A/N: Just a quick note to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of you that read and reviewed! You have no idea how much your kinds words meant to me. I was thrilled to see such an amazing response! So thank you so much!

OK, here is the second part of Should've Kissed You. This chapter involves some of the date, but as I said in the previous part, have had to split it because I couldn't stop writing!

Big Wolfie, Jake love to my beta: Simply Jaded4

And thanks to my pre-readers: Madmamabear & Feebes.

4. Should've Kissed You. P2

JPOV

Cologne: check.

Freshly cut hair: check.

Flowers: check.

Wallet: check.

Babysitter: check, but she needs to hurry the fuck up.

Leather jacket: check.

Pearly-white smile: check.

Now all I had to do was control the swarm of butterflies that had taken up residence in my stomach. Yeah, I'm nervous. I was about to go on a date with a woman so beautiful, the mere thought of those delicate, silky strands, gorgeous doe-eyes, and full, pink lips made me damn near blow a fuse. So, yeah, I think I'm entitled to be a little nervous.

"Whatcha think, champ?" I asked my cooing son as he rested in his rocker, smiling up at me brightly. "How do I look?"

He gave me one of his infamous gummy smiles, and made what sounded like a loud grunting noise, "Uuuh!" while flailing his arms wildly.

"I gotta say, I agree with the little guy. My baby bro certainly cleans up nice." Becca appeared at my doorway with a low whistle, while leaning against the wooden frame with a shit-eating grin on her face.

My smile faded instantly and rapidly formed a frown. Fashionably late as always.

Ignoring her smart-ass comments, I turned back to the mirror and added a few finishing touches to my hair. Once I was done, I washed the excess gel from my hands, quickly dried them on the hand towel and turned to face my darling sister.

"I don't have time for pleasantries, Becca," I growled, feeling pissed that she was late on the one night I needed her to be here on time. "However, if you'd been here fifteen minutes ago, then I might've been in the mood to do small talk with you."

She chuckled and flopped down on the bed, leaning down to pick up my son. "Oh stop being such a bitch and cheer the hell up. After all, you're about to go out on a date with a fine, young woman. Don't wanna be all grumpy around her, do you?" She smirked wickedly, quirking her brow at me, while bouncing Ethan in her arms.

I shot a murderous glare her way, before turning back to the mirror to check my appearance one last time. "Whatever. Listen, I've given Ethan his bath. He usually plays a little in his rocker for around an hour, and I feed him again at around half seven. The formula is in the fridge so all you gotta do is heat it up." I turned and looked at her sternly, making sure she took all of this in. "He usually gets fussy around eight, so just put him in his crib and let him play with his toys. He normally drifts off a little after, so please make sure you have a monitor with you at all times," I instructed her, pointing my finger towards the baby monitor on my nightstand. "I'm not sure what time I'll be back, but if I'm not back by his next feed, he usually wakes up to eat again at around eleven. After that, you should be good."

Becca laughed softly, while lifting Ethan up and suspending him above her head in a playful manner. "Aww don't worry, Daddykins, we are gonna be just fine. Aren't we, little man?" she said with excitement in her voice, making my boy smile with happiness.

While a huge part of me was chomping at the bit to go and pick up Bella, I couldn't help the feeling of sheer dread and anxiety that had settled in my stomach as I realised that this would be the first time that I'd been out since his birth. Call it fatherly instinct, but just the thought of leaving him was tearing me up inside. "You promise to call me if anything goes wrong?" I asked, worriedly. "I don't care what time it is, or how serious it is, if you need me, call me."

Becca lowered my son back into her arms and gently rocked him. She turned towards me and gave me an 'if you don't leave in the next thirty seconds, your ass is toast' look and arched her brow. "Jake, he's my only nephew. Give me some credit. I love this kid like he's my own, so will you stop fretting and go get your date before she thinks you've stood her up?"

I gulped hard and nodded. Was I stalling? Shit, I was. Fuck, my palms were sweating and my heart was pounding. This was normal, right? I wasn't having a fucking panic attack or anything, was I? I could do this. I could go out to dinner with the woman who had rocked my world from the moment she walked into it, couldn't I? Yes, I could. Because for the first time in nearly a year, I was actually happy. And I had her to thank for that. We might've only been out for a coffee and spoken on the phone, but I didn't care. I wasn't about to let happiness slip through my fingers.

