A/N: Myself and my little team worked our little asses off to get this to you sooner rather than later! I hope you like it!

Mad love to my girl Simply Jaded4 for being a complete star and putting up with my lame ass.

Hugs to Madmamabear and Feebes for pre-reading and offering suggestions!

3. Everything Has Changed

All I knew this morning when I woke

Is I know something now, know something now I didn't before

And all I've seen since eighteen hours ago

Is green eyes and freckles in your smile

In the back of my mind making me feel like

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

'Cause all I know is we said, "Hello."

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

Everything has changed

All I know is you held the door

You'll be mine and I'll be yours

All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

And all my walls stood tall painted blue

And I'll take them down, take them down and open up the door for you

And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies

The beautiful kind, making up for lost time,

Taking flight, making me feel like

Come back and tell me why

I'm feeling like I've missed you all this time, oh, oh, oh.

And meet me there tonight

And let me know that it's not all in my mind.

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

I just wanna know you, know you, know you

All I know is we said, "Hello."

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

Everything has changed

All I know is you held the door

You'll be mine and I'll be yours

All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

All I know is we said "hello"

So dust off your highest hopes

All I know is pouring rain

And everything has changed

All I know is a new found grace

All my days, i'll know your face

All I know since yesterday is everything has changed

Taylor Swift ft Ed Sheeran~ Everything Has Changed.

BPOV

Shocked.

Amazed.

Stunned.

Speechless.

These were the maelstrom of emotions that had whirled through my mind, and forbade me to do anything but bask, relish and lose myself in this breathtaking moment.

In the seconds when our lips touched, my world changed. Suddenly I wasn't Bella Swan, the wallflower with no place in the world. I had transformed into the woman I'd always wanted to be: Bella Swan, the woman who finally understood the meaning of coming home. He was everywhere. His powerful, intoxicating and utterly delicious aftershave filled the air that surrounded and cocooned me in this magical dream land. I inhaled him; I breathed him in, letting his very essence surge throughout my body and encase my heart.

I could feel him. I could feel him cup my face with those large, russet hands and bring me closer so that there was nothing between us except clothes. Our bodies collided, making our chests kiss. He was all over me, overriding any rational thought that I may have had before he pressed those perfect lips onto mine. And strangely, I found myself completely ok with that. In fact, I wanted more.

I wanted to hold him like this forever and never let go. My hands were pleading with me to reach out and fist his soft, cotton shirt, and pull him closer. I wanted to feel his arms around me, protecting me like this for the rest of my life. I could taste him; every lap, lick, nibble and kiss gave me that fix that, until a few moments ago, I was unaware I ever needed.

I could hear him. I heard his soft, yet urgent, intakes of breath. His lust-fuelled moans as my tongue slid into the safety of his mouth and swept against his, causing my entire body to quake with desire. Our kiss was strong, heated, passionate and intense. It was everything I had always wanted, but had never managed to find-until now.

I was him.

Even though we had only just met, we seemed to know what to do, and how to treat each other. I barely knew him, but he instinctively knew which buttons to press and how to make my desire for him linger between us like a bolt of lightning. It was like we had done this a thousand times before. My hands rested on his chest, as his fingers stroked my cheek sensually. I gladly fought him for control, but he was relentless and I revelled in that. Our lips moved rapidly together, but in perfect sync. While our minds mingled, letting this new, explosive feeling brand our very souls.

However, our passionate moment was quickly shattered when we heard a very impatient and rather annoying 'ahem' come from behind us. Reluctantly, we broke away from each other panting. Jake peered up at our intruder and without warning, an animalistic growl erupted from within him, clearly letting the person know that he was pissed. Less than a second later, he leaned back in and pressed his forehead against mine, while carefully moving us and Ethan out of the way.

I couldn't help but close my eyes and smile as our intruder strutted past and mumbled, "Get a freakin' room" under her breath. This felt so...right. I didn't feel awkward, uneasy or weird. I just wanted to stay in his arms forever, and judging by the way he tightened his grip around me and softly nuzzled my nose, it would seem he felt the same.

Regardless of that fact, we were standing in the middle of Babies R' Us, and were presently surrounded by several shocked and fascinated onlookers-who were undoubtedly stunned by the intimate little display we had just given them-and the last thing I wanted was for him to regret kissing me, so painfully, I pulled back.

Instantly, confusion shot across his stunning features as he stared at me with a combination of ardor and concern. I hated that I had put that worry in him. Trust me, I wanted to continue our affectionate embrace for as long as he would have me, but someone needed to be the sensible one, and unfortunately, that was me.

