Hello again! Let's see what Edward's thinking after all that incredible sex, eh?

All Because of You- U2

~~oo~~

Chapter 57: Oops. My bad.

EPOV

Long after Bella left, long after we had laughed and cleaned up our mess, I was still smiling.

Not even Emmett could get me down.

He could make me giggle though when he complained about no spoons in the drawer for his pudding cup. Esme didn't even bat an eyelash and simply pulled a fresh one out of the dishwasher, still warm from the heat setting.

We were nothing if not thorough.

I admit it was Bella's idea.

I had no idea the dishwasher had a heat setting hot enough to sterilize.

Now I knew.

The only thing that seemed to sober me up was Esme's quiet behavior since returning back from Port Angeles. Her only explanation on what she had spent the day doing was meeting with some old acquaintances.

She didn't elaborate and I didn't ask further.

She would tell us in her own time.

I hoped.

I still felt uncomfortable asking about why Carlisle had been here earlier in the day, afraid that for whatever reason he had insisted on being here, it somehow related to me.

I didn't want that guilt.

Not after such a great day with Bella.

So I said my goodnights and headed back upstairs to my bedroom after dinner, tired from the last few days. I grinned into the darkness as I lay there, knowing if I was tired, Bella would be fast asleep for sure. I fingered the two slats in my headboard that sat slightly askew.

They hadn't gone back as easily as I had pulled them out.

It took a lot to get me to use that much force.

A beautiful girl riding you and keeping you from touching her could do that to a guy.

Snuggling down into my blankets, I nuzzled into the pillows, still smelling her there. I had insisted when we changed the sheets that she leave the pillows. The blush I got from her when I told her I wanted to have something of her with me when I slept was heart warming.

I would have preferred her here.

But her lingering scent would have to do.

Sleep came quickly, and before I knew it, it was morning and I was waving goodbye to my mom and driving to pick up Bella from her house. She was a lot slower coming out, and when I saw her, I knew why. She pursed her lips and groaned as she slid into the seat, closing her eyes as she laid her head back on the leather seat.

Oops.

My bad.

"Sorry," I mumbled sheepishly as I slid into my own seat with a lot more ease than she had.

"I'm not," she said, her eyes still closed, but a playful smile on her face.

She opened up her eyes and turned her head slightly to eye me with that playful look I liked so much.

"That was the best weekend ever," she continued and then laughed. "Any weekend that needs recovery time is a great time."

Leaning in I kissed her slowly, content to have her here with me, happy that she was happy, and feeling a sense of pride that I could make her feel so much. Of course when we got to school, I worried about her. She rolled her eyes at me and straightened her back, walking calmly into her first class.

I think I was the only one that noticed she sat a little more gingerly than usual.

I turned towards my own class and sighed, knowing I would have to behave this week.

First period flew by to memories of the weekend and the ever present pain in my jeans.

But unlike so many times before, I didn't choose to rush off to the bathroom to relieve it.

Instead I embraced the fact that Bella made me feel like a man.

Wanting.

Needing.

And only she could satisfy.

Well, I could certainly take care of business, but it just wouldn't feel the same anymore.

Suddenly trips in between class seemed passé.

I could handle a little discomfort.

If Bella could, I certainly would.

Because of Bella, I could refrain. I could dismiss my needs.

All because of Bella and how she loved me.

So second period turned into third period, slowing down only when I realized that one more class period and I'd be seeing her again. I had half a mind to go find her class so that I could walk her to her fourth period.

Or to the closest utility closet.

But it was a long walk from opposite sides of campus, and she really did need some recover time.

Yesterday should have been a recovery day.

I grinned over the pop quiz in History, thinking about the most recent history in my bedroom.

She was so confident.

And daring.

Would have never thought she'd tie me up.

"Mr. Cullen? Is there something amusing about your quiz?"

I looked up to find Mr. Jefferson watching me from his desk. I shook my head before hovering over the paper, busily scribbling the answers so that I could go back to thinking of what else Bella might like.

She said spanking.

Concentrate.

Lincoln. Or Hamilton?

Right. Concentrate. Due Process Clause was the Fourteenth Amendment, right?

Would she like more?

What though?

There was so much that I didn't want to do with her. Was this my lifestyle, really?

Shit. Gotta finish this.