I might be completely outta practice with this shit, but I wasn't stupid.

Grabbing my cell from the nightstand, I strolled over to my sister and son and kissed them both on the cheek. "Ok, I'm gone. Catch you later, little man." I kissed his smooth forehead and inhaled his baby scent. Christ, I was going to miss him. "See ya later, Becs. Remember what I said. Call me if you need anything."

She rolled her eyes. "I will, now go!"

Chuckling, I took one last glance back at my son before heading into my kitchen to grab the roses, then out to my car to go and collect my beautiful date.

~UH~

BPOV

"You don't think it's too much?" I asked my best friend, Mary, as I walked out of my bedroom and into the bathroom-where she was perched on the sink painting her nails-revealing my snow leopard print cocktail dress.

She looked up from painting her nails, gave me the once over with her eyes and smirked. "Girl, put it this way, there has to be something seriously wrong with the dude if you don't get laid tonight."

I tilted my head to the side and looked at her in disapproval. "You know me better than that. Tonight isn't about getting laid. It's about us getting to know one another," I explained, though I was more than likely talking to myself.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, while placing the nail brush back in the bottle. "Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that."

I laughed and slipped on my black heels. "You are incorrigible!"

Mary threw me an ear to ear grin and winked. "True dat, my sexy lady. But you love me."

"This is very true," I agreed, laughing. "Anyways, you'd better bounce. He's gonna be here soon, and I don't want my crazy ass best friend scaring him off." I winked, teasingly.

Before hopping down from the sink, Mary glanced over at me and threw me a knowing look. "Now come on, tell the truth." She picked up the nail polish and placed it in the cabinet. "You're just scared he's gonna see my fine ass and let me steal him away."

Now, if this had been anyone else, I might've been slightly concerned about a remark like that, but that little comment was Mary all over. She didn't give a fuck, and she said what she wanted. She was a straight talker and that's why I loved her. I also knew that she would never hurt me. Mary was like my sister, and if anyone hurt a member of her family, there would be hell to pay.

"Yes, absolutely. That's the reason. I'm so colossally lacking in self confidence, I'm worried that my sex deprived best friend is going to steal away my date."

She snapped her fingers and smiled. "I knew it! See, there's no hiding this shiznit from me. I always find out."

We laughed together for a second, before things turned deadly serious.

She reached forward and took my hand. "In all seriousness, I really am happy that you've found someone. I know it hasn't been easy to trust someone again," she said, looking at me with sad eyes. "But I swear, if this dude even so much as breathes on you in the wrong way, the mofo is going down. And I am not even joking. There's no way in hell I'm letting my sister get hurt again. I watched it happen once, like fuck am I doing it again," Mary finished passionately, her face contorted into an angry scowl.

I stepped forward and brought her in for a hug. "I know, honey, and it really means a lot. But I really like him, Mary. He's...different."

She smiled and cupped my cheeks. "He better be."

My eyes filled with unshed tears as the sisterly moment we shared lingered between us. She had no idea how much I cherished her.

"Ok, well, I s'pose I'd better go. You aren't the only one with a date, you know. Only mine involves a threesome with the dudes from True Blood and an insanely large tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream." I couldn't help but chuckle. "Have a nice night, my love. Don't forget to hit me up and let me know how it went. I'd rather not be informed via the relationship status on your Facebook," she winked and smirked.

I nodded in understanding, and walked her towards my door and opened it. "I'll have to see you on Monday. I've got Jaymie for the weekend so I'm gonna spend some time with her."

"Alright, my little dove. Have fun and say hi to Jaymie for me."

I nodded again, finding it harder to speak as my nerves began to bubble in my stomach. "Sure will, catch you later, honey." I waved her goodbye and walked back into my apartment.

I wasn't about to tell my best friend this, but I felt sick with nerves. Mary was right, this had taken a lot for me to ask him out, but for some reason I felt so comfortable and at ease around him. Not many men made me feel like that. Usually I couldn't wait to get away, but not with Jake.