To try and soothe some of his concern, I averted my eyes down to my hand, reached between us, took his hand in mine, and softly stroked his knuckles. "I think she's gone," I murmured, finally breaking our comfortable silence.

Jake narrowed his eyes in puzzlement, and in a flash, his eyes widened in realisation. "Shame, I was really getting into that. Maybe I should call her back so we can show her that little display all over again. I wouldn't mind," he whispered huskily, but with hints of humour in his tone.

Smiling, I bit my lip and shyly glanced back up at him. What I saw took my breath away. His lips were red and swollen from our kiss, his eyes were considerably darker and now held the beginning stages of a smoulder, while his chest heaved as he struggled to calm his harsh breathing. I don't think I have seen anything sexier in all my life.

Jake squeezed my hand tenderly and interlaced our fingers, pulling me back against him. "That's the second time you've saved me today, should we make it a third?" he smirked mischievously, that roguish glint dancing in his eyes once again.

My smile intensified as our fingers played together. "You know what they say, 'third time's a charm.' Though I really might have to start charging you for my heroic efforts." I winked, cheekily.

His smirk widened. "Oh really? And what are these 'heroic efforts' gonna cost me, huh?"

I bit my lips and moved my gaze to our joined hands. "Well, I'm not sure. I guess it all depends on how badly you need saving," I breathed, slowly looking up at him with hooded eyes.

His jaw tightened, and a very faint growl escaped his lips. He roughly pulled me closer so our mouths were mere inches from one another and whispered, "Trust me, I think I'm in pretty deep." While he gazed hungrily at my lips, causing bolts of electricity and uncontrollable slivers of excitement to surge down my spine.

I swear, in that moment, my legs turned to jello. If he hadn't have been holding me up, I would have collapsed into a pile of goo. I swallowed hard, licked my suddenly dry lips and replied with equal tenderness, "Well, what do you suggest? How can we solve this dilemma?"

He took a second, undoubtedly in deep thought before answering me. "Tell you what, how 'bout you let me and this little guy right here take you out for a coffee. You know, as a way of saying thank you?"

I smiled, elated at the thought of spending more time with them, and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. "So that would mean I get to spend more time with this handsome little cutie, right?" I paused for effect, and locked eyes with him. "And Ethan too, of course."

He chuckled, averted his eyes to the floor, bit his lip, and ran his hand over his neck, anxiously. "Sure, sure."

Well, this was a no-brainer. I'd love to spend more time with him, and knowing he would also like to continue seeing me, well, it made me feel kinda special. "Sounds like a plan."

JPOV

My mind was fucking racing as I drove towards the coffee shop Bella had suggested. My fingers clung to the steering wheel, gripping it so hard I began to lose circulation. Somehow this brown-haired stunner had managed to crawl her way under my skin and consume my entire fucking body. I mean shit, I couldn't even blink without being pleasantly bombarded by flashbacks of her gorgeous body moving sensually against mine, or her lips gliding erotically and dominantly over mine. Fuck. She had no goddamn idea how sexy it was to know that she wasn't afraid to get a little out of control. It was the hottest damn thing I'd experienced for quite some time.

And now, now I was fucking reeling. No matter what I did, I couldn't get that mind-blowing kiss out of my head. It was driving me fucking nuts. This petite little minx had me so undone it was insane. And the killer thing? I wanted to pull this car over, take her into my arms and go for round two. But I wasn't about to treat the woman who had saved my pathetic ass numerous times over the past two hours like some cheap little hussy. Nope. This girl was rare. She was different; she wasn't afraid to stand up for what's right and put people in their place, and I gotta admit, fuck if it didn't give me a boner just thinking about it. That shit was unbelievably sexy as fucking hell.

No, I wasn't about to treat her like that. Truth is, even though I fed myself that crap load of bullshit about being 'Seattle's newest bachelor' inside, I knew that that life wasn't for me. I wasn't a fuck and chuck kinda guy. I was a one woman man, and the only woman I wanted the attention of was the beauty sitting right next to me. This woman deserved to be wined, dined, romanced and wooed, or whatever the fucking word was for it, and like fuck was I going to stand by and watch some other asshole take my place. Nope. I was going to be the one to give her everything she needed. She didn't know it yet, but that woman was going to be mine.

Granted, I was completely fucking clueless when it came to wooing the ladies. I had no idea what I was doing, but if it meant getting clued up on the romance department was the key to showing Bella there was something between us, fucking sign me up.

~UH~

"So, are you new to the Emerald City?" Bella asked with a smile, while stirring her coffee with the spoon.

