I don't own these characters. They are the sole property of Stephenie Meyer. I only borrow them. No humans are permanently harmed through my actions, though I do confess to harassing, annoying, torturing, and exasperating them – just because it's fun. I make no money from my little stories, sad day. I only play in the sandbox, I didn't build it.

XI

Bella's POV

If I had believed Mr. Masen to be an attentive companion in the past, I had been mistaken. At least, in comparison to how he behaved after having declared his intentions. There was no chair that was not pulled out, no door that was not opened, no item that was not lifted, no child who was not attended to without a single word or request from me.

He fetched my gloves before I knew I needed them. He arranged for our meals and gave the boys activities to occupy them while I took care of the last of the details relating to my parents' estate. Though I had believed them to be completely destitute, after sending me the letter informing me of their deaths, the lawyer had been contacted by a family friend who told him that my father had given him a small sum of money to be held in trust for me.

I was awed at the man's honesty, for in truth no one would have known if he had kept the money for himself. It was not a large amount, but anything would make a difference in our circumstances. Besides, as Mr. Masen teased me one morning, soon I would have no need of paying a tutor.

We were planning a future we had not even acknowledged with words. But the touches... Oh yes, the touches that passed between us, stolen and fleeting, confirmed what our hearts already knew.

We were going to be together. If we had remained in the East, our union might have been frowned upon, but we would live in the untamed West, where our marriage would not raise so much as an eyebrow. Though if we had faced the sanction of every man, woman and child known to us, I would not have cared. Unseemly as it was unexpected, I was going to grab for the happiness I sensed he would bring me.

Though in truth only a week had passed, it felt like we had spent a lifetime in our strange seclusion. We had arrived late on a Tuesday night, and by Thursday I realized that I had accepted our coming union as a matter of fact. I did not know when we would join our lives legally, only that we would.

When I had passed from thinking of Mr. Masen as only my sons' tutor and started to think of him as my future husband? In truth, I suspected it was that moment when he had whispered his husky promise in the hallway of the hotel. It was as good as a vow, I realized, at least as far as Mr. Masen was concerned.

During the long sleepless nights when he was so close and yet so far beyond my touch, I sometimes whispered his name. "Edward..." It felt good and right on my lips and I longed to say it to him – openly and without reservation. Instead, I clung to the formality of his surname, needing that one tiny, insignificant shield to keep my actions virtuous. In truth, I longed to kiss him, to delve my fingers into the soft warmth of that unruly hair, to explore his lips and mouth with my own. I wanted so many things, and part of me was mortified that I continued to harbor such shameless thoughts even as I dealt with the painful details of my parents' estate.

Friends I had left behind to marry Jacob soon discovered that I was back and they began signaling their intentions to visit. Edward had deflected one such call while I was discussing matters with the attorney, and I knew that our moments of solitude and privacy were about to come to an end.

Finally, on the evening of our seventh day in the city, Edward and I had a moment to ourselves. The boys had worn themselves out with running around that day, exploring the many wonders of the big city. They had barely been able to keep from nodding their heads into the plates at the evening meal.

"They are fast asleep," I whispered as I closed the door to the bedroom and walked into the tiny sitting room that my quarters boasted. It had been an extravagance, but one for which I was mighty grateful at the moment. Edward was sort of sprawled on the small settee, his long legs stretched out before him, his tie undone though his collar was still fastened tightly.

Boldly, I went to sit beside him. His hand reached automatically for mine and I found myself savoring the small intimacy.

"I know that we are going to meet your friends tomorrow," he finally said. I had agreed to a luncheon tomorrow, and my old friends would meet my sons – and Edward Masen.

"Yes, I've been so busy that I haven't had the opportunity to go calling," I said with a touch of regret. I had missed so many of my friends, but I regretted that it had taken my parents' death to bring about a reunion, as temporary as that reunion might be.

His thumb rubbed against my hand, sending a slow river of warmth through my veins. He nodded thoughtfully. "I was wondering...Isabella..." As always, the sound of my name falling from his perfect lips made my heart speed up.

"What were you wondering...Edward?" I added daringly.

His green eyes shot my way and a slow, sinful smile tugged at those perfect lips. I could have sworn that I had laced my corset too tightly; for my lungs would not fill up with air no matter how hard I tried to breathe.

