Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, but we do have a few tattoos...and there might even be a Twilight one in the mix somewhere.

Removed - Chapter 10

(EPOV)

After making sure my chest isn't oozing and gently washing the reddened area, I re-tape the gauze over my fading tattoo. I can't believe it's almost completely gone. Not that I doubted Bella's skills, it's just been an odd process watching Victoria's name slowly fade from my skin. One more appointment and it'll be gone forever. One more appointment and I'll be able to ask Bella out on a date.

Finally!

As I'm walking back into the bedroom, I hear the buzz of my phone vibrating against my desk. I forgot it was set on silent while I was at the office earlier. Looking down and seeing Bella's name causes my heart to jump into my throat and then plummet to my feet.

B - Just checking on my favorite patient. ;) Making sure I wasn't too rough yesterday. How's the tatt?

E - Just finished cleaning it and it looks great. In a few more weeks you can be as rough as you want with me. ;)

B - I like the sound of that. A lot.

E - Me, too. So fucking much.

Since my last appointment with Bella, we've been texting each other like crazy. Occasionally, we'll speak on the phone but we go from innocent to horny pretty damned fast, so we stick with texting. It seems to be the only way we can communicate without crossing too many doctor/patient lines. Plus, it's fun. I can't hold back the smile that her special text tone brings when she wakes me up with a 'good morning' message. I also look forward to her snarky responses when I send her corny jokes and gifs while we're both working. My favorite, though, is when we text at night. It's not all sexual foreplay; we're learning about each other—our histories, our likes and dislikes, quirks and similarities—before we get physical. It's not standard procedure for most people but it's the best we can do at the moment, and I love every minute of it.

Two weeks later, as I walk inside the stadium of my alma mater, I'm shocked to see Bella, standing with the rest of my friends, waiting on me. Well, I guess they're our friends now. I'm not really surprised Jasper or Emmett didn't mention that Bella would be at the game—they don't know that she and I have been getting to know each other outside her office, but I am confused as to why Bella didn't mention it. Not that I'm complaining. Our gang never misses a UDub homecoming game; the only thing that changes from year to year is whether or not I have a date. Having Bella here will make this the best homecoming I've been to in a long time.

After handshakes, cheek kisses and back slaps are shared among the group, we start walking toward our reserved seats. I nonchalantly lean over to Bella and whisper, "Hey, stranger. I didn't know you'd be here."

"Well, I kept waiting for you to ask, but I finally had to accept Alice's invitation instead."

I see her try to hide a smile, but that doesn't keep me from jerking my body to a stop and gaping at her. When she notices that I'm not walking next to her, she turns and jogs back to me, laughing.

"Bella, I didn't invite you because we agreed to wait until I'm no longer your patient!"

She links her arm with mine and starts walking me back to our seats. "Relax, Edward, I'm messing with you. I have season tickets, too. When Alice mentioned you'd all be at the game today, I offered my tickets to my brother so I could sit with you this time. I hope that's okay."

I cover her hand with my own and give it a little squeeze. "It's more than okay. I was dreading being the fifth wheel yet again, but now that you're here, I know it'll be a great game."

I chuckle at her when she ducks her head and looks away, trying to hide her blush. "I am worried about one thing, though," I say, seriously.

Concerned eyes meet mine and I smile at her. "I'm worried that I won't be able to keep my hands off you. You do remember our cab ride, don't you? I'm not sure we can be trusted in public."

Her cheeks flush even more; she moistens her full lips with her tongue as she watches my mouth. I know she's thinking back to our incredible kiss from a couple of months ago and it takes every ounce of my strength not to kiss her like that again.

I'm not sure how long we stand there staring at each other, wrapped up in our should-we-or-should-we-not-kiss trance but, ultimately, it's Jasper who breaks our spell.

"Hey!" he yells at us from the stands. "Are you two gonna sit with us or have a staring contest over there for the next three hours?"

Bella is the first to break eye contact and give Jasper a wave, letting him know we heard him loud and clear.

She looks back at me and I can see the mischievousness dancing in her eyes. "Come on, friend. Let's see who breaks the no-touching rule first."

"Are you suggesting we make a bet, Dr. Swan?"

"I'm game, if you are, Mr. Cullen."

"What kind of stakes are we talking about?" I ask. I'm very intrigued by this idea, but I'm not an idiot, I know this woman's going to torture me, even if she doesn't mean to.

I watch as Bella pretends to be thinking of rules and penalties for our impending wager.

"No touching. I mean—at all. And, no telling our friends about the bet."

"Okay. So, what happens when you lose?"

"Ha! When you lose, you'll have to stand in front of the Dawg Pack and cheer for the opposing team!" She's so fucking cute that I almost want to let her win, but I'm a competitive guy and cheering for the enemy in front of UDub's rowdiest student section does not sound like a good time.

"You're on! I hope you have some pom poms in that bag of yours, because you're going to need them!" I playfully taunt her.

Bella steps closer to me—so close she'd lose the bet right now if it had officially started.

"For your information, my pom poms are with my uniform on the top shelf in my closet."

My mouth is instantly dry but, somehow, I manage to croak out "Y-y-you were a cheerleader?"

"For two years. And, because I'm so nice, I'll even give you some pointers before you make your cheerleading debut tonight."

I sure as hell can't start thinking about Bella in a cheerleading outfit—I'll lose before we even begin—but once I make her mine, that'll be the first fantasy we act out.

The feel of her breath on my ear gets my attention but I'm even more shocked when I feel her hand grab my ass. I quirk my eyebrow at her and she laughs before declaring, "Now the bet can start!"

Oh, yeah. Game fucking on.

A/Ns:

Who doesn't love a good competition?! This should be interesting, to say the least! ;)

Last chapter for the week! Hope y'all have a great weekend! The response from this story has been amazing. Thank you SO so much for reading and for all of the awesome reviews you guys leave us!

As always, a big thanks to our rockstar beta, Mauigirl60!