I watched in fascination as she cautiously lifted the cup to her perfectly shaped lips and took a sip of her drink. My eyes widened in desire as her tongue swiftly darted out and sensually licked the residue from her lower lip, then slipped back into her mouth. Fuck, my jaw was practically sweeping the floor. That shit was sexy. I couldn't help but wonder how that tongue would feel tangling with mine as our lips pressed tightly together moving in a lust-filled haze of the dance.

God, she is so beautiful.

Gulping hard and quickly clearing my throat while trying to clear my mind of the pictures forming there, I responded coarsely, "Emerald City?" I laughed, quirking my brow at her in amusement. "Who says that anymore?" I winked, throwing her a mischievous smirk.

She gave me a mock glare, and poked her tongue out, making me laugh.

God, I loved the way she made me feel so at ease. Everything felt so easy and natural with her. It was just...right.

I relaxed back into my chair and took a second to absorb her. She was absolutely fucking beautiful. There wasn't anything in particular that stood out - just her in general. From her warm, inviting eyes, to the sexy little blush that played upon her cheeks when I caught her looking at me. In spite of that, her breathtaking beauty wasn't what attracted me to her; it was her personality - her kindness, her need to help others. Sure, I hadn't known her very long, but I could tell straight away that this woman would put the needs of others before her own. That was pretty damn rare these days. And that right there was why I found her fucking incredible.

I just couldn't help but smile at her. She was perfect.

I watched with unbridled desire as she once again brought the cup to her lips and drank some of her coffee. Her tiny, slender hands cupped the ceramic mug, holding it firmly in her grasp, while her eyes drifted to a soft close as she slurped the hot liquid into her mouth-a gorgeous, delicious mouth that I'd, less than half an hour prior, had the unbelievable pleasure of tasting-and swallowed. Fuck, I could sit here all day, hell, for the rest of my life and just watch her. But what I really wanted was to reach across this damn table and take her into my arms. I wanted her close. I wanted to touch her in ways she'd only ever dreamt about. I wanted to kiss her with such a passion, that her knees went weak.

Before I could stop myself, I lept out of my chair, reached across the table and gently ran the pad of my thumb over her plump, soft top lip-while inwardly groaning at the feel of that sexy and succulent lip in contact with my unapologetic touch-and quickly collected the remnants of the froth from her coffee. I then sat back in my chair and brought my finger to my lips, enjoying the taste of the drink with an overpowering hint of à la Bella. "Missed a bit," I rasped, my voice thick with desire as she stared at me open-mouthed and wide-eyed. Ok, so maybe I wasn't the novice I had previously thought.

I chuckled to myself as I kept my eyes firmly on her. I couldn't help it. I watched and smiled in satisfaction as a that sexy little blush coloured her pale cheeks and her eyes snapped to her coffee cup, as she drew her lower lip ever-so-slightly into the place I longed to taste and set her lips into a tight line.

I kept quiet for a second longer, allowing her time to absorb what I'd just done, then when I couldn't take it any longer, I finally answered her question.

"Three days," I said casually, glancing down at my near empty cup.

Her beautiful brown eyes shot up to meet mine. "Huh?" she mumbled, still perplexed by my flirtatious actions.

I chuckled and picked up my own cup. "You asked how long I've been here. Three days. It was a little hard to adjust to the new surroundings at first, but just recently I've found there are several...sights going for the place." Our eyes locked and I knew instantaneously that she had found my hidden meaning.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Seattle doesn't usually have a lot going for it. It's known for its rain and it can get get crazy busy here; however, recently I've seen some things that make it more...appealing."

Another brief moment of silence passed between us as we both allowed the previous conversation to sink in. So was she saying she found me attractive? Did she like me like that, or just see me as a potential friend. I groaned inwardly at the thought. Fuck, I hoped not.

"So, you've been here three days. I guess that explains why you just bought half of Babies R' Us." She winked, letting me know she was playing.

Fuck. My blood pressure rose instantly. Did she have any idea how sexy that wink was? What it did to me? Christ, just the simple gesture took my mind to extremely dangerous territories.

After mentally shaking those thoughts out of my head, I chuckled nervously, and licked my dry lips. "Yeah, guess you could say I'm a virgin when it comes to baby stuff. Wouldn't know one end of a diaper from the other. I s'pose I'm kinda used to having it all done for me," I admitted, running my hand through my hair anxiously. Great, now she was probably going to think I'm some lazy fucker who just watched the tube while the 'woman' of the house did everything. Nice one, Black.

"If you had it so good, why'd you move?"

"Some stuff went down, and I couldn't stay there anymore. I had to think of Ethan. And like hell was I having my son grow up around all that bullshit."

Bella looked at me puzzled for a second, stunned by my little outburst at the end, then blinked.