He took a deep breath and his fingers tightened around mine. "Am I to be introduced to your friends as the boys' tutor or..." His gaze flickered toward my face yet again. "Or something else?"

I tried to ignore the thrill that went through me at this sign of his eagerness to have our intentions signaled to all. "What would you prefer, Mr. Masen?"

His grin appeared again and his eyes glinted with humor. "First, I would prefer to be Edward again, as opposed to Mr. Masen."

I nodded. "I suppose that is a reasonable request." I squeezed his hand. "Edward."

Sighing with satisfaction, he lifted my hand to his lips. "If I might be so bold as to make another request?"

"You may," I conceded with a fluttering in my chest.

Once more, his long fingers caressed my own and that small gesture was almost too intimate to bear. "I should like very much, and be very proud indeed, to be introduced as your future husband." He closed his eyes briefly and his lips moved. I could not make out what he was saying.

I paused and his eyes opened abruptly. I cupped his strong jaw in my free hand and he nuzzled into it with gentle assurance. "If that is your wish, I find myself quite disposed to indulge it," I replied.

We sat there for a moment, silent and enthralled with the promises that now were not just understood, but spoken and acknowledged. "Then we might tell the boys as well?" he ventured.

"I think that might be a good idea," I replied with a little smile. "If we tell them, there may be no need to announce it to anyone else."

"Alex," we both said in unison and I laughed to think that he knew my sons so well.

His expression grew solemn again and he urged me closer. I was in no way reluctant to do so and the warmth of his body so close to mine was a heady reward. He reached up and silently pulled a hairpin from my hair. Without speaking, he kept at his task, removing five of them before my hair made a bid for freedom. Two pins after that and it came tumbling down quickly, covering my rapidly beating heart and his hand.

I felt him rubbing a strand of it between his fingers. I watched as he seemed mesmerized by that simple sight. My hair seemed to seek his caress, curling about his fingers with loving abandon. I wanted to follow that example.

His hand cradled the back of my neck and he drew me inexorably closer to his mouth. Our lips touched and we both moaned. "Mercy," he whispered and that made me laugh for some reason.

By some unspoken agreement, I found myself sliding down on the settee until he was hovering over me, supporting his weight on his arms. "Bella," he whispered.

"Yes?" I could not stop myself from running my fingers through his hair.

"Promise me that you'll stop me before I go too far," he said, his voice strained, his green eyes glittering.

"What is too far?" I teased. I regretted it when he moaned and shook his head.

"Please," he begged. "Don't let me...just don't."

I was no virgin. I was a widow and a mother, so I knew what he meant. I was both curious and cautious. "All right," I agreed and he slumped against me in relief, which only made our situation that much more precarious.

His eyes flickered to my lips and he licked his own. I felt my breasts pressing against his chest, the thin materials of my chemise and dress providing no protection against the sensations that buffeted me.

"You tempt me with every breath, Isabella," he said in a thick voice.

"As do you," I countered.

He licked his lips again. "We do not have to give into temptation...fully."

"True," I whispered. And then I pulled him down to me, forcing him to rest his weight on me completely. "A small surrender, perhaps," I suggested.

He groaned yet again as his mouth descended to mine. Edward's tongue swept against my lips, demanding that my mouth open. I happily obliged and I felt him jerk against me in response. One hand remained behind my neck, while the other danced down my back to settle at my hip, where he pressed me up against him.

A hard, warm length of flesh twitched against my skirt. I wanted to touch him, but I knew to do so would toss us both into a storm we could not survive. I settled for placing my hands on his back, roaming his hard contours, exploring the body that he kept hidden behind shirts and coats. I moved my hands up to this throat while his mouth continued to plunder mine. I tugged at his collar until it was undone and a warm patch of pale flesh was exposed to my eyes. A few strands of brown hair tickled my fingers.

With a gasp, I pulled my mouth from his and pressed my lips to his throat. Edward shuddered against me and his hips began moving, pressing that intimate flesh to me. His mouth moved frantically at my throat, my ear, even my temple. His hands were hard and gentle at the same time, keeping our bodies close.

He gave a soft growl of sound and sat up abruptly. Putting his elbows on his knees, he was breathing heavily. Edward shook his head as if to clear it. Giving me a rueful smile, he said quietly, "I think it best if we do not delay too long. I shall be insane or dead if we do."

I laughed at him then, though I knew exactly what he meant.