I kept staring at myself in the mirror, fussing with my hair and applying lip gloss, wondering what an incredibly hot guy like Jake would see in a girl like me. I was positive he could do better. In my opinion, I was barely touching average.

Just as I placed the lip gloss wand back in the tube, my doorbell rang.

Instantly my body stiffened and the lip gloss slipped from my fingers in sheer panic.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Oh God.

Quickly I smoothed over my dress, and ruffled my hair. I looked presentable. That'll do. I bounded out of my bathroom, being extra careful not to catch my heel on the rug covering the foyer floor, and took a brief moment to compose myself. I then opened the door.

As it opened, my eyes were greeted with a breathtaking sight. Jake was standing there with his short, black hair spiked up and perfectly styled. He was dressed in a black, button down shirt that he wore slightly unbuttoned so you could see a glimpse of his perfectly bronze skin, while his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his tanned, muscular arms. He wore faded grey, Diesel jeans and a pair of black and white Nike sneakers. I was in awe. He looked devastatingly handsome, like he'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine or something.

My mouth dropped open a little as I gazed upon this god in amazement. How was this possible? How had a wallflower like me managed to get a guy like him to go out on a date?

His gorgeous brown eyes found mine and widened. His jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Holy shit," he breathed, his eyes turned dark as they roamed over my body, gazing at me hungrily.

I smiled inwardly, and stifled a giggle. I was thrilled that I could get a guy as sexy as him to portray that kind of reaction. As his perusal continued, I squirmed a little as his eyes drifted downwards to my exposed legs. It wasn't that he was making me feel uncomfortable per say, I just wasn't used to a guy looking at me like that.

"Hey Jake," I said in a small voice, causing him to come out of his daze and snap his eyes back to mine.

"Bella," he rasped, still appearing slightly disorientated.

Our eyes lingered together for a few moments, the passion and fire ablaze between us damn near brought me to my knees. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer against my chest, while my mouth suddenly turned extremely dry.

"Uh, do you want to come in for a second? I just gotta grab my purse," I offered, motioning inside my apartment.

Jake shook his head quickly, clearing the mist that has settled over his eyes, then licked his lips and nodded robotically. "Sure, sure."

As we walked through my foyer, I went into the kitchen and retrieved my purse from the counter.

"Nice place," he told me, impressed.

I smiled and turned around, my eyes finding his curious frame admiring the artwork covering the walls. "Thanks," I blushed. "It's not much, but it's home."

Jake turned to face me and looked at me in disbelief. "Not much? Bella this place is awesome," he told me, his tone sincere and genuine.

I wasn't sure why, but I liked that fact he wasn't afraid to set me straight. It was nice.

I blushed again, deeper this time, and averted my eyes to the gleaming light wooden floor, smiling coyly. "Well, do you wanna get going?"

God, I hated how childish and school-girlish I sounded. It wasn't like this was my first date. It was, however, my first since I had my heart broken in two by the man I thought I loved.

Jake threw me a warm smile and nodded. "Oh, before we go, I, uh, got you these." He brought a bouquet of stunningly blood red roses out from behind his back.

I was floored.

I hadn't expected anything from him, so this act of affection totally blew me away.

I'd never been given flowers before.

"You brought me flowers?" I whisper in awe, wondering how this amazing man hadn't been snapped up by some incredibly lucky woman. But then again, I was glad he hadn't. Otherwise he wouldn't be here, in my apartment, with me, about to go out on a date.

I took the flowers dubiously as he shuffled on his feet uncomfortably, and ran an anxious hand over his neck. "Uh, yeah," he mumbled, sounding unsure. "Is that ok? I mean, I'm a little outta practice with the whole dating thing. I'm not sure what's in or out," he chuckled, nervously.

I smiled at his admitted rustiness, and glanced down towards the gorgeous bouquet in my hand. "They're beautiful," I said truthfully, while lifting my gaze and focusing on him. "I've just never been given flowers before." Cue nervous lip bite.

Dammit. Why did I have to say that?

