this.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Show me your bedroom."

ooOoo

Wordlessly, Edward leads me to his room. His hand is warm in mine, his thumb slowly rubbing circles on my skin. Just the simplest of touches sends my heart into overdrive.

I step inside and look around while Edward remains in the doorway. "I have to go turn everything off. Make yourself at home." Edward's voice is no more than a whisper, and when I turn to look at him, he's already gone.

Only then does it occur to me that he might be as nervous as I am, and that makes me smile.

While I sit on his bed and wait, my gaze glances around his room, which is pretty basic. His bed's against one wall, with a small bedside table next to it. On the other side of the room is a desk with a few folders scattered on it and a few boxes pushed underneath, which I assume is some unpacking he hasn't gotten to yet. Aside from that, there's nothing.

No dirty clothes lying on the bedroom floor.

No damp towel thrown over the chair.

Nothing.

"You tidied," I accuse when he returns. I smile so he knows I'm messing with him.

He has the decency to look sheepish. "It was just in case."

"You planned this."

He holds up both hands in defense. "I hoped. There's a difference."

I shift back on his bed so I'm resting against his headboard. "You're not the only one," I admit.

He crosses the room in a few quick strides, and I can almost feel his urgency. He wants this as much as I do, and that makes me want him all the more.

He sits next to me on the bed, watching me the entire time. The heat in his eyes makes my stomach flop in the best way. When he lies down on his side facing me, I mirror his position.

"Too far," he murmurs, resting his hand on my hip and pulling me closer so our chests are almost touching — so close that I wonder if he can hear my heart pounding in my chest.

"Sorry," I whisper, licking my lips. "I wasn't sure where you wanted me."

He looks down, and for the first time, I see how unsure he is, how much of a big deal this is to him, as well.

When he answers me, his voice is deep and low, but full of promise. "In my bed."

"You've wanted me here?"

He groans. "You have no idea."

I chuckle softly and shake my head. 'Cause, yes, I do.

Instead of trying to tell him how much I want this, how much I want him, I kiss him. It's soft but urgent, trying to convey everything I can't with simple words.

My heart takes off again when he responds as eagerly. He rolls us so he's hovering over me, but even that small distance is too far. I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer to me so his body's flush against mine, and when I instinctively widen my legs, I can feel him smile against my lips.

I want to ask him why he's smiling, but words fail me as he begins trailing kisses across my cheeks, down my throat, and to where my dress dips at my chest.

He whispers my name, his fingers now at the hem of my dress. His gaze catches mine, unsure and looking for any uncertainty from me. I give him none, nodding and arching my back as he pulls it off me. For a fleeting moment, I worry about how I look — how my curves may not be as tight as those he's seen on Tanya, how my chest definitely isn't as big or as pert or as perfect as hers.

But with one look from him, those worries vanish.

The heat in his eyes — the pure unadulterated need — sends the best kind of heat coursing through my veins.

"Edward," I mumble against his lips, fumbling until I find the bottom of his sweater. "I want this off, too."

As soon as he's free of his sweater, I wrap my arms around him and pull him back down against me.

And when I feel his skin against mine, it's like a fire's been lit. Our kisses become more urgent with our teeth clashing, which makes us giggle. Our hands wander, covering as much bare skin as we can. I take particular note to how his back muscles feel under my hands; the way they tense and flex with each movement, and how he squirms when I run my hands down his side slowly and discover his ticklish spots. Edward seems just as eager in his perusal. He smiles when his hands cover my stomach, making the muscles there clench, and when his hands graze my nipples, making them pebble almost instantly.

Our remaining clothes join the pile on the floor until there's nothing between us. Edward rolls me onto my back once again and settles between my legs, where I can feel him hot, hard, thick, and ready.

"Bella," he murmurs, his voice low and hoarse.

I answer, arching toward him as his hands move lower and finally touch me where I need him the most.

"Yes," I whisper as he slides a second finger in. "More."

"So impatient," he mumbles. "Let me savor this. I've wanted this — wanted you — for so long, Bella." His thumb finds my clit, circling faster and faster, and my stomach coils in the most delicious way.