I filled out the last question and returned to my desk to contemplate what it was that Bella and I did this weekend.

Nothing like…

No this was more.

She and I had a deeper connection. This was so much more.

She was more.

More affectionate.

More alive.

More willing.

Just... more.

I had no reason now to think this desire was all in my head. Bella was right. If I was not normal, then neither was she.

I grinned all the way to her classroom at that thought.

Perhaps being normal was overrated.

Looking at Newton strike out with Lauren again by his locker, I was sure of it.

They were as boring as boring got.

But Bella.

She was nothing short of spectacular.

Watching her come out of her class with a large smile on her face to greet me, I knew we were the lucky ones.

A quick kiss and we were off to the lunch room, the ever present rain keeping us from finding a spot all to ourselves in the privacy of the forest.

Probably for the best.

I could say I didn't want to relieve myself the pain in my jeans. It didn't mean I wouldn't try if we were alone.

I settled down at the table behind Mike just as he was starting some story about his substitute teacher in English.

"Dude, Eric! She was hotter than hot! She was like sex on two legs!" he was saying.

"They should have a rule that all teachers be ugly and old," Jessica muttered, tearing the lettuce out of her sandwich with vicious tugs.

"Or men," Lauren added. "Who are hot and looking to tutor."

Bella rolled her eyes next to me and took a bite of her sandwich.

"She's pretty, but weird. All smiles and cool eyes. Like she's waiting to see you screw up," she said around her sandwich.

"How did she know who you were, Bella?" Mike asked, turning around to look at us as we ate.

She shrugged and swallowed.

"She came into the bakery I work at this weekend. Weird lady, getting all up in people's business like a gossip," she said and then looked pointedly at Lauren and Jessica.

"Well, she can gossip about me all she wants. She is hot!" Mike continued and turned back to Eric to discuss all the things he'd like to do to her.

It didn't take long.

He really was boring.

"So you had a sub? I guess that's some excitement over Mr. Varner," I said, making conversation.

She chuckled and nodded.

"She was a lot more energetic than Varner. I did like the assignment she gave us," she said and took a long sip of her water before continuing.

I may have missed the first few sentences, I was still thinking about her lips on me after watching her suck on the water bottle.

"But she wants to try and get Mr. Varner to turn in the best essays for some scholarship," she was saying. "It'd be nice to have that in the fall."

I frowned and pulled my head back into the conversation.

"We haven't really talked much about after we graduate," I said, feeling the panic start to rise at the thought of her going away to some far away school while I settled into U-Dub.

She put her sandwich down and regarded me for a moment before touching my cheek softly.

"I don't know, Edward. I sort of screwed up my application process for college by moving and everything. I was going to try for community college for a year, or maybe cooking school," she said and her eyes seemed to convey that she wasn't going far.

She wanted to stay close.

With me.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice whisper soft.

"I'm going to University of Washington," I replied and shrugged. "Undecided major, but Carlisle insisted I stay close."

Bringing him up made us both frown.

"Well now we can figure something out together," she replied and squeezed my hand in reassurance.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and since she hadn't spent much time with her dad in the last few days, I reluctantly dropped her off at home, wishing for that little bit of peace we had experienced over the weekend.

She leaned into the car and offered me a wicked smile.

"Charlie is working an overnight, so if you want to come back after dinner, you can," she offered. "Just let me know. I'll leave the window open."

She winked before rushing towards the house, not wanting to get wet.

As I drove, I thought about all the things we could do that didn't require her becoming more sore.

Leave it to Emmett to pull me from those delightful thoughts.

"Dude, what the hell did you do to Bella?" he said loudly, laughing as he did so.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frustrated at his boisterous laughter.

"She kept groaning in class when we were in gym today," he explained with a gleam in his eyes. "A little too much stretching this weekend?"

"Fuck off Emmett," I growled, seeing Esme in the corner of my eye by the door to the kitchen.

"Boys, please try to be nice to one another," she said and turned back towards the kitchen, where I could smell dinner already cooking.

I looked back at Emmett and stared him down.

"If you don't want your cheerleader knowing that you told your family about what you like to do with her, then you'd better leave Bella alone," I threatened.

His eyes widened slightly for a second before he remembered he was bigger than me. But he nodded and patted me on the shoulder.