He narrowed his eyes as they clouded over with anger, and his jaw clenched. "You've never been given flowers before?"

"No, not really. It's kind of a long story...well, maybe later. Okay?"

His stance and eyes softened instantly. "Okay, no pressure, tell me whatever you want, whenever you want. I'm right here, Bella."

I shouldn't have, but I felt myself immediately shut down. I wasn't quite ready to reveal all regarding my past just yet. I didn't want him to pity or feel sorry for me. That wasn't what I was about.

I placed my purse on the counter, moved back towards the sink, grabbed a vase, filled it with water and with care, placed the flowers inside. Walking back towards the counter, I picked up my purse. "Ready?"

I melted. I literally melted.

Dammit!

~UH~

I felt bad.

I shouldn't have locked down on him like I did back at my place, but I didn't wanna scare him off by getting too serious. After all, this was our first date. So, naturally, I felt an unwavering need to apologise.

"Jake?" I started quietly, glancing over at him.

God, he looked so sexy when he drove. So in control and strong with his hand on the steering wheel, while the other rested on his lap. What I wouldn't give to slip my hand into his, and just hold it tightly in mine.

"Bella," he replied with a playful smirk. I couldn't help but chuckle.

I stared down at my hands, fidgeting nervously with my fingers. "I just wanted to apologise for shutting down on you back there. I honestly loved the flowers, they are stunning. I just-"

"Bella," he said warmly, reaching over and taking my hand. That simple yet affectionate gesture left me pining for him. How ridiculous was that?! "You don't have to explain anything if you don't want to." His finger gently rubbed my knuckles comfortingly.

My eyes fluttered shut at the close contact, and I swallowed hard and buried the moan that was itching to be released. I shook my head in protest. "No, I do. It's not fair that I shut you out like that. Especially when you didn't do anything wrong," I sighed heavily.

This wasn't how I wanted our evening to go. "I just...I wasn't really sure what to do because like I said, I've never been given flowers. My ex thought things like that were just a waste of money. He wasn't very romantic." My heart sank as I finished my explanation. That sounded so pathetic!

I'd blown it.

That was way too serious.

Goddammit!

But, much to my great surprise, he didn't pull the car over and hang a u-turn to take me straight home. Instead, Jake squeezed my hand tighter and tore his eyes from the road for a brief moment to gaze into mine. "Bella, no offence or anything, but your ex was a dick." I laughed at his bluntness, making him chuckle. I actually really liked that on him. He said what he thought, and that was major points in my book. "Trust me, a woman as beautiful and special as you deserves to be surrounded by flowers twenty-four-seven. And those flowers I gave you a few minutes ago? Well, they are just the first in a long line. So get used to it, honey," he smirked. God, I loved that smirk on him.

My eyes snapped to his as he called me 'honey'. That actually sounded really nice. Really, really nice.

"You know, I wasn't sure if you'd show up tonight," I said, grinning impishly while simultaneously changing the subject.

Jake scoffed incredulously, moving his eyes back to the road. "Not a chance in hell of that happening, but ok, I'll bite. Why weren't you sure?"

I smiled and ran the pad of my finger over his wrist bone, eliciting a deep, reverberating groan from him. The sound ran straight down my spine, and right to my toes. Good, that was the reaction I had hoped for. "Well, your 'friend,' the guy I spoke with earlier, sounded like he might pocket my address and show up himself," I joked.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Wanna hear a secret?" he said, grinning.

I shrugged. "Sure."

He bit his lip and pursed his lip into a thin line. "I was a little jealous," he revealed, his lip twitching as he fought a smile.

My brows pulled together in confusion. "Jealous? Of what?" I asked, puzzled. "Why would you be jealous?"

He moved his eyes from the road again to look directly at me. The intensity between us was now sky-high. "It might've had something to do with the fact my 'friend' was talking about meeting up with you and not letting me know. Just the thought of it makes my blood boil. Shit, I would've hunted his ass down and given him the beat down of his life," he laughed, uncomfortably.

Normally I don't condone violence, but the jealousy in his tone was kind of turning me on.

"And why would you have done that? Don't you boys have some kinda guy code? Bro's before ho's or something?"