Fuck. That sounded bad. "It's more personal than anything. Nothing illegal," I hurriedly reassured her.

She seemed to relax some, then said something that just made me like her even more.

"Well, I have no clue what went down, but for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here. Their loss is my gain."

My eyes found hers at her jaw-dropping comment, and we shared a serious and intense exchange. Fuck me, I had never wanted to bare my soul to someone more than I did in that moment. My heart was practically fucking screaming at me to reach across the table, take her in my arms, hold her close, and thank her for what she had just said. I wasn't sure what happened, and I couldn't really explain it, but something inside me just...clicked. Nobody had ever said that about me before. I was usually the one doing all the flattering, but to have it said to me...fuck, it just solidified what I already knew: I wanted this woman in my life. And not as just friends.

~UH~

We spent the next half an hour talking, laughing, and joking about random things. There was even the occasional suggestive comment - on both parts. She told me that she worked at an elementary school here in southwest Seattle. I couldn't help but smile at the pure happiness that radiated from her as she talked about how much she enjoyed working there. Her stunning brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she told me how long she had been there and how rewarding it was to see the children advance on to new levels in their education. It was so fucking refreshing to see a woman content in her place of work and love what she does.

We then moved onto a subject I wasn't exactly thrilled about: me. It wasn't that I didn't want to share things with her, it was just that I was scared if I shared too much, I'd scare her away. I fucking hated talking about myself. To be perfectly honest, I was more than happy to sit there for the rest of the day and listen to her. She was so exhilarating and full of life. She was like a breath of fresh air to my stagnant and fucked up existence.

Before I knew it, Bella was looking down at her watch, her face twisted in displeasure as she looked back up at me. "Ugh, I'm really sorry about this, Jake, but I have to get going," she apologised, biting her lip anxiously while looking at me with sad eyes.

Fuck if that didn't hurt my heart. Pain unleashed inside my body, setting fire to my veins and spread rapidly over my body like a bullet from a gun as she grabbed her purse and stood from the chair. Shit, I had to think fast. I couldn't let her leave.

"You can't stay longer?" I asked, disappointment at her leaving filled my tone.

You can't stay longer? What the fuck was that?! I berated myself. I was fucking pissed! Here I am trying to get this beautiful woman to stay a little longer, and I say that shit?!

I groaned inwardly. Fucking hell.

She smiled sadly and looked down to her empty cup on the table. "I wish I could, but you know I said I worked at an elementary school?" she started to explain, lifting her torn eyes to mine as I nodded. "Well, this was kinda my lunch hour," she laughed uneasily, her fingers clutching her purse harder as she bit her lip again.

Christ, that fucking lip bite.

I chuckled as I stood up from the chair. "So, let me get this straight. Instead of going to Starbucks like any normal person, you went to Babies R' Us, rescued my lame ass and then agreed to let me take you out for a coffee?" I looked at her incredulously, my lips curled into a sly smirk, while I carefully pushed Ethan through the shop.

She smiled warmly and moved some abandoned chairs out of the way so we could get through. Once again, I was floored by the generosity of this woman. "You could say that, yeah," she laughed, matter-of-factly. "See, when I'm not at work, I moonlight as a superhero. I guess my radar must've sensed a daddy in need and it led me to you." She arched her brow at me playfully, and winked.

"Is that so?" I smirked at her.

She stopped in her tracks before opening the cafe door and placed her hand in the air, as if pledging allegiance and gazed straight at me. "Yup. Superhero's honour."

"Well, I'm glad it led you to me," I told her sincerely, feeling a strange pull on my heart as I looked into her eyes.

Fuck, those eyes.

She smiled, blushed, and placed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Me too."

I smiled contentedly as we walked towards my car in a comfortable silence, and inwardly wondered how it would feel to reach out and entwine my hand with hers. I shook my head clearing those thoughts. We weren't there yet, and there was no certainty that we ever would be. I guess a huge part of me just hopes one day, we will be.

~UH~

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into Babies R' Us parking lot, asked her which car was hers, to which she pointed to a sleek looking black Mini Cooper. I couldn't help but smile. It was so her. I parked my car next to hers and cut the ignition.

"Thanks for the coffee, Jake. I had a really nice time," she said, unfastening her seat belt.

God, I fucking hated this. I didn't want her to leave. I never wanted her to leave.

Jesus Christ, my fucking heart ached at the mere thought if it.

I nervously ran my perspiring hands over my jeans, nodded and swallowed hard. "Same here," I croaked, my voice thick with anxiety. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. God knows what I would've bought if you weren't there," I chuckled lightly, nerves wreaking havoc on my body.

