All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.

not beta'd

storyline - Countdown

Word Prompt: Longing

I twisted to look at him, my heart doing flip flops in my chest.

"Okay."

He smiled sleepily up at me, now tugging at my arm.

Running my fingers self consciously through my hair, I paused, and patted his hand. "Just… let me use the bathroom real quick."

I knew where it was; I'd gone the night before at some point. Edward's house wasn't big, but it was impeccable. It looked to me like he had some sort of housekeeping service; I'd never seen a guy that clean and neat. Shoot, I wasn't even that clean and neat.

And besides, it looked like he might have money. It was subtle, but… quite likely.

I stared at myself in the mirror as I washed my hands, wincing at the smudged mascara and bird's nest that was now my hair. I didn't have an emergency rubber band or anything; I never did things like this.

When I returned to the bedroom, Edward was sitting up.

"Are you…okay?"

A dull ache of longing squeezed through me. He was perfect, too perfect. I wondered what the catch was.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured him, slipping back beneath the covers. "This is a really comfortable bed, by the way."

"I know," he chuckled. "Makes it hard to get up." He scooted down so he was lying down again, stretched out beside me. He gazed intently at me, reaching out to trace his fingertips along my cheek.

It was a little awkward, seeing we really didn't know one another, yet it felt right. Had I gone home the night before, I would have been thinking about him nonstop. Already I felt my heart expanding, and I suspected there would be an empty place when I finally left Edward's presence.

I tangled my legs with his, and he drew me closer in response.

"This is so weird," he said, an almost incredulous look on his face. "I don't want you to go anywhere."

Shaky giddiness rushed through me.

"I don't want you to go anywhere, either," I admitted. It was nice to be able to say the things I felt as a result of Edward setting the tone this way. He was so blunt, so unabashed. I'd never met anyone like him. Well, except for Alice.

Which reminded me…

"I should text Alice," I said, dragging my gaze from his mouth. "Before she worries."

He nodded, hardly letting go as I stretched to retrieve my bag from the floor.

Alice texted back promptly, saying she was glad for me. I suspected she may have spent the night with Golden Boy, and didn't bother her with any more messages.

"Do you have to be anywhere today?" Edward asked.

"No," I said softly, cuddling closer.

He smiled and kissed me, gradually rolling me from my side to my back. "Good," he said after a minute.

"Tell me," I breathed, burying my fingers in his hair as he went down to my neck. "Why you were on the train that night…"

"Didn't feel like driving," he answered, his voice muffled by my skin.

"Oh," I gasped. I'd have continued the conversation, but his lips and tongue felt so good it was hard to make words.

He finally returned to my mouth, and I was relieved. The connection I felt to him was alarmingly intense; I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so attracted to someone. I wouldn't sleep with him, not yet, but it would be so difficult to resist if he tried to go further. I'd have a hard time denying him.

Because I was falling fast for this guy, and I didn't even know his last name.