"Depends on the situation," he replied, quickly. "And you, Bella, are not a ho," he growled angrily, almost annoyed by my statement, and stared at me seriously. "You're different. I don't know why, you just are. You bring out something in me that I've never felt before. Something fierce. I want to protect you, shield you, and keep you safe. Plus, I would've beat the crap outta him 'cause he would've denied me the chance to spend some time with one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. That shit wouldn't sit well with me." He returned his eyes to the road.

I smiled, delighted that he seemed so interested and possessive over me. He wanted to protect me? That was a sexy trait. "So, I guess I did good when I told him you were the only guy I was interested in seeing?"

Jake chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"Well, for what it's worth," I laced my fingers through his, "there's no one else I'd rather be with tonight than you."

He looked down at our entwined hands, smiled and tightened his hold on me. "Same here," he said, his eyes focused on mine.

~UH~

As Jake pulled up outside the steakhouse, I glanced in through the window to the packed restaurant and felt my heart plummet.

Crap!

I'd forgotten to make reservations.

How could I have forgotten that?!

Insert facepalm here.

"Uh, I have a confession to make," I said, wincing.

Jake placed the car in park and turned to look at me, amused. "Yeah?"

I bit my lip. "I might've forgotten to make reservations." I cringed, waiting for his reaction.

Again, to my surprise, he burst out laughing.

I scowled, fighting back my own laughter and playfully swatted his arm. "It's not funny!"

He tried to hold in his snickering, shaking his head. "Yeah, it is."

I huffed and folded my arms childishly, still trying hard not to laugh. "I don't like you very much right now. You're mean," I said, pouting.

His laugh slowly faded into a deep chuckle. "Yeah, you do. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me out," he stated, winking.

Okay, he had me there.

Huffing again, I turned my head away from him immaturely, and looked out of the window. I was only playing, but I wanted to make him feel bad for laughing at me.

"C'mon, I'm only playing with you," he said softly, the chuckle remained evident in his voice. "We can do something else if you want? Maybe catch a film or try another restaurant?"

My laughter finally broke through and I chuckled as I heard him offer suggestions in an attempt to save our evening. I wasn't sure why, but the simple gesture warmed me. "I totally screwed this up, didn't I?" I continued to chuckle.

He reached out and took my hand. "Nah, you didn't screw up. Things happen. 'Sides, I'm still spending time with you, and that's all I wanted, so I'm good."

At that, our eyes connected. Once again, I felt a heat rise from deep within me and consume my heart. "Ok, I think I can salvage this. There's a cute little place a little further down that's supposed to be nice. We can check that out if you want?"

He smiled softly and tilted his head to one side. "Sure, you wanna drive or walk?"

For some reason the very idea of walking beside him, people seeing us together and picturing us as a couple, made me blush. I smiled at the thought. "Let's walk."

Grinning, he ripped off his seatbelt, took the key from the ignition and, just before he climbed out, looked over at me and said, "Don't move." With that, he pushed open his door, leapt out, and jogged around to my side.

Pulling open my door with a flourish, he held out his hand to me with a sultry smile that melted me all over again. "My lady..." His voice was husky and deep. Oh my.

I took his offered hand and stood. This placed me disconcertingly nose-to-nose with him. Absentmindedly, I placed my palm on his muscular chest to steady myself. I couldn't help but feel my pulse increase as I felt his own race against my hand. He looked at me with a fire in those deep coffee-coloured eyes. He brushed his nose past my chin and lifted his lips to my ear. "Are you ready to take a walk with me, Bella?"

I bit my lip and smiled shyly. "Lead the way, sir."

He offered me his arm, and I hooked my hand into his elbow. When we reached the spot I had suggested, he cocked an eyebrow at me.

~UH~

JPOV

"Sushi?"

"Yeah, sushi. That okay? How do you feel about raw fish?"

"It's decent. More exotic than I expected, but I love it."

Ok, so that was a bit of a white lie. I had never had the stuff in my life, but I wasn't about to tell her that. I didn't want our evening to take a nose dive because of me. I knew Sushi was an acquired taste for sure, or so I'd heard, but I just prayed I didn't fuck this up completely by eating the wrong thing and getting food poisoning. Then a thought hit me: I didn't need to know what I was ordering, I'd let Bella order first and order the same thing. Yeah, that could work.