She smiled warmly and nodded. "It was no problem." She then opened her mouth to say something more, but obviously thought better of it. "I should go," she finally said in resignation.

Bella lingered in the seat for a moment longer, clearly waiting for me to do something, but what? Do I lean across and kiss her? Ask for her number? Tell her I want to see her again? Christ almighty, this shit was hard.

The faint sound of the passenger door opening brought me back to my senses, and the pain surrounding my heart worsened. My fucking heart was pounding. I couldn't let her to leave. Not without getting a number or some way of contacting her. Not seeing her again was out of the fucking question.

"Take care of yourself, Jake," she said meekly, focusing her attention on me.

Thump. There goes my heart.

I gulped hard, my fingers fisting my jeans as I tried tirelessly to find a way to keep her here. Fuck! Why did I have to be such a goddamn pansy?!

Bella peered over her shoulder to the babbling baby in his car seat, and smiled affectionately. "You too, little buddy."

Shit, fuck, shit!

Don't just fucking sit there! Do something!

Before I could even stop myself, I blurted out, "Wait!" as my hand flew out and grasped onto her forearm in panic. Bella's head spun around, her eyes widening in surprise and animation at my suddenness. I couldn't help it; a groan ripped from my throat as I felt her tender skin against mine. Christ, she felt so fucking good. Like nothing I'd ever experienced.

However, I was swiftly torn from my inner high of her perfect, alabaster skin, as her delicious voice trickled through my ears and kissed my heart. "Uh, Jake?"

"Yeah?"

She chuckled innocently and moved her beautiful brown eyes to our joined bodies. Unfortunately, not joined in the way I craved sofuckingdeeply.

OhFuck! What do I say now?! Ok, just roll with it. "Uh...I'd...I'd, uh, like to see you again."

"You would?" Shit yeah I would!

I gulped hard, swallowing the feeling of dread at her leaving and nodded. "Yeah, I would."

The insecurities I had earlier came back to me in full force as she stayed quiet and looked at me with those sparkling eyes. I had to admit, I was feeling kinda exposed right now. I'd just told the woman I was interested in that I wanted to see her again, and she was sitting there trying to figure me out. Did I say something wrong? Was I too forward? Fuck, I should've done it smoother.

I groaned and inwardly rolled my eyes. Awesome, prick.

But just as I thought I'd blown it, her sweet little voice broke through my torture. "I'd like that, too," she said shyly, putting me out of my misery, and fiddling with her fingers. "So...what do we do now?"

Me? I was doing a fucking victory dance. She wanted to see me again! Shit, I felt like I'd hit the fucking jackpot!

"Why don't we start with you giving me your number." I decided I'd be upfront with her. No point in beating around the bush.

She chuckled to herself, bit her lip and shook her head in amusement. Okay, what was so funny? "Jake, I like you, I do, but I think you're gonna have to work a little harder than that if you want my digits." She looked over and winked at me.

Wait...what?

"And how would you suggest I do that?" I asked, confused.

Bella shrugged and gave me an impish smirk. "You tell me. If you really wanna see me again, you'll find a way." And with that she climbed out of the car, shut the door and leaned against it, dipping down and peering through the window at me. "I meant what I said, Jake, I really did have a nice time," she said earnestly, while giving me one last breathtaking smile before pushing herself off of my car and unlocking her own. Just before she climbed in, she looked over to me. "Oh, and Jake, don't take too long." While throwing me a sultry little wink.

Seriously not helping the ache!

Holy freaking Christ. I groaned inwardly as I felt my jeans start to tighten. Fuck. I was in serious need of an adjustment and I couldn't fucking well do it with her sitting there, but I couldn't stand the thought of her leaving.

Jesus Christ, I'm in serious shit.

I sat in the car, my body tense, and my head leaning against the headrest as I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes, willing away the excruciating ache and throbbing that I felt within the confines of my jeans.

Bella had me hooked. I wanted her, badly. And not just her body, I wanted all of her. I wanted to know how it felt to walk beside her and have the comfort in knowing she was mine. I wanted to kiss her deeply and passionately without keeping up a pretence or worrying about pushing her too far. I was excited. For the first time in my life, a woman actually challenged me. She didn't just roll over and give me what I wanted; she wanted me to work for it. And I can't tell you how fucking sexy that was.

As I opened my eyes and gazed in the rear view mirror, my heart plummeted. She was driving away from me, and fuck if it didn't hurt. I didn't like it and I wouldn't have it. She saved my ass numerous times today and expected nothing in return, all because she was a good person. Now it was time for me to step up and take control. If she wanted me to work for her attention, then I'd do it, no questions asked.

Nothing was going to stop me from looking into those perfect, chocolate eyes.

Nothing.

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