My hand covers his, making him look up at me. "I want more. I want you."

He smiles, kissing me softly, before opening the top drawer of the bedside table. He takes out an unopened box of condoms and quickly tears it open. He pulls one out, throwing the box haphazardly on the floor.

It feels like the air's being sucked out of the room as he rolls the condom on. His eyes are locked on me the entire time, and my heart pounds with an intensity I've never known. Based on the heat evident in Edward's gaze, I would guess his heart's beating the same.

My smile matches his as he leans forward, his lips brushing against mine. I fall back on the bed, taking him with me, enjoying the low groan that comes from Edward as our chests touch. I hook my legs around his hips, and I can't help but suck in a deep breath as he slowly thrusts inside.

My breath comes out in a gasp, and my legs tighten around him.

"Are you okay?"

I nod. "Move," I urge.

We move together, focusing only on each other.

Every rock of our hips.

Every kiss.

Every touch.

Edward's thrusts become faster… harder… deeper… and yet never falter.

"Yes," I gasp as he slides a finger between us, finding my clit with ease. "Yes. More." My stomach clenches, and I know he can feel how close I am.

He leans down, his lips at my ears, nipping and sucking. "Get there, Bella… Please."

I feel the tightening and the warmth rushing through me as he crushes his lips to mine, swallowing my gasps of pleasure as I come hard. Edward lasts moments longer than I do, his thrusts becoming faster and more erratic, before he stills above me, a low moan deep in his throat. He rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed and his breath coming in short pants as his body trembles with the effort to not crush me.

When he opens his eyes, I can't help but smile. "Hey."

He kisses me. "Hi." He kisses me again. "I'll be right back."

He goes to take care of business as I burrow deeper under the covers, not even bothering to put anything back on. Instead, I stretch one of those massive feel-it-all-the-way-down-to-your-toes stretches. I can't help but smile, and it widens when I feel Edward climb back into bed next to me. He wraps his arm around me, and I cuddle into his side, content.

"Are you staying?"

"I'm staying."

ooOoo

"Harder."

"Shit."

"Yes… There."

"More."

"Faster."

"God, yes."

"Fuck."

Again.

And again.

And again.

ooOoo

The following morning, I wake sated but utterly exhausted. I'm sore in places I didn't know you could be sore, and I think I have stubble rash in… places.

I stretch again, kicking Edward when he tries to poke me in the ribs and ruin the stretch.

"Rule number one if you want Bella to share your bed: do not interrupt her stretches. It's how I start my day."

"That's how cats start their day."

"You don't like to stretch?"

I feel him shrug. "I guess. There's nothing special about them. It's weird that you have such a fascination with them."

"I don't care. I like to have a good stretch in the morning. You ruin it, and I'm likely to kick you in the crotch."

"You wouldn't."

He's right. "Yes, I would."

"You're weird." I can hear the smile in his voice even though my eyes are still closed.

"You love me anyway." I snap my mouth shut, not believing I just blurted that out. I try to figure out how I can get out of it. Maybe I can laugh it off? Or maybe I can just crawl out of bed and slink away unnoticed.

"You're right. I do."

The bed shifts, and Edward hooks one of his legs over mine. I can feel the heat of his body, yet I can't open my eyes. I don't know what I'll see. It's too soon, and me and my big mouth have probably scared him off.

"Bella, open your eyes."

I do as he says, meeting his gaze immediately.

He's smiling, and it makes me smile in return.

"You didn't mean to blurt that out, huh?"

I giggle and cover my eyes with my hands. "I'm sorry. I just ruined a perfect night, didn't I?"

He pulls my hands away from my face. "Not at all. You just beat me to the punch."

My gaze roams his face, looking for any sort of uncertainty, anything that might show he's lying or that I'm still dreaming.

"I did?"

"Yep." He kisses my forehead. "I love you, Bella."

ooOoo

Thank you for reading! Only a few more chapters left!

Fic Rec: Flipside by Maplestyle - You've read her story. Now find out what happened on the flipside. *I recommend reading Love Hurts before reading this.*