I placed my hand on the small of her back as I opened the restaurant door for her, and guided her in. As we entered, the maître d' waited for us to approach.

"Table for two?" he asked in a fake, cheery voice, while batting his eyelashes flirtatiously at me.

I tensed and my stomach rolled. You have to be kidding me! I come here with this beautiful woman in my arms and end up getting hit on by a gay waiter. Awesome. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with being homosexual; shit, I had friends that were gay, but I didn't need him throwing inappropriate behaviour my way when I'm here on a date.

Bella must've sensed my discomfort as she immediately snaked her arms around my waist and pulled me against her, resting her head against my left pectoral. It was almost as if she were marking her territory. If this was how being taken felt, she could mark me anytime. I relaxed instantly. Fucking heaven. How the hell did she do that?

After clearing my throat, and responding to Bella's affectionate gesture by resting my hand on her hip, I looked at the dude and answered, "Yeah, please."

I pulled her further into me and kissed her hair, showing her without words that I appreciated everything she was giving me. Don't ask me where this was coming from, as I honestly couldn't tell you, but touching her like this felt like the most natural and easy thing in the world.

"Is there a long wait?" Bella asked politely, making my insides turn to mush. Jesus, even her voice sent me on an endless high.

Dickward in front of us looked her up and down in distaste, making me growl and clench my fists in anger. How fucking dare he treat my girl like that.

Woah! Slow down there, buddy, I slammed the brakes on. She's not yours-yet.

He let out an involuntary-judging by the look of horror on his face-snarl and replied in a bored tone, while looking at his nails, "Fifteen minutes."

I swear, I was seriously about to lose my shit with this asshole. What the fuck was his problem?

Bella glanced up at me through her perfect brown lashes. "Is that ok for you? I don't want to keep you if you need to get back to Ethan."

I shook my head and chuckled. The generosity and kindness of this woman was fucking amazing. "It's fine. I'm sure the little guy can manage without me," I smiled.

She moved those gorgeous, sparkling eyes back to Dickward-that's my new name for him-and told him that it was fine.

He informed us that we could sit in the bar while we waited or we could stay in the vestible. I scoffed inwardly. Yeah, right. Like fuck was I staying there and allowing him to eye-rape me.

Dickward asked for our names, to which Bella and I responded in unison, "Black."

"Swan."

We looked at each other with amusement written all over our faces, and burst out laughing.

"Black?" she said, incredulously.

"Swan?" I shot back, smirking.

She chuckled, shook her head and bit her lip.

I couldn't help it. My eyes were drawn to those luscious, pink lips like magnets.

Fucking perfect.

I slipped my hand into Bella's and gently tugged, indicating that we should head over to the bar. She must have seen the look of complete and utter urgency on my face, as she chuckled, bit her lip then nodded and let me guide her through the restaurant and towards the brightly lit seating area.

Just as she was about to sit down on one of their plush leather couches, I stopped her and brought her into me, while leaning down and skimming my mouth sensually across her ear. "Thank you," I breathed.

I felt her shiver beneath me and I smirked smugly. I did that. I made this stunner shiver. Her chocolate eyes found mine, giving me a look of pure seduction. "It's no problem. It's my job, remember?" She smirked devilishly, making my dick stand to attention. I groaned internally. Fuck. "Now, how about you go order me a Sex on the Beach, Mr. Black," she purred, placing her tiny, pale hand on my chest, and moving her liquid gaze to my lips, while licking her own.

Sweet Jesus. How in the holy hell was I gonna survive this?

I gulped hard and licked my own. "One Sex on the Beach coming right up."

~UH~

Once I came back with our drinks, we sat down on the couch and fell into an easy, effortless conversation.

"So, where is the little dude tonight?" she asked, lifting the cocktail glass to her lips and taking a sip.

Once again, I swallowed hard as my eyes were lured towards her lips. All of these perfectly innocent, yet sexy as fuck, little actions were gonna leave me with a permanent fucking hard-on if I wasn't careful.