"I like this new side of you. All you had to do to get some balls was to use them finally," he quipped and then pulled away before I could deck him.

"I mean it, Emmett," I reiterated. "Leave her alone and don't embarrass her."

He shrugged and disappeared upstairs, leaving me to go face Esme. I was sure I'd get a lecture about respecting a girl and whatever.

"Can you ask Bella and her father over for dinner one night this week?" was the lecture I got instead.

"Why?" I asked cautiously.

Esme raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Well, if you two are getting serious, the parents should meet," she said and then paused, taking a long breath. "It would be nice to have company, all right?"

I felt guilty suddenly.

Esme had to put up with so much, and now that Carlisle was gone, she didn't have anyone in town to talk to.

Well, except Alice.

And that was weird.

I still didn't really know how they knew one another.

"I'll ask," I finally replied. "But he works a lot of late nights, Mom. I'm not sure his schedule will fit with dinner."

"All we can do is ask," she said and smiled softly. "I really like Bella, and Chief Swan has always been cordial to me. It would be nice to get to know both of them a little better."

I sighed and nodded, knowing it would happen eventually. Chief Swan already suspected I was odd. An awkward dinner would only add to his feeling about me. Emmett would probably blurt something out and cause him to draw his gun on me for deflowering his only daughter.

That thought gave me pause as I climbed the tree to her window later that night.

Did he have really good aim with that gun?

On moving targets?

Because I could run pretty fast.

"What're you doing out here?"

I looked up to find Bella at the window, looking like some Juliet in the moonlight as I climbed up to greet her. She giggled and helped me into her bedroom, kissing me as soon as my feet landed in the room.

"You said you'd leave the window open," I murmured against her lips.

She giggled again and pulled away, drawing me with her towards the bed.

"You can come through the door now, Edward. I think we're past sneaking into innocent girls' bedrooms," she teased.

She pulled me down beside her and nestled into my shoulder, groaning slightly when her leg squeezed my own.

"Are you still sore?" I whispered, clenching my jaw at how that had come out.

I wasn't asking for permission to have sex, I was truly concerned that she was still sore.

She smiled up at me and nodded.

"I think I need to work out more," she said. "Or we need to stretch beforehand. And I don't think we have the patience for that."

I sat up and kicked my shoes off, looking down at her beautiful form as it lay there, happy and content as she watched me move.

"Roll over on your stomach?" I asked, rubbing my hands together briskly to warm them.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, only a little cautious.

"Something I should have done yesterday to make today easier," I replied and leaned down to kiss her pouting lips before motioning her to turn over.

She let out a sigh and did as I asked, laying on her stomach with her arms cradling her chin.

I ghosted over her body as it lay there, in just a tank top and some underwear. It was a testament to my will power that I didn't strip and take her.

She was incredibly distracting.

And aching.

"We should do this after every time," I explained and moved her tank top up her back so that she lay exposed to me.

She hummed when my warmed hands slowly moved down her back, kneading where I knew she was sore.

"Oh, wow," she moaned and let out a long breath. "Yeah, we can do this a lot."

She moaned again as I moved down, my hands enveloping her perky ass, kneading it and rolling my thumbs through the muscles that connected her ass to the backs of her thighs.

"I should take care of you, Bella," I whispered, watching as she tensed and then relaxed to my loving touch.

She sighed and shook her head slowly.

"You do already," she mumbled.

"I want to do more," I replied quietly and leaned down to kiss her softly on her cheek. "I want you to know I would do anything for you. Whatever you need, I'll give you. I want to always see you happy."

"Me too," she murmured and I could tell she was slipping into slumber.

I worked on her legs gently, a occasional soft groan or a contented sigh the only sound in the room.

When I was sure she was asleep, I stripped down to my boxers and drew up the covers, laying beside her, watching her sleep. She was peaceful in her sleep, no nightmares or talking encounters to speak of.

Which made me only a little sad.

I liked it when she talked.

But I liked the tender smile on her face more.

Bella was happy.

And that was everything.

~~oo~~

AN: *snort*... I reread this and realized how weird it was for Edward to say the word "sub" while referring to the mystery woman... I'm tired, leave me alone! It was funny! and a little creepy... *snicker*

More soon!

MWAH!

steph