Shifting uncomfortably in my seat, I picked up my Corona and took a long, hearty swig. Liquid fucking courage this stuff.

"Little dude?" I chuckled, choking on my beer.

I loved the pet names she had for my boy. It was cute.

"Yeah, little dude. I have others," she said indifferently, and with a breathtaking smile.

I took another decent gulp of my drink and smiled. "He's at home with my sister, Becca."

"You have a sister?" Bella asked, intrigued.

"Two," I confirmed. "Becca, my youngest sister, lives here in Seattle with her husband, Drew. And Rachel, my eldest sister, lives back in La Push with her fiancé, Paul."

"La Push?" she echoed my words in wonderment. "I've heard of that place. It's near Forks, right?"

I narrowed my eyes and her and smiled. "Yeah, just outside. You know it?"

Bella shrugged and licked her lips again. Goddammit. "Yeah, my mum had a kinda thing for the place," she chuckled, with a small, wistful smile.

I wasn't sure when the mood had changed, but I now felt a sort of sadness radiate from her, and I fucking hated that. More than anything I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but I wasn't sure if that would be pushing it.

"Do you have family here? In Seattle, I mean?"

She looked up at me with those big, brown eyes of hers, and shook her head. "No, my dad lives in Cali with his wife, Sue, and her two children. We speak on the phone every other week, just to check in with each other, you know? And my mother..." she hesitated, her eyes misted over a little. Fuck, what did I say? "She, uh, she died a few years ago," she finished in a strangled whisper.

I officially felt like an asshole.

Not giving a fuck whether I overstepped any boundaries, I scooted over so I was right next to her and placed my hand over hers, trying to take some of her pain away. She needed me, and I needed her to know I was here and I was sorry.

"I'm sorry, Bells," I whispered, squeezing her hand, reassuringly.

Bella glanced down to our joined hands, smiled and looked up at me with warm eyes. As our eyes connected, I felt a surge of electricity bolt through my veins and attack my heart. I knew this was wrong considering everything she'd just told me, but never in all my life had I wanted to lean in and kiss someone more than I did right now.

Gently, I ran the pads of my fingers over the smooth skin of her hand, and lowered my eyes to her glistening lips. Time suddenly stopped. There was nothing in the world except me and this beautiful woman. She had crawled under my skin and taken over every rational thought I had and seduced my senses.

Before I could stop myself, I dipped down, my lips inches from hers, and I was close enough that I could taste the cocktail she'd been sipping on as her sweet breath drifted across my lips.

I wanted this. I wanted to kiss her more than anything-to feel those perfect lips brush across mine once again, and feel that sexy little tongue move flawlessly with mine. But was I moving too fast? Would she push me away, or welcome me? I had an inkling that my touch would be well received, and for some reason that simultaneously scared and thrilled me.

However, before I could act on my feelings, a loud cough shattered our intimate moment.

"Mr. Black, your table is now ready," the maître d' informed us quickly, with a slight amused edge to his tone. Clearly he was over the fucking moon that he had stopped me from kissing this incredible woman.

"Thanks, we'll be right there," I told him in a no-nonsense tone, never once taking my eyes from Bella.

I saw the guy huff and walk off dramatically out the corner of my eye, and internally rolled my eyes. Fucking drama queen.

"We should go," Bella breathed thickly, although her tone betrayed her eyes. She wanted to stay here with me and continue what I'd almost started, and to be honest, I wanted that just as fucking badly.

I gulped hard; the air surrounding and cocooning us was thick and heady with desire as my love-drunk eyes remained firmly on her. "Yeah, we should..." I mumbled, gutturally.

Unwillingly, I released her hand and watched, pained, as she climbed to her feet.

I sat there for a moment trying my best to recover, and silently cursed the motherfucker who broke the spellbinding moment between Bella and I.

I sighed heavily, stood and made my way towards the angel waiting patiently for me, and prayed that our almost kiss didn't make things awkward between us.

Apparently I was wrong.

There we go! There's part two! Only one more to go. :)

Please review! They honestly make my day.

Until the next time.